Highlights of 2016 ❤

I think it's safe to say that 2016 has been a rollercoaster of a year that, when looking back, seems to have more highs than lows. However, I think it's also proof that we can remain strong even in the darkest of times. While there have been a lot of lows for me personally this year, I've also been fortunate enough to have a lot of highlights that outweigh the lows. So, this blogpost is going to be about my highlights of 2016. 

JANUARY

I celebrated two birthdays this month as it was my brother's 27th birthday on the 7th (that's his cake in the picture, it was amazing) and my mum's on the 24th. For my brother's birthday, we just relaxed at home by playing games and having a fun night. For my Mum's birthday, we went out to Wetherspoons for her birthday meal. I also watched Joy, which stars Jennifer Lawrence as the title character, at the cinema and I loved it. Not only that but Charlotte Crosby did a signing for her second fitness DVD at my local HMV in Manchester and I met her for a third time, she was just as sweet and funny as always. 

FEBRUARY

I'm known for having a very messy room as it's very small and there's not enough space to put all my things which end up on the floor. I also was sleeping on a bed that had a hole in the middle and was full of old books and magazines under the bed so my dad decided that he would treat me to a new bed and help me sort out my room. In February, we spent a few days cleaning my room and getting rid of all the stuff that I didn't need. I was shocked at how much rubbish there was under my bed and by rubbish I mean that it was full of old books and magazines that I'd kept hidden for years. After getting rid of the rubbish and my old bed, Dad took me out to get a new bed and mattress. You can see the new bed in the right picture and it's definitely a lot better than my previous one. It's a lot comfier and my bedroom looks a lot more tidier now. Other highlights of this month include going to the cinema to watch Deadpool, which was one of the funniest films I've watched, and watching my favourite band Little Mix perform at the BRITs.

MARCH

 I think that March was definitely one of the best months of the year. On the 12th, I met Vicky Pattison, who did an in-store appearance at House Of CB at Manchester Arndale, for a third time and she was so down to earth as usual. A week later, on the 19th, I saw Ellie Goulding perform at the Manchester Arena on her Delirium tour and she was amazing. I'm a huge fan of her and her songs and she has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. However, my favourite highlight of this month was seeing Little Mix on their Glory Days tour. This was the first of their tour that I'd been to and I couldn't have been more excited. I had great seats (I was about three rows from the front) because I had the VIP Up Close & Personal package. Little Mix certainly did not disappoint and they performed all of their best songs including Wings, DNA, Salute, Move and they also performed new songs from their album including Black Magic, Love Me Like You, Secret Love Song and many more. I had the most incredible night and I remember leaving thinking that I wanted to see them again. Fortunately, earlier this year, Little Mix released their fourth album, Glory Days, and announced that they were touring in late 2017 and that they're doing three dates at Manchester Arena. I'm seeing the girls on October 20th and November 22nd next year and I couldn't be more excited to see them perform again. I've written a blogpost about Little Mix's Get Weird Tour, you can read it here.

APRIL

To be honest, I don't remember much from April as I think I was quite ill this month but I do remember going to the cinema and watching films like The Huntsman: Winter's War and 10 Cloverfield Lane, both of which were very good films (click the link to read my reviews). I remember when 10 Cloverfield Lane was released, I thought I wasn't going to watch it as I didn't think I would enjoy it, so I read the entire synopsis on IMDb (Internet Movie Database). However, a month later, Mum was dying to see it as she'd love the first film, Cloverfield, so I watched 10 Cloverfield Lane with her and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It was more of a thriller than a horror and focused on three characters. Despite knowing how the film was going to turn out, I was still on the edge of my seat especially during the climax. This is definitely one of the best films I've watched this year and is worth a watch if you like thrillers.

MAY

If you know me, you'll know that I love films. As you've probably guessed by this blogpost, I enjoy going to the cinema so I thought that I would get a Cineworld Unlimited Card which means, by paying a monthly fee, I can go to the cinema as many times as I want and get a 10% discount off all snacks and drinks. I think getting a Cineworld Unlimited Card is one of the best things I've done and I've seen so many amazing films this year. One of my favourite things about the Unlimited Card is that I get to see certain films at 'Unlimited Screenings' before they're officially released. If you're a film fan like me, I'd definitely recommend getting this card. One of the first films I watched was X-Men: Apocalypse which is the seventh film in the X-Men franchise and I loved it. Definitely one of the best films in the franchise.

