Life with James and Hollie

2009-06-05T11:33:00.001-07:00

Spring Break in Zion National Park, Las Vegas and Red Rock Canyon in Nevada

2009-04-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Snow Creek

2009-03-18T14:32:00.001-07:00

Sarah's visit from WA

2009-02-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

Kiantis with Sarah, Cheri, Matt & Monica

Cooking with Chef James and sous-chef Hollie

2009-02-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

This chicken pot pie started out with carrots, leeks, 3 kids of potatoes, chard and mushrooms in the skillet

Flaky pie crust...

It turned out so YUMMY!!!

Burried Cherry Treasure for dessert...they got buried in choc sauce after this part.

Christmas with the families....

2009-01-01T19:12:00.001-08:00

Getting Settled Into Our Studio

2009-01-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't have been Christmas without our little tree! It fit on top of my dresser.

Our first dinner guest... Monica!

James built a shelf in this cupboard so we could fit more pots n pans in there!

Ahhh....what a mess!

More pics to come....

2008-12-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

2008-09-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

WEDDING MAP

2008-09-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the website with the map for our wedding:

Map of James & Hollie's Wedding in Capitola

just enter either of our names and it will bring you to our map!

(James Terrell/Hollie Wright)

The story of our engagement...

2008-07-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

James and I are engaged!
Here is the story of our engagement.... James told me ahead of time he had a special day planned for us on Saturday. James came over early that morning and made pancakes with berries for breakfast and then drove us up to Big Basin. We hiked the Skyline to the Sea trail, which is a beautiful 12 mile hike from the ranger station all the way to Waddell Beach, just north of Santa Cruz. I guess we got a later start than he had planned on, so we ended up speed walking the last half of it because he said we had to get to the beach by 1pm.

When we got to Waddell, my car was waiting for us there (THANKS Jeremiah and Jess!). There were even clothes for us to change into. James did a good job of discreetly picking out an outfit for me and sneaking the clothes out of my house the day before so they could be waiting in the car. Next he drove us to the Santa Cruz Harbor, where we met up with the captain who was taking us sailing! I love to sail! James had chartered a boat and captain for 2 hours for just us. The captain taught us a little bit about sailing and let us steer the boat a bit. Then we just sat at the front and enjoyed the sea life. James even brought wine and chocolates for us. We got to see the pelicans up close, which are Jame's favorite bird.

Sailing...

2008-07-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

Sailing...

2008-07-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

The Swing

2008-07-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

We went back to my house afterwards and James suggested going on a walk to settle his stomach before the next thing he had planned for us. We walked the loop that we usually walk at Mission Springs and walked up a trail that leads to a swing in a little clearing. When we got to the clearing, there were rose petals all over the ground under the swing, flowers wrapped around the tree branches and on the swing. It was so beautiful! He had me sit in the swing, and then he got down on one knee in front of me and began to propose!!!! I said yes!! Then he pulled out the ring that he had had custom made by a Santa Cruz Jeweler. It is gorgeous! It has a blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds.

The whole time at the swing was very special and perfect. After a little bit though, he said "we better get going, we're going to be late for our engagement party!" I was really excited about that part! Our engagement party was down the street at Peter and Jana's house. They are the couple who set us up, so it was even more meaningful.

The Proposal

2008-07-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

ENGAGEMENT PARTY!

2008-07-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

We had such an amazing engagement party! First we toasted with some champagne and had appetizers, tuna ceviche and tomatoes with mozarella and basil. For dinner we had salmon grilled on a cedar plank (cool!) and tri-tip and funny long beans, beet salad and a "hearty" green salad (among other amazing foods!). The party lasted long into the night and ended with 6 of us die hards watching "The Office." It meant so much to us to spend the evening with such dear friends to celebrate our next step!

Engagement photos...memories to last a lifetime!

2008-07-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

These were taken on Peter and Jana's back deck.

the RING

2008-07-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

BEAUTIFUL! it's a SAPPHIRE!

MARRIOT

2008-07-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

Video clips and a few last pics from the trip...

2008-07-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

CUY! This is a Peruvian favorite, grilled Guinea Pig. We didn't order one ourselves, but we met a girl in a restaurant who had, so I (Hollie) had a bite. That'll be the last bite of rodent I plan on ever having!

