Egypt

So you might have read a while back that i was using my birthday money to go to Egypt with my boyfriend in February. I was really excited to get away and get some sun seeing as how the weather here in England has been something of a joke and is just not warming up at all! Boooo snow.

We had a lovely time although because of Jay's work we could only book it slap bang in the middle of the half term break, and because we had booked one of the "splash" hotels you can imagine it was crawling with kids! We would probably have liked a more chilled, relaxed kind of vibe but we knew when we booked it that we likely wouldn't get that and we still enjoyed ourselves anyway. The weather was beaut, really hot! and we did nothing but eat, drink, sunbathe and enjoy the onsite water park for the whole week. We left the hotel once for a meal at TGI Fridays (which was weirdly different to our own) but still nice, but other than that the complex had it all. 

I'd probably go back to Egypt again in the winter time because the flight time isn't too long for the weather you get but i'd definately look at some adults only hotels next time!

Here's some snaps from the trip.. (P.S i look very young in all these pictures! a 15kg luggage allowance meant no straighteners, no curlers, half of my normal make up selection and lots of au naturelle ;) haha enjoy)

(this face is cracking when you zoom in haha!)

The pictures where i'm in the blue dress are when we went to the NICEST restaurant ever! You actually cooked your own meats on a special stone grill right infront of you so i cooked my steak just how i liked it! The food was gorgeous and it such a fun experience although i was petrified i was gonna burn my fingers off haha!

As you can see i didn't opt for the bandaeu bikini so my strap marks were so blatant! but i thought it wouldn't really matter much anyway seen as we came home to arctic temperatures and my coat came straight back out of my wardrobe.

Overall a lovely break away, can anyone recommend any other nice hotels in Egypt for next time we go?

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Much Love

JessLoren x

Back Again

Hola! I'm baaaack.. (again)

 I can be such an unreliable blogger at times.. Sincere apologies!

 I think the last time i left off i was super excited about my holiday to Egypt, i was attempting some kind of healthy fitness regime but failing miserably and i was eagerly waiting to hear about the date i could put my sky suit back on and get up in the air on ze planezz.

So, following on from that.. my holiday was lovely! and i'll do a proper post on that later on today for no other reason than i need an outlet for my unhealthy addiction to taking and sharing photo's. My exercise regime is very much up in the air and i'd like to crack the whip on this pronto. Last week i was super good and went swimming about 5 times but this week i've not been once! Hmmm.. i think it's this miserable weather that's preventing me want to go outside AT ALL, even to walk to the car! But i have been busy with interviews which leads my on nicely to my final point that i have finally heard my long awaited return date to work. Unfortunately it's not until May :( which sucks major amounts. So i've managed to find myself a little receptionist job to keep me going until then which i start on Monday! I am soooo excited to get back to work and actually have something to do in the day. I am not cut out for this unemployed business - bored bored bored!

I have spent a lot of time reading other blogs in my time off and i'm really getting into the whole you-tubing thing (yes i know very late to this party) But i'm really enjoying watching everyone's video's and seeing all the lovely bloggers in person is really nice! I'm considering doing my own video although it does petrify me because i always detest my voice when i hear it back but i think most people do so i should just suck it up and do it anyway. I don't really have a great camera either and none of this tripod equiptment which always helps so it would probably be via my crappy webcam.. still worth doing? i don't know, what do you think?

Stay tuned anyway got a few post idea's in mind and gonna get cracking with this Egypt one shortly. 

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Much Love

JessLoren x

The Second Attempt

Okay so today was the big 2nd attempt at the 30 Day Shred and i was all raring to go this morning after posting about it last night. I wolfed down a good breakfast for fuel and stood ready with my makeshift soup can weights, praying to god it wouldn't be too hard.. unfortunately and inevitably.. it was.

 I probably got about half way into the session before i collapsed in a heap on my living room floor, shouting obscenities at Jillian as she bounced around on my laptop screen with all the energy of a jumping bean. She is literally a frigging machine.

I've come to the realisation that i am just not a workout dvd kind of gal. I hate exercise, and so if i'm going to do it there has to be some element of fun involved otherwise my motivation just fizzles away. This dvd is not fun, it's gruelling, non stop and full of stupid "motivational" comments that just leave me feeling irritated and ridiculous for not being able to achieve what she's telling me to. And i've decided that i'd much rather spend a little longer doing something i will get more enjoyment out of, than cram it all into these horrible 20 minutes.

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 I headed straight down to the pool after my failed attempt at the dvd, and 45 minutes of laps later i felt a lot better about the whole situation. Swimming is such good exercise as well as being something that i actually enjoy doing.. it doesn't feel like a complete chore, gets me out of the house and gives me the satisfaction that i'm working some muscles and burning calories. This kind of exercise might not be as effective as the shred, but it's definately the way forward for me. 

I've been looking into other things similar to swimming, that i might enjoy doing and I've decided i'd love to try the aqua aerobics and zumba classes that they hold at my leisure centre. I think these are down a similar kind of path, and would hold my interest enough to make me want to keep doing them like i do with my swimming. I was also wondering if any of you ladies have tried to Zumba games you can buy for the wii/kinnect? Are they any good?

I whole heartedly praise anyone who has reached day 30 on the shred, because i have no idea how you had the strength to do it at all! I'm glad i gave it a second shot though, because it's got me back down the pool putting in the hours there instead. Quick fixes aren't always the best!

xxx

Back On The Wagon

I was looking through some of my old blog posts yesterday and i came across one i'd written way back in June of last year. I was having one of my random monthly bursts of enthusiasm towards weightloss and exercise and i'd decided to give the 30 Day Shred workout dvd a go. (read original post here)

I was so geared up for doing it that i genuinely thought this would be the first time i'd see something like this through. I'd researched a ton of people who had gone the whole hog and the results they had acheived really did seem astonishing, and i thought hey i can do that. I mean how hard could it be? It's only 20 minutes after all.. it's only 1 month of your life.. it's only a bit of exercise.

