Maggie Moments

The Day I've Always Dreamed Of!!!

2010-09-06T13:22:00.000-04:00

September 4th, 2010 will be a day that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. It is the day that the love of my life, Patrick, asked me to marry him! Being the epitome of a girlie-girl, I had envisioned this day my entire life - millions of times, each a different scenario. I can say now that the actual day, moments leading up to it and the actual big moment were so much more then I had ever envisioned! Patrick outdid my expectations - tenfold! My engagement story was tailor-made to fit me and everything that makes up my life. Patrick put so much thought into every details and I can honestly say there is not one thing he could have done to make that day more perfect! Gosh, I love this man so much! I am so excited to share with ya'll our engagement story!!! Here goes...I am the luckiest woman in the world!

First I have to backtrack...Thursday, September 2nd, Patrick played the game of his life with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played Special Teams,Outside Linebacker Inside Linebacker (He normally just plays the first two positions...) He was all over the place and making plays left and right. He rocked! I had friends and family texting me quotes from the commentators saying what a great game Patrick was playing and how it seemed he had earned himself a roster spot. We were so excited and so hopeful for the following day, the dreaded "cut-day". My world kinda crashed down on me a bit when I learned that Patrick had not made the cut, that he would no longer be playing with the Steelers. I felt sad for him and I felt sad myself, it was just a huge bummer. We put on our strong faces though and met up with some friends at one of our favorite local spots "Legends". We tried to have a good time, but given the circumstances it was just difficult.

The next morning (the morning of our engagement!!) I asked Patrick if I could take him to breakfast and he said yes. We went to Bob Evans for some BELT's and during breakfast I told him we should do something fun that night. I suggested Dave and Busters. We always have a great time there and I thought this is just what he needs to make him feel better! After breakfast Patrick said "I changed my mind, lets get dressed up tonight and go somewhere nice. How's the Cheesecake Factory sound?" Well I love the Cheesecake Factory and he knows this so I was all game. After breakfast he went to workout and I went to the mall :-) After, I stopped at my sister Katie's house to visit with my new nephew Teddy! While there I got a text from Patrick saying "I'm excited about tonight. Be picking you up off you feet in a few hours." after immediate "Aww's" my sister wanted me to dish the details! When I read it to her she said "Do you think you're getting engaged tonight?!" I explained to her that this is such a huge time in his life right now and that no, I was absolutely 100% NOT getting engaged tonight! She told me I should get a manicure, just in case. I replied "Katie, I have wasted hundreds of dollars on manicures for dates I thought I was getting engaged on...I'm not wasting another $10...It's not happening tonight given everything that has been going on." Her friend Jenn was there and said "Don't get one and then it will probably happen, that's how those things happen!" We all laughed and I was off to get ready for our big date night - sans the manicure lol.

All dressed up in my new skirt and a favorite sweater, Patrick picked me up and we were off to the Cheesecake Factory for our dinner. He looked super handsome in his dress pants and pink button-down shirt. We looked totally over-dressed for The Cheesecake Factory and I remember asking him as we walked into the restaurant hand-in-hand if we were going to do anything after - haha! He replied "We'll see". He ordered a Hawaiian Pizza and I ordered my usual Chicken Maderia. We capped dinner off with a piece of their newest peanut butter cheesecake. Patrick ate all his pizza, half of my meal and a big portion of the cheesecake so he definitely wasn't acting different or out of the norm - haha! He didn't seem nervous at all. It just seemed like another date with my boyfriend!

During dinner Patrick pitched the idea of going to see a movie. We decided on "Despicable Me" or "Dinner With The Schmucks". Plan was he would drop me off, I'd get into something more comfortable and he would visit his friend and former teammate Fox who "had to tell him something by the end of the night" then he would get me and we'd be off to the movies. As we got closer to my house Patrick was kissing my hand, which isn't out of the norm. I did notice that he kissed my ring finger though but didn't think too much about it. We kissed goodbye and as I was barely out of his car he sped away...like almost left marks on the ground sped away! This was out of the norm!! Patrick ALWAYS watches me get into my house and waves goodbye. I was kinda puzzled by it but none the less walked to my door. When I get there I found this...

At this point I knew something was up! I was so excited that I could barely think straight let alone read and follow the directions inside the envelope - haha! And I surely didn't want to ruin the surprise and miss out! So after many calls to Patrick he finally picked up and helped me through the first brain-teaser...a play on words that read "I Love You". After, I was instructed to grab the pile of envelopes in my mailbox...

and match them up with the symbols drawn on my steps.

Once matched I was instructed to open them. Inside the first was a scrapbook page that had a picture of our friend Roy Lewis, who helped in setting us up. It read "There once was a thought". Then I opened the second and this scrapbook page said "That they put into a plan" with a picture of our friend Jordy...another culprit in our set-up! The third page held a picture of "SoHo" the bar/restaurant we first met at and said "Choosing this as a setting it all began..." I will not proceed to go through every scrapbook page that he wrote (because there are 37 of them!!!) but basically for every step there is in my house, Patrick left an envelope holding a scrapbook page with a rose on top. Each page had a memory of our relationship from the beginning to where we were at in the present! Each scrapbook page symbolized another "step" we took in our relationship!!! Before I go on you must see what he did!

This continued up three more flights of stairs up to my bedroom!

So many thoughts were swirling around in my head! Is he going to propose? Who helped him set this all up? And where is he? All the while weeping my eyes out at all the memories and captions on each page! All of my questions were soon answered! As I reached the final step and final envelope I was at my bedroom door. I swung open the door to find Patrick waiting there!!! As I closed the door behind me he said "And now I know you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with." At this point I knew all too well what was going to happen and I just wanted to hug him! I remember trying to and he stiff-armed me (hahah!) as he got down on one knee! Gosh I'm crying again as I type this! He then asked me to marry him!!! I said YES and wrapped my arms around him and sat on his knee just hugging and kissing him! It was hands down the most amazing moment of my entire life! I never felt so much love and emotion, it was amazing and perfect! After a little while he kind of lifted me off his knee and did the ring presentation. I couldn't even see it through the tears pouring out of my eyes! He slipped it on my finger and we hugged and kissed some more! It was amazing! He then waved at something and as my eyes adjusted I saw his video camera sitting on my dresser capturing the entire moment! He then asked me if I wanted to see his "help". I said yes and then asked "How did you get in here?!" as I only have one entrance into my house and clearly I went in it! I went outside to find his PARENTS sitting on my deck...they flew in from San Antonio, Texas just for the engagement!!! How awesome and amazing is that?! It was so special having them here to share in the moment! I then learned how Patrick got into the house before I did...from a fire escape ladder hanging from the deck!

He climbed up this thing!!! If that isn't love I don't know what is! I mean he could have fallen, he could have not been able to get up them...it just blows my mind thinking about it! Best part...Patrick's parents got his arrival on the ladder on video!!! We are working on getting the entire engagement edited together so all can enjoy it :-) As soon as it is done I will post it on here and also on Facebook :-) We wouldn't want our audience to have to wait the nearly 22 minutes Patrick waited for me as I made it in the house.

This man put so much thought and time into this one day! I can't even begin to tell you how much it all meant to me. I'm typing this through the blare of tears once again. Gosh! If you read my blogs on a regular basis you know I'm usually not at a loss for words, this kind of thing comes easy for me. But I don't even know what to say, words can't even begin to express the love I feel for him and the happiness that is running through my body! He is amazing on so many levels and has made me feel so special and loved. God, I love him so much! We really are so blessed! My mom always told me "Mag, God has someone very special picked out for you and you will find him someday." Well my mom was right! God did have it all planned out! I just don't know what I did in life to deserve such a master plan! I just just feel so overjoyed and blessed!

We spent the rest of the night sharing our special news with family and friends. We both agreed we wanted everyone closest to us to find out either in person (if possible) or through a personal phone call. Only after we got ahold of all those people did we post it on Facebook (although it had already leaked out a bit - haha). I speak for both of us when I say thank you for all of your love and support. We've had so many heartfelt wishes sent our way and each one really means so much to us!

Gosh, I didn't even get to dish on the ring! It's STUNNING! He sure did pick out a sparkler!

He got it at Henne Jewelers in Pittsburgh and did an amazing job! It's a big brilliant cut solitaire diamond with a simple band. The diamond is so clear - I just can't stop looking at it! It often times catches the light as a type and just draws me to it...something I can (and will!) get used to! I don't know how big it is, what kind of metal was used in the setting, or the grade of diamond (I will find all this out tomorrow evening though) but it's just beautiful! It's amazing, I had always told him what I specifically wanted and through the engagement I didn't even look at the ring for the longest time! We women make such a big deal over the diamond but when it comes down to it, it's all about the moment...I never realized this until it was my moment :-) It is stunning though and I am totally in love with it! I am so lucky! I wake up in the middle of the night and I look at it and I look at it throughout the day constantly. I have to have passed look number one-thousand and it's only been 2 days!

You would think right there would be enough news for one weekend but we have one more exciting bit of information to share...Sunday afternoon we were alerted that Patrick has been picked up by the Tennessee Titans!!! Patrick had roughly 5 hours to pack his bags and get on a plane to Nashville. Gosh, it wasn't even 24 hours from the engagement before I had to say goodbye to him! Although I was sad to say goodbye so soon, I was also so happy and proud of him for catching the Titans eye! His first practice is today and his first game is on Sunday vs. the Oakland Raiders! Get this...Game #2 is vs. none other then the Pittsburgh Steelers...how's that for irony?! It's crazy!! And I kid you not, at breakfast on the day of the engagement I asked Patrick where he would ideally like to get picked up, he said "the Tennessee Titans"! I am SO exited to see what Tennessee has in store for us!

