So, I've not touched my blog for a while (oops) but this isn't the first time. I've had many periods of absence but this one, I felt really naff as I didn't post in March, which was the first month I hadn't done atleast one post since June 2016, so I lost my streak by only a few months. But at the end of the day, it's good to take breaks, allowed me to focus on my personal life for a bit and see where I wanted to take my blog. Does that mean I'm going to stop posting? No, absolutely not. I've enjoyed blogging so much as it's enabled me to connect with other bloggers, allowed me to be creative and my writing has reached out to so many people, which has been amazing. I definitely don't want to stop but just wanted to do a very quick 'why have I been a bit MIA recently' type post. So yeah, what have I been doing these last few months?

First off, I went on a lovely 2 week holiday to Cornwall in April and it was so nice to relax and spend some quality time with my boyfriend. We had a caravan with a sea view and it was just incredible to see the sunsets and beautiful scenery. We took a lot of photos but here are a few photos of places we went and food we ate.

 

Secondly, I've been a very busy bee at work. I'm been helping on a project which takes up most of my day and even been staying late a few times but it has been taking a lot out of me by the time I get home so all I want to do is relax. I know some people would just carrying on going but I like to enjoy some chill time. The project is very nearly done though and although it's been hard work, it's definitely helped my growth and that's something I just want to keep doing.

Lastly, aside from the chilled evenings, I've been doing lots of things with my friends on weekends. I went to a Eurovision night where a group of us got together, we brought food of a chosen country who were taking part in it (I got Australia...), had drinks and had a good laugh. I did another murder mystery, met up with an old work colleague, went to a comedy night, went to an afternoon tea been on a bike ride and even went to an aqua park recently.

It probably doesn't seem like a lot but I think a little break has been good for me. I am though raring to get on with some new content and currently eyeing up some things to try out so, might see something in the very near future on that?

What would you like to see on my blog?

Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!

March, how has that been and gone already? I'm a little stunned that we're already into April and I'm writing up my March Review already. So, what did I get up to in March?


♥ HITTING THE GYM
Although I did start going mid-February, I have been going to the gym quite a lot this month, as my work place has one onsite which I can use. I was a little scared of going to start with, as I wasn't much of a big gym goer and felt a little intimidated by everyone else but slowly but surely, I went more often. I started going Tuesday and Thursdays each week and if I missed a day, I'd go three days the following week to balance it back out. I will say that during the last week of March, I didn't go at all as I felt some pain in my knee so didn't want to push it but I've been really been enjoying myself and I'm noticing some slight changes within my body - obviously won't see anything mega just yet. I really want to keep this up and start living a bit more of a healthy lifestyle this year, which was a goal of mine last year and didn't stick to it. I'd quite keen to see the differences after 6 months so watch this space!


♥ MY BIRTHDAY!
So, I turned 26 in March (crumbs). Although I didn't do much for my birthday, I enjoyed the time I got to spend with people. I went out to Funky Wood for dinner, where I had salt and pepper squid as a starter and a really tasty chicken burger for my main. I also went out for brunch with my oldest and closest friends at Coppa Club, which was so tasty and the atmosphere was delightful. I got some pretty cool presents, even though I didn't ask for anything and it was a very quiet one. I think 26 isn't so much of a milestone birthday so it being quiet fit quite well with the occassion.


Not long after I started, there was word that there was going to be a work outing, and it happened in March. We went to a Medieval Banquet in London and yes, I was sceptical to begin with, but I had a rather good night! I got a little merry and danced to songs like Macarena and Cha Cha Slide and people loved it (I don't really know what I did but they enjoyed my dancing). I really enjoyed myself that night and it made me feel like I fit in with everyone and just felt so content with the people I was around :)

♥ THINGS I'VE ENJOYED
Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!

Nothing screams Sunday more than a pamper session in the evenings. After a long week at work and some plans during the weekend, there is nothing better than to give myself an hour or so on a cheeky pamper. What do I include in my pamper session? Have a read on.

First thing's first, a bath. I have showers during the week but I so look forward to a Sunday night bath. A hot (well, warm as I can't stand it too hot) bubble bath. Heaven. I'm currently using the Radox Feel Relaxed bubble soak. The lavender scent is so calming and it's one of my favourites. I just feel like I'm going to have a good night's sleep and sets me up so right for the week ahead.

