Many things to come

I would say the last two years have been the hardest two years I have had to struggle through, not only that but I also had to try and understand why these particular things happened to me.

For a long loooong time I have been the type of bitter person who blamed everyone else for my problems, although part of that is slightly true I had never taken responsibility. I would say that in the last two years I have grown as a person and I am able to look back and see that I could have easily prevented the problems I had if I had simply had the courage. That's what I lack mostly, the courage to just say no.

I have accepted that I have to stop waiting for someone to save me, I have to stop waiting for some miracle to happen which will allow me to lose 100lbs. There is no saviour, there is no miracle..only determination and hard work, persistence and motivation. Certain things in the past couldn't be helped, the situation I am in made it near impossible for me to save money, to take driving lessons, to just do what I wanted to do with it. But now I am older and wiser and more aware of the actions people expect me to carry on with, it's not like that anymore and I am so happy for it.

I have decided to write a five year plan and that has kept my mind in focus, there are a few other things I have been looking forward to and I would like to share that with you. Not only things I am looking forward to but also things that I have been doing to get through the toughest times.

Moving out
Starting up driving lessons again
Buying house essentials
Starting university
Stationary shopping
Booking our holiday
Using my money for ME
Being able to save money for a change

I have got back in contact with old friends & arranged to meet, after losing contact it's so nice for me to just rekindle our friendships and meet up with them again tonight for example..A girl's night out! I haven't really had one in ages and I am happy!

Keeping a smash jar or 'pot of dreams' to save money, knowing that it is such a beautiful jar makes it near impossible for me to have the courage to smash it. So it's easier to save money, one is almost full though so another one has to be bought soon! Me and Batman decided that we would keep buying and filling them until exactly a year from moving into our new home.

Are there any friends you would like to get back in contact with? Or anything that prevents you from saving money and you want to change it? Let me know in the comments!

Renee x

Three books\ book series I will always reread | GIVE AWAY

My love of books can be chased right the way back to before I could talk, a time where I used to stare at the pictures printed on the pages pretending to read. For as long as I can remember I have owned multiple books, I was always advanced at English and reading in school; being able to transport myself into a completely different world, experiencing in that moment running away from a giant spider in the HP series, or discovering a body in a cabin whilst reading a thriller, it is bliss!

No matter what genre of book, if the story line is strong then I will give it a chance. Once in a blue moon there comes a book or a book series that I could easily read over and over again, so without further ramblings; My top Three books!

3) Tilly Greenway & the secret of the ancient keys

When myths become real and dreams can come true you will find that simply anything can happen, to describe this book without giving away any spoilers is difficult but I will try.
12 year old Tilly and her stepbrother Zack are evacuated from their home and taken to an old manor house in Wales after war threatens the world. While at this house they both find out that the planet is controlled by an organisation who essentially want the population micro chipped.
Both children realise they have a part to play in all of this and get help from various people including dragons...YES! I SAID DRAGONS!!

If a combination of Harry Potter & Lord of the Rings is your style of book then you NEED this! The reason I adore this book is that it is so beautifully written, including both an English and Welsh heritage aspect that will leave you sleep deprived from not wanting to put the book down. I have read this book (and the second one) 4 times within the last year & a half, I simply cannot leave it alone...I LOVE DRAGONS MAN!

2) Nineteen minutes  

Nineteen minutes is what can only be described as an emotional, exciting & addictive book! Turning real life issues into a brilliantly told story is pure talent on Jodi Picoult's part (The author if that wasn't clear).

"In nineteen minutes you can order a pizza, in nineteen minutes you can sew a hem. In nineteen minutes you can walk two miles or read a story to a child...in nineteen minutes you can get revenge"

- Nineteen minutes 

Essentially this book is about a Midwife mum and her son who gets revenge on bullies (Not giving away anything!) The story line is gripping, you fall in love with characters and it really gets you thinking about real life issues, you start thinking "What would I do in that situation?" The entirety of the book you are seeking answers, which means you simply cannot put the book down and that is always a winner in my eyes!

1) Harry Potter series 

This one is obvious...For as long as I can remember I have owned the Harry Potter books, listened to the audio books and seen all the movies several times. Harry Potter is, and forever will be one of the greatest things to come into my life. From the magical writing of J.K Rowling to the soothing voice of Stephen Fry talking through my earphones, the wizarding world is something that will be in my heart forever. I love nothing more than to chuck on the first film when I'm having a bad day, or rereading the first book to keep my spirits up. Nothing can take away the magic that lives inside this series, from quiddich to patronus' I will forever be a huge fan!


GIVEAWAY!!

To celebrate the revamp of my blog if you will, I will be holding a small giveaway! This will include the book 'Nineteen Minutes' by Jodi Picoult, I would just like to point out that this will be my own copy of the book as at the moment I cannot afford to buy new things for giveaways but I am planning to in the future.

This is also a UK only giveaway, to enter all you have to do is be following me on Twitter & my blog and that's it, you're entered! The winner will be announced on the 31st July 2017 and I will post the very same day once I have all info!

Good luck!

Renee
x

Change

Sometimes I still get that wonderful giddy feeling when I think about the fact I am apart of such a friendly community of bloggers who continuously support each other; other times I am frustrated with the lack of views I have received or feeling the pressure of developing the well known writers block. 

Recently I realised that things have changed, for starters in the two years that I have maintained this blog I have learnt so much; how to keep an audience, meeting new people and discovering new blogs, but also becoming closer with the very first bloggers who welcomed me when I started. 
With all the positive changes unfortunately the negative follows, I came to realise that all the past posts I have written were not necessarily done out of passion. Some were written when I was bored, upset, angry or just because I felt like my blog was slipping and I needed to get something, anything out there, it was written from one quick thought and in one quick draft, posted and called content. 

That is not who I am and I am embarrassed about the lack of effort in my previous posts, I look back on them and it makes me sad, I want to write from my heart - As cringy as that sounds! With planning, drafting, and not clicking publish until I am 100% happy with what I have developed. I have decided that in order for me to move forward and progress onto the future I must erase my past...in relation to my blog that means deleting every post. 

This may seem super silly to some people but I do believe these posts are having a negative effect on my ability to write, I love this blog and I want to see it grow and thrive. I guess I kinda feel like the past doesn't define who I am and I want to show the blogging community that I can do this and I am a good blogger/writer. 

So I guess this is a welcome, to my first post as a newly defined writer, I hope this simple change can help me grow as a person and prevent me from being afraid of writing what I really want to write.