Luckily, this last year has been much better and I have had a lot to be happy about - not least welcoming my first niece into the world, getting closer to my ride or die mates and really enjoying my job.
As I'm feeling much better about life in general and we are starting a new year, I thought I'd take a look back at last year and just some of the things that made me really happy during 2021 - it was really hard just sticking to 12!
One
Luckily, everything could go on as planned even in the midst of a pandemic and they had a truly beautiful day. I was really honoured to be asked to do a reading during the ceremony too, so actually wrote something just for them - I even managed to read almost the whole thing without crying!
In fact, I've been able to attend three amazing weddings this year (two of which were previously postponed) so feel incredibly lucky to have been able to witness so much love.
Two
Three
I began with creating art walls during the lockdown at the start of the year to make our newly rearranged lounge prettier and also to support tattoo artists who were not able to open. The result is a living room filled with art and a pile of framed prints waiting to be put up in my office before starting on the next wall.
Four
The result is a garden that still looks a bit messy (especially at the moment) but that allows us to eat homegrown food and have somewhere pretty to sit during the warmer months. I even have a greenhouse now, which is a big step for someone who couldn't keep a houseplant alive before now!
Five
Luckily for me, my shout out for work on LinkedIn was seen by someone I had been introduced to via a previous job and he offered me a great opportunity. I've spent the last year working with an amazing team and with some brilliant clients, while also building up my freelance portfolio.
I have honestly enjoyed my work so much and really really like the people I work with, so I feel really lucky that everything worked out the way it did.
Six
While the threat of covid was still very real and we were as careful as possible, it was nice to have a bit of normality. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the year that we actually make use of the passport I paid for back at the start of 2020
Seven
I love seeing how much he has grown up and how funny he is. My husband is really happy he has now entered the superhero stage so is having loads of fun picking out presents for him.
Eight
If you're looking for a great tattoo artist in Leeds, I highly recommend Claire Jones at Black Crown Tattoo and Lucy Blue, who has recently moved to The Aviary.
Nine
She's turning one this month and is already a hilarious little lady that is so loved by her big brother. I'm so excited to see her more and watch her grow up - not to mention spoil her with loads of unicorn stuff!
Ten
These hilarious women have been there for me through everything over the last couple of years and are always ready with a spicy meme or feral TikTok video to make me laugh. It has been brilliant to get to see them more face-to-face and we've already got some great stuff planned and booked for the next year.
Eleven
I was really scared that new restrictions would come in and ruin everything but they didn't. We were very careful, did loads of tests and stayed in a family bubble as much as possible so we could enjoy a brilliant Christmas.
While I was sad we couldn't make a trip to see the inlaws as well as my parents, it was a perfect Christmas spent with my sister, her new husband, my mum and dad, my younger brother and his family, and my grandmas - not forgetting my husband. It was also great to be able to spoil people, which is one of my favourite things to do.
Twelve
If anything, we've been mindful to make more time for each other - although getting him out of the house to do things is more of a challenge than ever. We've got a lot planned now for this year after plenty of postponements and have been working together to make sure our home is the best place it can be.
After almost 13 years together, he's still very much my best friend and I definitely couldn't have gotten through the last 12 months without him - even if I do have to keep him fed and watered!