Before I even start to list all the fun adventures of our vacation, I have to thank Mom and Dad Southwick for sacrificing a week of their time to watch the kids. Just knowing that the kids were in good hands (and not killing each other or burning the house down) made our vacation so much more relaxing and enjoyable. I feel very lucky to have great in-laws who are always so willing to help and serve. Thank you! Now...on to the trip! Jeff and I left yesterday but spent all day hopping planes to make it to our final destination - Buffalo, NY. We arrived at about midnight and went straight to the hotel. Since it was technically the 16th, I gave Jeff his other birthday cards and the "gift" the kids and I made for him. Prior to leaving, I had each of the kids (as well as myself) write down 8 reasons why we love Jeff. With 5 of us writing down 8 reasons, Jeff was able to read 40 reasons why he is loved on his 40th birthday. It was really heartwarming to read what the kids had written about Jeff. He truly is the rock this family leans on. I am so lucky to have him as my best friend and eternal companion. In any case, I have to admit that the first hotel we stayed in was a little bit of a dive, which made us a little worried about the rest of the hotels we booked, but we were pleasantly surprised with the rest of our hotel accommodations...luckily. Needless to say, we didn't stick around at the hotel much the following morning. Once we got up and ready, we headed straight for Niagra Falls. Jeff had already visited a few of the sites we toured on this trip, but I had not. I was amazed at the power, force, and majesty of these incredible falls. I can't see how anyone can say there isn't a God when they are surrounded by His breathtaking creations. The falls were even more incredible up close. Jeff and I splurged (although it really wasn't that expensive) and bought tickets to take the Maid of the Mist ferry right up next to the falls. We got SOAKED!!! The spray from the falls felt like a heavy rainstorm. Plus it was so loud! The captain of the ferry told stories of people (including a 7 year old boy in a life vest) who had gone over the falls and survived. I don't see how that could even be possible! I can't even describe how incredibly intimidating those falls seemed from down below. Once we finished our ferry ride, we walked through the parks on the American side before driving over to the Canadian side for lunch and to see the falls from that vantage point. I was glad we did. The view of the falls is so much better (I think) from the Canadian side.
When I was certain that I had seen all the vantage points I needed to, we loaded back into the car and headed towards Rochester where we'd be staying the night. We got there early enough to venture out to find some ice cream to celebrate Jeff's 40th birthday. We stopped at Friendly's for the Hunka Chunka Peanut Butter Fudge Lava Cake Sundae (big name...delicious ice cream!). My parents introduced me to Friendly's on one of the trips I took with them back east. It seems to be an eastern restaurant chain...which is probably a good thing because I love their ice cream and would gain quite a few pounds if there was a Friendly's around here! All in all, it was a great way to celebrate Jeff's birthday and an awesome start to our trip!
Jeff probably would've licked the plate if I wasn't there!
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