Anniversaries, Italy and VEGAS!
The fact that it’s June makes my head SPIN like I can imagine it would if I spotted Ryan Gosling on the other side of the road. I often think about what would happen in that moment and I really do believe that my head would all of a sudden have the mobility that rivals that of an owl and I would probably end up passed out in a heap over his feet due to dizziness/general hyperventilating. Let’s all not forget the time that Rashida Jones complimented me on my Rashida Jones designed luggage in a New York hotel lobby and I made a sound that in my head was ‘Thank You‘, but to all witnesses present apparently sounded more like I was choking on a wasp. Not cool man. Not cool.
Starstruck-ness aside (seriously, how did we end up there?), let’s have a chat about the past four weeks shall we? I always knew that May was going to be a bit of a whirlwind month for me, and indeed it was, with me spending almost half of it away on adventures and the other half at home trying to hold down the fort and battling off bladder infections (YAY!). But in a way I’m quite happy to have my feet firmly planted back on the ground. My next trip I have planned is at the end of August and I have a rather large deadline to fulfil before I leave, so for the next couple of months it’s time for me to get my head down. So they’ll be no more Vegas gallivanting, instead it’s back to U.K service station reviews from me over on Instagram stories. Here’s what else happened in May…
The Italian Job. It feels like years ago now, but at the beginning of the month Mark, my parents and I headed to the south of Italy for a family jolly aboard and to film a video for Villa Plus. I know – PINCH ME – you can watch the video here. I’m a complete homebody who counts my parents as my best mates/relationship goals/my favourite people on earth and although we go on regular U.K family breaks to the Lake District, I last went abroad with them eight years ago. EIGHT YEARS! So this trip was well overdue and it was so fun to take my parents back to a corner of the world which Mark and I absolutely ADORED last time we stayed there. My Mum discovered a new love for rosé wine and pledged to never buy a salad dressing again thanks to the dreamy combo of olive oil and balsamic and my Dad even ate tomatoes (BIG NEWS). It was a holiday that I’ll never forget and hopefully one that will spur us on to travel further afield in the future.
Bank Holiday = Good Times. Being someone who works for themselves, Bank Holiday no longer has the ‘WHOOOO DAY OFF!’ or ‘WHOOOO DOUBLE PAY!’ draw that it once did. They quite often roll by without much of a fanfare, with the odd family BBQ thrown in and me treating Monday like any other day, whilst Mark basks in the fact that he can watch cycling on the T.V without me moaning that I’m bored of being a Giro-widow (if you know, you KNOW). But for the first May Bank Holiday my friend who currently lives in Amsterdam came to stay and we spent the weekend down the beach with our other mate having a grand old time. Three out of three days at the beach! It felt like I was on holiday! We ordered takeout, wandered round some of the Artist Open Houses that were part of the Brighton Festival, watched The O.C and laughed at just how awful it was (it has not aged well and it appears that no one on the show ever smiled, although I <3 SETH 4EVZ still) and even had a haircut together. I promise to embrace the Bank Holidays like the good ol’ days from this point on because it really was lovely.
VEGAS! VEGAS! VEGAS! Yes I’m still not over it. I stupidly said the phrase ‘HASHTAG BLESSED’ to Mark the other day and I don’t think he’s going to stop repeating it for at least the next five years, but I feel like a pretty lucky lady this year. 2018 so far has been INSANE and this Las Vegas trip just topped off the half-year mark nicely. Vegas is basically like adult Disney. Like a huge amusement park that’s cornered off in it’s own little bubble. The food is insane, the casinos draw you in and everyone asks ‘So what brings you to Vegas?’ at least five times a day. If you fancy seeing what we go up to then check out this video, although it was basically eating, sunning by the pool, drinking frozen Strawberry Daiquiris and texting my Dad for Blackjack tips on repeat. I’m already planning when I can visit again with my bevy of girl mates.
Meeting You Lovely Lot. Last Thursday evening I hosted an event down at St Martin’s Courtyard by Covent Garden as part of their Day-to-Night event and along with having my makeup done by the kindest MUA and feeling like a ten (I also treated myself to a blow-dry and a pedicure before – look I’d been holed up in bed for days before with a bladder infection that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy), I got to meet some of you lovely lot. It’s easily my favourite part of this mad career that I get to call my job and to put faces to names is always a cracking feeling. BIG LOVE to everybody who came down. It felt like being a room full of old mates and I really hope I have the chance to meet more of you in the future as we always have such a cracking time. Cocktails, food AND makeup – what’s not to love? Same time next week, yeah?
Our Anniversary. We made it one year! Longer than Kim Kardashian’s 72 days. HOORAY. Although one year seems a little weak sauce given that this September marks 10 years since I set eyes on Mark and told my mates to keep their hands off. It’s a true story that my Uni mate Sally loves to tell. We spent the day doing what we love best – eating. And rounded off 12 hours of chowing down at all the best spots in Brighton with dinner at 64 Degrees, which is our favourite fancy pants meal in the city. It’s strange looking at our wedding day one year on (find the details of what we did here), and my advice to any future brides and grooms out there is to do whatever the hell you want, invite whoever you want and don’t make yourself super poor because of it – do that instead with the honeymoon! We look back on our wedding day fondly and wouldn’t have changed a thing (although Mark always says he would have changed his starter!). And perhaps it’s time that we got round to putting the wedding album together…
Photos by Lauren Shipley
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