2021 Rewind

 

Happy New Year everyone!

This year has defiantly been the craziest one in a long time and yet it has flown by.  Looking back it seems surreal to me all that has happened in the past 365 days. So, as is tradition I wanted to share with you a look back into last year in my 2021 rewind.

I started to write this post detailing what happened and how I felt each month, but I only made it to April and I didn’t like how negative it made the year sound.  So, I wanted to try something else that would recognize the hard times but focus on the good times.

The first three months of 2021 was the lowest I think I have ever felt.  Anxiety was at an all time high, I was fed up, sad and spent most nights in floods of tears.  It was during this time that I really learnt the importance and power of gratitude and looking on the positive side of things.  As cases/deaths decreased and the vaccination process was in full swing, we began to come out of lockdown.  By April, the end was in sight, the roadmap was set out and we would soon be able to see family/friends and the events industry would open giving me the hope that I would return to my dream job.

Although these months were some of my worst, I learnt so much and so I don’t want to forget that. I normally describe myself as a glass half full, positive person.  But being positive doesn’t have to mean you are happy all the time.  It means that even on the toughest days you know better ones are coming. This is a lesson I hope to carry with me forever.

Better days did come and looking back I actually did a lot more than I thought, despite various restrictions!

I had some amazing family reunions from dinners and shopping trips to my Aunties wedding.  It was so nice to finally see everyone again and what a way to celebrate than at a wedding.  It was a beautiful ceremony and the evening was filled with lots of dancing, laughs and crazy games.  I even got to help decorate it which was so nice to do again!

In May I recorded a song with my sister about our relationship and growing up together which was so much fun. Check her out on Instagram @wattnotsings for amazing covers and originals.

I made some amazing memories with friends, making the local paper watching the football, breaking out of my first escape room, going on dog walks and dancing away at the local festival.

In July I had the best staycation with my boyfriend and my family in Wales.  We climbed Mount Snowden, climbed a waterfall, went extreme canyoning and so much more.  It was a beautiful week filled with love and laughter that I will always remember. 

 

In October I completed the Great South Run blindfolded and deaf in order to raise money and awareness for Ushers Syndrome.  My boyfriend and I completed it in under 2 hours and raised an incredible £1,422.  It will be a day I never forget as I crossed the line and hugged my cousin who was diagnosed with Ushers Syndrome. I couldn’t have done it without my amazing boyfriend who was quite literally tied to me the whole way round!

To celebrate my birthday, my boyfriend and I were lucky to make it to Paris in November!  It was such a magical weekend as we saw all the sights from The Louvre, Notre Dame, St Chapelle, Arc de Triomphe and even climbed the Eiffel Tower. Our first trip away together and I didn’t want it to end.  Although it was very different due to COVID restrictions, we were lucky to get to go and do all that we did there. If you want to read more about out trip, check out my previous blog post: Birthday trip to Paris.

Another great thing to come out of 2021 was my job.  The year began in roadworks, dreaming about events. In August, my dream came true as the events industry re-opened and I landed an internship at one of the local museums.  I met some amazing people and learnt a lot during my time there.  My biggest achievement being planning and coordinating the first live event on their newest attraction, a WW2 vessel.  As I stood there watching the performance, news camera around me and audience members singing along my eyes filled with tears.  This had been what I was waiting for.  I was back in the world of events and I felt so happy.

Having been triple jabbed Christmas was finally here and I got to celebrate it surrounded by all my family.  It felt so good to be able to bring our traditions back and sit around the tree once more.  Although the crazy is starting to come back with a new variant on the loose it didn’t matter for we were together at last.

Unfortunately, my new year hasn’t started how I had hoped.  As the clock struck midnight, I sat on facetime to my boyfriend, a shot of night nurse in my hand watching the London fireworks suffering with COVID. 

It may not have been the start to the year I had hoped, but if I have learnt anything from last year it’s that it can always go up.  2021 had its good times and its bad.  I feel I have grown a lot as I experienced new things and took on new challenges.

I don’t know what 2022 will hold but unlike last year, I feel a lot more positive and I know good things are coming.

2019 Rewind

2019 is over and a new decade has begun! 

With it being the start of a new year, I thought the best way to catch you up on the last 3 months would be with a look back over the past year. 

2019 went WAY to fast and looking back on it now, I feel 2019 has been a real turning point in my life. I have had a lot of laughs, tears and learnt a lot of hard lessons. Some of these I want to remember, others I want to forget. But whether they are good or bad memories, I feel I want to document them and share my experiences on this space in the hope that they will help others going through the same thing and maybe one day I can look back and laugh! So, grab a cuppa and a biscuit as I have a feeling this could be a long one...

From what I remember 2019 started with the goal of becoming fitter and healthier to gain that summer body ready for my girls holiday! Looking back, I like to say I achieved this. I was able to enjoy nights out, eat what I wanted but managed to keep up the gym routine and even got into swimming. However, as soon as the girls holiday was over, so was my gym days haha! At least I know I can do it, all I need is a goal. 

One amazing thing I did in 2019 was go to Valencia with my university course to see Las Fallas Festival. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it! The statues built by the locals were incredible and to see them burn was crazy, not to mention the huge firework display that was unlike anything I had ever seen before. With gorgeous food and sangria at every corner, I would defiantly recommend going to the festival if you can.

2019 came with various family events too. My baby cousin had her christening which was good fun as we sang "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" and made paper boats! One of my other cousins (who people say is like my twin) was diagnosed with Usher's Syndrome. My family and I got to see the Spice Girls and we went to Winter Wonderland dragging my mum and auntie on the best roller coaster ever! 

