How, just HOW are we already halfway through 2019? I feel like I’ve been waiting for summer to arrive for approximately 17 years and I am not happy with this June situation. That being said, the first six months haven’t been too bad at all and it occurred to me that I haven’t published a catch-up post in a while so here we go!

The house

If I had a penny for every time someone asked me how the house is coming along, I’d be a millionaire. I decided to create an Instagram account for the renovation journey so I could keep friends, family and any interested persons updated with the progress. When we first bought the house it was very much go, go, go trying to clear it and basically strip the house back to bricks and fix any serious issues such as the roof. The past six months were slow in terms of progress due largely to Charlie’s business which has been very busy but we do also need to earn that dollar to pay for everything! It’s started to pick back up again now and we’re in the stages of designing our kitchen which is super exciting, I’ve shared the first CAD drawings on the Instagram page if you fancy a nosy. I’m thinking black shaker-style until with a concrete work top and parquet flooring, but I might change my mind next week…

My travels

Despite everything that’s going on with the renovation, I still aim to travel as much as possible which can be quite challenging with so many house bills and expensive taste. This year so far has included a long weekend in Bath, a week in Boston, and an adventure in the Lake District. We’re heading to Ibiza next month, and I’ve also booked flights to Copenhagen for October which I’m so excited for, Tivoli over Halloween is pretty epic. I’m hoping to squeeze in a few more trips over the summer, I’m dying to go back to Italy and I’d also love to hop on the Eurostar and spend a long weekend in France. If you have any recommendations for France, or anywhere else we can visit via the Eurostar then I’d love to hear all about it. Charlie’s 30th birthday is also approaching, and we’ve booked a huge country house for the weekend to spend with 20 of our friends, so that should be really fun, and I’m sure we’ll be heading somewhere special together to celebrate too.

Work life

I’m finding it hard to believe I’ve been full-time freelancing for almost a year (well, come August!) and what a rollercoaster it’s been. I’d be lying if I said the first few months weren’t spent doubting myself and seeking reassurance from Charlie every single day. I wasn’t quite prepared for the huge shake-up in routine and lifestyle, but I’m feeling really settled now and absolutely love the new routine I’ve made for myself. In case you wonder what I do, you can check out my blog post here and also my freelance page here. In a nutshell I’m a digital and social media marketer and content creator! I work with companies on their SEO, PPC, social media, photography and influencer outreach. Alongside this, I’m also a freelance writer and work with a few different clients in the travel and lifestyle sector, working to produce interesting content on a regular basis. I genuinely really love what I do, and definitely made the right decision in taking the plunge. I don’t know what the future holds, but for now I’m enjoying the ride and experimenting with, well, life! I’m planning on launching a careers section on here very soon, so do let me know if there are any posts you’d like to see!

So, what does the second half of 2019 have in store? I’m hoping to progress with the house to the point it looks more like a home and less like a building site. I would love to be in the position where we have our flooring down, bedrooms completed, and kitchen fitted. I want to travel as much as possible, and make the most of every opportunity, and also plan a weekend away with my girl friends from school (all these years later we’re still great friends which I’m forever grateful for). I want to continue pushing myself in my professional life and seek out new opportunities and of course, continue to build my blog in the direction of travel. I hope you’ll stick around for it.