Reflecting on 2018…
One thing I’ve realised about doing these annual roundups is how much better everything seems in retrospect. I see everything with a rose-tinted blur, without all the worries I was feeling at the time. If you’d have asked me how I felt about this year before I flicked through my photos, I would have said it was a solid 7/10 – there were some serious highs, but also some wobbles along the way. But looking over the photos, remembering the year in photos and snapshot moments, I can see I’ve actually had a bloomin’ brilliant year!
I think this has been a really happy year in my personal life; a lot of trips with my friends, a couple of weddings, amazing times spent with my family, 30th birthdays, baby news… I feel like there’s been so much I’ve celebrated that I haven’t shared with my online life!
I’ve always struggled a bit with what to share – I’m quite a private person at heart I guess, but maybe that’s something I can work on in 2019. More personal updates!
In light of that, let’s round up the year in one big post!
My year in highlights…
01. Our honeymoon in Bali had been a long-time coming but we finally organised it this year and it was magical! It was the first time I’d taken proper time off since getting married, and I felt like I really had a rest after the most exhausting few months. We swam day and night, had moonlit dinners and drank cocktails under the stars, went to skateparks and cooking classes and walked along rice paddies, laughed nonstop and spent two wonderful weeks together! It’s made me realise how important it is to take time off and really be present in the moment. I barely looked at my phone the whole trip, and I didn’t even open my emails once. So therapeutic!
02. This was an incredible year for work achievements for me, I secured a partnership with Origins as an ambassador for the brand – something that had been on my bucket list for many years! I flew to Miami with IGK & Space NK, which was a dream come true, went to LA with Marc Jacobs and again with Jo Malone, headed to New York with Kiehl’s and then later on with Samsung, Berlin with Viktor and Rolf and Paris with Decleor… I even got to visit a country on my bucketlist – Finland with skincare brand Lumene! I felt so incredibly fortunate, every trip was so special and I got to spend time with some truly inspirational women.
03. In March we went back to New Zealand to catch up with my family and to attend my brothers wedding. It was one of my favourite visits because we saw a lot more of the South Island – I find visiting New Zealand difficult in some ways because I feel like I should spend all my time with my family, but I also want to explore my home country! It’s hard to get the balance right, we always say that every time we go we’ll visit one other city – and so far it’s worked out perfectly.
04. This was a big year for friendships for me – I made some lifelong friends and I’m thankful for every one of them. I’ve always been a bit of a lone wolf; I love my own company too much, and growing up with brothers has meant that I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy – happiest with the lads!
This past year I became closer to my longtime girl group; we went on trips, celebrated milestone birthdays and made some unforgettable memories. I feel complete with them in my life.
A few personal goals…
01. One of my goals for this year was to spend more time at home, but with over 60 flights ticked off before August, I don’t think I quite did that… BUT, I did cherish my time at home a lot more. I realised that I’m quite a restless person, I love routine and pleasing myself but I get bored being home for too long – typical Sag! I’ve learned the key is balance – I love to be at home a good chunk of the time, bit with lots of plans in my diary too.
02. I really took control of my finances this year and got ahead of myself with my accounts, while also managing to smash my savings targets. I’ve never been terrible with money, but I’ve never been brilliant with it either – making plans for the future, investing and being sensible with my money has been so rewarding!
03. I think I struggled a bit with my content this year, I feel like I’m always being pulled between the various platforms and how much to share and what to share… I sometimes feel like I’m repeating myself a lot on here and Instagram, and then stories and YouTube. Saying that, I think I cared less this year and I found my place a bit more – it’s very much a journey!
Every year I strive to be less of a perfectionist and more of a “real time” poster, and I definitely achieved that this year. It’s something I need to work on going in to 2019, but I’m getting there!
04. This year was the year I became a lot more conscious – I dramatically cut down on my fast fashion shopping habits, I made more of an effort to reduce plastic waste and recycle the rest, I rarely eat meat and I try not to promote hauls on here either. There’s still so much I can do to make a difference, but I’m on the right track.
In 2018, I discovered…
– Phoebe Bridgers; Motion Sickness was my jam from first listen.
– A love for vegan cooking, I love experimenting in the kitchen.
– That I can shop a whole lot less and still feel happy with what I have.
– NARS Climax Mascara, possibly my favourite beauty find of the year.
– Rhubarb gin. Mixed with sparkling water & lots of fresh lime. Perfect.
This Year’s Goals…
I find it oddly satisfying to look back at the resolutions I made back in January, almost an entire year ago! I’m usually surprised at the little goals I set myself, there’s always a few in there that I totally forgot about – like microblading my eyebrows!
I actually achieved more than I expected; I started planning for a new project, I hired an assistant (a big one for me!), and we booked (and went on!) our honeymoon.
I didn’t bullet journal at all though, which I had hoped to stick to. I think I just accepted that I’m a digital girl through and through.
I’m excited to see how my 2019 goals will turn out…
My Top Five Reads…
01. Our House by Louise Candlish – easily one of the best books I’ve ever read.
02. Hold Back The Stars by Katie Khan – this absolutely gripped me on a long haul flight, and there’s word of it being turned in to a film too.
03. Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman; another unputdownable read, a little farfetched at times but I loved it.
04. This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay; Hilarious and tragic at the same time, I laughed and cried my way through this!
05. Together by Julie Cohen; I still think about this book a lot, it really left a mark on me – a love story with a difference.
My 2018 in numbers…
30 – the number of hours I spent listening to the Killers. No surpise there.
8 – the number of new places I visited this year – Miami, Helsinki, Formentera, Skye, Ibiza, Arran, Lapland & Bali.
2,295,069 – the number of likes I got on Instagram this year (thank you!)
11 – the number of gigs I went to.
26,159 – the minutes of music I listened to on Spotify.
…and a few more favourite memories!
Every trip with my Jo Malone family, seeing my little brother get married, visiting Chateau Marmont, cycling around Formentera with Jordan, visiting Helsinki, filming with the BBC, meeting John Legend, celebrating 30th birthdays with my best friends, hot tub weekends away, Paris at Christmas, taking a cooking class in Bali, LA with Suzie, being back in New York for the first time since I got married, discovering Ibiza, lapping up as much sun as possible, spending time in Glasgow, roadtripping around NZ, making small changes to our flat!
A little thank you…
I really felt the love from you lot this year – from launching the coffee shop, to all my sponsored content and every video, picture or story I uploaded, the amount of support I got from you all was incredible!
Thank you once again for such a brilliant year, I owe so much to you guys! I know sometimes, especially on here, it’s hard to show how much I appreciate it but I wanted to give a really heartfelt thank you once and for all.
A few smaller triumphs…
Getting more photos with Jordan, feeling happy with my skin for the first time in years, shopping less, saving more, taking more pictures for myself, seeing more of Scotland, celebrating Market being open for a year, reaching gold status with BA (finally!), creating content for some of my favourite brands, feeling happier in myself, spending more time with the people who matter, travelling more, reading more books!
It’s true to say 2017 was a tough year to beat, but 2018 you were pretty awesome too. Lots of memories made with my best friends, some incredible places visited and lots of lifetime work achievements ticked off too!
A lot of this I couldn’t have done without you wonderful lot – every comment, every share, like, mention, praise or words of encouragement has fuelled me and helped me along. I’m forever grateful for all your support, it never goes unnoticed!
Let’s hope for even better things in 2019! What were your achievements or favourite memories from this past year?
