Day 1 August 10, 2011

Our first day in New York was wonderful. Jason first took me to a place he volunteered as a missionary. In Down Town Buffalo, there is a place called the Ronald McDonald House where families are able to stay while their loved ones are in the hospital. It is here that they are able to spend time with sick family members at an affordable price, and where Jason helped clean and do things for the people who stayed.

Our next stop was Elwood… It’s a pretty well know strip that people like to walk down. We randomly spotted some dancing statutes and decided to join in. Then we went on the great adventure of walking through shops and trying desperately to find a public bathroom. In New York, public bathrooms aren’t very common because of the homeless people who have taken advantage of them. Luckily a coffee shop and one, and we were on our way again. 

Buffalo has a really neat history, and so we decided to visit the city hall. The city hall is the tallest building in the city and has an amazing view for an observation deck. Although the heights scared me a bit, it was really neat to see all the buildings, streets, and little ant people from so high. It was neat to see Lake Erie and how crazy it is to know that it’s not the ocean, it’s just a lake…

May favorite part of the day was when we made our way to the great Niagara Falls. After entering the gift and information center, a very convincing sales man tried to sale us an exciting adventure on a tour all around the park. With very little pennies in our pocket, we decided to decline and head over to Maid of the Mist. Riding a boat straight into an enormous waterfall is pretty exciting. We were given awesome ponchos to keep us somewhat dry. They really came in handy after the ride when we were able to hike up the side of the falls :)

Driving in our brand new 2011 Chevy Aveo was amazing!! Who knew I’d actually be able to even sit in a 2011 car! Our drive to Cattaraugus was very enjoyable, and it is there that I met the Campbells. Brother and Sister Campbell are two people who have left an impression on me that I will always remember. They loved Jason and it was neat to be able to listen to all of their stories back when he was a missionary. It was really neat for Jason to hear about their adventures since then, and what had become of all 12 of their children. I really enjoyed visiting with them and being swept back in time to a place that helped Jason become a part of the extraordinary man that he is today.