Another Year Has Come and Gone...Goodbye, 2011!

I've been doing some reflecting the past few days - well, the past couple of weeks really - about how I felt about 2011. I can say right off the bat that it definitely wasn't my favourite year, and didn't turn out to be "The Year of Elizabeth...Again". I gave up on that a month or so in and decided I didn't need it to be. I'd save it for the next year. :)

Like 2010, however, 2011 was still a big year of change: change in jobs, living situations, relationships and most of all, change in me. It's funny to look back and think, "This time last year, did I ever expect all the things that have happened to have happened?" This time last year, would I have thought I'd be back living in Newfoundland? Probably not. It wasn't in my plans, but I am glad it happened. There have been a lot of things I've experienced, both good and bad, but it's all added to an eventful year.

And so, enough rambling. Let's do a recap of what 2011 held for this girl:




- Celebrating my 26th Birthday at home with my family and friends in Newfoundland after being away from them for months!

- Getting up at 3am to watch "The Wedding of the Century", the Royal Wedding coverage and ceremony, and having a "Royal Wedding Breakfast" for family and friends!

- Beginning work at one of the most amazing jobs I think I'll ever have: working on a television show for a national television network and meeting some wonderful new friends! 

- Working at CTV definitely had its perks: I got to work the CTV Upfronts and the MMVAs (Much Music Video Awards) and cross paths with lots of amazing musicians, actors and celebrities. It was really neat to see how things work behind the scenes!

- Getting to see Coldplay, one of my favourite bands in concert for the first time, was a real dream come true!








- Having the best weekend of my year with three of my best friends in Toronto. We came from all across the country for 3 days of hilarious chats, exciting wedding dress excursions and lots of dinners and drinks!

- Getting to visit Niagara Falls and Ottawa, two places I haven't been in a long time, to see family and friends before I left Ontario.










- Coming home and beginning work at the place where I started my PR career last year: the best marketing communications agency on the east coast!




So, as you can tell, it's been an eventful year. And after reflecting on all the things I've listed above, maybe it wasn't such a bad year after all!

One of my favourite things to do in life is learn: learn new recipes, learn about a new area of the world, read a new book, visit a new place, try something different. I really believe in living life to the fullest, and I try to practice that in my career and the rest of my life.

2011 was an interesting year, but to be honest, I've been looking forward to 2012 for months, for a number of reasons: My champagne birthday is coming up in March, and since it only happens once in a lifetime, I intend to make it the most memorable birthday of all; one of my best friends is marrying her long-time boyfriend, and her three bridesmaids are myself and our other two friends. A wedding of friends is something to definitely be excited about; I intend to take better care of myself and spend as much time with family and friends as possible, because as I've learned the hard way, you never really know how much time you have left with them.

And so, I can finally say, "So Long, 2011!" You helped me grow and I experience a lot. Here's to 2012, the Year of Elizabeth!

Happy New Year! This will be the best year yet!

"Twenty years from now, you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So sail away from the safe harbour. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Tadaaa! Here's the Latest...

Well, like I'd said, change was a comin', and it came.

The big news is that incase you didn't already know, I've moved from Toronto back to my home in St. John's, Newfoundland. While I loved Toronto, and still do, I felt it was time to come back to Newfoundland for a little while at least, to clear my head and figure out which direction I wanted my life to go in. That included both my personal life and professional life.

I wasn't really sure how long I'd be staying here, but as fate would have it, I ended up getting a job at one of the best PR agencies in Atlantic Canada - it wasn't something I really planned, but when you're trying to figure out your life, having a job offered to you really does help you answer some questions. This job will have me here in Newfoundland again for at least a year, which gives me plenty of time to again, figure out if I want to put down roots here, or make another move to somewhere else in Canada, or even, the world.

I'm looking forward to learning more about the PR industry here in Newfoundland, and becoming familiarized with the community in St. John's, especially social media wise. Toronto is famous for its numerous tweet ups and social media events, and being kind of new to that world here in Newfoundland, I'm still discovering what kinds of things go on here in this smaller city.

Not only that, but I decided it was time to change the look, feel and title of my blog, since I can't really say "I'm Not in Newfoundland Anymore..." because I am. So, time for a fresh, clean slate. And name! Since this blog is about me, why not call it The Elizabeth Files?

Wish me luck as I continue on in my new position at the agency! I know it's going to be a great experience, one I'll take a lot from!

