My First Driving Lesson..!

On The 17th of November 2015 I passed my Theory test on the first attempt, which i was highly surprised with, as i didn't know a single thing about driving or a car for that matter! I just sort of winged it and did a bit of  eenie-meenie-miney moh to answer the questions and I managed to get 39/40 meaning, I just got one question wrong! To be honest, I literally only sat the theory test because I had set a target at the beginning of 2015 that i would have my theory test complete by the end of the year, and generally, once I set an aim I do whatever it takes to achieve it.

Long story short, after having my licence for 10 months I finally contacted John Browne- Browne School of Driving. I have literally feared the day that I would be the one sitting behind the wheel of the car. I am the worst passenger ever, so I honestly thought I would be a nervous wreck behind the wheel.. My first lesson was for 11am this morning (25th of September) and when i told people to beware on the road, I was reassured  that it was safe enough as everyone would be at mass at that time, so I knew I was off to a good start. 

I literally didn't have a notion as to what to do once I sat behind the wheel of a car all I knew was I had to put on my safety belt,put the key in the hole and i this time i had to actually had to use the mirrors  to check for cars and not to use them to check if my make up was okay - after that I didn't have a clue.I'm not going to lie i spent from 9 o clock this morning googling - what pedals are in a car? how do you drive a manual car? and so on and so forth. As you can tell i really was putting my driving instructors life in my hands, but after stalling the car about 10 times and giving John a Minor case of whiplash I finally got into the swing of things and relaxed a small bit.

I had myself convinced this morning that all I would be doing was sitting in the one spot getting used to the pedals,gears mirrors, indicators,and the steering wheel but that's not what John had in mind for me as by 11:15am I was driving down the By pass in Cahir. I was thrown straight into the deep end which I was actually glad of as I didn't have time to over think anything I just had to take control- I suppose that's how everyone had to learn, I just felt that bit more vulnerable behind the wheel as i have an attention span of a 3 year old and I forget what I'm doing.

You're probably wondering what did I learn Today besides how to conk a car and give the passenger whiplash? Keep in mind that this was my first time EVER sitting behind the wheel so we had to start from scratch. First off I learned about the pedals -The clutch , brake and accelerator I learned what they're for, when to use each pedal, and what leg to use for each of the pedals-Which is alot to take something so simple but to anyone starting off it's vital to know!!We then mastered the gears, I used 1st,2nd,3rd and 4th gear and lastly I took on the challenge of going around a roundabout for my first time and guess what? I didn't cry and even better still I SURVIVED!

I am kicking myself that I didn't bite the bullet and make an appointment for a lesson straight away after i passed my theory test as afterall, it really wasn't as bad as i thought it would be.It's just like everything practice makes perfect. I have decided to document each lesson that I have with John over the next few weeks, so that ye can see how I'm getting on- and I can Gaurentee  you that It will be very interesting as the weeks progress as I'll be doing, hill starts,parking, and U-Turns. That's All For now but stay tuned as i have my second lesson this week. In the mean time if you're looking for a Driving Instructor you can contact John On 086-3733759 or Check out his facebook page right here--->Browne Driving School . 

Until Next Time.

Much Love,

Caoimhe x

21seconds is all it takes..

On the 17th of July I made a decision that basically changed my life all in the space of 21 seconds. You're probably wondering how my life changed in the space of 21 seconds so here it goes, As most of you will know by now June 2016 I attended James butlers blogger workshop in conjunction with frockadvisor and Galaxy Ireland which was amazing and I was grateful to be given that opportunity alone. When the workshop was coming to a close Sonya Lennon announced that there was a follow up competition that we could enter to become a frockadvisor Galaxy Style reporter for Dublin Fashion Festival 2016, this time all you had to do was record a short video which contained a small bit about yourself and why you would like to win. I was in two minds as to if I should record the video or not because I was convinced that people would judge me.

Sunday the 17th of July after I finished putting on my make-up I decided that I would bite the bullet and record a video as at the end of the day  I am the maker of my own destiny and  I wasn't going to leave the opportunity of a lifetime pass me by. I recorded 21 seconds of a video and submitted it to my Twitter account. On the 22nd of July Brendan Courtney Announced the winner of the competition and I was blown away that I was chosen, I was like a child on Christmas morning no joke! From that moment on everything started to fall into place for me, my blog was getting recognised all over the country I was been contacted by local shops and newspapers while also getting contacted by nationwide companies such as Oxendales who kindly sponsored all of my outfits for Dublin Fashion Festival and Louise Breslin Owner of Laveesha Jewellery who gifted me with some amazing jewellery. It has just been a crazy few weeks since the announcement.

It’s now Sunday the 17th of September 2 months since the exact day that I bit the bullet made the video.Dublin Fashion Festival has come to an end and I have had the most amazing week ever. I got to attend each and every event that took place throughout the festival and report live from each one I covered MFI fashion Show, Young designer of the year and also The creative quarter fashion show just to name a few, I also got to met some amazing people throughout the festival such as Glenda Gilson,Suzanne Jackson, Rosie Connolly and Joanne Larby who have been idols of mine for quite a while, so been at the same events as them was extremely overwhelming.

I have learned so much about the Media/ fashion industry over the past few weeks, keep in mind I didn’t go to college so I don’t have a degree in anything so basically  I was thrown head first in the deep end, I had to interview people, stop people on the street for street style looks and also I had to do on the spot  Video promo work for both frockadvisor and Galaxy which is something I thought I would never be able to do but suprisingly I loved every single minute of it and it was the best way to learn about the industry.

Not alone was it my first time doing anything of sort but also it was my first time properly away from home on my own. I had never stayed in a hotel on my own, never been on public transport on my own and never walked a street in Dublin on my own- I used to stay within in my comfort zone ! I am so glad that I was given the opporutunity to beome the reporter for Dublin Fashion Fetsival as if I hadn’t been given the opportunity I would still be stuck in my little comfort zone at home in Cahir Co.Tipperary. and I would have never been fortunate enough to get the opportunities I have gotten over the past few weeks. 

 All because I took 21 seconds out of my day to make the video I have now experience in the fashion/media industry, I have a slot on my local radio station very Tuesday afternoon with Owen Lonergan, I have written my very first article for Stellar magazine, I've been contacted by several companies to do collaborations and I have also been offered my very first job which is a real bonus.There is so much happening for me right now and I honestly couldn’t be more grateful. To be honest I haven't even had time to sit down and let it all sink in, its still so surreal I never ever thought that I would be where I am today so early in my career, and its just the beginning. I have another very exciting week ahead of me including  a trip to the ploughing with Tipp FM and a trip back up to Dublin to finalise something very exciting. That's all for now but stay tuned as I will be announcing what I'm up to in Dublin During the week.
Until Then.

Much Love,
Caoimhe x