My Trip To The Rio 2016 Olympic Games

So as some of you may be aware of (or maybe not..), I recently jetted off to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the 2016 Olympic Games and OH MY GOD, what an incredible 16 days I had. While compiling this blog, I looked back at some of my pictures and videos and to be honest, I am in disbelief I actually done and seen what I have. Since a young age, I have always dreamt of going to see the Olympic Games. I don’t know what it is about it but I am in awe of these athletes and the whole Olympic Games World. More ambitious than ever after London 2012 (I couldn’t attend those games even though they were possibly the easiest Games to get to for me!), I began saving every penny (cent if you are going to be particular!!) I had into the RIO fund and soon, this dream was becoming somewhat of a reality. Next thing I know, it’s August 5th and I’m heading to Dublin Airport to fly to London and then Rio. This was happening. No matter what. I had a little set back 2 weeks before hand but I was not letting that get in the way. I was making a dream a reality. Something a lot of people never get the chance to do. They keep their dreams just that, dreams. Not me. I make my dreams come true. No matter what I have to do. I hope I never lose that trait. I would hate to never have goals or dreams to motivate me to succeed. Anyway, off we go on this incredible trip of a lifetime.

DAY 1 – August 6th 2016

So there was no relaxing for us on day 1, we were straight into our first event and that was Artistic Gymnastics – Men’s Qualification. We were staying in Santa Teresa, which is about 40/50 minutes via taxi away from Barra da Tijuca, where Parque Olimpico is situated. We got a taxi the first day as we were unsure of the metro and public transport situation and we were tired! It was 36 degrees on this day and although there was a cool breeze at times, you felt every bit of that 36 degrees. First things first, you have to take a picture with the Olympic Rings – and we done just that! This was one of the first moments where I realised ‘Oh god I am actually here’. In Parque Olimpico, there are many stadiums, 9 in fact. The venues are:

• Carioca Arena 1
• Carioca Arena 2
• Carioca Arena 3
• Future Arena
• Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre
• Olympic Aquatics Stadium
• Olympic Tennis Centre
• Rio Olympic Arena
• Rio Olympic Velodrome

We headed to the Rio Olympic area for the Gymnastic event and wow! It was insane to see something I am so used to watching on TV in real life with my own eyes.

I got to see my favourite Male Gymnasts: Louis Smith, Nile Wilson, Max Whitlock and Kristian Thomas. Basically all of Team GB.

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

Imagine belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

Unfortunately, we did witness that horrible injury to French gymnast Samir Ait Said, when he ended his vault dismount wrong. Let’s just say it wasn’t a pretty sight and the whole arena was silent. But Team GB were incredible and Nile Wilson’s High Bar (or Horizontal bar) routine was spectacular and it is no surprise he won a Bronze medal in the individual.

DAY 2 – August 7th 2016.

We got our chill day this day. We had no ticket to any games (although I would have loved to have gotten tickets to some particular events but they were ‘sold out’… Mmm I wonder!)

We went to Barra Shopping and oh my, that puts our shopping centres to shame! Over 600 shops! We wandered around and even seen a few athletes spending time with their loved ones and family. Starbucks became my local haunt as it was the only place with decent wifi and it seems the athletes felt the same as I would run into some of them there. This particular day, I saw an Australian athlete, Brock Motum and embarrassingly, I didn’t know it was him until after.
We passed a lot of beautiful local boutiques and one that caught my eye was ‘Oh, Boy!’. The reason being because of this fabulous jumpsuit they had in the window, it had me written all over it. But I sadly left it behind, as I haven’t been feeling overly body confident lately and knew it would just sit and collect dust on my never ending clothes rail at home.

 

 

DAY 3 – August 8th 2016

We went to Boulevard Olympico on this day. It is located at the docklands, has many stages, venues of some of the main sponsors of the Olympic Games, several high definition screens to watch Olympic Games and it is home to the Olympic Flame. When we went there, it also had a massive cruise ship docked and we later found out, it was where the NBA + Olympic Basketball players were staying!! There was some incredible street art along the streets as we walked down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, earlier that morning, I saw Cody Simpson tweet saying he was playing a gig somewhere in Rio that afternoon and it was free. But I had no idea of where anywhere was in Rio so I lost all hope in seeing him. Well you could’ve just imagine my excitement when we arrived at the Boulevard Olimpico to see the exact venue Cody said he was playing at on the strip. I almost, just almost, screamed.

We headed in the direction of the Coca-Cola Experience, where the gig was. I knew I was in the right area quickly when I saw a few young girls around the place. I need to learn I am soon 23 years old and my fangirl days should be over. But my little heart was so excited and I made sure I was front row!
Before I get into to gig, the Coca-Cola Experience was insane! We got free limited edition Coca-Cola (the bar man was very friendly and asked us where we were from and when we mentioned Ireland, he started singing ‘Brady is on fire..’ and was delighted to have met some Irish people!) You could get pictures with the Olympic Torch also but of course I had only time for one thing!
While waiting for Cody, we got to watch the Australia Vs Serbia Men’s Basketball match and that was probably the reason as to why Cody was late on stage! He sang about 4 songs, short but sweet.

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

As I was at the front, I could see Ali Simpson and Jake Boys as they were sitting in front of me. I only got a picture with Ali, who is incredibly pretty and super sweet!

But wait for it, the best part was yet to come. Cody Simpson and Coca-Cola gave everyone in the front row FREE tickets to the Women’s Handball games that night. How cool is that? For the rest of my life I can say ‘Cody Simpson gave me free tickets to an Olympic event?’

The two handball games we went to were cracking games! We saw the Netherlands Vs Argentina and Angola Vs Montenegro. We also got home very late that night.  It was after 3am!

DAY 4 – August 9th 2016

We decided to go to Boulevard Olympico again as we didn’t see it all. We found the Olympic flame at last. We didn’t do much else that day as we were exhausted from the day before. We sat and had ice cream and watched the Brazil Vs Spain Men’s Basketball game.

DAY 5 – August 10th 2016

This was one of the days I had been waiting for. It was the Men’s 3M Springboard Synchro Final = Jack Laugher and Chris Mears competing. The weather turned to a typical Irish Summer’s day, non stop rain all day! Jack and Chris were in top form in their performances and were leading the whole way, but that didn’t stop us being anxious when it came to the China duo in their final dive as they were close behind the Team GB lads. I was so proud and happy when we found out they won Gold, they honestly deserved it so much. Where I was sitting was very close to the medal ceremony and I made sure I was going to be at the barrier to seem them walking out! I was surrounded by an abundance of Great Britain fans and I did not hide the fact that I was indeed Irish but a massive fan of the GB duo! I went home a very happy girl that evening!

DAY 6 – August 11th 2016

We decided to take another chill day on this day. We opted to go see the Sugar Loaf Mountain! We got the metro to Botafogo and headed to the shopping centre. In this shopping centre, you can go to the rooftop and you can get an incredible view of the Sugar Loaf. We didn’t get to go up the mountain but I don’t think Mam would of done it anyway! We spent day relaxing in the shopping centre and had one of the most incredible Pizza’s I have ever had in the food court!

DAY 7 – August 12th 2016

It was time to go to the Basketball arena on this day and I think Mam was most excited about this event. With both of us having a basketball background, we couldn’t wait for this! The teams playing were Australia Vs China, meaning I got to see my Starbucks friend Brock play (I was super excited every time he scored!)

DAY 8 – August 12th 2016

Because the weather had been a bit overcast, it meant that we had to wait until a very sunny day to see the Christ The Redeemer and this day was the perfect day. The views from the top were incredible. We spent an hour at the top just taking in the wonderful views. Once up there, you can understand why it is one of the 7 wonders of the world. On a clear day, the statue is visible from anywhere in Rio. We got a lovely taxi driver who brought us to a place near to the Christ to get another view of the Sugar Loaf and he even took the last picture for me, to have he Sugar Loaf in my hand!

