Looking back at 2014.
All things considered, 2014 has been a pretty remarkable year. Whilst 2013 was somewhat fogged by my declining mental health, 2014 has been a year of progress and positivity. One of my resolutions this year was to prioritise my health, even if it meant making a few sacrifices, and it's made the world of difference. I've grown, adapted, and challenged myself, and when I look back it's resulted in dozens of wonderful memories. These 'year in review' posts have become a tradition of mine (see 2012 and 2013), and I just love putting them together.
Without any further ado, here is a look back at my 2014...
January was a slow, quiet month. I'd just started treatment for my anxiety, panic disorder and agoraphobia, so I was in a delicate yet cautiously optimistic place. I spent a lot of time in Cornwall with my family, taking wintery walks along the beach and making trips to St Ives for lazy lunches. I usually find January quite a dreary month, but this one was different. I focused on my health, happiness and mental well being, which helped me kick the year off to a promising start. In February I talked about my mental health for Time to Talk day, which I found surprisingly liberating, and in the following weeks and months continued talking about it with readers and other bloggers.
February was also a month of small escapes with my loved ones. Grant and I spent a night at the Francis Hotel in the heart of Bath, and got to feel like tourists in our own city. We also visited Centre Parcs Longleat Forest with my family, and had a great weekend of cycling and adventures.
With the arrival of spring, Grant and I received an email from Lisa Devlin inviting us to take part in a styled shoot at Photography Farm. Lisa was incredible, and planned the whole shoot based around Grant and I as a couple. It was an incredible experience, and we adore the photos! Spring also inspired other photographic pursuits. Grant and I took part in a Turning The Lens project with Uniqlo, where Grant was sent the clothes for once and I got to take outfit photos of him! We also shot my first lookbook video, which was a whole lot of fun.
February was also a month of small escapes with my loved ones. Grant and I spent a night at the Francis Hotel in the heart of Bath, and got to feel like tourists in our own city. We also visited Centre Parcs Longleat Forest with my family, and had a great weekend of cycling and adventures.
With the arrival of spring, Grant and I received an email from Lisa Devlin inviting us to take part in a styled shoot at Photography Farm. Lisa was incredible, and planned the whole shoot based around Grant and I as a couple. It was an incredible experience, and we adore the photos! Spring also inspired other photographic pursuits. Grant and I took part in a Turning The Lens project with Uniqlo, where Grant was sent the clothes for once and I got to take outfit photos of him! We also shot my first lookbook video, which was a whole lot of fun.
In early May I had my first catwalk experience, walking at the
Weird and Wonderful Wedding World. Grant and I celebrated our sixth anniversary with a final meal out in Bath before we headed down to Cornwall for a long summer, where we soon threw ourselves in plenty of tourist-worthy days out. Most memorable perhaps was a trip to St Michael's Mount, where we explored the castle and wandered the early summer gardens.
In June I spent a week in London, having tea at Laduree with my friend Shannon and finally meeting her little boy, Oscar. Whilst there, I also attended a couple of blogging events, and had a great time meeting inspiring ladies. I got to fall in love with London all over again! Back in Cornwall we celebrated my brother's birthday with a trip to Bodmin and Wenford Railway, where we had a cream tea on a steam train.
In July the I Love Crafty Bakery was released, featuring some photos I'd modeled of the collection. It was an amazing shoot - I literally got to eat all the donuts I wanted! It was also around this time that I found out I'd been shortlisted for Best Established Fashion Blogger in the Cosmo Blog Awards, which came as a complete surprise! Naturally, I was over the moon when I found out! I popped back to London briefly to visit a beach in the city, where I got to sip cocktails with some wonderful bloggers. Whilst in London I also went to a Frozen singalong with Shannon, and got to meet an old friend who I first started talking to almost a decade ago on a Sims 2 forum!
August was a jam-packed month! I took part in The Great Blogger Bake Off, baking along with The Great British Bake Off each week. I also received an invitation to Blogstock, the world's first blogging festival. At first the idea made me quite nervous, however I then invited my wonderful friend Tori as my plus one, and my concerns promptly melted away. She made the weekend a delight, and I learned so much from the guest speakers. I blogged about some of the most common questions we get asked about being married young, and the response was fantastic. It soon became my most popular post of all time! To round the month off, I was invited to take part in The Enchantment Project with Emma Griffin, a Disney inspired photography project for charity. She let me decide whether I wanted to be Ariel or Elsa, and of course I went for Elsa (after all, I spend 90% of my time pretending I'm Ariel!).
In June I spent a week in London, having tea at Laduree with my friend Shannon and finally meeting her little boy, Oscar. Whilst there, I also attended a couple of blogging events, and had a great time meeting inspiring ladies. I got to fall in love with London all over again! Back in Cornwall we celebrated my brother's birthday with a trip to Bodmin and Wenford Railway, where we had a cream tea on a steam train.
