Where to start? First of all hello. I haven't disappeared of the face of the earth, I am still here. Apologies for the fact I haven't posted in over two months, something I am beating myself up about currently. Blogging makes me extremely happy so neglecting it has left me a little bemused. Still, I am so looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.
The main reason I haven't blogged anything is because of university. This year was my final year of university and on May 10th I handed in my final assignment which was a complete relief. The workload was immense and time management became second nature but blogging had to take the backseat. Uni has been an experience (for sure) that I won't forget! I still remember being a timid eighteen year old venturing into the unknown world of adulthood. Now, I am a confident, happy twenty one year old woman who is very proud of all she has achieved. I've grown a backbone too. The world has been harsh at times and uni was challenging, especially when other problems arose in my life but handing in that final piece felt like such an accomplishment. The grey rain cloud that had followed me around for so many years just evaporated. I will post all pieces I have done this year for my Creative Writing degree up on the blog once I have had feedback on them and all of my results (fingers crossed for good results!)
Life has been pretty hectic for the past two months but also very quiet. Not a lot else has happened. It's been a time to say goodbye to one of the biggest three years of my life and begin worrying about the upcoming months. Looking for work has been exciting, whilst I decide exactly what it is I want to do and there are many challenges up ahead that I know at some point I shall have to face. For now, I am taking the time to write more poetry without any time limits and read so many books that I haven't had chance to read. I also had a huge clear out. I think this is something I do when a big change happens. I chucked out so many clothes, shoes, books and ornaments from my room just so I could breathe more and have the freedom and space to move around my environment. Sometimes life gets pretty heavy and claustrophobic.
I've carried on losing weight. One of my New Year's resolutions mentioned in my 2017 blog post was to lose some weight. I've been overweight for a number of years, the result of comforting eating due to bullying and continued struggles with depression. I decided to take on the challenge of starting the Cambridge Diet back in November 2016. Since then I have lost 2 stone but I am hoping to lose much more before the summer arrives. Losing weight has given me confidence, brought a lot of positivity to my life and has helped with my general health. It's been good to feel cleansed and nourished by only consuming what I am meant to. Comfort eating is a thing of the past. My weight and self image has been such a hurdle for me and has haunted my life since I was about thirteen years old. It feels good to be losing it and doing more. It also feels great to feel confident meeting new people and experiencing new things and not having to worry about how I look. It is a great feeling to really take care of yourself and love your body.
Lewis and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary in February 2017. I might have mentioned this in another blog post but I didn't feel the harm in mentioning it once again. Time really does fly when you are in love and we couldn't believe it had been three years. So much has happened in that time, so much has been overcome together and it really reiterated to me how much I truly love and care for him. It's a wonderful feeling to have the security of being in love with someone who is not only your other half but your best friend. Lewis is such a kind, honest and caring man and I am very lucky that he has been there to support me through the many trials that have befallen us.
On Friday this week we go away to Whitby for the weekend. I am so excited to write a number of blog posts about our time there. Whitby is such a beautiful little town, filled with little cafes and small streets that lead up to antique shops. The abbey on the hill is a stunning place to get such beautiful photographs so I am thrilled we are going. My Mum and Dad bought us the trip away for our Christmas present. It's our first holiday on our own, just the two of us so it will be really lovely to have some quality time together relaxing and cleansing the mind by the sea. I hope to write some more poetry whilst I am there too.
Since I last blogged I have been getting involved in the #GRLPOWER chats that happen every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday on Twitter. I really wanted to get in touch with other bloggers, discussing ideas and gaining some inspiration from them. It was amazing to connect and have conversations with people who had the same interests as me and were open and honest. I find the blogger community a great source of support and inspiration to my posts and the GRLPOWER chat is especially welcoming. It's been fab to share ideas to one another particularly about what inspires us and how to keep motivated (something I definitely need right now!) If you want to get involved follow the link above to the twitter page to gain some more information about it.
Life is great at the moment. I have found planning my days to really help me become more organised and independent and adjust to life after uni which I know so many of us find difficult. I am so excited for the upcoming events and ideas I have in the pipeline particularly surrounding the blog. Once again I am super sorry there hasn't been updates from me! Priorities and all the that jazz. I am thrilled that I have the free time now to update this blog and get back to talking about things that really interest me.
A final note from me. The General Election is coming up on June 8th 2017. It's a chance for us to have our say on the state of the country and who we want to put it right. Whoever you vote for, it's important that you vote. You have until May 22nd 2017 to register to vote. You can do it online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote - it is really easy and it means you get a say on how you want your country to be run. Don't allow other people to sway your vote. Read up on the manifesto's and get an idea of which party best represents your needs and requirements. Think about the NHS, education and housing the places where we need money investing. Especially 18-25 year olds. Since the GE2017 was called more than 500,000 18-25 year olds have registered to vote. It's so exciting and really fantastic that people are getting involved!
That's it from me friends. I hope you all have a superb rest of the week and I cannot wait to blog my trip to Whitby over the weekend. Lets hope we get at least some sunshine!