DAY 9 – August 14th 2016

From a young age, I have always wanted to go and see I was on Copacabana Beach and I have done that. I did however pick a wrong day to go as it was so over packed for two reasons: It was a Sunday and Brazilian Ladies were in the Beach Volleyball final. So I saw very little beach but I was still there. I didn’t go sunbathing or swimming but Mam and I had a few drinks in one of the beach huts and also had delicious food. We also got to watch the Men’s Gymnastic Individual finals – I saw Max win his Gold on Copacabana beach, where did you see it?

DAY 10 – August 15th 2016

At last, I was going to see some of Team Ireland in action and it was off to the Boxing Arena! We went to Katie Taylor’s fight and it seemed like it was all Irish that was in there! Sadly, Katie lost but it was so cool to see her fight. After the fight, I saw Paddy Byrnes and Gary O’Donovan but I didn’t want to go over to them as I didn’t want to interrupt them.

DAY 11 – August 16th 2016

This is without a doubt my favourite day (well apart from the 5am start!). We were up early to go to the Olympic Stadium for some Athletics. We got there at 9am and at 9:30am, all the games kicked off. I always struggle to keep up with events at Athletics as there could be up to 4 sports on any one time! When I bought the tickets, I had no clue what events I would see or who I see, so I was over the moon when I found out the one and only Usain Bolt was going to be running in his semi – final heat. Seeing him run with my own eyes is something I shall never forget. The place was going insane for him. Although, my spirits were damped when Dad informed me Michael Conlon was robbed in his fight as I had planned to go see him in the next round.

After all the events were over in the Olympic Stadium, we headed back to Barra for the Men’s 3m Springboard Diving Final. As wifi is pretty hard to find in Rio and I was nowhere near a Starbucks while in transit to Barra, thankfully, my Dad informed me (once again!) that Irish Diver, Oliver Dingley had made it through the semi finals and was competing that night so I was proud as punch entering the arena with my Irish Flag! Also, Team GB favourite Jack Laugher had qualified also so it was an evening well spent.

Just before the Diving started, Oliver’s Dad popped down to say hello to us and sure we were only delighted!

Jack Laugher was unfortunate not to get a Gold again but he did get Silver, so not a bad evening of Diving for him. But the most important part of the night had to be Oliver. Oliver produced some incredible dives and resulted in him reaching a Personal Best and a spot on the World Series next year. Oh and did I mention he is 8th in the World right now? Incredible! We were chatting to his parents after the event finished and then the man of the moment popped up to see his parents and well, he was ever so lovely to have stayed to take pictures and talk to Mam and I for a while. Without a doubt, my favourite moment of the Olympics was talking to Oliver!

Before meeting Oliver, I managed to to bag myself selfies with Tom Daley and Chris Mears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 12 – August 17th 2016

We decided to stay closer to where we were staying as I wasn’t feeling great. As I mentioned earlier, we were staying in Santa Teresa, probably the most popular place in Rio with tourists. We went to see the famous ‘Escadaria Selarón’. This was another one of those surreal moments as I have seen pictures of these steps on Pinterest and Tumblr for years and thought I could only dream of maybe getting the chance to sit and take a picture on them.

DAY 13 – August 18 2016

It was another early start and it was back to Olympic Stadium for more Athletics as Irishman Thomas Barr was in the 400m Hurdles race. He was so close to a Bronze medal!!! He did break a National Record. There was some incredible games on also that day, including Shot Put, Relay and various other hurdle races.

DAY 14

Another chill day again and back to Barra Shopping, nothing else exciting happened!

DAY 15 – August 20th 2016

The last day of events for me. It was time for the Men’s 10m Platform Diving Final and I was so looking forward to seeing Tom Daley. He had placed first in the prelims and I was sure he’d cruise through the semi’s into the final… I only found out as I took my seat in the Aquatics arena that he failed to get to the final and I almost cried. I was offered tickets for the Semi’s but refused as I was convinced I’d see him in the final. Minus Tom, it was still an incredible final, a few shocks and it was very close. Qui Bo, who is Tom’s biggest competitor and favourite to win Gold, placed 8th!!!!! He even got 4’s on one dive and you could hear the gasps around the venue.

Before the event, I said for one last time, I would get a picture with the Olympic Rings! This was quite hilarious as Mam was not centering her shot and I was not amused but we eventually got a decent enough photo!

Before I left for Rio, I was warned by none other than Celia to mind out for the Brazilian guys as they would be mad after me with my blonde hair and pale, porcelain skin. I may have laughed at her at the time but it was very true that day! I decided to wear a bit of red lipstick and my goodness, I had a few guys telling me how beautiful I am. I was taken back by it. It made me feel good about myself again!

DAY 16 – August 21st 2016.

Flying over Rio

And that was it. My time at Rio 2016 was over and we were heading to the airport. While in duty free, a beautiful Egyptian athlete asked me if I needed help (I was waiting for Mam) and then he passed me again and said ‘You are very beautiful, may I?’ and gave me a kiss on my forehead. I was so embarrassed but he made my day! We flew with British Airways, so that meant some Team GB members were going to be on our flight but no one I knew. The main thing about my flight was someone else who was on it. Usain Bolt. USAIN BOLT WAS ON MY FLIGHT AND I DID NOT KNOW. I was talking to the pilot after the flight and he asked me did I get his joke he said on the intercom (He said we got into Heathrow 15 minutes earlier because we had some special guests and when we landed he said ‘The last 100m are always the longest..’ I knew it was an Athletics person but NEVER thought of Usain!!) and when the pilot told me Bolt was in the flight, I could have cried!! Ah well.

I will never ever forget this trip. I still can’t believe I have been there and seen everything I have. I am so blessed to have such supportive parents, they helped make it a reality.

Now, time to start saving for Tokyo 2020.. I have the Olympic bug now! It is Gold Coast 2018 first. What a way to see the world eh?

Hope you enjoyed this blog! I did also vlog the trip and those videos should be up very soon!

Thank you for reading xo

 

Sounds Live Feels Live Tour in Dublin

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

It has been two weeks since Australian pop punk band 5 Seconds of Summer rocked up to Dublin to perform 2 sold out nights in Dublin’s 3Arena and they put on a seriously good show!

Okay so I unashamedly will admit this: I WENT BOTH NIGHTS. I know, such a fangirl. It gets worse. It was my 12th and 13th time to see them live since 2013. I just can’t help it, they are my thing, I just need to seem them live, like all the time! I even considered just going on the whole UK & Ireland leg of the tour but you know, I ain’t rich so that plan was put to bed. I usually go to London for 1 date but due to SO MUCH university work this year, I had to call a rain check on that and it broke my heart because it meant I wouldn’t see my fave 5SOS friend Giana. It’s all good though, we have plans for next tour already 😉

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

In case you are completely clueless as to who the hell I am talking about, I’ll help you out there! I wrote a blog about them a few years ago now actually, so you can check that out here to bring you up to speed!

Their second album, Sounds Good, Feels Good was released on October 23 worldwide and went to Number 1 on the charts worldwide, including Ireland! In just one year since their self titled album ‘5 Seconds Of Summer’, they have matured their sound and produced some amazing songs on this album. A key thing to take note is that the guys actually wrote all their own material for the album and some of the lyrics came from personal experiences. I am still  trying to decide my favourite song, get back to me on that 😉

One of my favourite parts of a 5SOS show is the queue because that is when we drink and catch up ( we typically queue for like 10 hours!!!). This time was a little different as I went with my friend Lisa (both nights!). But somethings never change and we did drink, causing us to get some strange looks from the young ones around us! We did make some friends in the queue both nights also! Still, I missed Gi!

