Eat Sleep Rave Repeat

Yes, I totally did just shamefully quote a song that I don't particularly like (it's so annoying!?), but it sums up the content of this post almost perfectly!

As I told you last week, I have been uber busy and am seriously lagging behind in keeping you all updated with my life... I am catching you up though... surely but steadily! 

My birthday weekend was kind of a blow out for the rest of my February, because I didn't touch alcohol or step foot in a party for an entire month... and that's where this post comes in! After a month of keeping it on the down low I felt it was about time to rev it up a little... which led to a pretty hardcore weekend of partying (well at least as hardcore as you can get in little Bangor Land anyway!).

Friday the 14th was a huge bundle of fun! It was genuinely one of the best nights out in Bangor I've had so far! We got all dolled up and headed for the pubs in happy moods that set the night up for success. I'm not sure what it was that made this night so good, but I think part of the reason was down to the fact that I allowed myself to let my hair down, and just blow off some steam! 

The beautiful B hiding behind one of many to come!

Briany feelin' the love.

 The clan.... Briany always proving to be the odd one out...

Another vampire gang shot (Lucy and I's obsession with The Vampire Diaries may be taking it's toll...dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnn!)

After making the sexy stretch limo (yes, you read correctly!) wait for us outside the bar whilst we quickly finished our drinks, we scurried along like little excited preschoolers and jumped into our incredibly glam ride to Embassy (which lasted all of 2 minutes because Bangor is that darn small!).

We pulled up outside the club feeling like VIPs, expecting a crowd of people to be gawping as we flung upon the limo doors and (as elegantly as possible) stepped out onto the street.... we were sorely disappointed to find absolutely no crowd of people to stop and stare at our sweet ride...hah! Even with our temporary dreams ever so slightly crushed, we strode into the club on a mission to continue having an awesome night... and indeed it was!

Compulsory bathroom mirror selfie!

We boogied to our hearts content, and refused to leave until closing time.

Even so... we weren't done with the party, so we brought it back home... and continued the night in the form of a food fight! WHICH WAS FREAKIN' AWESOME. It was a full on food fight.. water (and ribena....which....well...not such a good idea, seeing as it coloured our white walls blue! oops!) being thrown e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e (the floors were drenched!), butter smeared all over each others faces, even gravy granules were involved, not to mention the ketchup and mayonnaise! It was a true food fight, worthy of an award.

We all got a bit carried away, and Miss Lucy managed to smash a glass. Despite my spontaneous involvement in childish play (you only live once people!) and despite still being slightly under the influence of alcohol, (unsurprisingly) my responsible self still managed to squeeze it's way through and begin to clean up the havoc that  had just exploded in the house... nicely illustrated by my firm grip on the dustpan and brush, hah!

What a crazy night! Certainly one for the books!

...Saturday night we did it all over again! I told you Eat Sleep Rave Repeat was the moto for the weekend! I only have two photos to share with you that'll sum up my night...

Uno.... the beginning of the night, thing's already proving to be a little crazy when super tall Rob shrinks to shoulder size....

 .... Y Dos... 

I can safely say that I have never drank so much in my life! I have never thrown up because of alcohol  before, and let me tell you, it was NOT something I ever want to experience again! Friday night was so much fun,  and I guess the mad party animal inside of me was still awake and on the prowl 24 hours later... which consequently resulted in the series of unfortunate events leading up to me having my photo taken... hugging a bucket.

I will not be revisiting that bucket, ever again. I honestly don't understand why people would want to  get that wasted on frequent occasions! It's so not fun! Plus it's so incredibly dangerous! Eww, it just makes me feel gross thinking about it. Don't do it people! Keep it safe and responsible! I definitely learnt my lesson. Not happening again, ever!

The following friday was minion social night with the horse riding club! It was a 100% sober night out for me (I really did learn my lesson!), and it was really fun dressing as a quirky little minion! I was in love with the round glasses, even considered buying myself a real pair for lectures...what'd you think? mmm...

 Rockin' dem specs!

Spot minion Alyssa!

 Who doesn't love a cheeky minion eh?

