We’re hading back to the city today for most of the week. Sean’s dad is coming to spend some time up here. It’s gonna be nice to be home. i have a few dates planned with friends, at safe distance of course.
Over the last few days, we really worked together as a family team to make the cottage look spotless. When we first came up here in March we packed up a few things we thought we needed and over the months we’ve made it feel more like home. This week we cleaned up some of the clutter we don’t need and packed a few things to take home.
I’m really into this simple concrete/wood bookshelf Sean and I made. We also got some new chains to hold up the hammock, it’s very relaxing. Great for reading!
The last few days have been spent cleaning the cottage top to bottom and doing odd around the place. Sean’s sister is coming up for the week with her family and we want to make sure it’s clean and ready for them to enjoy.
I went over to Leslie’s place for a girl’s night in the evening and we boated around the lake a bit and hung out on the dock. It’s SO NICE to have cottage friends on the lake!
This board suit has become one of my fav cottage outfits. Last summer I could hardly even fit into it! Huzzah!!!!
Sean called me outside when he was checking the boat after the storm to catch this family going by. We’ve watched them grow since the spring. I really love being up here in the words. I think it’s changing me for the better. For so long I’ve been running from one thing to the next, the next job, event, project, I didn’t realize how tired I was. This isn’t how we pictured our summer but I’m grateful for the opportunity to be spending more time here.
Sean has been cleaning up the Corvette (1982 Stingray) today. I love this car so much but it’s been sitting in the garage, unused, for years now. It’s been in his family since he was a teenager. I think he finally has a buyer!
My parents used to have a very similar model when they moved to Canada in the late ’70s. It was the first brand new car they ever bought.
It was really sunny today and I’ve been working on my tan. ?
Always nice to end the day with a sunset boat cruise. We’ve had a bit of a tough time w/ Emily the last few weeks and after a few good family chats it’s was nice to see her smiling on the boat today. This quarantine and lockdown has been hard on kids, no friends, no school, and being stuck at home all the time.
Let’s hope for a another day with lots of smiles tomorrow.
Have you heard about Love Shack? It’s the coolest, cutest, and smallest wedding venue in Toronto located at Stackt market. My friend Nataleigh has been working on this idea for a little while and I’m so glad to see it come to life!
If I was getting married, this is 100% something I’d be into. For the record, Sean and I have been together for 8 years but don’t at this time have plans to get ‘hitched! ? I’ve never been one to dream about my wedding but the idea of a quick & cute ceremony sounds ideal. Then you can have a party with the whole gang later (after COVID!).
What is Love Shack Toronto?
Love Shack TO is a pop-up wedding in a shipping container, the grooviest place to say ‘I do’. They call it ‘no fuss, all disco‘! Everything you need is there including decorations, officiant, photographer, florist and even the rings! All you need to do is book a date & time, tell your friends, and show up w/ your one true love. They offer three package options and are open Wednesday – Sunday until August 13th, 2020. Bookings and inquiries can be sent to [email protected] or booked online at loveshacktoronto.ca .
Today we made our way back up to the cottage with Emily for a few days. In the afternoon I went to town and pick up supplies. This is one of my fav masks by Evan Biddell. Crazy how masks are a fashion statement now eh?!
I chatted with mum and I feel like each day she has a new excitement about being retired. Yesterday she said she was looking into learning Maori again as she spoke it when she was in New Zealand. Reckon it might be a bit harder for me to learn but there are always a few things I remember from learning when I was little or talking with family. ‘Kia Ora‘ is the most commonly used Maori saying in New Zealand, a way to say ‘hello’.
Yesterday Sean went golfing with some colleagues and I spent the afternoon with Emily. We met up with my sister and Ryder to visit High Park then cool down at the splash pad near our place.
We all got soaked in the sprinklers and it felt so nice to laugh like kids together. I braided Jenie’s hair in the park then we got popsicles.
It was such a beautiful day!
When we got home I tried on this dress I got from Lauren a couple of weeks ago, made dinner, and did some writing. I watched Crazy Rich Asians (again!) on Netflix and before I knew it, Sean was home. He said it was REALLY hot on the course, it feels like 41 degrees today.
Drove back to the city after working most of the day at the cottage. It’s really hot out this week and I love this weather. Sean was on a call for a while before we left so I decided to set up the hammock.
We need another piece of chain to make it fit properly but I got it set up for now. However, I was being cute and taking photos AND IT BROKE. I fell to the ground and got it on video lol. I wasn’t hurt or anything but I did have a good laugh.
In other news, our kale forest is growing nicely alongside the peppers.
We’re picking up Emily tonight and then heading back to cottage on Wednesday.
Today I slept in and had a nice lazy day. It was really hot outside so we spent the afternoon watching Snowpiercer on Netflix and then started Unsolved Mysteries after dinner.
