Bring on Half Term!

Well I started Half Term off with a bang!  :)  Keeping to routine, and despite being late, I finished school on Friday and headed straight to swimming.  Now if I'm going to be honest, I can't say that I actually did much swimming... However, I got nearly as much exercise!  Whilst trying to tread water and hold a conversation, fend off my sister and her dunking attempts and the incredibly immature, but extremely funny attempts at playing Sharks and Fishies, I think I succeeded in burning off a few calories.  
I spent most of Friday night faffing with the last few bits of story stuff ready to be sent off into the big wide world Saturday morning!  Yes, I have finally done it!  After years of writing, months and months of editing, and weeks of titivating - I finally decided that it was ready.  I have sent it out to several agencies... Now I just have to wait!  It's terrifying!  

Saturday saw some beautiful weather... and I mean proper clear blue sky, sun shining, windows down on the car... So what did me and Sammy decide to do?  We went shopping of course - inside a building, the sky not in sight!  We have the best ideas; by the time we finished the sun had disappeared again!  
For those of you following Vernon on Instagram at #vernonsadventure you will see that he came to Crystal Peaks with us.  I can tell you now, Sammy was incredibly unimpressed!  I was feeling bad - he hasn't been out much this month as I've had a few money issues, so I thought that he might enjoy the trip out.  We even took a selfie while Sammy was trying some boots on.

I fully intend on Scrap Booking Vernon's Adventures around the country at some point - my intentions were to do it each month, but I've failed so far as I never got around to doing January, and now I have a few things going on that need to take priority.
Despite not getting out much, he still gets plenty of attention though.  We even had a photo shoot moment the other night and I got some really nice pictures of him.  Yes, before anyone says it, I know I'm crackers... But I enjoyed myself and the photographs look awesome!  

As for Half Term - I'm sure I fully intend on making sure he gets out somewhere!  I'm thinking there are lots more silly pictures to be taking and plenty of memories to be made.

Anyway, back to the start of the holiday... Saturday night!  It was all planned; me, Sammy and Vicky were off to Snafu to get drunk - A mini celebration on my book, Vicky's job and general Half Term fun.  The plans were made, we were meeting my Auntie there too and we had every intention of having a great night!  
Well it was definitely a great night!!  It started out with me being daring and actually making a decent effort with my outfit - and even if I have to say it myself - I looked awesome!

As for the actual night out - I'm not sure there are any words to describe it... Far too many cocktails, all with provocative names of course, and far too many spirits than should be legal!  I lost count of how many cocktails I drank, never mind how much alcohol I actually consumed!  But it doesn't really matter - we went out to have a laugh, and we certainly achieved it!


As per usual, we took far too many photographs - most of which had my sister making silly faces in!  And several of which have a funny red tint to them because of the lighting in Snafu.  We Sang along (badly) to loads of songs, many of which seemed to be pulled straight from the Rock of Ages soundtrack, and danced our little hearts out on the dance floor.  When we have thought about it, I've never actually been out clubbing like that before with Sammy, and I've learned that she's a nutter when it comes to Rock and Metal music and a dance floor - She was really going for it!


By the end of the night there were a lot of sore feet, a fair few complaints about being too hot, way too many unwelcome advances from strangers old enough to be our dad's, and some new friends made :)  All in all, I think it could be called a success!

As you can imagine, having stayed out till Snafu closed at 3am and not crawling into bed until gone 4am, getting up this morning was definitely a challenge!  But, we managed it, and after a hangover curing foot long sub from Subways, we headed to the cinema's to watch The Lego Movie with Auntie Arri and Tyler.  Well recommended - the film was hilarious!

So... for the start of Half Term - I think it is safe to say I saw it in with a bang, a much deserved and needed release, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the week will bring!

I'll keep you posted, and don't forget to keep an eye out for Vernon at #vernonsadventure on Instagram.

Enjoy Half Term :)
Louby x

Cloud Nine

I've been thinking... And before anyone says it - or even thinks it - Yes; I am very aware that me thinking can be a very dangerous past time!  However, my thoughts today are all good, and not in any way shape or form dangerous - Promise!  
Today, I have been thinking over the last couple of days and the events, and of some of the things that have been said to me by those that care about me.

