Wednesday Wisdom.

"Wednesday Wisdom" - my favourite excuse to post an Instagram pic, and more importantly, a great chance to take some time to reflect on quotes, advice, or little ditties that I've come across recently. 

Fabulous Fifteen.

The new year is looking extremely bright, but before I let it carry me away, here's a recap of another great year...

I went into 2015 (like many others I'm sure) feeling pretty optimistic, with lots of big goals and resolutions. At the time, I wasn't sure if they were totally realistic, but as this year has drawn to a close, I couldn't be happier with the way that it has panned out. Being the photo addict that I am, there are far too many moments to document, but here are a few of the highlights!

January

We saw in 2015 with our lovely friends Meg and Bill - a great dinner, far too many shots and a "YouTube party" dancing to some throwback tunes. We nursed sore heads for most of the first day of 2015; what a great start to the year! 

In the first week, I got a call to say I had been invited to the final stage Assessment Centre for a Grad Scheme in Banking and Finance. I was so nervous, but all went well and I got the job *excited dance* (but more on this later!)

Finally, we said Bon Voyage to my beautiful friends Jess and Lee, and bid them farewell as they set off on their travels around Asia and Australia. I still miss my little honey bee every single day, but I'm very proud of her for following her dreams and having the time of her life!

February 

My baby brother turned 21! Where on earth does the time go? A great night at the Casino was had by all as we celebrated Josh getting old.

February also took me on my final trip back to Uni, visiting my uni "little sis" Tash. I was as in love with Canterbury as ever before, but pretty sure Hannah and I felt this was the last time we could get away with pretending we were still students *sob!*

March 

All about Mummy Bear! Mother's Day took us on a family trip to the Zoo, which was not only a great day out, taking us back to our childhood, but it was also so lovely to spend the day together just the four of us - something which doesn't happen as often now we're all grown up!

March also means Mum's birthday, so a special treat for her. I took her to Choccy Woccy Doo Dah for lots of sweet treats, then some shopping at my favourite of all the department stores, Liberty, before cocktails and a trip to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I would thoroughly recommend all of the above! 

April

My lovely Aunty Violet (aka my nan's sister) came down to London to celebrate a very special birthday, and mum and I joined her and the girls for lots of celebrations - lunch at Aqua Shard, cocktails in Covent Garden and one of my favourite musicals Billy Elliot. It's always so lovely to see her, and I know that my nanny was watching over us all that day. 

May

Lots of great May moments, including having my hair chopped off (see 'The Big Chop'), S Club 7 reunion with my BFF Abbie...

...and of course, my girly holiday to Croatia with my Twinny Robyn, Lizzie, and Jess. 

Despite the rain that taunted us that weekend, we had a fabulous time and made the most of the time away together. We managed to take far too many photos (what's new?!) and squeeze in a trip to the beautiful waterfalls, making the most of every ray of sunshine!

June 

The wedding of Mr and Mrs Bains - the first wedding that Joe and I attended as a couple (in 7 years - shocking I know!) and also the first of our mutual friends to get married! 

  

Huge congrats to Shaun and Gemma, who both looked gorgeous! We had such an amazing day, and it was a real honour to share it with them both. 

July

"I can't keep calm, my best friend is engaged!!!!"

  

  

Actually, rephrase that - two of our best friends are engaged! Getting that FaceTime call from them in Mexico was one of the most exciting things to happen in July - both Joe and I were over the moon for them, and there were tears from both me and Meg during "the story!"

August

So much happened - lots of lovely memories! My cousin Ian married his lovely wife Becky, another great family event and great to see them so happy.

  

August was also the end of an era. I finally left Gallagher Bassett, my first full time job and home to many lovely people and great memories. I was so sad to leave everyone but over the moon to be embarking on a new adventure. Reading the lovely words in my leaving card really touched me, and I will always look back on my time there with a smile.

Joe and I had a nice little weekend away in Windsor at the end of August which was very cute. We stayed in a lovely little hotel just by the Castle, and did all of the touristy activities, along with shopping for my new work wardrobe!

September

September marked the start of a huge new adventure for me. Starting my new job as a Finance Graduate at a Bank in London was extremely nerve-wracking, yet exciting at the same time. My first two weeks were exciting yet exhausting, with  so much being crammed into a short time, and so many new names and faces to learn. We had a couple of days training at Stamford Bridge, followed by a Thames River Cruise, a day volunteering, before finally flying off to Edinburgh for 10 days of Finance specific training.

  

I am loving my first placement in London; working hard, spending lunchtimes wandering around Spitalfields market, and meeting lots of lovely people. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next three years have in store for me on the scheme!

October

HUGE EXCITING GROWN UP NEWS for Joe and I.

