Your highlights of 2008

Hmm highlights...

• Going to Glastonbury festival
• My best friend having her little girl
• Finally finishing my bathroom and kitchen
• Being single!!

This year, i want to study with the OU so am currently looking into that.

Roll on 2009

Thanks for posting Doughnut, this is a good idea. My highlights also in no particular order are:

Giving up smoking regularly (I'm allowing myself the option of occasionally having one which so far is working as I've had one cigarette in the space of six months).

Going on holiday to Spain - this was the first foreign holiday I've had for 10 years.

Being told by my boyfriend that he loves me - I never thought I'd pull him let alone get him to love me. I have no idea what I did there...

Moving house

Discovering I was pregnant with and then giving birth to our beautiful 2nd ? Jonathan

Ooh and how could I forget... a Hitched one... finally getting to meet the lovely Fruit Gum after being desperate to for 2 years!

For me,

Getting engaged ?
Moving in with my OH and getting my flat rented out really quickly and easily
Surprisingly, turning 30. it isn't as bad as I'd feared and I had a wicked party

I think it would have to be running two half marathons.

Starting to play music again- I've rediscovered a whole side to myself that I had tried to bury under the lawyerly facade.

Watching my best friend's daughter blossom and grow from baby to toddler and, when told that she screams the place down for Aunty Poo every time I left after a visit, wondering if one day I might be able to put my fears aside and commit to having a child. Getting to the stage of wondering whether one day, actually, I might actually be able to think about commiting to having a child (even a mere 'wondering' is a minor miracle for me, so 2008 will definitely be the year where I Started To Wonder.)

Hearing some of my favourite bands play (sigur ros 3 times, twice in scotland and once in Paris!)

Going to music festivals, the best of which this year was Hydroconnect at inverary castle- Scots, book up as soon as the tix come out for 2009. Go forth and Love it! (in fact, non-scots, just make the trip and come join us!)

Not really a highlight just now as i'm still a bit of a car wreck, but in the future I hope to see 2008 as the year I took control of an unhappy relationship and tried to mitigate the effects it was having on my life.

Watching two of my dearest friends get married (to each other, yay!) and then having the most awesome party with them afterwards (my avatar is me doing upsidedown pole dancing acrobats on the bus they'd hired to take us back home. ?)

Being rescued from a near drowing incident with a rock star when our boat sank in loch lomond..... or not. (some of you will remember this. ?).

At work, getting my promotion, passing my accreditation exams and getting a move to Manchester to head up my own team.

Finally getting to meet some hitchers that I had been dying to meet for ages, and catching up with some I've met before.

Edited to add- going on yoga retreat- my 1st equal highlight along with hydroconnect.

Hmmm.... Doh!

Mine are in no particular order

• Getting married
• Finding out i'm going to be an Aunty for the 1st time
• Loosing 2stone before the wedding (putting half of it back on since doesn't count as a highlight though)
• Running the race for life and completeing it in less than 45 minutes

Going to an extreme metal festival in the middle of nowhere with my OH (also my first time on a plane with a boyfriend - sad for 32yo I know)

Moving in with OH

Starting my new job and getting my mum a job

Seeing every band thats been on lately inc. Machinehead three twice, Trivial (oh the shame twice) and Sigur Ros once

and actually having a happy, good enjoyable year. I remember the good not the bad this year. That's enough for me

A simply awesome skiing holiday with Mr Boop at the start of the year which set the tone for our relationship for the next 12 months.

Various achievements with Riley - Good Citizen, PAT, Discover Dogs etc

Being asked to become a trainer at my training club

Leaving the job I'd been trying to leave for the previous two years

Working part-time and setting up my own business

Good:

Getting married is a pretty obvious one but without wanting to sound too ? it was an awesome day surrounded by our favourite people and so far being married to him is pretty damn fun. It was also a bloody good excuse to spend a lot of time with my sister and my best friends/bridesmaids. Luckily I've been doing a job recently with less out of hours work so I've actually had time to see OH and just hang out, which has been really nice.

Buying our 18-year-old 5 berth “Highwayman Express (!)” campervan. We really didn’t have the money to spare but we had a fantastic honeymoon in it and took it back to France in October half term with my two youngest brothers, including a trip to Disneyland, which we all loved and could never have afforded otherwise.

Youngest brother's epilepsy has been pretty bad but he's now under one of the top specialist teams in the country and we're really getting places with investigations.

I know it's not in the OP but I won't be able to remember 2008 without remembering that I lost two of my Grandparents this year. Despite both having peaceful deaths and full and active lives, they are both very much missed and the family has taken a big knock.

Hopes for 2009:

Work: I’m loving my job at the moment and really crossing my fingers that I’ll find out early next year that I've got a place for run-through specialist training in Obs & Gynae.

OH finished his Masters and is strating to bring in a bit more cash and my income should pick up in the Spring so I really hope we'll finally stop having to panic about where the rent money is coming from every month and start seriously paying back some of our loans.

Edited to try and make it more readable but just made it worse, dammit.

- getting pregnant

- having a fantastic much awaited holiday in Las Vegas

- getting settled/working on our new home back in the North East

My 30th birthday at Walt Disney World, it was amazing and so much fun

Winning the award for best wedding film in the UK and also winning an award that same night for our showreel. That was a wonderful feeling yet at the same also quite humbling! Still on a bit of high from that one.