Yesterday I saw my little man and Momma.  Now for those who don't know anything bout my relationship with Momma Kate, it's pretty simple.  I met her the day I moved into Halls of Residence at the beginning of my first year of University.  She was going to be living in the room down the hall from me, and from the moment we met we knew we'd be friends.  When my mom left that day, she left me in the arms of Kate, and from that moment on, she has looked after me in every way a friend should!  I like to think that I have looked out for her and looked after her too, but I pale in comparison - It's in her nature - Hence the name Momma Kate.  She has been since that day, and it still sticks even now :)  Anyway - years down the line, and one gorgeous little boy later - she made me one of Seth's Godparents.  Now I'm not even going to pretend that that moment was not one of the happiest in my life to date!  I had no words to say how much it meant to me that she wanted me to play that role in his life, and still don't for that matter!  But anyway, all that mushiness aside, he is one of the most important people in my life now, even though he's the smallest, and I love him more than life anything!  

But back to the point.  Having no seen him since before Christmas, I had every intentions of making the most of him yesterday, and boy did I get what I wanted :)  I was met with a huge smile and him flinging his arms around me... There is no need to worry about his trust in me because he had every faith that I would catch him, despite the fact that I had full hands at the time.  And the kid doesn't miss a trick I'm telling ya!  One of the things I had in my hand was a little black bag with some bath toys in for him, and his little smile and question are undoubtedly one of the cutest things in the world.  He knows I near enough always turn up with presents (Isn't that what God Mothers are for?) and he was in the bag before we made it back to the front room!  

I spent the day with him and Momma and Chris, her hubby.  Now he likes to make out that he doesn't like me and that I get on his nerves, but I know deep down that he likes me really.  Or i seriously hope that he does anyway... Not that it will affect me turning up on his doorstep regularly... He'll just have to survive :p (Luv ya really Christopher!) 
We went for some lunch and I got to sit next to Seth - I've never seen someone so small put away so much food - and Daddy enjoyed himself colouring in the kiddie sheet meant to occupy Squeak!  (Again for those of you who don't know anything about him - Squeak is the nickname I gave Seth when he was little) After lunch we headed for the Fun Farm :) Now seriously, Momma asks far too often if I'm ok with playing with Seth, and whether I mind looking after him and going with him - she really needs to stop asking those questions, because she knows full well that I don't mind at all - I love it!  


Seth led the way and we headed up the stairs - he can be such a cutie - beaching himself on the platforms waiting for me to give him a shove up because he's too short to climb up them properly.  But he is so adventurous, and boy can he shift when he wants to.  He took off at one bit and I struggled to keep up, all the time laughing and giggling his head off.  And of course I took advantage and took some pictures of him - He's far too photogenic for his own good!  (Oh and did I mention that Vernon came too?  Check him out at #vernonsadventure on Instagram)

It doesn't matter what mood I'm in before, or how bad of a week I might have had - When I see him, everything is better!  He makes me smile just by looking at me, and I feel so privileged to be a part of his life.  

Back at home we played with pretty much all of his toys, and the empty box, because they are the best bit!  He has some cute little wooden animals that we kept hiding down his top (Sorry Mummy for the stretched neckline) and then there were fits of giggles when we emptied them out of the bottom.  That game lasted ages :) and I believe there is photographic evidence floating around on Facebook!  The empty toy box proved useful as a boat/car that slid easily along the floor, with Seth inside it of course, though I couldn't fit the lid back on top hehe.

And to round off the visit, I got a Sethy kiss and a cuddle bye bye before he went off to bed.  When it came to time to leave, I can honestly say that any minor troubles that were left in my mind from the week were well ad truly gone!  Dealt with free of charge!  Who needs therapy or a professional to talk to - you just need a little boy with the character and a half!