On Tuesday night, we were on Mikey’s side and in typical Sarah Jane style, we were very close to barrier. I mean, we were 3 rows away. So close that the feedback from the speakers ruined my videos, but I didn’t care. I was happy out being on this angel’s side all night!

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

On Wednesday night, we were on Calum’s side and Lisa was only delighted! And again we were 3 rows away from barrier. So I am your girl if you need to be close to stage okay?! Well it actually only happens at a 5SOS show but still *hair flick*

The set list for both nights was as follows:

• Carry On
• Hey Everybody!
• Money
• Voodoo Doll
• Don’t Stop
• Outer Space
• Waste the Night
• Castaway
• Jet Black Heart
• Amnesia
• Beside You
• Vapour
• Catch Fire
• Disconnected
• End Up Here
• Good Girls
• Permanent Vacation
• What I Like About You
• She’s Kinda Hot
• She Looks So Perfect

On Tuesday night, they did do a short cover of The Script’s The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.

Image belongs to me, Sarah Jane Allen

I vlogged both days and shows and you can check them out below.

 

 

Stupidly enough, we decided not to go out after Tuesday’s night show, even though we had planned to head to Dublin’s finest nightclub, Copper Face Jacks, but when it came to it, we decided to get pizza. I got a text at around 3am asking if I went out because a certain band WENT TO COPPERS!!! Ugh!
This is where my Mam would say ‘It wasn’t meant to be, don’t worry, there is always next time!’, even though that is the second time it has happened!!!

Anyway, the guys took a well deserved two weeks off and our now about to embark on the European leg of the Sounds Live, Feels Live tour.

If you are lucky enough to be going to see them somewhere around Europe, you are in for one hell of a show 😉

Don’t worry, there are some tickets still available and you can check here for more details.

 

Lookbook for Bologna

In a couple of days, I am off to Bologna, Italy on a little holiday to visit my two best friends who are on Erasmus there. Bologna is north of Italy and from the snaps I have seen from the girls out there, it looks incredible and I am super excited. I will be travelling with my best friend Sarah and the gal pals will be reunited!

I decide to give you a look at what I have planned to wear on the 6 days in Italy, so continue reading! Unfortunately, most of the clothes I have decided to wear are now unavailable, although there are some new items that are still available! Do not fear though because I am such a nice person, I have researched and found you something quite similar if you would like to purchase! I might add now, that although I work with Celia Holman Lee, I ain’t no model. There is a reason why I am just her P.A 😉

My first outfit is what I shall be wearing flying out to Bologna. When flying, I like to wear something comfortable yet stylish. My outfit is simple: High waisted denim jeans, a grey string top (which I am fully aware you can’t actually see), a light navy & white jumper and grey Skechers.

Jeans – here
String top – here
Jumper – This jumper is from Pennys (Primark) and I got it recently so it should still be there. It was €8 (I think!)
Skechers – They aren’t the exact same Skechers but close enough – here

Next up is a polka dotted jumpsuit with a white crop top and a black floppy hat! This is a fun yet chic look.

Jumpsuit – Sadly, this isn’t available anymore and I searched for something similar but there isn’t anything like it available.
Crop top – This is from Topshop and I have it in various colours. I can’t find it online but I did find it in store. (In London, I might add.)
Hat – here

This little blue dress is one I have had for a good few years now (I have in since 2012 – Reason how I know this is because I wore it when I met Niall Horan!). This dress is such a pretty summer dress and it makes me feel really girly. I am wearing it with my Skechers to make it more of a casual day time look.

Dress – This original dress was from New Look. The closest replica to my dress was this one here from Next.

Something quite similar, except this next dress is more of a mint blue. This dress was from Pennys (Primark) about 2 years ago and €12. I am bringing a cardigan in case it gets a little chilly.

Dress – Again, I can’t find the exact dress but this is the same shape of dress here.
Cardigan – It might be blue but it is the same style here. My cardigan is from F&F and was €10.

 

If you know me, there will always be a Disney themed outfit in my wardrobe. This is another fun and casual outfit that would suit if we were travelling around.

Top – This is from Pennys (Primark) and I only got it a couple of weeks ago, so it should still be there. It was €8.
High waisted shorts – These high waisted shorts are actually from America and I have them YEARS! They are my favourites because they are so comfy. I found something similar on New Look here.
Bandana – here.

I got sick of my face here so excuse me! This is another casual outfit and all from Pennys (Primark) and I just got these last week therefore they should be there still.

Crop Top – €3
High waisted shorts – €12

These grey shorts have my name written all over them. They are high waisted, grey, ripped and have studs on them = MADE FOR ME! They are from Pennys (Primark) are were €12. I grabbed these last week and they are still there.

Lastly, I picked an evening outfit as we are going out on our first night. I went for my go to glam style and that is a maxi skirt and crop top.

Crop top – here
Skirt – here
Shoes – Pennys / Primark and were €8.

That is it, that is all the clothes that will be in my suitcase! I better go pack it now! I will be vlogging while in Italy so watch out for those videos when I am back.

Also, I’ve always known I am pale and I embrace it but jesus it was so difficult actually taking photos that you could see me in.

I hope you enjoyed this blog!

xx

 

Met Gala 2016

On May 2nd, the annual Met Gala took place in the city which is the home of fashion, New York City.

The Met Gala, previously known as the Costume Institute Gala , is an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. But it is really known as the biggest fashion event of the year. The event has been held at the Met since 1971 and is considered to be the ‘fashion industry’s premier annual red carpet event’ with all the big name celebrities attending the event yearly to kick off the fashion season with a bang!

Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour is the chair of the event and has been for over 19 years. Each year the event has a theme, and 2016 was no different. This year’s theme was ‘Manus x machina: fashion in an age of technology‘. The guest list was kept to a ‘minimum’ of 650-700 a-list celebs and tickets were a pricey $25,000 to increase exclusivity. The creators of the Met Gala are getting stricter with their rules, as this year, no phones were allowed inside the event. Sorry Kim, looks like no more selfies at the ball!

Again, Anna Wintour don’t worry about not getting around to invite me this year, I wouldn’t of been able to make it due to finishing assignments. I know you have me on the list next year and I am already in talks with Moschino about my design.

Let’s get down to business and talk fashion!

Best dressed ladies:

Claire Danes – Claire stole the show when she turned up in a beautiful Zac Posen design as a real life Cinderella, with not one but two men on her arm I might add. I gushed as soon as I saw her dress on Twitter and my little heart fluttered when I saw it light up. Her dress is what dreams are made of. Every girl dreams of being a princess.

Image belongs to http://www.cbc.ca

Image belongs to http://www.popsugar.com.au

Blake Lively – She may be pregnant but that didn’t stop Blake looking absolutely flawless last night as she arrived in a blush pink Burberry dress to the Gala.

Image belongs to http://www.popsugar.com.au

 

Kylie Jenner & Kendall Jenner – As soon as I saw the two sisters on the red carpet, I knew exactly who they were wearing. The Kardashian/Jenner’s reliable designer – Balmain! The two looked incredible! Kylie please leave your hair like this, it suits you so much! Kylie later showed that us ladies will go through anything to look good when she showed her snapchat followers the damage her dress and shoes caused.

Image belongs to http://www.popsugar.com.au

Image belongs to http://www.popsugar.com.au

Image from Kylie’s snapchat – kylizzlemynizzl

Nicole Kidman – Nicole had every jaw dropping as she stunned in her beautiful Alexander McQueen dress with a cape.

