Reflecting on 2022

Happy New Year everyone! We are now official in 2023 and of course, I’ve got to do my ‘year in review’ blogpost. I love writing these up and re-reading them so I can reflect on all the happy memories. I can genuinely say that I’ve had a very happy 2022. It’s been a busy one but I am more content and happy than ever. 2022 was really one of the best years for me which makes this quite exciting to look back on the year and write this.

2022: A Year in Review

January & February

I’m putting together January & February as the first month of 2022 was a very uneventful month. This was all building up for February 2nd, which is the day we completed on our very first home. It was quite a stressful time but I still can’t believe we bought a house! The month of February, therefore, brought lots of trips to B&M, Home Bargains and Ikea.

Towards the end of February, we went on a little trip. Stefan had booked a surprise trip, and we ended up staying in a gorgeous lodge in Alnwick. I believe it was the Blossom Plantation Pods near Alnwick which had its very own hot tub too! It was a lovely lodge and a great base for visiting Alnwick Gardens and going for a delicious Sunday Roast at The Market Tavern, Alnwick.

March

March saw more visits to Ikea but we also took a week off work to enjoy a little staycation. We stayed at The View at Broxa which is on the edge of Dalby Forest. It’s only about 30 minutes from where we live but it was an amazing tranquil luxury retreat. The View was a beautiful cottage with three bedrooms. It was done out so lovely and had an amazing hot tub overlooking the fields. Usually we go on fast pace sightseeing trips so it was nice to take some time out and just chill.

April

The first event of April was attending a local Ball to raise money for the York Teaching Hospital. I always love a good excuse to dress up and it’s even better to do it for a great cause. We also headed over to Leeds for the weekend to catch up with friends and also visit Shear’s Yard for a Sunday Roast.

As the weather was getting better, we had our first BBQ in the new house. This one was classified as a rehearsal housewarming, as we just needed a little practice before the big event. I also worked with Ninja this month, which was an amazing collaboration to be involved it. Who doesn’t love a good Air Fryer?! We also had a few family days out and Stefan even got me watch our local football team a few times!

A total highlight for the month of April was seeing OneRepublic in Manchester. We had a great weekend in Manchester and enjoyed yet another Sunday Roast at Trof NQ. In the evening, we headed to the Manchester Apollo and saw OneRepublic and I’ve got to say they were amazing. It was the first time seeing them live and it was such a good night!

May

We kicked May off with our official housewarming party. It was the best day having everyone see the new house, have a few drinks and get the BBQ going. During May, I also took part in the Step Out For Yorkshire Campaign for Yorkshire Cancer Research where I walked 100 miles during the month. We went on some lovely walks, however the challenge was not too bad given that we went on a big holiday with lot’s of walking…

During May we spent two weeks in one of the best places on earth. Well, certainly the most magical; Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida. It was honestly just the best holiday spending two weeks eating, drinking and going on all the rides. We visited both Walt Disney World and Universal Studios and it really was just an amazing holiday. You can see daily vlogs from the trip over on my TikTok.

Unfortunately, we were both stuck down the the C-word virus when we got home. Pretty sure we caught it on the plane home as there was ALOT of coughing going on. May was still one of the best months in the year though!

June

June was the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. We took advantage of the long bank holiday weekend and went on a little trip. We visited Kip & Nook, which is just on the outskirts of Darlington. A friend had recommended this place and it was pretty cool. We stayed in The Cabin which was completely off-grid with a hot tub. There was no servic,e and its was so nice to just unplug and relax.

We then went up to Sunderland to see Ed Sheeran at the Stadium of Light, which was a great evening. Before spending the rest of the Jubilee weekend in Newcastle. Geordie Bangers at the food market and playing Ghetto Golf were highlights.

At the end of June, I actually was in Newcastle again but this time I went to see Kings of Leon with my friend. It was my third time seeing them and they were great! We also managed to squeeze in lunch at Fat Hippo which is a favourite restaurant of mine! Always thinking about food.

July

July was another exciting month. My Mum and I went down to London to see the one and only Adele at Hyde Park. Not only was it a lovely trip to London, but Adele was incredible. It was definitely up there with the best concerts ever. We also went to the Tiffany Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea which was free and I really enjoyed it.

