Tuesday 23 June 2015

Chapter 90: I Heart Brighton!

Hey Guys!

Hope you all had a great week! I had a brilliant weekend as I went away for my cousin's Stag do in Brighton! It was so much fun and I had never been to Brighton before, but I heard so many great things prior to going. Usually when I go to a seaside resort I love it for the time I am there and I am pretty much ready to go home by the end, but literally, this place had everything! The seaside, great shops, great food, great bars. I think what I loved the most about it was that it resembeled a large Camden Town - everyone was very individual and friendly.

The Friday night started like any other... it began with a civilised meal in The Regency Restaurant on the seafront and it was so different:


Such a great feel when you go in and there is absolutely nothing you can fault about the food or the service. Of course... a Stag do starting of civilised is out of the ordinary, right?!

The night then carried on to good old Revolution, which I REFUSE to give a review on, because I'm sure all of you reading this are fully aware what Revo is like haha. All I will advise you on is... DON'T EVER HAVE A CHILLI SHOT!!

The next day we had to carry on drinking to avoid the hangover... however this did eventually catch up with me! Nothing that a bit of American Diner food couldn't sort out though! We went to a restuarant called, The New Club, right beside Brighton Pier. Served the most amazing cocktails and the waiter put so much attention to detail, you could have literally stared at him all day (it also helped that he was extremely easy on the eye). It was so unique that when I asked for a lemonade they asked whether I wanted it draft or whether I would like to try their own lemonade they made in house - of course I couldn't turn that down. They made their own lemon puree from fresh lemons, added soda water and a big dollop of ice - enough to cure anyone's hangover! Their food was out of this world as well. I had the Chicken Burger with the Bastard Sauce (I had to ask what this was - it's an in house made tomato sauce - PUKKA!).




After this we went on to a cool little bar called Bar 32 which was along the Duke Street right by the main shopping area. Nice a chilled with sofas upstairs and again, fantastic cocktails! Definitely would recommend chilling her with a Bellini or 5 after a night out...



All and all I had a great time and so did my cousin! Happy stag weekend Petey! I loved meeting all your mates and I can't wait for the wedding in August! So happy for you and Glenn :).

Here's the BEST moment of the weekend for you all to see...


And here's the song of the weekend... ENJOY!


Next up - my sister's Hen in York! Share your messy Hen/Stag stories on the back of here, visit my Facebook page or Tweet me @triciabaxter.

Big love,
T.x

Tuesday 16 June 2015

Chapter 89: Don't Settle

I mean it, don't. Why on earth should you settle for something you're not truly happy with? Do you not deserve more than that? Do you not think you are worth more than that? Get out of that fucking mindset... pronto. This accounts for everything; friendships, relationships, the service you receive in shops, buying something as a second choice because you couldn't find the perfect thing you were after - such as life. I bought a pair of shoes a few months back from Kurt Geiger and I wore them for the first time the other night, looked after them with so much care and they got damaged through no fault of my own. I complained the next day straight away and they said they can't do anything about it. Have I settled? No. I was in a car accident the other week and my car got written off. I've had so much bother with my insurers, did I settle? No. I said, "Can you pass me on to someone who knows what they fuck they're talking about please?" What? I said please...

I have always said, nothing is perfect and I mean nothing. People who are searching for that 10/10 significant other - they don't exist. 10/10 implies perfection and nothing in this world is perfect. Something can seem perfect to someone with regards to what they want personally, but generally nothing is. However, it is important to strive for what you want in life. You want to get into a certain career? Do it. You want to get fit and lose weight? Do it. It literally is that simple. Yes there are risks, but it's got to be worth it surely? If not for anything but for your own happiness, am I right?

When you hear people say what they want in life, such as more money, a bigger house, a better job, they don't tend to think about what that actually brings once they have it? Happiness. Doesn't everyone ultimately want that? Yes it can be a long and bumpy journey, but again... it's got to be so worth it...

I think we have all been in a certain situation at some point in our lives where we feel like we are plodding along and that there is way more to life than feeling like it's groundhog day over and over again and you ask yourself, "Shit me, there HAS to be more to life than this." I have come out of relationships in the past not feeling like I was good enough for anyone; looking around at other couples thinking "I want what they have." But the fact of the matter is, the grass isn't always greener and you are a catch - start to love yourself and love will find you the way you want it eventually.

