11 Things I Loved About November

I find inspiration and blog ideas from others, and hope they don't mind too much! I saw at Claire's Comfy Corner, that she had been writing things she loved about each month - big or small. Because I loved this idea, I thought it would be nice to look for 11 things this month as it's the 11th month. Here is my list:

1. I moved to Ipswich

As you will know from previous posts, I had been living in the Isle of Wight for the last 7 months. The island was a very different way to what I was used to. I wasn't excited to move again, but feel more positive since moving here. I feel there is lots to look forward to.

2. I began volunteering again
I love volunteering and think everyone should do it at least once. You learn about yourself, help others and do something fun for a good cause! This month I started volunteering for a local hospice on the island. I am working to volunteer again.

3. I received more presents from my birthday
The great thing about my birthday being the end of month is it means I can decide when is best to celebrate. Because of Halloween, I sometimes organised things at the start of the month. Because all my friends live far away (insert sad face here), most of my presents were posted. I will discuss them in more detail as I love talking about birthdays and want to write something specific about it (yes, it will be VERY late).

4. I started to gather ideas for gifts I could get people for Christmas
It's hard to remember what I did for November (Christmas shopping-wise), but by the end of November, I usually have my entire shop done. Not this year! It started off well with me buying personalised gifts in September for friends. Then, I kinda waived. That being said, all my friends gifts were sent off by this Saturday. It's just a case of getting my parents and grandparents sorted! I've got little bits for each now.

5. Gilmore Girls started!

I was so excited for Gilmore Girls coming back, and have now watched all the episodes. I thought about reviewing it, but having read another blog that spilled it all, I didn't want to do the same for anyone else. I did write about my excitement and what I hope for the new episodes here. All I will say is, I believe the last four words make sense for the journey that the gilmore women have gone through. I believe it was just how I remembered - funny, quirky and full of characters you can't help but relate to. I won't say anymore. I feel anymore will spill it. For those who haven't seen Gilmore Girls, you can watch all the episodes from series one on Netflix. There are also the new episodes there too!

6. My dogs started to love me more!

It sounds daft, but I feel more connected to my dogs. They always got excited to see me, but now they expect me to kiss their heads or by their cheeks. It's funny. They love me walking them and generally making much more of a fuss.

7. Watched heaps of films

As you will know from reading my recent post, The film list, I LOVE films. New or old; I love them. I have watched heaps of films this month including: Bride of Chucky, Before Sunrise, Two for the Road, Brighton Rock, Big Lebowski and am sure there is much more!

8. Places visited

Truth be told, I've not seen that many new places. Far enough, I've moved to Ipswich, but it's been a case of getting used to what is nearby; testing bus routes, walking to see what's close-by and signing up to the doctors. It has been the normal dull stuff. I have enjoyed learning about all the shops that are close by, and happy that I live a 15minute bus journey from the shopping places. I've also seen a bit of a nearby town called Martlesham. I will keep you updated as I learn more on Ipswich and Suffolk. The picture above is one I took just by the shops. I thought the building looked beautiful!

9. Things I've learnt
I feel like I've really reflected on my life this month, and realised I need to stop being as hard on myself. Things happen, and sometimes you can't help it. I've found the last year I've beat myself up for not being as close to friends (when they haven't made the effort), not trying certain things, my weight gain and a lot of things that happen to people. I feel from being less hard on myself and accepting that things will never be 100% perfect, I've felt more relaxed and more motivated to try harder. I reflected on this in my moving post here.

10. The Blog
This month celebrated 4 months of writing for this blog, where I still have a lot to learn. I've done Blogtober, plan to do some of my Blogmas posts starting tomorrow and have even done my first collab post. Including this post, I've written 52 blog posts, set up a Facebook page in the past week (please like) and continue to learn how to promote my posts. Love to hear any tips from those who have been blogging longer!

11. I've made positive steps for a career in fundraising again
I love the blog, but want to be a Fundraiser and make a difference to charities. I feel it is where my heart is, I miss it when I'm not doing it and love that I might not be able to care for people but can make sure I raise funds for the best support a charity may offer. Hope that explains it in the best way. I hope by volunteering and getting into employment, something will come along again!

If you enjoyed the idea of this post, let me know as I will consider doing them for other month ends.

Gilmore Girls is FINALLY back!

You may know from my other blog posts how much I love Gilmore Girls, and with that I knew I had to write about it coming back. Due to the move, I've not managed to binge on the latest episodes (I've only seen the first episode of  A Year in the Life: Winter). Gutted! That being said, on the run-up I've been watching a lot of the old episodes and fell in love all over again. My Mum jokes that she thought it was finished. Oh how wrong she was!

I've also watched lots of clips on YouTube and know about the ending. The cliffhanger. The four words that leave you with more questions and wanting more. I was so upset to know the ending before seeing, so will not spill like I've seen some bloggers, Youtubers and fans already have. I was thinking of further reviewing the new episodes, but will see about that...I'm not good at keeping quiet!

