Three Cliffs Bay

To celebrate mine and my friend Eli's birthdays this year we decided to go on a day trip to Three Cliffs Bay in The Gower. We had it planned for ages but as it got closer to the date we realised the weather wasn't going to be on our side. But, we bit the bullet and went anyway and I am so glad we did. 

When we arrived into swansea it was absolutely hammering down with rain and we thought we had made a big mistake dragging all of our fiends on a soggy day trip. However, luck was on our side and once we got out of the cars the rain stopped and we got to enjoy a lovely few hours on the beach. 

I had never been to The Gower before but it has now become one of my favourite places in the UK and I will definitely be going back this summer when the weather is a little nicer. It was so peaceful and beautiful and I came away feeling so relaxed and happy. 

PHOTOBOOTH

Something that has become really popular at parties in recent years is having a photo booth. I absolutely LOVE taking photos and having them as memories so I really wanted to set one up for my Mum's party. 

I spent a long time researching how to do it on YouTube and Pinterest and in the end it was super easy. We have a small front porch so using a white sheet, I covered all of the walls up to create a plain background and decorated it using a gold foil curtain and string lights. I also printed the word photo booth out and stuck it above the door which I thought really added to the effect. I set the camera up on a tripod and then all that was left to do was for people to grab a prop and snap away. 

It was definitely one of the highlights of the night and now we have all of the photos of everyone who came to the party to keep. My mum actually printed a bunch of the pictures off and has included them in her Thank You cards which I thought was a really nice idea. Anyway here are a few of my favourite pictures from the night.

Happy New Year!

I don't usually make new years resolutions because I think they are a bit silly and I never end up keeping to them but this year I have decided to set myself a few challenges. These things might not seem very challenging to some people but I tend to overthink things and worry a lot which often results in me saying no to things or missing out. I think it will be interesting to look back at this post at the end of 2016 and see how much of it I have actually achieved. 

1. Run 10k & cycle 50 miles

When I told my Dad I was setting myself this challenge he was very excited because he thought I meant I wanted to run a 10k race. This isn't my goal. I would just like to be in a place by the end of the year where I am fit and healthy enough to be able to run that far, I don't care how long it takes me. My Mum also turns 50 this year and she would like to cycle 50 miles to raise money for charity so I have said that I will do this with her. Hopefully this should mean I lose a bit of weight which is something I am very keen to do after all of the cheese I have eaten over Christmas. Last year I was exercising regularly and making a lot of progress but I'm not sure what happened and I just kind of stopped. I went to the gym with the girls once to do a Zumba class and I really enjoyed it but for some reason my anxiety kicked in and I didn't go back. I think I am going to try and go again this week. I don't want to be one of those annoying people that joins in the gym in January and never goes again but I think it will be really good for me to go and step outside of my comfort zone. 

2. Move out

I have been living back at home with my parents for a good year and a half now and I am so ready to have my own space and be more independent again. I have been saving up for a while and this year is definitely going to be the year I do it. I am really excited for this one, it will definitely be a challenge because I am a very homey person but I am very ready to take this next step. 

3. Listen to more music & go to more gigs

This is something I had totally stopped doing last year. I listen to the radio on my way to and from work but it isn't music a particularly like, it was just easier than choosing something myself. I signed up to Spotify premium on New Years Eve and I have used it so much already. At least one night a week I am going to try and have an evening of listening to music and reading or colouring (I got another colouring book for grown ups for christmas) instead of watching Tv or Netflix. I spend my whole day at work staring at the computer screen and then I come home and spend the whole evening staring at my laptop. I don't think it is good for my eyesight and I definitely think it would be nice to switch off more. I also haven't been to a gig for a long time because I don't enjoy being in crowds. This is a recent development and not something that ever bothered me before. Going to see live music is something I used to love to do and I would hate to not be able to enjoy that anymore. 

I will be very proud of myself if i have managed to achieve all of this by the end of 2016. Fingers crossed!

Dear Santa.....

I have often been told that I am a very difficult person to buy for because I have very particular taste. This year when I was asked by my family what I would like for Christmas I really didn't know, I am quite lucky in that if I really want something I will usually just go out and buy it for myself. I said to my Aunty 'but I don't really need anything' and her response was, 'Christmas isn't about what you need it is about what you want!'' This made me take to the internet to design my ultimate christmas list. 

I had heard of the app wantfeed from watching The Michalaks weekly family vlogs (highly recommend) but I had never used it before and I have actually become obsessed. It allows you to put in the links of items you like from anywhere on the internet and keeps them all in your own feed. You can also scroll through other peoples feeds, which I really enjoy, because I am nosey like that!

Obviously I don't think christmas is just about presents, I love when my whole family gets together to eat and drink and relax and as I have got older I enjoy giving gifts more than I enjoy receiving them. But that didn't stop me finding a fair few items to lust after online....

 You can probably sense a bit of a rose gold theme!! I am also aware that this list is very unrealistic and I can assure you I will not be getting a Kitchen Aid for Christmas as much as I would LOVE one. Sometimes it is just nice to do a bit of window shopping!

If you want to know where any of the items are from then go to my wantfeed page where you can click on any item and it will take you straight to the website where you can buy it.

Happy Shopping 

Autumnal Getaway

Last week, myself and Phil descended upon Center Parcs Longleat for a week of rapid riding, pool sliding, bike riding and general fun. I had never been to Center Parcs as a kid so I had no idea what to expect but Phil had fond childhood memories of the place that needed living up to.

We were both well in need of a relaxing week away and that it definitely was! It is so nice to be able to go somewhere, not have to worry about anything and completely please yourself. We booked the Aqua Sana spa for our last day there and it was absolute bliss, it wasn't over busy and there were 15 different spa experiences to choose from including a heated outdoor pool.

The only downside of the whole week was the price of eating out, we really enjoy food and eating out together but it wasn't realistic to do it every night (both of our bank balances have taken quite a hit). If we were to go again we would definitely take more food to cook ourselves as the accommodation we stayed in (Redwood Apartments) had all the facilities you needed to be fully self catered.

Phil about to cycle down the boardwalk 

My delicious blueberry pancake stack from The Pancake House

Firework display for Bonfire Night

Really it was just nice for the two of us to get to spend some quality time together and enjoy each others company. It was back to reality this week though...