Just kill 'em! (with kindness)

Oh how frustrating it is when someone is really grinding your gears, winding you up, sending you round the bend, driving you up the wall, doing ya nut in, getting on your wick... *insert further appropriate expressions here*

Fortunately, I'm a fairly laid back gal and so it's not too often that I find myself in this position. However, this is something I have been struggling with over the past few weeks. I found myself in a situation where I was having to spend a lot of time with someone who I found pretty exasperating to be around.
At first, I had a bitterness inside me and would go in to each day thinking 'I wonder what they are going to do to drive me bonkers today' and 'I wonder how many times I'm going to have to bite my tongue today'. This really wasn't a nice feeling.

As a Christian, I do my best to love everyone - not just those who I find easy to love. I asked God to show me how to love this person (because I was finding it damn hard) and I felt him challenge me to do at least one nice thing for them, everyday.
Now, I'll level with ya... I definitely haven't managed to do this everyday. Some days there has been an appropriate opportunity to do something really nice, other days it's just been offering up a compliment.
What it definitely has done is massively alter my perspective. Instead of approaching the day with a negative outlook, I have instead been focused on what my 'nice thing' for the day could be. I have been more aware of my thoughts and have actively tried to change them from mean ones to kinder ones.

Now, the poor soul in question is of course oblivious to this whole thing, but it is definitely helping me to cope! I love this quote from Nelson Mandela which says:

"Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies".

This is so true. Hatred, resentment - even irritation - only affect you. What is the point? They can't actually change your situation. I do however believe that love can. Love softens you and can transform even the most broken of relationships.

Please don't think I am trying to preach here... I still find this very hard! I'm working on it every single day and have plenty of moments where I have to take a deep breath and try not to react. I also often come home and rant to my poor housemate, Kate. She really does take one for the team.

This isn't easy, and it's something we will all go through in our life times. We can't always choose who we spend time with and we certainly don't get to choose whether we like them. What we do have some level of control over is whether or not we throttle them lol.

Do you have any pearls of wisdom on this topic? If you do, please leave a comment and share this with the rest of us!


On a different note... I am now coming to the end of my half term break and am getting my brain in gear to head back to placement on Monday. Half term has been great - I got to go home and spend time with family and friends. What hasn't been so great is that I've been ill for most of it! I think I'm just run down from the first few weeks of placement and a cold has decided to take this opportunity to come at me like a tonne of bricks. I am currently a delightful bundle of phlegm and fatigue.
When my energy levels are this low (it's taking everything I have just to type and I reckon it will be lights out at 9pm) I get myself really worked up that it's M.E making a re-appearance. I know that worrying about this is absolutely not helpful but, alas, here we are. If you believe in prayer then a lil prayer for peace and energy for me right now would be very much appreciated!


Many thanks for reading and lots of love,

Katie xxx

The Calm Before the Storm

I am currently in a state of desperately trying to stay awake for a couple more hours. 9pm is a reasonable time for a 20 year old to go to bed, yes? It has been a busy few days and today was spent travelling which always wears me out. I'm shattered but at the same time my soul is feeling refreshed.

I have just been home for a couple of days before I start my 2nd year placement tomorrow morning.
The main reason I went home was to surprise my friend Beth as part of her 21st birthday celebrations which were wonderfully orchestrated by her boyfriend, Kyle. It was so great to be able to see some of the old gang and to catch up as we didn't get much time together over Christmas. I also love an excuse to dress up and eat cake (well, who doesn't?).

As you can see from these two pictures, I am apparently incapable of posing for a nice photo like a normal human being, soz lads.

What made this weekend even better than I had originally anticipated was that Uni gave us a 'pre-placement' week which meant I had a couple of extra days off to get my life together and to then travel back on the Thursday. This gave me some much needed quality time with the parentals. On top of this, two other very important people in my life also happened to be heading back to the Shire on the Friday...

My wonderful friend Katherine who is bossing life and moved to Cornwall for work a few months ago was back in town for a different surprise party! We met for coffee and it was so amazing to see her face and to chat away together like only Kates and Kathers can. We just get each other in a way that I don't think other people always do haha!

