My life in photos

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The saying goes 'a picture paints a thousand words' and perhaps that's why I love photographs so much. Our house has so many photos on display, in frames, hung on the wall and a few canvas prints too, because I like to be surrounded by happy memories and reminders of the times we've shared, how far we've come and the people that mean the most to us in the whole world.

It's great that we all have camera phones and can point and click at any moment, keen to capture something right then and there, but it's also nice to have a proper camera to take special photos with. If you're looking around for the best CSC camera, there's a lot of choice to be had, as I recently discovered, and I've since fallen in love with taking photos again where you want to snap away knowing that you're recording memories as they happen.


When Panasonic asked what photos meant to me, I took a look around at the ones we have displayed in our home and thought I'd share a post with you about my life in pictures; the photos that really capture a moment in time in my life that means a lot to me...

1. Family

I come from a small family and grew up with just my Mum and Dad, and my grandparents on my Mum's side were also a big part of my life. The photos I have chosen here are the ones I hold dearest. My grandad for instance was a big character and I remember spending time with him, snuggled up on the sofa, the smell of Old Spice and the ticking of his watch. This photo of us together brings it all back.

My parents had a daughter two years before I was born, but she sadly died within hours of birth. I went to Dubai, where my parents had lived then, to find and lay flowers at her grave and this photo is special and doesn't feel morbid in any way - it was an important journey to make with my mum.

The photo of me and my Dad on my wedding day makes me smile as he was more nervous than I am and I remember that when he came in to see me for the first time, he turned away in tears!

The other photos show moments shared between Ethan and his Nanna and Gramps; it is a wonderful thing to see your own parents with your child and I really love this normal moments captured as I think it shows off their personalities and dynamic.

And the photo in the middle of me, as a toddler, just makes me laugh - hubs says he knows this face all too well!

2. Friends

'Friends are the family we make for ourselves' and in my case, the three lovely ladies pictured above and their other halves are just that. We live in different places but come together several times a year to celebrate birthdays and just because. The girls and I met at university and we are all best friends who have been through so many life stage and milestones - and fancy dress costumes - in the past 15 years we've known each other. There's been three weddings, a baby and a new bump, holidays away and trips to Friendsfest - so many occasions, so many wonderful memories captured.

3. Us

Stephen and I met when we were at university; I was in the second year, he was in his third and we both started working at Blockbuster. Yes, that's how long ago it was - people still rented videos! The photo at the start of the blog post shows the first ever photo of us two together, either side of a work friend, when we first really spoke to each other at the Christmas party. A bit of a cliche but it was the night that changed everything and ultimately led to where we are today.

Having been together for over 13 years, married for seven in September, there's literally hundreds of photos I could have shared. These show key milestones, such as when we first became an official couple to getting married and going to New York on honeymoon. The one in the top photo, bottom left-hand corner, was taken on a night out when I had a little Ethan bean in my tummy but didn't know it at the time - so looking at it, it makes me smile as we just had no idea what would be coming next. The one of us with Ethan was taken at Thomas Land at Christmas when we had such a lovely family day out - a day I will also always remember.

5. Becoming Mum

Last but by no means least, I wanted to share some photos of my journey to become mum. Since the day Ethan was born, we have taken thousands of photos of him, trying to capture all the stages and characteristics that make our little boy so beautiful. I have SO many favourite photos of him but have been strict with myself and chosen just a few that really stand out and show our journey from bump to baby to today.

I love my pregnancy photo here and again, I look at myself and just think 'if only you knew what was to come next...', and the photos of us together from those early days will always be so special. The photo at the top, centre, is of my Dad holding me when I was born and then holding Ethan when he was born. Fast-forward to today, and the photo of him riding a pony just makes me want to burst with pride, I was so proud of him and the person he is becoming,

I could have chosen so many more photographs to share with you that would show you a snapshot of my life but there probably isn't enough time in the world. It's also probably why I have three Instagram accounts - @tobecomemum for life updates and family pics, @tobecomestyle for my take on beauty and mama style and @tobecomehome to share my love of interiors.

I hope you enjoyed taking a look at my life in photos - I really have and it's made me want to go back in time and relive some of these important moments. At least with a photograph, I can in some way.