Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year...

Hellooo!!! Long time no post...

Just wanted to share a few photos of Christmas 2O13 & hope to post more in the New Year! I haven't really been stitching much this year at all...I really need to pick up a HAED and get cracking again...

This picture is of me & my boyfriend Cookie :0) I forced him to wear a Santa hat for a photo...;0)

He wasn't too happy about the Santa hat!!! Hehe...

My Pandora bracelet is full now thanks to 4 charms for Christmas! 3 from my Cookie and 1 from my Mum :0)

I was also VERY lucky & got some Ugg boots from my Cookie too...

I hope all my blog readers had a fabulous Christmas. I had a very chilled one spent at home with my parents & boyfriend...New Year is going to be more eventful as we are off to Southampton for a dance event :0)...

I hope that everyone has a lovely New Year & is looking forward to 2O14...we have a LOAD of plans for next year so I am über excited...:0)

I'll post more next year ~ I promise...

xXx

Itchy Feet...

For as LONG as I can remember I haven't stuck in one place for all that long...this stems from my parents moving me around a lot as a child...I was born in Aberdeen, moved down to Lowestoft (Suffolk) when I was quite small, then Filby (Norfolk), then Lyne of Skene (13miles outside of Aberdeen) when I was 6, Ash (Surrey) when I was 12, Lowestoft again when I was 18, Stoke on Trent when I was 24/25, Crewe when I was 25/26 & back to Lowestoft again when I was 26...in fact I did a whole lot of bouncing around for just over a year of my life...as much as moving sucks it's quite exciting investigating somewhere new :0) this does mean a lot of my friends are in random places in the country but hey that's just fine :0)

So I think the absolute longest I've stuck anywhere was 6years! I knew coming back to Lowestoft after Stoke/Crewe I was coming back to somewhere where I had exhausted all my possibilities! I studied & got my degree here, I left & went on the cruise ship (admittedly that failed) I then worked myself to a position where I could apply for a managerial role in Stoke & moved once more...that was a huge failure too along with both my relationships up there :0/ so I was forced to come back to the one place I felt I had no possibilities left in...I am a BOOMERANG, I always come back to my "roots"...

Now I'm doing a decent-ish job in Norwich ~ but I can't help craving more! Someone said to me that I'm "bound" to Lowestoft & I do feel that way sometimes but I'm DETERMINED to prove I'm not!!! My friends & family are here yes but that's not the be all & end all of life is it?! I feel Lowestoft has it's poisonous claws in me & won't let go! 

Right now I'm sat in my little sun trap, it's the one place you'll find me if you can't find me anywhere else :0/ I crave the sunshine, I crave to be on the go & I crave to be anywhere else but here right now...I'm sitting staring at the clouds wishing I could be that free! 

I don't want to be tied to anywhere, I want to be completely free of responsibility for ANYTHING! I want to bounce from place to place, making friends & experiencing life! Yep...that's what I truly want...but things like a full time job & a new car get in my way! They are the ONLY two things stopping me...I genuinely can't wait to be out of my knee brace/off my crutches cos then I'll be on the go ALL THE TIME! I'm not missing out anymore...

That's a PROMISE I've made to myself...I don't break promises!!!

Outpatients / Knee Operation Progress...

Been to outpatients today...saw my surgeon who looked at my knee and got my bandages taken off...he tried to get me to bend my knee and test range of movement! He also manipulated my knee cap and said that it is now in a much more secure position, less likely to dislocate now...:0)

I am off to physio on Tuesday and then have to go back and see my surgeon one last time at the beginning of July...my surgeon advised another 2 weeks off work or at least to wait until I am a bit steadier on my feet. Hoping the physio can give me some time frames when I'll be out of my brace and off my crutches! My brace is now on 0-90 instead of 0-60 which means I can bend my knee further now, everything is just very tight that's all...my Mum has been through knee operations before so keeps getting me to lift my knee and bend it...

Here's a couple of photos of my knee for anyone interested:

The stitches are dissolvable so should be gone once I have a bath or shower  after 2 weeks of not being able to wash properly I am looking forward to having a bath later maybe...
x

Reasons I am Scared...

