H&M T Shirt / Accessorize Earrings

How, just HOW are we already a quarter of the way through the year? It feels like just a second ago I was writing down my goals in a fresh new 2018 diary, wondering what the new year would bring. I’ve decided to introduce a quarterly year review on my blog, as a way to track my goals and also reflect on what the past few months have brought. I really do try and make the most of my time (Netflix counts as productive right?), and I find that writing things down is a good way to organise my headspace. I’m a serial list maker so I guess this is really just an extension of that.

So without further ramblings, here’s how my 2018 has shaped up so far.

Enjoyed UK City Breaks

I haven’t been on an airplane since October which is all kinds of crazy for me, as I usually don’t have such long gaps in gallivanting off somewhere new. We were meant to go to Amsterdam in December but due to the heavy snow that trip got cancelled and we didn’t have anything in the diary for the first quarter of 2018. Instead, we’ve enjoyed a few breaks closer to home. In January we spent a night at St Martins Lane for a super fun blogger couples night, in February we spent the weekend in Brighton with ibis and in March we checked in at The Principal Hotel for my birthday. It doesn’t matter if I’m in London, Manchester or Europe, I always have fun when I’m exploring! Although I could really do with some sunshine right about now.

Booked A Couple of Trips

Ok although I said I’ve been enjoying my staycations, I have been itching to get away so Charlie and I booked a few nights in Lisbon for April, and I’m also heading to Paris in May. For now these are my only concrete travel plans but I’m hoping to book a city break to Barcelona and a week somewhere sunny. I’m thinking either Italy or Croatia for a summer break but we’ll see! We won’t be booking any extravagant months in Cali like last year due to the house draining a lot of our funs, but I hope we can still get away every couple of months. I don’t feel complete unless I have travels in the pipeline. I’ve also been following a lot of Instagram accounts of couples who have renovation vans into homes on wheels and it’s giving me so much inspo as I’d love to do this!

Started House Renovations

We FINALLY got the keys to the house after several complications which meant the renovation began in February. So far we’ve stripped the house bare including carpets (which were gross) and the next job will be a complete rewire of the house and we will also be re-plastering the walls. It’s stressful but fun at the same time and I can’t wait to create my dream home. You can keep up to date with our progress on my Instagram highlights. I’ve also been stalking Pinterest like a mad woman, I’m feeling overwhelmed with all the decisions we need to make but at the same time it’s a really cool project to work on together.

Worked On Some Great Collabs

I’ve been working really hard on my Instagram content this past couple of months and I’ve already worked with some amazing brands this year on great projects including BBC Radio 1 and & Other Stories (one of my fave stores!). I’ve also got some exciting projects I’m currently working on, I love creating content and although it can get stressful when I have other things going on too, it’s something I really do enjoy. Good job I have my Instagram boyfriend well trained, even if we do occasionally disagree on when is a good time for a quick impromptu photoshoot.

Became A Yoga Master

Lol huge exaggeration but I finally found a yoga class that I love! Sure it’s full of women who are mostly retired (I chose a daytime class for that reason ha ha) but that’s kind of why it’s so great. There’s no pressure and everyone is really lovely, I feel such a difference in my body when I’ve been and I really would love to start going twice a week if possible. Yoga is really great for the mind, body and soul and I’ve been enjoying it so much. 

Overall not a bad quarter of the year, I feel as though these months have been more of a preparation for the rest of the year. I’m pleased we can finally move forward with the house, and I can’t wait for winter to be well and truly over because quite frankly I am SICK of this weather. My goals for the next 3 months:

• Have a completed bathroom that I LOVE complete with roll top bath
• Bedrooms decorated and ready to furnish/fill with all my home accessories
• Book another trip for June/July ideally with a beach because this girl needs some time out
• Launch a creative project I’ve been working on (more on that soon)
• Continue making content I’m happy with

Here’s to the next three months…