An unconventional fashion blogger trying to find her place on the internet

On Friday the 5th of April, I turned 27 years old which still doesn’t sound real to me. I feel like I’ve fully transitioned into my late twenties, which is bloody mental. Just three years to go and I will be reaching the big 30 – god forbid I transition into a new decade of my life, who decided this getting older thing was a great idea? I hope the hint of sarcasm comes across there.

I always like to reflect after I’ve had a birthday, so I thought I’d put a list of 30 things I’d like to have done before I’m 30 in a post for you all (okay, me) to kick my arse into gear and push me out of my comfort zone – I’ve spent the last couple of years of my life in a bubble and I don’t intend to keep that up! Admittedly, I’ve included some goals at the end that I’ve already achieved as 1) I was finding it difficult to think of 30 and 2) I’ve achieved so much that I already wanted to before 30 and it seems silly not to share that too.

1. Get on a train to London on my own

Now this is a huge thing for me and something I’ve avoided because of my wobbly leg problem. I have a movement disorder called PKD (I’ve got a whole post about it) that’s triggered by sudden movement, going down stairs and crossing roads – so this is a huge challenge for me, but I’d love to travel to an event on my own and not panic.

2. Buy a house

This is hopefully on the agenda for 2020 – Aaron and I have been working our arses off and foregoing lots of stuff to make this dream happen. I’ll be damned if I have to spend more than a year dragging my shopping up two flights of stairs everyday and without a garden to tan myself in the sunshine (going outside the block of flats isn’t socially appropriate or comfortable given I’d be open to the entire street and jibes from the nasty kids across the road that are running around causing the neighbours grief)

3. Have a baby

I’ve never spoken about having children on here, but it’s something I want to do once we’ve got our house and everything ready – we barely have the room for the two of us in this flat, let alone a child with everything that comes with it! I’ve been a bit broody over the last year since we got married and I’d love to have a mini-Gaby to nurture into a fabulous human being such as myself 😉 – don’t worry, I’m well aware of the struggles that parenthood can bring, but I’m ready for the challenge.

4. Grow my blog into something more than what it is now

By the time I’m 30, this place will be just over 6 years old – having put so much time and effort into it for so long, I hope to have created an audience of likeminded people that understand my humour and enjoy coming back here. As I’ve said since the beginning, I hope to continue to make people laugh and smile on a day they thought was a bit shit – because that’s what this is all about.

5. Make some new friends

Now this isn’t to say I don’t love and cherish the friends I currently have – they’re the fucking best and I love them with all of my heart. However as I’m about to embark on a new adventure in a new job, I’m hoping to make some new friends along my ride to the big three-zero, we spend most of our lives at work, so I want to make sure I’m surrounded by people to enjoy my new path with.

6. Get our wedding photos printed

Now this seems like something minor, but we’ve only got one picture from our big day in a frame in our bedroom (I was in there writing and gazing around for inspiration), so I want to have some printed memories of the most amazing day of my life.

7. Holiday in Italy

I’ve always wanted to go there and I really want to do it before I’m 30 – what with the unspoken Brexit (just kidding) and the price of travelling there, it’s something we haven’t really gotten around to (I mean, wouldn’t you rather travel somewhere tropical for the same price?! That’s the usual discussion between Aaron and I).

8. Get my wedding dress dry-cleaned

Okay, I’m a monster and have had my beautiful gown hanging in a dress bag on the side of my wardrobe since the big day, the train covered in dirt, leaves and probably ash from fag butts. I need to sort my life out.

9. Sort through my birthday cards

I’m a hoarder when it comes to sentimental things and birthday cards are no exception. I’ve honestly hand on heart kept every single one since my 18th birthday, which is probably a bit weird and becoming a space saving nightmare.

10. Get a bigger wardrobe so Aaron can have more space

I honestly mean it when I say the space should be for Aaron, I’ve got double the amount of space that he does and I’d love to treat him to more room for his ever-growing wardrobe (he’s got some gorgeous clothes). However, if we could both have more space, I wouldn’t be annoyed 😉

11. Go skiing

Okay, this might not be very realistic given how expensive it is, but I’d love to not worry about my legs (again – you’ll notice this crop up a lot) and glide down the slopes.

12. Have a regular work-out routine

Since changing up my meds and having the coil put in (I couldn’t continue on my beloved pill with the new meds I was put on for my PKD) I’ve put on a good stone and a bit, so I’ve started to do some cardio dance workouts and want to keep it up. If these kind of workouts are your thing, deffo give the Les Mills Collab with Reebok and Nina Dobrev (yeah that gal that plays Elena in the Vampire Diaries) a go – I’m obsessed right now.

13. Buy a brand new Mulberry bag

We were in the shop in Covent Garden on my birthday and it was just beautiful. Nothing had price tags on, it’s the old, if you have to ask then you can’t afford thing, but I would just love to have one and cherish it forever.

