Honeymoon pt. 2: Lions, and Otters, and Polar Bears. Oh My!

I'm feeling a little better today. Just pretty lethargic. And, oddly, my abdominal and back muscles are really stinkin' sore! I guess my throwing up episodes were pretty intense...

ANYWAYS, moving on to more delightful things...

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After seeing the finery of Boldt Castle and the splendor of Niagara Falls (I know I'm so poetic), we headed south to Buffalo, NY to do a little shopping and go to the zoo. Of course. Because naturally, if there is a zoo nearby, this lady is stopping in to check it out --and buy all the stuffed animals in the gift shop and a zebra head ice cream bar. Just saying..

The weird (but amazing!) thing was that instead of the usual craning-your-head-and-peering-through-foliage-to-get-a-glimpse-of-a-tiger's-tail routine one has to use while at a zoo, all the animals here were easy to spot. I loved that! And I wanted to pet and cuddle and snuggle them all. But, alas, the damned bars are always in the way. However, I did stick my finger in most of the more non-threatening animal's cages and croon to them to come closer. It didn't work.

What do you think of this GINORMOUS beaver? Okay, so it's not a beaver. I have no idea what it is but I felt sad for him. He seemed lonely. And extremely upset that I was taking his picture. He is definitely giving me the evil eye here...

The polar bears cracked me up. They were floating on their backs in the pool until they had a bit of an audience. Then they came right out to strike a pose for the cameras.

 Profile shot.

Mufasa was simply chilling. Completely unamused. Seriously, have you ever seen the lions at the zoo this close before??

And my FAVORITE animal was this cute little otter trying to take a nap in the log. I truly wanted to take him home. I loved him. Am I being too weird for you guys today?? I blame it on my recent illness.

Thankfully, Steven was well aquatinted with my love  obsession for animals before we made our first zoo visit together. If not, he may have wanted to annul our marriage after this. My excitement tends to reach a level of hysteria when confronted with cute, furry creatures. Hence my obsession for Huckleberry, which you all are very well aware of :)

Hope you have a happy Tuesday, friends! 

Honeymoon: Niagara Falls

Instead of doing the typical honeymoon in a warm, tourist-y destination, we opted for staying in upstate New York and seeing the sights it had to offer. Because a) this was Steven's first time to N.Y. and there truly are a lot of neat places to go, b) this is technically our "busy season" at work so we wanted to needed to come back from our honeymoon a little early to recoup and prepare for the intense work load ahead, c) funds are skimpy at the moment due to wedding expenses, and d) we wanted to be able to take a second honeymoon in the near future; hence, we are calling this trip our mini-moon and we hope to take a MEGA-moon this winter. 

Sorry for the list. For some reason I felt it was necessary to defend our little honeymoon. Not sure why. Moving on...

Of course, being in NY we had to and I mean HAD TO go see Niagara Falls. Really, when one of the seven wonders of the world is only a three hour drive away how could you not go? I've been to Niagara Falls once before, but I was young so this time was just as, if not more so, exhilarating than the previous visit. 

Ready for a photo dump? My camera could not even come close to capturing how amazing the Falls is, but we tried.

At first, while walking along the water you can hardly see that there's a huge waterfall ahead. It just looks like the water continues all the way to those buildings (which are in Canada).

 And then BAM!

The waterfall to the left in the photo is the American Falls. You can begin to see the Canadian Falls (called Horseshoe Falls) though in this picture as well. Can I just say, the Americans got gypped on the Falls. Horseshoe Falls is MASSIVE! Just as a reference consider this, the water cascading down the American Falls hits the base of the Falls with 280 tons of force compared to the Canadian Falls hitting the base with 2,509 tons of force!

The Maid of the Mist is a boat ride that goes right underneath Horseshoe Falls. It really is an incredible experience. It's so beautiful you want to keep your eyes open the entire time but it's impossible! You come out completely drenched! It feels as if you've been transported into the frightening scenes of that movie The Perfect Storm with George Clooney. Remember that?? Okay, maybe not quite like that. But close.

Riding the Maid of the Mist was probably my favorite outing for the honeymoon. I am so glad Steven and I were able to experience it together! Actually, not just the Falls, but the entire Niagara Falls State Park area is beautiful. We spent two days exploring all the region had to offer before heading a little more South to check out Buffalo, NY. 

More on our honeymoon adventures to come! But if you are interested in checking out more amazing facts on Niagara Falls check out this website! 

Boldt Castle

Choosing to get married in New York meant every single one of my bridesmaids would be visiting a part of the country they've never seen before. Upstate New York is beautiful, and I really wanted my girls to see as much of that beauty as they could in the short time they were there. 

On the top of my list of places I wanted to take them was Boldt Castle in the 1000 Islands. Originally called Hart Island, George Boldt purchased this island out of the 1,864 islands in the 1000 Island region   for his wife. His goal: build a 6 story, 120 room castle complete with a drawbridge, dove cote, yacht house, and playhouse for his two children, all as a display of love to his wife, Louise. 

He changed the name of the island from Hart Island to Heart Island and spared no expense as construction began. Beautiful white and pink marble, an elaborate stained glass dome, millions of hearts etched in stone, and extensive Italian inspired gardens throughout the grounds are just snippets of the grandeur this castle possesses. 

Aerial view via

Sadly, one year before the castle was scheduled to be complete, Louise died. George sent a telegram to the men working on the island simply stating that his wife has died and to stop all construction. It is said that George never stepped foot on the island again, leaving this display of love for his wife untouched for 73 years. 

Now this piece of history has been restored to it's original state and opened up to the public for viewing. Stepping foot on this island is like walking into the pages of a fairytale. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't know any man who has built a castle for his wife. This just doesn't happen everyday, ladies! While walking though the castle, one feels as if he or she is caught in a romantic haze. The elaborate majesty and delicate detail is breathtaking, and then, coupled with the thought of such a romantic gesture, one leaves feeling dizzy; intoxicated by the rarity and depth of this man's love.

This coral room is my favorite one. Thought to be his daughter Clover's reception room.

As you move higher into the castle more of the rooms are left incomplete.

Truly, every time I've been to Boldt Castle has been completely worth it. The beauty is simply immeasurable and the story behind it is more touching every time it's told. 

Needless to say, me and my girls has a great time! Actually, I had such an amazing time I made Steven tour the castle a few days later while on our honeymoon! I hope you all enjoyed the little history lesson! But seriously, if you are ever in the area, I think Boldt Castle is well worth the visit! :)

Happy Day, Friends!