Happy Father's Day - I miss you

I lost my father 19 years a go and not a day goes by where I don't wish he was here in my life.

A lot of people have asked me what it's like to lose a parent at a young age and I'll be honest with you, it destroyed me.

My father was my rock and the person I knew I could cont on to put a mile on my face. He got me and I was his little girl who took note of his artistic talent and how much he cared about me and my sister. But the day the day he was taken aware from me and my family it reshaped my heart and made me a stronger person. For Steve ❤

He was a beautiful man with a caring heart, he loved his children and made sure that he lived a life to the fullest. I stay strong for him and I want to make him proud of how far I've come on my own.

There's not a day that goes by where I don't think about and him and sometimes I cry not because of sadness , but because I've recognised or heard something which reminds me of him such as Phil Collins as my neighbour was listening to him. Whilst taking this shot  - thank you to self timer.  "You'll be in my heart" came on it reminded me of a memory we shared together when I was 6 . Disneys Tarzan was the last film I watched with him before he passed away from a stroke and the powerful lyrics carried so much signifcance to mine and my fathers relationship - "Just look over your shoulder , I'll be there always "  & " When destiny calls you, you must be strong , I may not be with you. But you got to hold on".

I was unsure whether or not to share this photograph but I wanted to show you that it's ok to let out your emotions out especially if you're going through losing a loved one such as a parent. However these weren't tears of sadness , as I had a flash back to giggle with my father on the sofa as he pretend to be a monkey because he was a silly banana like that.   For those of you who have lost a father, I promise you it will get easier. The anger and pain will disappear and you'll focus on remembering the great memories you shared together.

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Spend or Save? giffgaff's money saving game teaches you how to use your cash wisely.

Do you ever constantly wonder where your cash is going? Maybe you should look at how much your daily habits are costing you .

If we take away our regular monthly payments such as our rent, mortgage, bills and food shop. Do you know how much cash you have left to spend or save?

Well,  since the power of contactless and online banking it's hard sometimes to know when those 'treat yourself' moments are actually breaking the bank and preventing you from saving.

Survey stats  from MSE reveal that seemigly small habits such as grabbing yourself a Starbucks coffee, a late night takeaway or going out for brunch , cocktails and Uber could in fact stop you from putting a good lump of cash away for a rainy day.
However when is the right time to put the perks of life on hold and learn to put the pennies in the piggy bank?

 

giffgaff invited bloggers and journalists to a spend or save money event at Cuckoo, leeds. To help give their insight into their new credit plan which offers customers a free credit check.



Along with understanding their vision of helping their customers with their financial plans such as getting onto the property ladder. Attendees got the opportunity to play a real life monopoly game  ' Spend or Save ' which tested players will power when it comes to achieveing life goals and if they can spend their money wisely and make it to retirement with savings . 

So , for example if you had  saved up £5000 would get married, buy a car, pay a deposit for a house and still have enough to cash in hand to cover your monthly expenses? The reaility is you won't , if you don't make the right decision - or in my case you get conned by a Nigerian Prince!  You may lose before you get chance to role your dice again.  However even though luck wasn't on my side it was great to see that the winners got the opportunity to win cash for their choosen charity. 

Whether we admit or not finance is complicated. But , essential to reach life goals.  When it comes to money how many of us actually look at our bank statement and check where our money goes? Playing this Spend or Save game gave me an insight into my own spending habits and how my regular ASOS order may not be helping me on the path to adulthood. So, I've taken note on this saving tips and set myself up a plan to save for my future. What will you do to achieve your life bucket list?

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NYX Ultimate Warm Neutrals Palette

Neutal eyeshadow palettes have become a beauty must have amongst well known youtubers and celebrities as the sultry warm smokey eye looks give a range of skins tones an efforless make up look. However like finding shade of foundation for your skin . There's no shortage of options, but the real difficulty is knowing what suits your eye colour.

On their own, the taupes, beiges, and chocolate shades you'll find in a neutral palette might seem pretty plain, but they're actually so versatile that you can create both minimal and edgy looks alike when you wear the shadows alone, or mix and match them.

By using the NYX ultimate warm neturals palette , you're able to create an effortless warm smokey eye look which can be worn for a day to night as the easy to blend shades give you the opportunity to experiment with your everyday make up.

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IceLolly.com : Blog At The Beach 2018 Round Up

Icelolly.com invited 85 travel and lifestyle bloggers to the their fifth #BlogAtTheBeach networking get together at Duke Studios, Leeds. The ski-themed event allowed online writers and Youtubers to t get some insightful tips on how to work travel agencies from some of the blogespheres best bloggers and photographers.

Whilst sipping on some freshly brewed mulled wine and hot toddies  Kirsty, Bee and Kaye hit the stage  and shared how they've made their mark in the industry and learned to take their content to another level. From sharing their cultural experiences and capturing beautiful moments across the ocean each of their talents shined throughout each presentation. 

The indepth slides gave bloggers the opportuntity to takes notes and find out more how they've managed to make themselves stand out of the crowd. Whether that's learning how to  capture that shot on the go ,pitch to brands or lean how to run a blog whilst working full time. Each of the inspirational speakers gave bloggers the encourage to have their voice heard and most all enjoy sharing their talent or interests on the internet.

To find out what else happened on the top twitter trending day check out IceLolly.coms blog.

However if you’d like to download the presentations you can do so below:

- Kirsty Leanne – Pitching To Brands To Gain Travel Collaborations

- Queen Beady – How To Take Your Blog To The Next Level: Without Going Full Time

- Kaye Ford – Kaye’s Travel Photography Tips

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First Date Tips: A quick guide on how to prepare for your first online date.

Nowadays meeting a potential partner is sometimes harder than it should be. After investing so much time reading profiles and chatting to people with very little conversation on dating apps, it can be tempting to throw in the towel and give up on trying to meet someone online through a dating website. But when the right match is made it can often lead to great relationships or  in some cases marriage.  So consider this the start of your dating rule book, with athe first date and make sure you show the person you're meeting up with knows how great you are.

WEAR AN OUTFIT WHICH IS APPRIORIATE FOR THE OCCASION

Depending on your first date location it's always worth checking the forecast prior to your meet up as you want to prepare on the day. So, no matter how fashionable you are be sensible when it comes to picking your attire as you don't want a wardrobe malfunction to happen.

CONVERSATION MATTERS

Meeting face to face can be quiet a nerve wrecking experience however it's important to stay calm and be yourself when you're on a date. Keep conversation a float by finding out more each others careers, interests or ambitions in life and from there you'll be able to see if you have anything in common.

BODY LANGUAGE

Reading signals is hard especially when you're on a first date. Whether that's a hug, kiss on the cheek or lips we’re all given an in sight by magazines, films or friends on what to expect on a first date. So rather worrying on what may happen, relax and be in the moment. Before you know it you’ll be flirting without you realising it. 

AVOID BAD MANNERS

Dressing well is one part but having good manners is important especially when it comes to first impressions. Make sure you’re polite and if your date doesn’t have the same attitude you know not to waste your time on them.

PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY

Nowadays we all have the tendency to overlook on our smartphones and this bad habit can come up as being quite rude especially when you’re meeting with friends, family or a date. So, be respectful and put your mobile away and enjoy your time together.  

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