14. Sort my skin out

I’ve had on and off acne issues since I was a teen, so I’m hoping that it’ll clear up by the time I hit my thirties – surely it can’t go on forever right?!

15. Go to a festival

I’d love to have the whole sweaty, muddy experience and since we’re quite fortunate to have a lot in the UK, I want to get myself to one for a weekend. The thing that’s put me off in the past is the astronomical prices – again it’s the old, “I could travel abroad for that price” but I’m sure it would be worth it.

16. Go to the theatre

This is actually something I’ll be doing next month with my sister – she got us tickets to see the Book of Mormon which is deffo up my street (I love inappropriate humour) but I’d also like to see something glamorous like Dreamgirls.

17. Go for a spa weekend

I’ve been for spa days on holiday and have always loved the experience, so I want to experience it for an entire weekend.

18. Let go of the shit times

I’ll be honest, I’ve started making progress on this already and getting a new job was the beginning of that journey. I had a really crappy 18 months in terms of health and work, so I need to let go of that time in my life, accept what happened and move the fuck on. Because nobody’s going to gain anything from holding onto the negativity.

19. Take Aaron to Paris

I went to Paris with my college about 7 years ago and had such an amazing time – I’d love to share a romantic weekend away with Aaron in one of the most romantic cities in the world.

20. Get a dog

If anyone knows me IRL, you’ll know that I turn into a mushy moron when I meet a dog (I’m one of those that calls them “poochy” and gets all high pitched and cutesy/cringe) so having my own is the ultimate dream. We always had dogs when I was a kid and I think is probably why I love them so much. Deciding on the breed will be a battle with my husband as he’s a lover of the staffy’s whilst I’d love a little howling beagle – let the battle commence.

21. Go ziplining

I’m absolutely terrified of heights and can barely look over the bannister of stairs from two flights up, let alone ziplining. But it’s something I would love to do as I hear it’s great fun.

22. Get a diagnosis for my leg tremble

It only took 15+ years, but I know it’s not entirely in my head, I’m not making it up and it’s not caused by anxiety. I have a movement disorder and my god it’s good to know that.

23. Get married

I’ve been besotted with Aaron since the age of 15 and knew he’d be my husband one day. I’m lucky enough to have this one marked off from my 30 things to do before 30 list and can honestly say it was the best day of my life.

24. Move out on my own

I think I was quite young to have moved out at 21 and lived on my own for about 18 months before Aaron moved in with me. It was one of the most challenging times in my life (running a household with one income at such a young age is hard) but I’m so happy I did it as it taught me how to be self-sufficient.

25. Go to Thailand

One of the most amazing holidays of my life was in Thailand and it was a dream destination for Aaron and I for years. It’s also where we got engaged, so Koh Samui will always have a special place in my heart.

26. Graduate from university

I finished up with a 2:2 in Fashion Design and the thing about hindsight is you always wish you’d done something differently or knew what was to come. I did a foundation degree in fashion and textiles before topping up for a year to get my BA Hons, but was advised to start in the second year. Being strong-willed and determined, I insisted that I go straight to third as I had the grades (I also didn’t want to rack up more student loan debt or be in education for any longer), but wish I had listened as I would have ended up with better grades in the end. I got a shitty grade for my first semester which counted towards my final grade as I didn’t have the option of swapping it out for one from my second year. Listen to your lecturers people, they know what they’re talking about.

27. Start a blog

Okay, this one is blatantly obvious as it’s what you’re reading now, but I started a couple when I was at university and didn’t stick with it. I’m a lot happier with what I’ve got now as it’s a lot more reflective of someone that somewhat knows them self, but I do wonder if it would be more successful if I’d started earlier, but I guess it’s something we’ll never know.

28. Learn to drive

I’m not sure if I’ve shared this embarrassment, but it took me seven attempts to finally pass that bastard driving test. Yes I said seven. I spent over £700 (just in tests) in trying to get behind the wheel of a car, many major faults, many minor faults and many tears were shed over this period of time. On the final one, I sat with my driving instructor Alan (ahh good old Alan) and said “Alan, if I don’t pass today I think I’m calling it off, I don’t think I can go through this anymore.” And I think that’s what finally got me through with just three minors. We pulled up at home after, I ran to the door with my Grandma and Grandad waiting for the dreaded news as they had become used to, only for them to jump with joy at the fact I had finally done it.

29. Meet a celebrity

I’ve met a couple in my years, namely Alexandra Burke (remember the lady that won X Factor and sang with Beyoncé?!) and Rupert Grint that played Ron Weasley in Harry Potter.

30. Buy a brand new car

I’m proud to say I did this when I purchased my VW Polo on finance 3 years ago which I cherish with all of my heart and intend on keeping at the end of the term!

30 before 3030 things to do before 30bloggerblogging goalsbucket listfashionfashion blogfashion bloggerLifelife goalspersonal life goals