I recently realised that my blog is almost six years old and I was shocked. I've not devoted as much attention to it in recent years as I did when I was at university, but to have kept it going nonetheless for six long years has actually surprised me, even though I'm the one behind it! I did lots of getting to know me related posts when I first started the blog, but since then many of the people I followed and talked to a lot have disappeared from the blogging scene. So, as many of my current followers, and some new (welcome!), may know very little about me, I thought I'd do a quick facts about me post...

Facts about where I'm from, where I've lived and where I am now...

Facts about my interests...

- As you'll know from the fact that you're reading this, one of my interests is blogging! Overtime my interest has lessoned as I've become more private and my life has become a lot more dull but I still really enjoy writing and developing my blog
- I love reading and have a degree in Literature. I have a book journal where I have my own little reviews and I set myself reading challenges for the year

Me and my friends, Jen & Sara, at our graduation

- I enjoy going to the gym where I mainly do weights
- I love hiking around the UK and have done some hikes abroad - last year we did the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (4 days hiking) and I've recently come back from the Tour of Mont Blanc (10 days hiking)

- I'm a bit lazy but I do also love to learn and gain new skills
- I'm in the process of trying to become fluent in French. Having just come back from a holiday in France I've realised I need to work a bit harder!
- I have an ambition to start learning sign language as I think it's incredible
- I'd love to start climbing once we've recovered properly from our holiday

- So, I have a book with all things big and small that I want to achieve. It's up to over 400 things now from something as small as 'read such and such book' to 'travel to such and such city/country' etc, or 'buy my first car' and 'become a homeowner'. It's probably a little intense for some people but I find it helps me keep on track with achievements, both those that seem easy and those that will be tough
- I'm looking to become a homeowner in the next year
- I'm also hoping to have at least two dogs, because dogs are life 

- I'd like to get a lot of travelling in too, I love to see new places and explore 

So, there you have it - a few facts about me! If you have any tips on how to learn French fluently, or sign language for that matter, or any amazing locations that you'd recommend travelling to, especially hiking ones, then let me know in the comments below!

MissIsGoode

I stumbled upon my Life | 2015 post recently and found it so very strange to read about University. University feels like it was years ago and I guess it is getting to that stage, but to think in May 2015 I was still at university, in my little house in Newcastle-Under-Lyme - it's just hard to believe. 

And now 2016 has been a gone. For me personally it's not been a bad one by any means, I've stepped into a new job, I've been to new places and celebrated three years with Michael. I may not yet have my own place, a car or a puppy, but everything else is pretty fine and dandy.

My last drink at Keele | It seems so long ago that we all graduated however one of my closest friends from University, Faye, only graduated earlier this year having completed her Masters in Pharmacy. The three of us graduates took our very last opportunity to return to Keele and hit up the Union for a few last rounds. Looking around, it was mostly unrecognisable faces, as expected, and I felt somewhat alien and also quite snooty, particularly towards the girl in the queue outside who tried to describe the inside of the Union to me - Thanks HUN, but I was here before you even knew where Keele existed - and that was probably along the lines of what I said to her in my intoxication, but less aggressive. All in all, it was a good night! In May I also took the plunge and finally got some better blonde highlights in my hair. It's something I've wanted to do for so long and in fact did do once but it went horribly wrong with a home-dye kit and I ended up with a ball of lost hair and looking like the amber traffic light. Sensibly, this time round I approached the professionals and was chuffed with the result. Since having it initally dyed I have returned to slowly get those strawberry blonde tones out, but I don't want it too light so I'm still experimenting a bit!

MissIsGoode

Counting down to Christmas in Cornwall has been the main thing keeping me going these past few weeks. Work's been challenging and a new role that starts on Monday will top the challenges I've already experienced. I've had one day off since my holiday to Cornwall in mid-August and I feel like it's been nonstop. Home life has been the most difficult of all - there's been an abundance of tension around the house with fall outs and fights galore. Having five adults under one roof who don't always see eye to eye is never easy going. So, I'm 100% ready for a break. 

