Tag: new experiences

A 2010s Sendoff: Recapping the Last 10 Years (Part 4):

manda_faromeiro

2017
The beginning of 2017 started off in the most beautiful way; a dear friend of mine (whom I consider my un-biological little sister) was getting married! The whole day was lovely, and the spirit of joy, love and happiness kept us all warm throughout the -25 degree Celcius temperatures. I was honoured to be part of their special day and continue to have these people in my life! In January, I also started a second job, working as a mentor and tutor. I stepped out of my comfort zone this year and completed my first ever paint nite and got creative at Creative Cafe; before this time, I did not enjoy art and always felt I was very bad at it. This year, I also went ice skating for the first time in over 10 years for my brother’s birthday, and later would take up snowshoeing as well. It was shaping up to be a year of new adventures!

Early 2017 was also when I made the decision to quit my job. After more than 4 years, it was one of – if not the most- difficult decisions I have ever made for a number of reasons. For starters, I didn’t have a new full-time job lined up to replace it, so I felt a little unprepared and uneasy about not having the same income flow coming in. Additionally, I had invested so much time and energy into the company, it felt like a breakup. What was the most important note here was the overall feeling I had about work; I always pride myself on working hard and learning new skills etc., and while my career or job didn’t necessarily define me, it was crucial for me that it always be something I enjoyed and felt benefited me not just financially. My job was not only feeling stagnant, but I was also feeling run down and was dreading coming into work every day. I never had anything positive to say about my workday, and I was feeling incredibly stuck. I knew this wasn’t healthy and it wasn’t going to get any better, so I had to remove myself from the situation. I was sad, relieved, excited, nervous, and optimistic all at once. As soon as I spoke to my boss and explained everything about how I was feeling and why I was leaving, I felt an immense weight lifted off my shoulders, so while there was still a few unknowns about what was next for my career, I was surprisingly okay with letting things shape themselves out.

One of the big highlights of 2017 was celebrating 30th birthdays for some very important people; first up was an incredible weekend in Ottawa filled with wine tastings and hockey! Too many laughs, too many jokes, too much 80s music and too much wine! It was truly one of the most fun weekends ever, and I know that the birthday man enjoyed himself to the fullest. A few weeks later, I surprised my best friend with a trip to Las Vegas to watch the Backstreet Boys Larger Than Life concert. The timing was perfect not only for us to get a trip in as best friends, but with having such a great kick-off to new beginnings with work. While we were only in Vegas for a few days, we jampacked those days will lots of site seeing, selfies, walking the strip, lounging at the pool, and ending off with the phenomenal BSB concert. Celebrating her 29th birthday in Vegas was surely a top 5 moment for the decade!

Spring 2017 graced me with the opportunity to begin working with family, as I started my job as an Executive Assistant for my brother and sister-in-law’s real estate business. While I was no stranger to working with family, I was intrigued to learn more about the world of real estate and gain new skills while sharpening those I had been working on with each new job title. A year in the 2010s wouldn’t be the same without another concert thrown in the mix, a few more paint nites, boardgame nights, exploring provincial parks, cottage weekends, and road trips. This year, I celebrated my birthday with a few close friends in Niagara Falls where we did a day-long wine tour visiting five different wineries. With a load of great experiences encompassing the first half of the year, Summer 2017 was shaping up to be nothing short of amazing!

Summer brought about cherry-picking trips, WWE live events, high-tea afternoons, more birthday celebrations for friends and close family, engagements, my first ever Vegan Fest, the CNE, a few more Blue Jays games, and to no one’s surprise, a treetop trek or two! Additionally, I got to experience yet another incredible Coldplay concert in Toronto. It was this year that I was asked to be part of two incredible weddings for the upcoming year as a Matron of Honour and the Best Woman, but more on that in 2018s post!

My best friend and I also ventured off to Chicago this summer to watch the Blue Jays on the road and check out the city! We saw the “bean” while walking around downtown Chicago, rode the sky wheel, ate a lot of deep-dish pizza, sat on a boat tour, and learned so much about the city’s skyscrapers and architecture. Chicago was an amazing city that offered so many perfect little shops and delectable snacks, definitely, a highlight was the popcorn shop and the little cupcake storefront. I am so thankful for another amazing road trip with my bestie.

Autumn brought another successful Client Appreciation Party for the Lucia Faria Real Estate Team, another Jays game or two, and a lovely girl’s weekend away in Blue Mountain. Of course, we continued to celebrate Halloween with our annual bash, followed by a wine tasting night-in, and a few attempts at karaoke and rockband – I didn’t say they were successful ones, but they sure were a hell-of-a-lot-of fun! A few more birthday celebrations were thrown into the mix, including some kids, as well as more creative afternoons at the cafe, and yes, a lovely tea-time double date as the year came to a close. Oh, and yes, another Star Wars movie in December – Star Wars VII: The Last Jedi. We hosted a family Christmas as well as another wonderful Friendship Christmas and said goodbye to 2017 and hello 2018 at the 80s themed New Year’s Eve party! No further commentary necessary, 2017 was superb!

2018
Before I even dive into the goodness that was all of 2018, I just have to mention how overcome with gratitude and joy I am as I look back at all the marvellous and incredible experiences and events that have taken place this decade. So many times we often think about our life as being busy and chaotic, it can take a while before we see that in the midst of all that, there are so many phenomenal things happening. While I’ve been sitting here writing this 2010s sendoff I am truly blessed. I value all of my experiences throughout the years and appreciate how I have been able to keep balance in my life. I am thankful that those relationships I’ve worked so hard to maintain are still intact, and hope that those who have come into my life recently can be met with the same fate for the next decade and beyond. Now let’s jump right into 2018 because baby, it’s a thrill ride.

The earliest days of 2018 consisted of birthday celebrations for family members and friends alike, royal celebrations, and classy high tea afternoons. There were wedding plans in the works and without doubt, a permanent glow in our hearts for all the love and happy times ahead for the next twelve months.

This year, I got to experience what some may argue was more than 10 years in the making, and that was a friends’ group vacation. At the end of January, a group of 8 of us jetted off to Panama for a week of fun in the sun. Without a doubt, this trip was an iconic milestone not only for the decade but for our timeline of friendship. Most of us on the trip had been friends for more than 10 years already and had never experienced a shared moment like this before. The trip started out as a way for us to celebrate the soon to be bride and groom in lieu of bachelor and bachelorette parties but soon became so much more. Coordinating the schedules of 8 people can be difficult, but we made it work and were able to have arguably one of the best weeks ever in hot, beautiful, Panama. Apart from everyday pleasures like lounging poolside, we partook in tours of Panama City (old and new), got to see the Panama Canal, visited a natural waterfall, played far too much BINGO, and consumed copious amounts of delicious food and thirst-quenching beverages; jungle juice anyone?