And finally, it was a huge bonus to have a date night with Nathan like a normal couple can you BELIEVE. We actually got to spend some time together that wasn't over a dodgy FaceTime connection lol.

Times like these with loved ones who I don't see when I'm in Brighton is such a joy but also hard when they are short lived and I have to say goodbye again so quickly. Despite the bittersweet farewells, I feel like God has hugely blessed me in creating these 'coincidences' of crossed paths.
I am feeling so much better in heading towards placement (which I know will be an emotional challenge at times) having been able to spend quality time with these people in particular.
Sometimes I really see that God knows what I need before I can even ask for it.

Now, time to go and pack my lunch and set a lovely early alarm for tomorrow morning. I am feeling apprehensive about the next 8 weeks but more so I am excited to get stuck in! I'm not one to shy away from a challenge, and I don't intend to start now.

I hope you are all well and excited for January to be over - I know I am!

Thanks so much for reading,

Love,
Katie xxx

Meltdown Central™

Hello all! I am alive! (Just about). My most profuse apologies for taking so long to write a post; this past term has been madness. It turns out that 2^nd year is a fairly sizeable step up…

It honestly breaks my heart that I’ve not been able to keep Katie’s Corner going over the past couple of months – I have seriously missed it! Thank you for bearing with me.
My Christmas break has been equally hectic – some lovely quality time with my nearest and dearest but also a HECK TONNE of work to do (hence why I haven’t had a chance or felt up to writing a post).

Here’s a low down of what I’ve been up to since we last spoke and some thoughts for the year ahead…

October

The month of getting stuck in to 2nd year and embracing everything Autumn related! The return to my course was a bit of a shock to the system so I spent a lot of time working hard but in and amongst that...

• We went to support our boy Dave and his band Island Club at their headline gig in Brighton. Go and check out their stuff on Spotify etc. if you haven't yet. They are sicccckkkk. 
  
• Popped home to take part in the MYCO 30th Anniversary concert in Oxford. It was so nice to be back with old pals and coming together with MYCO members old and new to create an incredible sound. A real honour! 
  
  
  
  

• Enjoyed autumn wonderfulness at Sheffield Park and spent time with the Critchleys 
  
• Explored Stanmer Park for Kate's birthday and made a pie. 
  
• Started a small group with Rhi. This has been a particular highlight of the term. Our group is made up of all girls and we have spent each Thursday evening eating snacks and studying different women in the Bible, what made them incredible, and how we can learn from their example. We have been able to discuss some heavy topics, support each other through life's joys and challenges, and have all the lols.

November

The month that the darkness and cold weather closed in. Lots of new opportunities/challenges came my way and I made some wonderful memories with great people.

• We celebrated Sarah's 21st Birthday with a night out (my only one this term! I am a useless student!!) and a trip to The Ivy for afternoon tea. 
  
  
  
  
• Took on the challenge - along with some other students from St Peter's - to sleep outside, on cardboard, in a car park in order to raise awareness and money for the homeless Night Shelter in Brighton. This city has the highest rate of homelessness in the UK, outside of London. The work of the Night Shelter is vital and it was amazing to be able to raise over £2,000 between us! 
  
  
  

  

  what a TEAM

• I gave my first talk. I spoke at the Eleven which takes place on the Sussex University campus every Sunday morning. It is amazing how God can use a dark story to bring light. 
  
• I wrote my first paid article! It took a lot of work and is part of the reason why my own blog has taken a back seat but it was really cool to have been asked to do it.
• Nathan came to visit! I turns out that people aren't joking when they say long distance relationships are hard, but it makes it even more special when you do get to hang out and make fun memories. Also got to have my first mulled wine of 2018 which was by far the best part of the weekend (lol only joking nath haha soz) 
  
• The St Peter's Student Christmas partaaaay! It featured full xmas dins, rodeo reindeer, roller skating, and silent disco. Fun times indeed. 
  
• Everyone started having mental breakdowns. Second year began to take it's toll, we all got tired and started to lose the will to live. I certainly began to question the point of getting a degree. This term really has been Meltdown Central™

  

  I am in there somewhere... thanks Kate for documenting my meltdowns!

