I love love love looking back on the year. At the risk of sounding totally sappy (as per usual), it makes me feel all warm and happy inside to remember all the small, hilarious, lovely moments that make up my life. There are lots of things that didn’t make this list, since 21 is such a small number, really. I was really happy this year. I created habits that I really love, and learned more about what makes me smile. I can’t wait to see what 22 will bring. Here are my 21 fave moments from my 21st year!
driving around the suburbs in Ottawa singing (Livin’ on a Prayer, etc) at the top of our lungs with my best friends
spending oodles of time on the roof
the entire nerve-wracking, stressful, yet confidence-boosting process of becoming a waitress
the day at the market when we befriended Lino the twinkly-eyed, white-haired gardener and brought a tomato plant home
stumbling onto that L’été Corona rooftop hotel party
helping to move my little sister into her new house and getting up to shenanigans with my family
when dusk hit at Diner en Blanc, and the lights were twinkling everywhere
The Christmas Party
eating a kougin amann on a cold, grey day with the windows fogged up around us
each and every time I burst into a grin while running
all those impromptu dance parties with my friends in the living room
having that crazy fruit photoshoot
all the moments of the visits from my Dad, my Mom, and my friends this year
the first time I took that chive X bread out of the oven
the first day this Spring that it was sunny and 8 degrees
that perfect afternoon at Tam Tams in the park
that day we spent flitting from patio to patio, from Old Port to the Plateau, eating and drinking and laughing
going out for bibimbap and on the way home buying an enormous winter melon for no reason
I’m so blessed and happy and lucky. This year contained about a million learning experiences and its fair share of totally sad or scary days, but I get by with a little help from my friends, my family, and me myself and I. xo.
Well. March was a complete and total whirlwind. And I just looked back at my March post and apparently I used the phrase “total whirlwind” to describe February (it was totally unintentional that I used it in this post too) so I think the moral of the story is BOTH that a) I don’t have enough interesting phrases in my arsenal and b) my 2013 has been pretty dang whirlwindy so far.
I had a few emotional rollercoaster rides in March, a fair bit of stress, so I’m setting goals this month that focus on staying sane and happy. Yes, I have a lot of work to do over the next few weeks. Yes, I am technically done my undergraduate degree in 28 days exactly. Yes, there are several opportunities for me to freak out and get stressed, and I have no doubt that I will freak out and get stressed. But what’s important is that I’m setting intentions not to. I’m going to try my best to keep running, keep sleeping enough, keep time-managing, keep focused, and keep positive. The fact is, I don’t ever get to be in the last month of my undergraduate degree ever again! So I don’t want to wish away even a single moment of the next 28 days, even though part of me does sort of wish it could all be over.
That’s where “find small joys” comes in. It’s my birthday this month, and other friends’ birthdays, and those are cause for celebrations, no matter how much work we have to do. There will be nights when my friends and I drink a bottle of wine and have a lovely dinner. There will be impromptu movie nights. There will (no doubt) be calls to my Mom and snapchats with my sisters and friends. The point is: there will be a lot to be appreciative and happy about, and I want to remember that. Staying centered will be a function of exercise, trying to do a tiny bit of joy-reading, listening to my favourite podcasts, eating well, blogging (I always want to write more when I have more to do), and staying in touch with loved ones.
March goals were okay. I didn’t do so well at taking photos – at least, not on my camera. I did capture lots of great moments on my phone camera though! Happily, I did spend a lot more time outside this month, and loved it. I failed miserably at having “no stress”. Jeez, what a tall order for myself! Didn’t read much, did run a lot, did a fair amount of resting. All in all, ain’t so bad.
Here’s to April! Hopefully filled with lots of happy times and warm weather.
My birthday is coming up in a couple weeks, which means I’m turning 22, which means I can watch this video even more than I already do. It also means I am feeling a pull to look back on the past year and take stock. If you haven’t already noticed, I’m very fond of taking stock and reflecting and such and etc. I won’t be 22 until the 7th, but since I haven’t been blogging very much lately, I thought I’d start now (also I was just having the most fun ever writing this post, and wanted to share). This list of the 21 favourite things from my 21st year was inspired by Elise. I’ll also be sharing my 21 favourite moments on a future blog post. I just love this idea because it gives me a chance to reflect on all of the wonderful things that happened to me when I was 21 and preserve/remember what made 21 so special. Without further ado, my 21 favourite things this year!
running. Maybe this is an obvious one, but running has re-appeared in my life this year, and I’m so happy with it. It’s a type of exercise that just vibes so well with my lifestyle, it keeps me sane, it pushes me, it’s interesting, and it makes me feel good.
toms. These things were glued to my feet all of last summer, and I am already planning much of the same for this coming summer. They don’t work out so well for a Montreal winter, but I could not love them more. I was reluctant to jump on this bandwagon, but they quickly became my all-time favourite shoes.
avocado toast. Preferably on toasted baguette with garlic aioli and a sprinkle of salt. Can’t stop, won’t stop.
Afterglow app. My favourite photo processing app for iPhone. I got so sick of Instagram filters, and this app is just full of dream filters and features. Amaze. (apparently it is now called Afterlight? whatevs, same difference.)
salted caramel brownies. ’nuff said, but they’ve become my go-to dessert. Apart from one disastrous batch in which I accidentally scrambled the eggs, they are the most perfect of perfect desserts via smitten kitchen.
8tracks.This website has gotten me through awful study seshes, set the mood, cheered me up, and introduced me to a lot of great new music. It also allowed me to listen to the new Taylor Swift album to my heart’s absolute content and…that’s irreplaceable.
