THE LIST.

So back on New Year's Day 2013 I made a list. I first wrote about it here but seeing as my time was up earlier this month, I thought it was time to take a look at it again...

Some I haven't done, some are works in progress but on the whole I think I've done pretty well. A few I decided that I didn't want to do anymore (which I think is allowed..I made the list, I make the rules) and others just weren't possible and I didn't want to do half-heartedly. The reason I set myself these goals was to actually allow myself time to try some things I'd been wanting to do, challenge myself and have fun! Some I've loved and will keep doing, others have been less enjoyable and I probably will stop here. I've included the full list below if you fancy reading it. I've also linked any related blog posts and my thoughts about them. This is more for me to look back on so feel free to skim over all the detail!

I don't have any plans to start a new list specifically but I'm really glad that I did it. Lets just see what life after 25 holds.

x

one. Start a blog  You're reading it! It's been going for over two years now and it's been one of my favourite things I've done on the list.

two. Visit America This one hasn't happened for various reasons but it is still something I want to do so will be ticked off sometime in the future. 

three. Graduate  Done!

four. Take more photos using my camera rather than my phone Again, this blog was a way for me to do this and document the past few years.

five. Have a dinner party I really enjoyed doing this one. As a child I loved it when my parents had dinner parties and I would love to keep this one up, especially when I have a bit more space for it.

six. Take up ballet again I completed a 10 week course to try and remember everything I learnt from ballet growing up. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with classes this Autumn.

seven. Travel around Europe This has been another favourite of mine to do, I've loved taking advantage of the cities so close by and making the most of my days and weeks off. See blog posts Ireland. Italy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,  Brittany.  Amsterdam 1, 2, 3. Switzerland 1, 2, 3. Portugal.

eight. Make a quilt  Done!

nine. See Taylor Swift with my sisters We went back in February 2014.

ten. Read 25 books* see lists below

eleven. Watch 25 films* 

twelve. Knit a scarf as seen here.

thirteen. Write a poem

fourteen. Learn how to play a song on the piano

fifteen. Learn how I play the guitar a work in progress but I'm counting it 

sixteen. Have a herb garden I have had one..it died but will be renewed as soon as I have somewhere to keep it that has enough sunlight

seventeen. Get a pet This would be the one that I decided that I didn't want to do, even a short-term token goldfish. Maybe I'm just not a pet person and I'm totally fine with that.

eighteen. Run a mile without stopping I don't go running anymore but in the past few years I could quite easily manage a more than a mile.

nineteen. Make a video Another one I have really enjoyed doing. You can check them out here, hopefully more will be coming.

twenty. See a play I picked this one.

twenty one. Relearn my GCSE French

twenty two. Drink a whole cup of English tea one. whole. pot.

twenty three. Learn all the countries and capital cities in Europe and where they are

twenty four. Learn a letter from the bible off by heart
twenty five. Visit the Harry Potter studio tour and it was great.

BOOKS

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R.Tolkien
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
1984, George Orwell
The Catcher and the Rye, J. D. Salinger
The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Pilgrims Progress, John Bunyan
On the Road, Jack Kerouac
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
The Lord of the Flies, William Golding, 
The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Goldem
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Bleak House, Charles Dickens
The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, Mark Twain
Ghostwritten, David Mitchell
Saturday, Ian McEwan

FILMS
The Graduate
The Godfather
Pulp Fiction
Schindler’s List
Casacblanca
Saving Private Ryan
Cinema Paradiso
Braveheart
The Big Lebowski 
Trainspotting
A River Runs Through It
Roman Holiday
Psycho
6th Sense
Manhattan
Midnight in Paris
The Descendants
Silver Linings Playbook
Liberal Arts
Untouchable
Delicacy
Paris, Texas
The Shop Around the Corner
The Guardian
Top Hat

2014.

Happy New Year! 
I was going to say it's felt like a slow start to the year but in reality I think it's snuck up on me and I'm over a week late but I hope the start to this new year has been wonderful. Before getting started with 2015 I wanted to take a minute to look back on this last year. I am so thankful that I started this blog as it means I've documented a lot and can look back and see what an excellent year it's been. 

A little summary of what my year has been filled with according to my little blog...

Coffee 1. 2. 3.

Music 1. 2.

Places 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.  9.

Weddings 1. 2. 3. 4.

Baking 1. 2. 3. 

As for resolutions, I'm still working on this

You can check out the full list here, better get a move on!

xx

MY LEEDS/ A NIGHT AT THE THEATRE.