This is the 4th floor of our hostel, Albergue Churup, which was a dining room/living room with a fireplace, amazing views and mellow music....

Views from Albergue Churup

Here is the 360 degree view from the top of PISCO. Breathtaking huh?

This is a parade in Cusco at the beginning of their winter solstice celebration.

Along the trek to Machu Picchu little children from the villages came to meet us, hoping for some candy or treats. They were so adorable, and a little grabby sometimes!

There are llamas everywhere in Peru. These two were so cute and playful!

Summitting Pisco

2008-07-04T14:09:00.001-07:00

The ride down from the bus station to our camp in an 8 passenger van with 20 people in it was steep and windy, SCARY! The van stopped at this view point and the guide showed us which peak we would be climbing in the next couple days.
Here´s PISCO!
James and I camped here one night with our cook, Rosebell. In the morning our new guide, Julio, and 2 more climbers, Tomas and Marco from Germany, met up with us and we hiked 2 hours up to the base camp for Pisco.

I tried to pull out the study cards occasionally!
The closer we got to Pisco, the more intimidating it looked to me (Hollie)

Here´s base camp the night before the big climb. There was an Italian Refugio (hostel) there, and the thought of splurging for a room and a hot shower was tempting, but there just wouldn´t be the same sense of accomplishment if I didn´t make it the whole 7 days without a shower or a bed. Will Power!

We woke at 2 am and got our gear together and drank some hot tea, and then set out. We hiked 2 1/2 hours in the moraine, which James taught me is the name for the huge rocks and boulders that are deposited by a glacier. It was tricky in the dark and not knowing which rocks were secure and which ones would slip under your weight.
We welcomed the first light, which turned the mountains and the sky different shades.
Gorgeous!
When we finally reached the base of the snow we had a quick rest and got our gear on. The rest of the way would require cramp-ons, harnesses, rope and ice axes.

The side of the mountain that we were climbing to the peak on was not the same side that we approached the mountain on, so it wasn´t until we had been up in the snow for a while when we could see just how far or steep it was to the summit.
My face was really cold!

There were some pretty crazy crevasses, but no touching the void for us!
Lactic acid!!! About an hour into the snow, one of the German guys decided he couldn´t go any further, so he and 1 of our 2 guides turned back, and the remaining 4 of us roped together and carried on. I was a little nervous that I wouldn´t be able to make it to the summit, and now that we only had 1 guide with us, he said that we either all had to make it, or all turn back! Pressure!!

We were really fortunate to have such great weather, just the week before it was snowing on Pisco. It was still super cold though, and an occasional wind whipped snow in your face.

Incredible views!
Last stretch....This was one of the steepest stretches where our ice axes came in real handy. It was 4 hours from where we started on the snow to the summit.
At the summit of Pisco. Elevation: 5758 meters/ 18,892 feet! (we started at 15,000 ft that morning)

Us with our guide Julio.
A little rest before the long hike back.
James was still not feeling great, he´d had a bad stomach ache for a few days.
Almost back down to the moraine. A little glacial lake in the background.

We arrived back at base camp around 3 that afternoon and were exhausted! And of course, dinner was another dish of rice, pasta, potatoes and questionable meat (not the kind of celeratory meal I would have liked, and not the kind that James´ stomach could handle)

Summiting Pisco was a pretty big accomplishment for me. Definitely one of the best parts of our whole trip for me.

The next morning was typical Peruvian experience though. We were told that we´d hike down 2 hours to the road to meet the van at 10 am, then a 2 hour ride back to Huaraz, the town we were staying in. But of course, once we get to the road, they tell us, oh, the van is now coming at 12. So we play cards and nap on the donkey poop trail, until the van finally arrived at 2!!! By then one of our guides had started to walk down the road to the next town to call for a ride for us, so then we are looking for him as we drive for almost the whole first hour, finally find him, and the ride is still another 2 1/2 bumpy hours. By the time we got to Huaraz we were just wiped out. Then James lost his ATM card to top it all off. We were staying in our nicest hostel so far though, so it was a treat to get back and have really hot showers and an incredible living room with a fireplace to relax in.

