The American Dream

In August 2013 my husband left his beloved job in England, where he worked as Head of Events and Commercial Development at Sheffield Hallam University, to join me in Columbus, OH as I complete my 4 years of veterinary medicine.  We were told by everyone that the connections we had in America combined with the skills Nick had, would be enough for us to make a good life here.  A year full of countless job applications and just as many rejections, and instead of working at an executive level, Nick spends his time running the family restaurant.  We can’t afford our bills, so we live off our savings and the profit we made from selling our first home.  Now, everyday I am saddled with guilt because I destroyed the career of the most important person in the world to me, my husband, just so I could pursue my own dream of being a vet.  How fucking selfish.  So many promises were made, and so many promises were broken.  My world view on everything shifted. 

My parents, who swore by their connections, were unable to set up a single interview for him.  My perceptions of them altered irrevocability.

I prayed before I asked Nick to move to the US.  I prayed a lot.  I cried a lot.  I asked God if this was the right thing for our small family.  I missed him so much as I was studying in the US for a year before he got his visa.  I could have sworn I heard God say, “Yes.”

I no longer believe in God.

Nick is the smartest person I know.  He is not the strongest, or the kindest, or the funniest.  I am not the kind of woman to brag about my husband, but he is really very fucking smart.  But for some reason, the recruiters don’t see this on his resume.  We think it’s because his credentials are British.  Our theory is his Bachelors degree only took him two years so even though he graduated with honors, Americans only see that his degree took two years instead of 4, and think he isn’t qualified.  Americans have never heard of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, one of the top drama schools in the world, where my husband went on multi country tours to improve their programs, nor have they heard of Sheffield Hallam University, one of the largest universities in the UK – so they assume it is small and insignificant.

If I could have one wish it would be for the American Dream to be real for us.  My husband deserves a chance.  Someone, please give this man a chance.  I want someone to look at his resume, really look at it, and then tell me he isn’t qualified for the jobs he’s applying to.    

I truly believed we would move to the US and be happy here.  Everyone told us the US was better than England.  Asking my husband to move to the US is the single biggest regret of my lifetime. 

And so it begins...

Hello Blog world,

I just wanted to stop in and tell you that I am back in the USA and I officially read and signed the veterinarian's oath on Friday.  Can you believe that?  It was a crazy week full of awful orientation ice breakers (not my scene) and meeting pretty cool new people.

I will probably post even less soon than ever before since apparently my life is going to be all consumed with studying and such, but I wanted to say thank you to the people who have been reading this and leaving comments through the past 3 years.  This blog has provided me with an outlet and a lot of support through some extraordinarily difficult times, including adjusting to England, a long stint of unemployment and funnily enough, moving back to the USA.  Please know that your kind words and encouragement were very much appreciated when I was down in the dumps.

Getting into vet school is hugely liberating and I am really really looking forward to starting it.  Please remind me of this when I am bitching about how hard it is.  Please also remind me that following your dreams is always worth it, because as happy as I am to start school, these two being 3,846 miles away sucks big time.

(this was taken on our 3 year anniversary)

Every time I start getting choked up Nick likes to remind me that 3 years ago I was curled up in the corner of a room sobbing about how much I wanted to be back in the states.  Funny how life is isn't it?

It's a Kind of Magic: Loxley

It's less than two weeks until I leave this place I've called home for the past 3 years.  Truth be told living in Loxley has been everything from awful to magical.  I'm not sure how I will come to remember this time in my life when I tell my grandkids about it in 50 years... but I guess I'll probably describe it as magical to them.  The way most people do... we seem to forget all the drama and create a rose tinted view of the world.  And thats how I want to remember it anyways...


So I made this little video of some of the magical bits of this place.  It's full of little details that mean nothing to you but everything to me, but I thought you might want to see it anyways.  





PS. I would like to note, less I look back at this video in 50 years to show my unborn children's unborn children... that I took some artistic liberties with the filming of it and only went outside on sunny days... of which there are very few around this part of the world.  ;)

One Way

After days and weeks and months of putting it off, today we finally purchased me a one way ticket home.  Not many people ever buy a one way ticket in their life, and I feel like today I joined this little group of one way ticket holders for the second time in my life.

