The Triumphs of My Twenties

In honour of my final hours as a twenty something I have compiled some of the best bits from the last decade of my life, attempting some sort of chronology but you know the old mind's not what it used to be.  (2003-2013)

• Moving to Salford. (July 2004) My first home after the parental home and wonderful it was, despite the storage heaters and lack of central heating. But the bright yellow kitchen, purple bathroom and huge storage cupboard (nicknamed the Naughty Cupboard) more than made up for it.

• Graduating with a BA (hons) 1st Class in Popular Music and Recording from Salford University. (July 2004) And what is even cooler is that my dissertation was on the use of narrative within Kate Bush's Hounds of Love album. And I'll always remember my dissertation teacher saying, "You're a born writer." Let's hope she's right. 

• Accidentally bagging myself a hot Italian. Ooops. I'm not letting him go, he cooks. (November 2004) He he. Thus why I ballooned to whale status after a few months of his amazing Italian cooking and happiness.

• Holding down two part time jobs whilst studying for an MA in Music Performance, also at Salford. (Playmates Children's Playcentre and Costa Coffee)

• Getting a passport (February 2005) and taking my first plane journey to Italy.

•  Landing my first full time job and realising that despite all the attempts not to, I was slowly turning into my mother. (Kids Allowed Didsbury April 2006 - Nursery Assistant.) My mum has been childminding since I was about 2 and then I continued the child looking after tendencies which obviously run in the genes.

• Completing and passing an MA in music performance and not going to my graduation as a form of quiet protest. I also stood up for my right to perform in a decent and more appropriate venue for my final performance. And boy did they hate me for it. (July 2006)

• Stubbornly proving that a long distance relationship works, after A moved to London. I stayed up in Manchester for another 18 months. I'm an independent woman, click, click, click. 

• Loosing about two stone in weight and finally getting rid of that bastard fringe. Woo hoo. I do miss being that thin, though I'm sure I actually exercise more now and eat healthier too. Ah well. I'll put it down to youthfulness. 

• Making the decision, on my own terms, in my own time (I will not be rushed) to move to London. (June 2008) And starting a new job at a nursery in central London.

• Realising I could bake. (Again just more evidence to prove I'm becoming my mum.)

• Buying a flat, getting a mortgage, you know, grown up things. Though I pretty much turned up and signed stuff. A sorted everything out. (January 2009)

•  Deciding to pursue my novel writing dream. March 2009 Started novel. November 2009 finished 1st draft of novel. (And still currently working on about edit 7 of this novel. I'm in for the long haul.)

• Starting to run. Taking part in 5km and 10km events in London. And buying stretchy pants in which to run. Scary stuff. 

•  1st Intercontinental flight to the states. San Fransisco, New York and Washington. (September 2009) And we've never looked back since. 

• Getting in the London Marathon through the ballot. Almost an impossible feat. 

•  Running the Silverstone Half Marathon as part of the Marathon training. My first 13.1 mile run. (March 2010) 1 hour 17 minutes 13 seconds. 

• Running and living through the London Marathon (April 2010) raising almost £650 for Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Charity. This was something I'd wanted to do since I was about 14. Completed in 5 hours 6 minutes 17 seconds. Slow and steady....

• Being promoted to Room Leader position in charge of three staff and around 40 kids. 

• 1st rejections from book agents. Now you might think this is not a particular triumph but I guess the triumph was sending it off in the first place and rejections whilst upsetting you for a moment or two actually just make me want to power on and edit and submit again. 

• Starting my own music classes with a self made syllabus. (January 2011) Actually using my degree and combining it with the teaching of early years. 

• Starting a little blog known as Rants of a Bitter Northerner. (May 2011)

• Being a bridesmaid for J and T and singing at the wedding. 1st time singing in public for a long time. (July 2011)

• 1st trip to Asia. Evil time stealing fairies and bullet trains and all things Japanese. 

•  Actually getting tickets for the Olympics. (In the second chance tickets.) Seeing the Olympics in the City I live in and soaking up the amazing few weeks of sport in the Capital. Amazeballs. (July-August 2012)

• Royal Parks Half Marathon raising £450 for Nordorff Robbins Music Therapy Charity and beating my personal best: 1 hour 15 minutes 55 seconds. (October 2012)

• Having Halloween in the states, attending a Halloween ball in Salem MA. My dream for many years. (October 2012)

•  Working on and seeing completed my first published work, an art addition with the fabulous Luca Leonelli entitled The Horizon. There were tears when I saw my name. Only 25 in existence.

•  Quitting my job to concentrate on my writing. One of the best decisions I've ever made, ever! (December 2012)

• Self Employed. (2013)

• Kotrijk Blog logging over 1700 views prompting me to create a second blog for travel: The Sarky Traveller. 

•  Twice more bridesmaid for NH and LA. 

• Working on my first picture book.  

• Still getting asked for I.D at 29.

Wow, there were more than I thought. Some of them smaller than others but all of them having contributed to the last decade of my life and I wouldn't change a thing. Maybe these 30's won't be too bad. But I guess I'll soon find out.

Happy Saturday. Happy last day of my twenties and thanks for reading.

Rants