Hey anonymous sea of people that read my blog. Thanks for checking back in even though I’m determined to abandon you every few months because LOL I *might* get a bit blog shy every now & again.
I’m back. For now. I’m tip tapping away on my laptop at the hairdressers. Crackin’ environment to write in because nope, no dogs in sight so no one is licking my hand. Bonus. I’m also in the process of trying to persuade my lovely stylist to chop all my hair short because I love it like that. Plz plz plz.
So 2018. You’re up.
But first, I thought I’d spend a wee moment to look back on 2017 and reflect on this year. I saw someone doing this on Insta & I thought ‘aw that’s cute, I’ll nick that’.
I’ve also spent some time going through my 2017 blog posts & this year did not pan out how I thought it was gonna. Nah ah.
I truly believe though (without sounding like a right sentimental twat) that there is personal growth to be taken from every year, even if it hasn’t been your HASHTAG best year yet.
GIRLS TRIP TO GENEVA.
Nothing kicks off a year in style like a girls city break. And by girls, I mean my mother & her best friend (who also happens to be one of my best friends). I’m not quite sure when you stop qualifying as a ‘girl’ (maybe when you get over 30? 40?) but these ladies will always be my best gal pals. Walking, sight seeing, wine sipping, macaroon eating & window shopping – Geneva was a blast.
You can read the full post on the trip here.
REALISING I CAN DO WHATEVER THE FLIP I WANNA DO
I learnt this year that no matter what tricky situation you find yourself in, there is always, always, always a way out of it. And your life can be moulded and crafted into any which way you want it, if you put enough welly into it & work hard enough.
Don’t wanna sit at a desk? Fine. Don’t wanna work set hours? Fine. Wanna have more money? Also fine.
Don’t let other people dictate what your life should look like. You can read all about my career shift in this post here.
LAUNCH OF THE PAWS CLUB
By far one of my proudest achievements to date. And I’m only 4 months in, so I’m pretty excited to see what this year has to offer tbh.
I’m not gonna bullshit you. It’s been a whole host of hard work getting The Paws Club off the ground (a premium dog care service, in case you were wondering). I think I made a wee bit of a mistake in earlier posts making it sound like this all just happened and fell on my lap. It didn’t. But I felt so passionate about it that it really didn’t feel draining on me at all, even though I’ve been putting in 24/7 working weeks.
Super wanky statement coming up; if you want something badly enough, you can make it happen. It’s yours for the taking.
You can read about The Paws Club here and find us on Instagram here. Go follow if you love daily photos of gorgeous pooches.
THE CRAFT CLUB COCKTAIL PARTY
Coolest event of the year – hands down. What’s not to love about cocktails & crafting? It’s not often that I will go along to an event on my lonesome and genuinely have a fabulous night out. Not only did I get to make pom-poms & glitter dipped feather decorations, I got to stuff my face with sweets & chat to like minded, local women. GRL POWER.
If you get a chance to go along to any of The Craft Clubs events in 2018, I would highly recommend. You can read all about the event here.
PLANNING OUR WEDDING
I can finally say ‘I’m getting married this year’ *SMUG FACE*
It’s happening. And I should probably do some more planning because it’s been on the back burner the past few months. Opps.
Not only have we got our own wedding to look forward to, but all our friends are suddenly getting engaged. There’s multiple weddings on the horizon. And nobody loves a wedding more than me.
Oh & I got asked to be a bridesmaid to one of my besties. So.Flippin’.Excited.
RING MAKING AT THE JEWELLERY BARN
My brother very thoughtfully arranged for me along with a few other female members of our family to go along to a ring making workshop at The Jewellery Barn in Chelmsford.
We spent two hours with the lovely Sophie Arnott in her beautiful workshop crafting wax moulds which would then be turned into our very own silver rings.
This is on my highlights list because ONE it was a super nice way to spend time with some of my closest family, TWO I never thought I’d craft something so wearable and THREE it deserves a mention because Sophie Arnott’s jewellery is just goals. Go give her a follow on Insta here.
She was also super patient when we asked a constant stream of questions that she was probably gonna answer anyway if we gave her a chance to speak. Lols.
BIRTHDAY TRIP TO DUBLIN
Beer, doughnuts, live music & more beer. Dublin you’re badass.
Really cool city and a really cool way to celebrate my birthday. Max always has a knack of spoiling me silly and my 26th birthday was no exception. Highlight? Swaying in a crowded bar to a live performance of Fairytale of New York with a Guinness in hand.
You can read about our kickass trip to Dublin here.
FAMILY TRIP TO LANZAROTTE
In November I went away to Lanzarotte with 35 friends & family. This was not a normal holiday. This was a mammoth trip.
It was a bit like one of those Zante holidays that everyone went on when they were just out of school except LOL the majority of the people on our trip were over 40.But guess what? They know how to party way harder than any teeny bops flying out to Maga or Ibiza. Honestly, I was totally out partied every night by those hooligans.
So whaddaya do when you visit an island that’s basically a big baron bit of cratered land? Um, you drink lots of gin, eat lots of paella & dance a lot. That’s what.
The reason we chose THIS resort over any other is that my grandparents live aboard their boat in the marina for the Winter months. I know right, what an ace way to do things. And the reason we were all there at all, all 35 of us, was to celebrate a 60th birthday. I say 60 but don’t think beige trousers & stiff conversation. Think partying until 2am & drinking us youngsters under the table.
It was so lovely to get some quality time in with family that I don’t see all that often and obviously to see my Grandma & Grandad in their second home. Big love for all who went along & made the trip so special. Same time next year, everyone?
I’d also like to remind you all that there were a fair share of lows too (life is not Insta perfect by any stretch – don’t ever forget that). I found myself in a pretty lame work situation which sucked the life outta me for a fair few months and made me absolutely miserable to be around. My dear granddad had a stroke & reminded me that life is bloody precious. I’ve watched a close friend battle cancer like an absolute badass. And sadly we lost a very special man this year who leaves behind a mammoth amount of love & special memories.
2017, over & out.
2018, you’re up.