Whilst I'm having a bath, it's a pretty good opportunity to shave my legs. I don't do this every Sunday, simply because sometimes I can't be bothered. But, that feeling when you've got freshly shaved legs and you go to put your PJs on or you have fresh sheets on the bed. Oh, that's such a good feeling. I normally use some sort of cream or gel, usually Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash (smells amaze) to shave my legs, nothing too special.

Next on the Sunday pamper agenda, painting my nails. Like shaving my legs, I don't do this every Sunday but I tend to usually change to a new colour if I've already got some on and it's all chipped or if after I've left it a week or two with not wearing any. I've got quite a lot of nail varnishes hidden away that I want to get into using but I just like the look of fresh nails on a Monday morning but I'm so naff at painting nails that I smudge/chip them so easily.

A face mask, of course. I go on about face masks so often and have a little stash of them, all of different brands, scents, types etc. but I just love sitting there for however long, and letting my skin have a bit of care, considering I slap makeup on it in the week. Once I've done the face mask, I'll then try and make sure I do my little skincare routine - which just consists of Pixi Glow Tonic & Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. Not much but it seems to work if I keep up with it.

Whilst I'm doing this pamper, I love having a candle lit and a cup of tea. That finishes it all off so nicely. Cherry on the cake.

I love being able just to give myself that bit of time in an evening that I don't really get in the week. What do you like to do in your pamper sessions? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear what you get up to!

Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!

Wow, January has ended already? Can't believe that we've got through one month of the year. But the thing January has been, is exciting and busy! So, what have I been up to?

♥ NEW JOB!
As you would have probably seen in my previous post, I mentioned that I was starting a new job at the beginning of January. I've been loving getting back into the swing of things, having a routine and making a bunch of new friends. I've felt so welcomed there and I've already been on a night out and done karaoke with a few of them! Being out of work for a whole year, although I needed it, it started to make me feel a bit lonely and feeling down that I wasn't really doing anything with my day. So I was so happy to be walking through a new set of doors and learning. Oh and a finally a payday! :)

Obviously, what it has meant that I've been very quiet on the blogging front. I've not posted a single post, hardly been on Twitter and just not really had any ideas of what I could even put out there. But that's likely to be just down to being busy at work and just wanting to chill in the evenings. There are people out there who have a full time job and still can do blogging on the side, so there isn't any excuse as to why I can't do it so in February, I'd quite like to give it a go. I *might* have bought myself a few things so I could do a haul/first impressions/review post on that but would quite like to do a monthly review post for each month, just documenting what I've been getting up to and maybe what I'd like to try and focus on next month. Let's just see how long it lasts and it might even change as the months go by.


♥ DOING THINGS WITH THE BOYF
Something that I've enjoyed doing this month was doing things with my boyf. As we're both now working full time, we don't see each other in the week anymore and so we try to see each other during the weekends as much as we can, unless other plans come up. We decided to go to the cinema to watch The Greatest Showman and I didn't mind the film. I hadn't even see a trailer for it so I was really unsure what to expect. It contained a lot of music but I didn't actually mind it so much. It was a nice spontaneous visit as we rarely go to the cinema together. Something else we've done is go out for dinner but we wanted to visit a restaurant we've not been to before. So we went to CAU. We went on a Sunday, where they do Sunday roast, and OMG, it was incredible. I went for the beef roast, as it was a steak restaurant but it was pink in the middle. I wouldn't really go for that but it was actually not that bad. Really rather enjoyed it. We want to try and make our weekends fun and enjoyable but we don't mind having a cosy one in and get a takeaway and just watch Netflix.

♥ THINGS I'VE ENJOYED
- Coffee
- Having a clear out
- The End of the F***ing World on Netflix
- Playing Prosecco Pong with friends

To be honest, that's it. It really hasn't been much, I've just simply been trying to get into the swing of things and start 2018 off right. I do want to try and get some more content posted in February and I've got a few ideas written down so hopefully it won't be quiet all month then it's suddenly a review post at the end.

Hope you've enjoyed this little update and let's see what I have to say about February.

Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!

I am in a bit of shock that 2017 has come to an end. It only felt like yesterday that I was celebrating my 25th birthday or soaking up some sun in Ibiza back in Summer. But before we ring in a New Year, I wanted to do a quick post and talk about the resolutions I set myself back in January. I set myself some goals that I felt that I could achieve in the year and thought this would be a great chance to see where I got with each one.

