Resolutions, love them or hate them (and regardless of whatever thoughts you may have about them), are something that always come around in January. I think that no matter what month or year it is, there’s always time to create some intentions and goals going forward. No need to wait until January, Monday, and so forth. That said, it is nice to have a reminder to take stock and I love sharing these on the blog as it’s a snapshot of what was important to me at a particular time. Revisiting these posts is like opening a time capsule and they’re so interesting to reflect back upon!

But first…

2018 In Review

What did I get up to in 2018? Well, quite a lot, actually! It seems like this year has completely flown by, so to reminisce and remind myself of all the things (both good, bad and in-between), I took a walk down memory lane (also known as my camera roll).

In January I left my job of two years at Bloom & Wild, celebrated my fourth wedding anniversary with a London staycation and took a trip to Paris with one of my best friends. I think it started off pretty well!

As the year went on, I spent time exploring London in all its floral glory, whether it was finding the best wisteria spots or exploring the storefronts decorated for Chelsea in Bloom. I also got to do some photoshoot modeling for two amazing brands—Bloom & Wild and the Cambridge Satchel company.

April saw us visit Amsterdam for the tulip season (a dream come true!) and I got to celebrate my birthday with a very pink tea at Sketch with a few close friends.

And as spring turned into summer, we continued to do some traveling—Seattle, Tulum and Seville plus a local trip to see the flower petal confetti fields in all their glory. Another day trip for me was the Hunters and Heels Instameet—a gorgeous day filled with some amazing and inspiring people!

On the blog, I was able to work with both Boden and The Cambridge Satchel Company to create some really lovely images. It fills me with immense joy to see a vision come to life and to be able to work with brands that I already buy and love!

To savor the very last bit of summer, I made a visit to Cambridge to see Briony and it was the perfect day in the most perfect dresses!

Eventually the warmth of summer faded and I embraced the new seasons with a fun collaboration with the Virginia Dare Dress Company, plus plenty of autumnal strolls around town. Fall also meant more traveling—jaunts to Marrakech, the Swedish Lapland, Stockholm and Porto made for a busy few months!

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A cosy Christmas at home with my husband and the cats was a really relaxing finish to what’s been a truly amazing and transformative year.

2019 New Year’s Resolutions

As usual, I love this little questionnaire format (see my 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 resolutions), so I've kept it for this year too.

A bad habit I'm going to break | I have a very guilty secret. Some have even called it ‘off brand,’ but sometimes (okay more than sometimes) I drink Red Bull. I’m not sure how this habit started, but it’s one that truly needs to stop. I’ve already started switching to coffee with coconut milk and hopefully by the end of the year (and onward!) it’ll be a habit no more.

A destination I'd like to visit | We’ve already got trips to Seattle, Japan, Copenhagen and Paris in the works, but there are always so many more places I want to visit.

Travel is one of my passions in life–whenever I go someplace new, it feels like I’ve opened my eyes to so many new people, cultures and experiences and I count myself so lucky that living in London means we’re so close to the rest of Europe and all it has to offer. Hopefully towards the end of the year we can go back to Italy, but explore a new town or city this time around!

I'm going to work harder at | Not worrying about what other people think. Letting the opinions and feelings of others occupy too much time and space inside my head isn’t healthy and doesn’t make me happy. Full stop.

A project I'd like to finish | There are a million and one projects that I seem to be working on at any given time—most of which need finishing, but isn’t that the same for everyone? Rather than focus on a particular project, I’d like to instead focus on reading a bit more throughout the year. I suppose you could call finishing a book finishing a project, right?

A class I'd like to take | It’s not necessarily one I want to take, but this year I’ll be taking driving lessons in preparation for my UK drivers test. I love driving and really miss being able to take road trips or even use a car to do an errand (IKEA via public transport is never fun!). I’m sure with some practice, I’ll get the hang of driving on the left eventually!

I'd like to spend some more time doing | Exploring and photographing the areas around me. Towards the end of last year, I became a bit of a homebody, aside from trips abroad. I’d love to get back into the routine of exploring new parts of London, camera in tow. It’s a really nice way to spend a weekend morning and London’s charm knows no bounds!

A food I want to eat more of | Seasonal produce. I seem to get in a rut of cooking and eating the same handful of fruits and vegetables any given time of the year. Variety not only will add interest, but a few more nutrients as well. So this year, I’m looking to cook with the seasons in order to challenge myself to cook new recipes and add find some new fruit and vegetable favorites.

I want to wear more | After watching a few episodes of Tidying with Marie Kondo on Netflix, I decided to go through my closet early this year. Pulling everything out at once, then going trough items one by one to see which sparked joy (and which didn’t) was such a revelation. It was very clear that I really need to focus on the quality and the details of what I buy and not be swayed by trends, sales or specific places I’ll be visiting.

I want to wear what I like, full stop. Like I said in last year’s resolutions, life is too short for mediocre. If I'm spending money on new item for my wardrobe, it should be something that I love.

Add your answers (or a resolution or too) in the comments below - I'd love to hear them!

Until next time,

Brenda