Wowza, after almost a year I made a return to the office! I spent the afternoon working at Hvr in Yorkville and it was great to be back. I won’t be working there every day but it was great to see the gang and work in the same room. Saw this guy from the office balcony, maxing out that patio bro! Went for a bike ride (again!) in the evening and noticed Door Number Two vintage near our place was open. I’ve gone past here so many times during Covid and it’s never been open. Such a cute shop with 3 floors of treasures. I got a pair of green wedge sandals to wear at Val’s wedding next weekend (Emily’s mum).

After work, I biked over to see my girlfriends at The Fitzroy to try on dresses for an upcoming wedding. Emily’s mum is getting married next month and I want to wear something nice. It’s been AGES since I’ve dressed up and gone out somewhere fancy, this is the perfect event. I’m not telling which dress I picked but I’d love to know your fav. Leave a comment on my IG pic here!

The world is starting to open up again but tbh, I’m happy mostly staying home. I haven’t dined inside a restaurant yet and I’m not sure if I’m ready to go to events. I’ve still got another week until I’m fully vaccinated but the risk of getting covid is still there. Yesterday my new bag from Sasha’s latest Ela Handbags collab arrived and I love it. Check out the whole collection here. See my post on Instagram here. Michelle gifted me this great vintage blazer that belonged to her mum. Throw on a fun jumpsuit and it’s business casual baby!

Lovely family day at the cottage. We all worked together to get the place ready for summer. Emily spent a chunk of the day power washing the concrete and it looks so nice. I set up a herb garden in our new planter box that Sean out together. Decided my garden gloves were too boring and added a few Hayley Elsaesser iron-ons to make them a little more fun. We set up one of the patio sets near the woodpile for another sitting area. I started listening to Seth Rogen‘s new book ‘Yearbook‘ on Audible. It’s so funny! Highly recommend. Absolutely LOVE this Hinza Tote I ordered from The Curator’s Shop. My sister’s childhood BFF Leah Mackie started The Curator’s Shop with a friend and they have all kinds of boxes you can order filled with gifts. We’re heading back downtown tonight so I can be home for work tomorrow. Emily has been doing school at her mum’s so we’ll drop her off on the way. Here’s to a good week!

Went for a run this morning and it was so windy I cut it short and turned back. I am really hoping those warmer temps show up later this week. Another cold day in May, I’m over it! Went for a nice walk after work and found this huge heart on the wall. Mum and I always send hearts to each other and it makes me so happy. Amazing how a little text from mum with love can brighten your day. Hope you are having a good week. ❤️

We went to a garden center today and got some things to grow herbs. We have a tradition of going to one every Mother’s Day weekend to get a nice big plant for Sean’s Mum. We were only out in the world for about an hour but were both so tired when we got home. Why is everything exhausting these days? Sean had a nap and I went for a walk then watched my show. Listened to one of the Peloton walking workouts and took a bag with me to pick up some trash. Our area is pretty clean but after winter, there’s always a few bits on the road. I’m working with Telus again this month for their May ‘Friendly Futures‘ contest where they’re giving away $100K in charitable donations. For my contribution, I made a donation to Tree Canada and committed to doing a community cleanup. This is some friends and I and in Vancouver (2018) with some of the Telus team for their Telus Days of Giving when we made care packs for local schools. Read more about Telus Friendly Future days here. In other news, I looked outside as the sun was setting and couldn’t believe it was 8pm! Love it. Morning is my fav time to get things done but right before sundown is so beautiful, that magic hour. The sun goes down across the lake, shining her colourful light, nice and bright, right into the cottage. Hope you had a nice weekend. ?

How you doing? I’m feeling the weight of everything this week and it is heavy. My new job is great but adjusting from 6+ years of freelance to work 40 hours a week has been tiring. Watching the news and seeing things get worse is extremely draining. Not being able to see family when they’re going through their own things is heartbreaking. We’re not even allowed to meet friends in the park anymore.  Each day this week I opened my blog admin to write something and ended up writing the title and staring at the screen. I couldn’t find the words to document the day. I try to appreciate something good each day like the sun, a call from mum, a good outfit, or laughing over DM’s with a friend. It’s hard to stay motivated/positive right now. Things are pretty bad. We can only hope things will get better but perspective is hard when we’re stuck in the middle of a storm that’s been going on for 13 months.  Today I woke up thinking about work and excited to get things done. My motivation slowly declined when I checked my phone, laid back down in my fully made bed, and stared at the wall for a while. Do you find yourself staring at the wall too? Next, I watered my plants and moved some around, grabbed some snacks, made coffee, and turned into the couch.  In other news, keeping this pandemic diary is surprisingly therapeutic. Despite some days where I’m completely exhausted, there have been a lot of good days. I find myself looking back and remembering park hangs in the summer, bike rides, cottage life, and great meals we made at home. Thankful for friends and family, also Netflix/Prime, good wifi, and snacks.  Sending you love, hang in there. ?

Had a great week and was ready to close my computer at the end of the day. It felt like summer outside so I hopped on my bike for a cruise around the neighbourhood. I forgot how much I love bike riding! I’ve been drinking less lately but with the sun on my face and wind in my hair, I decided it was a great day for a beer. I stopped into Henderson Brewery just down the West Toronto Rail Path and cracked a can on the wooden platform. I love sitting there at the end of the day to watch the sun go down. Emily came back to our house after school today after being with her mum for the last two weeks. It’s official, we are the same height now! She is growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday she was a little 8-year-old girl who didn’t mind me doing her hair or wearing dresses. They’re heading back up north for March April Break next week and I’m staying in the city for work. Hope you have a great weekend!