For now though, our immediate plans include me staying in Pittsburgh. I have an awesome job and a brand new home here that I need to focus on while Patrick is focusing on his new job. While he's away I will have plenty of time to plan our wedding and make it another magical and amazing day in our lives! We have not yet set a date but have narrowed it down to either March 19th or March 26th! That gives me just over 6 months to pull everything together!!! It's not ideal but my sister planned her wedding in 6 months so I know it is do-able! I've got my work cut out for me, and fortunately I have amazing family and friends to help me along the way!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my final "Maggie Moment"! Don't fret, your little blogger isn't quitting on you I'm just opting for a name change :-) It's no longer just about me and my moments. So please stay tuned to all the wedding plans in my new blog, "Becoming Bailey" :-) Maggie Bailey...has a nice ring to it doesn't it!? :-)

September To-Do's

2010-09-01T23:13:00.000-04:00

1.) Eat more apples...it's September! Plus an apple a day keeps the doctor away...it just better not keep the work related doctors away!!!
2.) Speaking of work, nail down the new account I've been working on!!!
3.) Seriously get to the gym more...last month I went 4 times...granted I joined mid-month this is still unacceptible!! I'm paying for this! So that would shake out to be $12.50 per lesson...I need that number to be lowered!
4.) TRY the morning spin class at least once...5:45 and the gym in a half-hour away...eeeek!
5.) Start the renavations on my office!!! This will be this months home update :-)
6.) Do another 8 scrapbooking pages of year one.
7.) Finish "Heart Of The Matter" and start "Baby Proof"...after these 2 I'm officially done with all of Emily Giffin's books...It's kinda bittersweet!! I hope she comes out with another one soon!!!
8.) Buy myself a nice home decoration for fall :-)
9.) Follow "The Daily Plate" the entire month...
10.) Work on getting the basement cleared out since I was left with a huge mess down there...RUDE!
11.) We'll make this more attainable...lose 3 pounds by months end...I've been a failure at this losing thing for the past 2 months...
12.) Try something new :-)

Edward North Gerard Sweeney

2010-09-01T20:42:00.002-04:00

At 8:47 this morning my sister Katie and her husband Ted welcomed their fourth child into the world! Teddy, or "Little Bear" as we are lovingly calling him, weighed in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces while measuring at 19 1/2 inches long. He is just perfect in every way!

Katie didn't have the easiest time with her labor as her epidural never took AND Teddy was facing the wrong direction. So not only did she have to push him out naturally she first had to push to get him turned in the right direction...OUCH! Fortunately mom and baby are both fine minus a little bit of a cone-head for Teddy - haha.

Teddy is already super popular...in the little bit of time I was at the hospital he had lots of visitors...

Auntie Jenn - Katie's best friend!

Nana and her new grandson!

Pap is happy to have another boy in the mix!

Proud Aunt Maggie :-)

Uncle Patrick and Aunt Maggie with Teddy!

Aunt Kristy checking out Teddy!

By far the best visit came from Teddy's three big sisters, Caroline (5), Elizabeth AKA Lulu (3) and Adalaide (23 months)...

Caroline was a little apprehensive towards Teddy at first. While she was excited she was more into seeing her Mommy then her little brother. Katie said of all her girls Caroline seemed to be the most sad when she left for the hospital last night. Katie and Ted did such a good job of making Caroline feel included. They noticed she wasn't always by his side so they said "What's that Teddy? Oh you want Caroline to hold you? Okay! Caroline Teddy says he loves you and wants you to hold him." At this Caroline got a huge grin on her face, hopped up on the hospital bed and smothered her baby brother with a big smooches!

Lulu was wild about Teddy from the moment she saw him! I'm pretty sure the two will become partners in crime in no time! Lulu was such a little lover toward Teddy. She was the first kid on the bed asking to hold him and gave him countless kisses on the forehead! It was precious! You could tell she didn't want to leave his side and she just kept petting his head. She also kept calling him a "cutiepie" - haha!

Addie was also a little apprehensive of Teddy. I think she was still too young to know what exactly was going on. Being a huge Daddy's girl, Addie just wanted her Dad at first but before long warmed up to her new little brother :-)

The girls asked so many questions. It was so cute to see how their minds work. One of them asked when Teddy's birthday is. Katie explained that it was today. We then put on his Birthday hat and sang to him...

Katie says this is it, no more babies, their family is complete...

But when you make babies this cute you should probably never be done!

Welcome to the world and our family Little Bear! I can't wait to watch your life unfold before my very eyes. You are such a blessing!!!

The Hunt Wedding!

2010-09-01T19:18:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I celebrated the marriage of my two college friends, Ed and Samantha Hunt :-) I had met and gotten to know Ed early in my college career as he was one of the football players and I was always great friends with that group of guys. I got to know Sam when he started dating her and we have remained close friends since :-)

The wedding took place at the Bower Hill Lutheran Church in South Hills. So many of my close friends were in the wedding while even more friends were guests - it was so nice to see some faces that I hadn't seen in a long time! I felt like I was in college again!!!

Sam looked very pretty in her pickup style wedding dress as she was escorted down the aisle by her brother.

Her bridesmaids wore a beautiful and unique shade of blue while the groomsmen and groom looked super dapper in their grey suits! I actually loved the grey suits, they really looked great! All of the flowers were yellow and included a bouquet of daisies for the bridesmaids and a calla lily pinned to each groomsman. Sam carried a bouquet of different types of yellow and white lilies (white day lilies,yellow calla lilies and yellow asiatic lilies) while Ed sported a white calla lily on his jacket.

I got video of the pair exchanging rings...check it out!

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Ed Hunt!!

The reception followed the ceremony at the Bower Hill Fire Hall where the party got started and lasted all night long! One of the most vivid college memories I have is all the nights my friends and I would get into a circle and sing country music all night long...well there was a lot of that to be done at the Hunt wedding! It was just an all-around good time wedding!

Patrick better get worried...I keep getting closer and closer to catching the bouquet at every wedding I go to! LOL! I had my fingers on the flowers but someone else had the stems which always makes for an easier grab. The guys pulled the typical "no one catch the garter" trick but my good friend Hickey (who is engaged to my friend Nicole) picked it up and gave us an entertaining show.

Below are some pictures from the rest of the night...

The newlyweds dancing to Alabama's "There's No Way"

Pat and I!

Crazy Best Man - lol

Emily and I! Love her!

Nicole, Ashley and I...so good to see them!

My old roomie, Sam, and I

After the reception, my friend Ashley talked me into staying with her at her hotel room where everyone else was staying. I had planned on just going home but decided to stay since I was having so much fun seeing old friends! We had a blast swapping old college stories and catching up on the time in between :-)

Sam and Ed, I wish you a full life of love and happiness! Thanks so much for inviting me to be a part of your special day :-)

The City That Doesn't Sleep....

2010-08-29T23:56:00.000-04:00

When the Steelers packed up and headed to New Jersey to take on the Giants, so did this girl! I had the pleasure of staying in the ultra-chic New York City and had a fabulous time exploring the "Big Apple". I stayed with my college friend Kristie at her apartment in Murray Hill. Needless to say, the title of this blog says a lot about my sleeping habits for the weekend - haha!

I caught my flight at 7 AM on Friday so I woke up around 4:45 AM to get ready, finish packing and get to the airport on time. I landed in NYC around 10ish and was off to do some sight-seeing while Kristie finished work for the day. My first stop was Kristie's work building where I dropped off my bags and picked up a map of the city. From there I'll take you on a photography tour :-)

Gotta get in the "Empire State of Mind" by seeing the Empire State Building!

Love, Love, LOVE Bryant Park where I had a fabulous lunch at the B.P. Cafe :-)

Hello Times Square!

I see you Radio City!

Fancy seeing you here, Rockefeller Center!

And of course the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedreal...

After a full day of walking I thought my feet were going to fall off...seriously, they were like numb! We cabbed it back to the apartment where I got to freshen up before heading out to dinner at ThaiNY...My first Thai experience! It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be. I actually enjoyed it! At ThaiNY we met up with some of Kristie's friends and just overall had a great time!

After dinner we headed to a roof-top bar...very cool! I guess its pretty common in NYC but I had never seen anything like it before! It was an absolutely beautiful night and just seeing the city all lit up around me, it was just breathtaking! Another college friend, Katie, met us here. It was SO nice to see her! I'm so happy she could make it out for the night!!

Unfortunately, my lack of sleep was finally catching up to me at this point so I had zero drinks and was kinda looking forward to the night wrapping up. Before it did we hit up a little hot-spot called "The Joshua Tree" - if I was energized and my feet didn't hurt so bad I think I would have REALLY enjoyed this place! It was a super-fun atmosphere! They played all 80's music and played the music videos all around the bar. I remember specifically seeing The Rolling Stones "Start Me Up" and thinking to myself that Mick Jagger sure didn't look like the badass he is in his white pants and purple shirt dancing all over the place! Too Funny! Another favorite that was played...B-52's "Love Shack"...I LOVED this song growing up and so wanted to be the blonde in the video - haha!

After a few hours of sleep I was up and at it for another full day in the City! Kristie and I woke up early, got ready and grabbed some bagels at a little shop near her house. We saved them and ate them in Central Park. Gosh, it is so beautiful there!

As much as it is an "escape" from the City - there is no denying you're still there. We had a few little friends join us at breakfast...look closely!!

If you can't tell, that's two little mice scurrying away! They would run out grab some crumbs that run back in the bushes and chase each other. Normally I would have screamed and ran away if a mouse was just a few feet away but for some strange reason I accepted it and even wanted to document it - haha.

After breakfast we planned on heading to 5th Avenue for some shopping but I decided to detour our trip and splurge on a carriage ride - haha!

I've always wanted to do this! Ideally it would be on a crisp fall day with Patrick by my side (sorry Kristie!) but I decided to just go for it! Where it is a fun experience it is over-priced for the time you get. We were promised at 20 minute ride (no way in heck it was 20 minutes) for $50! The real kicker to make me do it was the fact that I found $20 on the street the previous night so I looked at it as spending only $30 on it - which is more reasonable for what you get! It was fun though...I'd suggest everyone to try it at least once!!

We spent the rest of the day shopping - including at least an hour in Tiffany's! I LOVE Tiffany's! I have a few pieces from Tiffany's and everything I've bought from there I've purchased from saving change for it. I think it's amazing that almost every year I can purchase a nice piece of jewelery just by putting aside my spare penny's. It's now a tradition and one that I just can't break. Currently I'm saving for the silver ball bracelet...to match my silver ball earrings. I'm just under half way there. I kept contemplating whether or not to just buy them while I was there. One minute I'd say "Yes! You have to!" while the next I'd say "Maggie, you don't need it...keep saving!". Surprise, Surprise - my brain won over my heart, who would have thought that would happen?! Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for my bank account I left Tiffany's sans the signature blue bag that I love oh so much.

After shopping we headed to "Sushi Samba" for some lunch. Mmmm! It was so good! After delicious sea bass and shrimp tempura sushi roll we were stuffed and all set to get ready for the Steeler game! After a quick swap of clothes and a pull back of the hair for me (I didn't do so hot in the heat!) we were off on the train to New Jersey. We got dropped off in the parking lot of the New Meadowlands Stadium which was so convenient!

This was the second game played in the new stadium. It was SO nice! One of the things I liked in particular were the four huge HD jumbotrons located all around the stadium!

It's a huge stadium so having those from every angle was really helpful. Our seats weren't the best - four rows from the top! For some reason visiting teams are never given good seats to games, but it was a seat none the less. The Jumbotrons were helpful from that high that's for sure. We did end up moving down before half-time though since there were a lot of empty seats.

Patrick started on Special Teams and went in as a second-string linebacker. He got a lot of playing time which is always a good thing! The Steelers ended up winning the game 24-17.