Image from http://www.popsugar.com

 

Jourdan Dunn – One of my newly grey haired sisters wowed at the Met last night as Jourdan also rocked Balmain (I think I need to invest in some Balmain!!)

Image belongs to http://www.eonline.com

Beyonce – What would a best dressed list be without the queen that is Beyonce?! Rocking up solo, Bey looked fierce in her Latex Givenchy dress.

Image belongs to http://www.elle.com

Best dressed men:

Nick Jonas – Only one man stood out for me and that was the very hot Nick Jonas. Although it was kind of a safe option, he looked ever so handsome in this gorgeous tuxedo from Topman.

Image belongs to http://www.hollywoodlife.com

Best dressed couple:

Kim & Kanye – Once again, it didn’t surprise me when I heard they were wearing Balmain. Kim steals the attention this time Kayne, even those blue contacts couldn’t distract me from how good she looks!

Image belong to http://www.celebuzz.com

Gigi & Zayn – Without a doubt, they are THE couple of the year and were certainly sticking to the theme with their matching outfits. Gigi stunned in Tommy Hilfiger while Zayn looked gorgeous in Versace. Can they do no wrong?

Image belongs to http://www.popsugar.com

Many people and critics seem to forget that the Met Gala ain’t any normal event. It’s the one night where designers and celebrities get to be creative and explore new tastes with fashion and personally, it is my favourite event in the fashion calendar. Impatiently waiting for next year already.

 

Chat later!

Sarah Jane xx

My Year in Review – 2015

2015 can be described as one of the best and one of the worst years of my life. So many wonderful things happened, but a few heartbreaking moments also happened.

I’ll start with the good things that happened in 2015:

• In January, I got my voice back. In case you didn’t know, on December 1st 2011, I lost my voice. After 3 long years, which included intense speech therapy for 14 weeks, endless doctor visits, horrible pain and acupuncture, my voice started to come back slowly but surely. Now it’s a task to make sure I don’t lose it again!

 

• Also in January, I started my CoOp placement with I Love Limerick. There are no words to describe my experience with I Love Limerick, it was more than I ever imagined it would be. I learnt so much in my 6 months there and it helped me grow as a person and I became more confident in myself. The opportunities that came from working with I Love Limerick were unbelievable: meeting Maria Walsh, Paul O’Connell, George McMahon, Leanne Moore and of course Celia Holman Lee; helping many local and national charities; working on the Vote Yes campaign, oh there is so many incredible memories I have from my time there. Although, the best thing about my experience has to be meeting Richard. Richard Lynch is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. He has helped me in ways I’ll never be able to thank him enough for; he has taught me so much, both personally and professionally, he allowed me to see what I was capable of and helped me see the career I want. Most of all, he always believes in me. Thank you Richard, I love you xx

 

•  I have always wanted to take part in the Laois Rose Selection and this year, I got the chance. It all started back in January, when working with I Love Limerick, we got to meet Maria Walsh. After stealing her crown and taking selfies with her, she mentioned to me how I should go for it. I laughed it off because I had just got my voice back, so it was kind of the last thing on my mind. But then Anne Marie Bowe, one of the ladies behind Laois Rose Centre, asked would I go for it. After a chat with Mam and Dad, I found myself filling out the form and submitting it. I am very glad I did. What an experience it was. Hopefully, I will go for it again, when I am wiser and older 😉 I would love to represent Lovely Laois one day! I wrote a blog about the whole experience, if you would like to read it, click here

 

• With working with I Love Limerick, Richard set me up with the amazing opportunity to work for Celia Holman Lee. Oh wow, I have admired her from a very young age (ask my Mam!). To me, Celia is Ireland’s most fashionable lady and always will be, she truly defines Irish Fashion! Getting the chance to work with her from May through till August was a dream come through for me. I look back on the days we worked together and it still feels like a dream to be honest; working on photoshoots, fashion shows, tv shows, even just working in her office and having chats with her! Just like Richard, she has taught me more than any college degree can about the fashion/media industry, as well as giving me life advice along the way. She has helped me realize that a career in Fashion Media is one I most definitely would love. I am looking forward to working with her again in 2016!

• As part of my course in University, I had to go on Erasmus. So I went to Tarragona in Spain (well it is actually Catalonia) and what a four months it was. It took me a while to settle but once I did, I began to love Tarragona. The new friends I made, the new cities I have travelled, the memories with my old friends, it was a wonderful experience. To anyone who is offered the experience to go, TAKE IT!

• I started my Youtube this year. After many friends saying I should, I built up the courage and made a channel. I have been vlogging since May and my channel is doing quite good. I have 39 subscribers and over 4,500 views! If you haven’t check it out yet, click here to see my channel. Also, subscribe if you can and give a few of my videos a like! Cheers!

• I got to meet two YouTubers this year! On July 11th, I met Alfie Deyes aka Pointless Blog! Then on August 12th, I met Marcus Butler! Both were so nice. Alfie was very supportive of my YouTube and even gave my video a like and commented on it, making views and comments go crazy for about 2 weeks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• I met a few other celebrities throughout the year also.

 

Now to the sad parts of 2015:

• On January 31st, I almost lost my dad. He had a massive heart attack. This was one of the most terrifying few hours of my life. To think someone so vital to my life could’ve been gone just like that is petrifying to think about. Thankfully, my Mam got him to hospital in time and he is doing good, with 4 new stints in his heart. I am so grateful to still have my Dad. I wrote a blog about the whole thing – here

• Cancer once again appeared into my life in 2015, with two of my family members being diagnosed, making it 3 members of my family battling cancer. Thank god, all of them are doing great at the moment and hopefully they continue to get better and hopefully beat cancer.

 

• In July,  I lost one of my friends, Lorcan, suddenly. I don’t think I will ever be over his death. I have been friends with him since I can remember. Lorcan, it was a blessing to have you in my life, even if it was cut short way too early. You’ve made me proud to be from Trumera, but most of all, you always had faith in me and because of that, I’ll never give up until I have reached where I am supposed to be.

 

• I also lost my Auntie Lorna this year, 8 days ago in fact. Christmas will never be the same again. It just doesn’t seem real that she is gone. I am expecting her to call into my house any time I hear the doorbell. Lorna was one of the most thoughtful, kindest and funniest people I’ve ever know and even though we had our disagreements at times, I was blessed to have her as an Auntie. My heart is still broken. It will take me a very long time to get over your death Lorna, if I do at all. I am glad you were in my house when I came home from Spain and I am glad we got to have that one last drink with you.

 

2015 has made me realise how much my family and friends mean to me.

My New Years resolution is to appreciate my family and friends more, more than I do now. To appreciate every moment with everyone I love, because one thing I have learnt from 2015 is that life can change in a split second.

Finally, I want to wish everyone reading this blog a very happy and healthy new year. May it be filled with joy and laughter and many good memories.

Here’s hoping 2016 will be a great year!

A little update from Tarragona

A picture taken on nice beach, as Jacob calls it, here in Tarragona.

Tomorrow (Friday 9^th of October), it will be 6 weeks since I got on the plane and moved to Tarragona.  I still can’t believe I have moved to another country, even if it is for 4 months. Tarragona is a beautiful city. It is filled with many streets of old architecture and beautiful buildings. You could walk around aimlessly and not get sick of the city. The coast line seems endless, with sandy beaches and clear blue seas for miles; you could walk it for hours on end (I once walked along it for over 3 hours!)

College here is different from at home. It is a lot more like secondary school. The lectures are much smaller, more like what a tutorial would be at home. The modules I am taking aren’t too hard thankfully, meaning we don’t have to spend a lot of time doing college work. I have found a new appreciation for University of Limerick while over here. We are so lucky to have everything in one place on campus. The URV campus is all over Tarragona. It just doesn’t feel like UL here. There is just something about UL. God, I would love to go to The Stables right now for a pint with the gang.

