- madamemacintosh
A recap of 2018.
As we embark on another year, I wanted to reflect on 2018 and all the amazing things I experienced along the way. #grateful #travels #blogging #foodporn #lifestyle #family #friends #growth #essentialoils #promotion

In chronological order.....

New car
Thankful for our first, brand new car - a Mercedes Benz! One year later and she still drives like a dream! Put on some serious mileage and can't wait to see what driving shenangians brings in 2019.

Essential oils - DOTERRA
Was introduced to DOTERRA essential oils which have changed my life for the better.
Whether it's diffusing, taking my daily vitamins, enhancing my cooking or sleeping better than sleeping beauty - it was a win/win for moi.

Visiting London, England
Splashed out with my holla'back girls in London and had some serious laughs! Sipping on champers at noon, Michelin star eats, Kinky Boots show, stalking celebrities and spa day.... making memories is where it's at!
Dublin Tech Summit
Having a stronger female presence at the Dublin Tech Summit was defo the highlight but having my hubby meeting his muse @caseyneistat was the icing on the cake.
Visited Manhattan, New York
Meeting my BFF @eibhlinpayne in Manhattan to celebrate a milestone birthday was fricking fabulous. Not much more to say here because what happens in NYC stays in NYC! Although there was some serious spending on shoes, cocktails and noms noms.

Pride weekend, Cork City
Attending pride weekend with my BFF @kenbrydon was blog worthy (unfortunately there was no blog due to copious amounts of bubbly). This impromptu rendez-vous at Chambers is where we did some serious belly laughing. Paid for it the next day, but was amazing to spend time with Beverly.
Visited Paris & Biarritz
Our annual summer holiday to the south of France took a slight detour to spend a night in ole Paris for some shopping and experiencing the Eurostar! Attending the Fete de Bayonne was equally amaze-balls. Kudos to @terrymacintosh and @annamacintosh for joining us.
Blogging
My Canadian-bacon friend Ms Lori Woodhouse (@gattogirl) inspired me to start blogging and resurrect my writing skills. It's not easy sharing your personal, life stories online but I've enjoyed every minute of it and it helps me release my creative juices. Stay tuned for more blogs in 2019... I hope you will find them as amusing as I do! #mwahhhhh #madamemacintosh.com

Promotion
Kept this under wraps for modesty purposes but as I reflect on this past year and everything I've encountered, it's important to discern on your own growth and development. I was delighted to be promoted this year and to everyone who supported me along the way.... thank you.

Visited Versailles, France
I was invited to attend an annual summit and team building event in Versailles. I collaborated with some seriously talented individuals, solidified new relationships and got to use my broken French. C'est fantastique!

Featured in Evening Echo
Submitted my profile to the Evening Echo as part of their weekly feature, Women on Wednesday. Was absolutely thrilled to be included and enjoyed my 30 seconds of fame!
Visited California, USA
Attended my BFF's wedding @heidiwagstaff and @stephenwagstaff in Lake Arrowhead California for an intimate exchange of vows amongst close friends. This dreamy, laid back union among two amazing individuals was truly special. Their love for tattoos, piercings, NIN, Comicon and gaming brought them together so here's to many years of happiness, ordering dominos and horror films!
Visited Blizzcon, Anaheim Convention Centre
This truly EPIC experience reminded me why I love gamers. It was unequivocally the best Blizzcon I've attended and a huge shout out to @saralynsmith for executing a successful event.
Visited Maui, Hawaii
This was by far the highlight of 2018. I think the pictures say it all. Not too mention my hubby's awesome GoPro video. If you ever get a chance to visit.... do it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6aP6JBNBHQ

Christmas in Co. Tipperary, Ireland
It would be difficult not to love Christmas with a name like Holly! Even though we reside in Ireland, my family keeps their Canadian traditions over the holidays. Being among family for this special time was a great way to end the year. The champers was flowing, the goose fat was crackling and Mom's Nanaimo bars were talked about for days.
There you have it folks. A truly remarkable year filled with laughter, friends, travels and family members. I would encourage all of you to reflect on your accomplishments (big or small) as we tend to forget everything we should be grateful for.
Happy New Year and see y'all in 2019.
MM x