It’s time for a digital detox and a HONEYMOON!
I feel like I’ve been dreaming about writing this post for months and I guess I kinda have. When Mark proposed to me back in December 2015 my first though aside from ‘OMG I can’t believe you just proposed to me in your pants and I have stinky morning breath‘, is that we were going to have an unbelievable honeymoon. Sure, wedding days are nice and all, but that’s just ONE DAY. A honeymoon is a much larger chunk of time spent going on adventures and we were both on the same page from the start that although we wanted to have a memorable wedding, it was the honeymoon that we were going to go balls out with; both with budget and with time. So ever since we booked the flights to New Zealand back in July, I’ve been imagining my final day in the office where I’d be able to down tools for the year and head off on the trip of a lifetime, and guys and gals – the time has come.
So on Saturday morning Mark and I will be heading to the airport, courtesy of Dad’s taxi service and also probably about seven hours before the flight because Dad’s taxi service can sometimes be a little too efficient. We’re flying into Auckland, before doing a 24 day road trip of the north and south islands and returning back to the UK early January. It’s a trip of many firsts. The first time that Mark and I would have ever gone away for that long together. The first time I’ve ever taken that long off of work. The furthest across the world I’ve ever travelled. My first Christmas away from my family, let alone being out of the country for Christmas Day. I’m about to explode with nervous excitement any minute now. For us the timings just worked well in terms of being able to take a decent chunk of time out without it being too disruptive to our workloads. It just means we’ll have to OD on the festive spirit with our family and friends next year.
When I talk to people about the trip, aside from the obvious questions, the one I get asked the most is ‘Are you going to be sharing it on social media?’ which given the nature of what I do is a completely fair query. It’s also a complicated one because whilst sharing is lovely, it’s still technically ‘work’ when you boil it down (I put the inverted commas there because I truly love what I do so much that I have to pinch myself that this is what I do for a living – IT’S BANANAS). I’ve thought about it and it’s something that I have to ponder whenever big events happen in my private life like engagements, weddings, moving and holidays and after thinking about it from every single angle (gosh, aren’t I over-egging this?), I feel like I’m going to sit this one out.
Really it’s for no other reason than I think that I’m well overdue a digital detox. I can’t remember the last time that I wasn’t thinking of what picture should be my Instagram for the day and although it would be really tempting to share those beautiful views and our travels in the moment, I feel like I want to try not having my phone in my palm 24/7 and lap ’em up sans app-sharing instead. I think what I will do is take pictures and film clips as any other non-YouTuber human being would do during a holiday and do some kind of round-up talk through when I’m back. Mainly for the purpose of sharing NZ advice because I had so many helpful emails to read through from you lot, that I feel like we have this trip completely nailed from kayaking in Abel Tasman (so highly recommended!) to finding a good eyebrow threader in Queenstown because I know by that point you might not actually be able to see my eyes (Google reviews are a really ace and often hilarious tool too).
So that’s the plan. This will be the last post and video of 2017 and they’ll be new stuff heading your way on the 1st January because it’s a Monday and it’s the beginning of a new year and my inner-Virgo is just FREAKING OUT. I couldn’t miss that, could I? There should still be a January ‘An Edited Life’ newsletter that I’m hoping to type out whilst we’re away because I’m sure that I’ll be missing my laptop a wee bit, so if you fancy getting a postcard from NZ then make sure you’re signed up here. All that’s left to say is a big ol’ thank you! Cheers for your support over the past year, your kind wishes, your feedback, your emails, comments and tweets. It’s always so lovely to hear from you and I honestly can’t thank you enough for taking the time to visit these parts, liking a post or watching a video, because without that I wouldn’t be able to call this Internet baby of mine my job.
2017 has been a good one and has been the year that I’ve been happiest with content-wise in a long time. I feel like I’ve found my footing with the topics that I like to cover and I’ve created a schedule that has worked for me and allowed me explore new projects too; which was just what I needed as sometimes it’s nice not to just be sat typing out never-ending blog posts in your dressing gown *looks down at current attire which is obviously, the purple dressing gown*. So have a good one guys and gals. I hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas and New Year period! Sending all the good vibes to you and your families. See you on the other side…
SOME LINKS TO KEEP YOU BUSY TILL I GET BACK…
My Christmas Gift Guide. I didn’t do a traditional gift guide round-up this year, but I did do a fantasy ‘What’s On My Christmas’ list post that’s part completely ludicrous, and part helpful. Definitely worth a read if you’re not quite sure what to ask Father Christmas for this year.
The Most Popular Blog Post of the Year. I’m not surprised that the most read post from the past 12 months is the one where I dropped all the deats and some pictures from our wedding day. It’s lengthy, but if you fancy an intimate wedding that didn’t cost the world, that involved an after-party Domino’s order, then it might be worth checking out.
The Shopping Pages. Seeing as I’ll be missing on my Boxing Day sales post which I’ve spent the last seven years waking up ridiculously early on Boxing Day morning to put together, instead I’ve made sure that all my shopping pages are up to date with my latest picks, what’s in my wardrobe and a ‘what’s what’ of all my Instagram snaps.
My Favourite Vlog of the Year. There’s some tough competition in this category, but I do love my birthday vlog back from September. It’s simple, but sweet and I had a great day with friends and family and enjoyed just rambling to the camera as I got ready for the evening celebrations. It’s not the most ground-breaking, but it gives me all the warm fuzzy feels whenever I watch it back.
Photos by Lauren Shipley
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