What a truly hideous year 2016 has been. We’ve lost idols and icons (and one of my absolute favourite actresses/women/badasses Carrie Fisher – what a legend she was!) and a certain Orange One has been elected as the President of the United States…

But 2016 wasn’t all bad! Looking back, it’s been a pretty good year for me. Here’s 5 reasons why…

1. I bought a house! If you’ve been wondering where on earth I am and if I’ve given up on my blog entirely, fear not – I’ve been up to my elbows in paint and tiles and cutlery as I stagger about through adulthood. Me and my zoo (two bunnies, six rats) are happily installed chez Sally, with only one or two minor emergencies (such as the time when my house alarm went off at 1am, and I was physically unable to switch it off for a good half hour. Amazing).
2. I got a job at the Disney Store! As someone who *gasp* actually enjoys working in retail (it’s the managers that usually scare me off), this has actually put the cherry on top of my year. I LOVE my job: dishing out stickers, stacking teddies and totally not singing along to “Be Our Guest” on the sound system.
3. I adopted pets! This year have seen me add two bunnies to my family – Paul and Piper, who are super loved-up and make me laugh when they’re haring (pun intended) round the garden or engaging in a Battle Royale-type scenario if I give them a slice of carrot. This year I said sad goodbyes to my four ‘original’ rats (Generation 1, as I now affectionately call them), but welcomed more little squeaky creatures into my house. I started with 4 and now have 6, when I couldn’t resist some rescues in my local pet shop!
4. I got some serious job satisfaction! I teach at a weekend performing arts school, and this year saw my amazing students get their best exam results EVER. If I can remember rightly, we got the best marks in the North of England! Get in.
5. I got a first in my second year at uni! Education is extremely important to me: I never take it for granted even when I’m viciously procrastinating and playing the Sims 4 instead of working on my dissertation. Ya girl was super pleased with her results this year.

And of course, there’s my amazing readers, and the gorgeous blogger community on Twitter who’ve always got my back. Thanks for making my year!

Let me know something amazing that happened to you this year! Hit me up on Twitter and follow me on bloglovin so we can have a lil catch up. Speak soon!