After the game we got to spend a little bit of time with him which was so nice. I've never gotten to see him after an away game that I've went to. Usually they get right on the bus and head to the airport. It was nice to get to say hello and congratulate him on a win :-) I'm also glad Kristie got to meet my man as she had heard so much gushing over him!!

After taking the train back to the City, Kristie and I cabbed it to grab some amazing desert at Serendipity 3! I loooooved this place so much!!! Serendipity is my all-time favorite movie so having one of the famous "Frrrozen Hot Chocolate" drinks from the movie was high atop my to-do list!

While the "Frrrozen Hot Chocolate" wasn't as to-die-for as I would have wished it to be, the "Strawberry Fields Sundae" was out of this world!

Try cheesecake, strawberry ice cream, whipped cream and fresh strawberries...AMAZING!!!

Serendipity 3 has such a fun energy about it. It's very sporadic with random knick-knacks hanging from the ceiling...

At the front of the building is a little shop full of different items that are very unique. This is where I treated myself to something nice to take home with me. I purchased their signature perfume called "Serendipitous" which has a sweet chocolaty smell to it. I also bought some cute spreaders for entertaining :-) Serendipity 3 was definitely one of my favorite New York experiences this trip!!

After we took a walk through Times Square all lit up at night which was so cool to see!

The night ended with rain which continued through the night and into the morning. It stopped long enough to walk down the block to grab some New York pizza...yum! The rain picked up again right as we got back to the apartment and didn't stop. It proved to be very problematic for me!!! First off, finding a taxi in the rain is zero-percent fun! Then the taxi-ride to the airport was zero-percent fun as the crazy cabbie hydroplaned at least 4 times...I seriously feared for my well-being. NYC cab drivers are scary enough, add rain to the mix and it's downright frightening! Fortunately I did make it to the airport safely only to find that my flight was delayed do to the rain. As the 10 minute delays kept piling up I soon missed my connecting flight in Baltimore. The delays soon after turned into a canceled flight which was a mess across the board! The entire airport was on hold and there were people EVERYWHERE!!!

To get home I had to get a stand-by ticket to Chicago and spend the night in the Chicago airport...can you say miserable?! All I wanted was my bed!!! But you always have to look at things positively, I at least made it home safely :-) But I do have to admit this blog is so long-coming because my sleep schedule was way off whack from this trip. It just took an affect on my entire life.

Overall this trip was very memorable. A big thank you goes out to Kristie for allowing me to stay with her...you're the best girl! I can't wait to visit the "Big Apple" again soon :-)

The Penguins New Home!

2010-08-14T00:49:00.001-04:00

The streets of downtown Pittsburgh have been forever changed as a new piece of history was recently raised. Consol Energy Center, the new home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, now sits upon Fifth Avenue - directly across the street from the old arena (AKA Civic Arena, Mellon Arena, or my favorite "The Igloo").

Construction on the building wrapped up on August 1st and 10 days later on the 11th, the new arena saw it's first batch of fans! The first of many open houses at the venue was a private event for workers who contributed to the construction of the venue. The company my dad works for, McKamish, did all the plumbing in the building so he was offered tickets to the invite-only event. My dad had already been inside as he ran "Team Talbot" for the "Student Flush" a few weeks back. He offered me the tickets and of course I took him up! Get ready for all the details!

First off, the building is beautiful! I'm so proud to call Pittsburgh my home! We now house three new stadiums in the city...and 2 champion teams! It's just awesome! I just love my city!! But as I was saying...Consol is great!

I invited my Godmother, Lois, to come with me. Lois is a huge sports fan! Growing up she fed my sports interest by taking me to different sporting events and I was always so appreciative. It's so nice now that I'm older to start to repay her for all of those great experiences growing up :-) We've had so many great memories together and it was nice to add this one to the list! Growing up, Lois took me to my first Steeler game ever, let me tag along to Detroit when the Steelers played in and won Super Bowl XL and even let me pretend to be her assistant nurse when she was taking blood samples from the Steelers (She used to be the team nurse!) So this was a fun addition to our sports related memories :-) Here we are standing in front of the visitors side bench!

There isn't a bad view in the building...this birds eye view proves it!

I had a lot of things I liked about about the arena and only one thing I didn't like. I'll start with my ONE complaint. The pop or "soda" selection was terrible! Before I went in I wondered if they would offer Pepsi or Coke products well the answer is neither! Instead they offer RC Cola, Seven Up, Dr. Pepper, Diet Dr. Pepper, Sunkist and Lemonade. Maybe it varies from person to person but I wasn't a fan of any of these. But now for the things I liked...my absolute favorite thing was the "Highmark Put Your Game Face On" kiosk....

You can kind of tell what was going on here but I will tell you about it in detail...basically there are three stations and each has a camera and a TV hooked up to the camera. The camera picks up who ever is on the designated mat and they show up on the TV screen. Once on TV different touchscreen options appear on the screen which allows the person on screen to do an array of things such as become a bobble head, become the penguin mascot, get a black eye or grow a playoff beard...

LOL!!! You then get to e-mail the photo and within a few days it will be waiting for you with a personalized thank you from the Pittsburgh Penguins! I thought this was a brilliant idea! I had never seen anything like this before and I can imagine it will become a fast favorite activity to partake in at games and events at the arena! Also in the vicinity of this is an entire interactive room with...

Wii Machines!

Interactive Hockey Games!

The Crosby Dryer Challenge!

A Defensive Player Uniform!

And a Goalie Uniform!

Fun stuff! Another neat thing to see was the Hockey "Wall of Fame" which had a framed jersey from every local high school hockey organization. I was bummed to learn that my Alma Mater, North Catholic, no longer has a hockey team and didn't make the wall :-/ Bummer! I instead found one of my friends from my Alma Mater...Nick and I went to school together from Preschool through 12th Grade. It was so nice to run into him there! You can see some of the jerseys behind us...

Verizon Wireless is one of the big sponsors of the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have a wireless Internet station where fans can browse the Internet...

The next level up is where the club seats are located. One of the personal boxes was open to the public...check out the size of this place...!

And the view from the box isn't too shabby either...

Overall I was super impressed with Consol Energy Center! It's sleek and sophisticated...a far cry from the 70's style orange seats at the old arena!! Fans will find the seats more comfortable and definitely more roomie for long legs! Either way though, I will miss the Igloo! Gosh, I grew up going there! My first concert (Sharon, Lois and Bram's Elephant Show!!!) was there! I saw NSYNC there and had gum spit in my hair (true story!) and I saw the Backstreet Boys there after holding a sign for hours in an attempt to meet the band lol. I saw the Circus there many times. And of course I went to many a Pens game there :-) Lots of good times and lots of memories for sure! It's comforting to know the old Igloo will still stand across the street -- for now. I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to it just yet!

Happy Campers :-)

2010-08-09T20:49:00.000-04:00

If you know me, you know one thing for certain, I am, always have been and always will be a HUGE Pittsburgh Steeler fan! It's really not saying too much being as EVERYONE from Pittsburgh is a Steeler fan (really, I'm not over-exaggerating...if you were born and raised in Pittsburgh you ARE a Steeler fan!). But I do look forward to the start of the season each year, it's kinda like Christmas coming a little early andddd it's that time of year again!! :-)

As ya'll may or may not know, my boyfriend Patrick is a linebacker for the Steelers. He's entering his third year in the NFL and is also partaking in his third football camp - all have been with the Steelers. Through him I've gotten to see some things up-close and thought I'd share my findings with with ya'll...one fan to another another fan :-)

Camp always starts at the end of July and wraps up sometime in August and for the past 44 years it has been held at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. Latrobe is about an hour away from the city so it's not too bad of a drive for Pittsburghers to take a day trip to watch their team - and oh boy do they! Thousands of fans from the city and really all over the country head to St. Vincent and canvas the rolling hills of the campus. Take a look at these shots...

Family members of the team and booster-club fans (we think) get to watch practice from the sidelines. With this special access I'm able to follow Patrick as he switches places for different drills - which allows me to take some very nice photos :-) Below are a few of my favorites!

Patrick facing Rookie OLB Taddius Gibson while injured OLB James Harrison and Defensive Assistant, Jerry Olsavsky look on...

This would have been a sack by PB on Mr. Dennis Dixon...

PB applying some pressure

PB going against TE Matt Spaeth

PB facing OT Max Starks

I know people like to see players other then PB so I included a few of some of the other players...

Antwaan Randle-El goofing off with the fans while awaiting a punt

Hines Ward and the famous smile we all know and love!

Stephan Logan being Stephan Logan haha! Such a fun guy!

Big Ben signaling that the Offense got a rushing TD during the goal-line drill

After the guys finish up practice they head up what I so lovingly nick-named "Autograph Hill". I'm not gonna lie, I kinda feel for them here...They were just running around in 90-something degree weather for 2 hours, they're hot, they're tired and then they have to hike it up this hill while being hounded for autographs. I will say this though...no matter how tired they are, they ALL take the time and sign for the fans - which is nice to see! And I'm not talking about just the Rookies signing their way up the hill...you'll see the biggest star players out there signing for the fans...

The fan favorite for sure!

PB :-)

The "Big Legursky" AKA PB's Roommate...another GREAT guy!

Once at the top of the hill the players head into their training facility. I don't know about the other players, but Patrick always takes some time to hit up the hot tub/cold tubs and the swimming pool. He then showers and heads to dinner before meetings start at 7. When I'm there I get to go to dinner with him which I'm so appreciative of. It's so nice to be able to spend a little bit of quality time with him while he's away. In all we get about about 45 minutes together because he CAN'T be late! Any guy that is late for a meeting is charged a hefty fine!

Yesterday was "Family Day". It's my favorite for a lot of reasons :-) One of the reasons is because the guys are given the night off, meaning no meetings! They had a special dinner for everyone with a few activities for the kids. Being kids at heart our gang took part in the caricature drawings...

My hair was down when it was drawn...not too bad!

Sweetheart move...Tyler's wife Maggie couldn't be there as she was out of town so he showed the artist her picture and had him draw her in...TOO CUTE!

The Harris'

As you may notice, our friend Tuff is wearing a sling in the above picture. Unfortunately he was injured on Friday night at a practice at Latrobe High School. Gosh, as a girlfriend or wife of a player you try to prepare yourself and ANYTHING that can happen, and trust me I try to do so because so many things could happen in this game. Last week Tuff's wife Mary and I were talking about what if one of our significant others showed up anthers in a play...for example if Tuff intercepted one of our friend Tylers catches. Well the unthinkable happened on Friday night. Patrick actually was the one to cause the injury to Tuff. It happened during a special teams drill where Patrick was to charge at Tuff and Tuff was to push Patrick away. During the drill Tuff's elbow was out and Patrick ran into it and a shoulder injury resulted for Tuff. Currently Tuff is rehabbing his shoulder but a big question mark was put on his immediate future. Patrick feels so bad! But both guys understand it was nothing intentional and it's the nature of the game. Tuff had to come back to Pittsburgh and get X-Rays. This picture says exactly what Tuff's attitude is like regarding the inury...

