My name is Lauren van den Bergh (née Rich) and this is a personal list of 40 things I hope to achieve by the time I'm 40, rather than a 'bucket list'. I started this at age 33.
UPDATE: I am now 40 and still need to complete the list. I may have to give myself until I’m 49 years and 11 months old.
I FINALLY GOT HITCHED! Yes, Matheus and I are officially wed. As a mini-moon after the wedding, where else would you go than to one of the most romantic cities in the world - Paris!
We crammed so much into the few days we were there: The Sacre Coeur, Place du Tertre, The Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame (although the queue was so long we couldn't be bothered to go inside, plus it was such a hot day), walked the length of the Ile St Louis, the Shakespeare and Company bookstore, the Eiffel Tower, walked down the Champs Elysees to the Arc du Triomphe (through Place de la Concorde), took a boat trip around Paris, navigated the Metro, visited various museums (although the Jewish Museum had closed by the time we got there). We got to see the outside of the Louvre - the inside will be for another time.
We went to some lovely restaurants and sat in some lovely cafes. Apart from one day where the weather was a little miserable and it rained for five minutes (while we were on the boat), the weather was generally glorious.
This is definitely a city that needs more exploring - can't wait to go back! Below are a few snaps from our few days.
Annoyingly, the journey home was ruined by train delays so we got home at a ridiculous hour of the night but nothing could ruin our first break as a married couple.
Again, I've donated over the £40 proving that I am generous kind of gal!
13th July 2017
My friend, Tim Spoerer, has created a music programme for the children who attend the school in which he works using one of the old London bendy buses. Ed Sheeran donated the bus. The BBC ran a story on it which you can see below.
I donated £20 to the original fundraising campaign which has now turned into a crowdfunding campaign. You can find out more information here. You can also visit the JamBus crowdfunding page. It would be so great if all schools in the UK had a dedicated music teacher like Tim; willing to go above and beyond!
25th September 2017
My commuting buddy, Michelle, walked a full marathon for Cancer Research (specifically for Breast Cancer) in the Shine Night Walk on 24th September. I donated £10 to the cause and to show my support. She completed the walk in 8 hours, 57 minutes and 14 seconds.
Michelle and her walking buddies at the start line
15th December 2017
Xmas Jumper Day! I can't actually recall which jumper I wore but it was more than likely my Olaf jumper which says something like "Hug me, it's Christmas" or words to that effect. I also like warm hugs! I had gone to a team meeting in Oxford so at least I didn't have to get on the hot and stuffy underground to work. I donated £5 to Save the Children.
21st December 2017
Certainly a month to be generous. Very talented singer and pal, Stephanie O, made a personal challenge to run a half marathon to raise money for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders). Along with some other people they raised a combined total of £1,000. Stephanie was keen to continue supporting the charity so following a collaboration with other successful artists she recorded a version of the classic jazz standard 'What Are You Doing New Year's Eve'. They were going to release the song on New Year's Eve if they hit their target but they missed out by a few measly pounds. The fundraising page is still active if you feel you would like to donate (here). I made a donation of £10.
20th January 2018
Despite not being paid yet after an expensive Christmas period, I donated £10 to my lovely friend, Jenna, who was raising money for Diabetes UK by swimming the equivalent of the English Channel as part of the charity's Swim22 2018 challenge event. From 22nd February, Jenna, who has Diabetes, needed to swim 22 miles over the course of three months. This meant that she needed to swim 1,416 laps of the indoor pool at her local leisure centre.
17th April 2018
I supported my mate, Stu, again this year on his RideLondon100 challenge which is on 29th July. This year he is raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. I sponsored Stu with £10.
Stu focusing on his challenge (from a previous event) and the road ahead!
Another year of donations, totalling £65, for worthy causes.
A couple of months ago I was perfectly happy that I had completed my Dutch course and I was just refreshing my lessons regularly and then the format changed. They added extra lessons and a "crowns" system whereby you get crowns when you level up. Most of my levels were reset to levels 2 and 3 and new lessons were at stage 0.
In other news I reached 365 days!
I also came across a fun new phrase which Matheus thinks is hilarious (we joke that he's a turtle).
Matheus and I have been enjoying trying out various cuisines from the alphabet.
We worked out what we would do for "B" when we saw this restaurant on Masterchef: The Professionals.
B = Basque (a type of cuisine from Spain) Eneko, One Aldwych, London WC2B 4BZ
We went to this restaurant last week and the food was exquisite. One of the best restaurants I've been to. I'd never heard of the Basque cuisine before. The staff were so friendly as well. The ambience was perfect. I have to say, I never liked tomatoes until I tried these heritage ones!