The reasons people in our little one way ticket holder posse purchase a one way ticket will vary - maybe for money and opportunity, love or adventure.  If we're lucky all of the above.  With the risk of stating the obvious, there is an overwhelming feeling that when you purchase this ticket, that your life is inevitably about to change.

I think that is why we put it off for so long.  As excited as I am to start veterinary school in August - part of me is so scared and when I looked at Nick in the office of the travel agent it was all I could do to keep from breaking down.  

In a couple weeks we will have our three year anniversary, and somewhere during these past three years its become harder to picture life without him.  I know I am leaving England to pursue a dream, an American dream even.  And we know the American dream is one of the best and most powerful dreams a person can have - and I believe in the American dream for me.  I believe that if I work hard enough I can be whatever I want to be, and you know what, it's happening.  I worked damn hard to get into vet school and now I am on the verge of beginning this next chapter...

 but I'm also leaving my husband.... for 5 months - during which time he is unable to come to America due to absolutely ridiculous government legalities involving his visa process.  And this is the real bullshit.  Because Americans should be able to fall in love with whoever they want.  And part of falling in love and being in love is getting to touch your partner, and feel their stubble and bury your face into that spot on their neck where they smell like cool water and sweat.

I believe it is my American right to be able to spend time with my husband - whether or not he is in the middle of applying for a visa. 

Anyways, today I bought my one way ticket.  And thus begins the process.  Time together now will be veiled in a countdown, how many days do we have left before we part and begin the arduous 5 months apart?  

A one way ticket will change your life.

May Kaidee's Vegetarian Cooking School Bangkok

What vacation is complete without indulging in a bit of gluttony?  Absolutely none if you ask me!  And that is exactly what we got at May Kaidee's Thai Vegetarian Cooking School.  We learned how to make 14 delicious vegetarian thai dishes and this was honestly a highlight of our trip.  

May Kaidee is a charming personality and a good enough teacher to make you feel half like she thinks you're an old friend and half like she thinks you're an absolute idiot without being offensive at all... 

To be fair I've never cooked with lots of the Thai ingredients before so it was fair enough if she thought I was a bit daft.

She educated us pretty quick though by stopping at a spring roll factory (which was basically one woman with a hot pan and some dough) and then a little market shopping for galangal, lemon grass, and kaffir limes.

The group consisted of a couple international teachers (Canadian and American) and a UN worker.  

Pretty interesting group of people.

All cooking was done in a basic open air kitchen... 

And they have everything sliced and diced already so it was pretty easy.

This was Tom Kha Soup I think.. whatever it was it was unbelievably delicious.... 

We were pretty sweaty since we were cooking over an open flame in 90 degree heat.... 

Somehow the Thai ladies don't seem to have a problem with this.

I felt like such a huge sweaty beast compared to them the whole trip.

Also good to note: Apparently Thai herbs give you a "pleasing body odor."

Nom nom.

This is Som Tom aka green papaya salad and was one of my fave Thai dishes... 

May Kaidee apparently liked dancing, which was cool with me because I love dancing. 

So she showed us some of her moves...

You know, as people usually do after eating 14 dishes.

And even Nick joined in!!

I would put this on the must do list for any epicurean travelling to Bangkok.

Delicious and fun! Yay!

ps.  Delicious in thai is "Aroy" - definitely my favorite Thai word.

pss. I only learned like 3 Thai words.

The Grand Palace : Bangkok

Hellllllllllllo Blogosphere!

Isn't it ironic that the busier I get the less action Kelly Leigh Get's Busy gets?  I think so.  But what can I say - I am super busy right now.  So busy in fact, that half of you probably don't even know that we just got back from Thaliand!!!

I had been wanting to go there for like 5 years so it was really a dream come true.  It was everything I could have asked for in a honeymoon that was 3 years in the making.  Ha!  

I really don't know where to start - I took 1,074 photos... and sorting through them feels a little mammoth task right now, but I guess the best place to start is the beginning...

