Instagram story viewer> @vanessatetlock> Tagged

Vanessa Dawn

@vanessatetlock

1.1K

followers

911

following

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

💙 Thanksgiving has me thinking about the people in my life, the community I call home and all the things I have to be grateful for.

First and always, my soulmate. My favourite person, my best friend and the one I want beside me through this life. My amazing daughters, who I can’t imagine life without. My family and friends, each holding a special place in my heart. These are the people who share the laughter, celebrations, hard days and all the moments in between. I never want to take that for granted.

I’m thankful for my clients who trust me with their homes, businesses and the personal parts of their lives. That trust means a great deal to me.

I’m grateful for the community partners I work alongside, the connections we make and what we accomplish together.

I’m thankful for Dufferin County, where I live, work, serve, volunteer and support local businesses and charities. I love being part of a community where people give their time and heart to make a difference.

Thanksgiving brings different feelings for each of us. While some celebrate milestones, accomplishments and new beginnings, others navigate loss, illness or unexpected changes. Sometimes we’re doing both at once, celebrating while missing someone or carrying something others may never see.

Life isn’t always easy and we never know the whole story someone else is living. I’m grateful for the people who show up, celebrate our successes, stand beside us through hard times and make life richer simply by being part of it.

I’m grateful for the life I’m living, the people I get to share it with and the work and community that give so much meaning to my days. Life is full of all kinds of moments, and I’m thankful for the people who are part of mine.

From my heart to yours, Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you find something to celebrate, someone to hug, a reason to laugh and a moment to appreciate the people and the life you have.

💙 Ida

46

10

💙 Last night my soulmate and I finally saw Guns N’ Roses live at Rogers Stadium in Toronto. It was an unforgettable Father’s Day gift from our daughters, who knew this was one band we had never had the chance to see together.

What made the evening even more meaningful was hearing November Rain. More than 34 years ago, after a 7½ month break-up, that song became part of our journey back to each other. It reminds us that love isn’t always a straight path. Sometimes life brings us exactly where we were always meant to be. Hearing this song live together was one of those moments that will stay with us!

Our love story never ends and we’re so grateful our girls know our story so well. They continue to add chapters to it by gifting us experiences that become lifelong memories.

A fabulous night with Public Enemy opening for Guns N’ Roses. We got our hip hop and rock on!

💙 Ida

#TogetherIsMyFavPlaceToBe
#Soulmates #LiveMusic
#LifeExperiences #LoveHim

65

13

peak throwback
#akon #neyo

275

30

3

12

💙 Happy Father’s Day!

Today I’m remembering my dad and reflecting on the life experiences we shared.

I’m also feeling incredibly grateful for the father my daughters have.

As adults, they still seek out time with him. They ask for his advice, share their wins and know he’ll be there when life and their cars get messy. He has always shown up with love, support, encouragement and a sense of fun & cringe that keeps them laughing. Watching the relationship they have built over the years has been one of the greatest gifts of my life.

There is something powerful about knowing your children have someone in their corner no matter what. Someone who celebrates them, believes in them and loves them exactly as they are.

Happy Father’s Day to all the men who continue to show up for the kids in their lives. The impact of your presence reaches further than you may ever know.

Let’s create the space to live well.

💙 Ida

3

4

💙 Our Queen, Mama Jewel.

In July 2009 Angel chose her at the Ontario SPCA Orangeville. She was worn down undernourished injured and holding on. Angel saw a life that needed care and that was enough. Their bond started there and never let go.

Mama came home and immediately cared for Vanessa’s kitten Sophia. She settled in like she had always been ours. Over time she grew strong striking and completely in charge. She knew she belonged and made sure we all knew it too.

She was Angel’s girl. Always close always watching always keeping her place.

We celebrated her 18th birthday on March 26. Today, after 17 years together she left us on her own terms. The house already feels different without her demanding meows, the rhythm and comfort of her purr and missing her presence moving through the rooms.

Each of us is feeling her absence in our own way. I’ll keep missing the hi fives and the way she landed on me when I didn’t know I needed her.

She was never just a pet. She shaped how our home felt. Our queen always.

Until we meet you at the Rainbow Bridge we’ll miss you Mama.

💙 Ida

3

43

💙 Today is International Women’s Day.

My feed has been full of beautiful tributes all week. Companies and organizations sharing photos of the women on their teams. Women leading departments, managing projects, running operations, supporting clients, building businesses. Women visible across every level of an organization. It is encouraging to see that recognition happening so openly.

And a question I can’t stop thinking about:

Are these same women being paid their worth compared to their male counterparts?

Recognition and visibility are important. Fair pay and equitable opportunity have to be part of that same picture. Highlighting women in a campaign or a post is one step… Compensation, advancement and respect show the real commitment.

This year’s theme, #GiveToGain, invites all of us to consider what we are contributing to move things forward. Leaders reviewing and implementing pay equity because it’s the right thing to do, not because it’s a legal requirement for companies in Ontario with 10+ employees and organizations looking closely at culture and their policies. Colleagues supporting one another and speaking up when something is not right.

And, the conversation cannot stop at the workplace.

Too many women continue to experience abuse from partners and family members within their own homes. Domestic violence against women remains present in many communities and the retraumatization many women face as they move through our court systems is disturbing to witness. These are uncomfortable truths and they are part of the broader picture of how women are treated in society.

