trek america | hollywood to vegas, baby

11th of June 2016. 

6:30 in the morning and my alarm screams in my ear to wake me from my ridiculously light sleep. Apparently, anxiety and excitement aren't great tools for getting a decent nights sleep. Meeting 10 new people and starting a journey that would change my life, albeit terrifying, meant getting out of the comfiest bed in the world would be so worth it. I was the first to turn up in the lobby, promptly followed by Emily who would be the lucky lady to show us around the south of North America. We sat eagerly awaiting the rest of the group who would accompany us in the van for an entire month, 4 guys and 4 girls later, we were ready to sign all our paperwork and get on the road to Vegas. 

Firstly we started by introducing ourselves to each other. There was Laura from Weston, just down the road from me, which was so nice because she felt like home from home. Charlotte from just outside Birmingham, who was hilarious and would be the one to bring me out of my shell. Chris from London, who'd be the one to cause the drama. Lewis, also from London, who was the mediator and the one to speak all the sense. Eliza from Italy, the one that you never quite got to know. Regina from Germany, who was strong and outspoken. Silvan from Switzerland, who came across as shy but would soon emerge as sweet and funny and then there was Simon, the joker of the group.

This trip was going to be a fair amount of driving, so the journeys would be long and beautiful. LA to Vegas was a 4 hour trip, so we broke up the time by having a stop off at Hollywood Boulevard. Having been here the last two days I felt somewhat a pro, no longer was I a confused tourist but I knew exactly where the Starbucks was and the CVS to grab some suncream. After a brief stop in Hollywood, we were back in the van and heading to VEGAS! What better way to bond and start your trip than to start it in Las Vegas?

Not long into the trip, we make our first stop at the all American Walmart for snacks to keep us all occupied and fed until we pulled over for some food. I want to say that I was surprised that they sell guns in Walmart, but quite frankly I'd be lying. Never before have I come across somewhere you can buy pillows, graham crackers and guns in the same place. Loaded (pun intended) with treats, snacks and the biggest bottles of powerade you can imagine, it was time to head on to Nevada. I didn't realise how incredibly big America is and how much of it is just empty, it's endless desert, mountains and just absolute beauty. You hear so much of the built up states and cities, but not so much of the areas inbetween which are just as breathtaking. 

After an hour or two of endless driving, we stopped at The Mad Greek Cafe in Baker (and it was fucking baking... I think it was like 100 fahrenheit, it was smack bang in the middle of the desert to be fair), which to me was super exciting because I'd seen it on Diners, Drive ins and Dives... Obviously, most of us had gyros and milkshakes which were incredible. Full, and ready to party, we continued on our journey to Nevada. Once Vegas was in our sights, we stopped at a liquor store because the ones in actual Vegas are bloody expensive and few and far between. Our shopping trolley was ridiculous, baring in mind there was only 10 of us, the whole thing was full. Part of our trip included a hotel and party bus limo ride down the strip before a night out. 

7:30pm: Meet in Emily's room at The Golden Nugget, Freemont Street.

Beer pong. Something I will never, ever be good at. 50 inch pizza, something I absolutely will be good at. I have seen nothing like it before, the bloody pizza didn't even fit on the desk.
After mixing drinks, and creating poisons for our party bus, we headed downstairs to watch the light show on Freemont Street. We were lucky enough to actually be in one of the hotels/casinos on that strip, so we plodded past the swimming pool (it had a slide inside a shark tank... how very Vegas). Outside Chris got conned out of $10 by Darth Vader while we stood and watched.

After the light show we went to board our ride down the Vegas strip. To our surprise, we were welcomed by a pole in the back of the bus.. which we most definitely took advantage of. Vegas for me was a fantastic way to shift any divide in the group, we all got to know each other so well this evening. Our first stop on the strip was the infamous Welcome to Vegas sign. After a small queue of people and a wedding party (!!), we were accosted by a woman who wanted to take our photos for us for tips, obviously... this became a thing throughout.



