21st Birthday Celebrations! // Lifestyle

Hi guys!

Thought I'd pop up a little picture heavy post about what I got up to over the week-end to celebrate me turning 21! I had such a lovely relaxed week-end, and the sun was shining, so it was lovely! I figure this will be a nice post to look back on one day, and if you're feeling nosey, I hope you enjoy!

Friday 20th April

Friday was a  b e a u t i f u l  day here in Brighton and I was in such a great mood all day! I wrote a blog post in the sunshine, tried Iced Coffee for the first time, and then myself, Adam and my friend Eddie decided to go and get an Ice Cream and have some drinks on the beach!

Good times in the sun!

Got my standard Lemon Sorbet, but also got blue candyfloss flavour! Was soo good!

Saturday 21st April

So, on Saturday, Adam took me out for breakfast at Bills, and we both got some pancakes and they were so damn tasty. I also got a Coffee milkshake, which was nice, but I couldn't finish it all! 

We then went on a walk to try and find this bluebell forest we'd read about online. The directions really weren't clear so it was a cute little adventure, and we did manage to find the bluebells! I think because of the hot weather though, they were starting to die a bit, but it was fun to go somewhere new, and just walk and talk! 

In the evening, a few of my friends went to a cocktail bar in Brighton and had one too many cocktails, and then went to the 24hr restaurant in Brighton for some food! I don't have any pics because I forgot to look at my phone to be honest, but it was lovely! Also, discovered I like Espresso Martinis  v e r y  much!

I was wearing sandals, but thought they probably weren't the greatest shoe choice to go on a walk!

If only I remembered I had sunglasses on my head...

I need my haircut so bad!

Bluebells!

Sunday 22nd April (My Birthday!)

You can see my insta story about what I got up to on my birthday in my highlights on Instagram!

Click the "21" little bubble on my insta profile! x

But, the day started by me opening my birthday cards and presents in bed, and then I got ready, picked my friends up, and went to meet my family at a restaurant in Brighton! 

My Mum had decorated the table with loads of bubbles, with stickers of my face on them which was so cute! Also, she had made one with my blog logo on which was really adorable!

We had so much food! And it was so cute, because Mum had decorated the table with loads of "21" related things! Also, everyone in the restaurant sang happy birthday to me (you can see that on insta) which was embarassing, but I feel like I dealt with it pretty well! hahaha- why am I so awkward!

After lunch, we were going to walk to the beach for an ice cream, but the lovely weather had now dissapeared, and was now really cold and windy. Instead, we went to a nearby pub for a drink, and then took a few photos!

After my family left, my friends and I decided to go bowling! Also, I came second, which is decent for me! After bowling, we had some drinks in the bar, and went in the arcade for a bit like the true kids we are. I also won a slinky! Crazy times people, crazy times.

Blurry photo, and the sun blocks out the fact this says "Happy 21st" but this picture just makes me laugh

So, that was my 21st Birthday in a nutshell! It was so nice and I had such a nice week-end! Thank you to anyone who wished me a happy birthday on Instagram by the way, that was quite cool! It may not have been overly big or flashy, but honestly I didn't want that, and it felt like just a really enjoyable, no pressure weekend! 

Thanks as always for reading,

Love, Lauren xx

20 Lessons in 21 Years // Lifestyle

It's my birthday today! Woohoo! I am scheduling this post to go up on my birthday, and all things going well, I will have had a lovely weekend with family and friends! I will update you all soon.

In celebration of me turning 21, I thought I would make a list of 20 things I have learnt in the 20 years I've been alive. I know I've technically been alive for 21 years today, buuuuut I'm writing this before my birthday sooo sssh....

1. Don't worry so much about what other people think about you.

I used to be, and still am sometimes, so conscious about how other people think of me, but it's just not good for me. At the end of the day, people most likely don't care, and are more concerned with themselves!

2. Stand up for what you believe in.

I hate when I see something happening out in public that I know is wrong, or when I have to bite my tongue at family events because someone says something I don't agree with. I want to try and stand up for myself, and others, a bit more, because I know I would appreciate having someone stand up for me.

