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Sunday, 15 January 2017

2016 Round Up 
Yes I'm about two weeks late with that one but I'm still saying happy new year to everyone I meet and email. Now the only problem is I can't remember who I have already said it to and therefore I may be repeating myself. Never mind - surely I am just wishing them an extra happy new year if I say it twice?

So a new shiny year. Where did the last one go? Although looking back I have done so much in 2016 and I think its important to keep track of your achievements and the positives because it can be so easy to focus on the negatives. So here are my 5 super achievements from 2016:

This is something that has been a long time coming. I actually submitted my final piece of work in October 2015 but somehow that meant I graduates summer 2016. It was still a nice day with lots of hand shaking and of course a silly gown and cap! The only sad thing was that my brother wasn't able to take the time off work to be there which was a shame but I am still super pleased that I graduated.

This one is kind of an essential on my list for any year. 2016 was a fairly good one with trips to Scotland, Portugal, Germany, and Ireland. Trips don't have to be for a long time or even to somewhere that far away to be great. Glasgow and Lisbon were with work but I had already been to Glasgow earlier that year as a mini break with my boyfriend, and he also flew out to Portugal to join me after my conference so they count as holidays. Ireland is similar but the other way round, it was his work Christmas trip but I went too which was really fun . Dublin in November is FREEZING but we had a great time wandering round the city and having a night of Irish dancing and Irish drinking! Berlin on the other hand was a classic Ami and Deb travelling fiasco involving all the core elements of culture experience, inappropriate outfits, and drink related mishaps (Part One and Part Two linked here).

My cousin got married and she was sweet enough to ask me and her sister to be bridesmaids. It was a really nice day with lots of family I hadn't seen in ages. There was lawn games, and photo booths, and lots of fizz all mingled in with a really nice celebration of Lizzy and Danny as they start their lives together. It was refreshing to be able to run away from my normal life and drop into a world where there were hairdressers, make up artists, and running around a posh hotel in a robe was acceptable. I had a blast! Incidentally the hairdresser did my hair so well that even when I woke up the next morning, my hair was pristine! I need this lady in my life more.

Or more accurately, he moved in with me (and my cat). This was initially a temporary trial situation as his house contract was ending and I was struggling to make rent on my apartment so we thought we would try it for a month and see how it went. Here we are 6 months later and it's still one of the best decisions of the year. The only downside is that Chloe (the cat) now prefers Mark to me (grrr).

This one is fairly new but I quit my job in autumn which came into effect at the end of December. I am finding the transition very stressful as I have not secured another role yet. I am currently in a temporary post for a short time but I am acutely aware that I need to find something else very soon. However, even with the looming threat of unemployment, I still think that quitting my old job was the right thing to do; I wasn't enjoying it anymore, in fact quite the opposite and it had been going on for so long that it wasn't until I hit breaking point that I realised how much I needed to leave. If anything I count this as my biggest (and last) achievement of 2016 as it is certainly the most irreversible one. Whether it was brave or foolish only time will tell but I'm hoping the former as I have done so many foolish things that I feel I am statistically due a brave one. So I'm feeling much better about myself having thought about this post. I would urge all of you to look at the positives in the last year especially since 2016 was filled with so many bad things too. It is important to remember that life goes on and we can keep trying to make things better and not repeat the mistakes of the past. I hope 2017 will bring more good things too!!