Feedly. Google Reader is going the way of the dodo, but I don’t mind because I never really used it anyways. I did recently get into using Feedly, which is an awesome blog reader that is slick and shiny and integrated on both my browser and my phone and I love it. The list of blogs I wanted to keep up with grew too long to just check every morning from memory, so this was helpful.
Tiny Beautiful Things. I had a moment with this book. I can’t really explain it, but I just connected really deeply to the stories inside. It’s razor sharp, deep, wise commentary that is just so powerful. Cheryl Strayed is an amazing writer and seems like she must be an amazing person. I really do feel like Tiny Beautiful Things should be required reading for humanity. I reference sections of it if I’m feeling lost. It’s the best.
runny eggs on toast. My new favourite breakfast. Earlier this year it was smoothies, and that lasted a while, but now I’m all about eggs. I cook them using this method, and it has never failed me.
Sarah Addison Allen books. I really just fell in love with this author this year. Her books all take place in the South, which I’ve always been fascinated by because of their fruit trees and debutante society and traditions. The books always have a hint of magic to them, even though they very much take place in the real world. I just really enjoyed all of her writing this year.
Goji Tarocco Orange Voluspa Candle. Normally candles give me headaches because they’re so perfumey and flowery. This candle just smells fresh and citrusy, and I have yet to shove it under someone’s nose without them loving it. I splurged and bought myself the one in the large glass container, but I also have the tiny version they sell, and it does the job just as well.
my library card. I don’t remember exactly when I got myself my library card, but I do know that this has been the year I used it most. We have an amazing public library downtown Montreal, and I’ve spent many a peaceful afternoon wandering around that place. I’ve also read a ton more than I would have otherwise.
happy hour. I think this was the summer of happy hours. I have so many great memories of sitting in the late afternoon sun, drinking delicious cocktails and having long conversations with great friends. I can’t wait to do more of the same in a couple months.
Masterchef. I just can’t help myself, I adore any and all Masterchef programs, but especially the ones out of Australia. They do it best and they have the cutest accents of all time so…yeah. I love watching this show while making dinner, it makes me feel really accomplished even when I’m just chopping up sweet potato fries for the third time that week.
that pink dress. It was a labour of love, for sure, but I am so happy I set myself that challenge and came out on top. And I actually do wear it!
podcasts. This was definitely the year of the podcasts. Disregarding the fact that I created two podcasts this year, I also just fell in love with the medium. My two favourites are the Joy the Baker podcast and This American Life. I love to listen to them while I grocery shop or cook.
Not pictured: my equally beloved parents and grandparents
my family. Do I get points for being a sentimental sap? Prolly not. But I spent my birthday last year with my family and it was such a beautiful weekend. I’m getting old(er), and I am appreciating my family more and more, and enjoying the time we get to spend together. I felt like I got some quality times with ma loved ones this year, and I want to keep that up in future! Ya!
tacos and sushi. These two food groups (yes, food groups) made up the majority of my food cravings in the past year. I can’t get enough of either of them, in all their incarnations. Perfect food!
Pentel Energel pens. My all-time favourite pen ever, of all time. They are the ultimate!
the book club. I’m ever-so-happy we threw together a book club with a few of our friends. It’ll be over soon because everyone’s going their separate ways after graduation, but it was a nice thing, and I’m glad we did it. We read some amazing books that I may not have read otherwise, and we talked about them and it was educational and inspiring and great.
“Be about ten times more magnanimous than you believe yourself capable of being. Your life will be a hundred times better for it.” – Cheryl Strayed, Tiny Beautiful Things. I didn’t necessarily have this quote in my head throughout this past year, but I think I have been trying to embody the sentiment. I am trying to move away from being petty and towards being generous. I am trying to move away from criticizing and towards appreciating (in myself and in others). I am trying to act in a way that I’m proud of. I am trying to be true to myself at all times.
This was an incredible year for me. Amazing. So much has happened, both within and without me. Love you, 21!
The last couple weeks have been a roller coaster! There has been a lot of schoolwork stress, a lot of podcasting, a lot of worrying for no real reason, a lot of fun. I’m happy, but my life feels totally surreal right now. In one month and 5 days, I will have finished my degree. TAKE THAT IN. Whew. It’s absurd to even put that into words. I’ll be done.
There’s a lot of stuff fogging up my brain, mostly to do with graduation, and the future, and this summer, and planning, and blah blah blah. I tweeted a quote from Girls the other day: “Sometimes being stuck in my own head is so exhausting it makes me want to cry”. It’s so apt! And sometimes I do cry. But I am trying to remember the things I know to be true: that I am a reasonable person, that I am capable, and that everything is going to turn out okay. I have wonderful friends and a great famjam, and some lovely coworkers and they make me feel loved. My running is going well, and those runs make me happy and help me stay calm. Mostly, they help me gain perspective, which is the best way to stay calm, in my opinion!
I am trying to use my camera more, and it worked a little better this week. We took those crazy fruit pictures and I love how they turned out. We held book club this weekend, and it was fun as per usual. I went karaokeing with my friends briefly after work the other night and they played a bunch of amazing songs and it was hilarious. I got new glasses for the first time in several years, and I love them. I missed blogging like cray cray. Last weekend the magazine I work for threw a great party, and the next night me and my two besties went to see Stars in concert, which was wonderful. I’m playing a whole LOT of Tetris, and it’s stuck in my head at all times, but I like it. I’ve had a few great talks with my girlfriends this week. I’ve had a few moments where I feel like I could have handled things a little (a lot) better, but what’s done is done, live and learn.
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend, wherever you are! Hope the sun is shining and you’re feeling peaceful. xo.
