2016, A Look Back!

Twenty sixteen was one of those years where by time December rolled around I wasn't sure if I was thankful it was finally over or glad for the life lessons. 2016 started out great only to have me and many others wanting a re-do by time February rolled around. When we started talking about this as a topic I was so sure what I was going to say, but now sitting down to write it I am realizing 2016 was overwhelming with things and I have no idea where to start. So a look back at 2016...

I turned 30. Turning 30 was terrifying for me! Thirty sounds so serious, you know like I should have my shit together by now kind of serious. Which, lets be frank (or if you ask my mother) is totally not the case. Running away to Cuba to celebrate was totally a good idea... which leads me to my next point...

Cuba. I travel a lot, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to do so, but the last visit to Cuba was something more than just a blissful seven days in the sun with a mojito in hand. It renewed my hope in humanity, in people, in love, which if you know anything about me is huge. Bigger than that, its enormous!

Being and staying positive. I am for most part, glass half empty kind of person (go ahead judge me, I know I am), so somewhere over the course of 2016 I realized that just do. There is no point in whining and bitching about things - is there is something you can do about it? Than do it or shut a hell up. For things you cant change anyway, what a hell is the point of stressing over it? You cannot change it. Learn form it and move on.

Loss. I don't deal with loss well; or in my case I deal by never talking about it so I don't have to cry or fall apart. In 2016 I lost one of my best friends, love of my life and the only person who  always called me out on all my bullshit. I went through all the stages of grieving in a week and then was just angry, angry that cancer is awful and takes people way too soon. A. I will forever miss you. 

 Unfinished business. 2016 thought me reinforced the importance of doing what you love and what you are passionate about. My career came first for so many years, but this year that hit me hard, landing me on my ass, realizing that having a fancy title, a corner office doesn't mean absolutely anything. I want more - more of things that mean something, more of things I am passionate about. So with that I started back on two things, I should have never give up in the first place. More on that in 2017.

Amazing big and little things: My sister and I bought a condo and moved down town. I learned to live out of two homes and consistently looking for things that were at the other place stopped bothering me. I ran Spartan and didn't die.

What did 2016 teach you?

2016: Best of Letters to LA LA land

2016 was a learning year. Blogging and social media world change all the time and it was the first full year of posting content together since Amy and Zahra joined Letters to LALA land.
 

Happy holidays, everyone! We wanted to take a second to thank you so much for reading, whether you check in every day or now and again. I can’t tell you how much we adore our readers and how grateful we are for you.

Today we rounded few of our favorite posts from 2016:

 

Most read posts of 2016:

Top 5 Costumes for Halloween

Best Places to Visit in Canada for 2016

Cleaner Car with FRAM Fresh Breeze Cabin Air Filters and FRAM EngineAir Filters

Thoughtful Gifts for Under $50.

 

 

 Best of travel:

Mostar

Varadero

 

Dubrovnik

 

 

Best of Life and Style:

 Something About Being Older....

5 Alternatives to Hotels

25 Things To Learn and Do Before You Are 30

Things corporate world taught me

How To Do A Fiscal Fast   





 

Our favorite posts:

Nermisa

OOTD - Workhall coat and Western Canada Fashion Week x Designerz Den

 



Zahra
OOTD - Party Jumpsuit and How to: Have a Social Life and a (Positive) Bank Account Balance 
 

Amy
How I Ran a Spartan Race and Survived and Five Things Cuba Taught Me.
 

 

You can read all category posts:

 

Book of the Month posts

 

Music of the Month posts

 

Movies and TV monthly selection

 

OOTD posts

 

Five favorites

 

Travel posts

 

Beauty Posts

 

 

Thank you for reading.

 

2016 The NOT so Good

We take our fare share of photos for the blog; I am usually in front of the camera doing something ridiculous which Amy is kind enough to capture on camera.

 Here are few not so glamorous shots behind few of Letters to LA LA land #OOTD's from 2016

That one time I almost fell of the bench.

I did not know she was taking photos, and I was concentrating on playing the right cords.

The purse switch...

That purse again...

Fun fact: this dress is not long enough to touch the water.

Hold on, did I lock the car?

Let me just take my jacket off and I will be ready ready...

Let me fix my hair...

I cant even explain.

"This jacket is in my way, here take it"

"Wait till I am not at the door and take a photo ..."

"you are standing very awkwardly" me: "I am not"

"Hold on, is that my phone?"

and

there is always time for

a 30 second dance party!

Don't take yourself to seriously. Blogging, your work, your passion should be fun.

Looking a little ridiculous once in a while is good for the soul.

2016: Amy's Look Back

What a year! 2016 was filled with ups and down and in the middles! My first full year of being single since I was 16, travelling the world, taking on new challenges, and adding a few failures/mistakes to the book too! Here's a quick look back in my year:

Owning a teenager: one of the most challenging and rewarding things of my life. I use the word own because my pretty little kid always wants for something: new clothes, new shoes, make up, movie tickets, driving test after test after test, trips, and FOOD (man can these humans consume the groceries). I wouldn't trade this stage for diapers again but it's cheaper for sure. And I wouldn't change anything for a second. She's my favourite person in the whole world - shhh don't tell her, it might go to her head!

Varadero Beach in Cuba

 Somewhere in Cuba

Pina Coladas in Cuba

 Another Pina Colada in Havana, Cuba

Over looking Maligne Canyon

Whistler's Inn, Jasper Alberta

 A lake in Ontario

6 Flags La Ronde in Montreal

National Art Gallery in Ottawa

Travelling the world: I went from Jasper to Cuba to Ottawa and Montreal, back to Cuba and Jasper! I used every last one of my vacation days at work and loved every second of it. Partied it up on some beaches with friends, celebrated a 30th birthday (not mine - I'm 29 again) on the ocean, screamed on roller coasters with my kid at 6 flags, swam in lakes and rivers with my cousins, shopped in mall after mall, hit up museums and art galleries with my Step Mom, and hiked mountains with my besties.

