Summer Bucket List 2016

Summer bucket lists make summer seem alot more exciting to me. I suffer with migraines in the heat (yes, even in England), heat doesn't agree with my body so for the past few summers I've been poorly, so summer is always a bit of a poopy time for me. Creating a bucket list each year gives me lots of things to look forward to, i list everything i like to do in summer and i can work towards ticking them off and creating great memories at the same time. This year's list is a long one, but as i have finished university ridiculously early, i have 3 months now to fill with fun summer things. Ps, this is going to be a long one!

• Stargaze
• Get caught in the rain
• Have a movie marathon
• Go bowling
• Go to the zoo
• Go to the cinema and get the largest popcorn
• Visit a new beach
• Spend all day at the beach
• Watch the sunset
• Watch the sunrise
• Run Race for Life
• Have a BBQ
• Bake cakes
• Do a bootsale
• Make a summer playlist
• See a West End show
• Do the splits
• Buy from an ice cream van
• Go on a spontaneous day trip
• Make the garden pretty
• Give blood
• Use a disposable camera
• Go to a penny arcade
• Ride my bike again
• Go swimming
• See a ballet
• Escape for a weekend
• Read more books
• Start yoga
• Have a picnic
• Get a summer job
• Go hiking 
• Spring clean
• Get out of the country
• Volunteer
• Have a meal alfresco
• Explore the South West coast
• Keep a summer diary
• Plant a tree
• Visit an amusement park
• Spend time in the garden
• Run
• Cook more interesting dishes
• Spend quality time with family and friends 
• Go to a farmers market
• Go on a nature walk
• Colour in my adult colouring book
• Visit a museum
• Make homemade pizza
• Visit a National Trust site 
• Go to the library
• Watch the clouds
• Make homemade ice lollies
• Try pretty hairstyles
• Go fruit picking
• Discover a new walk
• Wake up earlier
• Make a memories album
• Play mini golf
• Become more flexible
• Build a sandcastle
• Write a letter to my future self
• Spend all day watching Disney movies
• Collect shells at the beach
• Have an unforgettable summer!

I have already ticked off a couple of things on my list, and I'm really looking forward to ticking more off. I want to see if i can tick everything on my list off, I've never been able to achieve that and i really want to this summer!
I hope everyone has an amazing summer, and that my summer bucket list has given you some ideas for yours. 

Laura x

Bath and West Show 2016

The Bath and West Show is a huge country fair set on the Royal Bath and West Showground, in Somerset. I have been every year since i was a few weeks old, it's a family tradition. On Thursday myself, my Mum, Nan, Auntie, Uncle and little cousin all went for a nice family day out. I had such a nice day, i wanted to share some pictures which captured only an essence of the show. If you live locally to Somerset i would highly suggest checking it out next year, it's a lovely country day and is great for all ages. You can find some of these snaps on my Instagram: @laurasadaydreamer.

Laura x 

My First Year of University

It's been a crazy long time, almost 10 months since i last wrote a blogpost, and that was only to apologise for being MIA for even more months before that. However, i feel well and truly rested, my life has completely changed since July last year, and taking a break from a few things to focus on these changes was the best decision for me. Not to dwell on the past too much, but i just wanted to make a post about one particular thing which has changed my life around and i wanted to appreciate it properly, in depth with alot of pictures. 

In September 2015, i flew the nest to begin my university chapter. University always seemed a million years away, like it was the ultimate thing to do after finishing school and college, which both did their fair share of dragging. I'll be honest now, and say the concept of university never thrilled me. It wasn't something i desperately wanted to do, it was simply the right path for me to take when it came to deciding on my near future in my second year of college. This may seem strange, and why would i bother if it wasn't something i have always really wanted to do? 

I have taken dance classes since i was 3 years old, I was prancing around way before that. My whole life has always been about dance, there has never been anything else. I can't even remember making a decision to do dance or for it to carry on being my career, dance has just always been my life and i have no memory of being without it. It is entirely who i am and it is what makes me sane. The thought of my life now without dance is a very depressing thought for me. I have never been stuck deciding on what to do with my life after school or college, it was simply; to dance. 

