Getting my energy back with Virtue Drinks

Hey guys, so recently I’ve been knocked down with a chest infection and it’s only recently I’ve started to recover. I’m trying to be healthier both in wha I eat and drink but also with the amount of exercise that I do. Being in good fitnesss can have such a positive impact not only on your health but also your mental wellbeing, it’s definitely something I’m keen to work on!

I recently worked with Virtue Drinks which is a brand of energy water, aiming to bring positive energy to people everywhere! All the drinks contain zero calories, zero sugars and zero sweetners whilst coming in a variety of flavours, I was very keen to give it a try! 

My favourite out of the ones I tried was the Berry flavour, however with all the ones I tried I noticed that the flavours were very strong which is something I liked, it would definitely be more ideal for those that like sparkling water too.

Overall I loved the unique feel of the brand, I thought the packaging was very modern and I liked Virtue’s aims and what the company was trying to achieve, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to any friends that drink sparkling water however it may not be so ideal if that’s not your kind of thing! 

J x

Olly Murs at Market Rasen!

Hey Guys!

So this is a slightly delayed post as I did see Olly Murs in Market Rasen quite some time ago now! However I thought it would still be a good experience to document on the blog!

For Christmas I got my mum tickets for ladies day at Market Rasen where Olly Murs was going to be performing in the evening. We had all been excited for months!
We went down early to enjoy some of the racing but unfortunately for that period the weather wasn't on our side! We wasn't very lucky on the betting side of things either but we all kept our smiles on and had a good time

 

Olly put on an amazing performance in the evening, barely stopping for breath throughout the two hour show! I loved getting all dressed up and being able to experience the day with my lovely family! I can't wait to see who's going to be performing next year!

 

J x

 

My very first Cruise Ship experience!

Hey guys!

Sorry I haven't been around on here in a while, things have been very busy, chaotic and messy in my personal life but I'm trying to get things back on track now and this blog is the start of doing that.

On Thursday I got back from spending a week on one of the best holidays I've had, it was my first experience of being on a cruise ship and it was one that I won't be forgetting, it left me wanting to go back!

We flew into Malta where we boarded the beautiful Oceana ship, through P&O Cruises. I'd definitely recommend this company for a first time cruise, everyone is so friendly, the staff are incredibly helpful and work harder than any hotel I've ever been in and perhaps an important factor for some of you, the drinks are reasonably priced! We didn't see much of Malta itself but it looks to me like a beautiful place and somewhere I would love to return to and explore more of.

After that first day we sailed to Corsica where we got off the boat and went for a short train ride around the island, this was a lovely little trip to get us off the ship and we was able to explore at our leisure! We carried on through France for the next couple days, being able to explore Nice and Cannes where the Cannes Film Festival was taking place (we wasn't lucky enough to spot any celebs but the atmosphere was amazing).

 

We then moved on to Italy, exploring Florence and Pisa on the first day and then Rome on the second. The temperature rose significantly into the 30s when we got to Italy which made it incredibly hot, however it's no secret that Italy is renowned for it's ice cream, which we thoroughly enjoyed!

 

 

 

Overall we all really enjoyed this trip and have already started looking at another cruise for next year!!

Would I go again? In a heartbeat

 

 

J x

 

The Tinder Generation

Tinder is something that everyone has an opinion on, good or bad. Personally, I've noticed a massive generation gap when it comes to talking about apps like these, the younger generation see it as a new and exciting way to meet people, it's convenient and easy whereas the older generation see it as a dangerous and 'desperate' way to meet people.
I've been using Tinder now for just a couple weeks after coming out of a long term relationship. I know many of my friends use Tinder and some have even found relationships on there (shocking, I know). No, I am not using it just for sex or casual hook-ups, neither am I using it to find 'the one'. If I'm honest, I like many of the people on Tinder do not have a clue why I am on it. More than anything I see it as helping with my self-esteem by talking to new people, however ironic that sounds.