LEARN TO DRIVE
This one was something I really wanted to do this year, purely on the basis that I didn't want a fear to get to me. If you've got me on social media or you read the specific blog post, you will know that I actually passed my test first time back in July, with only two minors. I was so chuffed when I got that piece of paper and since then, I actually love driving. I'm much more independent, I've gained confidence and it's allowed me to do things I wouldn't have been able to do when I wasn't able to drive, like see family. I'm so glad that I actually completed this resolution in 2017 because I really wasn't sure if I would have tapped out again.

LOSE SOME WEIGHT
In all honesty, this on been on the back burner. I wasn't doing too bad earlier this year but as the year got on, I cared less about it, ate bad things and because I was suddenly driving places and not doing much in the week, I slowly gained more weight. I do have plans to change this in 2018 though so, watch this space.

STRESS OUT LESS
I believe that I have become better with this. Although it is okay to stress out at certain situations, I don't think I do it as often, or don't find myself becoming stressed so early on. Because I have allowed myself that time out from a job and able to focus on the driving, I became more chilled out and didn't want to allow myself to get to that level of stress. Like I said, it's something I still do, just not as often. I still want to work on that in 2018 and hopefully some lifestyles changes and habits will help with that.

PUT MORE INTO BLOGGING
This one I have more definitely done. Looking throughout the year, although I've not posted as much as some people do (everyday, every other day or take part in blogtober/blogmas), I posted atleast twice a month. I started off strong with 5 posts in January and although that went down as the months went by, I still uploaded content. I posted 12 times in 2016 and seeing that I have done 32 blog posts in 2017, it may not seem a lot but that's an improvement for me. I've really enjoyed being more constant in the year and it's enabled a brand to reach out to me, something that I didn't think would really happen this year, so that's a bonus. 2018 will be a bit different but still hope that I can continue blogging as much as I can.

So I don't think that I have done too badly with my resolutions this year. The driving I am so happy that I've done and although I didn't lose the weight, that's okay, because I'm going to give it a go next year. As I said above, 2018 is going to be slightly different for me because I have a new job that I'm going to be starting on the 2nd January, whereas 2017, I didn't have one at all. I'm really excited and looking forward to working again, I think my time out has got me back to where I once was. I still want to blog where I can but it just might mean not being as regular but I don't usually stick to a schedule so that won't be too much of a worry for me.

I'm glad that 2017 is done with but super excited for 2018.

Did you manage to achieve your resolutions? Any that you missed out on?

Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!

Almost a month ago, I passed my driving test! It's been something that I've been holding back for a good 4 years now and having finally done it, I'm so happy with myself. But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows leading up to it. Time for a rambly post.

I set this up as a goal for 2017, as I was going to turn 25 and still hadn't even done something I could have done at 17, which was 8 years ago (ew)! So in January, I found a local driving instructor who was available to start lessons in February, which was fine as it meant I could mentally prepare myself for this (I've written a post already on my background with driving) and hopefully not get overwhelmed again.

So, the lessons started, going to quiet residential areas in my town, just to get me comfortable and used to driving a car again. Everything went fine, for someone who hadn't been behind the wheel of a car for almost 2 years. We did that for about 3 lessons and then ventured out into town, which mean it was getting used to being in traffic, stopping at lights, being cautious of people who would walk out into the road and again, everything seemed liked it was actually going okay for me. Soon enough my birthday came round and I said to my instructor that I wanted to start doing 2 hour lessons (suddenly 25 year old self became brave and going outside my comfort zone) which would allow me more learning time and be able to drive further and do a lot more. 2 hours was a long time but I'm glad I added them in when I did.


By mid April and having atleast 10 hours under my belt, it was time to book my theory test, but the earliest slots they had were at the beginning of May, so I had a month of learning the theory side of things, all the possible questions I could be asked and practicing some hazard perception tests, whilst still learning to drive alongside this. But, when the time came, I managed to ace it, getting 49 out of 50 on my multiple choice (you need 43 to pass) and got 57 out of 75 for the hazard perception (you need 44 to pass). So that was one big hurdle out of the way, next it was time to book the practical test. I wanted to book it straight away, so that I could work towards a date and should I not feel ready closer to the time, atleast I could re-schedule it. I found my date, 12th July at 11:01am (bit of a random time but there you go), which gave me 10 weeks to knuckle everything down.

So, lesson by lesson, I just kept taking everything in and trying not to think about this lurking date. Even though I was so far in and I was so close to the end,  I always felt so nervous before each lesson, probably because I didn't know what might happen, as driving is a big ol' learning curve. I did do little things wrong (stalled it every now and then, didn't do a good parking job, that kinda thing) but I just wanted to get past that and keep focusing on that date.

