National Memorial Arboretum

Bank Holiday Monday was so cool this year, and a rather strange one too. Mixed emotions as we ended up at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. A beautiful place! We were there to search for my cousin, Stephen Edward Holloway who was killed in 2005 in Malawi on a training exercise. The memorial is dedicated to the men and women of the national and civil forces of this country who have died on duty as a indirect result of war or combat, i.e terrorist attack, accident etc...

We knew Stephen's name was up there and it didn't take us long to find as the names are in date order...so many names....TOO MANY names!!

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM: TODAY, TOMORROW, FOREVER

Help for Heroes

Little do-gooders we are! Myself, Janet and Rachel have literally worked our socks off to put together our ideas and creativeness for fundraising for Help for Heroes. Our date is confirmed on 25th of this month, a start off, a friends private party but our stall will look fab!

I've made real Swarovski crystal earrings, xmas cards, postcard prints (with my drawings of course), Dad's photography prints and flanders poppy seeds. Janet has covered the mugs and eggcups (all fitting with the H4H colours: red, light and dark blue) and Rachel creating her own fabulous Pandora style bracelets!

Check it out!

'Homeward Bound' = a graphite pencil artists watercolour acheivement!

Need I say more....

AFCO

Another trip to the RAF AFCO in Preston left me a little more focused on how to train, when to train and what to prepare myself for mentally. The physical side of the RAF isn't as daunting or as intense as the Royal or the Merchant Navy or the Army but like all military forces, it demands the highest commitment from all it's recruits.

So Mum and I decided to join the local gym, I was recommended to do so by the RAF PT. All I can say is that I have a long way to go and a tough mountain to climb. But these 5 months will be a blessing, as it happens, I was lucky as the position I want was due to open this month but due to government cut backs it's been delayed till Jan 2011. Time is and isn't on my side, I feel like I have so much to cram in but at the same time feels like a long way off! Just staying focused will be tough enough....I just have to remember why I am doing it and think about where I could be!

a little bit of Markus!

Mine and Dan's particular favourite DJ, Mr Markus Schulz came to Manchester and we simply couldn't pass up the opertunity to go and see him in action, man can he work those decks! You literally cannot keep still...we like to party with Mr Markus!

week 4 and still going!

week 4 of training for the RAF and I feel great, I've managed to shake off off quite a few pounds. Can't say how much exactly as I hate weighing myself! But it's a fair shake..infact it must be a wobble and a drop!

I've been sticking to the same routine since I started, mainly 30 minutes each night, 1-2 nights rest a week, depending but pretty solid exercise throughout. Week 1 I ran, and even ran into week 2 but started to feel pains in my hips so I eased off the running, I was told not to run too much as it's not good for the joints in your knees and hips, even your back can be prone to injury. So I've been concentrating on improving my upper body strength, which has been poor for years hence the back problems! I have felt a real difference just from a static bike and rowing machine (many thanks to gardener Paul's sister for that!) plus practicing 5x 10 reps of tricep dips and puss ups, still struggling with push ups!

Also I am keeping my brain active and prepped for the AST test, that will be one of the first things they'll do if I'm sucessful. It's basically a general knowledge testing your abilites and strong points of verbal reasoning, mathmatics, memory, mechanical, electrical and shape rotation. Looks harder than it sounds as the test itself is very very fast in timelength. With mathmatics, you have only 4 minutes to answer 20 questions, not a lot of time considering you have working out to do too! Not looking forward to that one bit!

Then it's a matter of a fitness and asthma test, if I pass those, then I get a formal interview, although not as formal as it's made out to be I've been told. And then it could be up to 2 months before I hear if I have been sucessful or not...scary but exciting stuff! Now excuse me while I go body pump!

an all time low and a rash decision

Well things are pretty darn crap at work to be honest. I've seriously never known the place so quiet, looks like this recession has only just hit us and it's only the beginning, people arn't spending at all. I'm waiting on two commissions to come back to me, BIG ones too..it's such a pain in the arse when you have literally nothing in the bank and you're having to fork out money for your business which is why I'm wait for it....having a change of heart about the job I love!!

I have to be realistic, this is my LIFE, my FUTURE, I have to start thinking about a real, solid, dependable career. Financially now, if I wanted to move out or buy a car or go on holiday I simply could not do it! And for an almost 25 year old..that's bull! I see all my friends from school, rolling on with their lives. Rachels' wedding I think had something to do with this decision..she's married for christ sake, someone's wife..living together..going away together...and me (as much as I love and am grateful for my family) I'm ready to fly the nest too.

Ma thinks it's good thing that I don't owe money to anyone, besides the bank the odd time when I go over limit (thank God for overdraft facilities) but both my folks want to make sure that I'm 100% happy with the choice I'm gonna make in life...now here is the really big news. I'm thinking about....the RAF???

Sure I have to talk to their career advisors, which is why I'm calling them tomorrow to make an appointment. I can ask all the questions I need answering then. This might not be for me at all, but life's full of making choices and what good are those choices if you don't enquire about them first!