A retrospective account of the best trip of my life. Musings of NYC, Vegas and Mexico. Part 2 - Vegas

Sept 5th 2015 - Day 1 Vegas

Arrived at JFK ready for our flight to Vegas! I was looking forward to this flight as i'd upgraded our seats to Delta+! It wasn't too expensive and you got unlimited drinks and premium entertainment not to mention the extra leg room. It was definitely worth it, we had no one sat next to us and could really stretch out, plus the drinks helped...!

Watched Spy and St Vincent, really enjoyed St Vincent. Can't really go wrong with Bill Murray.

We flew for just over 4 and a half hours. It is mental you can fly that long and not even leave the country. We had a fantastic view of the hoover dam whilst coming into land, it was so exciting for me having not been there before, everything was a brand new experience! Coming into land basically all there is to see is desert, the fact there is only what I can describe as a giant adult theme park in the middle of all that is insane. It is definitely something to tick off the bucket list.

We paid $11 for the shuttle bus...! Cheap as chips. Handy that our hotel was the first top off too, we were there in no time! We were staying at The Mirage which was right in the centre of the strip close to The Venetian, Harrah's, Planet Hollywood and Caesars Palace!

After a bit of a bumpy check in, we finally got to the room. We'd been upgraded to a strip view room and the view from our window was incredible!

You could see the strip in great detail, all the way up to Paris! I felt like I was in toy town, everything is on the giant scale. It was incredibly overwhelming, I don't think I could ever get used to it!

We dropped our stuff and went out to explore after deciding that we fancied pizza! Googled what would be a nice pizza restaurant and we settled on Grimaldi's! After literally looking everywhere (and I mean everywhere, we walking around for about an hour), we found it! Freshly made dough made in an open kitchen. I has a pesto base with ham, mushroom, peppers & onions, Jay has a garlic base with Chicken and Pepperoni! It was beyond delicious.

On the way back to the hotel we walked through the casino and thought we would try our luck at roulette. We put $25 on Red and won...Woohoo $50! Safe to say that was the biggest gamble we did, couple of cheapskates, us!

Slept pretty good in the huge bed and woke up bright an early at 6:30am!

6th Sept 2015 - Day 2 

Since we woke up pretty early we went to check out the pool, we had been dying for a pool in the heat!

We had a great time at the pool taking in the sunshine and the fantastic view of the hotel!

We paid $26 for 2 drinks...prices in vegas are mental. You literally have to either be rich or save for about 2 years to go here!! We stayed at the pool for a couple of hours and then went in search of 'Burger Bar' near Mandalay Bay Hotel for lunch!

We hopped on the monorail from Harrah's which was £12 for 24 hours and you can ride the monorail as many times as you like. it runs up the side of the strip all the way to MGM Grand. We got off at MGM Grand and walked over. Everything looks really close but do not be fooled, it's bloody miles! Not knowing where Burger Bar exactly was left us again wondering around trying our best to locate it. By this point my feet were in shreds and I was not a happy bunny :(

We finally got there having walked through the Luxor to get there! We were sat in a booth where they had movies paying on the screen, true american style!

I had a wagu beef burger with smoked cheese, caramelised onions and chipotle aioli. Hands down the best burger I have ever eaten, it literally melted in my mouth! I also had a side of courgette fries.

As if that wasn't enough we then ordered dessert to share..! 'Build your own sundae' which you can have blended into a milkshake, but we decided not to! Check it out...

Go to - BURGER BAR

After the calorific lunch we went for a stroll to the 'Welcome to Las Vegas' sign. Walking in 40+ degree heat is not great. I was probably walking at a speed slower than a snail. It was SO far. Good lord it was far. The fact we got a taxi back and it cost $15 shows how far it was. Don't be fooled by the face, I was dying inside.

We hooped on the monorail back to go and get ready for Calvin Harris at Hakkasan! After the $26 for two drinks at the pool we decided to go to Walgreens and by some drinks for our room! $9 for wine and $8 for beers - quids in! 

We weren't sure what to expect for Calvin at Hakkasan and I had read some pretty terrible reviews on trip advisor for Hakkasan. We read that he doesn't come on until around 1am....say what!! The rare occasion that I go out for the evening for party time generally winds down at this time, not starts. What the hell we were in vegas, the bloody place never sleeps anyway! We read a review from a girl who said she paid $75 for 3 Vodka Red bulls, seems reasonable aye. 