Santa Cruz Valley Trek

2008-07-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

The Santa Cruz Valley! This is one of the most popular treks in all of Peru, and for good reason. While we had enjoyed our trek through the Lares Valley, it was quite barren. We were hoping for something with more trees, flowers, and even more specatular views. We weren´t dissapointed!

We began trekking through the ¨Devil´s Canyon¨. The walls on each sides were very steep and high. We were in the shade even at mid-day.

There were waterfalls everwhere and a beautiful river that we hiked along all day. We walked past a number of lakes and several hours into the trek we could just make out the first snow covered peaks.

Resting at our first lunch spot.

We began our trek at around 3,100 meters (10,200 ft). Our first campsite was here at Llamacorral (12,340 ft). There was no corral and no llamas. There was, however, an abundance of donkeys and even more evidence of their being well fed. Unlike our Lares Trek, the price for this one included donkeys carrying our gear. So Hollie and I were able to hike with just food, water, camera, and clothes. This proved to be very nice since on the 2nd day I became sick with a fever. I was able to keep going and even enjoy the experience, but I was very weak for the 2nd and 3rd days.
Here our group gathers around the sign at our first campsite. We were two Swiss, two Israelis, two Spainards, another American and the two of us. Overall it was a pretty fun group. The Spainards (right), Timmy and Begonia, were fantastic but unfortunately spoke just slightly more English than we did Spanish. Timmy brought along an extensive medical kit and gave me something to reduce my fever. If you look closely you can see Timmy´s propensity to use words other that ¨cheese¨during the taking of a photograph. His favorite was Alll...paaa...mayyyy...oooo.
In the evenings we gathered around for dinner in a tight cozy tent. Dinner always began with ´soupa.´ This picutre was taken just before Jenn (the other American - wearing green) spilled her entire bowl of soup much to the delight of our eager canine friend.

Here Hollie takes advantage of a short break to study for her NCLEX.
I relax and try to recover my energy before our next push.

Alpamayo (not pictured because of the clouds that day) was voted the world´s most beautiful mountain in 1966 during a photo expose in Munich. Undetered by the 42 years that have passed since, Peruvians still boast this claim to fame as often as possible. Here we are at the glacial lake just below Alpamayo. The tourquoise water and terminal ends of the glaciers were still quite beautiful, but we would have to wait 4 more days to get a glimpse at the esteemed mountian when we summited Pisco, one valley away.

In the next several pictures we are approaching Punta Union, the highest pass on our trek. The pass was 4,750 meters (15,585 ft). By the time we reached the pass at lunchtime on our 3rd day, I was just beginning to feel better.

Here we are hiking down the valley on the other side of Punta Union. It has been a beautiful trek so far and Hollie and I are looking forward to climbing Pisco.
The trek did go fantastically well until the very end. The last day we rose early to hike to the bus station by 10am when the bus was to arrive. We arrived at 9:30 - time to spare. Unfortunately way too much time to spare. ¨Miguel, when is the bus arriving?¨ ¨The bus will arrive in 30 minutes, I think...yes, 30 minutes.¨ We soon found out that 30 minutes does not actually mean the time it appears to specify. All it means is ¨not now.¨ So after 8 or 10 ¨30 minutes¨ our bus finally arrived at 12:40. Here Hollie is picutured killing time with her new cute friend, Wilbur.
Jen, Hollie, and I at the bus station at the end of our trek.
Finally our bus arrived. Actually called a ¨collectivo,¨I was worried that this one wasn´t for us. It was already carrying four passengers and our group had ten. However, Miguel proceeded to enthusiastically inform me that not only would our group be riding in this collectivo, but so would another group of six. Immediately, Hollie darted inside to secure two seats that were next to one another, faced forward, and did not include a small wooden stool. The 20 of us then endured an hour and a half over twisty mountain roads until Hollie and I were let off in the next valley below Pisco - which we were hoping to soon summit! The remaining 18 continued on to Huaraz for another three hours.

