Halloween 2022: Witchy Woman

This year’s Halloween was pretty chill, although I wore a witch costume almost everywhere I went from Friday to Monday. She’s a witchy woman! On Friday night Sean and I were at his office and saw there was a show at Velvet Underground. It turned out to be TikTok star Akintoye and he was INCREDIBLE. Next, we stopped by Baby G on Dundas and saw Fluffio, I hadn’t heard of them but they were GREAT. On Saturday, we took a family adventure to the Parkdale Spooky Market which was fun. The sun was shining and it was SO WARM OUT. We picked up a few things then I walked home. On Monday, I dressed up for our all-hands meeting and wore a family heirloom, this scary old lady mask my dad used to wear to take us trick or treating. It’s a classic with my friends and we always laugh at it. Was fun to see how many people dressed up for the meeting this year! Our Funday office in Armenia carved pumpkins and I ran polls to guess who did each one. I did not get wild on actual Halloween, went to my fav class at the gym, and wore my fav Valfre outfit. Look at me, a workout witch! Abs are coming in! I was really slack with my workouts this summer, feels good to be back on my game. That’s a wrap on Spooky Season 2022, time for Christmas music!

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Keep Going

This week has been pretty good. I’ve been out running every day except Monday when we had a massive snowstorm. I find it really helps my mental health. I remind myself daily to KEEP GOING no matter how cold it is or if I’m tired. I miss going out and seeing people but I’ve also made new routines that include making nice dinners, taking better care of my skin, and going to bed early. On Sunday I met up with some friends for a hike around High Park, it was cold but refreshing. Didn’t realize there was a skating rink there! My skates are at the cottage and since I broke my collarbone a few years ago, my skating skills are not what they used to be. I’m scared of falling! Trying to not let the winter SAD get me down and am working at finding joy in little things. If you’re looking for some ideas to boost your mood, I wrote a few posts about beating winter SAD. Happy Friday & have a great weekend!

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Luxe Outerwear w/ HSG Fur

Earlier this year I was a model for HSG Fur’s Fall/Winter campaign. It was so much fun to get dressed up and wear all the fancy coats. This was still peak pandemic so it had been ages since I was in front of a camera or in a studio. These are few of my fav photos from the shoot! Photography by Franklin LauOuterwear by HSG FurHMU by Robert Weir Beauty Herman Sellers Gough Furs has been Toronto’s full-service furrier since 1880. The HSG Fur store in Yorkville is closing soon as their lease is expiring so they’re having a massive sale where their entire inventory is up to 75% off. This includes furs, accessories, gifts + a vintage selection. They’ll have a new store open next year. HSG Furs @ 1255 Bay Street / 416-962-2597 / 11am – 6pm Monday to Saturday One of my goals this past year was to do more modelling and this year I was in a few campaigns, not just as an ‘influencer’ but an actual model! I spent a couple of years modelling when I was a teenager and I love being in front of the camera. More of this in 2022!

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Day 583: Giving Thanks

Spent most of the day getting the cottage ready for our guests to arrive. Sean and I worked together to prepare all the food. I made the most beautiful pavlova and can’t believe I didn’t take a photo! I hardly used my phone all day. Thankful for friends, family, time to relax, and being up here for the long weekend. We’re staying until Monday so we can be back in the city for work on Tuesday. Hope you and your family are having a lovely weekend!

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Day 545: Up to The Cottage

We drove up to the cottage after work and I am so incredibly grateful to be here. The last week is really catching up with me, physically, mentally. Feel like this is the best place to be right now. I have Friday and Monday off for the long weekend and am looking forward to charging my batteries. In other news, I’m a millionaire in Animal Crossing! I got this game in the spring and didn’t think I would play much but I’ve been playing for a few minutes almost every day. A nice break from everything to step into another world. ?

