The American dream!

Last week I arrived home from a fun packed two weeks in the United States, where my parents and I travelled to Boston, Cape Cod and New York!  (Wow, I never thought I'd actually be saying I visited the Big Apple XD)

Each of us have wanted to visit Boston and New York for quite a while now so this trip defiantly got us excited. After a busy weekend at my brothers wedding, and having just finished my exams at university we were all very eager to get away on holiday for a rest. Although, as you may know going to any big city on holiday means there's a lot of walking involved, we even walked 12 miles in one day, which was exhausting to say the least in the 27 degree heat. 

I do love a pretty sky picture!

After flying into Boston airport we hired a car and made our way down to Cape Cod, with an overnight stop off in Plymouth so we didn't have to drive too far that night. While in Cape Cod we stayed in Hyannis, where we were able to easily get around the whole of the Cape, and see some lovely scenery on the way. 

Hyannis beach

One thing I noticed nearly straight away in the US is the difference between food culture from the UK. It is clear that generally restaurants and other food businesses within the US are focused upon the taste of food rather than presentation, and the surroundings. Of course when going for a meal the taste of the food is the main driver however, I believe that a combination of amazing flavours, presentation and pleasant surroundings plays a huge role in modern food culture. We are all entitled to our own opinions however, I did not expect to go into a restaurant that had amazing reviews and be served some amazing seafood on polystyrene plates and plastic knives and forks.....and this was a common occurrence. As a major foodie I found this so interesting, and I was defiantly intrigued to learn more about food culture within the US. 

While we were there we visited some amazing bakeries, that presented some incredible desserts and pastries, which got my creative juices flowing! 

And of course no trip to the US is complete without a visit to the famous IHOP, where I defiantly got my try of an american breakfast!

We followed the coastal route around Cape Cod, visiting a few stunning beaches and lighthouses along the way. We ended our trip in Cape Cod in Provincetown where we had a lovely afternoon browsing the seaside shops and wandering along the pier looking at all the boats. 

Chatham 

Chatham

With any family holiday there's always at least one boat trip along the way! We took a trip to the lovely island Martha's Vineyard, where we took a bus to two of the towns on the island, which were hosts to some amazing houses that looked like they could be stars in a movie. 

Ferry to Martha's Vineyard

We then travelled back up to Boston and spent three days exploring the city, and its sights. Within Boston they have an amazing self guided walking tour called the freedom trail, in which you follow a red bricked path, taking you to all the major sites in the city. We thought this was a great idea, which would work so well in many major cities allowing tourists to easily navigate around the city. 

Unfortunately, we were unable to see a baseball match while we were in the US however, we did manage to go for a tour around Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox. As a group that did not know much about the sport it was extremely interesting to learn about the history of the baseball parks and more about the game. The view across the city of Boston was also amazing from the top of the stadium!

Finally, we took a Greyhound bus from Boston to New York where we stayed in the Lower East Side in a Sanctuary Yoga hotel. Now we are in no way Yoga goers however, the beautiful style of the apartments, and the location defiantly drew us to this hotel and we were not disappointed. With easy access to many subway stations and a short walk into china town and Little Italy there was a great atmosphere in this part of the city. it defiantly felt like an up and coming area. I would really recommend visiting Schiller's Liquor Bar for some amazing food and a great vibe in that area too!

During our stay in New York we visited the Brooklyn Bridge, Ground Zero, Central Park, the Empire State Building, Times Square, the MET museum and the statue of Liberty. 

Ground Zero 

Times Square~ What an amazing place!

A misty Downtown New York from Brooklyn Bridge 

For a massive Cake Boss fan like me no holiday to New York would be complete without a trip over to Hoboken in New Jersey to visit the original bakery. In addition, to the amazing cakes and pastries within the bakery Hoboken offers an absolutely stunning view of the New York skyline, that was truly breathtaking. 

XOXO GOSSIP GIRL ;)

I'm not going to lie, I did feel like I was in an episode of Gossip Girl when sitting on the steps of the famous MET museum! 

Another highlight of the holiday was defiantly visiting Liberty Island, as well as sailing round the Hudson River on our last day, both felt like a dream. 

Statue of Liberty 

I do love a jumping photo!
 View of New York from Brooklyn 

My dad and I with the New York Skyline

Sailing the Hudson River 

We had an amazing holiday and I cannot wait to visit New York again one day to see more of what the Big Apple has to offer! 

I hope you enjoyed my photos :)

A Cinderella Story!

Twelve years ago my eldest brother Tom met his girlfriend Jo, and after a two year engagement they finally got 'hitched' two weekends ago on the 19th June. Now you may be puzzled by the title of this post however, I thought it was only fitting considering the whole day felt like a bit of a fairy tale. It was made even more magical for me as I was able to play a huge part in their special day by not only being one of Jo's bridesmaids but also making their wedding cake! 