The menu
Traditional Talo
Txipirones en su Tinta
Suckling Pig Tempura
Trigo
Braised Pork Cheeks
Dessert menu
Torrija
Basque Cheesecake
The outside of Eneko
J = Japanese Tokyo Diner, 2 Newport Place, London WC2H 7JP
Matheus and I ate at a quaint Japanese restaurant in Soho, I think Matheus had eaten there before. It was before going to see something at Leicester Square Theatre. Nice little place - authentic Japanese.
Tokyo Diner
K = Korean Little Korea, 2-3 Lisle Street, London WC2H 7BG
Another time we were in Leicester Square, we decided to go here. I was keen to try Korean because I'd seen the contestants on Masterchef USA make a Bibimbap and hadn't ever seen one before. The best bit is obviously the crispy rice at the bottom of the bowl.
A bit belated, as we didn't get to have time together last year, I finally got to take Lexie out last week, however, it wasn't a 1 on 1 as Matheus wanted to come along too (he also wanted to spend time with his soon-to-be niece). We were planning to go to the Lego Store in Leicester Square. We travelled in by train which Lexie was excited about. We had lunch in a cafe and then went to the Lego Store.
Lexie excited by being on the tube
Lexie and Matheus at lunch
Me and my beautiful niece
Lexie's bagel was HUGE
After lunch, on the way to the Lego Store, there were street artists which fascinated Lexie. There was a guy on a tall unicycle and a guy with a skeleton puppet that was singing along to Mambo No. 5.
Great core strength!
Skeletal puppetry
We also came across Lester from the Leicester Square Lego branch and we got a photo of him with Lexie.
Lexie and Lester
In the Lego Store we saw the Lego version of Lester and a number of other Lego structures which Lexie hadn't seen before.
Lexie with Lego Lester
Lexie with Shakespeare, being guarded by the Queen's guard (on the tube)
Lexie and Matheus in a Lego phone box
Lexie and Sherlock Holmes with a sneaky Matheus creeping up behind them ("he's behind you"!!)
After the Lego Store (complete with gift for Lexie (and myself of course)), we decided to pop into the M&M Store before going home.
Just walking down the road, with an M&M
We may have only been out a few hours but Lexie was pretty knackered but had enjoyed her day out. Apart from a rude man on the tube who wouldn't give up his seat for her.
I'm looking forward to the next outing - which might be with Eden in the summer.
A month after my last blog on this topic (May 2014) I was admitted to hospital for a week with an infection related to chronic pain I had been having since August the previous year. After months of blood tests, seeing consultants, x-rays and ultrasounds, I finally received my diagnosis - Crohn's Disease (of the small intestine and terminal ileum) - an inflammatory bowel disease which attacks the immune system if not managed appropriately.
When I came out of hospital I had lost a lot of weight but I was also told there were certain foods I should avoid and most of it was healthy foods that normal people should be eating. I felt really good about how I looked despite my hospital stay being the main reason for it. However, as time went on it became difficult to manage my diet with the restrictions. Don't get me wrong, I was so pleased that my condition wasn't as bad as many other people who have Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis. I am a member of a number of Crohn's and Colitis support groups on Facebook and when I see what those sufferers have to go through with stomas and constantly in and out of hospital I often feel guilty.
I was started on a variety of medication but bad side effects meant I had to stop one of them. I was then put on an injection - an immunosuppressant - that I have to administer myself every other week.
Aside from this I began to put on the weight I had lost. It was difficult to keep to a diet that cut out the foods that would help me to lose weight and I'm not particularly a fan of the vegetables that are fine for me to eat. I then started to get depressed about it which, for me, means eating to make myself feel better - to enjoy the taste.
It got to a point where I was told I had fatty liver and I needed to lose weight, which I've been trying to do, however, I haven't made much progress since my last blog but I have if taking into account how much weight I had gained in order to get back to where I was.
I'm still trying to lose weight and will continue to do so. I just need to get my head into the mindset.
Another hurdle I'm trying to overcome is that I enjoy food. I can't help it. I love cooking it, I love eating it. I always like to try new things, new foods, new tastes, new restaurants (or restaurants and cuisines I haven't tried before).
I have a new motivation now, I want to look amazing on my wedding day. Just over 4 months to go. I haven't started looking at wedding dresses yet because I don't feel I've lost enough weight yet.
I will keep trying. It's hard but I must keep trying.