Like two old crones we slept from 7-9 before getting ready to go out. Left the hotel at around 10:30 to make our way to Hakkasan located in MGM Grand. We had read some bad reviews about queuing for hours evene if you had tickets etc. so I was a bit apprehensive with what we would find. 

There was a HUGE queue, but luckily not for us, we basically walked right in, no problemo. The club itself was a bit maze like, lots of stairs and different areas. We managed to get to the bar and order 1 glass of white wine and a Budweiser. A steal at $31....(!!!!!!!!!!!!) Water was $11. ELEVEN DOLLARS FOR WATER. There was absolutely no seating unless you had table service which began at $2,000. and the smoking ban hasn't reached the state of Nevada yet so it was basically a small death trap. 

We met a British couple in there who were lovely, it passed the time waiting for Calvin marvelously, thank you so much for the conversation guys!

Calvin was AMAZING, but it's a shame I didn't get to see much of it... Anywhere there was a view was cancelled out by table service. So again, you have to be rich or it's nothing! We danced and watched from afar and still made the best of the evening, the atmosphere was brilliant so i'm really glad we experienced it. I'm so glad we only paid $30 and $20 for the tickets. The couple we met paid $100 each for their tickets last minute...!

We found our selves in Macdonalds at 3:30am with a queue a mile long. I don't know what we were thinking hahah, you're meant to each trash after a night out though right? In my defense it was our only option and it was right opposite our hotel! 

We got to bed around 4am this is unheard of for me. Thoroughly good evening!

7th Sept 2015 - Day 3

Woke up at 9:30am which did not equate to much sleep, but it was enough! 

This day was our shopping day! We shopped til we dropped!

We went to the Las Vegas Premium Outlets and Jay came away a winner with an unbelievable amount of clothes and a hat! I bought a few bits, present for my brother for his birthday, a jumper for Dawne and a converse jumper for myself. 

We ate in cheesecake factory, a place I had never been before! 

I had the pizza lunch special, pizza and salad followed by, you guessed it - cheesecake! (We shared, that's better right?!)

After shopping we went back to the hotel to enjoy the pool for a couple of hours. We discovered the jacuzzi which was like getting in a giant bath! I didn't go much on it due to it already been roasting outside!

We got ready and went out to walk the strip and find somewhere to eat. We walked right out of the hotel and watched The Bellagio Fountain show which goes off every 15 minutes. It was incredible and like a big baby bought tears to my eyes. It's a different song every time and the fountains go in time to the music. Easily pleased!

Seriously, go youtube it. It doesn't give you the same effect but you get the gist! 

We walked right up to Harley Davidson which happened to have a Chilis, so we ate there! We loved it in Florida so thought it was a good choice! I had pork tacos and bottomless salsa and nachos! Delish!

We walked back up the strip to the hotel and played a few times on the roulette machines, I had no luck in vegas man, boooooo!! 

8th Sept 2015

We went to the Fashion show mall  which was left out of our hotel opposite The Wynn and Encore. There was a Hello Kitty shop and I bought some strawberry scented tattoos for Molly & Summer! We went in a few shops and then came across another branch of Grimaldis...pizza for lunch it was! Absolutely immense, I miss Grimaldi's! 

It was so hot we walked back and had to dip in the pool! It was either that or death by heat so....

The pool is such an awesome setting especially when the sun is getting lower in the afternoon and it becomes really chilled out. It's ruined slightly by people puffing smoke in your face from time to time, but not all bad! 

We got Frozen Yogurt in the hotel, I had Mango and Raspberry with poppers (sweets not drugs!) on top! I have never found these in the UK, they're like little beads of goodness bursting in your mouth. Jay had of course ALL choc. Choc FY, Choc chunks, brownie chunks etc. Choc Errrthang. 

We wanted to sample Vegas' No. 1 buffet and after much googling we decided on Caesars Palace Bacchanal Buffet. It did not disappoint. It was also like nothing i'd ever seen. We queued around 20 minutes to get in and my strategy was to eat small as I went. Otherwise I would end up too full and I wouldn't have tried half the stuff on the buffet. 

