Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020!
Not only is it a New Year but it’s also a new decade! I hope you had a lovely start to January, it’s one of my favourite months of the year as it’s perfect for reviewing what happened and how you can improve. Also, it’s really quiet! I love this as I can wind down before the excitement of the Summer which is one of the fast pace times of the year. Also, I’m able to catch up on my blogging game!
Before we move forward to 2020, I thought it would be good to look back on 2019 and review my favourite moments. I know I shared my Monthly Favourites, well most months, so really it’s just one big summary of all those months. I would be here forever if I shared EVERYTHING. So I’ll only be sharing one or two special moments from the month. Some months this was hard as soo much happened!
Now, I would recommend grabbing a drink and a snack, you might be here a while!
January
MG Brown and Gammons | As you might know, leading up to January, I had a couple of problems with the MG ZR. I booked a test drive for the MG 3, the brand new hatchback from MG. I knew I couldn’t leave the MG scene as I have made so many friends and the other cars in the range were just too big! Before I realised it I was behind the wheel and falling in love.
I’ve only ever driven the ZR so I was a little nervous at first but once I was behind the wheel, I was fine. And yes, I was soon signing the dotted line for a brand new car. I’m sure that moment will stay with me forever. To this day, I still cannot believe I brought a new car. She’s been on all kinds of adventures since there! Hopefully, there are many more in 2020.
Head over here to see what else I was loving during January.
February
Scouts | I adore volunteering with Scouts, over the past year, I have created some amazing memories! Back in February, I joined them officially and became a Section Assistant for a local Cub Pack. Since there, I have been on all kinds of adventures, some of which can be seen on my Instagram. We have all taken on more admin roles within the pack and we’ve just finished our first term with us planning each night. I love the work we do and it’s great to see everyone enjoying themselves each night. I wonder what 2020 will bring for the Cub Pack.
Head over here to see what else I was loving during February.
March
Account Executive to Senior Account Executive | Still to this day, my biggest achievement this year is my promotion from Account Executive to Senior Account Executive. I have pushed myself so much over the course of 2019, there have been a couple of ups and downs but what job doesn’t and I’ve pushed through them. There have been some great memories and other achievements with 4CM, I wonder what 2020 brings.
MCM Comic Con | It’s no surprise that I’m a geek, I don’t hide it and I’m proud to be one. That’s why I keep going back to MCM Comic Con Birmingham, I spoke about this back in December 2018 in my November Favourites. I enjoyed it so much I returned there in March, it’s such a great experience and I love all the cosplayers! Also, it’s great to spend time with my two younger sisters. It’s always been a favourite of mine, for 2020 though I am thinking of visiting MCM Comic Con London. Let’s see what happens!
Head over here to see what else I was loving during March.
April
Pride of Longbridge | April has always marked the start of the car show season. Pride of Longbridge is a car show that’s dear to everyone in the MG Rover scene, it was also the first car show for the little 3 and she received so much attention! It was great having a weekend to relax but also seeing our MG family from the South West. I forgot how much I missed them, especially as we all live within 30 minutes of one another.
Birmingham with Samantha | Ah the trip to Birmingham to meet up with Samantha from Samantha J Blogs for a girly shopping trip. It was great to catch up with her but also visit the world’s biggest Primark! I was amazed, five floors, two cafes and even a salon, I’m surprised we didn’t get lost. We were able to explore everything there without going back on ourselves. I’m definitely looking forward to more adventures with Samantha in 2020.
Head over here to see what else I was loving during April.
May
Plymouth | Even though it’s been over 2 years since moving to Aylesbury, I’m always going to miss Plymouth. Travelling to Plymouth was the first long journey for the 3 and first time to the South West. A lot of first times here, I did find out though she’s not all that great when it comes to hills… she was definitely built for a normal city.
Not one day was a dull one, from exploring different locations and just adventuring with friends. We explored new places in Cornwall when we visited Newquay Beach and the Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre. Also, it felt nice just chilling and spending quality time with both Yasmine and one of our bestest friends.
Mission 00 Bucks | May marked my first-ever camp with the Scouts, let me tell you now it was a blast! Ok the weather was up and down but that didn’t dampen any of our spirits. We have an amazing team who were all very welcoming and made me feel a massive part of the team. It was the first time meeting most of them but we still got along well. I went back to my childhood after watching Scouting for Girls live on Friday evening, also being invested on stage was a big moment!
Head over here to see what else I was loving during May.
June
MG Car Club Open Weekend | I suppose it’s no surprise that I am a massive fan of all things MG. When MG Car Club announced they would be opening the doors to Kimber House, I jumped at the chance to visit. They’re only half an hour down the road! It was a great day, I even had the chance to catch up with a couple of people from the MG Car Club Young Members.
MGs in the Park | I love a good car show especially when animals are involved! We visited Cotswold Wildlife Park for the second year running for MGs in the Park, thankfully the weather stayed nice for us and we were able to explore the Wildlife Park. I love this show as it’s laid back, there are some great cars and exhibitors. Also, it was great catching up with our friends and snapping photos of our cars together.
Head over here to see what else I was loving during June.
