My 2015 - goodbye illness, hello plans!

2015 New Years resolution: to spend at least one weekend a month somewhere other than the Fens!

So, 2015 was an important year for me, mainly because it marked 5 years since I first came down with a nasty virus that didn't seem to go away. No matter how long I spent sleeping, I always felt completely drained and my body constantly ached. I caught every cold and bug imaginable and it became the norm to sleep for weeks on end. It was hard because no one understood or could explain what was happening to me. I'd always been energetic and a fairly bright student but suddenly I couldn't even concentrate on my school work anymore. My social life diminished and my attendance dropped so low because I physically couldn't get myself up and ready everyday.

After an array of tests and appointments, I was finally diagnosed with three conditions - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also known as M.E.), Lupus and Hashimoto's thyroid disease. The virus had left me with my immune system struggling and basically attacking itself. Although 2 of the conditions improved over time with medication, CFS was a struggle to manage over the next few years. The hardest thing is that people don't always understand how debilitating it actually is because you look normal on the outside. For every good day, it's usually followed by several weeks of bad days.

The only plus side of being diagnosed with CFS at a younger age is that teenagers are typically more likely to make a full recovery than adults are. Over the next few years I worked hard with my doctor and a specialist nurse to follow structured programmes to help build my stamina back up. Some people may never improve. For the first year or so I felt like I was still continuously deteriorating. I struggled through my GCSE's and prom. However, slowly but surely my symptoms started to improve and eventually stabilised a bit. I was able to study Events Management & Marketing, got a part time job, got a golden retriever and passed my driving test. By September 2013 things seemed to be going relatively good so I pursued my passion for marketing and began my career with Cross Keys Homes.

CFS will always be there in the background and sometimes things get too much and I have to take some time out but I decided that my New Years resolution for 2015 would be to see more of the world, including my own country. I set myself a goal to spend at least one weekend a month somewhere other than the Fens.

So, how did I get on? Below you can find my main highlights of 2015. 

January

Any hopes for a dry January will always be ruined by January 22nd because it's one of my best friends' birthdays! This year we ventured to Leeds for Kate's birthday weekend. To summarise, 6 girls with just 1 double bed is a recipe for disaster.

February

At the start of February we decided to head to Nottingham for a night out and met up with our friend Heather. We also had our first Nando's of the year! 

On February 28th Ryan and I made our way down to Sheraton Skyline for a night in London before our flight to New York (yay). The cocktails in the Sky Garden really are something else!

March

After 20 years of waiting I finally made it to New York City! We froze to death in the snow, shopped 'til we dropped and gobbled as much food as we possibly could. I got to see some of the worlds most famous sights such as Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the World Trade Centre. I'm not very good at showing emotion or crying, but the first morning in Times Square reduced me to happy tears! I thought I'd stop being as obsessive once I'd visited but our trip has only made me worse. (click here to view the blog post)

April

Most of April was spent with my friends as everyone was home from uni! We spent some time in our home town and nearby city Peterborough. 

Ryan and I took full advantage of the early Spring sunshine and went on our annual trip to Alton Towers and then had date night at Frankie and Benny's. 

May

May was fun and there were 2 bank holiday weekends too, yay!

In my opinion, S Club 7 have been the coolest band around since I was a kid so we booked tickets for the tour in Nottingham and made a weekend of it. We spent the day at TGI Friday's, moved on to Turtle Bay for 2-4-1 cocktails and then relived our childhoods. When it finished we went to Baa Bar for some smoking drinks and then into the city for the night. We went for lunch at Wildwood the next day before before heading back home. 

There's nothing like leaving plans until the last minute and 2 days before Radio 1 Big Weekend in Norwich we still hadn't got an outfit or anywhere to stay - organisation at it's best. Nevertheless we had so much fun!

June

Time for some holiday shopping with my mum! We had to re-arrange twice as we were both ill but we eventually made it to Leicester.

Ryan and I returned to Corfu for the third time, this year accompanied by mother Howlett and the Johnson's! (click here to view the blog post)

July

Norwich time! We went to Chiquito's for lunch, TGI's for seconds and cocktails and the rest of the sunny day drinking on the Riverside before heading out into the city that evening.

Me and Ryan celebrated our 3rd anniversary and his 22nd birthday in Amsterdam. We had some struggles navigating the transport system on our arrival - it was a nice cold, dark, wet walk. It rained, and rained, and rained some more whilst we were there. (click here to view the blog post)

One of the downsides of being ill was that it completely ruined my front teeth and left them weak. I'd previously had them rebuilt by an NHS hospital but they were ugly. I finally spent some of my savings and got some veneers fitted to the front 4! Now I can't wait to have the bottom ones done in a few years time. (click here to view the blog post)

August

After last years fun in Ibiza we thought we'd mix it up a bit and go to Ayia Napa in Cyprus this year. We had fun in the sunshine and also managed to tick Nissi Beach off my sightseeing list. I survived tonsillitis before, during and after the holiday and after 2 lots of antibiotics I finally started to feel a bit better!

We went to the cutest wedding at Brook Farm in Cuffley, Herts. It was also our first together!

To celebrate Louise's birthday we ate on the Riverside in Cambridge and spent the rest of the day drinking cocktails.

Me and Ryan spent date day/night at the beach.

September

For Tegan's birthday we had a BBQ, went to Peterborough for the night which isn't far but FLARES IS FUN and then we all ended up having a massive sleepover!

October

We finally ventured up to Sheffield to visit Hannah at uni for a few days. We did some shopping, had cocktails, year six food (aka pizza and curly fries) and two nights out.

For Halloween we decided to visit Aimee at uni in Hatfield for the first time. We met all of her friends, had some drinks and went a meal at Prezzo's.