After parting with a few dollars, it was time to make our way to watch the Bellagio water fountain display. I think when you see something in so many films, on tv and plastered over the internet, you go in with a preconception of what it'll be like... I was not disappointed. It was so beautiful, magical even. I didn't want it to end. Lewis and I were kept amused by the tourist groups with the pink fluffy cock on a stick. I know you need to keep the group together, so what better way than following a cock? Vegas is such a strange place. It's a world in the middle of a desert. It's tacky, yet beautiful. It was time to head back to Freemont Street to really get the night started. I'll be 110% honest, I don't remember all that much that happened after this bar casinos everywhere, a guy called Jonny and Chris getting kicked out of a bar.

12th June 2016.

Oh wow, hangover galore. I'm not sure I have ever felt this bad in my entire life. I'm not sure what I expected really, it was Vegas. Surprisingly, I was up at 9 in the morning and on the strip by 12. Today was a free day so we could venture around this crazy place as and when we wished to, there were no time constraints, no driving, just all the time in the world. You don't realise how big LV is until you're walking around not having a damn clue where you are. Fun fact, did you know there are no pedestrian crossings in Vegas? It's all bridges and escalators, so getting anywhere is a fucking nightmare. Despite it being one of my absolute dreams to ride New York, New York, my stomach had other ideas. Even the thought of a rollercoaster made me want to throw up a tiny bit. Strolling through the casinos and Hershey's chocolate world (yum!) we had definitely built up an appetite.

Hard Rock Cafe seemed like a good shout, it was air conditioned... and at 50 degrees celcius, exactly what we needed. You know it's too hot when you're walking into shops with no intention of buying a damn thing, but stealing their air con. After a while, we realised none of us had heard from Chris or Lewis all day. We had hoped that they were just off doing their own thing and would see them later. I'll tell you what though guys, you can do an awful lot of walking here so be prepared. Take enough water, and make sure you're creamed up. It's incredible how much effort has gone into the hotels and casinos here, they're fucking phenomenal. One is literally a little Venice, it's just insane.

Emily had arranged for us to meet at 7pm to go to a cute little hipster food court for dinner. At this point, we had found Lewis but there was still no sign of Chris. BBQ was where it's at. Pulled pork, mac and cheese and a bread roll side. Everything in America comes with a bread roll. Still no Chris. On our way back to the hotel, we came across a huge metal praying mantis, little did we know that it fucking shot out fire. It absolutely fucking terrified a child which had me and the guys in stitches. I have never seen such a look of terror in my life. It was time to go back to Laura and Charlottes room for a game of cards against humanity before an early night. Finally, after an entire night of panic for Emily, Chris showed his face and his bottle of Jim Beam. Turns out he had been asleep, all day. ALL DAY.

In short, Vegas was an incredible experience and I feel so lucky to have been able to be here with some fantastic people. I would definitely come back to visit and maybe try my hand at a slot machine, but it's just not for me. It's completely overwhelming, so fucking hot and absolutely mental. Vegas is it's own world. At least no one got married...

Next time... a trip to Zion National Park and our first night camping. 

2016 Trek Adventure | "Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore”

I lost myself last year, for so long I felt as though there was something missing in my life, something missing in me... but I've found it. I've never been as happy as I am this very moment. I feel unstoppable; yes, I still have bad days, doesn't everyone? Depression is a little shitbag that is always there, but doesn't always say hello. There was a time last year where I never thought that there was way out of the dark hole I had buried myself into... how wrong I was! 

Why am I so happy? Well thank you for asking. I came across a post on twitter about a tour company called Trek America about a month ago, curiously clicking on the link I was taken to a beautiful website full of incredible journeys across America and Canada. If you've known me for a while, you'll know how much I've always wanted to go to New York, the city that never sleeps, the big apple... the home of Broadway. As a musical theatre buff, New York has appealed to me in ways no other place has done before. My childhood dream was to be a lead role in a Broadway show so even just to be in one the most prestigious theatre districts in the WORLD is making little baby Charley ridiculously giddy. I've been looking into trips to New York for years, but I've never been able to afford it... until now.

