Books I Got For My 25th Birthday!

Photo credit: Just me, Jaydee.

I've sworn to myself a thousand times I will start reading properly again, or when starting to read a book, getting so drawn in with it you stop for a 'break' then never return to it, G U I L T Y. I'm that person... oops.

So for my 25th, all that I wanted was to get a collection of books and begin to get lost in them. 

My family and partner pulled through and made me so happy helping me get my hands on JoJo Moyes' 'Me before you' collection. Since I was young, I've always loved reading - if you ever read the Jacqueline Wilson books, you'll agree to them being addictive and very adventurous. (If you know, you know). 

This collection was a starting point for me to fall in love with reading again as it is very gripping, full of emotion and extremely romancified which is what I crave in a good book, which may not be everyone's cup of tea but I love a good romantic story.

If you've seen the film 'Me Before You', you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, then take my word for it when I say, JoJo will make you bawl your eyes out! 

For me, I love that within a book. It's important for me to feel the emotion of the characters and to follow the storyline with ease until it gets to 3am and you've been so lost in the book you've skipped half your bedtime. That's when I know I'm reading something suited to my expectations and it gives that type of "wow" buzz throughout. 

Now I've finished waffling on, thought I'd share the first three synopses' from the following; 

Me Before You: Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend, Patrick. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane. (I won't give too much away!)

Me After you: Lou Clark has lots of questions. Like how it is she's ended up working in an airport bar, watching other people jet off to new places. Or why the flat she's owned for a year still doesn't feel like home. Whether her family can ever forgive her for what she did eighteen months ago. And will she ever get over the love of her life... (Again, so gripping, won't share too much!)

Still Me: Lou Clark knows too many things... She knows how many miles lie between her new home in New York and her new boyfriend Sam in London. She knows her employer is a good man and she knows his wife is keeping a secret from him. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to meet someone who's going to turn her whole life upside down. (I already have so many questions!!!)

I would have kept going with the last two, but I think it's worth the suspense of waiting. If you're like me on that front you'll know how thrilling it is to stay on edge, or if I'm on my own here then... I'm not every sorry!

Still yet to start them and get lost within them, but thought I'd share some inspiration if you're looking for a new book to start. I'm hoping to do a full review soon so watch out for that. 

Thanks for reading!

Find me here: 

Instagram: @jaydeekelly 

Twitter: @crashl0nelystar

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored.

25 Things I've learnt before 25!

On Monday (June 3rd) I had the best day of turning 25. That's quarter of a century old, I can't quite believe it. Makes me wonder how fast life is going but I've learnt so much over my 25 years on this planet so I'm joining the bandwagon and sharing what I've been lucky enough to learn. 

1. Love Yourself. Comparing yourself to other people isn't worth it. Learn to love your flaws and know they don't make you a shitty person. Embrace your body; your love handles, your belly, your pancake botty or even your uneven boobies. Nobody really cares at the end of the day so love what makes you, you.

2. Work isn't and shouldn't be your first priority. I've learnt when to take time off and say no to work. Don't to make it all about work. You miss out on so much working 24/7 for people who don't even care about you. If no one is willing to put you as a priority within your job, don't do it either.

3. Mums are ALWAYS right. If my mum is reading this she will be like "hell yeah I am" lol, no matter what, always listen to your mum whether its about friendships, relationships or life in general. She's never wrong.

4. Friendships come and go. Probably learnt more over the last year and the true meaning behind the word 'friend'. I've accepted that it's better to have a few true friends that support and love you than having fake ones who don't give a crap about you.

5. It's okay to ask for help. No matter how little, don't be ashamed to ask for help. Whether it's to put a washing line up or it's because you need someone to talk to. At some point in life, we've all been in that same boat.

6. Not everyone will like you & that's absolutely fine. I'm often surrounded by people who don't like me every single day, who act fake as the next to my face and if we're being honest... I really don't care who likes me or not anymore as it's not my problem :) 

7. Know your worth. Don't stand for anything less to what you want/don't want. I'm still learning and implementing this into my life and I'm happy to finally be practising what I preach. 

8. Prioritise your health. Never take it for granted, look after yourself. You only have one life.

9. There is no timeline for your life. If you're not where you want to be right now, that's fine! You will get to where you need to be in your own time. Forget what everyone else is doing and focus on yourself.