-Alyssa xo

The Big TwoOH

Okay, so I agree... I'm a totally terrible blogger! It feels like I start every post apologizing for my lack of commitment to writing on this blog, it's quite embarrassing really! I don't really have a valid excuse this time. The honest reason is that I had been having a bit of a difficult time a few weeks ago, my mind was a bit of a mess, so I didn't feel motivated to publicly express myself, plus I didn't want you (my lovely readers) to have to read such negativity, and be dragged down by my pessimism. BUT the main thing is that I'm back now! I've spent the last week pulling myself together, getting myself into a productive routine, and surrounding myself with optimism...refueling my spirit! I'd like to say I'm back for the long haul, but with the emotional roller-coaster rides my mind seems to love subjecting me to, both you and I will both have to just have to wait in suspense to see just how that lovely idea of sticking around on this blog goes! I have a good feeling about remaining happy so hopefully that counts for something! Fingers (and toes) crossed!

So, my lovely friends, I have an incredible amount to catch you up on. But boy, that could take me hours upon hours! So I'm going to break it down into multiple posts, so as a) not to drive myself crazy and b) not to drive you crazy! I promised myself that if I had a productive day, I could have dedicated blog time before curling up in bed. I'm actually very excited to be writing, and to finally begin sharing with you a whole month's worth of stories, that I have been wanting to share with you for so long! 

First off I have to tell you about our big joint birthday party that was literally a month and five days ago (cannot believe I haven't blogged since before then! Oh the shame!). It was AWESOME. I enjoyed myself so much! Lucy, Emma and I spent the entire day running around town buying party essentials such as plastic cups, balloons, shot glasses (many of which were to be used by Lucy and I...mmmm). We scurried home and got straight to cleaning our mess of a house to make it look somewhat presentable for our guests that were expected to arrive later on. We set up the living room with birthday banners, and the like, and started getting ready (which to us girls, is one of the funnest parts of the night! ^^).

 Let's get this party started! Of course...by popping open some champagne!

Three cheers for the birthday girls! ^^

.... And we mustn't forget about the birthday boy!

My beautiful best friends looking gorgeous as ever! Emma's red dress was stunning, and I am head over heels for Lucy's new leather skirt.... hot!

And then there's me.... looking like a bit of an numpty really. I actually was a bit cray cray (...yes I totally did just say that) because I wore my killer heels AFTER HAVING SPRAINED MY ANKLE the week before...brave, brave little (20 year old little) girl. Luckily my ankle survived though it's killer shoe ordeal! 

Mr Kelly and Miss Pitcher... party ready!

 Mr Kelly the pimp...

  Getting a bit cheeky after the first round of drinks!

FACT: the party cannot start until some serious selfie sessions have taken place...

'Check out our big balloon boobies!'..... yes we may be in our twenties...

BUT WE STILL KNOW HOW TO HAVE FUN WITH BALLOONS!

And thennnn, the doorbell rang and in came our first guest, time to be sensible, mature (...yeah right!) hosts....

Sadly, very, very sadly, I put my camera back in it's place, safely hidden in my bedroom.  I didn't particularly want it getting knocked over, spilt on, thrown up on, stolen, or abused with horrendous selfies by all our party guests (...I did have my reasons!), therefore, I am afraid to inform you... there are no drunken photos I can share with you (which, is probably for the better... seriously..).

Our party was awesome, and it didn't fall anything short of our expectations (in fact it was better than expected!). So many people turned up, a lot of whom I didn't even know (the number of times I had to embarrass strangers in my house when they asked me who I was, and I had to point at my birthday girl badge and explain how 'this was MY house and MY party'... awkward! 

The general gist of the night went something like this...

music blaring

drink

disco lights dancing

drink

friendly chatter

drink

receiving lovely gifts 

drink

tipsy giggling

drink

awkward introducing

drink

drink

drink

realizing you should probably stop drinking

too late

drunken conversations in the bathroom with your girlfriends

much too late.. friend being carried to bed because too intoxicated to go out (ahem, B!)

drinkkkkkkkkk

feel left out of a group huddle, so decide to bombard into it...

get drink spilled all over your dress

have to go and dry your dress with a hairdryer

change into appropriate, non-killer heel shoes (let's avoid breaking the sprained ankle now why don't we?)

exit the front door.... (BEWARE...HERE WE COME!)

stumble to the club inappropriately shouting things in the street

enter the club

dance dance dance (drink???)

so tired

go home

regret all the moments you engaged in 'drink'

wish you could delete the moments you engaged in 'drink'

self-pity

freak out because you acknowledge you've just had your last party as a teenager (!)

freak out like you have no idea

finally realizing sleep is the best option

zzzzzzz

So as you can see, the 15th of february was quite an eventful night over here in little Bangorland!

....

 My birthday on the 17th was also a day to remember! I woke up to the delivery of a beautiful bunch of pink and white flowers and a box of delicious assorted chocolates from my parents and my sister. This year was my second birthday I spent away from my family, and it felt incredibly strange being apart from them, but they certainly know how to make me feel special on my special day even when they're 1800 miles away! 

