I had been looking forward to this day all week! April and I planned to go for a big walk in the sun and it was GLORIOUS. I started out from my place in the Junction Triangle, met her Dundas West, then we went to Kensington. I hadn’t been in that area for ages since being at the cottage for most of the pandemic. It was pretty busy there so we grabbed a quick coffee, kept our masks on, and headed to Queen Street. Since we aren’t able to gather with friends right now, we were hoping to run into people we knew along the way, and we certainly did! It was so nice to catch up with a few random friends neither of us had seen in ages. We continued west on Queen to Parkdale and I walked back home to the West Toronto Rail Path. I did about 19,000 steps! Once I got home I changed into loungewear and parked myself on the couch for the afternoon. Amazing how a big walk & heaps pf fresh air will tucker you out.

Quiet day working at home. Very cold out today. Made pizza from General Assembly I picked up from Henderson Brewery. Sean comes back tomorrow. One of my fav things lately is people’s nicknames for the pandemic. There’s a whole bunch of funny videos of people on TikTok calling it a pany, panini, panoramic, Patricia. Idk why but I find it hilarious despite the pandemic but being funny at all.

Today I felt like I needed some summer vibes in my life so I braided my hair and put on a yellow sweater. Was the first time I did this style since summer when I used to braid my hair all the time. It wasn’t until later in the day that I posted a photo of my hair on Twitter and I know for sure that my sister didn’t see it. Well, do you know what? Jenie called me at night and said she braided her hair today too, her first time since summer. I can’t tell you how many times we have shown up in almost identical outfits or done something super random like this on the same day. We aren’t twins but I am 100% convinced the universe has us intertwined with a sister connection. That’s all for today, just a little positive story. Appreciate the little things my friends!

I am so glad I left the house for a walk yesterday because today we’re in a snow storm. It was so beautiful out. Before returning home, I took about 10 minutes to sit in direct sunlight and soak it up. I’m charged up by the sun! I took a trip to the local post office to send out a few packages filled with love. My intention was to send out holiday cards but I didn’t get there, so I decided to ship valentines instead. I can’t wait for everyone to get their mail! Last year I sent out a bunch of handmade friendship bracelets and it was such a nice way to connect with friends from afar. Also, everyone loves mail that’s not bills, right?! Hoping to send out a few more before Feb. 14th. Some of these will arrive a *bit* early but that doesn’t matter. Who knows what day it is anymore lol.

Took a nice little walk around the hood today after Sean went back to the cottage. I was feeling drab so I put on a cute outfit and went for fresh air. When I got home I watched Mad Med and wrote Valentines Cards for a few friends. If you are feeling down I highly recommend writing notes to people you haven’t seen in a while. It will remind you how special they are to you and help put your own worries in perspective. I can’t wait to send my packages out this week! Let this street art be a reminder that ‘tout est possible’ or in English, everything is possible! If you are feeling down at any point, feel free to reach out to me on any social media platform or email. Something simple as a voice note or silly selfie always helps to cheer me up. Here’s to a great week!

Spent most of the day at home, as usual. I received a box of Boscia beauty products from my friends at Blend PR and tbh it was perfect timing. I really love the Luminizing Black Charcoal Mask and using the Cactus Water Moisturizer at night to coat my skin while I sleep. I’ll try the other items this week. Planning a post with some of my fav skincare products, I’ve been taking really good care of my skin lately. Been feeling like I really need to charge my batteries. This lockdown is much harder than the first round back in March. There are 5 weeks until March 1st and we’re approaching one year of this pandemic. HANG IN THERE GUYS, THE DAYS ARE GETTING LONGER! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!

I usually start out the week with high energy. On Monday, I get getting fully dressed, have coffee, exercise, and get ready for the week. I was quite productive for the first few days but by the end of the week, I felt drained. It’s not that I was doing a lot, it’s just life these days, pandemic fatigue. I didn’t really leave the house from Wednesday-Friday, except for the odd trip to the corner store. By Friday, I was tired, wearing jogging pants, a messy bun, and spent the day on the couch with my computer. Friday, chill house vibes all around. I successfully watched the entire first season of Bling Empire on Netflix in none day. Next, I watched Y&R (as usual!) then Death of Me on Netflix. Sean arrived back home just after 6 pm and we ordered takeout pho (Vietnamese soup, so good!). Looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home, maybe some self-care, and catching up on blog posts. I try to write each day but if I don’t, I batch update with photos from the week. Hope you are hanging in there, we’ll get through this. The next couple months will be hard but before we know it, grass will be growing, flowers blooming, and spring will be in the air.

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. Aldous Huxley

Today was Inauguration Day 2021 in the USA and Joe Biden was sworn in as President. I watched the whole thing while I worked, Lady Gaga performed, it was such a positive collective experience. Everyone I talked to felt an overwhelming sense of calm. After such a traumatic year (and years of Trump in power!), it was nice to see this change. In the words of Kamala Harris, ‘WE DID IT JOE!‘ One of the best things to come out of the day (bless the internet!) was a slew of Bernie memes of him sitting through the whole thing. I’m sure there will be an IG filter and a ‘put Bernie anywhere’ type of website or app in no time. I wore one of my fav Zara Kids jumpsuits and spent the day working in Sean’s office. Sent a pic of me in there watching Y&R haha. I hadn’t posted anything to my Instagram feed in almost a month (maybe longest break ever?) but after watching the inauguration, I felt so happy I posted a short video here.

Today was a good day. Left the house late afternoon to meet Natalie and her dog Chloe for a walk before the sun went down. We sat outside in the park by the Telus Centre near the Royal Conservatory of music, then went around the park. Walked through some of the University of Toronto buildings and I recognized a bunch of from Tiny Pretty Things on Netflix. There are heaps of recognizable locations if you’re watching the show, see some of them here on BlogTO. Good show, I’ll finish it tonight. Before heading home I had a little meetup outside with Nelson & Talia. We went to Eatily and got groceries. It felt like being out on the town! It’s been so long since I went to a place with anyone other than Sean. We were all wearing masks and only inside a grocery store, but it was invigorating! Earlier in the day, after my run, I tried a TikTok hair trend to do natural, heatless waves with a belt from a robe. I wasn’t sure how it worked at first but as the day went on, the curls relaxed and my hair looked great. I can’t wait to try it again and get really good at this. I’ve dreamed of having long hair for years and without the pandemic, I would have probably cut it. The title of this post on Day 311 is Amber by the band 311. My sister and I used to love this one so much. It will make you smile. ?