My 2022 in Review
We've done it! We've come to the end of 2022 and are now flying, head first, into 2023. I won't tell you what we have planned for the coming year (you'll have to wait and see), but I can tell you what we've done over the last twelve months, that are worthy of note.
When I came to sit down and write this blog post, I thought about everything that happened over 2022 that I would love to look back on and remember with fondness in years to come, so you'll essentially be looking through my diary for the year. I hope you enjoy taking a look back with me.
We got engaged!
This was the biggest thing to happen to us, as a couple, over the last year. After (nearly) six years, we got engaged and are now looking to plan our wedding. We'd like to savour the time we have together as an engaged couple rather than go straight away and book a date. I won't tell you when we'd like to have it, because we do have a date in mind, so watch this space.
We got engaged at Walt Disney World, Florida. It sounds cliche, but there's actually a special, more personal reason as to why it had to happen there and why it's at the clock and not in front of the castle. I won't explain that here, but if you're close to us, you'll know why that spot of chosen, specifically. I didn't actually see it coming, which no one believes.
But I think I was just so engrossed with being at Disney World that nothing else really grabbed my attention, especially the smaller details. I was in complete shock, but it turns out that people were actually cheering and clapping, but I can't remember any of it. In that moment, it was just myself and Tom in a sea of hundreds and that's what will live on in my memory, I think.
We do have photos, and also a video, of the event, but I don't think I'll ever share those public ally, just because we'd like to keep some of it just for ourselves. In fact, we had already been engaged for three days before we actually announced it online.
Only our family and very close friends knew on the day it happened, which is why my outfits are a little different in the photos below. The last photo in the sequence was the night we got engaged at the Magic Kingdom firework display. If you'd like to hear any extra, juicy details, then you can read this blog post, if you'd like?
We completed lots of house renovations
If you've been following us for the past year, you'll know that we bought a house and have already completed a few renovation projects. We finished the living room, the downstairs loo, the guest bedroom and jazzed up the bathroom a bit, so it's more to our taste, really.
I'll leave a few blog posts below for you so you can take a good look through some before and after pictures (more than I have posted below). I find these types of blog posts really interesting, so be sure to check them out if you want to see some major transformations! We also have some hilarious pictures of the old, cronky, thirty-year-old boiler we had when we first moved in - it's worth checking out the summary just for that, haha!
We visited Walt Disney World, Florida
As I've already mentioned, we went to Walt Disney World, Florida this year. We flew premium economy with Virgin Atlantic and that in itself was an experience. See what I thought to premium class here! It was a special trip because we got engaged there and it was just an epic adventure.
They had loads of new rides we could try, including Avatar, and we were one of the last people to ride Splash Mountain as it was in the 90's before they change it to Princess and the Frog. The food was amazing and the overall atmosphere was electric.
I would go back tomorrow, it was really that wonderful. But will it have the same vibe if we go again? We'll have to give it a try, won't we? ;) We also went to the Kennedy Space Centre and visited the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios.
My best friend had her second baby
I am delighted to say that my best friend and her partner welcomed their second son into the world this year, in December, to be exact. So it's a very recent development, haha. Anyway, he's very healthy and his mum and dad are beyond happy and I, for one, am glad for them and their little family. Also, I can't wait for a cuddle and to give my bestie some TLC.
We saw Ed Sheeran live
This year, in June, we went to Wembley Stadium in London to see that amazing Ed Sheeran live. He was incredible, as always. This is actually the second time we have seen him live and it likely won't be the last. We had a wonderful time and his performance was second-to-none, as always.
He had a special guest come out as well - Ann-Marie - who was also great, but I'm not sure I'd pay to see her live, on her own, haha. But it was still an absolutely fantastic show and I'd totally pay good money to see him again next year, if he tours!
I turned 27 this year
We're going all the way back to March now to when I celebrated my 27th birthday. We went for a walk around a National Trust site and had a coffee and a bit of cake in the cafe after a very long, cold stroll. Afterwards, we went to the garden centre as I wanted a hydrangea to go alongside the other one we have at the front door, but it wasn't the season for it then so I ended up coming out with a Camellia instead.
So now, whenever I look at it, I'm reminded of that day. Camellias bloom flowers in a variety of colours, but mine will grow deep pink, almost red ones. I can't wait for the spring when it will finally bloom again. We then came back home and ate cake and drank tea and coffee and had a genuinely lovely time. You can read more about the day here in case you missed it :)
We went to Brooklands, Weybridge
Brooklands is essentially a transport museum in the heart of Weybridge, Surrey. I actually did much of my growing up around there as my grandparents lived in Weybridge. We would often go and see the Brooklands museum, where they have a Concorde that you can walk on and sit down in, for a small, extra fee (I think we paid an extra £3 for the Concorde experience).
