Top Moments of 2013

Wow 2013, you've been quite a year! I can hardly believe that another 365 days have passed as I lived the year of serendipity. And serendipitous it has been, in so many ways. Here are some of my favourite things that happened this year. 

I started off the year with a super fun trip to Ottawa to visit my bestie, Mel. I'm so thankful that Mel and I both work hard to keep our relationship strong and it was such a blast to visit her in snowy Ottawa. I can't wait to go back - hopefully sometime this year! 

This year included being on the cover of The Grid, being auctioned off for charity, being on the cover of a magazine highlight women in the arts and co-hosting a cooking show in my home. Really neat and a whole lot of serendipity to make it all happen. 

I discovered the Lovebot and have since become an unofficial ambassador of sorts to this incredible project. 

It's so lovely to see them all over the city and great to get into conversations with people that start with "So what's the deal with these Lovebots?!" I've since gotten to meet Matthew Del Degan who created the Lovebot and am thrilled for what's in store in the land of love for 2014!

In other love news, my sweet friend Lindsay got married in June and her wedding was absolutely one of my favourite moments of the year (if not my life!) It was so special to be a part of their day and all of the festivities leading up to it. I'm thankful that our friendship strengthened as a result. I will also never look at fuchsia the same way. 

I got to interview two of my favourite bands from my childhood - New Kids of the Block and Hanson!! Also got to see both of them in concert. 8 year old me and 13 year old me would have died (or at least started screaming their faces off) if only they knew what was to come 15+ years in the future. I also saw a slew of other great concerts including the Joni Mitchell tribute at Massey Hall, James Blake, Natalie Weiss, Jason Robert Brown and Rich Aucoin x2. 

I sold out my first solo cabaret, raised $1000 for CAMH and was asked to revamp the show for 2014 to be performed at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. 

Putting the first Life is Sweet show and blog series together was an incredible experience and I'm so proud that I get to do it again this year as a result. 

I also had an amazing time with my second solo cabaret I Know it's Today where I talked about boys, dating, relationships and everything that has happened since that time I was engaged. 

Speaking of boys, 2013 brought some ups and downs in my love life (hence the cabaret) but was so lucky to connect with my incredible boyfriend, Corbin, towards the end of the summer. I've fallen so head over heels in love with that man and am so excited to be heading into 2014 with him next to me!

In addition to performing in a bunch of shows, I saw 32 shows, which will become 33 after I see Les Miserables this afternoon. From plays at Fringe to cabarets by friends to huge musicals, I've seen a bit of everything and continue to love supporting the theatre community in Toronto and being inspired by shows in New York. I can't wait to see what's in store for 2014!

Oh yah, I went to New York. It was pretty magical. I still need to blog about all the wonderful things that happened. It's coming, I promise! 

Today I'm celebrating the end of 2013 and new beginnings for 2014 with a lovely friend date this morning and a sweet Corbin date to see Les Mis this afternoon. I think I'll have a quiet evening, but I'm looking forward to what's in store for this new year. 

Happy New Year - see you in 2014!

Ohai June

It's already June 10th and this is my first post of the month! Life has been an interesting mix of busy, awesome, a little not-so-awesome, hilarious and fun of late; I continue to embrace 2013 as the year of serendipity and that is serving me well.

I've been busy working away at the first Shakespeare / non-musical production I've done in awhile with the fun folks at Bard in the Park.

We open The Merry Wives of Windsor tomorrow, which means that I'll be spending the week in a corset, causing trouble as Mistress Page surrounded by trees. I love fashion, but I am so thankful that corsets are not required attire in 2013. The show runs until Sunday and I'm really looking forward to having an audience to watch us scheme and play!

Speaking of shows... I went to opening night of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change a few weeks ago and was super stoked to see posters for The Life is Sweet Project!

While I've been talking about this show for awhile now, and it's still 8 months away, seeing my face on posters at the Toronto Centre for the Arts and hearing the season announcement really made reality sink in. I'm still so grateful and excited for this project to be happening, and looking forward to the creative process.

I've also been having a blast spreading the UnDiet love, following my stop on the blog tour with Meghan Telpner. It was lovely to be able to send a copy of the book to Sara, who was the winner of my giveaway.

Weee! Look what I got in the mail! Thanks @ashleydtl and @meghantelpner can't wait to start! #undiet yfrog.com/oe1skztuj
— Sara Best (@SaraEBB) June 6, 2013

I also posted some more UnDiet and creed love on Instagram this week, sharing my creed-inspired wake up message.

It's so important to me to start everyday with a positive message and work towards making it ridiculously awesometown, which includes:

Slurping up the sunshine and stopping to smell the lilacs

Eating cherries while thinking good thoughts (this time in popsicle form)

Being truthful, youthful, playful and funful

Wearing colour and eating colour. And all the while, dancing through life. 

I'm playing a little catch up on blog posts, but there's some neat stuff in the works. Fun things to expect include a review of an amazing gluten free bakery, a trip to the Toronto Botanical Gardens for a lovely event and the first post in a new series on things in my favourite neighborhoods. 