We started our trip with a few nights in Bangkok, and did the touristy thing of going to the Grand Palace.  The Grand Palace is a Buddhist temple and it is hands down the most stunningly beautiful man made thing I have ever seen.... Imma be honest with you guys here and just come out and say it - it makes the Notre Dame look like child's play.

And my pictures hardly do it justice....

Yorkshire in the Spring

Hello friends,

I just wanted to share some pictures with you all from our weekend.

It's been exceptionally beautiful around here lately.  When the sun shines, it makes you wonder why you would ever throw massive temper tantrums about how much England sucks.  (ooops)  But right now when I look out the window and go on long walks with my dog and my husband, I have to think that God brought his A game when he created Yorkshire.

In fact, I have been in an exceptionally good mood lately.  I don't know whether it is because the flowers are blooming and the sun is shining or because I have gotten into vet school... but I guess it might be a bit of both.  There is something incredibly liberating about achieving your dreams.

The stresses of moving our little family to America are pretty big, but I somehow seem able to deal with them infinitely better than I ever have before, perhaps this is because my shitty dead end job has just become a short chapter in my life, and not my destiny.  

There are a million things we still need to figure out... I haven't even decided where I am going to school yet... I'm still waiting to hear back from one school.  And did you know that even when you don't live in America you have to file US taxes?  This was news to me.

Somehow I have faith that we will get all of it sorted out, and before I know it our little house in England will be sold, and I will be most definitely be complaining about how !"£"$$ %%^ hard my vet school tests are.  But for now, I am enjoying my time in God's country... 

Joni Mitchell came on the radio today, singing about how you "Don't know what you got till it's gone" and I thought man that girl knew her shit.  I guess it took me 3 challenging years to well and truly make my peace with this country, and now that I know I am leaving I can finally appreciate what it has to offer.

Without England I might not have discovered my passion for gardening, and I would have never thought about keeping chickens in my backyard (if you follow me on pinterest you know I am OBSESSED and we will be getting some asap)... I would also not know how much I freaking love tea and biscuits.  

So for now, I'm enjoying my last few months in Yorkshire, and appreciating all this quirky country has to offer.

xoxoxo

Kelly

From Class Dunce to Silver Award!!!

My little Doodle has just done me very proud. 

Some of you may remember her first obedience class... 

in which she quickly established herself to be the class dunce by breaking two leashes...

But she made us so proud tonight, 

she passed her silver award level with the Kennel Club's Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme!

I couldn't be a happier dog owner!

And in case you don't believe me...

Proof below...

I love this animal!

Crufts! For the Love of Dogs!

Well friends, Nick and I are completely pooped from yesterday's big day out to the Worlds Biggest Dog Show - Crufts!  I know it is the "world's biggest" but nothing could prepare you for just how big it is.  It took a good 15 - 20 minutes to walk from one end of the convention center to the other, dodging hundreds of sales people for EVERYTHING dog related, (I am still begging Nick to let me buy Heidi this goregous dog bed) and trying not to get distracted by the cute dogs that were competing for the prestigious best in show.
the whole day was massively jam packed with events, and we could have gone for the whole four days and not seen everything, but some highlights from the arena included...

The start of a canicross race... (we finally got our own canix hands free jogging belt... I'm pretty excited to not have my arm pulled off by Heidi everytime we go running...)

We also watched heelwork to music... which was pretty entertaining considering the winner was dressed as a giant frog.

We cheered at the neck and neck agility finals...

And learned a lot at the fantastic gun dog displays which we must get Heidi involved in ASAP.

But the best part of all was really just wandering between judging rings.. checking out people and their dogs.  Like this cliche red head with her gorgeous Irish Setter.

The red and white setters really were stunning.

This made us laugh..

The Gordon and English Setter cuddling.

A poodle, a collie, a visla and a westie stopped to have a chat while their owners were buying them some well deserved toys...

A group of great danes hanging out at the Eukanuba stand.

This was our hands down favorite breed that we'd never heard of before - the Italian Spinone.  Huge dogs, but soooo sweet and cuddly, I had one pretty much on my lap when I stopped to chat with his owner.

