It's easy to let the little things slide sometimes but here, on this blog, I'm a true preacher that any achievement, big or small, should be celebrated. I have discussed achievements and what it means to feel proud on my blog before (just... here!) and there's something so warming about looking back at them and continuing to feel just as proud. I really do recommend that more people start documenting the things they're proud of.

Sometimes, I do things so extraordinary and exciting that I shock myself and my own capabilities. As someone who experiences anxiety, the things that I achieve can be even the tiniest, simplest things but that doesn't make them any less worthy. So here are the things that have shocked me lately.

I'M TANNING.
Did you hear that?! Ya girl is tanning! Yep, that's right, tanning - that thing where you sit in the sun and you don't end up like a lobster and more like an angelic goddess. Although forgive me, it's only very slight and it has come with a slapping of suncream. I'm a fair skinned, English Rose and, unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, or how much suncream I apply, I burn - the typical red shoulders, Rudolf nose and semi-circle chest.
Throughout this month of sunshine 'heatwaves', though, I have found myself getting a bit of the angelic golden tan across my skin which I feel is worth documenting because it's something I've ALWAYS desired. With a holiday soon on the cards, I am determined to come back with a lovely tan and, if these past few weeks are anything to go by, I'm feeling pretty hopeful.

HOLIDAY EXCITEMENT. 
If you haven't figured it out already from my constant blabbering on Twitter, Insta and sometimes over here on the blog, I'm going on holiday this summer and I can't believe how excited I am. I'm shocked by the excitement because I'm usually a very nervous traveller; I've never accompanied to the idea of being in a foreign country with the somewhat unpredictable aeroplane that should be taking me home at some point (if you get it, you get it), and I'm generally quite a homesick person. My anxiety is generally based on safety and trust which, in a place where I can't understand everyone's language, I find difficult to achieve.
Anyway - this time around I think I'm excited for multiple reasons. Firstly, I haven't visited a hot destination in around 4 years and my last holiday abroad was to the rather chilly destination of Iceland in 2016. I'm seemingly overdue a bit of sun and sand on my skin.
Similarly, this is the first holiday abroad that I'll be going on with my boyfriend. We've been together for 2 and a half years, but are yet to travel abroad together so we're both delighted that we finally get to do it.
Lastly, the place where we're going is somewhere I've never been before. We're off to Nerja and I get the impression that it won't be quite as busy and hectic as the other Costa Del Sol locations. It should also be a little quieter seeing as though it'll be during the school term - yey for no screaming children on the beach!


A GIRLY SHOPPING TRIP.
As a young teenager, girly shopping trips were a norm but with the stresses of college and making new friends and boyfriends, shopping trips with my mum became the new normal and, as much as I adore my mum, there was a touch of girly gossip missing. This month, however, I went on my first 'girly shopping trip' in years and bloody loved it!
If you don't know what a 'girly shopping trip' is it's basically shopping with one or two of your friends, persuading the other friends to buy things that they'll look fab in or 'need' in their life, chatting about current life dramas, and enjoying lunch together. They're pretty splendid and, until recently, I'd actually forgotten how fun. My friends and I started off in Primark for some summer wardrobe essentials and ended up spending 2 hours in there - wow!
The reason why this shopping trip shocked me so much is how much of my anxiety went out of the window. I found my self again, the 'real Alice' came back out and I felt so comfortable. Best of all, I only noticed this when I came home so, all the time I was there, anxiety didn't exist. It's the best feeling ever and it really, really shocked me how I was capable of being free of the struggles.

When I selected the buttons on my UCAS application that said 'deferred entry', I won't lie, I wasn't sure what was going to be ahead of me. Taking a gap year wasn't something that I've always wanted to do since the day I was born but, after experiencing bad anxiety throughout my final years of school and college, and quite frankly not feeling ready to be thrown into ANOTHER kaleidoscope, I knew that the right thing for me to do would be to take a break.

In a way, yes, I did want to find myself. I was kind of stuck in a rut of being a 'student'; walking into a building, being fed information and having to spew it back out onto paper at the end of the year. I didn't have any idea what I wanted to do with my life and, having been held back from lots of things because of my anxiety, I wanted to experience different things.

It all sounds quite splendid - spending your days adventuring and 'finding yourself', experiencing new things and end up with a straightforward mind. Admittedly, there have been many perks - I've had some wonderful experiences across this year but I can't sugar coat it completely. Some people see a gap year as a free-year and a chance to meet your spiritual leader. There are a lot of misconceptions and I deem it only fair that a few of them are cleared up...

