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Hey there, everyone!

I just wanted to say a big “Thank You” to Roy Edlund over at BlogHeaderGuy.com for doing my header for me. You can also follow him on Twitter. He is @blogheaderguy on Twitter. Check out his work!

Thanks!

~Tim

We now bring you this blog post in its entirety!

At the end of this past July, my wife, Carrie, and I took a 4 day trip to Niagara Falls, NY.  We called it our Honeymoon, as we didn’t really have one after we got married on New Year’s Eve.

Leading up to the trip, both Carrie and I were talking with our coworkers and friends about the trip.  They all had suggestions about what to see and do.  Many recommended that we take the boat tour.  Most asked if we were going to the Canadian side of the Falls.  Some suggested that we watch the movie of the history of the Falls.

Our trip was a relatively short one.  We left from work on Thursday night, July 30th and were back on Monday night, August 3rd.  We decided to drive, because we wanted the time together in the car, and we wanted control of where to go and when to go there.

We arrived at Niagara Falls, NY on Friday night around midnight.  We were hoping to see the fireworks that they were putting on that night, but we missed it by a couple of hours.  So we settled in to our hotel room and got ready for the big day on Saturday.

Don’t worry, this post is not a travelogue.  I just wanted to give you the setting for the next part.

The American Falls

The next morning, we got up and ready to go.  When we got to the park, the first place we wanted to go to was on the boat tour.  We paused briefly in the park and listened to the sound of the Falls.  We really got excited about seeing this Mighty Wonder.  After all, we had not ever seen the Falls before.  After listening to the sound of the Falls for a minute, we went to the ticket booth, gave them our tickets, and went to the observatory.  Up the steps we went, listening to the Falls get louder and louder.  It was an awesome feeling anticipating what we were about to see.  We got our cameras ready and climbed the stairs.

We got to the top of the stairs and looked out over the fenced-in observatory.  The first thing we saw was the American Falls.  I just stood in amazement for a minute and gazed at it.  Imagine hearing and seeing over 675,000 gallons of water per second pouring over a waterfall.  It was truly awe-inspiring.  I looked over the fence and saw all the people down below. 

Me with Nut The Squirrel on the Boat Tour

We took some pictures and then took the elevator down to the boat tour.  Carrie had purchased some water-resistant cameras for us to take pictures with, so that our own cameras would not get ruined from the water.  We put on our water ponchos that the staff there supplied to us and got in line to get on the boat.

When we went out on the boat, we got to see the American Falls close-up, followed by the Bridal Veil Falls, and finally the Horseshoe Falls.  The close-up perspective was truly amazing.  Being at the bottom of the various falls, we got to almost “feel” the power of these mighty waterfalls.  I tried to imagine what that would actually feel like if I were under it.  I am sure it would be crushing.  As it was, we got pretty wet from all the mist, so the ponchos were great to have.

Carrie on the Boat Tour. The American Falls are in the background.

Once we got back on shore, we dried off a little and rested and watched the American Falls again.  Then we went to the theater to see the movie of the history of the Falls.  It was a dramatization of several historical people and their experiences with the Falls.  We learned about Blondin, the tightrope walker, Annie Taylor, who went over the Falls in a barrel, and a few other people who were trying to get into the history books.

Carrie and I riding the boat on the Erie Canal.

After the movie, we took a side trip to Lockport, NY to ride a boat on the Erie Canal.  On our way there, we discussed the possibility of taking a helicopter ride over the Falls.  Carrie figured I wouldn’t go for it because it was rather expensive.  But I figured that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so why not?  So after the Erie Canal trip, we headed back to Niagara Falls and went on the helicopter tour.

The view from the helicopter was nothing short of amazing.  This was the first helicopter ride for both of us, so we were also exhilarated from our first helicopter ride.  We were taken up high to get a “big picture” perspective, and then we came in closer for several close-up views of the 3 different falls as well.  The pilot really did a good job of giving us so many perspectives of the falls.

Carrie and I right after the helicopter ride.

After the helicopter ride, we went to supper at the Top of the Falls Restaurant, where we had dinner on their deck.  Overlooking the deck was a great view of the Horseshoe Falls.  It was a fantastic setting to a very romantic dinner.  After dinner, we went down to the Horseshoe Falls to see them up close at night.  There are several lights that are shown on the falls at night from the Canadian side, which are powered by generators that are powered by the rapids. 

The next day, we went to a few places we hadn’t seen yet.  We went to the spot between the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls and were able to look over the edge.  We saw the small Bridal Veil Falls pouring it’s water on people down below who had on the familiar blue ponchos.  Then we walked over to the Horseshoe Falls for one last look, this time in the daylight.  Shortly after, we headed for home.

All 3 Falls. My view from the front seat of the helicopter.

I’ve thought alot about our short time at Niagara Falls, and how it compares to life.  We all have our own unique perspective in life.  There are alot of things that can influence how we view situations in life.  For instance, if we saw a car accident, we may feel sorry for the people involved.  But if we discover that one of our own friends was involved in the accident, we have a much different perspective about that particular accident.  If we are at a store and the person in front of us in line is slowing down the line because of a “price check”, we will have a different perspective than if WE are the one holding up the line for a “price check,” right?

When we are dealing with other people, we need to do a better job of seeing situations from the other people’s perspective if we are to come to a win-win situation.  People don’t want the same things, do they?  If you are in a dispute with someone, be sure to see the situation from the other person’s perspective, because they almost never want the same thing that you want.  When some of my friends suggested that we see the Falls from the Canadian side, were we seeing the same Niagara Falls?  When we were in the boat, were we seeing the same Niagara Falls as we were seeing from the Helicopter?  Of course we were!  But the feeling from the helicopter was a different feeling than that of getting wet in the boat, where we were at the bottom of the falls.  It was a different type of exhilaration.  And it was a different feeling than it was while we were having dinner, too.  We were viewing the same falls, but our perspective was different.

So remember that the next time you are dealing with other people.  We don’t all have the same perspective at the same time.  Learn to see situations from the other person’s perspective as well as your own.  It will go well with you if you do.

More another time,

Tim

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