Making memories
On Easter Monday, I was sat in an M&S cafe having enjoyed an overnight stay in Stratford Upon Avon and I decided to have a sausage toastie. As soon as I bit into the sandwich, I was taken back to one of my greatest memories as a teenager, a holiday to Majorca with my Mum, brother and his friend. It was August 1996, I had just turned 13 and during the time I was eating my sausage toastie in present day M&S cafe, all I was thinking about was sitting inside a beach side cafe opposite Cala Bona beach in Majorca having my first ever sausage toastie. The weather was hot and we'd met some interesting people at our hotel - one of the entertainers who enjoyed serenading older ladies with his guitar on the recreational area and a guy who was the spitting image of the late great Bob Holness who managed to get involved in every source of entertainment the hotel provided of an evening. It was one of my first holidays that I really appreciated; not that I didn't appreciate any of the others, but this one was different. I have clear distinct memories of this place. I remember the name of the apartment complex that we stayed, I tried seafood for the first time ever (it was the first of many prawn cocktails that I have had in my life), I had a shandy with my Mum in our apartment whilst my brother went out to a nightclub with his friend. It was the first "grown up" holiday that I'd experienced and it made me want to travel more and see different places and experience different things. I've never had a desire to backpack, take a gap year or take a sabbatical, but I love planning my holidays and essentially making memories with my friends and family.
I often associate memories with either food or music and it got me thinking to terrific memories that unbeknownst to us we are making every day with the people surrounding us. Sure, we all have milestone memories; the day you start school (primary & secondary), your first kiss, your first job interview, your wedding day, the birth of your children. But what about everyday memories that you make that either make you laugh out really loud or remind you of a poignant time of your life? I've listed my top ten; it's in no order whatsoever but all my memories are happy below and I'm aware that some of my recent blogs haven't been particularly cheery.
1) My 30th birthday weekend to Bath. My now husband Dan had spent a long time arranging a surprise weekend trip for my milestone birthday and whilst we were walking our dog around town, he let slip that we were going to Bath. He was mortified; but it didn't ruin it for me. We stayed in a gorgeous B&B, had a lovely day spa & afternoon tea and went to a pasta making class just outside Oxfordshire on the Monday. And we had one of the best curries ever - at a place I had visited when I was a student where you could bring your own alcohol so we enjoyed a bottle of Gordon's with a limited amount of tonic.
2) My first girls holiday. I went away with my best friends to Gran Canaria. We'd passed our A Levels, it was our last blow out before we headed to university and on the evening of Tuesday 11th September 2001, we were due to fly home. Having spent the majority of our day at a water park in Maspolomas with no access to a television or a radio and not a single mobile phone between us, we arrived at the airport where of course, there were no flights going. We eventually got home on the 13th September but I am proud to say these girls still remain my best friends to this day. Music was a big part in this memory and I still have Dance Classics 2000 & the ultimate dance album part 8 kicking around in my car reliving my nights in Gran Canaria as an 18 year old.
3) My Mum's surprise 60th party. My brother & I got drunk on New Year's Eve 2008 and hit upon a great idea to hold a surprise party for my Mum who was to become an official diamond in March 2009. I emailed all her work colleagues and close friends and we managed to pull off the best surprise ever. James and I did all the catering but because we had told my Mum that she was going out for dinner with us, she'd hardly eaten anything all day saving herself for this fantastic meal so she ended up going to bed relatively early after a few too many glasses of bubbles. Of course, we'd done too much food so we were eating chilli con carne for at least three days afterwards.
4) My first student party. I lived with two lovely girls called Kate during my second year at university. They were both incredibly good looking and more often than not, our house was the place to be during my second year. We decided upon a pancake party, twenty people in a three bedroom terraced house, six frying pans, a tub of Neapolitan ice cream & three bottles of Baileys later, we all passed out. I remember waking in my bed and climbing over three other people who had passed out in my room. Oh the joys of being a student!
5) Meeting my father in law for the first time. When it came to that first time of meeting the parents, I was as nervous as a kitten. To me, estate agents are smarmy bastards who are liked as much as doctor's receptionists and what was my father in law? That's right, an estate agent. Luckily, I got nervous for absolutely no reason. But having to eat custard creams which are not really my top choice of biscuits in an effort to please him will live with me as a very happy memory. Every time I hear the song Bring Him Home from Les Miserables, it reminds me very much of Mick.
