A Decade in Review

It’s hard to believe it’s already the new year, and even harder to believe it’s a new decade. While sitting at home, alone, last night on New Years Eve I thought it would be fun to take a look back at all the things I’ve done in the last 10 years. Chances are there will be more in the second half than the first, partly because I did more and partly because my memory isn’t quite that good.

Let’s start with a picture of Megan circa 2009 for that 10 year challenge shall we?

This post will likely have lots of pictures. So, enjoy. If you follow me on Instagram, I apologize because after 2016 a lot are probably going to have been on there haha. And if you don't follow me on Instagram...why not? megpie.s. Go now :)

What else happened to me in 2010?

• I graduated Travel & Tourism as a Georgian Scholar

• Went to the Harry Potter exhibit at the Science Centre
• I started Recreation & Leisure Services at Georgian
• Got my full G license

Hmm. I’m sure other things happens but these are clearly the highlights I remember.

Moving on to 2011

• Made a super cool cake for my sister's Oscars party

• Went to the Toronto Auto Show for the first time

• Went to Discovery Harbour
• Got my wisdom teeth out
• Was part of a flash mob

Again, probably other things happened but I’m blocking them out for reasons. 

2012! When the world was supposed to end. 

• Went on my first cruise and to Universal Studios Orlando for the first time with my sister

• Got my first car
• Went to see Mariana’s Trench and The New Cities at Georgian
• Graduated from Recreation & Leisure Services as a Georgian Scholar

• Started working at the Blue Mountain ropes course

• Went to First Light at Ste Marie for the first time with Amberella

Slightly more things happened this year. Or my memory’s improving. 

Let’s see what 2013 had in store. 

• Worked at Blue Mountain ropes course for another summer

• Finally got to go to FanExpo
• Did the CIBC Run for the Cure
• Started working front desk at Blue Mountain

• Learned how to snowboard

Not bad. I’m sure I’m still forgetting things. 

2014, I think this one was a big year. 

• Worked another summer at the Blue Mountain ropes course
• Did Met Con Blue finally

• Did Warrior Dash

• Went to the CNE for the first time

• Broke up with my idiot boyfriend
• First solo flight (third plane trip ever)
• Started working on the Oasis of the Seas (Bahamas, St Thomas, St Maarten, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico)

• Learned how to ride the Flowrider

• Go to be in the parade
• Met some cool people and even cooler Dreamworks characters

• Saw Home Free for the first time

Yep, pretty substantial year.

We're halfway through, on to 2015

• I learned I do not like Seadoos

• I tried iFly on the Quantum of the Seas

• Mom and sister came to visit me on board

• Got to visit Magen's Bay

• I survived the end of my first ship contract
• I took a solo road trip down to Michigan
• Went to see the Jays play the Tigers on 4th of July weekend

• Did Met Con Blue, Warrior Dash and 2 5K Foam Fest runs
• Signed on to the Liberty of the Seas (Canada/New England, Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, St Thomas, St Maarten, Mexico, Bermuda, Curacao, Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman, Honduras)

• Finally got to do the zip line at Labadee

• Climbed mountains in Acadia National Park

• Got to do parade

• Got to do 70's Disco Inferno

• Rented a car for the first time and drove me and 3 youth staff to Peggy's Cove

• Mom and sister came to visit me again

• Did Dancing with the Stripes

• Went to Hell

Hoo boy, 2015 was busy.

Can 2016 beat it?

• Did a month of dry dock in the Bahamas

• Signed on to the newest and biggest ship, Harmony of the Seas (Spain, France, Italy, England, Netherlands)

• First one ever down the toilet bowl waterslide
• Got to do Totally Awesome 90's Street Party

• Ate a whole lot of pizza and gelato

• Lots of dressing for the ice show (and occasional aqua or theatre show)
• Visited Pompeii
• Got to do another parade

• Mom and her friend came to visit

• Did a transatlantic crossing
• Visited England

• Got to see Stonehenge

Pretty solid year.

