Well, it’s the end of 2017 and finally time to say goodbye to the past year. I love to do reflection posts every year and I’m really excited about this one as 2017 has truly been incredible and I’ve created so many special memories with family and friends. I’m going to be sharing all of the best bits of the year as well as some of my favourite memories.
January – The year started off with our new puppy Luna, we got her the week before Christmas so January was spent enjoying her being so little. She went on her first walk, found her love of cheese and made many doggy friends. The three of us (Me, Aaron and Luna) went down to Brighton to visit friends and it was such a lovely trip, although Luna was accidentally taken out by a wave (let’s pretend that didn’t happen) but she loved being by the sea. We had lots of other lovely outings and day trips with our new puppy and it was so exciting to watch how she reacted to experience everything for the first time, from watching her reactions I found a new appreciation of the little things things in life.
February – On Valentines Day Aaron booked us into Pierre Victoire which is now our favourite restaurant and somewhere we have been returned to throughout the year many times since, it was very romantic and we enjoyed a delicious candlelit dinner. The same week I went to my very first Opera called Aida and watched Wonderland in the theatre. There was also a lot of family time this month which is always precious, it’s something that’s very important to me something that I made a lot more time for the past year.
March – March was exciting as we took two trips down to Cornwall, we both had been to Cornwall a lot when we were younger however hadn’t been back for a very long time. We did a lot of exploring around different parts of Cornwall during the day and the evenings were spent relaxing in the jacuzzi which had a gorgeous sea view. It was the first time we had time apart from Luna and it was very strange to not see her for a while, I definitely missed her. I went on another trip to the theatre and watched Out of Order with my family which had us all laughing throughout.
April – I surprised Aaron with the Nintendo Switch and the following few days were spent racing each other on Mario Kart. When me and Aaron first started to get to know each other we bonded over the Nintendo Wii and spent hours playing games together, so buying the Nintendo Switch was very exciting for us as playing games is something we love to do together as a couple. We went on another trip to Cornwall for a few days which was lovely and we were very lucky with the weather. I ate way too many pasties and fish and chips, but that’s what you’re meant to do when by the sea right!? Later in the month I attended a Ted Baker event in London which was incredible and involved floristry, something I had never done before.
May – Previously I had never been to a big football game apart from watching Englands Women team play, so I headed to Wembley to watch Oxford United with Aaron and a few friends. I must admit that I’m not that interested in football however the atmosphere was amazing and it was a great experience. I did go to another football match later on in the month but it wasn’t quite the same watching a game at Wembley Stadium, and even though I’m glad I went I don’t see myself going to any football games any time soon. The week after we took Luna to the Newbury Dog Show Event where she won 3rd place in the fancy dress competition. I made her into a TY Beanie Baby and she looked adorable, there was also a little poem on the inside of the tag just like on the actual TY Beanies which I was obsessed when I was younger. Near the end of the month I started intensive CBT which meant that I was to attend a weekly one-to-one therapy session at the doctors, I will at some point write a whole post on this topic but just wanted to mention it briefly as it has been changing my life.
June – WE VISTED HARRY POTTER STUDIOS! It was INCREDIBLE and I loved exploring the Forbidden Forest, I also had no shame bowing to Buckbeak infront of everyone. It’s somewhere that I had wanted to visit for such a long time and it lived up to expectations, although I didn’t actually enjoy the Butterbeer but I’m so happy that I tried it. Another day out was at Ascot Racecourse as a family, I love attending horse racing as it was great to have some family time as we all went together. Then to end the month I went to a Tea-tasting Wedgewood Masterclass event in London which was great, I’m an avid tea drinker and so it was very interesting to learn about all the different types of tea.
July – I was invited by Red Letter Days to ‘Afternoon Tea with the Tigers Experience’ at the zoo and it was amazing. The place where I indulged in delicious afternoon tea was right in the middle of the tiger inclosure looking out through a massive glass wall, I had never been so close before and it was an incredible experience. Also this month me and Aaron celebrated out 7 year anniversary and overindulged at a Food Festival.
August – This month was filled with little day trips out and Luna came along to all of them. Firstly down the Southampton where we watched the Independence of the Seas depart which made us even more excited for our upcoming cruise, then explored the New Forest and saw so many gorgeous horses roaming about. We also had a trip down to Portsmouth and enjoyed the most delicious cakes in a cute sea-front cafe, it was very relaxing.
September – My birthday month is always very exciting and we all went for an amazing afternoon tea in Oxford then went back to my parents to blow out the candles on my UNICORN CAKE. Yes, a unicorn cake that my mum made all by herself. It was absolutely incredible and I still can’t get over how amazing it turned out and the amount of effort she put into it, it was truly outstanding! Later on in the month I was invited by San Miguel to a screening of Romeo and Juliet at an outdoor cinema at the Ashmolean Museum, then the month ended with me and Aaron setting off on our two week cruise on the Independence of the Seas.
October – This was the BEST month of the year! I had the best time on holiday and visited so many incredible places. We threw our coins into Trevi Fountain in Rome, strolled the beautiful streets of Florence with ice cream in our hands, watched the monkeys in Gibraltar play, visited Roman theatres in Cartagena and explored the beautiful cities of Malaga, Cascais and Le Seyne-Sur-Mer. The cruise itself was amazing and I’ve always loved the Independence of the Seas, also as we didn’t go in peak season I actually had the FlowRider all to myself all day which was incredible. Then the biggest thing happened, AARON PROPOSED! He proposed on our balcony while the sun was setting and it was beautiful, just us two creating such a special moment together. I couldn’t stop crying as I was so shocked and happy, I’m so happy he proposed the way he did and am excited to start planning our wedding. Then at the end of the month we did our yearly pumpkin picking tradition at Millets Farm and it was our little Lunas first birthday!
November – This month was very much living in a bubble, enjoying our time together after the proposal. We did another yearly tradition that was choosing our Christmas tree with my parents from The Tree Barn at Christmas Common. The tree that we chose was much bigger than last years and at first we couldn’t actually fit it in the living room, however after moving some furniture around we found the perfect spot for it to fit and looked beautiful.
December – The month started off decorating the house making it festive, then I was invited to the Blenheim Palace Christmas Lights. If you have never been I definitely recommend going, it’s absolutely beautiful and puts you even more of a festive mood. IT SNOWED this month! I can’t remember the last time it snowed so heavy and it was incredible, it was also on the same day as Lunas doggy friends Christmas jumper meet up. It was incredible to see her and all her doggy friends running about in the snow in their Christmas jumpers. Then the year ended with Christmas and having two weeks off spending time with my family, eating lots of food and playing games. It was such a perfect end to a perfect year.
Wow, what a year. This has definitely been one of the best years of my life and I’m so excited for 2018. I have a separate post about all of my resolutions and goals for 2018 so keep an eye out for that if you’re interested.
Rebecca x