To end this blog on a light note, check out this picture...our caricature artist thought Patrick and this guy looked alike and in a creepy sort of way they do resemble each other lol

Ta-Ta for now boys and girls! :-)

August To-Do's

2010-08-01T23:06:00.007-04:00

1.) I still want to go to Kennywood!!!
~~2.) Join Urban Active :-)~~
3.) Go to Urban Active at least 3 times a week once joined...
~~4.) Make another significant home improvement.~~
~~5.) Get a new doctor to prescribe to me.~~
~~6.) Buy myself something nice in New York City :-) This should be extremely tough lol~~ NOT AS EXTRAVAGENT AS I WOULD HAVE WISHED BUT PERFUME WILL DO :-)
7.) Get my basement all cleaned out....This is not all depending on me unfortunately. Grrr!
8.) Lose 5 pounds...I managed 3 last month but I'm starting over from scratch again...Here we go!
~~9.) Get at least 8 more scrapbook pages done for year one!~~ -- IIIIIIII
~~10.) Finish "Love The One You're With" and start "Baby Proof"~~ STARTED HEART OF THE MATTER INSTEAD THOUGH...
~~11.) Buy something significant and necessary for my home. Necessary is the key word!!~~
12.) Chapter #2...
~~13.) Have special bonding time with my Nieces and Nephew before the new baby comes along :-)~~ BABYSITTING AND CAMP = GOOD AUNT MAGGIE!
14.) Go to the wavepool 8-)

July Rewind

2010-08-01T13:31:00.003-04:00

July was a full-packed month for me. It seemed I was always on the go! An interesting party I went to early on in the month was my Aunt Donna's divorce party...lol. Believe me, I know it's not a laughing matter but we sure did have fun turning lemons into lemonade :-) My Aunt Donna and Uncle Jack had been together for over 20 years before deciding to call it quits. It was shocking news to swallow. After months of separation and heartache, my aunt decided she needed to get out of their home and leave all the memories behind. So she packed up her essentials and took her dog Bailey, and together they moved to a new apartment in the city. My mom (Donna's sister) was a big help in getting her situated. When my mom saw her sister could use some new stuff she decided to throw her a little shower and invite only her closest family and friends.

Aunt Donna got a ton of great stuff to help her get on her feet. I'll give my mother the award for the most creative gift lol. She wrapped up about 30 different cleaning products and wrote a poem to her sister using each product name in the passage. Example: "One day in the future you'll meet a big, brawny man who will fill your life with joy" - then gave her a package of Brawny paper towels and Joy dish soap. We all laughed at some of the stuff she came up with, it really was a cute idea! She ended it with this outdoor throw rug - incase Jack should ever come knocking at her new door...lol!

After gifts my mom presented her with a cake reading "I Will Survive" on the top...fitting as she is also a recent cancer survivor.

We love you Aunt Donna! Continue to stay strong in this difficult situation!

One bit of exciting news I have this month...I got the first loan I ever took out paid off! Woo-Hoo! Gosh, I took out this loan in 2006. I've slowly but surely been chipping away at it and now it's all gone! I took it out so I could compete in the Miss Pennsylvania Pageant...STUPID! With it I bought a $1,000 Sherry Hill gown...A $500 bathing suit and a $750 suit with matching $150 shoes...Bad, bad investment being that I wore everything a total of 2 times during pageant weekend and didn't win the darn thing! You live and learn. I will never do something that stupid again. When I told my mom I had the debt paid off she invited me to the house to try on all these items that are now "officially" mine - HA! I wouldn't even be able to get them zippered any more! Like I said, you live and learn.

A fun thing I got to do this month was go see "The Producers" while it was in town. If you're from Pittsburgh you may have seen all the billboards around town announcing it's arrival in town and boasting a featured role by Joey Fatone of N'SYNC. If you have the chance and extra cash, go see it! It was hysterical! I mean really, I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time!!! I went with Patrick, my sister Katie and brother-in-law Ted. We got the fabulous orchestra pit seats from my Godmother, Lois. It was such a nice night on the town...very memorable :-)

On July 10th, Patrick made me super-proud when he became a licensed pilot! Patrick spent a good portion of the off-season working on this accomplishment. To do so he had to fly for 40 hours. Most of the hours were with an instructor but a portion of them had to be solo flights. He got a good chunk done in Texas where the weather is more cooperative, but ultimately finished his course in Pittsburgh. Both of his parents were in the Air Force and his grandfather was a pilot so aviation has always been a part of his life. Being a licensed pilot has been a dream of his for quite some time and I'm so happy to see him achieve it. I just pray the good Lord is always with him when he takes to the air.

It seems everyone is either getting married or having babies these days so naturally I have a lot of showers to attend. This month I had 4 total...2 bridal and 2 baby. I already blogged about my best friend Kate's bridal shower in "Weekend of Weddings" the other bridal shower I had was on the same day and in New York. This was for Patrick's cousin Kaity. I didn't make the trek up there for her shower but delivered her gift when we spent time in New York June. She had a fun "Go Green" theme. Kaity asked that each person be creative with their wrapping and keep it as "green" as possible. Patrick came up with this idea...

Both of the baby showers I was invited to were for little baby boys :-)

The first was for my friend Sara. Sara has already had her little man, Josiah Ziggy, on July 27th :-) Her shower was at Jimmy Wan's (formerly Taipei) in Cranberry. It was a beautiful day and the shower took place in the outdoor seating area. While feasting on fabulous Chinese cuisine we played lots of fun baby games. I came so close to winning the measure the tummy game...

Sara had a cutest shower favors...check out these adorable cookies from Mimi's Bake Shoppe in Cranberry. There were a few different designs on the onesies...too cute! Plus, they tasted as good as they looked!

And the cake matched the cookies! It too tasted as good as it looked! It had an almond batter topped with a buttercream frosting...delicious!

Sara got all sort's of great stuff. I got her the baby bath tub with all the fixings for a baby bath like shampoo and baby wash. I loved this picture of her modeling one of the outfits she got :-)

Congratulations and best of luck in parenthood Sara and Ziggy!

The second shower was for my sister Katie. In the past 5 years Katie has had three daughters so naturally she has collected a lot of pink along the way. Baby number 4 threw a wrench in the hand-me-downs mix so Katie's friends found it fitting to throw her a shower so she could collect some blue stuff.

The shower was at her friend Ellen's house. It was just a small get together with her closest friends but gosh did she get some great stuff! Below are some pictures of Baby Teddy's new wardrobe:-)

I got little Tedward (my nickname for him lol) this "Little Pilot" outfit from Janie & Jack...He better keep it clean because his future boy cousin(s) will want to be wearing this!!

lol - so not the hair bows and fancy pants she's used to!!

"Bachelor" pacifier lol

Loved this little outfit!

Her cake was great as well...It was an almond cake with a blue fondant icing...YUMMO!

Last bit of July info...I got a temporary roommate for the end of the month and most of next month. My friend Mary will be staying with me while her husband Tuff is away at football camp with Patrick. Our guys reported to camp in Latrobe, PA on the 30th. I have to say I'm quite excited to have her here! I think it will help the month away from my man pass by quicker...at least I'm hoping it will! I especially think it will be good for me to have the company so I'm not so bored. Patrick left to train with his agent in Michigan for 10 days this month and I thought I was going to go bananas from boredom...you can only do so much cleaning, reading and scrapbooking consecutively! Good news, I got a lot of each of those tasks done! LOL! But in all honesty, I know this is a very demanding time for Patrick as his job in on the line - so I have to be on my best behavior and be supportive of anything that's thrown my way...this is the toughest time to be the girlfriend or spouse of a football player for sure!

I have a few things planned for Mary's visit aside from a few day trips to visit the guys. It should be fun times! We capped off July with our first visit to Latrobe...check out this series of photos Mary captured (my camera is too slow lol) This was a drill where the Linebackers and Tight Ends squared off and Patrick won...Yeah! Check it out!

Squaring off...Coach Tomlin yelled
"Show me what you've been doing Duke!"

Tomlin then said "I see you've been working Duke!"

Down! You should have heard everyone cheering

"Duke! Duke! Duke!"

Patrick #55 in action during a team drill :-)

PB signing autographs...

The girlfriend (Me) and the wives (Mary, Maggie and Megan - Yes All M's I know!!)

That's all for July...Hope you enjoyed my rewind :-)

Relay For Life

2010-07-21T21:10:00.000-04:00

"We see love in every flame, like a never ending chain, and we know that every candle has a name."

This past weekend I took part in the American Cancer Society's "Relay For Life". I did it in honor of my Uncle Rob who passed away this past year from Lung Cancer. I was a part of team "Family Ties" and so far we have raised a total of $8,500.00 to help find a cure for cancer! To raise that amount we had an array of fundraisers leading up to the event such as happy hour events, a car wash, a cheesecake sale and of course generous donations. We also made a good chuck of that amount at the relay event itself.

Our "Family Ties" booth was a jumping one! We were the only booth to sell balloons for the memorial balloon launch. People could purchase a colored balloon for $1.00 and write a personal message on it. Also one of our teammates is a photographer and took and printed out old-time photos for children. In addition we also sold raffle tickets for themed baskets, and had another separate raffle for a signed Mario Lemieux hockey puck, an NFL football signed by 15 different Pittsburgh Steelers and a signed Lance Armstrong book. We also sold hot shredded beef sandwiches and Italian hoagies in addition to different drinks. Brewster's Ice Cream also teamed up with us and provided a scoop of ice cream for a donation. Team "Family Ties" made over $1,200.00 on the day of the relay alone!! Woohoo!

Activities were going on all day at the different booths. Some had games while others had crafts. One team had a manicurist on site doing nail art while another team had a local artist come and paint live portraits (more on him later!!) but the American Cancer Society also had some events taking place at different hours. One that was pretty funny was the "Minute To Win It" game, a spin-off of the actual show. Man, I wish I would have signed up to do it because I think it would have been so much fun! Another event was the "Mr. Relay Pageant"...lol! Check out Mr. Family Ties...

Each contestant had a half hour to collect as much money as possible and whichever contestant raised the most money was the winner. Our queen came in 2nd place!

The theme of this year's relay was "More Birthdays" so of course there had to be cake...

The cake eating contest was pretty funny...I didn't know anyone in it but it was still enjoyable to watch. You can't see him, but an adorable little 2-year-old took part in this contest...he was too cute!

So more about the painter I had mentioned...I forget him name, but he is the artist that is in the KDKA commercial and paints the pictures of Art Rooney and Troy Polamalu UPSIDE DOWN! He did that same technique live with these three paintings...

