Hollie B's Happy Little Blog

Where are we now?

2010-03-23T18:44:00.001-07:00

Well, when last I wrote, I believe that we were in Austin doing season four of Friday Night Lights for NBC. Currently, we are in Dallas, filming season one of a new FOX series starring Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks. It has undergone several working titles...Jack and Dan...Code 58...Good Guys. We'll see how it airs. What we have heard, is that the first episode will air in May...just before American Idol and then future episodes will air just after American Idol. Keep your fingers crossed for future seasons. We just got a place in a fun neighborhood and I'd like to stay a while and enjoy it.

Photos from New Orleans

2009-08-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

Charlie just sent these photos from last summer in New Orleans.

We aren't much for drinking, but when in New Orleans Ryan likes a mint julep bigger than his head.

Hollie takes a break from the New Orleans heat and humidity to enjoy the breeze, the view and the aroma of flowers from the St. Charles streetcar.

A photo of Ryan with many of the OTHER New Orleans legends.

Gorgeous Ouray Colorado

2009-08-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

After spending five months in Oklahoma while Ryan worked on "The Killer Inside Me", we went to Dallas for a quick commercial and then rewarded ourselves with a month in Colorado! Ouray was our favorite spot. The temperatures down south have been as high at 106 degrees, but not in Ouray. Surrounded by the San Juan mountains and at about 8,000 feet, Ouray is a cool retreat from the searing Texas heat. Smack in the middle the Uncompagre National Forest, Ouray is a hikers, mountain bikers, four-wheelers, dirt bikers, jeepers delight. Tall gorgeous pine trees keep the trails shaded, the views of the peaks (as high as 14,000 feet) are to die for. We'll be back next summer for sure. Ryan works on two seasons of FNL back to back with a break in between in January (Grand Canyon Trip) and then it will pick up again in February and shoot until July. That's just in time for us to go back to Colorado and escape this ridiculous heat. I am posting some photos of Ouray, with our own personal photos to come as soon as I can get a new cord to download them.

Lovers Weekend in the Ouachita Mountains

2009-05-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful three day Memorial Day weekend in the Ouachita Mountains. It felt so good to get away from it all. We love the Fleetwood E-2!

The Killer Inside Me

2009-04-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

No...not me! We are on the set of the movie which is filming here in Oklahoma. Here is the imdb link to "The Killer Inside Me". More details and photos coming soon.

Link to Ryan's new on-line portfolio

2009-01-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

We're still working on Ryan's on-line film and television portfolio, but here is the link.

http://www.ryanbustfilm.blogspot.com/

A Dull but Overdue Post - Back in Austin for Friday Night Lights season 3

2008-10-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

I'm tired tonight, but here is the jist of what's going on with us.

After spending five months in New Orleans while Ryan did back to back movies there, we came back to Austin (late July) so that he could work on the third season of Friday Night Lights. Here we are in mid-october and the show will wrap up for the season around mid-December. We'll head off to Florida for a week or so and then up to Wisconsin to see my Mom and Stepdad. Then we'll be off to Louisiana again so that Ryan can do a film or two before FNL starts again for a fourth season (fingers crossed).

We bought a cool little camper called the Fleetwood Evolution E2. It's really adorable. It has a toy hauler on the front so that we can haul the bikes. A shower, potty, fridge, indoor stove, outdoor stove, hot water heater, air conditioner, furnace, everything is included in this thing. It's built to go off-road. Fun! We are looking forward to hauling it all over the country to see the sites in our off time. We'll also use it sometimes when we work on location. We might be doing a film in Traverse County Michigan in the summer and it would be really great to have there. We sure could have used this while filming in Marfa!

Keeping it short and boring for now. But that's the news from here, folks!

Photos from West Feliciana and Pointe Coupee Parishes

2008-07-26T18:12:00.001-07:00

Ahhhh...sweet green Louisiana on the banks of the Mississippi in the Springtime. I can smell the sweet olive and the lemon blossoms just thinking about it! How we love it!!!! Here are some photos I took with my cell phone while we were in West Feliciana (St. Francisville) and Pointe Coupee (New Roads) Parishes in Louisiana. Many of them were taken at our friend Chris's house.

