2015 in Review | Goals & What I’d Like To Change for 2016

I know that reflection/goal posts are quite cliche and a lot of people do them, however I really love to both read and write them and find they get my mind in a good mindset ready for the year ahead. I’m one of those people who love the start of a new year, it’s a time where I think about what I would like to achieve and what aspects of my life I would like to change. I thought I’d start with a review of 2015 including some of my favourite memories throughout the year, I decided to just pick my favourites as if I wrote everything that I enjoyed this post would be more like an essay, also I don’t like to dwell on the bad and negative therefore it’s only focusing on the positive. January – In January I graduated from university with my BSc Psychology degree in which I achieved a 2:1, I also got a first in my dissertation which I was over the moon about! Technically I graduated from university in 2014, however the University of Derby holds its ceremonies in January instead of the summer which is why it was a lot later. It was a really proud moment for me and was a special moment to share with my family, it was also lovely to graduate with my boyfriend Aaron at the same time. It was the most perfect start to the new year!February – I know a lot of people don’t like Valentines Day as they say you shouldn’t just show the one you love that you love them just on that one day, however I think of it differently. The majority of us live busy lives and it can be hard sometimes to make time to have an evening off together, therefore I think Valentines Day is one of those days that you can do something a little bit extra special as going out for meals and buying presents isn’t something that you can do everyday. We had a lovely meal in Jamie Olivers in Oxford and actually ended up two tables away from my parents which was quite funny. May – I went to see the Doctor Who Symphonic in London which was incredible, it was definitely one of my favourite events that I attended last year. I went with Lucia and it was so lovely to see her, this year I want to make more time to see my friends. Everyone lives busy lifes however it’s important to make time, I’m definitely going to organise more things to do with others this year and travel further so that this can happen more often. I also saw Maroon 5 in London which was amazing, I’ve always wanted to go and see them so for that to finally happen was incredible. It was actually a really spontaneous decision, I was looking at tickets online when I noticed they were still selling tickets for the concert which was about to start an hour later. I got super excited and bought the tickets, jumped in the car with Aaron and 45 minutes later we were sat in the SSE Arena in Wembley waiting for them to come onto the stage. I’m definitely going to try to be more spontaneous in 2016 as it’s a lot of fun and if there is something that I want to do I should just go for it! June – I finally purchased a wicker picnic basket which is something that I have wanted for a very long time, this resulted in lots of little days out to the farm, zoo, river and other lovely places. Millets Farm in Oxfordshire is one of my favourite places to visit, I used to go when I was younger and even though I’m now 24 I still enjoy a day out there. This month was filled with days out like this, the weather was gorgeous so I really tried to make the most out of it. I couldn’t not include Pinterest UK’s 2nd birthday party fiesta as it was so much fun and I’m completely addicted to Pinterest. The event was on their rooftop terrace and it was beautifully decorated, there was a live Mariachi band with lots of little craft bits going on. Also how amazing does their cake look?! It was one of those surprise cakes filled with lots of little smarties, it was delicious! You can read more about the event here if you’re interested.July – At the beginning of the month I went to Formula One which I loved. It’s such a great atmosphere and was lovely to be able to experience the event instead of just watching it on TV. I’ve always wanted to go however had never gone, it’s different to what I thought but I really enjoyed it. This year I am going to try have more days out like this and go to events that I’ve always wanted to go to but never attended. There’s a few that I’m going to write down in a notebook and plan to do in 2016.I ran the Race for Life in memory of my nan who passed away earlier in the year from cancer. She was an amazing woman and it’s something I really wanted to do for her, I also raised £175 for Cancer Research UK which I was really happy about. Two months before I had really injured my ankle and hadn’t done exercise since so to run 5k in half an hour was quite an achievement for me.

