You're guaranteed a Krak-ing time | Must do things on your visit to Krakow.

I'm back! I bet you're all surprised that I didn't disappear for a good year like usual, but that's the old Katie!

The new Katie is here to bring you another travel post! This time about my 5 day city break to Krakow, Poland!

Like Budapest, Krakow was a popular city break destination last year and it goes by no surprise. With it's beautiful scenery , very cheap food and alcohol it's a hit for tourists.

Me and my two friends booked to go to Krakow spontaneously in February 2019 and we jetted off in the Easter holidays as a little treat from me to me and a break from uni - very much needed! Easter was also a perfect time to go as it was warm but you often had breezy days.

I took it upon myself to be the mum of the group and sort out the hotel and flights (mainly because we'd end up in a barn in a random field in the middle of no where if I left it up to them) We wanted to find somewhere central but still cheap and cheerful! I eventually found somewhere which was situated in the Jewish quarter of Krakow, Kazimierz, only a couple of minutes walk through some beautiful gardens to the Old town with all the shops and restaurants.

We did a fair bit of research of places to eat and things to do beforehand and booked all our activities before we went. I would highly recommend doing this especially for Auschwitz and the Salt mines as the queue for tickets on the day were super long!

We booked all of our trips though a service called Krakow Bob. This was recommend to us by a family friend and we are so glad we took her advice to book through him! He would get your tickets  at a discounted price and would take you from destination to destination, with no hassle!

We first went to Auschwitz on the Friday, the day after we arrived. We were just expecting a normal taxi service from our hotel to Auschwitz but oh boy were we wrong. We come outside our hotel after breakfast and Bob is stood with a cardboard of our names displayed to welcome us! We get in the 8 seater taxi, with plenty of leg room and are told all about the history of Auschwitz, he even shows us documentaries of interesting facts that aren't often told, it was a real eye opener. Even before our booked slot he took us round some other monuments related to the Holocaust, something you wouldn't get on the tour! Aside from the very serious tone of the outing he ensured to keep our spirits high, playing some old classic songs getting us all to sing along, it was a definitely one way to keep the hour long journey there and back entertaining.

We decided to go for a tour of the camp instead of doing it solo so we can really take everything in and learn about this tragic event even more thoroughly, it also makes the process easier as you feel you are at a museum rather than a concentration camp, which is bizarre in its own way.

Nothing can really prepare you for what you're about to experience as you enter the concentration camps at Auschwitz, especially when you see people posing underneath the "Arbeit macht frei” sign which translate to "Work sets you free". One thing that will always stay with me was the pain of others that are still expressed to this day, school girls and boys crying and running out of one of the gas chambers. As you can guess, I was lost for words when walking around the camp and still thinking about it almost a year on i'm still very unsure on how to describe my experience.

This was not a happy visit but a necessary one to remember what happened to and never forget it. I would recommend you all visit it at least once in your life as it's a learning experience.

We also used Krakow Bobs taxi services to go to the Salt mines. We were all very unsure what the salt mines would entail because it definitely doesn't seem like our kind of thing! But, yet again we were very wrong and shocked at how interesting it was.

I would recommend the guided tour again as, if like us, you know nothing about the Salt mines it would be quite boring just going around not understanding what used to happen down there. There was some spectacular sculptures and interactive things to do so is a great thing to do to make time fly.

For our second to last day, once we had done everything we had planned we decided to take a little wander around the old town and as we were doing that we came across Wawel Royal Castle which we wandered around the surroundings. After taking in all the views and eventually deciding to pay to go inside and look around the state rooms, this was only a small amount of  hungarian forint but personally we agreed it wasn't exactly worth going in, there wasn't much information regarding what each room was and the majority of them were closed off anyway. The inside of the castle grounds and gardens were beautiful though and very instagramable, yet again passing a few hours before we went and drank a few more cocktails in the scorching sun.

As for the majority of the holiday we spent it eating a sh*t tonne of yummy food and drinking plenty of cocktails, which is what we do best.

We started the holiday off by visiting a popular dessert destination called Mr Pancake, which I can ensure at least one of your Instagram followers have been too! We loved it that much so after we went again! There was so many choices to choose from that we had to go back and try another. The pictures just about do them justice but if you have a sweet tooth like me they're right up your alley.

My friends are probably the fussiest eaters you will ever meet so we ensured we went places that would cater to us all. 

We went to the standard Hard Rock cafe which I love. I love the food and love the array of cocktails they have. As a chain restaurant in a foreign country this was on the pricey side but was worth it as went down well with us all. 