Lindsey Stirling Concert

 Kaleo at Edmonton Folk Festival

The Watchmen at Taste of Edmonton

I ran a Spartan Race, attended multiple concerts, hit up my first Cirque de Soleil performance, saw models strut down runways (live and on tv), read 20 books, wrote over 3 dozen blog posts, saw many cheerleading competitions, and watch a crap ton of Netflix!

Seems this year was a rough one for some folks, if my Instagram feed means anything - but I had an adventurous and great year! I look forward to the next one and all the new experiences I'll get to have. Good and bad - because they make us who we are!

HA7X Multi-Molecular Hydrator Serum from Reviv Serums

We all want more even, hydrated and soft looking skin right? I recently got introduced to HA7X Multi-Molecular Hydrator Serum from RevviSerums. HA7X Multi-Molecular Hydrator serum that helps hydrate skin and improves any complexion using an award winning formulation.

I started using the HA7X Multi-Molecular Hydrator Serum each morning and night, applying it right before applying my moisturizer. The serum is very rich and you only need couple of pumps for my entire face. The serum help my skin looking brighter and clearer after using it for only 10 days.
 

This Serum won the2016 Gold Award for Best New Ingredient at in-Cosmetics Paris. It was developed by Givaudan SA. The serum block the production of cortisol which is the number one stress hormone. It's also said to promote the release of endorphins and make you feel more relaxed and calm. It also has super fast results in improving redness, skin tone, and luminosity. You can check out this short video to learn more about it.

 

Have you tired it? Here is you chance, enter the giveaway below:

Good luck!

These Shoes Are Made for Dancing With Sole Patches

I love wearing heels but in some cases the heels don't love me back. If you follow me on Snapchat you know my struggle of wearing 5'' stilettos and the pain I was in for most of the Holiday parties I attended this year. Beauty is pain right? Or is it?

 I was recently introduced to Sole Patches. Sole Patches are a sticker made out of high tech urethane poron that you can put directly onto the ball of your foot, or the heel of your foot, or directly onto your shoe to avoid pain in your feet. Sounds good right? So I decided to put on my favorite pair of heels for a night out of dancing and wear them with Sole Patches.

 The petal shaped patch provided cushioning to the balls of my feet. These shoes have no cushioning on the inside and have a higher heel than I usually wear so they tend to be uncomfortable and painful after a while. The Sole Patches did provide some much needed cushioning. I placed the patch on the inside the shoe and it did seem to help with the pain and comfort. The adhesive is very strong so the patches don't slip around and they don't get all soggy and fall off, which is great.

 You can check out this video from Discovery Channel for more on Sole Patches:

Have you guys tried Sole Patches before? I will be wearing them with my NYE shoes to dance the night away. 

2016 : Best of Style

We're in the last few days of 2016, with 2017 on the horizon! Each year  we round up some of the most read posts - from fashion to travel to food to give you some Winter reading material! Today we start with most read #OOTD posts:

 

The most read #OOTD post in 2016 was a post on what to wear not to look like a tourist in Europe

 

Holiday OOTD - Conservative Gal Inspiration - this is probably one of my favorite outfits of the year.

 

This Backless See-Through Maxi Dress was one of the most read posts as well, however the photo back drop might have more to do with it than the actual #OOTD considering I don't even have shoes on.

 

This denim dress was perfect is perfect for spring, and fact it was from one of the local stores here in #YEG makes it more special.

 

Can you really ever go wrong with a perfect LWD?

 

What do you guys think? Are you favorite Letters to LA LA land style posts on here? 

2016; Zahra's Look Back

I can't believe we are already at the end of 2016. Time just flew by this year, okay let's be honest we say this every year around this time or at least I do. While sitting down to write this I thought, 2016 sucked I did nothing. Then my helpful friends started making a list and it really got me thinking about how I don't live in the moment or really keep the significant moments in my life at the top of my mind. Here is my list of highlights provided curtosey of me and my helpful friends.  

source

Promotions. I have finally moved forward in my career this year, well maybe not forward but I definitely got a promotion and moved into a new position. It's not exactly what I thought I would be doing, but so far I love it. It's challenging and new. 

Birthdays. We celebrated my nieces 1st birthday, which for some reason in my culture is a big deal. It's planned kind of like a wedding, a huge spectacle but so fun. I also celebrated one of my Bestie's 30th birthday and that is also a milestone birthday and a big deal, only took 30 years but we finally pulled off a surprise (I didn't ruin it for once).

Anniversaries. So the BF and I made it to 3 years, I suppose that's a milestone. Like yay, we didn't kill each other! I still love you and would like to spend all of my time with you. I think that part of our relationship is the best, we still love spending time together even if it's just sitting on the couch watching TV.

Being a Homeowner. I bought a condo, and let me tell you being a grown up and doing grown up things is hard and very stressful. But so rewarding, I feel a sense of accomplishment and now I have an investment for my future.

source

Cuba. This was my first trip with the BF where we went on a plane, he has never been anywhere outside North America so this was a big deal for him. This was a milestone for our relationship in that we have never been on a trip like that. A lot of things went wrong but we survived and are still together. We learned a lot about each other and our relationship. I can't wait for our next trip.

How was your 2016? What are your milestones?

Happy Holidays!

2016 was an exciting, unpredictable and a year for the books. On behalf of Amy, Zahra and myself, I want to say how thankful we are for your support and for reading Letters to LA LA land.

 

 

Wishing you all the warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a very Happy New Year.

 

From our families to yours, Happy Holidays!

 

Amy, Nermisa and Zahra!