The Birthday Weekend That Was...Sunday & Monday Edition

On the Sunday of my trip, I allowed myself to sleep in a bit, since I was so sleep deprived from my long day the day before. When I finally got up and got ready, I headed out to Etobicoke and went to IKEA. I had a shopping list full of things I had held out on buying for my new apartment because I knew I could get them for so much cheaper at IKEA. I took the subway out to Kipling, waited for the IKEA shuttle, and finally reached my destination.

I spent a few hours at IKEA, so that actually took up most of my Sunday, what with the travel to and from and the strolling the aisles. It was dinner time by the time I got back to the hotel and dropped off all my purchases. I met my aunt for dinner at Red Lobster, another favourite food joint, and we chatted and caught up on all our news.

That's something I did an awful lot of on this trip: talk. And I said pretty much all the same stuff (as all my news was the same) but it was all to different people. So even though I grew a little tired of repeating myself over and over, I was happy every time to hear about the other person's news. I know I've said it before, but it's always so nice to catch up and learn what's changed in a friend's life, or how they've grown in some way.






I knew a trip to Toronto couldn't happen without stopping by CTV and seeing my pals there. I miss the people and the place so much, so I really wanted to pop in and see it again, so I did that on Monday. As was the usual on this trip, it was so great to see so many friends and catch up again. I miss my Dance Family all the time! How could I not, when I really had the dream job there, working with such amazing people?

I made a few other stops at favourite cupcake shops, familiar subway stations and walked down my favourite streets. When it was finally time to head back to the hotel and pack for my flight, I didn't have any unfinished business. I'd seen and done all the things I'd wanted to do on this short trip, met up with the people I really wanted to, bought the things I'd been longing for. I only had three days in the city but I packed so many things into those three days, it was like a small recap of my life in Toronto. A taste of all of my favourite things about this place I used to call home.




This whirlwind trip was exactly the birthday present I'd been searching for to give myself. A chance to be in one of my favourite places, surrounded by my favourite things. And when it's your Champagne birthday, you really do have to make it special. After all, it only happens once in a lifetime. :)

The Summer That Was...Amazing

I realized while I was writing this entry that it's been exactly five months to the day since I've updated my blog. I know I've said it before, but I had a good reason!

After a month's stay home in Newfoundland in April, I returned to Toronto in May to begin a new job. And this job actually consumed my life for the next five months. I lived, breathed, slept and ate this job. And it was worth every minute of it.

I had the privilege of working on a television show, doing publicity and viewer relations for it. Yeah, I worked six days a week, didn't sleep much, forgot to eat breakfast...lunch...an afternoon snack here or there, and I didn't read a book for a looong time. But those months were some of the best of my life, especially during my (so far) short career. I worked with an outstanding team of communications professionals whom I learned a great deal from and made some great connections with. I got to see the production side of a hugely popular television show, something that not many people can say they've seen. I can't gush enough about how much I loved this job. It simply was the best. :)

I'm sad that it's over, but like all television shows, (or anything, really) all good things must come to an end. I'll never forget my summer working on Dance. It gave me a whole new appreciation for an art form that I hadn't paid much attention to for years, and has made me fall in love with dancing all over again. Plus, I learned some sweet new dance moves... (it's true, I'm thinking of taking a dance class in the new year!)

Oh, and by the way, here a few of my favourite routines from this season. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, because as one of the videos sings...I had the time of my life. :)