So...I'm a little behind. I know. But I have a week to do nothing pretty much between now and my finals and my dad wants me to start getting caught up on everything. ON EVERYTHING. It might take me my whole life to do that haha but I'm doing this for my dad and considering it his birthday present! So here we go all the way back to October 2009.....
One of the reasons I love the U so much more than BYU is that I get a fall break! A whole week off right in the middle of the semester! And I decided I would spend this week to go visit Norman. Shocker I know. Fall semester Norman had an internship with Xerox and was living in Rochester. When I got there the first night Norman took me to this bbq restaurant Sticky Lips that he had been wanting to go to. They had the biggest portion sizes I have ever seen.....Norman managed to eat half of this haha
Gross!! Haha and I got chicken and I think they brought out a whole chicken. Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious but way way way too much!! We went back home and just laid on the couch watching a movie trying to digest all the food. We felt so stinking fat!!! haha
The next day was by far the day I was looking forward to the most!! We were going to Niagra Falls! I was so so so excited!! We woke up bright and early and started making the drive down. Oh and did I mention how beautiful New York is when the leaves are changing colors!
The total trip was a couple of hours and we had fun listening to Jack on the way and enjoying the drive. When we got there, it was beyond beautiful. I'm so glad i got to see it. When you get there, you stand in line to buy a ticket, then you stand in line to take the elevator down to the boat, then you wait in line to get a poncho, then you get in line to get on the boat and finally you're there!! I kept quoting Bruce Almighty the whole time haha I think I was getting on Norman's nerves but I was having fun haha. Oh and you're gonna get soaked. No matter what. So don't even bother trying to look cute like I did. It obviously didn't work haha.
We took a lot of pictures around the Falls so bear with me haha. The funniest part of the whole thing was that three days before we went to Niagra Falls, the Office wedding episode aired and Jim and Pam got married at Niagra Falls! On the same boat we were getting on haha. Don't worry, Norman and I didn't get married but it was so funny!
After we finished exploring on the American side we decided to cross the border. The first time ever I had been outside the U.S. Norman made me drive and deal with border patrol. Those guys are scary and I was so nervous haha. But I survived and we went exploring around the Canadian side of Niagra Falls!
After all our Niagra Falls exploring we decided to go to Toronto! Canada is only different in currency and the metric system. Everything else is exactly the same. Except for the awesome radio commercials filled with awesome Canadian accents the whole time haha. When we got there Norman made me go up into the Toronto CN Tower. We all know how freaked out I was on the Empire State Building. This was worse. The elevators are on the outside with a glass side so you can watch the whole way up. I was terrified and definitely getting on Norman's nerves. It was really amazing though!! The only problem was that is was so cold on the outside deck so we couldn't really enjoy the view from there but oh well.
Then to end our perfectly fun day, what happens? We get swindled! And have to figure out how we're going to be able to pay the tolls to get home! Ugh! First, because we were freezing cold, we thought let's go get hot chocolate. We ordered it but when we went to pay, the guy goes oh we only accept mastercard. So Norman gives him $10 and he gives us our change in Canadian money!!! Ugh! Frustrating. And then...this homeless guy came and started talking to us and I got swindled even more because I felt bad and I gave him all the Canadian money I had. We didn't know what to do but we had to start heading home. We got through the first couple tolls and then we stopped in Buffalo to visit Norman's friend Eric. Eric took us to this restaurant called Duff's that had the greatest buffalo wings I've ever had. We ordered so much too!! I didn't keep up with the boys but I did pretty well haha. Eric's mom was nice enough to trade our Canadian money for American so we could make it home ok and then Eric gave us a tour of his childhood in Buffalo hahaha it was really fun! And we made it home safe and sound!
Monday night we made dinner. We popped open the recipe book I gave Norman for is birthday and picked out two delicious pieces to create! We made a really yummy soup and even yummier sandwich and then we watched Obsessed! It's a pretty good movie that will definitely have you cheering for Beyonce in the end haha.
Tuesday night was not as eventful. After sitting around doing nothing all day while Norman was at work, we went to the mall to go buy outfits for our fancy date we were going on the next night and then we hurried home to watch the biggest loser!!!! It was still a way fun night!
Then it was the night of our fancy date! We got all dressed up and went to this restaurant called Mario's. It looks way nice but when we walked in we were worried we were over dressed haha. Oh well we were looking good. We ate a very delicious dinner and at the end, the owner of the restaurant came to our table and brought me a rose. I was so so so so so happy!!! I couldn't stop grinning! On the drive to the movie theater I was rolling down the window and telling people on the streets about it haha. I'm never going to see any of them again right? Oh man it was great! Then we went and saw the movie Couples Retreat. It was ok. Not as funny as I was hoping for but oh well.
Thursday night Norman and I decided to keep things simple. When he got home for work we went to a park by his house and walked around taking lots of pictures and just goofing off. Then we went home and watched the office and just relaxed. On the ride home though I got a picture message from my dad. My phone broke so I can't show you it, but it was a picture of Delaney in a hospital bed with a sheet pulled over her and her arm hanging out. All it said underneath was your sister. So I call mad at my dad because that's messed up and he told me that Delaney had dislocated her knee. AGAIN!!!! Hahaha poor Bill! and she was so loopy on the pain killers. I won't show you the pictures my dad took of her because she would kill me but they were pretty hysterical. She was running on a hill when it popped out of place and was rushed to the hospital. But she's recovered wonderfully and her knee is doing great.
Friday night I dragged Norman to Palmyra haha. We drove out there but we got lost along the way. By the time we got there it was dark and late and nothing was really open. We were able to walk around the temple grounds though which is cool. The Palmyra Temple is really cool though. It's got a window that faces out toward the Sacred Grove and Norman felt pretty cool being able to look inside the temple haha. Then we went to a corn maze and wondered around aimlessly. We slightly cheated and had someone tell us how to get out but I'm sure we could've done it ourselves haha.
My last day there we debated about what to do forever but we finally decided we would go to Letchworth. It's a national park in New York filled with gorges and trees and we figured this time of year it would be beautiful with all the leaves changing colors! Too bad it was overcast or raining the whole time but it was still beautiful and a lot of fun!!
After the beautiful park we hit up the bowling alley where I kicked Norman's butt!! That's my score on the top! I'm pretty much awesome haha.
And that was it! My first fall break! I had a blast! It was so so much fun and I got to see and experience things I definitely never thought I would. And I'm one step closer to finishing my dad's birthday present haha.
Presents weren't too exciting because with the ridiculous holiday season we all just decided to tell my dad what we wanted rather than him trying to figure it out himself. We went and saw Avatar and it was much better than I expected. To be honest I really did not want to go see it at all but I'm glad we all did. And other than a whole lot of eating that was our Christmas!
On his way home, his friend Miranda received a phone call from her parents telling her that their neighbors were very upset with something Josh's friend Cole had done. Cole, I'm sure acting on an impulsive decision, had decided to use the restroom before they left Miranda's house for temple square. Except the restroom he used was the street, right in front of Miranda's neighbors' home. Needless to say, the lady that lived in the house was quite upset, but apparently she had recorded Cole in the act which is weird and kinda gross. When she told her husband what had occurred, he started to lose his mind. Miranda's parents called to warn them this guy was furious.
The total trip was a couple of hours and we had fun listening to Jack on the way and enjoying the drive. When we got there, it was beyond beautiful. I'm so glad i got to see it. When you get there, you stand in line to buy a ticket, then you stand in line to take the elevator down to the boat, then you wait in line to get a poncho, then you get in line to get on the boat and finally you're there!! I kept quoting Bruce Almighty the whole time haha I think I was getting on Norman's nerves but I was having fun haha. Oh and you're gonna get soaked. No matter what. So don't even bother trying to look cute like I did. It obviously didn't work haha.
We took a lot of pictures around the Falls so bear with me haha. The funniest part of the whole thing was that three days before we went to Niagra Falls, the Office wedding episode aired and Jim and Pam got married at Niagra Falls! On the same boat we were getting on haha. Don't worry, Norman and I didn't get married but it was so funny!
After we finished exploring on the American side we decided to cross the border. The first time ever I had been outside the U.S. Norman made me drive and deal with border patrol. Those guys are scary and I was so nervous haha. But I survived and we went exploring around the Canadian side of Niagra Falls!
After all our Niagra Falls exploring we decided to go to Toronto! Canada is only different in currency and the metric system. Everything else is exactly the same. Except for the awesome radio commercials filled with awesome Canadian accents the whole time haha. When we got there Norman made me go up into the Toronto CN Tower. We all know how freaked out I was on the Empire State Building. This was worse. The elevators are on the outside with a glass side so you can watch the whole way up. I was terrified and definitely getting on Norman's nerves. It was really amazing though!! The only problem was that is was so cold on the outside deck so we couldn't really enjoy the view from there but oh well.
Then to end our perfectly fun day, what happens? We get swindled! And have to figure out how we're going to be able to pay the tolls to get home! Ugh! First, because we were freezing cold, we thought let's go get hot chocolate. We ordered it but when we went to pay, the guy goes oh we only accept mastercard. So Norman gives him $10 and he gives us our change in Canadian money!!! Ugh! Frustrating. And then...this homeless guy came and started talking to us and I got swindled even more because I felt bad and I gave him all the Canadian money I had. We didn't know what to do but we had to start heading home. We got through the first couple tolls and then we stopped in Buffalo to visit Norman's friend Eric. Eric took us to this restaurant called Duff's that had the greatest buffalo wings I've ever had. We ordered so much too!! I didn't keep up with the boys but I did pretty well haha. Eric's mom was nice enough to trade our Canadian money for American so we could make it home ok and then Eric gave us a tour of his childhood in Buffalo hahaha it was really fun! And we made it home safe and sound!
Tuesday night was not as eventful. After sitting around doing nothing all day while Norman was at work, we went to the mall to go buy outfits for our fancy date we were going on the next night and then we hurried home to watch the biggest loser!!!! It was still a way fun night!
Thursday night Norman and I decided to keep things simple. When he got home for work we went to a park by his house and walked around taking lots of pictures and just goofing off. Then we went home and watched the office and just relaxed. On the ride home though I got a picture message from my dad. My phone broke so I can't show you it, but it was a picture of Delaney in a hospital bed with a sheet pulled over her and her arm hanging out. All it said underneath was your sister. So I call mad at my dad because that's messed up and he told me that Delaney had dislocated her knee. AGAIN!!!! Hahaha poor Bill! and she was so loopy on the pain killers. I won't show you the pictures my dad took of her because she would kill me but they were pretty hysterical. She was running on a hill when it popped out of place and was rushed to the hospital. But she's recovered wonderfully and her knee is doing great.
Friday night I dragged Norman to Palmyra haha. We drove out there but we got lost along the way. By the time we got there it was dark and late and nothing was really open. We were able to walk around the temple grounds though which is cool. The Palmyra Temple is really cool though. It's got a window that faces out toward the Sacred Grove and Norman felt pretty cool being able to look inside the temple haha. Then we went to a corn maze and wondered around aimlessly. We slightly cheated and had someone tell us how to get out but I'm sure we could've done it ourselves haha.
My last day there we debated about what to do forever but we finally decided we would go to Letchworth. It's a national park in New York filled with gorges and trees and we figured this time of year it would be beautiful with all the leaves changing colors! Too bad it was overcast or raining the whole time but it was still beautiful and a lot of fun!!
After the beautiful park we hit up the bowling alley where I kicked Norman's butt!! That's my score on the top! I'm pretty much awesome haha. 
And that was it! My first fall break! I had a blast! It was so so much fun and I got to see and experience things I definitely never thought I would. And I'm one step closer to finishing my dad's birthday present haha.