I went to blue sky cafe (my favourite hang out place!) with my beautiful besties Lucy and Emma, and they treated me to a pot of tea and a slice of cake. I love spending time with them in blue sky cafe, we've had so many wonderful chats, which have only allowed us to grow in friendship, I  always look forward to our times there! 

Lucy and I then went to the Hergest unit (the mental health unit in which we volunteer), and the volunteers seemed quite surprised that I turned up on my birthday, but I LOVE volunteering at Hergest and it only made my birthday all the better! After Hergest, the uni family and I went to the Greek for dinner, and although the service was quite slow, it gave us a good two hours to chat and spend quality time together, I wouldn't have changed a thing about it. I really like the Greek, with it's intimate atmosphere... I'm a sucker for candle lit dinners! And well, obviously... hummus..!

The guys...

...and the gals....

 ...and my hummus! 

 ...and main...

 ... and we musn't forget about desert! My friends bought me the most delicious cake.. but it was a beast! We were all so stuffed after our meal at the Greek but we forced ourselves to eat the monster of a chocolate cake, because, well... I had to have birthday cake on my birthday! Wasn't it just beautiful...!?

I was terrified of leaving my teens and entering my twenties, but I realized that was utterly ridiculous! Yes, my adolescent years are over, and yes it is a little scary knowing I'll never be a child or teenager again, but it's also so reassuring feeling like I made the most of it, and knowing that I only have more to look forward to, and so much ahead of me to be excited about! Twenties are just as much an important era to be in, with so many important things happening... enjoying university, graduating university, getting my first proper job, traveling the world, and perhaps even getting married and having children! There is so much happiness to be found within my years as twenty odds, and i'm so excited for each and every moment that will allow me to continue learning and growing!

-Alyssa xo

Party Party Party

I have been an absolute terrible blogger lately! And what makes it worse is that I have no valid excuse!   I've been wanting to tell you about the parties I went to last week that were both fancy dress, one superhero themed night and the other pub golf in golfing get up ^^ However I haven't got enough photos at the moment, and am waiting for my friend to send me some so that I can share them with you (and I will, I promise, as soon as I have the photos!). But alas, this is such a poor excuse for not having blogged in two weeks (!), I could very well have written about something else.. bad, bad blogger!

February is a big (and expensive) month for me.. with an incredible amount of birthday celebrations and presents. By an incredible amount I really am talking about an incredible amount... Lorna's birthday party on the 5th (the golf themed one), Rob's birthday on the 7th (in which I sprained my ankle.. wait for the story.. it's impressive ^^), Emma's birthday on the 10th, Logan's birthday on the 16th, my birthday on the 17th (!!!!) and Lucy's birthday on the 21st!)... see...I wasn't exaggerating when I said an incredible amount! 

I can actually tell you about Lorna's birthday party, because I actually do have the photos for that one! Like I have already mentioned.. the fancy dress theme was golfing attire, and we played pub golf. It was a lot of fun, but I did start to feel sick towards the end of the game, and I wasn't a very happy bunny. As soon as we hit the club I perked up, and felt quite a bit better, so actually ended up having a good night out with my friends. If you've ever played pub golf, you'll know just how dangerous it can get.. jumping from pub to pub, having to order the drink requested by your game tracker sheet, and then to top that off, having to down and finish that drink in an impossible number of swigs (when I say impossible I mean like 2 or 3 swigs to down a full glass of fizzy drink and alcohol (or beer, which is even worse... ew!)... for someone who can't even drink water that quickly without feeling sick, let alone  being an incredible light weight, you can see why pub golf isn't a regular party style choice for me... ^^ Never the less, it was fun, especially towards the beginning of the night... before feeling sick ^^

The fam before the night kicked off.

 Lucy and I totally (not) ready for a night of pub golf (not gonna lie, we didn't feel totally ready for this... we had literally (i'm talking 30 minutes beforehand) just come back from a talk about the negative consequences of drugs and alcohol...eek!

 We joined the party late (because we're always 'fashionably' late to everything... ^^) at the Greek (a restaurant/ bar in upper Bangor), to begin our night of terrible competitive drinking (I cheated.. as I always do at pub golf... because there is absolutely no way I'd make it out alive if I didn't!).

Compulsory cheeky selfie with Lucy and Briany ^^

 The birthday girl!

