I can tell you something, it’s been a pretty whirlwind end to 2015! I feel like I’ve barely sat down in the past month or so, what with a hectic end to my university term, a rather big shock, then the buzz of Christmas. Despite this (and even because of this) 2015 has definitely been the best year yet. There’s been ups and downs of course, but over the last few weeks I’ve been reminded just how lucky I am.
Holidays
I’m not the biggest traveler, there’s always something else I’d sooner spend my (few!) pennies on, but this year I’ve managed to squeeze in a decent amount. I love taking weekends to explore the UK rather than venturing into Europe as there’s so much to see right here, and I kicked off 2015 with a very chilly break in Oxford. I’ve also squeezed in trips to the seaside in Devon, a surprise trip to Edinburgh, and of course my trip to Italy. I absolutely fell in love with Venice, utterly breathtaking and beautiful it’s one of my favorite spots.
Losing Weight
One of my biggest achievements this year has been getting close to being happy with my body – driven partly by weightloss. Whilst I’m in no way saying thin = happy, for a long time I’d been feeling quite hateful towards myself. My gastro consultant gave me the kick-up-the-ass I needed to sort out my diet/exercise and I ended up losing a good few dress sizes rather quickly and easily. My diet still isn’t perfect and I’ve got a long way until I’m completely happy with it, but for the first time since I can remember I’m entering the new year feeling positive about myself.
December
My favorite month of all, and this year it was extra-special. It kicks off with my birthday right at the beginning of the month – which was a lovely relaxed few days spent with my closest family and friends. Of course, Christmas is always a favorite time and despite feeling exhausted this year it was still rather magical. I always enjoy it more after a stressful end to the university term, and with a lovely two exams and three assessments scheduled in the last week it was definitely full of stress!
Final Year
I’m now in my final year of an Actuarial Science degree, and I’m still loving it just as much as when I first started. Sure, final year is tough and there are times that I’m in tears, times where I’m cursing my decision, but overall I love the things I study, the assignments I do and I’m super-excited to head into the world of work. I was lucky enough to experience a thirteen-month placement over the last academic year, I worked with a great team, got an amazing amount of experience – so even though I don’t want to leave university behind I’m itching to get into the “real” world in 2016. Exciting stuff!
Countryside Walks & Seaside Strolls
As I mentioned above, I’m a huge fan of making the most of the UK, and being a country-girl at heart I love getting out and about in the fresh air. I don’t get as much chance as I’d like to do this, but when I do I definitely make the most of it. Living so close to Whitstable whilst at university has meant being able to take sunset strolls along the beach too – whilst we only managed it once last term I’m determined to go a bit more often before I graduate! I’m a little gutted that the last few days have been so dull as I’d have loved to have taken Tee-J for a good run – here’s hoping to some bright winter days soon!
Blogging
2015 has been a massive year for my blog, more so than I could have ever hoped for. I started going to events, met some other lovely bloggers, collaborated with some of my favorite brands and pushed myself to achieve as much as possible. I’ve loved it!
Getting Engaged (!) & An Engagement Weekend
I already announced this over on Instagram last week (thank you for all your congratulations on there and Twitter!) as I just couldn’t keep it to myself any longer, but W proposed right at the start of my Christmas holidays. Eeek! I’m not going to say a great deal about it as I do want to do more of a dedicated proposal post, but it was completely and utterly perfect, entirely ‘us’, romantic but not cliche and he honestly thought of everything – including whisking me away for the weekend immediately afterwards. We spent the next few days alternating between laughing hysterically and crying (me) and eating vast amounts of food (both of us!). I’m typing this still in disbelief that it all happened really…though the sparkles from my left hand are rather distracting!
So, a very exciting end for 2015 for me. I can’t quite believe it! How was your year? What were your 2015 highlights?
