Heidi Meets Her Extended Family

Since we've already established that I am a crazy dog lady and Heidi is our "dog-ter" it should come as no surprise to you that introducing our furbaby to her grandparents and Aunt Lizzie was a highlight for us....

Everyone tired after hiking in the Peak District.

Disapproving looks from Grandpa Gregor as she is in such an un-ladylike position.

Never too big for cuddles from your Grandma.

Countryside walks.

This is Lizzie and Heidi doing their best E.T. impression.

Griswold's European Vacation

Hello Friends,


I've been having a fabulous time this week.  My family FINALLY arrived last Saturday for their very first England vacation, and I was given the task of tour guiding.  I have a lot of blog posts to round up for you, but meanwhile I thought I'd do a few bullet points for those of you who are dying to hear how the "Griswold European Vacation"  went.


Highlights, Lowlights, and Random Thoughts

• Home cooking is good.  
• Rental car with my dad and Nick being the drivers.  There was screaming, nausea, nail biting, curb hitting and general stress with my dad driving on the wrong side of the road and Nick driving for the first time since 2007.
• We discovered beautiful countryside a 10 minute drive from our house that we would never have seen without a car.
• Nick has finally realized what a difference having a car would make to our lives here, and even better, he feels capable to drive one.
• Ransacking the Chatsworth farm shop and buying all the fresh British goods we could get our grubby American hands on including; cheese, sausages, and baked goods.  
• Introducing my family to scones with jam and clotted cream.  
• Tea time and fish and chips
• Fact: Americans hate walking.  They might run for exercise, or hike for relaxation, but they HATE walking for transportation.  Don't deny it.  And if you can convince them (us) to walk, their pace is a leisurely one about half of that of your average British person.  
• Electric fences for your dog are frowned upon in England.  We don't have one, which meant when my mom decided to get a picture of our house with Heidi popping her head out the front door... Heidi bolted and took herself for a walk/run/expedition around the neighborhood.  She pulled the same stunt when my dad left the front door open to take our suitcases to the waiting taxi driver.  
• I think my family was pleasantly surprised by how pretty it is here.
• The weather was so good we sounded like a broken record saying "I can't believe how good the weather is" approximately 1 million times.  It returned to it's usual grey, rainy, cold miserable self as soon as they left on Saturday.
• I worked really hard on the perfect itinerary for my family, but I'm pretty sure my mom has more faith in her friend Kevin Bevin (whose name we shorted to K-Bev) for planning London itineraries.  Luckily most of the things I planned K-Bev had recommended as well.  
• Although I tried to make everyone happy, I did not anticipate my family's major meltdown would occur in Top Shop.  Although Lizzie loved it, my mom can be quoted as saying, "This is the worst experience of my life."  (You're right if you think we lead a relatively privileged life)
• I was reminded of the fact that American toilets have A LOT more water in them than English ones.  
• Also, Americans use wayyyyyyyy too much toilet paper.  
• We saw Thriller, a Michael Jackson tribute/musical in the West End.  What can I say - I am and always will be an MJ fan.  
• Had the best Indian of my life, and another to die for meal at Bumpkin.  Making my family confused about the whole "British food sucks" myth.  However, their last night we had the worst meal I can remember in some Italian place off Charlotte Street, so I think they might believe me again on the food issue.  Though my dad did make friends with the Brazilian waiter, Carlos, who creepily told me my little sister was "fantastic" looking.
• I still don't comprehend how my dad got kicked out of his bed in the hotel and made to sleep on the floor.  
• I've never really got the American obsession with ice, but lots of it was requested.
• They ate all the sour patch kids and Swedish fish I made them bring for me, and my dad broke into the Tootsie rolls I had my mom pack for my American friend.  But I still have Reese's cups!
• We missed my other sister, Dani, and can't wait for her to visit soon!!!
• Nick and I joke that we rank our guests according to how good at being a guest they are, so my family was striving to be number one.  Competitive much?  (interest in a blog post on guest ranking criteria?)  Note: They ranked highly.
• American speaking volume is so much louder than British.  
• (This made me feel really embarrassed on the tube.)
• American Transportation preferences... walking< tube < double decker bus < taxi 
• My mom came with a bad cough and left it with me.... ugh.
• I liked taking Lizzie out on the town to meet the "blokes" even if her US seduction techniques didn't quite work.  
• Overall I loved showing my family where I have been making my home for the past year and a half. 

Dani's First Half Marathon

Hi Friends,

I just wanted to tell you about my pretty sister, Dani. The tall tan one.