July is also the month that I moved out of my parents house in Oxford and moved to Leicestershire. I moved into my parents after finishing university and lived there for a year, as much as I love living there it’s now nice to have my own house again. It was a little stressful as we moved into a new build and bought all the furniture in just a few weeks, trying to find everything we needed in time and getting our address registered everywhere did stress me out a little but I’m so happy we are now settled.August – As we moved house at the very end of July this month was spent getting everything sorted out. There were several trips to Ikea and TK Maxx throughout the month, it took a little while for it to feel like home but once everything was finished and we could relax we settled in quite quickly. The next month September was my birthday month, I turned 24 which seemed a little weird as I still feel as though I am younger than that. It was a really lovely day and headed to TGI Fridays in the evening where I attempted ‘The Monster’ burger which was insane. October – One of my favourite things of the year was the Anthem of the Seas cruise to the Canary Islands. We visited so many amazing places and went on some great trips, one of my favourites was a Camel Ride in Maspalomas. The camel behind me liked me a little bit too much as it kept leaning on my back and I was worried it was going to eat my hair, but was a really fun experience! One of my favourite activities on board was the iFly, it was such a weird sensation but an amazing experience. It’s the nearest to skydiving that I will get and loved it. Another one of my favourites was the FlowRider, I’ve been on it quite a few times in the past but still am not that good at it (it’s a lot of fun though!). Whilst on this holiday I had an obsession with the Pink Lemonade Minute Maid, it’s my favourite soft drink ever and you can’t get it in the UK. I’ve searched online to check if you can order it from America and get it shipped over, however so far have had no luck. If you know of anywhere that I can order some from please let me know! Overall the holiday was amazing and I didn’t want to go back home, I also feel quite lucky that I have someone special in my life to share these experiences with. I did vlog my whole trip which you can view here if you wanted!November – My parents have always wanted to get a real Christmas tree so last year instead of putting up the artificial tree we all headed to Christmas Common at The Tree Barn to pick one out! As you drive up to it there are fields upon fields of Christmas trees, the big one in the centre of Oxford is actually from the same place. It was very busy as it was the first day that it had opened that year but also the perfect time to go as there were so many to choose from that you could pick out the perfect one. There was a beautiful little shop there filled with gorgeous Christmas decorations, I couldn’t resist picking up a few. December- I attend the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham with my mum which was really lovely as now that I have moved city I don’t see her as much as I would like so was a nice day out. As always the catwalk show was amazing and I picked up a few bits and bobs. I managed to not get drawn into all the deals that are constantly in your face and actually only bought what I wanted. This month I started trying to only buy what I want instead of everything that catches my eye, it’s also something I want to keep doing in the new year. Every year me, Aaron and my parents visit Winter Wonderland in London together. It’s something that we have been doing for a few years now and has become a little tradition, we always go to Winter Wonderland, do a little shopping down Oxford Street and then pop into Harrods at the end for a bit more shopping and to get some food. I absolutely love the atmosphere of London in the winter and it’s a lovely thing to do each year as a family. The night before Christmas Eve we headed back home to Oxford to spend a week at my parents for Christmas. In the morning on Christmas Day we all opened our secret santa presents which is another tradition of ours before heading down to open all the other presents in the living room. It was an amazing day and we had the most delicious dinner ever cooked by my parents, it’s my favourite meal of the year! I love everything about Christmas and always have, I know some people don’t enjoy it as much as they get older however I love it just as much every year. To end the year I went to Quod on the High Street in Oxford for a lovely New Years Eve meal. I chose to have Lobster Thermidor with Chips and then a Salted Caramel Chocolate Pot for dessert. I wore my new gold sequin dress which I absolutely love, it’s got a slit at the front and has a cut out on the back. It was a perfect end to the year spending it with the people I love the most at midnight, seeing in the new year together.

2016 is the year where I want to say yes to everything that I would like to do without any fear or doubt, it’s my main goal for the year! Another big thing this year is ‘switching off’, I still blog and edit videos at ridiculous times and would love to be able to say ‘right it’s 7pm, time to stop for today’ and just relax and have time for myself. It’s much easier said than done however is something I am really going to try this year, I’m going to spend this month sorting out my schedule. Also you may have noticed that my blog has had a little re-fresh, I haven’t changed it a lot just a few things which I was no longer happy about and now love the new look. I’m going to focus on the content that I love to produce the most both on here and on my YouTube channel over the next year and continue to improve the quality of my content.

I’ve nearly finished reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying which has motivated me to have a big clear out to start the year fresh, I’m aiming to get everything done during the first month of the year so wish me luck! I’m one of those people that gets emotional attachments to so many items that I own and tend to make excuses to why I should keep things, however this book has really helped me clear my mind and get me into the right mindset.

Happy New Year everyone, I wish you all happiness and love in 2016!

Rebecca x