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