Favourite memories of 2014

Rory's prom

I don't want to end the year on a low. And although I don't think New Year's are completely new beginnings, I'd like to be a optimistic and hope that 2015 is a good year. 
2014 wasn't all bad. In fact, I have some great memories from 2014. 

It all kicked off in January for my birthday. My Mum, sister and best mate came and visited me in Manchester. We went to the trafford centre and spent loads of money. On the night my mum snuck my flatmate some money and she bought a load of alcohol for us all. We went out on the night, got truly hammered and then fell asleep in our kebabs. It was fab.

Me and my friend Emma. Predrinks for her birthday in March

In May, I finally got to see One Direction live. My mum and I went and saw them in Sunderland. They were great and we had a fab night- even if we did have to wait two hours for a bus home afterwards. 

In June, my brother, sister and I went for a day out in Edinburgh. We did a bus tour, ate loads of food and did a bit of shopping. It was really fun and full of laughs. Especially when we got told off in a shop for taking photos. 

my brother and sister in Edinburgh

During the Summer, things went a bit downhill. Nevertheless, we went for some really great, memorable last days out as a family. Days out that I will remember forever. Like the day we went to Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland. And the day my Mum, Dad and I went to the seaside and ate loads of icecream. 

Although I want to be positive, it wouldn't be right if I didn't mention my Mum. 2014 was the year I had to say goodbye to my lovely Mum. So here's to you Mum, it won't be the same bringing in the new year without you. I'll never forget you and you'll never be far away from my thoughts. 

Happy New Year to anyone reading this, I hope you have a fantastic 2015.

First Run

Today, I ran my first run for my Great North Run training. 

I had planned to do it today then at about 9 o'clock decided I'd put it off until tomorrow. Then I thought, I'm always doing that, why not just bite the bullet and start today? So I shocked myself, put on my trainers, and went running.

I say running, but the first run on the plan was run 1 minute, walk 2 minutes and repeat 6 times. But, I did it and it wasn't too bad. I kind of liked it. 

I'm immensly proud of myself for managing to actually do it. 

Here's to me actually training then successfully running the Great North Run 2015!

New Year

I'd love to sit here and say that I'm looking forward to saying goodbye to 2014 and a big hello to 2015. I'd love to wipe the slate clean, forget about this year and start afresh. But I won't. The harsh reality is, that even though it is a new year, shit still happens. As you know, 2014 has been the worst year of my life, but for all I know, 2015 could be worse. 

I'm not trying to be a pessimist here but in fact a realist. We all get excited at the prospect of a new year and a new start- which it is. But we have to remember that all of our problems that we had on the 31st December will still be there on New Year's Day- they don't just disappear. 

This year I lost my Mum, next year could be even worse and I could lose the rest of my family too. Or it could be brilliant and I could do great in uni, win the lottery and marry Harry Styles. 

All I'm saying is, don't get carried away with the idea of a New Year and trying to hurry 2014 away. Come April, you could be wishing you were back in 2014. 

Despite all of this (I know, I sound really miserable, I'm not, trust me), I really do hope that everyone has a lovely 2015

Visiting the Capital

**Warning- Very Photo heavy post**

Last week we went to London. My Dad, Brother, Sister and Me. We went with Superbreak and stayed in the Radisson Blu right next to Warren Street underground station. The hotel was beautiful, the staff were lovely and it was handy being so close to a tube station.

We did quite a lot of things in London that we have never done before despite having visited London many times before. 

After arriving into Kings Cross on Saturday at about 1ish, we got lost and couldn't find our hotel. Eventually after finding it and checking in we had a wander around London. We decided to go and see what Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park was all about. We did queue for quite a while but that was to be expected on the last Saturday before Christmas in the capital city. I was worried that Winter Wonderland would be like one of those fair grounds that are overly expensive and are boring if you're just wandering around and not on rides. It wasn't. There was loads of food stalls and German Market-style stalls to look at. There was also a great band playing there called 'Disco Flares'- check them out if you get a chance. We had Bratwurst and Churros and were well and truly stuffed by the end of the night. 

On Sunday we went up the Shard. This was probably the best thing I've ever done. Eventhough the Shard is booked up until February, my sister managed to get tickets via O2 priorities. We got Champagne while we were up there and saw some fantastic views of London. We took loads of selfies up there and I spent ages trying to get a good photo through the glass with my DSLR. I'd recommend a visit up the Shard to anyone visiting London. It's something I'd definitely do again.

We did a lot of shopping in London having a gawp in the posh shops like Harrods and Fortnum and Masons and getting my brother some Floris aftershave for Christmas. 

Before going home on Tuesday, we went to Camden- somewhere I have wanted to visit for literally ages. It was fantastic. There's loads of street food vendors there and loads of unique market stalls. Camden markets were massive. You would not believe how huge they were. And if you're an Amy Winehouse fan, there's a statue of her there. I'd definitely recommend a visit to Camden. It's a very unique, stylish place. There's definitely something for everyone there. Also as you can see in the pictures below, some of the buildings are built in a very unique way with things like shoes attached to the buildings.

It was a fantastic trip and I'm gutted to be home. London is my favourite city ever and not somewhere I visit often so I love it when I do go.

 I can't wait for my next trip!

Running

For 2015, I only have one New Years resolution. And it's one that I actually have to do anyway. It's to get to a decent level of fitness to successfully complete the Great North Run in September. So far, my training has been dire, not organised, not consistent and just really rubbish. Tonight I have downloaded and printed off two training schedules. The first is a Bupa 5km run. As I have zero experience in running, I thought I'd better not jump into a half marathon training schedule straight away (they're advertised for 'experienced runners'). The second is a Bupa 13.1mile training program. Altogether the training program is 20 weeks long giving me plenty time to get prepared for my run. 

I'm not sure if I've bitten off more than I can chew. No one actually believes that I can do it but I am really determined so all I need now is the motivation to get running. Wish me luck!