Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020

2019 has been quite the year. There have been many highs and many lows. It has been a year of growth, change and acceptance. I have travelled, made new and wonderful friends and I have lost friends.

12 months is never a lot of time. As we live it, it zooms past us at high speed, we often live event to event and for those of us with children it seems to go even quicker. We quite often don’t notice that things are changing until we look back at the end of the year and realise just how much we have manage to do.

I have a few highlights from 2019 which I would like to share with you.

The first is getting signed off from my gastro surgeon for my Crohns. 18 months after my resection surgery I was finally given the news that I was no longer needing that level of medical care. This was followed a month later with my Crohns consultant saying that my new meds were working effectively and he could now push back my appointments to every 12 months rather than every 4. I also recieved news from my Urologist that I was been considered for a permanent stent to be put in my left kidney so that surgery would then be every 8 years instead of every 4 months as it currently stands. I’m still waiting to hear about this.

I overcame my anxiety about travelling and went on an amazing trip down to Cornwall with 3 friends to attend the Dark Gathering. This was an amazing experience and such a big thing for me. It was the first time I have travelled more than 60 mins from my home since I was diagnosed with Crohns. It was also my first ever girls holiday and it was spent in a place I had never been to. So much could have gone wrong but nothing did and it was perfect.

And last but not least, I finally finished the first draft of my novel, Alaria and won NaNoWriMo with just over 50k words. This was a huge achievement for me and I am so excited about it’s future.

So what can I expect from 2020? Well only time will tell but there are a few things I want to work on.

Firstly, my book. I want to get it all edited and properly formatted so that I can publish it sometime this year. This would be a massive achievement for me.

Secondly, my blog. I have a plan for it in 2020 and it will take a slightly different turn. I will still post book reviews and such but I want to add something to it but it’s a secret for now.

Thirdly, my health. I want to lose some of the weight I have gained over the last year. Now my meds are ok I can afford to start experimenting again with healthy foods without worrying I will end up in a massive flare. I also want to push my boundaries and start walking further afield.

And finally, my house. I want to have my garden sorted by summer. I say garden but it is a small yard. Nevertheless there are things I would like to do to make the space more appealing for us to use as a family.

My last note of the year is to wish you all a fabulous, happy and healthy 2020.

Please feel free to let me know in the comments some of your goals for the year ahead.

Emma-Louise x