It’s been a while since I did a diary or recap entry. So many of my posts in 2015 were about products, places, experiences and things that I enjoyed. And don’t get me wrong – I loved writing those posts! (After all, it’s so much easier to write about something tangible…) But it’s 2016, I’ve read a whole heap of really great reflection posts this week and I felt inspired to do something similar to share a few bits and pieces of my life that didn’t always make it to the pages of my blog…

Going in for a cuddle during our ceremony – photo by Anna Pumer Photography

During 2015 Jeff and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary and the third anniversary of our first date. I’ve written about each of these events, but it’s important to me so I thought I’d highlight it again! He’s a fantastic friend and companion, and I’m all too happy to say he’s also my husband. It’s also really great to have a friend that I love so much who’s willing to go on all sorts of adventures and trips (no matter how last minute!) with me. Which is a nice segue to the next bit…

Somehow (and I genuinely mean somehow) Jeff and I managed to go on eight holidays in 2015. Paris, Edinburgh, USA in Spring, Berlin, Victorious Festival, Madrid, Rio and USA in December. Phew! For a variety of reasons (my visa + passport renewals being the biggest ones because I’ll be unable to travel for most of the year) we’ll be reigning in the international travel for 2016 and relaxing a bit more at home in London.

But we’re both afflicted with the travel bug, and I know it will kick in sooner or later, so for when it does please leave your England / Scotland / Wales travel destination suggestions in the comments! (Restaurants, venues, galleries, cafes, etc. suggestions are also more than welcome.)

And while Jeff and I were in the USA during the spring I was able to celebrate both my mom’s birthday and my university reunion! Not to mention see my whole family, loads of friends (where I found out one of my best friends is pregnant – and as of writing this post her baby is due any day now!) and eat plenty of food.

And if you count my work trip to Cannes for one of my clients, then I’ll have gone on a total of nine trips in 2015, with seven of those being outside of the UK. (No wonder I had to get those extra pages put into my passport back in February!)

Also from a work perspective: I was nominated for my first set of professional awards by two different industry bodies! My work at TMW Unlimited (which is my full time day job, by the way!) for our client Magnum was nominated by both the DMAs and the Social Buzz Awards.

I was also lucky enough to bring home one of the awards: Best Consumer FMCG Social Media Strategy. (And yes, that went right to my LinkedIn profile!)

But it wasn’t all travel and awards with my day job – I also got to meet and work with a couple of celebrities for our clients! (If you couldn’t guess, I really love what I do and the teams I’m lucky enough to work with. And I really, truly mean it.)

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While I achieved a lot at work and travelled thousands of miles for fun, I tried to keep my life in balance by practicing yoga and trying to stay healthy. During 2015 I went to regular yoga classes at the studio, as well as a few pop up and outdoors classes!

But yoga isn’t the only way I tried to keep fit – I also did Run to the Beat, a 10K sponsored by TMW Unlimited’s client Sure UK! And while I signed up with every intention of training, I, erm, sort of never got around to that and just winged it on the day. After cruising through the first 5K in approximately 23 minutes I decided to give myself a break and walk for a bit. What I didn’t realise (because I hadn’t trained or done my research) is that this would cause my muscles to seize up and I’d find it much, much harder to keep going. The rest of the run was a struggle, but crossed that finish line and I’m really proud of that 01:07:56 time.

During the 2014 Boxing Day sales I picked up a blender, and 2015 became the year I got addicted to making smoothies. I loved that, especially on busy days, I could easily whip together a veg & fruit smoothie to make sure I wasn’t missing out on important nutrients. (I also learned that while it’s possible to make guacamole in a smoothie blender, it can be VERY difficult to get out.)

And of course, there were plenty of drinks (and food and nights out and hugs and love) with plenty of friends! There was certainly plenty for me to celebrate in 2015, but also several tough times where I needed to lean on my friends for support (and vice versa). But we all made it through, which in itself is all we can ever really ask for.

2015 was a great year for me with a healthier lifestyle, many achievements, firsts and memorable times with friends and family. I won’t be setting any goals or resolutions for 2016 outside of carrying on doing what I’m doing; I’m happy with how my 2015 went in terms of what I can control in my life. (And for what I can’t control, I’m happy with how I coped and managed and got through.) Instead, I’ll see what comes my way in 2016, carry on looking for the positives and trying to stay healthy, and make the most of it! I’ve got a good feeling about this.

Thanks for reading, and I hope 2016 is a great year for you!

Much love, Katie xo