a weekend to fill my cup
Oh, hello! It’s been a while (story of my liiiiife) and even though I have several other blog posts drafted, I am feeling very compelled to write about the weekend I just had. The memories are fresh in my mind and I just don’t want to forget the magic.
You know when you just have a perfect day? Things just work out, everything feels peaceful and glorious and you can’t help but beam with gratitude? Well, I just had an entire weekend like that! ✨
// Friday:
My plan was to take things slow and relax on this day. I had chemo on Thursday and while I generally get some good energy a few days after, the physical act of being in the hospital all day does take a toll on me, I was there for close to seven hours and I feel so drained once I’m done. I did rest a bit but I ended up puttering around the house and doing some Christmassy stuff too! I went through a bunch of gifts I’d already got and got organized and continued to perfect our decor game.
In the afternoon I had an amazing phone call with someone named Noah. Noah found me on Twitter and read our GoFundMe page, his dad was recently diagnosed with the same cancer as me and is seeking treatment right now in the states. He felt compelled to reach out and connect (and I am so thankful he did) We had such a lovely chat. We exchanged the info we knew about Cholangio while also offering support during such trying times. We both have very similar attitudes to how we’re reacting to the diagnoses and everything going on. It was just so nice to find someone who really understands what we’re going through and just wants to remain positive and move forward with an open heart. I learned a lot from Noah and was able to give him some great resources too.
We picked Otis up from daycare and did our new favourite thing (hitting up the ‘Grocery Shop’ as Otie calls it! We came home and had dinner, and then we all put our Christmas jammies on and watched ELF for the first time as a family (yes it was as cute as I could’ve dreamed of ❤️)
// Saturday:
Oh, what a day. I woke up early and was all packed for my one day retreat with Nikki Magic. I arrived pretty early and it was a freezing morning but the air was so fresh. I got a little latte from Major Treat and headed to The Rock Store where the retreat was happening. It was evident from the moment I stepped inside that something beautiful would take place there. The room we were in was just beaming with natural light and the setup was divine. I went into the day without knowing a soul, and was quickly introduced to so many incredible, inspiring women,
A new friend of mine had told me about Nikki and that she thought we’d really get along. I found Nikki on Instagram and was immediately drawn to her spirit and all the incredible things she does. Just after connecting with her, I saw she was hosting a retreat (and the timing just felt too perfect! It was destiny, I needed to sign up) Thankfully, as always - Pete encouraged me to take part (even though it was a full day on a Saturday!) I thanked him several times for encouraging me to go.
We sat in a circle to introduce ourselves. I got emotional when telling the group about my battle with cancer but knew it was important to share, after all, it was the reason I was there, To connect with others, and feel grounded and refreshed. Everyone there was just incredible. We did all kinds of things throughout our day together. The most beautiful, peaceful mediations, talked about rituals, yoga nodra, and we even got an intro to crystals session by Britt who is the general manager of the store. I learned SO much about crystals, how to cleanse them, heal with them, and everything in between.
We had the coziest and most delicious lunch and then had an afternoon of different stations around the room. We did anything from creating a date jar, active listening, pulling a tarot card, and iridology. We got paired up and went through the stations with our partners. We ended the day with a meditation and a closing circle. I just truly felt so blessed to be there. So many magical things happened, it opened my heart and my mind and reminded me of the importance of finding calm in each day (not always easy as a cancer patient)
One of our questions for active listening was about something we’ve been wanting to do but just haven’t seemed to find the time for. I actually said blogging. It’s something I think of often, I have the tools and resources to do it - but I just keep doubting that I should for some reason. Instagram has made it so easy to share and do so in a quick and efficient way that blogging doesn’t always feel relevant anymore. However, I want to do this for me - so here I am baby!
We ended the incredible day with a private shopping experience and I am just so excited about the new crystals that were recommended to me and that I chose on my own. I got a bunch as Christmas gifts too and can’t wait to give my loved ones the special stones I chose for them.
The day just left me feeling like I was floating. Nikki is pure magic and I am incredibly grateful to know from her and hopefully continue to learn from her. I know anyone who has ever been to one of her retreats and workshops feel the same way. Pure joy!
Otis was sleeping over at my bro & sis-in-law’s so we thought we should take advantage and go out for dinner. We went to Piano Piano which is one of our faves (and also owned by the amazing Nikki!) We were able to get a seat at the chef’s table so we could watch everything happening in the kitchen while we waited and ate our food (honestly the coolest experience!) It was so fun hearing what Pete and Otie got up to all day and then I got to share all my learnings and the entire experience I had with Pete. It was just so lovely. We decided to order a few things and share them and everything was the most delicious thing ever. My relationship with food is complicated because of chemo. Things don’t taste the same and I am often very picky and specific about what I want to eat. Thankfully, two days after chemo usually means I am in the clear and can enjoy delicious food (and taste it too!) so we did just that. Together we split the Brussel sprouts, potatoes, and a pizza, and honestly… I am still dreaming about every dish. We even ended the night with Lemon Cheesecake because it was a day to be celebrated (that’s for sure!)
We came home and got cozy and watched a few episodes of The Santa Clauses before absolutely passing out and having the most peaceful, relaxing sleep.
// Sunday:
We woke up with full hearts. Otis was having a sleepover with my brother, sis-in-law and his cousins so Pete and I had a nice, relaxing morning, We walked to get coffees and enjoyed the warmth inside our house as the sun came shining in. It was a bitter cold day. We really wanted to take Otie to the Santa Claus Parade since he’d never been! We picked him up from my bro’s and had a visit there and then told him we were going on an adventure (I didn’t want to say where to in case it didn’t work out!)
We drove to the parade and parked about ten minutes away. We got Otie ready and bundled in his sleigh (wagon) and it was so cute and cozy. We found an awesome spot front row to all the action and O loved it! My bestie Sarah and her daughter Ava also met up with us and we all had a wonderful, cozy time!
Otis napped while Pete and I made a mini snack plate and watched our fave gal Alexandra Gater - a weekend ritual that we love. Once Otie got up we made rice krispy squares and just played, snuggled and watched Christmas movies. It was so wonderful & cozy.
What a dream this weekend was. I just had to document it beyond an instagram post.
I hope to keep posting like this moving forward, and I would be delighting if you’d join me in reading✨