Let me take it back a min to 2016. It was a tad rough in places as that was the year where I spent half of it going back and forth, every weekend up north during the time my father was getting a diagnosis. And the second half making sure my Dad gets settled and just adjusting. And it’s safe to say a lot has changed since then …
2017
I started a blog!
Having gone through the year trying to get my Dad sorted, I had not ever seen the impacts Alzheimer’s elsewhere (as an adult with full recognition). I decided now is the time to make my own memories and help record them for other people to see the reality of Alzheimer’s for a loved one. Also, 2017 was going to be the year of discipline for me, and what better way to give it ago then to keep on top of recording the relationship between me and my father, and lots of other stuff in between.
I started making videos first
The first place I looked to find information on Alzheimer’s and how it manifests was youtube. There were a lot of videos with high production value from charities and companies which is great, and the odd semi-viral video of heartwarming moments between families that would be 3-5 years old, an in portrait mode.
I am dyslexic and would rather sit and watch a video than read a full article, its just time saving and a picture can tell a thousand words, so that’s where I started, with my first vlog.
My first blogger event.
I have struggled a lot with the idea of people making themselves a brand, being quite self-obsessed, and where people get the ideas for content from. Now I am not saying there is anything wrong with that, and I think you need to have a little of that in order to get the ball rolling and actually get people to see what you create. But the idea around being self-centered made me feel very uncomfortable, and my first event kinda highlighted that for me. However, it also opened my eyes to how I can best film what I want, which is vlogs on the go, that is watchable with good sound quality. And I meet other people doing their blogs and vlogs alongside there daily lives which were great!
So for me, I had no real idea where to start so just used my phone (which is actually a tablet) to record, and started a blog and just wrote my thoughts and experiences. And I am pottering along and learning as I go 🙂
I went on 2 holidays to Portugal and countless trips around the UK
I like to travel and this has been blessed to go to Portugal twice and lots of other small holidays with Elliot, including climbing Snowden, taking Elliot back to Liverpool and countless trips to the south coast to see my Father. All of which I have tried to make some kind of record of, including might I add vlogging the whole of our Portugal road trip, so watch this space hahahaha.
Seeing how my fathers memories are all but disappearing, its so important for me to have the balance of recording for future and enjoying the moment, so that’s my best advice for anyone. Treasure every moment, good and bad and make a small record of it all if you can.
I moved house!
Feb this year I moved into the most stunning house I will ever live in hands down, in London with such an amazing bunch of like-minded people. There are 7 of us under one roof and its great to always have someone about, have deep chats with, watch a film or cook with. It also gives me space and the freedom to do literally whatever I want. Sounds weird but I love to have people over, and I have a lot of stuff and we just have the space for everything! London flats an can often be very small, and there is a lot of me and a lot of my stuff to squeeze into living spaces lol.
3 different job opportunities and 2 trips to Paris later …
I don’t want to go into to much detail but for everyone who knows me it has been up and down, for no real fault of my own, job wise this year. But I am now settled in a job I love, that challenges me in lots of ways and perfectly fits my life at the moment, and I couldn’t be happier.
And all this from the top of my head! I am so looking forward to 2018 and what the year will bring, but I think its a great habit to be able to look back, see how you have grown, how things around you have progressed and have a gratitude for it all.
I hope your 2017 was the best it could have been, or if not you simply made the most of what you did have, and here’s to a progressive 2018! xx
