Internet Friend

Second post of the day? Crazy right!?

I realised that I missed some more exciting news... I met my internet friend last week!

Amy and I met through twitter about a year ago. We bonded over our love of Walk Off The Earth (a band) and found that we had other similar interests. With us both being the same age, it is nice to have her to talk to as we go through things in school and at home such as exams and holidays. 

After talking and skyping for ages, we decided to meet. (I can hear voices telling me now that I should be careful. I agree, meeting people on the internet can be dangerous but I think it's fair to say that we were both very careful and we both had support from our parents). 

Amy made a seven hour journey to a town close to where I live and we decided on a time and a place to meet. 

I was so excited but also very nervous. But there was no need for my nervousness as Amy was so friendly (just as I had hoped...well...known) and smiley. 

We started our time together by getting on a little train (which we were obviously too old to be on!) and took photos...

After that, we went for a walk around the shops and ended up getting a McDonalds together! And finally, we went back to the park and sat and talked for ages which was lovely. 

I couldn't believe how well we got on together! It was so nice to finally meet Amy, and I think it's a friendship that will last a long time. I feel like I've known her for years already!

Arizona

***Please be safe online. If you have any suspicions that someone will present a danger to you, block them and report them! I don't recommend meeting someone from the internet unless you are 100% sure that the person you are talking to is who you think they are.***

Reaching For Dreams: Australia

Hiya everybody!

I'm so excited to announce that I'm going to Australia for just under a month.

It has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember. 

I used to spend my mornings watching Steve Irwin at Australia Zoo and wishing that I could experience Australia's culture. And I'm so fortunate that this is now a reality. 

Although it hasn't been easy or cheap to get tickets! 

To make this dream a reality, my family created a "five pence bottle" - our first motivation to save up. Together we contributed to our trip spending money over the period of about five years by saving all of our five pence pieces and putting them into a large antique glass bottle. No one was allowed to touch the money once it went in or even count it so we were surprised to find that we saved up more than £65!! Good work family!

We also saved up our money individually; my parents started to save birthday money and earnings, my sister also saved birthday money and Christmas money, and I saved my money from baby sitting and stopped blowing all my money on new instruments and junk!

My very generous extended family also offered us money and support to help us get over there after they heard about the trip. 

Of course, a trip of this length also takes quite a lot of arranging and preparation- both mentally and physically. This was organised by my parents... Thank you!

At this point in time, I know virtually nothing about where in Australia we are going - It's all a big surprise - so I can't share any of that excitement yet but I'm sure I will share pictures and blog posts on it very soon!

Finally, apart from sharing the excitement, I want to share this message:

Dreams can be made into a reality if you work hard and be patient - it could take years or it might happen sooner. Take every opportunity to push forward towards your goals. Remember that there's a version of you in the past that looks up to you and a version of you in the future that is looking back down and cheering you on, so proud of what you've achieved! 

Arizona