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

B&W Diana in the Country

I took these pictures with my Diana Mini last January... 

I guess it was about time I got them developed. 

My hipsterness is getting out of control.

Take it or leave it...

There's more where these came from.

Double Birthday

On Friday Nick and Heidi celebrated their 29th and 2nd birthdays.  Nick and I have been super busy working on graduation at the university we work at, so I've been pretty lame at planning birthday surprises this year.  In fact, I passed out at 8 o'clock last night and left him to watch TV alone, on a Friday night, on his birthday.  Wow.  I suck.  But at least on Thursday I did spend 3 hours slaving away in the kitchen making these... which some of you might remember I posted on this blog 2 years ago.

They were totally as delicious as last time, so if you haven't made them yet - find an excuse ASAP.  We also went out for a romantic dinner Friday night, leaving Heidi alone on HER birthday.  So today we decided to make up for it today by going on a long hike in the Peak District together.

Lately we've been bracing ourselves for what is looking like it might be an exciting but also a little challenging year ahead. But at least for a moment life seemed pretty near perfect in the Peak District this afternoon.  It's funny how blue skies can do that to you.

My Husband in a Tux

One day, I'll be your plus one.

When we're a little more important.

You swanky man, you.

The First Feast

This is me.  Holding zucchini like a creep. 

A happy creep.  Finally all our hard work has paid off. 

Actually its not that hard.  It's pretty easy.  All the little seeds needed was a bit of love and water.  

And this is Heidi.  Looking at me like I'm crazy.  

I've had requests for her to feature more on the blog (hi beans) so here she is.   

Can you believe we have a patio under all those weeds she's standing in?

Ugh, our vegetables get all our attention ...

Anyways we picked the two biggest ones today.

And we dug up enough potatoes for two.  

And took cliche dirty potatoes in our hands pictures.

And this is what I made with them.  I sliced the zucchini into 1/4 inch rounds, placed them in a non stick grill pan over medium high heat, and grated some good Parmesan over the top.  When they got nice and melty I flipped them over and did the same on the other side.  So they had a good crust.  I tossed them into a spinach salad with a bit of balsamic and olive oil, walnuts and salt.

I made a tangy mint sauce for the potatoes.  While they were boiling I chopped an onion up and cooked it in some olive oil until it got translucent.  They I added some boiling water and a few large handfuls of finely chopped mint (also homegrown from seed) to the pan.  I let it simmer down and reduce before adding salt and lemon juice.  It tastes kind of like that mint chutney you get at Indian restaurants.  Sooooo good.  

Everything was absolutely delicious. I kept wondering whether the food just tasted better because I grew it myself, or if it was actually better.  I think it was actually better.  The potatoes were much sweeter, and the zucchini had the best texture.  I don't know how to explain it.  Just go plant some things.  and water them.  And watch them grow.  And eat them.  It is the best feeling ever.  

In other news : We took Heidi to check out an obedience class Monday.  We start in 2 weeks.  I'm scared shes going to be the class dunce....  I don't think I'll ever be ready for parenting. 

I went to Leeds with my friend on Wednesday night and saw Bright Eyes.  It was some really deep shit.  I've been feeling a little emo since then.  

I got a Groupon for osteopathy a few weeks ago and it has been awesome.  But Friday he did something called Applied Kinesiology on me.  Anyone done it?  It was weird.  He put a magnet on my stomach and then put test tubes of different things in it and apparently he can diagnose me from how my muscles reacted to the test tubes.  So apparently I have a fungus in my intestines and I need to take nettle root pills.  This fungus is making me eat sugar too.  So that's cool.  I can blame the fact I just ate a brownie on a fungus and not on my lack of willpower.  Also according to him I am NOT gluten intolerant.  Hooray... except why do I feel so shit after eating it?  But he says I am sensitive to chocolate, sugar, and alcohol.  Balls.  

American Flag Cow Girl Boots

These are my American flag boots.  

Stolen by my younger sister, the one and only LV.  

I've been salty that I can't wear them all day long.

Ughhhhhhhhhh what a statement they would have made when I went to WORK today.

Unlike all of you in the USA, believe it or not, England does NOT celebrate the 4th.

Go figure.

I'm a lil bummed about this.  

Speaking of which I've been considering dual citizenship lately.

Does that make me less patriotic?

I'm most defo proud to be an American....

But, truth be told....

