Inspiration Wednesday #3

"Work like there is someone working twenty-four hours a day to take it all away from you."

- Mark Cuban

I found this on Instagram the other day and it gave my work ethic a hefty kick up the bum! Mark Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks (NBA basketball team) and is listed in the Forbes 400 richest people in America.

Inspiration Wednesday #2

'Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens.'

-Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City)

Ever feel like you spend too much time just thinking about everything, worrying about things so much it begins to make you feel a little ill? I think this is something we all do from time to time (or in some of our cases, all the time!) therefore this week I like this quote and thought I would share it with you all. It's important sometimes to just take a step back, take a deep breath and consider our life as it is in that moment. This can be applied to life's smaller problems (I think Carrie was more specifically referring to dating) however it is a good motto to consider when over-thinking is hurting your head and causing you more problems than you had in the first place. Live in the moment!

Hope you all have a great day,

Lil x

Inspiration Wednesday!

It's the middle of the week and I don't know about you but it's at this point that I can usually do with a little uplifting or a moment of positivity to keep me going! So let me share with you a quote I find inspirational in the hope that it helps you in the same way it does for me.

"There will be people that will say you can't make a living out of something you love to do. But are you really living by not doing it?' - Olan Rogers

Olan is a youtuber/actor amongst other things, and has overcome many things in order to make a living out of what he loves to do. He has an amazing attitude towards life and this quote is very relevant to the point in life at which I currently stand - I have completed my degree but haven't yet graduated and am beginning a new era of my life. When making decisions which may determine my future career this quote is proving incredibly important. I think doing something you love and being able to earn a living from it is the one of best possible things you can accomplish. Although this is not necessarily possible for everyone, what's to stop you trying? I think everyone needs something to dream about and strive towards! If you don't give something a go, how will you ever know if it worked or not? :) 

Have a lovely day,

Lil x

Summertime Music Picks

Here are the summer 2014 tracks that I am currently loving and can't stop listening to! I love it when bloggers share their music on their blogs so hopefully you will find something you like or something you haven't heard before. Click here for the playlist!

For that summer vibe:

I Got U - Duke Dumont

Waves - Mr Probz

We Are Done - The Madden Brothers

Feel - Bombay Bicycle Club

For girl power:

Break Free - Ariana Grande ft. Zedd

Ugly Heart - G.R.L

Salute - Little Mix

For the boyband cravers:

Somebody to You - The Vamps ft. Demi Lovato

Don't Stop - 5 Seconds of Summer

Something catchy:

Maps - Maroon 5

I Will Never Let You Down (R3hab Remix) - Rita Ora

Sing - Ed Sheeran

Braveheart - Neon Jungle

Let me know in the comments your current favourite tracks! :)

Lil x

PS. Check out my new Twitter account!

Moving Mayhem!

Apologies for the lack of posts recently! I've just finished my degree and have been all busy starting new ventures, doing an engagement photoshoot and moving house! Unfortunately I am in between houses at the moment - staying with my boyfriend - with no internet (boo) and have more moving to do in the near future so it's all go at the moment. Man I have missed blogging! Hope you have all been well and are enjoying the summer, I'll be back with new things to talk about soon! In the meantime head over to my Instagram to check out what I've been up to :D

Lil x

PS. Head on over to Millie's blog to have a peek at the engagement photo shoot I did for her!

Doing silly things for charity

For weeks now my friend Chris has been organising a 24 hour space-hopathon in order to raise money for Alzheimer's Society. This is taking place between 10 AM today and 10AM tomorrow (28th May). I agreed to bounce for a half-hour slot this morning, but ended up filling three with my friend Beth (pictured) and Simon. We had such a good time on the space-hoppers and as well as bouncing around we kicked a football back and forth and tried to do a synchronised space-hopper bump in mid-air (this resulted in two of us falling backwards off our hoppers!)

Not only was this great fun but I think this is such a brilliant charity to raise money for and donate to. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and is currently affecting the lives of over 490,000 in the UK alone. 