Change is a Comin'

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine said to me it was probably time to change the title of my blog, and that got me thinking. I knew it was time for another update, because there's been a few significant updates in my life over the past couple of months.

And so, here I am, announcing to you, dear reader, that change is a comin' to my blog like it came to my life. Watch this space, 'cause it's about to undergo some remodeling.

Patience. You'll see soon enough! :)

Time for a Change...

Ever since Blogger changed around their templates, I've been struggling to try and update the look of my blog. Sure I've fiddled around with the colours a bit, but I wanted a big change to reflect the big change in my life, of moving to a new city and venturing out on my own.

After much searching, I finally found one that's closer to what I've been looking for! So, welcome to the new ININA! I'll be posting a bit more regularly from now on (I know, I know, I said that before, but sometimes life does get in the way!) about life in the big city, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, why not check out my best friend Meghan's new blog, It's a Colourful Life, where you'll find all kinds of interior decorating tips from an aspiring interior designer!

Have a happy week!

Changes...again.

The past couple of weeks have been pretty crazy.

I posted an entry almost two weeks ago, sharing my excitement over getting an internship here in St. John's. I was loving it; the people, the work I was doing...it was perfect.

Until I went in last Monday morning, and was told by my boss that the company was shutting down...immediately. As in: that same day.

Needless to say, I was shocked. And then nervous. And then a full-out wreck, because I had already turned down all my internship offers in Toronto, I'd already paid my first month's rent on my apartment in Toronto, and had already been looking for jobs...all in Toronto.

I kept going over and over in my mind what I'd do...I didn't want to have to go back to Toronto without having completed my internship because I want a job when I go back...a real one, not one "in a bookstore while I'm doing my internship" job. I need to be able to support myself while I'm up there, and not have to put everything on my credit card, or something like that.

So, after a week and a half of waiting...waiting...waiting....I finally got word yesterday morning: my boss at my old placement told me that I could come to the new company she's now working at and finish my internship there. To say I'm relieved is an understatement!!

Now, I can finally continue with my job hunt, my furniture hunt (anyone know where I can get a nice desk? Anyone?) and finally get on with my LIFE, now that I'm not stuck in limbo anymore.

Whew! I wonder if the famous Barrie Doyle would count this as a crisis....hmmmm....

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I know when people decide to begin blogging, they usually have a purpose to do so, and I have a number of friends from my PR world who are regular or semi-regular bloggers, each with their own unique reason for posting their thoughts online. When I signed up for this blog for school last year, I was really gung-ho on starting a blog, writing fantastic posts and having people comment and fawn over my amazing observations or what not, and updating it regularly.

That didn't really happen.

As I soon realized, you really DO need a reason to blog, and I just hadn't found my reason yet. Every blue moon, I might write a post about something that's struck a chord with me. But my first thought doesn't turn to, "I've gotta blog about that. That would make the PERFECT blog post." Usually I don't think about blogging at all, except to think, "Jeez, I wish I could keep a regular blog like my friends Alanna at the A List, or Amanda at Not a Model". I do realize however, while I'm now in the process of applying for internships and forced to take a hard look at the person I'm portraying through my online presence, that if I'm going to advertise that I have a blog, then I better actually keep it active.

I remember reading somewhere that the more active your blog is, the more readers you'll gain. And I can understand this...I check my friends blogs every few days for new posts, because they're faithful with updating. I haven't been faithful, so really, probably NO one reads my blog! (If you do, thanks!) Why would anyone think to keep checking a blog that hasn't been updated in a few weeks or months? I wouldn't.

So I got to thinking...what's my reason to blog? What in my life would be important enough, special enough, engaging enough (at least for me) to take the time to write about? And then it hit me, and admittedly I feel slightly dumb when I realized it....the header on my main page "We're Not In Newfoundland Anymore", talking about my transition from small town Newfoundland to big city Toronto. That's unique to everyone else in my blogosphere.

And so, from now on, I'll be updating my blog with posts about my quest to find an apartment in a city that I really still am new to; my hunt for an internship at a company that I'm hoping I'll love; trying to build a social circle in a place where I have little family and even fewer friends, and; attempting to really make a home for myself in a brand new place, all on my own.

It's a little (or really, a whole lot) daunting....but I think I'm up to the challenge. Happy reading! :)