If you've read my blog before, you'll know I bought a house with my ex (thank GOD) boyfriend and as much as it sucks that all that shit happened, not only has it made me realise how much more I am worth, it's a bloody good way of saving! Managing to receive a decent sum of money from the money I put into the deposit & signing the house over to him, I stuck it in my savings account like a good responsible adult for my future. My main aim was to find somewhere to live with a couple of friends from work (HEY GIRLS) and we did, there was a gorgeous house which was absolutely perfect for us, but just slightly out of our price range. It had gotten to a point where we were so fed up with houses being too much, no sharers, no this, no that, no fucking anything that we gave up. I was gutted. It was like life just didn't want to give me a break and everything that was going well would fuck up somehow, but this was a blessing in disguise.                                                             An              absolute            blessing.
 

 That was the night I came across Trek America completely by accident and it became the night I found the spark I had been missing for so long. Hours had passed, my eyes hurt from scrolling endlessly through their website, every single trip looked incredible. As much as it pained me, I had to be realistic about spending the money I had put aside for a deposit on a house down here and reluctantly closed the web page. There was one trek in particular that caught my eye, the Trailblazer. 63 days camping through America and Canada. It was all I could think about for days, constantly reading about it, looking at where it was going, the prices, the flights, the dates... I couldn't do it, could I? I decided to bring in the big guns, Mumma P; if anyone had the answers, she did. "Go for it, you're young. You would be stupid to pass on an opportunity this big when you have the money just sitting there" she said. I didn't need any convincing, I booked it that night. June 2016 until August 2016. I'm allowed to get excited now though, right? I bloody hate flying, but a flight lasting 11 hours when you're alone seems like a small price to pay when you get to meet new friends and experience something incredible together.

As a person who suffers with anxiety, flying alone & meeting new people are absolutely terrifying to me but they say "life begins at the end of your comfort zone" and recently I've started to believe that. I am so proud of myself for making this decision and finally taking back control of my life. For a long time I've felt as though I haven't been living, just existing and this has given me the kick up the backside I bloody well needed.

The photos in this blog post are just a few of the places I'll be visiting during my 10 weeks away. TrekAmerica's trip itself is only 9 weeks but I've booked an extra week in LA by taking advantage of my work hotel discount (thank u Hilton). Below is a map of the route I am taking, 63 days from LA to LA & the goodies that Trek throws in. If you have any questions about the booking process, or price, get in contact with me and I'll be more than happy to help! Also, I'm considering publicly blogging/vlogging some of the experience, so if you're interested in seeing what we get up to, I will happily publish it. 

 If you have seen these before and were in two minds about it, do it, just do it - I am channeling my inner Shia LaBeouf. Whether you want to do the week trek or the 80 day trek, you will have the most incredible experience that you will never ever ever ever ever ever forget, so go on, you have so much to gain... what do you have to lose?!

If anyone has any tips on dealing with long haul flights or being alone in a big city, please get in contact as I could do with some help.... 

Throwback Thursday | "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."

I know you've been thinking 'Where the hell is Charley?', but I've been a busy little bee recently. Between getting paint on myself more than the walls, knocking down parts of the house and working in the pub, I've not really found the time to write anything which has lead me to being completely lost in the blogging world. I've been through so much in the last few months, so I should have lots to write about but stringing a coherent sentence together has felt like the most impossible of tasks. 

Finally, a little inspiration has been thrown my way. A series of 'Throwbacks'. While searching for my NI number, Danny and I came across photos of him and his brother when they were children. I don't know about you, but nothing makes me happier than to reminisce looking through photos. Most of the time I wonder what the hell my parents were thinking putting me in those clothes, but thats the 90's for you, I suppose; a wonderful array of tie-dye, braids, too much denim and dungarees.

This week, I'm going to show you a few photos from my youngest years.

Baby Charley | Young Charley & Nanny P | Older Baby Charley

Back in the day, when technology wasn't as advanced as it is now, everything was recorded via camcorder, a fancy mashup of a camera and a recorder, something that I doubt people born any time after 2000 will know of. I remember being sat in the living room at Christmas, rummaging through the mounds of presents under the tree to find the ones that belonged to me. My dad would grab his huge camera and film us opening our presents. My parents have a video somewhere of me opening a gift, getting cellotape stuck to my finger and I couldn't get it off at all. They joked that they would send it in to You've Been Framed, though the £250 would be lovely.

