Tag: year in review
Yes, I’m writing this on January 19th. The end of 2022 snuck up on me, and then I caught a cold at the beginning of the year that I’m still recovering from.
Also, maybe it took me awhile to write because 2022 was pretty unremarkable year for me. It feels like it just ‘happened’ rather than me truly living–I’m sure it being the third year of the pandemic added to that feeling. Did you feel like this about 2022?
But even with a year where life seemed to be on hiatus, I had some bright moments:
Fitness
I made it into the Century Club on Peloton when I trialed the Bike+. It took biking daily so I could hit that target while I had the bike. I also ended up buying a spin bike once Peloton picked up the Bike+–I haven’t ridden it much as my focus this year was getting my running back on track. Speaking of Peloton, I also got to test out the Peloton Guide and interviewed Matty! Yes, I fangirled. and asked for a photo at the end of our zoom interview. I really need to get myself to the Peloton Studio in NYC!
As for running, it took many months, but finally towards the end of summer onwards, I got back to running 3-4 days a week. All shorter distances (the longest was 12k) but my goal was consistency. A couple of setbacks — mainly getting Covid in September — but I was happy to be running 100k a month for the last few months of the year.
Boybands 4EVER
You know that I love both Backstreet Boys and NKOTB and it seems I’ve now started to travel to see them. And good thing I did–I went to Detroit to see NKTOB in the summer, and they ended up cancelling their Toronto show, so it’s the only time I got to see their Mixtape Tour with En Vogue, Salt & Pepa and Rick Astley.
Backstreet Boys and their DNA Word Tour — I saw it three times this year (this is on top of seeing this show back in 2019 in Toronto and Brooklyn) and I also went to Jingle Ball in Detroit for them, and I know that might seem crazy but their shows bring me such happiness. I went to the July 1st show in Toronto, and when tickets in the pit for the show the next day were cheaper than the original price, I snapped up a ticket and it was the best decision ever because Drake made a special appearance. I’d have been devastated to have missed that. Such an epic Toronto moment. I also drove to Ottawa to see the again and Nick pointed and smiled at me. Life made.
Work
So many great opportunities the past year work-wise. Banff (love!); got to write up some fun pieces for the Star (South Algonquin, Paris, a series about biking and more), Destination Toronto, NUVO (Brazen, W Toronto, Casa Madera, Simpl Things, Sunny’s Chinese and Superfresh) and CAA. Events started again, too, and had the opportunity to attend some fun ones (including one with President’s Choice where I got Billie Jean painted as latte art!).
Ice bath, baby
In February, I reluctantly emailed a pitch about the cold plunge/ice bath trend…reluctantly because I knew the pitch would be accepted and that would mean I’d have to try an ice bath. Oh how far I’ve come since that first ice bath experience at Othership (where I was gripped with anxiety about it all week leading up to it), I did my first lake plunge with Unbounded with Yeti, have been back to Othership another couple of times, and did a weekend with Yeti and unbounded at the Trace Resort at Oak Lake. Where I got to do at least three ice baths (I kind of lost count!), including one where I managed to do 4.5 minutes. Unbounded has since opened Unbounded Well at Stackt Market, where I’ve been a few times. I also took part in the huge event in the Beaches to kick of cold season. The challenge of it is what I like most about it. And nothing beats being able to accomplish something that makes you feel stronger and more resilient than ever. That’s the draw of running marathons for me as well.
Travel
Have I mentioned one of my favourite spots I’ve visited? Yes, I’m talking Alberta–I love, love, love the Rocky Mountains and got to go to Banff twice in 2022. And once was food-focused with Pursuit! Eating great food and those majestic mountains? I think that’s what’s called #blessed, haha!
I also got to visit Edmonton for the first time, or just a bit outside of Edmonton with Hydroflask, Arc’teryx, Keen, Sunday Afternoons and Leatherman for an unforgettable glamping trip. You know it was an incredible trip if I’m calling it incredible despite having to rough it with very exposed outdoor showers and thunderboxes (which I managed to only use once when we were out in the wood, as I trekked 4 minutes to the actual washroom the entire time at our glamping site). What made it so incredible? Besides the stunning yellow autumn leaves at our site and the great group on the trip, one day was devoted to From the Wild. If you’re able to attend anything with From the Wild and eat and drink with Kevin Kossowan, do it. Sometimes I find myself in situations that are so great and I think “How did I get here?” and that’s what walking through the forest, learning about his adventures and tips and tricks for cooking delicious things in the field felt like. In awe of the magical beauty of everything around me, that I’m learning about and tasting…
I also took so many great road trips this year and I really have come to enjoy driving alone. This year I went to Southampton to the very chic Beach Motel. Home to Montreal a couple of time where I got to eat so much of my mom’s home cooking and some of the spots in Montreal I’ve been dying to try. I went to cottages, visited Buffalo and Windsor/Detroit (a few times now so much so that I now have some solid favourites for food and it does not include the Cheesecake Factory in Buffalo–not that there’s anything wrong with CF, I’ve actually never been!). So much time on the road and the best thing about that? Billie Jean being my co-pilot, obviously! Thank you to Buick, Chevy, GMC, Mazda–that’s a Mazda CX-50 we’re in at the top of this post–and Volvo (that’s the XC90 Recharge just above) for the test drives this past year. Being able to drive so many different vehicles has both made me both a more confident driver, and also has given me a good sense of features and design elements that make a difference. Whenever I get a car, I’ll be well versed in what’s a priority for me.