December

The month of CHRISTMAAAAS! Although, for me, Christmas starts much earlier. I had the xmas tunes blaring from Nov 1st and we had our tree and decs up from about 12th Nov... judge me all you want. I was simply living my BEST LIFE. Of course, December is when the real festivities began - along with all my deadlines (!!!) and the countdown to the end of term.

• Safehaven is the ministry (run by St Peter's, Brighton) to support the homeless community. Near the start of December, we had our Christmas meal and it was so much fun! The church was beautifully decorated, a delicious roast was served, the guests all got a present, and I got to sing fun harmonies to some carols, along with the incredibly talented Lydia and Tom. It really was an evening to remember and one which seemed to reflect the real meaning of Christmas. 
  
  
  
  
• Worked my butt off and got all my assignments in on time! No idea if I did any good in them but at least they are done!
• On the last day of term, we had a house Christmas meal - beautifully prepared by Kate and Abby (urrghh my mouth is watering just thinking about it!). I made a dessert of chocolate mousse and we exchanged Secret Santa gifts. It was grand! Just a shame that one of the gang - Lucy - couldn't be there... but she was off having an amazing time surfing in Morocco so we couldn't feel too sorry for her! 
  
  
  
• Returning home was simply the BEST. FEELING. EVER. I loved being reunited with my family (especially my brother who I had not seen in 3 months), getting back to my lovely bed and equally lovely view of the horse field from my bedroom window. A highlight of the lead up to Christmas was going to the Blenheim Lights with some of the old school gang. 

  

  💗

• Aside from festive fun, the past couple of weeks have mainly consisted of yet more work! I have another big deadline next week but I have been plodding on and am getting there.

  

  The Ledden Legends reunited.

Phew. What a mad few months! I have no doubt that the coming months will be equally busy. I have my placement starting at the end of January so that will be consuming my every waking moment for a few weeks haha! I am going to try my best to write more posts in 2019 but cannot make any promises. Sorry that this one is just a messy update and doesn't contain much thought or message! Hopefully normal service can be resumed sooner rather than later...

My plan for the coming year is to continue to trust God in everything and enjoy every opportunity he gives me. He's done a pretty good job so far. 

"Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote: God is there, ready to help; I'm fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?" - Hebrews 13

I also want to get better at not making pre-judgments of people. I know I can have some not very nice ideas about people before I've even spoken to them. Another goal is to practice doing more random acts of kindness and to be braver (determined to make 2019 a less anxious year!).

What are your hopes/plans for the coming year? Here's to a good one!

As always, thank you for reading! Don't forget you can follow the blog by clicking the blue button in the top left corner (if you can't see it, you need to click 'view web version' below!)

Love,
Katie xxx

Just Say Yes!

Hello!

Can you believe it is October?! Utter madness. We are now entering my favourite season of them all: Autumn. Happy days indeed.
I am back at University and am already stuck in to second year.
Another milestone worth mentioning is that on 19th September this blog turned two years old! I posted about it on facebook so some of you will have already seen but for the rest of you: thank you so much for reading, encouraging and supporting this blog! I said I would keep writing this until I stopped enjoying it and it is thanks to you that I am still LOVING it. You may also notice that the blog has now had a facelift... this is with huge thanks to my girl Beth (follow her on Instagram @faulknerbeth) who designed the new header. I hope you like it!

Right now let's get down to bizniz...

I wanted to talk about a shift in mindset that I have had recently.
The process started the week before I came back to Uni when I went for a night away with some of the other students from St Peter's in Brighton. At the start of our time together we were asked to go round and each say what our 'hope' for the coming year was. When it was my turn I said 'my hope is to not let fear get in the way of me taking new opportunities'. This was my hope because I felt that in my first year I said no to a lot of things because it all just felt so overwhelming. Mostly I think this was okay because you can't do everything! But also I feel there were missed opportunities that actually would have been good for me.

the view from the manor house we stayed in on the night away

So I came back to Uni and started the term. The first week was a bit of a struggle as I always find it hard to readjust. At the end of the week two opportunities came my way... one for the Saturday and one for the Sunday. Both times my automatic reaction was 'I'm going to have to say no, I can't do this. It's too much'. I made excuses in my mind about why I couldn't/shouldn't and tried to strategise ways to make the situations easier for me. In the past I would have let myself get away with this and either would have said no or would have said yes but spent the whole time stressing about it.

