The Candy Dish: 13 of '13

It is hard to believe 365 days have come and gone. As we continue to live in this crazy rat race we call life we must take time to create moments to make memories. Life is short.

Just shortly before the start of 2013, I signed up on Instagram and also committed myself to Project 365 - a photo a day to capture my life. What I loved most about this project was it was an opportunity to just appreciate the days and even sometimes the little things in life. Now as I reflect on it, I wish more than ever I would have started sooner. I am so grateful for the many moments and memories I have captured this year.

I have tried to create a recap of my 2013 year with 13 of '13. Here are just a few of the many moments I will never forget. I feel very blessed as I write this blog post. Many amazing things happened this year for me.

1) Best Friend moments even oceans apart
Every friendship is about time, effort and love. My life has been truly blessed with a best friend who still makes time for our friendship even though we are miles apart. We make time for each other holding long distance movie nights as well as finding time to text. As well, this year also marked her becoming a mom.
Thanks for the memories, Lynn.

2) Concerts with my niece
It has become somewhat our tradition to go to concerts together. I call myself the loser aunt that drags her niece to all these concerts. But deep down nothing beats getting a chance to spend some one on one time together. This year saw us go to Nelly Furtado, Rihanna and Taylor Swift.

3) OPRAH
Need I say more. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience.
One of my favorite quotes from the evening was What ever follows I am..... becomes your being.

4) WCFW
I went to my very first WCFW in March and fell so much in love I decided to volunteer for it in September. My love for fashion is always present and this year also marked a joint Instagram account with a girlfriend called Teaching in Style.

5) Twitter/#cdnedchat
I finally embraced many elements of social media this year and really can't believe I didn't do it sooner. I have met many inspiring people who are passionate about education. Joining Twitter also pushed me to go outside my comfort zone and also become a moderator for #cdnedchat.

6) Summer Concert Series
This summer saw me attend many concerts with friends and family. I loved each one and feel so grateful to spend this time with the people I love. Concerts seen include: NKOTB, DLM, Bruno Mars, REBA and Legends of Summer.

7) Flattening the Classroom
I was so pleased to apply for a grant and be the recipient of $1000 dollars that allowed my students to make connections outside of our classroom through Twitter and Blogging. This project also allowed us to document our learning through our digital lunchbox.

8) First 5km Race.
Another push outside my comfort zone. I signed up for my first 5 km race and was able to share this experience with some exceptional friends. Already looking forward to next year's Color Me Rad run.

9) Olympic Cauldron
Although this was part of a trip to Vancouver during the summer concert series - the Olympic Cauldron has to be mentioned separately. This was truly a dream come true for me. Every time I even think about the 2010 Winter Olympics - I tear up. To be a part of the torch run in 2010 was breathtaking and to witness where the journey ended was AMAZING!

10) Seattle
This summer marked a trip to Seattle which meant an adventure in itself - 8 different hotels in 8 days. Tried to experience as much as possible on this trip which included:
My first ever kayaking experience
Gum Wall in Post Alley
Pike Place Fish Market
First Starbucks
Pinball Museum
Mariners and Jays Baseball Game
Seattle Needle
EMP Museum
And my favorite part - Dale Chihuly Museum

11) WE Day
In recent years, I have been wanting to serve and finally pushed myself to actually do it. One of my most inspirational moments this year was WE Day. I volunteered with a friend as part of the Youth Seating Team. We made two trips to Calgary to be a part of this event. This day included speakers such as Spencer West, Magic Johnson and Marc and Craig Kielburger. If you ever get a chance to be a part of WE Day, I encourage you to take part. The future looks bright with these amazing children leading the way.

One of my favorite quotes from the day:
BE THE BEST OF WHAT YOU ARE

12) Los Angeles/Anaheim
A trip to Anaheim seems to be a yearly occurrence as my love for Disney can't keep me away. But, I also wanted this trip to include some other highlights including a once in a lifetime experience.
Some of the highlights on this trip were:
Disneyland/California Adventure - Blue Bayou, CARS Land
Hollywood
Griffith Observatory
Disney Concert Hall
Tar Pits
The Grove
Farmer's Market - Sticker Store
Rodeo Drive
and
LAKER'S GAME with COURT SIDE SEATS
This was my first ever NBA game and I wanted it to be memorable. Nothing could beat court side seats sitting amongst celebrities. I don't think I stopped smiling all game and I also have the game recorded so I can watch my silly self over and over waving at the camera.

13) Phoenix
As 2013 drew to an end, it had to go out with a bang and be memorable. This trip to Phoenix became a family event which would include 3 major sporting events- Football-Dec.29, Hockey-Dec.31 and Basketbal-Jan.2.
There was also a special trip to Taliesin West which has been on the bucket list for awhile. Not only was this trip enjoyable but it also allowed an opportunity to escape the cold weather back home.