Life Sight #1

1. Wales at Christmastime

2. Birmingham Christmas Markets

3. Post Manchester Christmas Markets

4. 2 generations of females

5. Meeting Baby Lacey

6. A poor attempt at Mia Wallace

7. S turns 22 (que Taylor Swift)

8. Mum + Me + Alcohol + Matching pj's

9. 2 FOR 1 LAS IGUANAS COCKTAILS

10. Chriiiistmastime, mistletoe and wine

11. I succeeded with the curlers

What a Lazy Sunday Gave Me

I've recently developed a new found love for my American Netflix and all it's films I've never heard of before. As you are aware, it's January and we are all pining away for payday. 

So, this weekend has been a secluded affair made up of reading, cleaning, films, and feeling cosy. 

During a lazy Sunday morning I found this beauty:

At first I just stuck it on. From the title, I have to admit that I thought I'd be watching something I'd seen countless times before. I, however, was wrong. This film is beautiful. All the different story lines, the little twists, the way it makes you feel really happy and then just so sad, the characters that are writers. 

It snuck up on me and I really enjoyed it. 

Plus it has an awesome soundtrack. If you're ever at a loose end, you should definitely give it a go. 

Have you seen this?

Or have you seen a film that completely surprised you and you loved it?

Seaworld Sadness

When I was a little girl, we would visit Florida often, we had family friends there. One of my favourite memories of being a little girl in Florida is going to Seaworld. We would go each time we went to Orlando. I thought it was magical, I'd rather go there than Disney Land, I can remember that I always asked to go to Seaworld. Shamu was my favourite thing, closely followed by the dolphin nursery and I don't think I would be alone in saying that.

I would buy the Shamu teddy, and each time I came home I would go to the library and find as many books I could find about dolphins, porpoises, whales, you name it. I had a little girl's dream of becoming a marine biologist and spending time working with these animals. I even think for a while I dreamed of being a Seaworld trainer, actually in the water with these animals.

So, when I watched 'Blackfish' some time last week, I was in shock.

I fell in love.

I fell in love with reading again, all thanks to this book.

I don't want to give much away for those of you who haven't read it yet, (and you should), but you will NOT see it coming. You won't be able to put it down.

I actually just bought this book on a whim one day because S was doing work. It was so worth it, I really mean it. If you've been stuck on something to read for a while then I highly recommend this beauty. 

It's also coming out as a film later this year starring the beautiful Rosamund Pike and the "Did I leave the oven on?" faced Ben Affleck, and I for one will most definitely be going to see it.

My second new found love is writing:

I've challenged myself to write in this diary every day this year, I know it's early days but so far I have been true to my promise and I'm loving it. I used to keep a diary when I lived away but when I came home there was so much going on that I knew inevitably it would get all angsty and depressing.

I know my writing often turns a bit self indulgent in here, but at least I'm the only one reading it. Not that I've ever actually re-read any of it yet. 

I love it because it gives me so much more clarity than I had before, and it's revealing what's really important to me. Which, as it turns out, is not drinking heavily and dancing the night away with girls you're never really sure are 100% your friends.

I fell off the wagon. But look at why!

My boy's a Godfather!

We spent the weekend at his parents where he looked after me very well (I was even cooked for) but mostly it was to run up and down to the hospital to see this little guy. 

Our friends had a baby on Monday and it was a pretty traumatic welcome to the world that he had so I was more than excited to see him doing well.

After a week in hospital mum and baby have been discharged and are very cosy at home now :)

He is a little cutie and I love him. 

So this little face it does explain my absence and my lack of BEDN, I think it's justified. 

You're just too good to be true.

BEDN strikes again with 10 things. Once I got the multitude of 10 Things I Hate About You References out of my head, (except the post title), I went for a list of favourites. And you can see them below:

the photos were from polargram.

There is no stress among these parts.

On national stress awareness day I hear the cry, Oh Sophie how do you deal with stress? Pray do tell!

Well then lovelies, it's simple, pure unadulterated distraction.

Why feel stressed when you can read a book, and get lost in a completely different though fictitious world? Or while away the hours on netflix? Or maybe even eat some chinese food and have a drink? A combination of all three if you feel like it. This is most definitely the answer.

Okay, so some would argue that avoidance is not the best technique. However, I feel once I have the chance to calm down initially, I am much likely to deal with whatever it is in a much more socially acceptable manner, and less batshit mental. Which is not what we want now is it?

Speaking as someone who has experienced quite certainly the most stressful year of her life, for multiple reason's its probably not best to detail on the internet, let me tell you, a self indulgent evening of a pampering night in with a good book or netflix,or a night out drinking with your favourites (drinking so much you think you're level of sexiness and dancing is a kin to that of The Saturday's), these things help a great deal. 

They give me the energy to then deal with whatever problem has decided to rear it's ugly head.

So, next time you feel like there is that much going on you don't know what to do, or you have a major problem and are at severe risk of meltdown, be your own best friend, indulge. 

Or as a friend once said to me; "When I'm stressed and have so much to do I don't know where to start...I just nap"

Wise words of the 23 year old male there.

How do you deal with stress?

ps: look at all those books, practically book porn up there for you.