My Real Life Fairy Tale: Part 1

26 July 2017 marked my 6-year anniversary with my partner, Martyn.  We have a unique story, which I would like to share.  This post is called “My Real Life Fairy Tale: Part 1” and I hope you enjoy this series, which will include 3-4 parts, depending on length.  Also, before I start, I would like to thank the wonderful Katie from Katie’s Corner for making the gorgeous header for my Fairy Tale series.

Let me start with a little backstory: I never wanted to marry and settle down.  My parents always fought and I simply didn’t want the hassle.  I had my fun and had very few serious relationships; my greatest ambition was my future career in psychology.  I’d chat to guys from around the world via Social Me, which allowed you to comment on pictures.  If you fancied someone, you could send them a private message.  I met a few guys that caught my interest, but I wasn’t looking for anything long-term or serious.  I still have friends to chat to today who have become good friends (love you Janus!). 

 

Martyn’s FB photo, June 2010

I believe it was October 2010 when I commented on Martyn’s picture.  I recently had a bad experience with a Welsh guy, so I joked about the Welsh men being assholes.  Martyn engaged in pleasant conversation with me and I thought he was a genuine nice guy.  We would chat about his kids, mom, job, and life in Wales.  I’d bore him with all my uni chat, but amuse him with my wild partying stories…you don’t want to know!!  A friend of Martyn’s told him about this app on Facebook and he would go on when he got home from his night shift.  It would take him about 2 hours to unwind, so he’d have a browse.  To this day, he swears that I was the only person he spoke to because he’s quite shy (which I LOVE!). 

We spoke for months and developed a deep and serious relationship.  He bought a Blackberry so he could text me for free via BBM; we chatted every opportunity we had.  We weren’t committed to each other, but we would say “I love you.”  We were both free to do as we please.  I would go out and party and he was more than welcome to do so.  We had a profound effect on each other and did not want to ruin anything by moving too quickly.  Somehow, I knew he was different from any man I’d met before; he was everything I didn’t even know I wanted. 

Me at the Blarney Castle, Summer 2011

Sometime in early 2011, I secured a place on a study abroad program in Waterford, Ireland.  I decided to finally meet Martyn, and he made plenty of arrangements for us to enjoy our summer together.  Deep down, I didn’t think we’d really meet and fall in love.  I assumed something would come up and we wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet, but he proved me wrong.  Every weekend I was in Waterford, he took the Friday and Monday off so we could have a long weekend together.  My second weekend in Waterford, he came to meet me.  I was petrified; I wanted to cancel, but his friends assured me that he was a decent guy.  I, along with some girls from my course, went to meet him in a pub near the Quay.  I didn’t want to go alone because I was quite anxious, but as soon as I saw him, I felt at home.  I felt like I’d known him my whole life.

Coney Island Pizza in Waterford, Ireland …look how awkward we look; it’s hysterical!!

That first weekend, we stayed in Waterford and explored the local area.  We bonded over our love for pizza and went to Coney Island Pizza a few times throughout the summer… we keep saying we need to go back!!  The second weekend, he came to get me to take me to Wales.  I offered to take public transport on my own, but he was adamant that I was not going to travel alone because it was my first time abroad.  Truthfully, I was so glad he came to get me because I almost got sea sick on the ferry ride from Rosslare, Ireland to Fishguard, Wales.  The silly man booked the “vomit comet,” which sits on top of the water and is therefore faster.  I was miserable!  But, Martyn did everything to help; he even got those sea sickness acupuncture bracelets.  Once we arrived safely in Pembrokeshire, we set off for his tiny village in South Wales, where I would see where he group and meet his family…

The first place I visited in Wales: White Hart Thatched Inn & Brewery in Llanddarog

That concludes Part 1.  I thoroughly hoped you enjoyed reading it and will keep an eye out for Part 2!  Have you found love online?  If so, I’d love to hear about it!!!  

 

The Blogger Crowd: Blogger Pack Review

In July, The Bloggers Crowd released their first Blogger Pack, an organizational tool for bloggers.  I saw their advertisement on Insta Stories and jumped at the chance to check out their product for bloggers.  Luckily, Abbie sent it over quickly!  I was quite impressed with the PDF I was sent.  You could tell a lot of hard work went into designing this blogger pack. First, I will list what was included in the pack then I’ll share my thoughts.

The TBC Blogger Pack contained:

• 2 prints
• a daily planning page
• blog post planner
• 12 monthly planners which helps you organize
  events, birthdays, notes, and goals

Empowering Print!

As a part-time blogger who works 40-50 hours a week, I try to be as organized as possible.  I try to plan when I do blogging work as well as what I am going to post.  I am a newbie blogger who launched in May, so I haven’t really gotten into a routine yet.  I aim to post every week, but sometimes that just doesn’t happen; I am working on being more self-disciplined when it comes to blogging.  Due to my inability to stay on top of blogging tasks, I jumped at the chance to review this blogger pack.  I mean…who doesn’t want to be more organized???

Upon first opening the blogger pack, I was impressed with the quality of graphics .  I don’t know how people produce such adorable and fun prints!!  The title page (first photograph) immediately grabs your attention with the funky lettering and zigzags.  I absolutely love their logo!  The mix between cursive and all-caps is perfectly on trend.  The 2 prints I received (pictured above and below) are definitely empowering and motivating, which is a necessity!  My favorite is the “Get Shit Done” print because I routinely say this in my day-to-day life and because I LOVE me some coffee!  I plan on framing this and putting it by my laptop.  I think it will motivate me to stop procrastinating and give me the much-needed kick up the arse!

The blog post planner is so cute!  I am not typically a pink-loving person, but I adore the coral/pink colors used.  Again, I love the fonts used.  Layout-wise, this page works well.  There is a space for the title of the post at the top.  On the left, one can list photographs needed; on the right, one can ensure they include all the links needed.  A notes section is provided for any other information needed, and finally a space for when the post will be posted can be found at the bottom of the page.  I especially like the “going live” part because I think it would help me stick to a time frame if I write it down and continue to look while working towards completion.  This planning page aids bloggers in managing their blog posts.  As you can see, I already have started planning my next blog post; this will be a review of Which Beauty Box’s first curation.  I can’t wait to start ticking items off my to-do list!  This page is my favorite organizational tool from this blogger pack and I can see myself continuing to use it.

Next, I found a “What Am I Doing Today?” page.  Even though I am not so organized when it comes to blogging (yet), I am incredibly organized in my day-to-day life.   Therefore, I did not find this page particularly useful because I am obsessed with my daily Every Day Matters planner.  I believe that this planning page would be useful for someone who doesn’t routinely use a planner.  One can manage a to-do list, record their food/exercise, take notes, schedule blog posts, and keep themselves motivated with a “looking forward to” section.

Monthly planning pages

Next, I found 12 monthly overview pages; notice the different images in the top right corners.  I am a detail-oriented person and love small touches like that.  I filled mine out for August and it made me feel excited and organized, which are amazing feelings!  I find that when I write down everything I have going on, I am more motivated and better with time management.  I love the coral colors and layout.  I especially like how I can incorporate both my private, work, and blogging life into one planning tool.  I can see myself using these for the rest of the year.

I hope you enjoyed reading what I truly thought about The Blogger Crowd’s blogger pack. I thoroughly enjoyed receiving and reviewing this product, especially because it’s something I can use to increase my productivity.  I want to say thank you to TBC for giving me this opportunity and being patient with me.  I believe TBC will be releasing a finalized blogger pack, so be sure to follow them for updates.  Hint: they often post amazing opportunities on their Insta Stories so watch that space!!