One evening last month, I spent a night at the theatre with a friend. Seeing a play is something I've been meaning to do for quite a while and it crosses another goal off my list. We saw The Crucible by Arthur Miller, put on by the West Yorkshire Playhouse. I had to read an Arthur Miller play when I was 16 as part of English Literature at school but didn't really know the story of The Crucible before. Although I've been lucky enough to see quite a few dance companies perform and multiple musicals this was one of a only a few plays I have made it to. It felt very 'grown-up', which I sometimes have to remind myself that I am, to see a serious play and it left me thinking a lot about injustice and human nature which you don't quite get in the same way from Wicked. Once I got past the idea that everyone was only going to talk at us, I really enjoyed trying something a little different. 

The staging was great and despite a few questionable American accents, it was all round pretty good though not the most heart-lifting story! This was the third time visiting the Playhouse and hopefully I'll be back soon.

THIS IS WHEN I AWKWARDLY SNUCK A PICTURE INSIDE THE THEATRE...

NOW AND THEN

Lucy and Nate over at We Resolve tagged me to do this Now & Then post. It has been really fun remembering what I was like 10 years ago and seeing what has changed....

My hard drive has stopped working so I couldn't share any old photos.
now: 2014, twenty three     then: 2004, thirteen

CRUSHING ON

now: John Krasinkski, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

then: Ryan Gosling, Johnny Depp

WATCHING

now: Grey's Anatomy, Bones, New Girl

then: Blue Peter, Pop Idol, Cribs

LISTENING TO

now: Johnny Flynn, Taylor Swift, James Vincent McMorrow, this soundtrack

then: McFly, Probably NOW! 56, Avril Lavinge

READING

now: my 25 before 25 list

then: Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, the Georgia Nicolson series

STYLE

now: aiming for classic and simple still working on this!

then: flared jeans, long bead necklaces, logo tshirts

HAIR

now: light brown, shoulder length, natural waves

then: poorly straightened stripy blonde highlights (unfortunately!)

ATTITUDE, DREAMS & LIFE PLAN

now: trying to live in the present and appreciate today, focus on Jesus and love others, some day a family and explore the world more

then: be a costume or set designer, finish school, get married, have babies 

I have a week of work now so I'm very much looking forward to sleeping in and spending time with some lovely people. Hope you have a great weekend!

x

TWENTY FIVE BEFORE TWENTY FIVE.

Happy New Year! 
WOW. 2014 is here.

Last New Year's Day we were discussing resolutions as a family over lunch and I decided to make twenty five goals to achieve before turning twenty five. These are all things that I want to try/make/do anyway but I do well with deadlines and I knew a list would help me commit. Quite a few have been ticked off already but I now have just over a year and a half to finish the list. I actually mentioned this in one of my first posts but below is the full list (well done if you make it all the way through!).

one. Start a blog

two. Visit America

three. Graduate

four. Take more photos using my camera rather than my phone

five. Have a dinner party

six. Take up ballet again

seven. Travel around Europe

eight. Make a quilt

nine. See Taylor swift with my sisters

ten. Read 25 books* I've made specific lists below if you're interested

eleven. Watch 25 films* 

twelve. Knit a scarf

thirteen. Write a poem

fourteen. Learn how to play a song on the piano

fifteen. Learn how I play the guitar

sixteen. Have a herb garden

seventeen. Get a pet

eighteen. Run a mile without stopping

nineteen. Make a video

twenty. See a play

twenty one. Relearn my GCSE French

twenty two. Drink a whole cup of English tea

twenty three. Learn all the countries and capital cities in Europe and where they are

twenty four. Learn a letter from the bible off by heart
twenty five. Visit the Harry Potter studio tour

BOOKS

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R.Tolkien
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
1984, George Orwell
The Catcher and the Rye, J. D. Salinger
The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Pilgrims Progress, John Bunyan
On the Road, Jack Kerouac
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
The Lord of the Flies, William Golding, 
The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Goldem
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Bleak House, Charles Dickens
The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, Mark Twain
Ghostwritten, David Mitchell
Saturday, Ian McEwan

FILMS
The Graduate
The Godfather
Pulp Fiction
Schindler’s List
Casacblanca
Saving Private Ryan
Cinema Paradiso
Braveheart
The Big Lebowski 
Trainspotting
A River Runs Through It
Roman Holiday
Psycho
6th Sense
Manhattan
Midnight in Paris
The Descendants
Silver Linings Playbook
Liberal Arts
Untouchable
Delicacy
Paris, Texas
The Shop Around the Corner
The Guardian
Top Hat

* These are slightly random selections. I have tried to include both books and films that I wouldn't necessarily read or watch but that always seem to be on must-read/see lists and ones that I have been meaning to get round to but just never have. 

THANKFUL THURSDAY.

I've decided to start a regular post as a way of remembering the ways in which I am thankful. This is partly inspired by some friends of mine and by similar posts on other blogs. Lauren, I promise I'm not copying your posts - we obviously think too similarly, ha! 

