Lifestyle | 2018, my year in review

This is my year in review, enjoy!

Two blogposts in two days?! someone's clearly got a bit of time on their hands! Can we believe that today is the final day of 2018? It seems like it was just yesterday that we were seeing out 2017, so the fact we're going to soon be welcoming in 2019 just sounds crazy. This last year has been a complete whirlwind. It's been full of so many ups, but equally many downs. So let's begin at the start... 

January was the month that saw me doing a lot, and I mean a lot of working. At the end of last year I reluctantly found myself working as a temp at Next during the Christmas period. It was one of the most trying jobs I have personally done and to be honest I managed to get myself into a place where I didn't think I would be able to get out of. You see, the one thing they don't tell you once you've graduated university is that although you've worked hard for 4 years, you're no more likely to find yourself a job. I pushed through though, and although January was a tough month for me mental health wise I came out on the other side.

February, aka my birthday month. I started off the month still working at Next as my contract was extended due to me being a 'good worker'. I knew that this wasn't the place where I would want to be forever, but for the time being I had accepted the fact it brought in a steady pay (as small as it may be) whilst I was looking. When looking back, February was a time where I began lots of small steps in the right direction although at the time it seemed like 5 steps forward and 4 steps back. My parents also went away on their first holiday since my brother and I on their own, and although I found it tough to be without them for a short period of time, I coped thanks to my lovely brother and his caring nature! On the 24th I turned 23 and celebrated with a trip to The Greatest Showman sing along, birthday breakfast at the Brentwood Kitchen and a indian takeaway with family - Perfect! 

In March things truly started to take a turn for me. After months of working at a place that was draining me of happiness, I interviewed and was hired to work as a 6 month intern at a busy press office for a high street fashion company that I know many people know and love (For personal reason's I'm not going to mention this brands name). March was also the month my little fur babies experienced snow for the first time - I was certainly a proud mamma when they stepped outside! At the end of the month I began my new job, and although I found it tricky I was pleased to finally be making a move into the right direction. 

April, a month of happiness, sadness and a little bit of everything in-between. Although I was trying to begin my new job with a happy mind, my anxiety and mental health really took a hit. Looking back I should have taken better care of myself, but the mixture of a fresh start and still wanting things to be the same caused me a lot of stress. At the start of April, my little Luna also fell ill and had an overnight rushed visit to intensive care following a seizure. I will never be able to thank the lovely veterinarian nurse enough for having the confidence that Luna was ok following on from a horrible visit to a local vet who dosed her up with higher amounts of medication than a cat her size could handle. But alas, she arrived home and fingers crossed has been alright since. The month ended on a positive though. Daniel, Emma (my brother's girlfriend and ultimate babe) and I booked a trip to Disneyland Paris! 

May 2018 can officially be known as the month everything seemed to happen. At the start of the month we celebrated my grandfathers 80th birthday with a cute little surprise garden party. I was able to add my little creative flair and handmade all of the invitations and it was a lovely summery evening. The following weekend my mum, dad and I made our way down to the Warner Brother's studio where we experienced the Harry Potter Studios tour! If you're a fan of Harry Potter like we are, then you really need to plan a visit. Then I was finally welcomed home with my first trip away without parents to Disneyland Paris. The trip to Disney was everything I could ever have imagined it to be and I enjoyed every single second. If there's one thing I am the most proud of this year, going away to Disneyland would be it. It may seem small to some, but to me it was everything. I loved spending the QT time with my Brother and Emma, and we made so many memories that I know will stick with me forever - now if only we could hurry up and book our 2019 trip! 

June seemed to fly by! I was in the midway point with my internship, and although I was enjoying it I still felt like an outcast. This feeling of being different is definitely something I am trying to work on in 2019! The main highlight this month was the March for Men at the Olympic Park. This is the second year that my family have taken part and it was certainly enjoyable. My grandfather was sadly diagnosed with prostate cancer 5 years ago, and although we're able to say that he responded successfully to the treatment and is much better, there's a lot of families who can't say the same. He has wanted to do the walk to pay his respects to those fighting for a cure, so we're proud as a family to support him. 

July marked the start of the summer season, and boy what a summer season it was! There was many a day that I moaned about the underground being too hot! Not much happened this month except from being given more opportunity and more projects at work. Oh and I grew a sunflower plant that was 3X my height! 

Nothing say's summer quite like a summer holiday, and August was the month that our adventure to Lake Como took place. We were staying in a town called Cadenabbia where we were able to make our way across to Bellagio and Como if we wanted. The weather was hot, the food was good and the lake was beautiful. We had such a lovely trip despite my anxiety deciding to crop up every now and again to remind me it's still there! I've got some beautiful images from this trip that I had planned to share, before life got busy and this blog took a back seat! The end of August life took a sudden turn for the worst. Over bank holiday weekend my gorgeous Luna went missing. She was away for 3 nights and honestly it was the worst time ever. There were many moments that I thought I would never see her again which was horrendous. Late Monday evening I heard a faint 'meow' downstairs and was so pleased to see her little face. Our only guess is that she must have got trapped over the bank holiday weekend and someone who went away arrived home to let her out. I will never forget it! 

September started more positively than August ended with a trip to Walton on Naze with the family. We had hired out the cutest little beach hut for the day with no expectations other than to sit, relax and eat fish and chips. The hut was perfect and we all had such an incredible time together. It was in September that my dad and I also took a trip to our local Everyman cinema where we experienced the wonder it was to watch a film with waiter service. I don't think I can visit a normal cinema again! Work wise things began to look up and instead of my contract ending, I was given a promotion to 1 year FTC at the same company with the title 'Womenswear Press Assistant'. I am so proud of everything I managed to achieve over the 6 months I had already worked so was pleased to have this recognised. 

October will now be known as the month I dressed Luna up as Bat Cat. Honestly, she's just too cute. (Side note: I did dress Alice up as a pumpkin, however she's much more nervous than Luna so didn't feel fair to keep it on her for a photo) October was also the month my family took a trip to Centre Parcs, a place that I haven't been too since I was little. We laughed, ate, swam and bowled to our hearts content. I really enjoyed riding a bike again, and can't wait to go back again in 2019 - hopefully?!

November seems to have been one of those months where life seemed to flash before my eyes. Not much happened of note except from the usual work, eat, sleep routine. My mum and I did visit Stylist live for the 3rd year running and had such a lovely day together! 

And here we are now, back at December  wondering where the year has gone. This month, like most December's, has been full of Christmas Shopping, my first work party and lots and lots of eating! I'm ending the year in a much better way to when I started but feel like I've got quite a way to go before I'm back to feeling like myself again. Let's hope I can turn things around by the time I am writing my next year in review post! 

Happy New Year! 

Until next time,