Welcome to 2015

Another year has gone and 2014 becomes the past, a memory. Now people are filled with the optimism that a new year brings, with plans and resolutions making up a list that would go on for miles. It is also a time to reflect on the past year, remembering both the good and bad that 2014 gave us.
 
University is still influencing my life, even though I'm not there:
For me, 2014 was a good year. On reflection is was filled with more happy moments than bad ones and yet I still want to make sure that 2015 is even better. If we rewind to the very beginning of the year it saw me celebrate the New Year with some of my closest friends. Unbeknown to me, it was also the last time that I would be celebrating with some people. With University becoming an ever more important and influential milestone in their lives some of my high school friends weren't around this year to celebrate. Everything in that aspect of my life has radically changed this year especially since everybody went back to Uni after the summer break in September. Out of everybody that moved away in the September of 2013 I can count on one hand the people I still regularly speak to. I've never voiced this but I suppose if you haven't made a significant impact on a person's life before they moved away, you never will. Perhaps the closest to a friend you will be now is on Facebook. It's scary to think that 20 years ago you would have lost contact with them altogether. 
 Sometimes I regret not staying it contact with some people, other times I don't. We are still all so young with the rest of our lives to figure out and so what will be will be. I like to think of it as a brilliant chapter that has now come to an end and all of the people I am thinking of whilst typing this have made it brilliant even if they don't know it.

A thousand words cannot describe what we witness with our own eyes:
The New Year started off a bit of a slow burner. I remember myself just being generally busy working and actually starting to enjoy spending time by myself every once in a while. However, the second part of the year was definitely the most enjoyable for me.
  I finally decided to take some deserved time off work and started doing more things that didn't include washing my work uniform or getting my alarm set for the Monday morning back to work feeling.
 There are so many highlights from July onwards including Sundown Festival, my 19th birthday and seeing both Ed Sheeran and OneRepublic at the O2 Arena. There were also so many memories made with friends even on a weekly basis from generally just spending more time together. In 2014 I had my first ever experience of both playing and winning Bingo in a way that was actually considered serious gambling. 2014 was also the first time ever that I joined a gym and was also the first time that I bought a brand new car.
 With June bringing us the highs and lows of the World Cup, it also brought trips to the pub with friends to watch games as well as spending two weeks house and dog-sitting for my mum and stepdad whilst they were on holiday. June soon faded into July and included a girls day out at Lakeside shopping centre and preparations for the festival in August.
  Sundown festival in August was incredible. My first festival experience consisted of 3 nights of uncomfortable sleep, dodgy port-a-loos & a fair amount of alcohol alongside incredible music. Getting caught up in multiple mosh-pits during Tinie Tempah's set and having John Newman confront a idiot in the front row of his set were memories that have stuck with me from that weekend. I also can't forget how we stood in the queue to get in on the Friday afternoon for nearly 4 hours, convinced that my arms and shoulders were going to fall off. Overall though a drama free weekend which resulted in a case of the post festival blues.

Find something you enjoy and you'll never have to work a day in your life:
2014 has also been good to me in the form of work. It's been a great year for working hard and productively whilst also enjoying it at the same time. The company has been getting busier and with that has brought challenges but it has all been worth it. I couldn't have asked for better people to work with and they all help to make each day that little bit better. 2014 was definitely the year that I started to feel more confident and relaxed in my job and I think that has shown through, especially during the second part of the year. I have been learning and developing all the time and the hard work was recognised through the 100% mystery shopper pass rate. My goal for next year is to continue that high standard of work and to just continue to get better.

It is better to have one friend that you can trust than to have fifty that you cannot tell anything:
My job is responsible for more than just paying the bills and earning a living. It has also introduced me to some of the greatest people that I have in my life. One of my biggest highlights of this year has undoubtedly been the friendship that has developed between myself and now one of my best and most trusted friends. She has helped me through so much this year whether that be making a bad day at work better or just listening to any problems I've had I am so thankful for everything. I am especially grateful for the way that she has helped me to get on the way towards my personal goals by introducing me to a healthier way of life and becoming a huge inspiration for me.
  As well as a handful of new friends, the friends that have been there for me through everything over the years have been a huge part of my year. These people are all special to me in their own way and I appreciate everything that they have done and continue to do for me. My birthday was just a small reminder this year of all the people I have around me and how lucky I am to have them too. Even though I may not see them everyday like when we were at school it doesn't change anything.

