Buffalo, NY

I have not had internet in like FOUR DAYS!! Shoot me! I was able to check my email and Facebook from houses I was babysitting at, but not able to post any blogs with photos until it was fixed. It's really sad how much I am online, as I have discovered by not having it all weekend!

Last week I decided to go see my friend Beth in Buffalo for a few days. I was supposed to be in Tahoe with Darrel for a wedding, and I just really wanted to get out and go somewhere, rather than sit home. I met Beth the second year of tour, and just love her. She is not around often- her boyfriend lives in Portland, and she works on cruise ships. But, she just happened to be three hours away last week, house sitting for her aunt.

There is a bit of irony that goes along with my planned Buffalo trip. My dad was up at our house in Ontario last week, and had forgotten his passport at home. It's a long story, but he realized it once he had already gotten in. As of June 1st, you have to have your passport to get home. What are the chances that I was going to be on the border of Canada, on the same day that my Dad needed his passport (Thursday).

This was the perfect excuse for Beth and I to take a short little trip into Canada to meet up with him for lunch. I have done the Falls before- totally a tourist trap. So we decided to go to Niagara on the Lake instead. It's a bit further, but so much nicer. Just a quaint little wine town with shops and restaurants and bakeries and parks. It was really nice to just walk around and enjoy it for a few hours. And make sure that my Dad could get back into his own country!

After our afternoon at Niagara on the Lake, we hit up the Buffalo mall. I never would have thought that Buffalo would have such a killer mall, but they did! I guess people come down from Canada to shop there, which makes sense. I hit Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters, and got some of the most unbelievable deals of my life. Literally, shirts at Urban that were $48, for $5.

Beth and I just hung out for those few days, made dinner in, played games, and chatted. It was exactly what I needed, and I thank her for putting me up at her aunt's house and being such a great friend!!