You'll fall into a job.
  Nope. It's just as difficult as it always is although you sometimes feel a little bit awkward in your interview when you have to explain why you took a gap year and basically justify that you aren't just skiving out of Uni. I found finding a job extremely difficult, partly because of the mental health issues that I was struggling with at the time, and partly because I hadn't been employed before. My partner had 2 years of substantial work experience and managed to get a 9-5 job within a month of hunting but it took me an almighty 5 months to get contracted employment. My job was also temporary and only kept me employed for 3 months. After those 3 months, I was focusing on learning to drive which was something I always found difficult so needed a lot of attention. Then, I was left with barely 3 months until I was due for a 2 week holiday and, after that, I'm moving out. So getting another job seemed impossible - the time it takes to get employed in my area (especially with my little experience) would mean being in a job for a few weeks and no employer was prepared to commit to that. So, I was left with the experience of being a full-time, non-earning blogger and, while I adore blogging and have been able to lift my blog to new heights, it's certainly not how I saw my gap year at the start.
  It honestly breaks my heart when I look back at this because not only does it make me feel useless and completely eaten up by my anxiety, but it means that I didn't get to fulfil my gap-year dream of experiencing multiple jobs.
  Understandably, this experience changes for EVERYONE. It depends on your determination, your location, your previous experience and so on but it's worth knowing that, if you plan on taking a gap year, expect to need to work hard for work and expect circumstances to change. I wish this is something that I had known before - I didn't realise how much time was wasting away trying to find jobs until I looked back at it.

You can travel the world.
  When I first thought of this point, I thought of my friend Katie who has been on a gap year this year but seems to have travelled to so many amazing places. I spoke to Katie and asked if she would say that travelling to different areas has left her scraping the pennies together or whether she has been savvy. Katie kindly discussed with me that she kind of did the whole 'work hard, play cheap' system in that she worked throughout her gap year but when it came to travelling and seeing new things, she kept it European and sought out the cheapest ways to get about. Which, to me, sounds perfect.
So here's my point; finding yourself in the Thai mountains or backpacking your way through Australia might seem like a unique way of spending your gap year, but it might not be all that realistic. Katie travelled Europe and I travelled to a few places in the UK - both of us have experienced amazing things and proven that it doesn't take landing on the moon to say that you've experienced wholesome travel. Travelling the world comes with dedication, expense and a lot of time which, believe it or not, tends to fly by on these gap years.


You'll change your mind.
There were a handful of people that told me I'd change my mind throughout my gap year - that I'd end up forgetting all of my A-Level studies and end up wanting to do something at the complete other end of the spectrum. In case you don't know, if you have applied and received your place in University before you embark on a gap year, you don't really have much choice of whether or not you're attending. Alternatively, you can apply for Uni during your gap year and this gives people a bit more freedom. For me, I applied to do an English Language course before I have even taken my A-Levels so before I was even started on my gap year, I was destined to be going to University in 2018. Nevertheless, I kept an open mind throughout my gap year and always said "If I don't end up going to University, I don't mind. It's more important to me that I have the time to think."
  Despite always keeping that in mind, I always knew that the idea of studying something that I find fascinating, and living in the first flat with my partner was 100% something I looked forward to. 
  I own English books; I keep English fresh in my brain and I'm excited to get back into it again.  Admittedly, the workload will probably hit me hard when I go from the ease of a gap year to assignments and deadlines, but I can't pretend that I do yearn for the routine, the discipline and the achievements. Changing your mind takes a lot of thought and processing but, at the end of the day, a gap year is a time to think and if you come out the end of it with a different view, well at least it's been thought through.

So many of us across the Nation are starting to realise that, all along, we've been wasting a whole lot of plastic. Admittedly, it took a pep talk from Sir David Attenborough but I feel like we're finally getting somewhere. If you don't already know: a lot of plastic waste is floating around our oceans and, now more than ever, it is affecting our wildlife in the deadliest ways. So much so, there are multiple laws running through the political streams at the moment such as the plastic bag charge, the 'banning' of plastic straws and potentially cotton buds. As well as this, it doesn't even take a dig around the internet to find out how we can reduce our plastic waste in the most simple little ways.

As my family, and I imagine many other families, haven't always taken the best precautions when it comes to the disposal of plastic products, it's naturally not the easiest thing to introduce new traditions into a routine. Because of this, I hope to start putting my ideas into action when I move out into my own place this year. So here's what I want to do to help reduce plastic waste.

Look for Recyclable Products or 'Naked' Products
There are so many different signs and logos about that indicate if a product has been recycled or is recyclable. It only takes a little read on the back of your product and you can generally find out how and if you can recycle it. However, with the movement of reducing plastic waste coming into play across the world, a lot of brands are focusing on how to make their products even more sustainable.

