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?

Breakfast at Tiffany's Tuesdays

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day.  I am one of those people who must eat it, or else I will be a Cranky McCrankenpants.  I usually stick to the basics, you know cereal, eggs, that kind of thing.  But one of my life goals is to cook great breakfasts for the husband.  I noticed whenever I do this, I make things that are delicious, but seriously fattening.  Pure maple syrup on top of whole milk pancakes or nutella filled crepes, anyone?  Yeah....

So I am instating a new feature of Kelly Leigh Get's Busy - Breakfast at Tiffany's Tuesdays.  On Tuesdays from now until I get bored of this feature, I will post my attempts at delicious, healthy breakfast recipes - fit for a sleek and slender Holly Golightly and all her eccentric fabulousness.

Today's recipe is Strawberry Rhubarb Quinoa

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

• 120 grams of quinoa
• 1 stalk of rhubarb, chopped
• 1 cup of strawberries, quartered
• sugar or honey, to taste

Put all ingredients in a medium pot.  Fill with water to just cover the food.  Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 10 minutes, until the quinoa is fully cooked and the water is absorbed.  Add sugar or honey to taste.

Verdict - Nick loved it.  I was not such a fan.  This might be because he added copious amounts of sugar to his, while I just added a little honey, but for some reason I was having texture issues.  Also, I didn't realize the strawberries would completely disintegrate.  It might be nicer to add them later so they hold their shape.  

Have Fun....

On my high school rowing team, I had two coaches who knew how to coach.

They trained us brutally.

6 days a week.  Year Round.

 It was long, hard, mentally, physically and emotionally challenging.

We were fit.  We were at the top of our game.  

We never lost.....

Well, almost never.

On race days, our coaches would help us get into our boat, and send us off down the course.  

The last thing they would always say is

HAVE FUN.

I didn't get it.  They knew perfectly well what the next 8 minutes had in store for us....

We had a nasty sprint at the start, and our lungs would be screaming within the first 2 minutes.  By then we'd  only be in the middle of the course, and because our start sucked, we'd usually be down by that point.  We'd push until our legs were on fire, and some how make it to the second half of our race.  This was where it got HARD.  This is where your hands start to sting because your skin peels off, your legs burn with lactic acid, you can barely breath and you wonder whether you actually have the guts not to stop - but you don't stop.  Because stopping would be suicide.  You don't stop because you know the 7 other girls in your boat are in pain too, and you trust that they wouldn't quit on you.  So you row even harder.  And you get to the last 500 meters.  And the coxswain screams that it's do or die.  The thought of losing is incomprehensible, so you bust it out and you move faster and faster, you push harder and harder.  Until the sweet sound of the bell goes off and your body turns to mush and your stomach turns and you gag.  Then you look around and you realize that you won.  

And it doesn't hurt any more.....

This year, I joined a rowing team that doesn't have the coaching I had in high school.  

We've been going to races and losing.  It is not fun.

But yesterday we won!  And I finally realized what my high school coaches meant when they said 

"Have Fun."  

Having fun is winning.

You know that saying, it doesn't matter if you win or lose it's how you play the game?

I don't believe that.

I want to be successful at everything I do.

What about you?

Crime Scene Investigation

At approximately 12pm on Wednesday the 23 of July, the victim was found in a living room, 

with what appears to be his stuffing scattered around him.

The victim has been identified as 

Mr. "Raffy" The Giraffe.  

The killing appears to have been done by a savage beast. 

Police are still looking for the suspect.

 However, the photographic evidence indicates the suspect is a 

young, female, German Shorthaired Pointer.

She responds to the name Heidi, 

but may also be using the nickname "Doodle". 

She is thought to be unarmed, but has big teeth.

If you come into contact with this vicious animal, 

she will con you into loving her by giving you kisses.  

Don't be fooled.  

If you have any information regarding this case, please leave a comment below.

Thank you.  

100 Things to do Before I Die : Updated!

Just a little update to my Bucket List.  I think I am doing pretty good so far, though there is always room for improvement right?  At a time when I have been finding motivation difficult to come by, this list has really helped to provide me with a sense of direction.  One of the major difficulties for me with my current state of funemployment, has been the feeling of a lack of direction that comes from having no set schedule, or nothing that must be accomplished in a day.  This list is definitely helping me to keep on trying to achieve my goals and dreams, however silly or serious they might be!

Things crossed out in red have been accomplished, purple writing is just details, updates and what I am doing to achieve that particular goal.

