Well, it’s that time of year again: after holiday chaos we have already flung full steam ahead into the new year! As is typical for us, we like to use this time of year for reflecting about the past year and looking to the year ahead. Before we dive in to our 2022 reflections and 2023 wishes, let’s share a quick holiday recap!

Holiday Reflections

We were very fortunate to take a family vacation this year for Christmas (right before Christmas, actually). Having never gone away anywhere tropical for the holidays, and having never been on a big international family vacation either – this was a lot of firsts for us! We spent a week in Mexico at all-inclusive resort just north of Cancun. You can expect a full blog post to come soon with all of the details, but for now, I’ll say it was quite the experience! We had a lot of fun and definitely enjoyed soaking up the sunshine.

Unfortunately, most of us did get sick on the trip at some point. I was sick towards the very end of the trip and was very glad to be coming back to BC to get some more rest. We were delayed an extra day which would up working out okay. Unfortunately, my cousins who were flying back to Vancouver were delayed for a number of days and weren’t super happy about that. All in all, it worked out in the end. I am glad that we did a big family vacation and got to spend so much time together!

Once I did get back in Canada, I was still sick for a few days and decided to test for COVID to be on the safe side. I didn’t think I had it, but to my surprise I tested positive – Merry Christmas to me lol! Since I was positive for COVID, our Christmas went a bit sideways. We had to cancel plans and lay low at home. Though I wasn’t super sick at this point, I still spent the rest of the week doing much of the same, laying low while I continued to test positive.

As we approached New Years Eve, I was still faintly testing positive, so we had a very low-key New Years at home. We didn’t do anything major, just had some appies and watched the ball drop on TV, then went to bed. Though it wasn’t exactly the holiday festivities I had imagined, it was still good overall and I definitely had a lot of time to rest. I am thankfully now testing negative and in the clear as we progress into January!

Reflecting on 2022

I’m heading back to Toronto in a couple of days, and while I’m still on vacation, I wanted to take the time to continue to reflect on the past year. 2022 has certainly been a wild one for me. After the bumpy road that was 2021, particularly towards the end of the year, I went into 2022 truly hoping for only two things: healing and happiness. The year started off a bit rough and I focused very much on the healing aspect, eating healthy and working out. Things moved slowly for awhile during this time, until I started truly thinking about changing jobs. I had been contemplating that for awhile, since late 2021, and things really started to take fruition in about April/May. From there, it was a frenzy of trips and job interviews and having to make really big decisions.

I finally made the leap to accept a new job in June, which was when I left UBC. For July, I had the month off, and started my new job in August – which involved a big cross-country move to Toronto!! I would definitely say that was one of the most wild parts of my year for sure. In the middle of all this, I also decided I was going to pursue my dream of publishing my book, and signed on with The Self Publishing Agency. The rest of my year included settling in to life in Toronto, a lot of travel in the US for work, and some family trips as well. It has definitely been quite the whirlwind!

Though I definitely feel I have more settling in to do in Toronto still, I am glad that I focused so much on the healing aspect of the past year. It was absolutely necessary for me to continue to move forward. Writing, sharing my story and working on my book was a very big part of that process. I am looking forward to sharing the book with all of you soon! I hope it will be as helpful in your healing journey as writing it has been in mine.

Looking Ahead to 2023

As we head into 2023, I am hoping to focus even more on the ‘happiness’ side of things. That is my word, so to speak, for the year and I am very excited to be focusing on happiness! One big thing that will be coming down the pipes this year is my book, set to release in Spring 2023!!! 😀 That will be massive and I cannot wait for you all to be a part of it. I also know that travel will continue to be a big part of my life for 2023, which I am very excited about as well. I have a feeling that 2023 is going to be the best year yet!

Thank you for continuing to join me on this journey. Can’t wait to have you along for the ride! Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and the best 2023. xoxo, C. ♥️