The staff in Danny Boy pub in Salou are starting to recognise Kate and I, as we have been there nearly every weekend for the matches. There does be a great atmosphere in the pub for the matches! Also, most of the bar staff are beautiful, so we can’t complain! 😉

We have travelled a bit. Well, we have only been to Salou and Barcelona! Barcelona is a beautiful city but it is massive. So much so, we got lost for 3 hours trying to find Camp Nou! We are going back there this weekend to see more of the city. We are going to take the tour bus around the city and I am super excited. I am going to vlog it all. The girls say I will be like Joey when Chandler and Joey go to London (Friends reference if you didn’t know). We are going to Cambrills tomorrow also. So our adventures are beginning!

Although I love it here, I do find it hard at times. I miss home. I miss my Mum and Dad. I miss my pets. I miss my Mum’s blueberry pancakes. I miss going to/watching matches with my Dad. I miss Sunday evenings in Margaret and Joe’s.  I miss having wifi all the time (we still have no wifi in our apartment, so therefore we have no Netflix or TV3 player so I can watch Downton Abbey!!) I miss the autumn/winter weather. I miss the fact I live in the middle of nowhere in the countryside. My room is at the front of our apartment so, I hear traffic and people talking all the time, meaning I find it hard to sleep at times. I miss everything about home. But I do love it here.  I am very grateful to have Sarah and Kate here with me. There have been so many good memories already; Nicole and I got up on stage with a male dancer in the nightclub one night – Sarah, Kate and I had to run away from Moroccan fellas another night – oh and I love Peggy Sue’s restaurant.  There have been so many good times so far. Also, I can’t forget about Jacob, a wonderful person who is now in my life because of Erasmus!

I have found myself thinking about Lorcan a lot more lately. The smallest of things remind me of him and my heart hurts, then I feel nothing but sadness. It just doesn’t seem real or fair that he is gone. My life is continuing on as if nothing happened. He should be alive and continuing to have a great life. It is really hard at times. I know why he is on my mind a lot more this week; Trumera are in the county final on Sunday. I am devastated I won’t be there but don’t you worry, I will be proudly wearing my Trumera jersey, especially for Lorcan. I hope they win, I hope they win it for him.

I am sorry I haven’t been posting more blogs, I guess I have lost my appetite for write at the moment. I am sure I’ll be back posting non stop soon enough 😛

I have 10 weeks lift here in Tarragona. How crazy is that? I suppose time does fly by when you are having fun.

June Favourites 2015

Writing my favourites for the last month is the hardest it’s been because I love so many things at the moment! But I have struggled through to compile my faves! In June, so much has happened! I finished my Co-Op placement with ilovelimerick (check out the website here and like the Facebook here!), I’ve been to London and seen 5SOS x2 (yes, I saw Michael’s face/hair go on fire!), seen The Script in Croker and was filmed and featured in a video on their Facebook, seen Taylor Swift live, oh so much has happened in June, I’d be here all day!

So here are my June Favourites!

 

Book

I spent a good bit of June travelling which gave me plenty of time to read and I read The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks as I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. Nicholas Sparks is one of my favourite romance writers and I was incredibly excited to read this book. It’s about two couples, one elderly (Ira and Ruth) and one young (Luke and Sophia). Ira, who is 90 years old, is in a car crash, but it is snowing so bad that no one can see the car. He is already sick, and is barely surviving the car crash. It is all because of his late wife Ruth, who appears to him as an image in the car, and is reminding him of their life together, including how they met, the dark days of WW2 and how they began to collect all the paintings the collected. Sophia, who is a Wake Forest college student, falls in love with cowboy Luke at a barn dance one night. Luke is not like anyone else Sophia knows. Together they experience the joys of love as well as the difficulties that come with Luke’s dangerous career. Although both couples in the story have nothing in common, the story line brings them together! The elderly couple’s love story is a beautiful one. I loved this book!

Image from nicholassparks.com

Make Up

Topshop Lip Gloss/ Lipsticks are something I have only bought recently! After hearing several raving reviews about the products, I had to try them out and god why haven’t I bought them before! So at the moment, I am loving these two lip glosses. Because of the Roaccutane tablet I am on, I find it very hard to wear lipstick as my lips are so dry. So these lip glosses are perfect! They keep my lips moist and look good too! The purple is a colour I normally wouldn’t go for but I loved it more than the pink to be honest! I think I paid around £8 pound for the purple one and €3 for the pink one!

Fashion

A girl can never have too many shoes and I couldn’t say no to both these pair of shoes when I saw them in Primark/Pennys! I bought the blue pair to go with the black skirt from River Island that I mention below! I wore it with a white crop top from Topshop! I unfortunately didn’t take a photo but that is okay, it makes it easier to wear again! 😛 They were £13. The Flowery pair were just so gorgeous, I couldn’t leave them behind! They were €18. By the way, sorry about the mess in the background of the photos, I am redecorating my room!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After my love for tulle skirts, this River Island Skirt I got in London is my favourite! It is very Kim Kardashian style and very flattering on! Although the slit is very high up my leg, it is fabulous! It was £25, which was very reasonable for something from River Island! I wonder could I get away with wearing it to Portlaoise to the the grocery shopping? Maybe not…

Stationery

I am a bit of a stationery freak. If it is not new cute notebooks, it’s pens and pencases! I got this cute London pencil case in Monsoon when I was in London and I adore it. I think it was about time I put my One Direction one in the merch box and became a proper lady! This pencil case was €10. Monsoon have a great range of notebooks, pencil case and any other stationery you may need. It may be pricey but it is fabulous!

Movie

My favourite movie this month had to be Jurassic World!!! Oh my god it was so good. I know what your are thinking, why the hell did Sarah Jane go see that movie, that’s not her typical movie! I watched all the previous Jurassic movies with my dad when I was younger and had to see this as everyone was raving about it! Also, Chris Pratt, come on, there was no way I was missing that! He is one beautiful man! If you haven’t seen this movie yet, GO SEE IT NOW!!

Food

I love pancakes, who doesn’t? I usually only ate plain pancakes whenever I had them because I don’t like Nutella or Lemon Juice or any of those other things people typically put on their pancakes! BUT I have been LOVING Blueberry pancakes recently!! I saw a post on either Tumblr or Pinterest about them and was like oh my god I want them now! So I have been eating these a lot in June! A little tip when making them, burst the blueberries when in the pan before the are made, it tastes so much better!

Music

Firstly, I know I went to Sunday Sessions last night (9th July) but I had to tell you to check out these guys! Little Hours performed and they were incredible. I had heard about them a few months ago but it took me seeing them live to appreciate how good they are. They done a cover of Beyonce’s Crazy In Love a month ago on Sunday Sessions and it is INCREDIBLE! Check them out, you won’t regret it. And Ladies, Ryan is unbelievably hot, just a word of warning!

Selena Gomez has really grown up hasn’t she? I’m liking her new sound, and Good For You is a catchy song. Wonder who she wrote the song about? Bieber? Mmm..

 

I think the song of the summer 2015 has definitely been Lean On by Major Lazer. The minute it comes on the radio, I just turn it up and feel good and want to dance!

 

YOUTUBER

Gabby, who is better known as velvetgh0st, is my favourite Youtuber this month! She is a 20 year-old blogger and YouTuber. Her videos are predominantly beauty-based but with a few fashion and lifestyle inspired videos as well. From hauls, favourites, beauty tutorials and sometimes, vlogs. She isn’t on the list of well known Youtubers just yet, but is making her way there! She has been recently appearing in videos alongside Zoella, which is helping her become the Youtube star she deserves to be! Check out one of her videos below.