Alright, 2022, I guess you were more than OK.
Up next, my goals for 2023!
January 19, 2023
Here we are at the end of 2021. You know how they say time flies when you’re having fun? Well, it flies when you’re not having fun, too. And real talk: I don’t have it in me to do a thorough recap. There’s a lot about this year I’d rather not reminisce about. But I think it is helpful to look back, to see what I learned and how to move forward.
It’s been an exhausting 12 months. Most of this year, I worked 18-hour days and worked through many weekends.Because of my schedule, my running has completely derailed. After running more than I ever have last year, this year after the spring, I barely ran at all. I also didn’t get to work towards any of my goals for the year: I read all of five books. What free time I had, I either used to sleep or just be a couch potato watching Netflix because I had zero energy to do much else (18-hour days and making sure my dog gets as much exercise that she needs leaves little else for anything).
But even with this grueling, relentless day to day throughout much of the year, as I scroll through my calendar and my camera roll, I see that there were bright moments this past year. I partnered with brands I’m fond of (Giant Tiger again, plus Osmows and Cookie Pal). I also started writing for the Toronto Star, and continued writing for other outlets like Destination Toronto and CAA. I started one job in the late winter I thought was a dream job (it was not) and started in the fall with another with a great team, so happy that I’m closing out the year on a good note professionally. Also through work, I’ve had lots of great opportunities: test drives with General Motors, day trips to small towns (including spending the day with some adorable goats), a visit to the beautiful Terre Bleu with its lavender and sunflower fields, a trial of the Peloton Tread (I was amongst the first in Canada to try it!) and the Bike+, so yes, there are still plenty of good things that happened workwise this year.
As for any sort of travel, 2021 was the year of road trips. As someone who has traveled regularly for many years, being here in Toronto since March 2020 hasn’t been much of a hard adjustment (I’m too tired to really have it sink in that I haven’t left Canada in forever), I’ve just shifted focus to fewer trips, all local travel. I’m so happy that I finally made it up to the Bruce Peninsula; Tobermory and Lion’s Head is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen Ontario. And I got to enjoy a bit of cottage life, which has also never been a part of my lifestyle (I have not had any friends who own cottages, for one, and they’re so incredibly expensive), but this year I rented two, went to my bestie’s new cottage twice, and was lucky enough to visit another cottage in the fall (plus I had a great camping trip at my favourite campsite). Getting away from the city has been a soothing balm to the harshness of life in the city this year.
But not being able to travel is small potatoes in the big scheme of things. What I learned from this year is that I’m stronger than I think, and in the process, I also achieved one goal: to gain a greater sense of gratitude. Every day I give hugs to my little animal kingdom, and when it comes to my friends? Through all of 2021, my closest friends and family have kept me sane and I’ve tried to let them know how much they mean to me. And despite how tough this year was, everyone is healthy and safe (and we got double vaxxed with boosters soon!), and that’s what matters most.
Here’s to closing off the year safely and happily and making 2022 absolutely stellar!
KK xo
December 31, 2021
What a year!
I realized sometime late this fall what a wonderful year I’d had so far (and it only got better from there). And I was surprised. The past several years have often wrapped up with a feeling of heaviness as time flies by and a feeling that I’ve just gone through the motions of living. While I still stress and have anxieties about work and finances and exactly where the heck my life is heading, this year I feel I was able to just trust the process a bit more, and in the meanwhile incredible opportunities and experiences filled my year and, yes, I’ll say it, fed my soul.
What I’ll take away from this year:
New and old friendships that mean the world to me. I read some quote recently about how you don’t lose friends, but we only learn who the true ones are. I have some friends from childhood, some friendships have developed over the past decade and, thanks to my work and regularly meeting people on press trips, new budding friendships, and I try not to take any of them for granted. If I say, “Let’s grab a drink!” I mean it and want to follow through with meeting up. This year, I was smarter about how I spent my days and who I chose to invest my time with, rather than making plans out of feeling obligated, and am happier for it. I’ve been friends with Jennifer (her site is Travel & Style) for more than a decade but we only more recently started again spending more time together; this is a photo from our trip to Arlington, VA, this year; I’ll be blogging about that soon!
I am happier when I am focused and present. With friends here at home, it’s about carving out time in my schedule so we can catch up properly. Making time for the people that matter to me. Putting down my phone (Must I post this photo or that photo in real time? No!). When away from home, it’s about letting go of the need to fit in a million things into my day so I can focus on and enjoy what’s in front of me. I had the most rewarding opportunities this year on some longer travels; I drove my myself (a huge feat in itself for me–as someone who gets really anxious getting lost) through the mountains in Alberta over the course of about two weeks namely in Jasper, Banff, Kananaskis and Calgary(the photo above is at Drumheller, just outside of Calgary). While I’d been nervous about so many hours solo in a car, it was truly a trip of a lifetime and singing out loud with jaw-dropping scenery all around me, every day I felt like my heart was going to explode with happiness.
