CreComm: year one in review

September
I knew what was coming. The best and worst year of my life. I was excited to be pushed beyond my limits; to learn the secrets of the trade; to make new friends. We were thrown right into big assignments, strict deadlines, and a busy schedule.

A handsome young man, James, gave his number to me on a bus ride home. I texted the number and we went on a few dates, which then turned into spending every evening together doing homework. He quickly became my closest friend, then asked me to be his girlfriend.

I had to reduce the amount of shifts I had at work because school became so busy. This broke my heart because I love my job.

October
My new boyfriend dropped the L-Bomb ("I love you"). I freaked out. Two weeks later I returned the sentiment.

I received personal praise for an assignment from one of my instructors. After losing confidence in my writing skills, this gave me some more hope.

We covered the mayoral election at school, and I got to work election night from the comfort of my own workplace. It was fast-paced and fun and I was reassured working in a newsroom is what I want to do for life.

November
This month was a blur. I was running out of material and money for my blog (which used to be about thrifting).

I met my James' parents for the first time and fell in love with them.

I missed seeing my own parents.

I was an intern news editor at The Projector. It was a lot of fun, but maybe I'll stick to reporting for now.

December
I cried a lot. I was stressed about school. I'm always scared I won't hand things in on time, or do well on exams, but I always do and this was no exception.

I totalled my beloved CRV. A concussion from the crash stopped me from working some shifts over the holidays, which upset me because this was the time to make money to catch up on bills.

I got to go home for Christmas. It was nice to see family.

January
Going back to school was great. I liked the routine. I was scared of making new friends this time around though, since we were put into different sections. But I made some of the best friends ever — for life.

I wasn't doing well personally.

I wrote a blog post that received a lot of attention.

I realized James was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.


February
I turned 22.

James and I went on a short road trip to Minneapolis for the long weekend.

I was on the radio to discuss struggles with body image, stemming from my popular blog post mentioned above. It helped me realize I could help people with my own experience.






March
I finally had wheels again, thanks to my parents. A beautiful, little burgundy Ford Focus. I felt free and independent again.

I won the Eric and Jack Wells Award for journalism excellence.

James and I got engaged. We are getting married in 2016.



April
My cat developed an aural hematoma. I couldn't afford surgery. So we put him on medication and the doctor said it should clear up in a month.

I came home to a crying and bloody cat, and a blood-splattered hallway. His ear had burst. One vet
said I needed to do another unaffordable surgery. Two others said it would heal itself. So far, it is indeed healing itself and he now has an adorable floppy ear.

Classes are about to end. I'm so excited for summer, no homework, and sunshine. I am sad I won't see my friends/classmates everyday. I love them, and they make life exciting.

I'm so grateful for all my instructors have taught me, all the guidance they have given me, and all the fun they've provided for my classmates and I. I will forever be indebted to them.

Fiancé is a weird title

Over the last week, I hummed and hawed about publicly sharing details about one of the most important decisions I've ever made in my life — on March 29, 2015 I said "yes" to spending the rest of my life with the most kind, thoughtful, goofy, entertaining, and loving person I've ever encountered.

After all was said and done, James and I decided to keep the engagement quiet (especially on social media) until we personally told our close friends and family. Every time I shared the story, my wide smile hurt my face. If I had a dollar for every time I said "I'm SO excited," I'd likely be halfway to paying for the wedding already.

It was nice to be able to tell people how James popped the question and see their mushy expressions. I forgot how important the art of storytelling is in building and maintaining relationships. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to everyone quickly in person, but I'm still glad to have been able to personally share my experience with others.

So for the time being, I'm going to refrain from sharing the story online (I've posted a few teaser pictures though). If you see me in person, I'll gladly tell you how brilliant and sneaky James was.

If you're lucky, maybe I'll throw in the movie-esque story about how we met on a transit bus.

Mother-Marilyn, swimwear, and curves in Sports Illustrated?

