BRB Moving Pokemon from Games to Lifestyle Folder

Not gonna lie, I spent a significant amount of time yesterday searching and catching Pokemon. I never thought I’d be saying this! When I got home from the cottage it was so nice out I decided to go for a run (to see if there were any Pokestops or Pokemon Gyms near my house, there were!). I ran around going to all the closest stops collecting Pokeballs, whist stopping do a few exercises in between each one. I managed to get up to level 5 so I could finally join a team and battle someone at a gym. Pokemon is always fun, Pokemon Go is even more fun. Of course, finding a site like www.kigurumi.co, is downright amazing. I had a friend who used to play Pokemon all the time when I was younger. He loved Pokemon Fire Red and would spend hours trying to catch all the different Pokemon to complete his Pokedex! We recently discovered that you can actually play the classic Pokemon games like Fire Red online using a site called Royal Roms, just click the link to find out more. This all may seem foreign to you if you haven’t tried the game but let me tell you, it’s a phenomenon taking over with more daily users than Snapchat, Tinder, Instagram, OR Twitter. Pokemon Go is the fastest growing thing we’ve seen in a long time. Here’s a few great resources I found on how you can use Pokemon for business and how it’s helping peoples mental and physical health, really. #PokemonGO has amassed 21 million active users in days. It is now the biggest mobile game in U.S. history. pic.twitter.com/ihpknLYDEm — Ryan Brown (@Toadsanime) July 13, 2016 Pokemon Go Is Driving Insane Amounts of Sales at Small Local Businesses What not drop a lure and…

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Taste of Toronto 2016

Last week I went to my first Taste of Toronto event at Fort York. I biked over just in time for the media VIP and ribbon cutting. If you’re following me on Snapchat you’ll have caught the behind the scenes vids in real time. [If you aren’t following me on SNAPCHAT yet, GET ON IT.] I’m using photos by Sam Santos for George Pimentel Photography because when you’re a shorty it’s real hard to get a great photo from behind the photo pit. Taste of Toronto is a 4 day food fest featuring the city’s finest restaurants, where you can can sip gourmet cocktails, and learn a few culinary tricks on the way from world-class chefs at interactive displays and sessions.

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Putting the JOY in JOMO

There’s a good chance you met me at an event (if we’ve met IRL). Over the past 10 years I have gone to as many events as I could. Some weeks 3/night for 3/5 days a week. It’s a great way to meet new people, make friends, and expand your network. It’s also quite tiring, as is living on the internet and sharing your life throughout the day. I still love going out but since my digital detox in Costa Rica I’ve also come to love being home. There was a time when I would trek across the city just to see everyone be seen at a party, then back to another event, and dance the night away.  Now, quite often, I find myself scrolling photos from people who were out the night before thinking ‘ooh, that looks fun’ and feeling joy that I didn’t make it. [vine id=”5BwdTgWVVIa”] You see, I’ve been to SO MANY things that I don’t really feel like I’m missing out. I know there’ll always be cool new things but I also knowI mentally feel great when I have a good sleep and get up early, checking things off my list. I make a point to pop by things hosted by people I care about or someone I’d like to meet, I’m just a little more choosy now. I find it’s great to bundle them and make pit stops early so you can get home at a reasonable hour. Clearly I’m getting older, ha! Follow along my adventures on Snapchat (casiestewart) for real time hilarity and a break in your day. ??    

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Friday Fun! 

This morning I was at the Four Seasons for a shoot with Kelsey who is a co-owner of Anamaya Resort in Costa Rica. We were taking about my digital detox and the importance of disconnecting in an uber connected world.

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Mindful Driving with the Ford Edge

For me, last month was all about taking a break. The first three months of 2016 were super busy and I was feeling tired. Like, over whelmed don’t-feel-likeinternetting tired. After 10 years of blogging and being part of the internet, I’ve learned that it’s important to recharge your batteries with a break, reading a book, or taking a vacation. Being in media/social media can take a lot out of you and I needed to chill. My trip to Costa Rica was the perfect way to slow down and take a digital detox. When I got back, Ford hooked me up with a brand new Ford Edge Sport similar to those that they sell at Wichita Ford Car Dealers Conklin Cars, for a week and taught me about mindful driving. I had a private yoga session with YuMee in the Ford Edge where she taught me some tricks for long drives (cottage) or in car stretching (back, wrists, hands, fingers). We did a few poses outside the car too. YOGA ANYWHERE. YumMee reminded me it’s important to do a posture check when you’re in the car, it’s easy to slouch which can leave you tired or strain your shoulders. Reminder to sit up straight right now! A couple things I really like about the Ford Edge that I found made it relaxing and chill to drive: – Ford SYNC3, you can use Siri while driving and voice commands to control the console – no cap on the gas thing aka EasyFuel – lumbar support on the front seats, great for lower back – Enhanced Active Park Assist, major stress saver for parallel and perpendicular parking – Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), the car actually beeps when there’s someone in your blindspot Next month I’m going on an overnight adventure with Ford…