After seeing Momma and Squeak, I headed to see a mate before coming home.  We went for being random and went to Pizza Hut just for cookie dough and ice cream, then went for a drive under the full moon (and when I mentioned Werewolves she totally locked the doors).  Where did we go I hear you ask?  Well, we didn't have the foggiest - we turned left, headed down a road, made a few random turns and ended up miles away from where we started, completely lost and didn't even have the Cathedral in view to guide us back in the right direction.  So a couple of hours later we made it back, having had the most random of conversations I have ever known, and I came home.  I quite like the drive home at night - I always liked it when I was driving home from Uni, the dark, the peace and quiet, and the lack of traffic on the roads.  So, I had The Pretty Reckless turned up full belt and sang my little out of tune heart out all the way home!

Now once I got back home I had the task of convincing the truly elusive to come and see me!  Talk about a hard guy to organise to see, it doesn't even come close!  But he turned up eventually and we watched Avenger's Assemble before he left again.  

http://www.thethingswesay.com/you-were-given-this-life-because-you-were-strong-enough-to-live-it/

(No copyright intended)

But to the point of this whole post...  I have had several people tell me recently to be careful, and to make sure that I am looking after myself so that I don't get hurt.  I have also had several tell me that 'You only live once' and to make sure it's a life well lived.  Well... wasn't that what my whole resolution for the year was about - To live my life for me - To make sure I was happy - Well I am happy!  Extremely happy!  And for those of you worrying about me, don't.  I'm a big girl :)  And I have no doubt that I will probably get hurt along the way, because it's in my nature - I tend to find myself in these situations, and I can see it coming... Is it going to stop me from doing it in the first place?  No - It damn well is't!  Because at some point in your life, everything that you do has made you smile... You did it for a reason, and whether or not that reason changes and you think differently about it later, it still made you smile at that moment - so yes I may do silly things sometimes - but they make me happy!  And that's what's important in life, because someone once said... 

You don't judge life by how many years you've lived...

But by how many memories you make living it!

(Not my quote but have no idea where I read it - 

no copyright intended)

And to refer to the image I put above - I have said before that I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.  Well if that be so, then the life that you live is one that you can handle; whether you believe you can or not, it was dealt to you for a reason - and you are strong enough!

Think about that next time you complain about your life being too complicated of too difficult!  It isn't - you're just not trying hard enough!  I thought log and hard about this whilst on horse back today in the decent weather... Maybe, just maybe, even that is looking up!  Optimism - It's a wonderful thing... Louby x

Valentine's Day

It’s that day!  February the 14th!  It seems to come around quite quick this year - I cant believe we are already half way through February!  I’m not gonna lie, I was kinda dreading today; doesn't every single girl hate the idea of being alone on Valentine’s Day?  It’s a day meant for love, for flowers and chocolates, and of course teddy bears.  But most of all it’s about knowing that you’re loved.  About that one person that you can’t get out of your head reminding you that you mean the world to them too!

Well this year my Valentine is Simba :)

We are going to get snuggled up in my new comfy corner (the result of the chaos in my head a couple of nights ago) and eat plenty of chocolate and watch some films.  I’m currently undecided as to whether to watch some girly mush like P.S I Love You and The Notebook, or to crack out the horror movies!  Or you never know, taking into account my choice of company – I might even watch some Disney movies – The Lion King being top of the list of course :)

It’s not all bad today though – I mean normally, there is quite a lot of pressure surrounding Valentine's Day; making sure that you have bought the presents, and written on the card, and organised surprises.  Now don’t get me wrong I’ve had some pretty awesome Valentine’s Days, and I’ve loved every minute of them.  This year however, I get to spoil myself!  I get to do what I want to do, without having to worry about making someone else happy.  That sounds a little bit harsh I know, and I don’t mean it to – but in the interest of my New Year’s Resolution – Live life for me; do what makes me happy – so that is exactly what I am doing.  I am making myself happy!  And tonight, I plan to have fun with my teddy bears – call me sad; then ask me if I care – I chose to stay single, I want to enjoy my own company and grow as an individual, and that is damn well what I’m going to do!

