Yep, another month has completely and utterly flown by, 2016 needs to stop and take a breather! This month has been nothing short of exhausting, as you may have guessed from last week’s post. Yep, July 2016 turned into the month where I suddenly grow up and had to do a lot of very adult things. Eurgh. For the last few days I’ve resorted to sitting in my PJs for far too long and playing on the Wii (which seems very old school now!). But there’s been some massive, massive highlights too…
Graduating
The big one! On the 11th of July I walked around Canterbury Cathedral, winced as they pronounced my surname wrong, shook hands, collected my certificate and graduated. I managed not to fall over, despite the insane blister that appeared an hour before the ceremony. I managed not to fall asleep after I had been in the first handful of students to collect my degree, despite it being pretty damn boring. I managed not to faint, despite having not really eaten much at all that day. And I managed not to drizzle chocolate sauce down me when I finally, finally got hold of my Belgian waffle at 10pm that night.
In all honesty, I found my graduation a huge anti-climax – it was a very long day, my ceremony was a late evening one, and I was just tired. More to come on that one!
Finding a Flat
And I say that very everything crossed, as at the time of writing we’re just waiting on that last final confirmation. Obviously until I have got that I don’t want to say too much, but it hasn’t stopped me getting over-excited, planning cushions and decor, walking the route to the tube station on street-view and generally just being happy that we have somewhere to live.
Brighton
Despite only being a fortnight ago, I’m already in desperate need of another holiday! We’d planned to do a road trip around the Scottish Highlands, but decided relatively last minute to have a few days in Brighton instead – such a good choice! The week after our graduations was the ‘week of the heatwave’ and it was scorching, with perfect weather until we got on the train to return home! We sat on the beach, ate plenty of bad food, and drank more than a few cocktails. I hadn’t had a trip to Brighton for just over a year and had forgotten just how much I love the place!
Wedding Plans
With everything that’s gone on this month, I almost forgot that the first week involved an awful lot of wedding planning! One of the things that really appealed to us about a long engagement was the time and freedom to really space out planning, do bits as and when we wanted to, when no stress about things being booked up. HA!
I definitely turned into a little bit of a bridezilla when, having reserved our date (because yep, we set a date with the vicar!) with our top-choice venue, it was showing as booked on their site without my email confirmation coming through. Whilst I wish I was over-exaggerating, I sat refreshing my emails all day. We got the confirmation at nearly 7pm, much to our relief. So yep, we now have ticked off the church, reception venue and dress. Time to sit back and relax now for a few months!
Maxi-Length Outfits
It’s taken me years, but I finally found the courage to buy and wear a couple of maxi-length dresses and skirts. Part of the delay has been getting them to fit, in the end resorting to a dress maker to chop three inches off the bottom, but a big part is that for years I’ve felt oversized and (for want of a better word) really rather fat in them. Actually, I really quite like them. I wish I hadn’t waited so long!
Got myself remeasured by @lovebravissimo, then spent a fortune on new undies…
A photo posted by Chloe Ellen (@ninegrandstudent) on Jul 21, 2016 at 9:28am PDT
New Bras
This was a much needed item on my to-do list, and I’m so embarrassed it took me so long to sort it out. Since loosing weight last year, I’ve had near constant back and shoulder ache. A quick hour’s trip into Bravissimo whilst in Brighton both diagnosed and fixed the problem, and I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable. My clothes are also looking hell of a lot better, though my bank account winced at the price!
Carbs on Carbs
I couldn’t write my favourites without including this burger – I’ve had Mac’n’Cheese Fritters on a burger before (they were a little dry and claggy), but whoever invented this combo deserved a knighthood. Soft brioche bun, meaty beef patty, two slices of crisp bacon, and a giant helping of creamy, spicy, cheesy Mac. Utterly unhealthy, espcially when followed with an alcoholic milkshake and preceded by cocktails, but it was damn good. Quite possibly the best burger I’ve had in a while. And with the nights either side of this dinner both including pizza, it’s safe to say our trip to Brighton wasn’t exactly on any kind of diet plan!
So yep, a very busy month for me. The beginning on August is definitely reserved for relaxing, taking time to catch up with friends and family and generally taking a breather before the stress of moving begins!
What’s been your highlight of July? I hope it was more relaxing for you than me!
