2014 - What a belter

Well here we are, a new year. Another, new year. Isn’t time a funny thing. It can seem so far away… next month, next year, five years away. And then… it’s here. A place we could barely imagine is suddenly our reality.

I can remember so clearly a conversation I had with TB back in 2011, about marriage and babies and the thought that I would probably be waiting until I was 34 for those things to happen seemed forever away. But here we are, in no time at all – and I have everything I could hope for.

2014 was a pretty big year for me and because of so many wonderful moments, it does seem like it was quite a long year.

Marriage

Safe to say this was one of the two biggest events of my whole life! Organising and planning our wedding was definitely hard work at times and there were several occasions where I would have gladly punched various people, but the end result was a weekend that was more than I could ever have hoped for. From the relaxed ceremony filled with laughter and tears, to the hilarious speeches and a dress that I am still in love with, I could not have asked for more.

But that was the wedding. The marriage? Well, the marriage kicks the wedding into a cocked hat. We’re almost 9 months into our first year and whoever said the first year is the hardest is the hardest, must have been in a shitty marriage. Our first year is amazing. If it’s possible I love him even more and every day I can’t wait for the end of the working day so I can see him. I am so lucky and so excited to spend the rest of our lives together.  You may now be sick.

Work

I’ve had a good year workwise – on par with my best yet and say I that purely relating to fiscal matters. As a freelancer it’s mostly all about the money. I really enjoy what I do but one eye is always on the bank account. You see there is also the small matter of maternity pay, or lack of. As I am self employed I only get government statutory. I’ve always known this so over the past 18 months (yeah, I was erring on the side of caution) I’ve been saving like a maddie so I will be able to take a good six – nine months off when the baby comes.

Fitness and Body Image

I could write an essay on this one topic. Overall, I have felt amazing this year. Size 14 jeans and running a 10k in 1 hour. Hoo Ha! I am so proud of myself and my dedication which saw me feel and look the best I think I have ever. For once I felt good about myself all the time. Getting dressed to go to any event no longer filled me with dread about what to wear. Being slimmer and fitter made me feel more confident and I was more relaxed about things as a result.

I also loved the challenge of getting there. No, not the weeks when I was faced with temptation and scoffed a load of naughties, but the weeks when I forced myself to run longer, faster and as a result I could say “I just ran 4 miles”, which made me feel invincible. I promised myself I would run a 10k before my wedding and I did. Forget the time it took me;  I love that I made up my mind I would do it – and I did.

I’ve ended the year in a totally different place. Being pregnant has affected me more than I thought it would. I thought I could keep up the exercise regime and really stay on top of things. Yes, I’m still exercising and plan to for as long as possible (albeit it just one or two times a week) but my body is changing and I need to adapt to that in a more drastic way than I thought I would have to.  I’ve definitely not been as strict with my eating as I should have been and over the last few months I’ve been very good to myself. Anything I’ve wanted, I’ve had. I learned a lot this year though – mostly that I can be consistent with my eating and I do eat a very healthy diet. I’m looking forward to getting into that groove again – which has already begun to happen this year.

Home

Ever since the first time we went to view our house, we knew doing the kitchen up was a must. Nothing to do with style but the state of the manky, 30 year old pine cabinets. But not only did we decide to do it up, we’ve knocked a wall down through  to the dining room and created a super amazing dining/kitchen space. WE (but mostly TB) have been working hard on it he’s almost finished putting the cabinets in! I am beyond excited for it to be finished as not only will it look SO good,  I won’t have to wash the dishes in a basin in the spare bedroom anymore. Hello dishwasher!

As soon as we finish the kitchen it’s all systems go with our bedroom – which only has 1/3 of a laminate floor thanks to sorting kitchen electrics from above. Won’t be sorry to have that replaced though!

Relationships

I’m really lucky to have many wonderful, female friends and I was lucky enough to see a lot of them over not just the festive period but throughout the year, what with my hen do and the wedding. But it struck me the other day when catching up with one of my closest friends that I now only see a couple of times a year (whereas we used to live in each other’s pockets) I miss having a close friend that lives near me. I’ve got a packed social life and I can’t fit all my friends in as it is, but sometimes, when you’ve got an hour – you just wanna pop over to  your pal’s and have a right good chin wag.  God, I want it all, don’t I?

Baby

Hand in hand with getting married, the best thing to happen to me in 2014, is getting pregnant. I am getting so excited for it and I can't wait until we get to meet our baby. But I am also not excited for people trying to touch my bump - which is still pretty small and jiggles like any normal tummy. I am also more than happy to have time to crack on with all the DIY and decorating! 

Over the past few weeks I've been feeling it move all the time which is kinda weird, but exciting! Last night TB managed to feel it kick for himself, following instructions from me to 'push your fingers in here, harder!'

Let’s finish with some pics from the last few weeks.