January

• The year started with my 5th trip to New York City, and my favourite trip, at that.
• I saw Sleep No More (still a highlight), wore no pants on a New York subway, went to Glamour’s offices, saw Snow Patrol, finally saw the Vivian Maier exhibit I’d been stalking online, and met up with some pretty cool people (Hi! Janine, Val, Andrea, Veronica, Katie, Em, & Sarah!). 
• Oh, umm yea, I booked myself a flight from Toronto to Melbourne - whoa.
• And went to Boston. Verdict is still out on Boston - I always thought I’d love it, but after NYC, it just seemed soooo small. 
• I did my first ever sock bun & got Instagram - life changing things people, life changing things.
• I packed up my life in Toronto and boarded the world’s longest flight (not really, but nearly): Toronto —> Chicago —> LA —> Sydney —> Melbourne = 35 hours
• I MOVED TO MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

February

• I stayed in a hostel for two weeks and wondered the streets all dazed and confused until I met Maeghan & Luke —> My Melbourne Angels, who I am still so very, very thankful for; our Yarra Valley trip still holds a special place in my heart (as does the Taco Truck).
• I did my first of many trips to Melbourne’s Great Ocean Road with four ladies from all around the world.
• Found an apartment, which was a huge relief from hostel-living, but as it turned out that ended up pretty much being my only regret this past year. (all in hind-sight, right?).
• I wrote one of my favourite blog posts ever,
• Looked for a running group in Melbourne and I even tried out swimming.
• Oh! Umm, yea, and I met a kinda, sorta, maybe met a super-cute Australian guy named Matt.

March

• March, ahh yes, the month of not-much-at-all, the month of being unemployed & blowing through my money. The month I wish so much I could re-do.
• I asked Matt for a hug (still, so embarrassed about that) and we went to a Movie-In-The-Park - still a Melbourne highlight and one of my favourite dates to date.
• This month I gained a lot of weight, yet was still running a fair bit. I even declared “Liz Runs Hills” and then made it to week 5 of a 10 week goal. I stopped because I completely just forgot about it in week 6.
• I declared Operation Sexy Sexy Hair Commercial because my hair was at an all-time low (dry, frizzy, long, awful).
• And I met Devon from Answering Oliver or Dev On Running who I really hit it off with #girlcrush
• Oh, and I completed TOUGH MUDDER

April

• I got a job this month, and to date, it was my absolute least favourite job of my life.
• The “I’m In Melbourne WAHOO” feelings started to wear off and the, “holy shit this is real life” emotions followed. I felt myself dipping into a rut / circumstantial-depression.
• I joined Weight Watchers for the 5th time in my life. And I failed at WW for the 5th time in my life.
• Matt (because I was a hot, emotional mess) surprised me with a trip down the coast, which made me realize I had a keeper as I let myself fall even more for him.
• I went to the beach a lot (see the part about being unemployed above).
• I wrote my candid thoughts on weight loss & predictably got criticized for it immediately.
• AND. And I wrote this, an invitation to a coffee date a year from April 15, 2011. I think about that post a lot, and still have that date tucked away in the back of my mind.

May

• May was a wonderful month! I was happy and myself again.
• I saw City & Colour again (<- all time fav band), had a romantic dinner for two with Matt, went to my first second Aussie Rules Football (Footy) game, volunteered (& drank) at the Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular, and…
• I ran the Great Ocean Road 23k (14 miler) run and am forever grateful for Matt for getting up at 3am to haul my ass there.
• I got a (really freaking good!) job I love, which has an awesome selection of fruit all year round (it’s a job I’ll def add to my resume - high five!)
• I posted a GIF post. I like GIF posts. 
• Fall/Autumn came to Melbourne, and suddenly I was cold, and yes, I was still running… somewhat.
• AND… DRUM ROLL PLEASE… I sent the most awkward message of my life to a random CrossFit, asking if I was too fat to do it (and I was serious too), met Anna (life changing!), AND then JOINED A CROSSFIT! 

June

• Not too much happened in June, but still, I think of it fondly
• I upped my ante at CrossFit and lowered my running miles like crazy
• A reader saw my before/after photo on a Facebook advertisement - WHAT? That was shocking.
• And my CrossFit had an ’80s themed party, which was fun-fun-fun and I dabbled in the idea of starting up a Paleo (caveman) lifestyle.
• I wrote my “Reality” post on binge eating. This was the most honest & vulnerable I’ve ever been on my blog and I still have days where I cringe knowing it’s out there. It also gave all the folks out there who don’t like me some major ammo, and it seems some people define the person I am from from this post, and only this post. 

July

• On July 1st I celebrated Canada Day in Melbourne
• And this month I felt confident enough to re-start posting full body photos of myself (I felt more confident from CrossFit)
• It was Matt’s birthday this month and we celebrated in style. I got him tix to Rufus Wrainwright, but sadly he ended up having a wedding on that day. 
• I became bangable (fringe-able doesn’t quite have the same ring to it) again.
• I (finally!) posted the results of my Operation Sexy Sexy Hair Commercial challenge (working on your hair actually makes such a difference!) 
• AND, *insert high-five here* I started working with MSN.ca and became their Lifestyle Blogger (what an honour!)

