Charlotte….Happy and healthy. At least above all else that’s what everyone wants right?. Career wise at five years of age I had big dreams to become the owner of a generously stocked sweet shop. I remember being consumed by thoughts of large jars filled with strawberry laces and sugar-coated cola bottles. By aged eight it was a professional dancer and this continued right up until my late teens with occasional deviation in favour of choreography and directing sequin embellished shows in the West End.

In reality, having temporarily stopped dance training in favour of concentrating on my A-levels and then subsequently dropping out of University after 3 weeks (not big and certainly not clever) I was left in a rather unexpected state of limbo.

So I started temping, and caught the earn-your-own-money work bug. And actually, looking back I didn’t really care all that much what industry I was climbing the ladder in, just that I climbed it as fast as I could. I bought my first house at 21 and although as a result I couldn’t afford much else for a good few years, I loved it, thread bare burgundy carpet and all. It was the sense of independence I guess, the fact I had something of my very own.

Some years later the combination of suffering from travel burn out from the management of UK wide client relationships for a software company and re-discovering all of my creative desires from planning W-day, it was definitely time to re-evaluate. And actually what I really really wanted wasn’t that different from when I was five years old…..again, I wanted something of my very own.

I have always written. A diary. Poems. Short stories….slightly longer stories. As I type this I actually have another document open at the same time where I am furiously recording all of the thoughts and ideas that have been occupying my brain space all weekend. I never stop.

To be the founder of a wedding blog certainly didn’t feature on my great life plan. But I’m not in any way complaining….sometimes these things are just meant to be. And I hope to continue to keep writing and designing and creating new concepts for as long as I am physically and mentally able. It makes me happy.

So then lovelies, what did you want to be? Has your mind changed over the years? Are you living the dream or well on your way to getting there? After reading all about Jenny, Naomi and Vix’s journeys of self-discovery please do share your thoughts in the comments box below.

Jenny: I can honestly say all I have ever wanted to be was a Mum.

I had Cabbage Patch dolls, and real life dolls, and toy car seats, and I even used to wake up in the middle of the night to go and give my dolly her bottle! I loved playing with my dolly (called Dolly, imaginative much?) so much that I persuaded my friend next door Ian (a boy) to play Families with me, so much so that his Mum even went and bought him a dolly. And his dolly was called Stephen. Ian and I even got married, and Dolly and Stephen were both present (as were the Wombles, my Gloworm, and a large stuffed donkey from Fuengirola). I think we must have been about 4 years old, and I found photographic evidence of the wedding when clearing my Mums house out a few years ago! I think I was about 11 years old when I finally put my dollies up in the loft.

I went through a phase of wanting to be on stage, dancing and singing in the West End. Then I went and got a crappy job in a crappy office for a crappy company, and I lived for the weekend.

Then my twenties flew by and now in my thirties I am finally living the dream. I am a Mum, of the most gorgeous one year old I have ever laid eyes on, and the fact I am currently growing our second baby just fills me with happiness, because although my children don’t define me, being a Mum is the best thing that I have ever done.

Naomi: Way back when, my Mum came to collect four year old me from nursery. As she rocked up and I bounced out the doors, probably wearing a matching yellow top and trouser suit that was covered in images of chickens with bonnets on (this was my fave), the nursery teacher asked me to tell my Mum what we had talked about in nursery today. “Naomi, why don’t you tell your Mummy what you want to be when you grow up?”… Cue a very ambitious  four year old face replying “A mermaid”. I have never lived that down.

Fast forward another four years and the Mother character’s career in Mrs Doubtfire set my path for me. Interior Designer… that’s exactly what I wanted to be, minus the Pierce Brosnan boyfriend (I’d totally have Robin Williams though). I was so dead set on this career path that I immediately went around all of my family saying that I would offer them discount when I grew up and ‘did up their house’.

This has continued to be my path to this day. I’ve graduated from University, I’ve worked in the industry, I’ve thought about my future. And to be honest… This little love affair I’ve been having with writing makes me wonder if maybe… just maybe… I’ll one day be good enough to pursue a career down this road. My ideal, pie-in-the-sky, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die-job? Would be the marrying of my lust for design and my love of writing. And… If I can’t do that? Well then, I guess I’ll just have to be a mermaid.

Vix: I used to be such a “fad” person, I changed my mind left right and centre. Growing up and still now I absolutely love animals so I always wanted to grow up and own some kind of animal centre, even now if someone asks me “what would you do if you won millions in the lottery?” My first answer is always (much to most peoples bemusement) “I’d have an animal rescue centre and I’d adopt all the unwanted pets” and that’s no joke folks, I seriously would – especially the really ahem… ugly ones.

When I was at primary school one of my most memorable achievements was winning a shield at the end of the final year, it was the biggest one of all – for being kind and helpful ( Well I wasn’t much good at anything else!!) I was so happy I cried. When I tell people they always laugh but I can tell you being kind and helpful goes a long way. And although since the day I won that shield I have done lots of different things career wise, a degree in textiles & print, bar tender and waitress, working in advertising, training & technical support, new business sales, vehicle remarketing manager and finally IT Account Management. It took a while but I got there and the most important part of my role is to be kind and helpful – there are no qualifications in that I don’t think

If I could rewind and do my “thang” again I would do things a whole lot differently, I would inject the drive I have now into me from the age of about 9, I would definitely work harder in school and I would have loved to have studied forensic science or have been a Vet. Although, what I have and do is amazing so I’m not complaining in any way shape or form, I’m happy that I am making others happy and I still have my shield….somewhere.

Big Almost Grown Up Love

Charlotte, Jenny, Naomi and Vix xxx