Today is a day to celebrate women and also a day to be honest about where change is still needed.

I feel incredibly blessed to have two daughters. Between the three of us, we have experienced and know many women who have been treated unfairly in workplaces and in community. Those experiences are not rare and they are exactly why these conversations continue.

Let’s create the space to live well.

💙 Ida

#InternationalWomensDay #IWD2026 #GiveToGain #TogetherWeAreBetter BuildingCommunity

3

0

💙 Bolt 💔🌈🐾🐾

Bolt came home to us in December 2014 from the @orangevillespca and from the first moment I saw him it was love at first sight. He walked into a home with four humans and three cats and somehow became the centre of all of us, the soul of our family, the name we called all day long.

Our great Houdini. No crate, wall or door could hold him. Mischievous, food-driven, endlessly curious, devouring everything from garbage to paycheques to greeting cards. And yet in our hardest moments he would come close with those kind eyes and his open heart and the world would reorganize around what mattered.

In 2017 Thunder came home and Bolt became the big brother, the teacher and co-conspirator. The great Easter Bunny chocolate heist will live in family legend forever. They were spoiled endlessly by their sisters with treats, pup cups and Timbit runs. Vanessa never stood a chance against that face and Bolt lived his whole life inside that love.

Fifteen days after losing Cashew we are saying goodbye again. Loving our senior animals into their final chapters is the greatest privilege and the deepest heartbreak. The house will sound and feel different.

My Boltoodie, thank you for the years, the chaos, the grounding, the devotion and those eyes that undid us every single time. You were loved by us, loved through every transition and will always be loved beyond this moment. My soul dog forever.

💙 Mommy
@imit13 @imkt71 @angel.filice @vanessatetlock
💙🌈🐾🐾

3

42

💙 Yesterday evening, we made the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to our beloved Cashew. After 15.5 beautiful years together, and following weeks of decline and a fall down the stairs yesterday that left him suffering, we held him close one last time and let him go.

Cashew came to us as a feral rescue from dear friends who are living angels to animals in need. We went to meet a sweet boy named ‘Ringo’ (for the rings along his tail), and he seemed so comfortable with us that we brought him home that very day. He quickly settled in with our late pup Kiara and his kitty sisters Jewel and Sophia. The way he’d curl his body and paws into the shape of a cashew gave him the name that fit him perfectly.

Cashew was a Tom at heart. He loved his outdoor adventures and found every possible way to escape, always returning the next morning. Most days were for sleeping, nights for seeking excitement. There were returns where we were certain it was his final adventure… only to watch him heal up and get back at it. We affectionately called him the cat with 19 lives.

Our sweetest memory is how he’d climb the deck, jump onto the roof, walk along to our bedroom window, and hang over it meowing and waving his paw at dawn like an alarm clock. The moment Keith or I would call to him or sit up, he’d run along the roof, jump down to the deck, and sit at the door waiting for breakfast and a day of sleep.

In the past 2 years, he slowed down enough for us to catch him to keep him safe when he snuck out. He’d still pine at the windows, watching the dogs play and wishing to be free.

He became Vanessa’s special sidekick, especially after her kitty Sophia died in 2021. It’s like he knew she was hurting and became her support cat, always at her side, on her head, or on her back. He had his best sleeps in her room or curled up with her.

It’s only been a few hours and the house isn’t the same without him here.
Our hearts are broken, and they are filled with all the love and moments we shared together.

You’re finally free, Cash-man.
💙🌈🐾🐾

3

38

💙 SMILE cookies for @streamshub

The Tim Hortons Holiday Cookie Campaign is well underway and 50% of every cookie sold at the Shelburne ON locations support Streams Community Hub!

That means every delicious bite helps create safe spaces, creative programs, and arts opportunities for youth right here in our community. 💚✨

💙 Today my daughters joined me in making smiles on several dozen cookies, helping STREAMS and bringing smiles all over our community!

🍪 Buy a cookie. Share a cookie.

Let’s make this the sweetest fundraiser of the season! 🍪💫

💙 Ida

#BuildingCommunity #TogetherWeAreBetter
#TimHortonsHolidayCookie #STREAMS #SupportStreams #HolidayCookies #AllTheKidsAllTheArtsAllTheTime #dufferincounty #shelburne #ontario #community #headwaters #inspire #arts #creativearts #charity #empower

3

0

💙 The sun was shining and it was the perfect backdrop for a productive day.

It started at the Main Street Market in Glenn Williams with my daughter Vanessa, enjoying lattes, homework and fresh air. Fellow organizer Wendy Monteathe stopped by with a client donation for the fur drive & catching up before we carried on with the day.

From there, Vanessa and I headed to Tin Roof Cafe in Erin to finish assignments and enjoy another latte.

☕️ A successful day all around!

💙 Ida

#Lattes #CafeStudySessions #Students #DeathDoulaCandidate #Homework #TogetherWeAreBetter #BuildingCommunity #Collaboration #Support #Organizing

3

0

💙 Happy National Daughters Day to our two greatest sidekicks, comedians and daily reminders that life is an adventure.

We hit the jackpot with these two! 💕

#OurGirls #LoveThem #LoveUs #ProudParents #CelebratingThem #TogetherWeAreBetter

3

2