Saying Goodbye to 2018

We're now in the final few weeks of the year and for me, 2018 has flown by, and I'm sure it's been the same for a lot of you reading this. It seems it's true what they say, as we get older, the days get longer but the years fly by - blink and you'll miss it. For the last few years I've been struggling to see each year as a year of accomplishments - when we're younger we can mark each year by things like learning to drive, graduating from University, securing that all important first job...but then what? When all of my 'firsts' had ran out, I was a bit all over the place and as I said, I really struggled to see how great each year was when it came to the end. 

This year I've finally snapped out of it, there haven't been any major life altering events, but 2018 has been one of the happiest years of my life. I really feel that this year I found my place again, learned to roll with the punches {because believe me there have been some mighty ones!} and just relax and enjoy life again without this constant pressure to always be looking to the next big life-changing moment. 

So today I thought I'd commemorate this by putting pen to paper {so to speak} and round up some of my favourite things that happened in 2018, so whenever those feelings of accomplishing so little creep back, which they undoubtedly will {I'm only human after all},  I can look back on this and remind myself of all the perfect moments that happened in 2018. 

Travels

2018 was a year of travel for me, which was kicked off with a little work trip to Madrid. Unfortunately we didn't get to see much of the city as we were working, but it was still great to get out of the country for a night! Shortly after Madrid, I hopped on a ten hour flight to Mexico to spend the week in Riviera Maya and Tulum, which you can read about here. Mexico is still one of my all time favourite holidays to date...we didn't really do much apart from a day out drinking and eating in Tulum, exploring the Mayan Ruins and a day swimming in an underground cave river {such a terrifying but unforgettable experience!} but it was exactly what I needed, exactly when I needed it. I'd highly recommend skipping the summer holiday in favour of a February break - the beach was quiet and the weather was scorching! 

After Mexico, I headed to Edinburgh to stay with some friends for the May bank holiday weekend. A city I had only visited as a child {we went to the zoo and that was about it}. My friends gave me the full tour of Edinburgh, and we went on a trip around the underground city - which was so much fun! I'm sure it won't be the last time I visit, so next time I'll grab some photos and share them with you all. 

Skip forward to July and I was heading to Paris with my best girls for my 25th birthday {which you can read about here and here}. When I look back on 2018, Paris is by far my favourite memory. It was a weekend full of my three favourite things - laughter, food and friends...and sunshine if I'm allowed to add a fourth! 

Finally, in September my friend and I headed to Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand. Thailand is the furthest I've ever travelled and it was so worth it. Apart from a few spots of rain, the weather was gorgeous, the people were friendly and the beaches were beautiful. There was plenty to do, and plenty of time to relax by the pool which was just what the Dr ordered after a busy summer at work. You can read all of my Thailand posts here. 

This year I also went about exploring my own city more. London has so much to offer and I definitely don't get to seeing it as often as I should. In 2018 I finally managed to get a table at some restaurants I'd been hoping to visit for forever, saw some new areas, and definitely reignited my love for my own city. Definitely something I want to continue throughout 2019. 

Work

This year was my first full year in my current job, so I felt a little more settled and felt like I had a handle on things enough to really go for it {after a year of finding my feet in 2017}. We hosted events around the country, introduced some of my favourite brands to our stores, and I got to meet some of my favourite bloggers - Lydia, Jodie, Chloe, and Josie, to name a few. There's plenty more to come in 2019, and I'm so excited to see where we can take things. 

Weight Loss

This may be an odd one to celebrate, and I'd like to start by saying that I don't believe that anyone should feel that they need to lose weight - unless they want to for themselves. However over the past few years my unhappiness in work and a few other things outside of work had meant that the pounds had crept on. I'm a big comfort eater and if I'm honest, things had got a little out of control. I was SO unfit it was unbelievable and after a chat with my Dr to ensure I went about it the right way, I set myself a goal of losing 3 stone, fully believing that it wasn't possible for someone like myself. 

However, I stuck to my set out routine, kept a lid on the amount of sugar I was eating and started eating better all around. This not only resulted in me losing the three stone I set out to lose, but I gained my confidence back. I'm much happier, healthier and little things like my skin clearing up, my sleep being a little more consistent {I was very sleep deprived before} and having much more energy has completely changed my life {not to be dramatic, so unlike me...🙄}. I won't lie and present this to you with rose tinted glasses, losing weight is difficult and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of my family and friends who kept me on track - at times I really did feel like giving up, but I'm so glad I persevered because the change it's had on everything has been so worth it. 

If you'd like a post on how I did this, before and after photos and maybe some meal guides, I'd be more than happy to share - I just don't want to share it if it's not something anyone would be interested in...I know how sensitive of a topic weight loss is!

This Blog

And finally, this blog! I used to love blogging, but again had kind of lost my place in the blogging world over the past few years. I'm not entirely sure of my place in the blogging world and a lot of the time I feel like a bit of a pretender when working with superstar bloggers, but that's okay - I've learnt not to take it so seriously and just have fun with it - that was the reason I started this blog {and to combat my terrible memory} and I've really fallen back in love with taking photos and posting on here again. I've been blogging for years, but 2018 was the year I secured my first paid campaign with a brand that I absolutely love, started working with some of my favourite brands and really fell back in love with it. 

Phew, that was a long post...so if you've made it this far then give yourself a pat on the back {and a large mug of tea}. Thank you for sticking with me in 2018, and I hope you have the happiest of holidays and new years...I'm signing off for the year now, so I'll see you all in 2019! 

xo Becky