Now this sounds like a huge amount of responsibility, and it defiantly was but being able to have the chance to challenge my baking skills and try something new was a very exciting concept, in which I am extremely proud of the result. 

I will be posting a recipe of how I made Tom and Jo's wedding cake on my other blog shortly :) 

Having the honour of being a bridesmaid made the day even more special and I have never felt more glamorous than after I had my hair and make up done the morning of the wedding. Although, I don't tend to wear much make up or get dressed up that often having someone pamper you once in a while is a great experience and added to the magical feel of the day.... 

....as well as the matching mint green dressing gowns all three bridesmaids wore.

Being able to be part of the bridal party and see Jo getting ready was an amazing experience, which made me even more excited for her to become my new sister-in-law. Of course with any responsibility comes some nerves, and Kate, Clare and I were defiantly feeling the nerves of walking down the stairs and aisle before Jo during the ceremony. However, these were helped by a little bit of prosecco and the calming influence of the amazing staff and Cooling Castle Barn. Arriving in a mint green car defiantly added another wow factor to the whole day.  

It was amazing to see every detail that Tom and Jo had planned beginning to unveil as we stepped into the venue, from the sparkling fairy lights to the table decorations and picture boards, everything was perfect! 

A quick peak at the guests arriving 

I can't think of anything that would've made the day any more special, and I am so glad that I got to spend the day with so many of my close family and friends, who wish Tom and Jo the greatest happiness in the world. 

I hope you enjoyed reading about their special day! 

Summer starts here!

Wow, it has definitely been a while since I've posted but life has seemed a bit hectic with exam season having been and gone.
As I now have a long summer ahead of me I thought I'd share my thoughts on my recent trip to Amsterdam and Berlin, as well as officially finishing my first year of university, ending with Reading University's Summer Ball!

At the beginning of June my friend Olivia and I took a trip to the beautiful cities of Amsterdam and Berlin. Obviously planning and booking a holiday is always slightly stressful but one thing we could count on is that we'd definitely get on travelling together considering we've now lived together for nine months. 

We spent three days in Amsterdam staying at Cosmos Hostel just outside the city centre. Now we were both slightly sceptical because neither of us had ever stayed in a hostel before but we had such a great experience, that I'd defiantly do it again. Especially because of the cheaper nature of this type of accommodation compared to hotel rooms. 

After recommendations from family members we booked a guided walking tour with a company called Sandemans, who provide free walking tours which run based on contributions at the end of the tour depending on how much you enjoyed it. Both tour guides in Amsterdam and Berlin were amazing, and provided a great insight into the history of each city, which there is defiantly plenty of. 

In addition, to this we visited the Heineken Experience, Anne Frank House and the Amsterdam Ice Bar during our stay. All of which were great experiences. 

We then travelled from Amsterdam to Berlin, in which we spent two days staying in One eighty degree hostel, located in East Berlin. This hostel was much more modern than the one in Amsterdam and had a much more lively feel about it, with a pub crawl running from the reception every night.
During our stay we visited all the major sites such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Personally, learning about the World Wars is extremely interesting so being able to visit all these sights and learn more was a great opportunity for me.

Although, we only spent a few days in each city we managed to fit a lot of the sights into the short amount of time and had one of the best holidays. I cannot wait to be able to return to these beautiful cities at some point and maybe next time experience more of the nightlife side. 

After our trip we headed straight back to Reading from the airport ready for our university Summer Ball, which was the most amazing way to end one of the best years ever. This gave us a chance to see all of our uni friends one last time before the long three month break, and also get to see Everything Everything, Tough Love and Sub Focus perform in a huge festival tent on campus. The evening was filled with funny drinking games, classic squad photos and a hell of a lot of silly dancing. I couldn't have wished to spend this year with a better group of people, and I am so so lucky to have met so many nice people who I hope to continue to see throughout my time at university.
I now have a very long summer ahead of me full of exciting travels and festivals however, I cannot wait to start the next chapter of my university life in September. I am definitely going to miss all my uni friends over summer, as well as my halls but moving into our new house will defiantly be fun, as well as a new sense of responsibility.
Here's to another great summer!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this post! :) 

A year on....

I may be writing this blog post as a form of revision procrastination, and as a chance to escape the four walls of my uni room that are currently driving me insane. However, as I near the end of my first year at University I thought what better time to talk about my experience.

