Hello 2013! And my word of the year...

Hello 2013!!

I don't know about you, but I am ready for a new year and excited about it - our plans are already starting to come together for the next few months alone and I am excited about what the year brings... I was thinking about writing another 4 Simple Goals post... but really, my goals for this year are still the same as last years goals.

1. Get fitter and healthier and stay that way. (Still working on that one...) 2. Stop worrying so much. 3. Take too many photos.  (inspired by my friend Anna) 4. Be happy. Don’t try and be happy, just be happy.

However, my word for the year is different... and I think its a good one! My word for the year is...

alleviate

The definition is:  To make (something) easier to bear; lessen; relieve.

At first, I was quite surprised by my word as it seems like I'm starting in a negative place if I want to make things easier for myself (which I'm not) but after being considerate to myself for a year, it makes sense that I want to make little changes and hopefully ones that are for the better.

The thing I like about 'alleviate' too is that its a 'doing' word... If I have to make a decision where this word will help me, I'm probably going to have to actively do something to make it better and I like the idea of that too, rather than just thinking about things and being aware of them, I'm actually going to do something.

Also, why limit my word to just me right? Perhaps I can help make things easier for other people too...

I have a good feeling about 2013 already, how about you?

Goodbye 2012!

I love end of year recap posts. I'm still amazed that this is my 4th one on here.

Normally a year seems to fly by, but 2012 seems to have been the longest year... so much has happened but overall, I think I've come out of it happier. I've definitely come out with lots of photos, though I'm not sure I managed my 52 rolls of film target that I set last year, it's over 40 though so I'm happy with that.

In January...

[flickr video=6730052485 secret=28cb5b72e2 w=500 h=375]

We enjoyed Winter walks around Kirkstall Abbey and I experimented with my Lomokino...

and I started my 12 for 2012 camera project with a flop.

In February...

We saw snow on the beach where my new LC-A died and nearly broke my heart...

We also celebrated my amazing Mum's 50th birthday and spent a family weekend in an amazing barn near The Lake District.

In March...

I planned and hosted my little sister's Hen Party...

and I took lots of pretty pictures of Spring in Leeds.

In April...

We spent another long weekend at the beach...

and Ada came to visit us in Leeds.

In May...

wedding

My little sister got married!!!! (and I got caught crying on camera, twice...)

harry

and even Harry got his own photoshoot too.

All wedding and Harry photos are by Daniel from Lightening Photography and used with his permission.

In June...

I received my replacement LC-A from Lomography and I took it everywhere with me... in fact, it hasn't left my side since, I love it!

I also took part in my first double exposure film swap, which was so fun!

In July...

I officially became an author, contributing my first handbook to Gadchick.

swap

and I moved my blog to Wordpress and got my own dot com site! What an excited month July was! (the photo is my first layout)

In August...

I took part in Susannah Conway's August Break again, sharing lots of photos including some from my Double Dip camera.

3

and I saw the two gold painted post boxes in Leeds.

In September...

We went to Whitby for a week and it was perfect. I took a lot of photos.

In October...

Zoe from Ladybird Likes came to visit and we went on a little photo walk around Kirkstall Abbey.

In November...

I spent a fun long weekend with my best friends...

and experimented with a 40p camera.

In December...

We took it pretty easy after a busy year and enjoyed the Christmas preparations and celebrations.

twobooks

Oh, and... I managed to fit in another book for Gadchick just as the year ended. Yup, I wrote two books in 2012. That was pretty unexpected, but so amazing!

What a year it's been! I can't wait to see what 2013 brings.

p.s. You can see my previous end of year recaps here: 2009, 2010& 2011. Time flies when you're having fun (and blogging...)

Merry Christmas!!

So I know I'm a little early in wishing a Merry Christmas, but I've been so busy this week that I haven't blogged once, and I can imagine that's going to continue until Friday and then, its celebration time!!

I am so excited about the holidays, I'm going to take a small break from here (and maybe the whole of the internet) for a while and relax, eat, drink and be merry! I'm also going to take a lot of photos. I haven't taken any recently (stupid Winter) and my heart is aching to take some... so hopefully in the new year I'll have something new to share, and also my word for 2013 and probably a recap of 2012 as well... why not :)

Anyway, I hope that you all have an amazing Christmas, full of cheer and merriness and wonderful New Year.

See you in 2013!!

p.s. I shared an early christmas gift here a few days ago so if you missed it, please check it out.

Wish I may...

Yesterday Susannah wrote a post with her 12-12-12 wishes and also referred to her wishes from 09-09-09 which reminded me that I wrote a wish post in 2009 as well. I'd completely forgotten! (And yup, I've been a Susannah fangirl for that long.)

Looking at my last wish list, a lot of my wishes are still the same (in italic below), some don't seem to matter as much any more, and some came true (See our garden above and my Diana Mini photos. Yeay!) So here are the wishes that I noted down yesterday to share today...

~~ I wish for mine, my family and friends, and Thomas's happiness. I wish to travel the world and take photos everywhere. I wish to continuously love.  I wish for jeans that neverrip at the thighs. I wish for perfect little nieces and nephews to cuddle and spoil (hehe, sorry Mikela), I wish I could drive (without the long learning process and cost, meh), I wish for continued life surprises, I wish to write my own book*, I wish to keep creating things, especially blankets and I wish for my very own puppy (and maybe a kitten for Thomas too). ~~

When I wrote my last wish list I mentioned about being brave enough to commit to one thing... and although that was what I thought I wanted at the time, I've realised that in the last 3 years, I've committed myself to a number of things without realising: blogging, my photography and writing professionally. The last one I did not expect, and its only been in this last year but I have seriously loved it. To the point of where I actually want to write more somehow, but what to write?!

In doing this process again, I've realised that I don't actually truly wish for that much, really I just want to be happy and being happy for me isn't about getting more things and achieving ridiculous goals, it's about accepting that things don't always work out to plan and going with it, it's about realising what I already have, it's knowing who I am and what I really want, not what I think you want.

*Ha, I did not see that one coming, but it's out there now... yikes!