Holiday Hippie Market

It was so lovely out today! Had a very slow morning watching holidays movies in bed and playing Nintendo. After doing some stuff around the house I put on a cute outfit and biked over to the Holiday Hippie Market on Ossington. This new location was so GOOD. Heaps of vendors and such a great vibe. It was pretty busy all day and there was a huge lineup when I left. Hopefully, that means they’ll be back to this same location again soon. Highly recommend checking it out, follow @hippiemarketlife on IG for updates. See posts from my past visits here. Stayed in last night, ordered pasta, and finally watched the first two episodes of ‘And Just Like That‘ (the new Sex and The City). I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it but I will 100% be tuning in as new episodes come out.

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Back on My Morning Routine

I’ve been back on my morning routine this week and it feels so good. Running first thing in the morning is an incredible way to start the day! I set out my running gear before bed so I can roll out at 7 am jump into my clothes, grab my AirPods, and hit the road. This week has been kinda cold but once you get moving it’s super refreshing. I love running to the south end of the West Toronto Rail Path and seeing the sun come up over Dundas West. It blows my mind that I’ve been running consistently for over two years. I started on Daylight Savings in 2019 and I’m extremely thankful for starting this habit before the pandemic hit. I feel like it saved my sanity through those hard months. Let this be a reminder, it’s never too late to start a new habit. It’s also ok to skip a day, think long term, consistency is key! In other news, I’ve been listening to Will Smith’s new book on Audible and it’s great, raw, real, honest. After seeing him on tv and in movies for so long, it’s nice to hear him tell stories about his own life. Highly recommend! I enjoy listening to audiobooks on my runs because when I feel like taking a break or slowing down, the words keep me going. Some other celebrity memoirs I’ve enjoyed on Audible are by Mariah Carey, Matthew McConaughey, and Jessica Simpson. Happy listening, reading, or running!

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That’s a Wrap!

I’m done counting the days and as we say in film “that’s a wrap”! This panini may never be over but I want to focus on the future, the positive. There’s no way possible of knowing how long we’ll be wearing masks, need vaccine passports, and have the threat of Coronavirus. As the holidays approach, people are getting together, things are opening up, I’m calling quits on my daily pandemic diary. Back to regular blogging! It’s been 600+ days since I started counting and to be honest, pretty proud of myself for keeping it up this long. Looking back through the posts from the last two years is pretty emotional, to be honest. Day 1: Social Distancing was on March 13th, the last day I went to the gym. I shared a lot of myself during this time, the good days, the bad days, the crafts, the fun, and the anxiety. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with all these posts but it’s a nice time capsule to keep memories of this moment in history. I’m basically a historian haha. Today, I’m writing this from a restaurant, after work, while having a glass of wine. Mask off as per regulation, Vax Pass scanned. Our lives will never be the same but maybe they can be better? I’ve changed so much through this experience, today I feel stronger and hopeful for a bright future. Behind the scenes of what you see here or on social, I’ve been working on some really cool stuff and I’m excited to share it with you. With love,

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Day 630: Canadian Street Rod Nationals

Today I pulled out a vintage shirt that belonged to mum. Our parents had a hot rod shop when we were kids called ‘Toys For Boys‘ and they went to heaps of car shows. This is from the Candian Street Rod Nationals in 1979, before I was born. I love it so much, fav colour. This shirt and many of my other vintage hot rod shirts were made at Tiger Brand, a manufacturer that used to be in Cambridge, ON (hometown). It’s amazing that after 30+ years they’re all in perfect condition. My friend Jeremy used to be part of the company so I tagged him in my photo today. He ended up sending the screenshot to the family that owned it and this is the message I got back. Love it! I was gonna call this post ‘Tiger Brand’ but yesterday my title was ‘Eye of The Tiger‘ so that might be weird lol. In other news, I left my Apple Watch charger at the cottage and even though I ordered a new MagSafe charger, the thing will NOT CHARGE. Pretty sure it’s bc of the voltage but alas, another day without my watch. Will go to Apple tomorrow. This is the first time since getting my watch last December that I haven’t tracked my fitness. I hate it! I can’t believe I’ve become so attached to this little device. If you’re considering ordering one, DO IT. I love it so much. Got a manicure after work today and I can’t even begin to tell you how a small thing like that can really change everything. I feel put together again. HOPE YOUR WEEK IS GOING GREAT!

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Day 629: Eye of the Tiger

BRB MANIFESTING. CHARGING IN THE SUNLIGHT. Think my eyes look pretty cool here! Alexa play ‘eye of the tiger’. ? Amazing how bright sun on your face can set the tone for your whole day. I love letting her warm rays charge me up. Have been thinking about this quote recently, one of my favs. Discovered it in high school and put it on a magnet that’s travelled with me to every place I’ve lived. It’s on the fridge in our house now and serves as a good reminder to never doubt yourself, take chances. “Our doubts are traitors,and make us lose the good we oft might win,by fearing to attempt.” ― William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure Have confidence in your strengths & stay strong through the hard moments. Great things will come your way if you stick to your goals. Keep pushing through, you got this.

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Day 627: Grounded. Centred.

Had a nice run in the woods this morning then a cold plunge in the lake. I love being up here at the cottage so much. Nature calms me, helps me feel more myself. Grounded. Centred. This coming week is a big one and I want to be prepared to handle anything. Taking an easy day to watch more holiday romance movies and spend some quality time with my computer. In other news, I think my daily pandemic blog diary is coming to an end and I’ll stop counting the days soon. I’m ready to get back to my old blogging self and leave this panini in the past. With love from the lake xo

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Day 624: We All Want to Be Loved

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Day 623: What if it turns out better?

How many times have you been in a situation, or given an opportunity but worried the outcome might be bad? Never? Well, that must be nice! LOL. I’ve found that through the pandemic my anxiety has gotten worse and it’s not that I think things will go bad, it’s just that I feel anxious something might go wrong. The thing is, what if it turns out better than you expected? Better than you could have ever imagined? What if all your hard work, late nights, long days, sweat, tears, finally pay off like you always dreamed? It’s possible. One of my fav books from when I was little is from the ValueTales series, “The Value of Believing In Yourself“, the story of Louis Pasteur (published 1977). Pasteur is known for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization. The story is about him finding a cure for rabies because he believed in himself. Funny side note about this book, I got a new copy for Emily when she was a kid and didn’t remember the part of the story where the dog passed away. Sean was like, “um the dog DIES?! What kind of story is this?!” HAHAHAHA. Safe to say, neither of them feels the same passion for the book as me. Whoops! (I’m sure mum will find this hilarious.) Believe in yourself, anything is possible!

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Day 622: Morning Light That Shines

Worked from Sean’s office today and it was nice to be back at my desk. I’ve been spending so much time at home I almost forgot what it felt like to ‘go to work’. The morning light that shines in from the south-facing windows is enough to keep me coming back. Drove to Hamilton in the afternoon to pick up our first round of merch for Funday. After months of design meetings and emails, our order was ready and turned out amazing! Needed to get some steps in so I took a long walk after work. It’s really nice to be downtown. Hard to believe I used to go out ALL THE TIME. These days once the sun goes down, I really just want to be home. As the days get shorter, here’s to finding that light in your day!

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Day 621: You Have Everything You Need

Wore this outfit on our weekend drive to Orillia when I was really excited to pick up the stock tank. It wasn’t available to Sean and I went to the liquidation store and got Wendy’s. These pants are from Zara kids last winter and my sweater belonged to mum when I was a kid. Dad made this car in real life, IRL! Leaving this look here as a reminder to wear more of the clothes I don’t wear that often. You don’t need new clothes, you have everything you need!

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