Last week of July
They had a super chill return to Toronto, they went to the wine bar near trinity bellwoods and then on the 26th Alex joined Conor & Will last minute to go to Snoop Dogg and Wiz Kalifa at the Budweiser stage. We were only there for a week, so it was very Toronto based. They went to see Barbie too.
August: Osheaga
They headed to the airport and got a bagel bomb on the way, it was super easy with Porter flying to Montreal. We got there and immediately went to buy crocs. Alex was sad about how stressful the mall was. They had a nice brunch and then headed for their first day in osheaga. Alex was in a bit of a rush to see Ali’s fave band cause they missed the ferry but a ll turned out well. They stood for Rufus de Sol which was cool but it was a bit hectic.
The next day they went up north for a really nice coffee and spent the day wandering around, they went to Larry’s for brunch which had amazing food. They also bought bagels. It was really nice and chill with everyone doing their own things as couples. In the afternoon they went to Osheaga and sat on the hill most of the day. They went down for The National although most people were there to see Billy Eilish (who was also excellent)
The final day they went to Osmo x Mrusan which was a cool Japanese start-up place with an awesome sand so + granola. They dressed in their funkiest gear and headed to the rotisserie for Mitchell’s birthday before going to Osheaga where they bought hats and camped on the hill. Fred again was amazing (kendrick was ok) and then they went to late night dim-sum and mitchell ordered lemon chicken 8 times.
On the final day they walked up Mont Royal and also went back to the same japanese cafe. Then they took the train home (in businesss class) which was great.
Areef’s Wedding
They had 1-day at home before they met Leila’s mum at the airport and headed to San Francisco. They met Leila’s dad at the airport and rented a car and went immediately to In and Out burger where the veggie option was bad the chips were even worse but it was very cheap. They next day L’s entire family were in the gym really early but L and her parents then decided to go get groceries from Trader Joes and she showed them around which she loved. Then Leila and Liyana went to Barre together which was L’s first barre class since the injury and she loved it. A was working in a cafe nearby and came to meet us. He just found out he got the fellowship at No10!!!!!!!!! They then got ready for the Pithi and went to Areef’s roof to have Chick fil A and Pizza. It was super sunny and chilled, they got Mehndhi and chatted to the whole family. We then threw mustard, eggs etc. on Areef and it was fun. Noureen had her mendhi right after and the girls side was much more organised and pretty but ours was really fun. In the eve we went to a Peruvian restaurant with Auntie Navin, Auntie Munira and Nuraiyahs parents and ate LOADS of food like ceviche that we shared with Iman and Liyana.
The next day they went on a long hike with the Esmail family but not before L’s dad took A shopping and he bought shorts and the same white t shirt that dad has. The hike was lovely through Redwood park and they all had deep chats in 2s. A spent a lot of time talking to L’s mum and they also spoke to the parents about weddings. Then they went to Sweetgreen which L loved but dad ordered wrong and didn’t love so much. They got ready in indian outfits then headed to the Sangeet. They learned the dance last minute and taught everyone else, then performed it with the whole family to Chaiya Chaiya and even Karen joined in. There were lots of dances by all of Noureen’s friends and they ate indian food.
The next day they left early to go to Half Moon Bay golf course. L practised her speech before everyone arrived and A helped setting up. It was a super bright day and beautiful setting for the wedding. The speech went well and the ceremony was really lovely including the vows. Then they drove down the road to the cowboy place for the reception and played games like slingshot and cornhole. It was a really fun atmosphere. Then they sat down for dinner, A looked after Samiyah for a bit and then they roasted marshmallows!! The next day they flew back to Toronto!!
Nani and recovery in Toronto
They saw Nani that week and she had made SO much food at their house. The next week they saw the National at Budweiser stage and it was really good. The outdoor stadium was lovely and the set was SUPER long (in a good way). Patti Smith was also quite cool.
The next week they went to the AGO and the man let them in for free which was so lovely. They also got a last minute reservation at Osteria Giulia and had incredible Italian food. The following day they cycled to the Beaches to meet Alim, Amina and Mysha and brought a feast with them. Sadly when they got there they had just found out Izzat Auntie was quite sick so Nani, amina and Alim headed to Niagra but A and L stayed with Mysha at the beaches and ate snacks, chatted adn walked in the water.
Work trips to Columbus & Montreal
The following week L flew to Columbus for a project MIC offsite where she stayed in an Airbnb for the first time on a work trip. The mansion was really nice but she was still a bit nervous because she didn’t know her colleagues going that well. They spent the first day in the house mainly bonding and they cooked a team dinner together in the eve,. L did a lot of the cooking and cleaning and felt like the mother lol. The next day they went to spend the day in Meijer and did 2 Dashes. In the eve they played heads up and L died with laughter. L left at 4am the next day because she decided to go to Izzat Aunties funeral so she flew to Chicago then Buffalo then got across the border and made it there for 12.30pm. The family were SUPER happy to see her and she was really glad she made it even though she was exhausted. The kids especially were really happy.
Alex flew off to Montreal for his work trip. He went straight to the office from the plane, was super easy with Porter as always. They worked until the afternoon and then went straight to Shawn’s organised silent spa – the most absurd team event. It was super nice though and Alex met LC and they had poke after. The next day, again working in the office, was super chill + productive. In the eve, they went for a team dinner where Amir & Keith were on form and Alex went for a drink with Keith after. Alex stayed on for an extra day and in the eve saw Ashan for dinner and went to see a Kenyan band which was super fun. Alex did the final day which was good to see people 1:1 and then flew back to Toronto to meet up with the Leil.
Coffee, Wine and Isolation 