Tasty!

After work and tutoring (x2), I met Kevin at our reception "place" to meet with our caterer, T, from Alchemy Catering. All I can say is, "Wow. Wowie wow wow." Every morsel was a joy. A taste sensation.

Despite me being my "fashionable" 15 minutes late, Tzvatanka was welcoming and excited to show us her food options. While we sat and sipped wine in the private room loaded with candles, we were able to sample some delicious items. "T", as she is known informally, served us one course after the other and explained the ingredients and why she chose the combinations. While I'm not going to give away everything that we tried, I can assure you that the food was FANTASTIC.

Kevin and I wanted to make sure that our food fit the day--delicious, yet a little bit different. We are 100% satisfied with our selection of caterers. She also does private cooking, so that might be a fun anniversary option in the future (hint hint). :)

Dashing for Diamonds

Because we can’t get enough of races and scavenger hunts around town, it was easy to get up early on Saturday to take part in the second annual Diamond Dash hosted by Henne Jewelers. The premise is that 400 couples race around town for a few hours and the couple with the most points at the end wins a $15,000 diamond ring. The best part is that all of the clues are texted to your phone and when you find the answer, you text back and get another clue. Sounds easy, right?

Well, our adventure began on Friday night as we drove out to Butler. Why did we have to drive out to Butler, you ask? Because of Kevin’s love for me…

Let me back up…24 years ago, Kevin decided to ride his bike in his driveway after a rain storm. The wet driveway combined with Kev’s loss of balance resulted in a broken femur and a body cast. He hasn’t been on a bicycle since… I understand why. Kindofnotreally.

Anyway, in order to be competitive in the Diamond Dash, couples can ride bikes (or any other non-motorized vehicle). There were some groups on roller blades, some on scooters and most on bikes. Because of our natural competitiveness and eagerness to win, we needed to be on bikes. So here lies the problem: We want to win, but need a bike and Kevin doesn’t ride a bike.

Last year, I remembered that a friend of mine doesn’t ride bikes either, but had an “interesting” alternative. She has a tricycle. A “grown-up tricycle.” It worked great and we came in 8th place last year. Since it worked out well then, we drove up to Butler to borrow the trike from Trish’s little sister who now uses it. (Thanks, Dorothy Mae!)

Now imagine us showing up at Market Square on Saturday morning with my black and yellow 13-year-old boy’s mountain bike and Kevin on a trike with a basket and a horn. Classic.

While the race went pretty well, we made a few rookie mistakes—a few misdirections, a spelling error when texting in an answer, spending too much time on a clue that we couldn’t find the answer to, the seat falling off the trike and Kevin having to ride IN the basket while pedaling (photo above), etc. We weren’t too optimistic about our chances of winning a prize. However, as we started talking to other couples, we didn’t speak to anyone that had a higher point total.

The after party took place at Bar Louie and they announced the top 20 contestants who all got prizes—everything from concert tickets, tickets Kennywood, Pirate games, jewelry from Henne’s, the ring (the couple got engaged on stage--very deserving winners)... While I was disappointed, Kevin was much more so. After the awards, he went up to the manager of SCVNGR (the company in charge of the texting part) and asked what place we finished. He said we were number 21!!! Then he said, “Hang on,” and came back with an envelope. While they announced the top 20, they had prizes for the top 21…LUCKY DUCKY!

So, we gladly accepted our 21st place and look forward to using our gift card for dinner and tickets to see Jekyl and Hyde at the Benedum! Just wait until next year! We’re going to win it all!

Bittersweet

It was a cold and rainy September day when I first walked into my town house on Redrome Circle. I was haphazardly looking for a place to live in the South Hills because I knew I couldn’t stomach another winter commute from the North Hills. Now, six and a half years later, I’ve m

oved back to the north.

It was difficult handing over my keys on Friday at the closing. The woman who bought it is the same age I was when I bought it. The memories of fun parties, buying furniture, eating cereal for dinner if I wanted, and days laying out on the deck flooded my mind. I was jealous that she was getting to start doing all of those things in MY house.

