So, I've been subscribed to The Applause Store for a good four years and I've just never used it properly. The Applause Store is a service that offers you tickets to go watch your favourite TV programmes live, for free! Amazing right? I've got email after email from them about tickets to TV shows - and I've kind of just ignored them? I don't know, I'm the unluckiest person ever and I never get or win anything so I've never even bothered applying for tickets to anywhere.

This all changed recently when I decided to on a whim apply for Britain's Got Talent tickets.


In Wetherspoons just after we got ID'd..

I saw the email in my inbox "Britain's Got Talent tickets - Liverpool!" and thought hey, why not? So I applied for four tickets to go to the Saturday 16th January 7:00pm showing.
Obviously I messaged the group chat and told my girlfriends to keep the date free, as a joke - just in case we got some! The girls thought it was hilarious...but how great would it be though?!

Anyway a few weeks later I checked my inbox again, totally forgetting I had even applied for them.

"Dear Bethany Hill,

You have now successfully received tickets to attend the recording of Britain's Got Talent Liverpool Judges Auditions 2016!"
I'll be honest - I burst out laughing when I saw it! I couldn't believe it!

When I print screened it and sent it to my friends we all thought it was hilarious and we were so excited! I feel like I've been watching Simon Cowell and Ant and Dec from being a child! I was so giddy and couldn't believe it. So when the day came to go and we got in Ellie's car we were all like children. We had the giggles, we bought loads of sweets and crisps for the journey and the time to get there just flew by.

When we got into Liverpool we had to find ourselves a place to park and then go collect our tickets. The email had said to get to the venue as early as possible as it was on a first come first serve scheme. Because so many people who apply for tickets and actually get them don't turn up - they actually over send out tickets to make sure the venue is full up. We set off at about 1 and got there at half past 2. So we were 4-5 hours early. (The first time I've ever been early for anything.)

Me and Amzon

When we got to the Empire Theatre there was a huge queue all round the back of the theatre..Not fun. We soon realised though that that was the queue for the 3 o'clock auditions and the actual place to go get our tickets was across from the venue. We found a little tent with Applause Store staff in, walked straight in and got our tickets - Row B. We googled this and realised we were 2 rows back from the judges. It's sad but I don't think I've ever been that excited in my life! Things like that never happen to me so I was so happy! The staff told us to come back at 8:30pm for the showing.

The excitement calmed itself down quickly though, as we had 5 hours to kill and it was seriously heavy raining! I wrapped a scarf around my head because I forgot my bloody umbrella! (You can't have everything..)

We ran into a Nandos, had some food,  did a bit of shopping and coffee drinking and then nipped into the Wetherspoons next door to the theatre for a pre-show G&T. It was absolutely heaving so we stood at a table, chatted, and topped up our makeup in time for the show. (We were 2 rows back from the judges, we needed to look fantabulous)

Walking into the theatre!

It came to 8:30 and we decided to go join the queue...not quite knowing just how long that queue would be. It was about 5 streets long, it was ridiculous! By the time we'd walked to the back everyone was going in anyway and we got in in about 5-10 minutes. When we found our seats we sat there and squealed for a good 10 minutes. I couldn't BELIEVE how close we were - I even Facetimed my mum. I'm not ashamed. I'm pretty sure Amy rang everyone she knows.

 

Bit excited Amz?

 

I'm not really supposed to write about anything I saw - as we weren't allowed to have our phones on or in our hands at any point during the filming. They were very adamant about this and said you would be kicked out if you filmed or photographed any of the acts!
However they let us keep them on for Ant and Dec saying hello and the judges walk on. (phew)

All I can say about them is that they were all so beautiful! Amanda and Alesha were absolutely tiny, and they were stunning. Simon and David were like little and large, and Simon was back to sporting his beard (which I'm quite fond of...I may have a bit of a crush.)

Honestly though, I was more starstruck by Ant and Dec than anyone else. They were just even more funny and adorable in person and I just love those little tinkers.

The show was great, if not a little random and the buzzers were SO loud my heart nearly stopped.
Bloody Simon.

The only downside to the day was that we had to leave before the last three acts as we were still in the theatre at 10 to 12 and the carpark was locked at 12! So we had to run out and get Ellie's car before it got held hostage. As we tried to sneak out David Walliams actually pointed at us and said "SIT BACK DOWN" in a jokey way and Alesha asked Ellie where we were going.

I'm glad we went early though as Ellie was driving home and it was snowy and icy on the roads and we had to make sure we got home safely. I was very proud of Ellie too as she was feeling quite anxious to drive home but she powered through and did it. We knew she could.

All in all it was one of the nicest days I've had in ages. Me and the girls are always so busy, with Amy still at uni in her last year and part time working, and the other three of us have full time jobs. It was just nice not to have to worry about anything and be together. To be honest it never matters where we are, when we're together we have the best time and laugh till we cry. I'm really grateful to have best friends that are pretty much my sisters. I love them very much!

My Applause Store experience was so great - especially to say it was free!