I've had my Countdown App at hand to remind me how many days, hours and minutes away my journey back to Cornwall is, and when I started writing this post it was exactly 12 days, 17 hours, 1 minute and 50 seconds!

So to fill those days, hours, minutes and seconds I thought I'd share what I'm most excited about...

I'm excited to, obviously, see my family. Unfortunately, my brother won't be able to make it home for Christmas this year, but on Christmas Day we're having my sister's family round for a sleepover which will make it so much more special. Christmas with children around the house just gives the Christmas spirit a real boost! We've got the dinner menu planned, the sleeping arrangements ready, a few boardgames to play and hopefully some good Christmas films to watch. And I'm sure we'll manage to get my brother up on Skype to join in the fun!

I'm excited for decorations. My boyfriend's family don't decorate...like, a single thing. They have cards up around the house but they don't even always put the tree up. I don't know if they've always been like this - but they don't even do stockings! I assume they once did when Michael and his brother were children, but if, like my brother, you're not home for Christmas, my mother will damn well post the stocking up to you! She has also never missed posting up advent calendars, and I doubt that will ever change! But with no decorations in sight around here, my Christmas spirit is currently low. People have started to decorate the office at work which helps pick me up a little. 

I'm excited to be and feel at home. I've lived with my boyfriend's family for over a year and a half now, and it may sound a little sad but I only feel at home when he is there. And even then, I only feel comfortable tucked away upstairs in our bedroom. I don't always feel welcome here and I don't always feel comfortable. So, to get back to where I belong is what I'm most looking forward to. 

I'm excited to go for long countryside walks and strolls on the beach. I found the area around Michael and I got boring quickly, mainly because neither of us feel like we belong here. But I find so much peace when I'm walking around my village, Porthleven. The people are more friendly, the air feels fresher, I just feel so free. 

I'm excited to have my first Christmas with Michael. We've been together for three years now but due to our family homes being 300 miles apart, and over the years us having either University or work commitments, we've not been able to spend a Christmas together. However, this year he'll be coming home with me. Yes, we'll be sleeping on a not too comfortable sofa bed, and yes we'll have to wake in the early hours to drive those 300 odd miles, but it'll be so worth it to spend Christmas with everyone I adore (except the aforementioned brother who can't make it down due to work!).

I'm not wishing the days away at all, but I really cannot wait to travel back. I know the ten days we're down there for will fly by as they always do, but I'm just so ready for a break away from Nottingham that lasts longer than just a weekend. 2017 is just around the corner now and I'm definitely looking forward to what's in store for both Michael and I!

So, what have you got planned for Christmas and what are you most excited about?

MissIsGoode

Wow - isn't this one big game of catch up! I had a summary post for June in my drafts and it seemed pointless to even consider sharing that post individually now we're at the beginning of September. However, as it was part-complete I thought, why not make a combo post?  

So, what have I been up to in June & July?

The main feature event in June was starting my new job. It now feels like forever ago that I started, but in reality I'm only three months down the line. It felt good to start a new challenge and move up within the company, and with my career progression on the go, my boyfriend was also facing some potential career changes. He had one massive exam to pass in June which would either lead to him qualifying as a Pharmacist, or failing, leaving him only two more chances to become qualified. It was a busy month in the working world for the both of us. 

As June felt like a time for change, I decided my hair-do could follow suit. I've been considering Balayage highlights for about two years, but I was 1. Scared they'd look horrendous and 2. Scared that I'd have to sell a kidney to afford it. However, with a pay rise on the horizon, I thought why not! I've absolutely loved having a bit of blonde in my hair!

I also went for my usual wonders around the countryside with Michael. We live in an area close to a local park and the River Trent, so it's always a nice place to go for an evening stroll.

Finally, whilst not remotely life changing, I made pretzels for the first time with the help of The Hungry Healthy Student Cook Book. I received this book to review back in June, and I decided to hold it back for a time when I could actually cook more of the recipes in there. Living with my boyfriend's family isn't a cost affective way of trying out new recipes, and there really isn't enough space for me to get to work. So, keep your eyes pealed as I will be sharing my review soon!