They had EVERYTHING. Thai, Chinese, Sushi, Meats, Cheese, Breads, Pastas, Pizza, truffled potatoes, taco station, nacho stations, all the toppings, meat station, brisket, steak, ribs, turkey, chicken, pork, crab legs, oysters, prawns, salmon ENDLESS. There was also a dessert station with an infinite amount of miniature desserts! 

I can categorically say I have never in my life felt as ill as I did when I came out of this buffet. I have never been so full. I feel like it was impossible to avoid though, there was not a possible way I could have gone to the buffet and not felt as full as I did! Having said all this, it genuinely was worth it and if I went back I would go again. A little pricey at $57 each but there is SO much choice and you definitely get your moneys worth!

I was so full I literally couldn't walk around any more, I just wanted to lay down and fall into a food coma. 

We had a 4:45 wake up call ready for our flight to LA then onto Mexico! 

We came down to the lobby ready to catch the shuttle bus, people still at the casino tables whilst we were half asleep!

Vegas was an EXPERIENCE! :)

On to MEXICO!  

A retrospective account of the best trip of my life. Musings of NYC, Vegas and Mexico. Part 1 - NYC.

So basically, I am getting worse and worse at keeping this up as I get older. I would love to say it's because i'm so busy but the truth is probably more like laziness.

So recently I went on pretty much the best trip of my life bar none. I decided to go old school and hand write a journal everyday of my trip. There something nice about pen to paper but seriously, the internet is there for a reason.

So the next few thousand words will describe my trip in great detail for the benefit of nobody except myself and perhaps a few people who get lost in the interwebs and find themselves here.

2nd Sept 2015 - Day 1

Up and at em' early, 4am! Excited, got to the airport (Heathrow Terminal 5) @ 5:10am. Checked in, and to my utter astonishment it wasn't like the movies and we didn't get an upgrade because it was our honeymoon. What's up with that?

The flight was painless, I watched some movies to pass the time which included 'True Story' (New Franco/Hill movie which was actually really good, but I don't know how I feel about them in serious roles.) Pitch Perfect 2 (Resident Chick Flick) & Hot Pursuit. (Predictable, easy watching 'comedy') The time passed quickly and before we knew it we were queuing an hour and fifteen minutes for immigration at JFK. Not only that but a father was letting his kids cause absolute havoc in the queue, two boys hitting each other and one of them being a particular little shit stepping on people toes and being a general nuisance.

Finally got to the hotel at 1pm, we stayed at the Affinia 50 on East 50th/3rd Ave, it was nothing short of incredible. The best hotel I have stayed in!

We stuffed our bags in storage and went to explore as the room wasn't ready til 3pm. Walked around aimlessly for a bit and found rockefeller close by and how to get to Times Square etc. We visited Grand Central, had a little mooch and then walked to Times Square. By this time we needed food so went into Bubba Gump and shared some shrimp and had our first beverage....

We visited a few shops and then decided to go check out our hotel room. We arrived to our room having been upgraded (that's what i'm talking about, cheers affinia!) and to a bottle of prosecco with a lovely note congratulating us. They had put the note to Mr & Mrs Green, which suited me(!), probably didn't suit Jay though.

Our hotel has a free wine hour between 5 and 6 every day so of course we took full advantage of this. After a few wines we stepped out to go to 'Top of the Rock'. We wanted to go up when it was dark, so we booked a slot for around 8:30. Before we went up I saw Captain Kirk Douglas from The Roots. I was so excited, I watch countless Tonight Show you tube clips on youtube on a daily basis so this was huge! I tried SO hard to get tickets for a show when we were there but they literally sold out within 10 seconds, I had zero chance. Sadface.

There was a huge group of people waiting outside of the rockefeller for some unknown reason and we found out it was due to Justin Bieber being a guest on the tonight show. I think a lost of people were left disappointed when the driver pulled away without anyone coming out of the building, suckers, they fooled you.

Ate at Applebee's just off Times Square, not the best experience. I was absolutely flagging by the time we sat down in there, it would have been about 2am UK time. I needed matchsticks by this point. The service was poor and the food was average.

Got to bed around 11pm, 4am UK time so basically been up for 24 hours. Can't even remember falling asleep. I have no stamina.