It's easy to focus on the things haven't gone to plan and forget about all the good things that are happening to me everyday. This has been especially true these past few weeks but I hope that by making myself stop to acknowledging and appreciate things to be thankful for, I will be quicker to appreciate, more grateful and slower to complain. 

I don't intend this to be a fancy or exciting list but more of an exercise to help me to actively consider each week how blessed I am and something to look back on if I forget.

one the most welcoming and generous friends 

two my job

three fresh air

four slippers

five mobile phones, laptops, letters - so many ways to keep in touch

six freedom

seven books and having time to read them

eight new tv series starting again

nine unending grace and forgiveness

I hope you feel encouraged to appreciate the little (and big) things going on with you right now

x

SUNSET, BONUS VENICE.

Whilst in Venice we stayed on Guidecca, one of the islands just off the main island of Venice. At first this felt like a mistake because it meant having to get a vaporetto (water bus) every time we wanted to leave the hostel as we were completely detached from the main city. 

However, this meant we were able to get an incredible view of the city every morning ajnd evening. I grabbed my camera and documented the sun disappearing behind the city one evening as we sat by the water.

Have a lovely weekend

x

Ps. last Italy post I promise!

VENICE.

Last stop Venice!

Again I had visited before with my Mum quite a few years ago but only for two days. Venice is such a unique place with so much to see, I was more than happy to explore again.

SAN MARCO.

SAINT MARK'S BASILICA. UNFORTUNATELY THIS WAS MOSTLY COVERED IN SCAFFOLDING FOR RENOVATION BUT THIS CORNER WAS EXPOSED.

LOTS OF TOURISTS IN THE PIAZZA SAN MARCO.

RIALTO MARKETS, I DO LOVE A GOOD MARKET!

THE FAMOUS RIALTO BRIDGE.

THE GRAND CANAL.

SO INTRICATELY DECORATED.

SAN MARCO AGAIN.

VIEW FROM OUR HOSTEL!

MURANO.

PALAZZO DUCAL, DOGE'S PALACE. WE DID SUCH A FUN TOUR HERE OF ALL THE HIDDEN ROOMS AND PRISONS, INCLUDING THE STORY OF CASANOVA. 

SANTA MARIA DELLA SALUTE.

I'm so grateful that I had this chance to explore and travel but seeing so much of Northern Italy has made me want to explore more of the southern coast and countryside... plenty of time for that I'm sure.

VICENZA.

Vicenza is a small town in the north east of Italy. Honestly we only booked to stay here because everywhere was booked in Verona (where we originally planned to stay) and there was a youth hostel right in the middle of town. Once we arrived we discovered that Vicenza was mostly designed by Andrea Palladio and a hot spot for architects who travel to appreciate his work. 

I'm so glad we stumbled upon this place. We spent two days sitting in parks, having coffee in side streets, appreciating the incredible buildings and taking it easy.

I NEVER SAW JULIET'S BALCONY IN VERONA BUT THIS WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.

I LOVE HOW OLD AND NEW COEXIST ALL OVER ITALY.

MORE MARKETS.

BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS.

VIEW FROM THE HOSTEL'S ROOF TERRACE.

I LOVE THE SKY.

NEON SIGN!

MILAN.

Milan was the third stop on our trip. It felt a lot more like a city where people live and work than anywhere else we went. This history and culture is less in your face and doesn't just appear around the corner like it seemed to in the other places we visited, the streets are a lot wider and buildings seem bigger. Seeing the variety in what Italy has to offer was a fun aspect of exploring new places.

CUTEST LITTLE CAR.

INTRICATE CARVINGS.

BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED CHURCH CEILING.

SOME OF THE GRAND BUILDINGS ALL OVER MILAN.

MILAN'S DUOMO, SO DIFFERENT TO THE ONE IN FLORENCE.

AUTUMN ARRIVED! THE FACT THAT BOOTS AND JUMPERS WERE NOT NEEDED CONFUSED ME, HAPPY TO KEEP THE ENGLISH AUTUMN AND COLD AIR THANK YOU.

MILAN FASHION WEEK WAS JUST STARTING OUT WHILE WE WERE VISITING.

THE CEILING OF GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II, SAFE TO SAY WE DID NOT SPEND ANY MONEY HERE, JUST ADMIRED FROM AFAR...

ON OUR FREE WALKING TOUR OF MILAN IN THE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS OF BRERA.

GORGEOUS FLOWERS.

LEONARDO DA VINCI MONUMENT.

ONE OF THE HUNDREDS OF PIECES IN THE MUSEO DEL NOVECENTO, FULL OF 20TH CENTURY ART.  THOROUGHLY ENJOYED AN AFTERNOON SPENT HERE AND IT WAS FREE FOR UNDER 25'S, BONUS.

THE BEST VIEW OF MILAN CITY CENTRE FROM THE MUSEO DEL NOVECENTO, WITH A BEAUTIFUL LIGHT INSTALLATION.