We moved to the Gorgeous Garden District in wonderful New Orleans!

2008-07-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since we've posted anything. The last time we posted, we were waiting for a start date on "The Tree of Life". We opted not to wait any longer for a start date on that and opted instead for New Orleans!!! The writer's strike was hell for those of us non-writers who work in the business. It cost us over $30,000! However, the strike did end and all in all it was a pretty good year. "There Will be Blood" was nominated for several Oscars, including one for Production Design. It won at least one, Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, the other(s) I can't remember. I guess I should, huh. Anyway,that was exciting. Everybody who works in this business dreams of being part of that and Ryan has now, so yay! Then, we chose to move to wonderful, gorgeous New Orleans which was a fabulous move! We are hooked!!!! As usual, we are very, very happy and very much in love with one another and with our lives. We feel very lucky.

Last year, we fell in love with New Orleans and Louisiana in general, when we went there to worked on the pilot episode of K-Ville for FOX. After the pilot, we went to this beautiful little town called St. Francisville in West Feliciana Parish so that Ryan could work on a Horror movie (yikes!). After that, we returned to Austin for the second season of Friday Night Lights. We couldn't wait to get back to NOLA. In March we moved there and got the prettiest little apartment in a historic building in the Garden District. It would be difficult to describe the natural beauty, architecture and culture of this wonderful city. Most of the press is dedicated to New Orleans problems, but believe me, there is still so much to see, do and hear (Jazz) in this wonderful city! What a wonderful mixture of cultures has influenced New Orleans food, music, architecture and way of life. It really feels like home to us. We almost wonder if we lived there together in a past life. Anyway, Ryan has done two movies in New Orleans in the last three months. One is about Chess Records, the record company founded by Leonard and Phil Chess which became one of the major blues labels of the 50's and 60's. Artists who were recorded and produced on the Chess Records label include Muddy Waters, Chuck Barry, Bo Diddley and Willie Dixon, among others. The other one is a Lifetime movie, starring Harry Connick Jr. and produced by Renee Zellweger. It's called "Living Proof", at least that is the working title and it was created to bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer, specifically, the work of one Dr. Salamon. I guess that's spelled right.

At the moment, we are in Austin, working on Season 3 of Friday Night Lights. After that, we may take a trip up to Traverse City, Michigan to work on a kid's movie based on "The Great Escape", which I have never seen. For the most part, however, we plan to work in New Orleans and Louisiana in general. The State of Louisiana has been very aggressive in attracting film productions and according to our union local, IATSE 478, we are expecting 40 more already. Texas just has not been competitive. So they are losing many of their very qualified film professionals to the states that are!

I am adding a few pictures of our little place in the Garden District. It's small, about 800 square feet and shotgun style. But it is really beautiful and in the most gorgeous neighborhood where everything. I mean everything you need or want is within walking distance. The streets are tree lined and smell of plants and blossoms all the time. The houses are spectacular in their charm and beauty. I love the way that New Orleans has preserved those fabulous structures. I love living in a building that has so much history. I love New Orleans!

Weird Dream #1

2007-11-29T20:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I dreamed that I went to the doctor and he told me that my blood was 90% fat!

The laziest blogger ever!

2007-11-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

I am the laziest blogger ever! If I had any readership at all, I would apologize profusely for never writing anything.....remotely interesting. But I don't! I don't really know which is the cause and which is the effect. Do I have no readership because I never post anything....remotely interesting? Or do I never post because I have no readers? I dunno. But I do know that I like reading blogs much better than I like writing them. Strange because in person I never shut up!

I feel like I should update this blog a little now...because I told my non-readers that I would. So here goes.