3rd Sept 2015 - Day 2 

Woke up at 6:30am, better than I was expecting. Past experiences of being in NYC consisted of me waking up at 3-4am being 8-9am in UK. Going to bed 'late' paid off. We went straight to Ellen's Stardust Diner for breakfast. It's the cheesiest place you could imagine, The staff sing, stand on the tables and dance around. It's bloody fantastic. I assume they're all broadway hopefuls, would be interested to know how many of them make it, and if you were required to be able to sing just to work there? If so, I would have no chance...

I had pancakes and bacon with a sunny side up egg! Nobody has ever asked me how I would like an egg cooked before. What even is 'over easy'? Sunny side up was the only one I understood so just went with it and figured it was a runny yolk.

After Ellen's we decided to explore via the subway. Much like the London tubes except cleaner and you feel much less claustrophobic. We got the subway to 'State Ferry' and was greeted but a young what seemed like teenager. At first I was totally put off, when someone comes up to you with a yellow bib on and a wad of leaflets you don't get good vibes. We wanted to do some sort of boat tour and I gotta hand it to the kid, he sold it good. $32 for an hour cruise on the Hudson on a boat named 'hornblower' - no horns were blown, in that respect it was disappointing. In all other respects it was awesome! The kid was on good terms with the NYPD so I figured he was legit.

We got prime seats on the boat being the first people on board. We went pretty close to the statue of liberty and the breeze created by the sailing was THE ONE. Not a single drop of rain the entire time we were there and it was 30+ degree every day. Do they know British people can't handle that without a swimming pool or cool beverage on hand every 2 mins!?

After the cruise we walked over to the stock exchange and saw where some of The Dark Knight Rises was filmed, and a bit of wall street. A small Asian man was playing some sort of stringed instrument i'd never heard of, the poor guy was truly terrible, like nails on a chalk board.

We walked up to the 9/11 memorial, I got told off for leaning on the edge looking over on to the waterfall, oopsy. I wasn't being disrespectful, just trying to take a look! Also trying to relieve weight off of my feet, absolutely killing.

On from there we discovered the new 'One World' Trade Center or Freedom Tower, not really sure what it's preferred name is. I was happy just to look at it from the ground. The building is the tallest in New York and having been up Rockefeller and later going to the Empire State Building I thought the views would be similar and ultimately not worth it. Well, apparently this wasn't acceptable to my husband. At $32 just to go up in a lift to look out of a window I thought it was day light robbery. However, a happy husband is a happy wife, can't be dealing with that grief. So up we went. On the way in a member of staff commented on my hair style saying she loved it, so far so good. We went up in the lift and then watched a short video on a large screen about how the tower was built and how it became the tallest building in New York.  Unexpectedly the screen raised up and really we've all seen a view of Manhattan before but this was unreal. It literally took my breath away and then I felt embarrassed for sucking in such a huge breath, haha. I could have shed an actual tear if I wasn't trying so hard not to do so.

We received a 'free' gift card for Centry 21 on the way out of the Freedom Tower could be from $5 - $500. Curiosity got the better of us and we decided to see how much our cards were for. Of course we walked around up and down the wrong way before finding it, and of course our cards were only for $5 and everything in the shop still cost a bomb even though it was labelled as 'sale'. We left that joint and headed back to the hotel on the subway to freshen up before dinner!

We booked ourselves into an indian restaurant called 'Brick Lane'. Adam Richman has been there on a Man Vs Food challenge. They have a 'Phal Challenge' which you have to actually sign a contract for so that you can't sue them for emotional or psychological problems you have after you've eaten the ridiculously hot curry.

We arrived to a pretty much empty restaurant but it seemed nice. I ordered Pakora's for starter and there was limited choice for curry so I ordered a standard Tikka Masala whilst Jay ordered Goan Chicken. The starter came and it was probably the worst starter i've ever seen. The batter on the pakora was soft and dough like, it was grim. It took me back to the curry experience we had in Amsterdam. My first thought was never order a curry in a country that's not England or actual India, it is clearly a bad idea. I was happy to be proved wrong when the curry turned up and it was bloody delicious! Clearly the pakoras were a small blip. Happy days!

Jay got a frozen yogurt on the way home, I was far too full, I do not know where he puts it.

4th Sept 2015 - Day 3

We were out by 9am, got the subway to East 14th & 8th Ave. This lead us to 'The High Line' a place that has been recommended to us by my friend. We stopped at a restaurant called 'Bubbys' for breakfast. It was incredible! Expensive, but incredible.

