Fairport!

Rochester has been not only fun, but BUSY! It has been a great week jam-packed with activities that have definitely kept us very active.  We sold John’s car on Craigslist, went through John’s old room and sorted through lots of memories, garbage, and old clothes, and have been spending lots of time with family and friends before saying our goodbyes and heading out on the next leg of our journey.

Unfortunately, I have still been recovering from my untimely case of the flu, and on Wednesday wasn’t up for going out, but John met up with his friends Bryce and Dan for some drinks and a few rounds of darts in the village of Fairport.  He had a really great time (and I was bummed to miss out)!

Friday was a gorgeous day in Fairport, so John and I went for a really long walk along the canal and experimented a bit with our new camera.  We were able to take some awesome pictures (as you can see for yourselves). 

Friday night we had a happy hour at Mulconry’s Irish Pub in Fairport.  Once again, we felt so loved, as so many of our friends showed up to celebrate with us and give us a proper send-off.  We had a blast and of course the night wasn’t complete until we had garbage plates at 3:30 AM – a true Rochester tradition!

Today, John and I went to The Book of Mormon, which was absolutely AMAZING!  If any of you are able to get tickets to the show, which is coming to Buffalo in June, start saving now and GO!  It was great!!  Way better than I thought it was going to be – the creators of South Park, who are the writers of the play, are genius.  The show couldn’t have been any better!  After the show, John and I had a great dinner at a really delicious restaurant in Fairport called Bocacini’s – I had the vodka penne and John had spaghetti and meatballs – Yum! 

We are both sad that tomorrow is our last day in Fairport, but John’s family is having a family party tomorrow to celebrate St. Patty’s and I’m already getting excited for John’s mom’s amazing cooking – I’m sure her corned beef will exceed my expectations!  I am also getting excited to see my friends and family in NJ – and I can’t wait to see Boots!! 

End of an Era

Our "Dressers" once we sold our bedroom furniture

So today was the big day - MOVING DAY!  Our months of prep came down to the wire today as we packed up the car, and let me tell you - it is PACKED!  To the gills!  Every little bit of Margarita, (yes, that would be my beautiful car's name), including her door storage areas are stuffed with our belongings.  For all of you that made fun of me for selling everything we owned on Craigslist and Ebay prior to today, it was all worth it to avoid some of the stress that went along with trying to pack that car!  Even with all that selling, John and I had to pick up a huge box at Lowes to fit the last of our things that wouldn't fit into the car for John's parents to ship to us once we're out there.

The Living Room During the Pack

Even though it was always frigid, I have so many memories of going out in Melissa-dresses (those of you that know me well know what those were), falling down my icy steps every single winter and limping around with a bruised tailbone for weeks after, traveling through Canisius' tunnels strategically, even to and from our friends houses to avoid the outdoors, and playing in the snow creating radio contest sculptures for a chance to meet Enrique in Miami (haha remember that Erin?).  Aside from my many memories made in the cold, there were even more made in the times that it was warm - quad party, yard bed, backyard bbq's, the "beach" (I will never fully consider Mickey Rat's a beach), and so many countless others.

Vacuuming all of our clothes so they'd fit in the Car

If you had asked me at age 16 where I would end up going to college and living afterwards, I would have never in my right mind said Buffalo (did I even know where it was or what the weather was like back then?)  But now looking back, I couldn't be happier with where life has taken me up to this point.  Buffalo was an amazing chapter of my life and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Thank you to all my fellow Buffalonians for making it a great time.  The frigid city will always have a special place in my heart - and if the Bills ever make it to the Super Bowl, I will for sure be back!  

Here are some more pictures of our packing:

The Kitchen Table this Morning as we Packed the Car

Very Full Back Seat

It may not look too full, but that trunk is PACKED!

Goodbye House!

Our Last Taste Of Buffalo

As our final departure date approached, John and I decided to get some signature Buffalo food before leaving.  We had always wanted to try out Left Bank but had trouble getting a reservation in the past (no surprise there, the food was FANTASTIC!), so back in January, (yes, January!), john and I made a reservation, just to be sure we could eat there before we left.  Aside from an amazing dinner of ravioli and lobster pasta, I had one of my new favorite things in the world – an appetizer specifically made for Melissa – a tower of delectable fresh mozzarella, perfectly ripe and juicy tomatoes, basil, roasted red peppers, and the best part – crunchy, breaded and deep fried artichoke hearts!  Oh my goodness, it was so good, I wish I could have more right now!

During my last week of work, I met up with the ladies I played pinochle with for another delicious meal at My Burger Bar on Sheridan – I had always wanted to try it because they have spiked milkshakes and floats, which are sooo good!  Lisa and I got the mudslide milkshake, while Sue got the Snickers – all were yummy! 

On my very last day of work, Kayla, Cathryn and I all went on a final sushi date.  Sushi Fridays were a tradition for us while working at Citi, and it was great to finish at Citi with one last memorable sushi date – complete with tiny cups of sparkling Sake to celebrate.

Aside from those delicious meals, John and I got some food at some of our true Buffalo favorites – Jims, Salsaritas, Duffs, and Paula’s Donuts!  I will definitely miss some of Buffalo’s greatest food spots once we’re gone.  (And I know John is really going to miss Wegmans!)

Our Last Goodbyes

Our final happy hour was this past Friday, and this time it was really hard to say goodbye.  I couldn’t keep my tears back and it seemed to me that John got a little teary too (maybe not, but it’s my blog so I can write what I want, haha).  Unfortunately, I was sick with a very untimely case of the flu, which is why I’ve gotten a little behind on my writing.  Besides Friday’s happy hour, I’ve pretty much been bedridden since Thursday.  Thank goodness John is such an amazing boyfriend, otherwise we’d be very unprepared and unpacked come Tuesday morning. 

But besides being sick, the happy hour was really great!  Once again, a multitude of our favorite people came to send us off, even one of my friends from 4 hours away in Albany – Steph!  It was a huge surprise!  As she was coming in I was like “Wow, that girl looks so much like Steph” (I haven’t seen her in over a year), and it didn’t hit me that it was her until she got through the door and ran to hug me. 

One of the hardest things I’ve had to do since we decided to move was to say goodbye on Friday.  Nothing I could have done or somehow prepped myself would have made saying goodbye any easier.  Although I am not going to miss the Buffalo weather, I am certainly going to miss all of my friends.  John and I were so blessed to have made such amazing friends in each of our six years here.  You better all come visit us once we’re settled because I’m getting emotional just writing this post! 

A huge thanks to everyone for making one of our last nights in Buffalo so special!