In the lead already...

Overlooking the red sand beach.



The 600 stairs with it's many torturous switchbacks.

The sailboat we rode.

Part of the active volcano.

Who knows how long...

I'll admit it, I was sad to leave England this time around and got all nostalgic our final days in Harrogate. I walked around town trying to capture fond memories and favorite scenes in a little under 50 photographs. We said goodbye to Harrogate for who knows how long... years and years I'm sure. Harrogate will always have a special place in our hearts; Brandon and I spent a total of 9 months of the first 3.5 years of our marriage living in that town. I've picked some of my favorite photos to share with you. Enjoy.

Soon to come, our time in Greece.

The train station that we RAN to a few too many times.



In England efficiency isn't necessarily taken into consideration.

When will we see Smart cars on the 405 freeway?

Best fish and chips in my life...

One of the main streets.

The Royal Pump Room Museum.

The stray, 200 acres of land that exists for picnics, local football matches, etc.

The Turkish baths.

Lastly, our place of residence. We were in Flat 7, rockin out on the 3rd floor.

My birthday...

The fun started with lunch at Betty's (famous for their tea) with my friend Laura and a surprise guest, Brandon. He took time off work to join us at the restaurant.


Then, Laura and I got manicures... nothing like a little pampering on your birthday. :)




Afterwards, I came home to these beautiful flowers from Brandon.


That night we had dinner plans with another couple that live out here, Jack and Patty. So I celebrated the remainder of my evening over at their place. It was fun; I enjoyed their company. But it doesn't end there... Brandon still wanted to take me out for a special dinner just the two of us. So Thursday night was celebration dinner #2. We went to 'Chino Latino' in Leeds.

"It is a modern pan-asian cuisine with a latin cocktail bar. Chino Latino has forged the reputation as one of the 50 best restaurants in Europe. It has perfected the art of a sophisticated and cosmopolitan dining experience."

Here's us ready to go eat:


The food was amazing. One of my favorite dining experiences in... a long, long time. We ordered 4 dishes because they are smaller portions and meant to share among your table.

Asparagus and spinach in a sesame sauce
Seared marble beef with crispy garlic and yuzu vinaigrette
Black Cod tempura with citrus glaze
Tannki roll tuna- salmon and sea bass with avocado and spicy tarragon miso with tempura crunchy

This was the black cod tempura... yummy! I wish we had pictures of the other dishes though because they were even a more impressive presentation.


I also must mention all the love that was sent my way from friends and family back home. Thank you guys for making my day special. So there you have it. Who said getting another year older was so bad...? I love birthdays! :)

the weekend +

Recently the Riggs have been quite busy. We've had plans if not every day, then every other day... but we love it! I'll hit a few of the highlights. On Saturday we had taco night at our place. About 15 people (ranging from ages 23-60 ish) came over and chowed down on lots of yummy food courtesy of Bea. Our place is fairly small so it made for cozy conditions in flat 7 that night. But it worked out fine, and was a fun time. Sadly, we didn't take any pictures during the actual party, but you can see a few shots below of the next morning before the cleanup took place.



Only a portion of the food that night.


On Sunday, Brandon and I went on a hike in West Burton, a one hour drive from Harrogate. It was 3 hours long and moderate on the difficulty scale. Here's the link that talks more about it: http://www.walkingenglishman.com/dales21.htm
We saw the beautiful outdoors of England and several waterfalls.





Very typical Yorkshire Dales.


We even saw a black sheep.


Yesterday, I went to Leeds (30 minute drive from H-gate) with my friends Laura and Patrick to the Asian markets. A first for me; very fun. We decided to make Wonton Soup for the H-gate crew. We bought the goods and began slaving away in the kitchen. It was a long and tedious process, but boy oh boy were the results worth it. Thanks Patrick's mom for an amazing, authentic recipe! The soup was fabulous; I ate two bowls.

Me & Laura with our perfectly pinched Wontons before they were cooked.


Well, that's about it for now. Later.

