My Perfect Sunday.

I think my perfect Sunday would have to be waking up with Marcus at around 9am(ish) and going making a cup of tea to bring back to bed with me. Then maybe spending the next couple of hours reading whilst Marcus watches TV. We'd eventually drag ourselves out of bed, get ready (I'd throw on a summery dress to compliment the beautiful sunshine) and then head off in the car for a yummy breakfast that Americans seem to do really well (in my opinion). Then off to some place where there's large grassy spaces, some body of water - lake, river, fountains, I don't really care.  We'd lay out a huge blanket, rummage through the big cooler of food and drinks we brought at whim and chat, read, play mini games of badminton, frisbee etc. and possibly be joined by some great friends. Round about 5ish, we'd pack up and head back home, maybe stopping at the supermarket for whatever we fancy for tea that night. Well fed and content, we would then snuggle up for the evening with a DVD and plenty of popcorn, before heading to bed for a relatively early night so Monday morning is a painless as possible.

LYMH.

7 things about summer...

1. Refreshing drinks. My Nana makes big pitchers of orange juice, lemonade, a splash of wine, slices of lemon, orange and cucumber. Served over ice it's the perfect accompaniment to an evening meal (or at any time for that matter).

2. Sunshine. Sadly I haven't had much to enjoy this year due to being so busy working but trust me, if I had a spare day any time soon I'd be charging to the beach to sunbathe, splash about in the waves and run amongst the sand dunes.

3. Flip flops. Easiest, comfiest (open to debate, my Mum would argue otherwise) & most versatile shoe. Big big love.

4. Summer reads. Yes we should all spend time reading the classics and yes, I love Jane Eyre as much as the next person but lets face it... when it's scorching hot and you're relaxing in the garden, the best books to join you are romantic, chick-lit with vibrant scenery, hot guys and a cute ending that leaves you all warm inside.

 

5. Fruit. Even though we can get most fruit all year round now, it never tastes as good as in the summer! My faves are raspberries and blueberries (with a good scoop of vanilla ice-cream).

6. Lighter evenings. I'm so sad that we've already passed the Summer solstice. There's something so cheery about not coming home from work/school in the dark. Better enjoy it whilst I can!

 

7. BBQs. Good food, laughter, a healthy dose of Pimm's and you're all set for a great night. 

Photo credit 1/2 - my own photo /3/4/5 - my own photo

LYMH.

7 Things I want to have achieved by the end of 2012...

1. Work harder at university and do ALL of my extended reading.

2. Build up a good gym routine and stick to it.

3. Visit a new state (hopefully South Carolina).

4. Learn to cook 5 new healthy meals.

5. Host a great house warming party.

6. Find a foundation which matches my skin tone perfectly.

7. Start saving so I can spend the summer of 2013 in America with Marcus.


Fingers crossed I can achieve all these aims and more! 

LYMH.

Confession time.

So here it goes. I, Laura, have a photo-taking phobia. Yeah I know you might be thinking 'riiiiiiight okay she's bonkers' but I'm serious! 

I absolutely adore photos but I hate taking them in public. I always think that anyone nearby will think I'm a weirdo or some crazy tourist or that I'm stupidly vain... the list goes on. So I don't do it. On a regular basis I want to snap away at my food in a restaurant/ my hair when I'm getting it done at the hairdressers/ at the way my university looks so pretty sometimes... yet my stupid fear of looking stupid stops me.

I want more photos. I want take more photos of Marcus and I together to look at over and over when I want to cry because he's so far away. I want photos to frame, to put on this blog, to give to my family. I want to be able to pose for outfit photos and not feel like an absolute tit. So I'm taking a stand. No more feeling silly, just go for it. Lets see how I get on ey?

LYMH.

Update: I took a photo of myself in the gym today. But not before I checked that no one could really tell and I did it so quickly that it isn't great however, PROGRESS! *pats self on back*

Aforementioned photo:

Fashion.