I don't know how long I'll be on Tinder, I still haven't worked out if it's really for me but it's definitely a new experience and new adventures are what I'm all about.

J x

Exploring York!

I have just returned from a lovely few days in York with my mum! York is a city which I had only been to a couple times before and that was when I was very young so it was great to go back and take in the sights. It is a beautiful historic city and we found that everything was within about a ten minute walk away which made it easy to fit in everything we wanted to do!

We stayed at the stunning Middleton's Hotel, which despite having a country charm, is just minutes from the city centre making it a unique hotel and perfect to get away from the bustling city as it feels so peaceful and homely.

 

 

 

 

 

Our room was a lovely family size room with three single beds, one of the main benefits about our room was how spacious it was compared to many of the other family rooms I have been in. The beds were really comfortable and we both got a good nights sleep on both nights that we was there. There was a separate dressing room within our room where we could hang all our clothes which was very useful and added to the spacious feel. The room was equipped with a fridge and we thought it was such a lovely touch that it was stocked with a few bottles of water for us. It was lovely to have a drink when we came into our room to refresh us from the journey and it was a very nice thought that not many hotels would think of.

 

 

 

 

After checking into the hotel we decided to have a short walk to explore the local area, we ended up going on a boat trip which showed us some of the sights of York and told us about the history of the area, luckily the weather was on our side and we chose a sunny afternoon to go on the trip!

The following day we started with breakfast at Middleton's which was delicious, I had the salmon and scrambled egg whilst my mum went with the full English. This was something that I wouldn't normally go for so it was great to have the opportunity to try new foods! Before we left on the Friday I even tucked into an Eggs Benedict which isn't something I've ever had before but tasted delicious! The breakfast was a great way to start the day off and the staff were so friendly and helpful throughout our time at the hotel.

We then visited the Castle Museum which was a great morning out, I actually took so many photos there that I'll be writing a separate blog post soon all about it! I really enjoyed the Shaping the Body exhibition which showed how aspects of our body has changed through the years focusing on fashion, food and life and the York prison was a great addition and something I really enjoyed visiting within the museum.

After that we took a short walk up to see the York Minster. This is something we was recommended to do and it is definitely worth seeing! It's an amazing building and one of the key aspects of York's history, definitely not to be missed if you're heading to York anytime soon.

 

 After our day out in York we headed back to the hotel for a much needed rest and to pack some of our stuff so we wasn't rushing to get ready on the Friday. On the way back home and after a final walk around York to take some last minute photos, we stopped off at York Designer Outlet for some retail therapy, the perfect finish to a lovely break away!

J x

We can strongly recommend staying at Middleton's if you're visiting the York area. Visit their website or follow them via Twitter or Facebook for more details.

*We worked with Middleton's for the purposes of this review, however all opinions are my own. 

If travel is the answer, what is the question?

For so long I have had a passion for travel, a passion that comes in waves. I have always known that one day I wanted to travel the world but when I am going through difficult times this passion becomes so strong that I begin to feel that it is not so much a passion anymore but a need to get away.

What I need to get away from I am not really sure. I have always felt so free when I have been travelling before, like the world is just such a big place with the opportunity to explore anywhere the heart wants to take you. I think it is just the stresses of life that makes me keep persisting with wanting a life of travel, always feeling held back by something and becoming so stressed and caught up within the life I am currently leading that I feel I will never be able to jet off somewhere for a break, thus making me more stressed.

I have never been lucky enough to find someone that would be willing to travel the world with me, someone that shares the same passion for travel that I do which is sad but at the same time provides a lot of new opportunities if I can be brave enough to take them.

The question is, can the girl that could barely put her hand up in class, now have the confidence to travel the world solo? There's so much that I want to see and I feel like if I just keep waiting my life will fade away before me, that's probably my worst fear actually, the fear of not living.
I've thought about couchsurfing and staying in hostels as a way of meeting new people along the way and sharing experiences with them, I hope that soon I will be brave enough to take the plunge and just go for it.