This time was different. This time I called myself out on it. I thought it's all very well 'hoping that I won't let fear get in the way of me taking up opportunities'  but I actually need to do something about it too! So I just said yes. I said yes to both opportunities and did my best to just let things happen; to not try and plan everything or second guess everything. And, guess what, it was all a-okay! I would have totally missed out had I said no and neither situation was as big of a deal as I had made them out to be in my head.

I think I often feel I need to protect myself due to my years of being ill... I got used to having to say no to everything because there was so much that I couldn't do and always held a fear of 'over doing it' and causing my body to break down even more than it already had. Now that I'm well I need to remind myself that I don't have to think like that anymore. It's both exciting and terrifying!

As with everything in life, this is about balance. Of course you can't say yes to everything because you do need to look after yourself and try to avoid burning out but equally if - like me - you know that sometimes your fears around taking new opportunities may not be worth saying no for then try just saying yes! And then deal with what happens when it happens rather than trying to work everything out beforehand. At the end of the day you can not protect yourself from everything and can't go through life avoiding things. It ain't the way Jesus wants us to live...

"I have come so that you may have life, and life in all its fullness." - John 10v10

And on that note, I'm going to leave it there! This post was just a quick reflection. Please do let me know if you have any 'yes' moments over the next few weeks - challenge yourself to say yes to a new opportunity every month and see how it goes. You may discover something amazing.

As always, thank you for reading! Don't forget you can follow the blog by clicking the blue button in the top left corner (if you can't see it, you need to click 'view web version' below!)

Love,

Katie xxx

A Survival Guide to Your First Year at University

Hello all!

As I write this, it is A Level results day. A massive congratulations to everyone who received their results today - especially my brother who absolutely smashed it! Another Ledden Legend is off to University. Look out Birmingham!

I've been thinking for a while that it might be a good idea to write a post with some #toptips for your first year at University. Having just finished mine, I feel in a good position to share some thoughts on things that have helped me.
I posted about this on Instagram a short a while ago to ask if any of my pals had any advice to add to the mix. A huge thanks to those of you who did! This post will be 100x more helpful with opinions other than just my own!

1. Be Yourself: this is my absolute number one piece of advice and therefore I have popped it at the start so that if you get bored and stop reading, at least you've read this bit haha! Before I went to Uni I made the conscious decision to try to stay true to who I am and what I believe in when I moved away. I knew that this would potentially mean I wouldn't make friends as quickly as other people but trusted that I would find my tribe in the end! On my second night at Uni, all my flatmates went on a night out and I went to church! I think they thought I was absolutely insane. The thing that I found though is that people respect you for having integrity and consistency from the start. Me being honest about the things I did or didn't want to do also seemed to help the people around me feel that they could do the same. Over time it helped me to create deeper and more honest relationships with my flatmates and others around me. Nathan backs this too and says that giving in to peer pressure or trying to live up to other people's expectations is never helpful and that - although Uni is a time for change and trying new things - you don't need to change who you are.

This is the first picture that was sent to our flat group chat. I left my flatmates a glass of water and a biccy for when they got back from their night out... establishing the Mumma Kates role from day one lol.

2. Freshers: the most important thing to remember about freshers is that it doesn't last long. If you're hating it - don't worry - it will be over soon! And if you're enjoying it then make the most of it and take every opportunity! Hannah says that freshers isn't for everyone but that there will be people with similar interests to you and suggests trying a few societies or SU events to meet people. Hannah also mentioned how making your room a sanctuary can be really helpful. I feel this is important for the whole year but particularly during freshers as it makes so much difference to have somewhere calm and homely to go back to if you need to escape the chaos of freshers! I especially advocate the use of cushions, fairy lights, and photos of happy memories. My final nugget of advice about freshers was given to me by my friend Becca before I went to Uni. She said not to worry if I wasn't having the *best* time straight away. It might take you a bit of time but that's okay!

