Month in Review: January 2022

And just like that January 2022 has come and gone. The beginning of a new year is always a bit of a blur for me. I thought about sitting down to set some goals or do some reflection to start off 2022 but totally missed the moment. Luckily, if I go with Chinese New Year, I can have another restart Feb 1st!

Basically, this month zoomed by for me. But there were definitely still some standout moments (and a few low ones too). Read on to check out my January 2022 in review!

Highlights

Obviously, the biggest highlight of January 2022 was spending a week in Kauai, Hawaii. This was the first time we had travelled internationally in almost two years and luckily all of the testing and everything to get there went so well. We had a really awesome trip with great food and great memories – plus we were able to stay very safe!

Back at home, my biggest highlights of the month were just the little things. I loved the few sunny days we got; bright sunshine in the winter is the best. I started painting my nails again this month, which is something I used to do all the time in university but haven’t done in years. And Colin and I started making smoothies, which has been a fun and tasty treat!

Lowlights

In contrast to the sunny days we had this month (plus a week of sunshine in Hawaii), we also had a few bitterly cold and really rainy days. That’s January in Vancouver for ya!

Another big lowlight of the month was when one of our Hawaii travel companions tested positive on the way back to Canada. Luckily, they were not contagious or symptomatic (we think it was an old infection that still showed up on the PCR test) but it was stressful to have to rearrange all of their travel plans at the last minute. Thankfully it all worked out in the end, and they’re enjoying an impromptu staycation in Hawaii before they’re allowed to come back into Canada. There are worse places to quarantine, right?

And lastly, we got some news that our living situation might be changing in the near future. We really love our Yaletown apartment, and just moved in three months ago, so we’re crossing our fingers that nothing changes. But it’s stressful to know that things are currently up in the air. 

Best listen

My favourite listens this month were the handful of And Just Like That recap podcasts I started listening to. In case you missed it, And Just Like That is the Sex and The City reboot that is all kinds of problematic and cringe-y, but still incredibly watchable. Almost every episode seems to seriously miss the mark with characters, plot, writing or all three. And yet, I can’t stop watching and I hope they do a second season. One of my favourite things about the reboot is listening to all of the podcasts that bag on the show. It makes me feel justified in my opinions!

Best watch

The Amazing Race is back! Colin and I have been watching The Amazing Race since we were both kids and have seen the show through quite a few hiatuses. Oddly enough, this show was able to make a comeback in 2022 and even film during the pandemic. It gives me hope for safer travel days ahead!

Also on the TV front, we started this month off with two classic movie marathons: Harry Potter and Spy Kids. And you know what? The first Spy Kids really holds up! 

What’s cooking?

Before we left for Hawaii, Colin made an incredible lasagna that was so cheesy and flavourful. I think the secret was the addition of pepperoni! I also made us a seafood pasta that was pretty decent, thanks to a deal on lobster at our grocery store. And at the end of the month, my mom ordered in a delicious Chinese New Year feast, complete with peking duck!

Of course, some of our best meals of the month were in Kauai. We loved eating Kenji burgers, fresh tuna poke bowls and shave ice – just to name a few! I’ll definitely be writing an entire post about all of the yummy eats we enjoyed in Kauai.

Posts from this month

This month on Teaspoon of Adventure I published:

• Welcome Home! Our Yaletown, Vancouver Apartment Tour
• 10 Things You Must Eat in Montreal
• All About Dog Travel with Wet Nose Escapades
• 22 Things to Do in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Check out any of the posts you’ve missed!

For my throwback post of the month, I’m going back to January 2019: Your Perfect Itinerary for 3 Days in London. London is one of my favourite cities in the world (I’ve visited seven or eight times) and I can’t wait to go back soon. The biggest compliment I ever got was when a local Londoner read this post and said I had created the perfect itinerary!

Reads

2022 is off to a slow start on the reading front – I only read two books this month whereas in January 2021, I read 10! I shared that my reading kind of petered out towards the end of 2021 and it’s still pretty slow going. I’m hoping to get back into it next month, but not putting any pressure on myself.

This month, I finished reading:

Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt’s Creek by Daniel Levy & Eugene Levy
This coffee table book is a must-read for any Schitt’s Creek fans out there. I loved walking down memory lane, seeing how the show was created and hearing from not only Dan and Eugene, but lots of the cast, crew and production members. The book also features tons of beautiful fan art and behind the scenes stories.

Cultish by Amanda Montell
This non-fiction book is a really interesting look at the different levels of “cult” and the psychology and language used within cults. From scientology and Jim Jones to Soul Cycle and LuLaRoe, this book really covers it all. I will admit that it got a bit dull in parts – I’m much more interested in the true crime cults than the leggings cults – but it was still a great read.

Travels

I’m so glad we got to start 2022 off with some travel! This month we travelled to Kauai, Hawaii for a week and had the best time exploring. Stay tuned for more posts about our time in Kauai!

Where we have travelled in Januarys past:

• January 2020: We finished filming House Hunters International in Prague and then jetted off to London where we met up with my brother and sister.
• January 2019: This was our big trip to Southeast Asia (and Colin’s first time to Asia). We visited Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand.
• January 2014: I travelled to Iceland on my way to start my semester abroad studying in Amsterdam.

Gratitude

I am so grateful that we got to travel to Hawaii during these times. When we booked our trip in late November, Omicron wasn’t an issue and everyone thought international travel was finally opening up. In the weeks that followed, our trip looked very dicey and we almost cancelled a million times. But in the end, we weighed the pros and cons and decided to go.

I’m so thankful that we were able to go on our trip and stay safe and healthy (despite someone testing positive on the way back). It was the perfect way to start the year with a little sun and adventure!

Coming up next

To be honest, I don’t really know what’s coming up next month. I don’t have anything big on the calendar so it should just be business as usual. But I’m looking forward to getting back into my work groove after being away for a week, tackling some home projects, and sharing more about our honeymoon trip out east on the blog!

---

I hope your 2022 is off to an awesome start! How was January 2022 for you?