Just because you are alone doesn't mean that you are lonely. After all you are the only person you spend your whole life with:
One thing that I have learnt this year is that I am starting to feel more comfortable with spending time by myself. Before I always felt the need to be around people and have someone to talk to constantly either through text, phone or social media but now the thought of spending the day alone or going somewhere by myself is actually quite relaxing. Of course I still love spending time with others and going out and doing exciting things but I also know that it is normal to want to spend a few hours alone to clear your mind. For the first time ever I've actually wanted to turn my phone off for a few hours and drive the long way home from work every once in a while. I find it so easy to find the perfect balance between the two and although it was scary at first it has been worth it. I love the freedom of being able to do what I want without having to tell everyone what I'm doing and answering endless questions. I feel great after being able to say that I have done something because that's what I wanted to do rather than because I had to or was asked to do it.
 I would also like to think that I've become a more balanced person this year in that I have kept my life as stress free as possible and removed any unnecessary drama too. There are moments this year that I could have let some situations become full of drama but I kept a cool head and carefree approach which brought positive results! Life is too short to be caught up in situations that belong in a high school & I've found that the best way for me to enjoy life is to keep it simple.

 There is no secret pill or shortcuts. Hard work and dedication is the key to a healthy life as well as the correct mindset:
Weight and appearance has always been a tough subject for me to come to terms with. Throughout school I was picked on and although thankfully never seriously bullied I still had to deal with the pressures of not having the 'perfect' body. One of the hardest parts of my life has been to deal with comments from people who I actually considered friends at the time. Ever since I can remember I have never been happy with my body or the way I look yet I have never fully disclosed this to anybody or even written it down until now.
 However it was around July of this year that I decided to do something about it. Not because of those people who made me feel like shit all those years ago or because of the obsession with the 'perfect' figure splayed across the media but because I actually wanted to do it for me. I wanted to feel great within myself and I have two of my closest friends to thank for finally making me decide to adapt my lifestyle.
  I started my Protein World journey in July after discovering them through a friend. I researched the success stories and also the company before taking the £60 plunge. I purchased their 'weight loss collection' which consists of two sets of tablets named the 'fat melter' and 'multi vitamin' & 1kg of protein powder 'The Slender Blend' dedicated to aid weight loss. The pack also came with two booklets containing recipes and guidelines as well as the shaker to make these shakes. The concept was simple, you replace two meals a day with these shakes and then for your meal you have something lean and clean which basically means either fish or chicken with lots of vegetables. There are loads of variations to the shakes you can make and a list of foods you should and shouldn't avoid as well as meal plans and a great support network on social media to mention a few advantages and I managed to stick at it for a good month.
  After the first month I started to notice some results but felt that I needed to be doing more and more so my friend introduced me to the gym. I actually joined a gym 20 minutes away from my house where I didn't know anybody so that I wouldn't bump into anyone I knew whilst I was there. After the gym induction I went through a phase where I became obsessed to an extent where I was going to work followed by the gym up to 6 times a week. A typical day would start for me at 7.30am getting up for work and after finishing at 5.30pm I would be at the gym to at least 8.30pm. I would then not get home until at least 9pm and then was too tired to do anything so regularly went to bed at 10pm.
 Over the past few months I've realised that I can't maintain that intensity and with Christmas and New Year I have slipped up a bit which I do feel guilty for. 2015 is going to be a year where I make a plan and stick to it as well as continuing to work towards my goal weight. I still have a long way to go but I'm now feeling refreshed and ready to start again after a short break from it all. At the beginning of December I felt the best I had ever felt and this was confirmed by a trip to the nurse where I had lost 11kg in 5 months. I was also getting compliments from friends and family members and this was the first time I realised that it was because I actually wanted to become healthier for myself that I was seeing results. Weight loss isn't all about the physical side though, it does affect you mentally and physiologically and it has completely changed my attitude and thoughts towards eating and drinking. For example I am now conscious of everything I eat and drink but I also find sleeping much easier and I have so much more energy throughout the day.
  The hardest part I've found is the feeling of guilt when you do slip up occasionally and also the frustration when you realise how far you could be if you didn't have that treat or didn't put off the gym that one time. However one unhealthy meal isn't going to undo the all the hard work just as long as you don't let it become a habit.
 In 2015 I hope to continue to work myself towards my target goal weight and achieve the other fitness and health goals that I have set myself. In particular I really want to stick to my goal of drinking at least 2 litres of water a day and to go to the gym at least three times a week. I'd also like to try out a few of the new 'celeb' fitness DVD's and I've set myself weekly and monthly weight targets as well as created some challenges to make it all a bit more fun. I think I will also be documenting my progress a lot more this year because I found it to be a huge help during the second part of 2014 and it is good to look back and see how far you have come.