November

With Christmas upon us, we didn't really get chance to venture too far away as we were really busy. Christmas shopping in Cambridge is my idea of hell but Ryan did finally take me to Smokeworks which was delicious.

We also dedicated another date night to one of our favourite places, Arbuckles.

Me, Jamie and Alice went to our work Christmas party at the Peterborough Marriott Hotel and had fun in the photo booth!

December

I had so many good plans for December but due to some unexpected circumstances I had to cancel quite a few of them which is a shame, but hey ho, hopefully I'll make up for them in 2016.

For my birthday me and Ryan stayed at H10 London Waterloo Again (click here to view the blog post) and had such nice views over the city. We ate at Bodean's BBQ, H10's amazing breakfast and Shake Shack whilst we were there and drinks at London Cocktail Club - yum! We walked along Tower Bridge, shopped during the day and spent the evening in Covent Garden.

As Aimee lives in Hatfield which is so close to London we decided to pay her another visit for a few days before the end of the year to tie in with our visit to Winter Wonderland. It's so pretty at night when it's all lit up! We booked tickets for Bar Ice and the cocktails were good but it was freezing.

Over Christmas I mainly spent time at home with my family and friends, but we did take Poppy to the beach for a cold walkies.

Hopefully 2016 will bring more plans! Happy New Year everybody! x

December weekend in London with H10 London Waterloo

There's just something I love about the hustle and bustle of London at Christmas time, so when my boyfriend suggested a last minute get-away for my birthday celebrations I couldn't wait to get something booked. I originally wanted to stay at Park Plaza on Westminster bridge because the views look amazing, but to my dismay it was fully booked. I spent a couple of hours searching TripAdvisor before booking the London Eye package at H10 London Waterloo. The package includes a room with a view and two tickets to the London Eye.

We got the train to London Kings Cross and then purchased our Oyster cards from the machine. Even if you're travelling within the next couple of days it's still worth checking for advance train fares before you travel as it can sometimes save you money compared to the on-the-day fare. In our case we travelled first class which only worked out £8 more than an advance standard fare.

The location of H10 is perfect for sightseeing as you're literally a 5 minute walk away from Waterloo station. Despite the fact we were three and a half hours early for check-in we were offered Cava and Sweets at the desk which is a very nice touch, and then shown to our room on the tenth floor. These rooms aren't particularly cheap but they are certainly worth the money. They're a bit quirky and the bed is honestly one of the best I have stayed in - it's giant! The best part about the room is that you can lay in bed at night and see the London Eye all lit up. You can read my full review here.

Once we'd freshened up we made our way across to Hyde Park for an afternoon at Winter Wonderland. During the day it wasn't too busy but when we left around 8pm there were massive queues to get in. To make the most of your visit I'd strongly recommend visiting earlier in the day, or on a weekday if you can. The lights all look pretty good in the dark.

Winter Wonderland can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it. Entry is free and you only pay for the attractions. We pre-booked the Magic Ice Kingdom, Giant Wheel and an ice skating session. We had planned on visiting Ice Bar London but actually didn't make it there on time, so I'd recommend visiting Bar Ice at Winter Wonderland instead. The Ice Kingdom is pretty impressive with all different sculptures made from Ice. There's even a hand-made throne!

There is a Christmas Market and various stalls dotted around the park selling everything from tasty treats to christmassy souvenirs and gifts. There are also a selection of bars - my favourites were the carousel and arctic lodge. It's a great day out as it really does get you into the Christmas spirit.

If you're planning on eating nearby afterwards you'll definitely need a meal reservation. There were queues out of the door everywhere we looked. By about 9pm we gave up as we were both too tired and very lazy, so we ended up eating dinner at Pizza Hut (it's safe to say we aborted mission posh meal). When we got back to H10 LW we took a trip to the Sky Bar. There's a small terrace that looks out over London. It's really cute and there are blankets provided in case you get chilly. The bar specialises in Gin and Tonic. It's nice after a busy day to sit, chill out and enjoy the views.

When we returned to our room we found the staff had delivered us a chocolate dessert and more Cava. I really cannot fault this hotel for customer service as they go above and beyond. There is a fully stocked mini-bar in the room which is also useful. After a few drinks and demolishing the dessert we snuggled up in our giant bed for some beauty sleep.

When we woke up on Sunday the first thing on my mind was breakfast. We got dressed and made our way down to explore what food was available. After reading reviews I was pretty excited (after all, breakfast is supposedly the most important meal of the day), and I have to say that this is honestly one of the best breakfasts I've ever eaten. There was just so much variety - hot food for a full english, fresh cheese and meats, bread, all different pastries, cereals, juice, hot drinks, etc - you name it, I bet you can find it. It cost us an additional £10 each for breakfast which is a great price for such a fantastic selection.

The location of H10 LW came in so handy on Sunday. We took a long walk down South Bank and absorbed the pretty views. We wandered around Big Ben and then took a ride on the London Eye. If you're living in England and haven't been, you must. The views across London are so cool.

We were supposed to spend the day shopping on Oxford Street but we were rapidly running out of time before our train home at 6pm, so we got the tube to Covent Garden which is absolutely brilliant at Christmas time. There's a real buzz to the place as it's heaving with busy shoppers admiring the Christmas market. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping here before stopping to grab a quick Shake Shack for the journey home. If I had to live off fast food for the rest of my life, my decision would unquestionably be Shake Shack. The gooey cheese sauce is simply perfect, and the shakes are so thick. Mmmmmmmmmm.

We may have underestimated how busy Covent Garden tube station would actually be. We were crammed in a queue for a lift, then the lift, and then the platform before finally getting on the tube back to Kings Cross. In true Shanise style we had to frantically rush to Left Luggage to collect our bags before boarding our train back to the quiet-land-of-nowhere and saying goodbye to London.