Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013

Well folks, at the stroke of midnight tonight, we will all be bidding adieu to 2012 and Guten tag to 2013!  I think I probably say this every year but never one afraid of sounding like a broken record... didn't this year go quickly? I swear as I get older, each year increases in speed, like some secret conspiracy solely aimed at me, with the aim of ageing me and making my life flash by in the blink of an eye!

Thankfully, I am here for the ride, and have grabbed life by the proverbial again this year. So, in similar fashion to last year, I decided to put together a highlights of 2012 post, just some of my favourite moments and adventures.

February half term: A whole day of relaxation at Clarice House Spa with the bestie. Complete bliss.

Valentine's Day February 2012 - The husband and I went to see Singin' in the Rain. The first of many shows seen in 2012!

First wedding anniversary 2012: The husband and I went to the Berkeley in London for pret-a-portea afternoon tea and then to see Jersey Boys. We had a fantastic time.

The husband treated me to a new Mulberry bag for our first wedding anniversary, so I now have Mulberry siblings! Love you S xx

Bank holiday weekend May 2012: A little trip to the Cotswolds.

June 2012: The husband and I took a 4 day trip to Budapest. Pictured is the Hungarian State Opera House, where we saw an opera of Macbeth. We also visited the Szechenyi thermal baths, the stunning New York Cafe, the Buda castle district, Heroes Square and St. Stephen's Basilica amongst others.

Summer holiday 2012: The husband and I flew out to Barbados in August for a couple of weeks of sun, relaxation, and not much else! An amazing holiday in a beautiful location.

October 2012: A 3 day trip to Yorkshire for half term.

Christmas 2012: We spent the day in London, ice-skating at the National History Museum and then watching Viva Forever! 

These are just a few of my highlights but 2012 has been fantastic for so many reasons! I worked like a mo-fo and passed by Advanced Skills Teacher assessment and got promoted at work, I purchased a brand new car, the husband and I celebrated one amazing year of marriage and we have now spent 3 years in our perfect home! I have a good feeling about 2013 and hope that I manage to top the successes of 2012 and continue to tick things off my list! I've already made a start by booking some theatre tickets for the upcoming months as well as flights to Rome for our anniversary trip away.

I guess all that is left to say is happy and healthy new year to all, may 2013 be good to you! : D xxx

2011 sign off

Happy last-day-of 2011 to all my lovely followers! Today I have been reminiscing a lot on the year, and I cannot believe how quickly it has gone! This time last year I was frenetically planning my Wedding ready for April 7th, now I am rapidly approaching my first anniversary! Nuts!

Thinking back over the year, and the many experiences and achievements of 2011, I decided to put together a photo story of some of my favourite moments, days out and adventures : )

March 2011: My hen weekend in Brighton. I had such an amazing time with some great friends, we shopped, rolled down massive hills in zorbing balls and danced the night away in Brighton's amazing clubs!

April 7th: My Wedding day aka the best day of my life so far! I spent the majority of 2010 planning my dream day,  with no stone left unturned. We married in a gorgeous old church near our home and held our reception at the 17th century Jacobean manor, Boy's Hall. We had exclusive use for three days and could not have been any happier. The sun shone, every little detail was taken care of and everything was just perfect : )

A shot of us in our Wedding finery and our gorgeous cupcake tower. My father sourced all of the Vintage china tea cups, plates, saucers and cake stands for my big day : )

April 2011: For our honeymoon, we took the trip of a lifetime to Thailand for 2 weeks. We stayed in a luxury 5 star resort and spent our time sight seeing, swimming, sun-bathing, trying out as many restaurants as possible and as the shot shows, meeting new friends! We were so excited about our elephant ride, and we were not disappointed.

Beautiful clear sea in Thailand

'Our' pool, right next to our room. One of the many we were able to use.

May 2011: Overnight trip to London to see Legally Blonde. An amazing show!

July 2011: Trip to Hever Castle. We took advantage of the good weather we had this Summer and went on lots of trips to National Trust and English Heritage properties.

Another sunny day enjoyed in July, picture taken at Littlestone beach.

Hubby's birthday weekend in August was spent in Herefordshire at the Big Chill festival. We had a fantastic day and enjoyed so many amazing acts.

