Reflecting on 2023

How is it that time of year again when I’m writing the yearly round-up?! Life goes so fast when you’re an adult and this year has certainly flown by! I look back at some things from the start of this year and it honestly feels like it only happened last month. Anyway, let’s look back at 2023, shall we?

I said this in 2022’s post, but it’s that time of year when you get to see everyone’s highlight reels. I generally like to keep things positive with these reflections and my monthly Happy Lists but always keep in mind with any end-of-year content from anyone that you won’t see the struggles.

What Made 2023 Great

On the whole, I’ve had a pretty good year. If you read my Happy Lists, you’ll know I had a huge career change in October, and it’s been exhausting. It’s certainly not been straightforward and I’ve a long way to go before I get to where I want to be. While I don’t regret the decision it has been the source of a lot of stress and tears so don’t think my whole year has been rosy!

I’ve made some amazing memories over this past year though so let’s take a look back over the last 12 months.

1. We started off the year again with a little break away. It’s just the best way to start the new year in my opinion and it’s so relaxing. I find it really sets the mood for the rest of the year!

2. In April we went to our first ever Star Wars Celebration as it was in London. Josh is a lifelong Star Wars fan and it’s certainly grown on me a lot in the 16 years we’ve been together. It was a crazy few days but I’m glad we got to experience it.

3. We went on our first holiday abroad in 5 years (and our first beach holiday in 13 years!). We went to Portugal for a week and it was amazing. It was nice to tick a new country off for me, though Josh had been before. We just totally switched off for the week and did nothing but sunbathe, read, and eat lots of nice food. I’m definitely hoping to tick a few more new countries off in the next few years.

4. We accidentally got a new cat in 2023! We’ve had 2 cats ever since we moved in together over 7 years ago but right from getting the keys to our house we’ve had a neighbourhood cat visit us almost daily. When his owners moved he decided the new house wasn’t for him and would make his way back to us every day. So now he lives with us. We never intended to have 3 cats but we both love Thomas and he’s clearly very happy with us!

5. We had our annual pilgrimage to Liverpool in the summer. To celebrate our second wedding anniversary we stayed in the same hotel we went to for our minimoon. It rained so bad when we were there, but we love Liverpool so much that it didn’t spoil it at all. We also went to a spa while we were there as Josh booked it as a birthday present and it was one of the best spa experiences I’ve ever had!

6. I left my job! After almost 10 years of working in education, I quit my job in October to give self-employment a go! It’s been a real rollercoaster over these past couple of months and it’s a huge change for me, but I’m excited to see what happens next year.

7. We squeezed in lots of little days out towards the end of the year with Christmas markets and things but one of my favourites was an overnight stay in a cute little cottage with a hot tub. We went the week before Christmas and it was honestly the best pre-Christmas treat. It’s definitely something I’d do again.

Setting Goals

I set a few goals in last year’s post, and I’ll be honest I don’t think I stuck to any of them so I’ve decided not to share my goals this time. I do have a few written down for next year on my notes app but I think I’m just going to work away at them quietly.

I have made a vision board for 2024 too. I made my first-ever vision board this time last year and I honestly think it worked. It’s kept me focused on what I want from the year and what I’m working towards. I’d highly recommend giving it a go! Rest, travel, and money are all high priorities for me in 2024.

The Best of Blogging in 2023

In the humblest way possible I like to do a round-up of some of my favourite content from the past year. I haven’t had as much time for blogging as I would have liked but I do have some pieces of content that I’m really happy with. So here are the posts from 2023 that I’m especially proud of!

Center Parcs for Adults – The Ultimate Couples Holiday
Europe in Autumn: 10 Beautiful Destinations to Discover
50 Uplifting Autumn Affirmations To Welcome The New Season
Hygge Life: How To Enjoy Quality Time At Home
The Most Affordable Christmas Eve Box Ideas Everyone Will Love

So that was 2023 for me. I’m really excited for 2024, I’ve got a lot of little plans and ideas in my head for the year and I’m excited to see how things turn out.

How was 2023 for you? What plans or goals do you have for 2024? Let me know in the comments!