A New Era (or List)

So unless you pay close attention or get annoyed when things don’t actually match up, you might not have noticed a small name change to this blog. Yep, I’ve decided to go ahead with a 30 before 30 list. And the name of the blog (but not the address) has changed.

The list reflects who I am now and that is why there is spaces at the bottom for things to be added each birthday. This post has been a while coming so I’ve already begun working on items to cross off, so there are a few posts planned for after this one.

So without further ado I present my 30 things to do before I’m 30 list (which I admit, as I was going to publish I was still changing)

1. Visit 8 new countries

2. Visit 30 new places/towns/cities (These can be within countries I’ve already been before)

3. Spend a day being a tourist in the city I live in

4. Spend the night in a super nice hotel

5. Spend a night on a boat

6. Ride in a hot air balloon

7. Wish upon a shooting star

8. Try glass blowing or metal forging

9. Get a tattoo

10. Run a 10km Race

11. Go on an Epic walk

12. Try 5 new sports/ fitness activities

13. Make a meal using a plant/ herb I grew myself

14. Buy a pair of expensive shoes (that I’ll probably never wear) simply because I want them

15. Make an outfit and wear it

16. Marry the love of my life

17. Apply for a mortgage

18. Own and use a coffee machine

19. Own a sofa

20.  For one month, take a photo everyday using a disposable camera (and get them printed!)

21. Find a new hobby

22. Find 100 things that make me happy

23. Make a new friend

24-30 (ready to be added to at a later date)

Jenna

#10 Spend a weekend away alone

Right, so during the past year I have moved to London. I work in London, I spend my week in London. When considering the items on my list I didn’t think that the BF would be still working in Coventry 4 to 5 days a week. I didn’t expect that the only time we would really spend together would be the weekends… So with that I present my slightly altered #10

#10 Spend an amazing weekend away with the BF

I’ve done this before many times during the past year, but there is one May bank holiday weekend I’m going to use to cross this off my list.

If you hadn’t realised by now I get fixated on things/places/food… And this destination was no different. I’d seen a photo then decided I HAD to visit Whitby.

Now it’s harder getting a hotel there then you would expect so in the end we settled for one near Whitby, but closer to Pickering.

The drive up was long. Decided after an early start we would only stop for lunch and lunch ended  up taking up all the way to York (of course there was a services coffee/toilet stop on the way.) I loved York. It was so pretty (I would hate to overuse the phrase quaint)

Imagine that being the view you wake up to every morning!

York Minster

What an amazing street name

I think I could have almost spent my whole weekend there!

Instead, we hopped back into the car and headed off towards picking. Our lodging, not that I realised at the time, was smack bang in the middle of the National Park. High Dalby House was amazing accommodation.  Considering the price, we had a cottage all to ourselves, set in amazing grounds which I spent hours exploring. Please take my word when I say you have to stay here if you ever want to explore the area. I would gladly go back!

It had a lake!

Of course the reason for heading all that way was to go to Whitby, so the next day into the car we got (again) and drove into town. We were early enough that it was easy to find a park and we could wander along the waterfront  with out the rest of the tourists. Unfortunately after a substandard breakfast (terrible service, almost forgotten about after being seated at the back of the restaurant)  We exited to find the streets filling up, so much so that you could barely walk on the side walk. We decided that then would be a good time to head up the 199 steps to Whitby Abbey. It was slightly more expensive then I would have wanted to pay but since that was the reason we went, I figured we had to.

We did the normal seaside town things otherwise, ice cream, amusements, walks along the beach and  balancing small rocks on bigger rocks (don’t ask).

Looking out to sea

We managed to spend the full day there picking up a Whitby loaf on the way home (mmm ginger). We did have a stop off in Pickering on the way. I absolutely loved the castle there. Bar a bird watcher and guard we were the only two people in the entire place and got to wander around the ruins as much as we wanted. Afterwards it was off to a pub only to find dinner wasn’t being served anymore, so we went to a fish and chip shop down the road.

All in all, it ended up being the places I didn’t plan on going that I loved the most. York, Pickering, even Stamford on the way home was delightful. It was an amazing weekend and I was so glad to get to share it with the BF

This was suppose to be in my last post but didn’t fit so you get to see it now.

I love you Ad xoxo

Jenna

Happy Birthday to me!!

As you are reading this there is a good chance that I am in a borrowed truck, off to Cornwall for a last ditch attempt to cross somethings off my list this weekend. I still have a few more posts to go before an official end post but I can say now that although I didn’t cross everything off my list, I am proud of what I have achieved this year. I can’t wait for the next one…

Also if you have any ideas for a new blog name/ theme, let me know!!

