5 Things I Love About Home

 I'm home!

Which I already told you, I think, but, well, I'm telling you again! It feels so good to know that I'm home and I don't have to worry about all the things I should be doing back at uni, because there isn't anything! Now I have the whole summer to relax a bit and slowly start working on my dissertation. It's an incredible feeling to not have to worry about deadlines!

In honour of being home for the next few months, I thought I'd list a few things I love about home, because we all know how I love a good list.

1.

Family.

An obvious one, really. But no matter how often I try to make a journey home, I always miss my family the most. Especially my last month or so in Nottingham I started to get really homesick, and there are only so many Skype conversations you can have before you realise it's just making you miss your family that much more. So I can't wait to spend the whole summer with my family and going on adventures with the little ones.

2.

Baths.

From family to baths. Yep. That's how I roll! When people tell me they don't like baths, I actually question that person's sanity because, honestly, how can you not love baths?! Light a few candles, grab a book, make sure there's loads of bubbles and climb into that lovely hot water and life is brilliant!

3.

Cheese.

Shallow, I know. Seriously though, that stuff is freakin' expensive, and I'm a cheese addict! At uni I have to make a conscious effort to cut down on the amount of cheese I eat and try and make it last me. Therefore, when I'm home, I do the exact opposite; I eat as much cheese as humanly possibly and annoy my mum when she comes home and realises I've eaten all the cheese that she only bought a few days ago - sorry mum...

4.

My House.

Before you start thinking I live in this huge mansion, I don't. I live in a normal little house but it's home, and I love it. My mum has cute pictures of the little ones all around (as well as a few embarrassing ones of me and my brother when we were younger), and it just feels home-y. And it always smells nice; I never need to worry about walking into the hallway... not that we have one of those at home but if we did I wouldn't have to worry about it smelling like sweaty feet or whatever other kinds of smells there were at uni.

5.

The Countryside.

I don't actually live in the countryside, not properly anyway. However, my grandparents live in a little village surrounded by fields and gorgeous views and I live with them part of the time; it's one of my favourite things to be able to go and run outdoors in some place quiet and calm with just me and my iPod, and occasionally a dog or two as well if I'm at my grandparents. Something as simple as a lovely, peaceful view can make me the happiest person for a few hours. I'm going to blame it on the creative writer in me; it helps me to think better.

There are plenty of other things I love about being home but those are the five that come straight to my mind. Of course, there are things I miss about being at uni too, like all of my friends and my flatmates and I love living in a big city too, but it's nice to have a change and a little break from all that busy-ness.

Katie x

The Gym Thing

Hi!

I'm sitting here, a bright red, sweaty mess having just gotten back from the gym and I thought now would be the perfect time to write a blog post... TMI?

Every time I go to the gym I have a bout of anxiousness before I go, worrying about all the issues I have with actually going to the public sweat box. 

I don't particularly care about losing weight, it would be an awesome bonus but that's not my main reason for going to the gym. I go to be fit and healthy. It usually makes me feel better about myself too if I'm having a shit day. However, I always worry about the kind of people that are already at the gym because, nine times out of ten, everyone I see at the gym looks like they're already as fit and healthy as they're going to get and they're just there to maintain it, which is fine, but I always worry about the fact that I'm not going to fit in (which is a stupid worry, may I add).

So before I go to the gym, everything bad that could possibly happen runs through my head.

1.

Everyone's going to be watching me... They're not, but that's what my brain convinces me is going to happen.

In reality, they're too busy getting on with their own workout (the whole reason everyone is there!) than bothering with me. As far as they're concerned, I'm just another person at the gym. I still have the same panic every time though.

2.

I'm going to go bright red and get horribly sweaty.

You have no idea how long it took me to convince myself that this is natural. Everyone gets sweaty and most people go bright red, whether it's their face, arms, legs, or all three - it happens. Apart from those few lucky people who appear normal throughout their entire workout; I envy these people. A lot. In my mind though, the redder and sweatier I am, the harder I'm working (because, trust me, I go fire engine red; it's not a flattering shade). It took me a long time to come to this realisation and it's gross, but true.