Yes To's range of facial wipes are all 100% compostable wipes which mean that they can happily biodegrade away on the ground and thus not build up waste. I've been lucky enough to try the Coconut Face Wipes recently and I love how they smell - they seem like the kind of item that I'll definitely be packing in my holiday luggage.

Similarly, Lush Cosmetics sell not only bar soap, but bar shampoo and also released a campaign recently on 'Naked' cosmetics. The shampoo bars from Lush are fantastic too; they lather up brilliantly and don't strip or damage your hair at all. It really goes to show that we don't always need plastic packaging to make great products.

Use a reusable water bottle
This one is super easy and simple. I'd love to be able to always remember to take a water bottle out with me. This way, I won't find myself buying plastic water bottles when I need one. It's a great idea to buy a bottle that you can pop through the dishwasher every now and then to keep the germs at bay and ensure you can carry on using it for a long time. Even if you do find yourself purchasing a plastic water bottle from your local shop, don't forget to take it home with you and reuse it again next time. So many people forget that a water bottle can be used more than once - it does not have to go in the bin after that first drink.

Avoiding plastic food wraps
I've got to admit, I'm already half-good at this one because I generally hate the smell of food wrap, but I am a sucker for popping a handful of fruit or a sandwich into a plastic food bag. The ease of it makes it the most appealing thing to do but, there are other ways that food can be preserved without the use of plastic. For example, there is aluminium foil which does the same job as your plastic wrap. Alternatively, reusable plastic/glass containers and boxes do just as well too.


Reusing carrier bags
God bless every specimen on this earth that walks into a shop with their own bags. But hang on - I'm not that bad. We do generally take our own bags for a shop but it often springs to memory on our way to the checkout and one of us has to run out to the car to fetch them. After I've moved out, I'd like to be able to think that I can master to the talent of remembering my own bags.

I generally think that people of the UK are a lot better at doing the whole 'reusing bags' now. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm only speaking on behalf of a few local families but, there just aren't as many carrier bags in our houses anymore. For example; if you're from the UK, and I mean, REALLY from the UK, you most likely have a bag in your kitchen full of bags. Or at least you used to. We had a cupboard that would puke plastic bags all over you as soon as you'd open it but, these days, you're lucky if you see a bag in there. When the 5p bag law came into play in 2015, I didn't realise that it was going to really make this much impact. Now, with less bags, there is that little bit less plastic waste.

Start purchasing straws of different materials
Not only do I want to avoid buying plastic straws to reduce plastic waste but secretly it's because I've always been eager to try the glass and metal straws. The glass, metal, and even some heavier duty plastic straws are designed to be popped into the washing up basin or dishwasher and reused again. They're a great idea. As well as this, there are biodegradable straws out there too such as paper and cellulose straws that could be worth a try.

Plastic is recyclable. We're in the 2018 and that kind of thing can be done - people just aren't always making the right steps to make it happen. This not only includes reducing the sheer amount that we use and waste but disposing of it in a proper way.

It breaks my heart when I see plastic littered on the ground, bags tangled up in trees, or beaches dotted with god-knows-what from god-knows where. If you've read this post and decided that you aren't able to use a reusable water bottle or 0% plastic products, then that is fine. It is just so important that, if we keep using plastic, we dispose of it in the correct way. Don't throw it on the ground; pop it in a bin or even take your plastic waste to a local recycling centre. Little actions will always make a difference.

I started the gym back in April because, with a holiday coming up in June, I wanted to start feeling a bit more body confident and, for me, that meant toning up my muscles. Admittedly, I've never been a sporty person so, even a month later, I'd still consider myself as 'plodding along' in the gym and most definitely still learning. Over the time that I have been visiting, I've learnt a few realities and tips about attending the gym.

If you are considering starting the gym or, like me, are eager to learn plenty of tips and tricks for getting the best experience out of it, here are a few tips you should think about:

It Doesn't Have to Break the Bank
This goes right across the spectrum from memberships to gear. I'll start off by saying that there are very often different ways out there to avoid paying the extortionate membership prices, I use the app PayAsUGym which is not only excellent because it has low prices and offers, but because it allows you to pick and choose how you pay and work. For example; there are daily passes in my gym for just £3.00 and that allows me to go and spend however long I wish there for a day. Similarly, and Unlimited Monthly Pass is £21.00 and best of all, there are NO admin fees and it can be cancelled at any time. For me, this is perfect - I'd recommend it to everyone!

