Tonight, I surprised you with a trip to Buffalo to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. First, we stopped by our favorite place, the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery. You had no idea what we were doing until we got into the arena and they announced the concert on stage. I hope you enjoyed it and I was so happy to spend another amazing evening on a fun adventure with you!
Category: Adventures
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SWS/PTV Concert
Having to work early the next morning, you traveled 3 hours with me out to Albany to see 3 bands you didn’t even like. We parked next to a church and ate at a local taco place. We drove home late that night having had another awesome adventure together.
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Trip to Skaneateles
We took a spontaneous trip (as we sometimes do) to a small town called Skaneateles just outside of Syracuse. We spent the day shopping and shared several drinks and a tasty meal at the only restaurant in town. We stayed the night in Syracuse and shopped at the mall the next day before coming back home.
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We Moved in Together
After several long weeks of work, I was hesitant at first, but it felt like the next logical step. So, we took the plunge, rearranged the spare room, and starting bringing your things into our new apartment on 1000 Still Moon Crescent at Blueberry Hill.
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Rascall Flatts Concert
We drove to Saratoga Springs to see Rascall Flatts, Sheryl Crow, and Augustana at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. It was my 26th birthday gift to you. We spent the day exploring the city and getting some local BBQ for dinner. Needless to say it was a blast and the concert was one to remember, but we drive 4 hours there and 4 hours back in the same night. We were both very tired but had completed another amazing adventure and explored a new city!
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Wild Dolphins!
We saw wild dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico. Awesome.
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Summer Road Trip
We drove for over 60 hours and 3000 miles during our 9 day adventure with Florida as our most southern destination. On the way down we stopped in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor where we had good shopping, drinks, and a free room! Then we drove the the glorious Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. We eventually arrived in Myrtle Beach, SC where we had a huge and equally gorgeous hotel room right on the beach with good shopping and attractions nearby. The next day we drove to Savannah, GA where you can apparently drink alcohol anywhere you want. We experienced some great shops before getting trapped in a bar during a rainstorm, but it was fine with us because we ordered the best wings ever. Late that night we arrived at my families house in Tampa, FL.
We stayed with my family for 3 full days and explored shopping, restaurants, beaches, rivers, and of course, the ocean. We got to see dolphins up close along with some wild monkeys! The beaches were gorgeous and the shopping was just as good as the quality of the food. Mhhhmmhhhmmm.
On the way back, we hauled it 750 miles (by the way, 645 miles is your limit. After that you get kinda batty) on the first day and were blessed to stay with your friend in Virginia for free as well. On the last day of the trip we stopped to explore the Caverns at Natural Bridge in VA before making the final charge towards the New York border.
Our entire trip could not have gone more smoothly, even though we did have to make some adjustments along the way. Another set of great memories in the books.
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4th of July on Silver Lake
We were blessed to spend 4th of July weekend at our friend Adrienne’s Cabin on Silver Lake in upstate NY. We spent alot of time on the boat and taking photos. We also went to our first drive in movie where my car battery died and then ate delicious smores by the fire!
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Caught in the rain
We got caught in the rain together. On purpose.
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Frisbee Golf
Today, I introduced you to Frisbee (Disc) Golf at Ellison Park. You were surprisingly good. I wasn’t expecting that.
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Trip to New Jersey
This was a big trip. It was Father’s Day and my parents 29th anniversary. It was also the first time I had seen my brother Rob in over a year. It was also the first time you and Rob would meet. We drove for 6 hours Friday night, went to the Jersey shore on Saturday, went to my parents old church on Sunday and had a nice BBQ, but not before my dad and I played catch in the backyard while you and my Mom talked. Monday it was time to drive home and after a good nights rest (3 on the couch for me), we took another 6 hour drive back home. It was a great weekend and we could not have asked for more perfect weather!
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Date Night
Dinosaur BBQ for dinner and drinks. A walk along the Genesee River Trail. A movie at Tinseltown. I love dating you!
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Bike Rides & the Lilac Festival
We took advantage of a gorgeous spring day by going to the Lilac Festival and then taking an 11 mile bike ride. You got the biggest bag of Kettle Corn known to man and worked it off by chasing after trains and sunsets with me. We got lots of ice cream from sprinkles and just enjoyed being together. Later that night we watched “Pompeii”, which was the best movie I’ve ever seen that had no plot or purpose. What a great weekend! I love you so much!
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Adventure in Buffalo
We’re truly a blessed couple. On Easter Sunday, an absolutely perfect day for driving, we decided to just pick a direction and start doing just that, driving.
