2022 Reflections

2022 is almost over and gosh, this year has flown by! With this blog post, I am looking at reflecting on the highs and lows of the past year. This year I’ve experienced getting a new job which I love, blog collaborations, starting the process of buying our own home (although this has also included some lows), losing loved ones, planning our wedding and plenty more.

Finding a job I’m passionate about

I had a tough start to the year as I got covid and then had a chest infection straight after, so I spent some time trying to recover and focusing on my health. In April I was successful in getting a role with a local sight loss charity. I’ve looked at working in the charity sector in the past but nothing aligned at the time, until now. Six months into the role, a new position became available which seemed ideal for me… so I applied and I was successful. I’m now the Fundraising and Marketing Officer at the same charity. Every day is different and there’s a lot to do, so 2023 will be about focusing on some key areas within my role.

 

Blog collaborations

This year has been a quieter year for blog collabs, mainly due to such big life events happening such as buying a house and planning the wedding. I’ve still had some awesome opportunities in 2022 which I’m very thankful for. These have included my collaboration with Open Table, the Body Shop York VIP event, the bubble tea launch at Rosa’s Thai York, reviewing Coco and Vanilla’s Gin & Juice range and more!

The process of buying our house

Wow, this has been a stressful year with regards to buying our house. In April, we officially reserved our home. In November, we received the news that due to government deadlines we’d lost our help to buy mortgage offer as our house wouldn’t be built on time. We’ve now got a new mortgage offer and we’re still going through the process, but fingers crossed we should be ready to complete and moving into our house in spring.

 

Planning our wedding

We found our ideal wedding venue which we have now booked! It’s really exciting but also overwhelming as there is so much to do. Late 2023 will be when the real wedding planning starts I think!

Visiting Menorca, twice!

I finally visited Menorca, twice, which is where my fiancés parents live! This meant I also got to meet his parents for the first time which was amazing. His parents work very hard and run their lovely café called Sa Botiga de son Vilar, they are open Monday – Saturday and it’s located between Mahón and Es Castell. Diane, his mum, bakes all of the delicious food herself (minus the croissants).

 

Losing loved ones

Although I don’t want to bring down the mood, I need to also talk about the lows. Sadly another year has gone by and I’ve lost some very loved relatives. Death is something I struggle with  and losing the people I did has been heart-breaking. In July we said goodbye to my gran, RIP Gran. I also very recently lost my nephew. As tough and as sad as it is, I like to think he’s reunited with my other nephew (his brother). RIP Smiler.

Hair colour change

There’s been a major change to my hair colour towards the end of the year, in preparation for my wedding. The pastel colours are the “in-between” phase but I’m so pleased with how it looks currently.

 

I (or we as a couple) have so many exciting things happening in 2023, such as completing on and moving into our own home, continuing with wedding planning, continuing to settle into my new role and more. 

 

What are your highlights of 2022? Let me know in the comments.