I hope June is treating you well so far. Summer is nearly here! Think of me as I'm sweating it out in a corset this week xo

My interview with New Kids on the Block

Remember when I talked about the things I'd tell my 8 year old self?

Let's add this to the list: if I could go back and tell younger me that 20 years down the road I'd be interviewing Jordan Knight and Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block, I think I would have lost my mind completely.

And because I'm me, I told Danny and Jordan that fact. Jordan asked what I thought about it all now and I said that 29 year old me was still really flippin' excited.

And halfway through the interview they decided to follow me on Twitter. 

Danny also retweeted me, and suddenly I had a whole lot of new followers and a slew of BlockHeads (NKOTB fans) who were super stoked to read my interview. 

And Jordan nuzzled my face.

And Danny told me I had pretty eyes.

I seriously giggled for days about the whole thing. 

Amid the ridiculousness, we talked about their reunion, the annual NKOTB Boat cruise (the All Access New Kids Harem on the Sea as it was referred to...) the new album, 10, their upcoming tour with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men and what it's like to still be doing this 20 years later with fans like me who remember the Step by Step days. It was seriously a surreal moment and I'm so thankful for the opportunity.

Head over to the ShawConnect music blog to read the full interview!

Thanks to Chris Cartwright for giving me such an awesome opportunity and Alexandra Gater for being my partner in crime and taking some sweet photos!

2013 So Far

We're a little more than a week into 2013 and so far I'm liking this new year...

• I am following the intentions I set at the end of 2012 and also having fun working on my January goals.
• While I simply attended last year, this year I've agreed to be auctioned off for charity.
• The cool folks at Beach Body Canada have sent me Insanity to check out and I'm starting this weekend. Two people have told me that they've barfed following the fit test. I'm thrilled. 
• I've been reading some inspiring posts about 2013 and feel good about what's ahead... 
• I did a photo shoot for an upcoming show/project that I can't wait to share with you. 

MJS Photography

MJS Photography

It's going to be a pretty awesome and inspiring and emotional time here on the blog and in my life in February. #lifeissweet is on its way and some pretty incredible people are involved. Details are coming!!

My favourite quote of the moment:


“Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could.”

~Louise Erdrich

Before this and after this - Intention setting for 2013

We're drawing close to the end of 2012 and with that comes reflection on the year that has passed, and looking ahead to what is to come. Setting intentions has been a theme in my life over the last few days in things I've been reading (like Meghan's latest blog post) and in a big conversation I had with a group of my girlfriends over the weekend.

It's interesting to me because I've felt like for the last three years that around December I've looked back on the previous 12 months and attributed them to be intertwined with a whole lot of transition. At the beginning of 2012 I felt like I was in a really solid spot - in a job that I loved, a part time job that I felt passionate about, performing a lot, healthy, happy, surrounded by amazing people and about to take a life-changing trip. Now that I can reflect on the year, I can see how much transition I've experienced once again since leaving both of those jobs, having an entire summer off, bouncing around between Toronto, New York, Las Vegas and St. Lucia and having the pleasure (and sometimes pain) of having amazing people come in and out of my life.

Sometimes I feel as though my life should be a movie (hello, Truman Show?) and when I tell people about the things that happen to me they tend to draw that conclusion on their own. I think this has a lot to do with my say yes to life (even though it may devour you) mentality. I try to be incredibly open to whatever experience life throws my way and embrace it as best I can. Sometimes this is absolutely spectacular, and other times it can be really painful, but these collective experiences have made me the person that I am today.

When I was chatting with my girlfriends about what they wanted 2013 to be about for them, I encountered a wide variety of answers: travel, learning, stability. I joked that I wanted 2013 to be "the year that doesn't suck". While I really don't believe that any of my years on this planet have sucked, some have definitely had more challenges than others. Upon further reflection, I've decided to embrace the transition and immeasurable experiences life has thrown me in the last few years and make 2013 the year of Serendipity.

I am going to continue to laugh loudly, dream passionately and love completely, because these qualities have brought me so much joy, wonder, happiness and love into my life. Even the things that have brought me immense sadness have taught me something about life and myself. While embracing serendipity may sound like a passive approach to life, I think I will just continue to go forward with passion, ambition and drive, but really work to enjoy everything else that comes along the way. The year of serendipity will allow me to ease into whatever transition I may encounter and enjoy the happy accidents that come my way.

There is a big project that is already in the works for 2013 that is going to push me emotionally and creatively. I can't wait to share details with you and am already working hard behind the scenes to make it happen. There will be a blog and social media component alongside a performance component and I hope that it will raise awareness and help me to honor someone very special and the impact that they have had on my life. It's going to be amazing.

I saw a quote on Pinterest recently that said "There are moments in life when you realize nothing will ever be the same and time is divided into two parts, before this and after this". I look at the events of the last few years and all of the transition that has occurred and recognize how much that quote resonates with all of that. Everything has brought me to the place I am today and everything that has happened has been a catalyst for other things and people and moments. I have more reflecting to do on 2012, but I am ready for the serendipitous year 2013 is going to be.

What kind of intentions are you setting for 2013?