One issue we experienced here which we noticed happened often in the majority of restaurants in Krakow was that the service was very poor, we waited ages to be served for our order to be taken and for our food to come, this was surprising as some places weren't even busy and there was hardly any staff on the floor but regardless we enjoyed our experience, once we received our food.

When out wandering around the city we came across some boats on the river which did outdoor eating on the top decks. So we decided to grab some grub! It was such a glorious day walking the streets but once on the boat which was decked at the dock it was absolutely freezing. Even though everything was flying everywhere we still enjoyed it.

                            

As for other places eating out we just headed towards the old town where there was so many independent restaurants with out door seating. Sitting in the scorching hot sun (occasionally) watching the world go by and having a giggle with your best friends and an Aperol spritz in hand is all you need on holiday! It's great to people watch and see families and couples having a great time.

Situated in the middle of the old town is the Old Cloth Hall which is full of little markets selling different souvenirs and gifts! We weren't looking for anything in particular but as a little remembrance from the trip we decided to get matching key rings. We first of all found these cute fluffy flamingos which we all got in a different colour but we wanted something more relevant to Krakow so got a glass anagram of different places in Krakow as well! Mine didn't last very long before it got chipped, typical me.

We were recommend by friends to try out the Modiva cocktail bar which was a 'vibey' bar with music playing and some really interesting cocktails to choose from. Apart from this we just went to any bar we thought looked interesting and drank to our hearts content! We also drank in bars around our hotel in the Jewish Quarter as we didn't want to be walking to far at night and these also had a great atmosphere with club like music and was more chilled.

There was also a little market place open late at night which had bubble waffles and some Polish cuisine which was super yummy!

A lot of my friends are visiting Krakow at the moment and it's making me want to return and try all the new and exciting places/restaurants they have visited.

So, who knows, maybe I'll be returning to Krakow sooner than I think and to be honest, I can't wait.

It's up there with one of my top 3 and should be on your bucket list!

Next stop, Paris.

Katie x

'Hungary' for adventure | My guide to the best 3 days in Budapest.

First of all lets address this blog post name, punny, right?

Anyhow, it's 2020 and I don't know about you but I definitely have the dreaded January blues and have already been thinking about my next holiday, which got me reminiscing about last year and all the amazing trips and countries I went to and experienced. So, today I thought I'd share one of them with you to hopefully help you plan your next trip!

My favourite break of 2019 was a 3 night city break in the buda-ful city Budapest (I'll stop now)

Me and my friend had been trying to plan a girly holiday together for ages now but we could never find the right time or right place. But, after a few suggestions and exploring the web we decided that 3 nights in Budapest would be perfect for us, a combination of partying, sight seeing and affordable pricing. So, before I even checked my bank account I crossed my fingers hoping I had enough to make the booking and thankfully I did, just.

16th of august eventually came around and before we knew it, it was 6:30am and we were jetting off to Budapest. After what felt like a 5 minute journey we arrived! Once we dropped our bags off at our apartment, which could have been better but you get what you pay for and we were hardly in it so no hard feelings towards that, we went exploring straight away, there was no time to waste!

We both didn't want to do too much walking about on the first day but we actually walked almost 30,000 steps that's more than I do in a week! We first walked alongside the Danube River which is also in relation to the memorial of the 'shoes on the Danube bank' in memory of Jews who were shot there. We then went on a hike, literally a hike, there was the option of getting a tram like cable car  up to the top of the Buda castle but the queue was enormous and instead of waiting we thought we would hike, hanging on to tree trunks to pull us up this very steep hill to get to the top which only took 5 minutes but, my god did this determine to me that I was definitely out of shape, despite how exhausting it was, it  was enjoyable and a fun thing to do! At the top we treated ourselves to some ice cream whilst we looked around the markets we were surprised to find surrounding the castle and it's gardens, we spent a good 2-3 hours here just chilling looking at the beautiful views.

As much as we wanted to continue exploring we needed to head back and rest up before we started getting ready for our night. We planned our nights in advance booking everything before we came to ensure we were able to do everything we wanted. So, on the Friday we decided to book onto a boat party called shipwrecked and we paid extra for unlimited drinks which was so worth it! Me and my friend both like making an effort for any situation and of course we were way to dressed up for this than the rest and what made it worse was it wasn't that busy but despite me being awkward and uncomfortable after 7 or 8 orange juice and proseccos we were dancing the night away singing Cascada at the top of our lungs whilst we cruised down the Danbue river, looking at the city at night was such a beautiful sight to see. This event was reasonably priced at £30 as we bought it online before we went, especially with unlimited drinks, but it mustn't be a well known event as for a big boat it wasn't packed but regardless its incredible to see the city in a different light.

