My Hen Party Part 2

For the next part of the hen party, I thought there is absolutely NO way that my Bridesmaid's could top a convention with REAL characters from the Harry Potter movies! But I was VERY wrong...


Myself, Michelle, Lisa, Amanda and Deborah all made our way to the next place we were booked in at. We stopped to get a picture on one of the 'Oor Wullie' sculptures and then met up with Eileen. 

(Lisa made a very rude comment just as this picture was being taken by a group of randoms and I tried SO hard not to laugh 😂

The next place we went to was called 'The Department of Magic - Escape Rooms'. (https://www.departmentofmysteries.com/) 

This was just, to me, the best thing ever! The little dark, cafe reminded me of The Three Broomsticks pub in Harry Potter. As there were now 6 of us, we split up in 2 groups of 3 people. I was with Michelle and Lisa. Amanda, Deborah and Eileen were in another group. 

My group were the first to enter the escape room whilst the other three stayed behind and took part in a Magic Potions class! The name of the escape room was 'The Dark Lord Resurrection'. Our game master helped to give us small clues to bring the Dark Lord back! We were the Death Eaters and at the end of the game we had the choice to bring back Voldemort or we could take his place....

We decided to release him... 😎 after all we were his followers and you have to be loyal to Voldy or it would have been AVADA KEDAVRA for us!! 

We manged the whole thing with only 3 minutes and 24 seconds remaining! We then headed back up to the little tavern and swapped with the other group. Our potions class, was making Harry Potter themed cocktails. What's not to love?!

(These pictures were sent by Amanda)

As we were in the tavern, Michelle bought a butter beer to try and it was very sweet! The chocolate frogs were also delicious!!

Amanda, Deborah and Eileen came back to meet us once they had completed their escape room. They won with 5 minutes and just 1 second remaining! We all worked really well together in my opinion. It was tough but we escaped! 

(After finishing the escape room! How amazing do we look all dressed up?!) 

(I noticed this when we were having the above photo taken. I noticed Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem)

The escape room was just perfect. The hen party was literally the best! We all had an amazing day. Lisa, Deborah and Eileen went home and Michelle and I met up with some other friends.

Chloe and Natalie met Michelle, Amanda and I in Falkirk for drinks. They were dressed as Hufflepuffs! The ties were so cute!! 

I could literally brag about my hen party 24/7. My friends planned it WAY better than I ever could. I was so stressed about not knowing what was going to happen, WHERE I was going etc. They all even pretended that I was going to be chucked into a river 😂😂😂😂😂 I am not kidding when I say that I was absolutely terrified! 

I couldn't have asked for a better hen party. I loved every single second of it. The whole day was just amazing! I don't think I'll ever be able to repay my bridal party for their hard work.

The three of them have just made not just the hen party the bestest day ever, but with their support, advice and kind words, the planning stage of the wedding has been easier. I don't know what I would do without them. 

I can't wait to see how beautiful they all look in their bridesmaid's dresses and to have them by my side for my wedding 

Caley 💜

My Hen Party Part 1

What can I say? I literally had THE best hen party EVER!!!

I will honestly never forget it! How my amazing friends managed to plan and keep it a secret from me I will never know!

My Maid-of-Honour Michelle, and Bridesmaid's Lisa and Amanda made me the happiest person on earth on Saturday!

To top it off, the theme of my hen party was HARRY POTTER!!!!! which I absolutely love!! 

(Picture taken from Google Images)

On Friday night, Michelle and I had a few glasses of wine, some girly chat and still, I had NO idea about my Hen Party plans. I knew it was happening but wasn't allowed to know anything - yet! Michelle only told me a little bit about where we were going. I was so excited!!! 😁

I hardly slept on the Friday night. Michelle and I were due to get up at 5:15AM!!! to start getting ready. We had to leave her house at around 6:30 for our make up appointment with our friend Alex at 7! (See: @Alexmackenzie_makeup on Instagram. She is SO talented and every make up look that she does is just flawless!)

(This was my Make-Up look by Alex that was Gryffindor inspired.)

After having our make up done, we met up with our friend Lisa who was already in a taxi. Lisa was dressed up as a Ravenclaw. (Which is my real Hogwarts House! I was dressed up as a Gryffindor just this once! 😀) We jumped into the taxi with Lisa and went to the train station to meet our friend Amanda. Amanda was dressed as Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter! 

(L-R Amanda, Lisa, Me, and Michelle. We were all having a sneaky cocktail on the train!)