 Bubbys!

I had Salmon Benedict and Jay has Chocolate Chip Pancakes with a side of bacon. I had a proper chocolate milk which we had been searching for instead of the powder variety! Jay tried  some sort of fizzy of choc milk, he deffo had choc milk envy.

My meal was HUGE. Americans do not do anything by halves. It was delicious! I could not finish it all, I probably could have if it was just the salmon benedict but they always wanna put potatoes on the side of everything?! Who has potatoes for breakfast? Very odd.

The restaurant was right at the bottom of the highline, so we hopped on and walked right to the end. There were some great views along the way and cool little stalls and art work. Also a very strange water fountain which was basically just a head...

The piece of hair in this picture is really irritating.

At the end of the highline we walked to West 34th street to browse a few shops. At this point my hatred for my stupid flat feet was at an all time high. I literally did not know what to do with myself. All it took was Jay to ask 'what's wrong?' and I burst into tears. We walked on from there, and took a trip up the Empire State Building. The views were insane and we took some great pictures, but my feet were distracting me from a good time. To most people it probably seems like a massive over reaction but I can not even begin to describe the pain I was in. I actually think most people would have given up way before I did! I walked 15 blocks like a woman on a mission back to the hotel, cried the whole way like an absolute baby. When I got back just laid face down on the bed into a towel and sobbed like I was never gonna stop. Ugh. I dropped off after a while and after that got ready for the wine hour! Nothing like a bit of wine to cheer me up. 

We headed out to Central Park and found a lovely cafe/bar in a very quite area in the park next to a small lake. It was unbelievably relaxing and we could have been anywhere in the world, not in the middle of a bustling city. Two very cool tourists... 

By the time we left Central Park it was dark, it was great to see it in two different lights. We went to The Plaza hotel where some of Home Alone was filmed. Jay couldn't get enough of it. Took a few piccies and headed down town to 'The Mighty Quinns' restaurant! The queue was out the door so we knew it must be good! It has been recommended to us by a friend of Jay's and I have to say it was bloody awesome. 

It was basically a big BBQ restaurant. I had ribs and Jay has brisket, we also had a portion of burnt end fries! Apart from the fact my clumsy arse spilled a near on whole glass of coke all over the table it was a great meal!

The Mighty Quinns

5th Sept 2015 - Day 4 NYC

We woke early and went to a place just across the street called 'The Comfort Diner' for breakfast. I had an omelette which was delicious! Though they asked if I wanted cheddar cheese to which I replied yes. Though 'cheddar' cheese is not like cheese at home it is a bright orange stringy version! Of course the high omelette was served with a side of potatoes. (WHY!) 

Comfort Diner

We went in a sports shop so Jay could buy a pair of swim shorts because his were still in a draw in our bedroom back in England. He also bagged a pair of headphones for $10 because the adaptor snapped in the connector on the place, whoops! Also, just for entering the shop we were given a free 'towel' which was a Serena Williams thing. A towels which once wet stayed cool for up to 6 hours. It was heaven sent in mexico! Cheers Serena!

We got a taxi to the airport at 12pm, I was so sad to say goodbye to the affinia! I would definitely recommend this hotel to friends and family. 

We checked in, ate a wendy's and I facetimed Dawn for funsies. Onto the next leg of our trip - VEGAS BABY!

30 sleeps

In my twitter bio I have stated I am an 'occasional' blogger. If occasional means once every blue moon then I guess it's technically telling the truth.

I need to sort my life out and step back on the proverbial blogging train.

The good/bad thing about not writing anything (aside from depressing Grandad obituary) is that there is now rather a lot of gumpf to get through.

June 4th 2014 saw Mr Jay Whymark sinking to one knee on the sands of Olu Deniz beach in Turkey. He popped open a jewellery box to revel a bright sparkly ring and asked me to be his wife - in hindsight he probably shouldn't have plied me half a bottle of Southern Comfort beforehand, I was a crying wreck. (Happy tears of course) Also it really contributed to my reaction when we bumped into my ex-boyfriend about 5 minutes after the proposal. I just yelled 'I'm gonna be a wife!' in delirium and we went about our evening. Good one!

