12 Months of 2012 – pt. 2
Read Part 1, my January to June recap here.
July
This epic month involved two and a half glorious weeks in Greece, which has been my dream vacation for so long.
We explored the labyrinthine streets of Chania, hiked the gorges of Loutro, visited the Minoan palace of Knossos in Heraklion, saw the blue domed churches and whitewashed buildings of Santorini and took in ancient Greek culture at the archaeological sites of Athens.
Matt and I had our 4th wedding anniversary.
I had my champagne birthday – 27 on the 27th.
And for my birthday Matt and I went to Chicago to experience the best new restaurant in the US, Next, and their Sicily menu– 13 courses including this roasted pork shoulder, the most delicious piece of meat I’ve ever eaten.
August
I was an extra in a movie.
I’m ready for my close up!
I was inspired by the summer Olympics to start incorporate Olympic Weightlifting (Cleans, Jerks, & Snatches) into my workouts and I’ve been loving them ever since.
And I started a plan to lose 6cm from my waist, which is still in progress right now, but may have stalled a bit over the Christmas holidays. I’m tracking my progress in the right sidebar.
September
I cooked up a big batch of my favourite soup ever: Fire Roasted Corn Chowder.
My ciabatta bread won second place at the sham show otherwise known as the Harrow Fair. The judges must have taste buds in their eyes since they managed to pick a winner without even tasting the bread.
I kicked off the long and boring football season by going to the Detroit Lions home opener at Ford Field with my dad, his girlfriend Silvia, and Matt. I admit it was an exciting game with the Lions scoring the winning touchdown in the last 10 seconds.
Matt and I in Ford Field
October
I captained a team in the Run for the Cure for the 7th consecutive year in honour of my mom who passed away from breast cancer in 2006.
I went Apple Picking.
And I dressed up as Mary Poppins for kicks Hallowe’en and handed out full-sized chocolate bars.
November
I ran the Hot Chocolate 15K race in downtown Chicago with Vicki and Tina that culminated with a hot chocolate and fondue party in Grant Park.
Tina, Vicki, and me post race.
I got a personal record on my deadlift with a 225lb lift.
I watched Matt coach his football team to their first ever division victory.
Lasers Coaches. Matt is second from the left.
I baked these amazing Filipino date & walnut bars appropriately named Food for the Gods.
December
I did 14 straight days of Moksha Hot Yoga.
I switched up my weightlifting routine to build strength in 2013 with Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 programme.
I finished the year with yet another wonderful Holiday Season where I cooked a lot, got together with my family, watched my stunning cousin marry her perfect match, and ate fondue with friends.
Read Part 1, my January to June recap here.
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- e-mail: samanthaamenzies@gmail.com
- Samantha Menzies is an opinionated young firecracker who just happens to enjoy distracting web surfers with chronicles of her mildly entertaining daily pursuits.
[...] It was a good year in that it wasn’t a bad year and sometimes that’s the best we can hope for, right? You can read Part 2, July through December here [...]
Great Post! There were some pretty good times in 2012.
Now THAT’S an incredible year. I do remember that awful bread judging – how could you have a food contest without tasting the food? And your corn chowder is in my queue!
That was one exciting year you had. Congrats on winning the bread making contest
The Food for the Gods looks heavenly and it sure is pretty popular among Filipinos especially during the Chinese Festival so everyone here in the Philippines believe they’re originated from China. Whatever the source, this is one yummy treat for everyone to savor and enjoy 
I can’t believe I had never had Food for the Gods until this year. It is unbelievably good.