JUNE

In April, one of my favourite YouTubers, Emma Blackery, announced that she was touring with Busted on their 'Pigs Can Fly' tour and I couldn't have been more happier for her as I know that, when she was a teenager, she was a huge fan of Busted. I didn't think I was going to go as I thought all the tickets for the Manchester date were sold out but, fortunately, Busted did an extra date on June 3rd and I managed to get myself a ticket near the stage. I was so happy that I was finally seeing Emma perform live after supporting her for over three years. Despite suffering from a cold, she didn't disappoint and was so full of energy. She performed her single, Sucks To Be You, which is from her EP of the same name, Look What You Made Me Do, which is from the same EP, and Perfect, which is one of her well-known songs as it's uplifting. Wheatus were also there supporting Busted and I danced and sung along to their classic song, Teenage Dirtbag. I really enjoyed watching Busted, I was surprised at how many of their songs I recognised considering that I was just a child when they first started out. My favourite of their songs are Year 3000 (who doesn't love that song?), Thunderbirds Are Go and Falling For You. Overall, I had a brilliant night seeing Emma Blackery, Wheatus and Busted. Another highlight of June would be when I went to Soccer Aid which is a charity football match featuring various celebrities and raises money for Unicef. I also saw Nadiya Hussain (who won The Great British Bake Off in 2015) who did a food demo at the Food Festival at the Lowry Outlet Mall and, despite the terrible weather, she was still really professional and served up some delicious treats whilst discussing her time on the competitive baking show.

JULY

In February 2015, I met Fleur De Force at her 'The Glam Guide' book signing at the Manchester Arndale. Fleur is a YouTuber and mainly uploads make-up tutorials and does beauty hauls. She was just as sweet as she is on YouTube and we discussed Twitter and got a picture together. I was so happy when, over a year later, Fleur published her second book, 'The Luxe Life', and was doing another book signing in Manchester. When I met her, I told her that I'd met her at her 'The Glam Guide' book signing and she said that she felt very nostalgic returning to the Arndale because she loves it here. She was very sweet and down to earth as always and I had an amazing time meeting her. Another highlight of July would be hearing Cher Lloyd's new song, Activated, as I've been a huge fan of Cher's since she was on The X Factor in 2010. 

AUGUST

The biggest highlight of August was meeting Vicky Pattison for a fourth time. It's weird to think that it was only in September 2014 that I began supporting her after meeting her at her 'Nothing But The Truth' book signing and, since then, she's achieved so much. Before I met her in 2014, she was best known for appearing in reality TV series, Geordie Shore, which is set in Newcastle. However, she left and released her first autobiography in late 2014. Now, two years later, she's become an author, TV presenter and she also has her own clothing range with HoneyzUK. Not only that but, in 2015, she won I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and became Queen of the Jungle. Earlier this year, she was a panelist on ITV daytime show, Loose Women, where a group of four women discuss the latest headlines and talk to a celebrity guest. Apart from Charlotte Crosby, Vicky is one of the most successful people to come from Geordie Shore. I had previously met Vicky earlier this year in March and I wasn't sure if I'd get a chance to meet her again. Fortunately, she announced that she was publishing her first lifestyle guide, 'The Real Me', and was doing a book signing at the Trafford Centre in Manchester. I was so happy and I loved meeting her. When she was on Geordie Shore, producers edited the show so that she was perceived as an angry bitch who got drunk a lot but that's far from who she is. Vicky was so friendly and spent the entire day making sure she met everyone in the queue. Despite having met her four times, I suddenly became starstruck when I met her and rambled on about how 'proud I am' of her and she was like 'aww thank you so much, it's because of people like you that keep me grounded' and we got selfies together. It was an amazing day that was made better by watching Finding Dory at the cinema later on. 

SEPTEMBER

The highlight of September is always going to be my birthday and, this year, I celebrated my 19th by watching Bridget Jones's Baby, which is the latest film in the Bridget Jones franchise and was hilarious. I then went home and got ready to go out for my birthday meal at Zizzi's which is a restaurant that serves Italian food. I'd previously been there for my auntie's birthday meal in May and I loved it. I got the spaghetti pomodoro which is my favourite thing to order there. Most people celebrate their 19th birthday by going out to clubs and drinking alcohol but, because I don't drink alcohol and don't have any friends, I spent the day with my family and I had a really lovely day. I also loved my cake, which you can see in the picture above, it was delicious. Earlier this month, on the 12th, I met Carrie Hope Fletcher at her 'On The Other Side' book event at The Glee Club in Birmingham and I had a great time. I'd previously met Carrie at her 'All I Know Now' book event in Manchester (read blogpost here) where she talked about her first book and answered questions from the audience. The event in Birmingham was very similar to the one in Manchester because she talked about her debut novel, 'On The Other Side', and then went on to answer questions from the audience. After a five minute break, Carrie came back and met all members of the audience. When it was my turn to meet her, I told her that I'd previously met her in Manchester the year before and she was like 'Wow, really?' and thanked me for coming to Birmingham. We did get a picture together on my phone but, unfortunately, I'd left the flash on so the picture didn't come out great. However, I was just happy to have met Carrie. I've written a blogpost about this amazing day, you can read it here. Throughout her talk and Q&A, I'd been filming her on my camera so had a lot of videos for me to watch back. The day after the event, Carrie tweeted asking if anyone had any videos from the event so I sent her one of my videos and she included it in her vlog on her YouTube channel and mentioned my name in the description. You can watch her video here and my video is from 1:18-1:54. I had the best time seeing Carrie and hearing her talk about 'On The Other Side' which is a great novel and I highly recommend it. 

