Iceland

Apologies for the lack of posts again over the past few weeks... I have been in the process of something BIG which I still need to keep under wraps until it is all confirmed... but I have also been settling back into work life after returning from my holiday to Iceland with my best friend.

Seeing the Northern Lights was one of the first things on my bucket list, and as I started doing a little research and staring in awe at the amazing photos on Instagram, I couldn't help but book a holiday.

We went for five days in total and it was honestly the holiday of a lifetime. As a country, it is the most magical natural beauty ever and I still cannot believe that it is only a three hour flight from London because it seems worlds apart.

We visited the Golden Circle on Monday morning, and after all that walking we couldn't resist a relaxing session in the Fontana Wellness spa. The hot springs were around 40 degrees and the view of the mountains was breathtaking while we lazed around in bikinis with cocktails. In the evening after a quick bite to eat, we booked a boat trip with Special Tours and managed to see the Northern Lights for well over an hour. It was honestly one of the most amazing things I've ever seen and I just couldn't prepare myself for it... it was also RIDICULOUSLY freezing on the boat even in a ski suit, but so so worth it.

The Golden Circle is a popular tourist route in Iceland to see sights of natural beauty - our first stop was Pingvellir National Park

Our second stop was the geothermal area in Haukadalur to see the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. I have some great videos of the water explosions!

Our third and final stop on the Golden Circle tour was the Gullfoss waterfall

The view of the Northern Lights from our boat

On Tuesday we had a few hours in the infamous Blue Lagoon, which was even better than I expected. The option of natural mud masks and body scrubs and the heat from the water creates the most amazing atmosphere, and the swim up bar just sets it off to a tee. When I got back in the changing room I panicked that my tongue and mouth was blue and that I was having a reaction to the Lagoon that was turning me into a smurf... before I realised I had several blue raspberry slush puppies whilst swimming. Typical Shannon moment.

Blue Lagoon with my chica

On the Wednesday we booked an Ice Glacier Hike which was IN-TENSE. It was a two hour hike with clampons and ice picks and it was exhausting but so rewarding. The views were incredible and I managed to drink from the small stream flowing where the glacier was melting. Even if I did then fall in said stream and spent the rest of the trip shivering. We met some really nice people and the ice was so beautiful up close. And you have never appreciated a hot chocolate with cream until you have been that cold!

Looking like full on wilderness explorers hiking through the glaciers as well as on top of them!

Iceland is as expensive as people say. Eating out was fairly pricey as is alcohol, and souvenirs more expensive than anywhere else I have visited. But it is honestly an experience like no other and worth every single penny. I was gutted to come home and would visit again in a heartbeat.

If you are thinking of visiting Iceland and would like recommendations of which tour providers I would recommend or trips you shouldn't miss, please comment below. But for now, feel free to just enviously scroll through all of my beautiful holiday photos... You can also find more on my Instagram. 

As always, my social media links are below. I would really appreciate follows/likes, and will of course return the favour if you comment below!

♥ 

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My London To-Do List

I have been living in London now for around two weeks and I have to say that I am absolutely LOVING my new job, I'm finally getting used to the commute and the London way of life, and I'm really excited for everything the future holds at the moment.

I've been working on a list of things I'd like to do now I live down here, when I have a spare day or two. I thought I would share it with you in case any of you are planning on visiting London, and I was also hoping that you could all comment below with more fun things I can do!

1. London Eye
2. London Aquarium
3. London Zoo
4. Wander around Camden Town (especially the food markets!)
5. Up! at the 02
6. London Dungeons
7. Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park
8. Haagen Daaz Chocolate Fondue
9. Choccy Woccy Doo Dah
10. Buckingham Palace

Please comment below if you have any other ideas!

♥

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Cancer Research Race for Life

Hi everyone! So I haven't quite got back into my blogging schedule yet but I hope that over the next few weeks I start posting regularly again.

On Sunday I completed the 5k Race for Life in Lincoln for Cancer Research UK. 

A year ago when I took up running, I couldn't even run for a minute without getting out of breath and wanting to stop. So I'm really proud of myself for how far I've come with it all. I ran the entire course in under 28 minutes - we're not quite sure what time - my sister-in-law crossed the finish line after me and she said the timer said 27 minutes 53 seconds, and we had a few minutes at the start line where we barely moved because of the amount of people (1,555 people took part in total!) so I reckon it could be anywhere between 25-28 minutes. My personal best before this race was 28 minutes 59 seconds so I'm really pleased with how I did, and think it was due to the determination I had to run a strong race for everyone who had sponsored me and for all cancer sufferers and survivors out there.