Also in July, I did the Bridgerton Brunch at Impossible in York, went to the North Yorkshire Food & Drink Festival and went to three more concerts. I saw Haim at Millennium Square in Leeds, McFly at Bridlington Spa and finally Westlife at Scarborough Open Air Theatre. All were great concerts and July 2023 is already shaping up to be a busy concert month, too!

August

Christina Aguilera also made an appearance at Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre and couldn’t not go. She was amazing, however, not on long! It’s always exciting to see mega stars in my hometown though!

August is both mine and Stefan’s Birthday. For Stefan’s Birthday we went to the Lake District which one of our favourite places to visit in the UK. We’ve visited the Lakes every year for the last 6 years now! We had the most amazing Wood-Fired Afternoon Tea at Low Wood Bay which actually was served with Burgers, Nachos and BBQ chicken. We also visited the Devonshire Arms for the most expensive Sunday Roast we’ve had!

For my Birthday we actually flew to Italy! We flew in to Verona where we spent the day exploring before getting a train to Venice. I was pleasantly surprised by Venice and loved our time there. We drank ALOT of Aperol Spritz, went on a gondola ride and just generally took in all of the sights. We then took another train down to Rome for a few days, where we did the Colosseum, Pantheon and Vatican City. Alot of pizza was consumed and we even saw the Pope. It was an excellent trip and a great way to spend my Birthday! Italy is a beautiful country and I hope to one day explore even more!

September

September was a sad month for the UK when the Queen sadly passed away. We actually took a trip down to London to lay some flowers in Green Park. On that trip we also went to see Frozen the Musical and sat in the Royal Box! (Same-day tickets on TodayTix is great). In September, I also bottomless brunched with Lizi, had our final BBQ of the year for my brother’s 40th and saw George Ezra at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre.

October

October started off with a Wedding where we got to dress up and celebrate love. My blogging bestie, Jessica, also came and visited us in October and we eat and drank around the area! We also visited Light Night in Leeds and of course, partook in some pumpkin picking. I was determined not to celebrate Halloween, but ended up decorating the house in the end. October also saw the release of Taylor Swift’s Midnight’s Album. Is the Era’s tour ever coming to the UK?

November

November was another exciting month where we even met royalty! The Duke & Duchess of Wales aka Will and Kate visited my hometown. I didn’t think we’d end up meeting them but they came over and chatted and were both so delightful. My Mum ended up being the star of the show and asked William for a selfie, consequently this ended up in all the papers! Love it! We also attended the opening of Fat Hippo in York which I was delighted that one of my favourite restaurants opened just that little bit closer to home.

Finally, we ended November in the Big Apple. We took a family trip to New York to see all the Christmas decorations. It was Stefan’s first trip to New York so a large portion of the trip was just us eating around the city. There’s going to be a lot more posts coming about our trip. A highlight of the trip was actually getting tickets to stand on the ice rink at the Rockefeller Centre Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. It was a total bucket list item ticked off and I can’t believe how lucky we were to get tickets.

december

We landed back in London on the 2nd December and whilst jet lagged, we had a very festive weekend in London. Obviously we had to visit Winter Wonderland and we managed to see all the pretty lights, fit in a Sunday Roast (post coming soon) and visit Harrods! I’m not going to lie, this was the busiest I’ve ever seen London and I do not recommend. I’ve been at Christmas before but this was on another level.

During December, I did a few festive days out such as visiting Castle Howard’s amazing decorations, a few festive meals out and watching all the Christmas movies. I was very fortunate to work with Cooplands Bakery who helped me spread the Christmas cheer at a local organisation.

To top off 2022, we hosted our very first Christmas in our new home. I’m pleased to say it all went well and I really enjoyed doing it. We had 6 of us at the dinner and hosted 10 in the evening! I loved decorating this Christmas and can’t wait to have many more Christmases in this house.

I don’t know how 2023 is going to top 2022 but I’m going to try and make as many happy memories as possible. It’s Stefan’s 30th this year so it’s certainly an excuse to make some big and excited plans! However, let’s not discuss that it’s my 30th next year! It’s time to say goodbye to 2022 but I can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store!