I only lasted 3 days. Infact i think i might have given up half way through workout number 3 meaning i only really lasted 2. 

My efforts were laughable, and i quickly dusted the whole thing off and forgot all about it. Until now..

It's really irritating me that i didn't try harder with the whole thing.

 Don't get me wrong it wasn't a piece of cake by any means.. it was extremely hard to the point where you feel it's impossible, but deep down i know it's not. I know that hundreds of people much more out of shape than me have completed it, so what's my excuse?

I really want to give it another go, and i've decided i'm going to attempt it again tomorrow morning. This probably isn't the best time to start it up again, as i go on holiday in 10 days, essentially cutting everything off for a whole week. But i feel like if i put it off for my holiday then i'll put it off again when i get home and i'd rather just have a stab at it now whilst the urge is strong!

I've also heard that the first 10 day section is what gives you the most dramatic results, so should i see a slightly leaner looking self just in time for Egypt that'll be a bonus. I'm not entirely sure if i will fair any better this time (my confidence is zilch) but we'll soon see.. and i'm determined to blog about the end result this time, regardless of how early it may be!

Stay tuned for a report tomorrow. Eeeek.

xx

Arm Candy

A few weeks back i was having a girly shopping day with a friend at the Trafford Centre, and i was on the hunt for some nice clothes with the vouchers i'd received at Christmas. I was really hopeful i'd get some nice bits and pieces, however as per usual when I actually have the funds there was next to nothing that i liked. Dissapointing!

I hate going out shopping and coming back empty handed so when i spotted these little beauties half price in Miss Selfridge, i was pretty chuffed that my trip hadn't been a total waste of time!

(apologies for the lighting in these snaps! i always decide to blog at daft times of night)

Both packs were originally £8.50, reduced to £4.25.

To be honest i never used to be into jewellery like this at all. I was huge chunky bangles type of girl, and i used to bypass stuff this small thinking it was a bit pointless.. but my sense of style has definately changed recently and now i find myself liking these little understated bits more than ever. 

I've had a huge obsession with crosses of any size for a long time now so thats probably why i was drawn to the set at the top. I also really liked the idea behind the "Always. Believe. Love" and how the symbols on the bracelets matched up to the words. Very cute!

My favourite of them all however is the little brown J - I think initial jewellery can be really sweet when it isn't overly large and tacky.

The beauty of these little bracelets is that they can look lovely when worn invidually but create a gorgeous boho style look when you mix them all together, regardless of style and colour.

 

I'm definately keeping my eyes peeled for more of these

 What do you think?

xxx

Natural Fro

I mentioned in my "50 Random Facts About Me" post that i naturally have really curly hair and i was thinking that i don't know if i've ever posted a proper photo of it on here..

Well last night i met up with some of my best Monarch girlies at TGI Friday's and through genuine lack of energy, i went for the natural fro. I never normally wear it out like this because it never seems to behave! but last night it actually didn't do too badly and i got some nice comments from the girls..

What do you think? Here's an Instagram shot of how it looked..

I'm wondering if i should wear my hair like this more? I think it would probably help it to grow which it never seems to do at the moment..

 I'm also wondering if anyone has any good tips, or knows any links to blogs or websites that might give me some fresh ideas on products and styles i could try with my curly mop? I know i'm actually really lucky to have it i just wish i knew what i was doing!

xxx

Time To Dig Out The Suitcase!

So guess what i did today..

Showered, ate some toast, watched a bit of telly.. and booked a frigging holiday! BOOM! :)

I'm officially going to Egypt with my man on the 20th of Feb. We've been wanting to book something for weeks, but we were finally pushed into action today when the price shot up.. luckily we managed to get away with paying the price we'd originally seen! We're staying in a hotel called Coral Sea Splash Resort, and Jay is super excited because they have tons of slides and stuff which appeals to the big kid that he is. I'm looking forward to kicking back with a book and catching some rays, not much else!

I'm affording this holiday thanks to all my lovely friends and family who generously gave me money for my 21st birthday back in December. I was considering keeping it in my savings and spending it on something more "sensible" but quickly snapped out of it and thought, where's the fun in that?! To be honest i don't think people gave me birthday pennies expecting me to spend it on boring stuff like bills anyway, and i like knowing that i can say i did something worthwhile with it!

This is my last chance to get away before i go back flying, as i'm not allowed to take proper holidays in the summer.. so i'm really going to make the most of being the passenger before the tables are turned in the months ahead!

 Jay also worked all over Christmas this year including Christmas Day, so i feel he really deserves this holiday more than anything.

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To be quite honest i've always said i don't fancy Egypt. I know people get poorly quite easily because of the water, the locals can be a bit pushy and there has been times when it's been a dangerous country to visit.. but currently things seem to be quite safe, especially in Sharm, i don't plan on really leaving the hotel to have to deal with the locals and i'm planning on being really careful with what i eat and drink.. and maybe overdoing it with the hand sanitiser!

It's really the only place i can afford that has the temperatures i want at this time of year, and i can't wait to see some sunshine after the miserable weather we've had here the last few months.

For the first time ever i only have 15 kilos luggage allowance and i do not know the meaning of "travelling light" so packing for this should be interesting!! Note to self - it's only SEVEN days.

Has anyone been to this Hotel or Egypt in general and got any tips for me? 

Digging out my summer stuff now is going to feel SO weird.. 

xxx