My word of 2014

It's that time again - a new year means a new word (As in the past two years, the use of a word for the year is inspired by Susannah).

I tend to start thinking about my new word once it hits December, not too seriously, I just start to think up words I like, words that seem to follow on naturally from where I am. Words that sounds nice, feel nice, look nice... Normally I stumble on a word I like, but I don't love it. So then, I hit the thesaurus. Is it weird that a thesaurus is one of my favourite things? Words are so fascinating to me, the fact that two words can mean similar things but still not be quite right... the hunt for the right word as I follow links and hunches across the pages is exciting I think.

Anyway, I had fun looking for my word this year. I wanted it to be simpler (lets face it 'alleviate' for last year ended up being veerrry complicated) but I wanted it to still be a doing word - something that demands action. Positive action. All the time. I had good intentions with 'alleviate' last year and it was definitely a word I needed at the time - in fact I'm pretty sure I needed to go through all the complications to get to where I am now. And for that, I am oddly grateful... when you start to truly look at the bad things about yourself, the things you don't want to face, the good things start to jump out at you too - slower perhaps and harder to see definitely, but once you know that they are there, no one can take that away from you.

What I didn't expect from 'alleviate' is that it would be myself that I alleviated - a version of myself - one that I spent so long believing in and trusting to be a true version that I didn't even realise it was a shell I'd built around me - but that shell fully cracked and collapsed around me and at first, I felt like I was left with nothing.

But, I wasn't left with nothing. I was still there - hidden inside - I was (and still am) raw, I'm fumbling through the fallen pieces and trying to figure out which parts are really me - which parts I really want to be me. But now I have nothing to hide behind... no pretences, no half truths, no misconceptions... I just have me with no self imposed limits.

This is one of the reasons that I chose a positive word for 2014. I didn't want something to restrain my negativity, or to relieve myself of it - instead I wanted something to build my positivity - to take me away from any negativity all together. 

So, here it is, my word of 2014...

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Ohhhh I have a good feeling about this word already - what do you think?

It seems simple - to infuse life, courage and spirit, but I can imagine its going to be a slog when I'm already facing an uphill climb. However saying that,  I am excited to see where this word is going to take me this year and where I will be this time in 12 months as well.

Have you chosen a word for this year?

Goodbye 2013...

And hello 2014!

I'm normally much more organised with putting these posts together but that sentence alone probably sums up my 2013 year - unusual, a bit chaotic and mostly, disorganised. A very 'un me' year... but its done now and 2014 is a fresh start - and for that I am very grateful.

One of my favourite things about review posts is that they make you realise all the good things that happened in your year rather than focusing on the negative and although 2013 was mentally very hard for me, it was actually really busy with holidays, lots of exciting events, trips with family and friends and even a few visits to the beach (which always makes me happy). So lets go...

In January...

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It snowed...

And it snowed some more.
 

In February...

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I wrote two of my favourite posts from 2013 - Why I love this photo and Someone who loves.

Oh and I also found my Zenit B camera for a £10, I think it was the best tenner that I spent all year :)
 

In March...

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We went to Blackpool for a long weekend which was wonderful and included a visit to the zoo.

And it was my Dad's 50th birthday - we celebrated with a day on the Norfolk Broads.

Oh and I also joined Society6.


In April...

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We visited Fountains Abbey and I fell in love with abbey's all over again. Such a lovely location.

And we went to the beach twice - Sunny Hunny (or Hunstanton to everyone else...) and Hemsby! I love the Norfolk coast.

It was also my Grandad's 80th birthday and my parents left Attlebridge and moved into their new bungalow... it was a bit of a crazy month actually.
 

In May...

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Compared to April, May was pretty relaxed. We went on a few days trips and I got really excited about Spring coming to our little garden.

I also rather casually took part the Blog Every Day in May challenge organised by Elizabeth at Rosalilium - I really enjoyed it even if I didn't manage to actually blog every day.
 

In June...

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We went to Berwick for a week with my family - it was a very busy week - we went to Edinburgh, the Farne Islands, Bamburgh, Lindisfarne and St Abb's Head. It was definitely one of my favourite weeks of the year.

Oh and I documented our peonies again. I love them.


In July...

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It was Polaroid Week and I shared not one, but two posts of photos which I was really happy about.

And my Dad and I both received amazing portraits from my blog friend Megan from Studio MME.
 

In August...

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I once again took part in Susannah Conway's August Break on my blog and it was great!

I also shared some photos from August here.
 

In September...

We went to Split in Croatia and enjoyed a week in the sunshine! It was amazing and just what Thomas and I both needed :) I also took a lot of photos which I haven't finished posting yet, oops. (See disorganised above...)
 

In October...

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It was a busy month! We went to a wedding, I helped plan and host a hen party and I did a lot of crochet.

We also enjoyed a day out in York with my sister and her husband, yeay for day trips.


In November...

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We finally got our day in Haworth, hurray!

I also wrote a post about film photography that I was pretty pleased with.

And I visited one of my best friends in London for a weekend, but didn't take any photos, oops.


In December...

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We chilled out, yeay!!  In fact it was one of the nicest Decembers I can remember, we spent a week at home for Christmas celebrating with our families and then had a few days just us as well and it was perfect.

So there you go - 2013 in a nut shell. I'm feeling hopeful about this year, 2014, though 2013 took some unexpected turns for me, so I can imagine 2014 might very well do the same.

Happy New Year!!

 

p.s. You can see my previous end of year recaps here: 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012. Time flies when you're having fun (and blogging...)