3.

Clumsiness.

I'm so clumsy it's unreal and I always have this little niggling feeling that something stupid is going to happen to me, like I'm going to fall off the treadmill, or my foot's going to slip on the cross-trainer. None of this has happened yet. I've kind of come round to the reality that it will one day but until that day I really need to stop worrying about it.

4.

All the different machines are scary.

Yes, I'm aware of how weird and slightly pathetic this sounds and maybe not all of them are scary but a lot of them can be. I usually stick to the cross-trainer, treadmill and rowing machine but sometimes I want to try something different and I'm too scared to, in case I have no idea what I'm doing when I get on it and look like an idiot. There are people at the gym who are trained and are supposed to help you with this kind of thing when you ask but I'm always too scared to ask them... Way to go, Katie.

5.

Weights.
I really, really, really want to get into using the weights because I'm not the strongest of people, I'm not weak either but it's something I should probably work on. There's normally a mass of guys with huge arms (HUGE) surrounding them though and that just puts me off because; one, I don't want to get in the middle of a group of guys just to use them; two, I'm not entirely sure how to use them and the last thing I want is them all watching me or, even worse, offering to help, my body can't deal with that kind of embarrassment. 

I'm not the biggest gym-goer and I'm not going to say "ooh, I love getting up everyday and going to the gym" because I don't. I love my bed and books too much. That bit in the movie Pitch Perfect, where Fat Amy does her horizontal running is perfect to me - why can't we just all do that all the time! However, once I get to the gym, I do genuinely enjoy it. It's something to do with serotonin levels being increased by exercise or something like that - my biology knowledge is not amazing but I'm pretty sure I learnt that at school once.

I'll get over my issues with the gym one day but until that day I'll carry on having my mini panic about those gym things before I go!

Katie x

Music Crush #15 (Playlist)!

Hey!

Obviously this weeks Music Crush had to be Christmas song - the problem is, I can't decide which one. I know I have this problem a lot but this week it's big and it's real. Decisions are just not happening.

So we're going to mix it up a little bit and do a Music Crush Playlist. Uh huh. I'm mixing it up good!

In no particular order...

1.

Last Christmas - Wham!

2.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Michael Buble

3.

Driving Home For Christmas - Chris Rea

4.

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard

5.

All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

6.

Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens

7.

Underneath The Tree - Kelly Clarkson

8.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Dean Martin

9.

Do They Know It's Christmas? (1984 Version) - Band Aid

10.

Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

11.

Run Run Rudolph - Kelly Clarkson

12.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Michael Buble

13.

White Christmas - The Drifters

14.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams

15.

Finally, and definitely the best of them all...

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues

There! That is my Christmassy playlist! I love Christmas music and especially all of the old ones, they get me feeling all festive!

Katie x

Snapchat's Issues

Hello!

I never used to be that into Snapchat. When it first came out, I got it because everyone said it was great but I didn't really get the allure to it so I gave up, keeping it just so I could receive other people's Snapchats. However, since coming back to uni, I have become a bit of a Snapchat addict - but only on a night out.

For those of you who don't know what Snapchat is (where have you been for the last two years?!), it's an app you can get on your phone, where you take a picture and you can send it to a friend for anything up to 10 seconds, then after that it's never to be seen again. They have a bit on it now called "My Story" too, which is what I make the most use of, anything you add to it will stay there for 24 hours then disappear, again never to be seen afterwards. 

Well this comes in very handy if you're going on a night out with your friends because, not only does it document your night to all of your other friends who aren't there, it allows you to look at all the photos you took the next day - including the really awful ones that you wish no one had ever seen. 