As I said earlier, 2019 also came with lots of nights out - it was the year of 21st birthdays, work parties and with it being the final year of uni, I made the most of student nights and student prices and finished it with a trip to Ibiza! 

2019 was the year when I learnt a lot about friendship and how it is not always plain sailing. However, I did shock myself in 2019 and decided enough was enough and I took those who were not true friends out of my life. Although a very hard thing to do and came with many tears, looking back now I am so glad I did this as it took a lot of negativity out of my life. 

2019 was the year I finished university and graduated with a First Class Honours in Events Management. It was a day I will never forget and I can honestly say it was one of the best days of my life so far. I know this may sound a bit dramatic to some, but university was a big step in my life, I moved from home, tried things i never had before and put in a lot of hard work to get this far! Standing on that stage in front of friends and family was all worth it! 

I also reached another mile stone in my life by starting my first job as an Events Coordinator in a hotel! 

So, as you can see a lot has changed for me in the past year and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I have accomplished a lot, learnt a great deal and can't believe all of this has happened in one year (You may be able to tell by the number of exclamation marks I have used haha). I am excited to see what 2020 has in store.... bring it on! 

2018 Rewind

I always find that the month of January is a month of reflection on the past year. Last year on my uni blog, I looked back on 2017 with my 2017 rewind and got some really good feedback on it. This year, I want to do the same and look back on 2018. So, grab a cuppa tea, a cheeky biscuit, get comfy and ready to look back on what I can only describe as a roller coaster of a year!

The first word that comes to mind when I think of 2018 is horrendous! This sounds awful I know and I’m sure many of you are thinking it couldn’t have been that bad surely? But for me, it really felt like a tough year. I don’t like to be negative, however I want to be honest in these posts and so I am going to share the good, bad and ugly and for me, 2018 wasn’t great and I couldn’t wait for it to end.

One of the hardest things I learnt in 2018 is that friendship isn’t always plain sailing. People change, and with that, so does friendship. When this happens it doesn’t always mean you lose a friend completely, but you may not be as close. Sadly, this happened to me and it was tough. It was totally unexpected, hit me hard and left me feeling rather alone. Looking back, I found myself trying to get things back to how they were and feeling rather upset when it didn’t. As a result of these actions, I lost the closeness of other relationships and was so worried of missing out with certain friendships, I missed out on others. But, during the hard times of 2018 I learnt who my true friends really were as it showed who was actually bothered and cared for me. Despite it being a tough time that heightened other challenges such as anxiety and panic attacks, I learnt a very important lesson. As we grow older, we don’t lose friends, we learn who the real ones are. I now know I should just be who I want to be, do what I want to do and if they are true friends they will always be there for me.

February was what I can only describe as the worst month I have ever had. I know it sounds very dramatic, but it was a time where I kept saying it can’t get any worse and it did. I was very stressed with a particular piece of uni work, cheerleading competitions were just around the corner and I was 2 months into doing crazy hours at a new job working in the wedding industry (my dream!). I had just bought a new car especially for work and so was also under a bit of financial pressure as most of my savings went into this. On top of all of this, I had other uni modules, was trying to volunteer and have some sort of social life! Little things soon turned to bigger things...

I had an allergic reaction and ended up in A&E and I had a car crash resulting in insurance stress, whiplash and buying a new car for work, putting me under greater financial stress. Two weeks after my crash and a week after buying a new car for work, I was let go due to being too committed to university. But it can’t get any worse can it? Apparently it can, and I lost a member of my family.

If I’m being completely honest, all of this hitting me at once broke me. With anxiety and stress at an all-time high as I was still attending all of my lectures and more, cheerleading and preparing for competition, I went home and didn’t want to come back. I had a good pep talk with my parents and friends from home, I decided I wasn’t going to let this beat me. Yes, university stress continued and I did feel lonely, anxious and lost at some times. But I kept going, met all my deadlines and made some amazing memories.

I volunteered at the IAAF Championships where I met some amazing people and saw some great athletes compete.

I competed with my favourite cakes, won some trophies and had a blast at the summer ball!

Had some crazy nights out with my housemates filled with laughter, dancing, cocktails and even went to Leicester for the first time! 

Had a lovely holiday with my mum in the Canary Islands where we relaxed by the pool, did a bit of shopping, topped up the summer tan and of course watch the football!

I had some great time with family. Surprising my cousins, seeing the little ones, watching Little Mix and having a great Christmas and New Year filled with laughter and games.

One big thing I did in 2018 was get a good hair cut which saw it go from my waist, to my shoulders. I was so nervous, but given everything, I wanted a something fresh to show a new start. Never would I ever think I would have gone for short hair, as I have wanted Rapunzel hair since I was little. But now, having even more off, I absolutely love it!

September brought about the start of my final year and things began to look up more. I got a new job working with some amazing people. I have had some amazing nights with my housemates, booked a girly summer holiday and got my first first of third year! I also started my own blog, worked with an amazing events planner on some incredible events and had an amazing 21^st birthday!

So, looking back on it all, I can say that the start of this year was hard. I learnt some tough lessons and met my breaking point. I would never want to do it again, but I can hold my head up, say not only did I get through it, but I didn’t let it beat me and was very happy with my overall uni percentage for my 2^nd year.

No matter how hard it gets, keep your head up and know that it will get better. It may not be straight away, but give it time.