There’s something so peaceful about being up north in the winter. You can stand on the lake and listen to the ice move. The cold air is so refreshing. Easy to find your calm. We drove up on Thursday and worked from the cottage Friday. It was the first day in a while that I didn’t close the rings on my Apple Watch but, f*ck it, I earned a break. On Saturday, I shovelled snow, played Nintendo, ate snacks, and finished watching Pieces of Her on Netflix. Good show, Toni Collette is one of my fav actors and does a great job playing this role. Sunday was pretty warm and the top layer of the lake started to melt. I don’t expect the ice will go out until sometime in April. Our lake group usually makes bets on when it will fully melt. I haven’t made a prediction yet! Things I love: long walks on frozen lakes, the smell of a cold winter day, carrying wood to make a fire, and being at the cottage with you. Been on a pretty good track record with the Calm app. I usually do a sleep meditation or Sleep Story at night and the 10 min Daily Calm before I get out of bed. I think it’s helping with sleep and focus. Working hard to keep that calm in my life. Something you might not know about me is that I always check the wind speed. Every day I ask Alexa about the weather and then I ask her about the wind. If it’s over 10 km/h that means no wide brim hats. If it’s 15 km/h + in the summer I’ll opt for shorts instead of a dress. I don’t like running when the wind is +25+ km/h but I love the…

This week I’ve been pretty tired but knowing spring is coming gives me hope. Warmer days will be here in a few weeks and things will get better. We’ve all made sacrifices the past two years and my fingers are crossed that this summer will be different. ☀️ Sending out a little reminder that there are 25 days till spring. Another 25 days after that we’ll be mid-April and flowers will be blooming. Hang in there, we’ll get through this! ? ? ? ? ?

Went for dinner with Erin & Natalie at Hemingway’s. Was nice to be out! I had fish & chips and it was kinda greasy (obvs) but I wanted something that reminded me of New Zealand. Wore a cute outfit and wasn’t out late. Sean picked me up at 8:30 and I got takeaway tacos. My last visit there was summer 2021 when bars opened after lockdown, Natalie and I had a ball of a time lol. If you’ve been reading my blog a long while you’ll know I used to work at Hemingway’s 10+ years ago. I love that place and all the New Zealand nostalgia. Always a good time!

I’ve developed a slight obsession with colourful cardigans and cute collars. Looking forward to switching over my closet this weekend and rediscovering fall/winter clothes. It’s been a pretty great summer, spent lots of time at the cottage, biking through the city, and meeting friends outside. I was reading an article this week about ‘cave syndrome’ that people are developing after bring home for so long. I’ve really learned to love being at the house and have no shortage of things to keep me busy. I don’t imagine I’ll be doing much over the next few months and tbh, not mad about it. I used to be out soooo much and can’t imagine going back to that life. I feel so much more at peace without the pressure to go places with people. I make time to see the people I care about and that’s about it. I do have a couple of events coming up but nothing like the large in-person events we used to frequent. Here’s to finding personal peace through this crazy time! Sending you flowers!

Hit the open road after work and headed up north. I can’t wait to be back up there and sit by the lake, read, relax. I’d gotten a bit behind on the blog and feel good to have caught up. Keeping this diary is very therapeutic and although I’m not doing much, it feels good to keep memories. We’ve been in this pandemic for over 500 days and without documenting, they all kinda mix together into a blur. When I started blogging 16 years ago, one of my main goals was to keep more memories. Now looking back, I’m so glad to have this archive of my life. Here’s to a wonderful weekend and soaking up the last lovely days of summer!

Had a nice bike ride after work and then met Michelle in a park. It was so lovely out, hanging onto these last summer days. Absolutely love that evening sun, magic hour. I’ve been wearing this cute smiley ring from Santa Isla all summer and it makes me happy each time.

I am so ready for the weekend. I can’t wait to cook food, read my book, try to sleep in, and spend time in the sun. We’ve been thinking about painting the bathroom with the Chantilly Lace that’s leftover from the bathroom renovation at home. It will be a big change but a nice refresh! Sean’s mum said we could paint it last summer but we’ve not taken the leap yet. ? Bon weekend!

I really wish I could have gotten a tattoo today. I’ve gotten 6 tattoos on Friday the 13th and consider it a lucky day. Got dressed up in something cute after work and took some photos instead. Long live summer & cheers to the weeeeeeeekend!

Really enjoyed the Daily Calm meditation the Calm app today. I haven’t mentioned it recently but I absolutely love this app. I bought the paid version last summer and have been using it nearly every day. I find it helps w/ sleep, focus, and anxiety. My fav part from today was something like, “You have no power over how the universe may respond to your actions. … We must realize that control is an illusion, it is only by accepting our lack of control do we find peace.” It was SO hot out today. Biked over to visit Cory Lee after work and went for a swim in her pool. Great to catch up under the sun while cooling down in the water. The title from this post comes from the video I posted on IG, watch it here or click below. I love summer. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CASIE STEWART (@casiestewart)

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.

Woke up thinking about our dinner at Sabai Sabai last night, the food was incredible. Sean came back from the cottage for a hot minute before heading back up north with Emily. He showed up with flowers from the garden for me, so lovely! What a legend. ? I biked over to Parkdale in the sun then went for a long walk with Sandy to Lakeshore. I am living for this weather and hope we see lots more sunny days. I was at the cottage for most of Summer 2020 so it’s great to appreciate Toronto summer and explore the city.

Spent most of the day working outside and it was so nice! We had perfect weekend weather and it felt great to get my hands in the dirt and pull some weeds. We watered all the plants, took some stuff to the dump, and I cleaned up a set of steps. Took Sean out on the wakeboard and then spent a few hours reading my book. I’m currently halfway through That Summer by Jennifer Weiner. I read her previous book, Big Summer, a couple of months ago, both good!

Don’t say it..don’t say it…VAX GIRL SUMMER! ☀️ I’M SO HAPPY! I GOT VACCINATED! Sean gave me a tip from Vaccine Hunters that there was a pop-up clinic near at Harbord Collegiate offering the first dose of Pfizer today so I biked over soon as I could. If you are looking to get your first or second dose, check out the @vaxhunterscan account on Twitter, they’re posting vaccination clinics all across the country. I just really want to go somewhere ✈️, hug my parents, have friends to the house, and for this all to be overrrrrrr. Y’know?! ?✌️ One step closer to getting back to some kind of normal.

Lovely family day at the cottage. We all worked together to get the place ready for summer. Emily spent a chunk of the day power washing the concrete and it looks so nice. I set up a herb garden in our new planter box that Sean out together. Decided my garden gloves were too boring and added a few Hayley Elsaesser iron-ons to make them a little more fun. We set up one of the patio sets near the woodpile for another sitting area. I started listening to Seth Rogen‘s new book ‘Yearbook‘ on Audible. It’s so funny! Highly recommend. Absolutely LOVE this Hinza Tote I ordered from The Curator’s Shop. My sister’s childhood BFF Leah Mackie started The Curator’s Shop with a friend and they have all kinds of boxes you can order filled with gifts. We’re heading back downtown tonight so I can be home for work tomorrow. Emily has been doing school at her mum’s so we’ll drop her off on the way. Here’s to a good week!

Had a nice run this morning, I love running in the woods! I am obsessed with my Apple Watch and love the notifications and positives vibes from Nike Run Club. Sun’s out! Spent some time reading in the sun and working on my tan. It’s amazing how this weather can make your mood. Sean, Em and I worked artound the cottage getting it ready for summer. At night we had a nice fire, listened to music, and roasted marshmallows as the sun went down. I am living for this weather!