I have previously mentioned that I'm not much of a drinker when it comes to alcohol but that seems to have changed slightly this year. I still don't drink to the point where I can't remember anything or I start throwing up everywhere - I know my limits, don't worry! I definitely drink more this year though and sometimes you forget the little things in the moment. For example, one of the first nights my flatmates and I went out on in Refreshers Week, a random guy came up to us as we were trying to take a selfie and said he wanted to be in it - to get rid of him we took the selfie with him, posted it to Snapchat and that was that. The next morning, when we were looking through our stories, we found that picture and burst into laughter remembering it, because it was such a small moment we'd forgotten it even existed. 

But, as good as Snapchat is, there are still a few problems with it:

1.

Screenshot.

I mentioned earlier the picture can only be viewed for 10 seconds if you send it directly to the person, well that's true, unless they screenshot it. Yep, that's possible. The worst thing? I'm one of those people. I screenshot all of the disgusting-triple-chins-hilarious selfies that my best friend sends me because duh! So when anyone does it to me, I can't even complain at them.

2.

Butter Fingers.

The problem you come across not necessarily when you've had something alcoholic to drink, you just need to be clumsy like me, where you send the picture to the wrong person. I have done this too many times for it to be acceptable. The amount of ugly selfies my brother has accidentally received because my fingers have slipped at the last minute. It's a horrifying moment when you watch it send and know there's nothing you can do about it. My brother's the loving kind of person that will probably use it against me in years to come...

3.

Lighting.

The quality of Snapchat photos is not the best on a good day but when you're in a nightclub with flashing lights everywhere and it's a bit darker than your average room, it doesn't help. Needless to say, you're often left looking like a creepy stalker that's all dark in the back corner of the picture or you're bright white and every flaw you have is emphasised - this is usually what happens to all of mine. Just my luck.

So there are a few of Snapchats issues. Luckily, to help combat the last one, they do have two filters now. Two. Wow. But yeah. I have a love-hate relationship with Snapchat and I doubt that's going to change anytime soon.

Katie x 

Completely unrelated side-note here but, if anyone could complete THIS survey for me that would be amazingly helpful - it's for a uni thing and I hope to get a placement at the end of it, so any and all feedback is welcome! Thank youuuu! (Here's another link, in case the other one doesn't work :) https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CVG5YBB )

A Few Favourite Films!

Hello!

I am a complete movie-whore... That sounds weird. I mean in the sense that I have watched soooooo many movies and I watch them over and over and over again. And probably again.

Obviously, there are a lot of movies in the world but here are a few of my absolute favourites (at the moment - this list will have changed in a few weeks!)

1.

The Avengers

Marvel. Superheroes. Thor. That is literally everything I need to say about this movie. Seriously.

2.

Brave

It's set in Scotland and, with my Scottish heritage, there is nothing I don't love about this movie. Especially the triplets; they're so frickin' cute!

3.

21

There's something about this movie that completely boggles my brain but it intrigues me so much that I love it.

4.

John Tucker Must Die

Until I went back to university, I had never even heard of this movie, then some of my flatmates and I watched it and I was like "Oh. My. God. How have I never watched this before?!" It's so good!

5.

The Little Mermaid

Everyone needs Disney movies in their life and this is one of my all-time favourites (along with Brave)! Not going to lie though, Ursula used to terrify me when I was little... Not anymore though... Not a lot anyway.

6.

The Holiday

A lot of people will say that this is the first sign of me getting into the Christmas spirit but this is actually the one movie that is set at Christmas time and I don't class as a 'Christmas movie'. Although I do probably watch it more around this time of year - it's something about all the snow; trust me, England rarely looks like that in the winter!

So those are the movies I've wanted to watch a lot lately, like a lot a lot. I only put The Avengers down but it's actually anything Marvel that I'm obsessed with at the moment, or in general - there is never a bad time to watch a Marvel movie! It's the one thing my brother and I can watch together and not argue about!

Katie x

6 Pamper Night Necessities!

Hello!