 What cuties, Mr Briany and Miss Lucy ^^

 Miss Lucy doing considerably well, seeing as her drink downing abilities are almost as bad as mine! ^^

The next birthday on the list was Rob's 20th, which was on Friday... and man do I have a story to tell you about my poor little ankle....

It was a beautifully sunny day in little Bangorland (... just kidding... sun... in Bangor!? What a wonderful phenomenon. No, of course it wasn't!... it was a gloomy, cold winters day!), and the gang headed into town to celebrate Rob's becoming of 20 over lunch in a cute little cafe called 1815.

 Not only was the atmosphere of the place super cosy and intimate, the food was well worth it's price! 

All the girls were pretty excited about the pretty little drink bottles, I just couldn't resist taking a photo. Is that weird? Hmm...

 The soup of the day was carrot, yoghurt and sesame seeds.. and it was so good, despite burning my tongue profusely... it was just too tempting, making it impossible for me to wait until it had cooled to an appropriate temperature before gobbling it up...

 Miss Lucy's beast of a lunch! How good does it look though ( I mean for all you meat eaters out there...)... the veggie one looked pretty darn good too (sorry veggies, I didn't get a photo of the veggie one, we couldn't wait to get stuck into our food!)...

After sitting back and enjoying our glorious meals, we trudged home through the cold, and started to get ready for the not so laid back party that we would throw ourselves into later...

No fancy dress this time, just plain ol' normal party clothes (you'd be surprised just how rare dressing in normal clothes is for a night out around here!). We tested out the funky, old skl disco lights Alex brought back with him from Liverpool for our (Rob, Emma, Lucy and I) big joint birthday party (which is on Saturday.. eeepp! ^^), which I personally feel was a big success, although others weren't so enthusiastic about it, complaining about how it 'blinded' them.. yeah yeah,  well guess they're just not as disco wise as little old me... mmhhhmm...

Miss Lucy and I always have to take a together selfie before heading to a party.. always.. ^^ Now we're totally party ready..

Lucy and Alex getting cosy on the couch...

Photos with the birthday boy... ^^

And then we hit the club... and that's when things went things went down hill for my poor little ankle...

 After a few too many drinks (especially after I had promised myself I wouldn't drink.. I'm so rubbish I know... *sigh*)

... and getting a little over excited with Miss Lucy when Pitbull's voice came through the headphones (I swear I didn't bring my own music and headphones to the club...I'm not that weird I promise... it was a headphone party!... A party where no music is playing in the club, and the only way you can hear music is through the head phones that the club provides ^^)...

 one excited jump too many and I fell over onto my ankle...

... Luckily I had my arm around Lucy so I didn't fall flat onto my face, keeping me looking like a drunken wreck (which I promise I actually wasn't!).

 But it hurt incredibly and I thought I was gonna faint. It was the most bizarre feeling... being in a headphone party, and having taken my headphones off, the room was filled with the sound of drunken voices singing to music that I couldn't hear...

 If you've fainted before you'll know that just before you do, everything goes fuzzy... noise goes incredibly muffled and faint and everything flashes black and white... imagine it happening in the bizarre environment I was in! ^^ 

Luckily (again), I didn't faint, I reached a seat and managed to pull myself together. I was a tough little cookie.. if I do say so myself ^^ ( most likely due to the alcohol already in my system helping to relieve some of the pain)... and continued to boogie for the next two hours for the sake of Rob's birthday and for the fun of my friends. It wasn't until I got home that silly little me realized just how swollen it was... I have a photo but it's too ugly to share with you haha!

The following day I went to the hospital (in my pyjamas, because it hurt to pull other trousers up over my ankle! ^^) with Lucy and the nurse told me it would take six weeks to be properly healed! :O She told me not to wear heels for our birthday party this weekend (an even bigger :O!)... but hey ho.. we'll see how it is on Saturday, and I'll make a judgement on whether I think it fit to wear my gorgeous red heels ;)... No, I really shouldn't should I??

 My ankle is actually getting a lot better, it doesn't hurt anymore and the swelling is going down, it is beginning to bruise, but I see bruising as a good sign, means it's healing.. right? ^^

Anyway, that was my little dramatic story of the week! Now the moral of the story is ladies... 'keep calm and restrain yourself when your favourite dance song comes on, especially when in irresponsible shoes!' oh and don't drink too much! Seriously.. be safe people <3

I'll leave you with that take home message ladies! Fingers crossed Saturday night isn't so dramatic! ^^

-Alyssa xo

p.s I promise to tell you about the superhero party as soon as I get my mits on the photos!