6) Dan's 30th Birthday. My husband is born on the 17th March. Every year, he has ordinarily had a few pints of Guinness, worn a silly hat and drank Baileys as well as believing he is a quarter Irish due to his birth date falling on the 17th. For his 30th, I decided to do something a little different. With the help of family & friends, I organised a few days in Dublin over the St Patrick's Day celebrations without him knowing. I convinced him that we were going to Butlins in Skegness and it was only on the train down to London that I presented him with the real details of what we were doing. Going to the Guinness factory on St Patrick's Day is magical!
7) First trip to Hope Cove in Devon: We were very surprised to learn that we were to be parents in June 2014, we hadn't really discussed children yet, our daughter Megan, is one of the funniest and incredible little lady I have ever come across. To start getting our head around being parents, we took ourselves down to Devon to Hope Cove in the September prior to Megan being born in February 2015. Dan spent many of his childhood holidays down in South Devon and straight away, it started becoming a place for us to make memories. We got engaged on Hope Cove beach in October 2015 and it was the final holiday where we took my father in law. The Cove opposite Hope Cove beach serves the best dressed crab salad I've ever had.
8) My best friend's weddings: I have four really close friends, Lucy, Liz, Lucy and Laura and every single one of their wedding days was perfect for them. A grade one listed building in York where I was the chief bridesmaid and got to walk my friend down the aisle, a stunning registry office in Wandsworth and a taster menu at the Savoy, a gorgeous summer's day at a venue just outside Chester and a perfect April day at an Orangery with the best bacon butties for supper - you cannot ask for anything more. Seeing my friends happy makes me happy and creates terrific memories.
9) My wedding party. Our wedding day was a little different, ten people at Cambridge Registry Office with a private dinner at the Hotel Du Vin was just how I wanted our day to be. We decided to hold a party for all our friends & family at the Forest Centre in Marston Moretaine which was brilliant. A real knees up and although not everyone could make it, those who wanted to be there and who could be there, were there. It meant the world to me and seeing my daughter dancing on the dance floor with her cousins is a memory I will cherish forever.
10) First official race - The Great South Run October 2007. I was always a decent runner at school, I did cross country and sprinting events and although I was never top in cross country, I was one of the quickest female sprinters in my primary school and when I started secondary school, music took over sport in my heart and it was only when I was in my 20's and feeling unhappy with my weight and life in general, I started running and going to Slimming World, both of which changed my life. I lost a considerable amount of weight and since that first event, I was hooked. Every time I complete an event, I'm already planning my next one.
Whatever your memories, good or bad, reflect more on the good ones. I have thoroughly enjoyed reliving some of my favourite memories and writing them down has reminded me how much fun I am having in life and how much more I've got to look forward to in general.
I often associate memories with either food or music and it got me thinking to terrific memories that unbeknownst to us we are making every day with the people surrounding us. Sure, we all have milestone memories; the day you start school (primary & secondary), your first kiss, your first job interview, your wedding day, the birth of your children. But what about everyday memories that you make that either make you laugh out really loud or remind you of a poignant time of your life? I've listed my top ten; it's in no order whatsoever but all my memories are happy below and I'm aware that some of my recent blogs haven't been particularly cheery.
1) My 30th birthday weekend to Bath. My now husband Dan had spent a long time arranging a surprise weekend trip for my milestone birthday and whilst we were walking our dog around town, he let slip that we were going to Bath. He was mortified; but it didn't ruin it for me. We stayed in a gorgeous B&B, had a lovely day spa & afternoon tea and went to a pasta making class just outside Oxfordshire on the Monday. And we had one of the best curries ever - at a place I had visited when I was a student where you could bring your own alcohol so we enjoyed a bottle of Gordon's with a limited amount of tonic.
2) My first girls holiday. I went away with my best friends to Gran Canaria. We'd passed our A Levels, it was our last blow out before we headed to university and on the evening of Tuesday 11th September 2001, we were due to fly home. Having spent the majority of our day at a water park in Maspolomas with no access to a television or a radio and not a single mobile phone between us, we arrived at the airport where of course, there were no flights going. We eventually got home on the 13th September but I am proud to say these girls still remain my best friends to this day. Music was a big part in this memory and I still have Dance Classics 2000 & the ultimate dance album part 8 kicking around in my car reliving my nights in Gran Canaria as an 18 year old.