I've been reading up once again on TEFL courses and people's opinions/experiences, I think it is going to be a recurring theme whilst I am off ~ it gives me something to focus on...

So why am I so nervous to talk to my parents about my idea??? Why do I keep coming up with loads of reasons why I shouldn't do it??? 

Well...my reasons and arguments inside my head for doing it and also NOT doing it are:

1) I am worried my parents will not be supportive of my idea ~ even though they have always supported me through everything in my little life so far. Even when I wanted to come home from Crewe following a relationship break down and would have no job here they welcomed me back with open arms...
- the reason why I think they'd be un-supportive is that I have a perfectly good job here. Leaving that guaranteed and steady job for something unpredictable may be seen as stupid! HOWEVER that's exactly the reason why the idea appeals to me so much. I don't have a house of my own or children so this would be the perfect time to escape and see some of the world...I feel that I need to take a "risk" and challenge myself, I currently live too "safely"!!!

2) I have my new little car which is only 3 days old lol...just bought a new car and if I go off gallivanting round the world then that was a complete waste of money! However I don't think I'd be going off straight away, like maybe not even until next year! So that's plenty time to drive my new vehicle, also if I go off abroad for a few weeks at a time I guess I'd be home quite regularly! Could always sell the car, this would get some of the money back that we spent on it in the 1st place...

3) I'd miss my friends and family ~ however a friend pointed out that I moved away to Stoke on Trent/Crewe from Lowestoft and my relationship with my parents/best friends did not deteriorate then! There's always email, Facebook, Twitter & Skype so I shouldn't really worry about relationships deteriorating...

4) Being alone on my own in a foreign country ~ however I think this would be a VERY good thing for me as well as a terrifying thing...I need to stand on my own two feet & get out of my comfort zone...I need to go and learn a new language, eat new foods, see new sights and meet new people!

5) Last time I tried to work abroad I failed...I went to work on a cruise ship as a photographer when I was fresh out of university, the contract was for 6months and I lasted 6weeks! The reason that I didn't last a long time was the actual job more than anything. I despised taking photographs of people at dinner/meal times even though my manager and colleagues reassured me that people on cruises wanted those kinds of memories. I couldn't do my job unless I did that part of it, I couldn't just do all the other bits of the job & miss that bit out because that wouldn't be fair to my colleagues...so I left...I came back home and haven't really picked up a camera since! However I don't look upon this experience as a failure, I just look upon it as something I had to do with my life...

...is studying for my TEFL qualification something I have to do with my life too???

^^^ these are my main fears/worries...
*I am worried about disappointing my parents...
*I am worried about leaving my friends and the hobbies that I do... 
*I am worried about just buying a new car & then not being able to drive it...

I honestly don't want to just flounder around for a few more years & buy a house because I think that's what I'm expected to do...I don't want to be "stuck" in my current job where I have nowhere to progress to - progression and growth in a job role is super important to me the older that I get! The reason why there is no progression routes in my job is that Payroll is a small department stuck out on the outskirts of the larger business which is Accountancy/Tax related. As it is a small department (there is only 3 of us) the only progression route would be go into my managers role ~ this is definitely something I do not want. She works absolutely LOADS of hours a week (like 730am - after 6pm) and anything over her base hours a week gets added to her time off in lieu that she can take! However because of the busy nature of our job role there is just no time to take any time off ~ before I went off for my knee operation she worked out that she would need to take 1 or 2 weeks off EVERY month up to December to use up her Lieu time alone!!! What about time for me and my colleague to have holidays/time off??? 

Don't get me wrong, I do love my job :0) it saved me when I was at a point in my life where I needed saving...I was in a seasonal role and on the verge of becoming unemployed. I applied for the role at my current company and it was a bit of a whirlwind as I got the job and a week later I was working there!!! I was so excited as it is a 9am-5pm job Monday to Friday...however the longer I have been there (& I've only been there 7 almost 8 months) the more my hours have extended...starting work at 830am and working through my half an hour lunch break to finish at maybe 615pm at the latest...this is something I thought that I had left behind when I worked at Pleasurewood Hills...the days there were exhausting (8am - 645pm at the longest!) some days not even sitting to have lunch & just eating it on the go! Yet I am STILL doing it, eating on the go and not having a proper break away from work in the middle of the day!!! If I choose to have a lunch break and leave at the regular time I would normally then I feel super bad about the never ending workload that I'm leaving behind...my day is long anyway because I live 45mins-an hour away from the city which I work in!