Life is too short for settling.
J x

The most perfect Nottingham weekend



 



So this weekend me and my boyfriend went on a little weekend adventure to Nottingham! It's a city that I have been to before but never really had the chance to explore properly and we found that there is so much to see there!
We stayed at SACO Apartments and worked with them to do an Instagram Takeover on the Saturday. The apartment we stayed in was probably one of the best places I have stopped in, I haven't stopped in an apartment before but this definitely made me want to re-visit and stay again. The apartment was so clean and spacious and had a real homely feel to it which I find the more mainstream hotels are often lacking and the staff were really friendly and helpful.

 

We was welcomed to our apartment with a little welcome pack which was a really lovely touch it included cereals, hot chocolate, tea, coffee, water and my favourite was the mini L'Occitaine products that were left in the bathroom for us on arrival - they smelt lush!

 

 

 

Another point worth mentioning about the apartment is the location! We was lucky enough to be in a very central location which was about a 10 minute walk to the city centre. We was on a hill leading up from the castle which was ideal for us as we visited the castle during our stay. The location makes SACO apartments ideal for all types of events, whether it be a relaxing break away, a concert or an event in the city.

Friday

We arrived in Nottingham on the Friday and instead of taking a taxi to the hotel, we decided to walk so that we could see more of the local area and hopefully work our way around a bit more. We must have looked like we knew what we was doing as we even got asked for directions! After we checked in we made our way out for dinner and managed to find a really nice restaurant (two meals for £9!) and I couldn't resist having the fish and chips, it was a Friday after all!

Saturday

Saturday was the day when most of our exploring took place. We started of the day by exploring the area and finding the adventure golf course at Lost City Adventure Golf, this was probably the best golf course I'd seen and at the very reasonable price of £6 before 12pm it's definitely worth a visit!

 

 

 Later on we visited Nottingham Castle and explored the City of Caves, the castle admission price is £7 and the cave tour an extra £5, if your visiting during the colder months make sure you wrap up warm as it can get a bit chilly! The castle itself has been modernised on the inside to make it into a shop and museum but there is still plenty of history to be seen in the museum area to get a feel as to what life was like during those times. We had a really great time taking lots of pictures around the castle before heading back to the apartment.

 

 

Sunday

 

On Sunday we checked out of our apartment and headed around the city to do some last minute shopping in the Victoria Centre and Broadmarsh Centre before boarding the train back home. Nottingham is a wonderful city and we found that there was an array of shops we could explore (I loved this, my boyfriend didn't so much!) I never wanted to leave the city or the luxurious apartment we were staying in but I cannot wait to return for more adventures in the future!



Overall, we had a really great weekend in Nottingham and can't wait for our next adventure, a massive thank you to SACO Apartments for having us and I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to visit Nottingham, give them a follow on the social media channels below to keep up to date with all their latest news.

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 J x

2017 Goals

So I realise I'm a little late to the party with these goals but it's taken me this long to deeply think about what I'd like to achieve from this year, what I want to achieve whilst still making these goals achievable, yes I would love to travel the world - wouldn't we all? But realistically it's not going to happen this year on a massive scale.

1. Travel more

I don't mean the other side of the world when I say this, but smaller weekend breaks are definitely achievable and something that I didn't do enough last year! It's perfectly reasonable to plan a short break away every couple months and can really help you recharge after the stresses of daily life.

2. Make more time for myself

I always feel as though I never have time to properly invest in myself. I plan to dedicate at least an hour a day where I can sit back and relax and read a good book, I'd also like to reduce the amount of time I spend on my phone and online as part of this as I feel like this would be beneficial for a more positive mental outlook.

3. Create a skincare regime

A very easy task but something I've often found difficult to stick too, I often neglect my skincare regime which is something I'd love to get back into as I definitely felt better within myself as I felt more confident.

4. Write more

Not only do I want to make one of my main goals to write more on this blog I also want to generally write more, I enjoy poetry and expressing my feelings and options through that so I would love to invest more time in that and I think joining a local poetry group will really help with that!


J x