Instagram Moments - July, August & September

Hellooooooo. I haven't blogged in so long I think I've actually forgotten how to!! Lately, I've hit a wall when it comes to writing my blog. I just never know what to write about, and haven't felt motivated to do so. HOWEVER (oooh exciting)... I feel like I'm in the right mindset to start regularly updating this blog again. Since I've been away for so long, the prospect of writing a skillful and creative post was a tad daunting, so I thought I'd ease myself back into the loop with something small and simple. Here's my Instagram moments of the summer months.

JULY

July was a very busy month! The summer holidays had just begun, and we celebrated my gorgeous little cousins Leo and Jayden's 2nd and 7th birthdays. I also went on a family holiday to Corralejo, Fuerteventura, which was amazing and definitely needed! At the end of July, some of my closest friends and family joined me on a sponsored walk across the Forth Road Bridge, sporting our best costumes and comfiest walking shoes. It was a lovely afternoon, and the support I received from not only those who came along, but people who donated and sent their luck and best wishes, was incredible. I'll write a more in depth blog post about that though as soon as we have a final total of money to send away to YoungMinds. 

AUGUST

August was the month I received my SQA Higher exam results. I ended up doing a lot better than I expected, achieving AAABC. I was over the moon, and so were the family, friends and teachers that supported me so significantly in my school year. I made the most of the last few weeks of the school holidays, spending time with my friends, and at the end of the month I attended my first official university open day. Me and Shanice set off to visit Dundee university, which is one of my choices for applying next month. We tagged along on a campus tour, and attended two of the talks (one of which was by accident!) Then we treated ourselves to a nice lunch, and it was a very exciting day that made me look forward to what the future has to hold!

SEPTEMBER

September has been my favourite month yet, and this is probably due to the fact that it's my birthday month. On the 3rd of September, my actual birthday, I had to go to school. On multiple occasions, my friends sang happy birthday and did their best to embarrass me, however I was in such a good mood that they never really succeeded. After school, I spent time with my family and three best friends, and was spoiled with lots of amazing presents from all of them. The weekend after my birthday, I had a party. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my birthday weekend than with my closest friends. I had such a good night, and hopefully everybody else did too. September is also the birthday month of my mum (who looks fab for 40!) and my gran, so there was lots of cake and birthday celebrations during the month. I did a few other minor things, like make myself a photo wall with all my favourite photos from this year so far, and go to Edinburgh university open day with Rachel and Abbie, and our lovely mamas too. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, on the very last day of September, I came home to a surprise awaiting me. He goes by the name Dougal, an eight week old Bichon Frise, and is our newest addition to the family. I LOVE HIM!

Thank you for reading, and sorry for being gone for so long. I hope your summer was as good as mine. I'm excited about the autumn and winter months that are fast approaching, and be prepared for Halloween and Christmas posts coming your way! Much love xxx

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Back To School Blues

Happy Sunday everyone! This week was my first week back at school, and the "back to school blues" have hit me hard. The first day back was okay for a while, as I saw many of my friends for the first time in six weeks. The talk of the year group was new classes, and the exam results we all received in the post just a few weeks ago.

After a particularly difficult school year last year, I wasn't really expecting 'amazing' exam results. HOWEVER, I did so much better than I expected, and the hours of hard work and studying really paid off. I sat five Higher exams (these are Scottish qualifications), and I got the grades I need to apply for university this year. I was beyond happy, and I'm very proud of myself.

English: A

          Human Biology: A

         Modern Studies: A

  Chemistry: B

Maths: C

This year is my last year at school before I hopefully go off to university. A much as I hate school, I'm going to try and make the most of this year, and make it a good one. I'm in a good place, I have good friends, and I'm excited for the future. 

I'll just be a lot more excited when I'm over the "back to school blues".

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Corralejo, Fuerteventura 2015

Hey! It feels like it's been ages since I last posted on here. I've just returned home from a two week holiday to Corralejo with my family, and I had such a lovely time (despite the lack of a tan I've came home with!!) Fuerteventura really is a lovely island, filled with lovely people, places and food! So, I thought I'd get back into the swing of blogging by sharing some of my holiday snaps with you.

