My year so far

Since we're practically half way through the year already (where does time go!?!),  I thought that I would look back at my resolutions and plans that I posted on here back in January and see how many of them I have actioned or achieved. 

You've got to love an inspirational One Tree Hill quote!!

Eat healthier - I really just eat what I want to, and because I don't tend to eat overly unhealthily, that seems to work okay for me! I've been good at taking a packed lunch to work which I think makes a huge difference to how healthily I eat as well as how much money I spend on packed lunches in comparison to buying lunch everyday. I did try a few weeks of only eating chocolate on Saturdays, when I felt I was eating it just a little bit too much (those tiny little Kinder chocolate bars became my downfall...they're so small, of course I can eat 6 at once!!). I also tried to be super healthy before my holiday to get a 'bikini body' however that didn't last too long before I resigned myself to thinking that eating differently for a week before my holiday wasn't going to make any different so there wasn't much point!! My philosophy of just eating what I want to is going okay and as I said back in January...I'm not going to stop eating cakes!! 

Read more - This one was a long shot! As much as I want to I just can't seem to get into reading. Magazines yes, books no! However, having just been on holiday I did start a novel and get half way through it before coming home, and I have all the intention in the world to finish it...I promise! 

Go to bed earlier - Who was I kidding, that one was never going to happen!!

Spend my spare time being more creative - The extend of my creativeness lately has probably been playing around with different photo editing apps! I did make a birthday card for my sister but unfortunately that's really as far as it goes. I'm off work this week for what is technically my summer holidays so I might try and draw or paint a little bit whilst I'm off. I always love it once I get started and wonder why I don't do it more often. I also bought a frame in a charity shop a while back and have intentions to make a kind of photo collage in it, so I'll have to get that on the go!

Manage my time better - I suppose this kind of links to a lot of these other resolutions, if I managed my time better I might have more time to be creative or read! I do waste quite a lot of time of an evening browsing on all the various social networks or looking for new music on Spotify. However I try to make my days off work quite productive. My two days off a week aren't always together so I try to use at at least one of them to do the housework, go food shopping, go swimming and cook so that I have the other one free to do my own thing or see friends and family. I sometimes try when I'm cooking to make a few meals in one go, that I can freeze in portions and either have for tea or take to work for lunch, so in that aspect I think I manage my time alright.

Join an exercise class - I still haven't done this! I still really really want to start going to Pilates again but so far I've just been going swimming as my main method of exercise and I'm happy doing this just now as long as I keep it up!!

Save money - I actually think this resolution has been quite successful. I saved enough to buy my iPad and go on holiday and I'm really quite proud of myself for that! 

Get a team leader position at work - I interviewed and got the position of the men's department team leader at work at the end of January! Woooo!

Go on dates - After persuasion from a friend I joined a few dating websites!! And after one very successful first date, lots of great dates followed (including a day at the zoo!!) I'm very glad I plucked up the courage to join the website, it's so much fun getting to know someone! :)

Visit Rachel in Manchester - I'm travelling down with Amy to stay with Rachel this week!!! It's the first time in 2013 since we stood and watched the New Years fireworks that all three of us will be together! I can't wait, I miss the three of us so much. 

Stay with Melissa in Stirling - I went to stay with Melissa in her uni halls in March and she took me out for a night out in Stirling with her and her friends. Hopefully I can go up and stay again when she's back at uni in September. 

Try and visit my family more often - I have been home to visit quite a few times but probably not as much as I, or my mum, might like! I need to make more effort to go home even just for the day when I have days off work. I just wish I had a car, the bus journey home takes so much more time than it would take to drive! 

Holiday abroad with my friends....maybe even go on a plane for the first time ever!! - Okay so it wasn't with friends...It was with my sister Melissa but I did just go to Spain and went on a plane for the first time ever!! I can finally score that off of my bucket list! I absolutely loved flying, I only got back two days ago and can't wait to jet off somewhere else already!

Buy more statement clothing instead of cheap items that I'll only wear a few times - Hmm I'm not too sure how this one is going. Because I've just been on holiday I spent quite a lot of money on holiday clothes from the likes of Primark and H&M, definitely not statement pieces (I've actually already managed to dye two cream tops from Primark blue by putting them in the wash with new jeans!!). I did spent birthday money on a nice pair of skinny jeans from Zara and just bought a tan handbag in Spain, both of which I know I'll get loads of use from. 

Buy a new laptop and finally sort out my iTunes and music collection properly - I've sort of half achieved this. I finally (this decision had taken a long long time!) bought an iPad a few months ago, and I now pay monthly for Spotify so don't actually really use iTunes or my iPod anymore at all. I do still want to sort out all of my music soon though, I have about 15,000 songs on my external hard drive which really need sorted out! I'm guessing about 5,000 of those songs are favourites of mine and the rest could probably go (who needs 5, never before listened to, Rush albums from their ex boyfriend!?!).

Invest time and money in testing more make up products - This is one plan that I probably won't stick to now. I'm not overly fussy about make up and spending money on make up products. I thought I'd try a different foundation; used it once, had a patchy and slightly orange face, went straight out and bought my original one and gave the once used one away! Just a waste of money in my opinion. When it comes to make up, I know what I like and I'll just stick to that, not a very girly attitude I know!

See as much live music as I can - My Dad plays in a band which hosts a monthly music night in Edinburgh and I try my best to make it along every month. I love this way of discovering new music as well as seeing bands that I'm familiar with play live. I saw folk trio Lau live at last months gig which was absolutely amazing! With bands like that you can't compare listening to their recorded material with seeing them live, they just had so much energy and enthusiasm for what they were playing. I'm also off to see KT Tunstall next week for the fifth time, and my first gig this year aside from my Dad's gigs.

Gain over 100 blog followers and attend a blogger event -  I think my blog has 93 followers at the moment and I'm so so happy with that! I love each and every person that takes the time to look at my blog. I always link my blog posts on Facebook and aside from my GFC followers, I get friends at work saying that they've read it and that means so much to me! I did also attend my first blogger event in February! It was a Valentines themed, blogger speed dating event in Edinburgh and it was so much fun. I was pretty nervous to go along to my first event but everyone was so welcoming and I met some lovely other Scottish bloggers. Hopefully I'll go to more events in the future.

When picking a film to watch, pick one that I've never seen before instead of watching the same films over and over again - I can't actually think that I've watched that many DVDs at all and if I have I think they have been films I've never seen before. I tend to watch box sets if I was putting a DVD on. However it does kind of work the same, I suppose I could be watching something different instead of the same episode of Sex & The City again or re- watching One Tree Hill from the beginning yet again!!

Reply to my texts a bit quicker! (I know this will please all my annoyed family and friends!) - Hmm I'll let others decide if I'm any better at this...I'm pretty sure I know what the answer would be if you ask my Dad!! 

Work Hard.

Don't stress.

Relax.

And.......Have fun.

.....and I'm happily doing all of these things along the way! 

I'm pretty proud of myself that I've already done almost everything on my list! I just hope the second half of 2013 is just as productive and fun filled as the first half has been!