Alicia Keys! New York State of Mind is on constant replay in my head and I’m loving it.

NEW YORK! Concrete jungle where dreams are made of…

These streets will make you feel brand new..

Big lights will inspire you…

Lets here it for New York, New York, New York!

More often than not this week, I have been getting massive waves of those tummy flipping, anxious feelings. I’m assuming this is a mixture of many factors that, invited or not, decide to jump on the bandwagon with a life move like this. I’m devoted to turning these emotions in a positive direction and overall realize that along with the nerves creeping in it’s pure excitement!

AA! Double Trouble – Anticipation and Adrenaline are sitting nicely on the surface ledge of my ‘feelings’ and with only 4 weeks until operation New York kicks in they are more than welcome to hang around for the foreseeable future to keep me Alert and on my Toes!

This week has been an eventful fun one with Dublin City being a big draw, perhaps getting me ready for City Life! The city is full of energy, with all the Christmas Parties well and truly in full swing. The restaurants, streets, pubs and shops are all lifting with the Festive Spirit. The Westbury Hotel, Bar and Restaurant, Balfies, was buzzing on Friday evening. The mocktails, cocktails, wine and glamour were all out in force, so girls if your stuck, get yourself in there for a few colourful tasty drinks. The men were also full and plentiful with the place having a very New York kind of vibe! After having a light bite to eat there and a chat to a lovely mother and daughter who were up from the country enjoying the city, we took a short trip into Brown Thomas to browse and taste a few of the Laduree Macaroons on the Third Floor. Yummy, I recommend the chocolate one! From there we headed to Neary’s Bar just off Grafton Street, this pub is like entering one big sitting room, with big Chandeliers, it exudes an air of wealth and has an exciting chatty atmosphere. We ate in the lovely Trocadero Restaurant, lit up fabulously outside and inside the food did not disappoint, as always. We finished it all off chatting and having a few laughs with some men that were out on their Christmas party in The Old Stand. The Hairy Lemon was their next port of call but we decided to call it a night. Leaving the bright lights, big city in the rear view mirror, feeling fulfilled and happy!

It was great fun all round and having noticed a little of my confidence coming back from this the next day and knowing I want to step it up on the dating scene, I decided to revisit the old reliable, swiping left & right, dusty, unused in a while, app on my iPhone.

Welcome back Tinder!❤️

Years ago, the hype and excitement throughout a typical Irish week was the upcoming dance. The weekend arrived along with the talent of the Irish show-bands. Proudly show casing and blasting out their live music in the halls and hotels dotted around Ireland. The girls in their dresses and freshly curled hairstyles stood on one side of the room drinking lemonade (which was a big treat!) and the men all suited and booted, ready to show off their dance moves, with full peacock chests on the other side. Each man carefully choosing his dance partner, leaving the women the option to say ‘Yes or No thank you’, with no obligation. If she liked the look of him and agreed, the dance was good and the chemistry between the pair was there, they would let each other know the hall or hotel destination for the following weekend for another encounter and court. Ohhh so simple! The excitement of it all. To me this seems like it was a great way to figure it all out in a relaxed fun manner. Loving the old fashioned way of dating. It was so innocent and real. For starters, I say – Can we at least try bring back the slow sets!?

Fast forward to the year 2015 – Hello Internet Dating! Now we find ourselves navigating through the weeds and looking for ‘the one’. A budding flower that is ripe for the picking on your mobile computerized device. Dating has led to unconsciously swiping through pictures of singles available at the click of a button while sitting in the comfort of our own home. The days of the saying “he’s not going to come knocking on your door” are well and truly gone. He  will if you give him the address! haha! This is the era of dating today. It’s like ordering from a catalogue, choose it and pick it up but don’t forget to read the small print **If you are not happy with your purchase, please return to the shelf and try again later!**

Not one for the faint hearted by any means.

I pack me and a smile for a date. What you see is what you get, with a hint of shyness at the start. The men were not nervous asking the girls to dance on the other side of the room. They were willing them to say ‘Yes’. This should be no different, it’s just a different way!💋

So let’s give it a go.  It is time for me start to dance again!

I will keep you posted with any decent, worth talking about, dance lessons! Personally, I prefer the chatting in the bars but it’s time to keep moving with the times. Especially as New York is on the horizon and I’m excited to give it a go over there ~ Yay! I’m not feeling panicked or left on the shelf just yet haha! Quiet the opposite actually!

I stepped up to my previous gym challenge and have been actively going since my last blog. It has had a slight impact on my mental health and I have been rewarding myself with yummy desserts I believe I deserve because I am working out. This has possibly made me happier too but I’m afraid the bonus dessert idea needs to be knocked off 😀

It does my head in having to leave the computer to go live life and then having to leave living life to come back to the computer✨I’m going to learn to get some sort of happy medium. In NYC I plan to get a good system going, I don’t want you or me to miss a beat!

Pen&paper in my bag to take notes? The notes I noted are… Said pen&paper stay in bag while I live the moments ha, so I need another idea!🌟✍🏼

Hope you Enjoyed this Dance!

Love&Happiness…

Jennypennyxx💘