Super cool to see! This team raised a ton of money on these paintings...I heard the Troy Polamalu one went for $250.00! It's great to see people with such amazing talents giving back for good causes :-)

As I mentioned before, our team sponsored a Balloon Launch. My cousin Beth manned this part of our booth all day long with the help of her fiancee, Andy.

I snapped this picture of the balloons being let go as each of the teams walked together around the track...

As the sun went down everyone gathered around a separate field where luminaries were being set up all day. Each luminary had a name on it in memory of someone whose health was affected by cancer. We had bags to memorialize my Uncle...

Rob and Beth with one of their Dad's Bag

Aunt Sharon with her husbands bag.

And we also had a bag to commemorate the survival of our Aunt Donna...

Each bag was lit up to honor the name upon it. I didn't get too many good pictures of the bags all lit up. My camera just didn't agree with all the candlelight. But I took a snapshot in my mind and it really was something else. I mean there had to have been thousands of bags! They spelt out "More Birthdays" across the giant field. I took a video, but I'll warn the quality isn't what I would have hoped it would be...

So many times throughout the day I found myself saying silent prayers thanking God for my own personal health and the health of my immediate family. I saw so many names on those bags - most of whom were taken away by some form of cancer. It really made me realize how lucky I truely am.

One of the most empowering things I saw all day were the people wearing purple shirts...those people are the survivors who fought back and won the battle against cancer. There were children my nieces and nephews age wearing those shirts. There were people my age wearing those shirts. And there were people my parents age wearing those shirts. I just felt so thankful that it was none of us wearing them. It's kind of bittersweet really. A part of me feels so sad for them and all they've been through but another part of me feels so happy for them that they won the fight and were able to be there that day. I had to keep in mind all the people who were there wishing their loved ones could be there wearing those purple shirts...

My day spent at the Relay was a real eye-opener into how blessed my life has been. I know that any second of any day it could easily be me being diagnosed with a form of cancer. Hopefully this post will make you realize how blessed you've been with good health...:-)

My Best Friend's Wedding!!!

2010-07-19T01:02:00.002-04:00

"I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance, a church filled with family and friends. I asked him what kind of wedding he wished for, he said one that would make me his wife" - Author Unknown (quote from the Dugas wedding program)

On July 16th, 2010 my best friend Kate married her love, Matt Dugas!! Kate made a BEAUTIFUL bride! First, I must tell a little bit of the backstory behind their wedding...Kate was planning a huge Halloween themed wedding for October 29th, 2010 but changed her plans in June after her and Matt bought a home. Once they had the home closing she was pretty eager to move in, so they decided to push up the wedding date so she could do so. With the help of her sisters, her wedding was planned in just over a month! I'm so proud of her for making it happen. It may not have been the huge wedding she had dreamed of as a child or even when she first got engaged, but it was perfect in every way. Just their closest family and friends were there taking part in it and I can honestly say it was just a heartfelt celebration of love, and that's really what it is all about!

The ceremony took place at St. Mary's church in Sewickley, Pa. I had never been to the small church before and I must say it was just darling! White roses in long vases lined the pews up the aisle while white and red roses adorned the alter. Each bridesmaid (Her 4 sisters, Matt's 2 sisters, and her 2 sister-in-laws) wore one of their own personal black dress and carried white calla lilies.

Kate was beaming as she was escorted down the aisle by her father, Len. She carried a bouquet of beautiful red black magic roses. Her gown was so sparkly and unique - just like Kate! She really did look stunning! One thing is for sure, she was one of the happiest brides I've ever seen :-)

When it came time for vows, Matt went first and Kate followed. Now I've known Kate since we were in 1st grade so I can tell you this much...she is not a cryer, especially over boys - haha! I about lost it when I could hear her choked up as she recited her traditional wedding vows.

The reception took place at "The Fire Escape" in Ben Avon, Pa. The newlyweds walked in to Usher's "OMG" to get the party started. They then shared their first dance as husband and wife. I LOVE this photo I snapped of them :-)

After their dance the Dugas' cut their delicious wedding cake! It was a burnt almond torte cake from Prantel's Bakery in Shadyside. It's both mine and Kate's favorite cake ever! If you've never tried it, I suggest you do...Prantel's is known for it!

It was nice to get to spend some time with Kate at the reception. She shared with us her unique shoes that were pretty much designed for her style and personality! We also got to check out her brand new bling :-)

As the night went on the dance floor heated up! We all had so much fun dancing the night away!

My sister Katie and Kate's brother Ted (they are married!) dancing with their unborn baby boy "Teddy"

Kate and her dad dancing to Dean Martin's "Volare"; below is Kate's mom and dad dancing.

Then came time for the bouquet and garter toss...my friend Kelly and I always duke it out to catch the bouquet and ironically we never even come close haha - it always makes for a funny picture though! Congrats to Kate's sister Anne who caught the bouquet...hopefully what they say is true and she will be the next to walk down the aisle :-)

Matt was hilarious as he got the garter from Kate's leg while Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" played in the background! He did a little dance for his bride that was so funny! I so wish I got it on video...the pictures will have to do...

The night was capped off by one other memorable moment courtesy of Matt...him serenading Kate to The Dan Band's version of "Total Eclipse of The Heart"...Old School style - lol. I took a video but because there are some cuss words I'm not going to post it. The pictures are pretty priceless though!

The wedding was a blast! Kudos to Kate and Matt for making it happen in such a short time. I think they could easily start a business for weddings on the fly! Congrats you two! I am so happy that you found each other and can't wait to see what the future holds for you :-)

I will end by posting some other pictures from the night...

Me, Jaclyn, Kate, Kelly, Colleen and Kim

My handsome man and I :-)

I hope you enjoyed "My Best Friends Wedding" as much as I did!

Drive Until The Map Turns Blue...

2010-07-14T15:42:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite places to visit in this world is Conneaut Lake, PA. There is nothing really outstanding about it, but I feel so at ease when I am there. It's just comfortable. Maybe it's because I grew up going there as a child and going back takes me back to that carefree state of life? All I know is that I just love spending time there :-)

My parents bought our place at Conneaut in 1993. From age 7 to probably about 11 I spent every weekend going there. My dad bought what he called a "fixer-uper" and each weekend would make additional updates. He redid everything in the home with his own two hands which is awesome and makes me all the more proud of it :-) I snapped this picture while fishing at the marina...I loved that you could see it's reflection in the water...

This weekend Patrick and I headed the hour and a half North to visit for my families annual vacation there. My parents stay the entire week, we just went for the weekend. This was our final trip together this summer and we had a special guest, Patrick's brother, James, join us for it.

When we got there on Saturday we headed right out to the water. I took the guys for a spin on the Sea-Doo and it was interesting to say the least. We were fine at first. As I drove us out I decided to pull out some of my long-known tricks. We had a blast with the spins and donuts but it wasn't so much fun when we couldn't get back on the machine haha! Every time we attempted, the boat would just fill with water and over the side we'd go! Patrick was so mad because he thought it was his fault (he was usually the last one trying to get on)...in his frustration he said "I'm walking back!" and he started swimming for shore. I then gave James the key and swam after him. After about a 10 minute swim we made it to shore while James was out having a blast solo on the Sea-Doo lol. Fortunately, James came back and we were able to get on while being able to push off the lake floor in the more shallow water. We read the Sea-Doo is only supposed to house 495 pounds per ride...Patrick weighs 250 and James is 180...a lady never tells her weight but I will disclose that I no longer weigh 65 pounds so we were just a tad over on the weight limit!!!

After dinner, watching the sunset, and hanging out for a bit we decided to do some night fishing off the boat in the marina. My nephew, Blayze, was the big fisherman for the night! He reeled in a baby catfish on his Spider Man rod - lol. This was his first big catch! I was so proud of the little man :-)

Right after, something pulled at my line. As I was reeling it in it swam under a neighboring boat and managed to sever my line. It got away! I did manage to catch this one though, which is far better then any fish...:-)

On Sunday I took Patrick and James to Pymatuning Lake to visit the "Spill Way". This was about 15 minutes away from Conneaut. For years people have brought their extra bread here to feed the fish. Well, those fish were no dummies...they now hang out there...HUNDREDS of them! There are just piles and piles of huge Carp wrestling each other for bread! It's really something else to see!

After seeing the "Spill Way" we found some live bait and headed home. My dad then took us all out on the boat. After a spin around the lake we parked it at the "Sand Bar" next to the Norbut/Orbovich boat. We spent hours there catching some rays, splashing around in the water and chatting. Heck, some of the guys even did some fishing...lol...I will update this post with more pictures when my mom gets home with her camera but basically Patrick, James and Joe caught some Blue Gill with some Cheese-It's and a t-shirt lol. The pictures are priceless so be sure to check back for them! I may not have gotten the fish but I did get this great snapshot of Blayze getting tossed in the water haha!

Before heading in, we had to get our annual "Zombie" drink from Silver Shores. They use 7 types of alcohol to make it and honestly, you can't taste one trace of it. It tastes like fruit juice, which allows people to suck them down quick...leading to it's fitting name lol! Aunt Rose, Aunt Donna and myself all enjoyed them and managed not to get too "Zombied Out" haha!

After dinner I was eager to give the fish some dinner...at the end of my fishing rod that is! See, I had to catch a fish. Every year I catch at least one and I wasn't about to see that statistic come to an end now...and fortunately it didn't, although it wasn't my favorite catch ever. I caught myself a medium sized Bowfin. This is probably the most hated (and most caught) fish in the lake. Bowfin are trash fish. They basically feed upon all the good game fish like Bass, Pike and Musky - and in turn overpopulate the lake.These suckers have teeth and aren't afraid to use them which also makes them kind of a scary catch. I've seen fishermen at the lake throw this fish in the woods instead of the water and even beat them to death because they are considered a poison to the lake. I don't have the heart to kill a fish so I did practice catch-and-release. Like I said, this wasn't my favorite catch of all time. The fish broke my favorite fishing pole and I look fat in the boast pic! But a catch is a catch and I will post my bragging rights...

For more pictures look back after this weekend. I want to post some more great shots that are on my mom's camera. It was so sad to leave the lake. I had an absolute blast! I just love going there and can't wait until the next time I can go back :-)

Weekend of Weddings

2010-07-08T00:21:00.000-04:00

Patrick and I's planned weekend get-a-ways are slowly but surely coming to a close. Just to rewind...first we traveled to New York, then Michigan and this past weekend we headed to Maryland for a 4th of July wedding! This trip was our last out-of-state trip. Sadly, I think we are both a little happy to see them end...I know we're both craving a few days to just veg out, something we haven't been able to do in awhile. But for sacrificing our weekends we in turn got some great memories this summer, which ultimately is most important! :-)

We were actually supposed to head to Annapolis on Friday but our plans changed when I got an invite to my longest friends wedding shower. Kate, who has been my best friend since 1st grade, was actively planning a Halloween themed fall wedding but recently decided to move her nuptials up to this very month!!! When I got the e-vite to her shower I begged Patrick to change our plans and it all worked out for the best I think.