I think if this job had hit me a bit later in life I'd be ever so content to just go to work, come home etc...and I'd have a proper little set routine involving the gym, friends, meals out, nights out & probably have my own little house! Right now I do feel like I am "floundering" for want of a better word...I am living my life at home with my parents and I don't feel like I am achieving anything because I am so settled here! I am comfortable and life is easy! It shouldn't be like that...I should be testing myself, trying things that scare me, achieving all sorts of interesting things & more than that I should be LIVING an exciting life!!! 

On the flip side of everything I have a great CV, if I study for my TEFL then that would just make my CV look even better! So if I leave my current job and try out this whole TEFL thing then I shouldn't find it an issue to get another job if that should be a massive failure ~ should I??? I've got a degree, lots of years of experience in different kinds of jobs, payroll qualifications, IT qualifications etc...

I just want to explore, I've got itchy feet and I just want to go!!! I can't commit myself to anything just yet (because I can't even stand on my own two feet without crutches at the moment!) but as soon as I am independent again I think I will be off...no matter how scared I am! I am going to face my fears & tell my parents about my ideas...

My plan is as follows: get back on my own two feet, lose weight, get back to dancing/Zumba & study for my TEFL qualification even if I don't actually do anything with that qualification straight away (at least it would be better having the qualification than not at all, plus would be money well spent rather than spending it on clothes/shoes/alcohol)!!! 

Sounds like a plan right??? I feel that I type words that are much more positive than they would be if they came out of my mouth...

Wish me luck!!!

Ooohhh...

...had an idea! I think the way forward is to do my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course and head out into the world and teach people English :0)!!!

It's £195.00 for an online course...there are always TEFL jobs going all over the world so I could potentially bounce from place to place once qualified...

Hmmm decisions decisions! :0) eeek...excited!!!

Goal in Life...

...my absolute aim in life (& has been for a while) is to move somewhere warm & sunny...the weather in England depresses me so much! Today it is BEAUTIFUL sat in the little sun trap at the bottom of my garden, I wish every day could be like this! I wish I could travel & see the world as my job, that would be the best! So much to experience out there & I get to see none of it because I am tethered to the spot here in Lowestoft!

So that's the goal ~ get out of Lowestoft...I dunno what I'll do to achieve that goal but I can't sit on my bum any longer in my job where I can't progress anywhere! I'm not tied to Lowestoft really ~ no kids, no house etc...so I really should just go! What kind of job would I do though?! Wish I could just backpack through loads of countries, learn a few languages & help some people out along the way! That would be amazing...

So yep...that's gonna be my focus from now on! Not focusing on dramas or "friends" that don't really care about me! Here I come world (when my knee is healed)...are you ready for me?!

New Car Time!

Picked up my new car today...not that I can drive it yet because of the issues with my knee! It's lovely...the same as the old one but just no miles on the clock...:0) 

When the new V5 documentation gets here we will be swapping the plates from my old car onto my new car! So it won't really look any different when we're finished ;0) 

I love it already :0)...hehe! Can't wait to actually get in it & drive it...hurry up & heal knee!!!

^^^ my old car & the registration that my new beepbeep will soon be having once the paperwork arrives ;0)

If You Could...

...do anything with your life what would that be???

I've been sat here thinking this morning about how people get to where they are in life...like were they born into the life they lead or were they incredibly lucky to get where they are today???

If I could do anything with my life I would move to New York (I love that city) and live my life out helping people in some way...whether that be by being someone's PA, working for a charity, being a counsellor etc...I am an organiser, I love to help people so if I could do anything then that would be it...I would love to also have an online business doing something (not sure what) so I could work from wherever I am in the world...that would give me the flexibility to travel and see the world...I hate being so static in life, I hate that my job ties me to where I live and ties me to how much of the world I can see...