We then met up with my Step mum, Deborah. She met us on the train. Amanda brought Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit with her for us all to play on the way to Edinburgh. I think we all did not bad! 😂

Once we arrived in Edinburgh, we jumped into a taxi and headed for The Edinburgh Academy to attend the For The Love Of Fantasy convention. It was SO much fun! The rain came down really heavy but that didn't ruin our day.

The convention was made up of all things Games Of Thrones and.......... HARRY POTTER etc!! Little did I know that ACTUAL people from the movies would also be there!!!! I thought everyone was just dressed up as characters! 

(Meeting 'Newt Scamander' and trying on the Sorting Hat)

(With 'Bellatrix Lestrange' AKA Amanda's "Mum" 😂)

(Michelle and I with 'Dolores Umbridge'. This lady was WAY more lovely than the real Umbridge! I loved the cat!)

(Standing beside the 'Flying car' (Ford Anglia) from The Chamber of Secrets movie)

(On my way to Platform 9 3/4) 

(L-R Me with soaking wet hair!, Amanda, Michelle, Deborah and Lisa) 

(Checking out the Harry Potter Lego set! This was all built by a 10 year old little girl who was raising money for a Children's Hospital. Check out Kendra's Logo Fundraising on facebook. This little girl is so talented!) 

After meeting some really cool people, my friends had a BIG surprise for me..... I was handed a letter and I read it and was like "What is this?!")

(Anyone recognise the gentleman sitting behind me?)

Have you guessed it yet? 

How about now? 😀

It was Stanislav Yanevski ...................  VIKTOR KRUM!!!!! 😍 with his arm around me and everything!!! He's my absolute fave!! I was so nervous to even speak to him or go over to him! I literally nearly collapsed. I turned to Jelly! I even got his autograph!! 

("Caley, Much love, Stan Yanevski 💗"  Viktor Krum drew me a love heart!!!!) 

(I will forever love this picture of Amanda photo bombing Michelle and Stan!)

After meeting Stan, my hen party and I went to the Question and Answer session with the lovely Chris Rankin (Percy Wesley!) As you can imagine, Chris was so lovely and very down to earth. He made everyone in the audience laugh so much. Including us 5.... private joke.... (13 is the magic number apparently....😜😂)

Chris then came back onto the stage with James Payton and Adrian Rawlins! James is best known in Harry potter for playing the part of Frank Longbottom, Neville's dad, who was tortured by Lord Voldemort. Adrian is best known for playing Harry's Dad, James, who is murdered by Voldemort! Again, this Q&A made everyone laugh and the were literally the best group of people! They are all so talented in their own ways and just genuinely lovely people. 

The hen party and I were entered into the Cosplay Competition. In the end it was only Michelle and I who went up on stage and the rest were chicken and stayed seated. 😜 The presenter was 'Rita Skeeter' but the Judge was ..... James Payton! The two of them together was just amazing! I had THE best time!

(Michelle and I on stage. Rita in the green, Me next, James in the middle, and Michelle at the end)

James made me laugh the entire time that I was on stage and turned to me and said..

"I was married once.... I'm not now.... and neither are you!" 😂😂😂😂😂😂 ... it's all on video! Frank Longbottom! I wonder what Alice would say?! 😮😂

 I was so embarrassed but it was just so funny! He also told me that "It's not too late, you know!" (meaning that I still had time to change my mind about marrying Stephen!) 😂 

(Michelle and I are in the middle picture behind Rita Skeeter. Picture taken from For The Love Of Fantasy, Facebook page)

I loved the convention so much and I would absolutely love to go back next year! My bridesmaids made the first part of my day unforgettable and this was just the beginning......

Caley 💜

** All pictures are my own unless stated otherwise ** 

My Favourite Childhood Book

Books....

To me, reading a book somewhere cosy and quiet, is just so relaxing. 

You drift off into worlds that you never knew would be possible. You fall in love with characters or cry at the parts that tug on your heart strings (or maybe that's just me 😂) and you may also feel the emotions that characters go through and sometimes you feel like part of a family! 

In the winter, I love being at home, snuggled up with a blanket and a cup of tea or hot chocolate with marshmallows, and just reading a good book with no stress or anxieties.

 I love the sound of the rain outside as well when I'm reading. ☔

(Picture taken from Google Images, Shutters Stock)

From a very young age, I loved books and in my spare time, I loved to read. The first book I picked up to read was 'Indigo Blue' by Cathy Cassidy. I remember reading the first couple of pages and I was instantly hooked! I couldn't put the book down and I would hide away in my room to read it.

