Day 354: Hanging Out With Me

I always kinda danced to my own drum but over the past year, I’ve realized how much I really like hanging out with me. I’m so fun. I love walking, running, exercise with me, making crafts, sewing. I love writing alone in my room with the lights dim and Netflix in the background. I love playing in my closet or going through the bins under my bed. I love being alone with my stuff and talking to myself. I laugh when I’m alone with me about all kinds of things. I smile into my phone when I text friends. I smile when I write emails and I think it shows. I think one of the best things we can learn from the past year is how to JUST BE with our thoughts and who we really are. It’s the biggest life lesson we can learn. It’s a journey, not a destination. The process of getting to know oneself is ongoing and there are bumps along the way. The road to self-love is less traveled and you have make your own path. We can all get there, it just takes work. Don’t get me wrong I love my family and friends, but when you really know and love yourself, you have more to share.

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Day 353: Can’t Break My Stride

Feeling good this week. It’s like that full moon energy is in my blood! I’m on a 3-week Peloton streak and have been running each day. It’s still cold but I don’t even mind. Fresh air and exercise are something I look forward to each day. I am SO looking forward to warmer days. I went through some summer clothes the other day and can’t wait to put away my winter gear and bust out the fun stuff. I know it’s gonna be a while still but I love having something to look forward to. It looks like our lockdown order is going to be extended next week. We’re moving from Stay-At-Home order to Lockdown which means just about everything is still closed. Sean and I will be spending next week at the cottage. I wanted to be there to mark 1 full year of the Pandemic. So crazy it’sa been this long. I hardly remember pre-panini life! Hang in there! We will get through this. Look for little things in your day to bring you joy. This song is my whole vibe today, can’t break my stride! Put it on and have a dance party. I promise it will make you happy! I love rapping along w/ the lyrics, can you believe I still remember them from the 90’s?!

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Day 351: It’s Pandemi Lovato!

It’s almost been one full year since this thing changed our lives and today we’re back in the month of March. Did it March ever end? ‘Pandemi Lovato’ is my new fav nickname for the Pandemic, others include panny, panini, pandemi, Patricia, borona, & pantalangio. Over the next few days, I’m going to read over posts from the start of the pandemic and roundup some things to remember. Journaling is such a beautiful thing and I’m glad to have this space to share and document. Thank you for reading and following me on this adventure. I know we’ve all gone through so much the past year and I hope that reading my blog has made you feel less alone at least once. We are in this together. The collective experience of Covid-19 has changed us, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Feeling pretty happy today, I was excited for Monday meetings, getting dressed up (Monday tradition), and doing work after a relaxing weekend. I have definitely learned to slow right down over the past 12 months and have no problems creating time for rest. My skin and hair have never had so many masks and I make time for running, workouts, walks, and sleep as part of my routine. The countdown to one year of the pandemic is on the home stretch and I’m sure we’ll see heaps of one-year roundups. Please don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t have a list of new skills or milestones to recap. Surviving is the greatest gift as so many precious people lost their lives and loved ones. Hopefully, we’ll have some more good news about vaccinations soon. I will 100% be getting the vaccine when my turn is called. Hang in there. ? I love this March/James Franco gif so much. If you…

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Day 348: Clubhouse Prom 2021

I attended the first-ever Clubhouse Prom and it was so much fun. Your girl even won Offical Clubhouse Prom Queen 2021! The prom was hosted by Club F_ck It, the official home of Clubhouse’s longest-running party show. I’d joined the party a few times and was so happy to be included in the prom gang! You might be thinking, isn’t Clubhouse an audio-only app? Yes, you are correct. I don’t really know how to explain it, but Clubhouse Prom was a real event, part performance art, drama, improv, and comedy. It was such a memorable experience. Virtual events have become our reality these days. As we’ve seen with Clubhouse, audio is emerging as a seriously cool way to connect. On Wednesday before, there was a ‘Promposals’ room where people asked each other to prom. Before the night started, all the girls joined a room while getting ready. Before leaving to go to the actual event, we changed our profile images to hot pink Hummer limos. That way, we’d all show up in limos and reveal our outfits one by one. It took some time to coordinate the couples and order of guests on stage but the Mods did an amazing job. I loved getting fully dressed up in an outfit with hair and makeup, it’s been so long! It was recommended that everyone dress up and change their profile photo to their look of the night. I picked up some drinks earlier in the day and was ready to party! Prom dates had the same photo for most of the night, then changed them again to share stories about snacks, drinks, accessories, or just about anything else. At one point the room was at 1,200 people but it was a revolving door of Clubhouse users popping in and out from…

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343: Sunday Self-Love

After a great sleep, I woke up energized and motivated. I ran 5k as part of Amy Shio‘s birthday run challenge in Nike Run Club. I am so grateful for her inspiring me to run since January 2020. Running has changed my life and I look forward to it now! In the afternoon, I got through another season of  Younger while making white bean soup w/ cilantro & jalapeño and a fabulous quiche with leftover roast vegetables. Around magic hour I went for a nice long walk, it was brisk but refreshing. I had a full day of doing things that make me happy! Had some soup for dinner, a nice bath, a face mask, and went to bed early. ? Nothing quite like some Sunday self-love!

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Day 339: Self-Reflection

A meeting was canceleled this afternoon so I decided to take advantage of the time and go for a walk. It was so nice and sunny today, cold, but sunny. I did about 10km and by the time I got home, was freezing and tired. I’ve really been trying to get outside for a walk each day despite feeling kinda lazy. I haven’t been running much the last month as I am terrified of slipping on ice after my injury. I really can’t wait until winter is OVER. In other news, have you watched the Free Britney documentary ‘Framing Britney Spears‘? It’s good, will leave you feeling sad/angry about her life and how she’s been treated. I’ve always loved Britney, my sister and I went to her concert as teenagers, the first big show we ever saw! Hope your week is going well!

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Day 326: Built My Own Little Fire

I was slow getting outside this morning, posted something on IG, listened to the radio, put on my running gear. I didn’t realize how windy it was and walked out the front door. It hurt my face. I turned around, then back around again & just went for it. My headphones weren’t connecting to music on my watch so I ran into the wind away, from the sun, in silence. Who needs an ice roller when you have -5 air with a windchill hitting your face? I nearly turned back a few times. Heard a noise from my headphones and connected them to a playlist of happy tunes. I didn’t give up ran to the end of the path. On my way back the sun was on my face I felt my toes start to warm up. I even unzipped my leopard print jacket a little. ‘Stand by Me’ came on and it was like the cold wasn’t there anymore. I started to heat up, built my own little fire inside. I kept running to finish the 2k I set out to do. Got home just after 9 am, ready to start the day. I feel good. Energized. Wearing a new sweater from Zara Kids that matches perfectly with one of the first scrunchies I made in the summer. Wearing jeans these days feels so fancy haha. Next week I’m heading back to the cottage with Sean and took a few days off work to reflect & recenter myself. I can’t wait.

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Day 317: A Writing Prompt for You

Hello & happy Monday! Getting a good start on Monday gives me the energy I need to carry me through the week, or at least until Wednesday haha. I did the Daily Calm meditation as I crawled out of deep sleep and made my bed. Put on my running gear right away and did 2km on the path. I did about 300 jumps on my rope while the kettle boiled & before making coffee. Was at my desk and ready to rock the day for a meeting at 9:15 am. LFG! Today’s blog is inspired by an Instagram post from my friend Ama Scriver. I’ve used Ama’s writing prompts before and decided to share this inspo with you today. Creative writing is so FREEING, just write, let the words flow with nowhere to go, get them out. Side note, Instagram is weird about embedding posts now so I have linked to her original post on Instagram here or in the image below. Feel free to take it and write something today! I wrote this without thinking, only feeling. It took under 5 minutes. I think something really important about the creative process is to just create, make something without the pressure of having to monetize it. JUST CREATE. It won’t always be a masterpiece but you need to consistently make things to practice your craft. Future Me, by Casie Stewart, 25 Jan. 2021 Future me is free, she is fit and healthy. She smiles into the sun, long hair flowing in the wind. She travels to the beach and spends summer at the lake. She loves freely and supports her friends. She sees challenges as an opportunity and she can face anything. She is bold but soft, caring, and strong. Future me knows her worth but in her heart she’s…

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Day 295: Fasting + Habit Stacking

When it comes to goal setting or creating a new routine, there is no day like TODAY to start. You are the director of your life and you make the decision each day how you live out your 24 hours. Just because we’re starting a new year, you don’t need to lead with the ‘new me’ mentality. I’m moving forward with my quest for constant improvement and giving myself the freedom to follow what gives me joy. I’ve mentioned how over the last year my focus has been on health & fitness. Working out has been a big help in getting me through the cold, dark days of winter and months of quarantine. This year I’ve added a few new things to the mix, I’m focussed on mindfulness, skincare, and what I put into my body. My commitment to fitness has become a lifestyle and I wake up to workout first thing each morning, even on weekends. I’ve been stacking my habits by adding a few extras to things I’m already doing. It helps me stay on track and it feels like less work. Here’s a few new things I’m adding to my daily routine! The NRC & Zero apps are free and I’ve linked to free trials for Calm and Peloton. 10-minute meditation before I get out of bed each morning in the Calm app and a sleep meditation at night A shot of Apple Cider Vinegar w/ water first thing in the AM for digestive health Fresh lemon juice in my room temp water each morning Running at least 2k/day w/ Nike Running Club App (Last year I started with 1k/day!) 1 workout in the Peloton App (at least 10min) Washing off makeup before bed and using face oil + night cream (I need it for my wrinkles…

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Day 250: Turtleneck Season

As much as I really don’t enjoy being cold, I love wearing wool, scarves, tights, and turtlenecks in winter. I recently ordered a couple of cashmere-cotton blend turtlenecks from Joe Fresh and they’re great. You can use Sasha’s code SASHA25 to save 25% making them under $20! They can also double as a mask. ? Leopard jacket is also from JF, it’s the ‘Jilly Jacket’ in kids xl. The scrunchie I made about a month ago matches the print perfectly! Ran a few KMs in the city before heading to the office. Found this sculpture not far from the house, not sure if it’s Drake OVO or something by birdo?! We arrived back at the cottage just after 7 pm and Sean opened his new Oculus Quest 2. I’m really keen to try some of the VR fitness with this. Last winter I was able to go to the gym and use the treadmill but this year, once it gets icy, I won’t be running outside. Looking for more ways to stay fit without having to go outside. I’ll post a review of Oculus Quest 2 once I’ve tried a few games.

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