I think because I don't have much else to do that my mind is working overtime...it's good thinking and having internal debates with yourself though :0) I think that's the way that ideas and future plans are formed...I'm getting itchy feet again that's all, in my whole life I have never sat still for so long and it pains me! I have always been on the move, going to new places and living in new places! That's the whole reason I have so many friends scattered all over the place and I love that :0) once my knee is sorted I think I will be off, visiting friends in far flung places and enjoying life. The past 3 or so years I haven't truly been me...it's time to rectify that!!!

My heart is in Lowestoft, it truly is! My family and best friends are here. I love my job, it gives me proper job satisfaction for the first time ever...but there's something niggling me and I don't know what it is...I loved psychology at A-Level, I should've pursued this as a career instead of following my Art & Design roots! After all, where did that get me??? A photography degree that I can't even bear to acknowledge...what a waste of my time I guess! However on the flip side at least I have a degree that I can be proud of :0)...as you can tell there is a conflict of opinion within myself when it comes to my previous studies!

So I guess my next move is to figure out what I want to do...I think if I do anything I will do a home study course! The reason being for this is that I can't really afford to not be working, I wish I'd studied for a better degree when I had the option to but hey I suppose I am just going to have to deal with previous life choices and find a way to be doing exactly what I am happy with! I hate battling with myself, I wish I knew what path to take to be truly happy in life. Truth is I have never known exactly what I want to do in life, I've kinda always bumbled along hoping for the best. Now I realise I should've worked hard from the word go ~ followed my passion and not stopped! I should've never become disappointed when an experience didn't go the way I expected. I should've picked myself up the moment I came back off that cruise ship & not just settled for any old job (which is what I did do!)...and because I did that I will always feel slightly disappointed in myself and know that I could've done better!

The next difficult step is actually working out the best route to take...& not wasting any money or time on something that may not get me anywhere!...that's the scary bit...right??? 

BRING IT ON!!! 

WIP Magical Nights Blackwork as of 23.05.13

Well here's where I was with this design as of the 17th of May 2013:

And here's where I am at a few days later:

I hope that you like my progress ~ this enforced rest malarkey is doing wonders for my stitchy bug but I do find myself getting tired earlier on in the evening. Right now it is 815pm and I have had to stop stitching as I am getting drowsy now...I'd hate to continue and make a mistake! Blackwork is not the easiest thing in the world to unpick (a bit like backstitch!)...

Thanks for looking at my blog & happy stitching!

Team Damon!!!

Well my newest favourite show is "The Vampire Diaries" ~ I'm just about up to speed watching it on Netflix (I'm about halfway through Season 3 & Season 4 has just finished being on the TV...) because I didn't know about The Vampire Diaries when it was airing on TV I think I may have a gap between finishing Season 3 and watching Season 4 which is annoying! It's not so bad waiting for a new season of something if you have finished watching the previous season at the same time as everyone else, but I am a whole season behind and Season 4 is not out on Netflix yet & probably wont be until it's out on DVD :0( 

I have pre-ordered the Season 1-4 box set on Play.com which is due for release in August so not that long to wait in the grand scheme of things! I may have to watch from Season 1 again and because I have watched up to Season 3 and know more in depth what is going on then maybe I'll realise/spot things or twists in the episodes earlier second time around...

I love this show, it is so in-depth and the episodes are written so well. It took me until the end of Season 1 to decide if I was Team Damon or Team Stefan ~ I am firmly on Team Damon...he is stunning and such a magnificent actor, such beautiful facial expressions! He is the ultimate bad boy but he cares deep down, he has some exciting & interesting story lines and doesn't care what people think about him or about what he does! He knows he does the wrong things from time to time but he doesn't regret things too easily I don't think and that's a good way to live...you should only maybe regret things you have done, not things you haven't done (whoops! Went off on a tangent there!)...

Wow, absolutely gorgeous!!! :0)

I love it when you can find a new series to watch and get utterly engrossed in...I should've started doing a re-cap each time I'd watched a few episodes and expressed my thoughts from there but quite honestly I didn't think about it at the time. Perhaps when I'm done watching Season 3 and more than likely go back to watching Season 1 again then I will do this, although it wont quite be the same as when I watched it the 1st time around because I'll know what happens later on (which is a shame!) but knowing me I'll have forgotten a lot of things so maybe it might be worth doing???

