📷 Photo Diary: Allan Gardens Conservatory 📷

Considering I've lived in Toronto for my whole life, I've recently realized that I've done a pretty poor job at exploring all that the GTA has to offer. Recently, my friend and I finally went to Allan Gardens Conservatory. I've probably driven past it 100+ times, and I truly can't believe I'd never been there before. I couldn't resist taking tons of photos so if you're a fan of flowers and foliage, you're in luck.

Top 17 of 2017

According to the Internet, 2017 was not what people anticipated it would be. Whether they were too optimistic after the "perils" of 2016 and refused to adjust their expectations, or truly just experienced a rough year, "leave it in 2017" seemed to be the collective societal theme of December.  On a personal note, 2017 was definitely a big year. I finished my first year of law school. I lost a friend too soon. I started my third degree. And, I still did not get around to watching Stranger Things. But after all the ups and downs, here we are in the incredulously futuristic-sounding 2018, a year I never even gave real thought to because it seemed so far away. 

In Pursuit of Overcoming the Bluest Day of the Year - M&M's #UnsquareYourself

On Monday, the bluest day of the year, I celebrated the release of Caramel M&M's by tackling a caramel-themed obstacle course at Pursuit OCR. For those of you that don't know, Pursuit OCR is Canada's largest fully indoor obstacle course training and movement centre. It's housed in a nondescript building at Dufferin and Queen, and when we stepped inside, it was WILD (I'll explain more below). I had never been there before, and I was honestly surprised by how fun the course was. It was challenging, but beginner-friendly enough that even I was able to finish it (despite the fact that I'm currently in a life stage where I sit for roughly 12 (or more) hours a day)! Their obstacle course is caramel-themed until January 21st, so I figured I'd share my experience on here in case you're interested in checking it out!

Sparkling Pomegranate Holiday Sangria Recipe

The holidays are here and that means it's time to eat, drink, and repeat. I'm a sucker for a good sangria, so this year, a pitcher of sparkling pomegranate sangria was my contribution to our Christmas Day meal. It was a HUGE hit (even my grandfather who barely drinks had three glasses), so I figured I'd share the recipe on here! Even though I made this for Christmas, it's perfect for any winter gatherings, holiday parties, or cozy nights in.

Canadian Tire's CANVAS Fall & Christmas 2017 Launch

Earlier this year I talked about Canadian Tire's lifestyle line, CANVAS, in my post about their spring/summer line launch. If my love of CANVAS wasn't clear enough from that post, or how often I posted photos from that launch on my Instagram feed, I'm back to talk about it some more. This summer, I was invited to check out what they'll be selling in stores for fall and Christmas and again, they didn't disappoint. Whether you're hoping to make the perfect Winter Wonderland, or simply need some cozy accents for your home, check out some of my favourite pieces from the lines below! Full disclosure: most (read: all) of them are Christmas-related.

New York, New York

While I usually make it to New York City at least once a year, I was extra motivated this year since about 10 of my closest friends moved there. I went once in April to celebrate the end of exams (and my first year of law school!), and once again over Thanksgiving with my family. Unlike my first few blog posts from NYC in which I wrote a lot about my trip, I don't have much to report since I spent most of it catching up with friends. But, as per usual, I ate a lot and took photos of almost everything, so I figured I'd share some of them! I apologize in advance for the iPhone quality shots, but what's a girl to do when she's on the move.