Boots and Hearts

Lots of friends (old and new) a Jeep with the top off, free-for-all flip cup, a little rain (and lots of sun), too much Drake, not enough beer, dirt under our finger nails, mud on our feet, country music blasting, plaid shirts and bandanas, a couple hours sleep.

What a weekend, Boots and Hearts!

The Sunday of Summer

I sipped a beer on a patio yesterday after work and realized that July has quickly come and gone.

August, after all, is the Sunday of summer. Oppressive heat blankets the city and threatens to suffocate us in our sleep. We escape to tents and cottages for one last weekend by the lake. And gradually the temperature falls and the great gust of September sweeps into our hearts and minds: flowers stop blooming, the leaves change colour, kids go back to school and summer nights spent eating ice cream and pool hopping suddenly feel far behind.

But July, you were rad. This month was an absolute whirlwind: we kicked it off with a massive Canada Day celebration and kept the party going all month long. July was full of trips to the beach on Ward's Island, concerts (DMB has become a summer tradition), Sneakydees and pool hopping, Wednesday's nights spent (not) watching movies, volunteering at the Pan Am Games, Blue Jays games and celebrating my best friend's birthday!

To cap it off? The FIRST Wayhome music and arts festival took place last weekend just outside of Barrie - 35,000 people spent the weekend camping on the dirty, dusty Burl's Creek Event Grounds and we couldn't have been happier. Friends? Check. Sunshine? Check. Amazing music (including the legendary Neil Young!!)? Check. Drinking a 2-4 of beer, each? YEP. What a party it was - good vibes and amazing memories! Dancing to Kendrick Lamar, singing along to Hozier, finding our totem "Steven" (after he was suspiciously misplaced) and rocking out at the RV party are all things I won't forget.

Beach day with these girls on the Island

Home is Toronto

Dave Matthews Band with this guy!

The crew at Wayhome

Our campsite at Wayhome

This girl means so much to me

Dancing like fools to Mr. Brightside (ft. Steven, the totem)

Today is wild and it is yours

As the first heat wave of the summer settles over the city my days and nights have been bursting full with adventure.

I found myself alone in my apartment last night, with a few quiet hours to myself. When I moved out, I had the impression I would be spending hours and days on end alone. This hasn't been the case. And I love being busy and wild and free, but, those couple of hours last night suddenly felt precious. I opened all the windows in my apartment and let the stuffy July heat envelope around me. I turned my music up loud. I examined the contents of my fridge and prepared a meal based on what I found. I fell asleep reflecting on how lucky I am to live a life that's so full.

Here are some highlights:

Girls weekend at Blue Mountain for Shirley's birthday

Swingers Softball Spring 2015

What a wild night out our softball team had at Croc Rock

Canada Day dress up at the Jays game

More Canada Day fun with these girls!

Love this lady! What a crazy weekend we had together

Conquered my fear of biking in Toronto

Radiate Positivity

As I drove home from Tennessee on Monday in the pouring rain, my thoughts wandered to this little blog and how I would ever be able to capture this past weekend with words on a page.

Bonnaroo was life-altering: that's the only way to put it.

For those who have never been, Bonnaroo is a five day music and arts festival in Manchester, TN. where you camp, eat, sleep and vibe with 80,000+ people - and I've never felt more connected to those around me.

The theme of the festival is "radiate positivity" and this seeps into every aspect of the five days: from the stream of high fives on the way into centeroo, shouts of "happy Roo!" at every turn, and the general compassion, friendliness and kindness of every single person I encountered along the way.

I've come away from the weekend with some much needed life perspective, new friends scattered across North America and a playlist full of music to transport me back to that time and place whenever I'm feeling low.

Bonnaroo, you're magic. I can't wait to be back at the farm in 357 days.

The Arch

High fives into Centeroo

My favourite graffiti from the weekend

The perfected Roo-look: temporary tattoos, sunburn, water, beer and toilet paper!

Nothing like a sunset on the farm

Ferris Wheel ride with new friends

Vibing

Our campsite in Pod 10!

Radiate Positivity

The Fountain

A Fallacy of Youth

Mumford & Sons - Just Smoke

(Why do I keep falling) I thought we were done
(Why do I keep falling) And young love would keep us young 

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the curious passage of time: I started this blog to chronicle my twenty-fifth year, and all the highs and lows along the way. Maybe because of this acute awareness, more and more I'm finding my mind aimlessly drifts back to the unavoidable truth that (gasp!) my twenties won't last forever.

