My 2013

I think it's fair to say that 2013 has been one of the most hectic years of my life so far. So I thought I'd reflect on some of the stand-out moments of my 2013 before I welcome the new year in.

The year started off with me working towards my A-Levels in the hopes of getting into university. I'd like to think that I worked hard, especially considering that for one of my courses I didn't have any timetabled lessons so I did it all myself. I probably could have put a bit more effort into my Chemistry. As much as I love Chemistry and enjoy all the theories and equations, I just couldn't bring myself to put 100% effort into it, because I saw my two A2 written exams as battles that I could never win. But overall I feel I worked hard enough, and I even managed to read 1-2 books a week on top of all of my work and revision. Also, throughout the two thirds of Year 13 that 2013 covered, on top of all my work and reading, I managed to strengthen many of the friendships I had formed in Year 12. This would probably have to be my second best -or maybe even joint first- achievement of that academic year as I gained four true friends that I hope remain in my life for many years to come.

Thankfully by mid-July my A-Levels were a thing of the past -aside from my results. It was around this time that I began my training for my first ever job. Once I had completed all my training and handed in my availability form all I had to do was wait until August when I began my job as a Support Playworker. Sadly I was only given four days of work out of the 12 I was available to work throughout August. My four days were really good though and I felt very rewarded by the end of it. I'm looking forward to the Easter break when I'll hopefully be able to do some more work.

One of my many panoramic shots of the Devonshire coast.

Also during August I went on holiday to Devon for a week with the 'Larks'. This was the first time I'd been on holiday in years and it was also the first time I'd been on holiday with people other than my family. It was a really nice week! I would have preferred it if we hadn't of stayed in caravans. That being said though it was lovely being such a short walk from the beach, which we probably wouldn't have got if we had stayed in a hotel. It really was a great week though. There were ups and downs but that's to be expected with any holiday, especially when you're with such a large group of people. Overall the company was good, the sights were really pretty and the pools were warm; I couldn't really have asked for much more.

A week or two after every Lark holiday an award ceremony is held. My boyfriend and I were awarded 'Most Loving Couple', which is a title that I am very proud to hold.

Then after I arrived home it was time to start thinking about all the things I needed to either buy or pack up to take to uni, and deciding what were necessities and what were not. By the time I moved you could barely move in my room because there were so many bags and crates. It turns out I over prepared myself for living away from home, as much of the stuff I took with me has yet to be used. Oops, haha!

I must admit that I'm really enjoying living independently. It doesn't always go smoothly, but then again nothing ever does. Only on a few occasions have my boyfriend and I had to raid the cupboards to find something to throw together for dinner and we've only had the electricity run out once; so I think it's fair to say that we're coping quite well.

I'd say that for me the worst thing about living away from home is being away from this cutie for long periods of time.

Once October began I officially began my psychology course at the University of Bedfordshire. I was a little apprehensive at first as I didn't really know what to expect and was really nervous about meeting new people; but I'm loving it now. My course is really interesting and I'm enjoying all of my units, even Research Methods! I'm also enjoying my counselling unit. When I first saw it was one of my units I thought it rather pointless with regards to my degree and that I'd hate it. I still don't see how it links to my degree specifically, but I understand why I have to do it and I'm actually finding it really interesting. I also didn't have to worry about making friends. Although I wouldn't say I've made any strong friendships yet I have actually met and befriended a fair few people.

Then three weeks into my course it was my 20th birthday. I came home for the weekend, along with my boyfriend, and had a lovely time. I've already written a post on my birthday weekend so I won't go into too much detail here. But to summarise the weekend: I was spoilt, ate too much, found a new favourite drink and left appreciating my family more.

The aforementioned new favourite drink I discovered at the Hard Rock Café in London.

Skip ahead two months and it's Christmas. This year I didn't really feel Christmassy. It got to 5:30pm on Christmas Eve, when the Crib Service at my boyfriend's church was about to being, and even then I didn't feel in the Christmas spirit. It didn't even feel like it was going to be Christmas Day in a matter of hours.

My Christmas was pretty good overall though. I definitely got more than my fair share of lovely things! I got a lovely, cute pair of Bambi pyjamas and a pair of thick bed socks that are lined with a fluffy material; both of which are super cosy and comfortable, and are things that I never would have picked out myself but am very glad that I own. I also got a beautiful leather jacket that I intend to wear with pride whenever possible. I got a lot of shower gel and other such toiletries which is great as it saves me spending money when I run out of the stuff I am currently using. I got lots of DVDs, including many Disney classics; and I also got a number of gift cards for a range of different shops that I look forward to spending in the new year.

