January
Not much happened in January other than finally receiving my new sofa after 3 months and discovering this series Wednesday! Most of our time was spent with Buster as we were really concerned about the open sores around his groin area as a result of Buster’s licking and grooming. The vet didn’t give us any answers and since he was otherwise mostly normal, we thought it was stress and fooled him. most of the year Until (if you can believe it) I got a second opinion in August and found out all Buster needed was a change in food! We switched him from canned fish flavored food to freeze-dried rabbit and after 24 hours he stopped licking his crotch and his cat balls have been fluffy ever since.
February
A fun thing I discovered during the short month of February was this new velvet nail polish. silk color and clothing site chick wish! I ordered this red skirt with a bow for the first time on this site and have been amazed by its quality ever since. I bought about 15 more items from Chicwish and loved them all.
march
Unfortunately, at the end of March, I contracted the coronavirus from work for the second time since November 2022, and it was very upsetting. No one was wearing masks because the mask mandate had been lifted for a year, but I was just frustrated with my body and my work environment going into April. Health-wise, it was the worst month of my life so far.
April
When I contracted the coronavirus, I was already under a lot of stress from work and a visit to Chaumet, and the next day my skin started to tingle, followed by small blisters and red spots all over the left side of my face. It’s done. What I thought was a cold sore was quickly diagnosed as shingles due to the stress on my immune system. Symptoms that I thought I only saw in textbooks during my UBC Cell Biology days are now appearing on my face. As miserable as I was, my husband and I were both morbidly fascinated by what was happening to us. But let me tell you, it hurt as much as they say, it felt like having a crown put in, but without the numbness. The nerve pain along my gums and face was like having my wisdom teeth removed 10 times and I was so upset that it was showing up everywhere on my face. As someone who loves and takes care of her skin, this was a huge blow and I was very scared that I would be left with scars. Thankfully, the scarring was very minor. I’ve found reading other people’s stories to be somewhat cathartic, so when I feel like it, I’ll write a full article about my shingles experience.
May
Oh, and I also attended my first in-person event since the pandemic! I was very claustrophobic and wanted to go home as soon as it started, but it was great to see everyone again.
June
I had the wonderful opportunity to try out the new Sabai Thai Spa and also took about a week off to do some major decluttering of my office and beauty salon. I built shelves, moved nail polish, and even pulled my butt from squatting. We’re still working on this space. Because a lot of this area is about me rethinking things, and I’ve slowed down so much that it feels like it makes more sense to throw everything away and start fresh. I’m in there right now because everything can feel so overwhelming, but maybe you’ll feel better if you start with the things that take up the most space?
July
I turned 40 on July 1st and decided to take a week off to celebrate with my family and husband and see if I could walk 10km. Well, I could, but I walked the trail that kind of looped around North Van, so my legs were definitely sore afterwards. I was anxious about the 4-0 upset, so I enjoyed taking it easy, but after experiencing shingles, an “old man’s disease,” I stopped worrying so much. I finally got an Apple Watch! I’ve been wearing it every day since I got it and I love it!
August
I attended a really fun Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party for my client’s son, had a really bad time at work, had my first therapy session to cope with work, and from here on I was an emotional mess for the rest of the year. There were moments of clarity, but from September to December I feel like I was just trying to survive on autopilot.
September
After the May event, I was reluctant to attend any more press events, but I made an exception for the new Clarins Precious line at Holt Renfrew. It was well worth attending and was small and intimate for 100 people. I also knew that this month would fly by as I was getting ready to go to Paris and catch a flight.
October
I’ve talked a lot about my trip to Paris for the Chaumet International Retail Seminar, and it might have been the most stressful and worst trip of my life, or it might have been the best. I’m thankful my brain chose the latter. It was a tough flight and a long day, but in the end we visited some of the most beautiful places, met amazing people, spoke in front of 150 Chaumet employees and received a team award for our efforts. I was able to do. I also went to Paris with my girlfriend’s husband, and this trip alone made me fall in love with this city and want to return to Paris as soon as possible. I overcame a lot of fear and discomfort here and was able to feel proud of myself and experience this journey and its people to the fullest. This trip made 2023 all worthwhile. Oh, and it was also our 10th wedding anniversary, so we ended up spending it together in Paris!
November
This month has been a very blurry month for me and my clients as we have had early Christmas shopping and have had our hands full with work and working from home. My skin was also looking weird every week, so I think the stress was also starting to take its toll on me, even though I was having fun and busy at work and enjoying the hustle and bustle of retail. It felt really good to keep busy with these fun things!
December
I’ve been busy with work this month, but more so with admin duties, so sales in December were a little quieter than usual, but sweet treats like this Yule Log with Meringue Mushrooms I was so spoiled by the client who brought it to me! cute! At the end of the year, I had a really fun dinner with my colleagues. I’m feeling a little anxious and dizzy in January, but I’m actively trying to tell my brain, “I can do it!” You don’t know what you’re afraid of, not because you doubt yourself in terms of finding a solution, but because you’re anticipating the stress of an unpleasant situation. I shouldn’t feel that way because I’ve never had a client get mad at me or the solutions I presented, but for some reason I’ve been feeling anxious about the future since just before Christmas. Not a great way to end the year, but in my mind he didn’t end December (I’m running a fiscal year lol) so I feel there’s still time.
I haven’t talked much about my financial goals because I’m still working on my RRSP and TFSA limits, but this year with the introduction of FHSA, I set my 2023 limit at $8,000. Also, this year he saved 21.4% of his entire salary, which is less than he expected, but he feels he’s in a good place if he can keep it above 20%.
How did you feel about 2023? Every year has its ups and downs, but please feel free to share what went well and what you would like to continue working on.
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