I have now read this book more times than I can count and it's still a favourite.

The story is about a young girl named Indigo or Indie for short. Indie has a little sister named Misti and they live with their Mum. Unfortunately, Indie and Misti's Mum is a victim of domestic violence. The person who was abusive was actually their Mum's boyfriend, Max. Indie's Mum knew it wasn't right and she takes both Indie and Misti away from Max and the three of them move into a new flat. 

Indie's best friend from school is called Jo. Indie, at one point, believes that Jo no longer has any interest in her as Indie doesn't tell her about her Mum's abusive relationship with Max. 

The flat that they move into isn't the best and is very dirty with no heating to keep them warm. To top it off, they have a grumpy neighbour named Mrs. Green who isn't very pleasant to them. The family don't have much money so they have to live off of some biscuits. 

Indie's Mum gives Max another chance and again, she is the victim of his horrible abuse. Max is then put on trial for what he has done....

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone who would like to read it so I will keep the rest of the story to myself. 

(Picture taken from Cathy Cassidy website: https://www.cathycassidy.com/books)

The book is an amazing read, and even as an adult, I still feel the same emotions I did as a child. This book is just written so perfectly and it helped me to understand what domestic abuse was even at a young age. 

If you would like to buy it, click on this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Indigo-Blue-Cathy-Cassidy/dp/014133889X

Caley 💜

Epilepsy (Part 2)

Hi Everyone, 

This next blog post is part 2 of the Epilepsy topic. I hope you all enjoy reading it. If anyone has any questions then you can leave a comment at the bottom of this post in the box or I can be contacted, by private message on my Instagram page. (@Caalleeyy) 

The reason why I wanted to write about epilepsy in my blog was because I too have been diagnosed with epilepsy. Here is my story...


At aged just 2 and a half years old, I had my first seizure. I was taken into hospital right away but then as soon as I was better, I was sent home because the doctors thought it was a one off. Not too long after, I suffered from another seizure and then another and another... My Mum was then told that I had epilepsy. 

I was given loads of different medications in order to control it but nothing had worked. When I was around 5 or 6 years old, I had around 250 seizures in ONE week! I don't remember this at all but I do remember being hooked up to machines that monitored my brain activity. I spent most of my childhood in Glasgow's Childrens Hospital and also The Sick Kid's Hospital in Edinburgh. Both places did everything they could to help me and I remember the nurses in both hospital were just amazing and helped to make everything less scary for me. Some nurses even brought me extra ice cream sometimes! 

At aged 7 years, my epilepsy finally was controlled. I was able to live a "normal" childhood again. I was held back a year at school because I had missed too much schoolwork. It didn't really bother me though. I was just happy to be able to run around with my friends and go out on my bike. I was no longer covered in wires or stuck in a bed.

The epilepsy stayed away and I was able to come off of my medication. I was free of seizures and I felt happy. None of my friends really, at the time, understood what epilepsy was so they didn't realise how much I loved being outside and being able to run around and feel free. My luck with having no seizures soon turned bad...

I was in a "relationship" (if you'd even call it that!) when I was around 17. Unfortunately, that relationship wasn't healthy and I was hit over the head with an Xbox controller. I felt really tired after being struck over the head and I fell asleep almost right away. When I woke up a while later, I felt okay and the guy I was with did his usual "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" rubbish. I had to leave him after that as it wasn't healthy to be in a relationship where the person thought they had to be in charge of everything or even feel the need to physically hurt you. I wasn't having it!

Shortly after ending the relationship, I was sitting at work and began to feel really funny. I kept getting the feeling that you get if you are on roller coaster and you're going downwards or upside down. My boss called me to her office because I had forgotten to do a whole load of stuff and I was convinced I had done it. I was suffering from confusion. I kept apologising and telling her, "I know this has happened before, Izzy, but I'm really sorry". My Boss Izzy looked as confused as I felt. She was worried about me and sent me home to rest for the day. 

(Picture taken from Istock)

Days had passed and I still felt the same both at work and at home. I couldn't get rid of the feeling. I kept getting headaches and I was always daydreaming. My Dad was constantly having to speak loudly at me to get me to listen to him when he spoke as when I was daydreaming, I wasn't even aware that my Dad had been talking. The only way to get my attention, we thought at the time, was to just keep shouting until I eventually "snapped out of it" and heard him. I decided to make a doctors appointment and thank goodness I did!