I mean, my mom and Lizzie are pretty too, but I wanted to tell you about Dani.

Dani was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis this year.  It's a disease in which your immune system attacks your colon, resulting in painful ulcers in your intestines.  It's not a very nice thing.  She has to go to the doctor a lot now and the steroids she is on to treat it don't work very well, plus they make her gain weight - every girls worst nightmare right?

Well anyways she is running a half marathon in Las Vegas in December, for Team Challenge - an organization that fund raises for crohns and colitis.  I really wish I could run with her, to support her ( read : party in vegas with her...) and because it's on my bucket list!  But unfortunately I can't be there.  

She is so close to reaching her fundraising goal, but she needs about $200 more.  So I told her I would enlist the help of the lovely people of the blogosphere.  If you feel inclined to donate a lil something something to help my sister and to help find a cure for her disease, you can do so on her fundraising page.

I know she'd appreciate any tips from you hardcore runners out there as well!  This is her first half marathon!  Thanks guys!

Party in the USA : Summer 2010

Friends, I have some very exciting news to share with you!  

My very VERY generous parents took pity on my unemployed self and purchased plane tickets for me to go back to the good old USA!  

I'm thrilled.

I'll be spending a week in Chicago and then heading south to my old stomping ground where I'll be reliving the glory days with any one who wants to join me.  

In true Kelly Leigh fashion, I've put together my... 

Party in the USA To Do List : Summer 2010. 

1. Go to the pool and attempt to avoid getting burnt, but know that inevitably I will have a sunscreened hand print on my back. 
2. Do a flip off the diving board.
3. Go on a cupcake crawl in Chicago.
4. Walk and hang out along lake shore drive
5. Go shopping on Michigan Avenue and marvel at how far those dolla dolla bills go.
6. Help Amy to have the best bachelorette party ever.
7. Go to a comedy show.
8. Be the hottest bridesmaid at Amy's wedding!  Let the competition begin ladies! 
9. Eat chipotle
10. Go out for ice cream in the square with sisters.
11. Visit Amish country.
12. Drive with the radio up and the windows down.
13. Take my family dog, Maddy, on hikes and look for deer.
14. Spend the day covering our driveway in chalk.  
15. Run/dance/sing in the rain.  Weather permitting. 
16. Night of intoxicated raging around the nati to include : short skirts, acting like a soiled tween, making boys fall in love with me when I pop, lock, and drop it - and breaking their hearts when I tell them I'm married, a shot (or two) to the land of the free and the home of the brave, slumber party.
17. Go canoeing.
18. Eat sno cones.  
19. Garden brunch.
20. And last but not least make sure to hang out with all my American favorites!  I can't wait to see everyone!

What's on your To Do List this summer?

How to Paint Crappy Portraits

Hi Friends,

Those of you read my 100 Things To Do List may have noticed one of my goals is to have portraits of everyone in my family.  Well let's get real, those things are expensive!  Since money is not something that we're swimming in over here, I knew I would have to paint these myself.  Maybe like me some of you have too much free time and want to give it a go...

Start with a picture you really like.  I chose one of my sisters.  Print it out and draw a grid on the photo.  Then blow up your grid on the canvas.  It is important to be careful with this part because if your grid is off it will throw everything off.

Then, in pencil, sketch out your portrait.  The grid will make it 100 times easier since you can focus on smaller parts of the photo.  After you draw it, start painting it in watered down shades of brown.  It seems like an extra step, but think of it as a map.  It really will help to guide you when you start putting color down.

Then for the fun part!  It's kind of like a coloring book for adults at this point.  It's best to start with the background and work your way forward.

Voila!  I know it's not gonna win any awards, but for my first painting since high school art class I don't think it's too bad.  Hope this inspired you to get your creative juices flowing!

Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Sister!

Today is my little sister's 21st birthday!!  She's all grown up now I guess.  I wish I could post embarrassing pictures of our childhood together, but unfortunately those are all across the ocean.  So this will have to do...

Isn't she beautiful?

Clearly, she will have never had a drop of alcohol before tonight...

First time we got our littlest sister intoxicated off our great uncle's homemade kirsch.

Don't worry we were in France.  Stuff like that is legal there.  

This is my fave picture of them ever!  Aren't they so pretty?

Happy 21st Birthday (month) Princess!  

Love you!

DeCourcy Family Photos

Will someone take our picture please?  

These all suck. A LOT.

We need a DeCourcy family photo for our mantle piece.  

We don't have a mantle piece.  

But maybe we will when we move.