The week before my test, right at the end of my lesson, I had a bit of a breakdown and I bloody cried, in front on my instructor. I personally felt that the lesson didn't go that amazing, in comparison to my others and just worried that I was going to mess it up. My instructor (bless him) just told me that if I fail my test, I just got to get past that and I can do it again. He was right but I just felt so bummed out the rest of the day but it made me so nervous for my test, to the point where I was just feeling sick thinking about it. I managed to squeeze in a lesson the day before my test and thankfully, went much better, so atleast it set me up for a better test day (I hoped anyway).


The day came round and I felt so sick, nervous, all the feelings I could feel. We timed it so I could atleast do about an hour and a half lesson before my test but it was so busy (typical) getting into the town where I was taking my test. I managed to do a few manoeuvres, go through some show me, tell me questions but that was it, time to head to the test centre.

I needed to pee before my test but once I sat down, forgetting to breathe, it just suddenly kicked in where I was. OMG, my nervessss. Eventually, the man came out and called my name. This was it! We did the reading a number plate from so far away, did the show me tell me questions (learning all of those was ridiculous only to be asked two) and I was ready to go. I was leaving the test centre, with a bunch of other learners on their test. To get out, it was a driveway on a slight hill and because we all left at the same time, it started to queue. I tried to be all smart and do clutch control rather than me doing handbrake on and off but unfortunately, I stalled it. MINOR FOR ME within the first minute of my test (doh!). But, what can you do about that?

Everything seemed to be going okay, the town was fairly quiet at that time, was checking my mirrors quite a lot, keeping to my speed limits and then the examiner asks me to pull over, as it was time for my chosen manoeuvre. It was left corner reverse, which I was actually okay with doing. If I had been asked to reverse around a parked car (parallel park) I would have probably just cried and said 'just fail me now'. I managed to do it, bit wide but I corrected myself and I was in. I did my independent driving for about 5 minutes, which was fine because I knew the town quite well and had many lessons there so my knowledge was fairly good. Eventually, my 40 minutes was up and before I knew it, I was back at the test centre. I pulled up, where my instructor was waiting for me and the result.

I PASSED! I ACTUALLY BLOODY PASSED! I did a little cheer of joy then just went straight into crying (hahah) but I was so happy that I actually did it, with only two minors (the stall at the start and the control of my left corner reverse, mainly because of how wide I went round the bend)! I was over the moon and couldn't wait to share my news.

I get home and immediately wanted to call my boyfriend, who would have been at work at the time but gave him a rough time when I'd be back, so he knew to be ready. So, I call him, tell him the good news and he just hangs up the phone! I was actually a little bit pissed off, tried calling back and it would just ring, with no answer. About 2 minutes after my initial phone call, there is a little knock at the door and it's him! He actually booked days off work so that if I did pass, we would be able to look for a car. If I didn't pass, well he would be there to comfort me I guess. He got me a card and some chocolate and I was in more shock that he did that I had no clue (I'm normally quite good at finding things out). Later that day, one of my friends came round and gave me flowers (bless her) as a well done for passing. Soon enough, the day was over and I still couldn't quite comprehend that I had actually passed my test earlier in the day.


A few days later, I found myself a car, a little grey Polo, which hasn't been named (yet). I absolutely love my car! I've been out so much since I've got it although, it has rained so much during my drives to places. IT'S SUMMERTIME, WHAT IS THIS? I only had about 2/3 lessons where it rained but now it feels like I'm driving in it all the time. But, it's just such a great feeling to be behind the wheel of my own car, feeling confident, finally!

For someone who was scared of doing it, actually feared being a passenger at one point, to going through 32.5 hours of driving, a few tears and coming out of it the other side passing first time, I'm honestly so proud of myself. I never thought that I would have actually done it. I really thought that my fears would have got the better of me, again, and would be wasting another year not doing it.

This seems to have gone on quite a bit, but I'm hoping that if you're reading this because you're a little scared about driving/taking your test and seeing what I've gone through is giving you a bit of hope, then I'm glad I've been able to do that through this post. If you're reading it because you're just generally interested, thank you for making it to the end, as it's very long.