I may sound like a broken record but now it is time for a compromise:
Since I created this blog a few years ago it has always been a personal target to make it as good as I can. A 'good' blog meets so many different criteria ranging from its content to the analytics to the appearance and so much more. Back in the Summer of 2013 I really got into the rhythm of writing and posting regularly and then other parts of life became a priority. I still wanted to write posts but every time I sat down to start typing I wouldn't know where to begin. I would type a few words, delete them and then repeat until I was frustrated with myself and gave up. Blogging has always been a hobby for me and a form of escape similar to way that you can forget about the rest of the world when you are immersed into a book. However the more I didn't post or even write or draft a post the harder I found it. So I had a break. I stopped feeling guilty about not posting because at the end of the day this is meant to be something fun. It doesn't matter if you have thousands reading your blog or just one, there is still pressure I feel to create content that you feel proud of.
  Therefore, another of my resolutions for this year is to rediscover the feeling I got when I was posting stuff I was proud of and to not just post any old thing that would mean that I was posting everyday. I would now rather one brilliant post a month than a quick 5 minute rushed post everyday.

So here is to 2015. A new year, a new chance to make memories. The year can be as good as you choose to make it. After all, no-one else is living your life:
I hope to make 2015 one of the best. I know although some parts of the year will be influenced by factors that you cannot control, at the end of the day I am responsible for making things happen and so when I look back this time next year I hope I will be able to say that I made the most of every opportunity that comes my way. 
  I wish all of my family, friends and colleagues all the best for the new year & hope that they have a blessed and memorable year too, full of happiness & good health.

We are all given the same blank canvas called 'life.' How we choose to fill it is our decision. If I look back at the end of my life and remember more positives than negatives, I'll be happy.

Throwback Thursday Week 5: Christmas 2013

For the final post in the 'Throwback' series that I have been posting I thought that I would go back to a fairly recent event, that being Christmas 2013. It seems like only last month we were getting into the festive spirit and every shop going was pulling in last minute Christmas shoppers. In reality Christmas was a good 6 months ago and in 6 months time we will already be in 2015 which is a really scary thought because Christmas again would be over.
  After Summer, the festive season is one of my favourite times of the year. Although I'm not a huge fan of the cold weather and the evenings getting dark really early I love that at this time of year get into the spirit, whether that be by organising secret santa at work or just by decorating their houses, it is a special time of year.
  One of my highlights of Christmas is putting up our tree in the living room. Although it is artificial me and my sister have lots of fun putting on the lights and decorations. It is one of those times that you can put aside our busy lives and spend some family time together. However I seem to always get stuck with the job of putting the lights on which is a task and a half as I either run out of lights half way down and have to start again or I have loads of lights leftover and so I desperately try and bunch them all together at the bottom. My sister then gets the nice job of putting on the tinsel and other decorations before putting the angel on the top.
  For our decorations we never used to have much of a theme. It tended to be to just chuck whatever was in the box onto the tree and hope for the best which often resulted in a huge array of colours and it was a little overwhelming. However in 2012 we bought new lights and decorations and we love them. We went for a blue and white theme because it represented the colder weather yet still looked festive. The lights are a mixture of blue LED and white LEd and I thought that they worked together really well. They also look gorgeous when all the main house lights are out and they are flashing away. The tinsel also helped to reflect the light and make it seem bigger and brighter.
  My sister gets a bit OCD when decorating the Christmas tree and her ballerina decorations get pride of place near the top of the tree and must always be on the tree. They do add a nice touch but when you have about 5 of them it can be a bit too much. The rest of our tree is filled usually with loads of white, silver and blue baubles which all are reflective. The tree itself is also quite unique because my dad decided to go against getting a traditional green tree and get a chocolate brown one instead. Although at first I wasn't sure about this when it is decorated it actually looks lovely.
 All of these pictures were taken back at Christmas 2013 and I was experimenting with a technique called zoom bursts on the DSLR at the time. It is achieved by starting with the lens zoomed either all the way in or out and increasing the exposure time to a few seconds. Then whilst you are taking the picture you zoom the opposite way and you are left with this beautiful flashed effect. Although it isn't a traditional technique, it creates some beautiful abstract images especially when light is involved.
   I found that last Christmas suddenly snuck up on me and I was not organised at all. I know that I was still frantically buying and wrapping up Christmas presents on Christmas Eve and this was mainly down to the fact that I had been so busy in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas Day that I hardly had time to think.
 I spent the 15th of December driving from my hometown to Nottingham for a work course which lasted two days. I remember spending the second night in my hotel room ordering Christmas presents for my sister to be delivered whilst I was away and also to try and find a dress for the upcoming work Christmas do.
 When I returned home from Nottingham on the Wednesday evening it was time to unpack before working on the Thursday and Friday. Then on Saturday was my meal with everyone from work and I still hadn't found a dress to wear. Me and my friend rushed into Ipswich to find something and luckily I found a gorgeous dress in River Island.
 We then spent the rest of the day getting ready and having a few drinks before heading to a hotel where our Christmas do was being held. It was a brilliant evening and it was good to see everyone there.
  When Christmas day finally rolled around a few days later I was so excited. I had managed to get everything done and sorted and was looking forward to spending the next few days with my family. On Christmas morning my sister and I went round to my mum and stepdad's house to spend the morning with them before my sister, dad and I went round to my nan's with my aunt and cousin to enjoy our delicious roast dinner and to finish off the day.
  Our Boxing Day was very chilled and was again spent with family eating far too much food and watching films on the TV.
 I was very spoilt this Christmas and I am very lucky to have such a loving and wonderful family and it was nice to have a few days off work to just relax and enjoy the company of others. I can't believe that in less than 6 months we will have the chance to celebrate all over again and it has been good to look back at my last Christmas to remember what a lovely time I had.