Now moving on...

July was my boyfriend and I's month of travelling about and exploring new places. He had some time off between finishing his exams and finding out his results, so I took the opportunity to book a little time off too and make the most of our time together before he began to locum all over the county. As part of his post-exam celebrations (though we didn't yet know if he had passed or not) I booked us a room at The Rowton Hall Hotel & Spa in Cheshire. It was only a quick weekend getaway, but we packed quite a bit in. 

But, before I get to that...

Photo 1 & 2 capture my first visit to the races! I went with my friend from work, Sally, and a group of her friends. We drank lots of prosecco, placed, lost and won a few bets, ate ice cream at 3am (well, that was just me) and went to work the next day feeling fairly horrendous, but at least it was a Friday.

MissIsGoode

I used to always be a big believer in not having regrets, but one day I thought, who am I kidding? It's so hard not to regret things. Whether it's something you should have done, or something you wish you hadn't, regrets are quite simply a near unavoidable part of life. Whether you say yes to everything, or say no - how do you know which one is really the right answer?

As a 22 year old,  I don't have many regrets, but most of the regrets I do still harbour lie within my teenage years, as I'm sure they do for many!

So, here goes...

I regret never getting braces - I was offered braces when I was younger, free on the oh so wonderful NHS, and what did I do? I said no. I witnessed my older sister, who's 5 years my senior, go through the pain of having braces. She was limited on the amount of chocolate and sweets she could eat (well realistically I don't think she was supposed to have any) and she complained about the aches and pains. I also witnessed many of my friends go through the wonder years of braces, and whilst straight teeth appealed to me, the timeline and experiences of actually having them didn't seem all that worth it to me at the time. 

And now, of course, upon reflection, I'd do anything to have braces for free on the NHS. I greatly regret my decision, and part of me wishes my parents hadn't been so liberal in letting me make my own choices when it came to doing or not to doing certain things. I know that I can still get braces, but for the prices they are without the NHS having my back, it'll be a few years off before I'm earning enough to make that a priority. 

I regret not accepting my body - it's not something I tend to admit a lot, but I had a hugely hard time accepting this ol' body of mine as a teenager. I feel like almost all teenagers experience this, male or female, and whether it's not feeling right in your own skin or just not being happy with the size you are, body hang ups are different for everyone.  In my teenage years I felt like my body still looked that of a slightly overweight child. I never felt like I was becoming a woman, I didn't have curves in the right places, and both my boobs and bum seemed flat as a pancake. I tried to exercise and eat right, but I tended to prefer fun over being cautious about what I ate and what I did to burn it off. Of course, now I've educated myself on health and fitness a little more I understand that it's not about restricting your lifestyle to such an extent that it's no longer enjoyable. 

Had I perhaps learnt to accept myself at a younger age, maybe I would have treated my body better.

I regret not having a better attitude - I remember when I was rolling into the teenage years my Dad always used to call me out on my 'bad attitude'. Of course, I'd response with an eye roll, a big sigh and likely slump off to my room. Or sometimes, I'd argue against my bad attitude...with a bad attitude. I wasn't a tough teenager, at least I don't think I was, but I was always very flippant towards everything. I'd sit in mock GCSE exams and cover my arms in artistic doodles instead of actually trying to take a test paper. I focused more on my friendships and flings than I did my own education on some occasions, and whilst clearly it hasn't hindered my educational achievements, I just regret not trying a little bit harder.

I regret letting boys get in the way of my friendships - Because, as I said above, I never really liked my body or felt like I was an attractive girl, I went a bit weak at the knees anytime a boy would pay me attention. It was desperate in a way, in almost every way, in fact, but because of this I often became absorbed in my own little world with him. Whilst I wouldn't now like to say a bad word about one of my long-term exes, the time we spent together did drive some of my friends away. It wasn't just that he didn't like me hanging out with a particular male best friend, but more so because we just felt like we wanted to be together all the time. I'd immerse myself in these relationships and miss out on seeing my friends and important personal life events of their's, all because I was utterly wrapped up in myself and my 'love-life'.

