Back in March Michael and I decided to pay York a visit. It's one of the places on my Day Zero Challenge and it's somewhere I've been looking to go for a good few years! 

Michael was in charge of picking the hotel and I have to say he selected a perfect place to stay, The Churchill. As we booked quite last minute we were a bit disappointed to find the only available room was one of the Twin Rooms. The rooms looked beautiful nonetheless, but we desperately wanted to stay in one of the Luxury Bedrooms which looked incredible. Initially I thought, lesson learned, we'd book further in advance next time...

...however, we were in absolute luck. When we checked into the hotel we were thanked for booking directly through their website rather than through a discount/price comparison site. It wasn't just a vocal 'thank you' though, and I assumed they must have had a cancellation because they upgraded us to a beautiful luxury room. The decor was perfect. It wasn't a huge room, but the high ceilings made it feel so open. I loved the four-poster bed and it was incredibly comfortable, it was a shame we were only staying for one night! The bath was a beautiful feature and it also had a en-suite which was equally as sleek as the rest of the room. 

I never initially intended to blog about this stunning place because at the time I wasn't writing much, so unfortunately the photos I took just do not do the place justice. 

The weather wasn't great whilst we stayed in York so I'm certainly keen to return when it's brighter and we can spend more time exploring the city. And I'd 100% stay at The Churchill Hotel again. The food was delicious, the staff were incredibly friendly and despite being so close to the City centre, it was so nice and peaceful. It was a shame we only had one night to enjoy the place, but it was certainly one very relaxing evening! 

MissIsGoode

Well, hasn't it been a while since I blogged? Months in fact. You may have noticed that I've spruced my blog up a little, and just in time to make a come back. Whilst I've been away from blogging I haven't missed it as much as I once did, but I'm bringing it back into my small list of hobbies as there's so much of my history on this blog it seems a shame to neglect it. 

So, what better way to rekindle my love with blogging than to reflect, on the up and coming two year anniversary of my Graduation, how my life has changed - and how yours, if it hasn't already, may change too...

Firstly, you'll use social media less. My sharing online of my social outings etc. didn't just immediately stop when I graduated. Initially, the move to Nottingham and the whole 'I have no friends thing' meant I really wasn't up to much. I went out with my boyfriend and spent many days and nights searching for jobs, but nothing was really worth sharing at the time. When I began work, that's when the posts really started to decline. Colleagues would add me on social media or follow me and I felt more conscious about what I was posting, as everyone should. I never post or have posted anything that would damage my reputation or people's perceptions of me, but work certainly made me think twice about sharing everything online. I spend 8 hours a day, five days a week with my colleagues, so I felt a little like having some private time. Which is also why my interest in blogging declined. Not to say I blame anyone but myself for this! 

I say I don't believe there's anything out there that would damage my reputation or people's perceptions of me, but there's many iconic photos from University that probably don't paint me in the best light...(saying that, this is one of my all time favourites)

You'll probably go out to bars and clubs much less. When it came to leaving university I felt ready to move on from the nightlife, but not to the extent of stopping it altogether. I've always enjoyed nights out and knocking a few back, but I'm very accustomed to doing this in Keele and Sheffield with my close group of friends. So, as antisocial as it sounds, doing it with people other than that group and also here in Nottingham, a city I'm not familiar with, doesn't always appeal to me. Perhaps I'm a little stuck in my ways!

You may even consider yourself 'boring' now. Refer to my last two points and I personally feel I sound somewhat like a hermit, but I always have been a bit of one anyway. University throws so many more social opportunities at you than graduate life does, and as you get older you find your circle of friends shrinks and that heading home after work, putting your jammies on and knocking back only the one cider whilst watching Netflix is much more your thing post-graduation.

You'll have a healthier lifestyle. For one thing, my liver has certainly been given the chance to recover. In my first year of university we'd spend weeks at a time going out 3 or 4 nights a week and not taking it easy either. And then there's freshers' and refreshers' which as you all know, are 7 plus nights of heavy drinking with barely a moment to really consider your life choices. If I did any of that now, for one thing I'd get fired, but I'd also be unable to function properly for a month or more. I also eat healthier and exercise more. I'm even one of those unusual beings who cycles to work now...what happened to me? 

You won't be able to handle hangovers. This links nicely to my previous point, and I really do mean it when I say my old lifestyle would wipe me out for a month if I tried it now. Going on one night out ruins me for the week. We're not all like this though, so if you're not the hermit type like I am, have no fear. Two of my close friends still have a wild nightlife and they have good jobs that they appear to execute functionally and excellently. So, it is manageable. 

Maybe you're a responsible adult. I mean, I pay all my own bills now so that allows me into the club surely? There's no squabbling over who owes what amount - though, at university we were one of the lucky ones who got all (bar electricity) bills included - and no more piling up the bin until it falls over and buries one of your housemates. It's all adult stuff now, like actually having a copy of the schedule for bin collection days and having house contents insurance. I only moved out of my boyfriend's parents house two months ago, but I feel in a much better place now I have my independence back. 

You'll be required to wake up between 5:30 and 6am every working day (unless you work night shifts you poor soul). Just to warn you, this also means you'll begin to wake up around the same ungodly time even when you want a lie in because your body clock thinks that's ok. Remember the days when waking up for a 9am lecture was the most difficult part of your life? 

All in all, my whole life has changed, as I expected it would, and I bet yours has or will too! I obviously work full time, stay late in the office and struggle to get out of bed on a Monday morning (I lie, I struggle every morning). I clean my house top to bottom every weekend rather than doing fun stuff, like watching a whole season of Gossip Girl (it's a very small house don't worry). I don't get much time to be lazy or to socialise, so I often choose to be lazy with my boyfriend instead. My weekends fly by and I can't remember what it feels like to not be busy,  but alas, it's part of life. 

Enjoy the freedom university brings whilst you can. I would never say it's all down hill post-graduation, but it's certainly not an easy ride!

MissIsGoode