Dine & Fash Turns Two

(Dress: Sophie Lace Bodice Dress from Ever New’s Special Occasions Collection//Coat: Trudy Coat from Ever New//Shoes: Ginger Caged Vamp Heel Sandals from Ever New//Clutch: Carrie Clutch in Silver from Ever New//Earrings: Mandy Marquis & Pear Drop Earrings from Ever New)

It was Super Bowl Sunday, 2016. I’d enlisted the help of my then fiancé (now hubby) to take this top down photo of me on my bed, wearing a cute sweater and cozy socks with a fashion magazine and cutlery on top of a tray beside me. I thought the photo was a perfect representation of what I was trying to be about (food & fashion, duh!), and I was so excited to hit “share”, so I could announce the launch of my brand new blog to the world!

Alex cautioned it was 6:30 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday, and hence, not such a great time to post. But I couldn’t contain my excitement and did it anyway. To my surprise, the likes and comments started rolling in, and it became my first ever photo on Instagram to get over 1,000 likes (when I don’t think I even had a thousand followers)! It must’ve been a sign from the universe that I was going down the right path!

Fast forward to this month, and it’s already my 2-year ‘blogiversary’!

Over the past couple years, I’ve come so far, but at the same time, I see how much further I still have to go (kind of like the saying, “The more I travel, the less I know). I’ve written a post on 10 reflections after my first year of blogging (all of which still hold true). But for this post, I simply want to acknowledge and celebrate my accomplishments over the last two years – something a lot of women don’t unapologetically do nearly as often as they should! So, I’ve dressed up in one of my favourite brands (Ever New), and am celebrating with sweet treats and some balloons! The dress I’m wearing is from Ever New’s special occasions collection, so it was absolutely perfect for me to celebrate this milestone!

In a little over 2 years, I’ve:

• Gained a community of over 25,000 people who are interested in what I have to share and say (like, is this real life?!)
• Gained new friends – those who can be a support system and genuinely care about my development
• Developed confidence in my voice as a blogger, what I’m worth, and who I am as a person
• Had the privilege of working with, and creating content I truly love for, some of my favourite brands
• Had the opportunity to travel and share my experiences with my audience
• Had the honour of being featured by some pretty amazing publications and websites (Flare Magazine, Notable Life, BlogTO, Peace Collective, Narcity)
• Joined the Platform Media & Management Family, alongside other talented content creators whom I respect and admire
• Pushed myself out of my comfort zone (including starting my own YouTube channel)
• Grown my personal brand to the point that I could actually quit my full-time job as a lawyer!!!
• Realized that the key to success is not what I can get, but what value and inspiration I can provide to my audience

I am constantly humbled by the support of my community, and am thankful each day to have a platform from which to share my views and connect with you. Thanks for joining me on this journey!

Photography by: Laura Clarke Photography