MEXICO!!

Once the temperatures hit -45 in Toronto this winter we decided we need to get to the sun. I've always wanted to go to Mexico so we booked a trip to the Mayan Riviera for a week of relaxation and warmth! We chose to stay at the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Hotel and Spa it was beautiful! The resort itself is technically two resorts in one. There is no difference between the two, you can use all the amenities and there really was no separation other than two of everything....which was nice for a change of scenery every now and then. I have NO complaints about this resort and would 100% visit again! Here are a "few" snap shots!

Grand Sirenis

 first day in paradise

 finally sun!

 lobby #1

 mini ruin on the resort

 no. complaints.

 lobby #2

 Tulum Ruins

 Tulum

 beautiful beach in Tulum

 you can't get much fresher than this!

 Playa del Carmen

Carnival!

 Peacock in Cozumel

 sketchy Jeep rental in Cozumel

 view form our balcony

 Jungle pathways through the resort

 attempting to get the coco's out of the trees

 Playa del Carmen

 ferry ride to a day in Cozumel

photo op in Tulum

life got the best of me...

April already, time really flies by when life gets the best of you. I can't tell you how many times I logged in to create a blog post and just felt uninspired. I didn't know what to say that would be of interest to anyone, so I just ignored it. Thinking about it I've realized that for me, blogging doesn't necessarily need inspiration it's more of a way to escape the everyday madness and talk about things that I love and that interest me.

Recently my boyfriend moved to Bermuda for a work contract, just for 3 months. But this is the longest we have ever been apart and I was finding it very hard to cope. I developed anxiety and stress out of nowhere and it really started to consume my life. I've made a promise to myself that as part of my coping and healing process I'm going to try to blog once a day if not every other day as a way to take my mind off everything around me that's causing me stress! I use to blog everyday and I want to get back into that routine! Time to give this another try!*

new start....new name!

It's been awhile since I last posted {almost 4 months}and I apologize. A lot has happened these past few months and I needed to take some time away from my blog and get my life sorted out. As I mentioned earlier in the summer I had moved from Calgary back to Ontario. Things in Calgary were not working out for me and I decided it was best to come back to Ontario where I was comfortable in the environment and surround myself with positive energy, friends and family. Sadly, with this move brought the ending of my relationship. Ultimately, I didn't feel things were working, and I truly believe that if we had not moved out west things would have ended up much differently, but I take it all as a learning experience and I do not regret anything about the past 2 years.

I recently moved to TORONTO!! I finally found a great new job after 8 months of looking, and things are looking up! This city is truly where I belong. I feel happy, healthy and excited to experience everything Toronto has to offer!

I didn't necessarily want to start a whole new blog and delete Vodka and Caviar. I had started that blog when I first moved out west as a way to let my friends and family know what I was up to! But I felt something needed to change. Today I changed my blogs name to Champagne Toasts! Toasting to a fresh new start in a new city. I don't want to delete Calgary from my life or my memory I want to be able to look back on my posts and remember the good times....this is just a transition just like my life has transitioned. I will be making minor changes, but nothing drastic! I want to focus on the city life and amazing spots I find and exciting things I'm doing! This city is filled with amazing shops, restaurants and things to see and I have only just scraped the surface!*

Settled...

I apologize in advance, this is going to be a lengthy post!*

It's been awhile since my last post, everything has been so crazy! I didn't mention this on my blog before because it was a sensitive subject and not a lot of my friends and family knew but I have moved back to ONTARIO! After my Las Vegas trip my best friend flew from Vegas to Calgary and we road tripped back to Ontario {more on that later}! Things in Calgary were just not working out for me. I missed my friends and family more then I ever thought I would, I quit my job because I was so miserable and not treated with respect and I didn't feel at home or comfortable with the city and the people. So my boyfriend and I came to the decision that it would be best for me to move back to Ontario and start to get established for the both of us. He is planning on making the move back after the summer!

Road Trip! Driving from Alberta to Ontario is not a short drive, 3400 kms and 36 hours to be exact! We wanted to do it as quickly as possible, spend as much time on the road and as little time sleeping! My jeep was packed to the top and little Effy had a cute little "loft" as we called it all set up with her toys, bed and food!

Day 1:
We left around 11:30am and drove through Alberta, Saskatchewan and into Manitoba on the first day! These provinces are super boring with really nothing to look at besides cattle, wheat and farms...*yawn*. We stayed at a hilarious little motel and had to mission impossible Effy into the room, the room also had no heat or hot water... 4 star all the way!

 Naturally....