I like to think I have always been strong minded, but things have happened along the way to make me feel weak. However I think this for a split second and then I knock myself out of it. My Mom once said to me (regarding a certain situation I was in at the time), "You don't take this shit from anyone normally, why are you taking it now?" I answered the question, but by God it was pathetic and it wasn't me, because I was settling.

Settling can mean you are not only settling with something, but you are also going against all morals you ever had and anything you ever believed in. Basically, you not being your true self. Look at Good Will Hunting; Matt Damon played an absolute genius but was willing to settle for being a janitor in a College. He met the love of his life but convinced himself he didn't need them sort of emotions in his life. That was of course until Robin Williams gives him a good pep talk:


Convince yourself that you are worth more than you give yourself credit for. 




Have a great week guys and remember - be everything you want to be.
Big love,
T.x

Tuesday 9 June 2015

Chapter 88: Three Years Running

Hey Guys! Hope you're all well and had a great week :).

So last Sunday, my sister and I ran Race for Life 5k for the third year in a row. It is always such a privilege to run alongside women who are so brave and are going through such struggles only to show their strength shine through. Every year we have our numbers and our back signs attached to our tops, telling everyone around us who we are running for; my sister and I run for our Mammy, who suffered from bowel cancer silently for nearly 10 years and only found this out later on. She was the bravest woman I have ever known and always had a zest for life. When I ran my first Race for Life she was so proud of me because she knew I wasn't the best of runners... So  I have vowed to do it every year since. Next year my sisters and I would like to do something for Macmillan Cancer Support as the Macmillan Nurses were so amazing with our Mother in looking after her. There are so many amazing things you can do for this charity and you can have a look at just some of them here:
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising-events/index.html

When we see women running in front of us who state they have survived or are still suffering from cancer, there really is no bigger motivation. As deep as this might sound, anytime I have a stitch or some sort of pain whilst running, all I ever think about is the amount of pain my Mother and other cancer sufferers must have/are still going through. I will be the first to admit I am not the best runner; I have difficulty breathing and I have suffered from panic attack for 2 years. A lot of the time, they come over me when I least expect and oddly enough, when  I'm not even thinking about anything to cause me panic. I have a certain mantra I will replay in my head whilst I'm running - basically a certain saying that will keep me going. It does help, but I have to admit that this year was the most difficult year. I think it's because I heard this route is one of the most difficult ones to run in the West Midlands as it is quite hilly - and it was! Maybe it was mind over matter? But I had pins and needles from the tips of my toes up to my knees towards the end! However... with my ongoing mantra running in my head, I eventually made it!

So, if you struggle to run from time to time, here are some top tips from yours truly:

  1. Be mentally prepared to go for a run... before you run. If your mind isn't in it, you won't go for longer. At least that is my experience.
  2. Don't eat a big meal before you run and if you do, wait at least 2-3 hours before going for one. Best to have a light meal or not eat at all beforehand. 
  3. Some people like to run alone to clear their heads and listen to their music. Personally I find it better to run with someone. Kind of like a spotter when you do weights at the gym; someone to watch your technique and make sure you carry on to your target time/distance. I usually go with my sisters and brother in law - he's usually the one to egg us on and it really works.
  4. Have a good pair of trainers of course! Go into a sports shop and speak to an advisor. Tell them what type of distance you run and your average time/speed. Obviously you would need different trainers for sprinting as opposed to long distance running. Decathlon is amazing for this and they have their own brand of trainers which lasted me 2 years - they were £11 from the kids section mind...
  5. Get a light water bottle - you don't want to be carrying a big clunky 1 litre around with you, not unless you want guns like Arnie!
  6. If you do take water, don't drink too much whilst out on your run. I find if you do this you are more likely to get stitch, especially if the water is too cold. Take a small swig to hydrate and carry on.
  7. Download Nike+ - this is a great app to track your distance and set yourself goals, whilst listening to your music and all the while having someone to tell you how well you are doing.
  8. Don't start off by setting yourself large goals. If you're not a runner don't just get your gear on and say, "I'm going to run 5k." That's 3.1 miles... it's not realistic. Start off by say running around your block and then the next time you run, run around your block and push yourself for another 5 minutes.
  9. Start off slow - if you start a long distance run off by sprinting, you're less likely to last longer. Although this is easy to do, it's best to end your run with a sprint. Myself and my "team" usually end a run with hill sprints; this is a great way to interval train.
  10. Interval training - run for a bit and stop for a bit. Go slow for a bit and fast for a bit. This will be a sure fire way to improve your stamina.
  11. Warm up and cool down - you don't want to look like John Wayne the next day (unless of course that's the look you're going for).
  12. Get some motivational music going - create a playlist that will keep you moving and happy to do so!
For more tips, have a look on this website which is far more technical than the above tips I've provided:

Remember - slow and steady wins the race.

Here's my motivational running song:

What's yours? If you have any more running tips, please comment on the back of here, comment on Facebook or tweet me @triciabaxter.

Have a great week guys!
Big Love,
T.x

P.S. My dear friend Rosie Inzani and her family are hosting an event this year for their late Father, Joe. The event is in aid of the Air Ambulance who were a massive support to the family and for all their hard work. If you are interested in going, please visit their event on Facebook, JoeFest 2015 and donate to their page at JustGiving. Our page is also still available online to donate to Cancer Research UK here: www.justgiving.com/patriciabaxter. Thanks again for all your donations, my family and I are very grateful ans I know our Mammy would be too xxx.

Tuesday 2 June 2015

Chapter 87: "So Why Are You Single?"

So... Why are you single? The dreaded question that about 99.9% of singletons get asked. Do we have the answer for you? No. No we don't. How can we possibly answer that fucking question? I went out last weekend with my friend and my sister. My sister is engaged so she was trying to scout for nice men for me and Shak... Some blokes come along, one of which says:

Bloke: I see you're not married. So do you have a boyfriend?
Me: No.
Bloke: So why are you single?
Me: I don't know?...
Friend: She hasn't found the right bloke.
Bloke: Why are you single?
Friend: I haven't found the right bloke.
Bloke: But you're both gorgeous, have beautiful smiles... you must be psychos.

That was his explanation; we must be single because we are psychos. He was clearly (I hope) being sarcastic... but that is the generalisation that most men seem to give these days. I would just like to say on behalf of all women - we are not. But in all fairness, the generalisation us women give for men that are single, is that they have commitment issues. Say what you will fellas, but I think we may need to get rid of these stigmas and really come to terms with why we are all single. So the next time someone asks me this on a night out, at a wedding, at a family do,  I will say (and so should all of you) the following:

I am single because: I like to hog my own Netflix account and watch anything I want without having to wait on someone to watch it with.


I am single because: I want to be able to burp and fart without initial judgement, only for someone to have to accept it after 5 years of being together - you either deal with it or fuck off.

I am single because: I grind my teeth in my sleep. No? Just me then.

I am single because: I like my own company too much.

I am single because: Wine/beer gets me more than a man/woman.

I am single because: Not sure I can fit having a partner into my busy schedule...


I am single because: Everytime I'm in a relationship and it's going bad (which it usually does) I wish I was single.

I am single because: I'm too independent.

I am single: Because men/women are pricks.

I am single because: I want to be.

So... You see really when someone asks why you're single, don't take it personally... a lot of the time the person asking is either:
  1. Nosey.
  2. Genuinely concerned and want to see you happy with someone (this applies to family/friends only).
  3. Want to get their leg over.
  4. Unhappy in their own relationship and wishes they were single too.
What are your thoughts single people? How do you feel when people ask you this question? Do you feel invaded? Or do you feel flattered? Either or, let me know on the back of here, visit my Facebook page or tweet me @triciabaxter.

I will leave you with this little number for now:


P.S. My sister & I are doing our Race for Life THIS SUNDAY! Please help us reach our target of £200 by donating to the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/patriciabaxter
We will be running for our beautiful angel, our Mammy, Jenny Baxter - the bravest woman and the biggest fighter we will ever know. We will also be running for everyone else who is fighting cancer and all of their families affected xxx.

Byeeeee.
T.x