Reflecting on 2022

Well here we are again approaching the end of another year, ready to welcome a new one into our lives. A time to look back on the last 12 months and look forward to the next 12.

I know everyone says this but it honestly only feels like two minutes ago since I wrote my reflecting on 2021 post. Each year before I sit down to write one of these posts I take some time to read the previous years post. It not only refreshes my memory on the format for the post but gives me a chance to look at what life was like a year ago and what my goals and hopes were for the year that’s just passed. If I’m being honest looking at last years post fills me with a huge mix of emotions. I feel sad for the place I was in when I wrote that, the end of 2021 was not a great time for me. I’d spent the year having massive highs and huge lows and I was mentally exhausted and praying for a much better year in 2022.

But a lot can change in a year and after a bit of a rocky start during the first few weeks of 2022 I’m pleased to say that this year has been the polar opposite of last year. And while there haven’t been any big positive life milestones like last year there also hasn’t been those major lows. And after the last few years nothing makes me happier than knowing this year is the first year we’ve been stable, secure and happy and basically smashing life!

I am very conscious of pointing out that posts like this are often a highlight reel and when times have been tough they can make you feel a bit rubbish, I know, I’ve been there! But I’ve always been quite honest and open in my personal posts on here and while things have really come together for me this year, my life is not perfect. That’s just the nature of things, there will always be ups and downs. So please remember peoples lives aren’t quite what is shown on blogs and social media. I like to keep things positive on here but I’m also quite honest without giving my whole life away on the internet but this year I really want to celebrate how good things have been after a tough few years.

What Made 2022 Great

Well know I’ve waffled on enough, let’s get down to business and actually take a look back at the last 12 months.

1. The first part of January was a little rocky, however as we welcomed in the new year we headed off on a little break to Center Parcs and it was just amazing. All the Christmas decorations were still up and it was honestly just the perfect start to a new year. What could be better than kicking off the new year in a cute cabin in the forest and just spending a week totally relaxing?!

2. I dyed my hair pink for a few months and I absolutely loved it. The upkeep was a nightmare but I adored my pink hair. One of my goals for 2022 was to work on myself and my confidence and I can’t tell you what a confidence boost pink hair was. It was quite a big one for me because I don’t like to draw attention to myself but I just loved having pink hair. Maybe it might come back in 2023…

3. We finally got to see the Lion King show. My dad bought us tickets all the way back in 2019 for Christmas and we were originally meant to see the show in 2020. It kept getting rescheduled because of Covid and finally in April this year we headed to the theatre to watch it. It was well worth the two year wait as it was absolutely fantastic.

4. We’ve had lots of fun days out in 2022. We’ve done beer festivals, Christmas markets, nights out etc and they’ve all helped to make this year really fun so I definitely want more of that next year.

5. In the summer we headed down south for a little holiday and a trip to see Josh’s gran. We were blessed with some lovely weather and truly made the most of our time there exploring Littlehampton and the surrounding areas. We had walks on the beach, afternoons in the pub and ice cream overlooking the sea and it was just a really enjoyable summer break.

6. Shortly after we headed off on another trip, this time to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. There was only ever one place we were going to go for that and that was Liverpool! If you’ve been reading here a while then you’ll know how much we love Liverpool. It’s where we got engaged and where we had our minimoon. Although the trip was really fun unfortunately I was quite poorly as I’d developed a cyst on my coccyx and almost had to have surgery the day before we went to Liverpool (which was the date of our first anniversary). It’s definitely not how I imagined spending my first wedding anniversary so I think we need to make up for that in 2023!

7. In the summer my wedding blog was nominated for a Yorkshire Blogger Award in the wedding category. It was nominated last year too but in the finance category and ended up winning. But being nominated in the wedding category felt even more special. We were unable to attend the awards last year but I was determined to go this year even though I was certain I wouldn’t win again. Well against all odds my blog only went and won in the wedding category! I absolutely couldn’t believe it and I felt so proud of myself! My wedding blog was also featured in a few news articles last year too so it was a pretty big year for The Thrifty Bride.