I mentioned the other day that I'd spent the day with Megan and Sophie. Well, as well as going to the lovely little Old Hall Cafe (which I wrote all about HERE), they had some friends over and their mama had organised for us all to have a pamper night!

There are certain things that I think are essential to a pamper night, like:

1.

Face Masks

Who doesn't love a good face mask, cleansing all those pores and whatever else it is they're supposed to do?! Personally, I think I just looked like I had poo spread all over my face but it felt amazing, it was self-heating too which, aside from being one of the weirdest sensations ever, made my face feel all lovely and relaxed!

2.

Mani-Pedi's

Well, everyone needs to have pretty toes and fingers, a pamper night is the perfect place to fix those bare nails and chipped toe nail polish! I had Megan and Sophie do mine and I definitely have an interesting mix of colours on my toes...

3.

Movies

Find the best and most hilarious, belly-aching movie you can find and put it on for you and all your friends to sit and crease up in laughing fits! (We ended up watching Princess Diaries - Megs and soph are only 8 and 9, so the movie had to be age appropriate, obvs! Plus, everyone loves Princess Diaries).

4.

Selfies

Let's just be honest for a moment, selfies are an -anywhere-any-occasion thing, okay? So why the hell wouldn't you take a ton of them on your pamper night when you all have face masks on and look like crazy people for painting your face with, what is essentially, mud?

5.

Sweeties!

Once again, sweeties are an anywhere-anytime-occasion thing in my opinion but you need extra sweet treats at a pamper night, because you're pampering yourself, so why not treat your tummy too?!

6.

Hair Accessories

Not only do you need to sit and do each others hair making sure you all look fabulous but you need a few flower crowns too - duh.

Obviously those are just what I deem as 'essentials' and I've probably missed things off or put things on that you wouldn't have thought of but I'd love to know what you do on a pamper night - as you can tell, we had an awesome treat night!

Katie x

A Winter Lover

Hello!

I work in a takeaway, not the most glamorous of jobs but a job's a job and, as far as jobs go, it's not actually that bad. When I looked out of my window this morning though and saw pouring rain, I'm sure a did a little happy dance inside my head - it's too early and too soon after just waking up to be physically dancing - yet rain is never really something to get excited about in the UK (especially up north!) because we see a hell of a lot of it over a year. When you work in a takeaway, where there is constant heat everywhere, rain is a very welcome element!

In the UK lately, we've had really hot weather (it's a massive rarity!) and not to sound all British and constantly complain about weather but, it's too hot. Yep, that's right, I said it. It's too hot. I know there are other countries who have weather tons hotter than we've had at our height of summer but we're not equipped to deal with this kind of heat because we're just not used to it! Man, was I dying in all that humidity. I felt like the Wicked Witch of the West that melted to her death - I felt like I was slowly melting into a pool of sweatiness - lovely mental image for you there!

As you can probably tell, I'm not the biggest fan of the English "summer", which basically just consists of sweaty, humid air. I much prefer the winter.

1.

If I'm cold, all I have to do is put another jumper on!

2.

Talking of jumpers; jumpers! I love being able to put a soft, cosy jumper on and feel all lovely and warm.

3.

I can drink hot chocolate and not feel like a numpty for drinking a hot drink whilst it's thirty-odd degrees celcius outside! Instead, I can just feel even cosier with all my jumpers on and a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream sitting in my hands.

4.

I love ice hockey... a lot! And, of course, ice hockey is a winter sport. There is also an ice hockey team in Nottingham, the Nottingham Panthers, who are awesome and, as most of my winter is spent at uni, I get to see lots of ice hockey!

There are plenty more reasons why I prefer winter but I'm going to be late for work if I list them all, there are that many! I just think winter is a much cosier and, ironically, warmer-feeling season!

Katie x

21 Of The Best Feel-Good Movies!

Hello!

This week's been a bit of a down-in-the-doldrums week (if you don't have a clue what I'm going on about read HERE) BUT I have watched some of my favourite movies to help cheer me up and they are the perfect medicine. So, I thought I'd share them with you, just in case you're feeling a bit under the weather, or you just like having movie days!

