Exploring the best of Toronto and Southern Ontario.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and were able to relax and enjoy some downtime, celebrate with loved ones, and of course, indulge in some delicious food. I got to do lots of all those things, so I’d say my holiday break was a success… and I’m very excited to welcome a brand new year!

Do any of you make New Year’s resolutions? Personally, I’m a big believer in resolutions and the power of goal setting in general. Every January, before I set my goals for the year ahead, I take some time to reflect on all the accomplishments and milestones from the year before. It’s always nice to look at your resolutions from last year and give yourself a pat on the back for the ones you were able to cross off your list. I’m proud to say that in 2023, I was able to accomplish quite a few of my goals… but not all. And that’s okay! Some of them are still works in progress, others I realized weren’t particularly realistic, and others simply aren’t priorities for me anymore. Priorities shift and change all the time, and it’s important to acknowledge that. As you can probably tell, in addition to goal-setting, I’m a big believer in self-reflection too. Whether it’s through journaling, meditation or simply taking a long, quiet walk by yourself, I think it’s so important to carve out time to sit with yourself and your thoughts. It helps us live meaningfully and intentionally, and that’s the energy I want to carry with me into 2024!

Just like I did in January 2023, I thought it’d be nice to start this year by recapping my highlights from the last twelve months. 2023 was a big year for me, so it’ll be a fun one to look back on! Of course, it wasn’t without its challenges either, and I think it’s important to mention that. I know how easy it is to compare yourself to others and feel like you’ve come up short, and social media makes that especially easy to do. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: don’t compare your everyday reality to someone else’s highlight reel! There is so much “behind the scenes” that we’ll never see.

Disclaimers aside… here are some of my most memorable moments from 2023!

I turned the big 3-0 and had some wonderful celebrations with family and friends. My 30th birthday party was a blast, and I felt so lucky to ring in a new decade surrounded by my favourite people. I know some folks dread milestone birthdays, but I was honestly so excited to enter my thirties. (Perhaps it’s because 13 Going On 30 was such a formative film for my generation!)

I graduated from college. While I finished the last course in my Marketing Management program in December 2022, I didn’t officially graduate and receive my certificate until June 2023. Of course, I had to celebrate the occasion with some bubbly! Returning to school while working full-time was a challenging endeavour and I wanted to quit many times, so I’m proud of myself for pushing through.

I went to Italy. Before this year, I’d only been to Europe once in my life, so this truly was the trip of a lifetime! In May, Tania and I spent a glorious two weeks touring Venice, Florence, the Cinque Terre, Rome and the Amalfi Coast. From gliding through the Venice canals on a gondola to tasting wine in the Tuscan countryside, tossing coins in the Trevi Fountain to trekking to the top of Capri, we crossed so many items off our bucket lists and made so many memories. If you’re planning your own trip to Italy and need some itinerary inspiration, you can find all my Italy travel guides here. They’re very thorough and I’ve had a few friends use them when trip-planning, so I hope they’ll be helpful for you too!

I went to Arizona. In March, I spent a few days in Phoenix and Scottsdale visiting my friend Liv. She’s from Arizona originally (and still lives there) but we met while living in residence at the University of Toronto. I hadn’t seen her since she’d come to visit me in 2019, so it was great to catch up with her! We hiked the Sonoran Desert, toured stunning botanical gardens, explored the shops and sights of Old Town Scottsdale, ate some amazing food, and even visited the infamous ‘experimental town’ of Arcosanti. You can read my Arizona travel guides here.

Tania and I got engaged. The days that Tania and I proposed to one another were easily the two best days of my life. I’ll spare you all the sappiness, but I’ll just say that I couldn’t be more excited to spend forever with her. She is truly the most beautiful, kind and loving person I have ever known, and I feel beyond blessed that we found each other and that she chose me to be her wife! If you like the sappy stuff, you can read our proposal stories here and here.

