Of course, it’s water color and pen stipling like ALL of my drawings are.  Feedback please!

Here are some Pittsburgh pictures by me… I’m in love with the city.  Everytime I drive through the tunnels and emerge on the bridge, it takes my breath away until I can utter softly to myself “I love this city”.  No matter what the weather is, I think it’s a beautiful city.  Of course, my attachment to Pittsburgh is completely emotional.  I was away from it for 5 years while I lived in Tulsa and ever since, it’s given me a new appreciation for my small, but diverse city.  Tulsa was bleak, boring, and lifeless.  I’ll never go back there again.  (My apologies to all who live there, but my personal experiences there have somewhat tainted my perception.)

Anyway, enjoy the pictures…

The Fort Pitt Tunnels

The Fort Pitt Bridge

I accidentally took this pic through the shaded part of the windshield, but it kind of had a cool effect, don’t you think?

Not sure what church this is, but I love how the old architecture here seems to be being protected by the bigger and newer buildings, like they’re keeping guard or something.

This is what I wore:

Leopard top - F21
Black Tank - Target
Leggings - F21
Boots - Steve Madden

Right now I’m sitting on the couch, sick, watching Gossip Girls and eating homemade chocolate chip cookies. Other than the being sick part, it’s a pretty covetable evening if I might say so. Can’t wait to get better…

Cardigan - Perfect Boutique (Sewickley)
T Shirt - Kawaii Gifts (Shady Side)
White Tank, Jeans and Purse - H&M
Boots - Aldo
Scarf - Gap
Cat - Animal Rescue League

Today I went to church with the family and then to Primanti Brothers for lunch. Yum!

Black Cardigan - F21
Orange Shirt - American Apparel
Belt - H&M
Leggings - Dicks Sporting Goods
Boots - Aldo

Can you tell I love my boots? They’re definitely my favorite shoes at the moment.

This is why we call him “Dog” in Greek.

Nap time.  They’re always intertwined when they sleep.

Sweet little cuddle bugs.

Our little hunters have been doing their duty and catching all the vermin around the house and in the yard.  However, it breaks my heart when they bring home innocent little chipmunks that are almost as big as they are.  I can’t let them see my displeasure, though… so I have to praise them and tell them what good little hunters they are and hope that they take the chipmunk off the doorstep and bury it somewhere else so I don’t have to see it everytime I open the door. 

This past weekend my husband and I helped move my brother and his wife, Ryen and Lindi, from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.  Needless to say, it was exhausting and we are all very happy that it is over with.  The drive back we were all in separate cars/trucks and it took 2 hours longer than normal because of the moving truck.  Fortunately, because of the storms that were passing over the sky was absolutely amazing.  I almost died a few times taking these pictures, but they were well worth it, don’t you think?

This one is my favorite.  I felt like I was in a tunnel of stormy clouds and I could see the light at the end of it.

The sign in this picture completely confused me.  Doesn’t a red light itself indicate that you are to “wait for green”?  We don’t have signs like this in Pittsburgh.  I mean, why don’t they just put up a sign that says, “red means stop”?  All of you Philadelphians.. do you know what these signs mean and WHY they feel the need to be so obvious??

Now that Lindi is here, she is joining the girl’s nights out with Dana, Sara and me.  Wednesday night was our first official girl’s night out and we decided that because of our experience that night, we should document and basically review every place we go.  So that’s where Davidson Lane comes in to play.  We will be recording our adventures over there and giving our opinions of all the places we go to, the things we experience, the people we meet…  And it’s a way for us to never forget all the fun we’re having.

It seems like each day gets a little harder for us. One would expect that accepting the truth would get easier with each passing day. For me, now, though, it seems that each passing day only serves to remind me that I have one less day to try for what I want.

However, in the midst of all of this darkness that has so quickly seemed to drench my life, the rays of light piercing through it get brighter and brighter.

Yesterday was yet another hard day. I began taking Progesterone last Friday and needless to say, it’s felt like I’ve had raging PMS every second of every day since I took the first pill. Work left me feeling like I wanted every other human in existence to by cryogenically frozen until this week passed so they wouldn’t irritate me anymore.

So, I get home from work and on the doorstep is a little package. As soon as I looked at the sender on the box, I burst into tears. I hadn’t even unlocked the door yet.

Alice, the most wonderful, sweetest, most compassionate, never-met friend I’ve ever had, sent me the greatest little box of goodies. After I opened it, I called my mom, still crying, and she started crying, too. Thank you, Alice, for making me smile when smiles are few and far between lately. ((Be expecting a little something in return soon))

And now for my most favorite treasure of all… a crocheted handbag sweetly created by Alice herself…

I’ve admired her handbags for quite some time now and finally, I have one all to myself.

Thanks again, Alice. I promise, that I will do the same for someone else someday.. and soon. Kindness and compassion surely are contagious.

Aldo finally got their site up and running.  So here are the boots I bought yestesrday:
Frigane

These are slightly darker than mine.  I bought the Cognac colored ones.  I’m in love with them. 

Next week, as a celebration for my brother and sister-in-law moving here, I will be purchasing these:
Frohaid

It took a lot of self-control not to kick things with these boots on in the store.  I felt like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in them. 

I’ve always patronized my mother for having an obsession with boots.  This is the first time that it’s plagued me… this boot fanaticism.  I’ve realized that I can literally wear these with EVERYTHING. 

So tomorrow after work Tom and I leave for Philadelphia to help pack up Ryen and Lindi and get their butts here in Pittsburgh.  I’m ecstatic at the thought of having them near me.  We will drive out there tomorrow and turn right around and come back basically.  That’s okay, though, because they’ll be here for good now and I won’t just have to wait until holidays to see them. 

And this is a typical picture of Ryen and Lindi.  Lindi looking all cute and adorable and sweet… and Ryen trying his hardest to make himself look like a complete ass.  But that’s what makes them so lovable.  In this pic, though, you can see on Lindi’s face that she’s about to slap him in the back of the head.

Another fabulous picture of my oh-so-fun sister-in-law..

I’m not entirely sure what Lindi is doing here.  Both of these pictures were taken downtown Pittsburgh at Station Square.  I’m thinking that maybe she was dancing to the water and light show that was going on behind us in the fountain…??  Never a dull moment…

Now if I can just get my other brother and sister-in-law up here, the family would be complete once again.  And hopefully Ryen and Lindi don’t kill me for posting these pictures.