A Weekend in Toronto + Shopping Haul

Hey Beauty Bees,

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and I can not wait to tell you about mine. If you don't already know I have been back in my home town of Sarnia, Ontario for a few months now until my Fiance visa paperwork is finalized to be living in the states permanently. (I will write a whole other experience post about this in the coming weeks.) 

This past weekend I had to travel to Toronto, Ontario for a medical exam as one of the steps in my visa application process. With it being the week of my cousins birthday we decided to make it a full weekend event. My brother and I along with my cousin and his wife headed up to Toronto for a NBA game as well as “some” shopping.

Early Friday morning was my appointment in Vaughn, Ontario which is just outside of Toronto. I was very happy to get this over with first before anything else since I am not a fan of blood work which was just one of the many different things that happened during this doctors visit. 

After a few hours we finally got out of there and we were very hungry as it was past lunch time.  We went to Vinnie Zucchini's which was an Italian all you can eat buffet. I was so impressed!! There were so many different sections to go to like pasta, pizza, entrees, meat, fish, desserts and gelato. I even saw many of the same foods that my Nonna makes. The food tasted amazing and the staff was so friendly. I could definitely picture myself going there again and again

By now it was getting late into the afternoon which meant check in time at our hotel. We stayed at Novotel Vaughn which is across the street from the Vaughn Mills shopping mall. Yes, you are probably thinking did I go?....Of course, but we will get to that. I just wanted to touch on our stay at this hotel. I was so impressed by this hotel. The lobby was so clean and inviting with a fireplace that had multiple seating areas around it as well as a section for kids with toys and an Xbox 360. There was also free WiFi throughout the whole hotel that instantly connected, no passwords or pins needed.  The check in staff was so quick and nice, it literally took us 60 seconds between getting our keys and heading to the elevator. Our room was also something to rave about. It was so spacious and very nicely set up. A great hotel to stay at if you plan on staying long or being in your room for a good amount of time. The beds were so comfy that I did not want to get up the next morning. Even though I did not need it for the short time we were there, the massive closet and drawer space was a great touch to the room. 

After a little rest and getting settled into our room,  we headed off to the mall. With there being over 200 stores to choose from and almost every single one having extraordinary sales, you know I have a decent size haul to show you guys. Here is what I found on day 1.

**Not pictured above: Bluenotes Jeggings and socks, Forever 21 nail polish remover wipes and 2pk tweezers

The next day after a full nights rest we headed to downtown Toronto for the day. Our first stop was the Eaton Centre for some more shopping. The only place I bought anything was Victoria Secret Pink since all there clearance was on sale for 40% off the lowest ticketed price. With my VS Pink obsession, I could not let a sale like that pass me by. Here is what I bought on day 2.

Now if you have ever been to Toronto, you know that the traffic is usually crazy and it is much easier to just walk from place to place or use the subway. Of course this would work well in the Summer but we decided to choose one of the coldest days to walk around down town. Even being bundled up to our best ability, the temperature way below freezing was not worth saving a few bucks. We hailed cabs whenever our walk was longer then a couple blocks.

One of our stops was at a sports bar and grill called Shoeless Joes. Sports on TV as well as available horse betting kept the boys busy while us girls got to have some lunch and catch up. We actually were lucky enough to meet Cam Stewart, a famous Canadian sports broadcaster. He was such a nice guy and my cousin was pretty much freaking out because he had listened to this guy every week up until they canceled his show.

After a few hours it was time to head to the Air Canada Center  for our main event of the day. Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics. With my Celtics Rondo jersey on we headed into the game which was extremely exciting since it was my first time at the ACC as well as my first ever NBA game. It was a great game that Toronto won 109-96. 

Overall, it was a great weekend and some much needed fun after a very stressful few weeks. How did you spend your weekend? Let me know below in the comments.