One of my favourite bloggers, Emma, who blogs at the daisychain recently did a post about living out her life dreams and talking about her future plans. I love writing lists and making plans, in fact my first ever blog post on my old blog was a life to do list and I've ticked all of it off bar being a size 10, but I have dropped a dress size since I wrote it - so I'm well on the way! Anyway, I'm getting kinda old now and life is getting to that serious stage where I have to budget my money and get stressy over bills, in fact life's changed a hell of a lot in the last 5 years (remember five years ago, just leaving school and OH MY GOD GCSES ARE THE HARDEST THINGS EVER IM GOING TO DIE AND WHY HAVENT ALL OF McFLY TURNED UP AT THE FRONT DOOR WITH ENGAGEMENT RINGS YET!?!) which has led me on to wanting to write what I aim to achieve in the next five years and it's all big scary grown up things, eek!
The five year plan
1) Move to Australia. I doubt anyone needs an explanation as to why I want to do this. I'm a real outdoorsy kinda gyal and love the beach and being on/in the water (fyi I was a member of the sea cadets for years and years and very nearly joined the Navy!) and the idea of being able to live and eat outside for more than 3 days a year. I've always wanted a real family life too and from what I know of the family and friends who live there Aus is a real family kinda country. I'm going out for a few weeks next summer with boy to meet all of his family and I think it's going to be super hard to get either of us on the plane home!
2) Eat at nicer restaurants and enjoy food more. This is a real grown up thing for me to say, I love nothing more than quorn chicken nuggets and peri peri sauce or hummus and pitta but my taste buds have started getting all sophisticated on me and I'm starting to miss all the fancy restaurants my family used to take me too when I was little / before I moved out. If me and boy feel lazy we tend to order a takeout or go to spoons, the food of both being far from pleasant (unless drunk or hanging), if we saved going out to somewhere crappy once a week we could afford somewhere nice every other week. He loves his food too, so I think going somewhere nicer and trying new foods should be something we do together. Or maybe starting t having fancy dinner dates / dinner parties with my girlies!
3) I don't know if I dare write this one?! Buuut get engaged. I'm in one of those horribly loved up nothing ever goes wrong sickening type of relationships (touch wood) and we're both pretty sure our futures are together- especially with the whole Australia thing (we met at the beach!). Boys little brother proposed to his girlfriend 6 months ago and ever since I've gone into wedding overdrive, possibly because they haven't - not one bridal magazine has been bought, not one blog has been bookmarked!? We've obviously ended up having that chat and both agreed we do want to end up married one day, but not until 101 other things have been done first and until it's the perfect time (and in his words '' I cant propose in this country it wouldn't be special enough'' ). I think he also knows I will be a total control freak as I have my entire wedding planned in my head and it will be totally perfect. Oh and P.S we move in properly together in 9 weeks now, eeee no more packings suitcases and getting buses to his house!
4) Go to a festival. I genuinely don't remember the last festival I went to. I grew up going to little hippie festivals with my mum and the only one I've ever been to without family is soul survivor. I've never really been a fan of the huge festivals apart from maybe bestival or beach break so I'm putting them on the list of things to do! I might even brave glastonbury, but I just like the idea of a muddy cider fuelled festival weekend without my tent being set on fire (a la NASS). I'd also love to go to bamboozle in the states one day but I don't think I ever will, so I guess slam dunk leeds it is (everyone knows London's for losers!).
And I guess that's it really, some are really big points in fact most are big grown up life changers. I'm half tempted to put back in the size 10 business but I am getting there and I know that by the time we go to Australia next year I will be 100% satisfied with my body and well if I look banging as a 12 then so be it.
Happiness is the Key to success.
What's your five year plan?
Can you believe how much you've changed in the last five years?
xoxoxox