3. Try not to be so self conscious. 

Along a similar line to my first point, I really want to try not to be so self conscious. I still find it really difficult to go out with no makeup on, because I think everyone will stare at me and ask if i'm ill about 1000 times, when really, I wish I just wouldn't care. I also hate when the weather gets warmer, because I suddenly have no idea what to wear because I have such low self esteem and confidence that the thought of getting my arms and legs out literally makes me want to crawl into a hole. This year though, I feel i have definitely gotten a bit better, and I hope I can continue to stop caring a bit more!

Cheers to turning 21... also thanks Dan if you're reading for the pic! x

4. You don't need loads of friends to be happy, only a few great ones.

Something I've definitely learnt and come to terms with, is that a large friendship group isn't always a great thing. I only have a handful of really close friends, but that's so fine by me. I feel like when I got to uni I thought I would be so lonely and boring if I didn't make 100 new friends, but as it turns out, that was not the case, and I've made some of the best friends i've ever had at uni!

5. People can't read minds, tell them how you feel.

Sometimes, I can find myself getting frustrated that they aren't doing something which to me seems so obvious. I forget sometimes I think, that people cannot read my mind, so won't always be able to tell how I'm feeling. If somethings on my mind, it's best to just let it out and then go from there.

6. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can be terrifying, but great things happen when you do.

Some of the best moments in my life, have come from me pushing myself out of my comfort zone. For example, coming to Uni. No-one in my family had gone, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for, but it's by far the best decision i've ever made in my life, and I have no regrets at all.

7. Little things matter.

Small things are important to people, including me. (lol) It's so important to just remember to check in with family and friends you haven't spoken to in a while. Just sending a text, or giving someone a phone call once in a while can really make people's days sometimes.

8. Don't be rude to people.

It's kind of common sense, but sometimes, I'm genuinely shocked at how rude people can be- especially having worked in retail since I was 16! Don't be rude!!

Cats would never be rude... also look at the pure joy on my face from being surprised by another cat jumping down to join the fun...

9. You are entitled to say no to things you don't want to do.

So many times I've just done things because I thought I had to, or didn't want to feel as if I was letting someone down, but i've come to realise that I just don't need to do this! If I don't want to do something, I can say no, and it's not that big of a deal.

10. Wear whatever you want.

This links back into the not being so self conscious all the time, but I can wear what I want, and if I like it, and feel good in it, that's all that matters! I have a bright yellow coat, and now a multi coloured pink jacket, and usually i'd be like ooh noo it will attract too much attention to me, but now, I really don't care. Plus my new pink jacket is really bloomin' cool.

11. Take lots of photos.

I love taking photos! And I really love looking back on old ones. My best friend at school and I would meet up after school and do "photoshoots" all around where we live. It was so cringey, but now I look back at them and I can remember the time so well and it's just a good laugh!

12. Keep a diary.

I've had a diary since 2011, and although I don't write in it everyday anymore, it's still funny to read old entries. I'm going to keep it going until I fill up the entire notebook, but even if you just write in it whenever you can remember or be bothered, one day it will be interesting to look back on!

13. In a relationship, you can still have your own life.

I feel like in previous relationships, I've always just done what the other person wanted, their friends were my friends, etc etc. Since coming to uni, and becoming more confident in who I actually am, I am definitely no longer like this at all. I still have shared friends between me and Adam, which I love, but he also has his friends, and I have my friends as well. I don't feel bad if I spend time with my friends etc etc. Adam, I know you'll be reading, and you're pretty great- I love you.

14. Let people help you if you need.

I hate asking for help. But when I do ask, I usually always feel better, and it's never as bad as I make it out to be in my head.

15. Change is usually always a really great thing.

Change can be so scary, but I've found it usually all works out okay in the end. Friendships change, life changes, things happen! Let them.

