Today was the first day the lake was fully frozen. The ice is nice. This year, we’ve been up on the woods from frozen, to not, and back again. What a year!
Tomorrow we’re going back downtown to spend a few days in the city and pickup Emily.
Don’t worry Mum, Sean is standing on the dock here. It’s safe! Once making sure it was fully frozen, Sean cleared a section for an ice rink and cold plunge pool. He’s really been into Wim Hof Method the last year. It’s amazing how a dip in ice water gets your blood pumping and leaves your muscles feeling fire. ?
It was so nice and sunny today. Sean was outside with his chainsaw so I decided to pop out for a bit to get some vitamin D. It was FREEZING! I love being up in the woods but I wasn’t ready for the wind to hit my face, making my eyes water. Winter is here, baby! Made a little video on Instagram.
Today was a good day at work and once the sun went down, I closed my computer and we watched Designated Survivor. We’ve been watching it on Netflix the fast few days, it’s filmed in Toronto, and there are three seasons so it will keep us busy for a while haha. Remember back in October when I watched 6 seasons of Gossip Girlin just over a month? Perks of having nowhere to go! ? My guess is we’ll finish Designated Survivor in mid-January unless we kill the final 2 seasons over the holidays.
The tree is looking extra cute, especially at night. We’re planning to do a Christmas-style dinner and gifts here with Emily on Tuesday before going back to the city on Wednesday.
Monday is my business day at work and I look forward to it each week. I spend some time yesterday working on brand development for a new client just to get a jump start & start the week off right. I really love being back in an agency and it’s great to work from home. I met our agency co-founder at a party once almost a decade ago saw him briefly for a few meetings this summer when we could. Other than that, I’ve only met everyone virtually! I wonder how many companies will keep doing things this way?
I did my first run on the treadmill before my first meeting and it’s SO GOOD. I really loved using the treadmill at the gym last year so I feel like I’m back on my groove. I’ve also got similar weights to those at the gym so no excuses, gonna be even more fit in 2021!
I woke up pretty emo and it was not a great start to the day. Idk exactly whether it was being cold, not having coffee, or the general state of the world!
Sean and I decided to reset and make it Christmas. Tis’ the season! We set up the tree, lights, and some decorations. It looks cute ’round here!
We took a load of stuff to the dump, tbh, one of our fav activities. It’s so fun to toss things into a giant garbage can! Dropped off the trailer near Gravenhurst and went to Walmart to get some groceries & Christmas stuff. These days, going out for stuff like this is as close to a date as you can get.
Spent the afternoon baking banana bread and getting ready for the week. Feeling good all around!
I have been searching for Marmite for weeks, months! We used to be able to get it at Loblaws or Sobey’s but I haven’t found it. I grew up eating Marmite on toast, Marmite sandwiches, or a kiwi pizza (Marmite on toast w/ cheese!). I love it, always makes me think of mum.
Sean and I drove back up to the cottage today and stopped at the 400 Market where there’s a British shop. I left Sean to walk around on his own and when I found him, he was there and bought all the Marmite she had! I’m so happy! Marmite for life!
I had a really great call w/ the CEO of Funday Agency today and I am SO EXCITED about the project I’ll be working on for the next 8 weeks (and beyond!). At the start of this year, I wasn’t sure where my career was going and now, at the end of 2020, it’s looking BRIGHT.
We’ll be up at the cottage for a few days before going back at the end of the week. I’m excited to set up the treadmill we picked up yesterday from Sean’s a parents!
Tonight I got wild and used my straightener for the first time in months. My hair is getting so long! I did a tiny trim to the ends, an ‘air cut’ as my Sassoon Stylist calls it. Barely noticeable, just a tiny snip!
Over the course of this year, I’ve often had a list of things I want to accomplish each week. I set out to try and do one thing each day then, by the end of the week, I’ve accomplished a lot. It can so be super overwhelming to see the list and think, ‘where do I start?‘.
Today I called the CRA to deal with my taxes and straightened my hair (aside from work during the day) and tbh, I feel pretty good about it. Some days it’s something as simple as dealing with a laundry pile or going for a run.
This year we have all spent more time on Zoom or Google Meet than ever. If you’re feeling Zoom-fatigue, you are not alone. It’s totally normal to feel exhausted right now, there are so many contributing factors work, health, covid, money, plus the holidays are just around the corner. I used to love getting groceries but I find it stressful now.
The other day I download Snap Camera for Mac and it’s a great way to spice up your meetings. You can get festive for the holidays, add a filter for perfect skin, or use all kinds of camera effects. It’s kinda fun. I’ve been using a colour filter to change my lighting and make my skin look flawless.
Check out this great video by my friend Amanda Cosco on how to easily add Snap Camera to your computer.