On the other hand, there's the expensive gym gear. You may have the money or desire to fork out your life savings on Gym Shark gear and there's no problem with that but, for me, I just want to get into that gym, get sweaty, and come home. I just don't want to spend £100 on items that are only going to need constant machine washing. If you're looking to start the gym and, like me, you're just looking to get sweaty, then head to places like Primark and F&F - they're items are good enough quality and don't cost anywhere near as much.


Remember, Everyone Has to Start Somewhere
This goes out to all those people out there who have put off starting the gym out of nervousness. Believe me, on my first time visiting the gym with my friend, I had crazy butterflies in my belly on the way there but it was so helpful to just remind myself that I was just a beginner. On my first trip, I took my time and if I didn't understand something - I asked. Understandably, you might be reading this thinking: 'Duh?!' but, if you do find yourself anxious in these kinds of new situations, it's 100% beneficial to remind yourself that it's okay to not know what you're doing.

As well as this, don't walk in on your first gym session and start cranking up the treadmill incline or selecting the heaviest weights. Start off steady and work your way up.

Stick to Gradual Increase
As I said previously, rocking up on your first day and lifting twice your body weight is going to do nothing more than break your bones but, nevertheless, this goes for every other trip. You aren't going to build strength or muscle overnight and it is really important for your health that you keep that in consideration. Every time you visit the gym, keep on recording the weight you can lift, or the %incline that you can climb, and so on, then the next time you're there you can try one up and if you can't do it that time, try again the next time. Doing it this way is also a great confidence boost - give it a go.


Get to Know the 'Gym Etiquette' 
I didn't know there was such thing as 'gym etiquette' and honestly, I didn't need to read any novels or articles for these silent rules to fall into place. I guess there is a blend of politeness and common sense of it's own style at the gym - this Art of Manliness article describes the list of things that should and shouldn't be done at the gym. Some of my favourites include: not dropping the weights, not to treat the gym as a social club for you and your friends, and that you shouldn't hog the machines. Here are a few of my own Gym Etiquette rules:

- No Paparazzi
It's alright to snap a pic of your legs on the treadmill to prove to your mates that you've actually taken a break from sitting on the sofa watching Netflix BUT, if you're going to film your squats in the mirror alongside everyone else, people are going to get annoyed with you. Keep that phone camera to a minimum and certainly avoid getting any other humans in the shot at all costs.

- Personal Space Plz
Forgive me for sounding extremely British here but, if there are 15 treadmills set out in a row and every one of them is empty, I certainly do NOT expect you to jump on the treadmill next to me. Unless you're my gym buddy, I require personal space. This one is totally a 'silent rule' in a gym - don't get close and personal unless it's necessary. I mean, you wouldn't want to sit next to a stranger in a cinema of empty seats, so why would you do it in the gym.

- Don't count aloud
Ugh, the last time I visited the gym there was a gentleman going full-on 'ONE-argh. TWO-ohh. THREE-eehe' as if we all wanted to know how many leg curls he was managing to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for supporting people and cheering them on, but if I'm working on the machine next to you, the chances are that I'm trying to count my own workout and hearing your numbers and groans is only making me lose track. It's really something that you should keep inside your mind to consider the concentration of those around you.

Seeing as though it's been a little while since I did my last Catch Up, I thought it was necessary to pop another one up on the blog. If you've never read one of my catch up posts then all you basically need to know that it's usually just a little update on what has been happening in my life recently and sometimes what is to come. Oh, and it's typically a bunch of random things waffled into one place.

First of all, you can see the things that I've been loving throughout the previous month in my '6 Things I Loved In April'. One of the items in the blog post (the gifted Beija London lingerie) kicks off my first Catch Up point that is basically about how my blog is going. I've felt incredibly lucky over the past month as I seem to be getting a steady influx of 'Blogger Emails' drop into my inbox. Out of 5 opportunities that I've been given this month, I've managed to be able to take on 4 of them. Having a hand of these cards is something so mind-blowing for me.
I've always blogged for myself - I've never been the 'blog-for-free-stuff' kind of gal but there's no denying that there's a little squeal in my head every time I get an exciting email. Anyway, going back to how this links to my April Favourites, one of the things that I was gifted recently was a beautiful set of luxury Beija London Lingerie. This is one of hopefully many exciting things to come for my blog; things really do seem to be looking up. Keep an eye on my blog and my social media (especially Instagram) to find out the new things happening.

I'm generally feeling pretty proud of my blog statistics, too. There seems to be a steady upward flow on figures: I've finally got passed the 1,040 mark on Instagram (and the 1,050 mark but let's not make promises just yet) and realised that I'm nearly at 650 followers on Bloglovin. For me, this is all so fantastic and I'm beyond grateful.

Oh, and while I'm typing this, I'm one day into using the new 'Bleet' App. Are you using it?