my sanctuary

3. Friendships: I was really lucky that the people I clicked with straight away at Uni ended up being incredible friends for the whole year! I made lots more chums over the course of the year too which was so amazing. However, Charlotte says that it took her a long time to settle into a group of friends because the people she first clicked with ended up not being the nicest! I saw this happen to a couple of my flatmates too. Don't let this dishearten you if it happens to you! You will find your tribe eventually and it will be SO worth it when you do. Something so important is to keep links with your friends from home when you go away. It will help you to stay sane! Embracing the new when you go to Uni doesn't mean you need to let go of the old. Something that is also vital to bear in mind is to be willing to change your perceptions of people as they settle in and become more themselves. People you may not think you like at first can actually end up being absolute babes!

flatm8z

4. Homesickness: You are all in the same boat! As you will know if you've been reading my posts for a while, I really struggled with anxiety and homesickness when I first got to Uni. It was really isolating and lonely! However, over the year as I got to know people they all started to talk about how they had felt the same way when they first started but I had had no idea because everyone had hidden it so well! I was worried to show how I was feeling because I didn't want people's first impressions of me to be that I was some miserable ball of mess. Maybe if I had felt able to speak about it, this would have allowed others to do the same and we could have supported each other through that tricky patch. I think if you're feeling homesick it's important to just look after yourself and go easy on yourself. Leaving home and starting University is one of the hardest things you will ever do so it is okay to not be okay straight away!

5. Be a tourist in your own city: This top tip comes from Barney. I love this advice! I've done my best this year to explore Brighton but I still have a huuuuge list of things I want to do and places I want to see in the city and surrounding area. Going exploring together can be a great way of getting to know housemates and coursemates and it's always a good idea to speak to locals to get the inside info on all the best spots! As Barney says, there are often loads of cool things to see/do that are free! Which is always a bonus on a student budget. Before you go to Uni, how about googling what the best things to do in your new city are?

being a tourist in b'town

6. Church!: I've talked quite a lot on here about the incredibly significant difference that being part of a church community made for me whilst at Uni. St Peter's in Brighton became my home from home and the place where I met the most amazing people. Barney and Nathan agree with me! They are at Uni in different cities but both said about how helpful trying out a church can be. Barney specifically mentioned how churches are sick places to make friends and get free food. I can personally back this statement 100%. 

church = making pals, partying, karaoke, drinking prosecco 

7. Community: Tam sent a message in about the importance of community when you go to Uni. I think she speaks some wise words! She says that getting stuck into a solid community - whether it's a a choir, sports team, society, or church - can help you to feel a part of something bigger than yourself and to stop you feeling isolated and alone. Tam believes this is the key to getting settled into your new Uni life and feeling happy and fulfilled.

8. Organisation: I personally feel that using a diary to keep track of your timetable, deadlines, and social events is crucial to avoiding unnecessary stress at Uni! Plan your time and try to keep on top of your workload. If you get work done as soon after it's given to you as possible then you avoid the mad stress as you come up to a deadline - you don't know what else could crop up at that time. Also, little post it notes are your best friends.

9. Don't worry if you can't do everything!: It can be tempting to try and take absolutely every opportunity offered to you when you get to University but you don't want to burn yourself out! Just take on what you feel you can manage and don't be afraid to say no if you start feeling overwhelmed. You have at least 3 years to live the Uni life - you don't have to cram it all in to your first year.

10. Owl gals: The final piece of advice comes from Sarah who says; "You'll meet crazy owl lovers on your first day at Uni, hold onto those gals and love 'em like crazy cos they are queeeens". I have a funny feeling she might be talking about me specifically... so this may not apply to you lol.

I love you Sarah, mate

I hope that wasn't too much information to digest and that you've found it helpful! Please feel free to message me if you want to chat about starting Uni. If you've already been to Uni and have some different advice, comment below so other people can benefit from it! If you want to know what first year is like in a nutshell, this is Mella's take on it: "1st year = freshers then it's shit and then it gets better."

