Defining Moments In My Life

Ready for a discussion about the defining moments in my life? A few weeks ago, I went out for some day drinking and shopping with my oldest friends. We all became friends when we were 13 years old, and we are as thick as thieves to this day. Just like with anybody, as you get older, it becomes harder to keep your friendships tight. Life gets in the way, and you get busy with everything else that you have going on. But my girls and I get together at least twice a year for shopping and drinking copious amounts Whispering Angel.

On our most recent night out, after far too much rose, our conversation became very philosophical. We began talking about how far we had all come since we became friends as teenagers. I can remember being a painfully shy teenager and even when I left school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. We all took turns getting emotional and talking about our accomplishments and the moments in our life that stood out and were particularly memorable. Off the back of that conversation, I wanted to share with you some of the defining moments in my life.

 

 

Getting married.

I met my now husband when I was just 19 years old. After being together for 4 years he popped the question and just 8 months later we were married. Our wedding was small, simple and just the most fun. We laughed, drank and danced with all of our closest family and friends. There were no speeches, first dances, awkward meals or cake cutting. It was just a relaxed day that we loved from start to finish. Marrying my best friend really was wonderful., We have now been together for almost 10 years, and it is without one of the best things that we have ever done.

 

Buying my first Vogue magazine.

When I was a little girl, every Friday my dad would pick me up and take my sister and I to his house for the weekend. But before we went to his house, we would go to the corner shop at the bottom of his street. We would get £10 each and we could buy anything that we wanted. Sweets, magazines, videos, etc. The only thing that I used to want was Vogue. I was obsessed with the glossy magazine, and it plunged me into the world of fashion. Very quickly I became hooked and that to me is a true defining moment in my life.

 

Starting my blog.

Almost a decade ago, I sat at my old crusty ThinkPad laptop and created my first blog. I think the first ever post I wrote was about the Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation. That’s a blast from the past isn’t it! Anyway, writing that post ignited a love in me, hence why I am still here and creating posts to this day. It hasn’t always been easy but writing my informal posts has ignited a love of writing within me. I am unsure what the future of blogging may look like, but I do know that I am happy now, just as I have been for the past decade.

 

Buying and decorating our home.

I am pretty sure that I have shared before that I grew up in quite a poor household. It sounds harsh, but it is true. We didn’t have two pennies to rub together. Because of that, our living situation was always pretty unsure and when I was 14 years old, we lost our house. We rented a few places, and it instilled a fear in me that the rug would be pulled from under us and we would end up homeless. Which is why I began saving for a deposit as soon as I began working. I bought my first home at 24 and it is my haven. It has given me a level of security that I didn’t even know I needed.

 

Bringing my Golden Retriever Martha home.

Without a doubt, one of the most defining moments in my life was bringing home the wonderful Martha. I have had dogs all my life. I am just a dog person and I know that I will always have one in my life. Martha was the first dog that I have ever owned myself. I bought her when I was 22 years old and since that day, she has been my best friend. She is my emotional support dog, walking buddy, best cuddler in the world and so much more. Martha has shown me what it is to be a parent and I will always be grateful for her showing me such an amazing level of love.

 

Getting my promotion at work.

For a long time at work, I was stuck in a rut. I was turning up, doing what I needed to do and then heading home. There wasn’t much passion, but that all changed when I got a promotion. It happened all very suddenly because my manager at the time had resigned. The MD of the company then pulled me to one side and offered me the job because they had seen me supporting my previous manager and pretty much doing the role anyway. It pushed me into a position that I otherwise would never have done. I thank my lucky stars every day that I got thrown into that role.

 

Being diagnosed with OCD.

I wouldn’t say that this defining moment is either positive or negative. For so many years I knew that I had OCD. It was very apparent to me and the people closest to me. I demonstrated so many of the traits and it was pretty obvious. However, after seeking help for my mental health from my GP, I was officially diagnosed with OCD. It was like a lightbulb had gone off and suddenly it set me on a path to getting it under control. Before getting that official diagnosis, I always hid behind the fact that it wasn’t official. But then once I had that conversation, I knew that I had to do something about it.

 

Writing my first book.

The final thing and quite possibly one of the largest most defining things in my life is writing a book. I haven’t actually shared this before, but in 2022, I wrote three books. Yes, you read that right. Three books. Hopefully this year, once my proof-reader is finished, I will be able to share more with you guys about it. It was an amazing process writing my first book and when I completed it and finished my first proof, I broke down with so much pride. It is no easy feat writing a 22-chapter book and it only encouraged me more to write even more!

 

As always, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this post about the defining moments in my life. Not everything that I have mentioned in this list were positives, but they were things that really sculpted me as a person. They are things that altered me, whether for the positive or as a lesson. I think that regardless of if it is a happy memory or not, it is important to remember these things.

Now that I think about it, and now that I have finished this post, I can already think of so many other amazing things that spring to mind that I could mention. Perhaps I will be a part two another time. As always, I would love to hear from you guys. What have been the defining moments in your life?