So it's been 12 months since then and in just under 5 weeks time I will be walking down the aisle in Portsmouth Guildhall to say our 'I do's'. It may have been 12 months but it feel like about 12 minutes. I'm pretty calm, not freaking out (yet). Even though everything has pretty much been one big disaster. Some part of the Guildhall fell in, so the biggest erection (hehe) of scaffolding proceeded to be built and it was suggested that I enter the building through the 'fire exit' at the side. Now, i've heard a few jokes in my time and I gotta say, this was not at the top of the good list. Not only did the building I was getting married in look like a building site, we then found out there was a tattoo convention happening downstairs on the day. Not any old tattoo convention, oh no - EUROPES LARGEST! If that wasn't enough The America's Cup decided to begin in Portsmouth on my wedding weekend. I hate to sound like Bridezilla but are you flamin' serious!!?

So since all of these ill timed issues we have worked hard to try to minimise the damage. I say we, by we I mean my amazingly awesome Dad! So, the scaffolding will be down 2 weeks before (hurrah!) and the tattoo people have said they will not play music whilst the ceremony is going on and we've moved the meal to a room on the 3rd floor so we definitely will not be disturbed by metal heads. So all in all not a bad recovery, though I can't do anything about The America's Cup so I will live with that! Our wedding is movie themed so it might be nice for the Guildhall Square to be filled with people when I arrive, a tad like a movie premiere. Though onlookers be awfully disappointed when they realise it's just some old gal stepping out in a wedding dress and not Tom Cruise.

In the midst of planning my wedding my dear Grandad passed away, he will be sadly missed on our wedding day and I almost can't quite believe he won't be there to see me. I can't stop to think about it too much because it becomes a painful thought so instead I just think about how happy My Nan is going to look at her little baby grand-daughter tying the knot.

My Nanny Mo turned 80 a couple of weeks ago and we took her to Epsom for the day for the Derby! What a day, I won absolutely sod all but it was great fun. I even saw my old pal Christian from the bizarre moment in my life that was 'Scream If You Know The Answer'. The bad thing was that I got quite badly sunburnt - you do not expect this kind of thing to happen in England. A combination of the wind and sun had given me a red honker and a lovely sandal pattern on my feet. I'm still trying to get rid of it!

I almost forgot! 4 weeks after the wedding we are embarking on the most extravagant holiday we will probably ever take for our Honeymoon! Jetting off to New York on 2nd September for 3 nights, then flying from New York to Las Vegas for 4 nights, then flying from Vegas to Mexico for 7 nights of all inclusive luxury! I still can't quite believe it.....there's a high chance I might pass out from excitement! VEGAS BABY!

There is also the small matter of the birth of my 2nd baby nephew. Flynn William Bowley joined us on October 15th 2014. He's the cutest and an absolute dream. Quite unsettling that the next baby to coo over will probably be mine if/when that happens. :-/

Molly & Summer turned 4 this month, insane madness - I have no idea where the time has gone. Elliott turns 2 next week but more importantly I turn 28! If anyone is wondering at what age do you have a genuine conversation with yourself about how old you are I can confirm that it is 27. I genuinely thought I was going to be 29 next week and then couldn't quite believe i'd be 30 next year.

Lucky one of us is sane, Jay asked if I was drunk and then reassured me I was 28.

Grandad Pete 14-07-1931 to 31-12-2014.

We all had an extra special connection with our Grandad Pete. Although he was a quiet man, we always knew how fond he was of his growing family and we will forever carry our memories of him in our hearts. Here are just a few of them we want to share with you.

When we were young, Grandad used to pretend that he kept a zoo of animals in the loft shouting ‘get back!’ when he opened the loft hatch, he even dangled a hoover attachment pretending it was an elephants trunk! Although we had our doubts as we got older, Grandad always maintained it was true! When they moved to Dene court, we joked and asked if he was taking the animals with him! Damien carries on this tradition with his children today, Elliott's evolved the animals to be monsters!

A typical visit to Nanny and Grandad’s house for the day would involve collecting tomatoes from the garden, playing games, watching game shows on TV and eating sweets from 'the sweetie cupboard' as it's always been known. More recently with the great grandchildren it's included playing on the iPad! (How many Great Grandads do you know own an iPad, and a Facebook account?!).

