Getting My First Tattoo

Whilst I was travelling America I decided to bite the bullet and get a tattoo. I'd known I wanted one for a really long time and I had been settled on this symbol for quite some time too. It was pretty spur of the moment and totally unplanned but me and Molly talked each other into getting one, or should I say I talked her into getting one with me. After twisting her arm we sorted out the final designs and waited until the artist was ready.

I was so nervous, like sweaty-palm nervous! I set myself up for it to be the worst pain ever but in all honesty it really wasn't that bad. I imagined it to be a repeated stabbing pain but it was actually more like a continual cut, I can only explain it kind of like a scalpel rather than a needle, if that makes any sense. It sounds a lot worse than it was, it only took about 10 minutes and was the pain was very manageable. It definitely hurt the most towards my heel and the tendon down the back of my leg.

Overall I'm very happy with the size and placement of it, however I am tempted to get it filled in fully black at some point as that was my original idea, however as I'd never has a tattoo before I decided to play safe and start with the outline.

I love that I got it done in America and during that summer, it will always remind of the good times I had. Only problem now is I can't wait to get another one!

Have you got any tattoos, or are planning on getting any?

Beth xo 

Life Lately

I've been in one of those dazes lately that comes along with feeling a little lost. Time seems to be flying by, deadlines looming and passing, christmas is coming and the first term at uni disappearing very rapidly. I feel like everything is passing me by and I just can't seem to keep up. You know those moments where you feel like you can't seem to keep your head above water?

Recently I've come to be very appreciative of the people I have in my life. I have a really wonderful group of people around me and I couldn't be more grateful. But I just don't seem to be able to find the time lately to keep up with every single one of them. Not saying that there's loads, only a handful in fact, but I just seem to be a little off balance at the moment.

I'm sure this is a passing phase and problems like this arise more and more as we grow up *gasp* I guess it's all just a game of push and pull; having to find a way to spin all the plates without dropping any.

I feel like I know what I want to be doing but I'm lost in this overwhelming space, I don't know how to describe it. Things are all just moving a bit fast and I'm stood here wanting it all to slow down. Cliché right?

 I'm very quickly heading to the big 20 and that symbolises some scary things for me. I'm not quite ready to not be a teenager anymore. I know it's only a spelling change and I won't wake up the morning of my birthday a different person (no matter how much I thought I would at 13) but it just shows, years are going by and things are changing. It's a weird thing to think about.

Maybe it's good to just get swept along with everything, I just hate feeling like I don't have any control as to where it's taking me.

I guess I'm not the only one to feel like this, anyone else feel like this year has gone way too fast?

Beth xo

Listening to Lately

I've been listening to music a lot recently and I'm always interested in what other people listen to as well. I have such a range of tastes in music so I thought I'd share some of what I've been enjoying lately. Let me know anything you would suggest I should listen to!

Beth xo

Clarity and Finding Myself

Forgive me because this is going to be a ramble-y post but these can be some of my favourite to read as well as write so I think it's good sometimes to just let the thoughts flow from your brain to your fingertips. No filter or editing. 

I'm so torn. This summer has shown me a whole new world (no pun intended) and it's made me a whole new person. I think in a different way, I see things in a whole new perspective, I dream bigger and realise that I can do bigger too. A whole new world of opportunities have opened up to me. I have met incredible people, who continue to pleasantly surprise me with their willingness to listen and understand and comfort me. I have found people who I genuinely feel like I gel with, which is something I have struggled with in the past.

However it has left me with an itch. I'm fidgeting. I don't fit in the life I had before the summer, the life I've always seen for myself and have always been ok with living. I saw my future laid out in front of me and uni was always the next natural step in that. I'm an academic, I love to learn, it's what stimulates me, and school has always been something I'm good at. I prided myself in my knowledge of what I wanted to do with my life and knowing how I could get there. A lot of my friends and peers where almost clueless in this respect. I had known my path since primary school.

