The Ring

Back in 2009, Joel and I took our first vacation to Niagara Falls, ON. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyeQJErGQEzlr-fjlGrXq3Ly2CNOeNyav1ig96FCMh0W2mG-aGuUnQIoDW47MOwpQMIYK2BiV030TpxbUQ7_PCzkmjsNz-aEuDLOs95VzXRDnfib7SRjsmjSZM0Hj4x6BTVSTstRwa98/s1600/niagara1+080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyeQJErGQEzlr-fjlGrXq3Ly2CNOeNyav1ig96FCMh0W2mG-aGuUnQIoDW47MOwpQMIYK2BiV030TpxbUQ7_PCzkmjsNz-aEuDLOs95VzXRDnfib7SRjsmjSZM0Hj4x6BTVSTstRwa98/s400/niagara1+080.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Canadian Falls (aka "Horseshoe Falls")</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yrptMFMjrbsoMRgDhOn4CntvC07teU1ncmNYmDtBHuxO1VRh03J0etwgq0-Cz6E94_VXj48TRuwXDm3amGKsRHaV0vTztb1MCvYKcV772AIn7xtmG2AK2hTGI04k2cGGO6SEzSXivnI/s1600/niagara1+079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yrptMFMjrbsoMRgDhOn4CntvC07teU1ncmNYmDtBHuxO1VRh03J0etwgq0-Cz6E94_VXj48TRuwXDm3amGKsRHaV0vTztb1MCvYKcV772AIn7xtmG2AK2hTGI04k2cGGO6SEzSXivnI/s400/niagara1+079.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Falls</td></tr></tbody></table>Have you ever been there?  I LOVED it! <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenFOOfI4xFCY2ht8_mXoYwltIM3j12kJMarvL49caVAFeWP5gv_5Dtqb1puD-Ex94OjTL4EkIoXgAJ7hiy6DdLcDjeKRmSwRRhIUfkE975WLPGvH4JeUrE9TAIIWo_IuiCZPaWBH_47U/s1600/niagara1+070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenFOOfI4xFCY2ht8_mXoYwltIM3j12kJMarvL49caVAFeWP5gv_5Dtqb1puD-Ex94OjTL4EkIoXgAJ7hiy6DdLcDjeKRmSwRRhIUfkE975WLPGvH4JeUrE9TAIIWo_IuiCZPaWBH_47U/s400/niagara1+070.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maid of the Mist</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Canada was a lot like Pennsylvania (what I deem "The Motherland").  It had mild summer temperatures (we were there in mid-July) and the people were sooooo incredibly nice.  Even just outside the huge tourist attraction that are the great and glorious Falls, sprawling farmland was abundant, including many-a-vineyard :). <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDW1kigQBuf2p0QnXblKX8y4bnNTsDWy4qPw2hv1MlWFpl41xc0yLL5T5PZD4h4FywBzMYX987ve5KUOaHmdzMG4JfWDNcsK-7iZ-YAm09yylpI_19UoVXbohVzdTCUnWx0kjZS-ilzk/s1600/Hilary%2527s+Canada+Pics+143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDW1kigQBuf2p0QnXblKX8y4bnNTsDWy4qPw2hv1MlWFpl41xc0yLL5T5PZD4h4FywBzMYX987ve5KUOaHmdzMG4JfWDNcsK-7iZ-YAm09yylpI_19UoVXbohVzdTCUnWx0kjZS-ilzk/s400/Hilary%2527s+Canada+Pics+143.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />This was all a welcome change compared to what we're used to here in our nation's capital.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vyQ3-izbLOSub4ySEJoOmPmelLK8Wfo-oXN0KxXJlAOgZx6wqcmUOi-yPVH_g0pEPX5Qbb-u5lKv9qiIs_CyoPyIYL5jebsPLeci1VbQivtaq9ihrOzckx5qsS6VRvnjbzWI-xAqL48/s1600/Hilary%2527s+Canada+Pics+099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vyQ3-izbLOSub4ySEJoOmPmelLK8Wfo-oXN0KxXJlAOgZx6wqcmUOi-yPVH_g0pEPX5Qbb-u5lKv9qiIs_CyoPyIYL5jebsPLeci1VbQivtaq9ihrOzckx5qsS6VRvnjbzWI-xAqL48/s400/Hilary%2527s+Canada+Pics+099.