After Panama, it was full-on wedding planning mode as I assisted the soon-to-be-married couples with tasks like dress and suit shopping, mailing out invitations, and other wedding details. In early 2018, a few friends were celebrating the milestone 30th birthday; from dance parties to medieval times, there was so much to celebrate! Spring meant it was time to practice that golf swing and discuss the upcoming nuptials over some tea or wine. There was also a surprise Mad Hatter Tea Party Bridal shower thrown into the mix!

Next to Panama, another milestone vacation happened in May as we piled into a Jeep Cherokee and began an epic road trip to Myrtle Beach. Like Panama, this trip was long overdue as the three of us had been friends since 2007 and our trio, forever coined as Hydra, had never experienced a getaway together. With 1/3 of Hydra marrying that fall, it was a celebration of many things, but most importantly, friendship. Through all the hills and valleys, BNL and Billy Joel’s greatest hits albums, and 80s music alike on repeat, we had a super fun journey that week. Apart from late afternoons at the beach, we played a round or two of golf (both actual and mini), took in a wine tour, visited the pier and sky wheel, and truly indulged in some phenomenal food. On a side note, we also partook in a heartbreaking playoff loss by the Toronto Raptors, but watching the game on Cinco de Mayo was memorable for sure. That trip created so many memories that we all will hold onto for years to come, most definitely!

Upon returning home from Myrtle, I kicked off Summer with another great concert as well as going to see the theatrical production of Chicago. In June, I turned 30 and since celebrating my birthday is always special to me, it was no surprise that a milestone like 30 would be any different. I was blessed with being able to throw a carnival themed party with all my friends and family present. Life’s a Circus was such a fitting theme for everything that happened to me in my 20s but in the best way. I’m always looking for fun, adventure, good eats and games, so I couldn’t have selected a better theme to sum up my life!

Before long, it was July and prior to the wedding of our Best Couple Friends Ever, there was another birthday or two to celebrate, as well as a baby shower for dear friends of ours who were expecting their first child later on in the year. As I’ve explained in other blog posts, this year was a very special one when it came to weddings. July was the first of three weddings to which I would have the honour in attending; two of which I was blessed to be part of the wedding party and partake in all the behind-the-scenes moments of love and joy as the couples became wed. Our friends Mark and Lyndsay were married on the 21st of July and my husband and I were the Best Man and Matron of Honour. The love we have for those two people cannot be put into words, and that was truly one of the best days of my life as we got to celebrate them in such a wonderful way. You could not ask for two better souls and humans to end up together, and for such an amazing tightly bonded group of friends to celebrate their love as a couple.

There was a two-week break before the next wedding, and it included another birthday celebration as well as a trip to Ottawa where we got to do an escape room in the Difenbunker Museum and visit some iconic landmarks within the city. On August 4th, we celebrated the wedding day of another one of my best friends, on what was another beautiful day and cherished moment. Again, it was a day filled with joy, love and happiness as my best friend wed his beautiful bride. Closing out the summer with a Blue Jays game and a girls’ day at the beach, as well as some family BBQs, it was time to prepare for the closing quarter of 2018.

In September, my husband and I became a 3x Aunt and Uncle as our nephew Oscar was born. With the last preparations for the Annual Client Appreciation Party completed for work, I was able to focus all of my attention on my upcoming Best Woman duties, as the last of the 2018 weddings would soon be taking place. It was time to revisit North Bay for what would be the best reason, as our friends were going to get married! If you’ve been following my blog, you know there was a special post dedicated to this wedding and the importance it held to me as a milestone mark in the friendship I have with the groom. Apart from North Bay being nostalgic for so many reasons, a new mark was about to be left on the city and in our hearts forever. There were so many iconic places to fit in our schedule with so little time, but we did what we could: a hike to the falls, a meal or two at Burger World, a campus tour, and one last Thursday evening at Cecil’s. With the last of the wedding details out of the way and the rehearsal dinner over, we spent late Friday night doing what we do best; sharing stories, hopes, laughs, filming vlogs that are way too long for anyone else’s interest, and celebrating the groom. The day of the wedding was a great one, with the highlight being the time we got to spend getting the groom ready and just being our trio in the simplest and best way possible; and the rest of the day was filled with just as many laughs and filled with just as much love!

With four very important people in my life now all married, how was the rest of 2018 going to shape up? Autumn traditions continued, like the Lucia Faria Team Client Appreciation Party, our Annual Halloween bash, and exploring more beautiful parks. There was also a bridal shower for a dear friend who would get married at the beginning of 2019, as well as more great birthdays for our nephews! We would once again host our family for Christmas, and continue the tradition of Friendship Christmas for the 4th year in a row. 2018 was filled with immense amounts of love, joy and celebrations. It was a year that planted deeper roots in existing relationships and deepened my understanding of my place in the hearts of those whom I care for deeply. With so many people in my life going through milestones of their own, 2018 was a year of profound growth and emotion. While it was surely one of the best years of the decade, 2018 was quite emotional for me, but in an overall positive way. I was truly invested in the happiness and love of others more so than ever before, and it was quite exhilarating.

2019
This is it! The last year of the decade. It’s funny how at the beginning of the year, I wasn’t at all emphasizing the fact that this would be the last year of an iconic decade. So much happened between 2010 to 2019 that it was baffling to think that if any year was going to truly send off the decade, that 2019 would be it. If writing this 2010s sendoff has shown me anything, its the truth in the notion that it is the little moments that make life amazing. My 2010s look so different in the eyes of others, and while I may have looked back on a year at its end and thought “damn, I’m glad that’s over” I can truly say that no year was simply 365 days of limbo before getting to a “better” path or part of my life. Each and every experience shaped me in a different way, and without sounding super cliche, they were all necessary and as unfortunate as some events may be, they were bound to happen eventually. Without further ado, let’s recap 2019.

In January, I got to celebrate the winter wedding of a long-time friend, and truly it was a beautiful day filled with excitement and joy. Weeks before her wedding, we attended a classy bachelorette party in her honour and also celebrated a few friends’ birthdays. After a busy 2018 year of weddings, it was still an honour to have a small part in her special day by reading at her mass. The whole day was loads of fun and a great celebration all around. A few days later, my bestie and I would be southbound once again for another incredible Disney World vacation! For the first time, we would be staying on Disney property at Coronado Springs. I won’t go into much detail about this trip because I actually blogged about each day in their own separate posts, so look for that on my homepage! To sum it up, it was magical and wonderful, despite the temperature dropping and me coming down with a brutal sinus infection by the end of the trip. Regardless, it was a great way to kick off 2019.

