I don’t think I’ve ever waited so long to publish a blog post at the beginning of a new year. I can usually be found at my laptop on January 1st, raring to go and desperate to document my hopes and dreams for the coming months, but this year was different.

As much as I adore the internet, time spent offline feels like the ultimate luxury these days. As the Christmas break came to a close, all I wanted to do was hunker down at home without digital interruption.

I filled the house with fresh white flowers and silvery green foliage for this year’s festivities. Once the chaos of entertaining had subsided, they did a great job of making the place feel peaceful and serene. That is, if I managed to ignore the squabbling children and wayward Lego underfoot.

Love Audrey UK Lifestyle Blog My Weekend

It wasn’t just leftover mince pies and a deep love of dozing on the sofa that have kept me away. To be brutally honest, my thoughts and feelings have been a little jumbled. I certainly haven’t bounded into the new year with my usual abundance of positivity and excitement. I’m still trying to figure out why.

Maybe it’s because there are big changes coming this year, some that we’re prepared for and probably some that we’re not. I’m trying to make plans and set goals for my business, but right now I’m struggling with the bigger picture. What do I want to accomplish this year? What are my priorities? What does my family need from me? Where should I be channelling my creative energy?

Love Audrey Hello 2016

Sometimes I feel that blogging has become so focussed on people sharing their expertise, so crowded with voices of authority, there’s no room left for those of us that haven’t quite got our shit together. At the same time, I’m not sure I can face reading another blog post about ‘How to be the Ultimate Girl Boss’ and I think I’m done downloading e-courses that promise to help me ‘Dream BIG, Work SMART and Turn Goals into REALITY’.

These things have value of course {‘you do you’ and all that}, but they’re not what I need. I think I’d be better off with a notebook, a pen and a couple of hours alone with my thoughts. Clarity. Bring me clarity 2016.

Looking back…

With that somewhat jumbled introduction out-of-the-way, I’m going to launch into a tiny ode to 2015. Despite my current malaise, it was a good year, both professionally and personally.

I was lucky enough to work with some amazing clients and I’m incredibly proud of the projects I completed. I get such a kick from seeing my copy ‘out in the wild’ and the beautiful online homes of both The Rose Shed and Launcells Barton are two fabulous additions to my portfolio. I’ve also enjoyed creating a more diverse range of content over the last 12 months, including copy for print advertising, two e-courses and a digital brochure.

Love Audrey Hello 2016

My work for The Wedding Reporter continued unabated in 2015. I travelled across the country, documenting everything from a wonderfully vibrant city wedding in Leicester to intimate nuptials held in a tiny village church at the top of a hill. It remains a form of writing that really excites me and, along with Emma, I devote a great deal of care and attention to the completion of these precious reports for our couples.

 

Love Audrey Hello 2016

As a family, the highlight of our year was definitely escaping to Dorset for two weeks in the summer. I’m not sure I can put into words what that holiday meant to me at the time and how much I cherish the memories we made. I took my best photos while we were there and my mind was constantly fizzing with ideas. The break made me realise just how vital it is for me to unplug in order to stay connected to my creativity.

As ever, these three have been my whole world.

Lulworth Cove, Dorset

Looking forward…

Existensial crisis aside, here are a few things that are definitely happening in 2016…

  • I’ll go back to being a ‘proper’ vegetarian instead of a slack one. Which is to say I already have.
  • For the sake of my own sanity, I’ll attend Book Club every month and maybe even sign-up for a weekly Pilates class {read: leave the house more.}
  • I’ll take a solo, non-work-related trip somewhere.
  • I’ll create more and consume less.
  • We’ll finish decorating our bedroom and finally buy a rug for the living room.
  • Isabel will finish primary school.
  • She’ll spend ten days travelling with my mum, visiting both France and Italy.
  • We’ll all have a week’s holiday in Cornwall.
  • Isabel will start secondary school.
  • I’ll try not to cry/freak out.
  • I’ll probably fail.

I’ll let you know when I’ve figured out the rest. Feel free to inspire me with your own goals and resolutions in the comments below!

Love Audrey xxx

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