Brit Gal in the USA

2016 = so long FB, hello again Blogging!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 01:24:00 +0000

I do believe I am back for good this time!

Thanks in part to one of my long term followers who commented on a 2 year old post this week, and wished for my return. So thank you Winifred, I believe you have inspired me to return, especially since I quit Facebook about 3 weeks ago and now have so much more free time to be productive.

So it's been over two years since my last post and so much has happened, but yes I am still 'Brit Gal in the USA' and still very happy in Okieland with the Hubster, 3 cats and a our new addition a crazy Chocolate Lab named Blossom!

So here's a quick recap of the major events and changes in the past two years, to catch you up......but just headlines and I will follow-up with the back story to many of them over the next few weeks.

I turned 50 this June
We celebrated our 10th wedding Anniversary last December
I am now in charge at the Conference Center after two promotions
We adopted a Chocolate Labrador after rescuing her from imminent death
My dad and stepmom came to visit in 2015
We visited the Grand Canyon
We built a pergola
I had weight loss surgery on May 3, 2016
We fell in love with New Mexico (Santa Fe / Taos)
We re-modeled a bathroom
We finished a wood floor for the first time
I volunteered as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for foster children
I have successfully coordinated 22 weddings since my last post!
I left Facebook in July for good
I had a British boss for 18 months, in the same location
I have been a brunette, redhead and am now back to blonde, probably permanently due to the 70% grey hair
I have gone from a size 18/20 to currently a size 12 and still shrinking rapidly
I sold two entire wardrobes of clothes and am currently stocking my new one
I have read 48 books
I am learning to love my body for the first time in my life
I am learning to cook and eat in a much healthier way
I am addicted to Pinterest
We 'cut the cable' this year and now watch TV with just a ROKU
I learned to target shoot and discovered a new passion
We saw Willie Nelson in concert
I refinished an antique blanket box as a TV stand
I developed a passion for NBA Basketball and the OKC Thunder
I have both an amazement and horror for the US system of electing a President
I still learn daily the differences between Brits and Americans in the workplace
After 11 years 'across the pond' this is truly home and I know I will never return to live in England

I will expand on most of these in the coming weeks....

As I decided to return to blogging today I tracked down some of my old blogging pals and was so happy to see most of them still active out there. So expect me to be around and commenting again on many of these great blogs... Jill, Joe, Gaelyn, Sherri, Gigi, Yogi, Expat Mum, Kay, Star, Daryl, Lady Fi and Linda.

Still living life large in Okieland!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 18:35:00 +0000

It's been more than a year since my last post, and it was a crazy year but a good one.

A quick summary.....

Crazy work year with 320 awesome events
I lost a body part - non essential!
I found a new level of peace through my Faith
We gained and lost another sweet kitty in just one month (the same one)
I discovered I thrive on planning the really big events, it's my new love at work
We took a trip
I grew much closer to a number of female friends that add to the quality of my life daily
I lost my last grandparent
I celebrated my 8th anniversary in the USA
We discovered Homeland and got hooked?
I finally succumbed to coveralls!
I discovered a passion for target shooting, own 3 guns and a handgun license!
I finally got our 28yr old fridge replaced, a definite high point!

So I think I may be back with my regular observations on life in the big ol' U.S. of A.

Blue-eyed Sukie RIP

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 23:58:00 +0000

The Hubster & I are heartbroken tonight after we had to let our eldest and sweetest tempered kitty go to a better place early this morning.

She started having seizures at 4am and was left blind and distressed. After a few very sad hours, we decided we owed it to her not to let her suffer after all the love she has given us for 10 years. The night Gary was in hospital last November, she slept on my pillow with her paw on my shoulder for hours comforting me, something she'd never done until that night, she was very special.

We will miss our blue-eyed Sukie, she was with us through almost our whole relationship and we loved her so much. We are a sad family tonight, including the other 3 kitties, after losing one of our own, trying to adjust to not having her and her funny little ways around anymore.

Unrednecking day!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:53:00 +0000

My redneck porch as of 01/28/13

After a straight 7 days and a few evenings at work, I am finally home for the day and January was supposed to be our quiet month at work haha.

One of the main reasons I decided to stay home is because I will not enter February with Christmas decorations still on my front porch, and so today is the day I 'unredneck' myself! It helps that we are going to get close to 80 degrees here today, but that also makes it all the more embarrassing that I still have my porch bedecked in Christmas.

Unfortunately I think the christmas lights all around the house may make it into February as I need the Hubster to get those down with me. But come snow, wind or rain, they are also coming down this Saturday.

Mind you, now I am a fully fledged gun owner, spent my weekend running a gun show and can't wait to go target shooting tomorrow evening, all hope may already be lost for me!

Anybody else showing their redneck tendencies?

