Once Upon A Time There Lived Two Princesses...

These two princesses were best friends, needed a good holiday and loved Disney.

Cue a trip to Disneyland Paris!

So here is another throwback Thursday post and one to get me back into writing again after a 'wee' break! And I am afraid its a little late due to forgetting to hit send yesterday!

This throwback thursday harks back to my trip to Disneyland with my Bestie Kirsty.

Kirsty and I went to Disneyland in the Summer of 2013. This was our third trip to Disneyland together. Number 1 trip was a School Trip and number 2 was a coach trip in 2012. This trip was a little more independent and grown up than the rest – showing a sign our ever maturing age.

Our trip began with an overnight stay in London including Dinner at Jamie’s Italian and a trip round the National Portrait Gallery. We then stayed the night in Barking in a Travelodge before hopping on an early morning Eurostar to Paris.

We arrived in Paris about lunchtime and then set about trying to beat the confusion of La Gare Du Nord and catch a Metro to Disneyland or La Marne de Valee. We did this as a direct Eurostar to Disney was sooo much more expensive! When arriving into Disney we had pre-booked the Disney priority luggage service and so simply had to drop off our luggage at the station and then head into the park for our first day of our adventure. This was such a time saver and definitely worth the extra money we paid, as our cases were taken directly to the hotel.

We spent the day in the whole day in the main Disneyland Park. It was brilliant to be back again and we set about going on all our favourite rides. When we ventured back to the Hotel we finally checked in and were assigned our room. Amazingly we had been upgraded to a Honeymoon Suite! Unfortunately there were no early breakfast slots left at our hotel but this turned out to be a godsend as we bagged breakfast in the park and this enabled us to make the most of our early magic hours.

We stayed in the Newport Bay Hotel, the 'American Seaside' themed hotel. Our room was part of the admiral’s floor and in one of the hexagonal towers on the back of the hotel, overlooking the lake. The room was huge, with a bed big enough for 6 people, a sofa, dining area and massive bathroom. It was such a shame that we did not have much time to spend in there as we wanted to make the most of Disney! Another perk was the freebies in our room! Mickey Mouse Shortbread can only ever be a good thing!

With regards to eating at Disneyland, food is always a tough issue. Because of my dietary issues and the un-healthiness of Disney food we are a little picky. Disney dreams also added issues to the fact we had to rush dinner to get a good spot. We chose to eat at the Rainforest Café but were disappointed with the service, the Lucky Nugget Saloon which had excellent service and was the most cost efficient and then finally McDonalds as we had a long journey on the way home which we spent munching on snacks!

My favourite rides in Disney are ‘It’sa Small World’ which we went on at least 20 times the first time we went & Big Thunder Mountain which was unfortunately closed on this trip & Peter Pan which is childish but just lovely. I also love Crush’s Coaster in the Disney Studio’s which I managed to convince Kirsty to go on this time despite her fear of spinning – last time she conquered her fear for the tea cups!

Disney Dreams is a truly amazing experience. Nothing can compare to this show with regards to entertainment, awe and spectacular-ness! It is full of fireworks, fire and projections on spraying water. This combined with Disney songs and our favourite characters makes for a truly magical experience.

This time, while we were in the parks we made a conscious effort to meet more of the characters in addition to going on all the rides. We were fortunate enough to go at a relatively quiet time and were able to go on pretty much every ride (every ride we wished to go on) and some multiple times and we weren't rushing to do so. This meant we also had plenty of time to wander round and meet characters and queue up for the Princess Pavillion! We were fortunate enough to meet Belle, Mickey (of course; no trip would be complete without a cuddle from Mickey!), Cinderella, Jack Sparrow and then watch Peter Pan & the Mad Hatter play 'Duck, Duck, Goose!' Then of course there are the parades where you get to see all the characters!

I love Disney. I feel like a child again whenever I am there, carefree and able to have fun and it gives Me and Kirsty for a break & a catch up! 

I officially cannot wait to go back again this summer! 

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Time to Talk...

So one of my Best Friends has inspired me to 'Get Talking' about Mental Health. My Friend Katie recently joined the Blog-sphere and her first post was about her anxiety issues. I was inspired to share my issues like Katie has on her Blog - It's Always Tea Time in order to support the Time to Change work.

I was also inspired by Briar Rose after reading her post on Time to Talk day.

I have always been an anxious person, I become obsessed over making everything perfect, worry about all the tiny things and become easily depressed when things don't work out as well as planned. I believed it was just part of who I am and for a long time I lived with it and life was normal. After coming to University, my depression, anxiety and health all deteriorated. At first the doctors thought it was my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome rearing its ugly head again. Then they thought it was Anemia. After being treated for both of these things, I was referred to the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Unit at the Leeds General Infirmary, in attempt to rid me of the dark days that were plaguing my time at University.