We drove to Niagara Falls and walked around for a while. You hadn’t been there in years. We grabbed dinner at Friday’s and then drove down to The Waiting Room in downtown Buffalo where we got into a random concert and bar for 1/2 price. Then we ended up with a free hotel room for the night and the next morning we checked out 15 minutes before a free tour of City Hall was taking place without even knowing it.
We toured the Buffalo Zoo on that gorgeous spring day and got free parking at a lot nearby the restaurant we wanted to eat at because the guy felt like being nice. We even got a jolly old tollbooth operator on the way home.
God is so good to us both and it’s so amazing to see Him actively amidst our relationship. We spent a lot of time together this weekend and I love you more now than I did before.
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Matt’s 24th Birthday
You certainly made my 24th birthday one to remember. Everything was a surprise. You came over to my apartment at about 11am on the morning of my birthday. We decided to go out to breakfast, but not before you presented my with a giant bag of presents. You hand-crafted a giant card full of photos of us and a map of places we wanted to see together, not to mention a lovely letter.
We went to the Highland Park diner for breakfast, then you surprised me with a canoe trip. I love canoeing! It was the perfect day for it too. Next, you took me to Casa Larga Vineyards for a wine tasting. We went back to my apartment and passed out on the couch, tired from paddling all morning. Then you took me out for yet another surprise, dinner. We ate at Espada Brazilian Steakhouse where guys walk around with 32 different types of meat and you use a two-sided circle to tell them if you wanted more or not. It was like a buffet of meat that came to you.
We went across the way to Salina’s for drinks before heading home to watch a movie. It was a great day that was just a small part of an amazing birthday weekend together. Thanks baby, I love you!
P.S. You got me balloons. I haven’t gotten balloons on my birthday in years :)
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Exploring Charlotte Beach
We decided to take advantage of one of the warmer days this winter and explore a local beach. It was a fun time, but the beach was gross after a long winter.
There was dirty snow everywhere from the violent winds and water surges. We got a little messy walking around and I balanced on a concrete wall as we walked along the canal path. You had winter boots on, I did not. After fighting our way through the tundra and unplowed parking lot, we headed to a local bar and meet your friend Julie and brother Jeremy for food and drinks before packing it in for the evening. Another successful date.
Did I mention that the sunset was absolutely breathtaking that night?
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Trip to NYC
Before I could even finish asking you if you wanted to go on a roadtrip you had already said yes. You barely knew where we were going, but you loved roadtrips and wanted to be with me. I am very blessed to have such an adventurer on my hands.
It was an awesome trip. We drove to NJ to see my family, then took the NJ Transit line into NYC the next day. I took you to some of my favorite NYC spots such as Top of the Rock and Times Square. We randomly bumped into your sister Rebekah who just happened to be in NYC on the same day. We ate at Virgils, where Rebekah was when we found her. It was BBQ from heaven. We haven’t had anything quite like it since then. Later that day we went to see my friend Kelly perform for her first album release. The next day we wen shopping and out for drinks while hanging out with my parents. We drove home Monday morning so I could bring you to work on time. It was awesome!
I fell a little more in love with you on this trip. I really enjoyed showing you all the cool things I have experienced in NYC over the years. One day was not enough though so I am planning on taking you back there sometime soon.
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Trip to Baltimore
Late Wednesday night you told me that you had the weekend off from work and wanted to get away somewhere. After a little thought, we chose Baltimore.
I was born there, and you had never been. I also had a few friends that lived there, so it made sense. We went to plenty of bars after sharing an amazing dinner and Hard Rock Cafe, got a little tipsy and walked through the Inner Harbor. The next day we went to breakfast with my two friends Emily and Vic at Miss Shirleys (Monkey Bread was amazing). Later we visited the aquarium (you LOVED the aquarium), went to breakfast with my two friends Emily and Vic at Miss Shirley’s (Monkey Bread was amazing), and we did a lot of laughing. This was our first big road trip together and I was happy to find out that we weren’t sick of each other after being in the car with my music for 7 hours.
We only went overnight but the drive was just as nice as Baltimore was and we were very blessed with great driving weather in the middle of a bad winter.
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God only knows what kinds of animals live in there…
While driving through the mountains and woods on our way to Baltimore one weekend, you looked out the window…
Rachel: God only knows what kinds of animals live in there!!
Matt: Actually, I think we have a pretty solid understanding of what animals live in the woods.
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Destination: Nowhere
Sometimes we like to take random drives through Rochester’s beautiful countryside. Or really any countryside for that matter. Driving in the car together with no particular destination is one of our favorite things to do.
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In the Beginning…
I asked you to be my girlfriend tonight. You said “yes”.