Signing Off For Christmas!...
Signing off for the Christmas, looking back at 2017 and my plans for 2018!
Oh GIRLS <3What an incredible, whirlwind of a year it's been! I've clocked up some more air miles and travelled to from 24 hours in Paris, a solo trip to New York, Madrid, The Maldives with Ben, Cayman Islands, Boston, a girls trip to Marrakech, a digital detox in Tuscany and carried out my childhood dream of travelling the West Coast with Trek America.This year I vowed to myself that I would explore more of the UK as I bloody LOVE a good staycation, from Cornwall, to Bath, Leeds and Oxford - this year has been a great one for travel and I'm SO excited to see what 2018 holds for travel - I already have a feeling it's going to be a good one with some exiting trips already planned for early next year! It was SUCH an honour to be an ambassador of Visit England this year to showcase what the UK has to offer, I already can't wait to visit more of the UK next year (let me know if you have any recommendations!).Ben and I have nearly hit our savings goal for our house and I'm SO excited to start looking in the New Year; I really can't wait to have a place to call our own (and to decorate OBV). We've been in a semi-long distance relationship for two years now and I'm SO ready to live with him! <3In terms of the blog and moving forward; I VERY excitingly hired an assistant (she's bloody EPIC) and will be starting with me in the new year. I'm looking into a new blog design, as well as upping my content/photography game in 2018 - I'm so excited to see what the year has in store for us!I had a severe case of 'December Burnout' this year - it happens to the best of us and I had seriously overworked myself; which is why our trip to Tuscany couldn't have come at a better time, I felt completely zen once I'd got home and was ready to finish up the rest of the year! I'm so excited to have my gal on board from January as I know together we'll be SO much more productive - I can't wait to have someone to talk to as well (other than my cat LOL!).I managed to carry out some charity work this Christmas which I'm so grateful that I was in a position to do. I've run my #ShareThisChristmas project for the last two years; I contacted brands that I've built relationships with over the last six years and collected samples and distributed them to my local Womens Refuges, Age UK and Havens Hospice. Thank you to every brand who participated and made this possible! <3Speaking of Age UK - I'll be running the London Marathon for them on the 22nd of April 2018 (SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE LOL!), you can donate to my page HERE, I appreciate every donation that has come in and hope that I make you all proud! <3Ben and I took backpacks full of warm blankets from Dunelm and thermal socks and gloves from Primark to the homeless in London last night and it was so lovely knowing that we could help keep some people warmer and hopefully put a smile on someone's face this Christmas! It was the first year we'd done this together and are planning to make it an annual tradition - Christmas, more so than ever is a time to spare a thought for those less fortunate.I'm BLESSED with the most incredible girl friends and family; one of my best friends got married this year, the other bought a house, the other went full time with her dream career and another is on her second baby. I'm feeling SO full of love right now; does Christmas turn anyone else into an absolute sponge?! I feel so grateful everyday that I have the most amazing network of friends, family and boyfriend - Christmas for me really is about health, happiness and spending time with loved ones! I'm SO ready to have some down time with everyone I love over the festive season!Okay so I'm going to stop waffling now but my GOD this year has been bloody amazing; I feel like every year just keeps getting better and I have a feeling that 2018 is going to be a good'un!
I genuinely can't believe how fast this year has gone (it DOES go quicker every year, no?!), this year has brought some incredible highs, and a few lows. This year has ended on a slight low for me but I'm not going to let that stop me feeling festive; laughing with my loved ones and going into the New Year a new woman and ready, more than ever for a fresh start and an EPIC 2018!Here's to eating my body weight in cheese, drinking ALL of the fizz & hot chocolate, watching Xmas films, getting through my HUGE stack of books & spending time with loved ones! I wish you all a WONDERFUL Christmas and New Year; have a great one & I'll see you on the other side gals! <3Lots of love,Hayley xo