My husband and I took a couples spa day at Scandinavian Spa in Collingwood, and I enjoyed my first ever relaxation massage. There were more birthday celebrations, board game afternoons and evenings, as well as more creative afternoons at the cafe. 2019 was surely the year of golf, as I hit the links numerous times with my friend KJ, with a few pars here and there to celebrate! Avengers Assembled for the End Game, and some of us mourned the death of Thanos while others applauded. There were also some housewarming get-togethers as well as a girls’ day at the spa. My nephew had his First Communion and the Raptors were making history with a clinch of the East and were in the NBA finals. If it feels like I am lacking some details with some of these events it’s only because I have blogged a few of these moments in further details in previous entries, so look back if you’re interested…

To celebrate turning 31, I played laser tag with some friends and enjoyed a great meal, and I also went treetop trekking with my best friend and had dinner with my family! Days later, the Toronto Raptors would become NBA champions and I cried so much that day, you’d have thought that I was an NBA champion. Summer 2019 brought on more epic films, as Toy Story 4 hit theatres. I continued to work on my golf swing, with many awesome days out on the green and took time to slow down and enjoy the little things like beach days with friends. Summer also brought about another career change as I quit my tutoring and mentoring job and would soon get the opportunity to start a career with Georgian College. It wouldn’t really be summer without a road trip or two, as well as some exploring of our provincial parks. My best friend got her first apartment, and we were able to help her move in, and later celebrate with a little apartment warming party. The first half of the year brought upon a lot of greatness, yet with calmness because time didn’t feel like it was flying by and this was a nice feeling.

Autumn brought us another fantastic Client Appreciation Party for the Lucia Faria Real Estate Team, as well as a lovely ladies’ weekend at the spa in Collingwood. Our fifth Annual Halloween Party was a blast, as usual, and I got to visit North Bay again to take in some Grand Slam Curling with a good friend. The year was winding down, but there was still fun to be had. A few more birthday celebrations thrown into the mix, more board game nights, as well as revisiting some escape room adventures. In November, my husband and I were hit by a car one evening by someone who failed to come to a stop at the stop sign. While our car was written off, we walked away from the incident with minor injuries, but I would spend the remaining months of 2019 in physiotherapy with a hairline fracture in my tailbone and a torn muscle in my neck and shoulder area. All things considered, we were very lucky, but would begin shopping for a new vehicle once we felt up to it. In the meantime, I was really enjoying my time at Georgian and continued to split my days between the campus, the Lucia Faria Team, and my SweetLegs side business.

Here we are, at the end of 2019 and what a decade it has been. Our nephews turned 8 years old, Hobbes turned 4, and we bought a brand new vehicle. The last of the Star Wars movies came out this year, Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and I partook in a Dr. Seuss experience in the city. Another wonderful Friendship Christmas took place, and the last day of the decade is here! It’s fitting that I write the last few sentences of this blog as there are mere hours remaining of such an incredibly memorable decade. I’ve never been the type to make resolutions, but my wish for 2020 and the decade ahead is that it is full of lessons, experiences and adventures that are both new and old so that I can continue to value them and the people involved. As 2020 approaches, my husband and I celebrate not only 5 years married, but also 15 years of togetherness. Through all of these moments mentioned in this blog, I have been truly blessed to share them all with him and knowing that he will always be there alongside me. And lastly, thank you to everyone reading this blog, but also to all those who have been part of my life this decade, and beyond. My heart is full, as is my head with beautiful, wonderful, magical, inspiring, amazing memories, moments and milestones. See you on, the other side!

How I Came Around to Enjoying Golf

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If you would have asked me 5 years ago if I ever envisioned myself being someone who enjoys playing golf, so much so that I would actually miss playing it during the winter months, it would have been a solid “no” followed by a chuckle or two. It’s crazy to think back, even that short time ago, and recognize how disinterested I was in playing golf; I had no real desire to get out there and felt it was far too boring. To be fair, apart from mini golfing, my experience and exposure to playing golf was very limited; no one in my household played golf, and neither did anyone in my extended family or even my friends. In school, while I was exposed to many different kinds of sports, golf was not one of them. Thus, many of my years were spent not even considering it as a hobby or pastime, there were plenty of other sports and things to occupy my time, so I didn’t give it much thought… until recently.

A few years ago, our good friends were living up in Port Carling for work (they were chefs working at one of the main resorts) and whenever we could, we tried to go up and visit them for a weekend. On one of these weekends, we decided to go to one of the small 9-hole golf courses up there; something to do for an afternoon and we figured we could entertain ourselves with how potentially bad our game would be. At the time, I knew very little about golf. The basics of the game and scoring I understood, but as far as what clubs to use or how to properly swing were totally unknown to me. In my mind, we were going golfing just for fun; this course was very inexpensive, so it’s not like this round of fun was costing us $50+ dollars or anything. As the day progressed, I was pretty much as bad as I expected to be, with the odds not in my favour, though I did manage to score a par, but overall I wasn’t going to be picking up the clubs again anytime soon. I don’t remember what my score was, but that was probably for the best. Nevertheless it was a fun afternoon hanging out with friends and getting to be outside for the day. After this, returning to the golf course didn’t cross my mind and it would be a number of years before I ever set foot on a course again…

Golfing in Port Carling 2014

In 2018, one of my very good friends was getting married, and if you’ve been following my previous posts you already know that I was the Best Woman in his wedding. To celebrate, myself and the other Best Woman took our friend to Myrtle Beach for a week; call it a bachelor week celebration but really and truly it was a perfect excuse for us to celebrate over a decade of friendship and go on a road trip. The groom being a golfer, we knew that hitting up a golf course in Myrtle Beach was a definite must-do for the trip. So that’s just what we did. Through researching the kinds of courses Myrtle Beach had to offer, we knew this wasn’t an experience we could simply wing, we needed to arrive to the course looking the part as if we had all been avid golfers for years (or at least trying). I took this task very seriously. I didn’t want to show up to such a fancy golf course and goof around. Of course, having fun was still the main goal, but if I was going to be golfing at a place like Myrtlewood Golf Club, I had to prepare. Not to mention, the groom really enjoyed golfing, so we owed it to him to be in the zone and willing to make the most of those 18 holes.