Now, I have watched a lot of movies this past week... like, I've spent nearly every day, all day, watching movie after movie, after movie. After movie. There are a few of these that I haven't got round to watching yet, but they're on the list for the rest of my week!

1.

Mary Poppins

Without doubt, this is my favourite movie from my childhood! This is my go-to movie whenever I need a bit of a pick-me-up, I know every word to every song in this movie because... I'm not at all obsessed... Nooo. Okay, I am, but what is not to love about Julie Andrews?!

2.

The Railway Children

I used to always wish I could be a one of the Railway Children and for that, I will never stop loving this film. I don't mean the modern version one either, I mean the one with Jenny Agutter in it; she's my fave.

3.

Bride Wars

A seriously hilarious movie. Two best friends, a.k.a. two brides. Accidentally sharing the same wedding day. It's just... just... Go watch it! It's awesome!

4.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Another childhood favourite. Another one I can tell you every lyric to!

5.

Chalet Girl

I looooooove skiing, and this one is kind of to do with that. More snowboarding than skiing but meh, same thing! It's an English actor thing too which I find awesome because it's rare to find a good movie with English actors.

6.

We're The Millers

I already mentioned this particular movie in the last Mid Week Pick-Me-Up because it makes me laugh. A lot.

7.

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

First of all, don't confuse this with Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. I'm talking about the original one, not the one with Johnny Depp in it (sorry Johnny, I love you but this one's so much better). Second of all, I love the bubble scene of this one - the first time I saw it, I went round and told everyone they were "naughty boys"... Yep, I was a right goody-two-shoes.

8.

The Mighty Ducks

Ice hockey. I love ice hockey. Enough said.

9.

Bridget Jones's Diary

Just a super British movie and I know exactly how you feel Bridget, I feel ya!

10.

The Holiday

Literally one of the only movies that is set at Christmas time and I don't class it as a Chirstmas movie - go figure! Again, a bit of British-ness in it - I just love the English-y bits because most movies you can watch and see that they're really Americanised but this one has the best of both worlds!

11.

The Princess Diaries

I always thought that one day a long lost family member would come and find me to tell me I'm a secret princess, thanks to this movie... I'm still waiting...

12.

Rumour Has It

Jennifer Aniston is an amazing actress and I loved her when she played Rachel in Friends so I often watch her movies. Just going to ask the typically expected question of me here - how does she not age?! I'm sure she's immortal or something because I swear she's never changed! Anyway, the moral of this movie is, don't do what your mother did. Or your grandmother... 

13.

What To Expect When You're Expecting

Hilariously funny, I'd watch the trailer first if you are expecting to make sure it doesn't terrify you but I don't think it will because it just poses all of the most common scenarios that could happen to you when you're expecting a baby but it does it in a belly-laughing way!

14.

The Smurfs

Little insider knowledge for you here, I always get called Smurphs because my last name is Murphy, so I like Smurfs tons! I'm not quite a legitimate Smurf though - I'm not blue - although that's a great idea if I ever need a fancy dress outfit!

15.

Definitely, Maybe

Ryan Reynolds. Mmm, mmm, mmmmmm! Ahem, sorry for that little outburst! So, yeah, this movie has Ryan Reynolds in it and he reminisces about three of his past girlfriends, changing their names, as his daughter tries to figure out which is her mother and which is his true love. Awwww.

16.

The Proposal

This isn't another one with Ryan Reynolds in it... Noooo... Okay, I like Ryan Reynolds. Just as an actor though, of course... Another hilariously funny movie as he has to fake a relationship with his ever so slightly pushy, bossy boss.

17.

Shrek

Another little fact for you, my mama's name is Fiona and when the movie first came out, the younger children in the family started calling her Princess Fiona... As long as they were meaning the human version she said she didn't mind! Anyway, Donkey is just the cutest, annoying little thing ever!

18.