The 'Royal' Equivalent?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:41:00 +0000

I have been enjoying the Inauguration ceremony as a proud American for the first time today, and truly I do feel proud.

I may not always agree with The Presidents politics and ideas. But this is one of those days when America rolls out their own equivalent of true pomp and circumstance and gets as close to a royal event as I think they can. The stunning setup at The Capitol and the huge throngs of people as far as the eye can see down The Mall, really are impressive.

I had one negative thought throughout the whole event - she did a great job, but I think Beyonce just got her payback for all her support and sycophancy over the past 6 years!

All it needed was a fly past, alot less celebrities, a family balcony wave and a lot more fancy hats, and I think I'd have felt quite at home!

Yada yada yada.... and I'm back!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 05:17:00 +0000

Now I know this is a really poor excuse for a 1-year absence, but the desktop I am writing this long overdue post on has literally not worked in over a year. And no that doesn't mean I deserve your pity because I have been cut-off from the cyber-world since then. It's just when I got it back today, up popped my long neglected blog as my home page and I suddenly felt the inexplicable urge to blog again - go figure!

So here's a quick recap on what's happened to me since I last bothered to post:

My job as an Event Coordinator at a new $7 million Conference Center in NW Okieland has been a complete blessing in my life. I think it's possibly the best fit in a job I have ever had and I NEVER expected to find something like it out here.

One of the reasons I have not been around is due to the quite frankly astounding success the Conference Center has enjoyed and continues to do so, since it opened last March. We were expected by our City bosses to do somewhere between 25-50 events in 2012, we did 147 in 9 months! We already have around 110 booked for 2013 and since the New Year have received an enquiry daily and sometimes two.

Christmas decor at work

I love my work as it's just so varied. Our events have included weddings, family reunions, trade shows, seminars, safety meetings, banquets, church services, birthday parties, a PBS premiere, fundraisers... in fact there really isn't much we won't turn our hand to if asked. My friends and family would tell you I was born a planner and organiser and so it's no surprise I enjoy it so much.

2012 was also the year I took control of my life long weight issues. I gave WeightWatchers the time and effort it deserves and it has rewarded me richly. I lost 60lbs in 9 months and it has made such a difference in so many ways. I slipped somewhat in the last 3 months when we were crazy busy at work and I let it lead me astray, gaining some 18lbs back. But nothing disastrous and I am now back on the wagon and aiming for a very achievable 40lbs gone in 2013 which will put me where I want to be for good.

Tip: Huge baubles make a girl look skinnier!

I'd like to thank WeightWatchers for living up to its promise, "because YES it works" if you commit to it and you really do not feel deprived. I'd also like to thank Jennifer Hudson, who I personally feel is the best ambassador they have ever had, she has certainly inspired me.

December 2012

The Hubster is still my better half and we have now been happily married just over 7 years. 2012 was a difficult year for him, with the sad loss of his mother and a stressful few months leading up to it. Then in November he had an alarming health incident known as Transient Global Amnesia, which gave us both a very scary week until the tests were complete and we had an answer. But there are no lasting after effects and it will hopefully never re-occur, so life has returned to normal.

In May we joined a new church and it would be true to say in my case I have finally found my spiritual home. It has renewed my faith, strengthened it and I now find myself growing in my faith on a daily basis. I am in no doubt it's one of the main reasons I am finding the trials of life we all have to face easier to handle.

I finally found an American sport and team to love, like I had back home. Come on down.... NBA Basketball and the Oklahoma City Thunder.... I am now a huge fan! We got to attend a couple of games last season (including a play-off) and are going again in a few weeks to see them play the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On April 15 a massive tornado hit the west part of the town where I work within a 1/4 mile of my workplace, causing extensive damage and loss of life.

The storm claimed six lives and injured 36 people. The storm impacted 224 homes and businesses in the area. Of those, 73 were destroyed, 22 sustained major damage and 21 had minor damage. My workplace was in the center of the damage field and for 3 days I had to drive through Police barricades to get there. Believe me, it looks so different than on tv when it's somewhere you drive through daily and I was pretty emotional for a few days immediately afterwards.

One of the damaged homes in this picture belongs to someone I indirectly report to, he had a narrow escape without injury. I know a young girl who was sucked out of her house and miraculously survived being blown a 1/4 mile away! There were others affected who I work with or know personally, and the whole experience was an eye-opener for me on strength of community, faith and moving forward after a natural disaster.

I got to vote for the first time in 2012 and was proud to do so.... and I exercised one of my constitutional rights when I bought this!

Some things happily remained the same, our very own fur-babies on the right over there are all still with us and thriving. I'm still part of a great book club and I still regularly get a laugh or a kick out of life here in the USA from a British perspective! And yes I'm still confusing the locals with Brit'isms like chuffed, car park and loo.