I'd like to have the back up of the National Health Service in case I ever got super sick and my American insurance didn't pay for it.   Like I got sunburned really bad yesterday since the sun finally showed up here and my skin was in shock like whoooooooooa sunshine! and I think this might be the sunburn that puts me over the edge and into melanoma territory.  But at least I'm not pale now.  Ick.  But anyways if I ever did need NHS service cuz I'm pale as hell and prone to skin cancer that would be useful right?  Thats what I thought!  And it would be useful for having babies.  Cuz I hear that shits expensive!  (or not having babies, cuz that adds up too.)  In England they even pay you extra money to spend on fruit and veggies when you're preggers so you have healthy babies.  Is this even relevant?  I dunno but people seem to be popping them out lately so it's been on my mind.  

Anyways.  I miss you America.  I miss you a lot.

Happy 4th of July my friends and compatriots.  

Party in the USA for me, ala Miley Cyrus.  

 Oh and sing that "Proud to be an American" song.

It always gets me fired up.

I Whip My Hair Back and ....

.... oh shit.

I have no hair to whip.   I cut it all off.  Actually a girl named Sarah cut it all off and gave me a chic British hair do.   You should have seen what a scene I caused in that salon.  Other ladies in the salon came up to me to tell me how brave they thought I was, as if I was donating a kidney.  All the stylists stopped what they were doing to watch.  It was actually a little embarrassing. 

Locks of Love is unheard of in England, so I found a place called Little Princess Trust to donate my pony tail to.

It was high time I got rid of that thing anyways.  It looked like a small marsupial was hanging out on my shoulder most of the time.

You nosy folks in blog land prolly want a sneak peak... so here it is....

 
My American friend Molly, and I had a girls night out afterwards.  And we decided to do ourselves up like girls from The Only Way is Essex.  Basically The Hills, but for England.  I'll never in my wildest dreams be tan enough to pass for a member of that cast, but we did wear fake eyelashes which is why my eyes look a lil droopy.  I've never worn them before so I think I need to master that skill.

Anyways thats all I have to report to you.  I miss my hair already.  I feel like a chubby version of Twiggy and I want it to grow back so I can at least put it into a bun again.  I didn't realize it was going to be this short.  But such is life, hair dressers always cut more than they say - don't you think?

Royal Wedding Shenanigans

You are all probably sitting on the edge of your seats pressing the refresh button on Kelly Leigh Gets Busy waiting for me to update it with some Royal Wedding Action.  Well your wish is my command friends.  

Because there is a million pictures of Kate and Wills on the internet I'll spare you my opinions on that.  But I will say I found the contrast of American reporting on the subject vs British reporting very fascinating.  A highlight was when my mom called to tell me she was on the Dukan Diet because thats what Kate is on and she is soo skinny.  Meanwhile the British press was actually saying Kate had pre-wedding jitters and was super busy resulting in unwanted weight loss, thus she was trying to GAIN weight to look a lil more curvaceous in her dress.  Either way lets just say she was banging.  (ps. my mom says the Dukan diet is working like a charm for those of you wondering.)

I love Kate, and I love ALL the royals actually.  But the Queen is my absolute fave because she is 85!  Yes 85 people!  And she is just so dang spritely.  Did you see how charming she looked in her little yellow frock?  And her hubby, the duke, is 90!  What a pair!  I also have a soft spot for Harry, I think he is the much sexier prince.  Did anyone notice him totally macking on Pippa?  Those Middletons know how to bag a prince if you ask me!

My bad case of Royal fever meant I was couch bound with my own British Prince  from 9am - 1pm on Friday.  But luckily I was able to pull myself together, go take a shower and get my self to a Royal wedding street party.

We also met up with our friends Molly and Jimmy.  

Molly is from Wisconsin and got herself her own British Prince Charming too.  

See?

Molly is just cuter than Kate and Jimmy has A LOT more hair than Will.

Oh and look we met a Queen!  

A drag queen that is.

British people love drag.

They think it's hilarious.

I'm still a little too American to get the whole drag humor thing.

But I made sure to photograph this lovely lady for your viewing pleasure.

You are welcome.

Look there's the prince himself!

Smooches!

We proceded to get a little intoxicated in celebration,

met some new friendsies,

ordered french fries with cheese and mayo from one of those sketchy vans..... 

(wtf is that combination and why do they offer it to drunk ppl? Really not helping my diet.) 

And made a wig out of a dead beaver.

Hello someone needs to give me a hair cut in a bad way.

Congratulations Will and Kate!

Thank you for the fun day off work!

Cheers!

Chocolate and Immigration

Oooooooooooo  Chocolate!!!  

Hi Friends,

This is me on Sunday night after Nick gave me a massive chocolate Easter egg.  

They're all the rage here.  

Forget about dying eggs or easter baskets.  

Just get a big ol fuckin chocolate egg.  

And make it dark chocolate.  Thanks.