During my Doctors appointment, my doctor was like "Caley? Caley?? Caaalllleeey? Can you hear me?" I was like "Yes! Sorry. Why do you ask?" He then explained that I had sat there for a few moments just staring blankly into space. I had no idea what he was talking about.

I was referred to a neurologist at my local hospital and after having some tests, it was confirmed that my epilepsy had came back and that I was having seizures again. I had been having absence seizures the most. Absence seizures are when a person stares blankly into space and is unaware of what is around them or who. (This would explain why I also never heard my dad talk when he had to raise his voice to get my attention). 

(Picture take from Young Epilepsy)

After receiving the news about the epilepsy, I instantly felt like I had punched in the stomach. I remember being a child and losing out on going to parties and going out with my friends because I was constantly in hospital. I felt like now that I was an adult really, what could I lose now?

My independence would be the answer to that. Well at least that's how I felt about the situation. The seizures were ongoing and would last seconds at a time every so often, every day. I was then told that unless I was seizure free for a whole year then I wouldn't be able to drive a car. I was looking forward to being able to have my own car and drive everywhere like my friends did. That was taken from me. I also couldn't go to nightclubs as most of them had strobe lights and this would also trigger a seizure for me. I hid in my house most of the times as I was so afraid that an absence seizure would happen whilst I was talking to someone and that they would think I was either not listening or just being rude to them. I also didn't want to feel embarrassed by admitting I had epilepsy or that I was having seizures so I felt that by staying inside my house, I was protected and I wouldn't have to explain myself.

(Picture taken from Google Images)

My friends kind of gave up on me at times because I would always say "Oh sorry, I can't come tonight. Not feeling good." The truth is I felt fine, but I didn't want to ruin their night as they would be the ones who would have to go and get help or First Aid. 

At another appointment with my Neurologist, he explained to me that I was still experiencing absence seizures, but also "auras". I was then prescribed Keppra tablets that I was to take several times every day. In the end, they weren't working so my Neurologist suggested increasing them, gradually, up to 1000mg per day. 

(Picture taken from Google Images)

At 26 years old now I still have absence seizures and aura's but now I also have Tonic-Clonic seizures again, Clonic seizures, and Atonic seizures. My memory sometimes isn't great either. I've learned to accept that although I'm epileptic, it doesn't stop me being ambitious or living my life. At times, my epilepsy has made me feel like a prisoner in my own body or at home but other times, it's made me realise just how strong I actually am. 💪

I've been epileptic most of my life and I still continue to battle it today. I have survived every seizure, every storm, every negative comment that a stranger has thrown at me. (My favourites are "Are you drunk?" whilst feeling a seizure coming on OR "Well you don't look epileptic to me!" The cheek!) I will continue to be strong and live the best life possible. Epilepsy has made me the person I am today and that person has became a mother, a fiance, has went to college for the last few years, and is off to university in September to do Psychology and Maths! 

If you too have epilepsy, then remember - you are a warrior and you've got 
this!

(Picture taken from Google Images)

I just want to quickly add that if it wasn't for the amazing doctors, neurologists, nurses, etc. then I wouldn't be writing this! The NHS is just amazing and these people saved my life. I will FOREVER be so grateful to the specialists who never gave up on me and continued to support me in, what were, the hardest years of my life. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Caley 💜

Epilepsy (Part 1)

Hi Guys,

For today's topic, I wanted to write about something that was very close to my heart. 

I wanted to write about epilepsy in general and to share how epilepsy has also affected me for a very long time.

"What is epilepsy?" I hear you ask. 

Epilepsy is a condition that can cause a person to have seizures.The seizure can affect how the person's brain works as there are bursts of electrical activity that can stop the brain from working properly for a little while.

People who have epilepsy all tend to have similar symptoms but everyone's experiences are different as the seizure can be different depending on what part of the brain is affected. The symptoms that people may experience before a seizure are:

• Unusual tastes or smells
• Tingling sensation in your arms and/or legs
• Deja Vu (the feeling that something has happened before) 
• confusion

When most people hear the word 'seizure' they immediately think of the person falling to the floor and shaking. This is only an example of what epilepsy is. Epilepsy is more than that and there are also different types of seizures a person can have. Some examples are:

• Absence Seizures - is when a person stares into space with a blank expression on their face and becomes unaware of their surroundings. This seizure only lasts second and the person may not even be aware that the seizure has happened. 

