Tori's Pretty Life - Welp, Lesson Learned...

The CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario

Fact:

Launching a blog during the holiday season, while also balancing a major move to another country, is never a good idea.

In this wonderful world of blogging and social media, sometimes life just...happens!

With always the best of intentions, even our favorite bloggers vanish sometimes. I find that I'll always forgive them though, so long as they share all of the juicy details about what made them stray :).

I'm hoping you'll feel the same with this lovely life recap (...and boy is it a long recap!)

Without further ado, here's where I was the last few months...

November 2016 

The last we chatted, Thanksgiving as around the corner.

 You know what else was around that corner for me? 

Bronchitis. 

Yeah. That was fun. 

Wearing:
Brow Pencil - Eyeliner - Mascara - Eyeshadows - Lipstick - Blouse (old, similar here) 

I trooped out Thanksgiving like a champ, thanks to the help of a really great under-eye concealer and some OTC cold meds (that were replaced right after Thanksgiving with a doctor's visit and an Rx).

Thanksgiving Dinner at my Mom's House 

There was just no way that I would miss out on all of the delicious noms, family time, and Black Friday shopping!

Plus, I really don't care how sick I am; I just can't show up to my Mom's Thanksgiving empty-handed (... no matter how much she tries to tell me to just bring myself!) 

A non-canned cranberry sauce was the perfect, easy solution to contribute without over-doing it. (Find the recipe for the perfect cranberry sauce here.)

My Mom's fantastic Christmas Tree

After Thanksgiving, I high-tailed it to the doctor because there were some very big and last minute plans that I needed to be on my A game for....

Nathan Phillips Square skating rink, Toronto  - Christmastime 2016

B, my loving long-time boyfriend, earned a well-deserved international promotion (...that I am still so beemingly proud of him for!) 

So three days after Thanksgiving, with an Rx and inhaler in hand, B and I flew from New York to Toronto to embark on the next chapter of our lives!

Toronto's Christmas Market Christmas Tree 

During these 36 hours, we applied for our work permits, found a new home, and began our biggest whirlwind of a move to date. 

But really, who would I be if I didn't try to squeeze in as many holiday festivities as possible, along the way?  :)

December 2016

With droopy eyes and bronchitis on its way out the door, we landed back in New York to begin my favorite month of the year!

What better way to celebrate the season, and this new life chapter, than with a major milestone birthday?

You got it - December rolled in and so did the big 3-0! 

My 30th Birthday Surprise Dinner  - Wearing:
B's Shirt, My blouse (old)

For years, I felt like Jenna Rink in the movie 13 going on 30. When was I finally going to be 30, flirty, and thriving?! So I woke up all smiles that day to start the next decade of my life.

To ring in this joyful celebration, that doubled as a big "see you later" hoorah, some of my most favorite people planned a surprise dinner at my favorite Italian resturant.

(They even brought in my all-time favorite Mott St. cake!)

I still feel all of those warm fuzzies thinking about that night. Thank you (again!) to my bestie J and my B for pulling that off :)

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, 2016

From there, I did my very best to balance the holiday whirlwind of wrapping presents, trimming up the tree, and holiday traditions (like seeing the Rockefeller Center tree with J)... 

Our Little Pencil Christmas Tree 2016

...alongside signing a new lease, hiring movers, and saying goodbye to our home for the last three years.

Phew!

Littly Italy, New York

After a warm and wonderful Christmas, B and I wrapped up December with a one-way flight on New Year's eve. 

We left New York and started our next chapter in Toronto by ringing in the New Year in a new city!

January 2017

January was all about settling in - or at least trying to!

Bare bone living in our new Toronto Apartment

We knew from the start that we would spend most of January in an empty apartment, being the only time we ever hired professional movers to handle our stuff.

International moves can be so tricky. We figured it was a smart investment to hire people who handled this type of a move a bajillions times, than to try (and probably fail) to move our stuff ourselves :).

CN Tower and Lake Ontario, Toronto

So we tackled as much of the adult-ing as we could before the chaos of unpacking began.

We spent those few weeks setting up the internet, buying some new furniture (oh hey, Ikea!), tied up some of the moving formalities, and enjoyed magical Toronto views like this :).

Eventually our stuff made it across the border...

Our moving boxes arrived. Halp...and send chocolate!

Let's just call this the before shot of a very tiring week of my life and move on...:).

February 2017

February rolled in with an unpacked home and two tickets back to New York...

Unpacked, finally! - Couch, Chair (old - newer version here), Living Room Table

Seriously!

We were lucky enough to be able to overlap our two leases. So the first weekend in February started with a bright and early 7 am flight back to tie up some loose New York ends. 

This is what a real New York apartment view looks like... lol

We cleaned (...and cleaned and cleaned!) our old apartment, dropped off a slew of donations, and soaked in those final New York vibes. 

Peppe Rosso Social, New York City

What better way to soak in some New York than with an Italian dinner? :)

It was a bittersweet trip, though. Turning in the keys to our New York apartment wasn't without a few teardrops!

However, before we knew it we were in back in flight and ready to celebrate our first real holiday in Toronto.

Valentine's Day Roses :)

These stunning roses arrived at my door on Valentine's day morning. Sigh :) 

 Later that weekend, B took me out to a romantic dinner in our new city, to celebrate our new life and our long-standing love. (I know - I'm so cheesy!)

March 2017

Now, here we are!

A Pre-Spring OOTD - Wearing:
Scarf (old), Blouse, Phone Case, Jeans, Boots (old), Watch (old - similar here)

The holidays are done, the move is done, and I'm ready to pick up where I left off in this lovely little blogging home :)

Woohoo!

This time, I want to focus on consistency and quality. Even when life tosses me a few lemons, I want you to still be able to count on a weekly pitcher of lemonade. 

So let's raise a glass to a new month, a fresh start, and a new season just around the corner...

Cheers!