Recap // First Blogiversary

Wow… I can’t believe I’ve being writing this blog for a year now. I’m so glad I finally took the plunge and started it up. It’s such a lovely way to document what I’ve been up to and its nice to look back over the posts. I’ve really enjoyed writing up my travels, recipes, monthly recaps and random bits ad pieces. Taking pics is definitely a favourite pastime of mine and my blog has been a great place where I can put up those pics that don’t make their was to instagram.

I started up the blog kinda like my own diary thing but its lovely to see so many of you have a look around and a read. Every now and again you see comments on insta or in articles saying blogging is dying a death but I’ve definitely gotten more into blogs in the past year. Maybe that’s because I finally started my own but I love having a read of other peoples blog. 

Some of my favourite blogs at the moment have to be:

• Roses and Rolltops by the lovely Rebecca (also known as RVK_loves on insta) – I love her style and her house is to die for! Follow for all her travels and home decor lusting!
• Simply Taralynn – this was the first blog I stumbled across and I enjoy her weekly recaps and travel write ups.
• Mummy Daddy Me Makes Three by Katie Ellison – the most adorable family who go on great adventures. Love her style and recap posts.
• Styled Snapshots – the gorgeous Kendall has great style and just had the most adorable little boy!
• Kelly in the City – can’t do a list without mentioning the lovely Kelly. An all-round blog chatting about lifestyle, decor and travels.

I’m still an insta lover but think blogs can expand on an insta post so much more. Also, as great as Instagram stories are, they only last for 24 hours meaning they disappear. A blog is so much more permanent and is a place I can put all my ramblings so as not to bore people on insta if they just want to have a scroll and check out pics.

I recently went a little quiet on Instagram because engagement dropped so much. I went from getting about 70-80 likes per post down to 20 recently and even my friends weren’t seeing my posts. It is a little demoralising tbh. Either way I’ve decided to get back to posting and not try to focus too much on the numbers! Engagement per post (ie. comments) definitely has gone up which is nice though! I definitely feel like there can be some great engagement to be had from Instagram but that annoying algorithm can be discouraging.

Anyway! This blog isn’t going anywhere for the meantime. I like to think of it as a place where I can expand upon a post on instagram and post pictures to my hearts content!

This past year has been a whirlwind of a year in many senses and I’ve finally taken the plunge and decided to change jobs. It was a very difficult decision for me but definitely the right one. Ultimately I wasn’t happy at work and what made it hard to move was some of the lovely people I work with and the familiarity. I’m now excited to move from practice into industry and into internal audit and see what this new challenge brings me! Change can be difficult but the only way to progress is to push yourself out of your comfort zone and this is the next move for me. This should mean more time for me over the next few months before moving jobs at the end of September (I am definitely only doing my hours from here on out!) and I’m going to really try to keep on top of writing posts. Its something I really do enjoy and a way of switching off.

I do worry sometimes whether I’m sharing too much as I love to share lots of pics and write whats been going on. But I don’t share everything – like anything you rarely know the whole story. I’ve had some comments from people saying my instagram is like a ‘soap opera’ or I’m sharing too much which is annoying but then I think if you don’t like it then just stop following me. I really like instagram and posting on stories and then sharing here on my blog. I don’t necessarily share the ‘boring’ bits and do like to focus on the positives and share things that make me happy. It’s nice to look back on everything with a smile.

So I thought I’d round up my favourite and most popular blog posts:

See the whole section here
Our Wedding // Second Wedding Anniversary – The Big Wedding Revisited
Our Wedding // Pre-Wedding Shoot Recap – One Month Until I Do
Our Wedding // My Hen Do Revisited – A Weekend in Bath
Tasty Bakes, Getting Holiday Ready and Being Present
Talking Anxiety
Valentines 2019 and Getting My Bake On
Work Trips, Tasty Eats & Bottomless Brunch
The Best of 2018 (Happy New Year!)
Christmas Round One 2018

Expect to see more of the same from me this next year! We have some fantastic trips planned later this year (hello Malta and Australia!) and will definitely be looking to explore more places in the UK. I’ve recently started to share some of my favourite recipes we’ve been trying recently so I’ll keep that up. And you guys know Tim and I love trying new food places so expect more ‘reviews’/ updates on places we’ve tried.

Until next time,

Cathers xx