Biking

Sunday’s for me are a day of reflection and for gratitude. I realize everyday we must be grateful but Sunday’s in particular allows us peace, calmness and clarity to see through the busyness of life to realize how fortunate we are. I think we all struggle with gratefulness in some form or another – especially in the social media age of keeping up with everyone’s perfected instagrammed lives, it can be hard to keep our brains focused on what it is in our lives that is good.

For the first time in a while, we weren’t road warriors this weekend with Blake. We stayed put and enjoyed the things that we love about the city we live in. It made me appreciate the small things we did that had such a big impact on why our weekend was so awesome. Here is just a sample of our weekend that has me full of gratitude….

The best news from friends
Catch ups with friends by a fire outdoors, reminding us of the last few summer weekends we have
Free tomatoes from a stranger/neighbour down the road whose garden was too plentiful… something I think many gardeners experienced this year with their tomato crops
Trying this alternative version of a 7-layer dip from Alberta Milk that was super quick to make (still haven’t tried it, its chilling in the fridge!) and a new chocoloate zucchini bread recipe (baking in the oven as we speak!)
Sunflowers to brighten the kitchen table
Watching your newborn discover new sights and sounds in the most simplest things
Prepping for an upcoming social media presentation this week and loving every minute of it!
Working on an exciting social media project that captures the social media usage of Ontario agriculture stakeholders.. its in its early stages but the results are going to be interesting to say the least (have I mentioned how much I love figures and stats when it comes to social media?!)
Reading Magnolia Journal on a Sunday morning with a coffee in hand and a sleeping baby in my arms
A bike ride on the most gorgeous Sunday evening… this weather couldn’t be more perfect!
Fulfilling my promise at the beginning of the week of blogging every day this week which I am happy to report I did.. 7 for 7! And the best part?! More ideas are a brewin’ so watch for more to come!

I’m trying my hardest this year to practice gratitude, its why I’m proud to have kept up with my commitment and one of my goals for this year of writing down one thing each day I’m grateful for. Let’s just say that my #365DaysofGratitude jar is overflowing. I can’t wait to read them all at the end of the year.

A line from the latest Magnolia Journal said it best, “Gratitude turns what you have into enough.” Amen to that. Happy Sunday!

“Gratitude turns what you have into enough.”

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Hope you’ve been enjoying your summer as much as I have been! I’ve been taking advantage of all the sun this year (even though I would gladly welcome rain no problem!). I’ve been trying to do as much stuff outdoors as possible which the photo above perfectly depicts! Andrew and I recently took a quick canoe trip down the Speed River in Guelph after visiting The Boathouse for icecream of course. Most summer nights, you can find me bike-riding around Guelph or taking walks to try and do more gym-type activities outside to take advantage of the long nights and warm air. So amazing for the mind and body.

Wishing For More Time in the Outdoors

Access to the outdoors is definitely something I miss about not living in the country. The quick access to nature and the outdoors and the privacy that the country offers is something I often wish I could get back. I always appreciate heading home to the family farm that much more in the summer time because the views are that much more spectacular and lush and green; the smells are the best mixture of fresh cut hay on the farm, BBQ-ing and cow manure (sorry, too much?); and with our family’s cottage being right on the water, the views from the shoreline put me right at home with relaxation.

What Are Your Summer’s For?

This summer, while busy with weddings and milestone events, its been a welcomed time for rest, relaxation and recharging. With how busy the fall/winter/spring are in my line of work, its nice that even though summers are busy, there are less expected demands and asks. I appreciate that boards that I’m involved with don’t have as many meetings to accommodate people’s holidays and that late night meetings aren’t the norm during the summer months.

Summer for some, depending on what industries, are extremely busy and others use summer as a way to travel, explore and see as much as possible. What am I trying to do this summer? Do as little as possible. You probably see my travels and adventures through my Instagram or Twitter accounts, but what I’m aiming to do this summer is strike a balance that I’ve been really trying to hold myself to this year. I’m trying to keep busy doing the things I love and keep it ‘light’ on all the extras, especially relating to work, meetings, stuff that isn’t urgent, etc. I’ve kept these boundaries in mind that I blogged about a month ago. I’m trying to do the stuff that only summertime allows you to do in a non-guilty way compared to all the other months in the calendar year – spend time reading on our deck, enjoy outdoor BBQs with friends, try new hobbies, yoga in the park, camping (or glaming for some!), take day trips to explore and discover new places across Ontario, and maybe drink a beer (or two!) – because hey, that is what summer is for!