Because we didn't leave on Friday, Patrick actually got to help out some friends by letting them crash at his apartment. Tim and Christy we're passing through Pittsburgh on their way to Philadelphia for a wedding. They took a pitstop and crashed on Patrick's couch.

Our weekend travels were nothing compared to theirs...get this, they traveled from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Pittsburgh then onward to Philly (for a wedding) and then joined us in Annapolis to go to the same wedding we went to, then back to Michigan again of course...all in ONE weekend! WOW!

They were super sweet and it was so nice to meet them and spend a little one-on-one time with them. Up until this weekend I had only met 3 of Patrick's Duke friends (Erin, I count you as a Dukie since you now work there and he knew you when he was there!) so I was looking forward to meeting all of the people he hung around with in college. More on the Dukesters later in this post :-)

On Saturday, Patrick granted my wish and I got to attend Kate's shower! It was at a cute little BYOB Italian place on Mount Washington called "La Tavola". I had been there once before and will definitely go again. It's a charming little place tucked into one of the side streets. It boasts no fabulous view of the city but has delicious food. We feasted on Chicken Parm and Lasagna...YUM!

Kate got a ton of great stuff, which will come in handy at her new house! Kate and her fiancee Matt actually closed on their new home just a few days before I closed on mine. I've yet to visit but I've seen pictures and it looks super-cute! One of my favorite gifts she got was some framed artwork from thealphacanvas.com. (Hint, hint when I get married...haha!) If you are ever wanting to buy something very unique for a shower or wedding, this is a great site to check out! I wasn't quite as creative with my gift...I instead decided to "spice" up their lives with a pre-filled spice rack that they had on their registry. Funny story...I had long ago said to Kate what a great idea it would be to give someone a spice rack with the spices already in it because spices are kinda pricey. She told me they existed and I didn't believe her until now haha! So when I saw it on her registry I had to get it!

Matt showed up at the shower after his work shift. Kudos to him for bringing some beautiful red roses :-) Below are some more pictures from the day...

Matt's Arrival :-)

Colleen, Kate and I

Soon-To-Be Mr. & Mrs.!

After the shower Patrick picked me up and we started on our 4 hour trip south...literally! We got in a little tiff on the way and it was probably the most miserable car ride EVER! Fortunately we cleared everything up and managed to enjoy the rest of the night and the rest of the trip. When we finally arrived in the "Old Line" state we headed straight to a cookout the brides family had for out-of-town guests. While there I got to meet a lot of Patrick's Duke friends :-) I cannot even begin to tell you how nice they all were! He is so lucky to have such a great group of friends. The only question is why did he hide them from me for so long?!?!

The wedding was at 4:30 PM on the 4th of July so we got to do some exploring before the big event. We met up with our friends Ryan and Erin (Erin is my blog buddy under the name "Living The Wood Life" and was also my inspiration in getting started with blogging!) in downtown Annapolis. Each first Sunday of the month there's an arts festival in town so we decided to check it out. Erin and I share the same passion for creativity so we both enjoyed seeing different ideas for things we could recreate ourselves. One of my favorite inspirations was fashion jewelery made from flashy buttons! Super chic and cool!

After browsing some great art we grabbed a bite to eat. You know you HAVE to do seafood when in Maryland :-) We took a shot in the dark and went to The Middleton Tavern. All of us got the crab cake sandwich, which was Miss Erin's first crab cake ever! After we grabbed some ice cream cones and took some photos by the water. All in all it was a great afternoon :-)

The wedding was absolutely fabulous! It was an outdoor wedding which was just breathtaking! Mainly because of it's beauty but I cannot lie a little because it was SO HOT outside! It was about 95 degrees and there was no shade whatsoever! Patrick looked like he was crying the entire ceremony but in reality it was beads of sweat rolling down his face lol! I can't poke too much fun though because I was just as damp as he was...I just got to wear less layers then him (one of the few perks to being a woman!) Anyhow, I had always wanted to attend an outdoor wedding and it really was lovely :-)

The bride, Allie, was escorted by her father who carried a white umbrella to shield his daughter from her groom until she officially walked down the aisle toward him. Allie looked stunning! Her dress was gorgeous and gosh, you never would have thought she was standing in the same hot weather we were. She was just flawless!

This was the first wedding I have attended that was not a Catholic wedding. It was different but it was very nice. One thing I must say is that I have never been to a wedding that was so focused on God, it really was a beautiful thing to see. Matt and Allie wrote their own words to each other them recited promises to each other before exchanging wedding rings. Congratulations to Matt and Allie...may your love grow stronger with each passing day :-)

After the ceremony we moved it inside to the AIR CONDITIONING! The wedding was at an old mansion so there were lots of different rooms as opposed to just one huge room. Dinner was buffet style and there were three different tables in three separate rooms. After dinner the bridal party made their entrance followed by the first dance. Matt and Allie danced to Michael Buble's version of "Crazy Love".

Then, the party started and Patrick and I hit the dance floor! We had a blast! Below are some pictures from the wedding....

The beautiful cake display!

Patrick & I taking a break from the dance floor!

Ryan, Patrick, Allie and Shannon

Just us girls!

The handsome men!

My absolute favorite part of the wedding was the sendoff. I had never been to a wedding with a sendoff, but had always said I wanted one since watching "Father of the Bride" lol. It was adorable :-) As we exited each person was given an extra-long sparkler. Fire went down the line and when all was lit Matt and Allie passed through hand-in-hand. At the end of the line stood their bridal party and families and their decked out car complete with streamers, paint and pop-cans! It was fabulous :-)

All the best to Mr. and Mrs. Matt Martindale :-) Next weekend Patrick and I are making our last weekend trip together for this summer to Conneaut Lake, PA to visit my parents at their lake home. I'll keep you posted on what goes on :-) Until then...

July To-Do's

2010-07-01T23:20:00.003-04:00

Watch fireworks :-)
~~Get a nice big ice cream cone on a hot afternoon!~~
~~Finish Emily Giffin's "Something Blue" and buy and start reading her next book "Love The One Your With"~~
Go back to my beloved "Dub-Dub" (Weight Watchers...I'm a lifetimer) and be at least 5 pounds lighter come 7/31...
With that, up the ante of my running and make it a realistic 2 times per week.
~~Make a realistic attempt at finishing Patrick and I's first year together scrapbook...I mean we're only 3 months into year 2 and I still haven't finished year 1!~~
Make my sales quota for a bonus (at least $30,000)....I was only $800 away from it in June...ugh!
~~Start Chapter #1...~~
I'm going to put Kennywood on here again since it didn't happen last month...we shall see!
~~Catch a fish is going back on here as well since a visit is planned to Conneaut Lake this month!~~
~~Make at least one improvement on my new house :-)~~
~~Visit my Bozwell at his new owners house~~
~~Go to the movies to see Eclipse :-) (Krista are you in?!)~~
~~Go to a workout class with Kimber's...(since she asks me all the time!)~~
Do more work on my Grandma's trunk
Go biking in North Park...
Be deligent on NOT going over on my budget this month...this is a growing problem that I need to get ahold of!

June Rewind

2010-07-01T00:34:00.000-04:00

June came and went and of course there were some memorable moments that slipped through a themed blog. I'm all about sharing all the juicy details so I didn't want to leave out these special moments :-)

First off I wanted to share this card I got from my sweet friend Krista...

Krista has been blogging for awhile now and was so thoughtful to give me this encouraging card. Krista is always such a caring friend and this is just one of the many ways that she is always there for me :-) Krista has a great blog, check her out under "My Reads"...Her blog name is "Times New Roman: The Life and Times of Writer, Krista Roman"...She's always posting fun stuff and really does a great job!

At the very beginning of the month, on the 2nd to be exact, my sister Katie hit a new mile-stone and turned the big 3-0! Let me just say it feels good to be the much younger sister in my 20's 8-) haha! To celebrate her special day I crashed her "friends-only" party at Piccolo Forno in Lawrenceville. It's a trendy little BYOB Italian place - super-cute! Because I'm so close with my sister I know all her friends and consider them friends of mine as well so it was so nice seeing some faces that I haven't seen in awhile.

John, Jeff, Ellen, Teddy and Katie

Steph, Rachel, Jodie, Tim and Me

We had a blast! Everyone brought some different wines and we drank and ate the night away. Outside it was STORMING! Piccolo Forno has a ton of oversized windows so it was an interesting backdrop for the dinner. I ordered the Lasagna and it was delish (I still say it's not as good as your recipe though, Katie) We capped off the dinner with a DQ ice cream cake, Katie's favorite! Overall it was a great evening out with great people :-) Happy 30th Birthday Katie!

Steph, Jodie, Ellen, Katie, Me, Jenn and Rachel

Ted & Katie

Can you tell we're sisters?!

Another memorable event early-on in the month was the bonfire Patrick and I attended. This was at our friends, Jay and Jenn's house. I've blogged about them before. Jenn as always was the "hostest with the mostest"...I don't know how she does it! Every time we go to her house its a stellar experience! I always tell her I want to take classes from her on how to become a good housewife - lol. I mean this woman makes all her own desserts, dressings and even makes homemade jams....I can only hope to get that good with time! I have no pictures from this night but Jenn had homemade guacamole (Chipotle's recipe...how you even get Chipotle's recipe is beyond me!!) and freshly popped pop-corn as appetizers. Then as we all gathered around the fire she brought out trays of ingredients to make different kinds of Moon-Pies! She had ingredients to make Mexican Moon-Pies, Pizza Moon-Pies and Apple Moon-Pies for dessert. It was such a neat idea on her part and really made for a fun night. I truly felt like I was camping...minus having to sleep in a tent (which is a good thing!) Jay and Jenn are such great people, it really has been fun getting to know them :-)

Mid-month Patrick and I became graduates of Financial Peace University! For the past few months we have been learning the ways of famous financial advisor, Dave Ramsey. Our friends Tuff and Mary introduced us to his ways. Every Monday for the past few months a group of us would meet at one of our homes and watch a Dave Ramsey DVD. Each week he covered a different topic from getting out of mountains of debt to accumulating so much money that you can give to those in need freely. I learned a ton from him and have been actively living his advise. I suggest his theories to everyone. His book "Total Money Makeover" is a great read for anyone who wants to get their finances on track. It's amazing to now realize that people who make minimum wage can be millionaires by the time they retire all due to planning and investing. Really cool stuff there!

Sadly when Financial Peace ended our group of friends left for their summers away :-( Tuff and Mary left for Minnesota/Montana and won't be back in Pittsburgh until the end of July. Our friends Tyler and Maggie left for South Carolina/Tennessee and they won't be back until mid July. It's always so sad to say goodbye to friends but I'm sure time will pass quickly.