Months before the trip, I did my homework. I started to learn more about the game and I picked the brain of the groom to ask about his own experiences with golf. I kept an eye on a few shops to see if a good bargain for a set of golf clubs would ever come up, and had my friend looking out as well. I went to a driving range or two, trying whole-heartedly to give myself a better shot at performing well this time around. If I could score a par by fluke the last time, who knows what I was capable of doing on a 18-hole course with some legitimate practice. I knew that we were going to have fun regardless of the score, but I changed my mindset on the whole golf experience; I really wanted to focus on the skills and not just wack a ball around for several hours. Not to mention, I didn’t want my friend to be golfing with two people who were out there taking 8 to 10 strokes per hole; ain’t nobody got time for that!

Driving Range Practice Spring 2018

A few days before we left for Myrtle Beach I was able to find a great starter set of clubs, and loaded up on balls and tees and some other golfing accessories. Before long, days into our trip had passed and it was finally golfing day. All of us were excited! The sun was shining, and we had such a stellar week so far, the golf was going to be another great highlight to add to the reel. With the guidance of my friend, coupled with my own intentions of tuning out any negative thoughts, being mindful of my swings, and focusing my attention on the ball, most of the holes were met with success. Don’t get me wrong, a few of the holes absolutely destroyed any confidence I thought I had about my game improving, I mean 13 strokes on hole 4 is pretty devastating. How does one come back from that? A par on hole 6 should do it! Despite what some may think, getting that par on hole 6 was such an electrifying feeling. Golfing on such a legitimate course, and coming back strong with a par after that horrendous 13-stroke hole 4, was incredible! The day was still early, but it was just the boost of confidence I needed for the remaining holes. Looking back on that game, there were definite lows and highs. Knowing what I know now (which still isn’t a great deal) I recognize where my shots got sloppy (probably due to fatigue) or where I didn’t think ahead of where exactly I wanted the ball to end up. The scorecard was pretty up and down; I did manage to get a few bogeys, but I also managed to get a few more 10 or 11 stroke holes *facepalm*. Overall, that 6 hour day of golf was exhausting. More notably, it left me thinking more about the game more than I ever had before. Now I was interested in getting out there again, and maybe getting another par or two!

  • Celebrating a Par on Hole 6
  • Myrtlewood Golf Club – May 2018

During the trip to Myrtle, the three of us did a lot of vlogging, and when we got home and watched some of the footage from the trip, I was thankful that we captured some of the golfing trip so that I could really relive the fun and excitement. Each time I thought about that day on the course, I kept thinking over what I would do differently next time, and assessing where and how I could improve. Before long, I recognized that golf was going to be something that I really enjoyed and wanted to keep playing. Something about being outdoors, challenging yourself and your own skill, as well as the peacefulness of having nothing to worry about but getting that ball on the green was very satisfying. These days, it is so easy to get caught up in all the distractions around us, but when I was golfing, that was all I was thinking about. Going on the golf course allowed me to shut-out everything else going on and just sharpen my skill by defining my thoughts on my own game. Golfing allowed me to be really present in the moment, and to take my time; something that is really taken for granted. Not to mention, being on the golf course was a really great opportunity to have quality time with someone; being outside in a quiet setting has that sort of effect.

Nottawasaga Golf Course, Alliston Ontario

Coming around to golf and thoroughly enjoying it wasn’t years in the making. It’s safe to say that one experience completely changed my perspective. Despite having really crummy holes in some of the rounds, I continued to focus on getting better; hitting further, making better contact, having the ball travel straighter to where I needed it to go, and yeah, getting another par or two each round. Perhaps one day, even a birdie! As I said, it wasn’t long before I was back on the course. There were still crummy holes played, but there were many more improvements! I have my friend to thank for a lot of my progress, merely because he was very patient with me but also helped to pinpoint what little adjustments I needed to make to get better. When I would go to him for feedback, he helped me to recognize where I was right, and how I could move forward with my own critiques to ensure that I would get into the swing of things in no time.

  • Playing at Nottawasaga Resort Golf Course
  • Continuing the Par Streak at Innisbrook Golf Club

So there you have it, a quick history on how I came around to enjoying golf. When I sit down to write these kinds of blogs, it always reminds me of how important it is to not only give things a chance, but how crucial it is to have the right kind of mindset, attitude, and presence while you’re doing these things. Don’t get me wrong, there was absolutely nothing discouraging about my friends the first time I went golf back in 2014, as those people are some of the best people to be around. I believe it is just about timing. There is a time and place for everything, and sometimes it takes some aged wisdom coupled with the growing need for one to unplug for an afternoon and just enjoy the great outdoors with some great company, playing a game that can be so great, and so greatly frustrating.

Let’s Talk About Wearing Makeup…

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I felt compelled to write a blog about makeup because as someone who has been wearing it since I was about 13, it tends to be a topic that stirs up interesting conversation. My relationship with makeup is a long, somewhat interesting one. Many people who know me know that I am almost always wearing makeup; whether it’s simply foundation or a full face of makeup including winged eyeliner and lipstick, makeup is very much apart of my daily routine – and that isn’t a bad thing. Now, I am far from a beauty influencer, makeup artist or guru, and you won’t find me on a YouTube channel anytime soon talking about my favourite brands or doing a tutorial, but the truth is, I wear makeup because I want to – and I want to for a number of reasons. I am happy to talk about wearing makeup to anyone who asks…

When I first started wearing makeup, I was lucky that my mom was a beautician and counter-manager for Estee Lauder cosmetics. This meant that my mom could provide me with really great quality makeup, so I wouldn’t have to buy the drugstore brands and not know what exactly it was I was putting on my face. Hear me out, there is NOTHING wrong with drugstore brands, especially nowadays when you can get a great deal of awesome brands there, and brands like Maybelline, Covergirl etc have really upped their game. When I say drugstore brands, I am talking about those brands similar to what you’d now find at Claires or Ardenes stores that are targeted at young teens and feel very waxy, plasticy and well, just not what “real” makeup should feel like. Anyway, my mom was very “cool” and not opposed to me wearing makeup at my age, and because of her knowledge and expertise in the field, she taught me the basics about applying makeup. Back then, of course, wearing makeup to school meant some eyeshadow, mascara, and a little bit of foundation; nothing too intense. Teens these days are far more advanced that I ever was at that age when it came to applying makeup (I just learned how to contour about a year ago). Nevertheless, wearing makeup to me was normal, and quickly became part of my everyday routine as a teenager; and I had fun with it.