So when i was finishing my A Levels, i had to decide how i was going to carry on dance. I looked into a few options, and it came down to vocational dance colleges or university. After further research i decided vocational wasn't for me, i wasn't interested in acting or singing, and most vocational courses are not funded by student finance, which i couldn't afford without. So university presented itself as my new venture into dance, and i loved the sound of studying dance at university. 

So the next step was finding which universities i liked the sound of, and applying for them through UCAS (i do not miss that process at all). I used 3 out of my 5 options, and applied for Bath Spa, De Montfort and Chichester. I felt happy with these decisions, i did alot of research into these courses and they sounded perfect for me. I first auditioned for De Montfort, which was a 5 hour train journey away in Leicester, and i had to stay in a hotel the night before. The university was great, i really loved the campus and the course presented itself really well, and i loved the audition. I left with a buzz, it was definitely a choice. 
My second audition was at Bath Spa, which was a 40 minute drive away from where i live. Bath is a beautiful city, and i was very hopeful as it was close to home. Unfortunately, i just was not impressed with the audition or the presentation of the course at all, it was unorganised and the staff were less than singing praises or selling it well. It was a massive shame as i was really hopeful. It wasn't a choice for me. 
My last audition was at Chichester, and it was the tie breaker. It was 2 and a half hours on the train, and the city is stunning. I cannot describe it, but i got into Chichester and i just knew. I hadn't even gotten to the university and i knew, i just felt instantly at home. The university was amazing, i was more than impressed and the course sounded incredible and exactly what i was looking for. The audition was thoroughly enjoyable, and i had fingers and toes crossed all the way home that i would be accepted. I was, and i was super happy. De Montfort was my insurance choice, but Chichester just felt completely right for me. 

Due to the course being an audition process, the UCAS points required weren't too high, although Chichester had quite a high UCAS point requirement. I worked it out that i would need to achieve three E's in order to get in. I don't want to sound up myself, but i knew this was completely achievable for me. I'm very academic, and i gave everything i had into revising and working hard for my A Level exams, so i knew my hard work would pay off. I ended up with three B's which i was pleased with, and i was accepted into my first choice university. 

I had been collecting stuff for uni for months, i absolutely loved mooching round for kitchen things and cushions. I didn't go crazy, i bought from budget shops such as Wilko's, B&M, Primark and Poundland. I loved everything i bought, whenever i looked through my stuff i got really excited. 

September rolled around and i was well prepared to move to uni. I was very nervous, im quite a shy person and i wasn't sure if anybody would like me. It was a 2 hour drive, and i got to my halls (Pinewood House if you were wondering) at about 11am on Sunday 20th September. My halls weren't conventional, it was just a big house which wasn't split into flats like most other halls. There were about 50 rooms, 15-20 on each floor. I was on the top floor (Room 214), and the first thing i noticed was the window, it was gorgeous. The rest of my halls were not so gorgeous, the sharing facilities were well below par, and the kitchen was just about in working order. It was the cheapest rent of all the halls, and now that i have moved out, i do not miss it one bit. My experience in halls was not a fun one. 

Freshers week was good, i remember being high on life in those first two weeks of uni. Everything was new and exciting, i had made lots of new friends, i had started a course which i absolutely loved, and i just loved being able to dance again after a long summer off. 

Once freshers week distanced itself from the hard work which was coming my way, everything settled down a bit. The rest of the year is the same really. A couple of exciting things happened throughout the semester, but it was mainly getting my head down to write countless essays, spending early mornings and late nights in the studio rehearsing, alongside my all of my other classes and modules. I won't go into too much detail about my course, because i doubt many of you are interested in the details of a course you probably wouldn't take. However i met some amazing friends and dancers, and i love these photos too much to not share. 

