It has been a while. There were several years back to back to back when my mom and I took a shopping trip to Erie, Pennsylvania. It was a tradition of sorts for a little while. Then the pandemic happened. Well, this year, we decided to venture back out and see how the shopping was in Erie once more. We took a bus shopping tour recently to check some items off of our holiday shopping list. It included some stops off at a mall, outlets, and lots of other stores. Keep reading to find out how the mini getaway was and to take a peek at a small Lauren Conrad collection items that I purchased at Kohls. 

Shopping can be a lot of fun, but it can also be exhausting. Especially when it involves a day trip to the England and a jam-packed itinerary. Mother's Day weekend was a little over a week ago at this point, and to celebrate the holiday, my mom suggested a bus trip across the border to do a little shopping. Though my mom and I have taken several shopping trips before, this was the first day trip. It was certainly a tiring experience! We met at 6:00 am to head to the bus and we didn't make it back into town until 10:30 pm. Like I said...shopping can be pretty exhausting. Ready to hear more about this day trip to the England? Find out what I brought back with me? Here are all the shopping-related details... 

Outlet shopping is always a good idea. Especially when the deals are outstanding. As mentioned in my last blog post, I recently visited Niagara Falls to see Clay Aiken perform for a few days. On the first day there, my mom and I went to do a little outlet shopping at an outdoor mall. Though there weren't a lot of impressive stores, there were two that were out-of-this-world fantastic. One was an Urban Planet outlet store (that had clothes and accessories from a variety of similar stores, like Urban Planet, Wet Seal, Forever 21) and the other was an American Eagle outlet. The Canada One Outlet Mall had other options as well, but my purchases came from those places. Here is a closer look at all of the discounted finds that came home with me.

I've been waiting forever for this...this is the night. I last saw Clay Aiken in concert twelve years ago. At that time, my mom and I traveled to Windsor, Ontario, to see both Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard perform. Ahh, memories. We used to see Clay all over the place. We would travel far and wide to hear him sing, whether it was at an arena, casino, or even on Broadway. Well, it has been pretty quiet on the Clay front for the last little while. He moved into politics and political commentary while music was more or less put on the backburner. However, since this year marks the twenty year anniversary of the second season of American Idol, the pair decided to do a reunion tour of sorts. While there weren't any concert dates nearby, there were some that were near enough. So, my mom and I decided to take a three day trip to Niagara Falls to see two Clay Aiken (and Ruben Studdard) performances. The first was an evening show and the second was a matinee. It was an exciting experience to say the least with an extra show added in. (More on that later.) Ready to hear all about it? Here are some highlights from the concerts themselves as well as some other standout moments from the Niagara Falls vacation. 

It seems that travel continues to be a part of my life. Though my discomfort has not eased any...my loved ones are set on venturing out into the world. That means sometimes, I am taken along for the ride. Most recently, that resulted in a three-day bus tour of the Frankenmuth area. This was a trip that my mom and I had discussed in previous years...mainly because it was Christmas focused and we both adore the holiday season. Finally, we were able to visit the area. This included Bronner's Christmas Wonderland (dubbed the world's largest Christmas store) and a bit of local shopping. 

Travel is an important part of life. Whether you are headed to a different city or a different country altogether, there is something magical that happens when you leave behind routine and focus on making memories. In the past, travel was significant to me. I would spend months and months eagerly looking forward to some sort of vacation or special experience. Then the pandemic happened. Suddenly, travel felt unsafe. It felt like something to be avoided at all costs. Honestly, it has been really difficult to shift that mentality. The way I viewed travel previously and the way I view travel now are so drastically different. I often wonder if things will ever return to 'normal' for me. Despite all of this uncertainty and fear... despite the fact that the way I think about travel has shifted...I did do some traveling recently. Some of my family members went to California to visit Legoland and Disneyland. Over the next couple of days, I'll be sharing some vacation highlights.