Tangled

My best friend loves Disney movie in ways that most little un's even don't, so she made me watch this and it's another one that just makes you feel all light-hearted and want to sing along to! Yeah, I do know a lot of the words...

19.

This Means War

One of the most amusing movies I've watched in a long time and it has Chris Pine and Tom Hardy in it. It also has the stunning Reese Witherspoon in it. I want two secret agents to fight over me - I can dream!

20.

Flushed Away

When this was originally released I lurvved it. I haven't watched this in several years but I did watch the trailer on YouTube and it's officially made it onto my list for watching over the next few days.

21.

Knocked Up

And another hilarious comedy to end with! A bit explicit, though, so be careful who you watch it around if you get my gist! I think you can guess what it's about from the title, so I won't bother trying to explain it without making it sound any less explicit than it is!

There are a lot more movies there than I planned on telling you about but I just kept thinking of another, after another, after another! I hope there weren't too many for you to take in there! Enjoy!

Katie x

The Trials and Tribulations of a Job

Hello!

As some of you may have read (HERE) I have a job now!

There are a lot of good points to having a job - like having a regular income! That part's definitely the best part!

There are also some not so great things about having a job; here are five of them (in my opinion):

1.

Not seeing the Little Ones :(

It was Daisy's birthday last week so I did manage to get the night off to go to her birthday tea but normally I take her out a couple of days during the week and I haven't had the chance to do that, which I hate. It was also James's birthday last week (too  many birthdays in one week!) and I only managed to see him for about forty-five minutes; it was literally a quick hello, birthday hug and a quick goodbye. I really miss getting to see them regularly and take them out to do nice things.

2.

No more lie-ins.

I actually have to get out of bed. You have no idea how much of a chore this is. It's awful! I love my bed! And now I have to battle with myself to remove myself from it. It's tough. I feel like I'm neglecting the poor thing. I'm sure my bed knows it too, seen as it's not letting me get a full night's sleep anymore!

3.

Sore feet.

For my job I literally have to stand on my feet for seven hours straight (aside from my eating break about half way through that) and wow is it taking its toll. I feel like every night when I get home I should have some professional masseur here to give me a foot rub. They hurt :(

4.

Uniform.

Most jobs have a uniform. In this sweaty weather, I'm not loving it though. There are a lot of ovens and things where I work (as if that isn't a big give away to the kind of place I work in) so it heats up in there pretty quickly! I have to have my legs covered because of there being lots of hot things, plus I'm super clumsy so it would probably be a good idea anyway, so my jeans are clinging to me within the first half hour and the shirt I have to wear isn't the thinnest of thins either, unfortunately but hey ho! It could be worse. At the secondary school I went to we had to wear all black. Now that was a bit warm!

5.

I miss my grandparents.

Slightly similar to the first one. I normally stay at my grandparents for the majority of the week and then come home for the weekend, or something like that, but these past few weeks I haven't been able to do that and it's killing me. I'm really close to my grandparents and I miss them like crazy not being able to see them. I've even been talking to them on the phone most nights but it's not the same. It takes a bit to get to there house though so I'm constantly trying to figure out whether it's going to be worth going for just the few days or waiting till I've got longer off.

Anyway, those are the woes of having a job. I'll get over them eventually, it's just taking a bit of getting used to when I'm home for the summer and I feel like I'm not getting to see the most important people. And I have sore feet. That never helps.

Katie x 

THE Bucket List

Hello!

I have a list of things I want to do before I... pass over to the other side? Is that the nicest way of saying it? I'm not sure. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is I have a bit of bucket list. Things that I want to do before I die. It's not something I've ever properly written down or anything; they're just things that, somewhere along my way in life, I've thought "I have to do that someday!"

I've decided that it's maybe time I actually wrote them down, though... Or some of them, at least. This way, not only can I never forget if my clumsiness leaves me with amnesia, but there will be people to remind me that I made this list and never to give up on it. Here are a few of them.

1.