Learning to scuba dive, wow, a bit scary at first but so worth it and can't wait to do more!

One of my best friends having a little girl
Another 3 friends finding out they are expecting
Raising 13+ k for charity

Our first anniversary in the Witchery and then Paris was wonderful.

Moving to Kent as my H got a fantastic new job that he loves.

I guess the other highlight was finding out that the test results for my H were wrong and we might be able to have our own children after all.

Getting married

My sister getting married

see lots of my family and having my family grow!

Passing my exams

Being promoted

MrH getting a fabulous new job which he loves (for the first time in years)

Fabulous thread! Mine are:

Giving up my job - it just wasn't worth the stress/upheaval

Joining the gym - a new way of life for me and I'm loving it

Fantastic week's holiday in Rome with H - somewhere I've always wanted to go.

H buying me a Rolf Harris limited edition last week. A lifetime's ambition to own one!!

I didn't know about this - what amazing news ?

It's been a bit of a meh year for me tbh. But:

Being made a director of bmy bit of the business at work
Fantastic holiday to SA with my amazing boyfriend
PB in my third half-marathon, and having started marathon training for next year <gulp>

Oh thanks soph, I must've forgotten to mention it. Its been about 4 months now.

Meeting a friend I haven't seen since school and getting on like a house on fire.

My H & MIL finally burying the hatchet after nearly 5 years and getting on well since.

Finding out I'm gonna be an aunty again, even if it is with my H psycho SIL2B lol!

Having my Neice return home with her mum & family after them living away for a couple of years.

I'm really looking forward to next year, lots of concerts, shows, hopefully a holiday etc. Roll on 2009!!!

What a nice idea......

• Getting married & having three weeks of work - wish I could do that every year!!
• Husband having his op after months of pain
• Best mate giving birth to her 2nd baby girl
• Getting new carpet - the old one was horrid!!
• Watching my brother move out of our parents home and seeing him so happy with his girlfreind

As sad as it sounds, I've not had many real highlights this year. I'm hoping Christmas will be my highlight of 2008 and can start 2009 as I mean to go on. ?

What a great thread! This year has mostly been bleugh but highlights have been:

Eldest son's wedding

Birth of first grandaughter

Fantastic trip to Vienna, I am defo going back there

The amazing support and love from my 6 fantastic kids without whom I would be nothing

Looking forward to 2009!

Moving out of London - faster than we expected but it's been a great opportunity. We feel so settled here. The only thing I really miss about LV is my friends but I have made some lovely new ones here, which does compensate a bit.

Watching Rhys become a real person rather than "a baby" - he has a really sweet but cheeky personality. It's great knowing he's inherited his parents' inquisitiveness. Some days you can see his facial expression change as he puts new ideas and concepts together.

Mine are very much the same as Chids.

My sister getting engaged and announcing her pregnancy.
Getting married!
Taking part in Race for Life and doubling the target raised!

Next year I'm looking forward to having our late honeymoon (didn't have a holiday this year) and a few concerts/shows. Being more active! H taking part in Human Race. Becoming an auntie.

Getting engaged in February (and the beginnings of planning)

Being Bridesmaid @ my best friends wedding (plus the hen weekend was fabby) and seeing 4 of my others friends get married

Hearing that 6 of my friends are having babies in the near future

Going to see Matthew Bourne's ballet 'Edward Scissorhands' ? it was soooo good!

Joining curves gym

• Getting a BFP
• Hubby buying me a new kitchen, re designed with huge fridge/freezer, diswasher, oven, new dining table etc
• 2nd year wedding anniversary
• 2 fab holidays with my wonderful husband

Great thread and congrats to Allthatglitters for all the charity fundraising.

Mine are:

- fab holiday to the Maldives

- getting a new job closer to home, friendly company, more money!

- celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary in Rome

- the interest rate falling on our mortgage

- H installing (from scratch and on his own) our new bathroom

I'm with Madge. This year has been the worst year of my life. I think all the rubbish stuff has been saved up for me.

I am looking forward to my holiday to Vegas next week, where we will bring in the New Year which will hopefully be miles better than this year ?

2008 has been a bit hit and miss for me too. Every highlight seems to have followed a lowlight. But in spirit of the OP, the unconnected highlights would be...

• Finally finding a hobby I actively enjoy and look forward to
• Finding something in common with my father that enables us to spend time together
• A pretty succesfull year at work which means that my job will be relatively safe despite the economic decline.
• and more recently, quitting smoking. It's still very early days, but I'm confident that it's for good this time.

Frankly, there have been better years. But hey ho, the highlights would be:

Getting on really well with some fab new mates

My gym habit has totally taken over and I'm loving it - I look and feel fabulous, even if I may say so myself?

Lots of travel this year (also a downer TBH)

Yesterday's fab new haircut!

Highlights of 2008, let me see, in no particular order

* Finally getting the building works and associated snags sorted with the house. I truly thought it would never happen

* Eventually getting planning permission for some extra works on the house that totally negate the above ?

* Buying Gin Palace. I am spending four days on her between Christmas and New Year and cannot wait, it will be the first time I have even seen her since the refit.

* Having the guts to finally give up work and focus on other things. I was really sad but since making the decision have just felt more and more inspired and am now really looking forward to the challenges next year will bring.

* Watching my son grow from a toddler to a nice little boy and revelling in the developments he makes everyday.

Think thats it for now