Welcome back to our monthly “how you doin’?” If you’re finding it in your inbox it’s because at some point you’ve trusted us with your email address. Our plan is to make it worth your while to have a read through because we know that most of you, like us, are feeling email fatigue.

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So we missed our August edition… how the heck did that happen?! Abby and I sat down to finalize September and since we didn’t want to double up anything from August, we looked back at “last month”. An immediate OMG from us both that we completely missed it. Anyone else feeling like the summer just blew by?

Our girls are back to school in grades 11, 10, 8 and 4 and they couldn’t be happier! They are so relieved to have lockers and the hope that field trips will be possible. Sophie even found out today that she made the Concert Band as a tenor sax player :)

Audrey had her first night at YTP last night (Young Theatre Players) and LOVED it! She’s awfully dramatic so we’re hoping this outlet will help. Maddie is beyond pumped for her semester of art classes at Wildwood Studios that starts tomorrow night. It’s a cool setup - a 10 week “semester” and they learn all different types of techniques, it’s so perfect for her. Later in the month Sophie will get back to her voice lessons and continues to share songs with us as she learns them on the guitar or keyboard in the basement. As for Grace, she has softball tryouts this weekend and is entering one of the most important years if she hopes to play in the US, with the plan to write her SAT’s this winter.

As things continue to open and events start popping up in real life, we’ll share them with you on our website in our event calendar. If you have something you want us to add, reach out anytime.

We’ll see you next month but in the meantime remember that we’re here for you if you need us!

~ Melissa

• This month Keith and I are taking our Accredited Senior Agent Designation course with Pivotal Aging Innovations. We have always enjoyed working with our senior clients and their families, sometimes for years before it’s time to move. It’s important to us to be able to provide the best advice and level of care possible, and learning more about how we can support our clients is a priority.

• There is something so striking and whimsical about a red front door. But did you know that the red door has symbolic meanings? I had no idea until Melissa told me just today that it is a sign that the homeowner has paid off their mortgage. Now I am counting the days until I can bust out the red paint for my own front door!

• Janet has a beautiful rural property available now near Courtland on almost 6 acres. On top of the 2000+ sq ft, open concept 3 bed, 2 bath home, it has a huge 46’ x 28’ shop that is the stuff dreams are made of... Make sure that you check it out here or pass it on to someone you know that might be looking!

Here is where you will find our gold star list for the month. People and pets we love; books and quotes that touch and inspire us; television shows and movies we can’t stop watching; songs we won’t stop humming; clothing and accessories we own and covet; and all the other stuff we love and think maybe you just might love too. 

This week Maddie starts her first semester of art classes at Wildwood Art Gallery & Studio, woohoo! She is so looking forward to meeting Kerry, the Artist/Teacher and learning new skills and making artsy messes. Wildwood offers both youth and adult programming if you are looking to get creative too :)

We feel so lucky to have Theodore Too parked right out front of our office this week! Theodore is a large-scale imitation tugboat built in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in 2000 based on the fictional television tugboat character Theodore Tugboat. He was located in Halifax, Nova Scotia but arrived in Hamilton, Ontario his new home, on July 18, 2021. It has been a thrill for all ages to have him docked at the Port Dover pier this week!

I am always on the hunt for comfortable footwear and oh my goodness…if you haven’t tried out Pillow Slides, your feet are in for a treat! The Pillow Slides are soft, thick, and comfortable relieving your foot and joint pain. Wear them all day and experience what walking on pillows feels like. Highly recommend!

We recently took a trip to The Barntique in Norfolk County to look for some gifts for our clients and we also found a gift for ourselves! We discovered Notes & Knots and purchased one of her charming little signs. If you are looking for a gift or a sweet (or spicy) sign to bring some happiness to your own home, check her out!

Audrey’s favourite thing to watch is Disney Prop Culture, have you seen it? It is a kind of behind-the-scenes look at props and costumes for some of Disney’s most loved movies, sometimes with the original actors, set designers and prop managers. You can see a preview here.

With school back in session, we wanted to introduce you all to Haven. It is an expert-approved app used by students to quickly connect with loved ones and police in emergency situations. With Haven, you have a 'Swiss Army Knife' of safety on you at all times, perfect for when you feel uneasy or for when you need help immediately. Haven is inspired by the goal of utilizing the powers of technology to make people feel safe when faced with sexual assault or physical violence on university and college campuses. Haven makes keeping yourself safe easy. My niece is attending her first year of university away from home and I am 100% encouraging her to download this app.

You can join the Port Dover Foundation Telethon , a live broadcast from the stage at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre with pre-recorded performances and live on-stage acts. Charitable donations can be made through the phone lines at the show and the proceeds go to non-profits in Port Dover. With the event being a Facebook Live there is no entry fee to watch, but they are hopeful those that are able to donate will.

We could scream it from the rooftops, we are so excited: The Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show is a GO this year!!! Our hearts are yearning for all the candy floss and carousel rides that we missed last year. If you see us wandering around the Fair in a blissed out sugar coma, make sure you say hi!

We always do our best to scour all the local channels available to us to fill our our Events calendar to present you with a well-rounded list of options each month. Check it out and see if there is something there for you!