This time last year I was stressing over the pressure of A2 level exams, having at least one 'mental  breakdown' a week from the immense pressure I was putting on myself to get into university. This stress now seems very insignificant a year later as I am sitting my first university exams, wishing I had told my year thirteen self not to stress so much. Don't get me wrong A-Levels are extremely challenging and I would in no way want to do them again however, this past year I have learnt that as long as you try your best they are definitely not worth all the stress. 

Throughout my teenage years I was very reserved, maybe a little too reserved. Never speaking up for myself, always keeping quiet and going along with the crowd, which virtually meant that my social life was basically non-existent. Of course I spent time with my friends but whenever I was invited to parties or to sleep over friends house's I would decline due to this nagging anxiety and fear, which I have no idea where it came from. In addition, to this when everyone started turning eighteen and wanting to go out clubbing every weekend I shyed away from every opportunity, too scared to go out and let loose a bit, which now looking back I seriously regret. Which evidently left me isolated, spending every weekend at home, alone, either revising or spending my time on social media. Which at times is great but this seriously affected my moods and confidence. 

After receiving the a-level grades that I always wanted I was determined to make a change.  I was determined to get rid of this fear, and put myself out there a bit more and my god I have sure done that. I look back at those times I spent feeling so alone and isolated and wonder why I didn't just live a little. 

Now a year on I barely recognise the person I was a year ago and I am so so proud of myself for taking those scary steps. However, I definitely wouldn't have been able to do that without coming to university. This year has been one of the best experiences ever, and I would 100% recommend going to university to anyone. Not only because you get to study a subject you're interested in but also because of the social side. In my case throwing myself in the deep end and having to live with people I didn't know was the best thing for me to come out of my shell a bit. My past self would never believe me if I told them that at 19 I would be a major party animal (lol) and enjoying just going out and meeting tonnes of new people. One thing you learn is that (virtually) all uni students end up being major alcoholics during their time at uni, enjoying a wild night out as their break from the stress of uni work and exams, enjoy it while you can! (haha)

As summer approaches I wish I could relive this year all over again, and I am definitely going to be very jealous of all the new freshers as they arrive at university in September, with no idea of what a great time they're going to have. However, I am excited to start second year and everything that the next step will bring with it. I am again determined to meet as many new people as possible and push myself even further to become more confident. Although, I love being at home I have seriously learnt that independence is what I live for hence why I have made as many plans as possible during the four  month break, visiting all the new great people that I've met. No way I could spend four months at home again! 

 If I could give one piece of advice it would be to take chances while you have them, because you never know when you're going to get a chance like that again. 

"you have one life to love what you do"

Here's to new beginnings and self belief!

Thanks for reading :)

Exam Season

It's that time of year again, the dreaded exam season where students across the country begin to feel the pressure of the education system. This year it's slightly different for me as I am taking my first university exams, which is a little scary as they're so different from what I am used to at school. Being someone who gets extremely stressed over exams and revision I have found it quite hard to keep focused on my work and getting used to the style of exams to expect at university. However, after a long stressful chat to my parents I have realised that you can only do your best! I mean I can't be that awful at exams otherwise I wouldn't have gotten this far. 

I thought I'd share with you some of my exam preparation tips that I have used over the years to get me through this dreaded season! 

Firstly, the main thing that helps me at this time of year is to have something to look forward to. Be it a summer holiday after exams, or a revision break at the weekend doing something fun. Having an end goal after all the hard work really does motivate you and keep you focused on what is to come, which of course is extremely important when it comes to exams. 

It's also important to remember to actually get out of your study space and get a change of scenery. I defiantly know how easy it is to not leave the house for days on end during this time because there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the work. However, in most cases this really doesn't help your productivity. Even if its just a short walk to the shops, just getting outside and having some fresh air can really help. 

Always remember to drink plenty of water during exam season, not only to keep hydrated but to also improve brain function. In addition to this try and keep your revision snacks healthy, such as fruit because it is far too easy to get through a lot of junk food when your bored revising, which of course isn't too good for many reasons! Of course it's all about balance though so having a treat after you've finished your revision for the day might be a good thing.  

From the start of my GCSE exams in 2011 I have always used mind maps as a revision tool, which have been very effective for me having something stuck up on my bedroom wall to look at. Making these also makes revision slightly less boring as you can get creative and use different colours or drawings to help remember key facts. As well as this I always think it is a good idea to look at past papers and practice questions or topics that could come up with your notes. This way if a similar question comes up in the exam you will have already prepared an answer previously that you can try and remember the key points from. 

Finally, I think it is always helpful to make yourself a revision timetable so that you know what you are doing each day. Revision can sometimes feel never ending so having a set plan for the day can make the process a little less painful, and then at least you know you will have covered everything before the exam. 

I hope these tips are helpful and that your exams go well! 

Thanks for reading.