Here's to a year of sweating & saving!

2011 has (as every year, month, week or day does) had its ups and downs but looking back it really has been an amazing year with so many landmark moments - notably graduating, beginning my career, getting engaged, quitting smoking & making a dent in the weight loss target! I definitely didn't expect it to be such a big year at the beginning of 2011!

As the year drew to a close I was sad to see the back of it. I think this was mainly because so many exciting things happened last year and I was feeling as though there is nothing really exciting to look forward to in 2012... We're both just looking at a year of struggling to save a lot of pennies and lose a lot of weight ready for a 2013 wedding!

But once we can truly get stuck in with the wedding planning, I'm sure that will soon take over my home life and be exciting enough for me! Once things settle down a bit for us, it is time to work out realistically how much we can save and come up with a figure for our budget!

Anyway, now I really need to step away from the new toy and get myself to the gym! Happy weekend everyone :)

6 months smokefree!

One of the many pivotal things that has happened this year is that the fiance & I have given up smoking - yesterday marked 6 months of us being smoke- and nicotine-free (after having my last fix while dressed as Yoshi!)

I had been thinking about giving up smoking for a while but kept putting it off. Being the complete stress-head I was while at Uni, I really don't think I could have coped with the added pressure of weaning myself off of the nicotine sticks... anyone who spent longer than 20 minutes around me in my final year would probably agree!

As the excuses started to run out, I decided it really was time I ought to go for it and quit! The final decision was made when Darren & I were very hungover after the Bournemouth Uni Summerball & we couldn't face smoking! We had almost gone 24 hours without a cigarette & made a decision on the spot to just go for it and quit!

6 months later & we haven't inhaled the slightest bit of tobacco (other than second hand smoke.. eurgh!).

If anyone is thinking about giving up - do it! Okay, it's hard at first but get past the first few weeks and you'll feel so much better...

I can breathe now! I can taste better, I don't cough as much and I don't get chest pains anymore! It really helped doing it together with my other half, even though we were at each others' throats a lot in the beginning with short tempers!! I think the competing aspect of not wanting to be the first to fail was the main thing that kept me going anyway! The main thing I would think at times I was struggling and wanted to smoke again is why would I want to put myself through those difficult first few weeks again - because if it wasn't now I would give up some time... I started so I'll finish!

Now I barely even think about it and feel great!