But I thought I would take the opportunity New Years Day always brings to reflect personally on the year just been and the one that lies ahead.
Thinking about what I crammed into 2014, when I first started reflecting on 2015 I thought maybe I hadn't done as much Then I really thought about it.
After a trip to Fiji over New Year and then a quick trip to Brisbane to see some friends I settled back into the year in Te Karaka.
It certainly has been another busy year- both professionally and personally.
Sam, my daughter, was married on a lovely wedding in April in Wellington. The wedding was just a perfect representation of Sam and David and what they wanted their wedding to be. It was a great family weekend.
Dad, the man with ninety lives, again surprised us all by pushing through a really rough patch and to a certain degree recovering once again. Sadly he didn't make Sam's wedding, but then at the time we actually thought that not only would he not make the wedding but he probably won't make it through that week. That he is again kicking on and in reasonably good health is testament to how many lives this man seems to have.
The rest of April was spent helping Mum find and get dad settled into a care facility. It was sad and hard but ultimately for the best. His quality of life is now much higher, and so is Mum's. If his performance in their Christmas show is anything to go by he certainly enjoys being the centre of attention!
As well as working full time this year I decided to go back to study. I've finally finished my Bachelors Degree with the final two papers. Always being a little gushy about academic writing I've surprised myself by getting an A and an A- in them. At the same time I've been working on a postgraduate certificate in Digital and Collaborative Technologies which will be finished by the end of February 2016. Ive enjoyed it so much I'm going to swing into my Masters in 2016.
I thought that I hadn't flown as much this year, although the special Air NZ gift that was sent by courier to me the week before Christmas should have told me otherwise! So I went back and checked my account. In 2015 I have flown on 26 domestic flights- 17 to Wellington and back, 4 to Auckland and back and 5 to Christchurch and back.
In January I flew to Christchurch and then drove to Cheviot to work with a school. I then managed to drive up to Kaikoura for a night and across to Hamner Springs- a place in the South Island I'd always wanted to visit.
In July I spent a week in Wellington. I go back to Wellington on meetings and for work so much so it was nice to spend a week there on holiday, catching up with friends (some of whom I hadn't seen for a long time) and family, seeing a show and just spending some time wandering in a city I think I didn't appreciate as much as I should have when I lived there.
I've flown home from Fiji and to Brisbane and back in January.
In September I spent a week in Rarotonga,
and as I write this I'm basking in the 40 degree temperatures in Perth.
Family functions continued after Sam's wedding with an Uncles 70th in July and then culminating with Mum and Dads 50th wedding anniversary in November.
Wow- 50 years of marriage is a pretty spectacular example I somehow don't think I'll be following!
And somewhere in there I managed to turn 49!
In addition I got to go to two very special live shows in 2015.
In November Sam and I went to the Elton John concert in Wellington- amazing.
And in Perth at the end of December I finally got to see the live stage show of the Lion King.
That meant saying goodbye to some special people.
Some crazy and amazing and never to be forgotten colleagues.
Some special friends
And a pretty incredible surrogate family
So it turns out I have actually fitted quit a lot into 2015, alongside all the professional challenges.
And now aside from the new professional challenges of a new position at a new school, come the personal challenges of finding somewhere to live and finding out about a new city. Getting to know new people and moving back to a city lifestyle will also be some of my personal challenges of 2016.
Personally, and professionally, I will also get stuck into my masters in 2016.
A friend gave me this great book for my birthday in October and Ive spent evenings thumbing through it thinking about where I would like to visit.
It's certainly given me a few suggestions and with significant airpoints to burn I'm thinking a trip to somewhere completely new might be on the cards in 2016 sometime.
In October I turn 50. I want to celebrate this, not bemoan it.
What journeys can I take in 2016?
What journeys will I take in 2016?
