Reflecting on 2017

Much like I’ve done at this time of year for the past few years, today’s post will focus on the year just gone. 2016 was such a big year that I always knew we’d have to take a quiet year out after it before getting back into the swing of things so 2017 seemed to flow along nicely but with nothing too huge to report which is just how life goes ometimes I suppose. At the end of last year I set myself 5 goals for 2017 and I’m afraid I didn’t make all that much progress! I’m completely fine with this though. The first two goals were to complete everything on my home to-do list and go on holiday. In part these didn’t happen because we actually ended up booking a Florida holiday for 2018 but I’ll be honest not completing the home to-do list was also because of laziness so we’ll definitely be tackling some of the points in 2018. I also completely failed to dedicate more time to my blog, I blogged so little this year but my mini Blogmas has definitely got me back into the swing of things so fingers crossed that in 2018 my blog posts become a little more regular again.

So how was 2017? It treated us pretty well actually so I thought I’d share a little list of all the things, big and small, that made me happy in 2017.

1. We visited Amsterdam for the first time, eat the biggest and best pancakes and quickly decided we definitely need to go back.
2.We became an Auntie and Uncle again when Josh’s brother and his partner had their first child, the beautiful Pippa.
3. We saved enough money to be able to book a Florida holiday for 2018. Go us!
4. I started collecting Disney pins and now my collection currently stands at 67 pins so it’s safe to say I threw myself in with full gusto and fell in love with my new hobby.
5. I found the best silver boots in the sale that make me feel like Noel Fielding.
6. We saw Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in concert and it was magical.
7. I got my second tattoo and 5 months on I’m still completely in love with it.
8. We made a start on transforming our huge garden, there’s a long way to go but it’s much neater and brighter now.
9. We saw Avenue Q at the theatre and it was extremely filthy and extremely funny.
10. I passed my Braille exam for work after 18 months of self-taught work.
11. We stayed at the beautiful 30 James Street hotel in Liverpool and visited the spa there, our first time in a spa. Relaxing does not cover it!
12. My little business, Just Mouse Things, began to really grow after just one year.
13. We celebrated 10 years together as a couple and it’s still amazing to me how we’ve grown with each other.
14. We had the most relaxing Christmas I think we’ve ever had which is just what I needed.

So thinking about the year ahead I really struggled to come up with some goals. I’m not one for making big resolutions and feeling pressured to complete things but here are a few things I’d like from 2018.
1. Create and complete a Florida bucket list for our holiday in August
2. Continue to grow Just Mouse Things – during the second half of 2017 things really picked up pace with my little shop. I have some great ideas for new stock so I’d like to see it continue to grow.
3. Tick off at least 5 more things on my to-do list for our home

And as usual for these reflection posts I thought I’d finish off with a round up of my favourite posts that I’ve wrote over the past year.
The Story of Our Home // 10 Things I’ve Learnt About Owning A Cat // Thinking Time and the Art of Not Being Humble // Our First Home: Garden Project #1 // Some Things Are Hard To Let Go Of

I hope you all had an amazing 2017 and that 2018 is even better!
Happy New Year!