 

Okay, shameless self promotion time! If you didn’t already know, I started vlogging! I am NOWHERE near as good as my favourites but I’ll get there! So when I was in London, I vlogged majority of the time. If you want, check out the video. If you can Like & Subscribe also, I’d be very happy! Check out some of my other videos on my channel also!

 

That’s it for my June Favourites, I’ll see you in a month for July Faves!

xoxo

February Favourites 2015!

I know, I know, this blog is 16 days late! Please forgive me as UL had it’s RAG week last week and this week, I am paying for RAG week antics as I am suffering with a verrrrrry bad flu! But I am on the mend! So here are my February favourites 🙂

Pink Hair

The first week of February, I got pink dip dye in my hair and I absolutely loved it. To be honest, I think the pink has been my favourite dip dye (I’ve had blue and purple previously). I think the pink suited me more, it went really well with the blonde and my complexion. The only annoying thing with dip dye is that it doesn’t stay in very long. I got 5 weeks out of it. I now face the decision of whether or not to get it back in? If I do, I might have to keep it for a good 4 or 5 months because of something that I am currently involved in. What do you reckon? Get the pink back in or go fully blonde again? Thoughts PLEASE!!

 

 

 

Book

My favorite book for the month was If I Stay. Stupidly, I watch the movie before reading the book so I knew the storyline. The book is based on a girl named Mia Hall and how she deals with the aftermath of a horrible car accident which all her family, including her, were involved in. She has an out of body experience where at first, she is beside her parents and brother’s bodies mangled and dead, being tended by paramedics. She then releases that she is infact not alive but fighting for her life. She is rushed to hospital and her ‘spirit’ goes too. She sees her grandparents, her parent’s friends, her best friend and her boyfriend all gather at the hospital to be by her side to remind her she still has a family when she wakes. Mia watches as her memories flash before her eyes as she comes to realize that she must decide if she should stay and lead a life far more difficult than she would of ever thought without her parents and little brother, or go, and leave everyone else behind, including her dreams. It is quite emotional. But DO NOT decide to read this book while you are in a car with your parents when it is snowing, it is a stupid idea!

Clothes/Outfit

First outfit!

Second outfit!

I have two outfits of the month and I wore them both in one day! Life of a fashionista eh?! First outfit is what I wore on my way to the GAA Congress in Cavan! I wore a oversized black t-shirt from Littlewoods, (€10, Click here), Houndstooth leggings also from Littlewoods (€24, Click here) and a coat from Born (with I think is out of stock at the moment!). I think is one of my favourite outfits at the moment as it is comfy but also stylish! I feel like a Black Little Red Riding Hood as my coat as the same hood as her cloak!

The second outfit I wore to dinner with my Mum on the first night of the GAA Congress. I wore a simple long sleeved black top from Pennys/Primark (which is €4 or €5 I think), black and white mid length skirt from Littlewoods (€29, Click here) and blue wedges from Pennys/Primark (€15).

 

 

Music

I think I will always find this a hard choice! But currently, I am loving Luke Friend’s debut single ‘Hole In My Heart’.

 

I am also LOVING Lawson’s new single ‘Roads’! I have missed these boys making music and can not wait to hear more!

 

Movie

Okay so 50 Shades of Grey has to be one of the favourites for the month. I had been craving for this movie since 2012! Once the movie was released, it got mixed reviews! For someone who loves the books, yes I do agree it’s different than books. The chemistry wasn’t as strong as I would of liked between Christian and Anna. I think Jamie Dornan done a good job. My problem was with Dakota Johnson. I cringed watching her at some parts of the movie. She did an okay job in some scenes such as the whipping scene and when he first brought her to the Red Room. Was it as good as I expected? No. Nowhere near as good as I thought it would be. Would I see it again/get it on DVD? Heck yeah!

 

I also finally got to watch Love, Rosie and I loved it. I read Where Rainbows End back in November and adored it. It is about two best friends, Rosie and Alex, and how Rosie was stupidly blind to the fact that Alex is mad about her and then when she releases, the timing is wrong. Along the way, life throws a lot of stuff at the both of them. That is it sums up in a few words basically. I laughed, cried, laughed and cried at the same time. It is cringe at times but in a cute way. I loved it. I also loved Sam Claflin ❤

For Christmas, I asked my parents to get me some of the Disney Classic Movies and my Mum has continued to buy me them! It’s on my Bucket List to have all the Disney Classics on DVD (I know its very childish but I love Disney!)  I currently have 13 Classics and my Mum has made it her goal to have them all collect for me by the end of the year!

 

 

 

 

 

Food

Since my Dad had his heart attack, he has been on this strict healthy diet – which I also have to be on as the heart attack thing is in our genes! So one day, my Mum was telling me she found this healthy chicken and she was putting it on for my dinner. When she handed me the plate, I didn’t pay any attention to the food. It looked exactly like chicken. Smelt gorgeous and tasted devine! So then when we went shopping the next day, I asked Mam can we get more of that chicken and Dad brought me to where it was in the shop. You could just imagine my surprise/shock when I saw it was Quorn! I had no idea. It is so healthy for you and it tastes almost better than chicken in my opinion. My Dad isn’t a big fan of it but he is picky like that! I have been loving a lot of healthier foods that are now in my diet! I will included them in my March Favourites! This diet is great, and although I do miss some of my favourite foods, I have lost almost a stone in 6 weeks!!

Youtuber 

I have been loving Joe Sugg a lot more recently on Youtube. He is Zoe Sugg’s younger (and beautiful!!) brother. He has three Youtube channels : ThatcherJoe, ThatcherJoeVlogs and ThatcherJoeGames. I only watch ThatcherJoe and ThatcherJoeVlogs as I am not really into gaming videos. Joe is a British YouTube Celebrity, blogger, and comedian with over three million subscribers. He is known for being ridiculously crazy and  he is also very good at impressions. He lives with fellow Youtuber, Caspar Lee and their videos together are some of my favourite. I cry with laughter sometimes they are that good.

This is his recent main channel video.

This is his recent vlog.

 

See you in a month for my March Faves!

You Know You Love Me, XOXO,

SJ

My Highlights of 2014!

2014 has been one rollercoaster ride! It’s been a bit of a crappy year for me and my family to say the least but throughout the sadness and bad news, I have had some of the best times of my life this year! Below I want to share some of my favourite highlights of 2014 (in no particular order!)

Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

The Commonwealth Games took place in August in Glasgow. It has been on my bucket list for years to attend them and when the opportunity arose that I could go, I grabbed it with both hands (and grabbed my mother too!) and headed to Scotland.

My passport and plane ticket to Glasgow. Image belongs to me.

One of the main reasons I wanted to go was to see Tom Daley dive. Tom was diving in the Men’s Individual 10m Platform Diving competition on the 2nd of August and up until 9am that morning I hadn’t got a ticket, I was devastated, even though I did see him on the Thursday night when I went to see Jack Laugher dive in the 3m Men’s Springboard competition,  I wanted to see him dive. But luck was on my side and at 9:58am on the 2nd of August, I got the last ticket to see Tom Daley dive that evening in the Final and I saw him win Gold. I shook with happiness when I got the ticket!

With my ticket to see Tom Daley dive in the Final!

Tom with his Gold medal. Image belongs to me.

