Well we're another month into the year, and its time for me to set some new goals for the month. In my New Year post, I said that goals don't ned to be just for the New Year. Nope, you can make them any time of the year, which is why I've started preparing weekly and monthly goals for myself. 

Its the feature of everyone's blogs at the moment, so really why should I be any different? Its a new year and that means a new batch of resolutions. On Hogmanay I wrote about how I felt I'd done with my 2015 resolutions, so taking that on board and seeing where I could improve again, here are my 2016 ones.

1. Take all opportunities head on - don't hesitate and over think. 
   This one should be applied not only at the start of a new year, but is something that I really want to tackle this year. Over 2015 I found myself getting more and more confident, so this year why not take that confidence to meet new people, experience new things and challenge myself.
2. Post at least once a week
   I love my blog and I want to see it grow more. So here's my commitment to try to  post every week. I'm going to get some more diversity into Under The Scottish Rain and hopefully appeal to many more of you lovely lot! And here's your opportunity to let me know what you want to see here. I'd love to have some suggestions or inspiration for these next 52 (at least) posts!
3. Post daily on Instagram
   If you haven't already noticed, I've been trying to up my instagram game. When I looked at my 'best nine' of the year I discovered that I'd posted approx 150 posts in a whole year. So I'm making a promise to get a snap up every day. Whether this happens or not is another thing, but I do have the ambition to!
4. Get active
   For second year I joined the University's gym. After an expensive summer away, and lots of valuables to replace, I decided to pinch my pennies and save them for more essential things - like food or bills. But I then found this semester that I have done nothing. So I've found a wee work out routine that I want to do at least 3 times a week, to help me get healthy again and to make me feel more energised. 
5. Sell myself
   You've possibly seen on my instagram or twitter that I've been accepted as Student Life's newest writer. As I said in point 1, I want to push myself and expand my horizons, so when I saw an advert for a writer on this brill website I took the bull by the horns. I want to try and branch out this year and to do that I need to sell myself to get these opportunities.
   On top of this, I'm planning to try and get involved in more degree related things. That means I'll be boasting about what experience I do have and trying to wangle myself into new positions that will help me later in life.
6. Vlog?
   Another that follows on from point 1 and 5, I want to try something new. And since I've become quite comfortable with Under The Scottish Rain, I want to go into yet another social branch and see where this can take me. I'm yet to make a channel, but after attempting to vlog for vlogmas and actually managing that but failing to edit and upload, I figured that I should ease myself slowly into it. So I'm not promising weekly or even monthly, but I'm planning to vlog any exciting days I have (not that I have many planned) as well as my whole summer abroad. SO watch this place! 

Today, for blogmas, I thought I'd share a little bit behind the reasons I started this wee blog. Under The Scottish Rain was started almost two years ago. Through that time, I've found myself creating new friendships, experiencing new things and challenging myself.

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It was a big decision to make a blog. In fact I originally wanted to make a youtube channel so I could chat away to a camera - but luckily I didn't, as I'm finding out through my failed attempt at Vlogmas that editing and even just talking to a camera isn't as easy as all those youtubers make it look. Saying that, blogging isn't an easy ride either and finding the motivation, time and inspiration to post can be quite difficult. I've gone through dry patches when I've not known what to even blog about, and worried that people were judging what I wrote.

Do I still get embarrassed about this hobby? Yes. Should I? No. And yet I find myself worrying when a post hasn't done as well as my others or what people will think of the posts where I've tried to experiment. I suppose it's only natural to compare yourself with other people, and in some respect it does encourage me to create better content. What I'm most worried about with this blog is the fact real life people that I know might judge it. It's one thing for internet people to judge it, but I don't know them. I can't see their faces or imagine their voice, because I don't know them. One of the hardest things I did this year was share my blog on my facebook for all my acquaintances and friends to see it. The reaction wasn't what I hoped for - and although I'm proud of my content and following, I didn't get any type of reaction from some people I call my friends. I don't know why this bothered me, but it did. Some people have been quick to make comments on a drunken night to my face - so its no wonder that I felt self conscious. At least the people that count in my life have been nice about this right? So why do I still feel the need to gain approval from these people that I'll never see again, or make no effort to stay in touch with? I guess its just in my nature. But I continue to blog because I've started to realise that although its right to see what other people think, its not the be all and end all. I blog to make me happy - so why bother with what other people think.