After snoozing our alarm a good 5-6 times we finally woke up and were out the door by 1pm to try and catch a hop on hop off bus. I love this invention. I think it's great for lazy, hungover people like myself, you get to sit down but still experience everything the city has to offer. We did however got off at Gellert Hill where Liberty Statue monument is overlooking Danube, this is definitely a place you should stop off and take in all the beautiful views from 771 ft. We then thought we'd give our legs a walk and decided to walk down the steps to the waterfall at the bottom, a perfect opportunity for even more selfies. We then decided to walk back to our side of the river and get on the bus again for the last view stops but unfortunately we were too late to see the rest as this stops touring around 4 so we slowly walked back to out apartment only after we spotted a Ferris wheel and just couldn't say no. 

         

We were heading out a little earlier than the previous night on the Saturday as we were going to a party at the famous Thermal Baths, SPARTY, I absolutely love the name, thought it was very creative. If you didn't quite get it, it's a party in the spa, sparty, we had high hopes for this and thankfully they were met, the vibe was so good and it was packed with people from all over the world. One thing I found about Budapest is that the locals and holiday makers are all there to have a good time and are extremely friendly so we felt very safe and found it easy to make friends. If you are intending to go to Budapest definitely put the Sparty on your to-do list as you won't regret it, it's nothing like I've ever been to before honestly wish they had more of these! However, the drinks were quite pricey so just make sure you take enough cash if you’re intending to get tipsy.

Considering the event finished at 3am it was inevitable that we weren't going to wake up till late in the afternoon again but, we didn't have anything on our itnery for today so we weren't to bothered considering we had already done everything we wanted so we decided to take it easy and just wonder around eating quality food, at one restaurant in particular. Whilst on our bus journey yesterday we pulled up outside the famous New York Palace cafe, which is famous for being a major meeting point for Hungarian literacy and artistic titans. It had absolutely spectacular interior and atmosphere with it's very own piantist and vilolinist. If you intend to go here I'd recommend booking as we had to wait to be seated, thankfully not to long but, we saw the queue getting longer and longer once we were leaving and were glad we went ealier on. The food menu was quite limited (Especially for someone as fussy as me) but it was still just the novelty of being there that made the experience worthwhile. Both me and my friend ordered a burger, my 3rd one of the trip, quite embarrassing I know but it was a decent enough burger. We also opted to go for a pudding, now this was the highlight, I went for a rich chocolate pudding with cherry sauce inside, it was delicious. After we gave ourselves a good half an hour before we set off walking back to out apartment as we were stuffed.

For our final night in Budapest we didn't have anything planned as we knew we had to be up early to get our plane but regardless we weren't going to stay in when there was alcohol calling our name. After a bit of research we found a rooftop bar called '360' just round the corner from our hotel so we thought we'd give it ago. After paying 1000 Hungarian forint to get in we got the lift up to the very top and was amazed at the wonderful view you got from up their, we went later on at night so it was dark and the city was all lit up it was beautiful, we ordered 1 or 5 Gin and lemonades and then next minute we were on the strip dancing the night away, but we didn't even regret it in the morning we had such a good night to end our time here.

I would love to go back to Budapest and experience more of the party side the city has to offer as we didn't have time to even experience the popular ruin bars, despite this we were extremely happy and content with everything we did do and the memories we made.

If you are thinking of going to Budapest I'd definitely recommend all the places I have mentioned as I couldn't fault any of them. Guarantee you'll have the time of your life.

Look out for my next travel post where I'll be exploring my adventures from Krakow!

Katie x

thank u, next.

The release of Ariana Grande's smash hit 'thank u, next' which I've had on repeat ever since it's come out has recently got me thinking on a monday night at 10 to 12, standard.
First off all if you haven't heard the song then are you living under a rock? or if not you should definitely give it a listen as this song is so powerful, strong and meaningful as instead of slamming and shaming her ex boyfriends she sings about what they've taught her in life and what she can learn from that. Ariana references a new relationship with herself and how she's going to come out stronger and have some self love and be a strong independent woman.

This song couldn't have come at any better time than now for me as it's been a couple of months now I've been back at uni and just got out of a toxic relationship it's empowered me to be a better me and put all that negativity behind me and think about myself and the future.