While blogging is a big part of my life at the moment, there have been other random bits and bobs happening. While I'm writing this, I'm recovering from having a skin-tag mole removed from my back. The particular mole has been on my lower back for my entire life but, as I grew, it naturally got bigger over time. It has had certain dications over my life - wearing certain clothes and what not. Even my prom dress was something that I made sure covered my lower back. But now, it's gone. I am really hoping that this gives me a new lease of confidence.

More other exciting things have been and are expected to be happening: Jamie and I went to view our new flat for the 3rd time to refresh our minds and check things over again. We continue to feel really happy and excited about our move - the place seems to have so much potential and we're eager to make our mark (which for me, of course, means just putting a bunch of plants everywhere).

As well as this, in completely random news (but in true 'Catch-Up post' form), I taught myself how to dutch braid my own hair. And, crazily enough, I actually grinned with pride just writing that. If you can only french braid your hair, you'll know the pure frustration you feel when someone says 'Um, I dunno really. You just.. kinda.. do it in reverse' after you'd asked how they dutch braid. To me, learning how to do this took more than just 'doing it in reverse'. It felt like learning to write with my left hand. Or it's like the feeling of tying an apron behind your own back. Now, though, I almost feel like it is actually easier to achieve a tidier look by doing dutch braid so I'm definitely going to keep at it. Let me know if you want a blog post explaining wtf I'm going on about.

For things yet to come, there is a refresh of stock heading your way at Jayman Designs over the next month or so. Jamie has finished his time at his 9-5 job and is really delighted to be able to focus his time an efforts into selling our artwork. We'd both really love it if you could check the page out and/or follow us on Jayman Designs Twitter to help support a small business.

As well as working on selling our own artwork and prints, Jamie and I have also been lusting over some of the prints by The Old English Co. to go in our new flat. There's actually a really cute Giveaway on Old English Co. for the celebration of their new set of Enamel Pins. There are so many gorgeous pins on there, it makes me want to order them all. If you head over and enter, I wish you the best of luck!

So if this is the first Catch Up post that you've read: welcome to my random life and the corner of my blog where I really do ramble for the sake of catching up. For me, these posts are like when you don't see a friend for a long time so you kind of just pour everything out as quick as you can. I hope it's not too much fuzz for your brain to handle today. See you next time.


*I was asked to provide this link by Old English Co and recieved a voucher in return. All oppinions, as always, remain my own.

VASELINE SPRAY & GO
Well, have you ever seen anyone so late to the bandwagon? Indeed, this product has been on the shelves for a while and I've only just reached for it and fell in love. My mum bought the Vaseline Spray & Go a while back and, after our freak week of 'heatwave' which lead to my fair share of sunburn, this bottle finally got brushed off and used again. I understand it's not primarily designed as an aftersun, but with the inclusion of Aloe Vera (the magical burn-curer of dreams) and the way it continuously sprays and absorbs in seconds, there's so much to like. Plus, it makes a cute little high-pitched buzzing noise when you use it so if that hasn't persuaded you, I don't know what will.

CALL THE MIDWIFE
Gosh! Obsessed isn't the word. In fact, I've watched so much of it recently that I think I'm starting to speak like an upper-class nurse from the 1950s - Tickety Boo! Let's start at the beginning; I started watching Call The Midwife mid-way through series 7 just because it was on TV and it gripped me. Then, with the discovery that the entire collection was on Netflix (and luckily being able to use a friends Netflix account), I dipped my toe in the water at S1 EP1 and from there on I couldn't stop watching it. If you don't already watch it then definitely give it a go! It's not what I expected - I thought it was going to be a hybrid of Downton Abbey and One Born Every Minute but really it feels more like what was going on in the East End of London while Downton Abbey was happening and it's pragmatically showcasing strong woman and heroines. The storylines are so gripping and I am so emotionally attached to the characters. It's such a feel-good show! Yes, it has some very dark moments, but the hidden messages are always so inspiring and warm.

THE JOB LOT
If you're more into comedy and you've grabbed yourself a Netflix subscription then this is the perfect comedy for you to pop on on a Friday night. Set in a problematic Job Centre in Birmingham, with a brilliant comedic cast such as Sarah Hadland and Russel Tovey, my boyfriend and I got glued to this. I do feel like, after we completed watching The Office (UK! Don't even offend me by assuming it's the US version), this had a similar kind of feel to it. Apart from the whole 'fly on the wall documentary' narrative, The Job Lot still follows the theme of a troubled workplace trying their hardest to appear ideal. The comedy is original and hilarious from the get-go. I'd even re-watch again in a few months, it's that fab.