July
British Grand Prix | The biggest event of July for as long as I can remember has been the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. I’m not going to go into too much detail because I’ll be here ALL day so here’s a quick overview. Day 1 can be summarised with the Pitwalk, it’s always so magical and I love it, these memories will stay with me forever.
Day 2 I was on a mission, met as many drivers as possible! Goal checked I met George Russell, Formula 1 driver for ROKIT Williams Racing, David Coulthard and Jack Aitken, Test Driver for Renault F1 Team. A great afternoon and I was even able to watch some racing! Day 3 equals qualifying, the most exciting day of the weekend! Then I continued to explore the circuit including the Bond in Motion exhibition.
The fourth and final day, it’s always a sad sight when the end arrives. It was a great day, I tried to keep myself busy, it was also crazy how many steps I did! I walked over 31,310 meaning a grand total of 13miles! I definitely felt it once I sat down that evening. Also, I had to take advantage of being near the track and take a photo of Team Becketts.
Sherborne Classics, MGCC Saloon Day | July was definitely the month for car shows! There wasn’t one weekend where I was doing nothing. It was a mixture of attending car shows and displaying at car shows. The first car show was the Classic and Supercars Sherborne. It’s a beautiful house and grounds with some amazing cars from American muscle to supercars, the variety is brilliant.
Her last car show was at Shuttleworth Museum for the MG Car Club Saloon Day. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the greatest turnout because of the weather but over the morning it did brighten up! It was great to catch up with familiar faces and meet some new people. Also, some of the cars were beautiful! I think I did just a couple of hundreds of miles across the month.
Head over here to see what else I was loving during July.
August
DTM, Brands Hatch | Since I have moved to Aylesbury, I’ve wanted to explore more racing circuit. Aylesbury is a prime location, Donington Park Circuit, Brands Hatch and Thruxton Motorsport Centre they’re all within an hour. 2019 was finally the year where I visited Brands Hatch, the home of DTM and W Series. I fell in with the circuit and the racing! I’m definitely looking to go back in 2020.
Birmingham with Samantha | Second time meeting up with Samantha in 2019, it was great seeing her again! This time, it was again to explore Birmingham and just have a lovely time with her. Of course, we had to have breakfast and lunch together, it’s nice to just chat the day away. Also, it’s days like this where I’m thankful for the people around me!
September
MG 3 1st Birthday | Not a lot happened in September, it was a quiet month! Which was thankful after all the excitement I had the past couple of months. One thing that did happen, my little 3 turned 1! I know, I know, I’m sad but look how good she looks! I took her back ‘home’ for a little photo shoot, it was very fun to do and I’m very glad I found out exactly when she was created.
October
TRAX, Silverstone | It wouldn’t be my life if I didn’t attend at least one car show! This month’s car show was TRAX, one of the biggest on the calendar. Thankfully, Yasmine’s car was ready so it was the big reveal and the first time on display. Also, the rain stayed away so we were able to enjoy ourselves, forgot how much I love the smell of tyres and drifting around Silverstone.
Sweden | A lot happened in October, surprisingly. One of the biggest things that happened was my trip to Sweden. Unfortunately, this was not a holiday but a business trip to see a client. It was great to meet them and explore Sweden! It definitely somewhere I would love to go again in the future. Also, the food was amazing, I loved it and there was so much there, definitely worth it!
Head over here to see what else I was loving during October.
November
The best month on the calendar! Of course, I might be biased as it’s my birth month…
I created some amazing memories in November, but here are the best ones:
MCM Comic Con Birmingham | For the last two years, MCM Comic Con has fallen close to my birthday, so has been a little birthday present from my parents. It’s the best thing ever! I love it each time I visit, it changes each time and that’s great. It’s also great spending time with my sisters, especially as we no longer live with one another. I’m excited for 2020 and MCM Comic Con, I am thinking to attend the London version.
Run Silverstone | One of my greatest accomplishments of 2019 was Run Silverstone! I don’t think this would have been possible without Samantha by my side, she continued to push me every second. Oh my, I’m not going to lie, it was tough. But I finished it! And now I think I’ve got the bug. I am looking to sign up for Run Silverstone 2020, watch this space.
December
D2BD Community Event, Williams Racing | Oh my God, Oh my God. I still cannot believe I visited the home of Williams Racing! As a massive Formula 1 fan, this was a once in a lifetime experience and I had to go. It was a great networking and eye-opening event. It was great catching up with old faces and making new friends.
Christmas 2019 | It wouldn’t be December without mentioning Christmas, would it! Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. I spent Christmas Eve with my Grandparents and Christmas Day with my parents and sisters. Then Boxing Day was with Yasmine and my Uncle. It was so nice to spend time with everyone and I created some more amazing memories.
Head over here to see what else I was loving during December.
There we go! There is my 2019, if you want to see what else I did, check out my Monthly Favourites in full. All my memories can also be viewed on Instagram, follow me here to stay up to date! I understand I’ve been slacking recently, both on An Ocean Glimmer and Instagram but I’m hoping for the best in 2020. With a load more planned and many more adventures, I will be sharing them all on Instagram.
I hope you have enjoyed this post! What’s your favourite moment from 2019?
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Love Gemma x
An Ocean Glimmer 
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