I bought my very first car. There was a time when this former city girl had no car… and no driver’s license! Living in downtown Toronto in my early twenties, I relied solely on Ubers and public transport to get around. Many of my friends who lived downtown also didn’t have their licenses, so I really didn’t think much of it. When I met Tania – who grew up in Mississauga and got her full license at 16 – she encouraged me to consider driving again, and I got my G1 (learners’ permit, for all you non-Ontarians) in 2019. It’s a good thing I did, because living in Burlington today, I can’t imagine not having a car to get around! After sharing Tania’s car during our first year in Burlington – which got progressively more challenging – I finally bought my very first car this fall, a Nissan Kicks. (I also got my full G license this year too!) I love the independence and freedom that comes with having my own car. She was certainly an investment but she was well worth it, and I’m proud of myself for taking the leap.

I took on a new(ish) role at work. I’ve been working in sales and marketing for HGTV’s Scott McGillivray for the last two years, with a particular focus on the McGillivray Trusted Program: an exclusive endorsement program for top real estate professionals across Canada. I’m excited to announce that I was recently promoted from Manager to Senior Manager of Marketing & Partnerships. I’m looking forward to continuing to hone my skills, take on new responsibilities, and make the McGillivray Trusted Program even bigger and better than it already is.

Tania and I made a lot of progress with the house renovations. In 2023, we finished the basement, redid the exterior, and gave the yard a serious makeover. The front of our house got an instant curb appeal boost, thanks to new stucco and a new front porch. Our backyard is also looking a lot prettier thanks to a new patio, flower garden, lots of lawn TLC, and the removal of our hideous old shed. Here are some before and after photos of both the front and back:

I’ve continued growing my blog and Instagram, and was able to work on some exciting collaborations. Some of the businesses I partnered with in 2023 include Goodfood, TASC Tulip Pick Farm, The Port House Social, Haute Goat, Fonda Lola, The Holiday Hideaway, and Tinseltown Pop-Up Bar, and I’ve got some more exciting ones in the works for 2024. If you’re a brand and would like to discuss how we can work together, please send me an email. I’d love to hear from you!

2023 was an incredible year, and I just know that 2024 has some great things in store too. Here are some of my goals for the year ahead…

• Take at least two trips. Tania and I already have one planned for the winter (to the beautiful Bahamas!) and we’re thinking of doing another one in the fall. Likely something on a smaller scale… we’re thinking of a road trip to the southern United States. Any suggestions for where we should go?
• Finish furnishing and decorating our house. Now that the major renos are done, it’s time to focus on the areas we’ve been neglecting: furniture and home decor. While things are coming along, we could really use some new living room furniture, some art on the walls, and other touches to make it feel more home-y.
• Get down to business with wedding planning. Since Tania and I have both had such a busy year and our wedding date isn’t until 2025, it’s been easy to put off getting started on planning. This year is when we’ll really have to get to work! I am excited to announce that step one is done… we’ve booked a venue(!) which I’ll share more details on soon.
• Continue to grow my blog and Instagram following. Please consider subscribing to my blog (there’s a Subscribe button in my header menu) and following me on Instagram if you don’t already. It would mean so much!
• Stress less. Easier said than done, right!? This has been one of the busiest years of my life, and though I wish I could say I handle stress well, the truth is that I feel frazzled and overwhelmed more often than not. This year, I’m going to strive for two things in particular: one, to prioritize self-care during busy times, making sure I do all the things I know I’m supposed to: get 8 hours of sleep, nourish my body with healthy foods, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Two, let go of unrealistic expectations. I’m a die-hard perfectionist and I put a lot of pressure on myself. I’m carrying these two mantras that I love into 2024: “what doesn’t get done today will get done tomorrow” and “sometimes, done is better than perfect.”

I made this Instagram Reel with some top highlights from 2023 (it was honestly so hard choosing just a few photos to sum up the year!) and watching it fills me with so much joy. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in goals related to projects, work or finances that we lose sight of the truly important things. Don’t get me wrong: completing a house renovation, getting a promotion or saving a certain amount of money are all excellent goals. But when I look back at the year, what I remember most are the celebrations, the love, the milestone birthdays, the new babies, the joyful experiences shared with family and friends. So when you’re making your 2024 resolutions: don’t forget to make joy a goal too! Better yet, make sure it’s at the very top of your list.

I’m looking forward to another exciting year, and I’m especially excited to share my upcoming adventures with you all via the blog. Thank you so much for following along with me. 2024 is going to be a great one!

What are some of your highlights from 2023 and/or goals for 2024? I’d love to hear them!