Alphabet dates…

Alright I admit it. As much as I like lists,  I suck at keeping up with them, especially when I’m suppose to do them as a countdown on a weekly basis (here’s looking at you weekly countdown which I’ve forgotten about for the past 6weeks.) Instead I would  like to introduce something the me and the BF are trying …

This isn’t a new concept by any means. Google it and you’ll find loads of blogs with ideas about what to do for each letter. ( I know through having to google for ideas myself) but the idea is that by doing it, me and the BF are made to get out and do things we wouldn’t normally do together, (Or it’s just to make us get out of the house while he’s in London)

So after hearing about it on the radio we decided to give it a shot and of course, with me being the most keen, I got to Alphabet dates… start us off with A…

Until Next Time

Jenna

Count Down: Weeks 10-13

There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.

Epictetus

4 weeks since I last blogged.

This one isn’t going to be that long because to be honest I don’t want to dwell on the past month. Most of it has been horrible and as a result, I took some time away from twitter and blogging, since I didn’t want either to be impacted by the way I was feeling.

I don’t want sympathy. This post isn’t about gaining any. What happened was I let something small affect me in a way I shouldn’t and I dwelled upon it and then it snowballed until last weekend it all exploded and I couldn’t take it anymore. It effected what could have been an amazing weekend away with friends, but due to one small travelling glitch, it was the straw the broke the camels back and I broke down.

I finally talked to my boss about half of it. About how hard I was finding it working unsupported with the staff I had at the moment. I’m 24 and trying to manage people who are double my age and have been working for twice as long as me if not longer, and both  have very strong personalities and are not afraid to let how they feel be known.

But the other half, how do you tell someone that you have no respect for them?

Talking to others I do realise that I need to take things less personally. At the end of the day if I’m that unhappy I can walk away and if I do chose to stay(which is the option I’m choosing at the moment) I need to learn to leave issues at work and stop letting them bother me so much.

I think the school holidays have come up at the perfect time and on a much more positive note I’m very much looking forward to heading to Iceland this week and hopefully will go back to work and have a much happier time.

Jenna

Count Down: Week 7

So it’s been a while since I did one of these (5 Weeks to be exact) but like I said in my last post, I really wasn’t in the right mind space. So jere’s a summary of what I’ve been up to during the last (5) weeks or  so… (Apologies now for horrible phone photos)

Week 3:

Christmas comes but once a year (then stays for at least a month)

Team Bonding via paint balls

Week 4:

Christmas Party time… somewhere in Peckham (never been and amazing food)

Week 5: 

Last week of school before Christmas holidays. The week was spent watching Christmas concerts and have junk filled party’s.

An early Christmas dinner before heading away for week 6

Week 6:

A whole lot of new because the week of Christmas was spent in NEW YORK (post to follow soon)

Rockafella Center Christmas Tree!

Week 7:

This brings us to this week. New Years Eve, which was spent very drunkenly at a pub. New Years day, Hung over curry. We got free Pompadoms dur to the BF supporting Arsenal.  I had Brunch at MI1K, Balham. It’s been something I’ve been talking doing since moving to Balham but due to long lines hadn’t yet. Coffee was really good, as was food. Booked a weekend away in Portugal and went Shopping yesterday before meeting a friend for coffee this afternoon.

The one thing I have really attempted this week was trying to organise doing things from my list. With less the 5 months to go I really need to get on to it. So if anyone wants to help or has ideas about ticking something off, let me know!

Jenna

Count Down: Week 2

I’m sitting here feeling rather sorry for myself. Two nights out in a row. Both beginning with the best intentions. Only one or two then home. Friday was a work party thing- Free drinks and fried food on offer (both of which I indulged in.) Resulting in stumbling home on the last tube home and enjoying crisps and coke while watching a rerun of the Masterchef final (I am not happy with the result at all!) and yes I am sad like that.

Saturday was spent shopping- food and Christmas, before coming home to a delicious broccoli soup. My brother then came and invited us to watch the league  final (another disappointing result) but it meant starting with a cider at 4pm and continuing for at least 6hours. I need to learn how to say no.. or at least limiting the amount I’m drinking.

Other then that I spent this week exploring the Christmas markets at Southbank. My idea of a perfect night. And I got news that  the BF will be spending more time in London, so that has got me excited. It means that tomorrow night we can attempt to go to winter wonderland. Another first for the year.

Until next time

Jenna