Road Reveals: Best Moments of 2016

Hello everyone!

It's weird, I'm writing and it's not about Christmas! Although incredibly fun and addicting, I am very glad to be writing about something positive and not sad. Now, I know 2016 hasn't been everyones favourite. EI: Alan Rickman, Prince, and Carrie Fisher have passed away; the US election; the Orlando Shooting; every single terrorist attack; Fort McMurray; Zika Virus... and thats just to name a few. No, it hasn't been a great year for the world; we are seriously lacking in a lot of areas and everyone keeps blaming each other instead of actively working together. Anyways, I wanted to share a few of my favourite moments in 2016 that really impacted me and made me happy. Let's recap SamanthaRoad 2016!

January:

I met the Arkells - Back in 2015, my sister and I bought tickets to see the Arkells and had the opportunity to meet them before their concert. It was fantastic, they had a rather large group of people there, mostly fans, and they played songs that weren't on the set list. They answered what Dirty Blonde was about, as well as who Lanny was. They were really cool and I of course was star struck so I just fan girled quietly in my head and watched. Then I blurted out to the drummer that he had mad skills.

February:

Taylor Swift won best album at the Grammy's - 1989 has been in my car for over two years now and the only time it leaves is for parties, it's really good. Here's the thing, its special because of her speech. She has worked hard for her success and her fame and that's something she deserves the credit for, not some guy. (Yeah, this is basically the only news one I have in here, I really like Taylor Swift)

I recognized student leaders at the Business Societies Gala - As an older student leader, I really wanted to recognize the efforts of students who make the faculty of business incredible. I set out to find every student who was activity engaged in student life and announced their names in front of the faculty to let them know that they are special. I think it's crucial to recognize student leaders who are in good academic standing, it lets them know they are known and we see all the amazing things you do.

March:

I made over 50 carrot cupcakes for student council and I won Councilor of the Year - I couldn't pick which one to share. One, was a lot of work and I needed people to know I made over 50. The other was a lot of hard work and was really special to me. Making any kind of an impact on student life and being recognized for it, is extraordinary. It was a very special March.

April: I went to Cuba - This was my first international trip that wasn't to the United States. It was incredible to see the history and to just relax for a week after exams.

May:

I graduated!!! Kind of like the best day ever, I graduated with my bachelors in Business Administration and I still have to pinch myself when I see my diploma because it was just so surreal crossing the stage and honestly it felt like a dream. I also got a surprise graduation party and guys, everyone needs one of those.

June:

I became a Beachbody coach - This was the scariest and yet most rewarding decision I've ever made. Not only am I apart of this amazing team filled with women across the United States and Canada, but I finally got to say yes to myself without feeling bad about it. I have gotten to meet incredible people and I've gotten to take care of myself. I changed my lifestyle and it's made all the difference in how I feel about myself and how I see myself. I'm just all around a happier person.

July:

I went to Old Orchard Beach and Boston for a weekend - I sat on the beach for one day and discovered a little bit more of Boston the other day. It was perfect and relaxing. Plus, I got Chipotle, which was perfect.

August:

I partially climbed Mount Katahdin in Maine - Partially because I climbed up for two hours and turned around because I was mentally/physically exhausted and two hours up was enough for me. I actually didn't even want to go, but it ended up being a great day with my family and a memory I'll always have.

September:

I went golfing and I made a killer carrot cake - Not a very eventful month, but these two things were really fun and meant a lot to me because again, I got to spend time with my family and who doesn't like carrot cake?!

October: I went to Halifax for Halloween - I had so much fun visiting a friend and visiting the city a little bit. Had some great food, dressed up a little, had more good food, visited the tubboat... just a really fun time.

November:

I tried a few new recipes, cried when Hilary lost the US election, watched Gilmore Girls, and I shopped a lot for the Holidays. I didn't do a lot, but something almost magical happened because I had this total moment of self acceptance. Which is something I've been trying to grasp for years! In November I just was totally happy and at peace with myself, with my decisions, with my relationships, with my soul. I just have this sense of calm and joy in my soul and thats pretty exciting. I had this mental moment of "I've forgiven those who have hurt me, I've accepted that some people haven't been kind to me, and I've decided to move past these internal grudges I've been holding. I accept myself for who I am, I am living in my truth and I am happy with who I am right now". It's interesting because some of these grudges, as I like to call them, I've been holding on to for years and that's just no way to live. I had to give myself the time to get over them, but holding on to them just wasn't okay with me anymore so I've let go. I've mentally and physically organized my life to a point that I have no room for negative thoughts or things that don't serve me anymore. November is just when everything came together. It's when I was sitting at home looking for jobs, collecting unemployment, and most would be going crazy that I just accepted my situation and rolled with the punches. November was a huge month for me as a person.

December: I did a whole month of daily blogging (or almost) - A lot of other incredible things happened as well, but something that was a lot of fun was blogging everyday and creating content for my blog. I also made a Buche de Noël and it was amazing!