For most of my life, and even well into adulthood, I suffered (and still do suffer) from acne prone skin. Throughout most of my teen years, my acne was so unpredictable and I’ve had it literally everywhere on my face and for months and months at a time. I would be lying if I said that sometimes my choice to wear makeup wasn’t influenced by trying to cover up my pimples or imperfections or redness of my skin, because it very much was. I had been met with some criticism in my lifetime from people who think that wearing makeup made my skin condition worse, and that if I didn’t wear “so much makeup” my skin wouldn’t be the way that it was. Truthfully, these people were indirectly shaming me for choosing to wear makeup. If you think back, it may have happened to you too, and you may have even done it to someone you know without even realizing it. I was made to feel that my skin was the way it was because of the products I was putting on my face. These comments also made the assumption that makeup alone causes oily skin and breakouts, which anyone who has seen a dermatologist can tell you that it is way more complicated than that. Regardless, my acne prone skin wasn’t the only reason I was wearing makeup. I wasn’t trying to hide the fact I had acne, I just was trying to make it more of background detail on my canvas rather than the focal point…and is that really anyone’s business anyway?

Having an expert like my mom, as well as seeing doctors and dermatologists throughout the years helped me to see how to best apply makeup when dealing with acne and also the kinds of products and ingredients to look for when choosing makeup brands. Experiencing all the bouts of acne I did throughout my teens and twenties, caused some frustration with the whole makeup process. At times, my skin was very dry, and wearing the right makeup was challenging. I didn’t want to just wear makeup because of people making those comments to me, I still enjoyed wearing it, but wearing it correctly was sometimes a challenge and figuring out how to change up your makeup routine to suit your changing skin wasn’t so easy. For most people, the objective of wearing makeup isn’t to look like you’re wearing a lot of makeup, so trying to do this while dealing with dry skin, redness, scaring, or even pimples or breakouts wasn’t easy. I liked wearing makeup because I liked trying out different colours, and emphasizing different elements of my face with pops of colour or making them stand out. Again, I wanted to wear makeup, and it wasn’t just to cover up my “natural” “imperfect” face. Finding that balance made makeup complicated, especially when you are reminded by society and people who make up that society that nobody wants to be that girl who CLEARLY wears too much makeup. Right? She must have something to hide if she is always wearing makeup. She must not be that pretty since she is always wearing makeup. Wrong. So very wrong! Nobody in my family or in my circle of friends ever made me feel like I HAD to wear makeup, and if they did, that would be pretty shitty.

Part of the reason I enjoy talking to people about makeup is because I want people to feel that wearing makeup isn’t just about covering up or trying to look prettier than you are. It’s okay to want to wear makeup, whether you wear it everyday or only for special occasions, or just whenever you feel like it. It’s okay to want to experiment with it and try out new colours, new looks, and new products, without feeling like people will comment about how much makeup you are wearing or that you’re “actually” wearing makeup for once. How many times have you heard someone say to you (or someone you know) “Yeah, you’re lucky you don’t have to wear makeup all the time.” What does this even mean? Is wearing makeup a chore? Is it a burden? Why should someone even feel this way? I’ve spoken to a few of my friends about this, who I never realized felt the shame of wearing “too much makeup” because when they tried a new look, all people could talk about was how they were wearing “so much makeup” or how they had to be going somewhere special to get all “dolled up.” Many people wear makeup to cover up imperfections, but they shouldn’t be made to feel like they HAVE to wear makeup to cover up imperfections, and if they want to do this, that’s OKAY and they shouldn’t be shamed for it- there isn’t enough conversation about this. You’re not any less of “natural” or “real” woman just because you choose/choose not to wear makeup. Whatever your style, makeup is a personal choice and a perfect example of self-expression. Much like fashion, makeup – how much of it you wear or how often you wear it – is totally up to you, and everyone can make that choice in the same way they do picking out a jacket or new pair of sunglasses.

I wasn’t trying to sound preachy in this blog, so I hope I didn’t come across that way. Like many of these blogs, these are a collection of thoughts that have been floating around my mind for awhile; it comes and goes. Basically, I don’t want it to be assumed that because someone likes wearing makeup or chooses to do so, doesn’t mean they’re striving to be a makeup influencer, YouTube makeup star, or instagram famous because they post about it. We like what we like, and I like wearing makeup, and am totally okay with shouting that out loud, or you know, posting about it on social media. I might not be the best contourer in Canada, but I sure do have fun trying to learn, and isn’t that all that matters? I think so! So next time you’re with your gal-pals and anything makeup related comes up, just be a little mindful of the comments you’re making, you might not realize how discouraging it can be. Oh and let’s not make assumptions, you know what they say when you assume…

My Journey of Homeownership

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March 6th is a special day for my husband and I; a day that will forever be an important reminder of becoming responsible adults. On this day in 2014, my husband and I received the keys to our very first home! No more living in school residences, no more renting apartments, no more living with our parents! It’s true, on March 6th 2014 we officially became homeowners. What a magical, scary, exciting, and fascinating leap into such a common yet new journey. Let’s climb aboard the memory train and revisit the fascinating process that is buying a home…

In 2013 when my Dad suddenly passed away, there were many emotions that I was trying to process on a daily basis. Not even 6 months prior, I had just moved back home from Kingston after completing my Masters degree and was looking to start my career in the field of education. The plan was to stay at home for a bit, but my boyfriend (now husband) was going to move in with us, as we were planning to do some renovations which included finishing the basement and making a livable space down there. Picking out flooring, paint colours and planning out how to makeover some of the spaces in the house was an intriguing and exciting process. In the short time between August 2012 and February 2013, we had made considerable progress; brand new laminate flooring throughout the entire house (wow, ripping up carpet is NOT fun), updated fresh paint colours in every room, and some new furniture for the living room, dining room and kitchen. The short time we had to experience these homeownership-like tasks was preparing us for real homeownership, we just didn’t know it at the time.

Looking back at those 6 months now, it is evident to me how vital that time was in getting my husband and I ready for owning our own home. Since it was our idea to do the renovations, we had paid for all of them ourselves; scary yet necessary. We were fully prepared to stay in that house for a few years and live alongside my Dad, but still contribute to the home in the form of paying some bills, part of the mortgage etc. It really was going to be a trial period of homeownership. However, as the saying goes, life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans…

My Dad’s passing in February of 2013 was complicated, and it’s still hard to find the right words to describe just what I was feeling. There are a lot of details that need to be worked out when someone passes away, and while most of that responsibility was left to my eldest brother, there was still a lot of things to figure out and decisions to be made. One of the most pressing decisions was of course, what we were going to do with the house. I won’t go into the legal matters, but basically there was a choice to be made about staying in the house or moving out. For many reasons, not just financial ones, we had decided that the best thing to do was to sell my Dad’s house and proceed with the next steps… getting pre-approved for a mortgage!

