December 21st was my birthday and I just turned 29. Entering my last year before being 30 definitely gave me a bitter sweet feeling but you’re only as old as you think you are right? I also like to think that aging is beautiful and thrive to be better and better each years so cheers to that. When my boyfriend asked me what I wanted to do for my big day, being the explorer that I am, it made sense that I jumped on the opportunity to go somewhere but nothing went like planned…
I decided on Blue Mountain, less than two hours away from Toronto and perfect to explore in winter. We had an heavy snow fall the night before so the whole drive was longer than usual but we got upgraded to an Audi when renting the car so that was sweet. The perks of being in the country side of Canada when it’s snowing is that it makes for gorgeous pictures. We found a beautiful alley way leading to a house and decided to stop there to take a few shots.
Our plan was to go to the Scandinave spa and relax. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s basically heated and cold pool outside. If you’re brave enough to hit the 13 degrees water and then the hot bath, it has the ability to relieve stress, soothe the skin and muscles, but also calm the organs while improving circulation. We knew they didn’t take reservations so we put our names on the wait list but we were warned right away not to have much hope… and indeed, they never got back to us…
After a fairly disappointing lunch in the cute little town of Collingwood, we aimed to do the scenic caves which are supposed to be both beautiful and adventurous. Once again, we were too late and they didn’t allow anyone else in after 3pm. Not being defeated we decided to go to blue mountain and explore the cute little village.
After a few walk around, being both frozen and left without a lot of energy, we headed home and had dinner at my favourite restaurant, Buca.
As you can see a lot of things we had planned to do didn’t happen but life is unexpected and going with the flow is a beautiful thing. It’s one of the thing I love the most about our relationship. If you find yourself in a situation where everything seems to go wrong just take a moment and breathe. There is always something positive to take from it.
I had an amazing time during my birthday nonetheless. The day of, we had Nick’s Christmas party where we had so much fun and all of you made me feel extra special so a big thank you!
Xo Mel
I love your pictures! <3
Federica
http://www.federicadinardo.com
Awe thanks Federica, means a lot! My boyfriend and I took an online photography class to improve our skills, so excited about it!
That is my mindset on aging too – it is beautiful and a luxury! Happy belated birthday! It sounds like you had a wonderful time!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Thanks so much Rach! Happy to see that you share the feeling. Have a wonderful weekend!
Happy belated birthday!! Sorry to hear that things didn’t go as planned, but it sounds like you handled it well. 🙏
My real question is: Would you have gotten in the 13 degree pool and jumped in the hot bath?! 🤔 That sounds so cold!!!
Although, if you’re ever in LA, check out the Wi Spa! It’s very inexpensive and they have a series of saunas in increasing temperatures, then followed by a freezing sauna (0 celsius/32F I think). I actually did that and it was cold, but different from a cold pool… I think I’d be a chicken!! Lol 😝
OMG That’s awesome, thank you for the recommendation, I’m actually going to LA for the first time in 3 weeks! So excited.
I actually did it and let me tell you… I lasted 2 seconds in the cold pool ahahah was so nice to be in the hot one after though 🙂
Thanks for your very nice comment!
How beautiful is this!! Happy Belated Birthday!!
http://www.jessicabroyles.com
Thanks so much Jessica! I’m going back with a friend this Thursday, can’t wait to take a few more shots of this beautiful town!
Looks like such a fun time!! Love the warmth of your photos <3
Meghan
https://pictureitpretty.com
Awe thanks Meghan! I worked really hard on it and I’m finally happy to have a warm tone that works for me. You can see more on insta if you feel like it @melodyvalene. So happy to connect, have a nice saturday!