Coming out of a long term relationship is hard but you always need to put yourself first and think about what is right for you despite how you might make the other person feel, this can be said for any circumstance, a family situation or a work related situation, put yourself first as selfish as it sounds.

Now, I especially know that it is a lot easier said that done having always gone through life putting people before myself and letting them walk all over me where I get to the point I am no longer happy and getting myself down because I'm adhering to everyone else but, if you never learn to say no then your life will always be that way.

I went through the majority of my school life not feeling like I belonged with a certain friendship group, now don't get me wrong I had a lovely group of friends but I never felt like I fitted in and that was no ones fault but I stuck with those friends being unhappy and feeling different because back then I didn't like to party or talk to boys that I'd feel odd but since growing up and having moved away to Uni which has changed my life in a completely different way I can honestly say you do truly find yourself when you move away from your hometown,  don't get me wrong I love my hometown, it's not the best town but the people there make it and I couldn't imagine havin' grown up anywhere else but it's like a breath of fresh air moving away and starting again meeting new people, being in a new environment it's great. I know it's not as easy to just pack your bags and move away but if you get the chance jump on it with full force as you never know what opportunities are out there for you.

I recently just came out of a long term relationship which started to get toxic on both ends I still tried my best for things to work even though it was clear nothing was going to but I was too busy thinking about the 'what ifs' and 'buts' to this relationship ending instead of thinking about what was best for me in the long run and since my breakup I've been so unbelievably happy not having constant worry and/or crying but instead spending more quality time with friends and family and just enjoying my life at 19 years old. I have learnt many things from past friendships and relationships and can say thank u, next in moving on to a happier and healthy lifestyle which I can say so far so good.

I've been having such a positive week despite the overload of uni deadlines and thought it was important for you all to remember to give yourself some self loving and realise your worth, that if you are down then believe that things do get better if you allow them too and moving on is a possibility even though at sometimes it might not feel like it.

Hope this little bit of motivation helped at least one of you today!

Thank you for reading
See you soon,

Katie x

Cute cafes & coffee stains

Living away from home and in a new town comes with a lot of new experiences one of them being finding cute and quirky cafes and restaurants that you wouldn't find anywhere else.

My friend, Abbie who is vegan found it online when searching for vegan cafes near us and was firstly intrigued by their name 'Om is where the heart is' this also had me intrigued as I was firstly thinking it's called this because when you eat you chew like 'om nom nom' but in fact I was wrong and it is called this because it is a vegan cafe with a yoga studio up stairs and apparently the word 'om' is associated with yoga when you are working out, very good 

marketing if you ask me!

We didn't actually get to see the yoga studio as we were too hungry to even think about taking a look and instead got seated and read through the very lengthy menu!
After we had all looked through the 181787 pages that were filled with scrumptious sounding vegan and non-vegan foods we took in the surroundings which were so niche and different! They had flowers hanging on the wall in milk jars and a feature wall which is very Instagramable hint hint, check out my Instagram to see more pictures.

The place was rather small with only a couple of seating available but this is usually typical of cafes and made the atmosphere very warm and homely.

After taking what we thought was enough pictures our food arrived and I was literally drooling when the waiter put it down on the table, it looked delicious.

We all got some form of avocado incorporated into our  meal but I got an avacado and bacon sandwich on sourdough bread with cheesy fries, which I know totally defeats the purpose of going to a vegan cafe but I did think the sandwich would be a little to plain for my liking so opted to get bacon with it.

Abbie, is in fact the only one out of the three of us who is vegan so went for a veggie wrap which was a wrap loaded with veggies (obviously) and hummus!

They cater to everyone's needs offering gluten free bread for anyone who needs/wants it.

After we had all filled our bellies until we couldn't fill them anymore and drank our lattes or in my case poured half of it on my self, typical Katie, we headed out into the little town of Slaithwaite to do some exploring and see what the town had to offer.

It was a rather chilly day and none of us dressed appropriately so we didn't go too deep into the streets and stuck to the main road and ended up going into a few charity shops for a bit of a gander but in my case ended up doing a photo shoot with the beautiful scenes we had the chance to admire.

After our little walk burning off all those calories we had just eaten we were shattered and decided it was time to head back home for a nap.

It was such a fun day spending time with friends and doing something different we wouldn't usually do!