Some random pictures of outfits I found on my iPhone, I need to start taking photos of my favourite ones more!

I adore fashion. I love clothes, accessories, thinking of ways to put things together, how clothes can change your shape, skin tone and a whole other manner of things. However, when in comes to fashion at the moment I have several problems:

1. This summer I'm working 6 days a week as a swimming teacher. This means shorts, polo, flip flops and seriously bad hair (I don't bother actually making an effort doing it any more because 2 minutes into my first lesson some kid will splash water over it and trust me chlorinated water and hair ain't a good combo). Not exactly the height of fashion.

2. Before mentioned 6 day work week is knackering me out. Therefore when I get home all I want to do is put my pjs on and go to bed.

3. When living at home, I have the smallest room ever. This means that all my clothes don't fit in my wardrobe and so are scattered not just around other rooms in my house but at my Nana's as well. It's quite hard to put together outfits when the exact item you need is lost/ shoved in a drawer which can only be opened when a bed is moved/ at another house altogether.

4. I have no money to buy any new clothes and so therefore have banned myself from even venturing onto Zara's website because it depresses the fcuk out of me.

5. Even if I did have £££ (I'm a typical skint student) ... where would I store my beautiful new clothes!? Sigh...

I can't wait to move into my new house in September when I'll finally get back a decent amount of space to call my own and stop having to wear the same outfit constantly because I can't find anything else acceptable. Other than that I'm going to embrace my tiny available wardrobe and try to become one of those chic women who wear only basics and look fantastic. Yeah who am I kidding... 

In the mean time I'll continue reblogging gorgeous girls on tumblr and pinning like there's no tomorrow.

LYMH.

7 Things I'm Grateful For This Morning.

Image credit.

1. My wonderful father who is going to pick me up on my lunch break, buy my a new swimming costume (#swimmingteacherproblems) and take me somewhere nice for food. 

2. That it's Friday. Friday's are never so bad.

3. Two Broke Girls. Tonight when I come home I plan to eat, snuggle up in bed and catch up on my new fave show.

4. Looking forward to spending time with my friends this weekend.

5. That I'm wearing my favourite jumper. H&M I love you always.

6. I have my window open and although it's raining (standard) it smells really fresh and nice.

7. My boyfriend. He's a good'un, end of.

(I do realise 7 is a strange number but it's my lucky number so go with me here...)

LYMH.

Morning cup of tea.

Image credit.

Not going to lie, I haven't had the best couple of days. I've been grumpy, stressy and generally not very nice to be around. However, sat in bed this morning sipping my tea, somehow life suddenly wasn't quite so bad. So thank you the good old British cup of tea. You're always there for my morning cuddle when Marcus can't be and make early mornings slightly less painful.

If I ever move to America then I will fully be taking a suitcase packed only with my beloved Yorkshire Tea. And maybe some hobnobs... yes definitely hobnobs. 

LYMH.

Distance.

Distance has been making me fairly depressed recently. It'll all be worth it in the end though.

LYMH.

10 ways to avoid essay writing:

 

1. Go shopping/ shop online 

2. Bake cupcakes 

3. Tidy bedroom/bathroom/kitchen etc. meticulously 

4. Try on your wardrobe and create new and interesting outfit combinations

5. Do some good ol' Facebook stalking 

6. Paint your nails 

7. Write a letter to your boyfriend/friend/relative/anyone 

8. Catch up on reality tv (Made in Chelsea is the best at the mo!) 

9. Take a nap 

10. Write a blog post on 10 ways to avoid writing an essay 

 Oops!

LYMH.

Morning Skype sessions.

Some mornings I'm just not in a talkative mood. Most mornings I look like crap. Other mornings I'm bright and breezy, all fired up to take on the world.

Today I wasn't talkative but that didn't matter. I just like knowing he's there and saying good morning. I like being able to say 'have a good day at work'.

Little things in our routine but ones that mean the most.

LYMH.