We’ve all had those moments when we’ve thought about our spending habits and have had that self-talk about needing to buckle down and put more money away for your future. All these conversations come back in one giant wave when you’re about to meet with the bank to discuss your mortgage options. Yeah, I never imagined at 25 that I would need to be sitting down to discuss a mortgage, especially since I just graduated post-secondary again and yeah, I had a lot of debt. The funny thing about going to the bank to talk about your finances is that you take yourself on a rollercoaster of emotions; at least I did. I always thought I had a good handle on my savings, spending, and was on the right track with my responsibilities — and I was and STILL am — but WOW do you ever doubt yourself when you have to talk about signing you name to an agreement with the bank for hundreds of thousands of dollars. When you finally do sit down and get the green light to spend “x” amount of dollars on your new home, the nerves simmer down a bit and the fun part can truly begin.

It didn’t take us long to determine what we really wanted in our first home, and we knew that a fixer-upper or older home wasn’t it, at least not right now. Within about a week, we had narrowed our choice down to two different new-build subdivisions: one in Innisfil and one in Alliston. Even as it was happening, the decision seemed very simple and it just felt right. On March 23rd, 2013 we officially gave our deposit and signed our papers, oh, and we also got to put that symbolic dot on the builder map; that means that lot belongs to you! Wahoo!!

For the next several months, there were many decisions to be made and while they were overwhelming at times, they were all quite exhilarating. Choosing everything from flooring to cupboards, to fixtures, to where to put those cable outlets and how high you want your breakfast bar, nothing can really prepare you for making the right decisions other than experience (coupled with some valuable and truthful advice from people who have done this before). It is fascinating to think that when all is said and done, my husband and I had a lot of choice in shaping how our house was going to turn out. Piecing together the look of your home, your very first home, was such an unforgettable experience. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I was nervous how it would all turn out, would that countertop really look good with those cupboards? This was a huge deal, and we were pouring a lot of money into this, we didn’t want to mess it up. Pride of ownership is a very real thing, and I always have high expectations for myself, so this process was no different. There were definitely times where we questioned if we made the right choices, but at the same time, when you go to a showroom and stare at tile for 3 hours they begin to all look alike; at some point you go home and a few days pass and you forget what the tile even looked like altogether. Now is not the time to panic… bahahah!

Months go by and you continue to give deposit and after deposit, and the odd time you try to drive to the subdivision to check on the progress of your home (and perhaps sneak inside-even though you’re absolutely not supposed to do this). One time (very close to my Dad’s birthday in December), we drove to go see the progress of our house. At this point, our neighbours house on the corner lot was non existent, so we pulled up and immediately our jaws dropped to the floor. All that brick and all those windows, even those doors, those were OUR bricks, OUR windows and OUR doors! I remember looking at my husband in the driver’s seat and a tear or two started to fall from my eyes. I really couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and that in a few months, we were going to be homeowners! All those deposits and all that money was REALLY being put towards something, and so far that something was INCREDIBLE.

The months continued to pass and the closer we got to March 6th, the more heightened the hype became. We were able to do a complete walkthrough of our home to ensure that all the appropriate items we had requested (and paid extra for in some cases) were included. We also had to do a thorough check to make sure that nothing was forgotten (like a waterline for the refrigerator, for example). Before we knew it, it was days before we were set to get the keys. Anyone who has ever bought a home from a builder before can tell you that sometimes your home won’t close on time. Sometimes there are delays with materials or the work in finalizing everything for your home. Luckily, when March 6th arrived and we received a call from our lawyer, the keys were ready to be retrieved and we could officially step through the doors of our very first home!

When I reflect on all the steps it took getting to that day, I cannot help but feel immense appreciation and humility. My husband and I always understood that not everyone has the privilege of being able to buy a home, yet alone a brand new build; especially in their mid-20s and in today’s society. We are very lucky and blessed. With that being said, there is also a part of us that knows we worked very hard to get to where we are today, and due to some unfortunate circumstances, had to make some big decisions in such little time; all of these factor into how our life takes its shape. Since moving into our home in 2014 we have had the opportunity to celebrate many of life’s milestones and special moments here: our engagement, getting ready the morning of our wedding, birthdays, anniversaries, halloween parties, gatherings with friends and family, introducing new furry family members and so much more!

As we sat at the dinner table this evening, my husband and I discussed some of our first memories of walking into our home for the very first time. It is remarkable how quickly 5 years can go by, yet so much has happened. Not a day goes by where we don’t take a moment and think about how much we value being homeowners, no matter how stressful or uncertain it can be sometimes. We continue to take pride in our ownership and make our house a home built for us. Whether it’s what decor sits in each room, the paint colours, the backsplash for the kitchen, or completely finishing our basement into a pretty wicked hangout space, we’ve really enjoyed every part of the journey. Oh, and so much learning along the way…

Since 2017, I have been working alongside my brother and sister-in-law in Real Estate and have learned so much more about home ownership, housing, buying vs renting, and many other real estate topics. While there is still always things to learn, I am even more thankful for having the opportunity to work alongside them because it has allowed me to be more critical in my thinking and decisions about my own home and potential homes in the future. In addition, having people you love and trust who are also super knowledgeable makes everything much better. I can say with confidence that my understanding of owning a home (and all it’s steps/processes) is on the rise with each passing month and experience, and for this I am ever appreciative.

“A House is Made of Walls & Beams, A Home is Made of Love & Dreams”

Experiencing Blue Mountain’s Scandinave Spa

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Earlier this week I had the privilege of taking a day off work in the middle of the week to experience a day of tranquillity and ultimate relaxation with my husband, as we ventured to the Scandinave Spa at Blue Mountain.

Back in June of 2018, I turned 30 and was generously gifted with a gift card to experience the Scandinave Spa. It was very exciting to not only receive such a gift but also to be able to find out what all the hype was regarding the Scandinave Spa. I have never before experienced a massage, honestly, the thought of one sounded lovely but in many ways, I was also a tad nervous. Anyone who knows me knows that I rarely am nervous, but I am incredibly ticklish and jumpy so the thought of a massage sometimes made me feel uncomfortable; yes, the total opposite of how a massage is supposed to make you feel. Nevertheless, it was always something I wanted to try, and now I had all the more reason to give it a shot.

For those of you who do not know, the Scandinave Spa in Blue Mountain is a unique hydrotherapy experience offering guests a variety of massage therapy options as well as outdoor spas, hot springs, saunas, etc. As their website explains,

“Hydrotherapy as an effective way of releasing tensions in both the mind and the body is an ancient practice that dates back thousands of years. The cycle of hot-cold-relax is proven to both energize and rest the body, improving blood circulation and activating the lymphatic system to help detoxification. It also actively promotes the release of endorphins, also known as the “well-being hormones”. Revived. Body & Mind.”

