2013 in Review

2013 was one of the best years yet. This was the first time that I truly began to feel like Toronto was “home”, and not just some intermediate-living-place that I was just a student in. I settled down here, didn’t take off to Niagara for weekends as much, and began to build a life in the city. I took two business trips to NYC, and spent time working there this summer. I had lots of visitors while there, which made the time go by super fast. With my career plan finally figured out, I began to settle even more into Toronto life. I had regular girls’ nights and couples’ nights with friends, tried out some great new restaurants, and cooked a ton. We travelled to Newfoundland and Prince Edward County, and I flew to Ottawa to visit April. In my 3L year, I wrote the MPRE. I worked part-time during school, and still managed to find the time to see Chris 3-4 nights a week. All in all, I think it was a good balance. In 2014, I’m determined to soak up the last semester of student life, enjoy the free time, savour the flexible schedule, and try new things that scare me. Here are some of the highlights, in no particular order! Happy New Year xo!

December Round-Up

December was a busy month all around. I was immersed in final exams, Chris got a really bad cold/flu, and then had to write a big exam. We kind of traded off in the stress department.  There were definitely some high-lights though, like my work Christmas parties at Scarpetta and L’Unita, sushi nights with John and Irene, Broughie Christmas, and receiving my “thanks for staying in Toronto/I love you” gift from Chris: a Kate Spade purse!

This was my go-to hairstyle for Christmas parties this month.

I scored this brocade dress at H&M for $30 and wore it to all my work parties.

Mom and Dad visited for an afternoon and we popped in and out of all the decor/Christmas shops in Rosedale!

Kate, in all her glory. My mom and Jacquie now have matching purses! Thanks Kate Spade

Fall Fashion

Living on what is arguably Canada’s best shopping street has its pluses and minuses. On the plus side, I’m constantly reminded of what’s in style – on the minus side, I’m constantly tempted to shop for these stylish pieces. Take today, for instance. On my walk home from school, I casually slipped in and out of shops on Bloor and ended up spending too much for my own good. So much for my fall budget. There are four main items, however, that I’ve seen out and about that I’m really loving for fall this year:

1. The lumberjack-ess scarf

2. The baby blue cable knit sweater

3. The pony-hair leopard print flat

4. The structured red cross-body satchel

Today I crossed off numbers 2 and 3 from my list, and am hoping to find a structured red satchel soon (or at least in time for my trip to Ottawa!). I feel like with these four pieces, my existing wardrobe will be infused with a bit of “this season” magic, without having to break the bank.

September Round-up

September seemed to have came and went in a flurry. Although I felt a bit stressed out this month getting back into the rhythm of school and work after having a month off of holidays, we definitely made some great memories in between. 

Some of my favourites include playing Cards Against Humanity with Karen, Ben, Amanda, and Chris… BBQing home-made burgers on my rooftop and eating them snuggled up in hoodies overlooking my pretty city…attending a book signing with Chris’ culinary idol, Chef Michael Smith…taking Kendra and Maxx to Centreville with my parents…apple picking with Chris’ niece and nephews…digging into a decadent brunch at the Farmhouse Tavern…and discovering my love for Aroma Espresso Bar and their delicious cappuccinos.

Here’s hoping that October brings some more great memories and *fingers crossed* some sweater weather so that I can finally dig out my favourite fisherman’s sweaters and leather boots!

Courtney and Camellia take Toronto

Courtney and Camellia came to Toronto for the weekend to celebrate Court's new job and my 27th! We kicked things off with wine and prezzies at my place. I gave Court Sheryl Sandberg's book, "Lean In", which is arguably one of the most influential books I've ever read. I think it's a must-read for any career-oriented woman! Court gave me a beautiful silver bracelet and nail polish, and Cam gave me some loose-leaf David's tea! Love these girls. After getting dolled up we walked over to Museum Tavern on Bloor. We celebrated with carefully-chosen cocktails served in tiki cups, steak frites, duck pierogies, and white fish tostadas. Yummm. You can never go wrong with Museum Tavern. After dinner we walked over to Yorkville for dessert and coffee at Ciao Wine Bar and some cocktails at a nearby patio. Since it was the opening weekend of the Toronto International Film Festival (tiff), Yorkville was packed with people. We saw Mark McEwan (the chef commonly on the Food Network, who owns Bymark and North 44 in Toronto), but no other celeb sightings.