January Sale Shopping

 

It's no secret that the January sales are notorious for big deals and bargain finds. Due to overspending in the lead up to Christmas this year I didn't do too much sale shopping this year, but what I did do was buy loads of shoes. (This was whilst I was on a shoe buying ban, oh dear.)

 

 

 

My obsession with shoes is now getting a little out of hand, but once I aw these gorgeous burgundy chunky boots in the New Look sale, I knew that they would be going home with me. I persuaded myself that they were an absolute 'must-have' and I'm so glad I picked them up as I know I would have regretted it otherwise.

 

 

One amazing thing about these boots are that they have a zip on the inside of the shoe, which means that you aren't spending forever and a day unlacing them everytime you want to wear them. The laces are more of a decorative feature and I haven't even tied them whilst I've been wearing them.

Another bonus is that I can actually walk in them without looking and feeling like an idiot and a huge bonus is that I can safely drive in them! (It's always a pain when you have to take a flat pair of shoes to drive in when all you want to do is  wear heels.) These beauties were reduced from £29.99 to £22.49 in the New Look sale, but honestly I would have paid full price for them anyway! They also come in grey too I think.

 

This winter it is safe to say that I have gone a little bit boot crazy. However, I had my eye on these cut out boots from New Look from the moment they were released into stores. I love the cut out detailing on them and that they are a little bit different from other boots and shoes I owned. So imagine my delight when I spotted them in the sale in Cambridge, and I got the for a ridiculous bargain. Originally retailing at £30, I scooped these up for £12! Admittedly, I haven't actually worn them yet and I have no idea if I can sensibly walk in them, but at £12 it was worth it.

 

So, these heels pictured above weren't actually purchased in any type of sale, but as they are so gorgeous I thought I would feature them in this post. After realising that you can never have too many pairs of black heels (or shoes for that matter) I decided to firstly buy this pair to wear to my work's Christmas meal.

I think they look really sophisticated and I love the t-bar styled straps which give me a bit more support and doesn't make me feel like I'm going to fall out of my shoes every two minutes. Also I loved the price of these, only £24.99 from H&M. The only bad thing about the is that they aren't particularly comfortable to wear, but with some gel cushions in I can easily last all night in them.

 

A few years ago I received a pair of dark brown brogues from New Look for Christmas and wore them until there was practically nothing left of them. Since then however I haven't had the chance to repurchase some replacement brown brogues and so whilst buying other shoes in the New Look sale, I came across these. Originally priced at £14.99, they had been marked in the sale at £8 which was a great find for me. Even better, when I got them to the till I was charged £6 and I wasn't complaining! 

 

Finally, I thought I would add two pairs of boots which I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas this year. Above are my ankle boots from Topshop, which I actually got for £45 after they had been reduced from something like £70. These boots are so comfortable and go with pretty much everything and are so easy to slip on and off, they really are great.

 Below are probably my most worn and most loved boots this season. Similarly to the boots above, these ankle boots are black yet have this lovely buckle detailing on them to make them stand out just a little bit more. They are also my most expensive pair of shoes, costing me £60 from River Island. They are so worth the money though, and I think I've been living in them since I unwrapped them on Christmas day!

 

With January coming to an end, the sales are thinning out. However, this means that soon spring and summer clothes will be hitting the stores ready for my favourite time of the year! I can't wait to start shopping for summery clothes, although I will miss wearing my boots!