On that note, I regret being so selfish and taking people for granted - I don't consider myself to be a selfish person. I enjoy putting other people's needs ahead of my own, buying them gifts and I enjoy doing things for others but I certainly wasn't always like that. I'd borrow things off my friends and never return them - it was always a genuine accident, but once I had actually forgotten who it belonged to, I'd just leave it lying around my room. Or I'd borrow things and borrow them for far longer than my friend had expected. I lost a close friend over my selfish attitude as a teen. She was, at the time, the one person who kept my world spinning. She'd cook wonderful meals for me, she'd laugh with me, she'd record Teen Mom so we could watch it during study leave. We were inseparable. And sometimes I treated her like shit, so she finally stood up for herself and gave me what for. We're no longer friends now, which still hurts me a little.

I regret not being nicer to my parents - again, I wasn't a horrible teenager, but when I reflect upon all the moaning and groaning I did as a teen, all the 'life is so unfair' declarations (said in my head more than out loud) - I soon ponder what it was like for my parents, and I can quite confidently draw the conclusion that it wasn't easy. I was never the type to turn and say horrible things to them, but with my party antics and 2 week sleepovers at friends, they sure did worry about where I was a lot. I did crazy things like sleeping in an abandoned quarry, walking 8 miles to the beach and going for a skinny dip, sleeping by the local river without a tent, and beach party after beach party. Growing up in Cornwall there were 1. Plenty of opportunities for an expedition & 2. Not a lot around for a growing teen to do. We made our own fun, and a lot of the time it probably had our parents worried sick.

My chilled parents taking a break at St Michaels Mount

So this is a public apology to my Mum and Dad. If I ever worried you, karma will probably bite me in the arse if I have children of my own.

I regret not learning my limits - this applies to university more than anytime of my life, but boy did I take over the top drunk way over the top. I was wild during some occasions at university and I'd always try drink everyone under the table. Sometimes, I did a pretty solid job of it. But did I remember it all the next day? Did I hell. Whilst I had an amazing time at university, I do wonder, had I perhaps learnt my limits or just taken it easy, I may have remembered more and made some mistakes that could have easily been avoided. But hey, who hasn't woken up after at least one night declaring they will never drink again and regretting everything from the night before?

Plenty of people probably haven't, but they are a lot wiser than I am.

My list of little regrets goes on, but of course, I don't let anything hold me back. Whilst I regret losing friends and not learning from my mistakes, I've come to realise that actually, regrets aren't as harmful as I once viewed them.

I used to be very adamant that you shouldn't ever have regrets, but as I said at the beginning, how's that possible? In some situations, you simply don't know which way it's going to go. You can't say yes to every opportunity, because you may even regret that decision. I clearly haven't always done what was right, and I take these experiences on board. Regrets are all a part of living and learning.

Is there anything silly or simple that you still regret?

Sometimes when I come to write these post I sit and contemplate for so long thinking 'What did happen this month?'. My mind tends to go a bit blank and I find it hard to reflect on what's been going on. 

It must be old age. 

But in all seriousness, after a bit of thinking I remembered that it's been a bit of a busy month that's really flown by. On the 29th April I went for an interview for a higher position at Boots, after patiently waiting a month to hear whether I'd even got the interview. I went along, gave my all and was offered the job. The whole of May then became a big count down to the start of my new job, with four weeks notice to work and a lot to do before I left - including training two new people on my current team before I made my move onto greener pastures. 

When I started working in July last year I had planned to progress or move away from Nottingham within a year but when my boyfriend and I made the decision to settle in Nottingham at least for the time being, I decided it was my time to make a career move and start climbing up the ladder. I'm extremely proud of myself for taking the leap and working hard for it, and now I'm five days into my new job and can certainly see the challenge that awaits me at the end of my training. 

