Wow, more than a year without writing a blog. I actually intended to do my 2014 roundup blog in 2014, but as I went away on the 27th I just didn't get round to it. However it's only 19 days into 2015 so I'll let myself off.

2014 was a bit weird. In many ways it was anti-climactic, but I think that was inevitable after my major high of my last semester of uni and graduating with a First and moving in with my best friends. Towards the end of 2013 I was starting to feel a bit down/bitter about how things were going, and this definitely was carried into 2014. I spent the first couple of months feeling quite depressed, because I was incredibly homesick all the time and didn't really feel close to anyone that I was around. I don't think this is a reflection on any of them; I think it was genuinely me being a bit depressed. I just wanted everything in Twickenham to be over so I could go back to my life in Essex. The highlight of the first part of 2014 (and the only thing that stands out in my memory as being good) was mine and Stuart's trip to Berlin. It was the first time we had been away together the two of us and we had a wonderful time. Berlin is a truly amazing city and suited us both down to a T as we love history, me being particularly passionate about Jewish history and Stuart WW2. We had both wanted to visit for a long time and it was really brilliant to go away just as two.

The next thing that happened in 2014 was me being offered a job in marketing. Suddenly the prospect of leaving behind Twickenham and moving back to Essex seemed looming and terrifying and not altogether attractive. At that point I really believe that you don't know what you've got till it's gone. But this time was made more bearable by another trip away with Stuart, this time to Budapest. We had another amazing holiday and a highlight was the Greek restaurant by the Danube which we both agreed was one of the best meals we've ever had. I don't even know if the food was that great or if it was just because of how happy we both were to be there together. Again, we got to explore an amazing city together.

Then I got back and started my new job a couple of days later. Even 9 months on I'm still not feeling 100% settled into office life. I definitely am more so than I initially was. At first I felt down and sad and like the office environment sucked the personality out of me. But I have come out of my shell more with my colleagues now and I really like most of them. I don't know if I'll ever LOVE sitting at a desk looking at a screen all day, but I'm grateful to have had no gaps in my CV and to have been offered a job relevant to my degree less than a year after graduating.

In June I went to Portugal with my parents, grandparents, uncle Warren, brother, brother's girlfriend Emily and Stuart. Another lovely week was had by all of course. I can't believe this year I won't be going with, it's heartbreaking and I think I'll feel really upset the whole week.

The summer really was the best part of my year and one of the best experiences of my life. I finally got to go on Birthright Israel. Not only that, but I got to go with Megg (first cousin) and my best friend from school, Becca. We realised in year 7 after spotting each other's Star of David necklaces that we were both Jewish. We didn't talk till halfway through year 8, but years of extremely close friendship followed. I then went to uni and Becca went to Canada and then to Scotland so we went a long time without seeing each other. But we had always said we wanted to go to Israel together and honestly I felt like the luckiest person in my group to have new friends, family and an old friend with me to share it with. The entire Israel experience was truly faultless but I don't need to write about it here as I have 80 pages of handwritten travel journal to look back on.

When I got back from Israel I was absolutely thrilled to pieces to be asked by Fallon (who took over from me as intern at the uni) to be her plus one on the Disneyland Paris trip. This meant that I got to go for a third year running, which is something I would never have dreamed of. It made me miss my uni so much, and it is always at the back of my mind that maybe I'd like to go back there one day. I don't know if this will happen or if I even really want it, but it's always there.

A few weeks after getting back from Israel Stuart and I booked a ski trip. This again was a true highlight of the year. I hadn't been skiing since my last trip with BCHS in 2010, so five years. I had craved the mountains and just the whole skiing experience, and every year that went by I missed skiing more and became more resigned to the fact that I thought I'd never do it again. But we bit the bullet and booked a ski trip for December to Bulgaria. Sure enough, we had an absolutely brilliant week and I honestly couldn't have been any happier to be back on skis in -21 degrees again. It was definitely made better by the fact that I really liked the people in my group. We don't keep in touch; we didn't even swap details. But without them it wouldn't have been even half as lovely as it was. We were in Bulgaria for new year, which brings us to now. January 2015. Eight years since I first wrote One of these posts I think.

So I suppose I can't complain too much about 2014. It sounds cliche but it really was full to the brim of highs and lows. In a way, emotionally, my Israel trip was a condensed version of 2014. But I got to go on 6 holidays, I got a job, I'm back home with my parents and enjoying it (for now!) and everyone in my life is currently healthy, including my pets. I really won't complain.

Now let's see how I did with the lists I made at the end of last year -



AIMS FOR 2014
- travel. I don't know when and I don't know where, but I have to see some more places that I've never seen before.
I think I ticked this off. I got to visit Berlin, Budapest, Israel and Bansko, all places I've never been before. I also got to travel back to Portugal and back to Disneyland Paris. I am under no illusions about how lucky I am to have done these things, much less all in one year!
- get a JOB that I love that leaves me with enough disposable income to do said travelling and to buy my favourite Urban Decay 24/7 liquid eyeliner regularly
I haven't been here long enough to say that I love it, but I definitely don't hate it and I have enough money to save and travel and buy the Urban Decay eyeliner. I don't buy it at the moment, but if I wanted to I could, and that's what matters here :P
- at least have a more clear plan with Stuart about us moving in together, if not actually moving in together this year
Hopefully in the next couple of weeks it will be even clearer.
- stay with Stuart, obviously
Obviously
- see my cousins Rachel and Sophie more often. I hadn't seen them in years but then in the last few months of 2013 I saw them three times and it reminded us how well we all get on
Sadly this did not happen, but I did see them a few weeks ago for a nice catchup and I'm seeing them in a couple of months too
- sort out my anxiety
I'm doing REALLY well 
- continue growing my hair
It's really getting there now!

THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2014
- going to Berlin tomorrow with Stuart
Brilliant
- going to Portugal in June with my parents, brother, grandparents, uncle Warren and Stuart
Brilliant

And now for this year's lists.

AIMS FOR 2015
- go and visit Becca in Scotland with Eleanor
- go and visit Beth in Loughborough
- remain cheeseless (been 13 days so far)
- continue becoming as vegan as possible, focusing on cutting the dairy out
- continue growing my hair
- go on an amazing holiday this summer with Stuart (currently discussing Sri Lanka)
- go on a city break with Stuart
- go somewhere with my family at the end of the year (we are currently discussing something very Northern, involving lights...)
- stay with Stuart
- move in with Stuart
- continue liking myself

THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2015
- visiting Poland

I have nothing else planned as of yet for 2015. I don't know what this year will bring. All I know is if I can get to 2016 with my family and pets still fine and me still with Stuart and having seen some new places and done some new things then I'll probably consider it a success.