Picture of Kanye West performing at the Big Chill festival, our ultimate favourite : )

September 2011: Night out in London with the girls, to say goodbye to Anna (left) and good luck for her work placement in Moscow. Girls nights have remained so important to me this year, for all their support, fun and laughter, I could not be without them XX

October 2011: Purchase of my first Mulberry bag, the East West Bayswater. Gorgeous, classic Mulberry.  A love affair has begun!

November 2011: Christmas begins! I went to the Country Living Christmas fair in London with my best friend and our mums. Perfect for festive spirit and pre-Christmas purchases!

December 2011: 4 day mini-break to Berlin with hubby. A perfect way to celebrate my birthday and finish off the year nicely. We saw so many sights, shopped and had an amazing time.

Just a selection of some of my highlights, 2011 has proved to be a very good year for me for so many reasons! Work has gone from strength to strength for me and hubby, I am officially 'outstanding', we have spent another year in our amazing house, and our baby rabbit Woody is healthy and happy! We have travelled, seen a great deal, married, made some big purchases and stayed blissfully happy and in love! I am so excited about 2012 and all that it may bring, so all I can say is, watch this space!

Here is to a happy and healthy New Year for all my lovely followers, may all your dreams come true in 2012! XOXO

Today I turned philosopher

Hello cupcakes, hope you are all well and happy on this fabulous Friday! (All Fridays are fabulous in my opinion, best day of the week!) Today was another fun day at work, I had my year 13 class for a triple this morning and they always make me smile. It was Dan's 18th birthday today so we had cake which was very welcome of a Friday morning! I did a lot of planning today which always makes me happy too. I have had a rather philosophical day today, perhaps due to the slightly slower paced day I have on Fridays. Some days I am in such a rush for the whole day my thought processes simply revolve around my actions, what I need to remember, what I need to take note of, and how much I need to achieve before I can go home. Thursdays and Fridays are a lot slower for me though, so I have a greater chance to just think. Today, I thought a lot about life in general, dreams and hopes, and how much I have to be grateful for.

Life is so fast paced it is so easy to forget at times everything we have in life that we should give thanks for. I often find myself zipping from one adventure to the next, planning what I next feel I need to acquire, own, do, see... I feel truly grateful that I am in the position to make these sort of plans, and be comfortable in my lifestyle and standards of living, and I am trying more often to slow down, enjoy it, and be grateful. When I hear things on the news about natural disasters and tragedies in the word, or simply some bad news from a friend, I feel humbled, and almost selfish for worrying about the more superficial things in life. So I am trying really hard to be thankful for the things we so often take for granted: food, shelter, warmth and our good health.

I also set to thinking about the future today. The one thing I don't like about the future is that I cannot predict it. As a hugely organised person, I like to know what is coming next in a sequence of events, so I struggle with uncertainty. I am happy in my present, I have ticked so many things off my list that I feel proud of: I bought my own home at 23, I have graduated from a good uni with a 2:1,  I have completed a Post graduate certificate of education and qualified as a teacher and feel that my career is sorted. I have met the love of my life and saved for an amazing wedding to him. Hubby is sorted in his career too and that makes me happy and secure also. Dreaming of the future is a pleasant way to pass my time when I am driving home, or in bed waiting to nod off. I like to think about moving closer to our family and friends and work (although this will be at the detriment of being near my sister and niece and nephew which makes me extremely sad), advancing in my career, travelling further around the world, buying my Mulberry Bayswater (in tan brown, no other colour!), buying hubby his fancy surround sound and projector screen, having a baby... (in a few years time!). I think its a good thing to have ambitions, hopes and dreams, it helps you to continue growing and progressing in life, as an individual and as part of a couple.


Sick bucket moment now... hubby and I often just look at each other and say 'we are so lucky... we have so much to be grateful for. Life is so good. We worked hard and wow look at us now. And it will just keep getting better... isn't that an amazing thought?? If life stayed exactly as it did now for the rest of our lives, we'd be pretty happy and satisfied... but guess what, its only going to keep getting better.... so my message to all blogger's is be happy, be grateful, take a second to count your blessings. Be fiercely proud of your achievements and pat yourself on the back for your hard work, tenacity and patience. Don't undervalue yourself and everything you have achieved because you deserve to be proud of YOU. Peace. xoxo