53 Things Which Happened In 2017

2017 has been a pretty crazy year in that a lot feels like it’s happened but nothing huge has happened. I say it year after year but I can’t believe how quickly the year has gone and I’m still in amazement that the year’s complete. Looking back there’s so much I had hoped to do such as losing weight and moving jobs but I’m not getting too hung up on those things as life just happens.

Taking a quick look at my 2017 goals I achieved six of my goals, although one is open to interpretation. These were going out of the country at least five times (I actually managed 9 trips), I went to at least three theatre shows (Dead Funny, Motown, and Aladdin), I got up blog up to a DA of 35 and thankfully it stayed there at the end of the year, I stayed fully organised with my blog, I didn’t neglect anyone I cared about and I wasn’t afraid to tell people how I really felt, I’m over just telling people what they might want to hear.

The three main things which I totally failed to do in 2017 were losing at least two stone, but I am back at Slimming World properly so this will happen asap, I didn’t get my PADI qualification as time just flew by so much and it hasn’t been my number one priority, and finally I didn’t experience Go Ape which is annoying as every single year I say I’m going to go then it never happens.

Here are 53 things which happened to me in 2017:

1. Me and my boyfriend started the year off right with a trip to the Stars Wars Identity exhibition
2. I turned 27 right near the beginning of the year. The thought of heading towards my thirties is filling me with a little dread but if the years as half as good as this one has been I don’t mind
3. I spent the first birthday of many with my boyfriend and he made me feel so special
4. I almost managed to stay awake for the whole of a Lord of the Rings marathon at the Prince Charles cinema at the end of January
5. We celebrated our first Valentines Day together and he took me to a very nice fancy restaurant. Sometimes it is nice to dress up every now and then
6. I went to Amsterdam in February with a friend to explore the city and see The Weeknd
   
7. I had my first airport lounge experience thanks to Aspire and it has changed how I look at airports
8. I had my first experience of the Gin Festival at the Tobacco Docks, it was such a fun day and I found my new favourite gin (Tinker)
9. For my boyfriends birthday, we had our first overnight stay away together where I whisked him off for a quick trip to Paris
10. I gave my boyfriend a key to my flat which although it was a little early it just felt completely right and was a very practical thing to do too
11. I bought some new furniture in my flat including some shelving/ storage for my living room and a new wardrobe and it’s amazing how much difference it has made to my flat
12. I bought my new car in late February and I now own a 2017 Renault Clio Dynamique S Nav
13. My best friends hen party was in March a few months before her big day but it was so great to celebrate with her from nights out to spa treatments
14. I headed on my first Trek America tour in April to Hawaii and it was such a dream come true trip
    
15. A few days later me and my boyfriend took a trip to Belfast to spend the May Bank Holiday
16. I managed a few days of relaxing in Crete in early May which was much needed
17. Slamdunk Festival was a stand out weekend for me with such a good line up, so much so that I headed to both Birmingham and London shows
18. I headed to the Wedding Reception of two friends in between Slamdunk shows in Reading and it was such a lovely evening
19. Me and my friend went to Paris to catch two amazing shows in June and I had such a nice trip
20. Download Festival happened in June and it was a really good year this time around with so many great bands
21. I had my first experience of the Board Games Expo in June and it was great to see another side to my boyfriend’s hobbies alongside falling in love with Mansions of Madness
22. I went to the Film and TV Convention this year and it was so great especially the talks we went to with Alan Tudyk, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Christoper Lloyd
    
23. I headed to Liverpool with my parents for a family weekend away and it was such a lovely trip and I fell in love with the city a bit more
24. I finally got round to seeing Aladdin at the theatre and it was such a great show
25. I got to see one of my best friends’ get married in an incredible weekend of festivities in July and it was such an honour to part of the experience
26. I had a lovely overnight stay in Bournemouth in July where I got to see the beachfront and explore nearby Compton Acres
27. I went to the Spirit of Tiki Rum Festival in July and while it did rain a bit we tried some lovely cocktails over the afternoon
28. I began growing my fringe out at the end of Summer and while it’s been a longer process than I would have liked I am so happy with the change in how I look without it
29. I ticked off two bucket list London items in one day in August doing an open bus tour and river cruise in the city
30. I managed to transform my flat’s balcony where we fitted fake grass to the floor for more of an outdoor feel and I bought a beautiful Ratan sofa so we can relax out there alongside some decorative items
    
31. I finally got around to getting a media kit created by the lovely Kirsty Leanne and I couldn’t be happier with it
32. I had my first full spa weekend stay in August when me and my best friend went to Oxford for a weekend of relaxaiton
33. Over Bank Holiday weekend I had a lovely long weekend in Blackpool where I also got to see Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff
34. I managed to get tickets and sort out a trip to see Alice’s Adventures Underground at the Waterloo Vaults and it didn’t disappoint
35. I was featured in a blog post with Expedia about hotels in Paris
36. I had a lovely weekend away exploring Prague with my best friend in September
37. In October I headed to the Tower of London with my boyfriend for an explore around a tourist attraction I really should have been to before 2017
38. I was invited on my very first press trip to Ischia in early October and it was such an amazing experience and the island is stunning
    
39. I went to my very first Comic Con convention over the Halloween weekend and I even cosplayed as Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas
40. I collaborated with Snozone in Milton Keynes and had a fun day learning how to indoor ski
41. I finally upgraded my phone and have now joined the Apple side and I couldn’t be happier with my iPhone 8 Plus
42. I bought a brand new sofa for my flat and I couldn’t be happier with the way it now all looks
43. November saw me and my boyfriend celebrate our first anniversary and he bought me the cutest thoughtful present
44. For our anniversary we headed to Italy for 8 relaxing days exploring Venice and Rome
45. I headed to my very first blogging event in November with Holiday Extras and I managed to catch up and meet some lovely people alongside being featured on the brands website
    
46. I headed to three shows by Good Charlotte across the first weekend in December and made a weekend out of managing to head to the Birmingham Christmas Market alongside getting my first glimpse of Manchester.
47. I ticked off going to the Greenwich Observatory from my bucket list in December and it was such an interesting trip
48. In December I went to the EMP Bloggers Christmas Event and met a group of the nicest girls who I have spoken to online for quite a while now
49. I had a string of amazing brands collaborate with me on my Christmas gift guides and I am so happy with how they came out
50. I started back at Slimming World at the beginning of December and had managed to lose half a stone before Christmas
51. Star Wars came out in December and I was super cool and went to the midnight showing
52. I had my first collaboration for New York confirmed in December and I am so happy to start on with my trip
53. After working really hard on my blog all year I grew it to a DA of 35. Now I know a lot of people don’t look/ care about numbers but for me, it’s a good indicator of my progress