• Grand Mal Seizure - this is the type that most people know. This is the seizure that causes the person to fall to the floor. The persons muscles then tend to contract and the person may cry out and/or lose bladder control. This seizure can last minutes and the person may have confusion and/or a headache once the seizure is over.

• Simple Partial Focal Seizures - is when the person is fully awake and is also aware of where they are. The person may begin to have a strange feeling that is hard to put into words. Anxiety levels may become intense.  

Seizures can be triggered by different things:

• Flashing or strobe lighting
• Feeling stressed
• Alcohol
• Medications

(Picture taken from Epilepsy Action website)

These are only some examples. If you'd like to know more then I suggest reading this page: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/


First Aid

If you ever see a friend, family member or even a stranger having any kind of seizure, and you want to help then I suggest reading this website page: https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/firstaid/what-to-do 

There are different ways to help people depending on the type of seizure they are having and this website has it all on one page! It's very easy to follow and worth a read!

Remember, if you see someone having a seizure, the best thing you could do is to try to stay with the person for as long as you can. From my own personal experience, just having someone there with comforting words or even just someone giving some reassurance can really help when coming out of the seizure. 

Having someone by my side helped me to relax as they kept telling me where I was, who they were and what had happened. (I often get confused after a seizure, which is completely normal, but being made aware of the situation can help to make me feel more at ease and less panicky). 


Websites

Having had epilepsy for most of my life, I have often relied on websites for information. A few favourites are:

• https://www.epilepsyscotland.org.uk/
• ://www.epilepsy.org.uk/
• https://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/
• https://www.youngepilepsy.org.uk

These website all have great information and support. They all also have their own social media pages and can even be contacted by private message. Please feel free to have a look at the websites and social media pages as they really are helpful. 

(The Kelpies in Falkirk lit up PURPLE to raise awareness for Epilepsy)

If anyone has any questions regarding epilepsy, or even wants to share their own experience, then please feel free to send me a message, (everything will be kept confidential) and we can have a chat! 

Always remember that 

1. Whether it's you, a family member, a friend, neighbour etc. who has epilepsy just remember that you are NOT alone in this. 
2. We are NOT Epilepsy Victims. We are Epilepsy Warriors and WE HAVE GOT THIS 😁

Caley 💜

Stephen

Where do I even begin with this?! Hmm... 

Do you know, the saying that people say, "When you met the one, you will know."? Well I always thought it was a load of rubbish! How could you possibly know that, especially right away?!

Well when I met Stephen, that saying became true! I fell for him completely and almost right away. 

Stephen and I dated for a while before making it "official". He made sure that every date we had or have feels like it's the first one all over again. He's actually very romantic and always gives me that 'butterfly' feeling, even now nearly 2 years on. I always feel looked after and safe by him. 

I have never met anyone like Stephen before. He just seemed to make everything better. Stephen is always there for me, through the bad times as much as the good times and has never let me down. Not once! He always knows how to make me laugh even when I don't feel up to laughing or smiling. I know that he would do anything for both me and my son, Jamie. 

Without Stephen, I really don't know where I would be. He supports me with all of my health issues and helps to keep me motivated when I want to do something. (Like University.) I always thought that I wasn't good enough to even apply for university but with Stephen's support and LOTS of kind words from him, I went for it, and I was wrong. (I'm off to do Psychology and Maths in September!)

I am honestly so proud of everything that Stephen has done, continues to do, and I will be so proud of the things that he will do in the future. He continues to work so hard and is just the perfect role model for Jamie. His whole family have even made sure that Jamie is included in everything too. He was spoiled at Christmas time, as much as their own family were. Stephen's Mum, Linda, has been an angel in helping me with sooooo many problems, worries, and dilemma's. (Poor woman! 🙈)

The only things that are really annoying about Stephen is that 1, he LOVES to wind me up and 2, the pet names he has for me. I've been called 'CaleyBear', 'CaleyDragon' (when I've felt angry 😅), 'CaleyChicken' and the most recent - 'Possum!'.... don't ask.... 😂😆

Stephen is someone I 100% trust with my life. Hence why we are getting married! 👰🤵💖

After only about 8 months together, Stephen proposed with the most beautiful ring! Of course I said YES! It felt like the right time to do get engaged. We loved each other and wanted to settle down. 

We are still currently planning our wedding and are due to get married in September of this year. Only 11 weeks to go.... 😲

I can NOT wait to marry my best friend. I can't wait to see his face when he sees me walking down the aisle towards him. I can't wait to show off my amazing new husband to everyone. I'm so looking forward to having the best day, surrounded by my friends and family. I also can't wait to see everyone dressed up!

