Hello from down south! This week I’m in New Orleans staying at Mardi Gran Manor with a few friends from TO. We each have our own apartment in a beautiful set of units behind a big gate in the French Quarter. I’m stocked up on groceries and all moved in for the week. Hoping to catch some sun and start off December with a nice tan. I’m sitting at a small table outside my unit by the pool as I write this. I was here in September to speak at a conference so spent a few hours then getting my bearings. In the French Quarter, we’re a few doors down from Brad & Angelina’s old place and Nicholas Cage has a spot down the street. I love the architecture and the streets are alive with music. All the buildings are hidden behind huge window shutters and or large gates. At first, I thought it seemed kind of run down but as soon you’re lucky to get a glimpse into someone’s house or behind a gate, there’s see nothing but beauty. Chandeliers, fountains, and gardens all over the place. This morning Natalie and  I went to Cafe Du Monde for coffee & beignets then walked down the Mississippi River to the shopping outlets. It’s not nearly as hot as it was in September but it’s warmer than home and lovely in the sunshine. Tonight we’re all having dinner together in at Compère Lapin owned by Chef Nina Compton and her husband. She was a runner-up on Top Chef and I met her a couple years ago in Toronto. Also coincidently, Sean and my really great friends from Muskoka are also here in NOLA so we’re all meeting up on Frenchman for drinks tonight. Can’t wait for @natalie_deane‘s birthday tonight at Compère Lapin! I met Chef @nina_compton…

OK, this post is kind of long, the TL;DR is I’M GOING TO NEW ZEALAND! I’d been saving up money & Aeroplan miles for months and in an amazing twist of events, Aeroplan is sending ME AND MUM and we’re going on a 21-day road trip next month. I’m so excited. I’ve wanted to go back and see my family for SO LONG and I’m thankful to Aeroplan for helping us get there, especially around the holidays! ???? It’s been hard to keep a secret until now but get ready for non-stop NZ for the next few months!Scroll to read a lovely story of how this came together! Last year around the holidays time I really missed my family, as I do every year except the one Christmas we had together when I was 12 (see above). I said to Sean, maybe next year I’ll get back to NZ for their summer. It was kind of a dream because it’s really far and expensive and you need to go for a while (few weeks). A few months into 2017 I started saving for a trip. I figured the only way I was going to actually get there is if I started focussing on it with active intentions and putting some money aside. In August I was in touch with Aeroplan about helping them promote a giveaway. A couple weeks later we started talking about a video project that you will see before the holidays. Another thing we talked about is how much I wanted to go back to New Zealand. I remember that call so well, it was a Friday morning, I was wearing a blue leather jacket, walking my bike and drinking a coffee after a manicure. We talked about the video project, going to NZ and they said…

We closed the cottage yesterday. As soon as we got north of the city there was snow. I’ve seen snow every winter of my life but I still feel a burst of energy and excitement for the first snowfall of the year. As we got progressively north the snow continued and we drove through our first snow squall (almost blizzard!). Since the cottage isn’t winterized, closing up involves putting huge wood panels on the windows, draining the lines,  dryer sheets everywhere (to keep critters away), emptying the fridges (we have condiment overload now), cleaning, and final lock up. There is a lot of lifting, garbage, flashlights, and tools. I always take a minute to be grateful for the work, the views, and doing it together. Sean and I have been opening and closing it for about 5 years now. Winter wonderland! ❄️❄️❄️ #muskoka #cottagelife pic.twitter.com/pG7kl1W45v — CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) November 19, 2017 I got to thinking about how our lives will change before we make it back up in the Spring. It’ll likely be late March or April, and a lot can happen in 4 months. I’ll be away for about 4 weeks over the holidays and I really hope we can take a family vacation in February. Emily will be 10 my blog will be 13. Maybe we’ll start a renovation or have a new couch and TV? I’m hoping for more speaking at the start of the year and am working on that with my agency. I like thinking about the time passing because it’s easier to set goals when you have a timeframe to work with. I’m upping my fitness routine and hopefully, by then I’ll feel better in a bikini. I’ve never really been on to set New Years Resolutions, why wait will the new year when you can make a change now? Come…

Some people like aisle seats but I always pick window if I can.  I like something to lean on and I love staring out the window. Takeoff is one of my favourite parts. I love being on planes, it means you’re going somewhere! I’m deep in planning my winter vacations and couldn’t be happier, it’ all starting to come together!  I leave for New Orleans in 2 weeks, then for a big 21-day adventure in December. I can’t wait. Nothing like knowing you’ve got sunshine in your future! If you’re looking to get away soon, I’m sharing this link for you to get some $$ back on your accommodation. Use Booking.com and they’ll reward us both with a $40 CAD gift if you use this link. Once you check out of your hotel, the reward from booking.com  will show up as a refund on your credit card. If you have questions about how it exactly works, read the FAQ here. The Nice thing about booking.com is they have no booking fees, free cancellation (most rooms), and price matching. Also, if you haven’t signed up for Ebates make sure you do that before going to booking.com, you’ll get 2% back on your purchase! Their average cashback per order is $6!

