Morning everyone! Can you believe its 31 December already? This year has just flown by… Every year just seems to go quicker than the last… I don’t know about you?
And what a year 2018 has been… it’s had its highs (hello California Road Trip!) and its lows (I’m talking about you mental health) but I wouldn’t change any of it… well I’d change the hours I worked but can’t do anything about that now! This year has been an interesting one (I’ll try my best to share more about it next year) but the hard times were worth it for visiting amazing places and spending time with family and friends.
Next year I definitely want to make more time for friends and exploring places both close to home in the UK and abroad.
I’m so glad I also finally plucked up the courage to start this blog. I still get a little embarrassed when people find out I have a blog but as of 1st Jan I won’t let my silly worrying that I’m not good enough or people judging me stop me from doing what I love. 2019 will be the year I stop worrying so much about what people think unnecessarily – not every one loves a peach even when peaches are oh so good!
So here goes my top highlights from the year! Ready for some scrolling? I’ll try to keep the words to a minimum and will link to the posts if you want to see more…
California Road Trip
Now this was the most amazing road trip and something I’ll always remember! This was by far the highlight of the year… two weeks of chilling and exploring in the sun and no work woo!
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| The best bit of San Fran was definitely Alcatraz… it was fairly cold but I kept comfy in my fit flops 🙈 |
Recap of San Francisco can be found here.
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| Wine tasting at Castello di Amorosa in Napa Valley – loved this place and the wine! |
Recap of Napa Valley can be found here.
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| Everything in Yosemite was just amazing… the waterfalls, the mountains and the trees… I’m definitely going back here! |
See here for more on our Yosemite trip.
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| Pebble Beach in Monterey had the most amazing sunsets… I mean just look at all those colours… Have to be the best I’ve EVER seen! |
See here for more amazing sunsets in Monterey and Carmel by the Sea.
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| The Big Sur had the most magical views… just seeing the mist rolling in over the sea was breath-taking. |
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| Santa Barbara… Now this place is somewhere I would love to go back to. It had the most gorgeous Mediterranean style and feel to the place. |
See here for a recap on The Big Sur and Santa Barbara.
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| Santa Monica Peir had amazing views over Santa Monica and Venice Beach – look at that blue sea and sky… |
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| My favourite bit of Universal – always Harry Potter World 😍 |
LA recap here
Universal best bits (see here)
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| The Hoover Dam was just insane! I mean just look at it! |
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| This was one of the highlights of the whole road trip… a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon |
Simpsons in Harborne
We only went for this meal on Saturday but boy was it the best meal we’ve had this year! I mean yup it’s a Michelin Star restaurant so it would be tasty but we were blown away. These were my favourite courses from the tasting menu. See
here for more #foodporn from our visit to Simpsons…
Paris with the hubby
I haven’t been to Paris since school so a weekend away with the hubby in a romantic city was called for! It rained a lot but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the amazing sites including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Wouldn’t change it!
See here for Paris recap.
Bordeaux with the girls
In March I went to Bordeaux with a couple friends from school. We ate all the cheese, drank all the wine and stayed in the most gorgeous Airbnb.
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| When an Airbnb strikes gold you’re in for a treat… |
Norfolk weekend away
Back in August the hubby and I went to Norfolk with a few friends and stayed at their holiday home for a long weekend. It was the first time I’d been here and we explored a lovely isolated beach and ate all the ice-cream 🍦
It’s been a good ‘un and I can’t wait to see what 2019 brings. We’ve got some trips planned mainly Florida in April and Australia in December but between those we’re looking to stay close to home and explore more of the UK.
I hope you have a lovely New Year and get everything you want from 2019.
Today we’re having a very glamorous day of tidying the house this morning and then have an afternoon of watching tv. The hubby’s then making dinner and we’ll see the New Year in together at home. Sometimes its the simple things that are the best…
Right now I’m getting back to my last glass of Buck’s Fizz of the year…
What are your plans for the New Year? You keeping it chilled at home or hitting the town?
Until next year!
Cathers x