Also, I believe it is really important to support local businesses such as this one and help people succeed in doing what they love. Local coffee shops are run by people in your community and care about it's people. The owners of the cafe were so kind and made us feel at home catering to our every need. I know it wasn't a lot but when my friend asked if it was possible to have cheese on her fries there was no questions about it she could have cheese on her fries, in other chain restaurants they'd have to double check with the chefs first and even then they could possibly say no! So help a friend and support independent companies you won't regret it.

Thank you for reading.
See you soon.

Katie x

Samba Rose Adidas Platform trainers

I've recently seen a lot more footwear having platform bottoms in the past couple of months more regularly and I am loving it! Any excuse to give myself that little bit more of a height I will take it! despite this I also love the style of them I think they are a lot more edgy and make the trainers stand out a bit more as well they are obviously a lot bigger than regular soles of shoes.

I've seen many brands floating around adding platform soles to their shoes such as Vans, Puma and Fila but the ones that instantly caught my eye were Adidas Samba in rose! I love Adidas trainers they're so comfy and very stylish but sporty which is the look I love in trainers as you can easily dress them up or down.

I was lucky enough to receive the Samba Rose Adidas trainers for my birthday in August from my parents and I've been wearing them non stop. 

They're a beautiful pale pink, nude, beige colour which I don't have anything like so are different from my typical white or black trainers! I also love the beige platform as beige and tan is very in this autumn!

Even though they are a little awkward to style as personally I feel like they don't look right when tights which I love wearing in autumn with a cute dress or skirt so I usually pair them with jeans or some basic patterned pants and a neutral coloured top or jumper.

Here are two looks I have been loving when wearing these shoes. They both have different vibes with one being a more everyday and the other being one you can dress up or down depending on your style.

White ripped crop top - I Saw it First.com

Leopard print culottes - New Look

Gold pendant necklace - New Look
Beige coat - TopShop

White cable knit jumper - ASOS

Checked tight fitted cigarette pants - H&M

Tortise shell Sunglasses - River Island

Samba Rose Adidas Platform trainers - JD

If these outfits dont scream Autumn vibes then I don't know what will! I love the way there are so many different shades of neutral beige and nudes incorporated and how the patterned pants just add a bit more of a wow factor especially with the shoes tying the outfit altogether with the matching platform soles to the colour of the coat and checked pants.

I know this post was shorter and less long winded than my usual one but i'm enjoying writing these little fashion update/style/trending posts showing you what I'm loving and how I'm wearing them!

What do you guys think? Do you enjoy them or prefer something more in depth?

Thank you for reading.

See you soon.

Katie x

The Great British Gin Festival

Yesterday I attended The Great British Gin festival in Chester as one of my gifts for my friends' birthday! Even though I didn't know anything about the festival or what it would be like I still thought it was something different and knew my friend would love it as she is an absolute gin obsess!

     

So after a rather hectic morning we arrived at Chester and at the festival which was right outside the station (thankfully as the heavens had just started to open).

It was held at the Carriage Shed, an outside venue which is partially covered with conservatory like windows which was needed for a day like yesterday.

Once we were inside and given our free 'Great British Gin' gin glass and programme with a list of 100 gins they had for us to taste (which included a chocolate flavoured gin which I am saddened to say I didn't try however, I can't imagine it being very nice anyway).

We were then directed to the merchandise stand where we deiced to get four gins between us for £20 so £5 for one big glass of gin and tonic is not too shabby in my opinion. And then of to the gin tasting we went!

After having a quick gander in the programme we quickly decided on what to get. I got Pink grapefruit with tonic which I wouldn't usually get as a mixer as I despise the stuff but I was an idiot and didn't realise that you could in fact get lemonade as an alternative but, it was actually still really enjoyable and tasty! My friend, Aimee decided to go for peach and hibiscus which was very aesthetically pleasing having a red/pink colouring to it and tasting very nice too!

We then walked around the venue which was rather small with very little seating so we ended up standing up the whole day trying to juggle holding a big gin glass, taking those pictures for the gram and reading through the list of gins, it was a struggle. But, besides that we had a bit of a boogie to the entertainment who sang acoustic songs of popular songs such as Bon Jovis - Livin' on a prayer which was in both of our heads for the rest of the day! We then had a search down the many rows of gins to see what our next and final gin choice of the day would be! But before we did this we decided to try a few of the gins that were out for samples. We firstly tried raspberry gin which was gorgeous! And then Aimee had a sip of her favourite gin, Rhubarb and ginger so she could feel at home still!