What I do love most is that people keep dying or disappearing for some reason or another and then they pop back up a few episodes down the line and the transitions are seamless...you're never left thinking "huh?! What are they doing back?!" it is always for a reason or explained so well...I love it...:0)

My favourite characters are: (apart from Damon, obviously!)

* Catherine - the vampire double of Elena (Elena is Catherine's doppelganger!)

* Caroline - one of Elena's best friends who was turned into a Vampire by Catherine after she had an accident. While in hospital Damon gave Caroline some of his blood to aid healing & then Catherine killed Caroline hence turning her into a Vampire, but she was such a good person before that this followed her through into her life as a Vampire...

* Elijah & Rebekah - my 2 favourite "Originals", they seem to resonate most deeply with me...Elijah has his morals and Rebekah is the most fun, she can be a right bitch but I like that about her :0)

My apologies if you haven't ever watched the Vampire Diaries, this is just me waffling on about it because I felt the need to lol! Something a bit different from my usual Cross Stitch chatter ;0)...would be rather cool if HAED made a Vampire Diaries chart...perhaps of this image???

Or something similar! :0) I think that would be very cool & certainly something I would stitch in the future...

Right I'm signing off with my Vampire Diaries waffle, I am a tad obsessed (if you hadn't gathered yet!) I even have a Team Damon t-shirt...

Hope everyone is okay! & thanks for reading my blog today if you have done ;0)

xXx

In the Sunshine

 Well my achievement for today is that I am sat in the sunshine at the bottom of our garden :0) I got down here all by myself! I think the stubborn streak in me is really helping me to get the things done that I want to do :0) yesterday I was suffering in bed all day long as the codeine in the painkillers the hospital gave me was not agreeing with me (made me vomit & feel dizzy/light headed)! I've only taken paracetamol & ibuprofen today, I feel much better...

Hope everyone reading this is having a brilliant Sunday :0)...

xXx

Knee Operation DONE!!!

After hurting my knee ALMOST a year ago (would've been a year at the end of June) & waiting a grand total of 37 weeks from my referral to actual operation date (I was quoted 18 weeks!) it has been done!!!

I arrived at the hospital at 12pm yesterday afternoon and left about 1045/11am this morning. I got settled on my bed and the anaesthetist came to see me and explained his role and asked if I had any allergies etc...then my surgeon came to see me and I couldn't fault him at all. He queried what I had done to hurt my leg and manipulated my leg/knee cap. He eventually decided that the operation I was booked in for (an arthroscopy, to tidy out any cartilidge floating in my knee cap) would not solve my issue and that I needed to have a ligament reconstructed. Turns out that at some point in my life I actually ruptured a ligament that holds my knee cap in place and that caused the left knee cap to dislocate itself far more easily than the right one. The right one had a natural "stop" to how far it shifted to the side whereas the left one had no "stop" at all and if he kept pushing it would've come out of joint completely...

So I went in expecting one operation and had something entirely different...but I am so glad that they fixed me all at one time rather than having to go in later and have another issue fixed then! So my journey down to theatre was actually quite eventful too, I chose to walk down and at 130pm we went down. The prep team had started doing their individual jobs when a nurse came running in and told them to stop what they were doing, as my operation had changed slightly they needed to do it under x-ray control and nobody was immediately free to come up from x-ray, so off I toddled back up to the ward to wait for a bit. 3pm rolled round and off we wandered to try again...same drill ~ the prep team all doing their own jobs and it felt like I had a million things being done to me all at once! I was soon asleep and at 645pm I woke up...

As soon as I woke up I tried to take my oxygen mask off and I was overly emotional! The nurse asked me if I was sore and I said yes so she gave me some morphine...that was a mistake I think because I felt immediately sick! I was also too hot which didn't help with feeling sick at all...I asked if someone could go up and get my bag so I could have my glasses (being short sighted I had blurry vision obviously and that didn't help with the fact that I was a bit distressed!) so someone went to find my glasses ~ bless them! Then we called my Mum to let her know that I was okay, next thing I knew I was up in the ward and being put on oxygen as when I was sleeping the anaesthetic off I wasn't breathing properly but when I was awake I was ok...I'm nothing but difficult huh???

