I may have already done my reflection on 2018 post, but when the fantastic (and inspirational) Jenny at The Brick Castle tagged me in the top 7 tag that has been floating around on people's blogs recently I knew that I had to join in.

The idea of the tag is to share your top 7 blog posts of the year, top 7 moments of the year, and top 7 things you are looking forward to in 2019. You top it off with tagging 7 people to carry on the tag and discover some fantastic blogs at the same time. It was originated by Tracey over at One Frazzled Mum so go give it a read and join in yourself.


Top 7 Blog Posts

I've decided to look through from the start of 2018 and pick my favourites in chronological order to keep things easy for me!

Dear Ex-Employer - Joining Pregnant Then Screwed as a volunteer was something I did this year. To highlight the importance of talking about maternity discrimination, women were asked to write a letter to their employer. I decided to do mine as an open letter and I feel like this post was a turning point about me talking a bit more frankly about my past experiences on my blog.

Goblet Of Fire At WB Studio Tour - Getting an invite for the Goblet Of Fire press night at the Warner Bros Studio Tour was something that I never expected. We had an absolutely amazing time and dragged our Harry Potter obsessed friend with us for a night of fun!

Poverty Is Not A Youtube Challenge - Whilst I couldn't put myself through watching Alfie Deyes' living off £1 a day challenge, I felt obliged to write about it. As someone that has experienced poverty, I was disgusted at how it was seen as a challenge.

Volunteer Of The Year Award - In September I won the Volunteer of the Year Award at the Third Sector awards, so I wrote a blog post about my volunteering journey in the hope to inspire others. Volunteering has honestly changed my life and it's something I recommend everyone do at some point in their lives.

Wicked Mayflower Review - Theatre played a huge part in our blogging year and we finally started to work alongside some of our favourite theatres. Working with The Mayflower in Southampton is probably one of my biggest achievements and I can't wait to work with them more in 2019.

Interview With Hannah Begbie - Despite leaving the bookselling world, I'm still reading more than ever. In 2018 I worked with Mumsnet on their book club and thoroughly enjoyed reviewing all of their titles. Whilst we aren't working with them in 2019, interviewing the amazing Hannah Begbie about her book Mother was definitely the highlight!

Work It Out - Life Changing Coaching - Finally I used the coaching service from Young Women's Trust this year. I hit a low point and didn't really know what direction I wanted to go in with my life. Talking it through with my coach Charlotte really put things into perspective and reminded me why I love the charity so much.


Top 7 Moments Of The Year

Winning an award - I've already linked to my award win post. But honestly winning an award for my volunteering was something that was totally unexpected and I'm still on a high from it.

Queens garden party - Again, going to the Queen's garden party this year with Young Women's Trust was a total highlight. Getting to head into the gardens of the palace was beyond surreal. A memory I will never forget!

Holiday to Bulgaria - This year we took our first proper holiday abroad and joined Scott's family at their holiday home in Bulgaria. It was such a fantastic holiday to relax and unwind after a stressful start to 2018.

Heading to Victorious - Victorious Festival is our favourite festival of the year, and after a bit of a shambles at Camp Bestival, it felt like going home when we stepped into the Victorious site. It's one of our favourite weekends of the year.

Going to the Theatre - We are fortunate to head to the theatre a lot in 2018 and it's honestly something that we have loved more than we can describe. As a family we absolutely love all the time spent at the theatre and we can't wait to see more in 2019!

Volunteering - We all know that I love volunteering and I loved all the opportunities I had to share the news of Young Women's Trust. I went on TV, spoke on the radio and even wrote articles for newspapers. It was a whirlwind that I loved!

Getting a new job - I got a new job! Whilst I haven't started it yet as I'm waiting for my DBS check to go through, it's exciting to know that in 2019 I will be starting a whole new career. I don't want to talk about it much on here, but it's in a school and in a role that whilst it will be challenging, I will love it.



7 Things To Look Forward To In 2019

New job - I'm looking forward to starting m new job. It feels great to have a new year new start and I really can't wait to get stuck in.

Flying to Madrid - For Christmas, Scott got me and him a trip to Madrid in February. I can't wait to have some time away that is just us and explore somewhere new.

Saving money - Being a freelancer has sucked when it comes to money. So starting my new job is going to be a fab way to save some money and hopefully put some aside to not only pay off the pesky credit card, but also save for the future house purchase!

Spending time with friends - We love spending our weekends and holidays with friends, so I can't wait to spend as much time as possible with the ones that we love. There's going to be lots of trips to see people and lots of days out.

Having a better routine - With both of us being in full time jobs, it's going to be tough to find a good routine to make things work. But I'm also looking forward to knowing we have weekends free, knowing that we have that time to spend together.

More days out - Having things like our National Trust passes and Sea life passes means that we always have something to do. We are looking forward to trying to go out and use our passes as much as possible!

Working on my blog - Whilst I've had this corner of the internet for nearly a decade, I'm looking forward to adding to it more. Brand opportunities are never anything that I've sought after, but my collaborations are things that we love. I'm looking forward to adding regular content and trying to write more arts related posts.