I won't be this young ever again.

The rational part of my mind recognizes that it can't be all bad, getting old, but it's a hard fear to shake. When I was younger I always dreamed of being twenty-something and living in a big city surrounded by friends and family. Today, especially these past few months, this childhood fantasy has become real. I'm so grateful. But I'm also terrified that life will never be this good again.

Is this a fallacy of youth? Perhaps.

And yet it feels very real. So, with this in mind, I want to be make more of an effort to capture some moments that have really stood out for me lately. I want to write them down. I want to bottle these feelings. I want to have this collection of moments to come back to.

• Standing at the summit of the Cup and Saucer Trail on Manitoulin Island with my two best friends as we looked out across the endless wilderness below. Feeling accomplished and strong and unbelievably happy to have those girls with me.
• Sitting at the rock beach on the French River: letting myself feel happy and full in that moment, even knowing that that particular brand of happiness may be temporary. Having the guts to enjoy it anyway.
• Laying on the floor of a hotel room at 5:00 am with a new friend, exchanging tales of our lives, as the Saskatoon sun rose outside the window. How much sense everything made that sleepless night. How sometimes people come into your life and give you exactly what you need.
• Sitting next to my new friend, Sofie, on the St. Clair streetcar heading westbound in the rain on a Sunday afternoon. How we couldn't stop giggling about our matching hats. This is the moment when I knew with certainty that this girl would be a lifelong friend.

Runnin' back to Saskatoon

Saskatchewan: Where the horizon stretches infinitely on

The South Saskatchewan River stretches through downtown Saskatoon

A city of bridges

On my way back to where I started

Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart
 

 

Down in the valley with
Whiskey rivers
These are the places you will find me hidin'
These are the places I will always go

These are the places I will always go

I am on my way
I am on my way
I am on my way back to where I started

I listened to this song with the windows rolled down as I drove through the city last night, crazy-exhausted and crazy-happy after a four day road trip around Southern Ontario. Three of us headed out early Friday morning for the Bruce Peninsula and beyond. And then followed four days of muddy trails, lake-side-sunsets, bonfires and roasted marshmallows, getting lost and getting lost again, beers on the dock, black flies, sunshine, too-cold lake water and pristine blue skies.

The Grotto, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Tobermory, ON.

Safety first, kids.

Sun's out guns out? Finger guns that is!

After a rainy Friday afternoon we boarded the MS Chi-Cheemaun ferry for Manitoulin Island and stayed in a small two-bedroom cottage just south of Little Current. Exhausted from the day spent driving in the rain it was early to bed. Saturday morning our patience paid off as we were greeted by blue skies and sunshine. We packed a picnic, put on our hiking shoes and headed out for the trails.

Cup and Saucer Trail, Manitoulin Island.

Never leave home without a selfie stick.

The aptly named Misery Bay Provincial Park.

The alvar! Misery Bay, Manitoulin Island

#GIRLROADTRIP

Sunset over Lake Huron

On day three we said goodbye to Manitoulin Island and hit the road north to Sudbury, Ontario where we visited to iconic Big Nickle and took an appropriate number of selfies. Then it was on to the French River, where we joined some friends for a night of camping on one of the many islands in the region. The good weather stuck around so we enjoyed some beers on the dock and went for a swim. When the sun went down we built a bonfire, someone played the guitar and we all sang along. There was no moon, only the stars in the sky were privy to our midnight show.

A quick stop at the Big Nickle in Sudbury, ON.

The French River

Went for a "walk" across the island and climbed over many boulders.

A shot in front of the car at the French River marina.

I don't want to end this with some grandiose statement about traveling and how it changes you. Instead, I'll just say how nice it is to get away with truly awesome people. How much fun it can be to pack up the car and just drive - to leave the city behind. How important it is to live in the moment.

My sides hurt from laughing for four days straight, my finger nails are full of dirt and I've got bug bites up and down both my legs. I'm exhausted from a lack of sleep but I feel full and happy. I want to bottle this feeling, save it for when I get caught up in the day-to-day grind. I want to remember what it's like to drive around Ontario with close friends and how possible everything felt while we did.

When I started this blog, travel was one of the things I wanted to do more of this year. It's only May, but the the first of many summer road trips is already behind me and I can't wait to carry this momentum forward and keep exploring.