This brings me to another that I had to say goodbye to…my Bozwell. It was such a tough decision but I know it was the best for both me and for him. It was getting to be too tough to take care of him with work and all the traveling opportunities I’ve had. When Boz exhausted his dog-sitting privileges at my sister Katie’s house I knew I had to find him a new home. It was such a sad day for me and I could tell he was sad as well, but I know I found him a good home with a woman named Jodie. Fortunately she lives just a few streets away from me and is allowing me to visit any time I like. I already passed by his new home once and saw him outside…he looked happy - but chased my car as I drove away! I really do miss him so much but I know ultimately I made the best decision for the both of us. Before he left me, Patrick and I got to spend some time with him and took some last pictures…

Because I STILL can't figure out how to post videos (trust me, I've been trying!!) I'm going to send you to YouTube...I posted a quick video of Boz doing his tricks...We call this "The Army Crawl"....check it out at...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpQhJt2udJE

The last bit of "June News" is a biggie....

I am now officially a home owner :-D

This is my new home! I purchased it on June 28th and I am so very happy for the entire buying process to be finished! For some reason it was a pretty long one for me. The house is located on a great street with a little view of the city from the upper deck. It's in great shape as well! It needs a little loving and I'm so ready to do just that. You know I'll be posting any changes I make as time goes on. I feel so lucky and blessed to have had this opportunity placed in my hands :-) Now there is no doubt in my mind that I am a full-fledged, bona fide adult!!!

June was a memorable month filled with all kinds of coolness...Now my arms are open and ready for all that God has planned for me in July :-)

Michigan & C-eh-N-eh-D-eh

2010-06-29T16:52:00.000-04:00

My trio of different state weekend trips continued this weekend in Michigan. Patrick and I traveled four-and-a-half hours to Saline (close to Ann Arbor) to take part in his agents golf-outing and banquet. We kicked off our time there at the Brookside Golf Course. The outing was a golf scramble and we had a lot of fun! I of course didn’t golf because I haven’t taken my lessons yet. I did hit up the driving range though and had some successful attempts!

Patrick's agent, Doc Ping (in the white) hosts the event each year and invites his athletes to participate. It's a really big event for him :-) All the funds raised go to his scholarship foundation.

Patrick was a part of the Pay Chex team and all the guys were great. They knew I was a rookie at golfing and gave me lots of tips. They also let me chip and putt which was great practice :-) From left to right, Ken, Roger, Patrick, Kevin and Eric.

The course was kinda soggy because of all the rain but it sure was pretty...Patrick and I loved this house :-) The Pay Chex guys said we could live there if Patrick ever got traded to the Lions...I broke their hearts by saying "Ehh...the house isn't worth that much!" HAHA! But no seriously, it was ginormous and stunning...and doesn't even fit in the picture!!!

Good Times on the Green!

While in Michigan we stayed with the family Patrick always stays with when training with Doc. I have always wanted to meet Kristine and her son JJ. I've heard so much about them through the time Patrick and I have dated. They were so nice to welcome me into their beautiful home.

Aside from meeting and spending time with Kristine and JJ, Patrick was also excited for me to finally meet their 3 Golden Retrievers, B (Butterscotch), Beans and Nilla. It's an understatement to say Patrick loves these dogs :-) They were so fun and playful! We enjoyed grooming them and taking them for walks. I told Patrick not to get his hopes up though...they shed an awful lot and I don't know if I could deal with that on a daily basis! They sure are cute though...

Patrick with B and Beans and Me with Miss Nilla :-)

Something exciting that we got to do on our trip is cross the border and go to Canada!

This was for Doc's banquet. I've been to Canada twice before (Niagra and Torono) but I don't remember ever crossing the border. I guess there isn't too much to get excited about though...it took forever and they didn't even stamp my new passport (that I had to have rushed to me just for this trip). We traveled into Windsor to eat at an Asian restaurant. It was interesting that's for sure...lol. I don't know if you've ever dined Asian before but it's unlike anything I've ever eaten before. There were 11 rounds of dishes served. Basically one dish was prepared for each table and the table of 10 shared the dish. We first had a pork dish, followed by a very thick soup...I wasn't too keen on either of them but things went north when a shrimp dish and beef lo mien noodles came out...both were delicious! Our next dish was chicken legs (or so they say...) then this...

Yeah, that's a fish...a Pike in fact...still looking at us! I was brave and I ate it and it was actually quite good! Next time I catch me a pike I may be baking that baby up haha! Next they served squid and broccoli followed by lettuce wraps. Then came the desserts...amazing almond cookies and fortune cookies...followed by an almond cake and lastly a peanut butter soup that I couldn't handle too well. All in all it was a good meal. Some of the dishes weren't my favorites but there were more good ones then bad ones.

The point of the banquet was to honor Doc's Dojo class. One of his long-time students recieved one of the highest honors in Dojo being ranked "Renchi". Before the ceremony, Doc was the only other person to hold this honor in the United States. This particular ceremony was such a big deal because the man being honored is the first to be honored in the United States - Doc's ceremony was held in Japan. I don't know too much about Dojo so I apologize if I made any errors in spelling or in how I comprehended this event.

Our trips to Michigan and Canada (get the blog title?! haha...that was Patrick's contribution!) were very fun...next weekend we're bound for D.C. to celebrate the holiday weekend...stay tuned!

Paradise In Pennsylvania

2010-06-28T00:29:00.000-04:00

"It's wonderful to explore such a lovely place with the one you love!"

This past week Patrick participated in the Mario Lemieux celebrity golf outing. It was held at the fabulous Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Nemacolin is located south of Pittsburgh in the rural town of Farmington. Let me just warn you my writing skills are being put to the test here because its difficult to find the words to describe how utterly amazing this place is! Everyone should experience it for themselves...seriously!

The drive there was a pretty one. I left after work on Tuesday night and it took me about an hour and a half to get there. The place we stayed at is called "Falling Rock". It's one of the newer buildings at the resort. This hotel houses just 42 rooms and boasts a 24/7 butler service! Our room was ultra luxurious :-) First off when my bags were delivered to my room they also made this special delivery...

Of course, Patrick followed his stomach first and took a bite before I could get my camera. :-)

Three seriously huge and delicious chocolate chip cookies!!! Made my day! It was like they had a bio on me stating what I would enjoy most haha! After checking out the room I freshened up and met Patrick for the group dinner. The food at Nemacolin was amazing...I didn't eat one thing that wasn't absolutely amazing! I particularly enjoyed the sea bass and risotto...mmm! Dinner was outside area of the hotel facing the golf course. It was super-scenic :-)

After dinner Patrick and I explored the room further. Since words are hard to find I'm going to let the pictures do the talking...

The most comfortable bed I've ever slept in!

The most amazing shower ever! It had 3 different rinses that moved in different directions...Patrick put it best after his first shower when he said "I feel like I just went through a car wash!" HAHA! I took a video of it but I don't know how to post it...anyone want to help me out with that?!

The stocked up bar...

The beautiful flat-screen that never got watched...

Sometimes its the little things in life that matter most...

Because this little get-away was so last minute I couldn't take a full-fledged vacation. I had appointments made and still had a ton of work to do this week. Fortunately a lot of the appointments I had were easier commutes from the resort then they would have been from my house haha - convenient! So each morning when Patrick went golfing I went to work. On Wednesday when I got back I met his golfing partners for the day and then we checked out the gym at the spa. After a quick workout we got ready for the nights big dinner party.

The dinner party was really cool! It was mostly hors d'oeuvres but there were a lot of really good ones. Entertainment for the night was a local comedian (from Swissvale) named Bill Gardell. He was hysterical! After he finished up a local 80's cover-band named Velveeta (from State College) set up shop and performed. This event was really cool. The after-party was located at the Falling Rock pool. Patrick and I did a quick walk-through then headed for bed. He was exhausted from golf and I was pretty tired myself from work and traveling. So Patrick ordered specialty pillows off the "Pillow Menu" (I'm not making this up...they had 10 different ones to choose from!) and I ordered a specialty bath off the "Bath Menu" (I'm not making this up either...they had 7 different ones to choose from!) One of the Butlers came up within minutes and delivered the pillows to Patrick in bed and then ran my bath for me haha. She put bubbles in, lit candles and sprinkled rose petals around the tub...do you think I got a little bit spoiled?! HAHA! Check it out...it was beautiful (minus being WAY too hot...I had to add freezing cold water just to make it bearable to get in)

Thursday was our final day there. It was so sad to leave. Usually I'm just a little sad to leave a place I'm visiting but ultimately I'm ready to leave...not this time, I could have stayed there a lot longer! Hopefully Patrick gets invited to the outing again next year...I would LOVE to go back :-)

Stay tuned to hear about our weekend trip to Michigan...I'll be posting in the next few days...Sorry I'm a little behind with all the traveling in the car! Until then...

Over The River And Through The Woods...

2010-06-21T08:51:00.000-04:00

"...TO GRANDMA'S HOUSE WE GO!"

This weekend Patrick and I headed up north to the tiny town of Dalton, New York to spend the weekend with his grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa Bailey are such sweet people and I always enjoy spending time with them :-) Patrick's parents were both in the Air Force and when they were stationed in New York, Grandma and Grandpa Bailey did a lot of babysitting the four Bailey boys...I got to hear all the mischievous stories this weekend haha! Nothing like getting dirt on your boyfriend from when he was a tiny tot...haha!

One of the main reasons we headed the four-and-a-half hours North was so Patrick could attend a Fathers Day golf outing with his Grandpa and uncles KC and Terry on Saturday. From stories it sounds like they all had a fun time...maybe a little too much fun...! Haha! They finished third (Out of three...just kidding! There were more teams then that!!!) in the golf scramble. While the men golfed, Patrick's grandma and I babysat Terry's kids Codey and Caila and drove to Buffalo airport to pick up Patrick's brother James. The area of New York that we were in is pretty rural. It was beautiful country to drive through and we sure did do a lot of it...my guesstimate of car time this weekend is about 18 hours...

Saturday evening something kinda cool happened...Patrick and James taught me how to shoot a gun! Before this trip I had never held or shot a gun before...but all that changed when I fired a 22 Rifle.

I think I did pretty decent. I didn't have a target to hit so I don't know how accurate I was but I did manage to keep it in the vicinity I was supposed to keep it in. No one died or got hurt and that's all that matters! After, Patrick decided to let me fire a 410 Shotgun...he failed to mention this gun was a lot louder and gave a lot more kickback! When I fired I was pretty shocked...I'm positive my face was priceless!!!

