2018, This year has been a wild roller coaster ride and, if I'm totally honest, I'm still a little dizzy from all the big loops I've been thrown through. I welcomed in the New Year with family, which was very tame as we all struggled to stay awake! It's probably because we had all been ill over Christmas (turns out my dad had pneumonia... explains a lot). After an all too brief homecoming I was back in France. This time I had driven my little Hyundai Harold across the pond, which meant more freedom and infinite possibility. Weekends were spent travelling and eating (mainly eating) with the family I had created for myself - the best friends anyone could ask for. We said some sad farewells, which were more like "see you soon's".
I struggled to get back into the 'running' after the break, but Kriszti and I persisted. The view around the lake was pretty spectacular so it made it ever-so-slightly easier.
In February I went skiing in Verbier, that was mad. An experience I'd never have been able to do otherwise, but thoroughly enjoyed (minus sharing a bed with a teenager - ew!). Oh the perks of living in a minted host family...
I frequently returned to one of my favourite places - Annecy. February was pretty cold, so the mountains were topped with glistening white snow. Unfortunately, so were the roads! Some of our road trips got a little heart-in-mouth.
Marilie was kind enough to let me experiment some hairstyles on her. Looking back, they were shoddy to say the least, but she was happy and that's the main thing.
In March, I went to the Geneva Motor Show with Isa and Brenda. Even though I know absolutely NOTHING about cars, I still enjoyed wandering around and sitting in my dream car!
Our girl gang went to a chocolate festival in Versoix, where we just took all of the free samples and bought zilch. What else can you do when you're paid a pittance?
Somehow I managed to spend some quality time with all three children. One day at the end of March, Kevin and I rode around the lake, ate two ice creams each and he even got to play golf with his friend. This is probably the point at which we really became pals.
I flew home for Easter and proceeded to eat all of the foods I missed while away. I spent a lovely evening catching up with (and poisoning - I'm still really sorry about that) three of my English friends. It was really strange to sit in a pub and actually understands everything that people are saying. Oh, and I got my hair permed ready for the hotter weather.
When I went back to Divonne, Mel and I recreated the "Happy Llama" video. If you haven't seen it before, here you go. You're welcome!
April brought a heatwave and violent sunburn. My partner in crime and I went to Morges for the Tulip Festival, which was utterly stunning but very warm. We're lucky that the flowers weren't all shrivelled up, because that's exactly what I wanted to do.
The last weekend of April was spent roaming Geneva and Nyon, drinking wine, eating rubbish and constantly laughing.
In May, Kriszti and I went to the Red Cross Museum. Honestly, if you're ever in that neck of the woods, GO! We both loved it, even though the tickets were pricey.
The following weekend we went to Les Gorges du Pont du Diable, which was stunning. We went right into the cave and then explored some neighbouring lakes.
On the Sunday, we used our free tickets and went to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. I have to say, we were very glad to not pay for that one because it was a tad disappointing.
The weekend after that, we went to the beautiful lakeside town of Yvoire. I bought a couple of presents and we wandered around the cobbled streets until it was time to go home.
Sunday 20th May, three of us journeyed to Lyon. There were street bands, picturesque views and floral gardens to enjoy. What an amazing city!
Towards the end of May, Kriszti, Brenda and I went to a wine festival where we met some drunk, yet friendly, Englishmen.
At the beginning of June, the three amigos saw 'Waitlist' in a local bar. We weren't expecting much from a band of middle aged men, but they are actually really good.
I made a return to Lausanne with Jason and Kriszti, who struggled to get any decent pictures of us together.
The dodgy tan continued to worsen in June and, unsurprisingly, I drank more wine by the lake.
June marked the end of the 'womance' that was Krisztina and Sara. Well, not the end but it DID feel like the end of the world. We spent the weekend hiking up a mountain, exploring a ski resort, taking a boat trip and saying goodbye.
Kevin did an exhibition and graduated from primary school and I felt a bit like a proud mum.
Our French group said "au revoir" at the chateau in Ferney Voltaire.
A few of us went to the music festival in Divonne to watch 'Waitlist' again.