Publish a novel!

This one is something I have always wanted to do. As in, my whole life. Ever since I was just little. I've always wanted to have my own writing published. Therefore, it's a goal that I really, really, really, really, really want to achieve before I die! Like, seriously. Publish a novel. I have to do that.

And there's my bucket list over! Thanks for reading! Jokes. Don't stop reading yet! I was joking! Promise. I have just a few more.

2.

This is going to sound like such a silly one but, I want to get a tattoo.

I know what you're probably all thinking, if I want a tattoo, I'm old enough, I should just go get one. It's not that easy though. No one in my family has a tattoo. Nor are they very open to them. Even my brother, who was always the rebel child when he was younger, never came home with a tattoo. It's something that I really want to do but I feel like I would feel a lot better and a lot more confident about it if I had my family's approval. So I guess this one's more of a "get my family's approval for a tattoo" goal, than actually getting the tattoo.

3.

Own my own house/apartment.

This is such a stereotypical one, I know, but it's something I really want some day. I would just love to have a place that I could call mine and could decorate however I want... In fact it's the decorating and buying little, unique things for it that really gets me about this one. I love going into shops and looking at all the cute home decor and picking which bits I would have if I was furnishing and embellishing my own wee abode! So if someone would like to give me a limitless amount of money for when I decide to tick this one off my list, that would be great! No? Oh. Okay then...

4.

Travel.

Obviously I travel, I did a post (HERE) about going on holiday to Turkey with my mama last month and I loved every minute of it, but I want to travel more. I'm sure that sounds really greedy but the majority of my life we have gone to Turkey because my step-dad's family live there, and I always want to go some place different. I would love to go to Australia (bucket-list typical, I realise) or, more than anything, I want to go to New York. A lot of my friends have been there or are going there and they're very fond of telling me what an amazing place it is. So, I want to visit the Big Apple, Concrete Jungle, The City That Never Sleeps, New York - I want to go there soooo bad.

5.

Family.

I want my own family, like most people, but this one is more about the incredible family that I already have. They're always there for me and support me in everything I need and do, so I want to be able to give back to them. All sentimental and soppy of me, I know, but I really do want to be able to do for them what they've done for me one day. Okay, mushiness over.

So there are five things I want to make sure I try my hardest to do before I die. I'll probably have forgotten half of them before tomorrow but then they'll come back to me eventually, they always do. Or, now I can just look here and remember them - perfect!

Katie x

The Best Jobs

Hello!

I officially have a job! Hallelujah! I was definitely in desperate need of one; the small remainder of my student finance (all £30 of it) was quickly dwindling away!

Just like nearly every person in the world, there were a lot of different vocations - if that's what you can call them - that I wanted to take up when I was younger! So, here are five of them:

1.

A writer!

The first thing I wanted to do was the thing I still want to do now, so I guess I never really changed my mind. The only difference is, I no longer think every story has to start with "Once upon a time"... Not going to lie though, still holding out for this one!

2.

An astronaut...

What can I say, I liked to dream big... Just for the record though, I still think I could be an awesome astronaut! So if all else fails, you'll find me on the moon!

3.

A Disney princess <3

I'm sure every little girl had this dream! I used to have all of the different outfits of each princess and I'd dress up and pretend to be them. I still have the same problem now as I had then though - I can't walk in heels to save my life. Not the best start to a Disney princess life *sad face*.

4.

The classic hairdresser.

Not going to lie, I really did like that dream, until I realised that not every hairdresser got to do the hair of princesses. Needless to say, that revelation shattered my dream.

5.

A sandwich filler...

Don't ask me where this one came from because I have no idea. I just... I can't even... I was a weird child. (I do make one mean sandwich though - maybe this is my true-calling!)

If this has made me realise anything, it's that my dreams just got smaller and smaller as I got older. I went from wanting to be an astronaut to a sandwich filler - I don't even know what to say. I'm lost for words. Bye.

Katie x 

Holiday TBR List!