Quick tickets, quickly getting in to the theatre and the best seats I've ever had for anything!
I will definitely be looking out for tickets in the future!

Love,
Beth

As I wrote "Hello 2016!" I accidentally typed 2015. Not a good start.

Hello people! I've officially decided to start blogging again. Properly.

And not just saying I'm going to blog then not...I'm actually going to do it.

I realised reading through all my old posts (and deleting a lot of them) that I have always written blogs about negative issues.
 Maybe because I was in a bad place at the time, but now I'm in a very very good place!
 And it's time to write about my new life. My positive, happy, better life.

SO please bare with me for upcoming posts, I'm going to make a plan!

I will be writing about things I love...things I don't love. Places I go, people I see.
And I kind of just want to document my year and see how things change. I'm excited.

So without further ado..

Let's do this!

Love,
Beth

I've learnt a lot of things over the past few months. A-lot. God, things I couldn't even write down.

But the main lesson I've learnt is the complete difference between how men and women handle or deal with situations.
And I've come to the conclusion that most women feel things a whole lot deeper than men.
 I dunno, that's just what I've witnessed.

 (Maybe i'm just associating with the wrong type of men...maybe or definitely.)

I can't even begin to understand how men find it so easy to be a certain way, without any feelings or urges pushing through and getting in the way.

How is it that some men can just forget about the feelings, and just do it?
 

God, as a woman all i do is feel things! So intensely it drives me insane.
 My emotions are literally uncontrollable, I can't just push them aside and pretend they don't exist, and i can't stop myself from feeling anything because it just happens without any way to stop it.
But men just seem to have this switch that they can turn off so they don't have to feel anything. They're just very logical about their actions and don't seem to think or feel with their heart.

 Maybe that sounds a bit dramatic or cliché but it's true to me.

It's not just from situations that have happened to me...it's what I've seen from friends and family. How males are always in charge of a situation, and women end up being the victim of their own feelings, and are made to feel weak or pathetic or OTT.
Okay...maybe I am a bit weak and pathetic and OTT, but I'm kind of proud of that because I am proud to admit that I feel things!
Very deeply and powerfully. And maybe that makes me go a bit insane sometimes..
but I'd rather feel a whole bunch of shitty feelings than nothing at all.

I just wish that men were the same! I wish situations weren't one sided.
 I wish I could talk to people about these things too!

But like I said...maybe I'm just socializing with the wrong kind of men.

Sounds about right.

This whole blog post sounds like i'm just talking to myself..but I know what I mean!
Do you?

I've had quite a bit of experience with the dreaded 'psycho ex-girlfriend' and I still to this second do not get it. I decided to take a bash at ranting about this topic because it seems to be effecting quite a few people I know.

Ex's are obviously ex's for a reason. Whether it was a mutual decision, they broke it off with you, or you decided to move on with your life and break it off yourself. Why ever and whenever it happened, there was most definitely a reason behind it. After all, we don't just break up with people we care about for no reason right?Now..at what point after this relationship do some girls decide to be a total bitch to their ex? I don't really understand this fascination with an ex's life. My ex boyfriend and I are on great terms despite everything we went through together. I decided to end the relationship due to it just not working any more, and after a few weeks of childish bitterness towards each other (because the initial break up is never nice) we decided to suck it up and move on. Because no good can come from dwelling on the past. It seems that me and my ex don't really have anything to do with each other anymore, but if we see eachother we're civil, and we're both extremely happy for eachother with our new partners.However some girls choose to not take this mature route of growing up and moving on..No, it seems some people enjoy still trying to involve themselves in their ex's life. One way or another. Whether it is to sabotage their current relationship, or just make their life a living hell - they try their best to work their way back in.

I just do not understand this. Why, if you know you and this person are no longer compatible, and this person is now in a relationship with someone new (and can i add are extremely happy) do you insist on involving yourself?The first reason that springs to mind is an obvious one. Jealousy.

I understand that you may be jealous of your ex in a new relationship. C'mon we've all been there when it drives you crazy to see this person you spent so much of your time with doing the exact same thing with another person. Checking their facebook wall and/or tweets (admit it, you've done it!) and anytime you see these two together it makes your heart sink into your stomach. I know how this feels ladies, and I know it is a horrible thing. However!
 I'm sorry but at some point you have to suck it up and move on with your life.

You dwelling about your ex's fantastic new relationship is just putting you down, and however much you might try to cover this up..("Wooo i love being single, would hate to be with my ex again what was i thinking?" "Eurgh I'm so glad i have something better to talk about than my boyfriend...") commenting on people's love live's like that is just making your insecurity shine brighter than ever. I don't get why you'd want to broadcast this to people.

It can be hard moving on with your life, especially when you've spent so much time with this person. Maybe they were your first love? I get that it's hard to forget those feelings because I've been in this exact position. But at what point do you say to yourself "move on with your life."? As soon as possible I think, before you start turning into that dreaded psycho ex girlfriend.