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />I took full advantage of <a href="http://www.frommers.com/store/9781118100264.html">Frommer's guide to Niagara Falls</a> (just like with <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/07/hey-yall.html">Savannah</a>) and we hit up as many places on the Niagara escarpment as possible. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDva502bp8lkucQeb5g_E9N8tKua2FCdqmuie709S-B4h68F9bwtxoAY4E2mvyrCbgvP4jzGvmyQUKMoP1XaIySLq0h_2t3GBspPvAyWEH1zGAsBMee34qr5tMiB4Kcw-aBjow0_Q6cE/s1600/Hilary%2527s+Canada+Pics+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDva502bp8lkucQeb5g_E9N8tKua2FCdqmuie709S-B4h68F9bwtxoAY4E2mvyrCbgvP4jzGvmyQUKMoP1XaIySLq0h_2t3GBspPvAyWEH1zGAsBMee34qr5tMiB4Kcw-aBjow0_Q6cE/s400/Hilary%2527s+Canada+Pics+003.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamp posts in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON</td></tr></tbody></table>One place we ventured to was St. Catharines, which had a Made in Canada store.  I like to buy locally when on travel - please do not give me anything that says Canada on the front but says "Made in China" on the bottom.  The store had a jewelry section complete with diamond jewelry (<a href="http://www.fifthavenuejewellers.com/ice925.html">ICE 925</a> was the company/brand) that originated from the northern parts of Canada.  Well, an avid lover of jewelery, I LOVED this concept, and I immediately said to Joel, "If we ever get married some day, I want my ring to come from Canada."<br /><br />And that's just what he did :).<br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV_qWMblq_CNIe5Nu91fJ9woQIzVCOrkj-XMwPe5F70DlStQ2NWIpxBY0aInowr1GHQwkqOHJcakG-e-oh4GGmYLDatXaSQxg04LuDkIDesqjTMLBF5-wLyggGjtnApS711_-2lsRUjc/s1600/engagement+ring+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV_qWMblq_CNIe5Nu91fJ9woQIzVCOrkj-XMwPe5F70DlStQ2NWIpxBY0aInowr1GHQwkqOHJcakG-e-oh4GGmYLDatXaSQxg04LuDkIDesqjTMLBF5-wLyggGjtnApS711_-2lsRUjc/s400/engagement+ring+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCamFbFacy0hT1Zdre7MjkGJZOZycg3XiS5zncLR0pDNV7RtUdPMsW2WKh2a2smzrtdR7sj_JH614dg9YXTpqoF-nQc0mVn8_15hhwGXrA8ZUiRfphsLrQBA8OmxH9ZqvXxV-dmgCKPs/s1600/ring+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCamFbFacy0hT1Zdre7MjkGJZOZycg3XiS5zncLR0pDNV7RtUdPMsW2WKh2a2smzrtdR7sj_JH614dg9YXTpqoF-nQc0mVn8_15hhwGXrA8ZUiRfphsLrQBA8OmxH9ZqvXxV-dmgCKPs/s400/ring+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>It's hard to determine from the pictures above, but the ring is actually pink gold.  I love pink, and I love gold and this marks the second pink gold ring Joel has bought me - the first one being a diamond band I received for Christmas a few years ago.  <br /><br />I love this ring more and more each day, and I'm so happy and honored to be wearing this beauty for the rest of my life!

wedding The Ring

Back in 2009, Joel and I took our first vacation to Niagara Falls, ON.  The Canadian Falls (aka "Horseshoe Falls") American Falls ...

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