OCTOBER

October was a great month for me. On the 24th, I met Emma Blackery at her first headline tour at Sound Control in Manchester. Since 2013, I've watched Emma's videos on YouTube and supported her music career. I remember when she released her 'Perfect' ep in November 2014 and I was so happy. I never got the chance to see her at one of her gigs until earlier this year in June. I was so happy and I really wanted to see her again. Fortunately, in October, she went on her first headline tour. I had a VIP Upgrade ticket which meant I could get early entry and meet and greet with Emma. This was my first time meeting her so it was weird seeing her in person after watching on YouTube for over three years. I was wearing her 'EB' top which I bought from the merchandise stand at the Busted tour and the first thing she said to me, after we hugged, was 'Nice top ;)' and I was like 'Yeah, I bought it when I saw you tour with Busted in June'. I couldn't believe I was talking to Emma. After talking to her, we posed for the picture, and, as you can probably tell by the picture, I was so happy. We then hugged again and I went on my way, feeling really happy. Because I got early entry, I managed to get to the barrier which meant I was close to the stage. From 9pm-10pm, Emma performed and she was incredible. I had the best night. I've written about this evening, you can read it here. Two days later, I saw Sarah Harding perform as Molly in 'Ghost: The Musical' at the Manchester Palace Theatre and I thought she was amazing. The musical is based on the 1990 film of the same name starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. The next day, I went to the Trafford Centre to watch the Christmas Light Switch-On. Reggie N' Bollie, who were runner ups on last years The X Factor, performed and Fleur East, who was a runner up on The X Factor in 2014, performed and turned the lights on. Fleur is best known for her number one single, 'Sax', which she performed. 

NOVEMBER

The biggest highlight from November would be Bonfire Night on the 5th and I celebrated by going to a local firework display. Obviously, because it's 'Bonfire Night', there was a bonfire and I stayed near there as it was a very cold evening and took lots of pictures and videos. At about 8pm, the firework display started and they were amazing. I love fireworks and think they always look stunning. After the display finished, I went home and spent the rest of Saturday evening with my family. Another highlight of November would be watching Arrival at a Cineworld Unlimited Screening. Arrival is a sci-fi starring Amy Adams and it was amazing, definitely one of the best films of this year. I also watched Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, which is another film that is set in the Wizarding World and is a part of the Harry Potter franchise. It stars Eddie Redmayne as the main character, Newt Scamader. I mentioned this film in my 'Five Things I'm Looking Forward To' blogpost in April and it was one of my highly anticipated films of this year. Fortunately, it didn't disappoint and it was just as good as the Harry Potter films. 

DECEMBER

Personally, December wasn't a great month for me which is a shame because everyone is supposed to be in the festive mood and preparing for Christmas. Unfortunately, at the beginning of this month, my cat, Tinkerbell (who I had for over ten years), lost control of her back legs and couldn't walk properly. After trying for four days, my Mum and I took her to the vets and they agreed that, because she couldn't control her bladder, it was best to let her go. This was truly heartbreaking to hear but I knew it was best for her. Tinkerbell passed away around 10am on December 5th. This day was incredibly difficult for me as I loved Tinkerbell as she loved being cuddled and stroked. Anyone who has a pet will know that you create a bond with them. I grew up with Tinkerbell and I remember when we first got her and I fell in love with her immediately. She was well looked after and had a long and happy life. Losing a pet is never easy but I know that deep down it was best for her as it wasn't fair to make her live her life suffering. It's better to die in peace than to live suffering. This month, we also lost the lives of George Michael, Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, all within a few days. They each all brought their unique talent to the world and were also the most kind-hearted people. George Michael, who was a homosexual, struggled a lot in the limelight, however, he remained strong. It's also been revealed that he donated money to those in need, including a woman in need of IVF treatment. Carrie Fisher, who is best known for portraying Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, struggled with growing up gracefully in Hollywood and suffered from bipolar disorder, which is a mental health. However, like George, she, too, remained strong. Unfortunately, just a day after her death, her mother, Debbie Reynolds died after having a stroke. Reynolds was also a Hollywood star in her own right, best known for appearing in the iconic 1952 musical, Singin' In The Rain. It's important that we remember them, not only for their unique talent, but who they were as a person. The main highlight for this month was, of course, Christmas. Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year as I get to spend time with my family and eat yummy roast dinner. I had a really good day and I feel very fortunate that I was able to spend the day with my loved ones.

Those were my highlights of this year. Thank you for reading, I do appreciate it. I hope 2016 was a good year for you, if not, I hope 2017 brings you happiness.

❤