But then I was chucked this curve ball, this adventure of travelling and seeing new things and discovering new places. In hindsight it's not far fetched that this took my fancy, I am a massively inquisitive person, hence why I love to learn, therefore exploring new places is just a more practical extension of this. Saying that, it has triggered a thirst for adventure in me that I have only ever felt for reading, writing and creating. I've always been an in-my-own-head type of person. I like to imagine big things and create stories, I embellish things including my own life. But they were only in my head, they were never for me to live out or even to share just yet.

But the whole 3 months I was away I was the happiest I've ever been. Yes there was ups and downs but it is the longest I have been consistently happy for a very long time. I guess I knew I wasn't satisfied. In that time I was pushed to places (literally and metaphorically) that I never thought I could or would go. And now I don't know what to do with that: the experiences, the new knowledge I have about myself, where it's left me. I have this unbelievable unease with staying in one place and although travelling in it's literal sense makes me stressed and anxious (I hate the idea of missing trains/planes/buses or forgetting things), the actuality of being in different places and enjoying them with great people is something that brings me more joy that I ever knew it could.

Don't get me wrong, uni is still the path I want to follow, I'm so eager to learn and broaden my knowledge and understanding of a subject that I have always adored. I'm loving where uni is taking me and where it has already got me. But now I seem to be finding myself having to balance this with an undeniable wanderlust. They don't lie when they say you catch the travel bug, it's real and it's demanding, and I've surely got it.

I am not satisfied anymore and I guess I never was before either, but I didn't know what it was that I was missing from my life. Even if it's just going into my local town, I have this need to explore and learn about and discover new places. I want to know what makes each place unique. I need to learn about things that I don't know about or am not familiar with. I'm fascinated and fixated. 

When I started this blog I always wanted it to be a place that I could pour my thoughts into, almost like a diary, something that I could keep track of and update. I think this is a pivotal moment in my life and I'm so excited to see where it takes me. I'm glad I have this blog to record these types of things, it'll be fun to look back on.

Am I crazy? I don't know but I'm loving it anyway.

Beth xo 

Travelling America - The Grand Canyon

It seemed like forever until we finally reached the Grand Canyon but it was so worth the wait. We eagerly jumped off the coach and immediately found our way to the Canyon Rim. It was a jaw dropping moment of awe. I genuinely turned to Molly and said "it looks like a green screen". The sprawling vastness of it was just incomprehensible and I felt so grateful that I was able to experience this in person. Just like New York and Yosemite, I think this is one of those places that you can only ever truly appreciate once your there, and it's well worth the trip!

We were lucky enough to stay in a lodge on the National Park site so we had free reign to wonder at our leisure for the rest of that evening once we had settled in our rooms. We watched the sunset over the canyon at Hopi Point both nights we were there and it was breathtaking (more on this in a later). 

After umm-ing and ahh-ing over spending the money and whether it was worth it, Molly and the tour guide kindly persuaded me to bite the bullet and go on the helicopter ride over the canyon. For this I will be eternally grateful. When else would I get this opportunity? It was incredible to see it from a whole other perspective, it truly is a phenomenal sight! Also I'd never been in a helicopter before so that was a cool experience too.

Obviously you can't go to the Grand Canyon and not get the cliche photos. Standing on the edge like this was actually kind of thrilling, you could sit right on the rim and look out over the canyon or even look down if you were brave enough! Places like this make you realise how small you are and it's kind of humbling. Being able to experience something like this with such an amazing and close friend was also the best feeling, I'll never forget this trip.

Without you this whole trip wouldn't have been the incredible experience it has been, it's not even over yet but I'm so grateful to have had you by my side the whole way. Thank you for everything mols 👭💖#myusasc

A photo posted by Beth Reeves (@bethreeves5) on Aug 30, 2016 at 8:24am PDT

The first night night we were there we went to the closest part of the canyon rim to our accommodation and star gazed. The sky was so clear and there must have been a meteor shower because we saw so many shooting stars.  

As I said earlier, the sunsets were amazing, I could watch them every night. They definitely made the stay more special and it was so lovely being able to be around the canyon in the evenings as well as in the day, it had a kind of magical presence, I felt really calm there. I distinctly remember being sat there as the sun was setting, we had a picnic with us and music playing that seemed to float around us as if we were in this bubble of perfect contentment. In case you couldn't guess I didn't want to leave.