I made a delicious vegan pasta with avocado pesto sauce. I found the recipe on Pinterest and it turned out great without the parsley (we didn’t’ have any!).
In other news, I finished my new book ‘A Borrowed Life‘ by Kerry Anne King. I mostly read psychological thrillers but I saw this was available as an advance copy on NetGalley and decided to give it a go. I flew through this book! It starts with Liz losing her husband of 26 years (a pastor) to a heart attack and it documents her journey to self-discovery, finding the woman she was before she married him. It was a good read with a nice ending.
Today we went to visit Talia & Nelson at their cottage on Lake Simcoe. We had lunch then went to Lagoon City in the boat. I had no idea this place existed! It’s a whole subdivision on the water lined with cottages, a restaurant, and a hotel. Such a cool little spot!
After boating, we relaxed in the pool. Talia and I had a little photo shoot while the boys were out on their own adventure. It was really nice to float, eat chips, and have ice cream in the sun.
Before our visit, I ran 4 miles for my NRC July 4th challenge. It worked out to be 7km which is one of the longest runs I’ve done yet. When I started, I thought ‘how am I going to do this‘ but then before I knew it, I was on the home stretch passing 5km. I’m really proud of myself and have learned to love running.
Have been listening to 'Living With a Seal' by @JesseItzler on my runs this week, great book. Funny & a good motivator. Highly recommend! https://t.co/xlahuHwYDL
Went to a garage sale in the morning and found a few treasures! I got a new mirror for the bedroom, a great picnic blanket, a couple of baking pans, and a super cute pair of black/brown cowboy boots. We met a few more neighbours who just purchased their parent’s cottage on our road. We’re really settling into cottage life and living in the woods.
We drove to Haliburton in the evening to have dinner with April and her family at her aunt’s cottage. They have a great beach and we shared lots of laughs over dinner on the patio.
We talked about taking this photo before we got there and couldn’t stop laughing when Sean was taking it. The moon was shining bright and the sky was so clear for our drive home.
Looking forward to the hot weekend weather, lots of sunshine, and visiting another friend tomorrow.
Today I had a great day. I went to visit Talia at their cottage about an hour away and Elise was there too! We swam in the pool and it was so nice to have a girl hang. I was so excited I didn’t even take ANY PHOTOS. I don’t know what I was thinking! Over the past month, I took a step back from posting to give space to creators of colour and support Black Lives Matter. the ripple effect sharing and documenting less on social media has directly changed my behaviour. I’m spending more time enjoying the moment and less picking up my phone to capture everything for the ‘gram.
I spent some time reading a new book in the afternoon and when Sean was done work, our friends surprised us with a visit on their boat. The boys went skiing and we listened to music on the lake. Sean, what a dreamboat!
This has become my new fav outfit, I got it at Joe Fresh a couple of weeks ago and used Sasha’s SASHA25 code for a discount. It’s totally wild and so comfy.
I love being here so much. We’ve been meeting more neighbours on our road and the lake, everyone is so nice. Tomorrow there’s a garage sale at the Mayor’s house down the road. ?
Woke up to find a copy of the Dockside Muskoka magazine left on the dock. I love that they’re delivered this way!
Been doing some research on Canada and the history of today. I’d like to acknowledge we are on the land of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee territory. Treaty of Williams (1923), Robinson-Huron (Treaty 61, 1850). If you’d like to see the history of your land, visit native-land.ca.
The day was pretty relaxed, Sean worked and I read outside for about 3 hours in the afternoon sun. I finished The Three Mrs. Wrights by Linda Keir, it was so good!
Felt a bit weird about doing fireworks given everything that’s going on in the world but then again, they bring joy to us and other people on the lake. Sean set up the camera to do some photos and only set off one before bed. I took these on my phone and ran them through the Huji Camera app.
I am forever grateful my parents decided to immigrate to Canada and NOT the USA. Growing up here has provided us with a world of opportunity, education, safely, and healthcare.
Today I did some work in the morning and then I read my book on the dock. I’ve been reading an advance copy of The Three Mrs. Wrights by Linda Keir and is SUCH a great summer read (release Sept. 29, 2020). Three wives, one man, a thrilling story of their escapades, deception, lies, and love. I started it Monday and will finish it tomorrow for sure. It’s the kind of book I wish were longer because I don’t want it to be over. It would make a great movie!
If you’re ever looking for book recos, check out my reading list on Amazon. I’ve been adding books as I read them and still have a couple more for the list. I love a psychological thriller or fun chic-lit summer read. Another great book I finished last month was Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner. Eventually, I’ll get them all in a blog post with some reviews!
Tomorrow we have a boat parade at 2pm and Sean got a whole bunch of new fireworks for Canada Day. We are also getting 5G internet! LOOK OUT!