Ryan and I spent the Spring in New Orleans where he worked on the pilot for K-Ville, a FOX network series. That got picked up for season one, but so did Friday Night Lights, which he worked on last season here in Austin. So we had a choice of which one to work on. But backing up a little, we finished the pilot for K-Ville and then we went to St. Francisville, LA to film a horror movie. What a CUTE little historic mainstreet town on the Mississippi that was! We fell in love with it's southern charm and wonderful people! We made such good friends with some of the locals there. Hello Chris...Heather...Bob E! Hello to the West Feliciana Parish Air Force! We rode the ferry across to New Roads and got stuffed fat on Two, Two and Two! That's two oysters orleans...two oysters bienville...and two oysters rockafeller! Mmmm, mmmmm....go to MaMama's if you ever go there. So after St. Francisville, we came back to Austin for the second season of Friday Night Lights. That was in June. So here we are in December. By the way...WE GOT MARRIED! Even though Tony Parker from the Spurs is an arch enemy to Ryan's favorite team...the Dallas Mavericks...we got married on 7/07/07 just like Tony and Eva. We heard is was good luck so we just went to a friend with the power to hook us up. So anyway, after Friday Night Lights ends...R. will probably work on something else briefly and then start a film here in Austin called "Tree of Life". It's set to star Sean Penn and Heath Ledger. That film will take us months into 2008 and if FNL gets a third season then we might go almost directly into that. If not, we will either stay here for what ever comes up, go back to LA, or go somewhere else entirely. We did buy a little condo here in downtown Austin so that we have a homebase that is pretty much self sufficient if we need to be away for an extended time.

So there it is people...or nobody. Sorry about the bad grammar and such. I just really do not care these days. I feel very liberated that I have come to a place where I truly do not care what anybody thinks. I'm a good girl and those who love me will let me come as I am! Ahhhhhhh yeah!

english bulldog puppies 41 days old part2

2007-01-21T20:57:00.000-08:00


These bulldog so adorable...I had to put them up. They aren't mine, I just like to watch them.

I want one!!! - Update...I got one!!!!

2007-01-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

Yeah!!! I got one of these and Ryan got a bigger one! But before I did...this is what I wrote about it.

Ryan and I are really trying to do our part to protect the environment and we also love to find ways to save money! So, we are thinking about selling my little car and getting me an eGo Cycle 2 lx and then eventually getting Ryan one too. Most days I stay within 2 miles of our house as I do errands, etc. Ryan can get to the production hub easily on one of these. Anyway, this little scooter is all electric. For 10 cents you can go 25 miles. For what you would spend on a gallon of gas you could go 700 miles. It's nearly silent and emission free! Most of all, it's so much fun!!! I'll get panniers and baskets to fit it. They even have a trailer that you can buy. I love it!

We're Engaged!!!! Double click the pictures for a bigger view

2006-12-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

Ryan has made me the happiest woman alive!!! While visiting family in Florida, he took me down to a deck overlooking the beach, led me to the edge and when I looked down I saw "Will You Marry Me" written in the sand! He dropped down on one knee, presented a ring that he knows I adored and asked me to marry him. I've been in love with him practically since the first moment I met him. He's so gentle and yet so strong. When we first met my heart pounded so wildly when he was near, I felt like a small, scared animal next to him. But he's so gentle and treats me just like a princess. I feel so safe with him. He protects me and takes care of me. He's so loving and such a romantic... I've never known anyone like him. He makes me laugh constantly. Fate intervened that day when we met on the train. I tried to fly or rent a car for my trip, he wondered why he was even going on his, but we met on that train and I am so grateful. I guess God really was listening to my prayers. After more than five years together our love just seems to grow more everyday. Just when I think it can't get any better...it does. I'm so excited...I can't wait to be his wife.

So, what have we been doing lately?

2006-12-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

Well, this summer we went to Marfa, Texas (and neighboring Alpine, Texas) so that Ryan could work on a movie with Daniel Day Lewis. The working title is "There will be Blood." I know, it sounds like a horror movie, but it is really based on an Upton Sinclair novel called "Oil!" Ryan worked his tail off 16 hours a day and I spent way too much time eating in restaurants and hanging around the room. I did go to the set a few times, which was fun. But, the days are long, long, long out there in the desert in June and July. I have pictures, which I will try to load soon.

