A Little Life Update

It's been all systems go behind the scenes over here at Life Unexpected, so here is a little life update to keep everything ticking along nicely!

In early December Luke and I set the date for our wedding! I was meant to do a whole post about how we got engaged a year ago on Christmas Eve, but unfortunately it is 13 months later and I never actually did *slaps hand* - I will get there!

We knew the exact venue that we wanted almost straight after we got engaged, in fact it was the only place we actually went to look around. We just knew it was where we wanted to have the day straight away. It's local to where we live which is perfect for friends and family within the local area, but it's also just far enough away to really make use of the beautiful rolling hillside of Bredon.

Bredon Hill is one of our favourite family walks, one we have walked many many times, and the venue of Deer Park Hall falls just below the hills peak in beautiful rolling hillside with a park full of deer!

We have a lot to sort out this year what with Luke's flat and the whole issue with the lease... We currently have 2 solicitors on the go trying to help us work this worm hole. One of the solicitors is pursuing a potential negligence claim with the solicitors Luke used to purchase the flat back in 2016. They never once advised against the lease or advised that the ground rent was onerous (which they would have been aware of and should have advised on!).

The second solicitor specialises in leases and lease extensions, and is helping us pursue an extension to reduce the ground rent to a peppercorn rent (as you can see it's been all systems go around here.... And this really is just the tip of the ice berg!).

We should have an update on the whole sorry scenario by the end of this month and know how to progress. 

Christmas has been and gone, and although it feels like a lifetime ago we all had a really lovely time. On the run up to the big day we spent lots of time together as a family and had a trip to the pantomime over at Malvern Theatre to watch Aladdin.

We popped over to Webbs of Wychbold for a spot of ice skating and even caught a showing of the Muppets Christmas Carol at our local cinema.

Unfortunately Luke had to work this year, but Father Christmas delivered in time for Leo to open his gifts while Luke was still at home.

We spent the day at my parents eating far too much food and playing with all of the wonderful new additions that had appeared under the Christmas Tree.

New Year was a quiet affair and was quite simply one for the 3 of us, we saw the New Year in together and then made our merry way to bed.

Right now we are in the final stages of planning a rather epic family trip for the February half term, on the 16th all 3 of us are flying out to New York for 3 days. We will be staying near Central Park at The Wellington Hotel, and we are all very excited for some amazing adventures.

We figured after all of the disappointment last year, what with the not buying a house thing, the miscarriage and just trying to keep looking on the bright side, we all deserved something to look forward to.

As it happens this trip actually ties together beautifully, we should have been having a baby this month, but instead we are going to head state side and make some amazing family memories and remember the little life that we never got to meet.

We have purchased the New York City Pass so that we can fill our boots with all of the attractions on offer, so everything that I couldn't do last time will be seen and experienced this time with both of my boys!

If that wasn't enough... When we get back from New York we will be staying a few days in London where we will be showing Leo everything that he has not yet experienced in our wonderful Capital City.

That isn't the end of our family trip though... For one final shabang we are jetting back off again, but this time to Venice! None of us have ever been to Venice or even Italy for that matter, so we are really excited to see what it is like.

Lux will be heading off to the kennels for 11 days, we have our ESTA's in place, up to date passports and all we need to do now is sort our insurance!

Aside from all of the travelling, I have just this past week had Leo's draft EHCP through. I have gone over the plan with Leo's school's SEN and together we have made some slight changes before we accept the plan.

It's simply a case of waiting now to see what comes back and hopefully just accepting the EHCP plan so that it is ready to go.

So for now we are just looking ahead and putting one foot in front of the other. There is light at the end of the tunnel and this trip and the wedding planning are going to keep that smile firmly on our faces.

An Expecting Bride To Be? Here’s How To Throw Her a Hen Party

Life is really unexpected and it’s possible that you’re the maid of honour of a bride-to-be who’s expecting a little life soon. While it’s a beautiful experience to be pregnant, it can be a real challenge for you to throw a pregnant bride-to-be a spectacular hen night. Though the alcohol, the dancing and the drinking games are not an option for the pregnant bride-to-be, that doesn’t mean you can’t throw her an amazing hen do. 

Bump or no bump, a bride-to-be deserves to celebrate her last night of freedom with her girls and here’s how you can throw her and her bump a memorable hen do. 

1. Movie and Sleepover Night

You can plan a hen night right at home instead of going out. Get some favourite films of the bride-to-be, set up a projector screen, get some popcorns, non-alcoholic drinks, set up a candy bar and couch up to watch movies all night. You can also play some non-drinking games with the bride-to-be like truth or dare, have a photoshoot and then end the night with a sleepover in pink pyjamas and gossips. 

This would be a completely safe, comfortable and fun hen night for a pregnant bride-to-be. 

2. Combining the Baby Shower and a Hen Night

If the bride is in her third trimester or if her baby shower is due very soon, then you can also combine her baby shower and hen night. The first part of the event can be a baby shower where all friends and family members of the expecting mother shower her with gifts for her baby and the second part could be exclusive for the bride-to-be and her friends. Here, the hen gang can shower her with gifts that she can use after she gives birth to her baby and you can also play games or have a cupcake or fragrance making class. You can plan activities for the hen night which the pregnant bride-to-be can participate in. 

3. Salon and Spa Day

What’s perfect for a tired, uncomfortable and stressed out pregnant bride-to-be than a day at the salon and spa? Getting her hair done, having a little mani-pedi party, getting a massage with her best friends, it’s the recipe for the perfect, relaxing hen night. 

