enjoying fun end-of-summer activities.

If you live in the GTA, there are traditional ways to celebrate the end of summer. Namely, the CNE, a concert, and a Blue Jays game. I was able to check all three off of my annual to-do list recently. My mom and I spent a day at the Canadian National Exhibition (also lovingly referred to as The Ex), went to a concert with a good friend I hadn't seen in a while, and spent an evening at a baseball game with my husband and a couple of friends. All of these activities were different but equally fun. It was certainly a fond farewell to the warm (but often rainy) summer season. Which is why I wanted to highlight these experiences on the creation of beauty is art. Here goes....

The CNE. It has become something of an annual tradition for my mom and I. Each year, we head down to enjoy the shows, shopping, and sweets. Though we usually plan our trip around a concert or special performance, that didn't happen this year. There was no one playing that we really cared to see. So, we just went down for the heck of it! We attended some of the events like the Super Dogs show (easily my favourite. The animals are so cute), the ice skating show (with the incredible Olympic figure skater, Elvis Stojko), and the waterfront show (not as thrilling, since it was far away and not well organized).

On top of all the shows, we checked out the farm building (the alpacas were my favourites) and went to all of the booths and shops. It was a jam-packed day but we had a lot of fun. And I even brought back a massive cotton candy bag, dubbed Bagosaurus. Yum! As I mentioned, we spent some time checking out the booths and outlet shops - and we picked up a few things. The prices were fantastic so it was definitely hard to resist. Out of everything, my favourite shop was the Retro Festive one. They have a ton of incredible holiday and Christmas movie merchandise. Below is a peek at the items that came home with me that day....

Dean Brody Concert. I'll be honest. I rarely say yes to last minute plans. In fact, I detest last minute anything. Perhaps this has to do with my need to plan and prepare for every possible outcome....or the fact that I meticulously plan out my writing schedule for each day. Whatever the reason, I always prefer advanced notice. However, when a friend wound up with an extra ticket to the Dean Brody concert (a Canadian country artist), I simply could not pass it up.

I am so glad that I wound up going to the show. Not only was it a great night of music (Dean always has lots of energy on stage and there were countless surprise guests and stellar opening acts) but I got to spend some long overdue time with a good friend. It was a night I didn't know I needed....but desperately did. All in all, it was a special summer evening.

Blue Jays Game. Most recently, my husband and I met up with one of my friends and her boyfriend to go see a Jays game. They had invited us a few weeks earlier - and I am so grateful they did. The seats were incredible (three or four rows back) and the company was even better. It was fun to sit, watch the game, and catch up. Oh, and take tons of super cute selfies!

Though the game itself was not the best (because the team lost and did not score), none of us seemed overly worried about it. The best part was just hanging out and relaxing together on a Tuesday evening. And the fantastic view of the CN Tower didn't hurt! All in all, I had a blast.

This summer has been all over the place for me. It started with an epic family road trip, followed by a lengthy battle with whatever-the-heck I was sick with, catching up on writing work, a brief trip to Ottawa, followed by these fun end-of-summer activities. If nothing else? It has certainly been an eventful couple of months.

What were your summer highlights?

xo Shannon