Little Beth, Little Charley, Baby Dan | Cool Charley

The first picture is of my friend from school, me and my brother. The garden in our old house backed onto a lane where all the garages were, but to us it was a playground. Many a time have there been waterfights, arguements and blood. Dan managed to cut his head open after falling off his bike,  I took him up to see mum in the house and she placed her hand on his head to rub it better and sent him on his way, little did she know that her hand was covered in blood. Needless to say, she screamed at us both and took him straight to hospital.

I have so many incredible memories of my childhood, being able to just look at an old photo and be transported back to that memory is amazing. Especially now, as I've moved away from home and get homesick from time to time, looking through these images has made me feel at peace. It's so easy to get caught up in your life now, that you never look back at what you've done, what you've been through. I highly recommend searching for some old photos if you have the time. You never know what memory you'll come across, but be warned, you might not ever forgive your parents for their style choices.

Note To Charley: Don't ever forget where you've come from. Remind yourself of what you've been through and be thankful that you are where you are today.

Summer Essentials | "The tans will fade but the memories last forever."

Summer is looming, and the sun looks as though it's trying to peek its lovely head through the clouds (finally!), so it's time to top up on our must have products for this time of year. If you're like me, and the sun is really not your friend then I can relate when you say that Summertime is not your favourite season. Countless freckles inhabiting your entire body, having to spend a million pounds on Factor 50 every single week and even then only getting a tan that is really just sunburn in disguise. 

Garnier Summer Body 400ml £7.50

I purchased this product from Morrisons at £3.99, while it was on offer, mainly because I'm so pale and wanted to see if this sort of thing actually worked. I'm secretly hoping this might turn me into some sort of Greek Goddess... a girl can dream right? I decided to try it out today and my god, the smell is incredible. It's a mixture between apricot and coconut, it just smells like a dream, a wonderful dream where I've been transported to a beach with the sun beating down on my body, an ice cream in hand. 

Honestly, I've never had a moisturiser work so well. It is fast absorbing, which is great for people who can't afford to wait ages for it to soak in and it leaves you feeling gorgeously smooth, soft and sexy.





Marc Jacobs Daisy 'Eau So Fresh' 125ml £68

If I had to go for the rest of my life with only one perfume, it would be this one without a doubt. I loved it so much the first time I bought it that my boyfriend bought me another bottle for Easter this year. Oh my God, it just makes me smell like a beautiful Summer day. Marc Jacobs has an amazing range of perfumes that all have a beautiful scent and are completely different to anything you've had before. To top it all off, they come in the cutest little bottles (as you can see...), which can make really lovely decorative pieces when you've used up all your perfume.
It may be a little bit pricey, but it's 100% worth the money. If you can't afford it yourself, put it on a christmas/birthday wishlist. You won't regret it.

Barry M nail polish £2.99 - £3.99

Any of you that read my blog know that I absolutely swear by Barry M for nail polish (and usually lipstick if I'm looking for a lovely colour). They bring out new ranges or shades every couple of months which is fan-bloody-tastic if you're like me and can't wait to get your hands on a new colour to paint your nails (and fingers...)

The polishes you see to your left are my must haves for Summer this year; Lemon Ice Cream,

 Prickly Pear & Greenberry (Gelly Hi Shine), Meadow & Mist (Silk). 

I'm currently sporting Lemon Ice Cream, which needs a fair few coats before it is opaque but when it's dried it leaves you with a nice glossy finish as you can see here. Who doesn't want their nails to resemble ice cream?

Mac Lipstick in Russian Red £15
L'Oréal Paris Superliner £6.99
Kate Moss Rimmel in 31 £5.49 

I'm a huge lipstick fan. Matte is my favourite as I find that the finish is much better and lasts longer than others I've tried. These are both red statement lipsticks which I find (along with corals) are the best for Summer. Especially for us pale girls, corals (as pretty as they are) can often not suit our pigmentation and make us look drowned out. What is better than a beautiful, bold statement red? Nothing. That's right. Superliner is my absolute favourite eyeliner. I completely swear by it. A nice thin 'cat eye' is perfect for this time of year and this one is so easy to apply.
All we need now is a high waisted bikini and we have 2014's new pin up girl... oops.



So there you have it, my 'Summer Essentials' for this year.
I've recently tried out the Garnier Summer Body moisturiser with a hint of tan and it has actually worked. Overnight my legs (and hands...) have become a slightly glowing tan colour which is incredible considering they were porcelain. I really didn't expect it to work as well as it has. 10/10 would recommend to anyone looking for a little bit of colour.

