My Blog & I

Hello lovelies!

I started off my last blog post saying I was 'back from my blogging break'. I think it's been longer between that last post then the post before! It's not like I haven't wanted to sit down & type, in fact I've been desperate too, but every time I give myself an hour or so to sit down with my laptop, my mind goes blank. Don't get me wrong, I have so many blog post ideas, but getting them typed up at the moment is extremely hard. The most frustrating thing is, I don't know why! 

I know a lot has changed in the blogging community over the last few years. Everyone & their mum is talking about it.. but has it really changed that much? When did sitting down & typing what was on your mind so difficult? That is the question.

I understand it's different for everyone. We all go through different things in our lives at different times & that effects us in all kinds of ways. A life-changing event happened this Summer for me & it's been hard to focus on anything but that lately. (& sadly no, it wasn't a positive thing that happened, but our family is working through it together) One day I will talk about it when it isn't so fresh.

But still the question remains, when did something we love so much turn into something so negative? A fight for the most views on a post.. who can work with a brand first.. who's bought the latest Prada bag.. none of that used to matter. It simply was about sitting down & writing what you were loving, your 'outfit of the day' or where you went on an exciting day out. 

I think that's where my blog has struggled.

I'm not popular within the community.

I started my blog 7 & a half years ago.. There are people who have been blogging for 6 months & have more followers & brand deals than I'll ever have, but I truly believe that's because I'm true to myself & blog about things I want too & still keep my blog as a hobby. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure everyone is passionate about their writing & some people are so driven to make their blog their job, but I'm quite happy it taking a back seat. I've been publishing my 'Life Lately' posts since the start of my blog & treat it as more of an online diary. I'll be forever thankful I never gave up on blogging, because looking back over everything I've done over the years, it makes me so happy! All the ups & downs, past relationships, work & my life are documented on this tiny page on the internet. It's amazing.

I guess this post is a rant. Or maybe it's not. I'm not actually sure.

Maybe it's just me, sitting down, talking about what's on my mind. After all, isn't that what a blog should be, right?

I would love to know your thoughts! : )

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27

Honestly, where has this past year gone?! 

I remember sitting down & writing my 26 blog post like it was yesterday, but in fact it was 365 days ago..

2017 was overall, a pretty good year. Let's start with the most life changing event..

Moving Out

I mentioned in last year's post James & I would hopefully be in a house by the time I'm writing this post this year & sure enough, we are now living together, in our own little flat! We moved in on 13th April, just before Easter, complete with all our furniture we'd had in storage for months. We started viewing some properties around the end of February & found our flat a few weeks later. We must have viewed around 5 flats before finding our current one & it couldn't have been in a better location. It's a 10 minute walk to work & town, while still being near friends & family. The only thing we aren't happy about is the parking. Unfortuntely, when we moved in we were told we would have 1 allocated parking space, with access to visitors spaces for our 2nd car. This was infact not the case as residents aren't permitted to use visitor spaces, which has resorted to us parking our 2nd car a few roads away. Not ideal when I'm finishing work at 8.30pm & have to walk in the dark. I tweeted a week or so ago that something extremely exciting had happened that day & our news was we found a new place to rent! James & I will be moving into a house, with 2 parking spaces, garden & 2nd bedroom in April! We are so excited & are counting down the days till we move. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love our little flat & will be extremely sad to move out, but we're definitely ready for a bit more space. 

James

So James has accomplished alot this year & I couldn't be more proud of him. Firstly, workwise; he started a new job in February at a local kennels & after a couple of months moved up to assistant manager, before starting a new job at the beginning of November as a kennel co-ordinator. He's absolutely loving the role & has a brilliant team of staff behind him. Secondly, we celebrated our 5 year anniversary at the beginning of December. We went to Kingston-Upon-Thames & had a 3-course dinner at the beautiful Warren House. I know we've been together a long time now, but we are still learning & growing together as a couple & it's so nice to know he's had my back this year, through the good times & the bad.

Holidays

So as well as visiting Kingston for our anniversary, James & I went on holiday for 3 nights to Wales to visit his friend Tom & explore the local area. We stayed in Tenby, which was the most beauitful little town, with a few tourist shops & cafes, right next to the beach. I've honestly never felt so relaxed as I did walking along that beach. We also managed to go to The New Forest in September & we stayed in the cutest little lodge. We also visited Bournemouth & Poole while we were there & I fell in love with Bournemouth beach. I really think I have a thing for coastal destinations! & finally I went to Lanzarote with two of my best friends in August. I can't describe to you how amazing that holiday was. Sun, sea, food & my best girlies, what more can you ask for?

