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