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Feeling Vine

Tonight we are heading up to the cottage because the boat is coming tomorrow! I can’t wait to get back out on my paddle board this weekend too. The weather calls for rain but I hope it’s only a little here and there, if at all. I’m not driving here, in case you were worries, Snapchat flips videos snd I was safely in the passenger seat. [vine id=”iEMqW7ZtYHQ”] Loving this new dress sent over by Sara Duke, it’s called the Tanner Dress. She’s a Canadian designer, check out her collection at sarasaraduke.com. [vine id=”ixl7l1LvOBl”] This baby goat I posted from a shoot with 1188 last month is the single most popular piece of content I’ve ever published. EVER. It’s almost at 100K views! Baby animals for the win. [vine id=”iFwEwdlgv9A”] This afternoon I’m speaking on a panel for TO Webfest at MaRs on College. You can check out the panel here! Thids is the 3rd annual T.O. WEBFEST, a three day festival w/ panels,  workshops, networking, screenings, installations, awards, and events. Ok, I’ve been working away at home and should really be out the door by now!

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Cottage Open, Spring is Finally Here! 

Had a great time at the cottage this weekend. The weather was fabulous! Spent some time reading my book in the sun yesterday between yard work.  There are heaps of leaves to rake, gardening, cleaning, etc. Check my Snapchat story HERE for videos and the wonderful sounds of nature ?

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Fashion | Celebrating Spring Style w/ Hudson’s Bay & Fashion Magazine

During fashion week I worked with   Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren to celebrate spring style with Hudson’s Bay and Fashion Magazine. The event was in the contemporary department on the 3rd floor and there was no shortage of activations including a Sandro sponsored photo booth, Maje sponsored nail bar (gold nails!), BCBG sponsored gelato bar (chocolate coconut? yes, yum), an amazing fashion illustrator, candy bar, and mojito bar.  Here’s some of my fav ? from the night. Most are from Snapchat & iPhone 6s but the pro ones are by David A Pike. Before the event I stopped by the Denim & Supply section at HBC to check out key trends for Spring/Summer 16 season. Things to note – cropped denim (cute for tall and perfect for short peeps like moi), dresses (top I’m wearing is a dress), wovens, anything white, and shredded denim. I really love white denim for summer, and picked a pair of the cropped whites for myself. I was really torn between this white dress and the military jacket. There are a bunch of great jeans and tops as well. I think I’ll go back for the cropped denim jacket. Gotta have at least one of those in the wardrobe.

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Anamaya Resort – Welcome to the Jungle, Pura Vida!

Good morning from Anamaya Retreats in Costa Rica! Yesterday was our first full day here and it was magnificent. I’m really making an effort to take a digital detox on this trip but documenting is something I love. I’m running on wifi and often not able to connect with the online world. I’ve been taking photos, making notes, voice recordings, I wanna remember all my thoughts and feeling on this journey. It’s absolutely beautiful, photos don’t do it justice! Feels good to be back on the yoga mat too, I’ve been a bit slack this winter and this trip is like hitting the reset button. Our menu this week is all gluten free and local, Anamaya has a farm that we’re visiting Wednesday to see where a lot of our food comes from. We are staying in a treehouse that is 50ft up with a yoga/hammock deck, and a loft bedroom. It’s the most beautiful treehouse I’ve ever been into, it’s fully equipped a king size bed, drinkable running water, and AC. It’s giving us some good inspiration to build one at the cottage.

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Return on Enjoyment: Finding That Work-Life Balance

I find taking vacation or ‘staycations’ essential to my sanity. If you’re following my Twitter or Snapchat you’ll know that I’m always on the go doing something, events, speaking, dinner, travel. I love it, but tbh it’s pretty exhausting. Putting heaps of energy out (friends, work, or social) can take a lot out of you. In a recent TD survey, they found that us millennials have a hard time finding balance between financial and work commitments, and taking time to relax is a challenge. I can totally relate to this. TD found that 46% of millennials don’t take their allotted vacation days, mostly due to heavy workload (31%) and lack of travel funds (29%). Back when I was working in an agency, I hardly ever took vacation, felt pressure to work late, and when I did take vacation, found myself constantly checking my phone and responding to emails. I know I’m not alone here! The survey found, 90% of Canadian millennials agree that vacation time, even mini-vacations or “staycations”, are essential to keeping them happy. Taking time to recharge doesn’t have to be expensive, I find a good binge weekend with some cooking, takeout, and a nap (or two!) boosts me up. Having a financial plan and a budget will help you get that ROE – Return on Enjoyment. ? This weekend we opened the cottage, going there, even for a 24 hour getaway gives me leaps and bounds of energy. Don’t have a cottage? Make friends with someone who does (heh heh) or check out options like Airbnb or Glamping Hub for affordable getaways. Millennials like us can save for activities by creating a financial plan to account for funding life’s pleasures (or unexpected moments). We could all use a little more vitamin SEA, amiright? ? Other activities with…

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