Monday 30 December 2013

What Sophie did in 2013

I can't quite believe that 2013 is almost over. This time last year, I could not stop feeling disappointed with how 2012 went for me and wanted to make sure that 2013 was much more successful and enjoyable than 2012. I wanted to be able to reflect on 2013 and be proud of what I had accomplished. I wanted to be able to say that I had fun and felt more comfortable in my own skin. I posted here about what my 2013 new years resolutions were. Although I didn't achieve all of them or only achieved them for a limited amount of time, I'm still proud of how far I've come over the last year and can safely say that 2013 was a good year...
Although school granted us no snow days, we were sent home early on a Friday with the whole weekend to look forward to. I visited my sister at university for her 19th birthday. I made amazing, new friends. I saw fireworks. I became best friends with my best friends' (Amy) dog. I went down to Devon to see all of my family. I cherished my cat (although unfortunately he died in May, RIP Louie). I had fun at school. In the Easter holidays I visited Highclere Castle (where they film Downton Abbey) and toured the grounds and inside the house. I went to London for the day with Amy to watch my Dad run his 4th marathon. I became best friends forever with my Amy's dog.
 In May half term I went to Bournemouth with Olivia and Amy where we played crazy golf, went shopping, went on some rides and chilled by the beach. Olivia and I cheered on Amy and her family in a fun run on the local airports' runway. I went to prom. I enjoyed the hot weather and cooled down using the sprinklers in my garden. I visited pretty places in the lovely weather. Olivia and I camped out in my back garden which we posted about here. On Olivia's birthday we went to Chessington World of Adventures where I relived my childhood and went on a cool, safari ride. I went to the Lake District with my family where I sat with Noddy. I walked around most of the lakes and my sister and I posed for a picture...prom style. I passed all my GCSEs and surprised myself with amazing grades. Olivia, Amy, Alice and I celebrated our results by going out for a meal. I travelled down to Devon again and took a picture of the famous Crapstone which is just up the road from my families' house.
I turned 17. I was reunited in Devon with the whole of my family on my mums' side for the first time in years. Also in Devon, I discovered my uncle was growing a GIANT pumpkin. We got a new cat called Missy who made herself at home very quickly. I went to more pretty places. In October half term I went to Fright Night at Thorpe Park with Amy and Alice which was so much fun. I had a fun Halloween with Olivia and Alice. I began learning to drive (I actually started to learn how to drive before Halloween but I switched the order of the pictures round...my bad). My town switched on their Christmas lights and I went on some really cool rides with my friends. I went to see Catching Fire which was my favourite film of 2013. My favourite dog in the whole wide world. I started getting ready for Christmas. I went ice skating and shopping in Winchester with Amy which was a lot of fun. The sky was beautiful one evening in December. I had a fabulous Christmas with my family (me and my sister wore Christmas jumpers the whole day).

2013 was a good year. I had fun. I achieved lots. But it wasn't an easy year. I had a couple of rocky patches along the way and I stressed about my GCSE exams and that's okay. Try not to focus on the negatives. Focus on the positives and you'll feel much better when reflecting on 2013.

Although its a little bit daunting heading into a new year, its a fresh start and a clean slate. I already have some things to look forward to next year. So whenever I next feel down I'm just going to think of those fun things lined up and I advise you to do the same.

My new years resolutions for 2014 -

  • Blog more often
  • Get a gym membership
  • Eat healthier
  • Do more chores around the house
  • Get a job
  • Study hard
  • FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES AND BE HAPPY

I wish you all the best for 2014 and hope it's a good year for you. Let me know in the comments your highlights of 2013 and your new years resolutions for 2014.

Sophie x

Sunday 29 December 2013

What I got for Christmas 2013

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I ate far too much food, spent time with my family and watched plenty of films on TV. I decided to show you some of the gifts that I received for Christmas because I absoloutely love to read blog posts or watch youtube videos about what other people got for Christmas. I would just like to firmly state that I am not bragging or showing off at all at what I got, but just thought it would be nice to document and share with you. I am incredibly grateful for the gifts my family gave me and I do feel very lucky.
A few weeks ago I went shopping with my family and we all picked out a perfume/aftershave that we wanted for the next year. After what seemed like hours in Debenhams, I eventually decided on Daisy by Marc Jacobs as it smells wonderful. It's not overpowering but its sophisticated and definitely noticeable. In my stocking, Santa surprised me with two essie nail polishes. It's slightly annoying as the names of the polishes aren't on them, but I really like the colours. One is a pretty shade of purple/blue and another is a dirty, dark grey/green. I had my previous laptop for over 3 years and it was beginning to freeze and overheat constantly, so my lovely parents purchased a white, Sony laptop which I have fallen in love with. 
My sister also received the same laptop and her keyboard lights up, but for some reason mine doesn't. I've googled how to make it light up for the last few days and experimented with the settings but still can't work it out. If anyone has the same problem or knows how to make the keyboard light up, please let me know! Other than that, it's perfect! I've recently become obsessed with Tumblr again. You can follow me here.
I love rings and so my mum got me three sets of beautiful gold and silver rings from River Island. Most of them are midi rings which I adore. I've been admiring this gold, chunky chain necklace for a while as I love how they can transform a simple outfit into something a bit more glamourous and trendy. 
Next summer, I'm going to Orlando in Florida for a couple of weeks with my family. My parents gave me and my sister this waterproof camera to document the fun we will have when we're there (swimming with dolphins, water parks and snorkelling etc) which I think is such a brilliant idea! I also got the Disney Princess CD with songs ranging from Tangled to Beauty and the Beast so that by the time I go to Disney World I'll know all the lyrics to the songs. 
I love Made In Chelsea and I love all the songs that feature on the show so my sister bought me the Made In Chelsea soundtrack which I'm super excited about. My favourite tracks on the album are "Midnight City", "In Your Car", "Drink, Dance, Play", "Summer", "Full Circle" and "Enjoy the Silence". This year I watched all of the Avenger films for the first time and soon became addicted so my parents gave me all my favourites; Thor, Iron man (1, 2 and 3) and The Avengers. I went to see We're the Millers at the cinema and I couldn't stop laughing the whole time so Santa decided to give me it, yay.

Once again, I'd just like to state that I am not boasting. I feel very lucky and have thanked my family for their amazing and generous gifts. I'd love to hear what you guys got for Christmas so please feel free to leave a comment.

Sophie x

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Saturday 14 December 2013

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I absolutely love the lead up to Christmas, and this year is no exception. I'm not usually excited for Christmas day however, as it tends to go a little bit too quickly for my liking, but this year I'm so enthusiastic like a 7 year old child. This year I chose to buy a few extra Christmas decorations for my bedroom which makes my room feel a bit more cosier in the evenings.

This candle smells absolutely delicious. I can't even describe its scent, but wow, its good! I'm slightly upset though as I've lit it so frequently over the last year or two that it's nearly all gone.
I bought these beautiful 'xmas' and 'love' signs from Tesco for £1 each which I thought was a total bargain! I love to snuggle in bed with my fairy lights wrapped around my headboard at this time of year.
Fun fact: I've had this snow globe and Christmas tree since forever basically and when I was younger I genuinely thought there were real presents attached to the tree so I used to open them all, only to be disappointed when I found cubes of polystyrene. I bought these tea light holders from Poundland. 
How adorable are my Christmas, fair isle paper chains I purchased last year from Cath Kidston?
I can't remember where this 'Merry Christmas' banner was from but I adore it!

I hope you're all well and are having a fantastic lead up to Christmas! See you soon,

Sophie x