My 2018 in photos

Does it make me sound super old if I say that another year has flown by? It seems like only a couple of weeks ago that we were waving in the new year with streamers and party poppers and now it's almost over. So I thought I'd reflect on my 2018 and start looking forward to what may be in store for 2019...

January

You know how lots of people do Dry January to compensate for all the eating and drinking that happens over Christmas? Well, that wasn't me. I pretty much just let December spill in to January and enjoyed lots of nights out, cocktails and tequila shots way after the clock had struck midnight.

February

I was seemingly a month behind everyone else because my February (instead of January) was largely spent at home, baking and resisting the urge to spend money. Which I managed! I started my first ever savings account (after 5 years of working oops) at the end of January and I now have a very healthy amount saved up. So my no-spend-February worked a treat!

March

As well as my dad having a party for his 50th, the real highlight of my March was my first holiday of the year and it was one of my favourites ever. Me and little Katie went to Morocco where we shopped in the souks, visited Ouzoud falls, petted wild monkeys, spent time at our rooftop hotel pool, got henna done, tried the local cuisine (tagine, cous cous and mint tea to name a few), saw plenty of beautiful gardens and rode through the desert on camels. It's unlike any other holiday I've ever been on and it was probably my favourite part of the whole year. If you want to read more about it (like travel tips and where we stayed), you can find the blog post here.

April

Filled with plenty of bank holidays, April was the month when the famous heat wave of 2018 hit the UK. We basically spent the following 5 months flocking to the nearest beer garden at any opportunity and living on a diet based mostly on fruity ciders.

May

May was a pretty busy month for me! Not only did I go to London 3 times (for work and for play), but I also checked something off my bucket list when I went to my first ever Indian wedding. It was every bit as gorgeous and atmospheric as I hoped and by the end of it, I pretty much had the Bhangra dance down to a tee (it's all in the shoulders).

June

The highlight of June would usually be my birthday (this year being my 22nd) but for once it was surpassed by my trip to Paris with Laura. We managed to pack loads in and hit the Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel tower, the Seine by boat, the Champs-Elysées, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Couer, the lovelock bridge and Disneyland! Not bad for a 3 night stay! Again, if you want to read more, the blog post is here.

July

I'm pretty sure I'll still be going on holiday with my family when I'm old and grey - I'll never turn down the chance for some time in the sun! So after an amazing week in Menorca, it was time for the real pinnacle of my July; I left my job at Potter Clarkson. I'd started in October 2016 as a temp and they'd simply never wanted to let me go (obvs). But I felt like it was time to move on and chase a bigger salary, higher job title and a new challenge. So after a lovely speech from my boss, lots of presents (they spoilt me rotten) and an amazing leaving night out, I headed off for my new chapter as Content Marketing Manager at Snizl. Of course, we never truly leave behind the things we love and it's evident that a piece of my heart is still with the company. The friends I made there weren't the kind you just wave goodbye to and so I've returned twice now for the boat party and then the Christmas do (wherever the free bar goes, I go). And I'll keep going back whenever they'll have me!

August

Summer is always so much fun but even more so when the weather is actually nice! In August I went to London for a gin masterclass, shopping and a boat party, and spent the bank holiday at an outdoor cinema, a night out and a day of bottomless brunching.

September

September was certainly a month of travel for me! I started the month in Dubrovnik, Croatia with both the Katie's and we had an amazing time. We snorkeled, we ate great food, drank really expensive wine (well it was cheap wine, but it cost a lot), we island-hopped via boat, we explored the Old Town, we walked about a gazillion miles and we partied all night. Want to read more? The blog post is here. And then I ended the month exactly how I started it; away on a glamorous holiday. I went to Milan as part of a mystery Wowcher deal and I could not have loved the city more if I tried. The architecture was beautiful, the food was incredible and we got super nice weather too. Me and my mum had a lovely time and packed a hell of a lot into just a couple of days. The blog post is here if you want to know more.

October

My time enjoying the lovely weather was finally over (booooo!) and it was time to start getting into the Autumnal spirit. And by 'spirit', I mean 'of the dead' because Halloween is the best. By 'spirit', I also mean 'tequila' as the way I celebrated Halloween was with a great night out with the girls, dressed as a fallen angel.

November

All in all, my November was pretty jam-packed with nights out but I suppose the stand out event was visiting Aidan in Leeds. Having just re-started uni there in September, it was great to see him enjoying it and we all went out for a lovely Brazilian meal to celebrate the family reunion.