Don't let your fears get to you and take over any progress you want to make in your life. I wish that I was able to do that when I first tried getting into it after my accident but it's only now that I've learnt that, 4 years later. If you want to take your driving test but you're scared, just go for it. Try and get some practice in if you've not driven for a while and even if you fail, you can try it again, atleast you'll know what to expect if you have to do it a second time round. You can do it!

Have you been through something similar? Do you have a fear of driving? Hit me up in the comments.

Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!

This post has been long overdue as I got these products a good two months ago now and I've been really wanting to use them, but had to wait until I got round to taking the photos. Finally, I got my butt into gear and got the photos done, which means I can finally do this post (and to start seeing what these products are like).


Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!

So back in January, I wrote a post about my New Years Resolutions, something that I don't usually set but was determined to actually make some changes in my life as the previous year was a bit shitty. We've now finished June so we're now over half way to the end of 2017 already! That's come round so quickly but I thought it would be good for me to do an update on my New Years Resolutions and see where I'm at with each one.

LEARN TO DRIVE
This was a big one for me. Back in January, I hadn't started my lessons yet but was so eager to get driving done, because I was 24 and still relying on public transport, walking and getting lifts to get to places and it's not something that I wanted to keep doing. So in February, I started my lessons again, having 1 a week, an hour at a time. Then after my birthday back in March, I decided that I was going to start doing 2 hours, because that was going to allow me to do more driving and go further than my town. I've been having those since, passed my theory early May and now, my test is booked for July! So, I am thinking that I'm going to accomplish this resolution, even if I fail first time, as will have a few months left. I'm really proud of myself for getting this far, as I was so worried and had it set in my head that I was only going to have a small handful of lessons and still not be confident enough to do it. Go me!

LOSE SOME WEIGHT
This one has definitely taken a slight back burner. Since January, I've put on a few pounds, which isn't what I want but I'm hoping that if I do pass my test and get myself a car, I can go to the gym more often as I'll be able to get there (as the nearest one is about a 30 minute walk). I have been introducing eating healthier things and trying to go for more walks, which is better than nothing but it's obviously not quite enough. So, still have plenty of time left. I might not be able to lose the amount I want but if I can lose some, that'll still be good for me.

STRESS OUT LESS
I think that I haven't stressed out as much over little things, which is good but it's not quite left me yet. As mentioned above, I've been going out on walks and on a few occasions, I've done that when I'm a bit overwhelmed with something and just need some time to chill, which has helped. I just need to keep finding ways for me to stay calm in situations but luckily, it's definitely not been as bad as it has been before.

PUT MORE INTO BLOGGING
I feel I've definitely done this. Even in January, I put out 5 blog posts, which is almost half of what I did in the whole of 2016. As months have gone on, I've not posted as many as that but I have posted every month, my least being 3 in a month, it's significantly better than before. I want to keep going with this and seek opportunities to attend some blogging events, so that I can meet some other people.

It seems as though that my resolutions are going pretty well so far, especially the driving one, which was the one I wanted to achieve the most. I think I'm on a good path to completing all of them and look forward to what I have to write come December.

How are you resolutions going 6 months on? Any you've already complete?

Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!

I'm a BIG fan of tea. It's one of my favourite beverages and I don't have a day where I don't have atleast one cup of tea. About 2 weeks ago, I was contacted by a company called teatourist, where they wanted to send me their March box. I was a little intrigued so I had a little look on their website and saw that it was a subscription box containing 6 sachets of tea of different flavours from different companies. I said that I would love to give it a try and so one headed my way.

It arrived about 3 days later through the letter box, which is good as you don't have to worry about being at home for it to arrive but I couldn't wait to have a little look to see what I got. Contained in a grey and green themed box, a little leaflet, a note from the company (just saying to enjoy it) and last but not least, the brightly coloured green and orange box, containing all the tea. When you open it up, there is a print of hot air balloons on the inside, which is so cool.


Now, for the exciting bit, THE TEA! Looking over the 6 sachets, all the flavours, I imagine, are going to taste really good. Each sachet will make you about 4 cups so you're going to have plenty of tea. In this box, we have:

• Numeric Root Chai by Chai Kai Tea Co. "Hints of vanilla and coconut combined with a creamy milk oolong provide a perfectly balanced blend of floral, citrusy goodness." Not had chai that much before, but this sounds pretty tasty.
• Wilderness Honeybush by Leopard Friendly. "A fragrant wellness tea" which is "naturally sweet, caffeine-free and rich in antioxidants." This will be a good one if you're feeling a bit unwell and need something to give you a bit of a boost.
• Chocolate Orange by Nelson & Norfolk Tea Co. Its "harmonious blend of chocolatey goodness brings natural chocolate notes and zesty orange that deliver a delicate cream flavour". This sounds beaut!
• Honey Lemon Morning Blend by Teagime. "Bee pollen and lemon provide a well-balanced citrusy sweet flavour, whilst the addition of elderflower and liquorice root delivers immunity boosting powers". Definitely one if you have a cold or flu.
• Mulled Apple Brandy from Nothing But Tea. It has been described as "Fine White Tea leaves infused with apple flavours, combined with cinnamon and a generous glug of brandy, creates a heart-warming brew." Sounds delish!
• Rose & Strawberry Red Bush by Spice Kitchen. "This Rooibos infused blend makes for a tasty aromatic tea that will truly delight your taste buds." I've had lots of fruit teas before so this one, I'm sure is going to be tasty.

Each sachet contains a nice handful of tea leaves and if you lift it up, there is your brewing guide, which tells you how to make this tea taste amazing, by giving basic instructions on how many teaspoons, how long to brew it for and the temperature of the water, alongside a tea profile, describing it's origin, whether it contains caffeine and what it's best to be used for (relaxation, to get an energy boost etc). On the back of it, it just gives more a description on the tea, what's it's best served with (if anything), the ingredients, allergy notes and the best before date. You also get discount codes so if there is a specific tea you like and you wanted more, you can atleast save 10% on your purchase, which is awesome.


Although I haven't tried the flavours myself, the one that I am looking forward to trying the most is the Chocolate Orange flavour. I've never really tried a tea that tastes like chocolate so I'm really intrigued to try this. I'm so happy that I've been introduced to this and just want to thank teatourist for providing me with this box, you guys are awesome.

Have you tried a teatourist box? Which would be your favourite tea?

Look after yourself,


Although this product was sent to me from the company, this blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!

As you might have read, 2016 wasn't the most amazing year for me. Although I'm happy to see the back of it, I want to make January 1st a new day. Not only that, I want it to be the start of where things change, to better myself and FINALLY make myself a happier person. I wanted to share what my goals are for this year as I want to be open with my readers and hey, why not share them?

LEARN TO DRIVE
Something that I've wanted to do for ages but never had the confidence, is learn to drive. After being in a car accident when I was learning (I wasn't in a lesson, don't worry), it really put me off, to the point that I was scared of being in a car, even as a passenger. I'd constantly be looking out of the mirrors to see if someone was getting too close, worry that they were going to hit the car and there have been many points where I'd have a bit of a panic attack when a situation got too much for me. Since the accident, I tried to pick it up again, had a handful of lessons, but I just got overwhelmed with the fear and I just couldn't do it so I ended just stopping completely. That was almost 2 years ago now and my boyfriend is constantly pushing me to give it another go, because he believes in me. Deep down, I know I want to do it, it's just my mind just tells me that I still don't want to go with it. Getting sick and tired of having to rely on public transport or my boyfriend to get me places, it's going to be now or never. So I took quite a plunge and quit my job. Back in December I finished at my workplace but haven't actually got a new place to go yet, but that is because I want to allow myself a bit of time to get back into learning to drive. I am able to afford to do this for a bit so why not do it now when I can.

LOSE SOME WEIGHT
Although I did this a little bit in 2016, I didn't lose how much I wanted. I feel like I gained and have been stuck around the same weight for ages but it's not a number I like at all. So I really want to put some effort into exercising, eating healthily but also, ensure that my mind feels fit and healthy too, by allowing myself time to relax. Ideally, I'd like to loose around 2 stone so doing that in a year I think is pretty achievable. I'm quite an emotional eater, where if things are getting to me and I'm getting stressed, I'd just rather eat to chill myself out. That's not happening this year as I want to become less stressed which will then not make me comfort eat so it's a win win.

STRESS OUT LESS
I'm not overly sure how I'm do this one but the aim is that I just don't stress out as much as I used to. As said above, I have actually quit my job which did cause me a bit of stress so that is something off my mind but, I can stress out over small things. I just don't want to it to be a burden on me so I want to find ways to lower my stress levels. If you do have really good tips/tricks on how to stress out less, then head them my way.

