Three Beautiful Beach Towns to Visit - Amy Rowley Lifestyle

During the last month I have had the pleasure of visiting some lovely little seaside towns in Essex and Suffolk. Each one has a beautiful picturesque town, gorgeous beach and they are all just lovely little towns that I would easily recommend for a day out. In fact they make a perfect Sunday trip out if I do say so myself. So grab your other half, best friend or family member and take them for a drive. 

Frinton - I have been visiting Frinton for years with family and friends. It's very near to where I live so perfect for an afternoon adventure. I always pick Frinton above the likes of Walton or Clacton, simply because it's so pretty. The green above the beach is the perfect location for a picnic, without the annoyance of getting sand in your sandwiches and you can even walk to Walton if you would like as they really are so close. 

They have some lovely little cafes and a yummy sweet shop too if you get a bit peckish. 

Aldeburgh - Now Aldeburgh has a lot of history for me. My grandma lived very nearby when I was younger so I am lucky to have some lovely childhood memories there. It is a gorgeous little town full of pretty shops and boutiques. They also have the best fish and chip shop too!

We decided to visit Aldeburgh for Mother's Day with my mum her partner and my brother. A proper little family day. 

The beach is all stones so although it may not be ideal for making a sandcastle, it makes for a lovely walk and great pictures. Oh and if like some your are good at skimming stones on the sea, your afternoon is sorted.

We wandered through the streets of Aldeburgh, taking in all the gorgeous little places and just enjoying the view. I took an abundance of pictures and managed to spend some quality time with my family, this doesn't happen very often so it was lovely to catch up. 

On the drive back we took a little pit stop at the gorgeous Snape Maltings shopping village and tea room. It has a beautiful selection of gift and home shops perfect for a little nosey and some interior inspiration if you need some. 

Southwold - A long bank holiday meant I had to visit somewhere new and I am so glad I did. Southwold is beautiful! A gorgeous little town, a stunning beach with the best beach huts and to top it off I have never seen so many gorgeous dogs and puppies wandering around. 

We went to a cute cafe called No.Fifty one for lunch which was super yummy and took a wander around the lovely shops. I made sure to buy some Adnams beer for my boyfriend as Southwold is famous for it and it's his favourite. 

If you don't mind going that little bit further, I couldn't recommend Southwold enough. I will definitely be returning in the summer and taking my boyfriend as he will love it too. 

My three current favourite seaside towns that you should take a trip to! Especially as the weather is getting warmer. I hope you enjoyed this little post and let me know if you take a trip to any of them, or even if you know of another lovely beach town. After all i'm always on the hunt for somewhere new to visit. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

Life update and being a busy bee - Amy Rowley Lifestyle

Over the last couple of weeks, life has just managed to get in the way every time I have wanted to pick up the laptop. It's been full of a whirlwind of events and I feel like my head is only just coming round to all these changes as we speak. So of course, this has meant a lack of posts, inspiration and just generally time to get together good or 'worth posting' content, for my blog and all social networking channels. 

With this is in mind, I thought I would write a little life update blog post, to catch every one up to speed but also to take certain things off my mind and maybe use it as a bit of a release. 

First things first I turned 23 at the beginning of the weekend, which is crazy as I only look around the age of 17 but also crazy because where are the years going!?! I swear it only seemed yesterday that I turned 21 or even 18. 

For those that wished me happy birthday, thank you! I had a beautiful weekend with my boyfriend in Cambridge, exploring, shopping and even going on a punt which was great fun! I was then spoiled to a cream tea on the Monday by my beautiful best friend and a week later I was treated to a day out in London with my mum. We went to see Dreamgirls at the west end and it was incredible! I definitely recommend. It's safe to say I was spoilt rotten and truly am a very lucky girl!! 

* The beautiful city of Cambridge *

* One of the best musical I have ever seen...Dream girls *

Just Before my birthday I managed to conker one of my biggest fears and I passed my driving test. A huge milestone for me and something I am still very much terrified of, haha. For those that know me, learning to drive was not an easy task for me due to my anxiety. For those that think this may seem silly, for me it is one of the biggest achievements of my lifetime so far. 

This week I bought my first car, a little Renault Clio which I have name Ruby *laughs* it is such a cute little ride, it's now just getting used to using it. I am working myself up in small little routes and outings, but it's safe to say i'm not going to be doing a road-trip anytime soon haha. 

As well as all the madness, I managed to receive a promotion at my current workplace. I haven't been there long and without a doubt it came as the biggest shock, but i'm so happy and I finally feel like I am on the road to doing what i'm meant to be doing. If you asked me a couple of months ago I was still so confused and lost but I am now very happy and looking forward to the next leap. Even though I won't lie its still a little scary and I have a long way to go. 

So, as you can imagine life has just managed to go a bit crazy and of course i'm now run down and suffering from a cold that just means I am living my days with constantly trapped sneezes!! *rolls eyes* I hope you all stick around, as I am trying to get back into the swing of things. Hopefully give me a week or two and the content will be back to the normal standard and consistent too.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend, im trying to conquer this cold and work on my driving skills....fun fun fun! 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

2016 in a nutshell and looking forward...