1. Be an extra in a movie or TV show
2. Run races.
• 5k race.
• 10k race.
• Am currently running about 5 VERY hilly miles, getting close to 10 K.  
• Half marathon.
• Full marathon.
3. Complete a Canicross event
4. Complete a Triathlon. 
5. Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
6. Get scuba certified.
7. Scuba dive a shipwreck.
8. See a whale shark in real life.
9. Finish knitting a scarf from start to finish.
• I have about half a scarf, and I realized I actually hate knitting.  I guess I should try to finish it before winter rolls around though, huh?
10. Keep honey bees. 
• I emailed a local apiary last Friday to get experience there, but so far haven't heard back.
11. Ride elephants in Thailand.
12. Go on Safari in Africa.
13. Take the GRE
• Been studying my vocab words, but really need to up my game.
14. Get experience at a vet clinic.
• Start on the 13th of next month.
15. Go to vet school.
16. Make a 6 figure salary for a year.
17. Sell a piece of artwork.  
• Well I started painting again, so that's a start.  But I'm not sure what to paint for selling.  Quick poll - What is your favorite type of artwork?
18. Visit every continent. 
• North America
• South America
• Europe
• Asia
• Africa
• Australia
• Antarctica (Not too fussed about this one to be honest)
19. Have a photo shoot with my friends and pretend we are really very fabulous for a day.  Hey Friends - You game?
20. Take a photography class.
21. Ride in a hot air balloon. 
22. Own a horse.
23. Own chickens that lay fresh eggs and make an omelet.
24. Teach Heidi the Japanese Dog Catch.
25. Teach Heidi to clean up her toys.  Proof here.
26. Write a blog with 500 followers.
• Currently we're at 45.  Not impressive.  I need to host a give away.  I'm pretty sure those are the key to blogging success.  
27. Go a whole month without taking a naps.  (silly I know but I suck at this).
28. St Patrick's day in Ireland.
29. Learn to skip stones - at least 4 bounces. 
• I'm practicing... currently only capable of one bounce
30. Mardi Gras in New Orleans. 
31. Join a Team.  Joined a rowing team.
32. Volunteer.
33. Road trip across the USA. 
34. Visit Amish country.  
35. Go to Disney world.
36. Read 12 books in a year. (suggestions welcome)
37. Find out if blondes really do have more fun. (ie: dye my hair - eeek)
38. Hitchhike somewhere even though it seems super scarey. 
39. Live in an organized home.  
40. Create one room in the house that is perfect.
41. Create a dream home.
42. Sew a dress from scratch.  
43. Go on a cupcake crawl in Chicago.
44. Catch a ball at a major league baseball game.  
• I've decided I don't actually want to do this... I would rather maintain my ideal weight.  Ironic I just wrote that after "Go on a cupcake crawl", no?
45. Complete a successful camping trip with Nick.  (must last 3 days, 2 nights minimum)
46. Create a family cookbook with famous family recipes (A little help here Suzy and mom?)
47. Send my parents on a vacation to thank them for paying for my college education and my wedding and just tolerating me for so long.
48. Cook a meal using only food that I have grown or foraged.
49. Throw myself a birthday party.
50. Contribute something significant to saving a species from extinction.
51. Establish mutual friends/social circle with Nick.
• This is why we joined the Cougar Club... I'm not sure it's gonna do the trick though.
52. Learn some Spanish. - complete Rosetta stone perhaps?
53. Show up at the airport/train station and take the first plane/train I can get.
54. Go vegan for a week.
55. See the cherry blossoms in Japan.
56. Give only handmade Christmas presents one year.
57. Spend Christmas money on completing one of the items on this list, instead of buying stupid gifts no one ever uses.
58. Host a holiday family gathering.
59. Visit a volcano.
60. Get featured in a newspaper for doing something cool.  Obituary doesn't count.  
61. Make friends with a stranger on the street.  Do you think my creepy old man neighbors count?
62. Go dog sledding. 
63. See a moose.
64. Play 18 holes of golf proficiently. 
65. Ride a camel to the pyramids in Egypt.
66. Exercise 3 times a week. 
• For a week
• For a month
• For two months
• For three months
• For six months
• For a year
67. See pink river dolphins in the Amazon.
68. Wear a dress/skirt everyday for a month.
69. Write 52 postcards.  I will need your addresses for this.
70. Get Nick a complete surprise birthday present that he actually likes.
71. Build a really sweet tree house.
72. Have an awesome dress up collection.
73. Collect hats - 12 girly hats, 12 boyish hats, and a few unisex ones for good measure.
• 1 girl hat so far.  
74. Have dinner party and make the guests each wear said hats for the evening.
75. Figure out a way to give up facebook, or use it positively and not like an addiction.  
• I'm not getting anywhere with this one.  Any tips for those of us with addictive personalities?
76. Acquire neat heirloom to pass down - do you think my wedding and engagement rings count?.
77. Be an audience member on a TV show.
78. See a burlesque show.
79. Attend a black tie gala (not as a waitress!)
80. Buy a cute outfit at a second hand store.
• Dylana from Nana in Wonderland is totally inspirational with her thrifted finds!  I've bought a cute shirt, but not a whole outfit... so we're half way there.
81. Watch baby turtles hatch head for the ocean.
82. Make ice cream from scratch.
83. Make successful homemade vegetarian marshmallows.  
84. Have a wardrobe filled with things I love.
85. Learn to do a circus trick.
86. Sell all the crap in our house on ebay or donate it or throw it out.
87. Make an awesome running playlist 2 hours long.  (A stupid one but I always use shuffle and have been putting this off for a really long time).  I did finish this.  I'll share it soon if people are interested.
88. Cook Nick breakfast everyday before work.  
• For a week
• For a month
• For three months
• For six months
• For a year
• I don't know if I can do this without making myself obese.  Every time I cook him breakfast it is a big Sunday brunch with pancakes etc.  What are your favorite healthy cooked breakfasts??
89. Attend a music festival.
90. Have creepy old fashioned portraits hanging in my hallway of every member of my immediate family.
• Mom
• Dad
• Dani see here
• Lizzie see here
• Nick
• Heidi
• Maddy
91. Go to a comedy show and laugh till I cry.
92. Go to the ballet.
93. Donate blood.  Story here.
94. Inspire someone else to make a 100 things to do / bucket list and then steal one of their ideas.
•   Thanks to Flore for doing it!  I loved your list!  But I'm still waiting for more of you to do this before I pick an idea....  hint hint.....
95. Put their idea here.
96. Go to an estate sale and buy something.
97. Write and illustrate a children's book.
98. Make a scrapbook.
99. Ride a mechanical bull.
100. Cross off all items from this list