August

• I starred in a movie! (Not really, but nearly!)
• And I didn’t get a dream job. I still believe it’ll always be the job that got away for me, as I truly cannot think of a job I’d be better at (also, they’re still hiring for it - so at least I know they’re super picky, right?)
• Signs of Spring started to show (finally!), and I headed down to Phillip Island with a whole bunch of Tumblr girls who I had fallen madly in love with this year (Hi! Amy, Sam, Rickie Lee, Sandy, Natalie, Ori & special shoutout to Alice and Brooke)
• I wrote a “CrossFit vs Running” post, and I still think there is not enough info on the two exercises combined
• I signed up for the Melbourne 1/2 Marathon and made an epic CrossFit AND Running schedule. I always have such good intentions at the start. 
• I saw a quote somewhere that stuck with me, “You Can’t Out Exercise A Bad Diet,” and that has pretty much become my healthy lifestyle motto

September

• I moved house this month! FINALLY. I went from the South side of the city, to the North. And I also realized how evil people can be - my old roommates stole an extra $3,000 of mine as they divided the rent so unfairly (on purpose).
• I hit ONE YEAR since leaving Toronto and wrote another favourite post about it.
• I got sick. Really, really sick. So sick, in fact, I will always remember “that time I thought I was dying” as this bout of sickness in September
• I was still running here, still training for the Melbourne 1/2 Marathon, and of course still being a CrossFit ninja - by this point I was/am fully (FULLY!) addicted to CrossFit

October

• This was a busy, busy month! Ready? And: 
• I went to Perth, Australia with Anna! And it was absolutely wonderful and one of the best cities I’ve ever been to. We rented a car and drove the coast, sat on the beach (or I should say beaches), went to wine country, and saw Rottnest Island - paradise! OH, AND, for the fist time in my life I didn’t gain weight while travelling and we even CrossFitted on vacay (go us!).
• I wrote a post about the doom of my relationship with Matt - with tears in my eyes, I might add.
• This month I got scared my muscles were getting too big from CF - I still sometimes think this, but apparently they’re only too big when I “pose like a man.”
• And I kinda, sorta, maybe thought I was pret-ty awesome for a moment in time. 
• I did “my” workout at CrossFit, which I was super-duper excited about and…
• I RAN THE MELBOURNE 1/2 MARATHON! (also known as my 6th half!)
• I celebrated a CrossFit Halloween dressed as an angel
• (Oh! I also wrote out a time capsule of thoughts, which I thought was neat)

November

• This was a goddman, awesome, awesome, freaking-awesome month
• It started with the Melbourne Cup (horse racing), and I was lucky enough to actually go to one of the events, Derby Day, with the lovely Miss Anna. (Is there anything better than actually having a reason to wear a fascinator in public? Didn’t think so)
• And 3rd attempt’s a charm… I committed to a month of no dairy, sugar, grains, wheats, and processed food, aka, I took on The Paleo Diet. Strictly too!
• Without doubt, by doing it strict for the month of November, it changed my life. I understand real food so much better, and know how to cook and create real-food meals for myself. 
• Paleo Reviews: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3. And, The Final Review, where I go into details on how I LOST TEN POUNDS by committing to a Paleo lifestyle. (Also, I’m still down 8 of those pounds - and considering I FEASTED at Christmas time, I am a happy bear).
• This is the month I started giving my theory, “a calorie, is a calorie, is a calorie,” some serious side-eye. Suddenly I believed maybe, just maybe, it’s more about what I eat, not how much.
• I introduced you to Katie
• And even knocked out a couple of MORNING (whoa!!) CrossFit sessions, fell in love with Paleo Pancakes (on them yet? get on it!!), and saw the beautiful, wonderful, butterfly effect of eating a healthy diet.
• Oh, and of course I ran the Melbourne Colour Run - which was all sorts of epically awesome and now some of my favourite photos of the year.
• Also, I didn’t just write it, but meant it too - I came to the conclusion my weight was a blessing in disguise

December

• Wait, has anyone even got this far? I know, I know… it’s soooooooo long.
• Well, I turned 28 this December. Crazy. Crazy. And celebrated the actual day with my favourite person, Matt, in my favourite city, Melbourne. It was perfect.
• I had my first ever Brazillian. And then BLOGGED about it - who does that!?
• Matt whisked me away for a romantic birthday getaway, where I got to do all of my favourite things: horse riding, wine drinking, sleeping, steak, movies, hot springs & kissing (as I blush).
• Despite it being TEN MONTHS since I started CrossFit, this is the first month where I saw a very noticeable difference in my body.
• And, of course, I got to experience my first ever HOT HOT HOT Christmas.
• I became slightly obsessed with Melbourne’s Christmas lights and decorations and racked up nearly 1,000 photos this month strolling through the streets and alleyways of this city. 
• I also (not noted on the blog) started making travel plans to visit New Zealand next February (Wanna meet up or have suggestions for me?  onetwentyfive@outlook.com as I feel so lost right now about going), and the East Coast of Australia (oh hai there Brisbane, Sunshine, and Sydney, I’m coming for ya), and going home (which I don’t talk about because I am so, so torn).

Wow. Okay. I’m done. What a year - it’s interesting seeing it all laid out like this; makes a year seem too short. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did (this post and me blog-a-logging my life - how has it been 4 years of this!?). Also, warning to my computer, I may kill you today - it’s sooooooo (so!) slow the letters I type appear about 3.2 seconds (false: 38 seconds, I counted) after typing them - awful!).

Anywho, 2012, you were awesome and Internet, thank you so much for following along.