As I mentioned earlier on, I got to see one of my other favourite divers, Jack Laugher dive in the Men’s 3M Springboard Final on Thursday 31st of August and I witnessed him win Silver.  Luck was on my side again, as when I was at the Closing Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, I got to met him. He ran over to me after I called his name so many times like I was Rose calling Jack in the titanic! I was extremley happy. My trip to Glasgow was a very successful one. A few more things off the bucket list 😉

Jack Laugher and I at the Closing Ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Paris

One of my best friends lives in Lyon, France and she turned 21 this year and I wanted to surprise her with an unforgettable birthday present. So I secretly flew over to Lyon, even though she found out on that day I was arriving, and surprised her. But what she didn’t know was that I had got two standing tickets to see One Direction in Stade de France in Paris on the following Friday! So on the 19th of June, we carpooled to Paris, one of the longest but most beautiful and exciting road trips ever, and at midnight we arrived in Paris! We got up early the next morning and done a bit of site seeing before the concert! We saw the Arc de Triomphe and had breakfast in a cute cafe on the Champs Elysees.

Melo and me at the Arc de Triomphe.

After that, we took the Metro and went to the Eiffel Tower! It was such a beautiful day and the view was beautiful. Melo and I have this thing were we like to take cool photos in iconic places and what better place to do this than the Eiffel Tower!

Melo and me in front of the Eiffel Tower.

5 Seconds of Summer in London

On March 3rd, I got to see 5 Seconds of Summer in Shepherd’s Bush in London with my 5SOS buddy Giana and some other girls I became friends with through the boys!

WIth Giana, Deanna and Zoe at Sheperd’s Bush.

We queued from 9am that morning, it rained and was so cold. The things we do for those 4 Aussie babes!! The venue is a intimate venue with a capacity of 2,000 people. We were standing, hence why we were queuing so early. We ended up being front row and that was an amazing experience. Every time I see 5 Seconds of Summer live, they just get better and better. I’ve been to over 60 plus concerts and this was up there in my top ten concerts. It was one of those concerts where you just got lost in the moment, in the music. Being there with friends I had made through the boys was even better. Giana and I have this tradition and it’s #GettingDrunkAt5SOS and we have so much fun playing games in the queue! I find it amazing how some of my good friendships are formed because of bands! Looking forward to seeing Giana in London at 5SOS next June 😉

Turning 21

On the 3rd of November, I turned 21. 21 years old. What a milestone to hit. I had my dream 21st Birthday party on the 31st of October, in Great Gatsby style! It was one of the best nights of my life and I got to celebrate it with all my closest friends and family. I will never forget that night (even though I did drink a lot!) because I finally felt happy, within myself and in my life. At one part of the night, I stood alone with the bottle of champagne the pub gave me for my birthday on the dance floor and looked around and just smiled. I had never been more happier in my life.

Me before my 21st Birthday party.

Meeting Shane O’Donnell 

In 2013, Davy Fitz asked a certain 19 year old man to play in the All Ireland Hurling Final Replay and wanted him to do one thing and one thing only – score goals! That man certain done that! Shane O’Donnell scored 3-3 in the replay and Clare won the All Ireland! Shane O’Donnell became the Niall Horan of GAA that day! He became my favourite hurler that day too, purely because of his hurling skills.. Nothing to do with his looks at all! 😛

Shane O’Donnell and I in O’Moore Park in Portlaoise.

3rd night of Where We Are Tour in Croke Park

I was privileged enough to go see One Direction on their Where We Are Tour in Croke Park 3 times. On the Sunday, I got a standing ticket and went with my friends Flozey and Susan (plus her sister Janet!). The two previous nights were incredible but the 3rd and final night was something special. I don’t exactly know why it was more special than the other two, but it was the best show of the weekend. I got some incredible photos of the boys and Harry even waved at me (The video is on my Instagram!).

One of my favourite photos of Niall that I took. Image belongs to me.

How big 5 Seconds Of Summer Became

2014 was the year of 5 Seconds of Summer. They were the breakthrough artist of the year and took the world by storm. With two number one singles, with ‘She Looks So Perfect’ and ‘Don’t Stop’ in the UK and USA, and their debut album reaching number one in the USA. The boys seem to be a huge success in Ireland also, with both ‘She Looks So Prefect’ and ‘Don’t Stop’ reaching number one here and ‘Amnesia’ and ‘Good Girls’ both charting in the top 20 singles and the album also debuting at number one. I’m incredibly proud of these boys and look forward to what 2015 has in store for them.

When I met the boys in 2013 in London.

Being front row at Cody Simpson and having Jackson Harris sing to me

On July 4th, I saw Cody Simpson in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin. Thanks to my friends Sophie and Jade, I had a front row ticket to the show. For his support act, he had Jackson Harris, an American singer. One thing I certainly haven’t forgotten is Jackson singing to me. I barely knew of him before the show but by the end of his set, he truly won me over. When Jackson was singing his song Right Kind of Wrong, he spotted me singing along to the chorus and of course I got all shy and embarrassed, which made him come over to right in front of me, he knelt down, held eye contact with me and smiled while sang to me and even held my hand. I got so hot and bothered that my friends Jade and Sophie had to fan me down when he stopped singing to me. My favourite thing about Cody’s concert (apart from Jackson singing to me!) was that it was an acoustic concert.  I wrote a blog about the concert so check that out!

Cody Simpson on his acoustic tour in Dublin 2014. Image belongs to me.

Jackson Harris on Cody Simpson’s acoustic tour in Dublin 2014. Image belongs to me.

Seeing Demi Lovato live in concert (FINALLY!)

For my 21st Birthday my best friend Sarah Coghlan ( she has an INCREDIBLE blog too, check it out!!) surprised me with a ticket to Enrique Iglesias’s concert in the 3 Arena on the 23rd of November. More importantly, Demi Lovato was Enrique’s support act. When I opened my card from her and saw the ticket, I was next to tears. I was shaking. She was making one of my ultimate dreams come. To this day, I still can’t thank her enough. When Demi came on stage that night, my heart stopped. I shooking and cried from the minute she came on stage. Demi has been a huge idol to me since 2010 or thereabouts. When she sang Skyscraper and Nightingale, I cried the whole way through both songs. I looked like such an idiot but I didn’t care. Nobody, not even Sarah (although she knows how much I adore Demi) knew how much that moment meant to me. I was so extremely happy. Nothing. I mean NOTHING, could of ruined that moment. I was with one of my best friends, who bought me that ticket, seeing my ultimate idol live. I still can’t believe it. Hearing my favourite song Neon Lights live was incredible. I never felt more alive than I did at that moment.

Demi Lovato performing Neon Lights in the 3 Arena, Image belongs to celebmafia.com

Meeting 4/5 of the Janoskians after sneaking into the Four Season’s Hotel

Jade and I snuck into the Four Season’s Hotel. Like I don’t know how we done it but we did. Thank god we did. We met Skip in a bathroom towel (love heart eyes emoji) and spoke to Jai properly and got him to follow me on Twitter. But we did get kicked out after that. We still managed to meet James and Luke outside. My favourite was finally meeting Luke, god I love him! He gave me a kiss on the cheek! Beau wouldn’t come out to meet us though 😦

The bathrooms in the Four Seasons are so fancy, I had to take a selfie.

Daniel (Skip) and I in the Four Season’s Hotel. He is wearing a Bathroom Towel. And only that! Image belongs to me.

Jai and I in the Four Season’s Hotel. Image belongs to me.

James and I. Image belongs to me.

Luke and . Image belongs to me.

 

Elizabeth’s Sweet 16th

My darling Elizabeth turned 16 this year. Words don’t explain how much I love that girl. I can’t believe she is 16. I can’t imagine my life without her. She is such a beautiful, kind hearted, loving, special lady and I’m so proud to be her cousin. She makes be a better person, she makes me smile when I’m down and she gives me strength when I am weak. She is such a strong girl for everything she goes through and she never complains and is always with a smile! She has taught me to treasure the little things in life.