Trek to Colca Canyon

2008-06-23T17:51:00.001-07:00

Between Cusco and Machu Picchu and Huaraz and the high peaks, Hollie and I had a week or so to explore and be adventurous. We originally considered going to the rainforest, but prices were a little high and we still didn´t have our yellow fever vaccination. So we decided to head to Arequipa and seek our fortunes there. As soon as we arrived, there were signs (and Peruvians jumping out of tour agencies) lauding the vast and varied attributes and acolades of the Colca Canyon. ´World´s second deepest canyon!´ ´See Andean Condors!´ ´Must do for every traveler!´ So without much hesitation, we began visiting tour companies to check out prices and trips. The first company we went to was recommended in The Lonely Planet and looked pretty good - pretty expensive as well. In the end we went with the fourth company we investigated for less that 1/4 the price of the original.

The bus ride was 5 hours long and I was getting pretty car sick, but I just told myself that it would all be worth it. As soon as we began hiking we realized all the pictures we had been shown were taken on clear days during the rainy season. It wasn´t technically a desert, but it was very deserty. Incredibly dusty with mostly cactus and a few other shrubs growning. Not exactly what we were hoping for, but we were determined to make the best out of it.

Our first night we stayed in a family run hostel on the other side of the canyon. What was impressive about it was that there are no roads and only long, steep, dusty trails to the small village. What was unimpressive was everything else - particularly the food. Hollie and I have been enjoying some fine Peruvian food, even at the budget level. Unfortunately the quality of food on this trek was noticably below anything we had experienced before - mostly rice, potatos, and mystery sauce.

The next day we rose early and hiked to the Oasis. This was really a beautiful spot. You can see it below; near the bottom of the canyon with waterfalls feeding the swimming pools. We finally began to really enjoy our time in the canyon. Above is a picture of us with our group. Nice enough, except that they were from Spain. Unfortunately our guide talked to them mostly in Spanish and gave us the cliff notes in English.

One of my favorite moments of the trek was Hollie´s encounter with an Alpaca. As we got ready to leave the Oasis, Hollie decided to make friends with an innocent looking alpaca. As she approached with soothing calls of ´nice alpaca´ ´nice alpaca,´ all of a sudden the alpaca spit at her!

´How rude!´ thought Hollie...and spit right back!

On our last morning we drove to the ´Cruz del Condor´(Condor Cross) in hopes of catching a close up glimpse of that largest of Andean carrion birds. The cross was positioned on a spectacular point beyond which the canyon dropped near vertically for over 3,000 ft. We were the first group to arrive (7:30am), so there were just a few of us standing there shivering in the early morning sun. After 15 minutes of gazing into the canyon (and still shivering) we spotted our first condor. It was still quite a distance away but looked magnificent. Just 5 minutes later and several more appeared. They gave us a great show, flying within 30 ft or so. My picutes aren´t the best, but below you can see those that were most in focus.

In the end we have decided to remember our trek to the Colca Canyon with fond memories. One more day in Arequipa - White Water Rafting - and then off to the Cordillera Blanca.

Our last day in Cusco

2008-06-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

Cristo Blanco overlooks the entire city of Cusco. Hollie and I decided to take a taxi up to check him out and the surrounding ruins. Afterward we walked back down to the city.
This picture is proof that we are always leaving room for the Holy Spirit between us!

Hanging out at the local ruins, Saqsaywamán (pronounced ´sexy woman´).
Back at our favorite restaraunt, Inka Fe.

Machu Picchu

2008-06-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

When we signed up for our trek to Machu Picchu, we were told that we had the option to hike up to Machu Picchu with our guide early enough in the morning to be the first ones there instead of taking the bus up the mountain, but the night before we were to go, our guide said he wouldn´t hike up with us! We were really frustrated, so a group of us decided to hike up on our own with a pathetic map that our guide drew for us and our torches (headlamps). So we were up at 3:30 am, navigating our way through the dark jungle up a steep mountain side.

This is the mountain side we hiked up, starting from the town we stayed overnight in, Aguas Calientes, which you can´t see in this picture, its a bit to the left in the valley.
We found our way there without too many problems in about 1 1/2 hours. We were indeed the very first ones in line to be admitted at 6 am when the gates opened. It was magical getting there and seeing it without any people inside. We took roughly one million pictures of it in the first hour.

