Happy New Year!!

So far 2014 is off to a great start. I woke up next to the man I love, ate a delicious breakfast complete with mimosas and have been wearing a Happy New Year tiara. I've also been smiling about this photo.

Hugging a Lovebot along with my favourite person was a super way to end 2013. Wishing you all sorts of fun, adventures and love in 2014!

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!

A (Lovebot) Heart Full of Love

After my blog post went up about our Lovebot hunting adventure, I was contacted by some of the sweet folks at Lovebot HQ. Rodger, who has been working on the project for about a year, was lovely and thanked me for writing the post and for my enthusiasm about the project. He encouraged us to keep searching for Lovebots, but said he would love to make the hunt easier by inviting us to Lovebot HQ! The email totally made my day and I couldn't wait until we could go for a visit.

I finally got my chance a few weeks ago. Corbin and I trekked up to the magical home of the Lovebots, where we met Ryan, who has also been on the project for about a year. Ryan has been doing a lot of the pouring for the Lovebots and came into the project quite serendipitously. He was working as a contractor, when one day a guy showed up with a paper in his hand, asking about concrete. He began to tell Ryan his story and plans for the Lovebot project. Ryan was intrigued and inspired and asked if there was any way he could help, and the man with the paper (Lovebot creator, Matthew Del Degan) said "I thought you'd never ask". They've been working together ever since and it was wonderful to hear Ryan's perspective on the project and how the experience has enhanced his life.

Lovebot HQ was just wonderful. It was so neat to see so many little Lovebots and hear about how they're created.

We even got to see the very first Lovebot cast in concrete! #001 has certainly seen a lot of love.

We also got to spend some quality time with the 6 and a half foot Lovebot that the team has been taking to events. So tall!

It sounds like there are some incredible things in store for the Lovebot Invasion and I'm stoked to see what happens next. I am so happy to have discovered this project and love that I've been able to share the love with my friends, blog readers and followers.

Before we left, I asked Corbin to take a photo of me with all the Lovebots. He arranged me, and I chose the fuchsia heart to hold in the photo. After the photos were taken, Ryan asked if that was my favourite heart, to which I enthusiastically responded "yes". He then asked me if I wanted to keep it and I just about died.

I've fallen in love with this project and it has brought me so much happiness; To be the owner of a Lovebot heart is just so special and I felt so honored. I hugged my heart the whole ride home and couldn't stop smiling. I also received some Lovebot stickers, which I've been giving out to friends and fun people. I've since been in touch with Matt as well and am looking forward to connecting with him in person very soon. Until then, I'll continue to enjoy my Lovebot heart and the thrill I have each time I see a new Lovebot in the city.

Lovebot Hunting Success

Robots need love too, they want to be loved by you......

Dan Mangan has solidified my adoration for robots + love, so it was pretty certain that I was destined to fall in love with the idea of the Lovebots.. I sent my boyfriend an article about them with a note that said "I WANT TO GO FIND THEM" and it was decided that a Lovebot hunting date was in our future. Cute, right?

Created by Matthew Del Degan, Lovebots are popping up all over Toronto as a symbol of love, kindness and positivity. Corbin and I definitely did a lot of smiling and laughing as we hunted down 10 of the 2 feet tall little guys, located everywhere from the Junction to the Danforth and many places in between. 

Each Lovebot is created by hand and numbered. Most follow the standard grey with red heart model, but there are a handful of rainbow-hued Lovebots and some with special coloured hearts. (I just found out that the one at Nadege has a pink heart!)

Each Lovebot is being given a special home somewhere across the city. Torontonians can also submit their own Lovebot Invasion story of kindness, love and compassion to inspire potential locations for the Lovebots. It's really neat to see where they're popping up and following the #lovebotinvasion on Twitter and Instagram. 

Since we were out a few weeks ago, more and more Lovebots and stickers have been popping up all over the city, as well as more media coverage and awareness of the project. 

I've clearly been hit with Lovebot fever, having made some sartorial choices based on my grey and red friends. Lovebot tights? Oh yes.

Having seen only about a dozen in person, I'm certainly planning to do some more Lovebot hunting over the next few months as all 100 invade the city. Their presence has definitely made me smile and I hope they're doing the same for people across Toronto!

Have you spotted any Lovebots?