flashback: 2013.

Evening all,

I know I'm a tad late for New Year and all that, however I felt like doing a nice little recap of my year. Just scrolling through the endless amount of pictures I took over the past 12 months makes me realize how good it actually was. Now lets start from the beginning shall we?!

January: I started doing my driving lessons in January last year, this was the day it snowed so heavily for 2 hours, I couldn't even drive back home as there was a bus stuck on the hill, so I had to walk! But what a beautiful picture, I bloody love snow, even though its a pain!

February: This was a good month. On Valentines day, I had my driving test, and I passed with one minor! Even though I was incredibly ill with the flu, I made it through! As it was valentines day, Neil had surprised a lovely little romantic get away for us both in a mega pod (you can see pictures on my Instagram) it was lovely, and I'm excited to see what we'll do this year!

March: This was the month I got my car, little Pete. I named him after my driving instructor, and because he's a Polo, just seemed like the most obvious thing to do!

April: We had our first holiday of the year in April. We went to Spain, not the warmest time to go, however we got VERY burnt. The first day, we covered ourselves in baby oil and laid out in the sun, fell asleep and burnt. Neil was as red as a lobster and wore a hoodie the rest of the time we were out there!

May: I loved May. We had our one year anniversary, and we spent 3 days in London. It was lovely, we did all the touristy bits, took so many pictures and walked miles. It was lovely and I cannot wait to do something this year too! Neil also treated me to my first pair of Converse!

June: This was my favourite month, we had the ultimate summer. First of all I had my 20th birthday and got my beloved iPad, the day after we went to see Derren Brown - he blew my mind. If you've ever contemplated going to see him, do it. I would go to see him again in a heart beat. Then to finish it off, we had an amazing 2 weeks in Olu Deniz. It really is the idyllic holiday. Perfect weather, so many lovely restaurants, cheap goodies and just perfection. Although I got prickly heat, I would go back tomorrow if I could.

July: Trying to get over the holiday blues of coming home from Olu Deniz, and getting back into routine, we just continued making the most of the summer. We had so many bbq's, lovely days out and just had a laugh. This picture is of us before we went to a christening!

August: Neil had his 24th birthday towards the end of this month, I did a post about it here, so you can read all about it. We also went to Neil's brothers wedding. It was such a lovely day! Even though the picture doesn't show it, my dress was neon! You can see it better here.

September: The hardest moment of my life happened in September. I completed a full marathon. It was mentally and physically draining. It took place in London throughout the night. We started at 9pm and finished at 6am. It was all a huge blur, I cried around the 9th mile after Neil called to say goodnight. But looking back on it, I might do it again this year. Call me crazy but the feeling when you finish is second to none. 

October: This month life changed for Neil and I. His flatmate moved out, so we 'officially' lived together, no-one else, just me and him (and little humph) We really made the flat our own, we said goodbye to the cheap Argos furniture, and welcomed in some beautiful new pieces that I still adore to this day. We also took a cheeky trip to London's Ikea and got lovely little bits!

November: Another life changing month for me, I had realised I'd had enough of working for Newlook. Never having a structured week, always struggling for money, never having the hours. So I applied for new jobs, got a call and got offered an interview. I was so thankful when they gave me the job, and I still am to this day!

December: Finally to end the year, my favourite picture, of us at Christmas!

So, what a year I've had! It probably looks a bit soppy because the majority of the pictures are of Neil and I, but he's the main man in my life. I am so excited to see what's ahead for us both. I turn the big 21, Neil turns 25. Big changes might happen, who knows?! All I know is that I'm very excited! What's been your favourite moment of last year? And what are you looking forward too this year?! Let me know! :)

Rambles

Hello my lovelies,

It's been a long time coming, and I'm sorry I haven't blogged for what seems forever. My normal mundane life took a change, hence why I've been so quiet. As some of you know, I had a job in retail at Newlook. Well, just over a month ago, I got offered a new job. Full-time hours, salary, Monday-Friday, so I jumped at the chance, and left Newlook a week later.

So here I am, currently sat at my desk on my lunch break updating you all. My new job is good, I won't really go into much detail about it, but it's a small company, made up of 5 including myself, and there's more responsibility, which is stressful at times, but rewarding too. Other then that, nothing else has really changed, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and got some nice goodies! I got spoilt rotten and loved everything I received. I've actually got a new camera and tripod, so fingers crossed I can start producing some nice posts for you all.

I'm thinking about starting my diet/fitness posts again, so if you guys are interested, leave me a comment and I can see if I can include any ideas you have? Any ideas as to what to call my posts?! I'm open for suggestions. I'm currently at my heaviest weight in a long time, so I'm hoping to get some inspiration, and give some back! :) Anything else you'd like to see, let me know.

The whole saying 'New Year, New Start' and all that really winds me up, however, this year is going to be a big one, so, I'm being cliche and running with it. Time to get my act together and get into the swing of things. 'Jessica's Journal' will return every Sunday, and I'd like to try and give my blog a makeover. I'm excited, and I hope you are too!

september non-beauty favourites.

This post is a little spin off from monthly beauty favourites, instead its non-beauty! I've been into quite a few things this month, so without further ado, lets get into it!

001. Furniture Shopping.
For the past month or so, Neil and I have been purchasing little bits here and there to finally do up our home. The friends we're living with are about to move out, so we can finally put our stamp on it, and decorate it how we like without worrying whether its to other peoples taste. As you can tell, the bits above are for the main bathroom. Would you be interested to see how we have decorated each room? Could maybe do a blog series on each room, let me know!

