2018: A Year in Review

Hello there!

It feels like just another ordinary day – but just like that, 2018 is over and we’re welcoming in 2019. Looking back over 2018, I feel like it has been a fairly busy year – two different jobs, a lot of blog related events, camping trips and a sailing holiday. Now seems like the perfect opportunity to journey back through 2018 and some of the memories and experiences I’ve had! Grab a cuppa, and I hope you enjoy looking back through my best bits of last year.

January started off fairly slowly, with a lot of work at my old job. Work was pretty time consuming at the beginning of the year, and I didn’t really feel like I had much time for anything else. That being said, I did go out on a Photography Walkshop with Strong Island, which is always a great morning outside getting creative!

February was a busy month work-wise (yet again) and I didn’t really manage to achieve much outside of work – which was pretty frustrating at the time! We did do some work on our van in February to prepare for the summer, and we also celebrated our anniversary with a relaxing evening in.

In March things started to look up a little career-wise. I landed a new job which took me away from my very time consuming role that I really didn’t enjoy. It is so not worth sacrificing your happiness for a job that you simply don’t like! We also had the Beast from the East hit us hard, and I enjoyed getting creative with my camera out in the snow. We celebrated Tom’s birthday as well, with some family time and an evening at the pub. March also saw me attend my first event with Southampton Bloggers, which was a very exciting start of a whole new path for my blog!

April brought along the end of the snow (finally – how long did that last?!). We spent some time playing with Tom’s new drone and we headed off on a weekend away at Center Parcs – slightly delayed by the snow! I also started to get a little busier with my blog, with a fun dinner out with my new blogging bestie, Bex, and a day at Go Ape!

May was another busy month, with my first theatre review at the Mayflower, our first campervan trip away of the year to Durdle Door, some boat trips squeezed in and another fun dinner out at a restaurant to review for my blog. Our weekend away at Durdle Door was definitely a highlight of the month for me, despite the drizzly weather we experienced! We go to Durdle Door every year as it is one of our favourite places to visit, and being able to head there in the van last year was just a little more special.

June was a jam-packed month full of blog events to attend – which was so exciting for me as I’d never experienced anything like this before! I headed along to Room2 Southampton at the beginning of the month for their launch event, which was a great evening. My friend Bex and I headed to Poole for a day out exploring the town, visiting the Lush pop-up shop and going out on a boat trip around Poole Harbour – it was such a brilliant day! I headed back to Room2 for a charity Dine at Mine event, raising awareness for Southampton Children’s Hospital Charity. I boarded a cruise ship for the first time with Southampton Bloggers to review the new magic show onboard, Astonishing, which was a lot of fun!

Towards the end of the month, Tom and I headed to Room2 Southampton once more to stay for an evening and review the Room2 hometel experience – which was a pretty cool moment for us! We also headed on another campervan trip away in the New Forest, with some glorious weather. The month ended with a day that is one of my biggest highlights from the year – a day onboard Independence of the Seas to review the cruise ship with some of my favourite people. This was also my first paid blog post, which was a very exciting milestone for myself and my blog! A special shoutout to Alice Spake, without whom I wouldn’t have achieved anywhere near as much this year. A big highlight for me this year is the friends I have made through my blog, who I consider to be some of my closest friends.

July was a quieter month for us (which I was glad about after such a busy few weeks beforehand) where we headed on another shorter camping trip away and I also headed along to the Denmead Gin Festival, organised by my friend Janine, which was a brilliant afternoon out. I also went for an afternoon tea with my favourite ladies, Emily, Bex and Alice in Romsey. A relaxing month with a few nice highlights!

August was a busier month, as it always is every year! We headed over to the Isle of Wight for a week away camping in the van – and it was also the longest trip we had ever done! I turned 24 while we were away, and we celebrated with a surprise dinner out in Cowes with Bex and her other half, arranged by Tom – this was another highlight for me this year! We spent the week exploring the island and enjoying our camping set up. When we returned to the mainland, I headed to the Hambledon Vineyard Wine Festival for an afternoon of sparkling wine, which is always a good day out.

September was a quieter month, with a busier few weeks work wise meaning I had less time for other things. I had my second paid opportunity on my blog talking about my autumn & winter essentials, which was another exciting milestone for me!

October was an exciting and busy month for us! I started the month off with my second theatre review of the year at the Mayflower, seeing Wicked with Southampton Bloggers – which was a great evening out. We also jetted off to our holiday away sailing with Medsailors in Croatia! This was my first time sailing, and our first time in Croatia – and we had a great time exploring the islands, swimming in the clearest blue waters and meeting some great people onboard our boat. A trip to remember! I ended the month with my first ever flying lesson, which was a fantastic experience and a huge amount of fun.

November was a quieter month, which was welcome after a pretty busy October! I headed to the Mayflower once more to review La Traviata, which was a great experience and I enjoyed the opera a lot more than I thought. I also headed out for a couple of golden hour photo walks, and it was great to use my camera again after a little break.

Finally for December, and to wrap up 2018. December turned into an unexpectedly busy month for me, both in my career and in my personal life. We started the month with a festive day out in Winchester at the Christmas market with Bex and Henry, which was a great way to start the month! I then entered a busy period career-wise, where I landed myself (another) new job and handed in my notice. We then headed to Gloucester for a week away over Christmas with Tom’s family, before ending the year with a relaxing few days at home.

The end of 2018 has been an exciting and stressful time for me, but I am so excited to get started in 2019 with a new career challenge for me, starting tomorrow at the new job!

My take away from this year is that it is SO beneficial to say yes more, and generally try your very best to have a positive outlook on everything. I can’t quite believe how much has changed over the last 12 months, with my blog taking off so well this year, leaving two jobs and doing so many exciting things in-between. I can’t wait to see what 2019 will bring, both for my career and in my personal life!

Happy New Year!