Onwards to 2017

• Finally got to skate the Rideau Canal
• Signed on to Enchantment of the Seas (Bahamas, Key West)
• Got promoted to supervisor 2 weeks in
• Went to the sports supervisor and managers conference

• Went to the waterpark at Atlantis Bahamas again
• Got transferred to Explorer of the Seas back to staff (Alaska)

• Climbed a mountain in Juneau

• Went whale watching
• Got to be in 2 more parades

• Mom and uncle came to visit my second last week on board
• Visited the Mendenhall Glacier
• Saw the Terry Fox Exhibit at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria
• My grandma passed away
• Trip to New York and cruise with my mom

• Ate lots of cupcakes

• Saw a Broadway show

• Saw the view from Top of the Rock, Central Park and the Staten Island Ferry
• Got to be a guest on a cruise and did all the sports activities

• Resigned from Royal Caribbean
• House and rabbit sat for my sister for almost a month while she was in Australia

Holy. Lots of things happened in 2017.

Surely 2018 can't top it.

• First solo trip to New York City
• Another Broadway show

• Bought a new car

• Went to Universal Studios Orlando with my uncle and cousin (cousin who I had not seen since she was a baby and was now 13!!)

• Sold our house (and by "our" I mean my mother's)
• Drove across the country to work for the summer in the Yukon

• Finally got to see the West Edmonton Mall
• Stopped at lots of roadside attractions

• Saw my first wild moose

• Drove the top of the world highway to Dawson City
• Went to Diamond Tooth Gertie's

• Drove the entire Alaska Highway

• Spent a week in Alaska
• Got to see the Northern Lights my last night on the job

• Drove to a town called Stewart in BC and went a glacier where I met a dad and son from Ontario

• Went up the Jasper Skytram

• Visited a friend in Banff for 3 days and got to see Lake Louise

• Saw a Mountie
• Went to Drumheller and saw the dinosaurs
• Went to Vulcan

• Went on another cruise with my mother
• Got to visit Green Gables

• Went to Universal Studios Orlando again

• Drove to Pittsburgh and then Philadelphia, made some new friends

• Pole dancing for a bachelorette party
• Slept in an old prison
• Drove to Pittsburgh again to take the bus to Philly for New Years

And these were all just the "big" things, plenty more smaller things happened too.

Moving on to the last year of the decade, 2019 here I come.

• Watched the Mummer's Parade in Philly

• Ran up the "Rocky" steps

• Visited Eastern State Penitentiary

• Walked the Blumination Trail at Blue Mountain

• Got to see two lovely people get married

• Got to see Home Free again

• Finally went up the CN Tower

• Saw Sarah Millican live in Toronto
• Drove across the country again for another summer in the Yukon
• Visited the West Edmonton Mall waterpark and rode the Flowrider

• Did Harry Potter trivia alone (I didn't win)
• Got my pictures turned into postcards at work

• Got to see another two lovely people get married, and helped organize the wedding

• Road trip and took a ferry to Haines and Skagway Alaska
• Tried glass blowing (sculpting?) and made a bird

• Drove up to Dawson City again
• Stayed in a hotel that used to be a brothel

• Did more glass blowing and made a bowl and another bird

• Another short trip to Alaska
• Went to the Alaska State Fair
• Saw Home Free for the third time

• Got to paint the whole side of the main building at work

• Saw the Northern Lights again

• Got 13 Smile Cookies on my drive home

• Got my sister a whole lot of beer from my various travel locations over the summer

• Got to see my first ever NHL game, Leafs vs Canadians

• Saw a Cirque du Soleil show

• Voted for the first time
• Dyed my hair partially blue

• Got my visa and moved to England

• Found a house to rent and a job within a month
• Saw John Barrowman's Christmas concert

• Got to see some old ship friends
• Saw a bunch of Christmas markets

• Went to Winter Wonderland
• Found a copy of Little Women left by the Book Fairies

Yep. 2019 was insane.

Obviously these are the highlights. And mostly all the awesome things that happened. There was also a lot of stress and tears and loneliness. But, lets focus on the positives. The last decade has been actually pretty awesome, and here's hoping the next decade is even better.

Shout out to anyone who spent any part of the last decade with me and made me who I am today. Most of you I liked, there were some dickheads thrown in along the way though.