Our guide gave us an hour long tour of the ruins, but we could hardly understand his English, so we didn´t catch much of what he said. We did understand that he was trying to tell us what animals different stones supposedly looked like, but it was really a stretch to see some of them. Some people think Machu Picchu was an Inka University, but that is up for debate. We might have to read a book later to understand more of the history of Machu Picchu since we didn´t get much of it from the tour.

We hiked up Waynu Picchu, which is the dramatic mountain top that you see in our first pictures of Machu Picchu on the other side of the ruins. It is a very steep hike on narrow stone steps. The view from the top is incredible, especially of the surrounding mountains. The pictures from up top were not quite as good though.

The weather was bipolar while we were there. It was clear early in the morning, then rained for a while, then a thick mist settled in over all the mountains for a while. Then later it cleared up and was super hot and sunny!

We felt just like this llama at the end of the day. After 3 days of trekking at insane altitudes and then an early morning hike up the mountain, and then our afternoon hike up Waynu Picchu, we were completely wiped out. We both slept for 12 hours that night.

We spent the next day in Aguas Calientes just relaxing, eating good food and writing postcards.

That evening we took the slowest train ever back to Cusco. Cusco and our little hostel in San Blas almost feel like home, it was nice to return.

Our next stop is Arequipa, where the world´s deepest canyons are, as well as snow covered volcanos!

Lares Valley Trek

2008-06-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hollie and I booked our trek to Machu Picchu a little too late and missed out on hundreds of people walking in a line and overcrowded campsites along the Inca Trail. So instead we went on the slightly easier hike through the Lares Valley.

Most of the trek was hiking between 3,500 meters and 4,400 meters (11,500 ft and 14,000 ft). As you can see, it was mostly high, arid Andean Mountains. There were many lakes and rivers that dotted the valleys.

Our group was pretty fun. Most signed up for this trek because it was supposed to be easier than the Inca Trail. There were 11 of us and we were the only 2 who didn´t hire a porter to carry their things. We stood out a bit with our large backpacks amidst 9 others with small day packs. It was fine though and by the end we were all good friends.

The above is a picture of our lunch stop on the first day. Although there are blue skies here, most of the trek was overcast. As you can see it was pretty cold most of the time. I guess thats the way it goes hiking around 13,000 ft a week before winter solstice. Below is our first campsite. When we arrive we were completely socked in by clouds. As we sorted our things and the sun began to set, the clouds parted... and lo and behold there was mountain (spanish name that I forgot) rising to over 6,400 meters (over 19,000 feet) peering down on us. It was spectacular and the pictures of the peak itself were great except the unavoidable telephone poles in the way.

The telephone poles and electricity went to a very small village that we visited the next morning. We were welcomed inside one of the homes. The two pictures above are both inside with the mother making yarn from wool and at least a dozen guinea pigs running around on the floor. While this house had electricity, most families that we visited later didn´t. The rural people here are all farmers and sheperds. Each family group grows potatoes and has both llamas and sheep. Families at lower elevations will grow grains like quinoa (keen-wa), and those at still lower, corn. Most of the families at these elevations speak only Quechuan and live just like the Inkas have for many centuries. Our guide generally referred to them as Inkas.

This little girl belonged to the first family we met. We thought she was very cute. In the last two pictures she is eating a banana. We brought gifts to give to the children such as bananas, oranges, candy, and school supplies. They live quite remotely and were very thankful (and a little snatchy) for the small things we brought them.

We encountered many other familes along the way. Often we would be hiking and all of a sudden someone would see two or three bright orange and red specks moving across the valley at a rapid pace. The specks would swerve or jump when they came to a boulder or stream. A few minutes later the specks had grown larger and we could just make out quickly moving legs and wildly flailingly arms. Seconds later a few children would be standing in front of us with enthusiastic faces and loud ¨Hola´s¨. Many were very photogenic. Above are a few of our favorite pictures.

Our group consisted of 4 Irish, 2 Swedes, 2 Canadian Italians, 1 Aussie, and the two of us. Here we are freezing in a cloud at a pass at 14,000 ft. Our guides (Caesar and Salvo) were very enthusiastic and usually fun to be around.

