June - 2025

Big news, I got the keys to my house! It all went through so quickly, contracts were signed and exchanged and within 2 weeks the keys were handed over to me. On the day I got the keys, my parents spent a good amount of time cleaning the house and then after work James and I and my brother went round and helped before ordering pizza and eating it on the carpet in my new empty house. There was something really special about this moment and I'll never forget it. I feel instantly more relaxed now that I have the keys to my home, like my mind is less busy. I've been able to focus on other things. My big goal for the year has been achieved. It's been a busy June! At the beginning of this month I met James's Dad and Step-mum, at their wedding! It was the first wedding I've ever been to and an interesting way to "meet the parents" but also a really lovely day and it was nice to spend time with them. It was a small wedding and finished quite early compared to others I have heard about, which was nice as it was a very busy day. I've often thought about the type of wedding I want but never attended a wedding myself. If I'm honest, I never realised how much goes into a full day of celebrations. I'm not sure I could hack it! The day after the wedding we had to leave Kent quite early to get back in time for me to go to my friend Jordan's 30th Birthday. It was a surprise set up by his lovely girlfriend, Megan, and we all dressed up as movie characters. Luckily my family are quite big on fancy dress and I went round my parents house to raid the fancy dress box before the wedding. I chose Lara Croft, an outfit I last wore about 10 years ago. It just about fit and I got their early and helped set up the garden for "Jordywood". I asked one of Jordan's friends to do my hair in a plait. Then, we all hid in the garden of their new home and he was thrilled with the surprise. I value our friendship so much he's a consistent friend and spending time with Jordan and Megan never drains any energy. Another fancy dress opportunity came with Janara's birthday Sports Day. I hadn't replied to the group chat ( I'm not very good at responding) and then wasn't calculated in numbers for teams so I'd messaged Janara separately and we plotted for me to turn up as the umpire for the day. We all went to a field near Janara's and re-lived our school days with a very typical sports day, complete with egg and spoon race and even a tug of war at the end, which I was shamefully awful at! It was such a good theme for a birthday celebration though.

My health results have meant I have to have some further tests at hospital and I've been fast tracked for them. Lab rat mode is fully on at the moment. It's a bit of a scare but at least they're looking into it. I guess it's just a waiting game as always. Girls night made its way out of the group chat again and it was hosted at my new home! It was a super cosy evening with "Girl Dinner" consisting of dips and sushi and finished off with a chocolate fondue. I adore Jojo and Persia, we've all been through so much over the 11 years we've known each other. There was a lot to catch up on and we've got our next date in the diary again too!

James is taking me to Italy next week!

We are doing a road trip from Venice to Lake Como and it's his birthday whilst we are out there.

He's booked the whole thing and I feel so lucky. I have some things planned for his birthday and I'm really looking forward to spending it with him.

The good thing about having had failed relationships is that I know exactly what I want. The great thing about healing from my previous relationship is that I now know exactly what I deserve. I've shown myself that I am strong enough to walk away, and resilient enough to open my heart to someone new. People on the outside looking in haven't seen this. James has moved into my new home with me, which may seem quick to everyone reading this but it definitely feels like we've been together way longer than we have. It's been the easiest part of our relationship so far. I've learned that the opinions of others will always be something that tries to interfere but ultimately it's you and the person you are with who need to work out what works for you. We have such a peaceful relationship and it just flows nicely. We also work in the same room as each other. Which, again, people may think is unfathomable but, if anything, I work with better focus as we are both very driven.

I'm really looking forward to Italy and to making a bit more content on socials when I'm back, it's something James has said he'll support too. For now, it's time to enjoy the adventure and the break.