Elizabeth and I a her Sweet Sixteenth Birthday Party.

My Dad getting elected for the Central Council Delegate for Laois GAA County Board

On the 8th of December, my Dad got elected to be Central Council Delegate for Laois GAA and I couldn’t of been any prouder of him. My Dad had a very bad year in 2014 and this was the lift he needed. The spark that had been missing came back into my Dad. Once again he was the underdog and once again shocked everyone and beat off all competition. I don’t say it to him very often, but I am very proud of my Dad and all he has achieved. He works so hard and does so much for Laois GAA and it’s nice to see that people appreciate my father. So Dad, if Mam has told you about this or is showing you this, I told you you could do it. Once you believe in yourself, you can do anything. You know what you are talking about when it comes to GAA and you are the man for any GAA job in my eyes. Words don’t even describe how proud I am of you. I love you Daddy.

My Dad and me at the Laois GAA Awards 2014.

X Factor in November

As part of my 21st Birthday present, I got to go to Wembley to see the X Factor Studios and my favourite contestants. It is something I will never forget! I wrote a blog about it, if you want the full story! I got to meet Only The Young and 7/8 of Stereo Kicks. I also made a new friendship with Tania who has been incredible to me since.

7/8 of Stereo Kicks. Image belongs to me.

Only The Young and I. Image belongs to me.

Becoming even closer to Sarah, Aislin and Joe

Sarah, Joe and Aislin. I’d be lost without them. It is as simple as that. I love the 3 of them so much it hurts. They mean the world to me. 2014 has given me so many good memories with this trio. I could talk all day about them. But they know why they made my 2014. I Love you guys.

Joe and I.

Sarah and I.

Aislin and I.

2015, please have less sad and bad moments for my family and me. Please me full of happiness and memories to cherish.

My Favourite Album of 2014!

My dear friend Joe nominated me to do this blog (Check out his blog!), and even though I hate him for putting me through the agony of picking my favourite album of 2014, I think it is such a good idea! Well done Joe 😉

The reason why I said it was agony of picking my favourite album is because this year has been an incredible year for some musicians, producing some top quality albums.  2014 was the year for newcomers and these newcomers certainly put their stamp on the music world. Sam Smith, who was announced the winner of the Brits 2014 Critics’ Choice award for 2014, released his debut album ‘In The Lonely Hour’ in May this year. ‘Lay Me Down’ is my favourite track on his album. Ariana Grande’s second studio album ‘My Everything’ came out in August and established Ariana as a major force in the music industry. Without a doubt, ‘Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart’ is my favourite song , which was penned by One Direction’s Harry Styles. It’s been two years since Ella Henderson appeared on the UK X Factor and many critics had questioned if the two year gap would be a good decision for her career, but Ella proved them wrong with her debut album ‘Chapter One‘, with every song written or co-written by Ella herself. In the first week, her album went straight into number one, making Simon Cowell a very happy man! Remember her arena audition where she sang her own song that took everyone’s breath away? Well Ella recorded that beautiful song and put it on the album and ‘Missed’ is undeniably my favourite track of hers. The treasured artists of the music industry also made sure they were heard this year with their outstanding albums. Ed Sheeran released his highly anticipated second album ‘X’ in June, and to date, it has been the most streamed album on Spotify of 2014, with over 400 million streams. Apart from ‘Thinking Out Loud’, my favourite song is ‘Tenerife Sea’. One of my queens Jessie J dropped her third studio album ‘Sweet Talker’. The leading single of the album, ‘Bang Bang’, made Jessie world renowned and is her most successful single to date. The success of this hit single made her album a chart topping album. Although ‘Bang Bang’ is the tune that has me running to the dance floor, my stand out song on the album is ‘Sweet Talker’. Many would say that 2014 was the year of Taylor Swift and her fifth studio album, ‘1989‘. This album is her first official pop album, having been a country-pop crossover artist on her previous albums. The stats establish that Swift done right by making this album as it is the best selling album of 2014. I have two favourite songs from ‘1989‘, they are ‘Wildest Dreams’ and ‘Wonderland’.

One Direction’s fourth consecutive album ‘Four’ is an extremely close runner up to my favourite album of the year (I mean it, the only difference is like 0.01%). Personally, I believe ‘Four’ is their best album. Like many of the critics, I believe this album shows maturity (apart from ‘Act My Age’, but we ALL secretly love that tune!!) and growth for the band, with a more rockier sound. The boys wrote 9 of the songs on the album, and even got Ed Sheeran to pen another song for them. Cosmopolitan clearly agree with me as they have named it number eleven on the 20 Best Album’s for 2014 list! Once again, stats confirm that One Direction aren’t going to be disappearing any time soon, as the album went straight in at number one in over 100 countries!! The song that gets me feeling warm and fuzzy is ‘Night Changes’, it is such a beautiful song and shows off everyone’s vocals.

But my album of the year goes to the real breakthrough artists of the year, 5 Seconds of Summer! It was probably obvious I was going to chose them, I never shut up about them and have been promoting them for nearly 3 years to everyone! If you don’t already know, I adore these guys a crazy amount (I have travelled more times to see them live than any other band to date!). If you’ve been hiding under a rock and have no idea who they are or want to refresh your memory of who they are, check out my previous blog on them!

The Australian pop punk band (NOT A BOYBAND) released their self titled debut album  ‘5 Seconds of Summer’  in June and within one week of it’s release in America, it charted in the number one spot in the Billboard 200, selling over 260,000 copies. 5 Seconds of Summer proved they were to be taken seriously in the music industry and soon became one of the most sought after bands at all music award ceremonies such as the MTV Music Awards and the ARIA Awards, entitling them to perform in front of some of the mega stars in the music industry. But it was them touring with One Direction on their tours ‘Take Me Home’ in 2013 and ‘Where We Are’ in 2014 that gave the platform for the Aussies to make a name for themselves. They soon became pals with All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth and co-wrote a few songs with him. ‘She Looks So Perfect‘ was the lead single of the album and no doubt was one of the songs of 2014! The boys wrote the majority of the songs on the album, all bar two in fact, with ‘Amnesia’ wrote by the Madden Brothers and their cover of The Romantic’s ‘What I Like About You’.  With songs like ‘Don’t Stop‘, ‘Good Girls‘, ‘18‘ and ‘End Up Here‘ proving their little cheeky personalities in their song writing and showing they are more All Time Low than One Direction. But these four pretty boys have an emotional side too, and this is evident in their tunes like ‘Long Way Home‘, ‘Beside You‘ and ‘Everything I Didn’t Say’. While writing this blog, I asked my mum what my favourite 5 Seconds of Summer song was (thinking it would make it easier for me) but she had them same answer as I first came up with and that is that I actually like them all and can’t choose a favourite. Although, after two consecutive listens to the album, I came to the conclusion that my top five favorite songs are ‘End Up Here’, ‘Good Girls’, ‘Long Way Home’, ‘Heartbreak Girl’ and ‘Beside You’ (Can I just say I absolutely love every 5 Seconds of Summer song on this album? Because I do!!)

Image from 5SOS-official.tumblr.com

If there is one thing I love more than lots of 5 Seconds of Summer songs, it’s hearing 5 Seconds of Summer live and they answered all my dreams in December this year when they released ‘LIVESOS’. This is their first live album and contains 14 songs, including ‘Disconnected‘, ‘Out of My Limit‘ and their cover of Green Day’s ‘American Idiot‘.

Image from http://www.5sos.com

So there you have it, my favourite album of 2014 belongs to 5 Seconds of Summer. In my eyes, 2014 belonged to those guys!

So, what was your favourite album of 2014? Comment below 🙂