Chris is also going to be climbing Mt Kilimanjaro to raise money! Here is his Just Giving page if you want to find out more: http://www.justgiving.com/Christopher-Benson1

Good luck Chris!

Cheerleading!

Over the weekend I was away in Telford taking part in the BCA University Nationals and National Championships with my university squad. With great excitement I took up cheerleading in my first year of university and became part of the Level 2 squad. This year (my third and final year) was the first time we were able to take part in the competitions along with our Level 3 squad (who had been the previous years) and it was absolutely incredible!

Although we didn't place I think I speak for everyone when I say we had the most fun we'd had in ages and loved every second. The rest of our team sat at the front of the mat and screamed like crazy for us the whole way through. We weren't marked on 'spirit' but we had the best, most excited cheer faces going. Performing the routine we'd worked so hard on over the past year was amazing. Our performance at the University Nationals was good but at the National Championships the next day we did so much better and all left the mat feeling a huge sense of achievement. It's a feeling none of us will be forgetting for a while (that is, until we compete again in May!)

Here's a picture from the competition:

(I'm the one not cartwheeling!)

I've had a few mixed responses from people when I tell them I do cheerleading, but when it has given me some of the best friends I've made at university, and some of the most incredible and enjoyable experiences of my life, I honestly couldn't care less about the stereotypes!

I love hearing about the hobbies other people do so comment below about the hobby you enjoy the most!

Chocolate!

Hey, did you know this weekend London celebrates the Chocolate Festival? Sadly, I live in Yorkshire (the home of Nestle!) so couldn't quite justify paying a visit to London purely for chocolate. Instead, to keep in with the theme of my blog, and as the perfect excuse to buy chocolates, I decided to have a movie night and share with you some of my favourite chocolate snacks! (Sorrynotsorry).

When it comes to films my boyfriend and I tend to clash on opinion from time to time. Sometimes I'll be in the mood for a Disney movie and he, well, never is. So we each picked out our favorites for a movie night and this is the result! Whose choices do you like the most? (I personally love Skyfall too but I managed to pick up Elizabethtown for only £1!)

Also, I realise Caramac isn't chocolate, but I hadn't had one in years and couldn't resist!

Christina Grimmie

Listening to this first thing in the morning has put a really positive spin on my day!

If you're feeling stressed, down in the dumps or unmotivated give this a listen, it definitely put a smile on my face.

Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

Award Rules
1)Thank & Link.
2) List rules & display your award.
3) 7 facts about yourself.
4) Nominate other amazing blogs and comment to let them know, linking them to your post.
5) Optional. Proudly display the award logo on your blog (eg. side bar) & follow the person who nominated you (if you didn't already).

Thank you Petra and also Grace for nominating me! As my first award I really appreciate this. :) x

I nominate...
Linderella (Fab beauty & lifestyle posts)

Elisse (My first ever follower!)
Vanessa (Brilliant photographer)
 Beth (Very cute beauty blog)
Jemma (Love just about all her beauty posts)
Bea (Another gorgeous beauty blog,
and she shares my love of Tanya Burr lip gloss!)
Elizabeth (A relatively new blogger like myself!)

Being silly

Simon and I had a moment of silliness yesterday and this happened. What larks!

York

One of the best things I ever did was moving to York. On sunny days (like today was) it's just great. Large enough to have plenty to do, yet small enough to allow you to walk everywhere. The Minster never fails to amaze me, no matter how many times I walk past it (which is a lot because it's on my way to work). There's a Starbucks nearby that has a lovely view of this part of the Minster if you sit at the window.This is a photograph I took today after work. :)

[Update!]

After abandoning this blog for two years, I decided to revisit and revamp.

Now that I've restyled my blog, I can start posting about my favorite things again!

Much has changed since I last posted - I'm now in my last year of study and preparing to jump from full-time education into the real world. Eek!

Wish me luck ;)