Niagra Falls

As you all know we just celebrated our first anniversary. As part of our celebration we visited Niagara Falls, Church sites in Palmyra, and Jeff and Erin and their kiddos in Syracuse, NY. This post is just Niagara so keep watching for the others.

We spent one night with the Falls. I have to say they weren't as big as I had imagined but still beautiful. I also didn't realize that there are actually two waterfalls- American and Horseshoe. This picture is the American Falls.

We stayed on the Canadian side and it's true that the view is much better from there. We enjoyed our few hours out of the country and were relieved when they let us back in. You wouldn't believe the questioning we went through by a very serious border guard. By the end of it they had us convinced we were terrorists.This is a view of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls with the hotels of Niagara, Ontario. We spent a few hours walking/driving around this area. Lots of Asian tourists (with their swine flu masks) and Bed and Breakfasts. Taylor striking his signature pose.

This is just before we got on the Maid of the Mist- a boat ride into the swirling mists of the Horseshoe falls. It was a great up close view of the falls except you couldn't see anything because of the mist. Taylor and I both thought we were going to die. I kept thinking to myself 'this is what it must be like to be flushed down a toilet' and Taylor kept asking me if I could swim well enough to survive. Many of you probably don't know that I am not the biggest fan of water so my anxiety level was high. Fortunately the boat's engines overcame the undertow of the falls and we made it back to shore.

If you look close you can see tourists up close to the falls. I believe you can even walk behind the falls. Having already been drenched by the Maid of the Mist, we passed on this experience.
Another boat of unsuspecting tourists entering the mist.

A view of the Horseshoe falls from above. They really are beautiful.

Our first dinner on our honeymoon was at the Hard Rock Cafe so why not on our anniversary too.

Taylor and I both decided that you can live a good life without seeing Niagara but that if you do get the chance it's worth a stop. Up next our visit to Palmyra.....

I have always loved the idea of remodeling and fixing up homes. I don't have any of the skills necessary to do this but growing up I watched my Dad build homes and fix things around our home so I figure that's my training. So when Taylor and I decided it was time to finish the basement ceiling in our house I thought 'if only I had the right tools' I could easily do it. Taylor just rolled his eyes at me and hired a friend of the family to do it for us. I was hurt at first, this is what I always wanted to do- build and fix-up. I moved on knowing that there are bigger fish to fry, like redoing the bathroom, or re-staining the deck. Those will be mine for sure. So if you've ever visited us for a Miss America party or a SYTYCD event then you recognize this before picture.

Now it looks like a cozy nook in our basement. Well, almost. We still need to paint it and finish the baseboards but we are very happy with the way it turned out. Also, after watching Bridger work so hard for multiple days sanding and taping and sanding some more I've decided to stick to my own skill set- if you know a nurse then you know what that is. Thanks to all who worked hard on it and made it possible.

Wendover

Our friend Kristina recently reached her 31st year of Earth life and requested a celebration in, of all places, Wendover. I have never made the trek west and after the fun we had, probably never will again.This photo was taken after only about twenty minutes on the Fun Bus- which is why there are still smiles. After spending 90 minutes driving around the valley picking up a motley crew of "fun" goers and one desperate attempt to bail out at the last stop (thank you Leslie for being willing to save us) we headed out. The next two hours included free drinks, Bingo, and watching the lady in front of us get hit on by a creepy dude. This was the experience everyone told me I needed before I died. Really.

There really isn't much to do in Wendover. Taylor enjoyed himself on the nickel poker slots. Crystal Gale was performing the night we were there but we opted out. (I wonder if she still has really long hair- guess I'll never know)

I played the quarter slots because I'm a higher roller than Taylor. The slots were loose as you can see I made about ten dollars. Too bad they got it all back in blackjack. We will not discuss that- Gambling is bad.

Kristina's husband, Adam, works with the ambulance crew in Wendover so we were given a tour of their base of operations as well as a tour of Wendover city. Fortunately, Adam had driven out to work the weekend and so we were able to forgo the ride back to Salt Lake on the Fun Bus and instead left early with him.

Overall, it was an experience I will never forget. I can't wait to see what Kristina requests for next year's celebration. I guess if Taylor makes her go to Miss Murray for his birthday than we are equal. Happy Birthday Stina!

Happy 1st!

Yesterday marked the first year of marriage for Taylor and I. We spent most of it flying home from a great trip to upstate New York. (post to follow soon) It has been a great year- lots of adjustments and realizations about ourselves and many aspirations for a great future together. It's fun to look back at the pictures from that day- it was beautiful! Thanks to everyone who wished us well and who spent the day with us.

We took the top layer of our cake with us on our honeymoon so Taylor surprised me with this cake to celebrate our first. It is the same as our wedding cake was, almond poppy seed, and it is delicious! Looks like many nights of eating cake in bed for us.