Do you have any products you would recommend?

Adventure | "We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon"

Hello again, it's been a little while. Life has been pretty (very) hectic for me these past few weeks. So far I've flown the nest, moved from Bristol to Lincoln, put an offer on a house, offer was accepted for said house and we have been buying/deciding things to renovate it. Crazy, huh? I'm used to coming up to Lincoln for a week or so at a time to visit my boyfriends family but now, he's just left to go back to work and I'm sat here all alone in a 4 bed house. It's only now it has occurred to me that this is real life. I have actually moved out.

I'm a grown up now. A grown up...

On the Friday before I left to start my journey to what feels like the other side of the world, my family took me for a leaving meal. It was such an amazing evening and I got to spend it with my favourite people. To top it all off, the gorgeous Alice (Alice's Antics), came down to say ciao while she was back from Italy. Gorging ourselves on steak, burgers, nachos and far too much alcohol, we spoke about the future and laughed about the past. The couple beside us thought it was so funny that my boyfriend had the challenge burger, I don't think I've ever seen a group of people be so engrossed with someone eating. I guess a 24oz burger is pretty funny... but not as funny as my Grandma asking me to take 'the selfie' with her. Evidence below. Although it was such a positive event, I couldn't help but feel a little bit sad that I wouldn't get to experience this again for a long time. We all left feeling a little bit merry, but for a good cause. It really was the best going away present I could ask for.

After waking up with a fuzzy head and taking Alice back to the train station, we finished the last of our packing and headed on our long journey up to Lincoln city. 3 hours on the motorway, a stop at the services and treating ourselves to a McDonalds we arrived at my new home. We didn't waste any time looking for a place to live and by the Wednesday, an offer was accepted on the house that we had fallen in love with. Unfortunately for us, that house is an empty shell. It does, however, mean we can create our dream home from the blank canvas previous owner had left us. The minute our offer accepted was so special. Danny picked me up and spun me around the room, we both fell on the floor laughing and I may have even shed a tear. Everything seemed to fall into place in that moment.

Having my future balance on someone saying 'yes' was the most exciting yet nerve-wracking experience I've ever been through. You could cut the tension with a knife every time the phone rang. Buying a house after just hours of viewing it is impulsive, but when you absolutely love something you have to go for it. Houses don't stick around on the market for very long anymore and we would have been gutted if we'd left it that little bit too long. I can't even tell you how many times we've driven round to see 'our house', it seems to be our favourite past time at the moment. To make things even more exciting, the last time we spontaneously took a trip to admire our new baby, there was a sold sign waiting for us. I think that was the best feeling in the world. That little place was going to be our home. Somewhere we could bring up our children, create memories with family, host dinner parties and fall even more in love.

Currently, Danny is back at work for the week and I'm sat here browsing home stores for lovely things to furnish our house with. If anyone fancies giving me any websites to check out, they will be greatly appreciated. You can leave suggestions in the comments or on twitter.

It's so odd to see my life changing so dramatically all at once. I've been here a week... already it's all systems go and it doesn't seem like it'll be slowing down any time soon. I think one thing I'm going to take from all this is to cherish every moment spent with my family. At home I saw them nearly every day and took it for granted. We didn't spend half as much quality time together as we should have. It gives me comfort that although I may be a few hundred miles away from them, if we look outside we still see the same sky. Homesickness hasn't kicked in quite yet, but I'm sure it'll come at me full force soon enough. 

Moving Out | "Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands."

So this is it, this is the year that I'm moving out. Expect another post on this when I've moved and I'm settled in... It's exciting, but God damn, it's terrifying. I've never lived away from home for more than 2 weeks before and this time it's for good. I currently live in Bristol, a big city with everything I could possible want or need on my doorstep. I've spent 21 years in the same place, people coming and going out of my life and it's finally time for me to move on. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to miss this part of the country so much. It's all I've ever known. Starting completely from scratch in an area I don't really know, but I'm just excited for this adventure to begin.

Bristol. My home.

