New Year 2015

2015

Last year I wrote out my first proper list of resolutions and although I didn't stick to them all (photo a day challenge I'm talking about you!) I did get quite a bit done. I blogged regularly like I wanted, I didn't completely keep up with reading blogs but I have been reading them whenever I can. I learned quite a bit of Spanish, not enough in everyone's opinion here but enough in my own opinion and that's what matters.
Here's the things I want to do in this next year:

Continue blogging regularly.

Write at least one bucket list blog post each month.

Make photo books - I had planned to make Scrapbook but I never get it done. So I've ordered one photo book already and I'm now planning to try and catch up on the last few years.

Pick up some more Spanish - try to use the Duolingo app every day.

Do the photo a day challenges every month.

Start a diary, write as much as I can even if it isn't every day (I love reading back on memories).

Try to read 16 books (last years goal was 15 and I read 17 so I think I can do it if I try, maybe next year if I beat my goal again I'll increase it again).

Start learning to drive, it's not just a case of learning since I have to be able to do the theory test in Spanish so it's much harder than for most people. But I'll put some work in even if I don't succeed by the end of the year, I at least hope to have made some progress.
So that's my goals for this year. Some I know I'll do, other's will be a bit of work.

Books I read 2014

• Endless by Amanda Gray 3*
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 4*
• The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry 4*
• Mad Love by Colet Abedi 2*
• Reality Parenting by Treion Muller 3*
• Once Upon a Billionaire by Jessica Clare 4*
• Where There's Smoke by Jodi Picoult 5*
• The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier 3*
• The Other Half by Sarah Rayner 4*
• Larger Than Life by Jodi Picoult 5*
• The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin 2*
• Carry You by Beth Thomas 5*

Book: Carry You

Carry You by Beth Thomas

Book description: Daisy has lost her mum to breast cancer. She’s at rock bottom and doesn’t think she’ll ever get back up again. Her best friend Abi has other ideas – she tells it like it is and she’s determined to make Daisy remember the person she used to be.
What Daisy doesn’t know is that, thanks to Abi, her life is about to take an unexpected turn, when she signs them up to do a charity walk. Added to which, someone is about to burst into Daisy’s world in a riot of colour reminding her that life can be full of surprises.

Picture and description taken from goodreads.com

What I thought:

*****

A really wonderful book. Following the grieving of a woman after losing her mother doesn't seem like it would be a very uplifting thing but the help of friends standing by is an amazing thing shown. I was so glad to read the ending, giving the idea that people get what they deserve eventually, which is a great message.
This book made me laugh, sympathize and brought me close to tears and I look forward to seeing what else this author comes up with in her future books.

Book read December 11th 2014.

2 Year Anniversary

Wednesday 12th November 2014

Armando and I are officially already into our second year of marriage. The first year was definitely very challenging with moving to England, meeting my side of the family for the first time and bringing our second child into the world. The most challenging part was having to be separated for those few months Armando was in El Salvador and I was in England.
But now, in our second year, we moved back to El Salvador as a family of four. We bought our first home together and even made our family more whole with a new little puppy. As always it's brought it's up's and down's but this year has definitely brought more up's. We're not taking our lives and time together for granted because we learnt how it felt to be apart.

It's quite hard to find decent English cards here and Armando's family isn't big on giving cards for events but I am so I always try to find a nice one. The card that I found had some lovely words in, not 100% relevent but enough to make me smile and pass it along to the one I love.
"For My Husband on our anniversary

This life we share, it may be less than perfect, but it's got one big thing going for it -

It's ours.

It's yours and mine, and it's made of all the moments we've lived together, all the memories that no one shares but us.

It's ours, and it simply wouldn't be without our commitment to what we began together all those years ago.

It's ours and, perfect or not, it's something to be grateful for, something I'm happy I share with you"

I got Armando a t-shirt and new lego phone case and he got me a mirror and a bag.

To celebrate our day we went out for a meal to a place called Ruby Tuesday's that we hadn't been to before, it was really nice.

Last year I decided to start a tradition of taking a picture of us holding the previous year's picture. It's kind of awkward asking someone to take a picture of us while we're holding a photo frame but I think it's worth it because the pictures turn out to look quite nice.

Puerta del Diablo

During a trip with my Auntie back in 2014 we decided to go to a park that sells El Salvador's national food (pupusas) so she could try before leaving.

After eating and having a walk around the park we went a bit further up the road to Puerta del Diablo which is some cliffs. We've been there before but this time we decided to climb up a higher one.

Chloe was in school that morning so we just had Elliot to carry up. It was sooo windy that day but the views are incredible.

Book: The Awakening of Miss Prim

The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin

Book description: Prudencia Prim is a young woman of high ideals, intelligence and achievement, with an extensive knowledge of literature and several letters after her name. But when she accepts the post of private librarian to a wealthy bibliophile in the secluded village of San Ireneo de Arnois, she is unprepared for what she will encounter there. Her employer, a philosopher and intellectual, is dashing yet contrarian, always ready with a stinging critique of her beloved Austen and Alcott. And the neighbours are also capable of charm and eccentricity in equal measure, determined as they are to preserve their singular little community from the outside world.
Thoughtful, gentle Prudencia might have hoped for friendship in San Ireneo but she didn't expect to find romance - nor did she expect the course of her new life to run quite so rocky, to offer challenge and heartache as well as discovery, joy and delicious regional pastries. The Awakening of Miss Prim is a delightfully unusual and entertaining tale of literature, love and the search for happiness.


What I thought:

**

It took me a while to get through this book because I found it pretty boring. The concept of this little town that's still set in its old fashioned ways is kind of cool but the way they all talked about books all the time made parts of the story line bland, especially since those books are ones I haven't read so I knew nothing about them.

Book read September 29th 2014.

Newest Member of Our Family - Charlie

We'd been thinking of getting a pet this year. We were actually thinking we'd get a rabbit and it would be closer to the end of the year, probably around Christmas.
Then we got a project from Chloe's school, she only has to do it in a few months but basically it says to have a pet and have photo's, talk about their characteristics etc. We could have just got a small pet like a fish but I've never liked fish, a pointless pet in my opinion since you can't play or interact with them.
So we thought we'd just get the pet we'd been thinking of earlier than we'd said and went to a couple of pet shops to look around. There were some cute rabbits... but then we saw some tiny puppies and we do all love dogs. We decided that even with it being harder work we would all rather have a dog we could all play with and have fun with. He's a mix of something with Maltese so he's only going to stay really small.
So here is the newest member of our family - little Charlie:

He follows everyone around and doesn't ever want to be alone. He loves following Elliot but goodness knows why because Elliot thinks he's really funny but likes to grab him. Chloe was very wary of him at first, she loved him when he's just sat still and liked stroking him but when he was playing and walking around she didn't like it. She started getting used to him really fast though and loves him now.