PUT MORE INTO BLOGGING
I love blogging. Since I started doing it, it's allowed me to have this space where I can get writing and get creative. I don't really have many hobbies but blogging is something I really enjoy doing, even though I am doing it just to allow myself to bring out my creative side. The blogging community are such wonderful people, who feel like are some of my closest friends I've never met before. It makes me feel so welcome and that I can be me. It makes me so happy when doing it and seeing people reading my posts that I feel like I need do it way more often, as it'll be good for me. I would need to sit down and plan a little more but I'd like to start creating a schedule for my blog, invest small amount into the equipment but still being able to enjoy it at the same time, as I don't want to kill it for myself and no longer enjoy it.

It's only 4 goals but I want to be able to add more throughout the year, rather than thinking of a bunch at the beginning of the year and potentially not able to accomplish them. If I end up completing a goal early (only really likely to be driving and losing the weight) I can then add more if I want to or keep with the remainders. It's completely up to me.

2016 was pants so let's make 2017 a good one.

Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!

At the beginning of the year, I got myself a Happiness Planner and I was so determined to make 2016 a good year, that I was going to make many memories and plan on doing some things with my life, and although that did happen to a degree, there was just a certain point in the year where things just went downhill, to the point where I just felt like giving up, just lost motivation to keep trying to make it a good year. But I wanted to put a little review in writing, so that I can look back on this and see how 2016 was for me but also share this with you. It's a long one so get a tea (or whatever beverage you want) and get comfy.
January seemed to start off pretty okay, was meeting friends, keeping up with my Teatox, losing a bit of weight but the good feeling didn't last long as my job started to already become stressful, something I wanted to avoid, especially so early on in the year and I had a further health issue. But that wasn't going to be something too dwell on too much and just got on with it. This was also when I started the contraceptive injection as I could no longer be on the pill.
February took it's toll and again, my job was becoming a bit of a handful for me to deal with but it got better towards the end as I spent some time with my mum, celebrated her birthday and treated her, as I don't see her as often as I wished, spent Valentine's Day with my boyfriend and enjoyed some cheeky little date nights. So, I've already noticed that I would have a mixture of good and bad patches in each month.
When it reached March and being the month of my birthday, again, there was the good patch, where I just felt so happy and being gifted with a Mac from my boyfriend and getting me a really nice birthday cake, taking me to breakfast and dinner. It was the first day in a long time that I felt so content but then, bad patch came round and it was work related. I think this was the point where I knew I needed to do something about that because every month so far, I always had a bad patch, which related to work.

