fall highlights (zoo day + birthday events)

Fall is fully underway...and there have been a handful of memorable moments. To be honest, I have gotten kind of used to having nothing special on my calendar. Sure, there are lots of items on my to-do list (like work, creative projects, cleaning, and personal goals) but in terms of social plans? It has been largely blank since the pandemic began. Even now, over a year and a half later, the only outings I have are to visit my immediate family members. Until recently, that is. Since there is only a week difference between my birthday and my husband's birthday, there were a few fun fall highlights thrown into the mix. 

Zoo Day. A few days after my husbands birthday, we went to the Toronto Zoo with his mom, aunt, and uncle. The weather was not ideal (it was colder than expected and rained off and on) and I ended up trading my cute fall-coloured cardigan for my husbands striped hoodie. Ahh well...all is well that ends well. There were a lot of beautiful animals to see and we were able to see almost the entire zoo. Some highlights included the giraffes (my favourite animals at the zoo...they are so beautiful) and being able to say hello to a friend of mine that works at the zoo. Since the pandemic began, I haven't seen much of my friends. A distanced visit here and a socially distanced walk there. It's been difficult. So just being able to see her at the end of her shift and talk to her for a few minutes was such a blessing. It definitely made the day memorable. 

Birthday Events. My birthday this year was actually a lot of fun. There were so many special memories. It took place on a Sunday, but there were events in the days before. On the Friday, a couple of friends and I watched the Sex and the City movie at the same time (and texted throughout). It was simple but a nice way to connect. Then on the Saturday, my mom and I went to the mall to purchase a unicorn shaped cotton candy (pictured above). It was really fun and something that made the day feel a lot brighter. We popped into a couple of shops while we waited for the cotton candy creation to be made (like Hallmark and Bath & Body Works) but didn't stay long. Then I visited my family for the day...and my mom had set up an entire Moana themed party for me. Complete with a Moana costume and lots of fabulous decorations. It made me feel like an absolute princess. We watched the movie and hung out for the rest of the day. On my actual birthday, I spent most of the day relaxing and watching TV (my favourite lazy day activity) and then had a takeout dinner with my immediate family. Another highlight? My brother bought me a Cameo from Jeff and Jordan from Big Brother as my birthday gift! The Cameo video was over 10 minutes long and they shared lots of Big Brother related stories. It was really awesome.

Interested in more fall inspired content? My latest YouTube video is all about some of my current fall favourites. Take a look...

All in all, it has been a relatively busy fall season thus far. There were some memorable moments thrown into the mix and for that, I am extremely grateful. Though, it will be nice to go back to the usual to-do list items...it was nice to have some fun. 

Have you done anything fun lately? Share your fall highlights below!