Wales

Wales was so beautiful and a made for a wonderful weekend trip. I don't know why Brandon and I didn't go there sooner! Go here http://picasaweb.google.com/Lee10383 to see some fabulous pictures we took. I only posted one as a teaser. :)

We drove 3 hours to North Wales Saturday morning. We started out by going on the Snowdon Mountain Railway. http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/gallery.html A 30 minute train ride takes you 2000+ feet up the mountain for some incredible views. You stay at the top for 30 minutes and then head back down. It was great; I love trains. We then went to a cool waterfall nearby, and then headed back to our hotel to freshen up for dinner. Later that evening, we enjoyed free entertainment provided by our hotel. It was some Welshman, that I named Sam, singing and playing the guitar. He played a lot of Oldies. I was a big fan.

The next morning we went to the Caernarfon Castle and took a 45 minute tour learning all history and details of the place. FYI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caernarfon_Castle It was probably the best castle we've been to yet! After the castle, we drove to another little village and got some ice cream and walked around. By this time, it was getting late and we had to head home. First impressions: I think I embrace the Welsh and their home more than the English. Wish we had more time to go back and see more!

T H E . U P D A T E

9 days ago we safely arrived in Harrogate. The trip out here was very pleasant. The best yet.

Lots has been accomplished over the past week. The highlights being: curry night at Wetherspoons (a favorite spot in Harrogate), Thai food twice, we went to London for 2 days where we met up with a good friend Nate Ridderman, we walked along Abbey Road and have a great picture to show for it (see our Picasa web albums), attended a BBQ and watched American football with friends, I went to York for an afternoon with the ladies, I shopped at all my favorite stores in Harrogate, watched lots of episodes on DVD of some of our favorite tv shows (The Office, 24, and Friday Night Lights), ate ribs cooked by a vegetarian with a group of 6 engineers + me, played my very first game of darts in which the Rigg team came in second place (out of 3), tonight is game night, and a trip to Wales is planned for tomorrow and Sunday.

There you have. We've been busy.

Works been going well for Brandon, and play has been going great for Lisa.

I'll let you know how the Wales trip is next week; I've heard good things about the place. :)

The fitness ball.

About one week ago, Brandon and I were shopping at Target when we decided to buy a fitness ball on sale for $13. It was 29" in diameter and was supposedly unpopable. It was a purchase for Brandon. He wanted it to "strengthen his core" or whatever people do on those balls. Shortly after our return home, Brandon was being consumed by the computer, leaving me pretty bored. So I decided I wanted to play with his new ball. In my mind, it was much more of a toy than a piece of exercise equipment. I had him blow it up for me because I failed in my first two attempts. I started by just bouncing up and down on it... It was fairly entertaining.

Then Brandon asked for a turn. So I gave up the big, gray ball as I watched him do a series of 10-15 situps on it. Oooh, that looked kind of fun I thought to myself. He's good. "Can I try?"

Brandon willingly shared his new purchase. I plopped my butt on the ball, planted my feet securely on the ground, starting out in an upward position as I slowly leaned back. Here's 1... As I attempted to sit up, I realized that 29" was a little too big for my petite size. Instead of my abs pulling me back up, my feet came off the ground, the ball began rolling backwards taking my body with it. Within seconds... BAM! My head just barely missed the desk, but my legs weren't so fortunate. The momentum stopped. I lay there on my back, my neck all scrunched up, legs sprawled up in the air, and my right leg throbbing. Brandon was just staring at me speechless as this all happened. Both of us were frozen, not able to react fast enough. I eventually brought my legs down and was curled up in the fetal position. I shed a few tears before the hysterical laughing came. I couldn't stop. Brandon couldn't tell if I was laughing or crying because the sounds coming out of my mouth sounded like I was doing both at the same time. He went and got me ice as my ankle started swelling. It turned out to only be a minor injury although I was hobbling around all night and the next day.

