Sometimes people come into your life and you can’t imagine it any other way. That is how I feel about all the wonderful women that I have met through our collective blog; The Blended Blog. What started as a group of women just linking up and sharing outfits has blossomed into lifelong friendships. Just a week and a half ago, we had our annual get together in Toronto. 11 of us from all over the US and Canada came together to laugh, talk blog and just enjoy time together.

Sometimes it boggles my mind that this group of women has welcomed this awkward introvert right into their group. We are all at different life stages, so I never feel odd as the youngest in the group. I’m thankful to have all of these people in my life and am so glad we all got to hang out in Toronto!

While in Toronto, we chilled at our hotel the first night with delicious drinks and even better burgers. On Friday, we spent forever on a bus that sounded like it might blow up at any moment to get to Niagra Falls. The falls were fantastic, especially the boat ride into them! I probably could of done without the super short stop at Niagra on the Lake. We literally had 20 minutes once we got dropped off, hopped on another bus and then the trip back to the main bus. I did however get some delicious fudge and had to stoop to a Dr. Pepper becuase there were no Pepsi products anywhere. Speaking of pop (yes, pop!) once we were off the boat in Niagra we wandered throughout the shops and attractions. At that point, I was desperate and needed some caffeine. I was about to give up when I saw a sign for a MiniMart. I have never been so excited! I booked it around the corner and was able to get a Diet Mountain Dew. To rewind a bit in the day, we also had a quick winery stop which pretty much consisted of trying 2 wines and then a few minutes to walk around. I of course had to bring home a bottle of ice wine. I can’t wait to open it up!

Oh you know, just hanging out at Niagara Falls with my @tbblog friends today. #tbbtoronto2017

A post shared by Alison C (Puppies & Pretties) (@allieculhane) on May 19, 2017 at 2:57pm PDT

Once back in T.Dot, we headed out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. We ended up doing tapas style. I wasn’t a huge fan, but the options were still pretty good. The maragitas were delish though. We also showered Shaunacey with gifts. So funny story about her gift. Since I’m a terrible gift giver, I decided to coordinate a gift card from several of us. Well to get it, I had to drag Sarah and Katie to the mall on our way to the hotel from the airport. It involved a tram at the airport, a train, subway and a taxi. Let’s just say it was an adventure!

Saturday was all about walking. I’m talking 24,000 steps kind of walking. It was fun to see all the different neighborhoods downtown. We stopped at Lakeview for some tasty poutine. I was also thankful for their free wifi so I could keep up with the MN Gophers softball team as they played in the regionals (sadly they lost to Alabama twice). I knew I was attached to my phone, but you don’t truly realize it until you can’t use it! To round out our walk, we did some shopping and we experienced some Canadian stores (be on the lookout for one of my purchases on Wednesday). Finally, we ate a fun dinner at Pickle Barrel. When I first heard the name earlier in the day, I got a little worried. I hate pickles. But it ended up being just a casual place with some pretty darn good food. Plus we were all able to talk together easily.

See you later #toronto it has been a wonderful weekend with all the @tbblog ladies! #tbbtoronto2017

A post shared by Alison C (Puppies & Pretties) (@allieculhane) on May 21, 2017 at 1:12pm PDT

Sunday was the day for goodbyes and second breakfasts. We had breakfast together before the early leavers went on their way. For the rest of us, we did some final prep and met back down in the lobby to head out for some more shopping. But before that, we headed back into the breakfast nook and ate a little second breakfast. Because there is always room for second breakfast (please tell me you know that reference!!). After some shopping we came back to the hotel one last time before heading out to the airport. Speaking of the airport, Canadians really like paper there. I swear, I had to show my passport 32 times and carry a piece of paper through the entire process like it was a lifeline. And you don’t even get to keep it! You hand it in at the end. Anyways, I started the trip like I started, with Sarah and Katie. Thankfully, it was an uneventful trip back home.

Of course, the trip wouldn’t of been a trip without the wonderful women there:

I totally stole this from Nicole because it is fantastic and why recreate something that is already awesome?

Sarah from Foxy’s Domestic Side is such a ray of Californian sunshine and a selfie genius. She somehow got all 11 of us in one shot. I don’t know how she does it. Her bubbly personality makes any conversation fun.

Lana from My New Happy is a fellow tall person (seriously I feel like a giant sometimes with most of the TBB’ers) and just an all around wonderful person. I feel like we didn’t have much time to talk but I’m grateful for the time we did get.

Deena from Shoes to Shiraz is the boss lady of the group and the glue that holds us all together. I love talking sports with her and just laughing at ridiculous things. Oh, and I can’t forget all the awkward hugs we got in over the weekend.

Christy from R Squared is a little fireball and I’m glad we got to meet this year. I’m pretty sure she can carry a conversation with herself and just brightens the room when she comes in.

Andrea from Living on Cloud Nine is as nice in real life as she is online. Between putting together gift bags for all of us and always having a kind word for anyone. Her positivity was infectious!

Whitney from Whitney a la Mode was one of my roomies and so darn cute. I loved hearing about her adventures in Europe and our shared love for dry shampoo. I can’t wait to get to know her better.

Lisa from Daily Style Finds is a calm, cool, and collected lady. She always looked fabulous, even when wearing a winter coat 🙂 We chatted quite a bit on the bus back from Niagra and it was great to learn more about her.

Nicole from Nick and Nicole Plus 4 is a badass that makes me want to workout. She was our amazing photographer throughout the weekend. I just want to hang out with her (I’m taking Nicole up on that drinking partner idea!)

Shaunacey from Simply Shaunacey is down to earth with a super cute Canadian accent. I love her stories and her ability to make anyone feel at ease. I definitely can’t wait until next year when we can enjoy a glass (or 3) of wine together!

Katie from The Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life was my other roomie and has an infectious smile and a fun accent that comes out from time to time. She also can stuff a suitcase full like no one I have ever seen 🙂