This post will be my hopes for the upcoming episodes and my predictions:

Team Logan

When I left it originally, I was Team Jesse all the way. I disliked Dean a lot. He made her feel bad about herself. The way he dumped her when she didn't say "I love you" right away, the way she messed with her head after he said he still loved her despite being married and of course how he never challenged her. I also find it unrealistic to have someone falling for their first love; he live and move on. He has no ambition and has little in common with Rory.

Rory had been instantly attracted to Jesse; there is obvious chemistry and they share a love of books. They have grown a lot since they first started dating. They got on at an intellicental level, and made each other better in some way. Rory trusted Jesse, and became more interesting with him. I think he might have done as well without Rory's influence.

Initially, I found Logan spoilt, entitled and very different to Rory, but upon watching it again I have found that out of the three he is the most perfect for her. He was hard-working to make his own way in the world outside of his family riches, loved Rory and she loved him back. They met during university, and out of the three she was with him longest and from that I noticed they went through the most. He was instantly there when her grandfather had a heart attack, he saw her during her graduation, he supported her through falling out with her mother and quitting Yale (although brief) and most of all they made it through the brief long-distance. Therefore I hope they do make it back together. I feel Rory was right to refuse his proposal as she had more to achieve than just becoming Logan's wife. That being said, he has supported her through any decisions and I hope they make it.

Obama Campaign

I hope to hear how Rory got on during the following of the Obama elections, and the relationship there. I loved the clip with her and Michelle. Typical Rory with the books! It would have also been entertaining if it had been filmed after finding out that Trump is president. I know she was a big fan of Hilary Clinton after all. Remember, how she wanted to say she'd be the person she'd most like to eat with, when applying for university (or college).

As someone who wanted to go into journalism, I will adore hearing all the opportunities that came her way. Will she make it to New York Times?

Rory & Lorelai's lives

I've seen hints that Rory is out of work, and even starts working at Chilton. This would be an interesting one as this is where it all began. Stars Hollow is where we fell in love with the mother-daughter relationship, and it brings it all back now that Rory is coming back to the small town. I can't wait to see their antics, witty comebacks and fast-talking! Will Lorelai still be running the Dragonfly inn or does she have more ambitions in the eccentric town?

Lorelai & Luke

I always wanted the other Lorelai to marry Luke and have his babies. However I feel since we don't see this in the trailers and she's likely to be 48, the likelihood of children might be off. I'm still hopeful for the right wedding this time. Christopher was always unsure, immature and too spontaneous for Lorelai. Luke was always right for her. He argued, challenged her funny ways, loved her, appreciated her and always wanted what was best for her. He supported her where she needed, but never told her what to do. He helped with her crazy ways - when her car broke down, he made sure she got the same exact model (helping get it fixed), and organised the entire party for Rory leaving in the final episode. What more can be said? He's perfect! Who doesn't love a happy ending?

Sookie

Sookie is one of my favourite characters despite Lorelai and Rory of course. I can't wait to see how the kids have grown 7 years on (I can't remember how old the first one, Davy was, so wonder whether there will be a teen?) Anything with Sookie is always funny though. Especially her and Jackson arguing. I also hope she's still showing her passion for cooking, and can't wait to see what they named the youngest. Yes, I'm that sad!

Lane and Zac 

Oh how I loved that rock star couple so much! I hope they're settling into parenthood, and Lane hasn't given up on drumming. Are they still working in Luke's? I was gutted to see so many fans who disliked Zac for Lane; I thought he was perfect. He adored her and was always there, quirky and managed to find ways to relate her scary mother.

There is one mystery that eludes me though. Where is Lane's father? Did he die? They always mention it in the plural - parents, but never has he appeared. They have had many Korean family occasions, even her wedding and still to see him...

Taylor madness

Are Taylor's town meetings still crazy? No doubt. The comebacks of Taylor and Lorelai were well-worth it. I also love how he managed to encourage the townspeople to do things they totally disagreed with. Remember, when Jackson did his job for a while? Yeah, it didn't last long...

Kirk

What jobs is Kirk doing now? Has he married Lulu? I've seen him attend the traditional Friday night dinner, so can't wait to see the comedy at that one! I also like the hints of his advice column which have circled around on facebook pages. See below:

The "Gilmore Girls" 

So many good pictures for these 3!

Richard passes away like the actor did unfortunately. I loved him! The fiercely loyal and protective father, mentoring and supporting nature to Rory and the way he proved to be Emily's solemate. It will be interesting to see how Emily copes. I saw a clip where she gets a wall-sized picture of him, which made me chuckle. It sums up Emily's quirky character. Friday family dinners are still on too!

Stars Hollow

It's exciting to see what all the townspeople of Stars Hollow are up to, and what unusual events will be on! I honestly can't wait to get back to it.

To finish this post, here are a few screenshots of Gilmore Girls quizzes I've done (sad I know):

Always get different ones - had Sookie before!

Hope you enjoyed the post, and love to hear your comments especially if you like the show as much as me!

Still unsure whether to review the new episodes, when I've finished watching.