Thank you for reading and a massive extra thank you to Hannah, Barney, Charlotte, Nathan, Becca, Tam, Mella, and Sarah for your contributions! 

Love,

Katie xxx

P.S. If you would like to you can follow my blog by clicking the blue 'follow' button in the top left corner (if you can't see it, you need to click on 'view web version' below).

Letting Go.

First thing's first... how have you been? It's been a busy old couple of months for me! In summary, it has been spent working (childminding) and rehearsing - and then performing - a show. In amongst that, I popped back to Brighton for a couple of days, went to a George Ezra gig in the rain, became a godmother, went to lots of yoga classes, celebrated family birthdays, and spent time enjoying the sun with my pals.

Overall however, the biggest thing for me has definitely been the show. It was all that seemed to consume my waking thoughts (and my nightmares) for a good few weeks!
Through everything though, this seems to have been a running theme...

"God has already worked out what you're worried about"

As you will know if you've been reading Katie's Corner for a while, I am very good at worrying. I'd go as far to say I'm an expert in the field. In fact, if worry was an Olympic sport I reckon I'd be top of the podium every time. I am trying my best all the time to be less good at it and some recent events have shown me I may be going in the right direction...

A major part of this has been learning to recognise when situations are outside of my control. I have this attitude that if I want something to happen I need to do everything in my power to make it happen. This is an attribute which can be great sometimes - there are lots of achievements in my life which I can put down to this determination and hard work. However, sometimes it can be the worst way to go about things. When something in life is outside of my control yet I'm still desperately trying to make it happen - stress levels can start to shoot up. Something I've been working on recently is to spot when this is the case and to instead 'hand the situation over' to God and to trust that things will come together.

A key example of this was during the process of preparing for the show I was in: Kiss Me Kate. To be honest, even the fact that I was in this show was a miracle in itself. They say that 'when we make plans, God laughs' and that's certainly how it felt when I first got back from Uni. My main plan for the first part of the summer fell through but before I could start getting too stressed about it - I was offered the opportunity to play the leading lady in one of the best musicals ever written. Umm YES PLEASE. He knew there was a better offer ready for me. 

Despite this role being a huge blessing for me, it certainly came with its fair share of hurdles to get over! The main one being that fact that we had two actors drop out of the part of the leading man... The first one dropped out after just one rehearsal and the next fella to be cast pulled out before even turning up to one! I tried not to take it personally - but maybe they did catch sight of who they had to snog and were having none of it haha! Although I can hardly blame them... this hat was quite something!

As you can imagine, this was a stressful time for everyone involved. Would we find someone to play Fred in time for the show? Could the show even go ahead?

In true Katie style, I tried to do everything I could in order to calm myself down about the situation - mainly messaging all my male musical theatre friends to ask them the huge favour of stepping in. It got to the point, however, when I had to face up to the fact that this wasn't working. There was no more I could do. Whenever I begun to feel worry creep in I prayed. I prayed that God would have it under control and that the right person would be found. I trusted that God would not just hand me this opportunity and then leave me hanging. And, against the odds, it all came together in the nick on time.

In the end, our female director stepped in and learnt this incredibly challenging part in about 10 days. When I was first told that this was the plan, I didn't feel hugely optimistic about it. Not because I didn't believe she could do it but because Kiss Me Kate (based on Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew') has got to be one of the most sexist stories ever written. I worried that having a woman play the misogynistic male lead would take away from some of the more shocking and satirical elements of the play. 

I needn't have worried. 

If anything, Maddie's portrayal of Fred only highlighted these themes, the ridiculousness of a patriarchal society, and the comedic moments of Fred and Lilli (Kate)'s story. In the words of the first song in the show "One week, will it ever be right? Then out of the hat it's that big first night!"

To top everything off, the show received a fab review and Evie (who played Lois/Bianca) 'vlogged' the week - watch it here!

#icons

This is just one example of the many times in life where I find myself trying to work out the balance between doing everything I can to make something work out or taking a step back and simply doing nothing.  This can be anything from waiting for a text back (story of my life lol) to applying for Uni accommodation... you have to do your bit but at the end of the day you cannot control what happens on the other end. For me, what I do in these 'do nothing' moments is pray but I know that a lot of you reading this won't share my faith. That is absolutely fine - this still applies to you! Learning to accept these moments will massively reduce anxiety in your life. 