With it being -20 degrees Celcius, what better time to try out an outdoor spa than in February? Oh, Canada! Well, truth be told, as I mentioned before, I was gifted with the certificate to the spa in June, and the goal was for my husband and me to go in August (around our wedding anniversary), but to no surprise, the spa books up months and months in advance. Finding a weekend timeslot is next to impossible unless you book months ahead or there is a cancellation. However, everyone told us that the spa was really enjoyable in the winter, but I am sure is amazing year round, so we were not discouraged about not going in the warmer months, we really just wanted to go!

After having to change our spa day about 2 or 3 times due to scheduling conflicts, illness etc. we finally were able to go this past Tuesday. A few days leading up to the spa day, my husband caught a really nasty flu (from me) and he had a lingering cough that didn’t seem to want to go away. Worried that we might have to cancel AGAIN, we tried our best to make sure he was well rested and taking the appropriate medications to kiss that cough bye-bye. He was getting better and better the closer we got to Tuesday, so we were once again hopeful that we finally were going to the Spa. Monday morning rolled around and Simcoe County (and surrounding area) was hit with a nasty snow storm. Yeah, nasty is putting it lightly… the major highways were closed, schools even closed, and wind gusts up to 80km/hr with 15cm of snowfall. Did I mention the Spa is in Blue Mountain (Collingwood, Ontario) That’s an important detail…

We live just over an hour away from Collingwood, and the only way to get there was to travel through this snowmageddon that was happening. I was confident that the driving conditions would improve overnight and come Tuesday morning, the drive would be a lot less messy and we wouldn’t be risking our lives all in the name of a day at the spa. When Tuesday morning arrived, we took our time and gave ourselves plenty of extra time to arrive. Our massages were not until 11:30 anyway, so we did have ample time to get there. After travelling through mild drifting snow, we pulled up to the spa ready for a day of quiet and relaxation.

Upon checking in, we were each given a set of towels as well as a robe, and we made our way down the steps into the changerooms. Each changeroom is equipped with showers, a coatroom, lockers and ample changing space with vanities. The spa does not allow cellphone use, so you have to lock up your phone with your clothes; which makes for the ultimate unplugging and relaxation experience. Honestly, it was really great to unwind and not worry about checking emails, Facebook, or Instagram. After changing for our massage, we met on the other end of the changerooms and headed toward the Massage Rooms.

To my surprise, I survived the massage with little to no ticklish moments. The therapist explained that he would be applying medium intensity and would work any problem areas at my request. To no surprise, I found my shoulders to have the most tension and this section was the most painful, but it was a good pain! The only really ticklish part was my feet, but that was expected considering I can’t make it through a pedicure without laughing! I noticed a difference immediately after the massage was over, and I definitely need to treat myself to one more often.

After our 60 minute massage, we changed into our swimsuits and headed outside. First, we went to the sauna, followed by hot baths and we even ventured into the cold plunge baths as part of the hot-cold-relax circuit. One of the best parts of the day was being in a serene, peaceful and relaxing atmosphere for most of the day; you don’t realize how much you really need the quiet and calm until the day is done.

While the day at the spa is pricey, it definitely is worthwhile to treat yourself and have a beautiful, relaxing day with your partner. My husband and I were very appreciative to have that experience together, as we have been together for 14 years and still love finding new things to do together. I’d love to revisit the spa, perhaps next time for a girls day? Whose coming with me?

Thanks for reading my blog. For more information on the Scandinave Spa check out their website:
https://www.scandinave.com/blue-mountain/en/experience-blue-mountain/

Discovering Disney Springs

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While on my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, my friend and I took a day off from the parks to visit the highly anticipated Disney Springs. For those who don’t know, Disney Springs, formally known as Downtown Disney is a massive outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment hub. While there are many Disney themed shops, there are also several other stores not affiliated with Disney whatsoever. There is so much to do and see here, and lots of money to be spent (if you’re not careful) and I will give you a rundown of just how our day was spent discovering Disney Springs.

After 3 long consecutive days at the parks, Saturday was a much-needed sleeping-in day and a day which we needed to simply go at a slower, less scheduled pace. While I mentioned before that I don’t pre-plan a ton of my trip when I go to the parks, with dining reservations and fast passes, you are bound by some sort of time keeping a schedule for part of the day; yet none of that was happening today! We were able to sleep in and get a good rest, and we didn’t head over to Disney Springs until about 1 o’clock in the afternoon.

Our View at Lunch Time

Upon arrival, we headed to D-Luxe Burger restaurant for lunch. This is a coined as a family-friendly spot for burgers and fries in a rustic atmosphere (though there is plenty of outdoor seating overlooking the water and other shops). For about $30 you get two gourmet burgers loaded with toppings, a generously sized fries for sharing, and two beverages. Of course, my friend and I shared this combo. D-Luxe also offers this delicious garlic-mayo for dipping; it was so good! They will cook your burger to your liking whether that is medium rare or well done etc. It was a really gorgeous day, so we definitely took advantage of eating outside; probably the nicest weather of the whole trip, a high of about 24 degrees Celcius.

After lunch, we began to walk about the docks at Disney Springs and check out the shops. Of course, instant favourites of ours were: Market Place Co-Op, Star Wars Galactic Outpost, Disney Pin Traders, Candy Cauldron, World of Disney, Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop (yes we snagged some delicious ice cream and free chocolate samples!), Disney Style, and Ever After Jewelry Co. & Accessories. Unfortunately, Saturday was the day where I was feeling ill, and quite frankly, couldn’t really take advantage of all that Disney Springs had to offer because we had to leave a little earlier than we had planned. Nevertheless, we did have great success shopping! I was able to score a fantastic Star Wars sequence jacket & a Loungefly Star Wars bag; I had limited myself to only 2 items for the trip so I was really happy to find these.