 

Welcome to Herbert, Saskatchewan 

 

the only game in town...

 

we stuck out like a sore thumb

 

delish though! 

 

never.again.

 Moose Jaw!

 

princess Effy!

 

cutest!

 

"Spirited Energy" 

 

our half canoe for the evening.

Day 2:

Our goal on day 2 was to make it to Wawa, Ontario. If you don't already know, driving through Ontario is literally half the trip, it takes forever. For this to have happened we would have had to sleep literally 2 hours and then hit the road again, but we slept in and sadly didn't make it as far as we wanted. We did make it to Thunder Bay, Ontario! In Thunder Bay we were forced to stay in the sketchiest motel due to "Night Danger" on the Trans Canada Highway, aka Moose. {For those of you that don't know the TCH is a highway that goes from coast to coast in Canada, and once you hit Northern Ontario becomes a 2 lane highway littered with Moose and trucks at night...very dangerous}.

 

tuckered out

 

only 1500 kms to go!

 

Manitoba - Ontario Boarder

 

i'm in Manitoba they're in Ontario!

 

MADE IT!

 

Thunder Bay Sketchy!

Day 3:

On day 3 we got up super early, because we had to make up for lost time. We literally had to drive for 16 hours on the last day, From Thunder Bay to Niagara Falls. We were hoping the last day would be the shortest and easiest of the 3 but...nope! Driving in Norther Ontario is beautiful and very refreshing from the none stop farm lands of the prairies. Lake Superior was beautiful! It looks very similar to Vancouver, B.C with the water and the mountains, but after 4 hours of that we were beyond over it! We finally got to stop in Sault Ste Marie for 30 minutes to grabs some food then we were onward to Niagara. Between the Sault and Perry Sound there is literally NOTHING. It was defiantly the hardest part of the drive. Reaching Toronto was like a breath of fresh air! I felt HOME! We finally rolled into the drive way at 1am driving a total of 36 hours, 3553.4 kms and only 1 speeding ticket!*

 

HOME!

Changes..*

Changes. There have been A LOT of them lately. Where to start? I guess I'll tackle the biggest change I've made, I QUIT MY JOB. Yes...in two weeks I will be unemployed {hopefully not for long...but still unemployed}. When we first moved to Calgary I was not in any position to be picky with employment. I needed a job and I needed one quick! Luckily, I landed two great EA {executive assistant} positions with awesome benefits, weekend and holidays off and flex friday's.... two years have passed, and I don't feel fulfill, satisified or at all happy. Needless to say I felt trapped...trapped in a job because of money and benefits. I'm 26 {soon to be 27} and I didn't like this feeling, the feeling of being so far removed from my support system and working an unfulfilling job in a city I'm not totally in love with.  After MANY hours/months of back and fourth...I decided {with support from my awesome bf of course} that quitting my job, taking some time off and figuring out what is best for me {and my mental health!}is the best decision I could make for me {and my relationship}.  Maybe my whole perspective on the city will change and we won't move back to Ontario come June... you never know until you try! I have to say....after I resigned a HUGE weight was lifted and I felt like there was an end to the unhappiness and a start to finding something I LOVE in Calgary.

and finally...a not so serious change....!*

BEFORE......

AFTER!

12 Days of Favorites*: Day 5

We got a new puppy!

Effy was a huge impulse purchase! I was bored at work one day and was searching puppies on Kijiji, just to see what was available. The next thing I know, I'm holding a 3 week old puppy and naming her! {FYI - don't just go "look at" a puppy because you WILL leave with one!} The past 4 months have been so much work training her, but it's so worth it! She's amazing and obviously the cutest!*

Effy at 3 weeks!

the day we brought her home!

Effy*

Me and the pup on the top of the rockies!

Best.Friends.!

5 months old...ready for her 1st Christmas!

Life Lately! We Moved!!

Moving is the worst! We literally lived in not so organized {I tried} chaos for the past 2 weeks....but this past weekend we officially moved into our amazing new apartment!  And the progress we have made getting everything put away and set up is pretty impressive!  The day we moved, we rented a U-Haul {which are horrifying to drive} and went straight to IKEA and picked up our new couch which I'm totally in love with {photos below}!  Needless to say, I am happy we are out of our OLD apartment and settling in just in time for family and friends visiting and the summer!*

our little painter

life in chaos {old apartment}

packed!

living room/dining room {new apartment}

new kitchen!

master bedroom

2nd bedroom {currently storage}

living room

bedroom set up!

NEW couch love!

our new building!  {this is at 10:00pm....!}