There are so many things I ould say about Stephen but I'd be here forever! I just feel so lucky, so blessed and so happy to have such a wonderful, caring, supportive, funny, gorgeous, man in my life. He really is everything to me. (but see if i hear "I have a PhD" from him again, I'll cry 😂)

  

Look out for the wedding blog post in September...

Caley 💜

** All images are my own **

Being A Young Mum

Hi everyone,

For this blog post, I decided to get a little personal and to talk about being a young Mum.

(This picture was taken when Jamie was trying to fish whilst using a stick. 😁)

You know what people say, "Parenting is the hardest job you will ever have." This statement is 100% true!

(Jamie meeting a Minion from Despicable Me, when we went to Banff, [Scotland] 🍌)

I was so young when I had Jamie and trying to juggle parenting, work, and also college just seemed so stressful at the time. I had to do everything I could to make sure we had a home, food, and that our bills were paid on time. Going out with Jamie in his pram was tough at times. People thought I was his sister or baby sitter! I would always be polite and tell people that I was his Mum. For some people, this wasn't a good thing. "Oh! You're too young to be this boy's mother!" (Nobody ever asked my age. They just judged me on how I looked.) Other people would ask "Is your husband working today?" When I explained that I wasn't married, people would literally TUT at me! It made me feel ashamed sometimes and other times very anxious. 

(We love visiting Build-A-Bear. The visit shown above was a reward for Jamie when he got 'Star Of The Week' at nursery 🐻⭐)

For most of Jamie's life, I have been a single parent, who had help from family, whilst being at college. Again the negative Nancy's would comment, "You're neglecting him by being at college all the time" or I'd get "You need to work to earn money to feed your child, what is college going to do for you?" (Hmm... give me a better career maybe?)

(Play-Doh was always a great idea when it was raining. Jamie loves playing with his Play-Doh and creating lots of different things. He loved to make Pizza, or snakes the most. 🍕🐍)

The thing is, I would be home every day to take care of Jamie and then the next morning I would go to college and get on with assessments, folio's and work placements and everything else. I couldn't please everyone. I knew deep down that I was doing the right thing. I made sure my son was getting an education and also myself. I worked hard non-stop and had so many late nights because I had taken Jamie out to the park and sometimes this would cut into my "study time". Spending time with Jamie was more important to me because my child will never be that age again and I wanted to enjoy every minute of it. I could always apply for a college but I wouldn't ever get the time with my son back. 

(Jamie brought this home to me one day after nursery and I could have cried. I thought it was just the sweetest gift ever! |I loved it when Jamie would come home from nursery with things that he had made. They had more meaning to something that may have be bought. I still have most of the things that he has made for me over the years 💗)

"It's worth it in the end" I would always tell myself. Jamie kept me going through it all. I knew that I was doing this all for him, for me, for us! I wanted to give us a better life and have a good career and to work hard at the thing I knew that I was good at. I wanted to show Jamie that with hard work and determination, you can do anything. 

("The Dreaded Stairs" Jamie and I call these 😂. Every year, during the summer, Jamie and I always go to Edinburgh. We love the city and there is always so much to do. We love seeing the different street performers during the Edinburgh Fringe. 🌆)

Jamie and I have so many memories that I will cherish forever. I'm kind of glad, in a way, that it was just me and him and that we have so many happy and very funny memories together. 

(Another favourite activity was putting on old clothes and painting outside. Jamie and I love being messy with paint and Jamie loves mixing the colours and seeing what new colours he could make. 🖌)

Being a young mum hasn't really been a bad thing to be honest. It just means I got to meet Jamie a little sooner. Having Jamie has actually taught me a lot. I don't just mean in parenting, I mean just how to be a better person in general. I can now put myself into other people's shoes and imagine how things may be for them. I try my best not to judge other people and to also accept people for who they are as we are all different and beautiful. I looked at life differently and try not to take everything too seriously. 

(This was another time during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I didn't notice at first but we had matching Lacoste shoes on. 👟)

As hard as it is, I have loved being a Mum since day 1. I have this little human being in my life who I wouldn't change for the world. My love for him is just.... I can't put it into words. I just love him so much. I'm sure I'll have more to share about Jamie in the future as he is such as a kind, caring, hilarious, clever, and amazing son. The best one I could have ever wished for. He means the absolute world to me and I feel so blessed to be his Mum. 

Caley 💜