My new job isn't what I imagined myself doing after university, because if I'm honest I had no idea what I wanted to do, but so far I've met some really lovely people who I can call my friends and new windows of opportunity are opening up for me every single week, which is exactly what I was looking for. 

Other than hard work on the job front, I still took time to relax with friends. I visited Faye and caught up with the rest of the girls back in Keele, and it was our very last night out at the Student's Union, and upon reflection, that's actually quite a depressing thought. When we headed out to the union I still managed to bump into a few people I knew, which was a nice feeling, but for the most part it was full of unfamiliar faces and changes that are all part of the university's development. I think I took the fact that Faye was still at Keele for granted, and didn't take the time to visit on more occasions. Now it really is in the past for me and I'll never really have a reason to go there again. It's certainly the end of an era of sorts.

It'll also be lovely to be able to have friends and family come and visit me for a change.

I also recently bought a new camera and Michael and I have been taking it out on our weekend walks. Here's a little shot he took of a flower whilst out in the countryside. We've not mastered the art of an SLR yet, but practice makes perfect!

Referring back to my times of relaxation, Sally, whom I work with, and I went for a few meals this month. We started the month with a tapas place in Nottingham called Yamas. The service was lovely, though the tables a little too close for my liking. The food was excellent too and we left positively stuffed. Later in the month I saved Sally from being ditched by replacing her guests who had bailed and went with her to Nando's. I've never been a huge fan of Nando's if I'm honest, it's a little overrated and expensive for what it is, but none the less I enjoyed a steak and stilton roll and chips.

Then, as my boyfriend and I are hoping to go away with Sally and her fella, we decided to arrange to go for dinner to give Michael and Sally the opportunity to meet. Whilst I was more tempted by Wagamamas, we ended up in Turtle Bay and hell, that place does some spicy food! It's a caribbean chain of restaurants and I went for the pork belly and sweet potato fries, and whilst it was tasty, it was so spicy that my boyfriend had to finish eating it for me! Fortunately, Michael and Sally got along well so next we just need to meet up with her boyfriend and then holiday plans will go from there!

Finally, on the very final day of May, I finished my job on the helpdesk that I had spent 11 very busy and fast months on. In that time I learnt so much from the team and the job, and it 100% paved the way for the role I'm in now. I was given gifts including Prosecco, chocolate and a gift card along with a few other bits and bobs. After my final shift we all got together and went for a meal at George's Great British Kitchen in Nottingham. Some of the people who had left the team joined us too and it was lovely to sit down outside of work and catch up with everyone. I'm sad to have left such a fantastic group of people, and if I'm honest, I've never enjoyed being around colleagues so much.

Oh, and, if you haven't already seen on Instagram, I've also had my hair done and gone for a completely new colour!

So June is now all about getting stuck into my new job role. Having had a tiny bit of experience working in Supply Chain in my previous role, everything I've been trained in so far is making sense. This training is also a lot less daunting than that which I experienced when I started at Boots almost a year ago - but I'm sure there's still time for that to change!

I hope everyone had a lovely month and is already having a lovely time in this sunshine at the moment. Wish me luck with my latest career move and I hope everyone has a equally as lovely if not better June!

First things first, I'd like to apologise. Once again I felt the need to go all MIA on the blogging scene because I really do just need to take a step back from blogging every once in a while and probably more often than most. Sometimes I feel like a break is necessary; I go to blog and just feel like I'm forced to do so, and that's never the way I want to feel about it. I take my hat off to those who keep it up day in day out, but I sometimes just need to get in from work and have a Netflix binge. It turns out this month, kicking back without doing some blogging after work wasn't just occasional, but occurred every single day of April. Yes, I've been a little lazy with my blog this month, but there's been a lot going on behind the scenes...

MissIsGoode

Woah, this year needs to slow down. I always find my birthday absolutely flies by, and evidently 2016 has been no different. 