The last gin I decided to get was Blackcurrant and ginger and luckily this time I realised you could get it with lemonade so I did and it was really sweet but I love sweet things especially the parma violets gin so it was right up my street. Aimee decided to go for the strawberry gin which was probably my favourite gin of the day as I love strawberries, the taste, the smell everything, it wasn't too sweet as sometimes strawberry flavoured things can be and that can ruin it, but it was just right!

    

So, after about an hour of getting legless (not quite but) we decided to head into town, we didn't expect to be at the festival for much longer as it was starting to get rather crowded and other than drinking, which we had done enough of by this point, there wasn't much else to do so we decided to do something else we know and love which is eating food.

We went to this very cute and edgy tapas and Mexican restaurant called 'Fiesta Havana ' and decided to go all out and get a starter and a main! For starters we shared pork scratchings which if I'm honest weren't the best but we still devoured them as we were starving and then for mains we both got quesadilla, but I got chorizo filled ones and Aimee got chicken, which were much more pleasing than the starters!

Once our bellies were filled to the brim and we decided we could actually walk again we decided to head back to the station to head home after a long but very fun day!

The Great British Gin Festival is definitely something I would recommend to people, especially gin lovers as it is something different than an ordinary day out just going for a meal somewhere and can lose an hour or two from your day without having to spend too much money, so make sure to keep an eye out for when they're touring near you!

If you happen to be curious about my outfit and where things are from I have left details down below:

    

Camel Jacket - Topshop

Black chunky boots - BooHoo

Dress - Miss Selfridge

Black T-shirt - Matalan

Gold pendant necklace - New look

Black over the shoulder bag - TKMaxx

Thank you for reading, 

see you soon.

Katie x

Expectations.

Having nearly completed my first year at uni I can tell that year 2 is going to be even more difficult and that the expectations are high.

From the beginning of secondary school right up until now, I have gone through education with expectations form my peers and teachers to do well.

Now, I'm not saying I'm a smarty pants and consecutively receive straight A's and firsts but I do like to think I do pretty well and people shouldn't make me feel ashamed for saying that even when I receive a B instead of an A or a 2:2 instead of a first as everyone has something they struggle with and to have still passed that is and achievement for me even if it isn't good and up to your standards and expectations of me.

I am one of those people who starts work straight away as soon as they get it so I have chance to edit it when needs be and check over it 545 times but it also gives me that comfort to know that I have it finished in plenty of time and to not rush at the last minute. I often get laughed at by my friends for doing this because they are very last minute people and that's totally fine, do what suits you best!

But remember, by me potentially getting it done and finishing it before you doesn't necessarily mean I found it much easier and that I am expected to get a better grade. This infuriates me loads when peers say this as it makes you feel 100x worse when you look at your mark and you receive a 2:1. Not because a 2:1 is bad, because it definitely isn't, but because of the pressure that was put on me and the expectations people had of me to receive a high mark and to be honest makes you feel really shitty about yourself as you think to yourself that they are laughing at you as if to say "well I started mine yesterday and I got 1 mark higher" or "what happened you usually receive firsts" I am happy for you, I really am, I want you to be proud of your success, I don't want you not to tell people and not show it of because you should be proud of yourself, but don't then make other people feel bad for not doing as well just because of the expectations you have of them for having received two firsts in previous assignments and maybe have found them easier but still going wrong somewhere to have not gained full marks and that's totally fine.

This was very common in sixth form with bitchy people who would always talk about their success but never be proud of you, and rub it in your face when they got higher. I was never like that I was always for praising others instead of myself as I know what a bit of praise can feel like when you've done a good piece of work, but I'm glad to now say that I've found a good group of friends who are all different for when it comes to work ethic, but we are never for putting people down or acting surprised when they didn't receive that first they definitely should have got because they knew the answer in class but worded it wrong in the test and it just feels so much nicer and welcoming to have friends like that.

I also believe that I put more weight on my shoulders when I put the expectation on myself by not wanting to let people down especially teachers who go the extra mile to help you but you still don't receive top marks which they had faith that you could and are probably disheartened for you but that just makes you feel worse because you weren't just doing it for yourself you were doing it for them too. This is something I worried about when taking my theory and practical car test as I know my driving instructor was so confident in me but I wasn't and when I took my test I was determined to do it for her more than I was to do it for myself.

I know a lot of people who have high expectations put on them from their family members which can be challenging for them and upsetting when, even though they tried their hardest they didn't get full marks and get nervous to tell their parents, I sometimes get like that when I involve people in my work and they commit their time to help me possibly receive a better grade especially when it is something I was struggling with, but my parents have always been those "you tried your best and that's all you can do" type and I'm so thankful that they are but I still have that mindset that I wan't to do well to make my parents proud and even though I know they'll be proud of me no matter what grade I get and that it's only my little brain piling more stress on me to think about and the expectations to achieve.

