Had a nice walk with my sister today after work. Always great to see her and laugh together. It’s such a hoot when we hang out, we’ve got the same mannerisms, talk alike, are about the same size, and for the first time in 20 years, we both have long hair. I love her so much! Gave Jenie one of the new masks I was given by my friend Anela, designer of Considerate Goods. Her masks are my absolute favourite! See more in this post from Day 169, August 2020, or on her website.

Needed to clear my head. Went for a nice long walk in the woods,, about 8km. The air was brisk and fresh, just what I needed. Stopped to watch the water at this little creek and on my way back saw something on the road the resembled a snowman (see above). It was squished and a bit abstract but it made me smile. So simple, just sitting there in the wild. Had a nice long chat with dad then listened to the final chapter of Greenlights on Audible.

Sean asked if I wanted to go get tacos and the obv answer was YES. We took a nice drive up to Port Carling and had a late lunch at Tilo’s Taqueria which used to be Grand Electric Muskoka. The food was great, the booths were outside and distanced. It was quite cloudy but the rain held off enough to still sit on the covered patio. Tomorrow Jen Kirsch is coming up for a couple of days, our first guest! Looking forward to surprising the Vinyl Night crew when we show up on the Zoom together.

Sean has been cleaning up the Corvette (1982 Stingray) today. I love this car so much but it’s been sitting in the garage, unused, for years now. It’s been in his family since he was a teenager. I think he finally has a buyer! My parents used to have a very similar model when they moved to Canada in the late ’70s. It was the first brand new car they ever bought. It was really sunny today and I’ve been working on my tan. ? Always nice to end the day with a sunset boat cruise. We’ve had a bit of a tough time w/ Emily the last few weeks and after a few good family chats it’s was nice to see her smiling on the boat today. This quarantine and lockdown has been hard on kids, no friends, no school, and being stuck at home all the time. Let’s hope for a another day with lots of smiles tomorrow.

Today has been heavy. It’s hard to watch what’s going on in the world right now and not take action. I’ve hit pause on posting my own content to continue making space for POC creators and resources. If you are looking for resources on how you can help or show support see here. I’m still keeping my daily diary, it’s my way to remember, and a time capsule to look back on in the future. I hope that by sharing a little bit of sunshine here on the blog it can bring a smile to at least one person. ? We went to Beaverton in the afternoon and while Sean had a meeting, I got some groceries and called a friend. Today I made a delicious beet salad with leftover beets Sean BBQ’d the other day. I really love beets. The afternoon was really nice, I took some time to plant the flowers we got for Sean’s mum. She’s not planning to be up here for a while but we wanted to fill her flower pots and tidy the garden. Tomorrow we’re putting up the hummingbird feeder, we’ve seen a bunch of the beautiful little birds buzzing around. I think Sean’s parents have been keeping up with the blog so, “HI LORNA & KEITH, WE MISS YOU!”. ? Sean got a new power washer last week and it was quite therapeutic to blast the stairs and wash outside. This thing is a beast, so powerful! I power washed my paddleboard and Sean’s mum’s kayak, can’t wait to get out on the water. In other news, I beat yesterday’s 5K record on my run for Global Running Day. ?

This morning I felt like I needed meditation to start my day. To stop, pause. Think. Take a minute. I took a break from posting sunshiney selfies and cottage life to share content by black creators, friends, and use my platform to share their voices. I did a morning meditation by Elaisha Jade and signed up for her 30-day daily course. I love her voice, it’s so soothing and you can head her smile. Elaisha started her company after working in tech for years and feeling the burn out all often go through. At Your Mindful, she focusses on bringing mindfulness and meditation in-person or online to people around the world. Thank you Elaisha! If you want to book a private online session with her, book it here. She also has a self-guided silent retreat you can sign up for here. To sign up and join me for 30-days of meditation for free, scroll down! 30 Days of Meditation: Sign Up Here! In other news, I broke my personal 5K record on Nike Training and have been officially running for 6 months! Extremely grateful to Amy Shio aka @lesbest for her monthly challenges, she’s really motivated me to get off my booty and hit the pavement. I ran 100Km last month! P.S. If you are looking for anti-racism links, check this document or see these resources in Canada. You can also check the link in my Instagram bio here for a list of resources, places to donate, and petitions to sign! ?

Yesterday my blog crashed! Thankfully I contacted my server host and their support team helped me out. I was stressed but calm. In times before now, I might have freaked out, got upset, or had a cry. Not this time, I kept my cool, knowing I have regular backups and that it will be ok. Advice for other bloggers, update your plugins one at a time, update before you post new content, and make sure you have regular backups. Feels good to be back to regularly scheduled blogging!

This day was the first time I saw any friends IRL in months. I was so nice to visit at a safe distance to laugh, smile, and be together. It was hard to be so close and not hug each other. I love hugs. Had a nice shower and out on a dress before heading out on a drive around the city. It was a beautiful day, I had tunes on and the sunroof open. Michelle’s birthday is the day after mine (May 9th) and for the last couple of years, we’ve celebrated together. We will celebrate again once this is all over! I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU! Before heading back to the cottage we stopped by Jen’s place to safely say hi to her and her dad. She drew a birthday message on the driveway for me. I was so excited, laughing, and jumping up and down. I can’t wait to hang out again. Some of my BFFs started receiving their packages and it’s a way for us to stay connected. We’re all rocking friendship bracelets I made last week. I sent each package with a little handmade card filled with good vibes. I can’t wait to be together again. Tomorrow I’m gonna decorate for my birthday and make my own cake. I think we might do a Zoom party on Friday. Sending good vibes. Love you xo