There really is so much to do and see at Disney Springs; they have a movie theatre as well as live entertainment, mini golf, and so much more. When the weather is great, it is so easy to spend the whole day roaming the grounds and checking out all the shops and stops. I know that many people take 2 or 3 days out of their trip to explore Disney Springs, and it is easy to see why. Luckily, we were able to return to Disney Springs on the last day of our trip to do a few more things and indulge in Sprinkles Cupcakes! I would say that the shops at Springs offered some items you couldn’t find in the parks, which was nice to see. On that same note, if there was something you saw at the park you absolutely wanted but didn’t get, it is not guaranteed that you will be able to pick it up at Disney Springs. One way to check for sure is to ask a Castmember (Disney World employee) at the park if the item is available anywhere else; they have a handy app that tells them where the items are located. Also, on your My Disney Experience App, under the shopping section, you can look for items by name or franchise and the map will show you what other locations have it. For example, if you absolutely need that Mary Poppins bag, the app will tell you if you can get it at Epcot, Magic Kingdom or Disney Springs. Keep it in mind, next time you’re searching for something but remember that technology isn’t perfect. For example, the app didn’t say that my bag was available at Disney Springs, and it was! So sometimes you gotta roll the dice or take your chances; you may be in for a surprise.

Before you head to Disney Springs, check out their website for a list of all the shops and entertainment events going on. I recommend planning out at least a few of the things you want to see, and getting an idea of where they are located in relevance to each other. For dinner, almost every place requires reservations, so keep this in mind. You can call ahead, or use the Open Table website to look at some available timeslots (if any). Last, but certainly not least, have a budget! It’s so easy to get caught up in everything Disney Springs has to offer, but you don’t want to break the bank doing so!


Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for my next blog on our adventures in the Animal Kingdom.

Pinkies Up: A Tea-Time Appreciation Post

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Once upon a time, I only drank tea when I was feeling under-the-weather or dealing with an unhappy digestive system or an upset stomach. I never envisioned that one day I would open my kitchen cupboard to find a plethora of tins and canisters filled with assorted flavours of loose leaf and bagged tea. Like most things, my appreciation for tea did not happen overnight. Oh, and yes, I will tell you the tale of how I came to really enjoy having a cup of tea, at almost any time of day.

As I said above, I only ever drank tea to soothe any uneasy feelings I might have been experiencing, or if I was sick. As someone who never really enjoyed hot beverages anyway (I am not a coffee drinker nor do I enjoy hot apple cider or anything like that), whenever I was offered a beverage, it hardly was a warm one, and if it was, it was hot chocolate. In my house, tea was always readily available, and my mom often drank tea and so did our guests. I recall having the typical varieties like Orange Pekoe, Earl Grey, Chamomile, Green, Peppermint, and English Breakfast. Now I know you avid tea drinkers are reading this thinking about all the different varieties under those I just listed, and I understand there are also subcategories like brands as well as loose-leaf tastes vs pre-bagged, but I am trying to keep it simple for the sake of this blog. Anyway, exposure to tea was not the issue, it was simply a matter of preference.

When I ventured off to university, many of my friends and classmates would bring Thermus’ filled with coffee or tea to classes, more often than not, as going to school in North Bay means you’re basically in the cold the whole entire school year. The odd time, a friend and I would head over to Twiggs and grab a small snack and a beverage, but even still I rarely chose tea, and if I did, it was always under the category of Green Tea. I always understood that there was such an assortment of tea flavours, and depending on whether you wanted green, herbal, black, white, oolong, or whatever, that list got more complex. One could really get lost in all the choices, and picking the wrong kind over and over again could really leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Alas, the university days were over and I tea still wasn’t my go-to beverage but there were people in my life who really wanted it to be…

Finding something you love and wanting to share that experience with those around you is something we all do from time to time, so friends of mine who really enjoyed tea (and the oh-so-many selections to choose from) often encouraged me to try all sorts of options; especially on those late night hangouts while we were playing board games or watching movies. By 2015, I had started branching off and trying new flavours like fruit flavoured teas, but I wasn’t ready to indulge in flavours like S’Mores or Popcorn; those are foods, not beverages, how could they possibly make sipping them as good as munching them? How unnecessary…

In 2016 a friend and I had been talking about some things we wanted to try for the new year that we had never done before. One of the things on both our minds was trying new foods and food-like experiences. I expressed to my friend that a co-worker of mine was telling me all about her High Tea experience when she was visiting England with a friend over the summer, and it sounded very intriguing. She agreed that she would love to go, and so we made it happen.

As someone who wasn’t well versed in the tea game, experiencing High Tea was enjoyable for many reasons. First, the lady who ran the tea-shop was very friendly and was able to describe and explain the types of tea she offered in a way that was simple to follow and easy to match up your preferred tastes. Secondly, the atmosphere of High Tea really brought to life why tea-time was such a lovely experience: having a pot of tea alongside some finger foods and good company in a quiet setting was soothing for the soul. Seriously. Most of us don’t realize how little time we take to take to stop and eat, drink, and socialize – in a calmer, cozier atmosphere than at the restaurant chain down the street. The experience of High Tea allowed me to really be present in the conversations we were having and to really savour and relish in the different types of foods and snacks; it was such a well-rounded experience for me as a whole.

As the months went by, I decided I would try a new flavour of tea at least once a month. I realize as I write this that it would have been helpful to have written down all the new flavours I have tried, but once you start branching out, you really begin to develop a sense of what you do like or prefer. It might sound odd to some of you reading this, but the trial of High Tea reaffirmed the importance of giving something another chance; like an old hobby or pastime, what once was could once again be something beloved, simply by trying again (oh-and having the right company too- this one plays more of a role than you might think). A few of us even began hosting our own versions of High Tea time, and it was tea-lightful (look, a pun!)

A year and some has gone by since my first High Tea experience, and I am pleased to say that I have had the opportunity to experience many more, including a special High Tea at Casa Loma in Toronto! Appreciation for tea time was carried over to home, as the home collection of tea selection began to grow. I began to buy some take-home boxes or tins of the teas I tried during these High Tea experiences, and then I finally started paying closer attention to the tea aisle at the grocery store and even began walking into David’s Tea shops at my local malls. Before I knew it, tea fever had already begun to spread, and the cupboard was filling up with teas galore!

I encourage you, even if you don’t care for tea too often to try a High Tea at least once; there are more options around you than you might think and each experience is totally different. If that isn’t your cup of tea, (yes another pun!) then perhaps you can stop by your local tea shop and try a cup by random, tea roulette could be kinda fun?

By no means am I a tea sommelier. I cannot offer any advice on what are the best teas for “beginners” and I can’t say that I have even begun to get the brewing temperature and timing just right; it really is a process and such a science! But I can honestly say that tea has become quite enjoyable for me, and it too was a process. Sometimes, I still find the choices to be overwhelming and find myself sticking to similar realms of flavours; anything with peach seems to be golden for me! With such a collection growing in my cupboard, every time a friend comes over and wants a cup of tea, my hope is that they are inspired by the selection to try something new, or perhaps partake in one of their favourites. And if not, that’s okay too!

Is there something you never really cared for in the past that you now really enjoy?