Then I started thinking about what lies ahead: Fun parties in a much bigger place, buying grown-up furniture, eating gourmet dinners (cereal sometimes) and laying out on the deck (Crate and Barrel chairs--not Ikea chairs).

I’ve already had dreams that I’m in the house packing up the last of my things and realize she’s sleeping in the upstairs room or that I hear the garage door open and know I’m not supposed to be there. I guess moving is strange that way…No matter what happens, you still feel connected to a place.

I want to say a special thank-you to Uncle Mark who really helped me out and sold my place in no time at all. It was a fun adventure!

Post closing, Kevin and I met to do some cake sampling (hint attached below) and picked up our rings—some fun Friday activities. I'm so happy it is all over with. One closing down and two to go before we are in our new house! :)

Movin' On Up

Moving is one of those "if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger" types of experiences. It brings out personalities, endurance, conflicting strategies and shows you who your true friends are. When you're moving, there are always those people who say, "If you need any help, let me know," but they don't really mean it. There are those people who say, "I'd love to help you move, but man, I really have to wash my hair that day." And there are those people who just show up and do what they can. For that, I send a huge thank-you to my parents and Dave--and Kevin of course.

I've moved several times--mostly in and out of college residences. EVERY time, my parents always joked about how much "stuff" I had. Meanwhile, I didn't have a lot of stuff. I mean, how much "stuff" can one store in a dorm room as big as a closet? Tons of shoes? Girls love shoes. Clothes still with the tags on them? It's NORMAL, ok? Craft boxes? Who doesn't have at least one? Right? Right?

Well, moving out of a house takes "stuff" to a new level. Multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, a full kitchen, garage, basement, etc. bring tea kettles, hundreds of books (that are really heavy), dozens of pieces of art work, albums of photos, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, guitars, lamps, candles and TONS of furniture (oh, the price of buying good, solid, expensive heavy furniture)and clothes... It took a lot of time and energy just getting the large pieces of furniture on the UHaul.

My mom and I let the engineers plot out the best way to piece-in the furniture, and they did a great job. After round one, my parents stayed to pack up some boxes while Kevin and I took a truck load to his house. Now, this is usually the fun part of moving--unpacking and deciding where things should go. It's not as fun when there is a whole other houseful of furniture waiting for you. Luckily, Dave is a good mover and not only were we able to move everything out of the truck, but we moved stuff out of Kevin's, around Kevin's, outside of Kevin's. Did I mention the day was around 99.9% humidity?

Today my mom and I packed and cleaned some more. There's a lot of clothes and small stuff still left in the house, so there will be some late evening commutes from Bridgeville to Shaler this week.

I am proud that Kevin and I handled the move so well together. Besides scratching some furniture and Kevin almost tipping the moving truck, I'd say it was a successful experiment. We compromised, debated and laughed. A small, positive glimpse into the future, I hope.

Getting Started

In my next life, I think I might want to be a wedding planner. From my short tenure with the wedding industry, I've learned that in order to "ensure a perfect day," every vendor/institution requires a lot of a) money and b) time--neither of which I have a lot of these days. It might actually be fun to plan stuff when it's your actual job and you don't have to spend your own money. For example, it might make a client giddy and happy when you book their reception place and they'll have no idea that they have to pay $2.50 to rent each wine glass...hypothetically speaking, of course.

Tonight, while I should be packing SOMEthing (the moving truck comes on Saturday and my house looks exactly the same as it did this time three weeks ago), I thought it would be much more fun to create a little web site to prepare for our big day instead. (I always work better under pressure. This is not a surprise for most of you.)

People have asked about our colors and themes and flowers and dresses. I will just say here that our wedding's theme will be Kevin and Bridget. Bridget and Kevin. Unique, interesting, somewhat quirky (like this web site's font is made in our handwriting), yet meaningful and deep rooted in love. We are anxious to share our special day with our closest family and friends.

That's all I can say for now. So check back. We will have plenty more to say and information to share.

Next up...Moving...