The next morning we headed over to Wish for brunch. While Wish is my favourite restaurant in Toronto, it seriously disappointed me this time - first my pork hash was barely edible, and then the replacement dish (a standard breakfast) was served on a very dirty plate. Needless to say our waitress was very apologetic and gave me the brunch for free, but I was so disappointed with my fave place! C'mon Wish, smarten up. 

Court and Cam shared the Nutella french toast as a side dish! Looked so yum.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, shopping, and people-watching. We saw Lala Anthony at Holt Renfrew, and then walked over to Yorkville for some champagne, molten chocolate, and macarons at Moroco Chocolat. The perfect girls weekend!

Home Sweet Home!

Being back in Toronto is a dream! Seriously, I'm in love with this city...and my life in this city. Here's a quick peek at what's been going on since I've been back:

- Enjoying Summerlicious with Chris' parents at The Fifth Grille (such a fun night)

- Brunching with Yvonne at Insomnia (accidental twins, as per usual)

- Drinking fruity sangria with Meghan as we look through her Domino home decor book

- Meeting Karen, Ben, and Meghan at C'est What for Huggie Bears and beer

- Gazing at this pretty view all day

 - Trying hard to stretch my work wardrobe by creating new work outfits every day (never wear the same thing twice!)
 
- Doing some home improvement projects with Chris

- Watching Kendra and Maxx tear it up on the soccer field

Of note, I have not been shopping in Toronto since I've been back. I came home from NY and almost had a heart attack after seeing how many clothes I own. My goal is not to buy any clothes (except gear for our upcoming trip to Newfoundland), until September. Think I can do it? No more Winners or Marshall's trips. I think I went a tad crazy in NY and after exams, and have enough clothes for a lifetime. Can't believe I just typed that, ha!

I'm also trying to curb my spending a bit, since in NY, I was a bit loose with my wallet. No more mani-pedis for me (when I can do it at home), and no more random coffees daily. My only expense this month has been the subway, and lunches (which I buy at the Petit Four bakery in the food court, and which total $14/day). That seems like a lot, and it is...but it's my only real expense, so I can justify it that way :) I'm saving more than I'm spending, so that's a positive for sure.

One Year

Chris and I celebrated our one-year anniversary on July 12th. After work, we took the subway down to the harborfront, and grabbed a ferry over to Ward's Island (one of the Toronto islands). As the ferry made its way through the calm waters of Lake Ontario, we looked back on the skyline and the setting sun. The Toronto skyline is, in my opinion, the prettiest in the world.

When we arrived on the island, we wandered along a dirt road until we found the perfect spot for our anniversary picnic - a cute little bench nestled in a cove, with a stunning view of the skyline. Seriously, look at these pictures...it was unreal.


After the bugs cleared, we pulled out the picnic basket. Chris had prepared marinated steak (so tender, so good), with a fresh salad made from home-grown romaine lettuce and basil (and store-bought tomatoes). It was wonderful! We topped the salad with some feta cheese, and munched on olives as we sipped white wine and listened to Mumford & Sons on his new Samsung tablet.

As the sun dipped beneath the city, and the air became cooler, Chris used his camping stove to boil us some water for hot tea. We snacked on a coffee-flavoured dark chocolate bar before making our way back to the dock to catch our own water taxi back to the city. At Union Station we randomly decided to grab a hot-dog from the street meat vendor to eat on the subway, which was so yummy I wish I had gotten two (bun-less, of course).



The perfect anniversary celebration, and so us. I loved it.

Summer’s Here?…Finally?