And of course, the real reason we have become so dog obsessed around these parts... The German Shorthaired Pointer... arguably the best breed ever.

What's not to love - playful, cuddly, low shedders, and soooo gorgeous!  There were some incredibly handsome males around and I am seriously tempted to get Heidi a lil broski soon.

How could you not love those sweet faces?

 And look at this little fella in his tweed with his GSP... I was cheering for him to win Best of Breed, but a lovely old lady won instead.  I have to say I have never seen so much tweed in my life.  Must be a gun dog owner thing.  There were so many vendors selling tweed skirt/suit combos I was almost tempted to buy one and get in on the country dog showing lifestyle.

More German Shorthaired Pointers Competing for the big win at Crufts...

We really had the most fantastic time, and I can honestly say that before I went I was wary of the whole dog show scene - breeding for exaggerated features and creating mutant dogs that aren't truly healthy.  But after yesterday I really got the impression that the Kennel Club is a great organization, that understands the value of dogs in our lives.  They want you to get the most out of YOUR dog, purebred or mutt, and support activities such as Canix, Agility, heelwork, gun dog training, and obedience (which Heidi and I personally attend and I think is great...Heidi may have other thoughts..)

When I walked around the show rings at Crufts, there were so many happy healthy dogs, with their breeders and/or owners who loved them and were proud of them.  There were dogs and owners cuddled up together, dogs being kissed and fussed over.  While some of the judges and breeders may need to take a deeper look at the traits they are breeding for, The Kennel Club is developing more and more genetic tests which will hopefully eradicate some of the genetic problems we see today.  Couple that with the introduction of the super strict vet checks and I think purebred dogs are back on the right track.  Some of these people may have be misguided, but they still want the best for their dogs.

As much as I support adoption of mutts, I believe there will always be a place for responsible breeders in the dog world.  Breeders who will stop to talk to you to tell you how great their breed is - but make sure you're not getting yourself a dog that isn't right for you.  Breeders who will make sure no puppy will ever end up in a pound because they are strict about who they let buy their dogs.  These are the breeders that expect you to send them pictures of your new dog on it's birthday, and will answer your emails when you just can't figure out how to break your puppy's bad habits.

Dogs are most certainly one of life's greatest joys.  And I hope that all of you can experience the pure and unconditional love of a dog, whatever your breed (or nonbreed) of choice.

Paws Up!
-Kelly

Lemon Curd Muffin Top

Hi Friends,

I just wanted to tell you that you should make these lemon muffins.

Here is the recipe.  It's in British (weight not cups) so apologies for that but I used a scale.  Also I always do the swap of flour for ground almonds that he suggests and add lots of almond extract.  It's pretty delish.  Nick inhaled them - I even made them with gluten free flour and they worked perfect.

In other news, it's February first!  WTFFFFF!  I haven't even shared my New Years Resolution with you!  OK so here it is.... Get a PERKIER ASS!

So as you can see I am suffering from a bad case of secretary spread... thanks to my sedentary job.  I'm also  working on eliminating my chub rub.  (That is when your inner thighs touch... see above)

So tonight while Nick is in London for work, Heidi and me are having a girls night in.  We went for a run together.... during which Heidi puked, and I had to have a not so serious conversation with her on the dangers of Ana and Mia.  (...but seriously - who is YOUR thinspo?) Then we came home and we did some yoga with Tara Stiles - (youtube her)...  while Heid thought it was appropriate to skip the downward dog poses and drop her bone on me repeatedly... now she is taking a nap and I am seriously considering whether to paint my nails barbie dream house pink.  (It's probs not office appropriate.)

Speaking of which, I am SO looking forward to vet school, but so NOT looking forward to my future inability to wear childish sparkly nail polish.  (I hear it is hard to keep your nails long and nice when you have to stick your hands in places where the sun doesn't shine. )

In summary, please entertain me with the answers to the following while I am home alone and watching bad reality TV...

1. What is your new year's resolution?  Are you still following it?
2. Who is your thinspiration?
3. What is your favorite color of nail polish?
4. What do YOU want to be when you grow up?