As we've briefly mentioned before, 2013 really hasn't been our year and as much as we don't want to wish time away, we really can't wait till the new year comes in. And although it's nice to keep some things private, I thought it only fair to share a little about what's been happening. Along with tears on the keyboard.

- Last Thursday we unexpectedly had to say goodbye to Schmidt, and it actually hit us both real hard. Although he was two, he was incredibly full of beans still and partly because of this, made it hard for me to accept he was old. Thankfully he was curled up in a ball in the comfort of his little orange house. We buried him that evening at the bottom of my parent's garden. He'll be forever missed.

- A few weeks ago Papa had to make the hardest decision of his life, and last Friday he headed to hospital to have a leg amputation. The words his consultant said to me that Friday night promising me that I'll soon get the dad back that I knew, have stuck with me. It's been a complete shock to the family but through this incredibly tough time, it's just showed how much we support each other. And I love my family a lot for that. 

- This year saw us lose a handful of close family and friends and however hard those times were, it completely put our minds into perspective and made us realise that if we weren't happy ourselves, to change it. And so we did just that. Our jobs and the cottage had been getting us down for a while and when loved ones aren't around anymore, we felt the need for change, so with this we both started new jobs and moved house.

- The excitement of us buying our first house has kind of taken a back seat at the moment, even though the paperwork is currently in process. We're aiming to get the keys at the end of the month, but with everything else going on, our priority is family. There'll be slow weekends spent painting the house and moving bits in, so until everything feels a bit more homely, we'll be staying at my parents offering all the help we can.

With everything happening lately it's fair to say there's been many tears, plenty of cuddles, copious amounts of chocolate and an incredible flurry of love but it's also times like these that make you realise how lucky you are to have some wonderful people around you. I cannot thank my friends and family enough for their support (and flowers and chocolate!), and also to YOU too for your extra kind tweets and texts. They've really meant a lot. Here's hoping that as of now, things will get start to get better, because as much as I can put away chocolate and love the smell of fresh flowers.. This house just isn't big enough for all that AND my growing stomach.