On Monday Lee and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. Lee asked me to marry him and I said yes and he gave me a pretty ring and I am so happy! :)

I have a new job, finally left Hell Hopwood Services after a year and three months too long, had a very fitting last day being accused of stealing £6 and searched to an excessive degree. I have since made a formal complaint and hopefully the prick got his arse kicked by the powers that be.

So I have moved to John Lewis in Touchwood, Solihull to join Helen. I am a Merchandiser for the Menswear department which is so far so good, away from the tears and chaos of Hopwood it is friendly and relaxed and I do enjoy tidying and making everything straight and colour co-ordinated and tidy. Although I still wish I was earning more than £6.40 an hour and maybe was doing something a little more charitable but this will do for now.

I still help out as an assistant Beaver leader which is fun, the little nutters are quite endearing.

Lee has a job, hurrah! The week I started at John Lewis he got the job (actually the one I previously posted about with the appalling spelling mistakes) But it is a job, with a salary (higher than either of us have ever earned before, though still far below the national average) and with the title of 'Graphic Designer' so he is getting something good onto his CV ready for the next job which will hopefully be more web design or at least creative based.

We went to Japan for the second time in April, after a turbulent few weeks of 'will we, won't we' after the tsunami/earthquake/nuclear metldown. We decided to go ahead anyway because if I had to die somewhere I'd rather do it visiting somewhere as awesome as Japan! So many Nihon jin approached us and thanked us for coming despite the circumstances, it was an amazing trip and was over way too fast!  Plans are underway for another trip in autumn 2012 if we can scrimp and save as many pennies as possible...

That is about all thus far, we're not likely to be able to afford getting married or moving house (moving out at all) anytime in the next 5 - 10 years, so I am going to need my friend's to have more weddings and house warming parties etc so I can see them more often!

• In July, Lee's dad was playing 5-a-side football, lost his footing and fell backwards smacking his head on the wall. This resulted in a big crack in his skull, him having a fit and being taken to hospital and put into a coma. Spending the night in the relatives room with Lee's family was quite harrowing but it was lovely to see how his family came together to support each other. Lee's dad was then rushed to the nearest neurological unit with a free bed which happened to be Addenbrookes in Cambridge so off we went following the ambulance and trying not to worry about the fact that they didn't know if he would wake up at the other end. Thankfully he did and he has recovered brilliantly. Unfortunately he has fits every so often and is not allowed to drive for at least a year, which is quite a problem which you are a self employed plasterer.
• Which leads onto the other low point of the year, Lee's job situation. He has managed to get some temporary work with a local charity and also some part time hours in a shop over Christmas but other than that he is unemployed. He has been helping by drive his dad's van so that his dad can take on small jobs while he recovers but there is little else he can help with. He spends every spare minute he has teaching himself programming, making flash games, writing and recording music and making websites but having no income and having to be entirely self motivated is starting to get him down which I hate to see.
• In November my Gran was diagnosed with bowel cancer, she was in hospital within a fortnight having part of her intestines removed and has since made a full recovery. It all happened so quickly I can hardly believe it did happen! She is a true battle axe!

• Got a job which I have worked now for nearly a year and despite it being a supermarket it is at least a reasonably good company to work for. I hope to get out of the one I work in and make it up the ladder in a bigger and better version at some point. I do still regularly feel a complete failure, particularly when trying to be happy for friends who are finding success and happiness whilst Lee and I struggle to earn minimum wage and can't imagine being able to afford to move out even into a shitty flat let alone anything better!
• I got my maths GCSE! After failing miserably a school but since realizing that even a degree is worthless without a maths GCSE I forked out the money and took a year's course which I was convinced I would fail. It seems they have made things easier since I was at high school and now I have an extra GCSE, woot!
• My Godson Jamie was born, a year ago today in fact and he is lovely and smiley and so cute. Makes a nice addition to my Goddaughter who is now 5 years old and I love having them in my life.
• I went to Bloodstock 2010 after a few years absence from a wonderful festival I made a happy return with great company and saw some awesome bands, a few of which I met which made it even more special. Particular highlights include meeting the guy dressed as Dr Rockzo (from Metalocalypse), giving doughnuts to Fear Factory and seeing Edguy for the 7th or 8th time, yay!
• I have managed to catch up with a lot of people I love and miss over the past year. Helen and Colin live close enough to bother quite regularly, have been to visit Penny and Gareth twice, last week I visited a college friend in Southampton and took the chance to drop in on Amy, saw a lot of people at the RJTA wedding and visiting Oxford last week. I also spend a few days in Cornwall with my old housemates which was wonderful. When I eventually have my own place I will try and pay back everyone for their hospitality and have people over for weekends and provide beds and food! I find it really important to hold onto the warm feeling I get when I spend time with my friends as it keeps me going when I am in the dark hole of despair I find myself in late at night sometimes.