Happy New Year!
As if it is 2018!
I love a new year so so much, i have always celebrated it as i just love the freshness it gives to your life. I feel so much more motivated in so many aspects of my life and what better way than to start a new year on a Monday, it's bloody amazing!
Each year comes a new set of aspirations i'd like to achieve, so many goals and so many dreams.
I'm going to be posting my new years resolutions on Wednesday as i love keeping a note to refer back to later on in the year if not monthly. I am a firm believer in making myself resolutions. I never make drastic changes as i think we all learn after trying many a years to drink 10 litres of water from the 1st of January just isn't realistic and have really taught myself to set resolutions for the new year to be a guide for my own self growth.
2017 was my year of travel.
I was so fortunate to have seen places of the world that have been on my list to visit for years.
It all started with London, i booked me and Richard a few days away. It was our first proper time seeing the sites and wow i fell in love. Everything about that trip was wonderful, the company, the surroundings, the history... a trip i will never forget.
I was then heading to Cardiff a few months later to celebrate with my cousin at her hen party. Wales was always somewhere i wanted to visit and need to go back soon as i didn't get to much of in the way scenery. But boy oh boy did we have a good time! We visited a Coyote Ugly Bar/Club in the day for a dance lesson where we learnt a dance to a very cowboy-esk song where we would then show off our moves ON THE BAR later that evening. We all had such a laugh and ended the night having a sleepover with my cousins reminiscing over chicken strips and minstrels.
I then went to Kos in May with Richard and our very close friends James and Megan.
We had always imagined going on holiday together and never knew it would be this year. Richard booked a week away in the beautiful greek island on the Saturday evening before we went for dinner with the both of them and by Monday morning they were coming too!
We all had such an amazing time and soaked up the grecian sun like pros.
We lavished in the all inclusive cocktail menu and played cards most nights. Something you may not know about me is that i feel sorry for almost everything. So when i know there is stray cats wandering around the buildings of our hotel, i would stash a whole cooked chicken fillet in my bag and throw it around the grounds for the feline tenants. I bet they miss me... haha.
Then a month later me and my bestest friend and her mom Valerie jetted off to the USA to visit Valerie's daughter and Leanne's sister Cherie & her 2 cats not forgetting.
Oh. My. Goodness. There are no words to describe that whole experience from the flights to seeing the sites to shopping in my first ever Sephora for spending time with amazing people (&cats)
and breathing in the air and stepping foot into America.
We got to see the big apple, NYC, New York City!!!
I just can't fathem now let alone then that i was actually there. It was incredible!
I just can't fathem now let alone then that i was actually there. It was incredible!
It is something me and Leanne have dreamt about doing for YEARS.
I am so grateful for Cherie for bringing me over and treating me to such a gorgeous experience that i will treasure forever!
The weekend before i flew to America, we attended the wedding of our close friends down south. We had been a few times the previous year and saw mine and Richards friend Mikey as he had stayed with us too. But in June we travelled down and celebrated
the wedding of his mom Abi and her hubby Simon along with their friends and family. It was a beautiful wedding and one we are very thankful for experiencing with them.
Since then, we have been down south twice to see them.
Once in November where we chilled out so much by playing games and watching films, as well as going bowling and eating at frankie & bennies such goals.
Not to mention all the snuggles with there THREE cats!!
Then, we just arrived back from spending Christmas with them. We had all the fun of eating cheese, playing risk and catching Olaf's frozen adventure 8:30 in the morning followed by beauty and the beast after dinner.
We took a little walk to see our friend Phoebe's horse alongside all the others in their stables to wish them a Merry Christmas.
I believe it was my first Christmas away and it was so lovely and relaxing and so amazing to spend time with them all.
Just before our visit down south in November me and leanne jetted of again a little shorter distance this time to Dublin.
Again, somewhere we both wanted to visit for a long time. We found an amazing deal on Groupon and Lea just booked it there and then. We spent 2 nights and 3 days in the city and loved every minute. We visited a mansion, museums, temple bar and tried our first Guinness which became turned into Guinness and black. We shopped around Dublin of course visited a new fave shop of mine Bershka and of course stopped off at Primark and see if Dublin's had anything different from our own haha. Most of all my favourite part of the trip was spending time with my best friend. We set up the Ipad and watched Pretty Little Liars every evening and spent quality time together which i truly loved.
I am so so thankful for visiting parts of the world i have n
ever seen before in 2017 and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
ever seen before in 2017 and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
Other occasions made 2017 a year to remember from spending time with my little nephew each week. My mom and me would look after him each Wednesday and honestly treasured each week. Since moving we had to stop in November but it makes seeing him now even more special. We still have planned our day trips out in spring to little farms with picnics and cups of teas in cafes. Hopefully he won't be too scared of the cows next time but tbf their moos were loud AF.
Richard and I with our little cat moved into our first home together! In August we got the keys to our flat which instantly turned into our home. We all settled in immediately and couldn't imagine us living anywhere else. We've only just got our washing machine which makes me so incredibly happy, trust me hand washing your knickers isn't fun. Not having it for a little while makes me feel so thankful that we can be in a position to even have one at all and makes me appreciate the clean smelling clothes to wear. We had our parents doing our washing for us each week and we are so thankful to them.
We still need a few finished touches to make it more us, like a dining table and chairs and new sofa and some weddings pictures on the wall. But its the most important thing to us that we are all together and we have loved every moment here.
In October I got a Christmas temping at Hotel Chocolat. It has to be in there with a experience that made an impact in 2017. I finished a couple of weeks ago and i am missing it already. I made some amazing friends there and i am so thankful for the opportunity to have worked there and for the amazing company. I got so many freebies too that i have enough chocolate to last me for a fair few months. Okay weeks.
One of the reasons why working there stood out to me so much was that i realised how much i have come with my OCD.
This time last year i was going through an extremely dark couple of months.
Going on medication to help calm my anxiety that comes along with OCD as unbelievably changed my life. I couldn't have worked at Hotel Chocolat as i did if it was for those tablets easing my days. One day i do hope that i can teach myself to cope with tablets at all but will go into more detail on that in my 2018 resolutions post. But i also couldn't have done it without my support from my mom and husband who would always support me and drop me a text to help me through the day.
This is always where Hotel Chocolat helped me so much. I mentioned after my first few shifts about my OCD and from that moment i was instantly helped from then on in.
All 3 of the management team helped me and always asked if i was ok and needed anything to be done to help with my OCD. As well as my colleagues working alongside me understood what i had and alway supported me. Working there really gave me courage and a realisation that i can do it just like a did for those months of working there in the future not just in a career but in life too alongside friends and family.
So theres a little overview of my 2017. I enjoyed and loved 2017 so much!! I cannot tell you though how excited i am for 2018!
OH doesn't it just feel like a nice even number for a year haha.
I have so many hopes and dreams for 2018 and i cannot wait to get started...
I hope you all had an amazing 2017!
2018 will be a fresh start to help you create a brand new year for yourself and i wish you all the happiness!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Love Emilie
xo
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