It is the last day of 2023! This year has been a busy one full of ups and downs. Tomorrow it is 2024 and I’m looking forward to seeing what the New Year brings. I thought it would be nice to look back on all the things that happened in my ‘what happened in? posts from 2023. I want to see what happened throughout 2023 and what has changed over the year. Here is what happened in 2023!
I started the year with my family and then a few days later celebrated David’s birthday with a trip to the local seaside. We sent out our wedding invitations and decided on the menu choices for the day too. I went on my first solo cinema trip of the year to watch A Man Called Otto which was exceptional.
I went to a couple of concerts in January. The first one was to watch Wallows in Manchester and they were amazing. The second was to see The 1975 in Manchester and it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. I adore The 1975 and cannot wait to see them again in 2024.
February was the month of a lot of wedding planning. I got the table and venue decorations completed as well as my bouquet. I had a few days out with friends in February. One included a trip to a local board game cafe which was a lot of fun.
My family also went on a trip to the circus which was hilarious and something we haven’t done for year. That day ended with some delicious fish and chips. I started going out for walks a lot more in February. It helped to clear my head and look at the local wildlife.
March started with a bookish road trip with friends. My and my best friends visited 66 Books and a lot of other bookish places which was lovely. Also, I started to have my wedding dress altered and I could see what a difference the alterations were going to make.
Me and David had a few days off together in March. So, we took a trip to Manchester and some local nature reserves. It was lovely and a well needed few relaxing days together. We started our search for wedding rings in March too!
I had my hen do in April. I went on a trip to York with my Mum, sister and, my Mum’s best friend who is like an Auntie to me. It was a lovely couple of days. We ate delicious food, bought Ghosts from the York Ghost Merchants and explored the city.
I attended a celebration evening for the release of Melissa Welliver’s debut novel My Love Life and the Apocalypse in March too. It was so lovely to meet Melissa, talk to other bloggers and just enjoy being with bookish people for an evening.
May started with me and my sister, Katie, going to see Joshua Bassett which was lovely. I finished off all the wedding planning this month too and finally felt like I might have been on top of it all.
Unfortunately my car was broken into in May which wasn’t fun. But, it got fixed even if we didn’t find out who did it. I spent a chill weekend with my friends catching up, reading and playing board games which was lovey. Then, ended May by going to see Coldplay with my family.
I got married in June! Me and my now husband, David, celebrated our wedding with our closest friends and family and had the best day ever. It is a day I will never forget. All the planning, worries and meetings were worth it and made for the perfect day.
A couple of days later, we were on our honeymoon in Lanzarote. We had the best time enjoying the sunshine, visiting places around the island that we’d never seen before and had the perfect holiday. I love Lanzarote and can’t wait to visit again.
July started by seeing Arthur Hill and Thomas Headon with my sister, Katie, and her boyfriend, Tom. It was another amazing concert. The following day I had a lovely day out with friends. We shopped, played mini golf and had some yummy food. My sister, Katie, graduated in July. We went to celebrate with her and my family and it was lovely. I’m so proud of her and the job she does!
One of our wedding presents was a penguin adoption at one of the local zoo which is amazing on its own. But, it also came with tickets to the zoo. So, me and David spent a lovely day at the zoo seeing the penguins, feeding lorikeets and having a lovely time. Also, I went to see Barbie in the cinema with my sister which was excellent.
August started on a very sad note. After 14 and a half years, we lost our dog and best friend, Maggie. I’m still heartbroken to have lost her but I’m so lucky to have been able to spend so much time with her and make so many amazing memories with her. Plus, I’ll never forget her being at my wedding towards the end of her life and her having the best time.
I tried to keep myself occupied with trips out for the rest of the month and visits with friends, all of which were well needed. August ended with a trip to Oxford to visit some of his family. We went on a tour of bookshops, parks and spent some lovely time with family. It was wonderful.
September started with me spending a lot of money on concert tickets. The 1975 announced a tour right at the end of August with the mention it would be their last for a while. So, of course I couldn’t miss out on seeing them at least once. Three days of getting tickets later and I’m seeing them on three dates and I cannot wait!
I had some lovely days out with friends in September which involved a lot of catching up and book shopping which was excellent. My family went on a trip to the zoo to end the month which was so lovely. We took my grandparents on a trip to see all the animals which we all enjoyed. We finished the day with some fish and chips which was lovely!
October started with me turning 26 and I spent a full week celebrating. Me and David spent some time in a few local cities relaxing. Then, me and my best friends spent a weekend in Amsterdam. It was such a lovely few days spent exploring the city and eating delicious food.
A lot of spare time in October was spent building the little model bookshop that my sister Katie and her boyfriend Tom got me for my birthday. We did some more home decorating in October too. Our living room being our main focus. We finished the month with our usual Halloween tradition of carving pumpkins whilst watching The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline.
November started with me and David finishing our little model bookshop and it looks amazing. Our new living room carpet was installed in November. It has made the room so much cosier and I cannot wait to get the rest of decorating in there done!
Me and my best friend Sarah went to see McFly in Manchester in November which was a lot of fun. Also, I took myself to see The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was so good to be back in the world of the Hunger Games. The month ended with a games night with friends which was hilarious!
We ended the month by having a games night with friends which was hilarious and a lot of fun!
December started with Christmas shopping and a trip to the Christmas markets which was lovely. We put up our Christmas tree a couple of days later. I had a Christmas day with my friends too. We watched films, exchanged presents and had a carvery tea. It was a wonderful day!
December is a month of birthdays in my family. My Dad’s is midway through the month and my Mum’s is two days after Christmas. So, we celebrated both their birthdays with a couple of nights of lovely food, board games and enjoying time together. We had a nice chilled Christmas at home and spent the next few days with family. It was a lovely end to the end.
There you have it, that is what happened in 2023! What has happened throughout your 2023? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy New Year! I hope 2024 treats you all wonderfully and thank you so much for all the support throughout 2023!
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