Sunday 1 January 2017

2016 Happy or Sad? A Review Of Our Year.

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2016 Happy or Sad? I wrote a post last year I'm Going To Make 2016 The Best Year Ever! in response to a couple of bad years. As a family we had lost some of the most important people in our lives. Between us we had lost mums, grandmothers, aunties, uncles, sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws, brothers. A long list of grief and loss. I wanted 2016 to be different. OK I couldn't change the future and prevent people dying but I could change me, and make me happier. Did it work? Was 2016 happy or sad?

If I look at the news reports then I should be sad. I should have had a really bad year full of death and gloom. But I didn't. I know lots of great people died in 2016, more celebrities than any previous year. Did it make me have a sad 2016, well no it didn't. Don't get me wrong I felt moments of sadness at the loss of young lives and the talent that was inevitablely going to be gone for ever but it didn't ruin my year.

What sort of year did I have? HAPPY!!! You maybe wondering how I know it was happy, surely a year is a long time and sad things happened. They did, but I didn't dwell on them and lots of good things did happen. In my 2016 post I had nine things to make me happy, mostly they were things I could do to look on the bright side of life. A glass half full not half empty. Number three was to write a list of things that made me happy, here is my list;

1.   Hugging my grandson
2.   Walking
3.   Eating out
4.   Playing board games with my son & daughter in law
5.   Going to the theatre
6.   Writing 
7.   Laughing with friends
8.   Talking to and spending time with my daughter
9.   Feeling the sun on me
10. Learning something new
11. Making things
12. Visiting new places


We started the year with a wedding. My daughter got married on February 29th. It was beautiful. It had only taken a few weeks to plan and I had been lucky enough to spend so much time with her choosing her dress and going to the fittings. That was number 7 and 8 sorted!


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Looking at my list number 1 is hugging my grandson, well I do that almost everyday. We, Grandad and I, have him four days a week and we get lots and lots of hugs. We also do lots of walking and visiting new places...that's 2 and 12 ticked off.


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The only photos of Bear and me are very bad selfies


Eating out. Oh I love eating out. We don't do it as often as I'd like but we try to meet as a family every few months and have lunch on a Sunday. Grandad and I also like to have the occasional meal out. Number 3, tick.


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Just a small selection of some great meals out

Learning something new and making things has not been a great success. These are the first to go when life gets busy and blogging gets busy. I do try though. At the beginning of the year I had a plan to make my own paper and then to use that paper for other crafts such as card making. Making paper is messy, it also takes a lot of practice. I soon gave up but am glad I at least tried. 10 & 11 ✓✓

We haven't had a long holiday away this year but have visited new places. Aberystwyth and Devils Bridge in March. Weston-Super-Mare and in June to Coventry to see my favourite singer Bruce Springsteen. We've enjoyed open air theatre for the first time in Sophia Gardens. We have explored* so many new places Puzzlewood, Perrygrove, Techniquest, Tredegar House to name a few. Castles all over South Wales. We found the dragon at Caerphilly, knights at Chepstow. We've marched like Romans at Caerwent and Caerleon. We found our EPIC at Tintern and stroked baby lambs there too. We celebrated Roald Dahl in The City of The Unexpected and watched the Pride March through Cardiff.


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Top Left;  Caerphilly Castle Top Centre; EPIC at Tintern Abbey Top Right; Sophia Gardens Theatre
Middle Left; Dragon at Caerphilly Castle Middle Centre; Pride March Cardiff Middle Right; Roald Dahl Celebrations
Bottom Right; Bruce Springsteen, Coventry Middle Centre; Devils Bridge Bottom Right; Weston Super Mare


I've met up with friends and had lots of laughs throughout the year, so I will finish with two collages. One of some friends and one just of Bear throughout the year.


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Family and friends always great fun.

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Bear throughout the year top left back in January to bottom right this Christmas

I loved 2016, I know 2017 will be great too. My list will stay the same. It's a good list for me and every week I will ensure I do something. I have already bought tickets for the theatre in the New Year. That's numbers 5, 7 & 8 ticked off. We haven't spent as much time as I'd like with my son and daughter-in-law. We did have Boxing night where we played games and finished with Cards Against Humanity. Oh that is so funny but totally not PC!

So how does my list look? Are they all ticked off?

1.   Hugging my grandson 
2.   Walking   
3.   Eating out  
4.   Playing board games with my son & daughter in law 
5.   Going to the theatre  
6.   Writing  
7.   Laughing with friends 
8.   Talking to and spending time with my daughter 
9.   Feeling the sun on me  
10. Learning something new 
11. Making things  
12. Visiting new places  

If I can do it you can too. Have a look at my 2016 post, write a list and do it! It will really make a difference.


Did you have a good 2016? What are you looking forward to in 2017?


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*If you'd like to know more about all the wonderful places we've been check out our toddler explores series and our post Places To Visit In South Wales With A Toddler.

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