Happy New Year’s Eve, friends! I hope you have been having a lovely holiday season.
It’s time again for the Year in Review! These annual reviews are so much fun for me to do, mostly because I can hardly remember what I wore yesterday, let alone what happened last February. It’s a great exercise to see how things have changed over the year.
As I mentioned recently, 2024 was a really good year for me: lots of travel and gardening, time with friends and family, reading and writing. I didn’t have any illnesses or major losses, and so I am grateful every day. I know not every year can be like that, but for now I am just feeling thankful for right now.
So what happened this year?
January
I decompressed after a very busy holiday season, I talked about living life with arms wide open and changing my life, it snowed and Rex got his teeth cleaned, I listed the Five W’s of Rest, and included a photo of how I organize my pajama drawer, and I went to a Very Fancy resort in Mexico.
February
I listed all the books I read whilst on Fancy Vacation, I discussed people watching, and how the watcher became the watched, I shared my meal plan and how I make dinner every damn day, I answered questions about hobbies and the hardest jigsaw puzzle I’ve ever done, I talked about spending money and what I resent paying for, I thought about marriage and long-term partnered sex and had some thoughts about James Taylor’s penis, and it was a Leap Year!
March
I answered questions about envy and making mental shifts, I discussed travel, yoga, retirement, celery, and aliens all in one post, I mused about the concept of gardeners and flowers in relationships, I listed my favourite things about Las Vegas, as well as some weird and funny things I experienced in that crazy town, and I read some terrible books and some good ones.
April
My husband built me a giant veggie garden, and I actually got to plant it in April, I divulged all the details about a Tuesday in my life, I reminisced about the 90s, specifically Sassy, Sea Breeze, stationary, and smoking, I talked about theme songs and living a musical life, I raved about the wonders of nature, and I turned forty-nine!
May
I came back from a blog break to tell you about my trip to Ontario and Quebec, and also Alberta, I read books on that trip and told you about them, I weeded the garden a lot after my return home and distressingly realized that I had no nail brush for my filthy nails, I meditated while weeding, this time about the nature of friendship, and I wrote all about my favourite things on my four-province tour.
June
Our resident bear returned and almost gave me heart failure at four in the morning, I got everything done on my to-do list and was told I was Too Shiny for my passport photo, I talked about 1988 and had a tiny bit of a spiral, unrelated to my actual spiral perm, I tried to renew our passports and had the usual runaround one should expect from a government agency, I talked about things that give me joy and also pain, and I shared photos of my newly landscaped yard, which is not a euphemism.
July
In a completely surprising move, I went camping and also announced that I had finished writing the first draft of my book, two completely unrelated things but both significant. In other wild news, my husband accidentally (I THINK) poisoned me, it was really hot and I had a sign from the universe, I celebrated my one-year anniversary of living in this house, I wrote down a week’s worth of summer recipes (or, “recipes,”) and I talked about six wildly, semi-related things, from sex blankets to stealing gnomes to my favourite Disney character, and MORE.
August
I took a total of three flights and rode a total of fifteen hours in the car with my dad driving to attend a family reunion, when I came home it was a pretty bumpy re-entry, I overanalyzed the word “fun,” but then my friend came to visit and We Had Fun, my waist disappeared, and the garden was zucapocalyptic.
September
I detailed my various body hair removal methodologies, I had a strange encounter walking the dog, I talked about the very few book series that I have read and loved, I detailed my favourite cheap-but-life-changing things, I bragged a little about my Name That Tune skills, and I updated everyone on the bear situation.
October
I went on a road trip and celebrated being boring, I made dinner with the last of the garden vegetables and also had a minor breakdown in Costco, I realized that everyone is beloved to someone, even my extremely smelly former professor, and I shared my favourite tricks and treats.
November
I went to Italy! While in Italy, of course I met a lot of interesting people and I read a lot of books. What can I say, I was on a lot of trains and planes. I briefly paused talking about Italy to tell you about the subscriptions I pay for, the many times I change clothes during the day, and exciting things about the festive season, before picking up the Italian baton once again to discuss my favourite things about my trip.
December
It was high time for another Day in the Life post, this time about a Friday, I introduced Noelle, my non-blooming Christmas cactus, I shared my five star books, music, and podcasts, I discussed my love for Last Christmas, it snowed, and other holiday miracles were shared, and I celebrated a grievance-free Festivus.
Happy New Year, my friends. May 2025 be kind and gentle to you, and may you experience joy, beauty, and delight. xo
Oh Nicole! What a wonderful year!!! (Except for the accidental poisoning, lol.) So many successes, including literary and botanical! You make me laugh and think and look at life with kinder eyes. I am excited to follow along in 2025!
“Accidental?” Ha! Happy New Year to you, Suzanne, I look forward to lots of writing dates in our future!