You may be wondering why I look so.... rough.  

Well can I be honest? 

Great.  Cuz we are usually honest around here.

The previous night Nick and I were having a discussion about immigration issues and we recently discovered I would have to pay £1,000 to renew my visa when it expires in September.  I'm not even exaggerating this time.

Enter emotional breakdown.  

Conversation between husband and myself went something as follows:

Nick: Why are you crying?

Me:  (lip quivering) I just feel it's so unfair.  I pay taxes.  I live here.  

Why don't they like me?  

Nick : They don't know you.  They just want your money.

Me:  I know it just makes me feel like I don't belong.....  

tear.  sob.  

I don't belong anywhere anymore!  

I can't go a day without someone making fun of my American twang.  

And I'm not even American enough anymore. 

 If I went home now I wouldn't fit in like I used to.  

I say things like "quite lovely."  

I actually believe in universal health care.  

I run for buses.  

Nick, 

I don't even believe in guns anymore! 

(The horror!)

Nick: Kelly lot's of Americans don't believe in guns... 

like Michael Moore.

Me : MICHAEL MOORE!  

Gasp.  Sob. choke. tears.  

You think I am Michael Moore!  

I don't want to be like Michael Moore....

He is fat.....

Nick : .....And he has a beard.

Me: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.!!!

Sob sob sob.

You think I have a beard!?

Choke.  Sob.  River of tears.

I HATE MY LIFE!

Becoming English

Lately I have noticed that I am becoming more and more English...

• I will now run down the street for public transportation... though I rarely catch it.
• I frequently use the word "quite" as a qualifier.  As in, "That is quite lovely." 
• I have serious cravings for marmite.
• I can translate the sentence, "I was sat here 10 while 2."
• I can also translate the sentence, "You're having a giraffe."
• And I know what "Take the piss" means.  
• Not to be confused with the phrase, "I'm pissed" which does NOT mean you're angry.
• I no longer leave the house in sweat pants, a hoody and gym shoes (unless I'm walking the dog)
• I can watch British sitcoms and actually get / laugh at the jokes.  
• I can use British coins without thinking too hard.  
• The volume at which I speak has decreased exponentially, and I realize when I slip back into my "American volume."  
• Forget about the weather, the best way to strike a conversation up with a British person is to have a common complaint.  The bus late?  Works every time.

However, I still can't...

• Hang the laundry out to dry like a real Bitish wife without it getting rained on.  (Truth be told I gave up on this and we bought a tumble dryer.)
• Speak Yorkshire-ish enough for bus drivers to understand me.
• Pronounce my name in a way so that people don't think it is, "Kerry" or "Kylie."
• Make British style jokes.  For some reason my sense of humor is completely lost in translation.
• Example : Today at work (note : I work on the cash register in a little university convenience store) every time someone purchased a pop and a candy bar before 10 am I called it "The breakfast of champions."  Never even got a smile.  At least I think I'm funny....
• Understand thick Yorkshire accents, especially those of old men.  
• Get used to the grey/rainy/SAD inducing weather.  
• Find a decent restaurant outside of London.  (British food just sucks.  Sometimes stereotypes are true. 
• Be politically correct enough.

Thats all I can think of for now

For those of you living away from "home", what little milestones have you reached?

And what milestones are you still trying to reach?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all my blogging friends!  

I am so excited for 2011.  Mostly because 2010 sucked. 

But hey, so far, things are looking up, especially since I will end my year long stint of unemployment in two weeks!!!  So so excited for that.  

So I've been wondering what your resolutions are?  

Mine didn't go too well last year.

But this year, this year is going to be different!  

Right?  Right!

My overall goal is :  be more productive.

Problem with this is its largely unmeasurable, 

and I like goals that I can CROSS OFF a list.

Have you learned that about me yet?  ha!

So here are a few more of my goals for 2011....

• Ride bike enough to pay for itself - (more on this later, but I got that super cute bike from my mom for xmas!!)
• Volunteer
• Get back to my happy weight (not my skinniest ever, just the one I am at when I'm being healthy)
• Complete 30 tasks from my Day Zero list.
• Finish decorating our house.
• Do the dishes right after dinner.
• Make British friends
• Go on a honeymoon
• Get to bed by 11pm 
• Start our art collection
• Go on a cool date with Nick once a month (we are alternating months, he is planning this month... and I am planning next month - any ideas?)
• Annnnnnnnnnd, last but not least - Explore the Peak District (the national park which we basically live in ) once a month!  

All these pictures were taken in the Peak District over Christmas.  

It really is a pretty place.  

Good luck with your resolutions if you're making them!  

I'd love to know what they are!

