Day 240: A Second Spring!

We have had the absolute best weather for the last couple of days! It’s been around 20 degrees during the day since Saturday. I’m working most of the day but I love sitting outside for coffee and lunch to soak up some vitamin D. April is here for the week and Sean is back in the city with Emily. So nice to have some quality girl time! I’ve been pretty good with working out the last week and did 4km today before 8am. Last week I treated myself to new running pants for the first time in months as my old ones were falling down. I also ordered Bala wrist/ankle weights and I love them. I tagged them on IG today and they replied, ha! I really hope this warm weather lasts a while, I am NOT READY for winter snow or slippery surfaces. I love running outside so much, not sure what I’m gonna do this year without the gym or a treadmill. Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus Gonna soak up as much sun as I can and make the most if each warm-ish day while I can!

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Day 237: Leopard Loving Lady

Sean and I drove back to the city in the AM so we could pick up Emily after school. I took a long walk in the late afternoon and stopped by the Bathing Belle Studio for a visit. My bff Michelle just started working there and I’m so happy because Bathing Belle makes the NICEST SWIMSUITS I’VE EVER WORN. In other news, I got this great coat at a second-hand shop in New Zealand and it’s been hanging in my room ever since. Decided it was time to bust it out! Tomorrow I’m meeting April at the Hippie Market and she’s going to spend the week at the cottage with me. I can’t wait!

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Day 227: Witches In The Woods

It snowed today for the first time this season. I’m not ready for it but I also feel so romantic about it. I instantly want to start playing Christmas music while it falls slowly outside the windows. The sun came out for a minute in the afternoon and the snow finally stopped. I needed a break, so I put on my witch outfit and went into the woods. As one does! I am definitely my fav subject to shoot and highly recommend taking your own photo once in a while. I could have asked Sean but I find I like to do it myself and take my time. I don’t always know what I’m doing when I start so I like to just go with the flow and feel it out. Sometimes it works out and sometimes I just pack up and go inside and do it another time. I usually end up with a couple of good photos and a whole bunch that get deleted. I also like to take Live photos so I can turn them into short videos with the Lively app. I set up my tripod and use a self-timer or one of these handy Bluetooth remotes from Amazon. Most of the photos in my Instagram posts are taken by me with this method or a straight-up selfie. I made this video and was laughing so hard at the witch cackle, Sean was like ‘what are you DOING?’. Oh nothing, just being weird haha. See the video with AUDIO on Instagram here. With love from the woods!

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Day 226: Gloomy Monday

The sky is grey and it’s raining, again. We’ve hardly had any sun over the last week, today is a gloomy Monday in the woods. Friday was beautiful and over 20 degrees, but I was inside working the whole day. We had a really relaxing weekend, I swear I could have used another two days to charge my batteries. I did nothing but watch Netflix all day on Saturday and it was glorious. I’m on S3 of Gossip Girl now. Yesterday I did a bunch of food prep and then took I nap. Things are really exciting these days lol. Sunday afternoon, we met up with Emily’s mum in Gravenhurst to do the switchover. This morning, ‘Stage 2’ is trending on Twitter and Ontario is seeing the highest Corona cases since the start of the pandemic. Sean and I are thinking to stay up here in the woods for most of the week. The cottage isn’t fully winterized but I would be happy to stay up here as long as we can. Please stay safe and wear a mask. We’re all dreaming of the day this is over. I hope you have a great week.

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Day 223: Summer in October

It was absolutely gorgeous today! The sun was shining and it was over 20 degrees. I spent most of the day working but got out for a run in the am and gazed out at the lake from my desk. The air was warm and it felt like summer. At 4 pm we got alerts about a tornado warning as the sky turned from bright blue to dark and grey. We got hit with some pretty insane hail that ranged from tiny bits to about the size of a quarter. Sean and Em went out to get a some stuff in town and the cottage power went out for a few minutes. They were in Bracebridge when the whole city turned black from a power outage. Crazy!

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Day 211: Thanksgiving 2020 by the Lake

For the last few years, Sean and I have spent Thanksgiving at the cottage. We’ve been getting the Swiss Chalet ‘festive special’ for about four years now. This year we couldn’t dine-in so we got takeout and went down to Muskoka Beach Road to watch the sunset. Thanksgiving 2020 ftw. This year I’m thankful for Sean and my family, how close we’ve all gotten the last few months through the pandemic. I’ve also really become close with a bunch of friends and somehow, even though we’ve not seen each other much in person, we talk more than ever. I am also very thankful for the internet, for keeping us all connected. To the internet for hosting my blog diary that’s helped me build a career and document my memories. I can’t imagine trying to remember everything I’ve done over the last week, 6 months, or 15 years without having it written down. Around this time last year, I decided to make a change in my life and start working out. I’m grateful that I stuck with it, that I didn’t give up, that I changed my eating habits, and learned to love myself more. I remember seeing this Nike ad years ago, the message stuck with me. Why put off until tomorrow something you could check off your list today? If you want to make a change in your life, start now. Start today. By tomorrow, you’ll already be on day 2. Sending you love, hope you had a nice wekeend.

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Day 205: Jacket Season, She Ready

Yesterday was a busy one! We ended up staying at the cottage Sunday night, working there Monday AM, then driving back mid-day to make it back by 2pm. Sean and I shared the driving as we both took calls on the way. I was going non-stop from first thing in the AM until about 6pm. April and I planned to take some photos before stopping by a pizza popup. I don’t think I’m gonna go to any restaurants for a while. We waited outside for pizza for too long and being around people gives me anxiety. This dress was handed down to me from April and it’s so great, an old one from Pink Tartan. The jacket and boots are old too. I feel like I only have a couple of weeks to wear all my mid-season jackets before it gets too cold. I love jacket season, get ready for a different one each day! ? I have a feeling this week is going to be long and busy. I’m already looking forward to being back up at the cottage this weekend to recharge my batteries.