A blustery and downright chilly Tuesday evening turned into a sunny warm Wednesday morning. I met up with Amanda and, Starbucks in tow, we walked downtown to do some shopping. We had so much fun talking about my upcoming move to New York City, and making plans for her to visit me. When our feet began to ache like crazy due to the newness of sandals, we ducked onto the patio of Fire on the East Side for some lunch. With a Caesar and a caipirinha, we started planning the menu of my BBQ I decided to host on Thursday.

After parting ways with Amanda, I met up with Chris. He whisked me down Bloor Street to Coach and Cole Haan, where he graciously invited me to choose whatever wallet I wanted, as a going away “remember me in NYC” type of gift. Such a sweet man, I have. I chose a black butter leather Cole Haan wallet – classic and functional, and I’ll have it forever. I felt so giddy being able to pick whatever I wanted from the store – I’m pretty sure that is every girl’s dream, right?

Last night I hosted an impromptu rooftop BBQ. Amanda, Chris and I set up shop out at the tables at 5:00 to secure our spots, and we forced Chris to start barbecuing stuff to hold our spot on the grills. Everyone brought something yummy – Karen and Ben brought chips and hamburgers/buns, Amanda made grilled veggies and tofu, Serpy brought home-made guacamole with chips and sliced tomatoes and spinach for the burgers, I made a quinoa salad and had sausages with buns, and Chris made mini roasted potatoes with sour cream and green onions. We feasted. To top it all off, Yvonne brought dark chocolate Haagen Daz for everyone! With full tummies and cold hands, we moved the party back down to the warmth of my suite. Chris and Ben ducked out to the LCBO to grab some more wine (since we heard that the workers are striking on the long weekend). The rest of the evening was spent playing Cranium! I love my friends, and am so lucky to have such a tight-knit group of people here in the city!

This beautiful weekend needed to be blogged about.

So, this post is long over-due, but I feel compelled to blog about this amazing weekend I shared with my bestie April! She came to visit me a couple of months ago (was it that long already?!), and it was great. We started things off with a bang – taking an Uber cab to La Carnita for some tacos. Everyone at work was raving about La Carnita, so I had wanted to try it for quite some time – this was the perfect occasion. As we waited 45 min for our table, we snuck across the street to Shoeless Joes for some wine/Caesars and tried oysters for the first time. We, surprisingly, enjoyed them!

When we finally got in, we ordered more cocktails (caiprinhas and margaritas?) and tacos. I absolutely loved the decor of La Carnita, with “Welcome Gringos” written clearly in penny tiles at the doormat. It was super-loud, but a really fun place to go. The tacos were delish, but the best part was the dessert – home-made chocolate/peanutbutter popsicles. Ohmygodsogood. We couldn’t get enough of those.

The next morning, April curled my stubborn hair into beautiful bouncing waves, and we set off for a day of shopping. We popped into Holt’s Cafe for some nourishment, before checking out Mendocino (where I got my favourite ultra-soft shirts), and the rest of the stores on Bloor.

In the evening, Chris came around and met April for the first time – my boyfriend and my bestie! Two of my fave people and I headed to the Toronto Underground Market (TUM), for some delicious street food. Again, we took an Uber cab. Because we are ballers, and like to track our drivers and know their names. Ha. At TUM, we ate copious amounts of food – everything from Hawaiian chicken, pulled pork sliders, caprese salad skewers, and jerk chicken, to candy apples, meringue, and sugary nuts. It was super cold, but such a fun atmosphere and everyone was so so happy. We had a great time!

The next morning we tracked down a place to get mani-pedis, K Nails & Spa. On our nails we got the paraffin wax treatment, which made our hands baby soft. Then we popped over to Moroco Chocolat to grab some macarons and April treated me to a cappuccino. We sat in the warmth of the Yorkville sun and savoured our macarons while taking too many pictures of these beauties. Macarons are like the precious jewels of the pastry world. So delicate and pretty.

Then it was time for this busy lady to catch her Porter flight back out of Toronto and onto colder climates. There really is nothing better than spending a weekend with your bestie, doing all the girliest things you can think of, and taking way too many Instagram shots of the whole thing