Looking Back | 2014

Check out my past "Looking Back" posts! 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

So, 2014 has come to an end. I haven't made a post here all year, what is up with that? I'll definitely have to do detailed posts about everything that happened this year - eventually. For now though, I'll just do my annual "year in review" which I've been doing since 2010 (woah).

Looking back, I have to say this year has been absolutely incredible. I knocked some things off my bucket list (NEW YORK CITY!!!), I finally got to see British Columbia which took my breath away, I got my first job, saw tons of concerts, and went out of my comfort zone quite a bit. I'll let the photos do the talking, so starting with January..

For Christmas last year, Jared and Shanna got me tickets to see Panic! At The Disco who have been one of my favorite bands for almost 10 years now. We saw them January 30th and they were so amazing live, I would totally see them again!

On March 28th, I saw Hedley for the 3rd time on the Wild Live Tour! Their new songs were amazing live (especially Heaven In Our Headlights, man I love that song), and they never disappoint. Can't wait for the next album/tour!

In May, the Habs were having a few away playoff games televised on the jumbotron at the Bell Centre, so Jared, Shanna and I went to 3 of them! We saw them kick Boston out of the playoffs, and I have never seen anything like that in my life. It was insanity. Good times. But, not so good times when we saw them go golfing against New York. Still, though, I think I'll remember this playoff run for a very long time.

For my birthday, Jared and Shanna got tickets to see Twin Forks! They introduced me to them a while back and I really got into them so it was awesome to see them live. Plus, I met them and got my CD signed. The longtime Dashboard Confessional fan in me was pretty happy about meeting Chris Carrabba, haha.

This summer, I went to New York City with Jared and Shanna. Yes. NYC. Which has been on my bucket list since watching Home Alone 2 as a kid. And then when I got into Glee, even more so. We went to Battery Park where I got to see the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Memorial, we saw Aladdin on Broadway, Central Park, Bryant Park where they shot countless scenes of Glee, saw a Yankees game, Nintendo World, Times Square and just so, so much more. More than I ever dreamed of seeing. I swear I'll make a post about it sometime. Oh, and did I mention I got a book signed by Chris Colfer? Yeah. What a trip that was.

Mario and Zelda showcase at Nintendo World in NYC. Heaven!!

In July, Peanut unfortunately passed away at the age of 13. I've had her since I was 10 and she was my baby. I'll always remember her as being a happy girl who loved her ball. RIP my girl. ♥

In August, just a few weeks after NYC, my family and I travelled west to the beautiful province of British Columbia. My sister Katie lives in Victoria, so we all went to visit and did all sorts of fun things like the Butchart Gardens (pictured above), Beacon Hill Park, whale watching, and had s'mores by a bonfire. :) BC really is such a beautiful place and I can't wait to go back!!

On October 19th, I saw Demi Lovato, who I've been a fan of since 2008. I remember watching Camp Rock and was like "Who is this girl?!" and a few months later she put out her debut album. She's had her struggles along the way and it's really inspiring how open she is about it all and how she's overcome so much. Her song Warrior really talks about that and I was almost in tears when she sang it live. Her songs have made me a stronger person and to finally see her live was such an incredible and overwhelming experience. I can't wait to see her again. :)

I got my first job in September, and I've been saving quite a bit. So in November after I've saved enough money, I bought a Wii U with Super Mario 3D World and Mario Kart 8! I LOVE it, and I'm so happy I finally bought one. The games are so much fun and the HD graphics are stunning!

On November 23rd, I saw Simple Plan for the 10th time. These guys... I can't even put into words. I was front row, and it was my first time seeing them play an acoustic set. AND they played a new song called "Boom" that will be on the new album next year! I told Chuck (top right) that this was my 10th show and he was so appreciative and kept thanking me and that he hopes to see me at all the next shows. I'll be there Chuck, I'll be there, haha.

♥

And finally, December. Which consisted of sisterly and family bonding time, an insane amount of Christmas baking, some new video games, shirts and pyjamas, Jakey in front of the tree, and a new iPhone which I was (thankfully) able to upgrade to! What a year.

December 3 | Here's to the Rest of Us

That would be a lyric off the 2nd track of this EP.. which was released today! I could never get tired of these guys (I can't even count how many lines I've stood through for them). These 7 songs should last me until their next full length album. Which means another tour. And you know I'll be there. (fun fact: my next Simple Plan show will be my 10th)

Montreal Science Centre | Simple Plan 'Musik' Exhibit

During spring break, I ventured off to the Montreal Science Centre to see this exhibit I've been wanting to go to for months.. and then forgot about (oops). So the last week it was going on in March, I headed off to Old Montreal and made the trip!

 All their benefit pamphlets.. I was at the one in 2009! :)

Some of their awards. A Humanitarian award, a Much Music Video award, and a Juno award.

 Chuck's boarding pass.

 Letters given to them by fans.

 Lyrics to "Welcome To My Life".. which never actually ended up being the actual lyrics.

 A few of their many backstage passes.

 Lyrics to "Perfect."

Sebastien's old (now broken) guitar he used from 2002 to around 2005.

 David used to crazily break his basses on stage.. this is one of them. Also the shirt Pierre wore in the "I'm Just A Kid" music video.

 Old pre-Simple Plan things. Chuck and Pierre had two other bands before called Roach, and another one called Reset.

 This is from 2000ish. They were just kids!

 Lyrics to "Your Love Is A Lie."

 Limited edition poster that they only had 500 copies of at each stop on their Canadian Tour last year. Of course I grabbed one and it's now on my wall. :)

 One of their many setlists.

More awards.

It was an awesome experience and I'm glad I went before they took it all down!

Simple Plan | Get Your Heart On! Tour

Two weeks ago on February 23rd, I saw Simple Plan for the 8th time at the Bell Centre with 3 bands opening for them. I went to school, wrote my exam, and took the bus and metro straight to the Bell Centre to wait in line for 4 hours! I ended up being second row.. which was pretty awesome. :)

These Kids Wear Crowns came on first, but I didn't really get pictures of them. I saved my battery for the last three bands who are my favorites. The second band that came on was All Time Low. I've been waiting forever to see them live, and I'm really happy I finally did! They didn't have a very long set (7 songs) but they were awesome. :) Pictured above is the lead singer Alex Gaskarth.

Jack!

After All Time Low, the next band up was Marianas Trench! They were amazing live, and they had a really decent amount of playing time! They had about an hour set, and played 9 songs. They're an awesome Canadian band and it was lovely seeing them for the first time. :) Pictured above is their lead singer, Josh Ramsay!

Matt.

Yeah.. Josh was very glittery. :D

After a short intro video of Simple Plan's pre-show ritual dressed up as their alter egos "Plan!", they came on stage! Even after 8 times, that moment never gets old! They were awesome, as usual, and played a two hour set which was fantastic. The production on this tour was also really amazing.

Jeff has a pink guitar to match his daughter's.. I thought that was really adorable and it makes me smile.

21 songs later, the confetti came down and the night unfortunately came to an end. It was such a great night and it was worth standing in the cold for. :) 

My next concert is in four days and I'm seeing Hedley for the second time!!! I'm so excited! I haven't seen them since April '10 so I'm ready! Excited to hear the new songs live!