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.

I’m moving to Spain and I’m a little anxious..

It’s has finally hit me. In less than 4 days, I’m moving to another country for 5 months. I’ve been kind of putting it to the back of my mind, only mentioning it to people when they ask and that’s it. I’ve been trying to avoid it in topic of conversation. But I haven’t been able to avoid it over the last two weeks as getting ready for the move is all I’ve been doing. And now I’m beginning to freak out. It’s 2am on Monday morning and for the past 5 days, I’ve been struggling. Struggling to sleep, struggling to stop comfort eating, struggling with overthinking, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I am super, super excited to move to Spain for the few months. I’m moving with two amazing friends and I know we are going to have the time of our lives. But my anxiety has taken over me. I’ve found my nerves in my hands shaking more and my breathing faster and my need to surround myself with my comforts has increased immensely – which is mainly watching Gossip Girl, drinking tea and eating M&M’s curled up on the couch!

Moving to another country is a huge thing. I’ve never lived in another country away from my family. I think that is the scariest part. I am such a family person. They mean the world to me. My family have been going through a rough time, (I have 2 uncles and a cousin who have cancer at the moment and another cousin who has Williams Syndrome and has a few health problems recently..) and that’s probably one of the reasons I’m scared to leave. Not to mention, my Dad did have a heart attack at the beginning of the year!! What if something happens when I’m gone? I know it’s a negative thing to think about but if you were in my shoes, you’d think the exact same. Deep down, I know (hope) everything and everyone will be fine.

I know part of why I’m feeling like this. Last year, I went to Lyon to surprise my friend Melodie for her birthday. But I came home to a funeral. My uncle Harold, who was perfectly healthy, passed away after having a heart attack. Friday June 20th 2014, I was in Stade de France in Paris with one of my best friends having a great time seeing One Direction while my mum roamed the streets of Paris heartbroken after Dad rang her to tell her the news. To come back to the hotel and hear that news was such a crash back to reality. I went from feeling so alive to numb. So I’m scared it will happen again.

It’s a big step. As I’m writing this, my head is going mental over everything, mostly my suitcases. I’ve packed them at least three times last week and I got so anxious last week, I just had to close them up. I know tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up and unpack both suitcases again, and go through everything. Can I just bring my whole bedroom with me? That way, I won’t be so anxious! I’m just anxious I’ll forget something I will need, it’s just so hard packing your life into two bags.
I’m kind of laughing at myself for writing this because I’ve always said I want to live in London and NYC. But I know Spain will be the best thing for me. It will give me the ability to live in those places later in life.
I made a promise to myself when I was sick to never miss an opportunity that I’ll regret when I look back. This is a once in a life time thing to do really and I have to do it (no seriously, I have to or I fail my degree!) I have so much to look forward to and that helps me. I’m going to be living with Sarah and Kate and sure that it self is all the reason to go! It’s Tarragona, which is in the middle of Barcelona and Salou, so many adventures! I turn 22 while out there and we’ve made plans to hopefully go to Paris (AND DISNEYLAND!) for my birthday! Before I know it, I’ll be home for Christmas! It’s going to fly by and I know I’ll be fine.

I’ve a frame in my room that has the meaning of my name on it. For the last few days, the top two lines have been catching my attention. They are ‘alway determined to face a new challenge’ and ‘never afraid to plot a new course’. Although I’m scared/nervous, I feel like that pushes me to want to succeed in what ever it is. There never was a minute where I thought of not going.

On a a lighter note, the thing that is really annoying me is that for the first time in years, I’m missing the All Ireland Hurling and Football finals and will have to watch from a pub, it will never be the same! I always go to those matches with Daddy! (I’m pretty sure the staff at the local Irish pub will know our names by the last week in September, with all the GAA and Rugby World Cup matches!)

Anyway, It will be great craic. I’m just a little anxious, like anyone would be.

I’m off to repack these bags for the 20th time!