Happy new year everyone! 2019 has now been and gone, but I wanted to post this today just to celebrate some of the things I achieved last year but also some of my favourite moments. Last year was filled with many challenges for myself and it definitely had its low moments, but it was also a year that I achieved many milestones and for that reason, I'll remember 2019 forever. I'm going to keep this post short and sweet, so hopefully, you enjoy looking back at the year with me.
CUT MY HAIR
At the beginning of 2019, I was really struggling mentally, which I feel like you can tell when you look back at some of my older posts. I was very much trying to find a purpose and place for myself, which resulted in me making some random, impulsive decisions like cutting my hair. Many of you probably don't know this, but as a child, I cut all of my hair off and so I had a very short bob for a very long time. My hair never returned to its old length but since cutting my hair, I always regretted it as I wanted long hair, but I'd been thinking of cutting it for a while. When it comes to styling my hair, I am so lazy with it and so my mindset was, that if I cut my hair, it would become easier to style and more managable, so I bit the bullet and got it done. Perhaps one of the best decisions ever because I look back at pictures of myself with long hair and I realise now that it just wasn't me. I love how I look with shorter hair, and like everyone, I go through phases with it, but I don't regret it at all. Even though it was something so simple, I really feel like it offered me so much confidence and purpose.
HERE COME THE BOYS
For those who don't know, I use to be obsessed with dancing and although I don't attend classes anymore, I still dance now and then because it is something that will never leave me. I still have a huge admiration for dance though and so when some of the Strictly boys were doing a tour, my mum and I snatched up some tickets. It was definitely such a cool and unique show, it is something I could watch on repeat. What made it such a special evening for me though was just the way it inspired and motivated me. I left the show feeling so creatively inspired and it is still something I look back at now when I lack that motivation.
AS FURTHER MATHS EXAM
This exam was definitely not a highlight at the time, but it really is true when they say that hard work pays off. Choosing to do Further Maths ALevel was a very spontaneous decision but it was also a big jump for myself personally. Although I have always felt out of depth in terms of my academic ability, I feel like Further Maths has offered me that confidence and ability to really be proud of myself. The AS exam itself was actually awful, it was so insanely difficult and mentally, it was challenging. It felt like the weeks of preparation I'd done beforehand didn't pay off and that I'd be left with a disappointing result. However, months later when I got my results, turns out all of that hard work was worth it and I got the top grade. It was definitely an exam experience completely different to GCSEs and just that relief and ability to really feel proud of myself made it such a memorable achievement of 2019.
GOT MY FIRST JOB
Getting my first job was one of the top priorities of 2019 and to start 2020 with a new and exciting job is amazing. Even in the first months of 2019, I was constantly applying for jobs, I got a few interviews, but I was never offered any positions until the end of June when I applied for a hospitality role and I got it. My jobs in hospitality were definitely nothing like I had anticipated but they were such a huge milestone for me and I learnt so much from the experience. Having a job and that responsibility taught me so much, it gave me confidence and it put me in new scenarios that were completely out of my comfort zone. I am so glad I can leave 2019 with that experience and having that ticked off of the list.
FUERTEVENTURA
The first out of two amazing holidays I was lucky enough to have in 2019. This was my family's first holiday to Europe in over 10 years and it was incredible. It was so fun to discover a new place and experience new things with my family this year. I also loved this holiday as I was really able to create some good content for my blog and Instagram which is something I always aim to do, but struggle to actually pursue. It was this point in the year where I really started to fall into myself again and I started to feel excited about the future so that just made the holiday even more memorable and enjoyable.
PASSED MY DRIVING TEST
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges I faced this year was driving. I didn't have the best relationship with driving, at times it gave me a lot of anxiety and frustration, but I kept going and now I can say that I can legally drive which is incredible. My driving test experience was definitely challenging, I passed on my third time and having gone through those two fails this year, it really taught me a lot about myself and also somethings that I would like to change about myself in terms of coping with failures. Mentally going through the driving experience was tough and at the time, I had lost all hope, but now that I am out of that, I am so much more understanding and confident. To have had the opportunity of driving at 17 and now having my own car, it is the most incredible thing and I am so insanely grateful so that experience this year.
ABU DHABI
As for my second holiday of the year, it was completely magical. I love Abu Dhabi as a place and this time around I got to have so many more new experiences shared with my family. It was so special to just have that time with my family away from school and work to just relax.
APPLIED TO UNIVERSITY
Another huge milestone was biting the bullet and applying to university. It was definitely a challenging process due to me being insanely paranoid and indecisive, but I am confident in my decision and I am so proud of myself for having just done it. I don't know if university is for me, but I just wanted to know if I'd get in and now I can say that I've done it, with all five university offers. It is such an exciting prospect and I don't know what 2020 is going to hold but I am excited.
REX ORANGE COUNTY LIVE
Seeing Rex Orange County live was such an incredible experience. I have wanted to see him live for so long and he absolutely smashed it, it was everything I could have wanted and more. Rex Orange County's music is just so special to me and to now have that ticked off of my bucket list is so exciting.
WENT TO MY FIRST FOOTBALL MATCH
2019 saw me become a huge Liverpool supporter. Although growing up with reds and blues, I never really watched or appreciated football, but something clicked this year and I just started to tune into the football. Liverpool won the Champions League this year and I can now say that I watched that unravel, which is something that will stay with me forever. I became a huge fan, tuning into every match, keeping up with the players' lives and just becoming part of the community which is the best part of this experience. I now know what people mean when they say how being apart of a football club is like being in a massive family, because it is a community unlike anything else. I got my first Liverpool top this year, but most importantly, I went to my first ever football match. Although it was the Liverpool vs Watford match in the middle of December, just being there was so special and to have shared it with my brother also was just amazing.
MICHAEL BUBLE LIVE
Finally, another person which I have been able to tick off the bucket list is Michael Buble. He is up there with one of the best concerts I have ever seen. His show was unique and unlike anything else, I laughed and cried, but it was such an incredible show and I feel so lucky to have been there.
2019 was definitely a huge year, and I hope 2020 is filled with many more milestones and achievements, as well as awsome new memories shared with some very special people. In the next couple of days, I will have some posts up about what 2020 entails for me, so keep an eye out for those. Here's to 2020!
Grace xx
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