Sunday Trading Hours

Dear England,


Let's be honest.  I've never liked you that much.  In fact, when I learned we had to live here rather than America, because of stupid immigration laws and such, I cried for about 3 days straight.  After that I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and I resigned myself to the fact that I could make the most of it.  Until I got here last July.  I walked in the front door of Nick's home in London and burst into tears all over again.  In fairness, England, that was his fault since he promised it would be freshly decorated and lets just say well... it was not.


Over the course of this year however, I think that we have for the most part made our peace with each other.  I no longer use the word "hate" when referring to this country, but you and I both know that I "prefer" America.  Sometimes I feel like we're colleagues that have to work together, so we're sucking it up and putting on a polite front, even though we both know that this relationship will never amount to a hardcore love affair or a forever friendship.


England, getting to this point in our relationship, it took a lot of work for me, you know?  But now I tolerate you, in fact I would go so far as to say that occasionally I even find you charming.  The views around here are pretty gorgeous if I'm going to be honest.


However, you went and effed it up yesterday.  Seriously, while I had great plans to schedule the most perfectly productive morning around a bus schedule that only runs ONCE an hour, YOUR stupid rules went and screwed up my meticulously planned morning.  My game plan was to catch the bus at 8:45, drop off our drycleaning, go to the DIY store, take a yoga class, and head home to spend the rest of the day working on our house.  Of course, I somehow manage to just barely miss the bus, making chasing it with my arms flailing like an asshole to catch it at the next stop seem feasible, but the bus driver failed to stop at the next stop and I was left in it's dust cursing public transportation.


Luckily, some woman named Janet took pity on my foolish looking self and offered me a ride to Morrisons, the grocery store where we get our dry cleaning done.  That was nice, and let me tell you England, you almost redeemed yourself there.  But When I got to Morrisons at around 9 am, I went inside, and tried to drop off my dry cleaning.  However, apparently, because it was Sunday, that means there are Sunday trading hours.  Meaning even though the store is OPEN at NINE, and there are PEOPLE working in the store, but you can't actually buy anything until TEN.  All you can do is BROWSE.  What the hell kind of sense does that make?  My plans were totally screwed up then and I just about threw a BF in the middle of the supermarket. Yes a Bitch Fit.


And you know what England, despite all the progress we have made together, this really made me want to punch you in your pasty, crooked toothed smiling face - if only you had a face, I think thats what it would look like.  Just one face to represent this wacky, backwards, wannabe version of the US.  Seriously, Sunday trading hours from 10-4?! Biggest crock of shit ever.


I'm going to try to pretend this didn't happen so we can get on with being amicable.


Sincerely,
Kelly Leigh

A Little Wedding Magic

We had such a fun weekend!  

Saturday morning we had an early start and took a very long train ride 

down south for a beautiful British wedding! 

Such excited newly weds!

Look at the groom in his morning suit - soooo british right?  

Beautiful old stone church.

Big white tent reception.

Nick is friend's with the groom, Ed, from college where they studied technical theater.

He sure didn't skimp on the lighting design for the wedding!

Oh hey and there's us.

How cute are they?

Welcome to married life Keeley and Ed!

ps.  Remember the other day when I said the groom had his eyebrow shaved off?  Yeah well understandably the bride was a little pissed off, so what do you do when you work in theater and are missing an eyebrow before your wedding day?  Call in the make up artist from Harry Potter of course!  Yep that is why both his eyebrows look intact, what a great story huh!

We Live in a Cliche British Town

After Ebony and I played in London I took her back up to Sheffield to see my stomping ground.

The weather was grey and nasty and I can't imagine anything more cliche for her visit here.

I mean how predictable is it?!?

The fog and perfectly manicured gardens ...

The Very cliche red telephone box.

Of course she took the cliche tourist picture with it.

Warning : 

Although these look adorable,

 if you visit and try to get your picture inside of one, 

there is a 99% chance that when you open the door

it will smell very very strongly of urine.

There is an 83% that there will be photos of scantily clad women inside.

If you want, you can call them for a good time.

Cliche little village a couple miles from our house.  

Looking even more cliche in the fog.

We had tea in a little cafe / post office.  

Which is also a cliche thing to do in England.

And we said hello to some greedy ducks, who got a little too close for comfort.  

But I really like the awkward skinny black and white duck.

I wish I could have an awkward pet duck.

Since it's black, I'd name it Darkwing Duck.

I'd laugh at it walking awkwardly in my manicured British garden 

and we'd have our own supply of duck eggs, which is on my list.

Or maybe I'd have a goose and call it Silly.

Then it would really be a Silly Goose.

Happy Friday!