On Wednesday, I had a day off work. I planned to have a nice lie in before catching up with my blog and having a restful morning, but things never seem to work out the way I plan them.
I managed to sleep in… but was so tired that by the time I had showered and eaten breakfast, I had to rush to the hairdressers. After I’d had my hair done, I decided to pop into town to try to buy some new shoes to go with my new top and jeans. I don’t often wear heels, so I didn’t want to spend a lot, but I was quite specific about what I wanted. Fortunately, I managed to find exactly what I wanted and even better they were in the sale.
Next stop was the phone shop. I’ve been paying a ridiculous amount for my old phone that is out of contract, so I picked up a nice sparkly new phone 😀 I then treated myself to cauliflower cheese in Pret a Manger (* it’s a treat as I still don’t have an oven!) before rushing home.
Unfortunately, by the time I got back and hung up the laundry, it was time for me to get changed, so the blogging had to be postponed 😦 (I don’t think that Bloggers’ Lounge advises you to prioritise laundry over blogging, but I’m sure they appreciate people with clean clothes! On a serious note, if you are a blogger and want some really helpful advise, please visit the site as it has so many fantastic tips!)
Stu arrived home and we both got changed. I spent a while putting on my make up (a hateful task – I can’t believe so many people do it every day!) and then we set off.
I’d wanted to go by train, but there were rail replacement buses to Basingstoke, so we decided to drive there before getting the train to Waterloo. I spent the entire journey trying to get my new phone set up, but failed miserably, which is why I took so few photos on the night.
After arriving at Waterloo, Stu and I got the tube to Piccadilly and had a quick meal in Jamie’s Diner before heading to the Grace Bar. It was a moment of novelty for both of us when we were asked to produce ID – I can’t imagine it’s because we looked too young to enter the venue!
We were given a lovely glass of bubbles and then it was time to start mingling – aarrgghh! I love chatting to people when I know what we have in common, but I’m really bad at striking up conversations for the first time. I kept looking for a moment to start talking to someone, but suddenly felt completely tongue-tied, so I was relieved when we were asked to take out seats.
After a couple of minutes, I managed to strike up a conversation with the couple next to us – I think he was the blogger behind ‘Gadgety News’, but I’m so terrible at networking that I didn’t make a note :’-( [If you’re a blogger who introduces yourself to me, please do give me your card so that I don’t forget who you are!]
It was then onto the awards.
I suddenly realised just how nervous I was feeling when the Health and Fitness finalists were listed on screen:
Then the winner was announced – ME! I got up and tried to stride to the front of the room with confidence (whilst not falling over in my heels or flashing my new blue undies). I was so shocked that I was shaking.
Rebecca presented me with my trophy and then asked me if I wanted to say a few words – I can now think of a thousand things that I would like to say, but at the time nothing sprang to mind except fear, which is odd as I enjoy public speaking when I’m prepared – my ungracious response was, “No!” If I could change one moment of the evening, that would be it!
A few photographs were then taken and I sat back to enjoy the rest of the awards ceremony.
When I got back to my seat, I managed to take a single rubbish photo to share on Facebook before my phone died 😦
Since getting home, I’ve read some stats about the awards: “…we had over 750 entrants, and 10,000 votes (!!) and only 70 finalists…” OMG! There were 14 winners out of 750 nominees and I was one of them!
Afterwards it was time to mingle. I really enjoyed chatting to Liz O’Riordan who presented the award for best charity blog. Liz herself is a blogger (Breast Surgeon with Breast Cancer) and she’s also a triathlete, so we definitely had something in common. I really appreciate the fact that Liz came over and talked to me as I was feeling a little lost and she really made me feel more at ease.
Then I met Catherine (Not Dressed as Lamb) and Mirka (Fitness 4 Mamas). They both looked absolutely gorgeous and did make me think that I need to work on looking a bit more polished this year!
Next up Stu and I had a fantastic conversation with interior design blogger Doris Lee from Laidback Living. She was so funny and refreshing… and when I finally get onto home renovations, I’ll be taking some style advice from her blog (as a side note, I’m hoping that in a month’s time I’ll have a functioning kitchen, but I’ll be so broke that I’ll have no money for decorating and no time with triathlon training).
I also managed a few words with Natalie from Fit and Gluten Free, but didn’t manage to catch up with her again, which was a shame. Natalie has written a great blogpost about her day at the awards.
Finally it was time to leave. Each finalist was given an amazing bag packed with fantastic goodies from the sponsors:
I can’t wait to try everything and know that the Dryu bag will be particularly useful for me 🙂
So, all that remains for me to say in this post is
THANK YOU
without your votes, this would never have happened. It has been a completely amazing (and slightly overwhelming) experience for me and I’m truly grateful to everyone who voted for me.
Read the official post about the Bloggers’ Lounge Awards 2015.
Tags: #BLAwards2015, Bloggers' Lounge Awards, Health and Fitness