002. Candles and smellies.
To be honest, I've always been a candle lover, ever since I was small (blame the mother) but when the nights draw in earlier each day, its a sign that Autumn is certainly here, which makes me love candles even more. They make the home look, feel and smell so snug, and its the next best thing to a log burning fire. I popped into Sainsbury's the other day as my oils are on the low side, and I set my eyes on Christmas fragrances, how exciting, however I left them sat on the shelf, but they shall be mine within the next few weeks!

003. Cross Stitch.
Another rather odd habit that I have, is cross stitch. It started last year, and I've just really started getting into it. I'm currently finishing off the one for four Christmas ones. I find them so therapeutic whilst I'm sat down watching tv with a cup of earl grey. I live beyond my youth, I can guarantee when I'm 60, I'll be out clubbing, rather then doing cross stitch.

004. Great British Bake Off.
Everyone loves this programme, and if you don't, why not?! It's such a good show, I don't even know how to bake but I just love it, especially Mel & Sue, they just make it worth watching. I find it very easy to unwind too, with my cross stitch of course!

005. Humphrey.
Finally of my monthly non favourites is this little man. Everyone, meet Humphrey. He's my newest addition to the family. I wont go into too much detail as I'm going to do a blog post on him very soon. All I have to say is he's a Syrian who's black and white with grey speckles on his back, and he's very cute! :)

Hope you enjoyed reading my non-beauty favourites, what have you been loving lately? Let me know if you like the idea of my upcoming blog posts!

baby it's cold outside.

1. khaki fur parka - miss selfridge

2. knitted grey cardigan - topshop

3. grey fur snood - new look

4. loreal colour riche lipstick - boots

5. black buckled boots - new look

6. tartan tea dress with collar - river island

Now that the summer has officially gone, I've come to terms with no more bright blue sky and sunshine and I've prepared myself for the chilly weather, which I cannot wait for since I'm christmas in a person! Today's post is a wishlist/items I've been lusting over.

I really want to get a coat early on this year, and I've got my heart set on a parka, I'm not 100% sure which one yet, however this one from miss selfridge is very cute! The other thing I adore the most is the River Island dress that I actually saw on a fellow bloggers site and fell in love, but they've sold out online! Check out Phoebe's post on it! What are you wanting at the moment? Does anything on my list take your fancy?

i'm doing a marathon!

Yes that's right, myself and a close friend of mine are taking part in the Shine Marathon in a couple of weeks! It's a 26.2 mile route, in London! It gets even better, it's being hosted throughout the night, so whilst your all snuggle in bed, think of me walking miles apon miles in the cold!

Now a marathon normally implies that you run it, however this one is a walking one, I can barely run 10 minutes, let alone 8 hours! When we first signed up, we thought we'd have plenty of time for training, but since work has been manic, there hasn't been a lot of time. I've been training on a treadmill, but its not really the same, plus it's mega boring!

So, that's the route. We start at battersea and end there too, then we just walk along the main attractions of London, which is what makes this marathon so appealing. You get fit, have fun with your friends, raise money for an amazing charity and also visit some amazing places! There's a pit stop every 4 miles for water, snacks, loos and first aid (hopefully I won't need a first aider!) 

I think on the night, we'll pull through! I can imagine with all the people there, in the moment that we should finish with a good time, even though its a competition. The money all goes to cancer research which is very important to me and the people around me, I lost my grandad to cancer, and Neil's lost all of his grandparents because of cancer too. It's an awful thing to have an I don't wish it on anyone!

Do you guys have any tips about what to pack in our backpacks to keep us going? Have you ever thought or done one before?! Any motivation and ideas to get us through it will be much appreciated, we're going to need it! If you'd like to see a blog post about my adventure and what you'd like to see, let me know :)

Finally, if you would like to sponsor me, click here, even if its a tiny amount, it all really does help!

ootd.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had persuaded my lovely boyfriend to take a few snaps of my outfits whilst we were away camping! I am fully aware that these pictures aren't the best of quality, and the lighting isn't too fab either, but I/we tried our best with what we had! :)

 Denim Jacket - Newlook

Floral Cami - Newlook

Watch - Michael Kors

Bag - Mulberry Bayswater (its got raindrops on it!)

This outfit was when we went and visited Bury! Was very quick and simple to piece together, I always team my printed/plain camis with a denim jacket to finish it off! Unfortunately it did rain, so I look a bit blah!

White Tshirt - Newlook

Grey Side Split Skirt - Newlook

Flipflops - Greece

Necklace - Newlook

Whenever I wear this outift, I always feel like a teacher! So I popped my necklace on to give it more of a edgy vibe. I usually wear this outift with the Kate Moss 107 lipstick but it rubbed off throughout the day! I do apologise about the state of my hair, but I was living au naturale since we were camping!

Neil wanted to get involved aswell. What a hottie I've bagged myself! His plain grey tee is from River Island!

Aww, so cute! Hope you all enjoyed this first trial and error type of OOTD. If you enjoyed it, let me know and I shall try and focus on these posts more often. Since I work in fashion I'm always buying little bits and bobs every now and then! What was your favourite outfit and why? Leave a comment, let me know what you'd like to see next and I'll see what I can do! :)