I don't know what i was expecting out of my first year of university. I guess that's what was so exciting, i had no idea what was going to happen, what i was going to learn and how much i will have grown as a person by the end. Some people think university students don't do alot, that they have hardly any timetabled classes and in their spare time all they do is eat baked beans and get drunk. I can't tell you how far from the truth that is. Well for me anyway, i can't speak for every student. So much is packed into the few weeks you are at university, this 3.5 month summer break is well earned let me tell you

Apart from my dancing, my self confidence has grown so much over the past 8 months, i feel like i can take on anything now. I am fully geared up for second year, i've had the taster of first year and now i know what to expect. Not only will things be stepping up a notch, but i will also be the President for the Dance Society which is really exciting! I can't wait for that adventure. 


So as i mentioned, i have a 3.5 month summer now which means i have tonnes of spare time to do whatever i want in. Seeing as i've abandoned this blog over the last year, i am hoping to be able to write more on here, i'd like to focus more on lifestyle things rather than fashion or beauty, as that really wasn't my bag. 

Laura x

Someday in Summer

I am finally sitting down to write a blogpost, go me! 

The reason I've been so bad with my blog this year is mainly due to my A levels and my health. My time has been consumed by A levels and in my spare time I've had dance or been in bed resting, so my blog has taken a back seat. Now that I'm on summer (even though I've been on summer since 18th June), i want to spend more time on my blog, because i really do enjoy it, and i enjoy looking back at all my old posts. 

As always, i like to share pictures I've taken either for instagram (@laurasadaydreamer), or pictures I've taken which didn't make it to instagram. Ill only include the ones from this month, otherwise this post will be crazy long and boring:p

I've been spending more time down by the river, which is my favourite place in the world. Unfortunately, I'm allergic to insect bites and despite spraying insect repellent, i still seem to get bitten and its really unpleasant, so I'm trying to limit how much i go down there and for how long. Which is a shame, because its so beautiful and peaceful. 

I also recently took a trip to Weymouth which is a quick train ride away, and is like a third home to me. My great-grandparents lived there so i spent alot of time as a child seeing them and frolicking on the beach, and i love being there. 

As usual, every Sunday i visit my Nan for a roast dinner and to spend the day with her, that is like my second home. So many homes! She has a beautiful garden which i love spending time in and admiring the pretty flowers she grows. 

Yesterday, my mum, my nan and i went to a huge book warehouse full of second hand books at cheap prices. There were walls and walls of books under every category imaginable. Want to know what i picked up? Well, i got 2 fiction books, a book on ballet, one on candle making, one on Tanzania, a student cookbook, a brain training book, a book on how to be calm, a book on migraines and a book on sociology and health. Random? i don't think so, haha. 

Apart from that, I've just been spending time with my boyfriend, watching a s**t tonne of movies, eating a s**t tonne of Ben and Jerry's, and resting in bed. I'm currently in the process of spring cleaning my room and making the garden look pretty. Average summer activities? Probably not. 

So that's my life so far this summer, i shall be putting more effort into this blog so watch this space! (If you feel obliged to, it wont be that interesting i should imagine). I shan't leave it so long next time :)

Laura x 

   

My 18th Birthday.

First things first, i am the worlds worst blogger. This is the first post I've done this year and its the end of April, I'm terrible, i know, I'm sorry. There are many reasons as to why but that'd be boring and this is a fun post!

So despite my birthday being 16 days ago, I'm going to do this anyway as its quite a special occasion, being the birthday i turn into an adult and all. This alone scares me, I'm no longer a child, and this just seems crazy to me, I've been a child my whole life (well duh). I spent the day singing Grown Woman by Beyonce and being surrounded by pink things, i wasn't complaining. 

I just wanted to post some pictures of the day, i figured it would be too much to post them all on Instagram (@laurasadaydreamer), so i wanted the not so nicely edited and focused ones to go somewhere, so they're going here. 

  

See how much pink there is? It was amazing! I had a really nice birthday, and it still hasn't quite sunk in that I'm an adult now, it seems so weird. 

Anyway, i hope to be doing more blogposts in the coming weeks, although i do have A level exams in a month or so so i should really be studying for those. 

Laura x