The variable and the constant...

Sean and I are like bread and butter. Celery and peanut butter. Ying and Yang. Elton John and Eminem. Things that are pretty different on their own, but work amazingly well together. If Sean were writing this, I'm sure he categorize me as the free-minded, creative thinker. In other words, I'm the variable. He'd label me the sensitive one, and perhaps the motivator. I characterize Sean as the realist (every relationship needs one!) the steady tempered, constant. He might not always have a story to tell or have the wits of Will Ferrell, but when he does have something to say, it's either freaking hilarious or dead-on.

I, on the other, like to talk. He listens, I talk. Elton John and Eminem, people.

This year (October 25th) we celebrated our 8th anniversary in major style. I had NO clue that Sean was spearheading the largest anniversary extravaganza. Another thing to know about Sean: He can't keep secrets. At all. So, to my complete surprise, he managed to pull all of it off without me knowing anything. Each segment of our anniversary weekend had a note to go with it. I was instructed to open the first note at 11:30 on Friday, which told me to go to an address I was unfamiliar with. It ended up being a 30-minute Swedish massage, and a 45 minute pedicure. Um, yes please!!

Sean was able to get out of work early that day, and met up with my mom to drop off the kids, and then we got on the road and smiled the entire ride over to Niagara Falls. Not a sound in the car besides non-kiddish music. Ahhhhhh. We stayed in the Sheraton on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and ate out at a fun, modern restaurant, bought treats to bring back up to the room, and watched probably around 10 episodes of Lost. It was heaven on earth!

This is the view from our room. It was incredible!







After Niagara Falls, we had a few hours before our next unknown destination, so we decided to drive through Niagara-on-the-Lake. We had heard so many great things about this small, yet historical town, and it didn't disappoint at all. It was so pretty!



The weather was a bit gray, which made for an almost monochromatic picture of Lake Ontario.

The second night, we headed over to the Glen Iris Inn at Letchworth State Park. I was so stinkin' excited to be back in this particular area because I was dying to see what it looked like in the fall time. It was beeautiful! Here is the Inn that we dined and stayed at. The food was delicious at the restaurant.



That's my hotty, Sean. :)








Sean looking down from inside the Inn.

We went up to the library at the Inn and played a fun little game with the books. I told Sean to find a book that represents a part of our marraige. This was my book...(and it's even by someone with the last name Neels)

and wouldn't you know, this was Sean's book. Men.

This was the book we picked together, not because anything saucy happened deep in the forest, but because Sean proposed to me "deep in the forest" on the upper hill in Niagara. We were the only two people in this beautiful area, and he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him.



The third part of our trip included antique shopping (he knows how much I love to find interesting pieces for our house!) as well as a GORGEOUS drive up the hills in Canandaigua to a awesome lodge. The restaurant we ate (Bristol Harbor) at is located at the top of one of the hills and it overlooks Canandaigua Lake. The food was delicious, and we took in the last bit of nature before heading to my parents' house to pick up our little hooligans. :)

Happy 8th, Sean!!