In fact just today I had a giggle when I passed a Plant with a large sign proclaiming it to be the 'Snubbing Division'! I commented to the Hubster that us Brits are all experts at snubbing.

So that's the highlights and lowlights of 2012 in a nutshell, it's a year we won't forget.

As for 2013 - well I already know it's going to be crazy busy at work, we have our very own HGTV project having inherited Gary's moms home which is in need of major refurbishment, and we will become grandparents in May.

Plus it looks like I'm blogging again!

Happy belated New Year!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:12:00 +0000

Yes I'm still knocking around out here in the wilds of Okieland, it's just been a period of transition and blogging dropped off my 'to do' list for awhile.
I have been with my new employer for almost two months and it has proved to be a great move for me. I have been welcomed with open arms by my new work colleagues and felt right at home very quickly. We are not in the new Conference Center yet, thanks to much needed rain/snow and other construction delays but we should be moved in by the end of this month. I might not be on the much envied school hours and vacations anymore, but this is more than outweighed by better pay and benefits.

My longer journey to work is not an issue at all, I just have to think back to my nightmare M25/M1 journey in England and I still thank my lucky stars for no traffic! And I am now working in the closest major town to our home so I can just pop out at noon and do the shopping, which is extremely handy. The Hubster has been an absolute star and taken on getting dinner ready without complaint, as he is home 40 minutes before I am.

The weight loss project is going great. I have been with Weight Watchers Online since early January and have lost 20lbs without too much suffering and deprivation. I actually believe I may have cracked it mentally this time and am set for success. The key for me has been breaking down the total amount I want to lose over a 12 month period and this has left me with a very do-able target for each month. This way I am focusing on the small monthly target not the scary total amount!

And I have finally found a professional US sport to love and follow - NBA Basketball. This has been helped by the stunning success of the OKC Thunder. We have tickets to see them play the Denver Nuggets this Sunday and are looking forward to a fun holiday weekend.

Counting down

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:45:00 +0000

Well I am entering my last week as a school secretary tomorrow. For the past week I have been training my replacement and doing things around here for the final time. I can already tell I maybe a tad emotional when I finally say goodbye a week on Tuesday!

This week is going to be busy, I have two school Christmas parties and my new employer very kindly invited me to their Christmas lunch as well. Tomorrow a colleague at work is cooking me a mexican lunch as her gift to me and we will all get to enjoy it. So healthy eating maybe a problem this week! I just finished baking Sticky Toffee Pudding for one of the parties, my final gift to my colleagues who loved it after I made it once before.

The kids are starting to realise I am leaving and as they come up and hug me and tell me they will miss me, it's getting harder everytime.

And then the little funnies you get with kids happen and remind me why I have loved this job for four years.

Last week I decided to dress for the season and wore bright red lipstick one day. As I left a classroom I heard a third grader say to his teacher "Miss Sarah has ALOT of lipstick on today!". It was very tempting to go back and kiss him on the cheek, but his teacher and I got a big giggle out of it.

I have a feeling I am going to be needing a hankie!

Lost in translation!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:22:00 +0000

So the other day I had to get hold of a parent after her child puked. I tried calling her to no avail and the child informed me she was now working nights.

So I reverted to the next contact his aunt, also a parent at the school, this was our conversation (names changed for privacy).

Me: "Hi Jo, I have been trying to get hold of Ann because John has been sick and we need him picked up. As you're the next contact and I can't get her, I am calling you"

Jo: "Ok no problem"

Me: "Would you mind coming for him, or do you think you could send someone around to knock Ann up"

Dead silence for about 5 seconds, whilst we both absorbed what I'd said.

Me: "Oh my gosh Jo that's not what I mean't, that has a whole different meaning in England!"

Jo: Trying to speak through laughter "omg don't worry I knew you didn't mean that"

Me: "I am so sorry" also laughing

Jo: "Oh no you just made my day, I'll send Jim to get him"

Me: Bright red with mortification!!

A change is gonna come

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 03:22:00 +0000

Well there's a good reason I have been silent.

You know when there's something exciting afoot that you can't share, it tends to be all you can think about and that makes blogging kind of tough. Well that's been me for the past 6 weeks because......

I HAVE A NEW & EXCITING JOB!!!!

I have loved my current job as an Elementary School Secretary over the past few years and it gave me a perfect transition into the American workplace. But back in England I was very much an ambitious career woman and I am ready to restart my career, using skills I have the school doesn't need from me. So it was time for a change, plus the Hubster is ready for a more significant contribution to the bank account!

I saw my new job advertised, realized I had previous experience in England that offered the skills they were needing. So I applied, I interviewed, I got it and as it's not the kind of job that will probably come up again in this area, I was over the moon.