I am by no means suggesting that I have this down; it's something I'm constantly aware of and need to continue working on. Let's support each other when we're stressing out by asking 'Is there anything more you can do to help this situation?' if the answer is no then it's time to calm down and stick on an episode of Queer Eye or something!

Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know your thoughts and if you have any #toptips to share.

If you would like to you can follow my blog by clicking the blue 'follow' button in the top left corner (if you can't see it, you need to click on 'view web version' below).

Love,

Katie xxx

You're Killing It!!!

It's been a while, crocodiles! How are you all?

This is me living my BEST life at the church Hawaiian themed karaoke night... yep that's a thing.
I hope you are feeling just as passionate about life as I was here.
📸 @hannah_rothwell

The months of April and May have been action packed and so I come bearing much news which I shall now birth...

Birthday Bashin'

Since we last spoke my brother turned 18 and I turned 20! I can't quite believe that my (not so) little bro is an adult and that I am officially not a teen but am now in my twenties?!!? What the actual HECK.

Matt's 18th was a super fun time as we had most of the fam over for celebrations and I was back from Uni for the Easter hols just in time!

If you can't be your weird self with your family then when can you be?

Not long after it was time for my anniversary of birth. I had a lovely birthday morning with my family and Darcy (who is basically part of the family lol) 

Just hangin' out with an honorary Ledden

It was then time to head off to London with my girl Kathers! We were hitting the capital to watch the musical Hamilton in London's West End. We booked the tickets for this show nearly two whole years ago!!! So it had been a long time coming and we were beyond excited. We had a lovely dinner and then headed to the Victoria Palace Theatre to watch the show. Because we have been hardcore fans for a couple of years we were both slightly concerned that the show wouldn't live up to our VERY high expectations however we needn't have worried. It was incredible. Absolutely mind-blowingly spectacularly incredible. We laughed and we cried and when we came out we just wanted to turn around and go and watch the whole thing again!

Two very happy beans. And shoutout to the couple in the background who are rocking the selfie game.

Adventure Plus

My birthday was actually only a very small part of a suuuuper mad week. I was back working with the organisation Adventure Plus working as an Enabler to the same girl with whom I worked last Summer. She is completely blind and partially deaf and yet this does by no means define her. She is also funny, brave, strong willed and talented. Similar to last time, working with her was both incredibly tough and draining (and I'd even say traumatic at times) but it was also very rewarding. I even learnt how to do hair braids which was fun and she loved the feel of them in her hair!

braille and bushcraft 

Back in the saddle! 

When I went to Uni I couldn't wait to dive straight in to all things Musical Theatre as it is such a huge part of who I am and I didn't think I could cope without it. However, it just hasn't happened! Mainly because I haven't had the time or energy for it due to being on such a full-on course. Therefore I was itching to get back in the saddle as soon as I got home!

I auditioned for the show 'Anything Goes' with the theatre company RicNic in between finishing the week with A+ and heading back to Brighton. It's more than fair to say that the dance part of the audition was an utter shambles but I managed to give myself a pep talk and clawed it back with the singing.... and I got the part! I am playing Hope Harcourt from 22nd-25th August!

Tickets are now on sale: here!

I was then approached a couple of weeks ago with the offer of another lead role in a different musical!!! I couldn't BE-LIEEEVE it. I went from an MT drought to landing two musicals in one hit. I will be playing Kate in Kiss Me Kate with DIY Theatre from 20th-21st July. Buy yo' tickets here!

I could not be happier and hope you'll all come and support myself and the rest of the cast/crew in these shows - it's going to be a blast.

Placement = the best and worst

After this crazy exhausting week it was time to head back down to Brighton to begin a 5 week block of placement. This turned out to be one of the best and hardest things I've ever done. I was so blessed with the school and class in which I was placed: I was welcomed with open arms and fell in love with each of the children in my class. My life began to revolve around them, their welfare, and how I could do everything in my power to nurture them and help them to progress and learn. 