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The main reason I made this blog was to connect with others like me. And I am so thankful I have continued to blog. Its so lovely to chat to people on twitter about our shared interest, and even better to meet them in person. When I began this blog, I was homesick. I was struggling with the huge change of uni life and looking for a distraction from the tears. A few years on, and university isn't a huge hurdle that I couldn't lift my leg over any more. I've been taking everything in my stride this year, and want my blog to reflect that change in my person. So writing some personal posts about how university is coming along, or even writing some advice for those dealing with the same problems I did, helps me and shows me how far I've come along. I've always treated this blog as an online and not very private diary. It's a perfect keepsake to look back on in years to come and see what I did through my uni years, and hopefully further.

I've always called this an 'everything' blog. As recent as last month when I was asked what I liked to post about, people are always baffled when I say everything. But why shouldn't I write about it all! I like nothing more than to read a blog that dabbles in bits here and bits there, so I don't want to restrict myself to a specific genre. I always said when I created this blog - no way am I fashionable enough to do OOTDs and yet this year I've started posting some, because its not about the clothes I wear but the confidence I have wearing them.

I think I can sum this post up to say I blog to blog. And all the benefits that come with it.  And I want to continue to blog for as long as I can and to see where I go. I wanted to take part in blogmas this year, partly because I actually have the time, but mainly because I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to see what posts I could create, if I could get one up everyday to rise to this challenge then I'll be so proud of myself. So far this is my 9th, so it's going well ( I don't want to jinx it) but I'm finding it really fun to think of different things to share. That's why I'm not strictly sticking to a christmas theme, although most of the posts have that element to it. And I'm quite surprised that I've shared so much in this one post, which is why its going up as soon as I post it! But as I've said, that's why I blog. And if I can look back at this in years to come, or even let my kids see it then I'll be super happy and super proud.

I'd love to know why you blog too? Please share in the comments what you think, as I'd love to know if you agree with any of my points, or if you too feel self conscious at times. Also I'd just really like to connect with more bloggers, because this community is pretty fab.

Blogmas Day 1 - The Christmas Tag
Blogmas Day 2 - Edinburgh's Christmas Market
Blogmas Day 3 - My Top Five Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 4 - Foodie Friday At Peter's Yard
Blogmas Day 5 - Managing University
Blogmas Day 6 - Winter Scarf Wishlist
Blogmas Day 7 - My Favourite Christmas Songs
Blogmas Day 8 - Preparing For Exams

Love,
Emily
xxx

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OH how time flies! I think I speak for everyone when I say, how are we in 2015 already!

Personally, I'm not a great lover of the New Year. I love the build up to Christmas and Christmas itself, but the few days after all the left overs are eaten and everyone waits in anticipation for the clock to strike 12 midnight on the 31st of December, I feel quite sad that literally the most wonderful time of the year has come to a close.

I'm also not a huge fan of New Years Resolutions... I can never keep them, nor do I genuinely try- they are more token efforts of "I want to get fit and healthy" which is a common occurrence on resolution lists, or its something like "try my hardest in this set of exams, which I would do whether I made a note of it in January or not.

In my last post I made a little list of things that I did last year (shameless plug for you to check that one out here) which did actually start me thinking about what's to come in 2015. Which, coincidentally, is what I thought I'd share on this post.

Travels

I've already got some things booked and in the pipeline. First of which is a trip down to Manchester with my sister Eleanor in June. YES as lame and 'obsessed' as it is, we're going down so that we can see one of our favourite bands- 5 Seconds of Summer- play at the MEN arena. So why not make it a few days long to include a bit of exploring?! And it would be rude travelling all the way to England without making a 2 hour trip to see our brother in Herefordshire. What started out as a harmless trip to Manchester to see a band (which we did a couple of years ago for One Direction) has turned into a somewhat expensive week long trip involving flights, trains, hotels and buses, but will be SO much fun.