This month has been a bit of a quiet one again if I'm honest. I didn't go for any mad nights out to celebrate my birthday, I haven't even had one too many drinks this year accept from New Year's Eve that obviously rolled into 2016 and of course, Sara's 22nd birthday in January (which pretty much ruined me for a few weeks anyway). It's strange how much life changes when you graduate - it's not that I don't have the time to go out and party, it's more that I don't want to spend my 2 days off in the week hungover. But then again, every few weeks I also get this strange urge to dance wildly and knock a few back - though I'm waiting until next weekend to do that with my friends to celebrate my birthday with them! So, I haven't completely grown up (and hopefully never will). 

In terms of work, which I seem to always ever so briefly mention, I've taken on something completely new and a little challenging. I've gone from doing my daily job to training people how to do my daily job - which feels a little weird considering I've only been doing my job for 9 or so months. I'm happy with the progress I'm making in graduate life but my ambition is driving me to go that bit further, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed, my lips tightly sealed and my eyes pealed for future opportunities. 

It was also a sad month at work with lots of the people I had become accumstomed to working with leaving the team - we've had too many personnel changes for my liking, and possibly more to come. I'm really happy for the people who have found great opporutnities, though they were people I had become close too, particular one. Sally, one of those leaving, and I decided to go for a meal at George's Great British Kitchen in Nottingham - which, by the way, was wonderful (and I will have a review up soon!) - to celebrate her getting a new job and to say a goodbye, but not for long.

We got to try some delicious food and even more delicious cocktails, which I'll share in my review post, but if you insist, here's a little peak at my super groovy candy floss cocktail!
Whilst Sally lives in Doncaster, we've committed to going out for a meal at least once a month, which is giving me a perfect opportunity to try out some amazing places around Nottingham, and so far, I'm liking what I've tried! 

MissIsGoode

So, this is it, I'm now 22. People always ask the question on your birthday, 'how do you feel?' or 'Do you feel any older?' and honestly, I do a bit. I think progressively over the past few months since graduation I've started to feel different. And I thought what better way to summarise that difference then to respond to Taylor Swifts 22. 

A wise and mature 22 year old

It feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters

No, it doesn't Taylor. Either I have to be up for work at 6am or it's the weekend and I don't want to ruin it with a hangover. I also sold all my hipster clothes after I graduated so I could afford to buy pencil skirts and office trousers.

And make fun of our exes

You know Taylor, I'm 22 now. Maybe, just maybe ... making fun of our ex-boyfriend's is a little more 18 than 22?

It feels like a perfect night for breakfast at midnight

No it does not young lady, with a full time job I'm in bed WELL before midnight, even if I would rather be up eating breakfast.

To fall in love with strangers

As an adult who finds it hard enough to make new friends, I can't say I'm falling in love with any random strangers.

We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time

I'm happy, I'm certainly not free, I'm perpetually confused and I have my cat beside me, I would not say I'm lonely when I'm with my cat Taylor. 

It's miserable and magical

Like Harry Potter magical? If not, I'm not into into

Tonight's the night when we forget about the deadlines

Rub it in - I no longer have those kind of deadlines. I'd like nothing more than to procrastinate for 5 days straight then write an essay in 12 hours with the deadline looming. Way to remind me of my lost student days. 

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22

I'd probably rather feel 18, that's an age of less responsibility. Unless I'm doing 22 wrong? 

Everything will be alright, If you keep me next to you

Thought you said you were lonely? You're more like a teenager than a 22 year old, y'know? 

You don'tt know about me, but I'll bet you want to

I might use that line for my CV

Everything will be alright, If we keep dancing like we're 22

Okay I've still got some boogie in me at my age. 22 year old's still slut drop, right? 

It seems like one of those nights, this place is too crowded

Ah now you're on my level. This is exactly how I feel when I go to a club nowadays.

Too many cool kids

Is that sarcastic? Because I rarely meet genuinely cool people on nights out these days.

It seems like one of those nights, we ditch the whole scene and end up dreaming

You mean dreaming whilst sleeping right? 'Cause I can do that well ...

Instead of sleeping

Well there's my idea of ​​fun out the window.

