Random Swellness: 2012 in review

January 2, 2013

Hello, lovelies and happy new year!

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, 2012 was pretty great now that I’ve actually given it a little thought. Some highlights pictured above (starting with the top row, left to right):

• In the spring, I ran my very first marathon with a much speedier time than I anticipated. And then I ran another marathon in the fall, yowza! Not to mention a half-marathon in Vegas in December. I’m a running machine! Plus, I had some kickass manicures from Leeanne Colley at Tips Nail Bar for these races — that’s my favourite one of the year above (it’s the one I had for the Goodlife Toronto Marathon) but most people loved this mod mani the most.
• I got to do the Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island, when I was there attending a good friend’s wedding. Way more treacherous than I anticipated (the hike, not the wedding!), but the views were so breathtaking I could’ve stood there forevah just taking it in.
• I returned to Paris (finally! It’d been years and years since I’d been) on a trip for work with L’Oreal Paris where I got the chance to interview some of the company’s top experts, plus spend time with some fantastic girls and soak up the gorgeousness that is the City of Lights.
• I visited Italy twice (it’s always been up there on my must-visit list!) and ate the best pizza I’ve ever had in Florence (this resto is known for their Neapolitan-style pizza), and found yet another happy place I found hard to tear myself away from (so hard it made me very, very late for a dinner date, oops), the Boboli Gardens.
• My two cats are happy and healthy (and generally don’t get up to too much mischief).
• I wrote a feature about the impact running has had on my life in the September issue of Flare.
• I got to visit London (now up there in my fave cities) for the very first time and spend much time giggling and shopping with my dear friend Rebecca.
• I did yoga “with” dolphins, the very coolest yoga class I’ve ever had. Look at their smiling faces!
• Here at home, I spent time with the most excellent friends (love ya!) laughing, eating, drinking and all that good stuff.

Of course, there was much more than these mere nine things: the blog’s grown much in this past year in terms of traffic; I started writing for some fab new outlets including B Insider and Travelife; I was mere feet away from my pre-teen crush Rob Lowe at the P&G Beauty & Grooming Awards (swoon!); I bought my first not one but two designer purses (What? I like pretty things!); I got to be inspired by Ira Glass from This American Life when he spoke about storytelling at Massey Hall; I made some amazing new friends including Chantel and Lindsay and met so many more great people.

Anyhow, I could go on about me, me, me, but what I’m trying to say is that all in all, it’s been a year full of wonderfulness. If only I’d taken the time to realize this as it was happening (hmm, new year’s resolution perhaps?).

Looking forward to what 2013 has in store for all of us!

k xo

Filed under: Random Swellness

Tags: 2012, B Insider, Chantel Guertin, dolphins, half-marathon, Ira Glass, Italy, Julianne Moore, L'Oreal Paris, mani, marathon, marathon manicure, Newport, Rebecca Tay, Rob Lowe, running, This American Life, Tips Nail Bar, travel, Travelife, yoga