In July the I Love Crafty Bakery was released, featuring some photos I'd modeled of the collection. It was an amazing shoot - I literally got to eat all the donuts I wanted! It was also around this time that I found out I'd been shortlisted for Best Established Fashion Blogger in the Cosmo Blog Awards, which came as a complete surprise! Naturally, I was over the moon when I found out! I popped back to London briefly to visit a beach in the city, where I got to sip cocktails with some wonderful bloggers. Whilst in London I also went to a Frozen singalong with Shannon, and got to meet an old friend who I first started talking to almost a decade ago on a Sims 2 forum!
August was a jam-packed month! I took part in The Great Blogger Bake Off, baking along with The Great British Bake Off each week. I also received an invitation to Blogstock, the world's first blogging festival. At first the idea made me quite nervous, however I then invited my wonderful friend Tori as my plus one, and my concerns promptly melted away. She made the weekend a delight, and I learned so much from the guest speakers. I blogged about some of the most common questions we get asked about being married young, and the response was fantastic. It soon became my most popular post of all time! To round the month off, I was invited to take part in The Enchantment Project with Emma Griffin, a Disney inspired photography project for charity. She let me decide whether I wanted to be Ariel or Elsa, and of course I went for Elsa (after all, I spend 90% of my time pretending I'm Ariel!).
In September I finished my two cosplays for MCM London Comic Con, Aurora's 'Briar Rose' dress and Ariel's town dress. We headed back to Bath for our final year of university just in time for our first wedding anniversary, which we celebrated with a colourful pink and gold themed photo shoot. I threw myself back into the local blogging community, attending Bristol Fashion Week for the very first time.
October was another busy month. I manged to get myself back on the bus to university for the first time in over a year, which was a massive achievement, and a huge step in overcoming my agoraphobia. Grant and I went to London for an adventure with Mocks, visiting the top of The Shard and having dinner on a Thames show boat. I attended the Cosmo Blog Awards, and was blown away to discover I'd won Highly Regarded in my category! An autumnal camping shoot I'd modeled for Turn Magazine was released, and I simply loved the photos - they were so warm and fun. To round off the month, Grant and I went to MCM London Comic Con for the first time, and I got my first taste of cosplay out in the real world. It was amazing, and I honestly can't recommend it enough.
November was kicked off with Rainbow Club's bonfire night themed event, where we got to dye and decorate shoes. I also got to sample the beautiful Christmas Afternoon Tea at Celtic Manor Resort, which got me feeling truly festive! The Bath Christmas lights were turned on, and it was beginning to feel like Christmas in the city. I celebrated Thanksgiving for the very first time, as hosted by the wonderful Bespoke Bride girls, and had a barrel of fun!
Naturally, December began with a trip to the
October was another busy month. I manged to get myself back on the bus to university for the first time in over a year, which was a massive achievement, and a huge step in overcoming my agoraphobia. Grant and I went to London for an adventure with Mocks, visiting the top of The Shard and having dinner on a Thames show boat. I attended the Cosmo Blog Awards, and was blown away to discover I'd won Highly Regarded in my category! An autumnal camping shoot I'd modeled for Turn Magazine was released, and I simply loved the photos - they were so warm and fun. To round off the month, Grant and I went to MCM London Comic Con for the first time, and I got my first taste of cosplay out in the real world. It was amazing, and I honestly can't recommend it enough.
November was kicked off with Rainbow Club's bonfire night themed event, where we got to dye and decorate shoes. I also got to sample the beautiful Christmas Afternoon Tea at Celtic Manor Resort, which got me feeling truly festive! The Bath Christmas lights were turned on, and it was beginning to feel like Christmas in the city. I celebrated Thanksgiving for the very first time, as hosted by the wonderful Bespoke Bride girls, and had a barrel of fun!
Naturally, December began with a trip to the
Bath Christmas Market! A few blogging ladies came over to my place for
a festive afternoon before we tackled the crowds, so I baked stacks of gingerbread, mince pies and brownies. I celebrated my 22nd birthday with my family in Cornwall for the first time in four years. It was a lovely day; we went to a cocktail bar/restaurant in Falmouth for lunch, then went to the cinema. The weekend before Christmas we took an impromptu holiday to
Centre Parcs. It was incredibly festive, and we even tried our hands at falconry! Christmas Day itself was a thoroughly relaxed affair at my parents place, with plenty of good food, drink, and company.
Whatever your plans may be, I hope you have a great New Years Eve and a beautiful 2015!
Whatever your plans may be, I hope you have a great New Years Eve and a beautiful 2015!
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