Sean and I drove back up north this morning after dropping Emily to school. It’s still winter up here with a foot of hard snow, ice, and the lake is totally frozen. It’s too slippery to run outside so I’m grateful for the treadmill in the basement from Sean’s parents! ? I worked in the morning then took the afternoon to bake black bean brownies, cook stuff in the Instant Pot, and enjoy the sun through the windows. Love a little WFH in the sun. My Friday winter style today is casual with a side of leathery pants. In other news, my hair is getting longggg, I love it. Might get crazy and do another temporary pink dye later today. Looking forward to an outside hang with some cottage friends tomorrow!

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!

Today I woke up determined to leave the cottage, take a package to the post office, and go to town. I hadn’t left the cottage in 5 days and tbh, I was starting to get cabin fever. It’s lovely being in the woods but there’s part of me that loves seeing people and doing things. Even something as simple as going to the grocery or Dollerama feels like an event these days. After cleaning off the car for 20min in the freezing cold, I got in the truck to leave the driveway. It did not go as planned. I got stuck in the snow and was frustrated. I came back inside, threw off my coat and had a bit of a meltdown. I thought I left my phone in the car so had to go back outside. I took a few deep breaths and decided to give it another go with the truck. I took a good look at the snow, planned the route, and made it. I’m glad I pushed through it! I drove to town in the sun, singing along to the radio. It felt so good! When I got back to the cottage I went for a walk with a neighbour on the road. It was our first time meeting and we had a nice distance walk through the woods. It was such a beautiful day and we turned to face the sun, feeling its warm embrace on our faces. Lesson of the day, sometimes you just have to push through it to find the sun.

Today was not a great day. There’s ice is melting outside our windows and I felt like I was melting inside. If you feel like you’re melting too, don’t worry, it’s normal to feel anxiety right now. Mum’s recommendation is always to have a little nap and there’s a good chance you’ll feel better when you wake up. It’s ok to feel this way, we’re living in a pandemic that’s been almost an entire year. I wasn’t feeling great last night, I felt sad, empty, I cried. Woke up and didn’t want to get out of bed. The whole day I wasn’t on my game. I wanted to do things, create things, but I was paralyzed with anxiety and felt like I just couldn’t do anything. This lockdown is hard. Almost a year ago when we had our first lockdown, there was a novelty of being up at the cottage, I was creative, I wasn’t working, and it seemed like it would be over soon. This round, we’re not sure when things will end and it’s so cold outside. I feel tired most days and don’t have the same energy I used to have. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Sending love from the woods.

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! ?

I had been looking forward to this day all week! April and I planned to go for a big walk in the sun and it was GLORIOUS. I started out from my place in the Junction Triangle, met her Dundas West, then we went to Kensington. I hadn’t been in that area for ages since being at the cottage for most of the pandemic. It was pretty busy there so we grabbed a quick coffee, kept our masks on, and headed to Queen Street. Since we aren’t able to gather with friends right now, we were hoping to run into people we knew along the way, and we certainly did! It was so nice to catch up with a few random friends neither of us had seen in ages. We continued west on Queen to Parkdale and I walked back home to the West Toronto Rail Path. I did about 19,000 steps! Once I got home I changed into loungewear and parked myself on the couch for the afternoon. Amazing how a big walk & heaps pf fresh air will tucker you out.

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 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!