Wrapping presents: the best part of Christmas.

This year also saw me become a little more adventurous with my appearance. I've started wearing skirts for the hell of it, instead of for school and special occasions, which is something I haven't done since I was in primary school. I've also started to wear lipstick which is something I have never done before. I also had a full fringe at one point but that didn't last long once I saw pictures of myself and realised how terrible it looked.

So that's my 2013 in a fair-lengthed nutshell! I hope you all had a lovely 2013! Tell me about some of your 2013 highlights in the comments; I'd love to hear them!
-Hannah.

My Birthday Weekend.

As some of you may be aware it was my 20th birthday on Sunday. I went home on Friday evening with my boyfriend in order to 1) spend my birthday with my family, and 2) go out the day before my birthday with my boyfriend for one of my birthday presents.

It was a little bit of a rush on the Friday evening to get home. I have a 4pm to 5pm lecture on Fridays, meaning I get into the bus station at 6:15pm. So in order to save a bit of time my boyfriend picked me up from the bus station and we headed straight to my house, just over an hour away, from there. The best part about that evening once I arrived home was that my cat , Jess, met me halfway up the footpath to my front door. I thought it was really sweet and I made me really happy because I've missed having her around -I think, at least I hope that, the feeling was mutual.

The next day Brandon and I were off into London -Hyde Park Corner specifically- where I was treated to lunch at the Hard Rock Café. The place was absolutely amazing! I loved looking around at all the memorabilia on the walls and telling Brandon what song was being played and who it was by. We were sat under one of John 5's guitars after our 40 minute wait for a table was up. I had the California Chicken Club sandwich, a Pickled Tink cocktail -which was delicious- a bit of a Berry Margarita and some of Brandon's chocolate brownie -this too was delicious.

After we'd finished and paid the bill we headed over to the Hard Rock shop next door. I spotted a few things I liked but didn't say I wanted them as Brandon was giving me the impression that as soon as I spotted something I wanted he'd buy it for me. I'm not one to get boyfriends to spend money on me -even when it is my birthday- and after the total cost of our meal there was no way I was letting him spend any more money on me.

From there we walking to Hamley's and then had a wander around Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street before heading home on the bus. We spent some more time with my family doing nothing in particular -I got to open one birthday present which was The Breakfast Club on DVD- and then went over to my Nan and Grandad's in order to head off to bed after having a quick chat with them about each other's day and opening my present from Brandon -a Red Sox home shirt(!!!).

The next day was my birthday and I was awoken by my boyfriend shaking my slightly and saying, "It's your birthday!" over and over again because he's just that cute, aha! Once we were washed and dressed we headed back over to my house where I opened all my cards and birthday presents. Apparently I was too slow and meticulous for everyone's liking, but oh well. Then soon after it was time for a big family dinner, a Sunday roast! As it was my birthday I got to chose what meal we had so of course I went for a roast beef Sunday lunch with plenty of Yorkshire puddings! Once that'd had a bit of time to digest it was onto the birthday cake. I opted for the same cake I had for my 16th, a chocolate dinosaur shaped cake from Waitrose; half of which ended up coming back to my uni house with me.

That pretty much sums up my 20th birthday weekend! I had a lovely time and really enjoyed it. This was probably one of the best birthdays I've had so far.

October.

October is here and I couldn't be happier about it! October is by far my favourite month; so many good things happen over the course of this month.

In my opinion, October marks the official start of autumn. I love autumn -so much so I used to want to call my daughter Autumn if I ever had one. The leaves turn so many different and beautiful shades, and when they fall from the trees you get to hear that satisfying crunching noise as you walk through piles of them in your ankle boots. You get to layer up and wear cosy jumpers, woolly hats and thick scarves whenever you go out. You begin to appreciate the warmth of a Starbucks to-go cup and you also know that their Christmas coffees aren't too far away -I'm personally a die hard praline mocha fan.

There are some days in October that I consider to be both important and special. My birthday is in October, as are my Nan and Grandad's birthdays. These are obviously important days to me, and what I like is that each birthday is special but also acts like a little reminder of what's to come as we count down to our following October birthdays. Another important day for me in October is mine and my boyfriend's anniversary -I don't think I really need to elaborate on this one. And finally, the final day of October, Halloween. I absolutely adore Halloween! Not in the sense of Trick or Treating or going to fancy dress parties and getting drunk. I mean in the sense of the atmosphere and fun surrounding the day. Nothing makes me happier than carving a pumpkin or two, watching Halloweeny films, dressing up and seeing the effort some people put into their own costumes. It's just so much fun!

I hope you guys enjoy your October as much as I'm going to enjoy mine!
-Hannah.