16. It's okay to take a day out occasionally.

If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed sometimes, and just want a day to yourself where you do nothing but watch netflix and eat snacks, that's okay. Sometimes it's needed.

My happy place

17. Try to be as organised as you can.

I stress myself out way less, if I'm organised with my time, and plan out my weeks. It might seem like a chore, but going into a week knowing what you need to get done by the end of it, always helps me stay motivated. (Most of the time.)

18. Although you hate it, tidy your room more, it's so much nicer.

My room is literally a mess as I write this, so now I'm going to tidy it as soon as I finish. It's just so much nicer coming back to a tidy room at the end of the day, and also it's easy to be productive if the space around you is clean!

19. Don't bury your head in the sand when it comes to money problems.

I absolutely hate worrying about money. I always feel as if I'm the only person in the world with money problems and I get so stressed out! My Dad always says if you try and ignore things, they get way worse, and it's true. I've tried to be a lot more sensible recently and to confront things head on.

20. Stop trying to be like other people, be yourself.

And finally, to end on a cliché (this whole post has been cliché really) but I need to stop comparing myself to everyone, and what they're doing, and just focus on me, and be myself!

So, 20 lessons/things I've learnt in my now 21 years alive. I hope this post wasn't too rambley (i did have to write it out twice because it somehow vanished... lesson learnt... back up my work) I'm sure I'll pop a post up soon about what I got up to over my Birthday weekend!

Now, I'm going to go tidy my room!

Thanks for reading,

Love, Lauren xx

Getting Out of a Slump // Life Update

Hey girls/guys/humans,

I haven't planned to write this blog post at all, but I'm currently sat outside on my campus, and am feeling the need to write some thoughts down. I guess we could call this a life update, but at this point, I have no idea where this is going to go.

I'm currently sat in the shade mostly, because I'm ginger so burn even if I look at the sun,  and I'm drinking an iced coffee (which tastes amazing and is a new discovery of mine) and i'm just thinking about life. Probably to avoid doing uni work, but also just because I think I need to just step back and reflect a bit.

My current set-up, also I have my legs out for the first time this year, and they're so pale, and I forgot to shave them but hey, living my best life...

I'm in such a good mood today which honestly makes a welcome change. I don't know if it's just because the weather is beautiful today, and it's my 21st Birthday this week-end, so I have a lovely weekend ahead of me, but all of a sudden i'm feeling very positive.

The last two weeks I haven't felt like myself at all to be honest, and people keep asking if I was okay, and I'd say I was fine, because that's what I always say, but somethings just been off and I can't put my finger on what. I think its probably that I feel very stressed out, but I'm trying not to show it too much, and to just deal with it all on my own, which clearly, does not work. Also i'm really not enjoying my living situation this year, which piled on top of third year uni stress is probably not helping me out either. All of this alongside the stress of trying to save for car insurance, MOT's and rent and bills, i'm just one big ginger ball of stress at the moment.

I have my Dissertation due in less than a month now, and another assignment which is due the same day, and in a weird turn of events, I'm not actually leaving everything until the last minute at the moment. I am determined to avoid an all nighter in the library again. I actually made the effort to go and talk to my tutors at uni this week, because I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and lost and felt like I just needed someone to shake me out of this weird funk i'd gotten myself into.

Luckily, my dissertation supervisor was so lovely and let me just ramble on at her for about 30 minutes, and she just made things seem way more easy and simple then I was making them out to be in my own mind. I need to get my head down now and actually write it, but in a weird way, I'm kind of looking forward to it. My dissertation is all about the use of targeted advertising on Facebook, and because FB is in the news at the moment, I actually have quite a bit to talk about.

In terms of living situations, I just keep reminding myself it's not for that much longer, and next year I'll be living in such a nice flat, with a lovely view, with people I actually like, and want to spend time with. Yes, it's a bit more expensive, which is freaking me out a bit to be honest, and it's a bit further out than I currently live now, but I'm feeling positive about it, and am trying to organise things ready for next year. I'm also waiting to hear back from my masters application, so I'm crossing everything I have that I get accepted for that, because I really really  r e a l  l y  want to do it!

