Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016

First and foremost, hello :) I have missed you all so much! Sorry about complete silence for over a week. Going away, Christmas, NYE, amazing time with my hubby, our family and friends - the whirlwind of all that meant I had to postpone a few posts and had very little time to spend online. But I am back. Maybe a pound or two heavier (gym is calling my name), definitely happier and well rested, and once again, I have missed you all! Happy New Year!

Where do you even start when a post like this is due? A trip down the memory lane 12 months back can be either enjoyable, challenging or even quite painful for some. There are a few friends of mine whose life was changed completely last year. One of them is in a delivery room as I am editing this. Another one is recovering from the surgery after getting her tumours removed. No matter what your life was like in 2015, there's one thing certain - there was a change. Even if you haven't graduated, got married or bought a house (or experienced thousands of other events), there still was a change. Maybe something dawned on you like a light bulb moment. Perhaps there was a lesson learnt. Balloons and bunting or sadness and tears, here we are at the beginning of the new year. Whatever happened is ours to take on board, remember and be thankful for. You are more "you" now. Gbye, old. Hello, new. 

I would like to say a huge thanks to everyone for your love and support to me in my most recent post How To Get Into Holiday Spirit & My Two Christmases. It wasn't the easiest one to write and I know I tend to get wordy but I am so happy it was read, accepted and understood just the way I meant it. You all rock and I am so lucky to have you.

Without further ado, let's go back in time and reflect on twenty fifteen.

In 2015 I / we:

• moved twice (recent move was together with my hubby)
• celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary
• started from scratch building our everyday routine, professional and social life
• started Miel and Mint
• did a lot of outdoorsy things
• traveled A LOT
• got hospitality tickets to Good Wood: Festival of Speed
• went to a huge live rugby game for the first time (Millennium Stadium)
• took and passed the interpreter's course
• made a lot of new friends
• took a proper voyage for the first time on a massive Stena Line boat
• learnt to make traditional British Sunday roast
• did a lot of house hunting (therightmove & zoopla are my besties lol)
• got more flowers in one year than during the rest of my life before marriage
• visited hospital quite a lot (no more in 2016, please)
• had 10 people staying with us over the weekend and managed it all no prob
• visited Emma Bridgewater factory
• did a lot more self-reflection than ever before

THE MOVE(S):

Most of you know by now that I have been much been a bit of a citizen of the world. In the last year I moved twice (if you count the very end of 2014). Not just down the road or to a different part of the city. I moved countries. A post on the experience of an ex-pat is coming up soon ;) Even though I've travelled so much, lived in different countries for a few months to up to two years, this is a whole new deal. I am still adjusting to so many things: climate, mentality, food. So there I went from Ukraine to Northern Ireland. And again - Northern Ireland to North West of England. The main thing is that my hubby was and is beside me which made the whole experience easier and more fun. There are still times when we both feel like this is not home. But then again, we are happy together no matter what and know that everything will be clear in the future as to where we should settle down. 

CELEBRATIONS:

2015 was very special because not only we celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary but also my hubby's 30th (he doesn't look a day older than 25). For our anniversary in August we had some amazing plans of possibly going away or simply spending a day together. Unfortunately, there was a situation which made us revisit that idea. We still had a lovely time at our romantic dinner with candles. Few months later in October I planned a huge surprise birthday party for my mister which he enjoyed a lot! Later we went on a trip for a long weekend :)

TRAVEL:
2014 was the year of the wedding and the honeymoon. We went to the US (New York City), then jetted off to Mexico (Cabo San Lucas), then found ourselves in Last Vegas and finally went back again to where it all began - NYC. Not to mention all the things we did! But 2015 sure did keep up. Even though we didn't go to the States last year but we enjoyed some amazing trips: Gran Canaria, London, Wales, Northern Ireland, Poland and Ukraine. Feb, Jun, Aug, Oct and Dec were the busiest and we took 4 to 6 flights each month. The best one has to be GC beach holiday. It was the most relaxing one. Gran Canaria & Amadores Beach are incredible!

LESSONS:
Firstly, twenty fifteen was the first year of being married for me and my hubs. To say it was out of this world is a huge understatement! I learnt so much about him and definitely can say I love my man more and more each day. A friend of mine is 8 months married. She constantly complains how unhappy she is and also says that the first year is the toughest and then it will be ok. Any opinions on that, my married babes? I completely disagree. Being my man's wife is the best thing ever! Secondly, I tried, saw, visited a lot of new things last year. So thankful for new experiences. Finally, last year we had some bad news concerning our friends. One person has gone through chemo and is facing radiotherapy. Another one is in a wheelchair after an unsuccessful spine surgery. Those kind of situations make you think about life and its purpose, put everything in perspective, and, most importantly, increase the prayer life.

People call them different names: resolutions, goals or must-do's. Whatever you call them, if you're serious about what you want to do, you will achieve it no prob. Being a massive to-do lister and planning addict, I can't start a new year without a list of goals (well, technically I do it every month). But I just wanted to say I have already accomplished one of the goals for my blog! I finally went dot com! Woohoo! I also started working on the nav bar so yay to that too :) There are many other blog/personal/work/home related goals that I can write a separate post on if you would like to read it. I am so excited to enter 2016 with Miel and Mint! I am beyond grateful for unlimited kindness you showed me here on my blog in 2015 and keep pouring out in 2016. Thank you and happy new year! 

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Leave a comment and let me know if you enjoyed this post.
How did your 2015 go? Was there something you've learnt?
Are you a goal-setter? What plans do you have for 2016?
Happy New Year!
Love you all!!