It feels like one of those nights, we ditch the whole scene

Is this a trick again? If you wanna get out of here let's go but can we go somewhere like I don't know, maybe home?

It feels like one of those nights, we won't be sleeping

You clearly do not have a 9-5 job.

If feels like one of those nights, you look like bad news, I gotta have you

I think you need to learn more about responsibility with that attitude Taylor. This is not how 22 year old's need to act. Well, not how this 22 year old acts anyway. 

Whenever I listened to Taylor Swifts 22 before actually being 22, I dreamt that 22 could really be like a Taylor Swift song, or at least like the music video. Alas, now I actually am 22, I can honestly say it's so far not been anything like a pop video. I've still got 363 days to make it like one though...watch this space.  

MissIsGoode

On the very first day of February a big announcement was dropped at work that really brought the spirit down within my entire department and the whole office in general. I'm keeping it vague here because I don't like discussing work on my blog and social media, but I took some slight changes to my work situation as my opportunity to start looking at jobs within the local universities again. I'd had a browse around before summer but hesitated to apply to a few due to seeing: 'office/admin experience required'. Now, fingers crossed with a bit of office experience and admin under my belt I may feel more confident when applying for these jobs.

On top of getting organised in the career department, I really took to number 95 on my Day Zero Challenge: Schedule posts on Hootsuite at the start of every month. I've recognised the slight floor in this as it's really a schedule at the start of every week sort of task, but I've been really cracking on with it - and have also now amended the goal to fit what is more achievable.

Not only have I been scheduling on a weekly basis but as I've looked through the archives I've begun to schedule posts for months in advance. I've started getting things prepared for when prospective students are getting ready for university in August and for when graduates are starting to reach the end of their time at university in May, I've really been planning ahead. I've also been organising some more interview based posts that will involve more guest content and a mixture of student and graduate experiences. The plans are still coming together but I'm feeling pretty positive about my blog as of late!

This month I also lost my IKEA virginity! People were always shocked to hear that I had never been to IKEA but the nearest one to Cornwall is Bristol, and we never really needed any flatpack furniture that desperately. Having never been to IKEA I'd also never tried the infamous Swedish meatballs, which I can tell you did live up to the hype. I had a good time wondering round IKEA but it definitely gets a bit too busy for my liking. We went there to pick out a new wardrobe due to ours being this fabric and wood contraption meant for a teenage boy, not a 20-something couple! Most of my clothes have been stuffed away in a makeshift cupboard that has been raised on stilts for the past 7 months, but now we have a beautiful new wardrobe and a lot more room!

The woman who served us kind of just chucked everything on my plate - admittedly it's no 5* dining...

We decided to buy the wardrobe online and designed it ourselves - which was a brilliant idea. It arrived the following week and took us over 7 and a half hours to build - yep, you read that right. Including cleaning out our room, moving furniture around, clearing out bits and bobs and putting all the things we took out of the previous storage units and putting them either in the new wardrobe or in the loft, our whole weekend was consumed by this wardrobe. It's lucky that we love it - a post with some photos of our new wardrobe is still to come!

That same weekend we also woke up on the Sunday morning to the delightful news that a mains water pipe had burst in the local area leaving 20,000 people without any water supply. We had the absolute pleasure of not showering after dusting an entire bedroom and clearing it out top to bottom for a further 24 hours. I don't think I've ever felt so grim.

On a positive note, I started doing my pass plus this month! I would have finished it now too if it hadn't been for a change of plans and my driving instructor falling ill on my second week. I'm not a hugely confident driver so I decided to do pass plus to give me the opportunity to get a go on the motorways with guidance and support. As my family and friends all live quite a way away from me, it just gives me a bit of a confidence boost!

Otherwise, February was a pretty quiet month. I've not really had much of a social life over the past month, aside from going to laser quest with some of the guys from work which was great fun. My boyfriend's popped out to the pub a few times to catch up with his friends, but I've just not been that bothered if it's not too lazy and mean to say. I've been caught up in the blogging world and watching 90210, and most nights after work I either want to go to the gym or just chill out for a bit.