Then my Mum arrived with a change of clothes and wash bag etc as I wasn't prepared for an over-night stay! It was meant to be day surgery but because of going in late and it being a more complex operation than first thought I had to stay over-night!!! Reason being as I had to see the physio in the morning to fit a leg brace and give me some crutches! All I remember of my Mum being there was being emotional, drained and getting knotted up in all the wires around me...as I was connected to oxygen and a heart rate/oxygen monitor! Mum left me to sleep and I had a fitful nights sleep, when the last drugs round came round (about 1015pm) I got some co-codamol and ibuprofen but because I hadn't eaten anything since 645am I asked for some biscuits...it took me until midnight to eat 4 biscuits as I still felt a bit queasy and I eventually took my painkillers as I didn't want to take them on an empty stomach...

I was woken up at 5am for obs and then 630am all the curtains were open so no more sleep was to be had then! Lol...the nurse who did my obs said I was running a bit of a temperature so she'd get some paracetamol (this never showed up!)...I asked the nurse at about 730am if I could have some painkillers and also to go the toilet but because my leg brace wasn't fitted yet I had to go on a comode (not my best experience if I'm honest!)...then the physio popped his head in and asked if I had my brace/crutches already & I said no because my operation was changed last minute I didn't think anything had been organised! 

Off he toddled to find me a brace and some crutches so in the mean time I had some porridge for breakfast ~ yum. A couple of cuppas and a slice of toast!!! I was quite well looked after if I'm honest...(apart from the lack of paracetamol which was promised to me when they thought I was running a temperature and also lack of ice pack which was meant to be on my knee after surgery but there was no freezer on my ward to freeze the ice pack?!?!)

The physio popped back and got me to walk a short way up the ward and then attempt some stairs...he declared me okay to go home and my Mum was called to come get me at 1030am! What I haven't been told is if I have any stitches that need to come out or when my bandage can come off. All I know is I am not to take my brace off for two weeks and I have to go back to outpatients then! 

I'm in a brace and on crutches for 2 weeks which probably means missing my dance show (July 7th), best mates boyfriends birthday (May 25th) and best mates London trip for his 25th birthday (May 27th)! Ahhh well never mind, I was looking forward to all those things but I can do other things like them in the future I guess ~ my health is most important! I'll still go watch my fellow dancing princesses in the show and probably go see my best mate and her boyfriend at their house party for Josh's birthday...:0) I wont miss out completely I guess!!!

Sorry for the essay! I just felt the need to write my whole experience out! :0)

Thanks for reading if you have done...

xXx

Turns out I'm not just a cross stitcher...

I can draw too...I used to take art at GCSE & Alevel then Photography at Degree level so art in one way or another has been flowing through my veins from a young age...

I haven't drawn anything in the longest time & yesterday I looked at my sketch pad & thought "well lets attempt to draw something!" so I found this picture online:

and this is my interpretation:

I drew this for my friend Matt...for many reasons:

1) Kingdom Hearts HD is out at the end of the year 

2) we used to play Kingdom Hearts A LOT when we 1st knew one another 

3) he needs cheering up & for someone to do something totally just for him...

I hope you like it...he's already seen it cos I texted him a picture like the moment it was finished and his exact words were "Wow!! That is totally amazing! You are aware that is being framed and actually going up!" so that makes me feel really good about myself...:0)

I am so critical though ~ Sora's face isn't perfect, the writing is wonky etc etc etc...but I think I did a good job...

I hope that you like it if you have read this blog post!

xXx

Best Easter Egg Ever...

Firstly Happy Easter everyone :0) I've been a little down in the dumps recently but today I've made a decision to be happy and smiley from now on...I promise (until the next time something gets me down haha!)

Anyway, I got this egg for Easter:

Isn't he just the coolest??? I'd like to say the Easter Bunny knows me well ;0) I just don't think I'll be able to eat him...he looks far too cute and penguins are my favourite animals! 

Here's a silly picture of me with my bunny ears on (it's Easter, why not???)

xXx

Cruise Ship Dress...