We went back there in April this year with Tom's parents because they had watched the TV show all about it. If you're ever in the area, I recommend going because it really is very interesting and there's lots to see and do for the whole family. Read about our day in this blog post, if you'd like to!
Our friends got married
Also in April this year, we watched our friends tie the knot. It was a lovely ceremony with great food and fab live band. The photo below was taken on the day, with myself and Tom looking very swish in our wedding attire.
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We travelled to the Cotswolds
In May, we went to the Cotswolds to celebrate my uncle's 60th birthday. We all had a great time filled with amazing food and in a picturesque setting to top it all off. If you've ever been to the Cotswolds yourself, you'll know how utterly beautiful it really is. I'd love to live around there, but it always seems so busy and right now, I'm used to a nice, quiet village life!
Tom graduated with a PhD
Something else that happened in 2022, July, was Tom graduated with his PhD, finally. he actually completed it in December 2020, but because of Covid, he couldn't actually graduate then, so he finally walked across the stage and got it this year. We're all so proud of him. It still makes me beam from ear-to-ear just thinking back to it now.
We had our engagement meal
We celebrated our engagement in August of this year, as this was the only time when everyone was free all at once. It was wonderful. We went to Brown's in the centre of Nottingham and enjoyed a bottle of prosecco and, generally, amazing wine. The food was delightful as well.
I had salmon, but I can't remember what everyone else had, if I'm honest! After that, we all came back to ours and toasted our engagement after watching the video that Tom's dad took of the actual event. We then had some cake and ended the evening with more beverages and amazing company. What a day! Read all about our engagement meal in this blog post if you're interested in any other part of the day.
We celebrated the Queen's Platinum Jubilee
I know that we lost the Queen this year, but in June, we celebrated the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. This is something that the UK is unlikely to see again, especially in my lifetime, so it's worth celebrating in style. I put on a lovely spread, filled with sandwiches and homemade sausage rolls, to name a few things.
I also wanted to have Union Jack EVERYTHING! I wanted it to be a very patriotic celebration of something that was just incredible in itself. We even ate outside and had a little street party-style get together. I blogged about the day here, so take a look if you want to see more pics!
The Queen passed away - we went to London to pay our respects
I know this isn't something that would ordinarily end up in a list of things that are supposed to be happy, but it's something notable that happened this year, hence why it's made it into my 2022 review. It was even more memorable because we went to London that weekend to pay our respects.
We wanted to see the flowers and read some of the tributes that were left for her. If you want more details, take a look here, I blogged about our experience and there are also loads of pictures on there you can scroll through :)
We saw Robbie Williams
Back in October, we saw Robbie Williams live at Birmingham's NEC, or Resorts World, as it's now known. He was absolutely brilliant and I would definitely go and see him perform again if he ever went on tour in the future.
It was one of those concerts where you knew pretty much all of the songs he did but he could also have somewhat of a conversation with the audience as well; something not a lot of musical acts can pull off. It was a blast and something I'll always look back on and smile about. You guessed it - I blogged about it earlier this year, so take a look back if you want to see more pictures :)
I saw Westlife & Blue in concert
In December this year, I went to see Blue and Westlife in concert, both at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena. Although both bands are quite different, they were both fantastic. Westlife produced an excellent sound and their songs were classic.
Whereas Blue were a lot more poppy and energetic, with less ballads and more classic pop songs to dance around to. I didn't blog about Westlife, but I did write a blog post about our outing to see Blue, so you'll be able to read more about that here if you're interested!
Bonfire night
Bonfire night is as it's always been - filled with family, fireworks and amazing food. We spent the night watching our at-home firework display, which my parents have been doing every year since before I was even born, eating hot food like jacket potatoes and bowls of mushy peas and just generally having a wonderful time. The picture below is of myself and my brother, who came up with his girlfriend specially for the occasion.
We went to the Christmas panto: Dick Whittington
We've been going to the Christmas Pantomime every year since I was four. The only time we didn't go was in 2020 when Covid struck. This was our 23rd year going to the Nottingham Playhouse.
It is always an absolute pleasure to go and watch and we always leave with huge smiles on our faces, ready to bring in the festive period. This year, it was Dick Whittington. I wrote a blog post about the night so you can read that here if you'd like to learn more about the performance itself :)
The German Christmas market was a blast
We have been meaning to go to the German Christmas market in Birmingham for some time now, but what with being busy and Covid being around, we didn't actually get around to it. But we thought we'd book the week off work before Christmas and bring the whole family to come and enjoy it with us.
Even my brother and his girlfriend came over from Wales to join in the fun. If you'd like to learn more about what we did and ate there, then take a look at this blog post I wrote all about our experience!
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post? Let me know what 2022 had in store for you in the comments below and I'll see you again very soon with a brand new blog post :) I hope you had a very merry Christmas and have an extra happy New Year!
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