With my boyfriend being in the Royal Air Force, I will be packing my life away and moving half way up the country. It's a crazy thought being so far away from my family, my friends and my job, but it's something I need to do. People keep asking me if it's a good idea to leave everything behind, but if I don't do it now while I'm young, when will I do it? We get comfortable in one place and never go and experience other things. For a long time, I've been starved of inspiration and motivation to do the things I usually love and I'm really hoping this change will ignite my fire again. 

Luckily for me, we will be moving up to Lincolnshire which is where Danny grew up and his family still live, so I'm not completely unfamiliar with that territory and it won't feel completely alien to me. Lincolnshire is such a beautiful area and it's SO flat. Hills are pretty much my arch enemy, so this is a great factor for me. If you ever get to go to Lincoln in your life, there is a Cathedral (see below) which is so stunning you would be a fool not to visit it. The only problem is that it's basically at the top of the biggest hill I've ever seen, accurately named 'Steep Hill'. 

Lincoln Cathedral, Lincolnshire.

Friends come and go, but family are for life. This is something I need to remember as I'm so nervous about drifting away from my family. Even though I might not see them everyday, or speak to them when I want to, I know that they will always be there. It's always going to be hard to just pack up and leave when you're so familiar with this routine but there has to be a time where you think about what is best for yourself. As much as I'm nervous about this new chapter of my life, I am so ready for it, and when I say ready, I mean that half my life is already packed away in boxes. I even have a whole box just for candles alone (I really love candles...). I will definitely miss Bristol and everything I've come to know here, but it's time for me to move on.

The view from my room/Lots of boxes already...


I'm hoping that in this change, I can find myself. 
I'm ready for you, adventure. Come at me.

Have any of you moved out? How did you find that experience? If you have any tips, leave them in the comments!

2014 Resolutions | "There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self."

It's almost the end of January, so I'm aware this is a bit late, but better late than never right?
Every year I tell myself I'm going to make a new years resolution and stick to it. Every year I'll get to the third week of January and those resolutions are a thing of the past. I love having the start of a new year as motivation to better myself and this year I am more determined than ever to achieve my goals.

Firstly, Lose weight.

This is my main goal for this year. I don't care if it takes me 12 months, or 3 months. I want to feel more comfortable in myself and with my body. I want to be able to wear gorgeous clothes and not feel like a complete monster in them. I would be more than happy with a size 10.
I'm making changes to my lifestyle, and although they might not be completely concrete at the moment, I'm really happy with the progress I'm making. Losing a few pounds in these last few weeks has already made a difference in how I feel, which is great! I can't wait to be able to be proud to stand in a full length picture, rather than feel like I have to hide behind other people.
If you have any tips, feel free to share them.

Be more positive. 

Anyone that knows me knows I'm not exactly the most positive of people and I'm really trying to change that. I'm trying my hardest to see the sunshine in rainy situations. It's amazing how just ignoring the negative feelings can make me feel so free from this cage I've kept myself in for so long.
I've stopped regretting things that I've done or being upset about situations out of my control, started believing that it all happens for a reason and getting on with it. The past is the past and we can't change what has happened, only grow from it.
2014 is going to hold so many amazing experiences for me, and I'm really excited to see where it takes me.

Save as much money as humanly possible.

This year I'm finally flying the nest and moving in with my boyfriend (hurrah!). It feels like such a long time coming and there are no words to explain how excited I am. It's a completely new experience for me and I have no idea what what to expect but the mystery just makes it all so much more exciting. We've already been looking at houses online and I've gotten a bit ahead of myself saving lots of furniture and accessories to my favourites. Oops. Luckily where we are looking at buying, house prices aren't horrendous, because money saving isn't the easiest when your job doesn't pay that much per week/month.

Do something for charity.

I don't do enough for charity at all. Apart from posting about wanting people to become organ donors (you really should join, if you haven't already). I really haven't done anything and I feel awful about it. My pub throw out so much food daily, and it really bothers me that it can't go to the homeless so I'd love to do something for those less fortunate than I am. It doesn't matter how big or small what I do is, I just want to help. In my bid to get fit and healthy, I would aim to eventually do a charity run and get sponsored to it. It won't be this year, but never the less, I should (really should) probably start training soon...

So, these are my resolutions. Do you have any? How are you getting on with them?