That night while laying in bed trying to sleep, I kept replaying the incident in my mind and couldn't stop laughing. Meanwhile, my husband is not reacting in the slightest. Not even a chuckle. In the dead silence of the night, hysterical laughing spells kept coming out of me; it was uncontrollable for several minutes. Brandon finally rolled over and said out loud, "I know, I know... you fell off the ball." One last series of laughter came out of me before the sleep took over.

To this day, my leg is still a little tender above my right ankle...

Husband & Wife Dialogue

Conversation shortly after my return home from a friend's baby shower.

L: I have a headache.
B: Why?
L: I don't know why. I just do.
B: Maybe you're stressed.
L: No, I'm not stressed. I have nothing to be stressed out about. Why would I be stressed?
B: Maybe you're stressed because you knew when you came home I'd be on the computer reading... I don't know.
L: (Hmmm... interesting thought. I am amused and confused at the same time.)

Conclusion: I truly love being married. Brandon brings me so much joy and entertainment. :)

Haircuts.

Curly vs. Straight



Thanks Floyd's, our new haircut destination, we're enjoying your handiwork.

Self-addiction

I read something compelling today. Something that I need to be reminded of more often. I decided to share it with you. Maybe you need to be reminded of this truth as well.

The credit goes to Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz.

"The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: Life is a story about me.

God brought me to Graceland (the house of 5 guys Don lived with) to rid me of this deception, to scrub it out of the gray matter of my mind. It was a frustrating and painful experience.

I hear addicts talk about the shakes and panic attacks and the highs and lows of resisting their habit, and to some degree I understand them because I have had habits of my own, but no drug is so powerful as the drug of self. No rut in the mind is so deep as the one that says I am the world, the world belongs to me, all people are characters in my play. There is no addiction so powerful as self-addiction."

birthdays + gyms

H A P P Y . B I R T H D A Y . B R A N D O N ! ! !

Today is Brandon's 26th birthday. He is now over a quarter century old. I surprised him with cinnamon rolls this morning before work, not to mention he got to open his gifts. ( I like to spoil my birthday boy in every possible way I can think of! August 23rd is one of my favorite days of the year.) For lunch, his co-workers are taking him out to Leo's Mexican food. I'm joining them there. Come 6:45, I am picking B up from work and taking him to dinner in Venice... CA (I wish Italy.) The restaurant is called Chaya Venice and is supposedly amazing Mediterranean/Asian food. I found it in our Zagat Guide and am looking forward to trying it out! The description was, "The immortal cool Venice population gravitates to this chic spot for its modern blend of wonderfully prepared Japanese and Med offerings and excellent wine selection, served by a helpful staff in a beautiful high-ceilinged space." It got very good reviews; I'm sure it will be a winner.

After dinner, I'm not exactly sure what the plan is, but I have some options for B to choose from. There are some cool, chill places we can go in Venice or we can drive closer to home and hang out at the Hermosa pier scene. We'll see. Regardless, it will be a fun night. :)

On a different note...

Last Saturday, August 18th, Brandon and I found ourselves sitting in front of a man named Jason discussing the different options for becoming members of the "club." Prepaid or month to month, do you want to think about it or sign up now for the "point of sale" discount, both of you or just Brandon, personal trainer sessions included or not, do you want to go with the Sport version or the Active version, etc. 45 minutes later we walked away from Jason's desk official members of the 24 hour fitness gym. I know, wow, I, Lisa Rigg, joined a gym. I never thought that would occur in my entire lifetime! And depending on how well you know me, you never would have thought that would happen either. I'm still in shock. The truth is that I am blessed with good genes, and I certainly don't take them for granted. Instead, I use them to their fullest potential. It is a gift that I can eat as much as my 11" taller, 100 pound heavier husband without displaying any side effects. Thank goodnesss!

However, circumstances in my life have caused there to be a need to not only be thin, but to be strong, specifically my legs. As most of you know, I injured my knees about 2 years ago, and I'm still trying to let them heal. Part of my recovery process is physical therapy and 2 sessions a day of 11 exercises/stretches that I'm supposed to do at home. But seeing as how I am anti-exercise, it has been difficult to do my daily "homework." When it comes to working out, my motivation levels are loooooow. Well, to cut to the chase, going to the gym helps me accomplish my physical therapy work that I can't seem to do when I'm just sitting around at home. So we go to the gym 2-3 times a week and while Brandon works out, I do my stretches and exercises. My legs are definitely getting stronger and hopefully this will allow my knees to fully heal. I've done 8 of the 12 physical therapy sessions and will soon be on my way to hiking Mt Everest. Just kidding.