The main city in our tri-state area is building a brand new state of the art Conference Center (architect drawing above) and I am going to be an Event Coordinator for it.

It's over 29,000 square foot and will accommodate approximately 650 people in a round table event, 1200 in a lecture type seating, 110 booth spaces, and 75 people in the three training rooms, acting as a hub for multi-purpose conference and education facilitating.

I have given notice at the school and am due to start a month before the building is finished, probably December sometime. I will be an employee of the city Tourism Bureau and that means lots of involvement in promoting the area and events to attend and help plan.

This is a first for the area and I am so chuffed they have decided they want me as part of their team for this exciting project.

Saying goodbye to the school, my colleagues and the kids will be hard and no doubt require some kleenex, but this was an opportunity I just could not turn down.

So now the secret is out, I'll be blogging again!

Teaching 'British'

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:52:00 +0000

Well I got to do something really fun on Monday night, our High School play this year is a Sherlock Holmes skit and they nearly all have to speak with a British accent. So when I was asked to help the students get the accent, I was delighted to help out.

It's not easy trying to help someone sound British, especially when you don't really 'hear' your own accent. So I concentrated on the difference in vowel pronunciations, speaking slower, more clearly and enunciating every letter.

It was a real giggle for all of us, I took them in small groups and read through the lines with them. I got them to watch my mouth closely as I spoke as apparently Brits do not open their mouths as wide as Americans when they speak and we repeated problem words until they improved.

At first they were typical self-conscious teenagers, but then we started to have fun and they relaxed and got better. It was amazing how speaking slower and saying the whole word clearly actually made them sound more British.

I felt most sorry for the young lad playing Jeeves. He was the first one told he needed to spend time with me and I hated to tell him Jeeves was an iconic character who spoke very 'posh'. We persevered and he did improve but it was a real struggle for him.

I did have a success with one of the young girls though. Her teacher commented during the rehearsal afterards that she now really sounded British and was too timid to even try before my intervention. Overall I think they all went away with an understanding of how to sound more British and there was definite improvement.

I also left them with the perfect warm-up word before they go on stage - Water, pronouned war-terr by Brits, rather than the American wadda.

I can't wait to see how they do in November.

Because it works!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:53:00 +0000

I started back on Weight Watchers this past Monday, using their etools program as the closest meeting is 30 minutes from me.

Weight Watchers has had alot of press coverage recently after coming out top on a couple of 'weighty' surveys as the best weight loss plan out there. I also think Jennifer Hudson has been their best celebrity endorsement ever, as she seems approachable, somewhat normal and now looks amazing.

I can vouch for their claim as this won't be my first time, in the past I have not only lost 40lbs but also not been hungry, food obsessed or miserable. The truth is it just works, but the harder part is sticking to it.

But I have finally reached that critical age (45) where it has dawned on me that if I want to live a long healthy life with the Hubster and not bankrupt us with medical costs for knee replacements etc, then I need to lose the weight for good. It's kind of been an awakening and it's all about my age and seeing so many heavy older people having health issues I am headed for without an intervention now.

So actually I am quietly confident this time. I have a good life and I want to be here to enjoy it for many years to come to it's fullest.

So I am putting it out here that I am aiming for 105lbs weightloss, I have gained 35 since that picture over there with the Hubster was taken! You may still think surely she doesn't need to lose that much, well first off I am tall and the weight is spread evenly all over so I carry it. Secondly to be in healthy range I actually need to lose 85lbs but I want to be skinny slim for the first time in my life and get to wear clothes I have only ever dreamed about.

I will add a little weight loss tracker somewhere here to keep me accountable to any of you that want to comment and I may occasionally blog about major milestones. I am going to take it in 25lb segments and my first target is 30lbs by Christmas and since Monday I have lost 5lbs for a great start.

Finally if any of you are using Weight Watchers Online and would like to add me as a friend on there, please email me at sukie175@hotmail.com.

I need all the help and support I can get :-)

Fun in Texas

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:52:00 +0000

On Saturday morning the Hubster was reading the local paper when I heard him holler from the kitchen in disappointment. It turned out the Bellamy Brothers were playing just 50 miles up the road in Texas that night and he would have wanted to go. I told him to call the venue, so he did and we got the second to last pair of tickets for the show.

So Saturday night turned into a great date night unexpectedly. We both smartened up, had dinner at the best steakhouse in our area and then saw a world class act in a smalltown venue.

What a great show and we were just a few rows back to enjoy it. The Bellamy Brothers have had many hits over the years but perhaps the most famous are Redneck Girl, If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me and their most famous song, Let Your Love Flow.

They were great entertainment but best of all it was just down the road for us, and living where we do that's a rare treat believe me.