December

Obviously I didn't have to think too far back for this one but it's been a very festive month, filled with all things merry (and mulled). You can read about all my festivities in my more recent posts but mostly it's been a time to enjoy with friends and family. Another thing that hit the spotlight this month was my career. Despite all the best intentions when I left Potter Clarkson, something about Snizl just never quite clicked. I didn't fall in love with my role there like I've done with others and it never quite felt like home. I didn't want to leave without putting in a year's service but when I found out that the startups funding wasn't flowing as much as they might've hoped, I took it as a sign from the universe to start looking for something else. And so very satisfyingly (from an OCD point of view), I start my new job on January 2nd, as the new Content Marketing Manager at UKMeds. I've maintained the job title I wanted, I've managed to get another pay rise (after securing a sizable one when I left Potter Clarkson), and I'm optimistic that this job will be exactly what I'm looking for. At Potter Clarkson, I had the friendships, the job fulfillment, the great working relationship with my boss, the nice office and the extra perks (like generous presents at Christmas), but was lacking in the salary and job title that I wanted. At Snizl, I finally had the title and money I was after, but sacrificed everything else in the process. They say that in life you can't have it all, but here's to hoping that I can prove that saying wrong with this next chapter.

2019

So as I look forward to the new year and my new start, it's also time to think about New Years resolutions! Yes, I know they may be pointless but I like to make them regardless. First, let's see how I managed with last years'.

1. Get toned
Did not try with this whatsoever. I genuinely don't know why I insist on putting it as a resolution because I never bother. However, over the past couple of months I have been making an effort to eat healthier and have managed to lose some weight. Obviously that's shot to hell since Christmas, but I'm confident I can pull it back again once all of the chocolate is out of the house (better eat it quick then right?).

2. Become more knowledgeable
I did manage this one actually. Although my role at Snizl didn't end up being for me, I did get the chance to write about a vast variety of things and through my research, I learnt a lot. Even random things like the history of high heels and the fact that bagels are high in protein. Who knew?

3. Save money
I may actually be an official adult now because I actually managed this one! Once money goes into my savings, I'm not even tempted to touch it and I have managed to save £2,500 (my goal was £2,000). As you can see, it didn't affect my ability to go on holiday, buy new clothes or enjoy nights out either so maybe I should've done it sooner?

4. Learn to tie a cherry stem in a knot
I'm nearly there was this one but it was a bit of a long shot anyway. I can't exactly say I've practiced very much either so I'm hardly surprised.

I also said in last year's blog post that I wanted a year of loads of holidays, of getting a few more tattoos, of climbing the career ladder, of planning my future and of making tons and tons of amazing memories with all my favourite people. As you can see from this post (and from my blog posts throughout the year), I certainly did that. And as for my blog itself, I had a goal to go from 43,000 views up to 60,000 within the year and I've surpassed that at 61,300 views! Your personal favourite posts were reasons why I believe in fate, my croatia holiday one and my letter to my younger self which rocketed to my most read blog post of all time with 560 direct link clicks, plus a load of other indirects. So how about 2019's resolutions?

1. Eat less animal products
I can't say that I'd ever commit to being vegetarian or vegan and as annoying as I find preachy people who ram their views down your throat (such as religious people, Labour voters and vegans), I do think that there's some merit to eating less animal products. I don't know that I'll be about to spend 4 hours of my life making a seitan steak any time soon but I've already made the swap to almond milk and am starting to cook with more quorn. I figure that if it tastes the same, costs the same and helps the planet then there's really no downside is there?

2. Move out
I'm only semi-committing to this one because I'm at the stage where I feel ready to move out and want to start my own life in my own place, but I also don't want to do it until I can do it right. Which means I want to wait until I have plenty of money saved up, which may be 2019 or it could be 2020. It is at the forefront of my mind going in to the new year though so I figured it was worth putting down.

This may actually be the least amount of resolutions I've ever made! But that just goes to show how happy I am with my life and the direction it's taking. I'm only 22 and I'm thriving in my career, I'm well-travelled and I'm surrounded by incredible people, some of them who I either didn't know or wasn't close to this time last year (like Paige and Sophia). 2019 is already shaping up to be pretty exciting, with lots of holidays and trips either booked or penciled in. I hope you all had a 2018 as happy as mine, and I hope the new year brings us all what we're hoping for. 2019, I'm ready for you...