Mini Vacation!

The last few years I have worked pretty much EVERY holiday. This year, Hubby and I went to Niagara Falls with my bff and her family (hubby and 3yo son) It took us about 10 hours to get there. We just HAD to stop at cracker barrel! And we enjoyed it! And they told me that the way they get the pancakes to have that nice crunch around the edge is to melt butter in the skillet, I've been using non stick pans or non stick spray trying to be healthier around here. And since we only eat pancakes on our Saturday Cheat day, I'm gonna try it next weekend and see if it works for me!

Back to Niagara Falls - The drive was great. We forgot to unset the GPS function that avoids tolls so we took the seriously scenic route. I had no idea how many dairy farms there were in New York. We went through some of the cutest quaintest little towns. It was really nice. We had some quality time talking and he had me read a few pages of my book to him (fifty shades darker) He likes hearing me talk (love me some him) Anyways, after a few pages he said the book appears to have been written by a teenage girl who occasionally throws in some vocab words to sound smart. He made a good point. Its not the most well written but I'm now interested in the story. Can hardly wait for book 3 - not sure I want to download to my e-reader... We'll see.

He drove the first 4 hours and I did the 2nd half of the trip and it was all good until we got close to the border. I have a tiny fear of driving over bridges over water - I don't care who is driving, I fear the worst, my first thought was I wish hubs knew how to swim. Something we need to rectify this summer! We stayed at a Best Western a few blocks away from the Falls! It was interesting. The room was fairly big, 2 queens and a sitting area. Only 6 floors so we had a spectacular view of Margaritaville across the street :-) And the walls were covered in carpet! Weird but good. We couldn't hear anything once the door was closed. And the beds were comfy. Had dinner at at the restaurant in the Embassy Suites - The Keg. I can not say enough good things about it. From the hostess welcoming us and the little one like family (she talked to him for a couple of minutes and then carried him to the table! He doesn't usually let strangers touch him let alone carry him!) Service was great. I had an 8 oz steak - medium well (normally I'm a no pink girl but I figured a nice steak place I should give it a shot) It was incredible.The mashed potatoes and asparagus perfectly cooked. Bff had prime rib - again perfectly cooked wonderful flavor and the husbands had steak and shrimp. We all loved our food. And the view of the Falls was beyond incredible. Even better, we were able to watch the fireworks show from our table. Which was perfect because their son gets a bit scared with the noise of the fireworks. It was expensive (dinner and drinks for two plus tip was around $110.) But it was truly worth every cent! And one day when we return, we hope its just as good because we will be back! Then on Saturday we had Breakfast at the Ihop at the Four Points Sheraton. I wish I could say it was great. But it wasn't. Obviously we knew Canada would be a bit more expensive than the states but it was easily 3 or 4 dollars more and they served powdered eggs (yuck). When I asked the waitress she said "well I think they're real eggs"... There is no way those came from anything other than a box that said just add water... Oh well, live and learn. There was a buffet one street over that was $6.99 and we ate there before we left on Sunday and it was delicious. Back to Saturday - We walked to the Falls after breakfast and took the Maid of the Mist voyage! It was so great! It was about $20 each and we got to see both the American and Canadian falls close up. It was a quick tour - 15 min and I can't wait till we take our kids one day! The amazing things God created. Sad though how much of it we manage to screw up.... And after our tour, we walked through Clifton Hill which is just tourist city! Stopped at Dave and Busters for a light meal and drinks. We all had a Candy Shop cocktail. It was very refreshing after spending the morning walking around and at the Falls. The food was what I expect from D&B (not much). And then we walked some more, and some more and some more! Finally headed back to the hotel and napped. And then back out to Clifton Hill for dinner. Stopped at Boston Pizza - it was a wonderful location, wish I could say the food was as good as the location. And then more walking :-) And then breakfast on Sunday, was great and we headed home! But not before making a stop at Chocolate World! HEAVEN! The tour is free (parking free for 3 hours) and ends with some free candy! In addition to that, we picked up 3 delicious large cookies and two milkshakes - one chocolate and one choc pb! I truly believe this place is Heaven on earth! Next time we go we'll check out the theme park as well. No time or $$ left in the vacation budget. Besides that, it was about to begin raining as we were leaving. And of course this was during my turn to drive! (yep I hate driving in the rain as well - If I could hire a driver I would :-)
And that in a nutshell was our vacation. I loved every bit of it. And today we had the pleasure of attending a surprise party for a friend. It was a BBQ, and their AC went out a few days ago. And yet we had a wonderful time! When you're with great people even not so good situations can be fun! They had fans and food and good conversation and we played spades and talked. Girls inside and the guys outside. Always a good time with them. Hopefully I can get some pictures up soon...

XOXO