Both my Nanny and Grandad passed away due to cancer before I was born and every step I was running I kept thinking of them and it really gave me the determination to run harder and faster. I would have loved the opportunity to have known them and I hope that I did them proud.

I plan to run a Cancer Research Race for Life every year from now on - whether that be 5k, 10k or I'm actually really wanting to try one of the Pretty Muddy events. It was such a fun day and I felt such a sense of achievement when they handed me my medal.

If you would like to sponsor me, you can find my fundraising page here. Family and friends of mine - you can also sponsor me by giving me the cash in person as I have a sponsorship form and so far most of you seem to prefer that method :)

♥

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Segway Safari

Hi everyone!  For my brother's birthday I decided to pay for us both to go on a Segway Safari experience as it is something we have always wanted to do. It is one of the things on my list of 21 things to do before I'm 21 list. I was a little nervous when I first stepped on but within a few minutes I was whizzing around like mad! It was strange for me because I'm used to driving a car with peddles, switches, gearstick, handbrake etc but this had no buttons. The instructor just electronically switches them on and then it's all about how you position your feet on the board and you lean on your toes to go forward or shift your weight onto your heels to go backwards. This is a little video my brother took of me once our experience had finished of me just driving around the car park, but we were taken all around a hotel and through into the woods where we went racing off. The experience lasted for an hour but I wish I could have stayed on all day. It was so much fun and I will definitely be buying one of these if I ever win the lottery! I would recommend it to anyone.

♥

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Things I want to achieve in 2015

Even though I've already made my New Year's Resolutions, I've also been having a quick gloss over my bucket list and thinking about other things I want to achieve this year, so I thought I would blog about them so that you can all tell me off in December if I haven't done any of them!

1. Kick the habit of biting my nails once and for all (If anyone has any tips, I desperately need to hear them please!)
2. Survive my final year of university and become an official 'Graduate'
3. Ride a Segway
4. Complete a Charity Run
5. Have my teeth 'done' - (Haven't decided what yet, but basically improve them)
6. Attend my first Ball
7. Longer hair
8. Save money
9. Make a list of '21 Steps to 21' - 21 ways I want to celebrate my 21st birthday
10. Bag myself a job I love!

♥

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My Love of Travel

When I was cleaning my room earlier, I noticed my travel memories on my window sill. With being away at university for at least 30 weeks a year, I haven't really paid much attention to them in a while if I'm honest. 

I'm a person who absolutely loves collecting little knick knacks, particularly when I'm travelling. I love being able to look at something and remember where I was, what I was doing and thinking, when I bought it. 

From left to right:

Sand in a jar - This sand was actually the contents of my walking boots when I returned from my World Challenge expedition to Botswana and Namibia in Africa! My sister-in-law bought me a pretty little jar to collect it up in. I did buy various souvenirs out there, but when I was cleaning my boots and discovered half of the Sahara desert, I decided this would be the perfect memento to remind myself of how challenging the experience was and how proud of myself I am. We walked 28km most days, walking from 6am to sometimes even 10pm at night. It was truly the most rewarding experience of my life.

Mickey and Minnie Snowglobe - I purchased this on my second trip to Disneyland Paris. I first went when I was two and can't remember much, so I'm glad I got to go again with school. I would love to go back, particularly when I have a family of my own. The magic of Disney is that it brings out the kid and fun in anyone, no matter how old you are. We went in December and it was so beautiful!

Houses of Parliament Snowglobe - Ok, so while this isn't international travel, it has been a dream of mine to visit the Houses of Parliament since I was about 14, what with me being a Politics student and all. Between the ages of 15 and 16, I debated in the House of Commons twice with Youth Parliament, and also completed work experience with my MP for a week. Not only have I done the official tour, but I've seen the parts only employees are allowed to see!

Costa del Sol Snowglobe - When I was younger, we used to holiday in Spain at least twice a year. We absolutely love it as a family - the weather is usually nice and my dad hates long haul flights. This snowglobe will always remind me of those memories of being a kid running around the pool, and jumping in with hundreds of inflatables! And Mum pesting me to put that horrible thick blue sunblock on my face (pale people problems)

Berlin Snowglobe - I went on a school trip to Berlin when I was in my final year of sixth form, aged 17. As a huge history geek, I had such an amazing time, looking at various WW2 and Cold War sites of interest. We even stood over where Hitler's bunker was. It was absolutely amazing, but colder than you could imagine! Some days it was -15! 

Tunisia Camel Snowglobe - Tunisia was my holiday destination of Summer 2013. It was great to have such a relaxing time after a stressful term at university, what with exams and everything. Even though I was absolutely terrified, I convinced myself into going on a camel ride. Tunisia is so hot, it was an amazing holiday! I loved the cultural experience that is so different from Europe, and it's really cheap too, so perfect for any students looking for some sun and travel!

