These are a few of my favourite things...

Posted: 14/02/12

As it’s Valentine’s Day and the theme is ‘love’ I though I’d share with you some of the things I love.  

My Family

I could not function without my family, I know it’s cliché, but they are my rock. My Mum, Dad and brother are my everything.  I’ve had lots of highs and lots of lows in my life and they’ve stuck by me. I always say this saying about a limo and a bus. The people who really care will ride the bus with you when the limo has broken down.  Well, the poor Avils have been stuck on the Hollie bus for a fair few months now. However, we’re happy as larry on the bus. In fact, my family is so cool, we chill on the back seats of the bus.

Peanut Butter

Oh peanut butter is a big love of mine. Gosh I love who ever invented it. You’ll generally find me curled up on the sofa in the evening time with my pot of peanut butter (that sounds a bit sad!!).

‘Happiness’ by Alexis Jordon

Okay, I know it’s not a classic song and I know most people think it’s a bit cheesy, but this song is my favourite song and I’m not afraid to admit it! I’ve learnt over the years that happiness is the most important thing, and this song reminds me that every time I hear it. If you’re not happy, you have to change something. Sometimes the hardest thing is admitting to yourself that you’re not happy. Often we are afraid to stand up and make change, but trust me, you have to stand up and do something if you’re not happy. In the end, we only live once and life’s too short to me miserable.

Shopping

Those who follow my twitter will know that I am a huge fan of shopping! Although, since being in Australia, I haven’t been shopping much (shock horror!). I think it’s something to do with my 30+ hours a week of training. I think I’d fall asleep in the changing rooms. I have two favourite places to shop in the world, one is London and the other is Bicester Village. I’ll be gagging for a Bicester Village trip by the time I get back to the UK in May.

Travelling

I feel very lucky that I get to travel the world with my job. I have been to so many amazing places over the years!  I love exploring new cultures and cities. From trying new food to sight seeing, I love being a keen bean tourist! I always say ‘When in Rome’. In my end of season break, I always max it out by going away to somewhere different. Last break I went to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I loved both places, so much culture and so many things to visit. The shopping is also amazing.!

Long rides in the sun

I love my Boardman bike (I call her Belle) and I love long miles in the sunshine. When it’s a nice day, I can keep going and going and going. The chat has to be good though and there has to be at least one coffee stop!

Philosophy

If I could go back in time, I would have chosen to study philosophy at University. Philosophy was my passion at A Level and the only reason I didn’t choose to study it was because they didn’t offer a philosophy course at Loughborough University. My favourite philosopher was Plato, I could go on and on about his cave theory for hours (a good topic for a long ride!!). I miss my philosophical debates. I think I’ll go back to studying Philosophy one day.

My Squad

I feel so lucky to be part of such a fantastic training group. My coach, Michelle Dillon, is beyond amazing too! In our squad, there’s no queen or king bee, everyone is equal! There’s no sheep in our squad either. We all support each other through the highs and lows, it’s like a little family! We have a laugh in and around training, but we also work flipping hard too! Team Dillon rocks!

Forest Gump

This is my favourite film and I could watch it over and over again. It just gets me so motivated and I love the story. If you haven’t seen it – it’s a must see!  Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.

Well there you go. I could write lots of other things, but I have a hot valentine’s date to go to… I wish!!