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Day 499: See You In My Dreams

Starting to feel better from the vaccine side effects. I want to get back to myself. haven’t run in days. Tomorrow we’re helping Sean’s parents pack up their house for a few hours. I plan to spend the rest of the day working in my room and I am happy to do it. Feel so grateful for my space and the projects I’m doing. By end of summer, I’ll be sharing more about my work with Hvr and our new app. I am so excited! Looking forward to this week. I love Monday because you never know what the day might bring. Sending you sunshine and ALL THE BEST FOR A GREAT DAY. Watched ‘See You In My Dreams’ on Netflix today, cute movie, bit sad. This song is nice tho.

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Day 488: I Went to the Mall

After a month I was finally able to visit an Apple Store, I went to the mall! I had a return and would you believe I couldn’t do an exchange by phone or mail, I had to wait until restrictions changed and I could visit a store in person. Made a shopping appt on Monday night on the website and only waited about 2 min once I got there. I had great service and laughed quite a bit with the employee who helped me. I was legit so excited I put on a dress, jewellery, touched up my hair & makeup, made an event of it. Had dinner at Saku Sushi on the patio while I waited for sean to finish work. Michelle came and joined me and it turned into a double date when her bf & Sean arrived. The food there is so good, highly recommend it, and they always have nice cold Sapporo. I got a gold iPhone 12 Pro and am very excited to play with the camera. Ages since I’ve had a new phone! I got Apple Care but I’m not taking this precious thing out of the house until I have a case. Ordered a tempered glass screen protector and mirror case. ?

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Day 401: Put on a Canadian Tuxedo

What day is it again? Feels like that sometimes now, eh? It’s Monday and I always like to dress up but today I went a little casual and put on a Canadian Tuxedo. Got a new chair for my desk recently and it’s pretty nice. Not as comfortable to sit on for long periods but that’s ok. Need to stand up and walk around more tbh. One thing I love about my Apple Watch is the reminders to stand each hour. I’ve been meaning to write a review on it because there are so many great features that I now use every day. Pretty sure I got this chambray top from a clothing swap and these jeans are old ones from Cory Lee. I never used to wear jeans but I kinda like them now. Took a nap in my jeans the other day. Can’t wait to have clothing swaps again one day. Hope you have a great day & week! Tomorrow is 420, the start of Taurus Season, AND my blog’s 16th birthday! BIG ENERGY COMING THROUGH.

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Day 377: Friday, Feeling Good

Friday, Fri-yay! Feeling good after closing out my first week as a FT employee! Yay! I only took an evening nap 2/5 days, haha. It’s been 5+ years since I was in a FT role but after working freelance for a while, I’ve got a good handle on time management. Always room for improvement tho! ? Started a new show called The Arrangement on Amazon Prime and plan to watch a good chunk of it before Monday as I putter around the house and get ready for Monday. Hope you’re having a great weekend!

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Day 351: It’s Pandemi Lovato!

It’s almost been one full year since this thing changed our lives and today we’re back in the month of March. Did it March ever end? ‘Pandemi Lovato’ is my new fav nickname for the Pandemic, others include panny, panini, pandemi, Patricia, borona, & pantalangio. Over the next few days, I’m going to read over posts from the start of the pandemic and roundup some things to remember. Journaling is such a beautiful thing and I’m glad to have this space to share and document. Thank you for reading and following me on this adventure. I know we’ve all gone through so much the past year and I hope that reading my blog has made you feel less alone at least once. We are in this together. The collective experience of Covid-19 has changed us, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Feeling pretty happy today, I was excited for Monday meetings, getting dressed up (Monday tradition), and doing work after a relaxing weekend. I have definitely learned to slow right down over the past 12 months and have no problems creating time for rest. My skin and hair have never had so many masks and I make time for running, workouts, walks, and sleep as part of my routine. The countdown to one year of the pandemic is on the home stretch and I’m sure we’ll see heaps of one-year roundups. Please don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t have a list of new skills or milestones to recap. Surviving is the greatest gift as so many precious people lost their lives and loved ones. Hopefully, we’ll have some more good news about vaccinations soon. I will 100% be getting the vaccine when my turn is called. Hang in there. ? I love this March/James Franco gif so much. If you…