Statue of Liberty Figure and Obama Bobblehead - These were purchased in my favourite place in the entire world - NEW YORK. I went with school when I was 17 for five days, but also went for my 18th birthday for 10 days. It was the holiday of a lifetime. Not only did I see EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, New York has to offer, I spent far too much money! (I blame you, Tiffany and Co!) As a Politics student, I couldn't resist this Obama bobblehead, even though I've never been to Washington. I would love to return to New York again in a few years, and maybe catch an internal flight to Las Vegas, to extend my holiday! 

This post probably seems really random, but seeing these made me enter a mood of reflection. I'm only just 20 and I've been fortunate enough to see so much of the world already. And trust me, I can't wait to see even more of it! I definitely recommend getting out there and seeing as much of the world as you can. I am a traveller at heart. I love seeing the world and feel like every holiday and journey I've been on has really shaped me as a person and given me valuable experiences.

Do you enjoy travelling? Are you a collector of any little knick knacks?

♥

Bucket List No. 23: Private Session with a Medium

Earlier today I had an appointment with a medium. I know from me saying this already some people will be rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. Now I'm not going to try and persuade the readers of the post to believe in something they don't, I just wanted to do a quick post about my own personal experience. I think everyone has the right to make up their own mind about this sort of thing.

Well I'd watched several psychics and medium programmes on TV and several of my Mum's friends had been to see mediums, and I will happily admit I was really intrigued. I wasn't sure what my opinion was of this type of thing, which is unusual for me as I can be really opinionated and have something to say about everything usually!

So I decided to add 'a session with a medium' to my bucket list. Some people find bucket lists depressing or pointless, but I know there are many things I am determined to achieve in my life. One of my favourite quotes at the moment is:

I think it sums up perfectly why I have chosen to make a bucket list. I'm pleased with how many of the things I have ticked off already, but I am constantly adding to it. I have 30 things on my list currently, and I have achieved 18 so far. It is quite a personal list and so I don't really want to share it all, but I'm happy to do occasional blog posts as I tick a thing off.

So I finally plucked up the courage and contacted a medium recommended to me by a friend. I think recommendations are crucial regardless of how much the session costs. I would rather pay more for a better service than be conned and made to feel like a fool

I was incredibly nervous, but as soon as the session began, I was just completely gobsmacked. I chose to take notes because 1) I have a tendency to overthink and I didn't want to be replaying the first pieces of information in my head and ignoring the rest of the session and 2) So I wouldn't forget anything, and could read over the notes again and again. A lot of the people who have passed on in my life did so before I was born, and so there were some minute details that didn't make sense straight away, (but I have had them confirmed by my Mum and Nan since - everything was spot on!) and 3) because I was worried eye contact would give information away?

I was so completely gobsmacked and shocked by the information I received. I would like to keep most of it private, but I can tell you I received genuine messages from two people very dear to my heart who have passed on. And I say genuine. Because while I went into this fairly sceptical, I was given messages that only I know - I haven't told any other family members, and I just couldn't believe how much I was told. Regarding pains and illnesses I had had recently, and one family member came to me to recommend wearing the 'sandals' to my graduation. This completely floored me, because only yesterday I had been talking to my Mum about graduation and asking if she thinks I have to wear heels like everyone else even though they hurt my feet, and she suggested jewelled sandals or something, and I was still undecided - until today. Thank you Nan! She apparently said to tell me that I always moan about my toes hurting in heels so I should just choose the sensible option, which made me smile.

I was also visited by my beautiful little cat, and the medium described her colour and gave me her name, and apparently she still has a grudge against me for throwing her down the stairs (In my defence, I didn't mean to throw her, I was two and just so excited to have a cat I accidentally let her go at the top of the stairs in my delight!) But it was all just incredibly touching.

I thought it would just be generic information like 'they are watching over you' or 'there is a man here', but she could tell me which side of the family they belonged to, the exact relation to me, and she told me not to worry about working abroad if that's what I want to do, and my family won't mind. I have never told my family that I worry about missing them if I was to choose to work abroad.

I was contacted by several family members, and whether you believe in it or not, I can say the experience has definitely benefited me. I cried when I left because I just felt really at peace with myself and a lot of questions I had were answered.

The medium I saw was so incredibly friendly and welcoming, and I couldn't believe how good she was. She even told my brother how old his eldest child was and described all of his children in immense detail. We both really enjoyed the experience today, and if anyone in the East Lincolnshire area would like to know who I saw, drop me a comment below or a text and I will give you her contact details.

♥