Oh hey there! We’ve got some catching up to do! The fall was a pretty busy time for me with my Europe trip and then life and work taking off in full force as soon as I touched down. A bit of a head spinner tbh. The holidays allowed me the opportunity to catch up and look back on the past few months, so here’s a little recap.
September
I spent almost the entire month travelling around Europe! It was a beauty of a trip. Still find it amazing that I have finally visited all these different places. 🙂 You can read about it here.
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About a week after I returned, Jenna landed from London, surprising her family during a break between new jobs. Her lovely return meant that the four of us got to visit each other as a group! Yay! We spent the night eating, laughing, eating more and laughing more. We also tried to grab a nice group shot but weren’t very successful… this pile of photos captures us well. #girlsquad
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Through TELUS’ partnership with the David Foster Foundation I attended the foundations annual miracle gala and concert with couple Toronto influences Sonya and Joel. The foundation is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to providing financial support for non-medical expenses to Canadian families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants. Entertainers for the night included David Foster, Stevie Wonder, Michael Bolton, Peter Cetera, Sinbad, and Kieza and the event raised $6.5 million! Woah!
Stevie Wonder! DavidFosterFDN @TELUS #givewherewelive https://t.co/KzdZ9ZSPDI
— Sacha Gudmundsson (@sachagud) September 27, 2015
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Before the month wrapped up we got together with Jose to grab some dinner, catch up and ensure that he made the monthly wrap 😉 haha
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October
Matthew and I planned a quick little getaway for our anniversary and made our way to Prince Edward County. We found a lovely Airbnb on the bay which felt like home with a great view of the sunset and the only thing missing was a fire pit. Before settling in for the night we drove through Belleville, stopping at Dewe’s to grab dinner supplies. Probably because I’ve been living in the city now, but Belleville felt so much smaller than I remembered it being.
We spent the weekend exploring the County, stopping by the old house and visiting my old neighbours. I also had a chance to catch up with Amelia and her dad when we stopped by Campbell’s Orchard which was nice.
We then drove over to Wellington checking out the free beach and then into Bloomfield. We stopped at Hand Works which has been my favourite shop since I was about 12. I think since almost my first visit to the store I’ve been saying how I’d love to run a shop like that at some point in my life.
We had a quick stop at Lake on the Mountain, grabbed a drink before heading back into Picton for a snack. Such a lovely visit in my old neck of the woods and really nice to share it with Matthew.
https://www.instagram.com/p/8bqWhtrSmr/
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Thanksgiving meant a trip home to my parents for a very vegan meal 🙂 The Habs were playing and Matthew convinced my mom to wear a jersey and cheer them on.
Before making our way back to the city we went for a hike on the Bruce Trail. A fantastically lovely way to spend the afternoon.
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On Thanksgiving Monday, Matthew and I took advantage of the advanced voting days and we got our vote on. Because democracy rocks.
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The week after we voted the campaign trial brought Justin Trudeau to our neck of the woods. Andrew gave me a tip off the night before, so I knew that he’d be down the street bright and early and since I was working from home I decided to go and catch a glimpse of the future (now current) prime minister.
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We moved! Surprise for those of you who didn’t know. We didn’t move far, just down the street but now we have room to breath and a fab kitchen to boot. Woo! We’re also much closer to Matthew’s family which means a lot more family time 🙂
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November
Toronto hosted the ISU World Cup Short Track competition in November and we went as a family to catch the festivities. A bonus was that we saw a few familiar faces from our days at the rinks. It was especially nice to catch up with Laura and Nicole from our hometown team.
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I stopped by Apiecalypse Now and it’s amazing. Really, I just needed to include this so any vegan friendly friends in the city who haven’t had a slice yet were aware. So delicious! Such yummy yummy pizza! I’m salivating thinking about it now.
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Dr. Matt came to town and we got together with Keltie like good old times! It had been a few years since we caught up. We had a nice lunch at Fresh followed by coffee chats in Kensignton. Ah, such lovely people! #ops09
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Halldóra and Irina came to town from Iceland for a quick, mid-week visit and I was very happy to see them. We went out for dinner and had a nice catch-up after having not seen each other for a couple of years. There’s something special about these folks.
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As the saying goes “when it rains, it pours.” Two weeks after Halldóra and Irina visited, Helgi and his friends Arnar and Hákon touched down in Toronto for a weekend visit. I spent the Saturday touring them around the city grabbing breakfast at Frans, walking around Kensington, China Town, a trip up the CN Tower, St. Lawrence Market, drinks at C’est What, nachos at Sneaky Dees and drinks at Cameron House. Fun times sharing the city 🙂
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I had a bit of a stressful November for a handful of reasons and this little chicken helped keep me calm. I’ve never had a pet before and to be honest, I never really understood why people like having animals around, but dang, Cap is a really great furry friend to have.
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December
I needed to get out of the city so I hopped on a train to visit my parents. The Saturday morning just happened to be one of my favourite Burlington activities – the Santa 5K! The first time I saw it I thought it was so ridiculous yet also very amazing. So many people dressed up like Santa in one place. Fantastic.
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I had a week of vacation to use up before the year wrapped up so I planned myself a little staycation. I walked around the city a bunch and had a nice visit from my mom.
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I finished up my Icelandic Shawl that I was gifted when Halldóra and Irina came to town. Such a lovely shawl that I’m very proud to sport.
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Matthew invited his co-workers over for a Christmas dinner and we pulled out all the fixings – turkey, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, salad, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and apple crisp for dessert.
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Christmas Eve was an absolutely beautiful day. I took advantage of the sunny skies by taking a walk by the water before we hopped in the car and made our way out to my parents for the Christmas festivities. I haven’t been the biggest Christmas fan in the past, but it’s starting to grow on me. It’s just nice to spend it with family, relaxing and unplugged. It was a really nice couple of days. 🙂
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So! Matthew watched Cowspiracy and decided he wanted to join me on this vegan train! I was happily surprised when he told me about his decision. I had never watched the documentary before so we watched it together. It’s pretty shocking stuff. Anyways, now we’re cooking and eating the same diet which is really great for meal planning and going out to restaurants. 🙂
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Matthew and I rang in the new year hitting up a couple familiar haunts in the city for drinks and dinner at Porter House. We made a chilly toast to what was and what will be down by the beach. Pretty fab year, here’s to another!
Just delightful as always. I thought my life
Was exciting, but this, wow or vá as they
Say in Icerock.
Hope the Brekkukot folks had a great time.
Take care.
Gamli