Though this month I'll be a little more active outside the house. This weekend I'm going off to my first Nottingham blogger event, provided it's still going ahead the same weekend, and I'm also going home on the 19th which will be the first time in three years that I've actually celebrated my birthday, on my birthday, with my family. Oh and on that note, I'm going to be 22 this month!

Honestly though, how is it March already?!

Alas the first month of 2016 is over, 11 more to go. I keep seeing photos from last year that remind me how very different life was only a year ago. To begin with I was still living independently with my friends at university and really could do what I wanted. I was also writing my dissertation and going out frequently to celebrate our last year of university. But this post isn't to reflect upon my January 2015, but what I've got up to so far this year. 

I started the year off by posting my next Day Zero Challenge compiling 101 things for me to do in 1001 day encompassing the whole of this year, next year and the most part of 2018. There's lots of things on there that I hope to complete this year, I've completed 7 and a 1/2 so far in January alone which is looking good. I could have started a few more off in January too but there's still plenty of time! If you would like to check out my Day Zero Challenge, click here. I hope it inspires others to write one too!

The main event of my January was going to Scotland. We went for a friends birthday from the 15th-18th of this month and headed up to Argyll, a few hundred miles away. It was about the same distance as Cornwall and the drive up was pretty good. The weather was on our side for the drive and even for the weekend. We drove in dry conditions on the Friday and then the snow fell all of Saturday, covering the ground and mountains that surrounded our cabin. There were some high emotions over that weekend but in general it was a very beautiful little getaway. You can read more about it here.

Next up I got another visit in with my girls from Keele which was lovely. As per usual I got far too drunk, but one of us always seems to! Last time we went out in Sheffield one ended up being sick, and another ending up falling asleep in the club toilets. Never a dull moment!

But anyway, back to the weekend with my friends! It was an early birthday celebration for Sara who is now 22. Most of her birthdays at Keele were often quite the disaster with various things happening and I hope, even with my drunkenness, this year was a good one for her. We all arrived at Faye's house in Sheffield on the Saturday afternoon and sat down to have a Christmas day. We hadn't seen each other since October/November so we still had piles of Christmas and birthday presents to open and it was really cute opening all our presents together. We went out on that night, I was feeling tired and a little ill with a sore throat and cold but that clearly did't stop me from getting a little light headed and wild!

We went to the same old places we seem to always end up in in Sheffield but to be honest we felt like it was far too busy. It was crowded and there seemed to be hands almost groping you from every angle. Every where we stood it become a little passageway for people going home or going to get a drink so I was getting quite wound up when usually I'd just get on with it. I think people trying to touch my arse got to me a little as it's not something I feel is necessary or their right. I got so uncomfortable at one point I went into the toilets to phone my boyfriend and be sad about other boys touching me. Because, surprise surprise, I don't remotely want other boys groping me.

It was so lovely to see the girls but nights out are so hit and miss these days. They either make me think 'why don't I do this more often' or make me think 'why do I even bother doing this'. It's more often the latter than the former unfortunately. I think I over did it so much at university that I'm more content with a quiet night in or a meal out. I like a drink, there's no claiming I don't, but people touching me inappropriately ain't really my ball game. Or anyones for that matter I'm sure.

Moving on! I finished January off just yesterday with a long awaited meal at Annie's Burger Shack. My boyfriend and I have been meaning to go since last year but every time we tried to book a table it was always full. We gave up and forgot about it but I managed to get one booked for a Sunday and my lord were we full up afterwards. I'll write a little more about my trip to Annie's soon - but for now I can tell you the food was delicious, the service was great and they even let me take a doggy bag home that was basically another meal!

Overall, January has been quite enjoyable. Work has been tiring but I'm always making progress, we've not been to the gym much at least towards the end of January but we've been really happy. I've caught up with my friends and had a good weekend away - even got a bit of snow! What more could a girl need?

How was your January? As always, I'd love links to your January round up posts!