I'm so lucky and extremely grateful for the opportunity I have to visit new places and make amazing memories with my family! Thank you for reading, and I'll be back soon. X

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Instagram Moments - June

How on earth is June over and now we're already in July?? This year is going far too fast, and it's really scaring me! June has been a fab month, full of fun with family and friends, and the summer celebrations have already begun. July is looking to be a busy month as I leave to go on holiday next week, have plans to spend summer days with my favourite people, and of course the sponsored walk I've planned with family and friends to raise some money and awareness for YoungMinds (if you can and would like to, please feel free to leave a donation here! ) So, without saying much more, here are my Instagram moments of June. 

My beautiful niece on her 4th birthday // Aw I love Rachel // First BBQ of the summer with the pals (L to R: Marc, Shanice, Morgan, Michael, Clare, Rachel, Me) // Cool dude Jess // Throwback with my papa and brother // Converse and daisies // Happy Father's Day to the best stepdad I could ever ask for // Baked cute cakes with Rachel // Me n Shanice // I miss my little brother so much // Cuddles with Dougie // Glorious weather in Scotland // Me and Rachel at Nicole's charity night // My gran threw a party for her dog's 6th birthday haha // Cotton candy clouds // Callum is my fav // I love Lisa lots, always one of my best pals // Cute pola with Shanice, Rachel, Sara and Louise // My two bestest buddies ever, I love them lots // Crazy hair and v smiley selfie!

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Motivational Monday #3 - Being Yourself

I. Hate. Mondays. However, I thought I would check in with another Motivational Monday post, and this time I'm writing about the importance of being yourself and embracing what makes you unique. This is something I've always struggled with, as I've always been a person that's most likely to be found in the background of situations, but recently, I've found it easier to be myself around people. I've developed my own 'style' (if that's what it can be called) in terms of the clothes and shoes I wear, my abundance of crazy, light blonde, natural curly hair, and the things I like. I want to be different. I love to wear different clothes and appreciate different things, and I can do it all without feeling stupid. I've never felt as confident in myself as I do at this moment in time.

The freedom to wear and do what makes YOU happy, is a great thing. If you accept yourself, others will too. It's so important to embrace the things that make you different, otherwise we would all be like weird, identical robots. The world would be a boring place if we were all the same, so just keep that in mind!

I hope you all have a good week, and I'll be back soon with another post. Lots of hugs! X 

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Instagram Moments - May

Hello everybodyyyy! This was meant to be a "What's on my iPhone?" post, but my baby cousin knocked my phone off a table in sheer excitement about dinosaurs on the TV, so that was short lived. May was a busy month, but not an excitingly busy month. I completed all of my exams, a huge achievement for me after the past few months I've had with my anxiety. Then, after my exams I had a few days just to chill with my friends before returning back to school and starting my sixth year. Sorry that this post is a little later than usual, I just kept forgetting to do it,but I'm hoping to start posting more regularly again, and I love everybody who takes the time to read my blog. Thank you so much!

Squad gathering with Clare, Rachel and Marc // Pretty yellow fields // Throwback when my family thought it would be funny to dress me, my brother and cousin in stupid costumes // The time me and Shanice got all dressed up to go out but couldn't be bothered so ordered pizza and watched movies instead // Exam revision essentials // Gran and Papa's 40th wedding anniversary // Love Rach and Clare // My little brother all tucked up in bed after a long day of being babysat by me // My baby brother wearing his socks the same way I do, bless him // Early morning studying in school with the best pals // Throwback to my mum and stepdad's wedding day, happy 3rd anniversary! // Reunited with my gorgeous little brother after five months and it felt so good, my heart could burst // Crew // Snuggly selfies with Shanice // The only boys I need in my life                 (Charlie, Jack and Niall too, but they weren't in the photo) // Angry sky

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May Favourites 2015

Hello everybody! It feels good to be back. This month I've been busy studying for and sitting my Higher exams, so blogging has not been a priority, but I have definitely missed it. I thought that it would be a good way to get stuck back into my blog by writing about some of my favourite things in May. Some of them are a bit random, but there's logic to it, and when you have spent the last month revising and not getting out of the house much, you start to appreciate the little things. Anyway, here are my favourite things in May.