Your heart breaks, your body aches, you need rest.
It’s a test, a level you have to pass.
The feelings you’re having won’t last.
Get some sun, read a book.
Find a mirror, take a look.
Like hummingbirds at the feeder,
Tomorrow’s sugar will be sweeter.
We have hummingbirds and they drink the sugar water, they’re realllly into it. Making a mess, drinking, coming back. Closest to a bar I’ve been, cutest birds I’ve ever seen. Hard to get a good photo of one, they move so fast! ??
The Hummingbird Bar
The Aftermath
Been writing a lot more lately, little verses here and there. I love to write, to rhyme, to take inspiration from things I see and hear. I made this video last week and wasn’t sure it turned out so I chopped it up and gave it an edit,. took a page from my own talk to ‘use what you got‘, I think it turned out pretty good!
I took a selfie and didn’t realize how dark the sky had gotten. Sean is inside Canadian Tire while I wait in the car. We’re meeting someone at McDonald’s in 20 min to buy some lights for the cottage.
I’ve felt anxious for days. I’m tired. Yesterday I napped for almost four hours, today I napped for one. I hardly ever take naps, I guess my body is exhausted? It’s Pride today and it’s gone online like everything these days. Last year we were in the parade with Telus. A couple of years ago we were on the Netflix float with the cast of Orange is The New Black.
I’m finding it hard to locate happiness, I have to actually put down my phone and look for it outside in the world. The phone is full of things that stress me out. I watched CP24 today and there is a lot of gun violence, riots, fighting, sickness, and death. It’s hard to handle.
I’m grateful I saw my family on Friday. It makes me smile just thinking about hugging and laughing together in the sun.
Jen Kirsch published an article in The Star that pretty much summed up how I’m feeling. Been thinking about how she mentioned the anxiety we feel with this pandemic, the risk, the guilt, sadness, regret. Going out, seeing people, did we say/do the right thing?
I feel some guilt that after about 80 days of blogging, I’m behind on 10 days. But then again, that’s pretty amazing I blogged that much at all! Can’t feel guilty, gotta let it go, it’s ok.
The sky cleared up a bit and the sun is out. Sean is walking to the car and we have 7 min to meet the guy.
Left early in the morning to come back to the cottage. There was a bit more traffic than we’ve seen the last couple months. Passed a few sweet hot rods, I always send photos like this to my dad.
Was so tired when we arrived, I napped for almost four hours. I hope I’m not sick! It’s so nice to be back, maybe it’s the clean fresh air making me sleepy.
The water level is quite high, while I was away sean had to prop the dock on cinder blocks to keep it out of the water. There was some serious rain last week!
I worked in the morning and then went out for a bike ride to meet Miche & Jackie in the park. Wore one of my fav bathing suits from Bathing Belle as a bodysuit with these old American Apparel shorts. They used to be so tight and now they’re a bit big. Haven’t been running as much this week but the bike keeps me moving.
Saw this on Sterling Road as I was heading downtown, stopped to take a photo up close. Been thinking about this statement, what would you do if you were free?
Today I spoke about Creativity & Content at the FreshBooks #IMakeaLiving 5-Minute Mentors conference. I was the first speaker to kick off the morning and talked about my life over the past 4 months, uncertainty about work, and how we can all use creativity to think about business differently.
If you’d like to watch the stream you can see it here on the #IMakeALiving Facebookpage. This video has only one view that includes the speakers and doesn’t include slides. Here’s a couple of slides from my presentation if you’re curious!
Remember, you don’t have to monetize every hobby. Creativity is a powerful tool to OPEN YOUR MIND. You might learn a new skill, something about yourself, or find inspiration for another part of your life.
Have fun creating, step out of your comfort zone, that’s where the magic happens. I drew this about 10 years ago and always look it up to remind myself, and you, to find that spark.
Today I spent the morning working at home. We had a test run of the speaker software for the FreshBooks conference on Wednesday. I had a package at the postie so put on something cute and biked over in the afternoon. My mask is brought to you by Evan Biddell, I ordered a 4-pack of animal print masks from him last month.
On my way home, I stopped by Nadia’s place to go for a little walk with her and her pup. It’s nice to be home and see friends at a distance. I ended up biking through Liberty Village, Parkdale, and then home.
I wasn’t planning to join Vinyl Night w/ the gang from the Communist Daughter bar on Zoom but I popped in for a bit and had a great time. I miss hanging out at bars with friends and talking loudly.
Hi, I am doing a short talk at an online conference on Wednesday, at 11 am. I’m the opener and will be chatting creativity, content, & social media tips. I think it will be fun! ? It’s the shortest presentation I’ve ever done and it looks kinda zany as a visual!