Currently, Ryan is working for NBC on "Friday Night Lights" here in Austin. It looks like they will get a second season, which is great because it's a good gig that gets him home everynight and leaves him free most weekends.

We are going to Florida for Christmas. Gotta go see Tex and Betty, Ryan's grandparents. They are awesome people. My grandparents have died so I really appreciate the company of his.

Here are some pictures from the Marfa Set. More photos and descriptions to come!

Update: The good news is that we have some more incredible action photos from the set. The bad news is that I can't post them until after the movie has been out for a while cause they give some of the story away.

Ryan and Otis

2005-11-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, Ryan! The love of my life! And Otis! The dog of my life!

Hollie on the Porch

2005-08-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Cool Daddy

2005-08-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

The love of my life. My one and only for all time. I'm so thankful we met on that train.

He also knows how to make a really good pizza...or augment and enhance and existing pizza from a box.

Awesome Matt

2005-08-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

My Angel...Matt who saved me from my teenage angst, made me happy, gave me confidence and a reason to do something with my life. Matt's a cute and funny kid, which can lead to opportunities which distract him from his studies (luckily not as distracting as being a pregnant teenager like I was). But he's got a really good brain (his chemistry tutor has never seen anyone pick up the math so fast) and knack for business. He's been running this or that little business since he was little. Selling lemonade and used toys and books at first, then on to mowing the lawns of little old folks, then his own teenage painting business. Now he is studying business and doing very well. He had a little teenage angst of his own, but now he's really doing great. That kid's gonna be just fine!

Update - I sorta quit "doing something with my life" if that's what being an accountant is. But I got a great education and now I'm very fulfilled helping my husband with work and at home and having plenty of time to do the little extras for the rest of my family. I'll add volunteering next.

Oatis the Showdog

2005-08-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

I never knew I loved dogs until you came along! It would be difficult to list all the many ways that Otis is cool. He is an excellent frisbee dog. He's very obedient. He can play hide and seek really well...he has an amazing sniffer and is trained to find things. He's a good swimmer. Everybody that meets him loves him. He's practically the neighborhood mascot. He's super friendly...but just protective enough to keep anyone with bad ideas away from me. But mostly he's just a really cute buddy dog!

This is Austin

2005-08-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Let's take a moment to enjoy some beautiful pictures of downtown Austin and Sixth Street. Ooh, la la! C'est magnifique!

Soco and Hotel San Jose

2005-08-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

If you come to Austin to enjoy the nightlife, The Hotel San Jose is a neat place to stay. It's a old hotel that has been refurbished and has kind of a Tokyo meets Austin flavor. It's right on South Congress (SoCo District) where you can enjoy the live music scene, eat great food and shop the funky little shops. Although we live here we spent a couple of nights there just for fun. The next morning we had breakfast down on Congress Avenue and sat next to Kyan Douglas from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

If you look down Congress Avenue, you'll see downtown and the Texas State Capitol. Take Congress straight down to Sixth and enjoy the famous Sixth Street party scene!

The Beautiful Smokey Mountains

2005-08-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

We went to the Smokey Mountains in July. It was like paradise. So green and lush. So cool up in the mountains. We were in Transylvania county which has something like 250 identified waterfalls. It's so humid it's almost like a rainforest but just gorgeous with such a variety of plants. This picture is of sliding rock.

More things I love about the Smokeys!

2005-08-10T22:14:00.002-07:00

I love these tunnels through the Smokeys. I remember driving through them as a kid and I still feel a surge of excitement when we pass thru them.
I also love the green, green trees that come right up to the road in Hendersonville, N.C.

From the set

2005-08-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

Because Ryan works in film, I get an opportunity to go to the sets (and meet movie stars)!
Did you see "The Alamo" with Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid and Jason Patric? Well, that was filmed here in Austin. Here are some pictures of the set which is just outside of Austin on a ranch. It is a surreal experience being on it because it looks so real. All of these buildings will eventually (soon) crumble because they aren't permanent structures. It's funny to see Ryans work van in the middle of this old western town. I have lot's of neat pictures from this set.