Grandads favourite position was in his chair with his legs tucked up underneath him watching TV and drifting in and out of sleep. Abby and I both have memories of sitting on the back of his chair combing his hair and putting pretty clips in!
He also enjoyed a soak in the bath, and was known for taking a long time! Nanny would say “Right, does anybody need the toilet because Grandad is going for a bath!” Recalling this memory made us all laugh. He loved to read and there were several books that had expanded to twice their size because he had dropped them in the bath when he dozed off!

Due to his quiet nature we used to joke and call him Grumpy Grandee’ some of us were more discreet but I would wave out of the car window and shout “BYE GRUMPY GRANDEE!” as we pulled away from the drive.

Grandad was always a sucker for a bargain. From the pound shop to price drop TV, to shopping online on the iPad, his shopping habits moved with the technology! Nanny never knew what would turn up next! Even a couple of weeks ago an extendable grabber arrived in the post, something nanny will treasure I'm sure!

As you will know, Grandad was a fan of Havant & Waterlooville Football club for 42 years and in a recent game his dedicated support was acknowledged with a minutes silence and a flag flying at half mast. His grandchildren were there to witness the occasion, something we know grandad would have been immensely proud of. Jim and Pete insisted we stay for the whole game, it was bloomin' freezing, and they lost, 'yes grandad, we really do love you'!

Back in 2008 when Grandads Home team Havant Hawks were drawn against Premiership team Liverpool in the FA Cup 5th round, Dad and I jumped at the chance to go with Grandad and his friend Alf to Anfield to watch the game. Liverpool came from behind not once, but twice to see off The Mighty Hawks! It was a great day. Witnessing this momentous occasion alongside Grandad will remain a treasured memory.

Grandad was lucky to have 4 Great-Grandchildren Molly Mo, Summer, Elliott and Flynn. You could see the adoration in his eyes when they came to visit. Nanny and grandad loved their holidays, and were fortunate to have a holiday in Turkey, with 4 generations of our family in attendance! As we all know, Grandad was no stranger to the sun, he spent most of the time on a sun lounger reading and sleeping, and catching enough rays to blend in with the natives!

Grandad was fortunate to be able to spend one last Christmas Day with family. He always loved mums cooking and really enjoyed his 3 course meal including TWO puddings, washed down with a few Gin & Tonic’s and some white wine which he was rather partial to. We all commented on how amazingly good he looked. There is a great picture of him wearing his new flat cap. We are grateful to have this lasting image of him looking so well, surrounded by loving family.

The loss of our Grandad has left us with great sadness and we will miss him dearly but it is a real comfort to have such wonderful memories of him to cherish and keep us smiling. Both our Nanny Mo and Grandad Pete are people we aspire to. Visiting them growing up has always been a pleasure due to their jolly nature, positivity and zest for life. They really have set a great example for our family and instilled the best values in all of us.

Rest in peace Grandad Pete, you bought such great joy to all our lives and your legacy will live on.

Tissue fest 2013.

I have not written in freakin' yonks so here goes....

Lots to say -

In my last post I was on the verge of losing my job, my house, my dignity + more. It's amazing what 3 months can do! I am now in a new job, still at IBM, chuffed with a lovely pay rise and life is good again! I have just returned from a relaxing week in Turkey which was interrupted slightly by a rough cold which saw tissue fest 2013 in full swing. Despite the unwelcome illness we had a fab time! Molly Mo was such a joy to be around for a whole week, each say she climbed the stairs to come and jump on Jay and I to wake us up! I couldn't love her any more, i'm fit to burst :) We had a day at sugar beach, some great meals out and purchased a few goodies!

The house is coming together and I am loving life at 34, Fortunes Way. I love going home after work to cook dinner and getting snuggled in front of the TV! Jay hates the blanket but I am literally cold all the time so it is a staple to be honest.

I have 7 people coming for Christmas Dinner and i'm already freaking out slightly! I am so looking forward to it though, I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I even purchased some Christmas Pyjamas the other day, if anyone says it's too early, screw y'all! I am Christmas obsessed. Not interested in any Scrooge that wants to out themselves to the world. How can you not love Christmas? An impossibility if you ask me. Now the real question is real tree or fake tree? I LOVE a real tree, the smells are to die for, but I am kind of swaying to fake due to the cost implications and the number of uses you can get out of it....ah I can decorate my own house this year! Waahoooo! Can not contain my excitement.