Hello!

One of the best things about going on holiday is that you can sit and read and not think about having to do anything else... Aside from the obvious things the body needs to survive... Books are definitely included in that survival.

In fact, chances are, by the time you read this I will already be on holiday, probably sitting by the pool right now, paddling my feet! Eeeek! I'm so excited!

I read a lot when I'm on holiday, so here are a list of books that I'm planning on reading in the lovely sunshine - my TBR list!

Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell)

You're the One That I Want (Giovanna Fletcher)

Billy and Me (Giovanna Fletcher)

On Dublin Street (Samantha Young)

Flat-Out Love (Jessica Park)

On the Island (Tracey Garvis Graves)

Attachements (Rainbow Rowell)

The Edge of Never (J. A. Redmerski)

Breathe (Abbi Glines)

So you know what I'm going to be doing on my hols!

Luckily I have a Kindle  now, life was always so much more difficult before their invention - I could never manage to fit the abundance of books that I wanted to take in my case! The amount of telling-off's I got from my mum for taking something of hers out without her knowledge so that I could fit an extra book in!

Nearly all, if not all, of them will get read too - I read more when I'm on the plane than I do when I sit by a pool I think, because I can't sleep on planes, or even relax properly, I hate being stuck in such a confined space so to take my mind off it, I just read... In fact, forget the plane thing, I just read all the time!

Katie x

The Top 25...

Hello!

I like all kinds of different music but, because I'm super nice, I thought I'd let you have a little insight into my top 25 most played songs, on my iTunes... I'm just going to get started or this could end up being a very long post.

Starting at the bottom, then!

25.

Cemetery 
 Charlie Simpson

24.

When I Look At You 
 Miley Cyrus 
(Yes, I like Miley Cyrus - new and old!)

23.

Salvation 
 Gabrielle Aplin

(She has such an amazing and beautiful voice, well worth a listen)

22.

Little Black Dress 
 One Direction

21.

Next to Me (Radio 1's Live Lounge Version) 
 Emeli Sande
(I didn't think it was possible but, she sounds even more amazing live)

20.

Dear Photograph 
 Lilygreen & Maguire

19.

Walk
Foo Fighters
(A bit more rocky than the others, I know. What can I say - I like to surprise people)

18.

A Drop In the Ocean 
 Ron Pope

17.

Great Escape
Mike Dignam

16.

Sexy Lady 
 Jessie J 
(Seriously one of the best feel good songs ever... For the ladies anyway!)

15.

Without You 
 Glee Cast

14.

I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off
 Fall Out Boy

13.

Don't Wanna Miss A Thing
Aerosmith

12.

Wanted 
 Hunter Hayes

11.

Cry Me A River
Michael Buble
(Love his voice sooo much! I wish he could just sing me to sleep every night)

10.

What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) 
 Kelly Clarkson 
 665 Plays
(If you need a song to pick you up and motivate you, this is it)

9.

Mr Brightside
The Killers
 757 Plays

8.

The One 
 Olly Murs 
 801 Plays

7.

Already Gone 
 Kelly Clarkson 
 841 Plays

6.

Wide Awake
Glee Cast 
844 Plays
(I like Glee, so what? They do some amazing covers; I like some better than the originals!)

5.

The Writer 
 Ellie Goulding 
 846 Plays

4.

Read All About It (Pt. III) 
 Emeli Sande 
 933 Plays

3.

Sleeping With the Light On 
 Busted 
 1282 Plays

2.

Thunder 
 Jessie J 
 1579 Plays

1.

Always Tomorrow 
 Shane Filan 
 A whopping 2640 Plays!

AND

Pumped Up Kicks (Cover)
Lilygreen & Maguire
Also on 2640 Plays!

So there is a little insight into my iTunes library - quite the privilege really! A bit of an eclectic collection! If you were to see my Top 50, you would probably give me a lot of funny looks - it goes from Panic! At the Disco to Disney, at one point!

Katie x