In August, I spent most of the month pet-sitting in Brooklyn and having the amazing wealth of time to poke around that incredible city made me love New York City even more than I already did because I was able to just be there without stressing about running to this shop and to go see that sight. As someone who tends to be more cautious and practical by nature, I’m so glad I didn’t talk myself out of doing this month in NYC (initially I was super worried about both my cat and dog, managing juggling work from afar and a million other little stresses and I went back and forth for several weeks about whether I could pull off a month away from home). In the fall, with an invite to run the Istanbul Marathon, I ended up staying for several more days after the race than I’d felt comfortable with initially (due to the flight option for my return home, I was there for a full 10 days) and that ended up truly being a gift. Wandering Istanbul and visiting the stunning mosques without the pressure of having to fit in everything I wanted to soak up in a short amount of time was something I know I am very lucky to be able to do. I was able to just soak up the incredible city I was in. And this month, just when I was ready to wrap up an already incredible year with a great trip to the Dominican Republic, I was invited to Thailand and spent an exceptional two weeks (including a few days of personal vacation time) poking around Bangkok, Phuket, Kanchanaburi and Chiang Mai. And while the trip started off terribly with my phone going missing upon landing in Bangkok, that upsetting incident just forced me to remember that material things can’t replace the exceptional experiences I had in store, ones I will remember the rest of my life. Like when a baby elephant sat on my lap.
I am stronger than I realize. From making it through some terrible work situations to running a fantastic race where I almost made my Boston Qualifying time, and running a terrible race in Istanbul (it was just two weeks after running Detroit), I realized this year I am more resilient and determined than I give myself credit for. I’ve been told I am hard on myself (but aren’t we all?) and this year I tried to be kinder to myself. It worked sometimes, and of course, I have highs and lows, but overall I think I managed to feel more at ease with me, imperfections and all. Do I wish I were a stronger runner or have accomplished more in my career? Always. But I feel like I’m in a better place to actually make that happen. For many years, I’ve felt incapable of actually doing things, paralyzed by fears and anxiety, but I’m back to being in a head space where I can put plans into action.
I should do more things that scare me. That drive in Alberta, in many areas where there was no data or GPS reception? I was nervous about it. More terrifying was when I got completely lost during a solo hike on that same trip. Thankfully I found my way (and the lesson from the hike is that I shouldn’t do not frequently used trail solo going forward). This year also brought me to the French Alps, and I ended up paragliding many, many feet up in the air even though I wasn’t quite sure it was something I was comfortable with (long story, but I had somehow confused what paragliding was when I agreed to it and somewhat before I knew it, was harnessed in and in the air!) and it was one of the best adventures I’ve experienced. To be honest, mountain biking in the Alps was much scarier for me. It’s the second time I’ve done it and I go very slowly and the chances of crashing seem so high! But perhaps the most terrifying thing I did was white water rafting in Arizona. My jaw hurt from clenching my teeth so hard. The idea of being tossed out of the raft and having to float and then having to try to get back on the boat all the while potentially hitting rocks, that’s not something I was comfortable with. None of that happened, though; all of these scary things, I forced myself to be brave and nothing bad happened. I need to continue to work on not letting fear hold me back.
I’ll be going to boyband concerts for years to come. OK, this is not something I realized just this year. I’ve known this a long time, but ultimately, the lesson is to do what makes you happy. If that’s seeing NKOTB and the Backstreet Boys over and over, well, go ahead. Do your thing. I recall mentioning to a friend once that I felt guilty for shopping for myself during Christmas, and she didn’t understand. “You work hard, why feel guilty about buying something for yourself?” she said. And yet this treat-yoself guilt still seems to be ingrained in me but I’m trying to let go of it. This year, I was blessed with seeing NKOTB once, and BSB twice and did I mention I met Howie? So whether it’s cutting out of work to fit in a workout or spending a lot of money on a concert I’ve already seen, I’m worth it. You’re worth it, whatever it is that makes you happy. In my opinion, boyband concerts totally count as self-care.
Photo credit for this shot of me with Howie goes to Toybox, where the after-party was held; I’m forever grateful the photographer captured this!
Saying so long to the past decade…
With this also being the end of a decade, with such a positive 2019, I feel optimistic as to what the next decade holds. I spent the last 10 years rebuilding my life from what felt like scratch. I had to start the decade with the end of a long-term relationship, then had a few extremely difficult few years where my biggest accomplishment was simply making it out alive (2014-2016 were years I’d rather forget but I try to look at them now as having made me stronger). This decade, I lost my amazing cat Kobe; he was the first pet I had has an adult and he saw me through so many significant moments and that was a crushing loss in 2018. But it’s also the decade I adopted my very first dog, Billie Jean, who makes my heart grow bigger every day.
I’m looking forward to a brand new year and a brand new decade. Here’s to making it an exceptional one!
K xo
December 31, 2019
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