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Day 323: Elon Musk on Clubhouse

I set an alarm to wake up for this at 1am! Am I crazy? Idk but I don’t want to miss Elon Musk on Clubhouse for the first time. I hope I can get into the room before it fills up tonight! If you’re on Clubhouse you can find the Good Time Club & room details here. I love this app. Update: I woke up at 1:30 am, the room was full! It capped out at 5,000 people, then Clubhouse upped it so that the CEO of Robinhood could join, then Elon Musk interviewed him about GameStop. WILD! I listened from a secondary room that was playing the audio, it sounded like an iPhone in a Solo cup when you don’t have a speaker. Not great but it was cool to hear some of it and be ‘there’, kinda. I listened for about half an hour until falling back asleep. I was so tired on Monday, all day!

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Day 317: A Writing Prompt for You

Hello & happy Monday! Getting a good start on Monday gives me the energy I need to carry me through the week, or at least until Wednesday haha. I did the Daily Calm meditation as I crawled out of deep sleep and made my bed. Put on my running gear right away and did 2km on the path. I did about 300 jumps on my rope while the kettle boiled & before making coffee. Was at my desk and ready to rock the day for a meeting at 9:15 am. LFG! Today’s blog is inspired by an Instagram post from my friend Ama Scriver. I’ve used Ama’s writing prompts before and decided to share this inspo with you today. Creative writing is so FREEING, just write, let the words flow with nowhere to go, get them out. Side note, Instagram is weird about embedding posts now so I have linked to her original post on Instagram here or in the image below. Feel free to take it and write something today! I wrote this without thinking, only feeling. It took under 5 minutes. I think something really important about the creative process is to just create, make something without the pressure of having to monetize it. JUST CREATE. It won’t always be a masterpiece but you need to consistently make things to practice your craft. Future Me, by Casie Stewart, 25 Jan. 2021 Future me is free, she is fit and healthy. She smiles into the sun, long hair flowing in the wind. She travels to the beach and spends summer at the lake. She loves freely and supports her friends. She sees challenges as an opportunity and she can face anything. She is bold but soft, caring, and strong. Future me knows her worth but in her heart she’s…

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Day 314: Friday, Chill House

I usually start out the week with high energy. On Monday, I get getting fully dressed, have coffee, exercise, and get ready for the week. I was quite productive for the first few days but by the end of the week, I felt drained. It’s not that I was doing a lot, it’s just life these days, pandemic fatigue. I didn’t really leave the house from Wednesday-Friday, except for the odd trip to the corner store. By Friday, I was tired, wearing jogging pants, a messy bun, and spent the day on the couch with my computer. Friday, chill house vibes all around. I successfully watched the entire first season of Bling Empire on Netflix in none day. Next, I watched Y&R (as usual!) then Death of Me on Netflix. Sean arrived back home just after 6 pm and we ordered takeout pho (Vietnamese soup, so good!). Looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home, maybe some self-care, and catching up on blog posts. I try to write each day but if I don’t, I batch update with photos from the week. Hope you are hanging in there, we’ll get through this. The next couple months will be hard but before we know it, grass will be growing, flowers blooming, and spring will be in the air.

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Day 307: Love & Laughter

I swear I’ll never have a ‘live, love, laugh’ sign at our house or the cottage, but, it’s really, it’s important to do all three!! OK? Mum if you are reading this, there’s a meme about it…see more here. These days it’s harder to live (with a lockdown), love is so important, and laughter will brighten your day. One of the things I really love about Sean is that he makes me laugh every single day. I call mum (at least!) once a day for a little love, laughter, and lots of inspiration I went for a nice walk with my sister and we laughed our heads off. Seeing friends for distanced walks truly gives me SO MUCH LIFE. Monday is her birthday so it was nice to spend some time together. I miss my friends but I am thankful for my sister, friends who live close, and technology for bringing us all together. Here’s to a nice weekend at home and getting some rest!

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