I just feel like recently i've been so down, and in such a slump, and I just don't want to feel like that anymore. I've been trying to wake up earlier so I can get more done in the day, I'm planning out my days one day at a time, so I can set myself realistic goals, and I'm still finding time to spend time on the beach with my friends. Which is amazing, and when the weather is nice, I feel like I fall in love with Brighton all over again. I think sometimes it just helps to just take a step back, and not try to do so much all at once.

Can't beat a sunset on the beach!

Usually, I'll plan out the week ahead in advance, but recently where there is so much to do, I've been just taking it one day at a time, and I think that's working better. There are still things I need to figure out for next year, like a job, money situations etc etc, but I feel i'm in a much better mindset to do that now.

In less than a month I will be finished with Uni, which is so crazy, scary and exciting at the same time. Hopefully in a months time I can update you again and everything will be fine and dandy, but we will have to see about that one.

My new discovery of caramel iced coffee is probably dangerous...

In terms of my blog, I'm really loving it at the moment. I have a few posts scheduled, so when I'm in the midst of dissertation stress I can still have some new posts going up for you, and also for my Birthday I have asked for a new camera, so hopefully if I get that, I can really up the quality of the photos on my blog, which I've been wanting to do for so long!

I feel like this post was really rambley, but I needed to get some things off my chest. If you're feeling really stressed and in a slump yourself, I'd say take some time out, re asses what needs doing, and just take things one day at a time. Set realistic goals as well and try to stay as organised as you can! Also tell your friends or someone you trust about what you're worried about, and they can try to help you as well!

I'd better get back to actually writing something productive now (also the sun has moved so now I'm not in the shade and am probably already burnt), so thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

Loads of love,

Lauren xx

Why I Love Spring // Lifestyle

I think that Spring is one of my favourite seasons, despite the fact that here in the UK, Springtime isn't necessarily a given, it can vary every year. Some years, we have a really nice Spring, but sometimes it feels like there's no in between and we go straight from Winter to Summer. 

That being said, when the clocks go back, it's kind of like a breath of fresh air. Bit dramatic, but true! I feel like especially in Brighton, everyone seemed a lot happier and things were less doom and gloom! Now I finish work and it's still daylight outside, the weather is warming up slightly, and everyone generally seems in a better mindset- they may not be of course, but it does feel as if everyone is slightly happier!

I thought, as it is springtime in Brighton, I'd share three reasons why I love the Spring. 

1. It's my Birthday Season!

My Birthday is April 22nd, so every time I see the Daffodils come out again, I know it's close to my Birthday! If you know me, you'll know I actually hate being the centre of the attention, so Birthdays can be tricky when you're as awkward as I am, but they're still exciting, and if nothing else, I just love spending time with everyone I love! 

2. Everything is colourful!

I have extremely bad hay fever, so I don't really like the smell of flowers, but I love how they look! It makes such a welcome change to the dull greyness of winter to see loads of colourful flowers on the side of the road! When I think of Spring, flowers- especially daffodils and bluebells, are one of the first things I think of!

3. Everyone seems happier!

That first day of Sun, after what feels like the world's longest winter is such a great day. Here in Brighton, we recently had a sunny day, so me and Adam headed to this cute bar on the beach for some chips and it was so b u s y! But it was so nice at the same time! Everyone was in a good mood, and smiling and talking to each other. It's just a nice change! The weather definitely does impact people's moods, and I know I definitely feel happier when the sun is shining. 

Don't get me wrong though, I do really love being tucked up in bed listening to the rain- but that's where spring showers come in!

I'm excited for hopefully more sunny days on the horizon, and I've also just got a really cool pink denim jacket- it's definitely way too cool for me- but i've got it anyway, and I love it, so I'm going to pretend I'm cool and wear it anyway. Fake it till you make it. 

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this!

Thanks as always,

Lauren x

A-Z of Things I Love... // Lifestyle

Hey guys!