I'd love to see what your thoughts on this are and see if you also feel the same way I do or if you don't feel the need to please anyone but yourself which is great! Let me know in the comments below.

Thank you for reading,
see you soon
Katie x

7 things I learnt in 2017

Hello everyone and happy new year (5 days late, I know) hope you all had a wonderful new year celebrating it with friends and family!

I decided to take the time for today's post to reflect a little bit on 2017 as it was a rather big year for me! I turned 18, passed my driving test, did my A-levels succeeded and got into my first choice university studying my dream career, but it was also a year of lose and regrets that even though I don't want to be reminded of they will forever remain a big part of my 2017.

I feel like a grew a lot more as a person in 2017 and learnt a lot more valuable lessons (like finally using the washing machine by myself for the first time) and for that I have 2017 to thank. It's had it's up and downs but over all I feel like towards the end of 2017 I have become a lot more of a happier and healthier person and that's only the start to an even better year in 2018.

Here are 7 important life lessons I learnt in 2017:

1. Not everyone you lose is a loss

Obviously going off to uni and being nearly a 3 hour drive away from my friends who I went though school with we are going to gradually lose contact and drift apart, it was a given. Now I'm not one of those people who would stick around if I was the only one to be putting effort into the friendship, nope, it has to be a two way effort or that's it, as brutal as it sounds. And that was happening with a few friends who I went through school with and even though it does make me sad to thing that we could have this whole life ahead of us doing amazing things knowing we had grown up together but things happen people move on and that can't be helped, you've always got to put yourself first so feeling guilty because you've moved away to uni and have drifted from childhood friends isn't a bad thing especially if they aren't putting in as much as effort as you to stay in touch.

2. It's OK to say NO

It's OK to say NO in regards to saying no to going out drinking or doing certain things with your friends who ask if you want to join maybe because you just feel like staying in and getting that extra bit of revision or staying in to save money for summer activities! I've often felt bad for saying no as I'm letting people down who want to go out and enjoy themselves but they can't because I'm not going or something along those lines but always think about yourself first and that if you want to say no to not going out then so be it, you shouldn't be made to felt guilty.

3. There is always better days

Since moving to University in September and as stated before being a 3 hour drive away from family and loved ones it has been extremely difficult being in a long distance relationship, now I know it's only been a couple of months and we are still in the same country and people have it a lot worse but it doesn't discount the fact that it is still difficult and I've often spent my nights getting myself all worked up and stressed because I can't just drive down to my boyfriends or friends house and give them a cuddle or something but it doesn't always have to end up in tearful nights, I've realised that being in a long distance relationship makes us both grow us a couple and when we see each other after months it is a lot more worth while so there is always better days.

4. It's okay to grieve 

I've had a lot of sad moments in 2017, losing two people who meant so much to do me made months really tough for me, as well as dealing with family issues that I wish would never happen and being the person I am I often try and hold back my tears as I don't like making a scene or people asking me whats wrong? Now I know they are just trying to be nice and comfort me when I'm down but I don't know if this is just me, but it makes me cry even more! But anyway, I've realised through all the shit 2017 has thrown at me that I'm allowed to grieve and cry, death isn't easy to come to terms with so letting it all out is all you can do.

5. There is no point holding grudges

In regard to the shitty things 2017 has thrown at me I've decided that I'm not longer going to hold grudges against people! I've always been a person to hold grudges against someone for doing me wrong but I've realised that you never know whats round the corner as unkind and nasty as it sounds you never know when it's going to be someones last day so why end on bad terms? I understand that some things can't be fixed in terms of fallouts, but I'm going to go into 2018 giving everyone a second chance, I am a firm believer that everyone can change but only if they want to so for that deserve a second chance.

6. You never know unless you try

I was so excited for 2017 knowing that I would turn 18 and have a lot more opportunities but It was only when it came to it when I had those opportunities I would always try and talk myself out of it! For example learning to drive I thought I never be able to do this and every time I thought of trying my anxiety levels would go through the roof and I'd often get upset and get myself really down because I had so little confidence in myself and the things I could achieve if I just tried! This can also be said with venturing off to Uni, I thought I'd never be able to make any friends and I'd just hate every aspect of uni but I thought up the courage for them both and I moved to Uni meeting a bunch of new people who I can now call my best friends and know they will be for a long time as well as passing my driving test only taking me 6 months, so never think you can't because you can!