8. We renovated our kitchen this year, a project I’ve been desperate to do since we moved in over six years ago. It honestly felt like the project took most of 2022 to complete despite us only having a really small kitchen! We started looking back in April but work didn’t start until the beginning of October and was finished at the end of November. I cannot even put into words how much I love our kitchen now. It feels clean and modern but homely and cosy all at the same time. Our old kitchen was one that was put in by the builders when our house was built around 18 years ago. It was cheap, ugly and falling to bits and I hated being in there. It was definitely a big learning curve though as I didn’t anticipate how stressful it would be and how many obstacles we’d come up against. So even though I wan to renovate our bathroom, I’m not in a huge rush to do that just yet!

9. Then of course we come to the end of the year, my favourite time. Unfortunately I spent most of December really poorly with a double ear infection and a chest infection. I’ve honestly never felt as ill. Thankfully it all cleared up (after lots of antibiotics and ear drops) around 10 days before Christmas even though I still don’t have my hearing back properly. December definitely wasn’t how I imagined it would be but I did still make lots of lovely festive memories thankfully.

Setting Goals

If you read my This Time Next Year – The Results post then you’ll know all about my new approach to setting goals that I tried out in 2022. If you haven’t read the post then jump over there to see what goals I set myself and how I got on with them this year.

My new relaxed way of setting goals worked so much better for me in terms of being able to achieve them and the impact they had on my mental health so I’m sticking with the same approach this year. To be honest I’m not mixing the goals up too much either as there’s still things I’d like to work on in the same categories as last year. With that being said, here are my 2023 goals:

Blogging – in 2023 I want to get better at posting on my wedding blog. I had a great year with The Thrifty Bride but content was really hit and miss because blogging isn’t my job and the fact is this blog – Laureny Loves… earns more money so is my main priority. However I know there’s huge potential for The Thrifty Bride so I’m going to try and commit to publishing one new post a month over there.

Money – although I have big plans financially for 2023 I’m trying to reign in my goals a little so as not to get overwhelmed. I consider myself quite financially savvy but I do like to do my research so I still have a little work to do here before I commit to anything which is why I don’t want to set anything in stone just yet. To get an idea of what I’ve been looking into though, I’m currently researching mortgage overpayments, lifetime ISA and stocks and shares ISA. Now I am in no way saying I’ll be committing to all of those because that’s a lot of money and my wage from my job honestly isn’t that great but if I can make some headway with one, maybe two of those I’ll be happy.

A couple of things financially I can commit to though is making more money from blogging – even if it’s just £10 more than this year and increasing my savings. Again I’m not looking at big numbers but every little helps.

Self – this was a huge one for me in 2022. I had so much I wanted to work on from my confidence to my toxic trait of comparison. I made some big gains in 2022 but there’s always room for improvement so in 2023 I’m going to be continuing to work on my confidence and not comparing every aspect of my life to other people.

I’m adding a few extra things in here though as in May 2022 I started working with a PT and it was absolutely life changing, I’ve learnt so much about myself and my attitude to fitness and food has changed so much. So in 2023 I want to continue working with a PT and continue moving and loving my body in a way I’ve never done before because the confidence that has come from working with a PT is insane and it’s totally not connected to my weight or anything!

One other self goal I’m adding in is to continue with Duolingo, I started learning French on the app all the way back in 2021 and I was doing really well and really enjoying it. However our wedding rolled around and practising tailed off and before long over a year had passed. I actually restarted learning French at the beginning of December 2022 (you don’t have to wait until a new year to make a start on your goals!) and I’m making good progress again so I’m adding this one into my self goals.

So I think I’m going to leave it at those three categories this year – blogging, money and self. I feel really happy with those categories and I feel they’re all things I can work on throughout the year without tying myself to anything super specific.

The Best of Blogging in 2022

In the humblest way possible I like to do a round-up of some of my favourite content from the past year. You should always take a moment to be proud of the work you do. So here are the posts from 2022 that I’m especially proud of!

– 12 Flavourful Ways To Use Vanilla Ice-Cream
– My Thoughts on Turning 31
– Practical Ways To Keep Warm Without Using Gas and Electricity
– How To Build A Dreamy Bedtime Routine For Adults
– How To Stay Productive In The Autumn Months
– 7 Scary Halloween Monster And Their Odd Origins
– How To Buy Children Christmas Presents They Actually Like

How was 2022 for you? What goals do you have for 2023? Let me know in the comments!