I have 3 Christmas outings planned for Dec. 1 with my old team in IBM at Zizzi Port Solent. £19.95 including prosecco! What a bargain. Slightly more up market meal with my current team at Abar Bistro I have gone for the mackerel paté, pork belly & cheese and biscuits - delish! Finally an 'evening' out AKA no meal, just drinks! I love the busy - ness of the festive period! Makes the rest of the year seem relatively dull, though of course it wasn't.

Before Christmas we have a number of things to look forward to. Thursday we're going to The Kings to see Gemma & Chris in Sweet Charity, Friday is my Kirsty Lou Lee's leaving do at The Bombay Express, everyone loves a reasonably priced curry and a bring your own drink scenario! Saturday it is girls night at Victors house and after that November brings FIVE in Bournemouth....transported back to childhood goodness.

All hail 2013.

In other news

After living the high life in Florida for 2 weeks in April, then getting to grips with the news house comes the shitty mcshitty news that my job may not be safe. Redundancy is going on all round IBM and I am left lingering along with the rest of my team what is to become of us now basically our entire job has been handed to a team in Bratislava.

Applied for about a thousand jobs along with about a thousand other people who are applying for the same jobs. Aaaaaaargggggghhhhh.

In other news we have booked flights to Turkey going on September 22nd to September 29th. Can not flippin' wait!! Something to look forward to at least in this bad patch i'm going through. Made even better by the fact Abby & Adam are coming with Mo, yay!

My new niece or nephew is due to arrive on July 14th so basically any time now, excited is not the word! Babies are the best, can't wait to hold another little family member. Excellenté. I've got money on that it's a girl at 6lb 4oz....don't let me down nature!!

One of my bessie mates got engaged today, this most definitely made my day! So exciting that all of our lives and changing dramatically for the better, weddings, houses, babies - this is life people! Another one of my mates became a father for the first time today to a baby girl, what a great day today has been! Now all I need to do is go home and win the euro millions and it'll be complete! Not much to ask, right?

Immensely looking forward to my birthday BBQ on Saturday - let the celebrations begin! Decorating the garden on Friday with Clara to make it look magical! Hoorah! Lots of family & friends coming, providing nobody else drops out...!!

We're on the road to USA

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"My spouse and I love your blog. You have written about some touching subjects which we found to be very interesting. Please visit my blog ilovecasinogambling.blogspot."

EH NO.

Well there's a small explanation to something which annoys me about this website, and i'd like to say it's why I haven't written anything in a while but the truth is i'm just plain lazy (and boring).

We've full on settled into our new house now and it truly feels like home - hurrah! We've decorated the living room and got our new bed assembled. Everything is coming together! Now we just need a new bathroom, a new kitchen a lick of paint everywhere and it'll be fine....! It's all liveable and clean so i'm one happy girl. Never thought I would own my own home, it feels good!

In other news Jay and I have a couple to hang out with, yay! Jay's friend Lewis introduced us to his girlfriend Caroline for the first time a couple of Saturdays ago, we got on famously and we hung out again last Friday. Not to sound like a right keeno but it's nice having a nother couple to hang out with that aren't my Sister & Brother In law - I love them to pieces but of course we hang out with them, they're family! We watched my brief appearance on Scream if you Know the answer, it's amazing how fashion changes - Why did I think it was okay to have that hair cut? Knob. We got pizza and played Cards Against Humanity - offish my new fave game.

In 2 days time i'll be heading to the airport in preparation for flying to Florida on Friday morning, woooo! It'll be my second trip there, i'm seriously excited. Not only to go on holiday but to be away from work for 2 whole weeks, wake up at my leisure, swim in 30 degree heat, eat out at amazing restaurants and drink a butter beer at Universal Studios Harry Potter World. Also of course DISNEYWORLD. Literally the happiest place on earth. I challenge anybody to stand in Disney World and not smile.

When we get back from hols we have two weddings; one at the end of May and one at the beginning of June and THEN it's my birthday! AND THEN - niece or nephew number 3 will be making an appearance, can't wait! :o)

Until then, there is really nothing very exciting happening in my life. Boooorrrrriinggg. My life currently consists of food shopping, unpacking, washing, drying, cooking, changing bed sheets, dusting.......the fun list is endless! Bring on USA!