Every year brings about new, challenging & often terrifying things. I’ve also realised over the past two weeks that I’ve become less optimistic about the so-called “New Year”. Probably because the last couple of years have started with a gigantic bang & brought along some tough challenges in the first weeks & months of the year.
I’m excited for 2019 though & feel like things can only get better.
I also believe that it is good to reflect on the year that was (you can read my 2015 & 2017 round-up posts here) – specifically as a reminder of all the blessings!
So, here is my Top 10 of 2018:
1) Our 10th Anniversary in Franschhoek
Franschhoek has a very special place in our hearts. It is where we spent part of our honeymoon 11 years ago & we’ve only ever had good times there.
So for our 10th anniversary in January, we decided that a trip to Franschhoek will be perfect. Our time there was rather magical. I never got round to doing a post, so I’m happy to share a snippet about our getaway now.
To say that it was hot is an understatement. Temperatures were well over 35°C (95°F) on most days. Sadly the pool at our AirBnB was closed because of the extreme drought & water restrictions at the time, so we chilled inside in the aircon & strolled around in the gorgeous town. There was also lots of eating, sipping wine & gin. We admired the surrounds & just recharged, but the highlight of our visit was our dinner at Foliage – my favourite restaurant experience of 2018!
2) LionHeart Buttercream Workshop
Sometimes, but not often enough, we do things for ourselves that fuel us for a long long time. This workshop filled me (& eventually my tummy) with so much joy & inspiration that I can’t even begin to explain! Nikki Albertyn & Karmen de Reuck from LionHeart Online Pâtisserie Studio are kind, super talented & their cakes are the best ever. I learnt so much about buttercream & decorating that I got very inspired to bake a lot more – something that I was always a bit nervous about.
My creation:
Plus, the workshop came just in time for my mom’s 70th birthday – so I could gift her an awesome cake with textured buttercream. Made by moi! Also, if you are not following them on Instagram yet, then do it right now. It’s an unbelievably delicious feed.
3) Starting a ‘real’ job again
You might remember that towards the end of 2017, I was starting my engines for a new chapter. I was very positive then, but 2018 started off quite bumpy will some unpleasant work-related experiences as a freelancer.
Fast forward to April 2018 & a really awesome job opportunity came along. It is in a completely different industry from anything lifestyle related, but I’m super grateful that it came along. It is a fulltime, half-day position so it’s just perfect for a mom. After five years of freelancing, a more fixed job & salary is very welcome.
One awesome part of working at a corporate company is you get to dress up! And I love to dress up. Bye-bye mom-wardrobe. Hello heels & red lips!
4) Our Pink & Red & Flamingo XMas In July
Our annual Christmas In July party is always fun & frivolous & 2018 was no exception. It was a jingle & flamingle affair with laughter, white elephant gifts, yummy food & flamingoes!
5) My brand new little Fiat 500
I love a stylish vehicle that fits my city-slicker style. So after driving my super reliable, awesome Renault Clio for 11 years, I was ready for an upgrade & got a little uber trendy, zippy Fiat 500. It is even more awesome, cheeky & faster that I expected. I’m totally over the moon!
6) Ladies weekend to the Midlands
The timing of our weekend to the Midlands could not have been any better! Read more about my delightful getaway to Brahman Hills over here.
7) Getting Naked Insurance up & running
This is technically not my own baby, but then it is. Naked Insurance has been a major venture in the lives of our little family for the past two years, so I’ve decided to include it here in my Top 10, because anyone who has ever had a new business or a startup will be able to confirm the ginormous amount of time, passion, effort, sacrifice & hard work that goes into it.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is a quick update: Ernie, my seriously talented other half & his awesome partners officially launched their Insurtech startup called Naked Insurance, in 2018. Check them out at naked.insure. They also have a pretty cool Instagram feed & some food for thought on YouTube at Naked Thoughts.
8) Presenting a workshop for Garden & Home Magazine
This opportunity came about rather unexpectedly, but I loved it! Basically, I had to present ideas & table setting for entertaining in the garden prior to Garden Day in October at Multiflora. I loved it.
9) Our Monochrome Christmas Shoot
How much fun can be had in 2 hours? Turns out quite A LOT! When my friend Karen & I conceptualized this shoot, we literally sent about a hundred WhatsApp images & ideas back-&-forth for days.
10) Date nights
As I said, getting a startup business off the ground is tough. It’s like having a new baby in a sense, so we had fewer date nights than we actually planned. But we did make the ones we had count. Some that stood out include our first dinner at La Boqueria, gin cocktails at Tonic & a super-de-duper delicious dinner at Van der Linde in Linden.
We also had a lovely time at Walkersons in Dullstroom.
Some less awesome 2018 moments included a really bumpy start to the year, my super unhappy skin (thanx to hormones, stress & bad eating), my couch potato-ness, occasional episodes of debilitating depro, my continuous battle with my sleeping patterns (battling to get through the day, but then really struggling to stay asleep at night which turns into a messy snowball) & haywire hormones. All of these are connected, so I’m working at it every day to make it better.
What are your plans for 2019? Are you finding it hard to get back into the year? Or are you back to normal & super productive? We have been back in the buzz of Jozi for two weeks now & we’re slowly finding our rhythm.
Wishing you a safe, blessed & prosperous year ahead. Happy 2019 friend.
Thank you for visiting.
Yolandi ♥