2022 Highlights

 As is the same every year, I once again find myself in disbelief that another year has come to an end and a new year is right around the corner. 2022 has been a year with some big life moments, unexpectedly brilliant days and a lot of change. I wanted to take this time to reflect on the year and share some of my own personal highlights of the year here on my blog.

Getting baby guinea pigs 

Right back at the start of the year, near the middle/end of January, I got two baby guinea pigs! They're called Peanut-Butter and Biscuit and they are just the cutest little balls of fluff! They both have such different personalities and I've loved seeing them come into their own as the year has gone on and seeing them get more comfortable around me. They're definitely one of the best things to come from this year. 

Having a proper uni graduation

This feels so long ago now that it's hard to believe it was this year. Back in March, I had a proper graduation ceremony in the big fancy hall at my university. I'd technically actually graduated in 2021 but as covid restrictions were still around, we couldn't have a proper in-person graduation. I was so glad they managed to postpone it until we could all gather in person again. My mum and dad came to the ceremony and my brother watched online at the uni campus. Then we all met up and went out for lunch afterwards. It was such a lovely day overall. Not only did the graduation go by smoothly (and quickly) but because we had arrived so early in the morning before it, we could walk around the campus in the lovely morning sunlight and take some photos. It turned into such a perfect little day. 

Completing my first year of teaching

I finished my first year as a teacher and became a full newly qualified teacher! I had a composite primary school class of three different year groups as my first class which brought various different challenges and learning experiences but I wouldn't have changed anything. It was really tough at times and there were many occasions where I was really just trying my absolute best and still felt as though things weren't going the way I planned but there were other times when things went so much better than I had thought they were going to. There may have been ups and downs but I loved my first class!

Having a successful first interview and getting a job as an area cover teacher for the year

I had my first ever proper interview this year and I was so ill on the day that I really can't remember most of it! I was too ill to feel worried or work myself up about it (which actually probably worked out in my favour because I couldn't stress over my answers to the questions!). Despite not really remembering how it all went, it must have been good enough because I got a job as an area cover teacher - which is kind of like a supply teacher except I've got a 'base school' which means I've always got somewhere to be even if I'm not booked out to a specific school. Through this, so far, this year I've worked in three different schools which has been quite fun and interesting. I feel as though I'm getting a good chance to learn even more this year by seeing what other schools/teachers do. 

Trip to France

In July, my family and I went on holiday to France. I wrote a whole blog post about it. It was our first family holiday in three years so I had definitely been looking forward to it. There were so many highlights from the trip - visiting St. Malo and Mont Saint Michel, going to the zoo, beach trips, touristy days out and so much more!

Going to two concerts - going to concerts isn't really the kind of thing I actively plan to do, despite always having a great time at them. I think I usually think myself out of going because of how busy they are and I'm not the best with crowds. However, I'm so glad I decided to push those fears aside and just go for it. I saw Billie Eilish in June which was amazing! I definitely got the sense of awe at being in the same room as Billie and her brother. It's so surreal seeing celebrities in real life😄 The concert was amazing. The second one I went to was in October to see Sasha Alex Sloan and it turned out to be one of my favourite concerts of all time. It was a standing one but we managed to get really close to the stage (second row!). At one point she sang directly to my brother and pointed at him which was so cool. She had a throat infection at the time but she still sounded amazing. definitely one of my favourite nights of the year.

Treating myself to my dream acoustic guitar - Back in October, my dad and I headed into Glasgow to GuitarGuitar with the intentions of looking for a new acoustic guitar for me. Playing guitar is one of my favourite things to do. I got my very first guitar on my 5th or 6th birthday but only properly got into playing when I was around 11 years old. On my 12th Birthday, I received a beautiful Crafter acoustic guitar which has served me well for the past 11 years. However, it was my dad who suggested I maybe have a look at getting a new/better acoustic guitar so into Glasgow we went. I spent ages in GuitarGuitar trying out different guitars. The staff were so lovely and helpful and didn't rush the choosing process. They even let me sit in a little room by myself to test different guitars without the pressure of other people listening😄. I tried quite a few different guitars but immediately fell in love with a Taylor guitar. Owning a Taylor guitar has actually been a little dream of mine so I was over the moon with it!

There were so many other little moments that made up 2022 and made it a pretty good year overall. Sometimes I think the smaller, quieter moments are actually what's most important but it's fun to think back on all the bigger moments too.

I hope 2022 has been a good year for you all and I'm wishing you all the best for 2023!

Bye for now, xo