Each day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner we would gather in the (much warmer) mealtime tent. The food was pretty good (unfortunately no guinea pig) and always too much.

Overall the trek was great. One of our favorite parts about it was interaction with the Quechuan families and children. The day after these photos were taken we headed up to Machu Picchu.

Hanging out in Cusco

2008-06-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

Cusco has been an enjoyable city to spend time in. It seems there are parades almost every day. This morning we ate breakfast on a balcony overlooking the main square - Plaza de Armas, while hundreds of brightly clothed children marched and danced.

We are staying in an area called San Blas. It is the artisan and musican area of town. There are numerous galleries of local artists and handmade clothing. Almost every door in our neighborhood is painted bright blue.

Just down the street is a Coca cafe. Many Peruvians love coca leaves either for tea or just to chew. We had coca tea and small biscuits made with coca. I thought that I really liked it until our trek to Machu Picchu when the guides were constantly offering us more and more coca tea.

There are many Peruvians living as they always have in the rural areas around Cusco and farther into the mountains. There are also a few who have moved into the city but still wear their traditional clothes and make yarn from loose llama and alpaca wool. This was one such who let us take a picture with her.

On our last night before leaving to Trek to Machu Picchu Hollie and I decided to have a nice dinner. Inka Fe was the restaraunt of choice. I had alpaca steak with quinoa cheese risotto while Hollie ate alpaca steak with rice and french fries. It was fantastic. Peruvian restaruants are not known to be in a hurry, so we enjoyed the wait with a glass of sangria each. Bueno!

Biking in the Andes

2008-06-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

We got to Cusco yesterday morning at 7am, then slept for 5 hours, which we really needed. Cusco is a great town! We are staying in the San Blas area, which is the more artistic and muscial scene. All the streets are paved with cobblestone, there are scraggly dogs everywhere, and everyone wants to sell you something! (NO GRACIAS!!!)
Our first meal here was only 10 soles ($3.50) for a 3 course meal. We had ALPACA steak, it was pretty good. We also tried their pisco sour which James liked more than Hollie. (I don´t prefer egg whites in my drinks!)

This morning we met Erin and Pepe for breakfast at Yaku Mama in the main city square. We had delicious crepes and fresh fruit juice. Then we drove 1 1/2 hours with them and their interns to Urubamba where we got on mountain bikes and rode downhill for a couple hours toward the salt mines and the river. It was pretty intense downhill biking. (Dad- you would be proud!) The best part was when we got half way down and there was a man at a locked gate telling us that we had to pay to get past the gate (which Pepe said was never the case before), so we were going back and forth with this guy for at least 15 minutes about how we were not going to pay and he was insisting we must, until Erin decided to walk up to the gate and see if it was really locked, and it wasn´t, and when she opened the gate the guy gave up and let us through.

The bike ride was amazing, we were in the mountains outside of Cusco. Back in Cusco we had a nice dinner (no guinea pigs yet, we´re working up our courage) and a drink at an Irish Pub (the highest Irish Pub in the world, 10,738 feet) where we met some fellow Californians.
We leave for Machu Pichu on Friday, so we´ll write more when we return next week.
We´ll post pictures tomorrow when we are on a faster computer....

Leaving SFO

2008-06-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

Leaving SFO

LIMA!

2008-06-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

We just wanted to let everyone know we arrived in Lima safely today. Our flights went smoothly, we mostly slept. We got to Lima at 2:30 and decided to walk to our hostel (the website said "it´s within walking distance"). That probably wasn't the best idea! We ended up walking around for two hours, getting "directionnes" from everyone who thought they knew where the hostel was, but apparently didn´t! Finally we got a taxi driver who said he knew where to go, tried to charge us way too much, and then ended up pulling over and using a phone to call for directions to the hostel because he had no idea! The hostel had no sign outside or anything, but once we were inside we were relieved. The host of the hostel, Erik, is very enthusistic, showing us all his artwork and the DVD´s we can watch while we´re here, but mostly we are just looking forward to sleeping and getting up at 3 am to catch our flight to Cusco.

Once in Cusco we will meet up with Erin and Pepe, some friends of James´. We´ll keep you up to date when we can!