Thursday, 10 July 2014

Three years on...


I can’t quite believe that it’s been three years without my brother and I can’t really say how this time has gone. I can still barely believe he’s not around, but the space gets harder to ignore.  And with that comes the ability to learn to live with it, I suppose.

Anyway, it has been bugging me that another year is rolling round and I haven’t completed my challenge. Once I got thinking, I realised, I probably have… with a little extra push this week I’ve made it all the way to… 51. So so close…

Go to Japan: crazy, crazy place, and I loved every minute of it. And of course, it brought with it some more firsts that could only happen in Japan…

Akihabara in Tokyo... crazy, crazy place

Visit a Maid Café: awkward… but an experience (if you don't know what a maid cafe is, Wikipedia has some answers for you). 

Sunday, 8 December 2013

A (more than) quarterly update…


Four months, a third of a year, much too long to leave a blog un-updated…

During that time, the second anniversary of my brother’s death has come and gone, and with it the deadline to complete my 52 Firsts. It become quite apparent, as July 12 edged closer, that I was not going to fit everything in. But it didn’t bother me too much, I thought I would just carry on going until I got to 52, no matter how long it took me.

On the 14 July 2013, I ran my 10k. Well, I ran most of it and walked a few 100m. The weather was blazing hot and my knee started twinging somewhere just after the 5k mark but I still managed to complete it in the respectable time of 1 hour, 2 mins and 38 secs. Not quite within the hour I had wanted but still not bad for a first attempt.


After it was all over, I felt a massive amount of relief and pride. But then this soon gave way to a feeling of emptiness. It took quite a few weeks of reflection for me to actually pick myself up again and start living life with a positive focus, rather than just seeing the depressing side to everything.

But I am well and truly there now. Life is a positive experience and there is so much you can take from just living your day to day life. 

So that is probably the biggest thing that has happened to me in the last few months. But here is an update on what else has been going on…

Me with my medal after completeing the 10k
I was the third highest fundraiser for CALM in the London 10k – I cannot say thank you enough to everybody that sponsored me and supported me (it was amazing to have my family there cheering me on). And, despite raising over £1000 for CALM, I was still surprised when I got a letter personally thanking me for my efforts, along with a voucher for cocktails for me and five friends as a thank you. I think I can safely cross the ‘Do something big…’ first off of my list.

Thursday, 11 July 2013

Thank you all for the sponsorship!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and sponsored me so far for my run... just a few days left now. I'm very excited about it! It's part of what is keeping me going through the next day, which is going to be a difficult one, as the second anniversary since my brother's death. 

I've had a really good response to this story on the Ipswich Star website. So thank you to everybody for that too. 

For anybody who needs a little bit more convincing about the pain I'm going through training for this, here's a little peek at the bruise I got from the physio last week.

I am a little bit proud of this bruise. 

Tuesday, 25 June 2013

An Explosion of Firsts... A Poem


I know it has been a while since I last updated this blog. And even longer since I last updated my list of Firsts. But in the last few weeks, there has been a 'First explosion' in my life that I thought I would share with you… in poetry form.

Here goes…

Monday, 13 May 2013

Writer's Block...


Well it’s been a while.

I’ve been finding it tough to keep motivated with the blog recently and I’ve been wondering why. There have been times where I could have sat down and penned an entry but I have just not felt up to it. Plus, I’ve got out of the habit of actually doing the Firsts.

Writer's Block?
By Pi Guy 31415 via Wiki Commons

There are a few reasons why I think I’ve been more reluctant to write...

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

Try a Regional Delicacy...

For this First, I went all out on a trip to Scotland. I shall let the pictures do the talking...

Haggis. Technically not a first, but definitely not
something you eat outside of Scotland...
Loved the Islay Single Malt Scotch. Despite being told repeatedly
how 'unusual' it was for a lady to choose the smokey ones...
Cranachan. A proper dessert. 
Deep Fried Mars Bar. Yes, this picture
does a lot of talking...

Sunday, 17 March 2013

JustGiving Page Up and Running!

My JustGiving Page for my London 10k run is now ready to roll! 

To sponsor me, please visit www.justgiving.com/EmmaDavis10kRun or text EMDA52 + amount in pounds you want to donate to 70700 (eg. EMADA52 £5).

I'm very passionate about supporting CALM. They are a national, who run a helpline and website to offer immediate assistance to men who are down or facing a crisis. They also work to challenge the culture that prevents men from seeking help when they need it and to challenge stereotypes that prevent men from talking about the issues they face. To find out more about CALM and the work they do, visit their website

My target of £500 would help to run the phone line for just one day. One day that could make a massive difference to many, many people’s lives. As I have witnessed, it is not just the lives of these young men that CALM is helping to save, but also the devastation and heartache of every person that knows and loves them.

Go on. You know you'll forget to do it later, so click through now to sponsor me.

Last year's 10k runners for CALM.
Looking forward to getting my snazzy vest!