Remembrance

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 17:53:00 +0000

"We never need to forget 9/11. Keeping these 9/11 remembrance quotes near to our hearts is important. We should not allow this fateful day to slip from our memory. In the words of Former President George W. Bush: "These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of America's resolve."

Like many, we are spending our day in quiet remembrance of victims and heroes.

Giving you what you want!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:08:00 +0000

So I was looking at my blog stats the other night and noticed that the second highest read post I have ever written was made up mostly of pictures of a near naked Matthew McConaughey.

I then took a look at my highest rated 'Keyword Searches' and this is what I got:

brit gal 185
matthew mcconaughey naked 148
brit gal in the usa 135
bwotd 91
storm chasing vehicle 44
storm chaser car 40
brit gal usa 29

So just to keep everybody happy, here is apparently my perfect blog post -

An oldie but a goldie BWOTD (Brit Word of the Day):

Chuffed = being very pleased or happy about something

"I am very chuffed with my discerning blog readers"

and finally......

Enjoy :-)

Have you ever looked at your stats, you might want to check before you have a sneaky giggle at mine?

Happy things

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:59:00 +0000

I think it's crucial to surround yourself with things that make you smile inside your home. So I thought over the next few weeks I'd share a few of the things I have that just make me happy whenever I notice them.

This summer I decided it was time to replace the Hubsters long lasting reliable Corelle tableware with something that would bring me pleasure whenever I used it. So I used birthday money to start off a collection of ..... Fiestaware.

If you were to come into my home you'd guess pretty quickly that I love colour and use it liberally everywhere. When we bought our home it was a standard cream throughout, but now every room is a different color and I mean colour not some faint touch of colour. I can admire the cool creamy perfection of monochrome homes from a distance, but I wouldn't want to live in it, it's just too bland for me personally.

So Fiestaware was just a natural choice for me, I adore the vibrancy of the colours available and the different effects you can create with all the combinations. If you are also a fan of Fiestaware or just beautiful tableware, then you NEED to go HERE for some major inspiration on table settings from a fabulous blog.

Some collectors of Fiestaware stick with one or two colours and get a full dinner service that all matches, but that wasn't for me, I like to mix and match to my hearts content.

So now when I open the cupboard doors to reach for a dish, this is the joyful splash of colour that just makes me smile everytime.

And the big added bonus - MADE IN THE USA.

Gains and Losses - Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0000

So as I celebrate the first anniversary of becoming an American this week, here is a sometimes irreverent look at the things I have gained by moving to the USA and Okieland in particular.

The Gains:

Cowboy hats and boots are now just a part of my wardrobe. I can go out in a Cowboy hat here and nobody will assume I am a) at a hen-night (bachelorette party), b) gay or c) attending a fancy dress party. And I love Cowboy boots, not only are some gorgeous but they're also comfortable and practical.

I have the right to shoot someone if they enter my home illegally and uninvited. I can even say to them "C'mon make my day" in my best Clint voice as I shoot them and not get into trouble, because it's known as the 'make my day' law - bizarre but oddly comforting. Now if I just knew how to shoot the gun.....

I can go off and leave my home unlocked and more than likely it will remain unharmed even a week later, probably in part due to the above! Despite this being truly smalltown USA I won't ever try this.

I could park my car, leave it running with the keys in the ignition and pop into a store and nobody would touch it. But again old habits die hard, so I lock it everytime and continue to be amazed at the madness of the locals who do this.

It's nice to have complete strangers greet me and smile as I go about my day. There's none of this standing 2 feet away from someone and pretending they're not there, as seen on the London Underground for example. I have no doubt at all that if I needed help here, someone would always offer it quickly.

Complete strangers call me "M'am" regularly, in fact daily. I think the only person a Brit would address as "M'am" is the Queen.

Country music is a whole new appreciation for me. Before I moved you really only heard the classic country artists occasionally on Brit radio, like Dolly and Kenny. But I have noticed now when I listen online that many of the newer acts like Sugarland, Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum are heard over there. I now really enjoy country music mainly thanks to Brad Paisley.

I could go out locally any night and enjoy a plate of Calf Fries otherwise known as Bulls testacles, however I think hell will freeze over first.

As opposed to England where you have to ask for ice in a drink, over here I have to ask for "easy easy ice" just to ensure I have any actual drink in my cup. And let's not even go there on how many times I've been a victim of the dreaded 'ice slide' and ended up with it all in my lap.

I am often in contact with 'real' men in big cowboy hats, tall boots, driving huge trucks, calling me "M'am", who know how to shoot a gun, and it's ACTUALLY my life not just a Mills & Boon Western romance.

The Hubster can pretty much fix anything or do anything around the home and vehicles himself, there's no need to have a plumber, electrician, mechanic etc come in and do it for us. Men here are impressively self sufficient.

