#Itsjustfun My Ellicottville Day Trip!

This past Monday my friend, Annette and I took the day off and decided to make a day full of fun in Ellicottville. We knew we were going to grab brunch at Katy's before heading to Holiday Valley to try out the ski boards. As we got closer to the date, we decided on either doing cross country skiing or tubing to save a couple bucks {because I'm "living on a budget" more now a days}.

{I love these coffee mugs at Katy's}

When we arrived in Ellicottville it was a little later than planned {this was my fault because I arrived late to Annette's house}. Katy's only serves breakfast until noon {note to self if you plan on doing the same thing}. So we grabbed lunch which was pretty good {I had the Firecracker Panini and Annette had the Tannenbaum Panini} and then decided to go to tubing.

{Holiday Valley Tubing - Open Thursday thru Sunday}

We went down the street {because Holiday Valley tubing isn't located on the main resort that the skiing and snowboarding is on}. When we arrived, the parking lot was plowed, but no one {I mean NO ONE} was there. To our surprise they are closed Monday thru Wednesday. Yes, I say to our surprise because I assumed it was open the same hours as the main resort is {don't ever assume}. So we decided to head to the main lodge and get an adult beverage and then decide if we wanted to hit the slopes. When we arrived, the bar was closed {we literally laughed out loud at this point}. We then decided to just head back in to town and grab some drinks at EBC {Ellicottville Brewing Company}.

{Some of the slopes}

{The view was so pretty}

{Beer flights at EBC! I found some new beers I like beside my go to Blueberry Wheat}

While the day didn't go as we planned, we still made the best of it and had a fun day off { #itsjustfun - Holiday Valley's tagline}.

As much as I dislike and never really post anything negative about places I go on my blog, I am always honest with what I share and share my opinion, so here it goes... I love Holiday Valley, I think its a great place to go, but I do think that their website is a bit confusing and isn't as "straightforward" as it could be. I feel like it takes multiple clicks and pages to get to the information you are looking for.

I will also say, it seems {comparing to my last year's snowboarding experience} that weekends and nights are their busiest time, so instead of having coupons geared for more of the Canadian clientele or offering coupons for your peak hours, why not offer coupons or discounts for those "off peak" hours. There wasn't nearly as many people on a Monday afternoon as compared to a weekend.

I understand Holiday Valley is ranked in the top 10 for best resorts in the East, but for those people on a budget and not as experienced in skiing or snowboarding {like me}, it can be expensive and steer people away. While are plans for a adventure packed Monday didn't go as we had planned, we still made the best of it and have new memories we made.

Until next time.

-B

Saying Goodbye to 2014 and Hello to 2015

It's the end of the year and like a lot of people we all take time to look back and reflect on this past year. I feel like I tend to do this more often throughout the year, not just at the end of December. 2014 was a year of growth for me... building relationships, facing fears and living outside "my shell." I learned to snowboard, ran my first half marathon, climbed ropes and cables in trees and expanded my courage more than I thought I ever would. 2014 wasn't all great things though, I experienced hardships with the loss of loved ones, felt defeated at times and just wanted to give up. I guess one of the good things about reflecting back on your year is that even if you think you haven't grown or made improvements somewhere in your life, you do, sometimes you just may not see it.

While I'm happy with what 2014 brought me, I look forward to what 2015 holds not only for me, but for Buffalo as well. I'm not one to make resolutions, but I do constantly make goals for myself throughout the year and am looking forward to challenging myself to be a "better me."

Thank you for your continued support of Just a Blonde in Buffalo this past year. Until next time!

xxoo

-B

Here are some photos of mine throughout the year:

{The cranes down by Harbor Center January 2014}

{My snowboarding adventure in February at Holiday Valley}

{My 29th birthday at Paint on Tap with some of the best friends I could ask for}

{A visit to the Hamburg Brewing Company and interview with Jeff at Resurgence Brewery were just a couple highlights from April}

{My first rock concert, a makers class and much more kicked off the month of May}

{June was a great month full of living life and completing my first half marathon}

{July was about some of the biggest events I've done so far in my career}

{August was a month I will remember for a long time. Receiving a 30 under 30 award was one of the biggest highlights from 2014}

{September I faced another fear of mine.. heights and among the ropes course we kicked off the football season, visited restaurants and enjoyed the almost fall season}

{October was a trip to Disney, an introduction to new non-profit organizations, turning the falls pink with my Mom and picking pumpkins}

{November was a month of unexpected snow, a new addition to our family and prepping for the holidays}

{December was about enjoying friends and family during the craziest of times. It brought with it events, craft classes, a trip to NYC and much more!}