I’d like to thank me for all my hard work over the years, and not giving up on me, and for staying committed to my goals. Ha! Jk, I worked with a friend at an agency who helped initiate the process. I’m now verified on Twitter (2012) and Instagram (2020).
If you haven’t seen Snoop give this award speech where he thanks himself, you’re welcome.
Getting verified made me think about some of the cool stuff I’ve done over the years. The process involved submitting a bunch of references to verify my work and who I am in the world. If you ever wanna do a deep creep, I have another website at casiestewat.biz with speaking, directing, brand partnerships (over 100!), and press/media over the years.
Here’s a little hilight of some videos, awards, commercials, etc.
Looking back, this was a pretty neat experience and I don’t think they ever did this section of the awards as a separate event again. I was up against someone I really wanted to beat and was SO NERVOUS I would lose. I remember drinking too much that night to try and escape the anxiety. The Canadian Academy awards (Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television) are kinda like the Canadian version of the Oscars, awarding excellence in film, TV, and digital.
We shot this over a 4 day stay in Mexico. One day to rest once we arrived, 2 days to shoot (all on iPhone!), and 3/4 of one day to rest before leaving. It was a fun shoot but very busy. The whole team was great to work with. This commercial ran during the Superbowl AND the Grammys that year (it came on right after GAGA performed!). In January of 2020, I went on a Sunwing trip to Cuba (not work!) and that was my last vacation. I miss traveling. One day!
This was shot by Sean’s company 1188 Films and the brand rep from Aeroplan was a former client we had both worked with. I remember being on the phone with the client a couple weeks before the shoot when she told me she was able to myself and a GUEST to New Zealand for the holidays. Mum and I went for a month and it was so memorable. That trip meant so much to my family, mum, and me. We were able to spend heaps of time travelling together, laughing with friends and family, and seeing her mum (Nana) before she passed away. I am so grateful for this experience and it warms my heart just thinking about it.
I got a call from my acting agent at the time to go to an audition for this last minute. I didn’t have time to go home and change but the role was for ‘hipster girl’ so I went in what I was wearing. When I booked it, the message from the wardrobe dept. was to wear the same clothes. LOL. This would make me a certified professional hipster.
This was booked by my speaker agency (National Speakers Bureau) and I drove to London, ON, the day before. I will never forget that someone was killed on Highway 401 that day when a tire flew off a transport truck, it happened about an hour after I passed that same stretch. I stayed in a small apartment on the Western University Campus so I was ready to take the stage first thing in the AM. I am a bit embarrassed because I was so nervous that day! I’ve come a long way as a speaker since 2015 but looking back, I’m proud of myself for giving it a good go and talking about something I love. The theme was The Human Condition and my talk was Exploring What It Means to Be Human on The Internet.
I hated this article with a PASSION when it came out. I was so mad. The author had been so nice to me in the interview, I shared all kind of things I was excited about blah blah blah. Then, she turned it right around on me to make me sound like an idiot. Pretty sure I sent her a nasty email. Ah well, no press is bad press and I love this illustration. I think I’ll frame it.
I will remember this day as something great to come out of 2020!
Feeling good today! I love Monday, it’s a day full of opportunity, a fresh start to the week. Yesterday’s outing left me feeling all kinds of happiness.
When I posted this today on IG, a few people were surprised at how long my hair is now. It’s growing like crazy! Longest I’ve had it in over a decade. One friend even said they weren’t sure if it was my sister until the mask came off! Did you like the IG post yet?!
This mask is a new design by my friend Anela, the designer behind Considerate Goods (posted about her here). I picked up a few new masks from last time I was in the city and they are SO STYLISH. I even got a special one for holiday and I look forward to sharing it with you! I also got the houndstooth which is super nice.
I know things are hard right now and we wish it could be different but it’s important to see the joy in little things, to get outside each day, and find things to be happy about. Last winter I wrote a series about dealing with winter SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), you can find those suggestions here.
As it gets colder and we have nowhere to go, it’s gonna be hard but WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS.
After a day of rest, I was ready to go out into the world. I woke up early, got dressed, and ventured out for a coffee. I chatted with a friend for an hour before picking up a few groceries. It was so nice and sunny out! Love a good long walk in the sun.
When I got back home I put on (yes, another!) Christmas movie and made falafels, an Israeli-inspired salad, and some delicious orzo in the Instant Pot.
I made plans to go on a photo walk with April and walked down to Queen & Lansdowne. We hung out in the sun, taking photos in the alleys. It was so lovely!
We walked west to the Bellwoods from Parkdale, I picked a bouquet of eucalyptus from Crown Flora and a vegan cookie from The Drake. We sat in the park for a little bit, taking in the sun, before heading back home.
It’s so nice to be back in the city, walking the streets, and having distance hangs with friends. Gotta appreciate all the little things!