Body weight - sadly what I have lost I have gained again, in part due to the excellent Mexican cuisine in our area. If only one meal a day was compulsory Calf Fries, all my weight issues would be a thing of the past.

New Mexico as a bordering state - the 'Land of Enchantment' has me completely won over. In fact I am already planning our retirement to Taos, just don't tell the Hubster.

I can say outrageous things and get away with it, because a British accent just makes everything sound better - apparently.

I can drive on the wrong side of the road and people just think it's funny.

Blue skies for probably about 90% of the year.

ABSOLUTELY NO TRAFFIC, or at least nothing that anyone who has ever driven on the M25 in rush-hour would consider traffic.

Four cats, I may have left one behind but over here I seem to keep acquiring more.

Access to mainly clean toilets everywhere. I love that just about any store, or garage (gas station), or institution I enter will have a public loo and it's usually alot cleaner than those back home.

A happy content life with the man of my dreams.

Gains and Losses - Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:50:00 +0000

I have been in the good Ole US of A almost 6 years now and an American for a year this week, so I thought I'd take a tongue in cheek look at what I have lost and gained during that time.

First the losses:

3 teeth! Seriously, I lost on average 1 every 15 months when I first got here and it's not like I don't take care of them, I'm actually a qualified Dental Assistant. It was just a combo of continued issues from the UK and then an especially nasty accident where I fell flat on my face and broke a front tooth, well a crown but it resulted in a VERY costly implant. For awhile I began to wonder if there was something in the Okie water.

Bacon Butties - to understand the full impact of this on a Brit go HERE

Some body weight, probably due in part to the above, but also see Pt.2.

Traffic and all I have to say about that is "THANK YOU GOD".

A cat called Felix, who stayed behind with neighbours who loved him very much and gave him a great home.

A Water Butt, for those not in the know that's not a physical affliction, it's a very 'green' rainwater recycling receptacle much loved in England. I have yet to see one here in what's currently the new mid-west desert area known as Okieland.

Umbrella usage, for much the same reasons as above. Although I did import 3 with me just in case when I moved here, it's not easy seperating a Brit from their trusty umbrella. Having said that, I have yet to use one of them as it's either: unbelievably windy, crazy lightening or totally mad rain as Okieland only seems to do severe weather.

Football (Soccer) fever of the nationalistic kind only seen in European countries, I'm not sure anyone here gets the true significance of Manchester United's influence on the World.

Snake free rambles across the countryside, these days it's all too fraught with potential danger for any possible pleasure to be gained.

Walkers Cheese & Onion Crisps, nuff said if you're a Brit.

Pubs, the bars over here are just not the same in either appearance or atmosphere.

The metric system and this is another 'thank god' moment, as I am of the age where I was right on the cusp of the changeover and I just never did.

Close proximity to the Sea, probably the loss I feel the most, that's not family oriented. Brits have a percentage of seawater in their veins I think due to being an island nation and I miss the ability to just go and sit by the sea hugely. If I ever do make it to the seaside here, I am likely to make a spectacle of myself running in fully clothed and dancing with joy.

The use of the word A-L-U-M-I-N-I-U-M, although I do have fun confusing the Yanks occasionally with this one ;-)

Stress free gardening, I have had to learn it all over again moving to an entirely different climate and eco-system. However I am starting to feel better as many of my gardening friends here seem to suffer the same stresses I do and there's some comfort in this.

Historic architecture around every corner. I find it hard to get even slightly excited about something that's less then 150-years old, coming from England.

Indian Curry. I have to drive 3 hours to find one and occasionally do.

Small bugs. Seriously people what is up with bugs over here, are they on speed or something?

Shopping in London on my doorstep, OKC just ain't quite the same.

British humour, nobody else really gets it.

Hats (not cowboy), people just don't wear hats here like they do in England.

Next up the gains, good and bad.

What's your scent?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:01:00 +0000

Most of us will never meet, but whose to say we can't know each others scent?!

Although I have quite a few perfumes in my bathroom cabinet, there are two I tend to gravitate to most of the time for daytime and evening wear.

For daytime wear I have been a Chanel No. 5 girl all of my adult life. It was my paternal grandma who introduced me to it in my late teens and I have loved it's clean, slightly soapy smell ever since. I keep a spray in my bathroom cabinet and one in my desk drawer for touch-ups late in the day.

Since my late twenties I have loved Givenchy Organza for night time wear, I think the Hubster is also a fan of this as he will often comment on how good I smell when I have it on. It has always struck me as more suited to night time wear, as it's much more exotic and sultry smelling. I also happen to love the shape of the bottle.

My first reserves are: for daytime Very Valentino a delicious light citrusy scent, and for night time Calvin Klein Obsession a spicy opulent scent.

So if we were to bump into each other, what would your scent be?

