The Explorer: 11 of my favourites
I kind of feel as though this blog has helped to shape me as a person a little. It has grown with me through a lot of different times, some difficult and others downright amazing. But the thing it has given me the most is a different perspective on my life. I can be very single focused at times, which means that if I'm feeling or experiencing something for a period time everything in that time gets effected by that emotions or experience.
Like the start of this year, for example, work was busy, my Big Distraction was hitting its peak and I was taking on some freelance work too. All I could think about was how much work I had to do, and how busy I was. I was definitely busy and it was hard, but life still goes on doesn't it? Well, during that time other things happened, like I got my new car, we went to York, we did a mini-break to Bournemouth and we discovered a decent local Indian takeaway (priorities). But I did not see that at the time, in fact remembering that half of these things happened didn't even happen - I just had to scroll back in my phone gallery to find out what happened during that period. A sadly true story.
The big picture for me can be hard to see. Which is why this blog is so pivotal for me. Documenting what I'm doing in life lends a perspective that I would otherwise miss entirely. Living life to the fullest when you can't remember half of it is an anomaly in itself. So with it in mind that this blog is effectively my memory and the sole reason some of the things that have happened in my life have, and to celebrate it turning 4, I decided to look back over its time and pull out my favourites:
The one that made me change
I'm jumping straight in with the one which kick started the biggest life change this blog has seen me undertake. You know that I always say that I take photos to capture a moment in life that I want to remember forever? Well, this is inadvertently that. This stunning photo (or rather a different much-less-specially-selected-much-less-flattering-photo) was the catalyst to me realising that I needed to change my lifestyle. I've never really talked about my weight loss on here before, for a plethora of reasons, maybe I will one day, but for today this is the post that had biggest impact on my life so it deserves a spot in my top 10 turned 11.
The one where I went on my honeymoon
Kenya was a definite experience, not one I would necessarily repeat in the same way we did the honeymoon. BUT this was my honeymoon and it holds it owns memories. It cements in my mind how much my marriage means to me and how much Mr M and I have grown together since this trip.
The one where I got to be Charlie in the Chocolate factory
Ok, so there were no molten chocolate rivers, or squirrels sorting through nuts BUT there was chocolate, and a lot of it. It was the first time I was invited to something as a result of my blog and I had a complete blast.
The one where I took Mr M to Lindos
Greece will always have a very special place in my heart, especially Lindos. I knew Mr M would love it there and after a few years of pestering him we finally booked. It was the first time that we both trusted each other with travel choices properly, something that we're taking complete advantage of now!
The one where I dressed for the races
This one is multifaceted: 1. It was the first time I worked with a big brand, 2. It was the first time in a very long time that I felt like I looked good. I know it's superficial to say but I got a lot of compliments on this look and it was areal boost after my previously mentioned weight loss. I still have and love this outfit. It does make me want to chop my hair off again though. *hides the scissors*
The one where it was our first wedding anniversary
There is so little that I need to say about this. Food. Travel. Chocolate. Happy marriage. Monopoly. This weekend is one of the best of my entire life. I will remember it forever and I am forever grateful that this space was here for me to save it to. This one taught me how much I valued this space as a memory bank.
The one where we got a dog
You remember that thing about photos that capture that moment? This is definitely that. The pup that features on this post was called Hector and is entirely responsible for what happened next.
The one where we moved house
By the time I started this blog I had been living in my first home for a while. It was a house of convenience and whilst I loved it because it was our first home together, we only lived in it because it was what we could afford. Moving into the house we're in now was such a happy move for us. We chose the house, it was our home from the very beginning and I love how much it is our sanctuary. It feels like we were always destined to live here. I keep meaning to do room tours on here but that would mean that our rooms would be fully decorated....
The one were I rediscovered home
Every time I read this post my heart starts to ache for home. It was the first time I felt comfortable enough to let people into the secret of home for me. It was also the first time I had my DSLR for a travel trip, which was a learning curve!
The Paris one(s)
Paris stole my heart almost straight away, blogging definitely led me down the path of booking our first trip after getting serious wanderlust reading other bloggers post.
The one where I realised it was OK to do it my way
The pictures were pulled from Instagram, and the writing was brief but honest. This post kick started my realisation that my world wouldn't fall apart if I stepped back from blogging a little bit. It made me realise how secure I felt in my space and pushed me to feeling that in a different way. This post triggered a series of posts that have shown me how important blogging is to me and how much it has pushed me out of my comfort zone.
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