2016 Round Up – Part One: Life

It’s been a busy few weeks, and I’ve let myself take it easy on the blog front over Christmas and New Year, but now 2017 has properly started and I’m back with a big one – a full round up of 2016. I’ve done this in three parts because, frankly, as one post it was just TOO LONG but I didn’t want to cut anything out!

2016 was a huge year for me. A year in which I changed my life for me, when I did what I needed to do to make myself happier, when I pushed aside my concerns for what other people think, and made changes anyway. It was a year full of travel, good food, a new city and special friends, both old and new!

I wanted to do a bit of a run down of 2016 on here as it was such a big year and I wanted to share it all with you guys as well as having a record I can look back on in the future. I wrote this one last year and I have really liked looking back over it and seeing what I got up to and the changes in how I feel about my life now – needless to say – I am so so much happier now. 2015 was tricky, but it led to some huge changes in 2016.

So, here we go!

FIRSTLY…

I couldn’t even begin to write about 2016 without mentioning the huge change I have made in my career recently. This was the biggest thing that happened to me in 2016 and I still can’t quite believe that it is happening!

On the 16th January 2016, I went for dinner withy oldest friend, Abi (who I have mentioned a few times on this blog before and who is also mentioned again towards the bottom of this page – what can I say, she’s a good egg!) and we talked about how I wanted to make a huge change to my life. I can honestly say that without this girl and her support and enthusiasm, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing. We talked about it over dinner (and wine!) and after thinking I wasn’t qualified enough to even apply, let alone do the course, she was so positive, supportive and encouraging and I ended up submitting my UCAS application about 72 hours later!

I owe this girl a huge amount for that. She knew before anyone else that I was changing my life and she didn’t judge me for moving on from a career that I had invested years of time, money and energy into, or patronise me for not being as qualified as I probably should have been (she’s training to be a GP and was always better than me at school – though I think she was probably a good influence on me then too!) – she just encouraged me and told me I could do it – and here I am, less than a year later, having caught 3 babies and witnessed another 4 deliveries! I definitely owe that to her. (Abi, if you are reading this, I am a lucky lucky girl to have you in my life – from helping me buy my first push up bra to changing my career, you’ve been the best friend a girl could ask for – 20 years this year!)

It’s been a completely incredible whirlwind of a journey since I got my place to train to become a midwife – I cant get enough of this amazing job and everything I am learning.

I had also decided that I wanted to document as much of my training as possible on my blog. When I started the course I asked permission from the university, they said yes, and “Midwife Mondays” was born (pun definitely intended!)
I can’t tell you all how much I have been getting form writing my “Midwife Mondays” posts – I love putting the incredible experiences I’ve been having onto a page, the comments from all of you guys, and I love that I will be able to look back in the future on this incredible time in my life – a time that will inevitably have highs and lows but is already the biggest adventure of my life to date!

LIFE

So outside of the professional changes I’ve made in my life, this year has still been a really special one. I started the year by bringing home my gorgeous little baby hedgehog, Twiglet, who has a proper little character to him and still, a year late, makes me smile every day!

Fast forward to the beginning of February, I was given the opportunity to sing a handful of my dream theatre roles with the Glasgow Philharmonia Orchestra, which also gave me the opportunity to wear the incredible Rosie Red corsetry dress again (and convinced me, even more, that this incredible designer is going to design my wedding dress – whenever that may be needed!)

In March, I was invited to be David’s date to the Mamma Mia Press Night in Bristol – this boy is completely incomparable. He really is. From the moment we decided to live together years back, I knew he would be stuck with me long term – and he has been – even when he moved to Germany to play the lead in the Rocky Horror Picture show, or toured the UK with Mamma Mia, we’ve still both made the effort to see each other and to whatsapp. And, even when life gets in the way and we don’t talk for a while, I know he is still there when I need him, and vice versa. 🙂

In April, I had a bridal modelling shoot, this time in Kent, and possibly more excitingly, this time with little Twiglet! He had a fantastic day snuffling around amongst sugarcraft flowers and being cuddled by absolutely everyone on set, and the shots that came out from the shoot, of both of us, were fab! The photos were also published in a Kent bridal magazine which is very exciting!

On the 29th April, I nervously clicked “publish” on my “New direction” post on this blog, and I was so completely overwhelmed with the response. From both old friends to complete strangers – this scary move into a new world suddenly become an exciting new adventure, with the support of so many amazing people behind me – so if you read that post, or commented, or sent me a message after reading it (which so many of you did!) Thank you. You made a very vulnerable girl feel brave. 🙂

Over the next few months, I worked about 8 different jobs to save as much money as possible, and I also went on a couple of lovely holidays (but you’ll have to read my “travel” part to hear about them!) 🙂

In early September, just before I moved to Cambridge, David was on playing the lead in Mamma Mia in Birmingham, so I obviously also had to zip up to see that, and, as I expected, he absolutely smashed it! I spent a wonderful evening with his gorgeous mum and Granzee watching the show, and after the show, after I had given David the biggest hug ever, I also got to meet his wonderful boyfriend who is so so lovely! Such a special evening!

Since the course started my whole life has been tipped upside down and I wouldn’t change it! It’s been such an exciting little adventure so far! Both my parents have been up to visit my little flat and explore my new city, and I’ve made some really special new friends (Shout out to Sara and Lucie who are both as batty as I am!) – I cannot even begin to explain how much happier I am!

In December, my family all went to the Kings College Carol service at the Royal Albert Hall, which was a really special festive evening – we had dinner at Burger and Lobster, and cocktails at Archer St, and then Christmas properly started with the amazingly beautiful music of the Philharmonia orchestra and the incredible voices of the fantastic Kings College choir and some incredible talented young choristers!

Christmas was a very family oriented time, we spent time with both sides of the extended family, and I spent most of the period between the 21st December and the 27th in some form between tipsy and hungover…lots of fun (hic!)

For New Year, I was invited by Abi (see, I said I would mention her again in this post!) for a long weekend in Birmingham. She had booked an Airbnb for a small group of us and we spent the weekend drinking incredible cocktails, eating some really good food, playing ring of fire, dancing the night away and eating leftover party food as our drunk munchies (best idea ever!) Needless to say, 2017 started well! 🙂

Have a read of Part 2 – Travel, here:

To Read ‘Part Three – Food & Blogging’, click here: