Holidays with BwaLL

My boyfriend makes my heart go, (in the oh so eloquent words of Nicki Minaj), "Boom Badoom Boom, Boom Badoom Boom Boom" 

BwaLL and I have officially been dating for four and half months, but have known each other for almost a year. I have always been the first one in the room to show my disdain and "blahhhhh" demeanor when it comes to praising and going on and on about one's significant other which is why I haven't really made too much of a fuss over my relationship (even if I DO feel like shouting from the rooftops about how much I adore him!) With that said, BwaLL deserves all the praise and adoration in the world. He is the most kind, patient, and genuine man I have ever met. When we have an issue, we are always able to work it out. Our relationship is based on communication and honesty (even blunt honesty, though it is often hard to give and receive).

We just recently had a very eventful and productive weekend together (which is unusual since most of our weekends are very laid back and usually spent indoors).

BwaLL met up with me in Niagara Falls (Ontario-side) on Thursday night and we hit up Margaritaville for a late dinner. I suggested it because I remembered the Margaritaville in Las Vegas had great food and drinks; however, when we were seated in side, I remembered how LOUD the restaurant was. We were also seated in front of the stage where a Jimmy Buffet impersonator was performing, so we asked to be moved to the patio. I ordered the Cheeseburger In Paradise (just like Vegas) and it didn't disappoint!

The next morning we checked out of the hotel at noon and had LOTS of time to kill before the fireworks at 10pm started down near the falls. BwaLL suggested I wear sneakers, but being the stubborn person I am, I persisted that "you can't wear sneakers with a jean skirt! YOU JUST CAN'T!" It wasn't long before I was in pain and started to get grumpy, but poor BwaLL put up with me like a champ. We ate dinner at Boston Pizza and set up our blanket on the hill and played cards until the fireworks show began. What a show it was! Unfortunately, the traffic heading away from Clifton Hill was ridiculous and we spent a few hours in Brian's van before we could make our way out of the parking lot to head to his place for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday we decided to trek out to Stonybrook State Park in Dansville, NY for some sightseeing. A mutual online friend had told us about the waterfalls and we thought it would be a great idea and even made sure to ask if there would be intense hiking involved. She advised that it wasn't too bad, but she recommended not wearing sandals and it was slippery in areas. We left the house with a backpack full of water and granola bars and good running shoes! We started out along the Gorge Trail which led us into the stony trail full of beautiful waterfalls and babbling brooks. It was about a mile worth of walking and seemed fairly easy (give or take a few inclined step pathways).

 When we got to the top, instead of turning around and heading back along the same trail, we decided to take the East Rim Trail. When the rocky inclines started, we considered turning back and heading back through the gorge, but instead kept going forward. We were then too far too turn back and found ourselves at elevations we did NOT expect and trying to hike some serious inclines and steep rocky slopes we also did NOT expect. We finally neared the end after 2.5 hours since starting our exploration. After reading about the trails in Stonybrook I found out that the East Rim Trail has a moderate - difficult rating (definitely difficult for two non-hikers, lol) and is 1.25 miles long with elevations up to 400ft.

By the time we were done, we were so exhausted and hot we just wanted to get into the air conditioned car and find food. We had dinner at Uno's in Rochester, NY and it was delicious (free entreé from what we assume was our waiter's mistaken order from another table).

Sunday we drove to Fly Creek, NY to visit BwaLL's sister and fianceé and BwaLL's parents who were visiting from Connecticut. We all drove to Cooperstown, NY for a late lunch at a Lakeside Hotel restaurant where I had the most delicious grilled cheese sandwich (which I think they made with mozzarella cheese?) Om nom nom. We walked around the town and browsed different baseball memorabilia boutiques and then finally went to see the beach (which was beautiful). We had a fantastic visit and then headed home for the night. During the 2 hour and 45 minute drive back to Rochester, we randomly stopped at Tony's Pizzeria to use the restroom, and ended up buying a slice of cheese pizza for the rest of the ride home and it was SOOOOOOOOOOO delicious. Our drive home was full of fireworks for the 4th.

Unfortunately I had to leave the next day, but the weekend was great. Definitely memorable and jam-packed full of fun and adventure! Thank you for an amazing weekend, tiger ♥