You might have to check with the spa whether they are equipped to serve a pregnant lady or not. There are many spas that are not suitable for a pregnant women, so you might have to do a bit of homework to see which one is best suited for your bump-y bride-to-be. 

4. Afternoon Tea, Shopping and Dinner

If you can’t do a hen do in London, bring London to the bride and surprise her with a fancy afternoon tea complete with cupcakes, biscotti and lots of fruits for the little one she’s carrying. Take the afternoon forward with a shopping spree where each of her friends can swipe their credit cards for whatever the bride-to-be demands. End the night with a dinner at her favourite restaurant and you have yourselves the perfect package for a hen night for an expecting mother and a bride-to-be. It’s comfortable, fun and memorable. 

5. Karaoke Night

If the hen likes to sing, then go out for a night of karaoke and have fun. However, if too much noise and crowd is not what the pregnant bride would like, then host your own karaoke at home and sing at the top of your lungs. You can complete this with delicious food to go with the party, some pink and cute decorations to give it the perfect and complete look of a hen night. 

Conclusion

A bump on the belly shouldn’t stop you from organising a cute, memorable and fun hen do for the bride-to-be. Afterall, it’s her last night as a Ms. before she becomes a Mrs. So just subtract the perspiring dancing, alcohol and the noise from the recipe of a hen do and you can still make it fun, jolly and unforgettable. The key ingredients of a hen do are friends, fun and food. So if you’ve got the three Fs sorted, then you are not far behind from hosting the most beautiful hen do ever!

It's been a while...

As we come to the end of 2016 which has been as equally long, as it has been a whirlwind. I have to say that I have learned so much about myself in the last 12 months, and grown in ways that I could never quite have imagined. 

I feel like it has been a very long time since I have been able to sit down and write a post about what has really been going on in my life, and to be honest if I had then you would probably be thinking you had tuned into an episode of Eastenders, and some of the things that have happened have been so hard to put into words, or I have put them down on paper and they have spent the last however many months just sat in my draft box, and even I am scared to open them and read what they say. 

I guess what I am trying to say is, I have been so busy trying to keep my head above water that I have somewhat neglected my little space on the web. Things have been incredibly tight since I moved out, so I really have had to throw myself neck deep into my work and hope that I have the money to pay everyone who rattles their purse strings at me on a monthly basis, and despite cutting it fine, I am proud to say that one way or another I sort it out, even if it is by the very skin of my teeth. Of course that means compromise, and in turn I have to compromise on the long list of things that I really want to write (and for that I apologise!).

This year has admittedly been a hard one, if it hasn't been finanacial then you can bet your bottom dollar that it has been emotional and I have seen some pretty low points, and even a version of myself that I wouldn't even recognise as me. 

I finally pulled my finger out and knew exactly what I wanted from my life, and who I want in my life, and you could even go as far to say who I need in my life. I have never been one of those girls who has dreamed of getting married, I haven't spent my childhood dreaming about prince charming or the perfect fairy-tale dress, it's just never really been something that I thought about, and I guess in honesty the idea scared the living daylights out of me. I guess that is one of the things that changed within me though, because it no longer scares me and I can say with certainty that one day I would love to get married.

I see people around me planning their big day's, heading off on their Stag and Hen experiences, throwing thousands of pounds into a one day that will be over in a mere few hours... I cannot justify that to myself in anyway at all. It's funny because people often consider me to be a materialistic person, but the fact of the matter is that couldn't be further from the truth.

This year has taught me the value of everything and everyone in my life, and I don't need to put on a massive show to the world about my relationship, because if I get married in the future, it will be because I want to spend the rest of my life with that man. Not because I need to spend over the odds on a dress that I will wear once, or because I want to have a massive party with the finest champagne, but because I want to share his name and complete my family. I would be quite happy to elope and do it away from everyone, and then have a celebration upon our return. There is something quite romantic in the idea of running away and tying the knot, and for someone who finds it hard to be the centre of attention without turning a funny shade of beetroot, this idea may seem even more appealing.

All I would really want is a beautiful open space (Have you ever watched the Friends episode where Ross marries Emily? That would be my perfect location, or somewhere like that anyway!), a princess dress (because every bride needs one of those!), a photographer (doesn't need to be anything fancy, just someone who knows there way around a camera, and can capture the milestones throughout the day) and someone to video the day, because how nice would that be to look back on with your children and grandchildren in the years to come?

I don't need hundreds of people and I don't need the biggest party of the year, because I don't have anything to prove, and for me it's about unifying my family, and not putting on a big show.

I have given all of this so much thought over the past 12 months and my feelings on the issue have not changed, and I think that is all down to what I have been through this year (That is a whole other post!), but I can basically summarise it into this...

You know that feeling of 'ok', that feeling where everything has it's place like a pair of worn in shoes, they just fit, it's so easy to take that for-granted and long for a pair of brand new shoes, I know because I did take that feeling for granted. But when the ground beneath you is ripped away and that falling feeling consumes your entire being, you realise just how secure and stable that feeling of 'ok' really is, and boy how you long to feel ok, how you wish that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach would be replaced by that calmness just so you can go to sleep at night. That simple feeling holds you in place and keeps your feet firmly on the ground, or anchor beneath the waves, it's something that everyone needs in their life.

2016 taught me to appreciate everything and everyone, and I now truly appreciate that feeling and serenity that comes from being ok.