It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…actually, it was just 2025. And while yes, we all know that from a geopolitical sense it was a shitshow, my personal and professional life made 2025 feel more like a year filled with contradictions. You know, one good thing paired with one negative. The highs were some of the most incredible highs, while the lows were some of the lowest.
However, as I said in my previous blog post, I want this to be a space that captures things. So, I’m going to capture the three biggest moments of the year, but be warned, the first will make you sad.
The year that broke my heart
It was 2:37 a.m. on October 17 that my sweet Agnes passed away in my arms.
Agnes, lovingly known as Missy Moo, was a month shy to the day of turning 11 years old. She had had some issues with her liver for several years, but a month before her passing, we were told she had entered liver failure. Not only that, the vet has found a little bit of fluid around her liver, but at the time, they weren’t too concerned.
The morning before she passed, I remember having this gut feeling that something was off. I found her trying to hide under the table that morning before I made my way to Hamilton for the last day of my residency. When I got to campus, I remember calling my mom and confessing (in tears) that I didn’t think Agnes would make it to her birthday. Little did I know I had less than 24 hours left with her.
The night she passed, she couldn’t get comfy when we went to sleep. Peter tried to comfort her, but then I heard him cry. I knew something was very wrong. When he uttered the words, “I think she’s saying goodbye,” I knew I needed to rush her to the vet.
I have never cried so much while trying to keep my composure in my life. When Agnes and I got to the emergency hospital, she was the best little pup. It’s like she knew it was her time and wanted me to be calm.
After the vet tech took her in for tests and a look over, aka the longest 30 minutes of my life, I was called into a room where the vet told me the news I had been dreading. While Agnes’s liver numbers were stable, the fluid from a month ago had built up rapidly in her abdomen in the last few days. We could give her some pills to see if it would go away, but realistically, she didn’t have much time left. So, along the way, I asked the vet the most heartbreaking question: “Is it time?”
The vet looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “It’s a tough decision, but even with the pills, she may suffer longer if they don’t work.”
I couldn’t try things just so that Agnes wouldn’t leave me. I needed to do what was best for her. They brought Agnes back into the room and laid out a Toronto Blue Jays blanket for us to lie on. We cuddled for a long time, as I told her how much I loved her and that I would always have her with me.
And then it was time.
As she crossed the rainbow bridge while in my arms, I sobbed harder than I have ever sobbed before. My Missy Moo, my baby, my soul dog, was no longer in pain. She looked peaceful, and I knew I made the right decision, even if it was one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make.
I’m still struggling to cope with her loss, but each day gets slightly easier. I do find myself crying from time to time when something reminds me of her, but it’s those memories that keep her so close to my heart, always.
The year I went back to school
From student to professor to student again! This year saw me returning to school to start my master’s degree at my dream school. Since I began my career in communications and public relations, I always knew I wanted to earn my master’s at McMaster. Why? Well, its spectacular Master of Communications Management program is renowned, and I knew it was where I needed to be when I was ready.
I embarked on this two-year journey in mid-October with an in-person residency. The jam-packed seven days prepared me for the workload that awaited me online.
But it should be noted that one of the courses I’m taking, Financial Reporting and Management Accounting, scared (and still scares) the living daylights out of me. I’m terrible with financial concepts, but that week of residency surprised me. I was slowly beginning to understand concepts I’d struggled with for years. I would send Peter screengrabs of things I was working on with pure joy, saying things like, “I did this! Me!”
I’m also blown away by what I’m learning and applying in my Organizational Public Relations course to my day-to-day work. Every week, my understanding and love of PR and communications grow that much more.
And you may be wondering, “You’re only in two courses? Why not four or five?”
Yes, yes, I am. As I mentioned, this is a part-time program (thank God!) that spans six semesters with a residency each semester. I may only be half a semester in, but I’m so in love with this program.
Now, I will say that if you live in Oshawa or the Durham Region, I strongly recommend not commuting to and from campus for the week. I did this for the first residency, and I regretted it badly by the end of the week. You better believe my next residency in February will see me staying on campus.
She’s an author, baby!
Two years ago, I had this wild idea to write a book about accessibility in communications. However, I knew I couldn’t do it alone. I needed a partner-in-crime to help challenge me, teach me, and help me grow. It took me maybe all of 30 seconds to think of Lisa Riemers to be that co-conspirator.
I can’t put into words how lucky I am that she said yes! Working with her was beyond a dream, and our friendship only grew stronger, even if we did have an ocean between us.
For 18 months, we worked away on chapter after chapter, dissecting each word and sentence to make sure our message was clear. Were we always on the same page? Hell no, but that’s what I loved about the whole process! Challenging our preconceived notions or cultural differences on certain aspects was absolutely riveting to me. We worked through our disagreements over ideas on MS Teams calls, wishing we could meet up in a coffee shop to chat instead. But rest assured, coffee was always in hand.
Somehow, through it all, we managed to birth a book. Something that was a dream actually became a reality. In early October (October 3rd to be exact), our book was released around the world, with the North American release following on October 28.
When I received my copy of the book before the official release, I messaged Lisa first (obviously), but then FaceTimed Peter and my parents to be there as I unboxed my pride and joy. Did I cry? You know I did!
It was the culmination of 18 months of long days and nights writing, researching, Teams meetings, rewrites, tears, frustrations, happiness and joy—literally, all the things. But Lisa and I did it! And to top off this fantastic achievement, one of my personal heroines, Lorin Macdonald, wrote the foreword for the book!
Bucket list item completed. And my silly butt is already thinking about the next book…
But in the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about the book, you can visit my professional site!
What else?
Was there more to the year? Hell yes, but I don’t want this blog to go on forever, so I’ll give you the highlights/lowlights:
The bad
- My dad had emergency surgery and continued to struggle with his health
- Peter was admitted into the hospital for a wound, but is on the mend now
The sad
- Depression won more days than I would like to admit, but it didn’t keep me down
- Celebrating Agnes’s 11th birthday without her
The glad
- Continuing to grow the relationships that matter to me most
- Spoiling Edith
- Won two awards, including the Durham Region Accessibility Award for Oshawa
- Finalist for the Abilities Centre Accessibility Awards – Jim Flaherty Award
- Taught an incredible cohort of PR students at Durham College
- Saw PR & Lattes grow
- Quoted in Forbes
- Travelled to Regina, Sask., Ottawa, Ont., Washington, D.C., Anaheim, Calif., and Columbus, OH
- Reconnected with old friends
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading!
Until next time…