Because this trip wasn't planned until fairly recently, Eleanor and I had already decided and in excitement booked a week holiday together in August to the infamous Magaluf. Now I have no idea how this trip will go and if it will be a success or not as a destination for two sisters like us, but I loved the girls holiday I went on last year to Kavos, so we decided to bite the bullet and give it our best shot.

The majority of my summer holiday will be taken up with an archaeology dig, which I am super excited about. As you'll most likely know, I am a HUGE archaeology geek. Since I plan on taking the field archaeology course in my 4th year, I need to complete a combined total of 13 weeks of excavations, which equates to 5 weeks this summer. When I start semester two, I'll have a better idea of where I'll be jetting off to, but if all goes to plan then I'll be digging under the hot sun and definitely not packing any waterproofs this year! My dig last year to Chester were the best 3 weeks ever, so I can't wait to spend longer on another excavation.

My Blog

What's the plan with Under The Scottish Rain then? Well, I started this little project off last February, so its almost been a year that I've been writing my nonsense and you have had the opportunity to sneak a peak into my brain. I have seen the quality of my posts improve SO much, especially having time over summer to develop my writing style and produce better photos as well as reviews and stories. With that I've also noticed my follower count and audience have increased; I've reached over 600 followers on Bloglovin and people are regularly viewing from as far as Australia, Sri Lanka and China, to closer to home like France, the Netherlands and Germany. Its crazy  and I'm SO thankful.

This year my plan is to get into a more regular posting schedule, and organise my time a little better. I'd like to include more product reviews (especially of those I got from santa) as well as some lifestyle posts, like recipes and maybe a few student tips. But like last year, I'll just post freely and continue to enjoy this little hobby - what I want and when I want. I wouldn't say I have a big goal for this year- follower wise it would be great to achieve the big one thousand followers- but that has to be earned, so I'll continue to post and hope that you all enjoy it.

My Life

This year I feel its time for my to get my first part time job- it would be nice to have a little more dosh for all the trips I've planned, and I feel like 19 is the right time. What I can't believe about 2015, is that this year I will turn 20. I always imagine 20 year olds to be so mature and with a plan for their life. Me? I'll be in my third year at university this time next year, hopefully feeling fully settled in with it and coping with entering my honours year. My biggest goal for uni is to feel fully happy- I still feel so young and have to occasionally call my mum to coach me through lots of deadlines. If I can manage myself better this year then I will be one happy bunny.

What are you plans for 2015? Anything exciting in the pipeline? Let me know in the comments!

Love,
Emily
xxx

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As some may have noticed, I haven't been posting much in these last two weeks. I just had my Easter holiday away from uni, and that's when there was a flourish of posts about things going on, and my blog became a hive of activity. Just this last week though, I've been brought down to earth with an almighty drop, and had to realise that I can't keep going out for day trips and spending time writing up posts when I have exams coming up soon.

So I've had to put this on the back burner and focus on revision, and because I've been inside revising, I haven't had many things to blog about.

I felt the need to do a little post just to say, to those of you who have followed my and read when I update, that although things seem slow, it's not going to be like this for long. I do intend on getting back to multiple posts a week, but my exams ultimately have to come first .

I have my last exam on the 16th of May then I am officially on holiday! So as of then, you can expect very regular posts, as I have 2 weeks in Edinburgh in which I intend to explore the city properly, then months doing goodness knows what! And I'll blog about my holiday to England, when it comes, as well as a 3 week excavation that I'm going on, and other random thoughts and things..
So if you think that my blog is becoming dry, please don't give up! 2 weeks on Friday and it will become lively and I plan to put a lot of work into it and getting it better..

So thanks for baring with me through this!
Much love,
Emily
xxx