I might even do some drawing or crafting - If I have enough stuff I might make a new dream catcher :)  Haven't made one for a while now!  If I remember correctly the last ones were for Momma Kate and Squeak.  Or, I found this awesome idea on the internet earlier, might have a go at making some of these if I can work out how to keep the framework solid.

For this idea and some others, see:

http://stayathomeeducator.com/preschool-co-op-week-18/ 

(Photo and idea from here - no copyright intended)

I guess all that is left to say is Enjoy your Valentine's Day's!  And remember... Stay Happy! :)

I wish I may, I wish I might...

When someone says to you "Make a wish" - what goes through your head?  My ind goes completely blank and I stand for ages pondering what would be a suitable thing to wish for; what is possible in a given time limit and whether or not I am being reasonable in my requests...  But to be honest, a wish should be spontaneous, the first thing that comes to mind when you hear those words.  
So here goes:

Make a wish...

Honestly, what would your wish be?  Is it simple?  Is it heart related, or something more materialistic?  It shouldn't matter whether you think it is an unreasonable to ask for, because who's to say what is unreasonable?

If you want to get technical, then 'wishing' in the first place could be classed as unreasonable, or even unjustifiable.  I mean, what is a wish anyway?  Who are you hoping will answer exactly?  To be able to make a wish in the first place, you need to believe in something (and there is a whole other blog, for a whole other day!)  You need a firm belief in who or what you believe is going to listen and respond to that wish of yours!

Personally, I do believe that a higher power will listen.My wishes may not get answered straight away, but there will be a reason for that - I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and that it's all controlled by destiny.  The idea that everything and everyone has a purpose in life, and everything that happens, happens for a purpose; even if that purpose is hard to find or understand.  So, when I make a wish, it is controlled by my destiny as to whether or not I deserve it to come true.

Anyway, I guess the next logical question is 'when do you make a wish?'  Well there are thousands of reasons you could make a wish for something, and again, everyone will believe in something a little bit different.

One I bet we have all heard: I bet you were all told to make a wish when blowing out the candles!

(No copyright intended - photo is just from the internet)

But here are a few others, some I'd not heard of, I did Google wish to see what it came up with... (All photo's from the internet - no copyright intended)

 Wishing on a full moon, blowing out a dandelion clock, the wish bone, the stroke of midnight, a shooting star, throwing a penny in a fountain or wishing well, the brightest star in the sky... There are loads more, these are just a few that I had already heard, or liked the sound of.  

I have always wished upon a full moon, thrown pennies into fountains, watched shooting stars.  However, wishing upon the stroke of midnight was one I'd never heard before, but I love the sound of.  The bit of information I could find was obviously very contradictory, as it is just a belief, but from what I could gather; you wish while the clock would be chiming midnight on the turn of a month, and the wish should come true during the new month.  Who knows, I might give that one a try :)

But anyway, back to the point - wishing - it is basically a trust in something bigger than you.  Believing that there is something out there that can control the big things in life.  It's blind faith, in something that there is no proof for, or any kind of sense to really.  It's the faith in yourself, to trust and believe that you are capable of anything i you put your mind to it, capable of accomplishing the things that you wish for by kidding yourself into believing that something else is in control.

Well guess what... You're in control!  You are the one building your life, your future - go out there and grab it with both hands!

And remember... to make a wish!

Louby x

February already...

Well, it's February already!  I'm not going to lie, I fully intended on writing this post yesterday, but the time that I intended on writing it; I fell asleep!  I had a busy day!  Give me some credit...

I feel like I should start back at the beginning of January with this post, I was going to 'review' the month so to speak... but logic has never really been my thing; so I'm totally going to start with the last couple of days!

Friday was a pretty awesome day - it started with my mom finishing reading my edited draft of my book, and quote; she thought 'it's amazing' :) so that was it - smile was non removable from my face for the rest of the day!  After work, I went to get muddy and fetched Rosie in because of a tight schedule and the plans to go and pick up Vicky's new baby!  Yes, after a full day's work, we packed up into a rented horsebox and drove all the way to Leeds to bring Mollie home!  
And of course, a journey like that would not have been complete if Vernon didn't tag along for the ride!  

