Since Friday (Day 341), Sean has been up at the cottage solo and I’ve been home alone. It’s actually been really nice for both of us to have the time and space to be alone and do our own things. He loves being up at the cottage, chopping trees with the chainsaw, doing woodsy things. I love being home with my things and thoughts. I had such a relaxing weekend and felt refreshed and ready to start the day today. After work, I had A&W with April and it was so nice to laugh together. I decided to get ready for bed nice and early after a bath and a full face care routine. I’m still working my way through  Younger on Prime and have been REALLY enjoying going to bed early. In other news, I re-pierced my own nose today. I had this piercing for AGES but took it out a couple of years ago. I also have a septum piercing in the middle cartilage of my nose but rarely show it. This little stud is barely noticeable and I like it. I’m dying to get a new tattoo and might buy a stick poke kit. I did a tiny one at the start of the pandemic but want to try something more artistic and professional.

Woke up feeling fresh & happy it was Friday! Sean left for the cottage after dropping Em to school, she’s with her mum for the next week and I’m home alone. ? I had such a great workday today. In my afternoon meeting, we were chatting about branded products and it was a great opportunity to show some I’ve made over the years. I pulled out the stickers, note cards, and of course, the pillows I had made years ago. We all had a good laugh! Sending you good vibes today for a nice restful weekend. Get outside, feel the sun on your face, call a friend, support a local restaurant. Do something, do nothing, do whatever makes you happy!

I’m at home today and Sean is at the cottage with Emily. He sent me the most special surprise… We had a lovely Valentine’s dinner on Thursday night and shared gifts then watched some Netflix. He got me a rose bush plant instead of flowers and as a plant mama, it was the perfect present! I don’t share too much about Sean here but he is so wonderful! We first met over in 2009 and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. He makes me laugh every single day and supports me in everything I do. I’m so grateful for him in my life. SEAN, ILYSM!

The air is so crisp! It’s about -10 today and the wind is fierce. After watching a few episodes of The Wilds on Prime, we ventured out on the lake. It’s 100% frozen thick with a few inches of snow. Quite the workout walking in such deep snow! There’s a couple of ice huts out for fishing and heaps of snowmobile tracks. My hair is a total mess and I’m wearing the same clothes as yesterday but I feel good, rested. Thankfully my warm winter coat was here because it’s freezing! I booked off a couple of days this week to recharge my batteries and I hope to spend a few hours sewing. I love the cottage so much. Sean and I managed to finish the entire first season of The Wilds in one day, what a commitment. Ha! I guess it was a good show…? I’d probably watch S2 if it was available. I find my standards of good tv have dropped during the pandemic, I’ll watch just about anything these days. Even better if there’s more than one season! What will I watch next? I know, I know, life isn’t that exciting right now, ok! ?

Quiet day working at home. Very cold out today. Made pizza from General Assembly I picked up from Henderson Brewery. Sean comes back tomorrow. One of my fav things lately is people’s nicknames for the pandemic. There’s a whole bunch of funny videos of people on TikTok calling it a pany, panini, panoramic, Patricia. Idk why but I find it hilarious despite the pandemic but being funny at all.

Took a nice little walk around the hood today after Sean went back to the cottage. I was feeling drab so I put on a cute outfit and went for fresh air. When I got home I watched Mad Med and wrote Valentines Cards for a few friends. If you are feeling down I highly recommend writing notes to people you haven’t seen in a while. It will remind you how special they are to you and help put your own worries in perspective. I can’t wait to send my packages out this week! Let this street art be a reminder that ‘tout est possible’ or in English, everything is possible! If you are feeling down at any point, feel free to reach out to me on any social media platform or email. Something simple as a voice note or silly selfie always helps to cheer me up. Here’s to a great week!

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.

Today was Inauguration Day 2021 in the USA and Joe Biden was sworn in as President. I watched the whole thing while I worked, Lady Gaga performed, it was such a positive collective experience. Everyone I talked to felt an overwhelming sense of calm. After such a traumatic year (and years of Trump in power!), it was nice to see this change. In the words of Kamala Harris, ‘WE DID IT JOE!‘ One of the best things to come out of the day (bless the internet!) was a slew of Bernie memes of him sitting through the whole thing. I’m sure there will be an IG filter and a ‘put Bernie anywhere’ type of website or app in no time. I wore one of my fav Zara Kids jumpsuits and spent the day working in Sean’s office. Sent a pic of me in there watching Y&R haha. I hadn’t posted anything to my Instagram feed in almost a month (maybe longest break ever?) but after watching the inauguration, I felt so happy I posted a short video here.

Today was a good day. Left the house late afternoon to meet Natalie and her dog Chloe for a walk before the sun went down. We sat outside in the park by the Telus Centre near the Royal Conservatory of music, then went around the park. Walked through some of the University of Toronto buildings and I recognized a bunch of from Tiny Pretty Things on Netflix. There are heaps of recognizable locations if you’re watching the show, see some of them here on BlogTO. Good show, I’ll finish it tonight. Before heading home I had a little meetup outside with Nelson & Talia. We went to Eatily and got groceries. It felt like being out on the town! It’s been so long since I went to a place with anyone other than Sean. We were all wearing masks and only inside a grocery store, but it was invigorating! Earlier in the day, after my run, I tried a TikTok hair trend to do natural, heatless waves with a belt from a robe. I wasn’t sure how it worked at first but as the day went on, the curls relaxed and my hair looked great. I can’t wait to try it again and get really good at this. I’ve dreamed of having long hair for years and without the pandemic, I would have probably cut it. The title of this post on Day 311 is Amber by the band 311. My sister and I used to love this one so much. It will make you smile. ?

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!

Sean went back to the cottage this morning and I spent most the day working before taking a walk around 4pm. I chatted with friends on speakerphone while making dinner. I miss my friends so much. On Thursday, Ontario moves into a ‘Stay Home Order’ with more restrictions & curbside pickup at big box stores. I feel like this 2nd wave of the pandemic is much harder to deal with. Back in March/April 2020, there was a bit of a novelty that we had to stay home, we did online workouts and Zoom hangouts. Now, 10 months later, we’re all feeling Zoom-fatigue, we miss family & friends, and the collective trauma is setting in. I really hope this weather stays around 0 degrees because I love going outside and having distanced walks with friends. Colder temps will make that harder and god forbid we get heaps of snow or ice making it hard to walk outside. I’m still terrified of slipping after my accident two years ago. Hang in there my friends, stay safe!

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. ?