7. You can only ever give 100%

I was recently at an awards ceremony for my sixth form college and the guest speaker was discussing how you can only ever give 100% you can never give 110% and as long as you know you have given 100% then you know you have done your best. He also talked in relation to criticism and that it is always a good thing and you should always take it as a good thing! I thought these were very wise words and inspirational to someone like me who often sees criticism as a bad thing and like I've done badly but it's actually just guidance to how you can improve and should always take it into account.

Well there are 7 important things I learnt in 2017 that I intend to take into 2018 and continue to learn and grow as a person!

I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store for me, fingers crossed it's a good year for us all

Thank you for reading, see you soon.

Katie x

What I got for Christmas 2017

Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and if you don't celebrate Christmas then I hope you still had a wonderful day!

I'm here today with a 'What I got for Christmas 2017 blog post' as these are very popular at this time of the year and I know a lot of people like to read them, me being one of them! I love being a little nosy and seeing what beautiful gifts people received on Christmas day and just seeing how happy everyone looks with the gifts they got that is why I thought I would share with you by own.

As on most posts and videos like these a little disclaimer is necessary to say in no way shape or form am I boasting or attention seeking I am just showing you guys the lovely gifts I received this year and am always very thankful for what I receive!

The first present I opened was this TOPSHOP beige duster jacket with a detachable fur collar that I had been eyeing up for a while now but couldn't justify spending that much on it so decided to ask for it for Christmas instead, hoping I would receive it on the big day! And thanks to my lovely parents I was lucky enough to receive it! I've always wanted a bit of a more sophisticated and fancier jacket to wear on special occasions and this is perfect for that!

The second present I opened was this gorgeous Morphe 35R palette which has also been on my wishlist for quite some time now but thought I'd save it for my Christmas list instead of splurging on it for myself! It's a beautiful palette consisting of some lovely brown, gold and bronzy mattes with a few shimmers in there too! Seriously can't wait to paint my eyes with this!

Within the box with the Morphe palette I received the Nars radiant concealer in the shade vanilla! I've heard many good reviews about the Nars concealers and have always wanted to try one out for myself! My sister knew this and decided to treat me to one! With this in mind she asked me what shade would fit me best and after trying some out in Selfridges and consulting with the very helpful assistant there she told me that the shade vanilla would be nice if I was wanting to brighten up underneath my eyes and that's exactly what I wanted. So was very happy to wake up to that on Christmas morning!

Also within that box I received the Jefree Star liquid lipstick in Celebrity Skin! I recently used my friends lipstick who had this and was obsessed, its such a gorgeous pinky nude matte that stays on all day and dries instantly! I love it!

The next item was a little bit of a surprise for me as I was undecided between two colours of the Reebok trainers and was unsure which ones my parents would choose for me but when I woke up on Christmas and found out they bought me the khaki ones I was very pleased as I was thinking the night before Christmas that the baby pinks ones I was undecided about were definitely not my style, so they made a good choice!

My main present from my family was these gorgeous Bianca Chelsea Dr Martens which I absolutely love with all my heart! I've always wanted a good pair of Chelsea boots but could never bring myself to spend so much money and I am so very grateful that I received these and they will literally never be coming off my feet!

From one of my best friends I received the Iconic illuminator highlighter in the shade original which is a gorgeous golden brown colour and is very different to all of my other highlighters as I usually use powder ones but it is super easy to apply which is a problem I thought I would face and the glow is absolutely unbelievable.

On top of this she also gave me the most beautiful Pandora ring which I was not expecting at all! My best friend knows how much I love cute dainty rings and spoilt me by getting me this one which I'm in love with.

From my boyfriend who also spoilt me! Got me this gorgeous Tiffany bracelet to match the Tiffany necklace I got for my 18th! I don't own many bracelets but have always wanted to have one that I could just wear all the time and this is definitely one of them! And as if it couldn't get any better than the he even engraved our initials on the back making it an extra special gift! I love it.

At last but by no means least with the money I received off family members and friends me and my friend decided to splurge and my Jason Derulo concert tickets for next year! So thank you very much to all you who have kindly gave me money and helped me go and see him live who I have wanted to see for ages! I can't wait!

Yet again thank you to everyone who gave me a gift I am very grateful! And I obviously haven't included all my gifts in here just my main presents but I still very appreciative of them all!

Thank you for reading, see you soon!
Katie  x