On May 23rd, I celebrate my 29th birthday up here in Muskoka, where we have been living on the islands since the beginning of May. It’s basically been a self-imposed quarantine of the best kind. Pre-Covid, we had plans to spend my birthday weekend in Provence, traipsing through vineyards, hiking and floating in those blue mediterranean waters. But this weekend was just as special. For years, I’ve been saying to Zane that when we eventually moved back to Toronto, I was going to spend all of summer living up at the cottage, only venturing back to the city when absolutely necessary. Well, I didn’t think that summer would be this one, but it’s been pure bliss living up here in Muskoka. On the day of my birthday one of my friends said that she hoped it was everything I dreamed a quarantine birthday would be, and that made me realize – it was everything I dreamed a birthday in Canada would be, regardless of covid and the current circumstances. Being up here at the cottage, surrounded by my family and friends (who became part of our “quarantine” family) is exactly how I would want to spend my birthday anyways. I felt pretty darn lucky.
The weather this day was unseasonably hot, and sunny. Lunch was held on the beach, featuring mediterranean salads and plenty of rosé. We spent the afternoon on the dock, sunbathing and jumping into the cool lake. For cocktail hour we had prosciutto wrapped asparagus, and dinner was artichoke and eggplant parmesan. I chose a strawberry-rhubarb birthday pie for dessert. When deciding on my birthday menu I tried to choose foods that were in season. Everything was so delicious that I swear it was a serious contender for Provence food.
I woke up the next morning sun-kissed and so happy. 28 was a big year – we got engaged, got married, moved countries, got a puppy, and bought a house. It was filled with the highest highs and some of the lowest lows, as I struggled to sometimes deal with so much on my plate . I’m so excited to take everything I learned at 28, and see what 29 brings.
Outfit details: For my birthday, I treated myself to this beautiful Kimono Dress by Warm. I purchased it at Narwhal Boutique in Toronto, but you can also grab it at this link here.
P.S. Kind of a funny side story, but I told my sister I really wanted some nice photos of Zane and I on my birthday. Well, an afternoon of sun and rosé resulted in some blurry photos. At first I was disappointed, but now I kind of love the blurry, dream-like quality of them. I think it captures the day perfectly.