What a whirlwind tour of 2024–it sounds like an absolute dream: traveling, reading, writing, gardening, Rex, family, yoga… and smiling. I love all the smiley photos!
Here’s to an even better 2025!
Thanks so much Maya! Happy New Year!
Happy new year! I’m glad you are feeling happily settled in your new home. How did you manage to use up all those squash?
Lol I still have some squash! One is going to be made into soup tonight. I ended up gifting half of them to friends, there was just no way I could use them all!
What an amazing year you had! I heartily enjoyed following along. I can’t wait to see what 2025 holds. I feel like we are such kindred spirits with our somewhat similar career backgrounds (you, more than most, can relate to my work environment since you’ve work on a trading floor!), our enjoyment of pondering the word fun, and our love for coffee and wine. 🙂 I hope that our paths cross someday!! Happy New Year, Nicole!! You are such a source of joy for your readers so thank you for that!
I do feel we are kindred spirits as well! I sure do hope we can meet up someday – and soon, that would be nice! Happy New Year Lisa!
You had such a great year! Oddly, 2024 was my sickest year since childhood. I went from not even having a cold for 11 straight years to this. Covid in 2022 broke my winning streak 😞
Do you have travel plans for 2025? We have two trips in the works and I am hoping to add a third in the Fall. Thanks for all your good book recommendations throughout the year. Have a happy, healthy new year! XO
Ugh Bijoux, let’s hope 2025 is healthy, healthy, healthy!!!
I do have a lot of travel plans! Or, at least a couple of big trips. I can’t wait to tell you about them!
A goldmine of reading and laughs here! I’m going to have to go back and read a few. Happy New Year to you.
Thanks so much Pearl, Happy New Year!
Dear Nicole, I’m so glad that you had a good year! ❤️ Thank you so much for sharing your year, your humor, and your insights. I’m serious when I say that your blog helped me so much all year. Every post was like a warm hug or a ray of sunshine. You put so much joy into the world! I wish you a wonderful, happy, fruitful 2025! (And veggie-full!)
Thanks so much Michelle! You also bring me so much joy and happiness. Here’s to 2025!
What a great way to end the year Nicole. I feel like I know many of these posts and part of your 2024. Will you set goals for 2025?
Thanks Coco! I don’t really set much in terms of New Year’s goals – I’m more of a “random day in August” goal setter!
What a wonderfully beautiful year you had, Nicole. Thank you for taking us along for the ride.
May 2025 be calm and peaceful and full of joy.
Thanks Gigi, I wish the same for you! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Nicole!!! Congrats on an excellent 2024 and more of the same in 2025!!!
Thanks Birchy! Same to you! Is 2025 the year you’re coming north???
I’m so happy you had such a wonderful year Nicole. You are such a kind sunny person- you deserve all the good things. Hoping 2025 brings even more joy and adventure your way.
Thanks so much Pat! I feel the same exact way about you!!! Happy New Year!
Dang it, your site ate my comment! I just wanted to say thanks for the recap; it was fun going back down memory lane with you! Have a very Happy New Year and a wonderful 2025!
Boo! Sorry about the comment eating!
Thanks Kyria, happy 2025 to you – I’m looking forward to following along on your travels!
That IS a delightful year. So many fun things! I really am slightly envious because my year would mostly be me at my office or in a hospital visiting people. I will not be doing a 2024 recap. LOL. I appreciate so much Rex, too! What a gooooood boy.
Ugh I’m sorry your year was rough. May 2025 be better! And not to worry, 2025 will be filled with Rex photos!
What a great year you had! Here’s to 2025, my friend!!
Thank you Kari!
What a year and what a snazzy review. You are so clever with your writing. I think you could write about the phone book or nuclear physics or paint drying and actually make it engaging and hilarious.
Also, YOUR POSTCARD ARRIVED! Happy New Year to me <3
Thanks for being such a supportive friend to me in 2025. Your understanding and willingness to listen was a true blessing. I felt very loved and that meant a lot after the last few challenging years <3
OMG MAIL ARRIVING!!! I feel a little faint actually. SO exciting!
Oh my dear friend, I will always be here! We could almost not be farther away physically, but I’m always a text away!
Girl, you had A YEAR! I’m glad I was there for it. That zucchini….I still can’t get over it!
Thank you for always being such a positive light and for leaving me such lovely comments; much appreciated. Wishing you and your men the best of 2025!
Thanks so much Suz! Happy New Year to you and your family!
What an incredible year you had, Nicole! It’s been such a joy to be along for the ride. Thank you for sharing so much of YOU this year. You are a delight and a joy. <3
Thanks so much Stephany! xo
Happy New year, Nicole!! Thank you for brightening our feeds with your travels, book reviews, and humor!!
Thanks so much Daria! Happy New Year!