Holy moly, where did that year go? So much has happened in what feels like such a short amount of time, but its been a whole year without even knowing it. My life changed dramatically in 2016. For starters I moved out with my boyfriend into a flat together, and changed jobs very early on in the year. Since this point i made a whole new friend group from work, and got my confidence back to where it needed to be. At this point i decided i was finally going to bite the bullet and launch my blog, which believe me when i say, i had been thinking about for not even months but years. I could happily say it was the best thing i have done in a long long time, and it has sparked something in me that i had been lacking for a while. It was a focus, a goal, and somewhere i could spark my creativity and create something i loved. I will continue to focus and improve Amy Rowley Blogspot, for the foreseeable future and after getting a new camera for Christmas i am ready to bring better quality and better content to this blog in 2017. 

Some highlights of 2016, have to be my two little trips away to Portugal and Bruges later in the year. Both were great experiences,and i can't wait to think of where to visit next. Also later in the year, we took a quick trip to Centerparcs for a quality weekend with the family. Also a lovely little break and much needed to spend some time with the loved ones, something i plan on doing a lot more this year. Which moves me onto my next exciting thing that happened very recently. I will be starting a new job this month, which although is super scary and has me all stressed out (because that's just what i do), i can't wait to dig my teeth into something exciting, and learn a new career path that will hopefully be the path for me. It's also nice to say that my blog i feel was a great part to me being successful in this new move, so here's to the future and to my career being on the way to somewhere great. 

Last but not least its important to make a little mention to another big thing for me, which is starting up my driving again and making sure i see it through until i make it happen. I am determined to have no more breaks, and no more freak outs and get myself driving by the end of the year. Positivity is key and a few important people in my life have taught me that this year. 

So here's to 2017, i'm determined to make it even better then the last, and enjoy every moment even when things don't always go to plan. I hope you all had a lovely new years eve, i spent it with my loved ones, and am enjoying a couple of days off before the crazy new year really begins for me. 

Thanks for reading my lovelies x 

The Christmas tag, And Our first Christmas tree

So originally this post was meant to be all about our first Christmas tree, and a small decoration haul. However i thought i would mix it up a little bit and make it a bit more interesting for you guys by doing the christmas tag. Perfect if you are little nosey like me, or just love to talk Christmas. So lets get right into it shall we.

1. What is your favourite Christmas tradition? A lot of our family Christmas traditions have come and gone over the years, especially with age and getting older. However my favourite has to be, every Christmas eve evening, all gathering round the Christmas tree and picking a small present from under the tree to open early. Our mum most likely picked the presents she wanted us to open, and more often then not, there would be a theme. It was always something cute and fun, just to get us super excited for Christmas morning. I remember once me and my brother both getting Christmas pj's for Christmas eve, so that we were suited and booted for Christmas in the morning.

2. Where do you spend Christmas? I have always spent Christmas at home, or at my mum's. This year is no different even though i don't live at home anymore. It tends to be me, my brother, mum and anyone else who wants to join throughout the day. But i think its very important to spend Christmas day with your loved ones, no matter who or where they are. Plus i couldn't spend it without my little cat Fred, animals always make Christmas even more extra special.

3. What is your favourite Christmas song? Without a doubt it has to be 'All i want for Christmas' by Mariah Carey. Either that or the entire Christmas Michael Buble CD which i could easily listen to on repeat for hours.

4. Tinsel or Garland? Neither. When it comes to decorations, i am all about the lights and the baubles. I honestly hate tinsel and just think it looks cheap and nasty. My mum has definitely made me a Christmas decoration snob over the years *laughs* so i like them too look classy or cute.

5. Who are you most excited to see this Christmas? Fred. As i mentioned before i don't live at home anymore and i miss my little cat on a daily basis. Living in an apartment, means it just isn't ideal for pets, so any time spent with my little freddie is precious.

6. Do you own any Christmas jumpers? yes i do. I own one Christmas jumper from Asos a couple of years ago, and its super cute. Its quite subtle for a Christmas jumper, with little reindeer's on it. Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram for it (amyrowleyy), as i'm sure it will be on there soon.

7. What is the one Christmas food you cannot live without? This really is a hard one, as the food around this time of year is one of the best parts to Christmas. I think i will go with the classic tin of Quality street that without, It just wouldn't be Christmas. In particular the pink country fudge and gold toffee penny which are my absolute faves!

8. Peppermint or Gingerbread? Gingerbread. but only because of the scent. I don't actually like the taste of gingerbread, but when it comes to building a Gingerbread House i am the first to volunteer. I am also obsessed with the Gingerbread Zoella handcream, called hungry hands. It makes me want to eat my hands, its so yummy.

9. What have you asked for this Christmas? A camera. I really want to improve my photo quality on my blog and maybe even make videos eventually, so a camera is the only thing I want this christmas. Fingers crossed.

10. If you could be any christmas movie character, who would you be? oooooh this is a difficult one. I think i would choose to be the little girl in the polar express. I think i would make the best animated character, and they just get to go on such a magical adventure that i know i would enjoy.

So there you have it. My mini Christmas tag and a little insight into my Christmas time each year. Hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading my lovelies x