April was a very mixed month. The stresses weren't actually work related. If anything, my job was pretty good this month but my relationship got a little rocky and although there were many tears (all from me), it was all fixed in the end and we had a lovely little holiday together in Cornwall, which was so much fun and much needed. I also spent time with friends, celebrated birthdays, went to Go Ape and all sorts. April was the month where I had so much fun and was the best one I had all of 2016.
May came around, started to bring some nice weather so I had a few BBQ's but I also had a bit of a health kick and lost a tiny bit of weight, something that I still had on my 2016 goals. I also stopped my Warfarin medication which I had been on for 6 months due to the blood clots I developed late 2015, but had to wait atleast a month to see if I was able to stay off them, so that was quite an anxious wait. My boyfriend and I went to view a house, as we would like to own one. Although we probably would just have enough money for the deposit and monthly outgoings, we just didn't feel like we'd be comfortable enough to live each month so it was the only house we went to view but the experience was really good. I had to make some decisions in terms of my job because, even though it had been okay for atleast 2 months, I had to think more long term.
June was another good month, where I spent some quality time with people, went swimming a lot with my friend, but did have a hospital visit which turned out to be fine, still had the wait to see if no longer had to be on Warfarin but I think June was another chilled month. Oh and it was announced that we'd be leaving the EU. That wasn't great.
Now more than halfway into the year, July showed that things seemed to be getting better. I found out that I didn't have to be on Warfarin anymore, which was such a relief. It meant that I could be a bit more normal again. I spent a weekend doing activities with friends, such as car boot, an escape room, trampolining, laser quest, but work started to get a little stressful again, to the point where I got quite emotional but luckily, I had some time off just after, so I was able to mentally rest for a few days.
August I think was when things started to take a turn for the worse. I had to do things I didn't want to do (which I know sounds selfish but you'd have to have been there to understand), it picked up a bit because it was my boyfriends birthday and we went kayaking, went to another escape room and went to the casino. But again, quickly turned bad, where I was in floods of tears, saying that I was actually unhappy with myself, how I hadn't really lost much weight, if anything, I had put more on, I wasn't happy within my job anymore and after saying all of this, it was a real eye opener for me, that I had to start looking after myself. It was such a sad point in my life but my boyfriend was very supportive and said he would help me. So we went out walking in the evenings a few times a week, every little bit helps. I also spent time with friends again, for birthday celebrations, told them how I was feeling but it was nice to let all of it out.
September. It started off really lovely, as my friends sent me little messages to cheer me up after hearing how much of a hard time I had in the past few weeks, which really lifted up my spirit. But, it came crashing down on me. I found out that my Nan was diagnosed with cancer. I couldn't believe it and just didn't know what to do with myself. I really wanted to see her, but she was down in Cornwall and had no real way of getting down there so suddenly. Luckily, my boyfriend managed to get time off work, as did I so we travelled down the same night, just so that I could see her, after hearing the news. Although it's an awful thing, luckily it's in an early stage, so she'll be having surgery and radiotherapy soon. After seeing family and telling them how things have been, I decided to hand in my notice at work. It was something that was make me unhappy and wasn't helping me feel better about myself. Immediately, I already felt a weight being lifted off my shoulders, knowing that there was going to be an end. I spent more time with friends again, something I love doing on a regular basis, as we always found it hard to see each other as we were always busy.
October was quite a steady month, where nothing really seemed to happen. I went Go-Karting, went to Sketch in London for a friends birthday so although I had some fun experiences, I had a few down days but nothing serious enough that it made me breakdown. I managed to get some inspiration and did quite a few blog posts in quick succession, which made me happy. I love October mainly because it's when Autumn really hits, where all the leaves start falling off the trees.
November I consider the month that did it for me, where I just didn't want 2016 anymore. It started off so amazingly, as my boyfriend and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary and he surprised me with roses to work (yes, I was still there as I had a three month notice period). I also met up with an old colleague for some drinks, saw my Nan again and played bingo with her, celebrated my cousins birthday, saw my friends again and had a cosy night in with homemade paella, movies and wine. But then, I started to get ill. It started off as a migraine, then an aching body but after being off work for a few days, although I felt crappy, I went in, but started to develop a real bad cough. I spent the weekend with some friends, doing a game jam (where you try and develop a game in a weekend) but on the Sunday, I just felt so awful. I went to work on the Monday, coughing like crazy and people questioned why I even went in but Tuesday hit me and I just couldn't do it. I then didn't go in for the rest of the week but because the cough didn't go, I went to the the doctors to see if I had a chest infection. Although I didn't, the doctor was concerned as my heart rate was high and based on my history with P.E, he wanted me to go to the hospital go get checked out, as he was worried I might have developed the clots again. I was at the hospital for hours, had blood tests, scans, the usual and a blood test came back positive, which wasn't a good sign so they wanted me to go back on the Monday so I could have a CT scan so they could check my blood flow and see if there were any blockages. Later that evening, I found out that my baby cat (only 2 years old) was hit and killed by a car in a instant. I was heartbroken and we buried her in my garden. I think this was the day that I just didn't want to do 2016 anymore. I didn't want to play this game called life. As sad as I still was, I went and had my scan and they said that I didn't have any clots forming, so that was the plus out of all of this.
When we hit December, I was quite glad, as this was the last month, and be able to finally say goodbye to 2016. It started off fairly straight forward. My last day was approaching so had to start getting that all finished off, I had my Christmas party, got very drunk and emotional but I had a great time. My final day at work arrived and it was quite sad, as I was going to miss the people close to me the most, but I couldn't wait to have some chill time and spend it with my boyfriend, who also had time off too. I started gearing up for Christmas, buying presents, met up with friends for our annual Christmas get-together and enjoying some well-deserved time off. Christmas approached pretty quickly and suddenly it was over and done with but enjoyed the time I spent with my family.
I'm now sitting here on the 31st December, finishing up this post and when I read back on it, 2016 was quite a mixed bag of emotions. So yes, I do want to give it a bit of an 'F you', but I don't want that to stop me for the next year. I will keep on trying and if 2017 turns out to be another bad year, then I'll just try again in 2018. There are going to be segments in life where things just don't go to plan and that is okay but just know that things will get better in the end. I do have plans for 2017, something that will be written up in a separate post. I do look back and think I shouldn't have let certain times get to me the way they did, but I'm human and in that moment, you just have to let it all out.
It's been an emotional year, with good and bad times, doing lots of activities and spending more time with friends, but I'm glad to see the back of it.
2016, over and out.
Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!