Hello 2014

1. Ben and I on NYE. 2. The family minus my brother on NYE. 3. A visit to The Gap at Watsons Bay. 4. Adventuring at Bondi. 5. The Gap and I.

Well folks it's been 13 years since the Y2K bug threatened to kill us all. I for one am quite pleased it didn't.

The festive season is almost over (almost because it's my birthday on Monday) and I certainly ate, drank and was merry. Ben and I spent Christmas in Tamworth with our families. We stayed for five nights which is the longest we've spent at home in a while. Every time I go back I gain more of an appreciation for just how beautiful it is up there. #howstheserenity

We returned to Sydney for New Years Eve and what a spectacular night it was. Definitely the best NYE I've had in a long time. We had some family visiting from the US so we (my parents and sister also came to join the festivities) began our night with expensive champagne at their hotel. We were very lucky to nab a table at Jamie's Italian for dinner so headed there for our last feast of 2013 - it did not disappoint.

For the grand finale we were fortunate enough to have access to my office building and therefore an amazing view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House to watch the world-renowned Sydney fireworks. Most of us had never seen the fireworks (apart from on TV) so it was a real treat! We managed to wrangle our way to the very top floor of the building (with thanks to a friend of my cousin who also works there) and had an absolutely incredible view. It was such a special way to bring in the new year!

Like life in general these days, 2013 was non stop, but in the best possible way. I really cannot think of many gripes. There were certainly challenges - a new job and sad goodbyes at the old one, for example, but on the whole it was pretty damn tops.

I haven't written any resolutions as such but I do have a few things I'd like to do this year, or new habits I'd like to make (I guess they kind of are resolutions).

• Practice yoga more regularly.
• Ride my bike.
• Buy some new plants (and keep them alive).
• Organise and redecorate our spare room.
• Set up a cocktail cart for our apartment.
• Keep up with my $5 note challenge (saving every $5 I get).
• Switch off.
• Read.

And of course, I can now officially say I'm getting married this year! 2014 is definitely going to be a busy one and I'm sure it will fly by. In fact, it's exactly 9 months today until we get married. I'm looking forward to all the planning and festivities along the way, but I'm mostly excited about the guarantee that I'll get to party with a lot of our friends and family (many of which we don't see often) on the big day. It's going to be a hoot! Plus, there's the honeymoon, which we're currently researching. Thinking Bali, so if you have any advice, be sure to comment!

Wishing you all a really wonderful, safe and happy 2014. I hope it's full of adventure. xo