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Day 203: I Want to Go To Paris Too

Today when I was running I paused my Nike Running app and it didn’t record my whole run. I hate it when this happens! I am really interested in getting an Apple watch so I don’t need to take my phone on runs. I did 5km thinking I had a challenge for the day but lucky for me, it’s actually tomorrow. Made a delicious soup today with curry, carrot, and sweet potato. Once it starts getting a bit cooler I love using our Instant Pot to make soup. I rarely follow a recipe and usually use what we have around in the kitchen. This one turned out SO GOOD. I added jalapeno & goat cheese to serve. Sean and I started watching an Italian horror movie on Netflix in the afternoon. He fell asleep and I switched to Emily in Paris. Safe to say, he was a little confused when he woke up haha. We managed to get through 9/10 episodes. It’s pretty cheese but tbh, it was just what I was looking for.

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Day 202: City to Country

Had a great meeting in the morning and then picked up some groceries from Pusateri’s for the weekend. I am so in love with this jumpsuit from Zara Kids. I saw it on a friend’s daughter for the first day of school then ordered it for myself! haha Sean and I left for the cottage around 2 and got there just after 4pm. We were gonna go to the 400 Market but it’s not open on Friday anymore. Another time! I was so happy to be back in the woods for a relaxing weekend. Hoping to run 10km this weekend. I really like running in Muskoka more than in the city, less people!

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Day 201: Dinner Date – Kibo Secret Garden

I had an incredible dinner at Kibo’s Sushi’s newest location, Kibo Secret Garden, an intimate, high-end omakase and sushi house in Yorkville. They have 23 locations in the GTA! Kibo Market in the Junction Triangle (near our place) is definitely a local favourite. I was excited to hang out with Natalie and attend my first dinner event in a LONG TIME. We wore masks and were socially distanced from other diners & staff. We sat at the omakase bar and had a great view of the dinner served by Chef Jin, with barriers between us and other guests. Omakase is a Japanese phrase meaning ‘I leave it up to you’ that describes the traditional Japanese dining style where the culinary experience is left in the hands of the chef. We also enjoyed their selection of Japanese sake and beer. ? Dinner Details The menu highlights the highest-quality fish, seafood, and premium-grade meats. Bo Seo, CEO & Founder, takes pride in only serving fish within 24 hours of its catch. We had the 20-course dinner omakase, starting with Kobacka Soup (sweet pumpkin & rice), Hirame nigiri (Japan), Kurodai (black seabream, Turkey), Kanpachi Nigiri (Japan), Madai Nigiri (red snapper, Japan). Next, we had a round of sashimi with king salmon, fluke, bluefin tuna, yellowtail, mackerel, and amberjack. Honestly, it was so good. Other items on our menu included bluefin tuna belly, ika (squid), oyster, Wagyu Beef, lobster, prawn, black cod, and sea eel from Japan. I haven’t had much sushi the past few months and everything was an absolute treat. The presentation was also incredible. I reckon it was the fanciest sushi dinner I’ve ever had. “Everything from the location to the design, to the menu has been thoughtfully chosen to create a luxury sushi dining experience. I can’t wait to welcome people in!”  Simeon…

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Day 200: Pandemic 2020

Wow, 200 days, here we are. What a time to be alive. I met up with Blair for coffee and we both wore our jumpsuits from Zara Kids. We sat outside, distanced on Jimmy’s patio and it was cute to see how people smiled at our outfits. Gotta appreciate the small joys these days! I came back home after our date to make a 1pm meeting. I don’t know exactly if it was the news, the weather, or just life, but I felt totally tired in the afternoon. Sean and I finished Ratched on Netflix and then I remembered tomorrow is Halloween. I was ready for bed at 6pm, then had a burst of energy around 9pm when I put on some spooky tunes and danced around the kitchen. I’m excited about Halloween this year, I love dressing up. Halloween is a spirit, a feeling, and if you’ve got it, go ahead and let it out. I’ve been wearing ‘costumes‘ for the last few weeks and things are about to get a little more creative. I’m tempted to go out dressed as a witch for a bunch of days in October. Zombie? Why the hell not!?

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Day 196: Soak Up That Sunshine

We had such a relaxing day today! I spend about 3hr sitting outside with dad reading my book. The weather was perfect. Hard to believe it’s the end of September! Took Sean out for a couple rips on the wakeboard. We’re planning to take the boat and dock out tomorrow. Made a nice bbq for dinner and called it a night after Sean did an epic fireworks show. In the morning dad and I went for a huge 7.5km walk in the woods and it was so great.

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Day 190: Hiding Out At Home

I can’t remember the last time we were home for the weekend as a family. I got groceries in the morning and did some food prep in the afternoon. It kinda felt like things were normal. Emily is back at school and making her own lunches this year. ? Last night we had one of Sean’s oldest friends and his GF over for dinner with her daughter. Em is old enough to take on babysitting duties and we had so many laughs while the kids played upstairs. Today we’ve been watching Ratched on Netflix and it’s so good. I love the styling, Sharon Stone’s looks are so good. I don’t have much planned this week aside from work but I hope it’s nice out. Please stay safe and WEAR YOUR MASK.

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Day 179: Dress Shoes, I Missed You

Different taking the subway these days but I like being back in the city. There are fewer people and the seats are marked for distancing. Felt so good to put on regular clothes and spend a few hours working outside the house. I miss being in that type of environment. Sean picked me up on the way home from 1188 and I made fresh pasta from Pusateri’s. In other news, I started watching Away on Netflix starring Hilary Swank, good show. Hooked!

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