10. It's okay to walk away from toxic people/ situations. Whether it's a boy or girl you love, friends who you think you can't live without or a job that sucks the life out of you. IF IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU HAPPY, WALK AWAY. 

11. Live in the moment. See life away from the screens, it's better that way and doesn't hurt your neck as much.

12. You can't please everyone. Don't waste your time trying to please others, it's an endless game of Tom and Jerry but less cute.

13. Social Media is a highlight reel, not real life. Don't get caught up in it, not everything is as it seems nor is everything 'behind the scenes' revealed. 

14. Binge watching Greys Anatomy is a must. It will honestly change you and show emotions you didn't even know you had. Not even kidding.

15. Therapy isn't a bad thing. Speaking about how you feel to a complete stranger shouldn't be frowned upon. If anything it will help you become a better version of yourself and you see yourself/your struggles through a stranger's eyes. 

16. Not everyone wants you to fail. Can't stress this enough. There are many supportive people in the world who want you to win in life. There's more wanting you to achieve your goals than fail them, so aim high and you will get there.

17. Always listen to your gut feeling. It's never wrong. If you feel uneasy about something, someplace or someone, don't ignore it. It's probably protecting you more than you think. 

18. Everybody you meet knows something you don't. The best people to be around are those who you can chat to for hours and who have some epic stories to tell. 

19. Finding who you are isn't a bad thing. Whether you break from a relationship/friendship or decide to have a spa weekend for one, finding yourself isn't a bad thing. Learn about yourself as it's so exciting and insightful. 

20. Appreciate the little things. Appreciate the roof over your head, how lucky you are to still be breathing, how you can still tell someone you love them because life is too short. We never know when our last day will be.

21. Be the person you want to attract. I've always thought I attracted arseholes because at one point in my life I was one. What you put into the universe, you get back. Why not reinforce it into the people you want around you? :) 

22. The best memories don't have to involve alcohol. Since leaving university, I've realised how crap drinking made me feel for days after, how I couldn't really remember things and how it triggered my anxiety, recently this happened and it just made me wake up. You can still enjoy life sober and to be honest, from personal experience, you create the best memories <3 

23. You'll get broody for either a dog/cat or a baby at some point in your early 20s. Fact. 

24. Not everything you lose is a loss. Everything happens for a reason, right? 

25. Smiling makes the world a happy place. Smiling at strangers is the best feeling, you can see how much it makes their day. Especially with the elder folk, it's probably the only interaction they get once a day, so smile at people :) 

So there you have it! What have you learnt in life so far?

Thanks for reading!

Find me here: 

Instagram: @jaydeekelly 

Twitter: @crashl0nelystar

Why It's Vital To Surround Yourself With People Who Inspire You | Social Media Edition

It's so important to follow people who inspire you or encourage you to be the best version of yourself. There's nothing worse than following a pessimistic 'influencer' on Social Media for them obstructive to their following 24/7 over the littlest thing. This post appeared here first on Just me, Jaydee xo.

I recently unfollowed someone who I used to love watching due to them being cynical about particular things and became so repetitive it actually started to affect my mental state. By that I mean, it began making me demoralised towards most things, depressed and just not a nice person to be around. Just note, that being constantly bleak about everything in life does affect those who support you, are around you etc. Crazy, I know but it is really happening. So, I made this rule that I'll only follow anyone that truly inspires me. 

I'm not saying people aren't allowed to be negative, as we all have bad days. There's just a difference with being real and raw with your following and then there's constantly looking for reasons to be negative and unhappy with the littlest of things. It's sad to see and most of all it's the people who are considered 'followers' who suffer more. Mental Health is real which some people online, still don't seem to realise and it's hard to watch.
But there's the other hand of people that are talking/thinking/acknowledging mental health a bit more frequently across social media platforms who are choosing to educate themselves on it, I completely stand by that. However, it's up to us as 'followers' to keep our social media relatively positive so it doesn't make us unhappy and so we don't compare our lives to the people we visualise as 'perfect' in order to feel shitty about our own life. Following pessimistic individuals will cause this to happen.  It's vital to keep our mental health as a top priority and follow those that make us smile like a Cheshire cat and feel happy like when you're passionate about something.

So that being said, I have selected two YouTubers/Instagram Babes that I currently adore to watch and want to share their links as they're so down to earth, real and raw people. It's definitely lifted my Mental Health and I always feel somewhat happy with the content these girls produce. 

