2015 was a year of growth, hard work and a few very exciting moments for me in my professional career and personal life. I wanted to share a quick overview of my favourite blog posts and memories from the year we left behind, as well as a six goals for 2016.
I kicked off the year by spending a week in Cancun with my sister. With white stand, turquoise water and lots of sun, I spent the week warming up after my first frigid Ottawa winter, and exploring the city’s markets, beaches and ruins. My favourite post from the trip was this post wearing a seersucker skirt that had a vintage French Riviera-vibe.
Next, I celebrated winter in Ottawa by skating on the canal (which was open for a record time – until Mid-March in 2015!) and spending time with my boyfriend, skiing and eating in the Gatineau area. For Valentine’s Day, I wore a pretty pink coat and bordeaux dress, complete with a conversation heart clutch.
In April, I finished my first year of law school which was an incredible milestone. While 2014 was a really exciting year for me professionally, 2015 was all about hard work and slow progress towards my goals, both in my education and on my blogging presence.
In May, I partnered with Design Lab and Hudson’s Bay for a really exciting campaign experience! It was the first time I hosted a live event, in store, and I was so excited to be featured on Who What Wear, a website I’ve followed for years. This was a huge milestone in my blogging career and I can’t wait to keep working hard on campaigns I believe in the future.
Through out the summer, I had an amazing opportunity working with Lanterra Developments. Managing their social media and learning more about the real estate industry, it help set me on a path to work in development, and is even steering me away from my litigation focus. From taking photos on the roof of one of Toronto’s tallest buildings to interviewing chefs, I had one of the coolest summer jobs.
In June, I ran my first race, the Nike Women’s 15K. I’ve never ran before. Honestly! It was an incredible physical challenge, but I stayed on track with my goals and finished strong, and came out #betterforit. Now, I try to run a couple times a week, and I’m so happy that my former heart issues are out of my mind and I can work on pushing my physical limits. I also ran a race with my law school friends in the fall, with a new 5K PR!
Of course, there must always be a balance between work and play, and I spent my weekends relaxing at the cottage and spending time with my boyfriend and family. We also spent a lot of time exploring Toronto, and I loved taking in Panamania concerts and visiting the Toronto Islands.
Back to school in September, I found it challenging handling the workload and worked hard at juggling schoolwork, my part-time job and blogging. There were a few nice breaks, including my birthday with a trip to Niagara Wine Region, as well as some fun in Toronto for a Wes Anderson-themed Halloween. I managed to survive four 100% exams in the span of 6 days, with several cups of coffee, thousands of pages of notes and thankfully, no all-nighters. Coming home to Toronto, having completed 1/2 of my law degree felt amazing, and was one of my biggest accomplishments of 2015.
I wanted to share some of my New Year’s Resolutions 2016.
Stay focused. This is a holistic goal and involves many areas of my life. For blogging, I hope to stick to my editorial calendars and dedicate “blog-time” a couple times a week to work on growing this blog and my voice as a writer. For school, I want to stay organized and keep on top of my work. Time management is key here, and I want to work on how I manage this mega commitment with the other aspects of my life. Lastly, I want to stay focused by practising yoga once a week. I always told myself I can’t do hot yoga, and yet this week I tried it for the first time and loved it! Yoga helps keep me balanced, and de-stressed, as well as flexible. With new goals comes new gear, and I’ve been loving the active collection from Superdry Sport. Those leggings were so comfortable and kept me dry while I was downward-dogging in 35C!
Stay hydrated. My skin has always been a struggle for me, and I’m hoping to heal from the inside out. I drink a lot of tea, but I want to make sure I get my 8 glasses a day. I’m working on this by carrying my pretty S’Well bottle with me everywhere and staying mega hydrated while I work out. I’m also trying to replace my daily glass of wine with water and tea instead, and save wine for the weekends and special occasions.
Kick sugar. I know everyone things the sugar is the devil, and I definitely don’t agree wholeheartedly. However, I have noticed that when I get stressed, I turn to sweets and packaged foods for a pick-me-up. I’m resolving to not bring those foods in my house to begin with and opt for some greek yogurt with honey instead when the urge arises. I still keep a tub of chocolate ice cream for special occasions, but I’m hoping to completely ditch my former one-sweet-a-day lifestyle. I used to never drink pop, but got into a habit last semester as well, as ginger ale and coke always helped cure my tummy troubles. Instead, I’m stocking natural ginger pieces instead and mineral water in my fridge to help me work towards this goal… but I will still put one teaspoon in my daily coffee or cup of Earl Gray.
Dance more. I neglected ballet and dancing a lot in the latter half of 2015. I took Kizomba classes in March, and loved it! I didn’t have time last semester for ballet with my night class schedule, but this semester I already took one class and felt so much joy. I’m also hoping to take Flamenco again, and maybe improve my salsa technique as well. In the summer, I would also love to take a repertoire class and learn classic ballet variations.
Read more. With law school, all I do is read. Sometimes it’s dense material on Constitutional Law that literally sucks the love out of reading for me. This year, I want to surround myself with books I’ve been meaning to read for years, as well as a few smutty ones to give me a mental break. I want to be a more well-rounded reader and hope to discover some great ones. If you have any suggestions, please share them with me in the comments!
Discover the life-changing magic of tidying up. In Mexico, I read Marie Kondo’s little square book, and really enjoyed her philosophy on finding the items in your life that spark joy. I have a one week break in January, and hope to completely renew my Toronto closet and room.
There you have it, my six goals for my New Year’s Resolutions 2016! Thank you so much for reading this far, and following along my blog and journey. Happy new year and all the best, I’m truly thankful for all the support and wish you nothing but the best.