3) My Mum's surprise 60th party. My brother & I got drunk on New Year's Eve 2008 and hit upon a great idea to hold a surprise party for my Mum who was to become an official diamond in March 2009. I emailed all her work colleagues and close friends and we managed to pull off the best surprise ever. James and I did all the catering but because we had told my Mum that she was going out for dinner with us, she'd hardly eaten anything all day saving herself for this fantastic meal so she ended up going to bed relatively early after a few too many glasses of bubbles. Of course, we'd done too much food so we were eating chilli con carne for at least three days afterwards.
4) My first student party. I lived with two lovely girls called Kate during my second year at university. They were both incredibly good looking and more often than not, our house was the place to be during my second year. We decided upon a pancake party, twenty people in a three bedroom terraced house, six frying pans, a tub of Neapolitan ice cream & three bottles of Baileys later, we all passed out. I remember waking in my bed and climbing over three other people who had passed out in my room. Oh the joys of being a student!
5) Meeting my father in law for the first time. When it came to that first time of meeting the parents, I was as nervous as a kitten. To me, estate agents are smarmy bastards who are liked as much as doctor's receptionists and what was my father in law? That's right, an estate agent. Luckily, I got nervous for absolutely no reason. But having to eat custard creams which are not really my top choice of biscuits in an effort to please him will live with me as a very happy memory. Every time I hear the song Bring Him Home from Les Miserables, it reminds me very much of Mick.
6) Dan's 30th Birthday. My husband is born on the 17th March. Every year, he has ordinarily had a few pints of Guinness, worn a silly hat and drank Baileys as well as believing he is a quarter Irish due to his birth date falling on the 17th. For his 30th, I decided to do something a little different. With the help of family & friends, I organised a few days in Dublin over the St Patrick's Day celebrations without him knowing. I convinced him that we were going to Butlins in Skegness and it was only on the train down to London that I presented him with the real details of what we were doing. Going to the Guinness factory on St Patrick's Day is magical!
7) First trip to Hope Cove in Devon: We were very surprised to learn that we were to be parents in June 2014, we hadn't really discussed children yet, our daughter Megan, is one of the funniest and incredible little lady I have ever come across. To start getting our head around being parents, we took ourselves down to Devon to Hope Cove in the September prior to Megan being born in February 2015. Dan spent many of his childhood holidays down in South Devon and straight away, it started becoming a place for us to make memories. We got engaged on Hope Cove beach in October 2015 and it was the final holiday where we took my father in law. The Cove opposite Hope Cove beach serves the best dressed crab salad I've ever had.
8) My best friend's weddings: I have four really close friends, Lucy, Liz, Lucy and Laura and every single one of their wedding days was perfect for them. A grade one listed building in York where I was the chief bridesmaid and got to walk my friend down the aisle, a stunning registry office in Wandsworth and a taster menu at the Savoy, a gorgeous summer's day at a venue just outside Chester and a perfect April day at an Orangery with the best bacon butties for supper - you cannot ask for anything more. Seeing my friends happy makes me happy and creates terrific memories.
9) My wedding party. Our wedding day was a little different, ten people at Cambridge Registry Office with a private dinner at the Hotel Du Vin was just how I wanted our day to be. We decided to hold a party for all our friends & family at the Forest Centre in Marston Moretaine which was brilliant. A real knees up and although not everyone could make it, those who wanted to be there and who could be there, were there. It meant the world to me and seeing my daughter dancing on the dance floor with her cousins is a memory I will cherish forever.
10) First official race - The Great South Run October 2007. I was always a decent runner at school, I did cross country and sprinting events and although I was never top in cross country, I was one of the quickest female sprinters in my primary school and when I started secondary school, music took over sport in my heart and it was only when I was in my 20's and feeling unhappy with my weight and life in general, I started running and going to Slimming World, both of which changed my life. I lost a considerable amount of weight and since that first event, I was hooked. Every time I complete an event, I'm already planning my next one.
Whatever your memories, good or bad, reflect more on the good ones. I have thoroughly enjoyed reliving some of my favourite memories and writing them down has reminded me how much fun I am having in life and how much more I've got to look forward to in general.
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