High Five to Highlights 2011.

Christmas lights and holiday cheer always make me reflect on what has happened in my life in the last year. Below is a list of my 2011 highlights, in no particular order.

New favourite Ray-Ban glasses: I can see now, especially when I'm driving. This definitely deserves to be a highlight.

Moved: I got a little chubbs off of Montreal bagels when I first moved here (still considered a highlight).

New car: This one is a highlight for the fact that I can get from point A to point B when I want to and I can bring Swagger along. That being said, my excitement may have been premature as naming the car Shi-Ra Princess of Power has been a bit of a letdown.

Became the proud new owner of my very own Selk-Bag: My boyfriend bought me one for my 4th Annual 26th Birthday in November (see photo below). I have been wanting one for two years now, and my wish finally came true! I know you want one.


Selk Bag for life.

New friends: They came with the new boyfriend and they're pretty nifty. I like them.

New man: Okay, so this one just fell out of the sky and I'm still asking myself how it all happened. Remember that Interweb Dating blog post that I wrote a while back? Turns out that OkCupid had it right for once. I have yet to write them a thank you letter....thank you OkCupid for your relentless matching suggestions and super advanced love algorithm system. My heart has grown three times its size since you dropped the tall handsome man into my lap.

Threw my first kegger: This kegger brought to an end a two week bender that I had been on before moving away from Toronto. It was a flurry of wine, beer, music, friends, packing tape and boxes, tears and laughter, people coming together, people moving apart...a lot can happen in two weeks! Those last days in Toronto were by far the best out of the 6 years I was there.

Attended what I'm sure is considered the best wedding, with the best bride and groom ever: Cheers to you both for throwing such a great wedding weekend jam-packed with everything from paddle-boarding to campfires to the most lovely wedding ceremony in the books. Thank goodness I was wearing giant sunglasses, I got emotional.

Attempted to watch LOTR outside on the back deck: This is a highlight simply for the attempt part. It all lasted about 25 minutes before our neighbours lawn mower turned on and the sunset made the TV screen into a mirror. My last roommate is brilliant, and we still praise her for the ingenuity and craftiness she showed on this particular day, but eventually we were watching ourselves getting grumpy and had to move it inside.

LOTR on the deck.

And last but not least, I managed to make it to New Orleans for the Railroad Revival Tour to see Mumford and Sons, and then I saw them again 6 months later: Oh yes my friends, I flew into 'Nawlins, met up with a friend a couple of days later, stayed in a crazy hostel, ate a shit-ton of seafood (didn't like seafood before New Orleans), and made some awesome friends. I bought a ridiculous pair of leggings with the words Hip Hop written in neon colours all over them, purchased some multi-coloured sunglasses and then watched the best concert of my life. I can't go into detail about this trip because it was too awesome to convey, but let's just say I had so much fun that I'm pretty sure Mumford is now following me and that's the reason I saw them again 6 months later in Montreal. It's true.

All in all, this has been one of my favourite years yet! I may still have time to add to this list with the last 12 days remaining of 2011. Ahhhhhh 2011, within your days and weeks and months I managed to find myself a mode of transportation, an appetite for seafood, my vision, a sleeping bag with built-in limbs, everlasting memories and true love.

2012 has big shoes to fill!