Unexpected Friday sightings!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 15:36:00 +0000

A t-shirt with this exact wording on it walking away from me on a 7-year old, maybe it's my smutty British personality but it made me bust out laughing.

And a rather low flying plane fuselage letting "the train take the strain" (infamous old British Rail Ad campaign) spotted locally last night.

Alive and kicking - but a bit knackered!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:11:00 +0000

Thank you for your comments and messages, yes I am still out here in the wilds of Okieland and the whole clan is fine and dandy. But school started back on Monday and this year has been especially crazy as we prepared to restart after the summer holidays.

I now have a new Principal and boss, who I like very much, but the change has mean't I have had more responsibility for getting the school and its systems ready, as it's all new to her at the moment.

I am now starting my fourth year as a small town Elementary School Secretary and I still love my job, even on the stressful days, which have been many recently. But the new boss is a very upbeat and positive lady and this combined with her appreciativeness of my work, is making it all bearable.

After three years it appears I have earned the moniker of 'Miss' Sarah all over the local area! Even when I meet people who know what I do but may not have children in the school, that's what they call me. I find it all very amusing and kinda nice too, as I really feel I have been accepted by the community here.

It was great to welcome all the students back on Monday and I am now reaching the point where I remember them as babies in Pre-K and now they're in third grade, time flies for sure with children.

These first few days are always entertaining as we welcome in the new tiny four-year old Pre-K students and then have the challenge of teaching them the cafeteria routines. It can be entertaining at times watching them try to respond to commands, walk, balance a loaded food tray and avoid being flattened by oblivious fifth graders. But they get better each day and at lunchtime today as they lined up, many of them were feeling confident enough to wave to me as they waited - so adorable and it makes all the hard work so worthwhile.

So just tomorrow to go and then a restful weekend and hopefully a slightly more settled week as we all get back into our routines. For me this will also include being a better Blog Mom :-)

Hope you are all well and have enjoyed your summer, tell me what you've been up to please?

Phew!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:02:00 +0000

This was our weather forecast at lunchtime today, well actually this is for Oklahoma City.

We are always a couple of degrees warmer out in the west, so that would be a minimum of 102F (38.8C) everyday if it was specifically for us. The Hubster told me at noon it is supposed to get to 108F (42.2C) here tomorrow, so we plan on staying indoors. We have been around these temp's daily now for about 2 weeks and it's getting old in a hurry.

This is our state drought map as of today, we have been in the 'exceptional' area all year so far. In fact we are beginning to feel like we are becoming more of a desert area, certainly I am bearing that in mind when I select new plants. I'm about to turn one of my beds that really tends to bake into a cactus bed, after having alot of success with one I planted last year.

You know it's bad when we all run out in the street to stand in any rain we rarely get here. That's just what we and the neighbours did last weekend when we got 10 minutes of rain. At the time I thought how crazy my friends in rainy old England would think we were.

We'd love it if someone could turn the air conditioning on over Okieland please.

Progress & a Crush!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:37:00 +0000

As these pictures show, Buddy has made rapid progress in being accepted. With Cal-Jo (above), it took a small incident for dominance of the back of the love seat. Buddy just smacked her on top of the head with his paw when she hissed and that was the end of that discussion - a typical boy.

With Bon-Bon we have a slightly different problem now. They are fine together, now he's realised she's a lover not a fighter. Bon-Bon just appears to have a big old crush on Buddy and he has his very own stalker.

She is rarely more than a couple of feet away from him, she follows him everywhere and does everything she can to get his attention. The Hubster has warned him that ignoring her will just make her keener, but most of the time that's just what he does.

Thank goodness they're both 'fixed', as the Hubster commented the other night on what pretty babies they could have made! One thing is clear, Buddy is already asserting his male right to dominance. He is very strong willed as even we are finding out if we try to make him do something he doesn't want to do. He will throw a tantrum worthy of a 3yr old and we are all learning to just stay out of his way.

Thankfully, peace mostly reigns once again.

Introducing # 4 - Buddy!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 04:48:00 +0000

About 6 weeks ago, we were 'adopted' by a routinely absent neighbours very young cat. He was left outside to fend totally for himself all week and decided our porch was a perfect place to live safely. Little did he know he'd landed in 'cat heaven' at the time. We started to put out food and water, then a bed rejected by our 'girls' and quickly bonded with him, thanks to his very sweet affectionate personality.

The next time the neighbour was home we discussed 'kitty' as he was known by all of us, and it was agreed we would look after him, as we could offer him a safer reliable home. The Hubster had got in the habit of calling him 'Little Buddy' and gradually it just stuck and he responded to "Buddy' when we called him.