There were a few very low moments - mainly due to the pure exhaustion. Name another 20 year old who can accidentally fall asleep at 7pm on a Friday night...! Not only was the physical effort of the experience hard, but also the emotional side of it. Some of the situations those children were in were truly heartbreaking and it could be both incredibly frustrating and sad to witness. I can honestly say that one of the things this placement taught me was to be more grateful for the wonderful start in life that I was able to have - not everyone is so lucky.

A real highlight of placement was taking part in the Brighton Children's Parade. The theme this year was art and so each school was given a famous painting to re-create - our school was given the Michelangelo painting from the Sistene Chapel. This may be me being bias but I genuinely think ours was one of the best!

Just chillin' with Adam and getting my scalp burnt...

Some of the teachers carried our masterpiece whilst the children wore cherub wings and we all sported our hand-decorated t-shirts which had glitter trumpets and harps on them!

When I begun my teacher training I did not foresee that I would spend hours after school slaving over cherub wings or papier-machéing God's hands. My job after the parade was to carry God's head through Brighton and back to the school.... now that's I sentence I never thought I'd say! 

Finishing placement was incredibly emotional. I had invested so much of myself into their little lives and their achievements, developments, and targets. It was so hard saying goodbye and knowing I may not see them again or find out how they get on. The staff and kids got really upset too which was hard to see but also showed me that I had made an impact on them as well as them making an impact on me.

I am blessed to have walked away from that school having learnt so much.

#DarcAndKatesTakeBrighton

Since before I moved to Brighton Darcy has been saying she would come and visit me and  - just as I was about to leave - our dreams were made a reality. I miss this girl so much that it physically HURTS so it was amazing to spend 3 days wrapped up in her wonderful company. It was also super fun for me to be her personal tour guide and to do all the touristy things together which I usually wouldn't get a chance to do. We explored the Laines, the Pavillion gardens, the Pier, ate a picnic on the beach, rented bikes and cycled to the Hove beach huts and managed to avoid a seagull attack! We enjoyed a couple of meals out and went back to my flat each evening to watch some Call the Midwife because that's how these two crazy chicks roll babaaay.

Day 1 of our adventures was the same day as Prince Hazza and Megs got hitched so we rocked these paper crowns all day looonng.

Day two resulted in us both getting HANGRY after our bike ride and shopping trip. This is a face of pure joy. 

A cheeky pit-stop on our mission to find the beach huts.

Home sweeeeeet home!

I can not believe that I am now a third of the way through my University experience! ABSOLUTE MADNESS. I think I'll probs do a post specifically about 1st year: my reflections and any advice I have for those of you who are heading off to Uni this year.

I am loving being back home (although I am heading back to B'ton next week for a few days lol). It has been great to catch up with chums and family alike and to get back to work  - I have missed my babies like maaaad! 

No Media May

The final thing to update you on is that I decided to do No Media May again this year. You may remember my two posts on it last year: Quitting Social Media and Life Offline. Go and have a read if you haven't already! This year was an equal success and was extra good because two friends decided to join me! Jo and Tam joined the team and we all learnt a lot from it. Taking a break from comparing your life with others is so refreshing and becoming more present in the moment is equally good for the soul. I will definitely do this again next year and encourage you to have a go too!

You're Killing It!!!

The past couple of months have had quite a few 'I can't do this' moments. Even now that I'm home I still feel quite anxious about life in general and all my plans I have coming up. However, writing this post has reminded me of what I have achieved - several of those things are things I thought I wouldn't be able to do. My diary has the words 'You're Killing It!!!' written on the front and it is a reminder that I am doing a relatively good job at this life thing. With God's grace and faithfulness I can do bloody anything.

Here's to the summer and everything we are all about to achieve! I just want to tell you (yes, YOU) that you too are KILLING IT and that I have faith in you. Whether you're mid-exam season or just having a Netflix binge, you are fabulous and so, so loved. Keep doing you, boo.

Many thanks as always for taking the time to read this. And thank you for your patience whilst I've been on placement and offline! 

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Love,

Katie xxx