Events

So many wonderful things happened this year; Gemma & Ollie welcomed baby Alice into the world, James & I went to see Craig David which was our first concert together, I went to Maria's hen do & then attended Allan & Maria's wedding, we watched the Sidemen Football Match in Charlton, I held my annual Summer BBQ, Connie the convertible came into my life, James & I visited the Harry Potter Studios, we went banger racing, I had my hair cut into a short bob, my Grandad celebrated his 90th birthday, I bought our first Christmas tree & decorated our flat for our first proper Christmas together & of course all the other amazing things I've mentioned above.

Blog

& that finally leads me on to my blog. We've had a few ups & downs this year.. it's the first time I've ever properly felt like blogging was a chore. When we moved in April, I found I just had no time for anything. My life literally became work, cleaning & visiting friends & family, with no time to actually sit down & type. I also didn't really want to. I found myself blogging just because I didn't want to break the habit. I also value my Life Lately posts so much as it means I can write posts like these & look back over the previous year, so I knew pushing myself to keep doing them would be worth it in the end. Over the last few months though, I've felt a bit more connected with my writing & hopefully that can progress over the next year.

So that's it lovelies, on Tuesday I turn 27 & I'm actually ok with that. Ask me again in 3 years time & I'll probably be running for the hills.. but for now.. did someone say chocolate cake & prosecco.. ;D

25 / 26

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Life Lately #107

Hello lovelies!

Feels like ages since I've done an update post. My head hasn't really been into blogging the last week or so, thank goodness for sensible me who decided to draft some posts a month ago! I don't know what it is, but I've been struggling to even want to sit down at my laptop & start typing. I think because I sit & look at a computer screen every day for work, I'm reluctant to want to do it in my spare time.. anyway, hopefully I'll soon get back into the swing of things.

The month has felt so busy, but when I actually look back over the past week or so, I don't seem to have taken many pictures..

My group of friends & I had a games day round Cathy's house  at the end of May & her cat Millie decided to hunt me down & rub herself all over me. I think cats have an inkling when someone has an allergy & will pounce as soon as they see you. As well as Millie infecting me for a few days, my hay fever has been driving me insane ever since. It's fine some days, but then others I'll feel completely run down by it. Please tell me its not just me?

On Friday 3rd June I went to my first football match in Southampton. I bought James tickets to the Sidemen VS YouTube Allstars charity match for Easter (who am I kidding, they were a gift to myself as well!) & we travelled up in the afternoon to grab some lunch before the game. We ate in a lovely place called Pitcher & Piano. The starters were delicious but we were unsure of the main courses. I had a burrito & James had a burger. They were a bit plain to be honest but it was a nice place to eat as it was right on the harbour. Anyway, the match was so good! It finished 7-2 & up until their young male fans decided to run onto the pitch at the final whistle destroying everything, it was amazing. I just wish they had been able to do the trophy presentation properly at the end. I vlogged the day, so that will be coming soon on my YouTube channel if you're interested.

Last Sunday, myself & the ladies from work took part in the Race For Life. It was our third year raising money & awareness for Cancer Research & thankfully, we had a dry, hot day! I'm so proud of them all!

I met up with Gem & Cathy last week for dinner at ASK. I always seem to forget about this restaurant in our local town as it's at the far end of a row of restaurants & because I cook pasta dishes regularly at home, it doesn't feel like a treat when I go there. However, I had the mushroom & chicken risotto & oh my god, it was amazing. To finish our meal, we had one of their new desserts, the chocolate lava mountain. It was heaven!

On Saturday, the girls & I went to the Ardingly Show, which is filled with animals; pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, horses, cows, rabbits etc & lots of food tents, stalls & floral displays. We had such a nice day, despite the rain & overcast skies. This is Gareth, you might remember me mentioning him in previous posts. He was on display in the chicken tent. Little Lily also came on our day out & had a lots of fun looking at all the animals!

& finally yesterday I had a day off. I can't tell you how excited I was to do nothing but cook, blog & relax. How did you spend your weekend?

 & I think that will be the last update from me before we head to Corfu next Monday. I'm actually so excited to spend some time in the sunshine away from work & every day life. I haven't decided if I'm going to set up a few posts while I'm away, I'll have to see if I can get my head back into it. Thankyou as always for your love & support on this page & all my other social medias. You guys are amazing < 3

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Life At The Moment #69

Hello lovelies!

Haven't done a catch up in a while & as the last few weeks have been very eventful, I just wanted to do a quick round up.

First of all, I know it was nearly a month ago (crazzzzzzy how fast the time goes) that it was Christmas! If you're like me & still have those festive blues, you can check out our Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & Boxing Day adventures here. I love Christmas, but after it's been & gone, it feels like your life is half empty.. is that just me?

At the end of December, myself, James, Alex & Flo went to Winter Wonderland. You can see a post about our adventure here. I'd highly recommend going if you haven't, even after Christmas day it's still a beautiful place to visit.

