When we started talking about building out little hotel, Hailey and I would begin by discussing the big picture; how many rooms, what sort of themes would they have, etc. But we also talked about the details; what would the bathroom faucets look like, where would we store the ironing board… that sort of thing.

We were excited about everything! And one of the things we knew we wanted was for each suite to have a few games tucked away for our guests to enjoy if the mood strikes them.

The North Star’s games arrived today, just in time for our first guests!

The garden is swept, the kitchen is stocked, the towels are folded, and the bed is made.

Tomorrow we welcome our first guests.

Today was a good day — the weather has turned warm, the sky is clear, and it is beginning to feel like summer.

The change of season mirrors my hopeful mood as I take a little time to pause and reflect before refocussing and switching gears to start concentrating on our next suite — the Under Hill.

Wherever you are today, I hope you get the chance to stop for a moment and enjoy the sunshine warming your face.

This week is an exciting one as we will be hosting our very first guests!

We’re busy getting ready — making everything neat and tidy after our grand opening celebration. And I’ve had my favourite “cleaning song” (Alice In Wonderland’s Painting The Roses Red) running through my head for the last few days.

There are also a few final details we still need to finish up — and today I squeaked in some time to make the grate for our courtyard tree! Now if I can just finish those roses. 😂

This year Hailey and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.

On our honeymoon, we were lucky enough to stay in a beautifully restored castle just outside Rome. We slept in a tiny tower room, explored the grounds, and drank tea on a rooftop balcony. It was an absolutely magical experience.

Over breakfast, Hailey broached the idea of building our own little castle hotel. I was intrigued and we spent the morning dreaming together; building imaginary castles.

My love and I are still dreaming together, but this weekend a little piece of that particularly crazy dream came true.

I’m looking forward to the next 10 years of dreaming.

Photo by @blushandflora featuring @thecasualceltic