So for 3 weeks he lived on the porch, we fed him (he was scarily thin at first) and he was happy with us, but then he got very sick. It started off as weepy eyes and a bad cough, and worsened over 4 days until he was only partially opening his eyes and had a high fever. So we again spoke to the neighbour out of courtesy and for prior health information, who by then viewed him as ours and we took him to the vet.

He had a chronic respiratory infection, plus pink eye, was 2lbs underweight and was kept in hospital, he wouldn't have made it if he'd still be fending for himself. The vet also tested him for all the nasty feline diseases, he was clear and so she gave him his shots and neutered him. She decided he is around 9-11 months old. Since then he has pink eye again and the vet thinks he may not have developed fully in the internal nasal area due to poor diet as a kitten. Needless to say, we already have a healthy monetary investment in him.

By the time we brought him home we were bonded, and so what started off as definitely only an outdoor cat, became an indoor cat. He needed nursing back to health for another 10 days and during this time we kept him seperate from the girls, just letting them see him from afar and regularly swapping them into each others areas to get to know scents. When we were able to let him outside, he was quickly accepted by Sukie and Cal-Jo who were previously used to him being in the garden with them.

However Bon Bon (who is an indoor cat from choice) is taking longer to accept him in 'her' territory. He has been in the house in his 'safe area' for 3 weeks, with nightly supervised visitation into their area, and the above and below pic's are the closest we have got so far. If they move around each other slowly we do okay, but the moment Buddy moves fast, she chases him down and tries to pounce on him and a hissing and yowling match commences. She outweighs him by 4lbs, so understandably he tends to rollover submissively, but he is starting to act like he might stand up to her which is what's needed.

I keep their claws clipped so there is a low risk of injury and we constantly stay with them. A week ago the pictures here would have been impossible to imagine, as they growled and hissed if even in the same area. So we have come a long way, but it's obviously going to take longer with them both being young.

Now we have noticed Sukie is starting to act protectively towards him when Bon Bon is around, and Bon Bon has a healthy respect for Sukie's dominant 'elder' position in the feline heirarchy.

As you can see below, Buddy has a clear message for Bon Bon, because he knows she cannot win this battle, as he has won our hearts.

I've always said I'd end up as a batty old lady with many cats, but 4 is definitely our limit. The problem however is, the Hubster is an even softer touch than I am where cats are concerned.

Saturday night in the cellar!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:49:00 +0000

This was my view on Saturday night for an hour or two, the storm cellar window that overlooks our backyard - as I have said before this window's just so you can watch your house blow by.

About 8:30pm the town tornado siren went off, somewhat to our surprise as we were watching the volatile storms closeby on the radar and from the porch, and they seemed to be just north of us.

Now my outlook on storms has changed alot in the almost 6 years I have been here and this is only the second time the siren has sounded in that time. In the early years I would have been packing stuff for a hour or two before, just in case. This time I was sitting on the porch watching the storm pass by, nothing gathered, nothing prepared including the cellar.

So we grabbed the important things - weather radio, scanner, radio, 3 cats (Buddy was awol), wallets, keys to vehicles, cellphones & charges, rx meds and headed down there. As it became clear it wasn't directly on us still, we took it in turns to run back into the house and grab a few clothes, proper shoes ( the recent tornado hits have educated me on no flip-flops afterwards), lap-top, wedding rings, water, cameras.

And here we are above, well the cats anyway (spot the cat eyes of Cal Jo in the carrier), surrounded by assorted junk and clutter we either store in the cellar or took in there.

This was the Hubster sprinting up the stairs to peek out the door into the yard and see if he could spot anything. I was busy texting local friends for info and cellar/weather comparisons.

And then the whole County lost power and we were all plunged into darkness in a helluva storm. So the extension unit we had setup to power the scanner, lights, fan (it was damn hot down there) phone chargers went down. Luckily we have back-up batteries in the weather radio which was a god-send and the Hubster turned his Pick-up radio up loud on the local station so we could hear it above us.

We didn't get back into the house until about 10:40pm, after a massive lightening show (this picture is lit by a big flash), hail, torrential rain and 70mph winds, but thankfully no tornado.

The tornado went through 3 miles north of us and a number of people we know sustained damage. In fact one lady called me to see if she can visit our storm cellar, as she has now been convinced to put one in having lost a barn and had roof and tree damage. We had no damage, but the power did not come back on until 7:30am the next morning. Buddy arrived on the porch at 4:30am none the worse for wear and so it was a very disturbed night, but thankfully damage free for us.

You'd have been proud of me though - no panicking like a headless chicken, or rows with the Hubster because he wasn't in the cellar with the safety door down.

I must now be officially Okie, as I repeatedly chanced returning to the house in any lulls (I wasn't about to pee in the yard and get struck by lightening), stood in the shelter of a door watching it all blow by at speed and only retreated into the cellar fully to check on our kitties.