And this is just a cheeky extra photo cause I think it's funny and it brings back great memories. Also Walmart is my favourite place.

Beth xo

Once again, keep an eye out for my next post, this journey hasn't finished yet!
You can find all my previous posts linked below.
West Virginia → New York
San Fran → Yosemite
Las Vegas & Route 66

Thoughts on Trump

I was quite shocked when I woke up on 9th November to see that the on feed of blogs I followed there wasn't one post about the US election. The next day there was only one. Now maybe I follow the wrong type of blogs or it's just not content they think they have a stance on or something they want on their blog but to me this is an event that will go down in history just as much as Obama being elected will. This is an event that affects everyone, whether you live in the US or not. So regardless as to whether you feel like it is something you are interested in or not, you should know about it.

I felt this just as deeply as I felt us leaving the EU. I stayed up until 6am to watch the election before I gave in to sleep and knew anyway that there was only one way it was going.

Unfortunately I was right, and when I woke up the next day, Trump was the new president of the United States and my heart sank. Not only because I have close friends who live there or because Trump epitomises everything a president shouldn't, but because I can see the potential consequences that will come of this.

I am very passionate about equal rights, for women, race, religion, the LGBT+ community and anyone who doesn't have access to the rights they are entitled to, because we are all human and we should all be equal. No one is better than another, or more deserving. Skin colour, gender and sexual orientation does not define who we are as people. 

Donald Trump also does not believe in climate change. This terrifies me as this is an issue that needed to be dealt with yesterday, yet now it could brushed to the side as insignificant. Major progress that has begun to happen could now be ripped apart by greed and ignorance. 

These are only a few issues I have with Donald Trump being the next president of America but I won't go on, I think you get the idea. However, I am so glad to see that America is not laying low about this, they are outraged and standing up to fight this injustice. I hope they succeed and I hope they don't give up. The only way we have got to where we are today is by fighting the oppressors and never giving up hope. It is not okay to belittle people and disrespect those you do not understand. 

It says more about you than it does the person you are singling out. 

This needs to be spoken about, don't stop now that it's done. It isn't over. 

Beth xo

*Disclaimer: I know I have not included every minority Trump has insulted, I'm not sure I would be able to cover them all! I do not mean to offend by this post, I merely feel too strongly about this issue not to have my say. I do not agree with how Trump has run his campaign and the way he used fear and discrimination to drive votes. 

Playing with Hair Colour

Whilst I was travelling around America I had the urge to dye my hair. I had dabbled with dying my hair in the past but never done anything drastic with fear and disapproval from people around me. As I have quite fair hair, that naturally has different tones I was warned it may not grow back the same. But I was on a life changing trip, constantly full of adrenaline and the urge for adventure, so I threw caution to the wind and decided that dying the ends of my hair couldn't do any harm as I could just cut it off if I didn't like it.

I was excited to try out some bold colours and as my favourite is purple I naturally went for that first. I didn't bleach it before hand as I thought my hair was light enough for the colour to take without, so I bought a box of dye and went ahead. I didn't really have a method other than putting pure dye on the tips of my hair and working a gradient upward by diluting it with conditioner. 

The purple was great and I was so happy with how it turned out, but it faded quite quickly and as I was travelling constantly it would've been difficult to keep up. So I went for a different dye that (the bottle told me) was still purple just a bit darker; however as you can tell it came out a dark blue, however I guess it did have a purple tone. Either way I liked it as I had toyed with dying it blue originally. Funny story behind this dye job is that it occurred in a Las Vegas hotel bathroom using a paper cup (supplied by the hotel for the room) for mixing and two plastic bags for application (who needs gloves and a brush??).

I ended up loving the blue and re-dying it once I returned home to England. As it's washed out the colour has become a teal-ish hue which also looks quite nice (as you can see in the last picture) however I am scared the more it washes out the more it might turn green, so fingers crossed I don't have to cut it off!

I don't think I'll redo it anytime soon but I have loved playing with different colours. I've had so many compliments since dying my hair and think it's great to experiment a bit. Hair is so easy to grow back, why not have a go at changing things up every now and then?

Beth xo