Last week my sister and I went on an adventure to Prince Edward County. PEC is southern Ontario with a coastline on Lake Ontario’s northeastern shore. It’s been about 20 years since either of us were in The County. I have fond memories of Jenie and I camping at Sandbanks Park with our parents, playing on massive sand hills, making things with clay. Our trip was courtesy of The Drake Hotel and their PEC property, The Drake Devonshire. We were there to experience Countylicious, similar to Winterlicious/Summerlicious where restaurants feature 3-course prix fixe menus for $40/pp (+ tax & tip). In 24 hours we did so much more than just eat great food.  The County has so much to offer so here are a few thing I recommend for your PEC road trip. 5 Things to Do in Prince Edward County Visit Wineries There’s 40+ wineries in PEC and a whole bunch of breweries. If you love great wine, you deff want to visit the princeedwardcountywine.ca and make a plan of places to visit. On our tour we stopped into Wapoos Winery, the very first one in the region. It’s absolutely beautiful and right on the water. Check out the Wapoos menu for Countylicious here. If you happen to drive a Tesla, they have a charging station. Eat Great Food There is no shortage of great places to eat in Prince Edward County. Starting today, Countylicious kicks off with a celebration of fine dining featuring prix fixe menus from local restaurants. Chefs have created unique, County-inspired menus with an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. I highly recommend checking out The Drake Devonshire, Courage Bar, and The Public House at Jackson Falls. Visit a Farm Have you ever smelled fresh carrots from a farm? Had arugula straight from the earth? I can tell you that the produce from Blue Wheelbarrow…

The other day I scrolled an article on Vogue w/ Wes Anderson’s best interiors and discovered Hotel Chevalier. I’m obsessed now,  watched it 5+ times. It’s a 13min American-French short with Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman, set in Paris at Hotel Raphael. I have not been to Paris yet but I will go to this place one day. The more I learned about the film the more I wanted to know. Wes Anderson is so creative with the minute details of everything and I love it so much. Have you seen Grand Budapest Hotel? In Hotel Chevalier, Natalie Portman was cast after W. Anderson get her email from Scott Rudin, the producer of Closer. [Another movie I totally love and it super weird.] This movie is only 13 minutes but is so beautifully written and styled, it inspires me. I love it. I love the colours, directing, script. It’s great.  This month I’m heading on a week-long vacation (sponsored by ME!) back to New Orleans and staying at a beautiful villa w/ a few friends in the French Quarter. I was there for my first time in September for a speaking gig. Booked this trip months ago and would love Sean to come with me but I also love travelling alone. I love being in airports and on planes or writing in my hotel room. I’m really looking forward to warm weather and wandering the streets. There is also a Christmas store I only had a couple minutes in last time that I plan to spend a good chunk of time in. Today is the start of National Novel Writing Month and I’m really giving it a go this year.  Have been writing a lot more lately. Planning for to write 500+ words a day for the month between novel/blog. I didn’t know about National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo)…

At the start of September, Lauren O’Nizzle (my bff) and I packed the car with all our gear and hit the road to Camp Timberlane in Haliburton for Two Islands Weekend.  Imagine, 250 campers, mostly 30-40, sleeping in cabins, eating in a mess hall, doing group activities, and an open bar for the entire weekend. It was so much fun! The organisers invited me early in the summer to come to camp as a guest and my email reply was something like ‘OMG YES I WANT TO COME OMG‘. I went to camp as a kid but this place sounded legit amazing. There were heaps of activities like Beyonce Dance Class, archery tag, dance party, karaoke, talent show, jazzercize, movies, camp sing-a-long, and heaps more. We were a bit of a situation when we arrived. Both of us were super excited after the 3hr drive, parked the car, and walked down the big hill past everyone, wearing huge sunglasses, city clothes, and more luggage than two people need for a weekend. We were so extra, haha!  For our first event, Welcome Drinks, we wore matching INTERNET sweaters by Shelfies from a shoot with Becca Lemire a few years back. Everyone stared at us like we were weird but we didn’t care. We ARE weird! And matching outfits were part of our weekend plan! Also duh, internet is our jam! I don’t know what I was expecting but it was totally a real camp! There were about 8 girls in our cabin and we slept in stacked bunks. We made heaps of new friends and had so many laughs the whole weekend. The organizers did an amazing job of wrangling everyone to and from activities and meals. Thank you! On the last night, there was a talent show followed by a dance party. I…