We officially exchanged contracts on our DREAM house. To say that we are proud/ecstatic/excited would be a complete understatement. We are still saving hard, but can't wait to move into our brand new 3 bedroom house in April 2016 (eek!) Watch this space...

November

November was a lovely month, not only because it was my birthday (one step closer to 30 - help!) but also because my lovely Faye came home from Greece for the last time! (I hope!!)

 It was so lovely to finally see her again and give her a huge squeeze, and even better to be able to have her home to join all of my other lovely friends for my birthday celebrations for the first time in years.

December

It's Chriiiiiiiiistmaaaaaas. Say no more really. A month of eating, drinking and being very merry. Lots of lovely nights out in the city with work colleagues and friends, followed by a cosy Christmas spent with both mine and Joe's lovely families.

(Oh, and Dolly of course!)

Not forgetting being treated to a beautiful trip to Kew Gardens with Meg to see their "Christmas at Kew" spectacular - another evening that I would definitely recommend for children and adults alike.

Last, but by no means least, New Year's Eve. Despite being an evening which I believe to be totally overrated, this year's party at our friends' house was a huge success. I drank far too much prosecco, danced until the heels came off and laughed so much that I had solid abs the next morning (ok the latter isn't entirely true...)

As I'm sure you can tell after reading (or even skim-reading) this post, I have had one heck of a year. SO many ups, and very few downs (no negativity allowed here!)

If 2016 is half as good as 2015 was, I've got a feeling it's going to be a good'un.

So here's to a Fab Fifteen, and what I hope will be a Super Sassy Sixteen!

The Big Chop.

Back in May I decided to continue my charitable run and chop almost 10 inches of my hair off for a good cause...

"Silence is Golden"

I signed myself up to do a sponsored silence to raise money for charity, and thought I would share this experience with you (because what fun is being silent all day?!)

Sailing the South Ionian

Welcome aboard the beautiful Lead boat Athina! Not only is she a gorgeous boat with plenty of character, but she also plays home to Faye, Ali, and Jake from March - November. 

working 9-5.

I can't believe it's been a year since I graduated and headed to the City, and what a year it's been...

#nomakeupselfie

The latest campaign to raise awareness for cancer research is causing some controversy; here's my take on it... 

Ladies who lunch.

your own personal invitation to an afternoon with me and my Emilys...

Woodland walks with Dolly.

Heyyyyyy Mrs. Carter.

cue high-pitched screams and hyperventilating crazy fan girl (yes, that was me!)

'tumbling down the rabbit hole'

At the end of January, I spent an afternoon with the Mad Hatter at the Sanderson Hotel and let me tell you, it was out of this world! 

Haaave you met Beth?

Or Stew and his girlfriend Sophie? Well if you haven't, then you're missing out! 

roses are red...

...well actually, mine were white! 

there's just something more romantic about white roses.

Canterbury, I love you.

Canterbury is known for its beauty; with its cobbled high streets, cute river and glorious cathedral - what's not to like? But for me, the city has something more than just physical beauty. 

that friday feeling.

After a month of detoxing and dodging the wine, I jumped at the invite to a girls night out after work on Friday. 

I somehow managed to squeeze all of my beauty essentials into my work bag, along with a change of clothes and heels for the evening (I know, I even impressed myself!) Having only been in our new building since December, I had the challenge of getting ready in these toilets for the first time. Being my usual ditsy self, I somehow managed to cause chaos; rushing out of the cubicle with no shoes on, dropping makeup as I went and of course flushing bright red in the meantime, too scared to take my time after hearing people complain about the queue for a loo!

Eventually, I found myself en route to Abbey bar, located at the Minories by Fenchurch Street station - perfect for the late night dash (or stumble) for the last train home. Unfortunately for us all, the weather was not on our side. The arctic conditions and torrential rain meant that I looked ever so slightly like a drowned rat on arrival, but luckily for me the girls didn't seem to judge.

[best] friends reunited.

So this weekend I traveled up to Coventry to see one of my best friends. After meeting at university more than three years ago, graduating and moving back home, we now have to put in a lot more effort to see one another.

who says January has to be blue?

Let's face it - January can feel like the worst month of the year, what with the cold wet commutes to work and the long wait for pay day, not to mention the almost essential January diet. But being the optimist that I am, I think it's important to find the silver linings in the huge grey rain clouds.

I've always been a self-confessed yo-yo dieter, eating salad all week and pigging out at the weekend. The thought of 'the healthy option' has always made me miserable. But for some reason, 2014 has given me a new lease of life, and for the first time I've stuck to something for more than a week. 

feta in my salad made it a bit more exciting.

blog life.

I'm sure that I'm amongst thousands who have started a blog in 2014, and I'm sure that there are many more to come.