Reflections of 2014

The end of a year can only mean one thing: An obligatory end-of-the-year reflections post!

At the start of the year, I had grand visions of joy and laughter. Things were going rather well and I felt confident that it would be a year of mostly good and happy things. I committed myself to taking a bit better care of my health through healthy eating and new running goals. I even committed myself to taking the idea of post-widowhood dating a little more seriously. And, importantly, I committed myself to being an amazing PhD student.

I could almost envisage the scenes of me laughing with new friends; of me captivating audiences with my amazing intellect; of smashing my times for all of my races. (And many of those things really happened!)

Yes, 2014 was going to be such a wonderful year!

Unfortunately, many things took away from the joys I had planned. But despite the upsets I faced over the course of the year, I had many, many wonderful moments.

Here are some of my 2014 highlights, month-by-month!

January: Walking, walking, and museum-ing.

February: Turning 40; tasting beer.

March: A half-marathon PB; a day with two young friends.

April: Walking around a ruined abbey.

May: Site-seeing; another successful half-marathon.

June: Presenting my first academic poster.

July: Jousting; beer; and more beer.

August: London (and more beer).

September: A half-marathon to start; a full one to end!

October: Days out; an old-age 5K PB!

November: A surprise visit home.

December: Vintage clothes; hand-me-downs.

So, that was 2014. Here’s hoping that 2015’s joyful moments far outweigh the painful ones!

I hope you had a wonderful year and that your reflections are filled with more laughter than tears. Stay tuned to find out how my 2015 pans out!