September felt like the official transition into fall: back-to-back city weekends, commercial property closing prep, and finally shooting projects we've been waiting months to capture. There's something grounding about settling back into the rhythm of city life while still keeping one foot in Muskoka. This month also brought some personal reminders about what really matters, and I'm carrying those lessons forward as we head into the busiest season of the year.

Reflecting on September

Back to City Life
Cottage season has officially ramped down, and time back in the city has ramped up. During shoulder seasons, I typically still head up north once a month, but the back-to-back weekends have come to an end. This year, the boathouse project gives me another reason to keep making the trip. We've been making the most of our city weekends, including trying Bernhardt's for the first time with friends of ours, where I had a tomato dish that legitimately changed my life. We also did standing room at a Jays game, and honestly, it was incredible. If you're like me and would rather explore the Dome instead of watching the game, there are so many bars and so much to see.

Focused on the Commercial Property
We purchased the new office back in May when our October 1st closing seemed forever away. This month brought the ramp-up—meetings with the accountant, lawyer, and bank to ensure we closed without a hitch. This process has been personally fulfilling, and I've learned so much. The differences between residential and commercial were far greater than I expected, but I've loved navigating it with David. We never anticipated "working together" in this capacity, so it's been a new journey for our relationship.

Little Girls All Around
In this season of life, I've had several girlfriends become pregnant, and shockingly, all of them have had baby girls. It's seriously wild. Two friends had their first babies over the summer, and another girlfriend just announced this month that she's pregnant, also with a girl. Not to mention, my brother and sister have three daughters between them. This month we spent significant family time together, and with my oldest niece turning 8, I've started to notice a shift in our relationship. I spent quite a bit of our family holiday working (self-employed life), and she made a few comments. Obviously when I work too much around Dave, he understands, but with a little girl who just wants to spend time with you, it's impossible to ignore. It was eye-opening and a gentle reminder that the people we love need our attention carved out for them.

Project Highlights

Photoshoot Week Success
Our photographer, Zack Tosswill (who I met while working for Sarah Baeumler), came in from Vancouver and shot both Project Bronte 2 and Project Strawberry. We're working with a local publication to feature Project Strawberry in a spring edition, so we wanted to capture it before the leaves turned fully orange. If you've been following since 2024, you'll remember we tried to shoot Strawberry in early December last year… it was a colossal failure. The biggest snowstorm to hit Bracebridge happened the weekend before our shoot, eliminating site access. Everything that could go wrong went wrong (rental van windshield broke, cottage hot water tank gave out, we drove from Bracebridge to Bala in whiteout conditions). It was wonderful to finally shoot this project under much better circumstances.

Project Forma: Construction Underway
Our Pilates studio project is well into construction. We're working with an incredible team: the studio owners, contractor, and project manager have all been a dream. The concept for this space is a really cool take since the design is geared toward both men and women. The reformer movement has been stirring up interest with men too, and Forma will create a welcoming space for everyone to experience the benefits.

Custom Furnishings: Worth the Investment
At one of our city projects, we've been focused on interior decorating. Due to the home's size, we struggled to find pieces that were both luxurious and high-end but worked dimensionally in the space. We looked to custom solutions where we could design exactly what we wanted while ensuring perfect fit. We had custom nightstands and a console installed this month, and we're thrilled with the results. Although the custom route takes more time and requires a larger investment, it's often worth both because the result is perfection.