So it’s officially a year since I started blogging and I’ve learnt so much! I’ve just tipped over the 500 views marker and can’t help but berate myself slightly for posting so intermittently for most of the year as that could have been much higher. Live and learn I guess.

I’ve been rather quiet over the last month due to a combination of my Mum being in hospital (she’s fine now though!) and being quite poorly myself. I’ve had one bout of tonsillitis after another followed by a really nasty cough that I still haven’t managed to shake. Sadly this led to me having to abandon my chocolate making plans! I did manage to hand make some presents and some fudge that I’ll post a tutorial on in the coming week.

Since it’s that time of year that always inspires reflection and introspection I’ve realised that 2015 has been a roller coaster ride for me personally and I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time soul searching. I’ve had some amazing highs (New York springs to mind!) but I’ve also had some fairly devastating lows. I’ve confronted a lot of my issues head on and worked on myself, and my mental health, particularly in the last 6 months. I hope to continue that in 2016.

2015 had some amazing highlights: 

Clockwise from top left: Me and Matt at MTV Malta in July, Me and some of my favourite people on King Arthur’s Carousel in Disneyland Paris, Two people I’ve had the absolute pleasure to work with this year on a business trip to Portugal, Me being excited about a free bottle of Prosecco for helping organise my staff Christmas party, Me being pleased about coming second in a pub quiz and winning £10, Me and Matt enjoying life on some chair swings and finally Me and Matt at the Statue of Liberty back in June.

I don’t normally set new year’s resolutions unless I feel I will actually keep to them because I hate setting myself up for failure. However, something feels different this year. Maybe it’s because I’m a year older and theoretically a year wiser but I feel like it’s time to seize the day. I’ve worked hard to remove a lot of the shackles I placed on myself in previous years so perhaps this is the year I can achieve my goals.

What are those goals I hear you say? I still don’t feel like I really know what I want to do with my life in the long term. The goals I’ve listed below aim to improve my quality of life, mental and physical health and hopefully the rest will follow. I also have a bucket list of things that I’d like to tick at least five things off in 2016 (more on those another day).

I resolve to:

• Overhaul my diet and fitness levels (I’m going to start the 21 Day Fix on January 1st 2016)
• Go to bed at a sensible time (between 10 pm and 11:30 pm) and get up at a sensible time (dependent on work hours and commuting but mostly stop sleeping in til 1 pm!)
• Read for pleasure for at least 1 hour every day (fiction not self help books!)
• Give up all social media for at least 21 days
• De-clutter and organise my space so that I feel peaceful at home (I plan to use the Konmari method for this one)
• Craft at least two things per month and blog at least once per week
• Pay off my credit card debts

I don’t plan to implement all of these things at once because I think that would be too much. So instead I’m going to make changes in 21 day bursts. They say it takes 21 days to create a habit that will stick so let’s find out!

Several major things are happening in 2016:

• I’m moving back to my parent’s house to help with that last pesky bullet point up there (paying off my debts)
• Matt and I are going to Los Angeles for two whole weeks!
• Matt and I are going to France and I get to show him the wonders of Carcassonne and surrounds!
• There are two major weddings happening; two of my best friends are tying the knot with their soul mates which is seriously exciting!

2016 is full of promise and excitement so my final resolution is to savour every moment, find things to be grateful for, even on the worst days, and strive to recognise when I’m happiest and chase more of it.