#130 of 365~11 Years and Counting

On July 12th, we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.  It came and went without any fanfare, much like the many days that have made up our 11 years of marriage.  It's safe to say we have settled into a comfortable routine of just being together.  We are still learning about each other and discovering what it takes to make a marriage work-these things should NEVER change about marriage-and loving every minute of it.  We are so thankful for our time together and look forward to spending the rest of our days together.

#127 of 365~Buffalo Randoms

There are quite a few random pictures on random days of our random adventures.  However, with this group, any outing turns out to be an adventure and I loved being able to share them with my 8 year old cousin Shayla.  Yes, she lives in Omaha and is my Uncle Toms kid, but we happened to be vacationing at the same place and time-she's got good taste and a great aunt!

As we would drive from adventure to adventure, there wasn't a conversation from the front seat that didn't turn to, "How did all eight of you kids fit in that house?" or "Kass, remember when Grandma Zeller lived there?"  I was always listening to my aunts talk about the days that seemed "old" to me, but probably just a blink in their lifetime.  I teared up thinking of my dad as a little boy living in the house we were passing by and fondly thought of my Great Grandma who tried to feed me her "famous" golash and liked to hold my hand.

The house I stayed at had 3 awesome hosts who I love to pieces-but somehow Tina and I never got a photo together!  My lively Great-Aunt Donna was full of love and laughs as she was our tour guide.  Tina-my Great Cousin-would come home after working all day to hear of our adventures and have a few planned herself!  Then there was Jayla-my Great Great Cousin-who begged for slumber parties and movies ever night, and just planned loved me to death.  Medicine for the soul!

One night, we met up with family friend, Mary-Jane and her granddaughter Gehata (?)  We went to the local community theatre to see "Peter Pan Broadway's Timeless Musical."  I was totally taken by surprise by this communities amazing restoration project, the actors intense dedication to their craft, and the set design complete with a flying Peter Pan and dancing Pirates.  The girls loved it and got their picture taken with Tiger Lily!

One of our final adventures was getting to see our Auntie. 

#126 of 365~Safari Park

On this particular day, several of us jumped into our vans and headed to the Niagara Safari Park in Canada. "A visit to Safari Niagara may spark a flame for future conservationists and naturalists. Providing the platform for a one-to-one connection with nature can inspire any individual, especially a child. In a world where children experience fewer exchanges with nature, Safari Niagara provides an unprecedented opportunity for kids of all ages and abilities to view, interact with and learn about the different species that share our planet, all while engaging in a fun and rewarding outdoor adventure!"

 

One of the cool aspects about this park was the several different options for everyone to try out. There was a Budgee feeding cage, a trolley that took us around the safari park, several art sculptures, kiddy rides, a water park, and a ropes obstacle course.  One particular favorite of the kiddos was the obstacle course 30 feet in the air using only ropes and beams.  Of course I HAD to face my fear of heights and show these girls how it was done!  

#125 of 365~Niagara Falls

On my last Friday, we decided to spend the day at Niagara Falls-the American side.  Of course, no day could start off without a little drama. Jayla fell, scrapped her knee pretty bad, and had six Park Rangers, EMT's, and any other available young man at her side fix'n her up.  We traveled through the state park on the trolley and watched Niagara Falls history at the adventure theatre, visited Jayla's favorite-Three Sister's Island, and checked out the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center.

Our final adventure was going on the famous Maid of the Mist. A boat tour that literally takes you to the edge of the Falls where the mist hits you like a cleansing kiss on a summer day.  This is a trip that takes me back to my childhood visits to Niagara Falls and it was so fun for me to see my two little cousins experience it as well.  The Falls are absolutely beautiful and powerful.  I couldn't help but feel a little anxiety at the noise and fast pace of the Falls, but also I admire the beauty that has been carved out by the Creator for His people to enjoy.

#124 of 365~Observation and Sailing

Over time, we had formed a list of activities that we wanted to do before our two week visit was up.  Checking out the Buffalo Observation Deck was a wonderful opportunity to see the layout of downtown Buffalo.   We took an elevator up 25 floors and then walked up three more before we reached our destination. It was a beautiful cool day and we enjoyed looking out over the city and watching the cars zoom in and out like tiny ants marching to someones drum.  

When we were finished with our birds eye view of the city, we headed to the Navy pier to kill some time.  I have to say, the Navy pier is an awesome place to visit.  The city provides giant board games for patrons to play, water activities, a chance to learn about the cities history, a giant stage for free concerts in the park-Fitz and the Tantrums were warming up while we were there, there were snack shacks, and the awesome opportunity to chill amongst the waterfront.

My cousin Tina-Jayla's mom-had bought a Groupon for the three of us to experience a sailing trip amongst the Buffalo waterfront.  This was my first time on a sailboat and driving one too! 

"Captain Mark" was a weathered sailor who was excited to teach us how to sail his boat and we thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Ahoy matey!

LOVE This Girl!

#123 of 365~A Day of Horses

On this particular day, we decided to make it all about horses!  Our first stop was to The Herschell Carousel Factory Museum-The building is a tribute to The Allan Herschell Company, "the most prolific maker of carousels, specialized in producing portable machines which could be used by traveling carnival operators. The company produced over 3,000 hand carved wooden carousels and outproduced all of its rivals in the carousel industry. Each hand-carved wooden carousel featured striking yet simple horses." We had so much fun looking at all the different designs, talking to a wood carver, participating in story hour, and riding several different carrousel's!

Then we were off to the stables to ride REAL horses this time!  It was my cousin Shayla's first time riding while my other cousin-Jayla and I were considered the "pros."  After walking through the fly infested stables, we brushed down our horses and led them to a small outdoor ring where our horses walked through obstacle courses and did their best to "listen" to our instructions.