Niagara Falls...

What can I say about Niagara Falls that hasn't already been said by everyone that I know that has already been there? The hubby and I were encouraged to go to the Canadian side because of its beauty, but before anyone said a word, we were already convinced that it was the way we were going to go. Sadly, our trip was only a two day trip, but honestly, unless you have children or are really into commercial things like Ripley's or the Hard Rock Cafe or if you have a huge need to see a movie in IMAX in Canada, there isn't much to do beside seeing the falls.

The falls were amazing! We went all out and spent money on getting a hotel room that overlooked the falls and we were not disappointed.

We figured that if we only had one night to stay, we could shell out a little extra to get the room with the jacuzzi tub and the fireplace. Why not go with the room with the view if you can? After a six hour drive, we spent at least an hour recovering while watching the falls from our room with the fireplace sparkling next to us. Romantical. Yup, romantical. That's my made up word to describe this view and a lot of other things my hubby does.

We knew that we only had a few hours to really see the sights so we planned (we just talked about what time to wake up in order to see something) what we wanted to tackle. We were going to go to Skylon revolving restaurant. They try to advertise it as not only a great restaurant with a view, but also "fine dining." Let me tell you that the views are amazing...

... the food was absolutely horrible and so overly priced. You are without a doubt paying for the view, so let me warn you to not waste your money at the restaurant and just go to the top of the tower for the view. The bread was cold, and of course you can totally judge a restaurant by the bread! It is the first impression and it was cold and stale! Then my meal had to be taken back because the chicken was processed, not real grilled chicken. It honestly tasted like rubber and made me nauseous. The hubby tried to switch plates with me because we hate to complain, but he felt ill as well. Even the new meal I was given was below par. It was disgusting. I believe our bill was about $170. It was the biggest waste of money that we have ever spent. So sad that the view was so amazing, but definitely not worth $170!

Our next stop that we had to make was to the Maid of the Mist. Which we hoped wouldn't be a disappointment like the restaurant was...

I have to admit it was amazing, but we were both a little scared. I mean seriously, how does a boat get that close to the falls and not get sucked in?! I mean I'm sure someone out there researched it, but it doesn't change the fact that you really think you're going to die! Especially when you have little kids screaming next to you about how they don't want to die... oh joy! It makes you question your sanity! Then you relax quick enough for a picture...

Overall Niagara Falls was amazing. You need to plan ahead though. We were trying to go to the "Behind the Falls" attraction, but we couldn't get a time slot that fit with our planned time of leaving. My recommendation, go and pick a time, and then go to the Maid of the Mist, really early. We were there by 9 a.m. and were right in and out. It was perfect because the sun was starting to beat down. Go to Niagara Falls. Relieve those 1950's postcard moments from when people honeymooned there. It is romantic. Don't bring your kids until they're older, otherwise they'll just be scared and ruin all the romantical moments you could possibly have.

Something New for the Bedroom?...

Now, I'm not looking to change things with the hubby in the bedroom, I'm looking for a change for the seasons. The bedroom needs a new look! I was one of those kids who constantly changed her bedroom around and was never happy with the results, so then I'd get my family to help me change it around again. I always liked the change. It felt like my space and I could do whatever I wanted with it. It was great.

Now that I'm an adult, I have a house that I can constantly change around. I love it! But when I was a kid I didn't spend any money, I just moved things around. Now that I have a cash flow at my fingertips, it's hard to not want to go spend money and change things up when I get bored with a look. I'm trying really hard to not constantly spend money, but just have a few different things for the seasons. I said I'm trying, but I really don't know how successful I'll be at it.

Case in point, our bedroom. Right now it has a lovely light duvet on. It's almost October, I need a change. But the change we have is a brown comforter that has a subtle damask pattern on it.

It's very nice, but I'm already bored with it because our room is so dark to begin with. So these

are my options. I will either buy this beautiful patchwork quilt from Potterybarn

or this blue one

images courtesy of Potterbarn.com

I think either way I'll keep the brown on too. It's just a matter of taste. I've always wanted to make a patchwork quilt, but that never happened. Maybe one day, but definitely not one to fit our king size bed! I just don't want the room to feel overwhelmed.

Which one would you choose? I need a change! Or if you have a better money saving option, I'm always game for that too, I'm sure my hubby and my pocketbook would thank you!

It's Time for Something New...

Do you know that feeling you get when you're just tired of doing the same thing day in and day out? That emptiness? I've been feeling that way for a little while now. It's weird because I'm so happy. I think I was so overwhelmed with schoolwork and my actual job, that feeling of always running running running, that now that I've graduated, I feel kinda, well, blah.

My motivation to get out of bed before noon is pretty slim to none. The long nights of my job feel like they're finally catching up with me. I wake up still exhausted. My workouts feel like work. My job feels like a job. And it always seems like something needs to be done around the house. When I was in college, I found myself treasuring the days that I could just lay around and recover from my busy days. Now I find myself lying around a lot. And not from being exhausted from really long days, but being exhausted because of boredom and then late nights at work.

I don't know how to stay motivated. If you have any ideas for getting out of a rut, please share!

My plan is to actually set my alarm clock and get out of bed before noon. Slowly. Maybe I should start with 11:59 a.m. and keep going earlier and earlier? Ten is definitely the earliest, seeing that my bedtime is either 2 or 3 a.m. most nights. I need to start writing again, I need to start enjoying my workouts again, I need to not feel like I could fall asleep at the drop of a dime. Any ideas? Anyone?

Newlyweds No More...

I can't believe that it has now been over a year since I married the love of my life. Four years altogether. It's amazing how one look, or conversation can change the way you look at someone in your life. I never thought that this man would be my husband one day, but after our first date 4 years ago, I never looked back. We had a great celebration. At least a celebration in our minds. Our plan is to follow the traditions of the anniversaries. The first anniversary is paper. I was surprised with a dozen paper roses and an attached note: "To my beautiful wife, thank you for a wonderful year. I know there will be many more to come. I love you."

Did I ever mention how much I love notes, cards, letters? Well if not, I absolutely love them and I look back on them quite often. Our scrapbook is almost full of every little thing I've saved throughout the years. Even the one movie ticket that the hubby accidently washed. I now try to always remember to check my pockets before throwing them in the laundry.

I bought the hubby a book of all the Yankee articles from the New York Times. It's late. So I only had a card and dinner for the hubby. No, I didn't make dinner. I'm not doing all that work on Our anniversary! Our plan for every year is that we are going to have dinner at the place where we had our wedding reception and the owner has agreed to make us the same food that we had on our wedding night. It was amazing. It felt so special. The food was outstanding (we've been eating the leftovers for days!). A bottle of champagne, a candle, and a white table cloth, just made us remember the night like it was yesterday. It feels like time is flying. For 4 years we've shared our life together. They've been the best years of my life.

In the past few months we've gone to Niagara Falls (which is absolutely stunning!).

We've gone to concerts (So sad to see you go Brooks & Dunn).

We've been to two baseball games, the last announcing our first anniversary on the big screen (Yeah Yankees!).

And soon to a Monday night football game in Indy (Go Colts!).

We're having a great time being "Newlyweds." Some people say that the first year is the hardest, I don't know how to explain it, but I feel more connected than ever. When we fight I know that he's never going to leave my side. When I feel lost, I know that no matter what happens in the day to day life, I've got my hubby by my side. Cheesy? Yea, but that's exactly what makes us happy.