So I was thinking of some new blog post ideas, and I remembered this style of post from years ago circulating the blog community,  so I thought I would share an A-Z of things I love / like / couldn't think of something else beginning with that specific letter.... 

 A D A M

Couldn't really do this post without mentioning this one...
but he is pretty great. If you don't know, Adam is my boyfriend, and we met at Uni! He usually crops up now and then in my blog posts as well. I also was thinking of getting him to do this A-Z thing as well so stay tuned for that...

 B I S C O F F

A biscuity spread of dreams. I have a blog post describing what it is if you are that unfortunate to have never encountered biscoff before. You can be amazed by that here.

 C A T S

I mean, fairly obvious if you know me at all, but I am definitely a crazy cat lady.

D A I R Y  M I L K 

Cadbury's dairy milk is my favourite chocolate in the world. I'd be happier with a big ol' bar of dairy milk than I would be with a fancy box of chocolates. Dairy Milk with Oreos in is a particular fave of mine.

E X P L O R I N G

I really enjoy exploring new places, and taking cute pictures. It's fun to adventure now and then.

F A M I L Y 

I love all of my family! They always make me laugh, and yes they can get on my nerves as well, but that's just families isn't it. They're all great!

G A V I N  M E M E S

If you know, you know. If you don't know, google it. 

Can you tell i struggled to find something for  'G'? 

H A R R Y   P O T T E R 

These were the first books I remember reading, and I love the films as well. I have re read the books about three times now- each time is just as enjoyable!

I N T E R N E T

It's just a pretty good invention really.

J E K Y L L  &  H Y D E 

I don't know if i've mentioned, but I was Producer for my Universities Musical Theatre Society, and the show we did was Jekyll and Hyde, so it'll always be a nice memory for me!

K I T T E N S 

I know i've already said Cat's, but I couldn't neglect Kittens as well. They're so so cute!

L I S T S 

If this blog post will tell you anything about me, you'll probably go away and think I'm a bit lame, but that's cool with me. i'm self aware. I love making lists for everything, it's so satisfying ticking things off!

M U R D E R  P O D C A S T 

True Crime stuff fascinates me, and recently Lucy at work told me about a Podcast called "My Favorite Murder" and I decided I'd listen to it and now I'm actually obsessed. Obsessed to the point where I listened to it for two days straight over easter...

 It's two American Ladies talking about murders, but in a really casual way. It's really funny and just a good podcast.

N E T F L I X

Definitely couldn't have survived Uni without this!

(the) O F F I C E 

Slightly cheating, but my fave TV show of all time is the American version of The Office. I love it. Every single episode makes me laugh, and I always re watch it!

P I Z Z A

My fave food. It's so versatile. Pizza is just amazing and I'll never say no.

Q U O R N 

Adam is Veggie, so now and then I'll just have veggie meals with him, because it's easier. I was so surprised though at how much I like quorn! Quorn nuggets are so good, and also now if I make spaghetti Bolognese i'll always use Quorn mince too.

R E D  V E L V E T 

By far my favourite cake flavour. The best red velvet i've ever had was at my Auntie and Uncle's wedding. I still think about it sometimes...

S M O K E Y 

My baby! Smokey was my childhood cat, who sadly passed away in August 2016. He was so cute and I miss him loads. Fun fact, in my blog logo, the little cat next to me is actually Smokey- I asked if we could add that and sent a picture over to the designer and she made Smokey a cute little cartoon!

T U P P E R W A R E 

This is so lame. The thing that makes this worse though, is that it wasn't even my suggestion. When thinking of this list, I asked Adam if he had any suggestions for the letter 'T' and he came up with Tupperware... Says a lot about me hahah! 

In all seriousness, it's just handy to have, wouldn't really say that I love it though...

U N I V E R S I T Y

I've loved uni, it's by far the best decision I've made in my life, and I've made so many great memories!

V A N S  S H O E S

I really like the Old Skool style of Vans. They're comfy and they go with pretty much anything!