#imakealiving By FreshBooks presents 5-Minute Mentors
Signup is free and there are 9 great speakers each talking about business for 5 mins + Q&A.
Get To Know The Other Speakers:
Jon Rettinger is a tech YouTuber w/ over 15M views/month
Lisa Carmen Wang is a former USA National Champion and Hall of Fame gymnast turned Serial Entrepreneur
Dr. Nicole Garner Scott is a highly sought after serial entrepreneur, finance expert and coach.
Dani Nagel is the owner and designer behind popular art apparel line Dazey LA (@dazey_la), a brand with a mission to empower people through conversation. Follow her! I am obsessed with her whole social media presence and style!
Neal Schaffer wrote ‘The Age of Influence‘ and I am really looking forward to what he has to share.
Corissa Saint Laurent is a serial entrepreneur, professional speaker, and trainer on entrepreneurial wellness, marketing, and branding.
Elaine Pofeldt is an independent journalist who specializes in small business and entrepreneurship. She is author of The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business, a look at how solopreneurs are making bank.
Meghan Telpner is a Toronto-based author, speaker, nutritionist, and founder of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition. Forbes, and ranked her as one of the top 100 female entrepreneurs in Canada! I’ve been following her for years!
Today we’re heading back to the city, Sean is dropping me off for the week and picking up Emily. I’m speaking at a conference with Freshbooks on Wednesday so I want to be home where we have good internet.
Sean put the Corvette on a trailer and took it up to the cottage. It’s a beautiful champagne colour but you can barely tell here, it’s so dusty from the garage. We’re gonna keep it at the cottage and give it a good clean. She still runs!
I went for a nice bike ride to watch the sunset in a park near the house. I love the energy of the city.
Today is Juneteenth. Not sure what that is? Look it up! Educate yourself! Freedom Day, Juneteenth is the celebration to commemorate the end of slavery towards black people in America.
Today is my last full day up here for a week. Tomorrow Sean is taking me to our house in TO and picking up Emily. I’ll be spending the week there to do some work and then go visit mum on Friday for her retirement. I can’t wait to see her and my sister, it’s been months!
To be honest, today was not great. I spent most of the day in a bad mood, filled with anxiety, feeling stressed, snapping at Sean for no reason. I had drinks last night with some girls from the lake and one of them fell on the boat, cut her arms, and had to get stitches. Luckily, no permanent damage and everyone was ok but it had me in my feelings all day. You really have to be on your toes and keep one hand on the boat at all times, an accident can happen in a split second.
Later in the day things turned around and Sean & I decided to take a road trip together. We picked up takeout from Pie Muskoka and drive through Bala, to the Wahta Reserve, then back home through Gravenhurst. Sometimes you just need to shake it off and change your surroundings.
The journal above is a gratitude journal gifted to me by Cheryl, the owner of Please Notes. She has some really great affirmation filled goods you can find here.
We met last year when we were both speakers at I Make a Living last year hosted by FreshBooks. I’m speaking at their next online event on Wednesday 24th, 11am. Sign up here!
Today I smashed my own 5K record and completed my 55KM challenge for the month. I am so grateful for these challenges hosted by Amy aka @lesbest. It’s really kept me motivated to get my shoes on and hit the road.
When I got back to the cottage a package was there, it’s was like a reward for hustling hard. The PR team sent the Hayley X Coors Slice shorts and shirt. Sean is wearing the set in a size small, looking like a supermodel! He’s been a really good motivator for my running doing does 4-10K a day on his morning runs. We’re both feeling so much better since we stopped eating so much crap and started moving our bodies.
ILY. Thank you for supporting me my love! Idk if he will see this bc I’m pretty sure he doesn’t read my blog, he gets enough CASIE IRL haha.
Today was pretty quiet. I spend the morning working, as I usually do then set out on my paddleboard for nearly two hours. I packed some water and my Kindle and floated and read in the sun. I have been reading a couple of books from Netgalley, a medias review site for authors. My two most recent reads are Coming for You Deborah Rogers, The Dead Girl Under the Bleachers by Donna M. Zadunajsky, both linked here on Amazon. Find more book recos in my store!
I typically read the same type of books with a female lead, there some relationship/family drama, at least one murder. I hardly ever read self-help books, I like to escape reality in a book, take my mind on a suspenseful & thrilling adventure.
In the afternoon, I went to town and stopped by our cute little post office to pick up some packages. I look forward to visiting Judy at the Postie each time and try to take her a little treat as a way to say thank you.
I was happy my order from Biddell arrived! Canadian designer and friend Evan Biddell has been making stylish masks you can order online here. I happened to have a swimsuit to match one of them, safety but make it fashion! For $45 you will receive a 4-pack of animal print masks. They fit great!
