Receipts

I got a new purse for Christmas, and due to my current lack of organisation skills I have only just done the deed of swapping all my stuff from old purse to new purse. Yes, I know it's the last day of the first month of the New Year :s

Pre beautiful new purse, complete with jewels and a tassel, I was using two purses. The old faithful red leather number that to be quite honest had seen better days, and a cheap Cath Kidston imposter from Primani. A purse which I rarely used, because I felt like I was cheating on Cath. (I love Cath Kidston!)

Anyway with the change over came a lot of rubbish, expired bank cards, loyalty cards (from food establishments that I've only been to once and will probably never go to again), chewing gum wrapped in old bus tickets, a little bit of money, one ten pound note, one five pound note, two pound coins, one twenty pence piece, one five pence piece, eight pence in two pence pieces and thirteen pennies, to be exact and last but not least loads and loads of receipts. When I say loads I mean loads!

Looking through these receipts it got me thinking. One, if you kept all your receipts you would have an awful lot of receipts. Two, on a more serious note your receipts can tell you so much about what you have been up to over the last few weeks. Or if you're me and never clear the clutter from your purse you can find our what you were up to last summer.

So, I sifted through the pile and found the ones that jogged the memories. I got rid of an awful lot which just read the usual: pizza, shampoo, bread, milk. I don't want to bore you with my weekly shop.

It all starts with a present, like the purse, except that this is a Fathers Day present.

19/06/2010 - A Nintendo DS game.

Yes my 60+ Father has a DS. I find it strange too, but it keeps him happy.

3/07/2010 - Burgers, Sausages and Alcohol.

It can mean only one thing...BARBECUE!!!!!!!!!! The barbecue in question took place on the 3rd of July last year at the student house I was living in. It was one of the last events with the gang before the end of Uni, and it was so much fun. Chairs sinking into gravel, wasps around beer tops, sausages pegged to washing line, good food and bloody great company.

29/07/2010 - Cushions, Throws, Pictures and Bedding.

A trip to Ikea, B & Q, Matalan and The Asda. I had just moved back home after University, and with the last few pennies in my bank account decided to spruce up my bedroom. Excellent results if I do say so myself.

07/08/2010 - A trip to Mars.

A lovely day out with The Boy to Jodrell Bank. I'd always wanted to go to Mars and on that very day The Boy made my dreams come true. Later, sitting on a bench in the woodlands he asked me a very important question.

13/08/2010 - A train ticket from Liverpool to Manchester.

I was travelling to meet The Boy who at the time worked in Manchester. We were celebrating him getting a contract for a job in Leeds. The question he'd asked me 8 days before was 'Will you move in with me?'

09/09/2010 - Ikea.

I said yes, which meant more trips to Ikea. Rugs, throws, pillows, cushions, duvets and loads of candles.

Why not dig deep into your purse and find some old receipts? It's a really nice way to reflect on the not so distant past.

Love

L

XxX

No regrets?

I try to live my life with 'No regrets', and I believe in saying 'Everything happens for a reason'. I'm in love with the idea of 'Fate'.

Am I just a romantic?

Is it sensible to live your life in this way?

In theory you would never be disappointed by how your life turns out, because it's all down to fate, right? Everything happens for a reason so you can't regret it.

I'm starting to question my way of living my life.

Destiny is a tricky one. The job I'm in right now, well I would hate hate hate to think that that was my destiny. Although on the flip side I'd hope to think that the person I've made a home with is my destiny.

To quote a Stacie Orrico song (Does anyone even know who she is now?) 'There's got to be more to life'.

Do I just want too much?

Everyone wants a great job, a great home, great friends and family, great loves, health, happiness ect..

I have all of these thing apart from a great job 'Grr!'

Am I being greedy? Is there some kind of unwritten rule whereby you can have all of these things except for one?

Some people don't find their one true love, some people don't have a family or friends. I don't have a great job.

I do have a job though, but by no means is it my dream job. Basically, I work in a glorified ice cream van :(

Something must be done!

Please don't think this post is a very negative one. I just needed to get that off my chest, and realise that I've got to do what's right for me.

Exciting times :)

Please comment if you're feeling the same as me, missing a very important slice of the pie of life.

Love

Laura

xxx

It was a very good year

Like a good bottle of wine and like Frank Sinatra sang 'It was a very good year'. I'm of course referring to 2010. A good year for accomplishing things it seems.

What better place to start than at the very beginning. In January I moved out of my Parents house and into student accommodation. Not sure what I accomplished there... the art of surviving with no sleep and plenty of alcohol? No seriously, apart from playing hard I worked very hard. It was the final push to get my degree, and I spent many a night in the 24hr computer room typing away furiously to meet my deadlines. In between all of this playing and working I managed somehow to fall in love. Sorry soppy icky bit over. And I turned 21! Made extra special by my awesome friends.

Then University came to an end, there where tears, hug and plenty of drunkenness. My short lived independence was over. I was back living with my parents, but to be quite honest I was happy about that part. I wasn't very good at looking after myself when I was away. I knew how to make a good vodka and coke, but rustling up something tasty and healthy for tea was definitely not my forte.

I graduated with a 2:1 in Drama and Creative writing. My big cap and gown day was very special. I was very proud of myself :)

God knows what I'll do with my degree. If I don't do anything with it at least I'll know at that time in my life I was very bloody creative!

The boy is always right, and on the 27th of August we moved into our new home. Yes it was scary and yes I didn't and still don't really know how to cook, but it was and is absolutely brilliant.

I always get jobs in September and it seems 2010 was no different. It wasn't my dream job but it was a job, and in today's society I'm certainly not in a position to turn my nose up at it. In the end I actually loved the job and cared about it. I worked 100% all the time, well 60% on 11hr days but I am only human.

Then Christmas came and I was very happy to be spending it with the first Noel :) Decorating our tree and home, filling it with the smell of spiced apple. Actually I had three Christmases, one before with the boy, one at Christmas with the family, and then another after with the boy again.

For New Years Eve we threw our first house party. Lots of giggles, lots of vodka, great friends and a little Journey. So I began 2011 screaming out the words 'Don't stop believing!'

Those are the words that (forgive me for being preachy) are what I'm drawing strength from now. It's 2011 and as I step from one job into another, another job that's not the dream one but it's not a nightmare either, I have to carry those words with me. 'Don't stop believing'. I might still not know exactly what I want to do with my life, but one day if I keep believing it will all click into place right?

2011 is the year that I 'find myself' :)

My two great loves are drama and writing, and in my own small way I am managing to do both. But wouldn't it be great if those aspects of my life where bigger, more full time?

So anyway, I was feeling awfully festive on the run up to Christmas. I couldn't get enough of Christmas songs, and I would have wrapped tinsel around the world if I could have. I only had four days off and my plan was to go home to my parents house and eat. That's all just eat. My aim was to put on a stone, yes a stone. I'd been working 11hr days on the run up to Christmas and occasionally food and rest had slipped my mind. So I got home and cracked open the Quality Street, I didn't put them down or leave the couch until I left. But to my disappointment I lost weight! Yes, I lost weight! So girls, you heard it here first eat, eat, eat Quality Street and the pounds will drop off!

New Years Resolution? Eat Quality Street.

Hope you've enjoyed reading about my year. Why don't you tell me about yours?

Love

Laura

xxx