Long overdue update of ALL THE THINGS in 2014

House
We have finally moved in to our very own house, a house we actually OWN! (Or, you know, own the debt for). I sort of can’t believe it’s really ours but at the same time it feels as if I’ve always lived here. I don’t know if thats just because I am so used to moving house now that wherever I lay all of my crap is my home. I love it though. I never thought I would buy a new build but thats what we have, it’s semi detached and my sister lives next door (the bedrooms do not share a wall, they’re mirror images, thank heavens). I clearly haven’t tidied in this photos but whatever. IT’S MY HOUSE AND I WILL LEAVE MY CRAP EVERYWHERE IF I WANT TO YO!

I love that massive orange sofa. And the fire! It’s an electric fire that we don’t use for heat at all but it has a water chamber in it that makes it look like smoke coming up - its amazing! It sounds awfully tacky but it actually looks really good!

My favourite room is the kitchen though. I got to pick the units and tiles and everything as it was a new build, I love it so much!!!!

Stupidly in love with these.

Garden

Our bedroom

Ensuite (it has a bathroom shelf and mirror now - downside of new builds is there are no little extras like loo roll holders!)

Spare room, full of christmas decorations ready for next week

Bathroom of JOY!

The understated light I chose for the downstairs loo (or “disco loo” as I like to call it)

Weddings
The day we got the keys to the house was also the day we were heading off to Lancaster to go to the wonderful Catriona and Dafydd’s wedding. And I got to be a shiny bridesmaid! It was such a lovely, beautiful, relaxed day. Just so full of love and happiness and good things and a whole heap of people that I love and have fun with, all in one room! Achievement unlocked: folding the map!

(thats my manbeast in that one! awww bless his face <3)

In other wedding news, I have booked a venue, have started making my invites and have bought a dress! I hadn’t planned to get a dress yet and thought I would get one online, but I arranged an appointment to try some on whilst Christina was here just before we went to Cat’s wedding. My mum came with us and they found the dress for me, so now I have one! I’m going to London next week and meeting up with my friend Hayley and we are going to choose wedding shoes. I also have bridesmaids dresses picked out and have bought one, which Hayley will try next week, then I will buy the rest after we are sure about sizes. So quite a lot of progress there! Hayley is also doing some trial runs on the bouquet making.

Work
I applied for another job in the university in the health economics department but didn’t get an interview, but then the trial manager for the study I am employed as a researcher on got offered another job. The PI on the project has asked me if I would like to apply for her post as a replacement which I said yes to of course. I sent the ap in yesterday. They’re only advertising internally for a week so I am hopeful that I will be the only candidate, fingers crossed. Its a little bit more money and would be a good step up for me and hopefully lead to more at the end of the project.

Babies
I have been referred to Liverpool Women’s hospital now and have had a few appointments there. They’re wonderful, so lovely and efficient! They did a few more tests and things, including a hycosy scan where they put a catheter IN YOUR CERVIX. It was unpleasant. The less said about that the better. Ahem. Anyway the upshot is that, as suspected, there’s nothing wrong with my tubes, Jonnys swimmers are just fine, I just don’t ovulate. So the next step is ovarian drilling, which sounds DELIGHTFUL, non?! But as we moved the wedding to next year now we aren’t going to have that until after the wedding (or just before).

There’s probably more to mention but I forget, and thats quite enough to be going on with for now! I’m off to watch a bit of I’m a Celeb and drink some sherry.