Myself & my work colleagues finally managed to meet up (so hard to find a day where none of us are working) & we went for a late Christmas breakfast at the local Beefeater. I never realised before but they do an all-you-can-eat breakfast before 10.30 every morning. We had a full cooked English, plus access to the continental breakfast menu, which included croissants, cereals, toast, muffins & yogurts. Oh & endless refills of tea & coffee. Perfect.

It was James' 21st birthday on 1st January & I managed to book a hotel just outside of London for New Years Eve. It was the most stunning place, complete with heated flooring, a tv in the bathroom & the biggest bed to spread out on. I've done a full post about our stay which you can read here.

& finally, one of my New Years Resolutions was to re-connect with friendships & last Sunday, myself & my three best girls got to spend the day together; shopping, eating & playing games. It seems silly, but to find a time when we're all free is near enough impossible with our working hours.. just need to book in a few more days now : )

What have you been up to recently?

As always, please leave your links to your blog posts, I'd love to read them!

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2015 Resolutions

Hello lovelies,

 

I wanted to do this post in the middle of January so I could actually review my resolutions & see if I've stuck with them! I have to admit, usually I'm hopeless at keeping resolutions. I hate change & anything out of my normal routine, so this year I decided to add small but beneficial changes to my life style.  

 

1. Be healthier

Resolution - This one is something I've been trying to work on since last Summer. Ever since I went on holiday & I came home & saw the photos of me in a bikini, I knew I wasn't happy. Now, I'm not fat, I know that, but that small ring above my hips stopping me from doing that big button up on my jeans, does bother me. This resolution is simply about swapping that chocolate bar for a packet of grapes, or a cup of raw carrot. It's simply about giving my body something healthy other than crap basically.

How am I doing - This one so far I've been able to keep up with! I've been taking a lot of fruit to work & resisted the urge to go & delve into the biscuit tin. I haven't really noticed a difference in how I feel energy wise, but I'm slowly starting to head more towards the fruit bowl than the sweets cupboard. I've been using the 'My Fitness Pal' app which is fantastic. It's got nearly every food listed & broken down for you so you can see exactly how many calories it is, the sugar levels & fat content.

 

2. Exercise 2-3 times a week

Resolution - Again, similar to number one, I want to become more active. My job involves me sitting at a computer screen which can be up to 9 hours a day. Now I'm never going to be an Olympian, but I would love to be able to go for a short run or long walk without feeling like I've hiked up Mount Everest. My tummy does bother me like I've previously mentioned, so I want to tone up for summer.

How am I doing - I have actually been doing more exercise since the beginning of January! I've been watching YouTube workout videos at home, (I'm not one that finds going to an exercise class or the gym appealing, I'd much rather do a free class, alone in the comfort of my own home) & it's been going amazingly well. After each workout, I've felt like I've accomplished something. (We'll ignore the fact I couldn't walk up the stairs very well for 2 days after one workout.. lesson learned.. warm up properly!)

 

3. Blog 2-3 times a week

Resolution - I do adore blogging & like other things in my life, it's all about keeping up a routine & finding the time for your blog. I've managed to stick with this hobby for nearly 4 years now & can't believe how far my little blog has come.

How am I doing - So far so good. Like I say, I am usually pretty good at blogging quite frequently (ignore December..) so this one I hope will be quite easy to maintain.

 

4. Be happier

Resolution - Now this one is hard for me to describe. Let me start of by saying, I'm not an unhappy person. Far from it infact, but certain aspects of my life I want to work on & I think 2015 is the year for me to do that. I want to start by being more organised. People that know me will be screaming at the screen right now, shouting "more organised!? how can you be more organised..?!" You see I usually am the person who does arrange events, days out, places to meet & times etc. But I mean organised with my own time. Now I'm exercising more, I want to be able to have time to workout, to blog, to eat proper meals, to see more people & to make time for myself. I do work a lot of hours & it does drag you down when you literally have no time to do anything but go to work, come home & sleep. I do love my job, but sometimes I need to take time for myself. Also, I've realised I've lost so many connections with friends over the past 5 years, since leaving college & people going separate ways, it's hard to keep in contact. So I want to build back some of the friendships from previous years.

How am I doing - So far, amazingly well. I have booked off 6 days this week as my birthday is on Friday, I've got quite a few bits planned with friends & family, but also a pamper day to myself which will be nice. I also managed to spend time with my three best girls yesterday, the four of us haven't had a day together for ages. I'm also working on doing things that I've never thought I could do before & such simple things as well, which are so scary to me! I'm proud of what I've accomplished this year so far, despite a few rocky patches on the way, I think I'm slowly getting there.

 

Let me know how you're getting on with your New Years Resolutions & if any of yours are similar to mine, I'd love it if you could comment & we can help support each other. Also, please leave any links to your posts in relation to exercise, being healthy or just happiness. I'd love to read them : )

 

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