My beautiful mother featuring me, Snow White

Apologies that this post is all over the place — I had a lot on the brain this week :)

My mom is the coolest lady. Hands down. She's loving and fun, but unfortunately lives about an hour and a half away from me. Despite the distance she still reaches out and cares for me (even though at times I'm a terrible, neglectful daughter who finds it difficult to make time for family). Pretty sure I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

Last week, GabiFresh's swimwear line came out. Gabi Gregg is a plus-size fashion blogger and basically a queen. I was overjoyed as I feasted my eyes upon the beautiful high-waisted bikinis that would actually fit my fairly large Mennonite behind (not the most desirable type of booty - I got it from my grandma). The only problem was the price tag. I am a broke student working one shift a week. I don't really have extra money to spend on luxuries, especially $100 bathing suits. I told my mom about the suit. Her reply?

"That's cute! You can use my Visa to buy it!"

This suit is the object of my adoration.
How cool is this thing?!

Say what? I was in shock. I wasn't sure if I was reading the text message correctly. I had to ask to make sure. My mom's reply nearly brought tears to my eyes.

"You bet! You have worked so hard for so long you deserve a treat!"

I knew I had been working hard lately. Not only that, but also stressing myself out and getting emotional over anything thrown my way. I didn't realize there was another person out there who actually recognized I was giving my all when it came to the work I was doing. I was honoured and still am flattered and so grateful to have my mom in my life. Whether it's giving me a little confidence boost like this every once in a while, or taking a day off work to clean my entire apartment, she's always there for me.

On the topic of swimwear...

If you haven't heard yet, the next swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated is a bit of a game-changer. While it's no cover page (one day ladies, one day), the magazine will feature the first plus-size swimwear advertisement, to which I say "finally." Modelling a bikini for swimsuitsforall is famous and gorgeous plus-size model Ashley Graham. I'm so happy to see the love for curves growing (it's about time). I'm a firm believer in the "all bodies are beautiful" movement and this is definitely a step in the right direction. While I'm not a fan of Sports Illustrated, I am a fan of the growing acceptance for different body types in media.  If you do take interest in Sports Illustrated, this issue comes out February 9. Check out the ad below.

If you're like me and have a little more to love on your bones, I hope you feel encouraged. Big or small, rock your body.

I'd also like to note, this week is Eating Disorders Awareness week. Some of my classmates have done a phenomenal job addressing the issue and telling their own unbelievable and inspiring personal stories, including:

• Rachel Carlson: "Eating Disorder Awareness Week"
• Raegan Hedley: "National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and a personal essay"
• Danielle Doiron: "Inches: The Story I Never Told You"

In case you missed it, last week I told the story of my struggles with my weight, my battles with binge eating, and my quest to find a balance when it comes to being healthy. You can check it out here.

For more information on eating disorders, visit NEDIC's website. 

"You don't wash your goodwill clothes?!" - a life lesson

That video on this blog has been a long time coming...

Anyway. This week I have been humming and hawing about what to talk about. Studying in Starbucks with my boyfriend James, it hit me that my deadline was quickly approaching as school assignments continued to pile up. I could feel my eyes looked panicked as I quickly straightened. I've planned my posts for the next three weeks, but for some reason failed to think about what I would talk about this week.

James suggested I discuss the importance of washing thrifted clothes immediately after purchasing them, to which I replied "I don't wash the clothes I buy from goodwill before wearing them."

His eyes widened with horror.

"You don't wash your goodwill clothes before wearing them...?"

I never really thought about it. Or maybe I'm just lazy. I don't even like doing my laundry when I've worn an item five times in a row, never mind immediately after I've purchased it. I mean, I've never bought anything that "smells like R. Kelly's sheets" (pissssssss [see video above if you don't understand the reference]).

After overcoming the awkward revelation of my uncleanliness, I said "no - never."

James looked at me with a blank stare. "That's baffling."

I guess this is grounds for lifestyle re-evaluation.

Now that it's been brought to my attention, not washing thrifted clothes before wearing them is kind of gross. I feel gross. For all I know, someone's dead skin cells are now gracing my outer layer. Or my new sweater dress could have been soaked in cat pee.

On that note, the sweater dress is now in the laundry hamper.