Life Update: January

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Goodbye, January, you will not be missed.

January has been a bit of an odd month for me, and I've found the start of 2016 to be filled with a lot of doubt, excitement, and reality.

Coming back "home"
On the 7th, the boyfriend husband and I flew flew back from Canada, and that was the end of our 3-week holiday. I won't sugarcoat it - it was awful. I came back with a new-found homesickness and we both agreed that the UK simply isn't for us in the long-term. I think I always had doubts about where I wanted to settle down, but these doubts are gone. I want to go back home, and I want to go soon. It was very strange to come back home, as I've realized the UK will never quite feel like home. I think it was the first time in my life where I was coming back to something that simply didn't make as happy anymore - no home comforts to look forward to, especially as I had left all of those behind.

Planning ahead
So it's decided, we want to eventually move back to Canada! It's an exciting thought, but the process of it all is quite... exhausting. My visa to stay in the UK expires in a few months, so I'll be applying for a FLR visa as a spouse, meaning I'll be able to live and work in the UK for two more years. At the same time, we are now looking at a similar visa for the husband, but we can't simply apply for both. My visa comes with a hefty fee, and it would feel like a waste if I were to leave after only a couple of months. I think we'll be here for another year, at least, and eventually we'll have to apply for his visa... and hopefully things will work out from there?

I don't know if any of my readers have any experiences trying to apply for visas, but they are scary, complicated things, and I always feel like it puts us a step behind everyone else in the long ladder of life. Where some people my age are saving up for their first home, we have to save up for paperwork, and put the dream of a home slightly further back.

Wandering Europe
With the extra time we will spend in the UK, I would love to tick off a few more trips off my list. At the moment, we're thinking Germany in 2016. A 10-day trip around the country, something like that. I've been wanting to visit Germany for a long time, so I really hope we can do this.

I'd love to go to Rome for a couple of days! I have a friend who lives there and I imagine we can do the city quite quickly in 3-4 days.

I'm also considering some UK trips - Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Brighton.

Mini projects to keep me busy
There are a few things I sort of cast aside before/after the holidays. This blog being the main culprit. But also my scrapbook! I'm constantly re-envisioning new ideas for the blog, a new direction I want to take it in. I quite enjoy posting about my every day life, where we've been, where we're going. I think I want things to feel natural and personal, especially so I can look back on these posts and see how far things have come. A few upcoming posts: our wedding (yes, I will finally divulge some of our photos to the internet), our trip to Canada, and snaps of Geneva (I was there for a few days two weeks ago!). Beauty-wise, I think I'm taking a bit of a break. I still absorb a lot of beauty-related information, but I feel like I never got to the knack for it. Who knows? The occasional haul might pop up, I still like a good haul.

Here comes February
You know what? I'm quite excited for February! It's Valentine's day and the husband's birthday and it's generally a less depressing month than January. On the cards this month, maybe a quick day trip to Manchester? We're talking about it. I'm also looking forward to eating out twice this month because nobody enjoys cooking.

And that's it for now, I guess there isn't much to add for today.

B.

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