I underwent a course of therapy at the LGI for about 6 months, seeing my therapist every week and then gradually weaning myself off the sessions to fortnightly and then as and when needed. The sessions were hard going at first. I explained my issues, we talked through the problems I was having and tried to find the root cause. Each session led to homework being set - I was given relaxing tapes so that I could try and sleep easier - a food diary to ensure I was eating regularly as I have an on/off relationship with food and my therapist was concerned I was developing an eating disorder - a mind-map task to put down all my issues and how they all connected to each-other. 

At first I dreaded going and couldn't think why I was going because there was nothing wrong but looking back now - I realise that I wasn't myself for a while. Yes the CFS/ME probably didnt make things any easier but it was more than that. And yet life was going well - I was at a good university, had good friends and a loving family and yet I felt negative, down and depressed which led to me constantly picking up viruses.

I worked through my problems with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and my therapist helped to; minimise my over-thinking (ruminating), stop making over-ambitious goals, regulate my diet and sleep pattern and be more positive and confident.

Going through the course of therapy has led me to become my true self again. I sorted my life out and now grasp it firmly in two hands. I have to take each day as it comes and I still have dark moments but life is generally good. I'm now able to deal with the dark times instead of curling up in a ball and crying. I can go out more without stressing and worrying, my sleep pattern has its moments but is generally more normal, I have a healthier relationship with food, I stop stressing about Uni work as much and don't see not getting top marks as failure. I am also no longer fazed by my past and my CFS/ME and stop letting it prevent me from living life as I choose.

Life is now far more enjoyable and I can't thank John (my therapist) enough and my family and friends who went through the black spot with me and were 100% behind me and continue to be. 

It really is worth seeking help. A problem shared is genuinely a problem halved and specialists can help you see the light again. It may not work straight away but putting hard work into making you 'you' again is worth it in the long run.

Hopefully this Blog Post will make people begin to talk more about mental health. Maybe you've noticed a friend who needs that bit of support, yourself, a relative or you just want to raise awareness to Mental Health and make people realise there are more people out there than you think. I know I thought everyone who went to Uni was Happy and Positive and Confident and Partied Hard - I didn't realise that like me there were others who were just as depressed and anxious and had similar issues. I couldn't believe it when Katie told me what she was going through and I responded with "Me too". We became friends working at a Hotel in our holidays from university and after discovering similar interests and working long hours together we became firm friends. Since leaving the Hotel we stayed in touch and she has been a great support and a good friend to me. We now meet up for a cup of tea and a slice of cake and a chat about the progress we are both making. But Katie is not the only person I found to have struggled with these issues - last year I worked on a group project assignment and there were 3 out of 5 of us with depression - it just shows that some people are good at hiding it and others try not to let it get the better of them but its still there...

& 

You Are NOT Alone!

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The Vogue Love Story...

So Throwback Thursday has arrived again. Yes it is that time of the week where we think back to a time gone by and remember the good times we had...

Or in the case of my Philosophy Lecturer in the context of Transparency theory in objection to Sense Data, we try and remember the phenomenal character of the objects we experienced rather than the phenomenal character of the actual experience as that is transparent.

Today I flashed back to about June last year where I took a trip to Roche Abbey which is near to my home with my Grandparents. The Abbey Ruins are beautiful and tackling the winding single track lane it is definitely worth it! Its an idyllic spot and we chose a rather lovely day to amble by the river and mooch around the ruins.

It was also the perfect day to play: "I SPY A VOGUE FASHION SHOOT!"

Our trip to the Abbey was brilliant for another reason. And that reason is that a Vogue Fashion shoot took place there too.

We weren't supposed to know who they were and which publication they were from but my Gramp's was incredibly fascinated by what they were doing and managed to wheedle it out of the English Heritage Staff! It was all incredibly exciting and I madly texted all my friends who would care that I was witnessing a Vogue Fashion Shoot in action - by accident! I stood and gazed at each shot they took (Gazed from afar!) The models were playing out what looked like a romantic picnic in the ruins with vintage style clothing.

We found out later that the Shoot was to be in the August edition of Vogue and was to be a Northern love story. The photographs were dramatic and yet romantic - with shots being split between Thorseby Colliery (another nearby spot) and Roche Abbey.

I was like a child in a sweet-shop as I watched the Vogue shoot occurring and tried to have a nosey into their vans of designer clothes! There were soooo many vehicles full of clothes/shoes/make up etc - it really was a girls paradise! And a tip I picked up from the fashion stylists was that Picnic Blankets from the English Heritage shop are the next big fashion accessory as they placed them round their necks as a sort of blanket/scarf/poncho - a male and female accessory. It was absolutely fascinating to see such an institution at work and to see the real life aspect of the fashion shoots I pore over each month! Its safe to say that I wont forget my day at Roche Abbey in a hurry!

These are the Photos from Vogue:

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