Cottage life is not exactly my favourite. I am definitely an air conditioning, binge-watching, indoor kind of person. Despite this, my summer plans included a week at a rented cottage in the Kawartha Lakes area. The reason? My family. We went to a cottage last summer, because it seemed like the safest way to do something different in the midst of the pandemic. This year, they wanted to repeat the experience. Though we did not stay in the exact same cottage or the exact same area...it was not too far from the last place. Since I am not really an outdoor person, and cottage life is all about embracing the great outdoors, the week was a bit of a struggle for me. I was definitely missing my laptop, my Netflix, and my everyday routine. However, I did my best to make the most of the time there. Here are some cottage highlights from my latest adventure...

It is no secret that travel is difficult for me these days. (I wrote about in a recent blog post, which you can check out here.) Despite being something that I used to love...travel brings me a lot of anxiety now. Where I live, the cases of COVID-19 are increasing again. Since it seems no one is wearing a mask anymore or taking any safety precautions whatsoever, this is certainly concerning. It also means that a lot of my favourite summer activities, like theme parks, concerts, and the CNE, will have to wait. Crowds are not my thing anymore! Well, my husband and I celebrated seven years of marriage recently and he wanted to do something special. We haven't traveled, just the two of us, since before the pandemic....but my fear of people made it difficult to really plan something. Ultimately, we ended up taking a little road trip to Owen Sound and Tobermory. The reason? All of the activities were outdoors and the crowds were low. Here are some road trip highlights from this getaway. 

Travel is something I used to love. It was something I tried to do often. Sometimes, that meant a week long trip somewhere far away and other times, it meant a day trip somewhere special. The fun was being able to explore new places, make memories, and do something different. Since the pandemic, my travel habits have obviously shifted considerably. Though a lot of people are feeling free and are acting like the pandemic is over...I still feel a lot of anxiety and apprehension. Going out feels unnatural and I really struggle to feel safe. I know it will take time, but travel is not something that necessarily I love at the moment. Being in unfamiliar places? Scary. Being in crowds of (largely maskless) people? Terrifying. Despite the fact that I am still trying to find my footing, travel seems to be something that I will be doing this summer. Whether I like it or not! My loved ones want to be out in the world and they are pretty insistent that I need to join them. So, I am trying, even though it feels like too much. 

Summer is almost over. There are only two days left until the official first day of fall. It's hard to believe! The summer went by so quickly, but at the same time, I am ridiculously excited about the start of the autumn season. So long shorts and tank tops...hello sweaters and scarves. Recently, I have been taking time to squeeze in those last few summer experiences and even revisit my cottage vacation. Ready to find out how my summer season ended? How I said goodbye to those last lingering moments of sunshine? Here are a few end of summer highlights as well as a cottage vlog video. 

One very serious question: how on earth is it September already? Where did the time go? Perhaps it has to do with the fact that this has been another rather unusual season. Normally, the last days and weeks of summer are spent at concerts, amusement parks, and lots of outdoor events. This year? COVID-19 cases are climbing in my province and it feels like this pandemic will never end. I remember last year at this time, it seemed certain that summer 2022 would be overloaded with fun-filled activities and get-togethers with friends. The reality is drastically different. At any rate....there is something wonderful about the start of a new month. Not only does it feel like a fresh chapter but this particular month also signals the start of the fall season. The first day of autumn in September 22 and I cannot wait. 

Travel used to be a somewhat regular part of my life. It may not have involved super expensive international vacations but there was usually room for a bus tour, a weekend getaway, or a week off somewhere special. The pandemic changed everything. Travel was suddenly over and done with. Sadly, we had a Walt Disney World vacation booked and largely paid for. My husband and I had to try to chase down refunds for airline tickets...and lose out on some non-refundable expenses. Though it will likely be a long time until we do any significant travel that involves airplanes or a different country, we do have a vacation planned. In fact, by the time you are reading this, we will be at a cottage with my immediate family for the week. It isn't far away and provided the opportunity to get away from it all without being unsafe. So, with that in mind, I wanted to share a few glamping tips just in case you will also be camping or cottaging this summer.