W H I T E  P O M E R A N I A N S

I have a weird obsession at the moment with white Pomeranians. They are little clouds of cuteness.

X A N T H O C O M I C 

I really didn't want to put Xylophones, so I googled words beginning with 'X'. Apparently this word is Greek for yellow, but another website says it translates to "Yellow-haired"... I'm going to pretend it means Yellow though!

Y O D E L  W A L M A R T   B O Y

I've only put this in here because the stupid song has been in my head constantly since I watched the video of that little boy yodeling in Walmart. It does make me laugh though, and he's actually pretty good!

Z E B R A S

My best friend Abby is obsessed with Zebras, so now every-time I see one (it's not that much of a regular thing) I think of her.

Have a random picture of a Cocktail..

That was my list of A-Z! I hope it was somewhat entertaining! If you try to do this, you'll see why some of mine are so random!

Thanks for reading! 

Loads of love,

Lauren xx

Look at cartoon smokey! awwww

I Produced A Show! // University

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So, I produced a successful musical.... whaaaaat? (First year Lauren would be very confused at that)

I can't believe I'm finally writing this post! I was putting it off because it's going to be a mammoth of a post, and I really don't want to forget anything! However, it's been over for a week now, and I really want to start posting more so feel I need to address this first!  Also I was waiting on some more photos, but I got too impatient and figured can use the photos I get for like a yearly round up or something!  I wanted to make this post so I can look back on it on the future, and it would be weird to not acknowledge it on my blog as it was such a huge part of my life!

This post will be  l o n g  and also have lots of pics!

So, around August, Adam asked if I'd like to produce a musical, and I kind of just laughed him off at that ridiculous suggestion. To be honest, I didn't even know what a Producer of a musical had to do, but it sounded fancy, and I didn't know anything about Musical Theatre, so just forgot about it, thinking I was not qualified enough. Also, I wasn't confident enough to waltz into a group of musical theatre lovers and attempt to try and organise them!

After some  a lot of persuasion from Adam, and looking into what the actual role was, I decided to really step out of my comfort zone and say yes- I'm so glad I did that looking back now! But I agreed to step in and help, and here we are today! The Musical in question was Jekyll and Hyde!

I remember my first meeting I had as Producer, and it was with some of the other members of the production team, the presidents of SMuTS (Sussex Musical Theatre Society) and the Treasurer. The meeting was to buy the rights to the musical- and I honestly felt so out of my depth. I didn't know anyone, I didn't really know what I had to do and I had no idea what anyone was talking about and I felt really stupid for thinking I could do it. As Producer, it was my responsibility to sort the buying of the rights to the musical- something I hadn't even thought about before!

But, I persisted, and after meeting the other members of the production team, who made me feel so welcome and convinced me that it would be fine, I felt at ease, and kind of like I knew what I had to do.  We had some meetings to arrange what we would ask people to do at the auditions, and then the audition process began!

Me, Adam (Musical Director), Shannon (Director), Charlie (Director ), Megan (Vocal Coach) and Poppy (Choreographer)

I actually loved the audition process, and honestly I thought everyone who came and auditioned was so brave for standing in front of 6 strangers and singing and acting in front of them! I know I could never put myself out there like that! I feel like after auditions was when I really started to ease into my role, and I felt much more comfortable, as i'd met everyone now, and knew what was expected.

We cast the show which was really exciting, and then we got all the cast together to do a read through of the script, and get to know each other a bit.

Everyone at the first rehearsal/read through!

The rehearsal process was long! But all the other production team members who were in charge of running the rehearsals were all so talented, it was actually quite fun to watch them work, and teach the cast how to sing the songs correctly, or getting the cast all into character.

My role was basically organisation, and making sure everyone was doing their jobs to ensure we'd be able to put on the show in time! I also was tasked with making the programmes for the show, which at the time I hated, and cried over a stupid amount of times because I just felt I couldn't do it! I didn't mind organising the casts bios, and headshot days, but the actual construction of the programmes I found quite hard, but with a lot of help from Adam, and George (President) I got them done in the end!