I bought a lovely dress on the Cruise ship made by a gorgeous lady called Shuna...

http://www.byshuna.com/shuna-marrison-skirts/

Here is a picture of me on the cruise ship and also back home:

I think it is something a bit different and I love my dress/skirt :0)...I wanted it to be a bit versatile so being able to wear it with leggings and a long sleeved top is as important as wearing it in the summer with some pretty sandals...

I hope you like my dress/skirt and maybe check Shuna's website out, she is also on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/shuna.marrison.9?fref=ts...she is a wholesaler but I think she will make things if you email her I believe...:0)

xXx

Canaries Cruise March 2O13...

Well we got back from our Canaries Cruise on the 12th (Tuesday) and we had a fabulous time...I took well over 600 photos so here are a few of them and you can see the rest here: Canaries Cruise 2013 I am going to let you know what we did (the brief version and I think the photos tell the rest!!!)...

~ our lounge...

~ our bathroom...

We were staying in a suite (so we had a little bit more room) and this meant that we had a butler, concierge and we were shown to our room when we first arrived :0) we also had our own designated area in the theatre and got delivered treats every afternoon...wow!!! We were not expecting any of this kind of treatment but it did make our cruise that little bit more special...

An example of the treats we had delivered to our cabin!

Our view from our special seats in the Theatre!

We were meant to cruise out of Barcelona, have a couple of sea days then go to Madeira, Tenerife, Lanzarote, a sea day, Malaga, then a sea day back to Barcelona to go home...but there was an area of low pressure in the Atlantic so our captain changed his route to make the 2 sea days a bit more bearable, so instead of heading for Madeira we headed for Lanzarote instead...good thing he did because we rolled about enough, by the time we reached Lanzarote I was fed up of bouncing up and down!!!

Our beautiful ship ~ the Norwegian Spirit...

Can you see our cabin???

Okay so in Lanzarote (our first stop) it was a bit overcast as we got off so we headed out for a bit of a wander and neglected the suncream thinking we would not need it! Boy were we wrong, about half an hour into our wander the sun was shining brightly so we went off back to the ship to change into more suitable clothes (shorts and t-shirt) :0) and I went back to the town to buy a charm for my Pandora bracelet (a mini cruise ship!!!) it was beautiful to see the sunshine...

Little Boats in Arrecife...

Our second port of call was Tenerife...we went whale watching!!! This was a whole day tour (or seemed like it) so we didn't see much of the island...I did get some good pictures from the ship though!

Some views of Tenerife!

Here's a couple of the best photos I got of the whales we saw...

My Mum & me on the boat!!!

Our third port of call was Madeira ~ this was my favourite island and I took a LOT of photos!!! 

In Madeira we went on a tour bus right round the city/town. We went up really high amongst the hills and once or twice we thought the bus wasn't going to make it up the hills they were that steep!!! I'd visit Madeira again on holiday I think, I thought it was a lovely place...

Then we had a sea day before arriving in Malaga, Spain. It was raining when we arrived!!! Mum and I got off for a wander when there was a break in the weather and wandered a short way into the town. It was a Sunday so there wasn't much open...

Flower Market...

Then we had a beautiful sunny sea day on the way back to Barcelona :0) it was a pity that we didn't have enough time in Barcelona before our flight so we could explore but never mind. I've been to Barcelona once before so I would like to re-visit there one day!

So as well as the beautiful sunshine we had a great cruise on board the Norwegian Spirit (apart from the bumpy ride out to Lanzarote)!!! I would highly recommend them as a cruise line to anyone...the crew are fantastic and friendly, the shows are magical and the food is divine!!!

Crew portion of the show on the final night...

Well that's a little bit about my holiday...we did so much aboard the ship that I couldn't possibly sit here and tell you all about it! It'd take hours...so go have a look at my pictures (link up towards the top of this post!) :0) I can't wait for my next cruise...Mum & Dad were talking about a possible cruise down the Panama Canal next year for Dad's 65th and it'll be my 30th next year too...cruising is so much fun and you really get treated well :0) it's the perfect way to see a few places all in one holiday! Gives you a bit of an insight into places that you could visit for a bit longer another time if you liked...

I hope that you've enjoyed reading about my holiday...thanks to you if you did!!!

xXx