A look back at 2017

31 Dec 2017

A look back at 2017

2017 goals here

Am currently sat in our study come lazy-boy-chair come place-to-dump-things-and-close-the-door room. I don’t actually sit in here very often but just had a sudden fancy for getting cosy in the smallest room in the flat (bar the bathroom – but why would I go chill in there?). So I’ve created some kind of cosy cave with a gillion candles. G is sleeping because he’s ill and I’m wondering if he’s actually going to make it through the New Year’s Eve celebrations we have planned.

I may end the year surrounded by tissues and a feverish boyfriend. Hoping it’s not a sign of how 2018 is gonna go.

Because we’re in the final days of 2017, I’ve been having a read back of THIS post that I wrote this time last year all about my goals for 2017. It was fun to reflect on my ambitions for the year ahead but I didn’t think I would actually come back to it to see how I got on. Yet here I am.

It’s weird how you look back at something you wrote a year ago and think oh yeah, this time last year I was in that head space. I feel so different towards my job than I did this time last year. At the end of 2016, I knew I wanted to make some kind of decision about my day job. I didn’t actively dislike it but I was often bored and had a strong feeling of wanting to shake things up a bit. I actually went to a few interviews this year but, really, all they seemed to do was show me just how flexible my current job is. And flexibility is so important to me as it allows me to pursue other ambitions. I am so, so lucky to be able to work compressed hours and from home and I began to realise that giving that up would require something special to come along. It didn’t. As I was debating all of this, I was actually offered a promotion, to do a kind of hybrid role that involved more responsibility and more money. Although it’s been more stress and a rather big learning curve, I think I’m enjoying it and there’s a good chance a further promotion is on the cards in the new year. I have no goals surrounding work for next year, I’m simply adopting the ‘let’s see how we get on eh’ approach.

The year also saw G and I start sharing a bank account and I can now barely remember what it was like when we didn’t. This means regular discussions about our savings which isn’t actually the most interesting of topics but it’s a lot better than ‘oh shit, I have no savings’ discussions. Hashtag adulting.

(I did actually spend a few savings on buying the Olympus Pen camera but as if I have regrets about bringing that baby into my life).

Somewhat surprisingly, I took up running in the summer (I will admit, it’s fallen by the wayside in the last couple of months due to new jobs and dark evenings but I’m hoping we’ll get back on the horse in 2018). I eventually finished that proofreading course – at the 11th hour – and came out with a B. Sometimes I hated it, sometimes I loved it; I’m glad I did it. Ironically, the biggest lesson I learnt was that I much prefer re-writing and improving text rather than explicitly correcting grammar.

I also wanted to reduce the time I spent feeling anxious unnecessarily and time I spent pointlessly scrolling on social media. These little fellas ebb and flow but I guess that’s just life.

This year was a good’un travel wise. It started with a weekend in Devon for my step-dad’s 50th birthday in January – we stayed in a castle! I had weekends in Edinburgh and Bristol to visit old friends, a lovely week in Corfu with the family and two uh-mazing weekends in Wales and Paris with my gals. G and I also did a mini road trip around York and Newcastle/Northumberland and we had a little staycation weekend in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire at my cousin's. Of course, without a doubt, the travel highlight was finally getting to go on our big trip to New York in April. Sweet jesus, take me back.

Speaking of travel, I did finally put together my Iceland videos and discovered I loved the process, so made a few more videos here and there. Like, I’m not necessarily any good at video editing but I really love capturing a few video memories, and hope to keep doing so over the next 12 months.

Obvs this year has had lows (personally that is; let’s not even discuss the low points for the human race in general…cos, you know, Trump). G being made redundant, some family drama, the weirdness that was my first cervical screening but, in general, it coasted along quite nicely.

I turned 25, I celebrated two years with G, I wrote a fair bit. I saw this little corner of the internet slowly grow (I even had my first ever sponsored blog post) and I love each and every one of you people for giving it a read. Promoting my blog does not come naturally to me, mainly cos scheduling tweets may be the dullest thing in the world, but I honestly don’t know what I’d do without being able to type away here.

So yeah, thanks for listening you cuties. Hope you all have a marvellous new year’s eve, whether you’re out partying until 5am or hiding under the duvet by 9pm (looking at you mum).

See ya next year x

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