After a slight hiccup on printing quality, when we got the programmes delivered I was so relieved, and pleased with how they turned out. Our production manager Malcolm, filmed me opening the delivery they came in because he thought I might cry with relief!

It took SO LONG to get a headshot for me, because I kept awkwardly laughing and moving all the time...*

I feel like I'm waffling a bit so I'll speed this up!  I was doing stuff for Jekyll more than my degree/work at some points! Especially towards the end of the process, with three rehearsals a week, and Production Team meetings left, right and centre it was definitely a big commitment! I did thoroughly enjoy it though, despite the stress!

Our promo material!

The cast must have thought I was so miserable when I looked like this in rehearsals, but to be fair this was in the midst of my programme creating breakdown phase... Promise I was nice to them! *

The rehearsal where we put the show together with the band for the first time!*

I have way more rehearsal photos, but they all involved close ups of the cast so I don't want to plaster them all over the internet without their permission, but the cast were phenomenal and worked so incredibly hard. If any of them are reading, thank you so much, I know I said it during teary eyes on our last show but honestly, you were all so great to work with!

We actually all went to an I heart Consent workshop run by Uni, and most of the cast came as well, and it was so great to talk about a topic that is so important, and it was actually quite refreshing to hear peoples opinions! This isn't show related, but I just wanted to include it as it was a different, but needed cast bonding activity and actually everyone who came to it said they found it interesting.

I Heart Consent Workshop

Our last rehearsal before Show week was our dress run, and it had actually snowed on that day, so we dragged the cast out in the snow for a photo shoot (sorry guys, but it looked cool) It was so exciting to see everyone in costumes and it made it feel so much more real! Back before Christmas I had gone to a costume place to help find the costumes and it was nice to see the ones we picked on everyone!

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So, show week rolled around before we knew it, and it was by far the most stressful, but definitely the most fun part of the entire process! We had access to the theatre all week, so Monday and Tuesday was spent helping set the stage up, and getting all the costumes to the theatre.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday were show days, so every night me and one of the directors, Shannon, would sit in the audience and watch the show- every night I cried because the cast smashed every performance, and after seeing them work so hard I just felt so proud. Especially when thinking back to everyone at their auditions, to seeing them on the stage.

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The show also got two reviews! I had reached out to some of the student papers and asked them to watch the opening night and review it! We had some technical difficulties, but it was our opening night, and it only got better from there!

For future me, read the reviews of the show here, and here! 

Saturday was very emotional! We got the cast in early to say our thank yous and honestly if you ask anyone, they'll tell you I was a crying mess all day! I just felt so overwhelmed and proud that the show had gone well, and I was also proud of myself too, for stepping out of my comfort zone and it going well!

Saying cast thank yous! (Emotionally)

All the cast and crew were so lovely to us all, and they had got me a huge bunch of flowers and some Prosecco and they'd all signed me a card saying thank you for all my hard work, and I cry even now reading the card because they were all so nice! WHY ARE PEOPLE SO LOVELY. Also the card had a cat on it, which made me laugh because I actually do come off as a crazy cat lady to people... woops.

We all got up onto stage after our last show to say thanks to everyone, and my Dad actually took the photos of me on stage! I also was proud because both my Mum and Dad said they enjoyed it, and I really didn't think they would.

I couldn't say this to anyone on the last day, because every time I tried to thank people, I started crying, but to anyone involved who may be reading this, thank you so much! This experience has honestly been the best thing I've ever done, and it's helped me gained so much confidence in myself. I have made some incredible friends, who are all insanely talented, and this whole show is something I'm most proud of in my life so far. It was a huge challenge and definitely tested me at times, but overall the show was a success, and I'm so happy to have been a part of it. Also, sorry for crying a lot...

I'm sure I will have missed something out, but this post is so long I really should stop now!

If you've made it this far, bravo, thanks for staying with me!

Loads of love,

Lauren xx

* Photo Credit to Malcolm Tam.