So there you have it. The big news of the year (at least in the Rigg household) is that we are not only gym members, but also gym attenders. Don't get me wrong, the gym is still my enemy, but is maybe, just maybe, slowly coming around to being my friend.

I'll leave you with this random quote that I read yesterday and felt like sharing with someone... "Dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory, or recognition. We live for what we believe."

Inovus Design

Well, the job search is over. After tons of research, lots of phone calls and emails, many interviews, and too much driving, I've decided on a firm.

I accepted a job offer about 2 weeks ago at an Interior Design firm called Inovus Design. It's located in Culver City which is about 13 miles north of us. It takes about 20-25 minutes to get there without traffic, but we'll see how long it takes during rush hour. I'm estimating 40-50 minutes. Depending on how torturous the commute is, a move might be in order.

Check out the website at: www.inovusdesign.com

I'll be starting October 22nd when Brandon and I return from England. Although it will be a big change from my current schedule, I know I can handle it. In fact, I'm kind of excited to start. In the meantime, I'm soaking up my final days of relaxation and freedom.

Just wanted to share my employment news with whoever might still read this blog. So now that I'm officially employed as a designer, no more of this free consultation stuff. I'll now be charging $200 an hour for my expertise knowledge and skills. Just kidding. :)

Later.

photos, school, + job

I now have 5 of the 6 albums up on our Picasa Web Albums
(http://picasaweb.google.com/Lee10383) from our Australia trip. And it took me forever to sort through and post all of it so make sure to check it out!

Also, as some of you might know, the reason I suddenly have so much free time to be able to some of these fun things I've been putting off is because...

I AM DONE WITH SCHOOL!
Okay, so no, I haven't graduated yet, but I am done with all my classes, and I've turned in all my work. So that's all that really matters. The only thing left to make me an "official" graduate is the graduation ceremony on July 14th.

But in the meantime, I am working on other things... like getting a job, for example. Yes, it's true, the job search has finally begun. Here's an honest assessment on that topic...

Frankly, I'm not so thrilled about it. Getting a full time job signifies a lof of things in my life: namely, that my college days are over. And the college days meant (besides finals week) a flexible schedule, nothing consistently consuming 40 hrs of my week, not having to get up at 6 or 7 or 8 am, having time to do things like cleaning the house/errands/laundry, and dare I mention laying out at the pool during the day. Basically, I feel like the freedom that I have so thoroughly enjoyed over the several years is soon coming to an end. Furthermore, I feel like a job truly marks the beginning of Lisa finally facing the "real world." Yes, I've already done that in many ways, but this is the last straw. Ugh.

On the other hand, the idea of practicing what I've been learning in school for the last 5 years is fairly exciting. The thought of my creativity and designs no longer just landing on a piece of paper, but actually being implemented into the city around me is really quite amazing. I could get into that. Interior design is one of my loves in life so I guess I should count myself fortunate to be entering into a profession that I'm passionate about. Not to mention, the paycheck aspect of a full time job is especially rewarding! And perhaps a job will create a more extensive network in LA and allow me to meet some new friends.

So anyway, I thought I'd share my feelings on the end of one phase and the beginning of another in my life. There's things I'm looking forward to and things I could do without. But I guess that's life, huh.

Right now I have about 20 potential Interior Design and Architecture firms that I'm interested in. They are all within a 15 mile radius from our apartment in attempt to avoid the LA traffic and the 1 hour commute. In the next few weeks ahead, I will be contacting some of these firms, setting up interviews, and making some big decisions. Yikes! It's a crazy time in my life. I'll let you know how things are developing in the near future.

Until then, thanks for reading.