Meggan Grubb

I've been following Meggan Grubb since 2017 and first found her channel through her 10,000 calorie challenge video. Crazy to think it was that long ago. I began to watch her other videos as I just saw how motivated she is and found her personality similar to mine. Watching her evolve over the last two years has been the best as she's always so smiley and positive, expresses herself well when she's feeling anxious or having a rubbish day and I can just relate on so many levels. Meggan is definitely someone I adore and will continue to watch on YouTube as her quirkiness picks me up after a hard day. It's rare you find somebody who is real and raw on social media and just has amazing energy. If you don't follow her on Instagram (@meggangrubb) you definitely should! 

Sarah's Day aka Sezzy 

I've recently just come across Sarah's Day this year. After seeing her pregnancy post online and the photo of her little love, Fox, I checked out her Instagram and instantly was like "this girl is so cool!" so I went to her youtube, watched some videos and I'm hooked. Also, the Australian accent is just HEAVEN. Sarah's whole vibe is what I live for, so upbeat and sassy, kind-hearted and inspiring. I was currently sat in a queue at 4:00am waiting for some of her activewear when writing this post, now if that's not dedication, don't know what is. I'm all for supporting other women and watching them grow within their journey. I admire the vibe this woman is bringing so many people around the world and her strength through her hardships with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is admirable as it's something I'm currently having tested with my doctors. Sarah's youtube is full advice and it's just a blessing to have discovered her channel. After admiring Sarah's lifestyle and motivation to keep fit, I've used some of her tips to help me shed a few lbs and the results have been good so far! If you don't follow this girl, then please do! She's really inspired me to not only change my lifestyle but gave me hope with a lot of things as well.

What have you noticed about the people you follow, do you find yourself doubting yourself? If the answer is yes, then it's time for a revamp of your following/friends lists!

Thanks for reading!

Find me here: 

Instagram: @jaydeekelly 

Twitter: @crashl0nelystar

Life Update | Wagamama's Date

Instagram: @Jaydeekelly 

Life at the moment has been CRAZY! Recently, I've been so busy at work doing extra hours just so at the end of May my two weeks off would be approved to celebrate my birthday and it was so Woohoo! Around the 15th May I had a hospital appointment for a scan to see if the pain in my tummy is being caused by another ovarian cyst, as last October I had surgery for one that had ruptured and we're pretty confident that there may be another, maybe more, nesting in my pelvic area ready to be taken out which is what I'm preparing myself for. It's quite weird to get my head around, I have a feeling of what it may be but hopefully, my mind is just overthinking and it comes back to be nothing. What I believe is more difficult is dealing with the intense cramping and severe pain, finding ways on how to get comfortable and just overall living with the fact that another surgery may be in the cards which will be my third one in 3 years (one a year, so crazy! lol). After that appointment, a little pick-me-up was needed.

My partner took me to my favourite restaurant Wagamama in Meadowhall, Sheffield. And it definitely didn't disappoint. Since University it's safe to say that I've become obsessed but if you've had Wagamama's you'll know I'm not being over dramatic when I say their food is GOALS.
Might be biased here but oh well, Waga's do the BEST chilli squid ever (you're lying if you say it isn't), without even looking at the menu I knew my order already. So I went for a 'Blueberry Spice' smoothie which literally made me so happy as it's so delish, Chilli Squid then a Katsu Chicken Curry with Jasmine rice and salad. It's my usual as when eating out as it's all about watching what will trigger my intolerances (I'm gluten and lactose intolerant) but this is something I can't stay away from and luckily, none of it bloated or affected my stomach so it was a great afternoon all in all. The quality of the food was 9/10 - cooked so well, came out piping hot and was overall YUMMY. 

So after a very uncomfortable appointment, this is how I changed my day around turning a negative to a positive. Soon, I'll know what the outcome is from my scans as all I know at present is that my results are somewhat "substantial" whatever that is indicating and hoping to raise awareness with a separate post :-)

Thanks for reading!

Find me here: 

Instagram: @jaydeekelly 

Twitter: @crashl0nelystar

Choosing A Dress for a Wedding Party | 2019

It's very rare that I get invited anywhere, let alone a Wedding Party. So when I found out about the invite, I got an instant panic of "what will I wear?" and the usual panic-mode Q's that come to mind. Followed by positive, happy thoughts as it meant I could get all glam for the event. 