He had fun playing at the wheel, and he even got treat to Burger King on the way.  (Check out #Vernonsadventure on Instagram to see the other places Vernon has been in January, and to see where his adventure takes him in February) All my own photographs!

When we finally got back to the farm, like the softies we are, we stood for nearly an hour in the cold while Rosie met her for the first time and they decided whether or not they liked each other... I think it went well... There was a little asserting of authority but all in all, I think they liked each other.  

To be sure, we had a proper bonding session yesterday!  Vicky got me up at the crack of dawn, after returning the horsebox, so that we could get up to the yard to measure Mollie up for all the bits and pieces she needed for us to go out riding!  After lots of measuring and a trip to the horsey shop, we were ready to go :)
With only a vague idea of where we were actually going, we set off in relatively lovely weather, in our fancy new hi-vis vests that I bought because I was convinced that me riding a dark horse in a black hoodie was pretty unsafe!  And if I was going to wear one, then so was Vicky!!

Of course mine was going to be Pink!!  :)


So off we toddled, we went for a play in Smallage Woods, got nice and muddy, and then we went for a wander down into Aston and turned up on my mum's front doorstep so that she could say hello.  They got spoiled with apple and had lots of loves before we took a steady walk back through the village and back into the woods.  There was some playing, and an incredible energy burn near the end, that of course I hated :p (yeah right) I loved every minute of the four hours we were out!!  Four hours... I had muscles hurting that I didn't even know existed!  We reckon we covered nearly seven miles!!  I bet the horses slept well... I know I did.  Home - shower - nap!  That nap was the time I meant to get this blog post done, instead it had to wait till now, a lovely sunny Sunday morning!  (Well, it was morning when I started writing it anyway!)  
And then to finish off the day yesterday, I spent the evening out with the girls from work for a birthday celebration.  A night in the Mason's in good company, and with decent(ish) music... I say this because Evanescence actually got played... but so did a lot of Britney!!

But I digress... back to January!  I have had a pretty awesome month... and guess what?!  I'm still with my New Year's Resolutions!  

Live life for me;

Do what makes me happy!

I am very happy, I am living my life the way I want to, and making sure that I take lots of pictures and make lots of memories along the way!  I managed to go the entire month with no sweets (chocolate not included - that's another month's challenge) and I kept up my Instagram challenges.  

#vernonsadventure has tagged in at five different destinations... I plan to scrapbook his adventure so far - I will look into putting pictures up of that when it is done... and remember to keep an eye out for his travels in February!  

#mycrazyreadinghabits shows just how much of my time I spend with my nose in a book as I am on my sixth book of the year, plus the book my Year 10's are reading at school, which I am reading with them in class.  I will continue with this throughout the year to prove just how much I do read - as I'm sure no-one ever believes me when I say i can read a book a week!  

Me and the sister are still swimming - granted we didn't quite keep up the three times a week thing, as funnily enough we both have lives... But we have managed at least once a week, but more often than not, twice a week all month!  So that will continue.  Can I feel any difference?  Well, I can swim for longer without feeling like I'm about to die, but I'm not seeing any difference.  I haven't gotten on the scales to check, but then again, I said right from the start, my weight isn't really my issue... It's more about my figure and fitness, so it seems kinda a moot point.  We'll see, surely there will be noticeable change eventually, and I'm sure I'll be shouting it from the rooftops, so you'll find out! 

As for my aim of the year... my book is coming along fantastically!  As I mentioned at the start of this incredibly long ramble of a blog, my mum has just finished reading it, so I am well underway with my final edit!  She's even managed to bring me around to her way of thinking on something that I thought I would never change my mind on!  So it just proves once again, that mothers are always right!  :)  It's a good job I love her hehe!

With that said, I think it is time I started on my to-do list... I have a million and one things to do, most of which I know for a fact that I won't even attempt, because as soon as I sit down with my editing, I won' see the light of day again until mum comes and drags me away from it!  So I guess I should get on with some of those things before I get sat down in front of my story!

Enjoy February guys :) till next time

Louby x