Brenda, Gina and I headed to Chamonix, where we saw the ice caves, the glacier and we watched one of the Mexico football matches during the World Cup. We then rushed back to Charley's to watch Columbia.
The weekend before my trek home, four of us road tripped to Interlaken and the surrounding areas. Oh my goodness, what a place! It boasted warm weather, wonderful views and wild waterfalls, which was the perfect setting for our final weekend together.
3rd July, I beat Jason at football (technically it was the England team, but mainly me). I can't tell if his glum expression is because of the hard loss or the fact it was our last evening together. Probably the latter.
5th July, my last day with the kids. Mel, Kev and I packed up a glorious picnic and headed to the lake. We listened to music, played football and laughed until our lungs ached. It was a perfect way to end my time there.
When I returned to the house, I opened their goodbye gifts and chuckled hard at my turkey hat.
We had our "last supper" at an all-you-can-eat buffet and you can bet your life I ate everything I possibly could. Duh. My final full day in France and, you guessed it, we went to Annecy. This time, however, I was jumping from a cliff and hovering over the countryside. Paragliding has to be one of the absolute highlights of my life, never mind my year!
I had my first savoury crepe with a burger inside of it - delicious, highly recommend. It was the best way to spend my last day, with some of my very best friends.
Hats off to my hero homecoming buddy, Hannah. I don't know whether I would have survived driving home alone and you were the perfect partner. My god did that plate of fish and chips on the ferry taste good!
On my return, I watched the funniest school play I've ever seen, caught up with friends and regularly ate my body weight in home-cooked meals.
Alfie left primary school (I KNOW, WHAT ON EARTH?!) and I cried through the whole assembly.
I did the Colour Rush in Northampton with Katie and Megan.
I took my favourite boys paintballing.
My long, lost friend George and I reunited. 8 years is far too long!
Then, before I could catch my breath, I was off again. At the beginning of August I flew to Ljubljana, Slovenia to see Hana. We had the best time and I met loads of her lovely friends. Then, I pottered over to see Meta for a much-needed catch up. A special thanks to Martin for being the best tour guide ever and forcing me to hike in extreme heat (at least I was rewarded in beer and chocolate cookies!). Meta's family treated me like a daughter and I don't know how I could ever say thank you.
Next stop: Hungary. Finally, I was reunited with my soul sister, Krisztina. I spent days exploring the local area, sampling lots of food and meeting her family. We went to the 'Hungarian sea', a wine festival and the 'beach', before heading to the capital for a few days. Fireworks over the river, site seeing and eating were on the agenda, and Budapest did not disappoint.
I even managed to make friends with some lovely Italians girls, who made sure I didn't feel alone on my last night. We ordered some Hungarian dishes and shared it out between the three of us.
When I returned to England, we spent the weekend in Southend. It was gloriously quiet and the weather wasn't too bad either. That being said, it was probably a solid 10 degree drop from sunny Budapest, if not more. I spent a few days at home, before I went to Norfolk with Jonny. We had the best time, regardless of the occasional shower and failing stove. When we got back, I took him to Draycote Water for his birthday, despite him having just completed the "Ten Peak Challenge".
In September I started a new job and went to the "Childcare Expo" in Coventry, meeting one of my childhood idols.
I began *drowning in* my university studies. October, we went to the fair in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Going on rides when it's super windy is not something I'll be attempting again!
I spent a week with Super Camps, looking after some new little faces and becoming desperately exhausted. I got beautifully painted by the children for Halloween.
Jonny and I watched the fireworks at Kenilworth Castle for Bonfire Night.
I took on a second job and did my first overnight stay. I went to see the INCREDIBLE Years & Years at Birmingham Arena and made friends with a gay couple who noticed I was a loner.
In December, I 'helped' Jonny move into his house. I dressed up as an elf for the kids Christmas party. I wore many, many Christmas jumpers with no shame, regardless of how tacky they were. I experienced the beauty of seven teeny, tiny puppies snuggled up together.
And to top off my crazy year, Jonny and I went to Blenheim Palace for their breathtaking light trail.
Now, I'm looking forward to actually going out for New Year's (shock horror!) and hope that my outfit still fits after Christmas. If it does, it'll be a Christmas miracle. Happy New Year everybody!