For me, at the moment, clothes shopping has proven a very difficult thing to do since gaining weight from my last two surgeries (bare in mind, it's been over 2 years) however, it's made me feel SO insecure. But I took the negative block and launched it into a glasshouse, metorphorically of course, and shattered it in order to push myself and find something suitable for this party. 

As it's in May this year, I don't have much time so I jumped online, typing "Wedding Party Dresses" and here's what came up:

ASOS

If i was to say that I'd never used to wear dresses or being 'girly' I don't think anyone would take me seriously as my style has definitely changed over the years, along with my confidence which has been for the best. 

First to come up was this Puff Sleeve Broderie Tea Dress (£32.00) now, I know it says tea dress but... hear me out. A summer wedding party = hot weather... (well you'd like to hope in England), so it dawned on me to wear something light and floaty and this fit in with an expectation of what I'd hope to choose for the event. However, now I'm sat looking it does look more like a beach day/afternoon tea type of dress but thats ok! nothing is set in stone but I sooooo love it, it's a pretty number. Although I'm very nervous wearing anything white (yes I'm that person) I'm stepping out my comfort zone and going for it, well, wishing it for now ha. 

The second dress, is however like the first BUT... the Milkmaid Broderie Mini Dress (£32.00) has the type of style I'd go for on a summers day, when the party vibes are happening and it's beginning to get cooler. Although, I don't know if I'm loving it as much as I thought I would. Not something I'd usually go for, but I still think it would look amazing with a pair of wedges and some beautiful accessories. I have hope!

The last dress I came across on ASOS (omg that rhymed) was the Button Through Broderie Tea Dress (£35.00) and oh my heavens, it's literally my ideal dress to wear. I love it, it fits with my vision of how I want to look at the wedding party. Not too 'dressed up' but not too 'underdressed', it meets in the middle and out of the three I think this one would be my top pick! Usually, white dresses aren't usually my thing, as I feel like they don't compliment my body shape very well, but branching out of my comfort zone to finding the perfect dress... I think I may be close!

MISSGUIDED

I don't think I've ever shopped at Missguided... could be telling a fib there but doesn't ring a bell! Now, after spending ages trying to find something that would look nice on me, I finally found a dress that just left me speechless which is a Blush Floral Lace Wrap Front Mini Dress (£27.00) I used to own a dress similar to this one and it brought back good memories. So discovering that this dress was no longer available in my size was quite the bummer I must say and at a reaosnable price it's like the DREAM, literally.  

BOOHOO

BooHoo has been like my second 'bae' over the years... yes, I'm obsessed and not ashamed to admit it. So every now and then I appear to find myself on there quite a lot and well, I found some AMAZING picks.

I've actually noticed a theme with the white dresses I've chatted about in this post, they are all Broiderie material and I didn't even notice until now. Anywho, the first dress in this section is a Broiderie Anglaise Cut Back Summer Dress (£19.00) and it has made me just spiral out of my own mind with trying to decide what dress I'd actually choose. I mean, can we just admire the back of it for a loooooooong minute? It's the type of dress I'd wear in a heartbeat and the back of it, with a gorgeous looking tan, would look beautiful. 

Another TOP pick of mine thats been on my wishlist for a while actually is a Boutique Off Shoulder Lace Skater Dress (£30.40 RRP, £40.00) which has been on sale for a while now and I'm itching to buy it but I don't really have many events that I go to and wearing it just for around the house would spoil such a nice dress as no one would get to see it. However, I've stepped away from the white and dived in head first to the Wine type colours and some major vibing is happening right now. It's definitely my sort of style that I'd wear out, especially for a wedding party as it looks very nice and comfy. With a pair of nice heels/wedges it would look stunning. 

Last but no means least, I came across this Teal Button Through Shirt Dress (£16.72 RRP, £22.00) which is more suitable for a night time vibe for the party. It's nice if you want to be covered up for the evening, which in my case, may be the option I take. Everyone needs a pop of colour when it comes to dresses so finding one in my second favourite colour, just gave me all the right feels! I absolutely love it, just a tad unsure on if it would suit my body shape but never say never, right?!

What dress would you choose? 

Thanks for reading!

Find me here: 

Instagram: @jaydeekelly 

Twitter: @crashl0nelystar

All photo rights belong to the listed sites above, Asos, Boohoo and Missguided.