Schwarzkopf got2b beach matt texturizing salt spray - I have naturally curly hair, but sometimes it can be so crazy that it looks like I've just rolled out of bed. This is an absolute godsend for the days when I get out the shower and let my hair dry naturally. I apply it quite generously to damp, brush hair, then run my fingers through it to even out the spray and separate my hair. Then I let it dry and I have relatively "beachy" waves. I really like this stuff.

Vaseline trio - Okay, this is a bit of a weird one, but lip balm is pretty much an essential for everyone. I've tried loads of different lip balms, but always prefer Vaseline. I really like the different flavours they do, especially the cocoa butter one, it's so nice. Anyway, that was a bit of a random one, but also one I can't do without.

Rimmel Kate Lipstick Shade 22 - This colour is my favourite. It is a very bright red, and it makes my teeth look really white when I wear it, which I'm embracing because I've not long had my braces taken off!! This lipstick is quite long lasting, and I've had lots of nice comments about the colour. It also smells really nice haha, which isn't something you usually specifically look for in a lipstick, but it's an added bonus I guess. Overall, one of my favourite lipsticks that I've used.

Boots Botanics cooling lavender gel - Yet another weird one, however there is a reason. As I mentioned at the start of this post, I've been doing exams. As an anxiety sufferer, these times can be especially stressful, and as I am not medicated (optionally), I am quite interested in natural remedies. This is a gentle, lavender scented gel that you apply to your pulse points before going to sleep at night, and I really believe that using this, as well as meditation through the Headspace app (another one of my favourites that I have not included in this post, but would recommend to anyone, even those who do not get stressed easily), and grudgingly drinking a cup of chamomile tea (ewww)  before bed totally helped me sleep well and calmed my nerves the night before an exam.

Stabilo Fineliner pens - My last weird one, I promise. Well, those with common sense will know that with exams comes studying. Essay plans, mind maps, lists, you name it, I probably did it. In an attempt to make myself feel more motivated and enthusiastic about revision, I bought lots of new paper and stationery. These little pens brightened up my revision, and I just thought the colours were really pretty. I've also just realised that I have a really sad life, so that's good too. 

Soap & Glory Mist You Madly body spray - I got a few bottles of this stuff for Christmas, and it smells amazing. I was so sad when I thought I'd finished all of it. However, a few weeks ago, I found another unopened bottle of it, and I was so excited. It's definitely my favourite Soap & Glory product. 

Nivea Daily Essentials oil free moisturising day cream - I bought this moisturiser only because the shop didn't have the one I usually buy (Simple Oil Balancing moisturiser). I'm so glad I did get it though. I prefer it as it is more hydrating, and doesn't leave my skin feeling gross and sticky afterwards. It is also really cool and refreshing, and I like the packaging too. The only issue I do have is that they don't sell it in bigger bottles!

Photo album - I've decided that I want to start printing out photos and filing them into photo albums. Quite often you lose photos if you break your phone, or you have to wipe your computer, and I really like the idea of being able to pull out a photo album in years to come, and show my kids photos of me and my family and friends as youngsters, just like my parents do with me. So, I went on to eBay and bought myself this cute little photo album for a few quid. The design is really cute, and it has space for 200 photos. I'm excited to start filling this up with photos. 

The Waiting Home (Tanner Patrick) - Lastly, my favourite album of the month. I found Tanner Patrick's covers a few months ago and totally fell in love. Then when I found out that his album was on Spotify, I was so excited. He's got such a beautiful voice, and his album is full of amazing songs. My personal favourites are Satellites and Heartbreak Therapy.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and I'm hoping to get back into posting on a weekly basis. Please remember to follow my social media (Twitter: @dxni_lee // Instagram: @dxni.lee), and also to follow my blog on Bloglovin'. Thank you, and have a fabulous week!