On Sunday (Father's Day) we all woke up and went to church. This church is the same church that Grandma and Grandpa Bailey got married in 56 years to the day :-) During mass they ask for prayer requests or concerns in the beginning and then at the end ask people to share their good news. It was so cute when Grandpa Bailey stood up and said "56 years ago today I think I made a pretty good decision when I said "I do" in this very church and married Donna. She wanted to share this news in concerns but I told her I'd take care of it here in the good news." - HAHA! He's a riot! The entire church got a good laugh out of that one! A big Congratulations goes out to each of them! After mass I asked if I could see pictures from their special day 56 years ago. Both were so young and happy in love :-) I really enjoyed getting to see those pictures! Here's a picture of the special pair today...

While away Patrick got invited to attend the Mario Lemieux golf outing at Nemicolin Woodlands this week. Nemicolin is a BEAUTIFUL resort about an hour and a half south of Pittsburgh. For being a part of the event Patrick is being put up in the Falling Rock resort which sits upon the golf course. This place seems amazing! They offer 24/7 Butler service and even have a 10-option pillow menu...talk about deluxe! I'll be visiting back and forth so be sure to expect some details and pictures :-) Until then...

Trash To Treasure

2010-06-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
A new hobby of mine is to refurbish old furniture. When you're constantly living on a budget sometimes its hard to come up with the money to buy what it is you really want to buy. I could easily charge stuff to a card but as I'm newly out of credit card debt (YAY!!) why would I go back down that road??? So I recently decided to let my imagination run wild and let my own creativity take the wheel. Outcome: some pretty cool furniture that holds a special place in my heart because I made it what it is now :-)

The first time I decided to do this I got a piece of old furniture at the "Red, White and Blue" thrift store. I was shopping with my mom and after age 55 you're considered a senior citizen lol! One day a week the seniors get half-off the ticketed price. I selected a beat up but sturdy wood piece. It was originally $8.50 so I got it for $4.25...I'm kicking myself for not taking a before shot! Take my word for it, it was just a dull brown wood with some scratches and nicks in it. It wasn't anything special but I saw something in it. I decided I would use it in my scrapbooking section and put my Cricut machine on it. I spent a weekend working on it. I first sanded out all of the imperfections. I then primed it and painted it black. I trimmed the drawer in left over hot pink paint from my sisters salon. Lastly I put left over pink and silver wall-paper remnants (also from my sisters salon) on the top and in the back shelf. My dad completed the piece by polishing up the knobs for me. I'll never forget when I was carrying it into my house...2 ladies were walking dogs and they stopped me to ask where I bought this piece of furniture. I told them the story and they loved it! At that point I really felt a sense of accomplishment! The project cost me a total of $4.25 since I used all left over paint and wallpaper from my sisters salon...talk about a bargain! Below is a visual of the piece. Again, I wish I had the before photos!

This past weekend I was back at it again. When I was on the house tour a few weeks ago I saw a cute idea in an attic. The woman who owned the house had a little red ladder and she simply placed a plant on it and it added something different to the room. I just raved over it and my mom told me I could easily do that. She gave me an old ladder she had at our cottage. The sides and top were painted green and the steps were unpainted when I began. (I took the "before" picture after I had started painting...as you can tell I'm not too good at remembering to take those before pictures!) I decided to paint it with the same left over hot pink paint from the salon. I'm keeping the piece on my deck but when winter comes I'll move it into my office and it will now match :-) Always thinking right?! Here's my new piece...I think it's too cute and it cost only my time to do it!

Also this weekend I helped in giving my future home a little facelift. In order for the sale of the house to go through some areas needed re-painted. Dave, the man selling to me, and myself spent all-day Sunday chipping the garage doors and painting them a new fresh green color (Behr Paint: Promenade) Below is the after shots :-) One of these weekends coming up that I have nothing going on I'm going to actually trim the boxes in a shade of burgundy (Behr Paint: Tawny Port)...I'll post when completed!

Another piece I've been working on is an old trunk my grandfather gave to my dad. You can't really tell in the picture but it has this cool flower embossing all over it. As soon as I saw it I knew I could do good things to it! This piece really needs some TLC! It's missing a wheel so it's totally lopsided!

So far I've only gotten to clean up the inside of the trunk. It had two layers of old wall-paper inside of it and I spent a good hour and a half scraping it all off. The first layer came off in one piece, it was that bottom layer that was pretty tricky and time-consuming. Removing the wallpaper really helped take out the musty smell inside the trunk.

Next step is to stain the inside...I think (and hope!)this step will ultimately demolish the funky smell.

I'll let you know how it goes! So far this project also has cost me nothing but my time.

June To-Do's

2010-06-01T16:57:00.000-04:00

Back in high school I used to make a to-do list when each month rolled around. I kept it in the back of my school planner. It wasn't your typical to-do list, much like the ones I write out every day to keep myself from forgetting what I must to in a days time. Rather, its a list of things to do to keep myself doing things that I really want to be doing. It's so easy in the rush of life to forget to take time to do the things that you really want to accomplish. It always felt so good to make these lists and accomplish what was upon them. It's a habit I've fallen off of and I want to start up again, so here goes my life to-do list for the month of June...

~~Drink a June-Bug (This delicious drink is at T.G.I. Fridays...My friend Hope and I discovered them years ago and I always try to have one when June rolls around!)~~
Go to Kennywood (This is Pittsburgh's big amusement park. Patrick has yet to go and I want to experience it with him!)
Begin my golfing lessons (Patrick bought me them for my Birthday and I'm yet to cash them in due to time restraints)
~~Finish reading "Something Borrowed" (I'm terrible at finishing books...I start and never finish, I want to break that bad habit!)~~
Go fishing and catch a fish! (It's that time of the year again and I've yet to dip my rod in the waters! I've got a big itch for it though!!)
~~Work on refurbishing my grandmothers old trunk...~~
~~Go to the movies and see "Sex and the City" and have a good signature Cosmo afterwards ;-)~~ ACTUALLY HAD THE COSMO ON MY SISTERS BIRTHDAY AND HAD THE JUNEBUG AFTER THE MOVIE :-)
~~Make Patrick a homemade chocolate cake from scratch (I promised him this weekend I would when we watched "It's Complicated"...I've never done this one before!)~~

~~Start running again...I'd like to go at least 3 times per week.~~I DIDN'T GO THREE TIMES A WEEK...BUT I DID GO AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK...
~~Go to a farmers market for fresh produce~~
~~Close on my house (This one is kinda out of my control but I'm pushing for it to happen! I just want it to be mine so I can start the makeover!)~~
Go flying with Patrick (This also is out of my control...he needs to be 100% licensed before this can happen but again, I'm pulling for this one!) HE HAS 4 HOURS TO GO BEFORE HE'S A LICENSED PILOT!
~~Catch lightning bugs :-)~~
~~Go to a pool 8-)~~
Get a grill...It's the season for it! (Any suggestions on a good one?)
Finally have the pizza cook-off I've been talking about with the Harris' and Grisham's
~~Get Bozzie to fully understand the word "Sit"!!~~ HE ACTUALLY KNOWS IT...IT'S AMAZING!!!

I may add more to the list but this is a good start! I'll cross them off as I accomplish them :-)

Going To The Chapel Of Love!

2010-06-01T00:34:00.000-04:00

This weekend one of my very best friends got married! Miss Colleen Conneely is now Mrs. Colleen Cooper :-) Coll and Scott are two of my favorite people, they really are a perfect couple. I knew from the first time I met Scott that he was perfect for Colleen. I always had a hunch these two would end up right where they were this weekend, on the alter :-)

The weekend kicked off with the rehearsal at St. Raphael's followed by dinner at Mitchell's. It was such a hectic day because my boss had asked me to travel to Wilcox, PA to set up a patient for him. After 6 hours of driving on a one-lane, winding country road I finally got back to my place to get ready. After doing so Patrick picked me up and we were on our way. Thankfully I didn't know where the church was and had to call my friend Kim for the address. She alerted me there was an accident on the highway and another bridesmaid, Kate, had been stuck in traffic for 45 minutes (for a 15 minute car ride). At this point I'm almost on the verge of tears because I don't want to ruin Coll's special night. Thank God for Patrick, he always stays so calm and collected. He got us there via back roads, almost on time and with no tears shed by me. What would I do without him??!!

The rehearsal went well. Scott tugged at my heart strings when he almost started crying already! I'm a huge sap and it doesn't take much for a tearflow from me...God knows if I see a grown man cry I'm on my way to doing the same! At the dinner Colleen gave each of her bridesmaids a gift of her appreciation...Hello Mini Coach Bag :-)

After dinner, most of the bridesmaids stayed with Colleen in the Presidential Suite ;-) We had an amazing time drinking champagne while singing and dancing to some of our favorite party songs. Miss Bride-To-Be was cracking me up when she started jumping on the bed! She was just priceless! It was one last night for all of us unmarried girls to spend together :-) Check out Miss Bride in action - haha!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=537914333848&saved

Not only was the 29th Colleen and Scott's wedding day, it was also our friend Kimmie's 25th Birthday! So at midnight we sang 'Happy Birthday' and gave her her cards.

7 am rolled around way too quickly and we awoke the bride to "Going To The Chapel Of Love"...after quick showers our hairstylist JoJo came and we were on our way to getting ready. After hair we headed to the MAC counter at Macy's for makeup. We grabbed a quick lunch then it was in the dresses and on the Trolley. Colleen looked beautiful (as I predicted in my last blog!) Her dress was perfect for her and I especially loved her veil. I was with her when she was looking for veils. She had seen nothing she liked so I was anxious to see what she would select. Turns out she didn't have to look far, she borrowed her mothers! So Colleen got married in the same church and by the same priest as her parents did almost 30 years ago, while wearing her mom's veil...I love the tradition! Below are some snapshots of the stunning bride before saying "I Do" :-)

Once on the trolley "Going To The Chapel of Love" was played again and this time it started the tears...it was so real now! Before we knew it we were at the church and walking down the aisle. The ceremony was so touching! Scott pulled at our heart strings once again when he teared up as Mr. Conneely and Colleen walked down the aisle together. But the real tear-jerker came when Scott could barely get the last line of his vows out due to tears! It was all so beautiful! I'm SO happy for Mr. and Mrs. R. Scott Cooper!!!!

The reception was AMAZING! I'm not even exaggerating, this wedding was hands down one of the most fun I've ever been to! It was at the Marriott in downtown Pittsburgh (across from Mellon Arena) and everything was just so perfectly beautiful! Coll had all her purple and white accents that gave such an elegant feel to the room. Each table was adorned with candles and had a fresh floral arrangement made up of purple and white flowers. Dinner was absolutely delicious! It kicked off with Tomato Basil soup, salad and bread. I ordered the chicken and it was so yummy! Another thing I enjoyed was the massive cookie table! It's tradition in Pittsburgh to have a cookie table for guests to graze upon throughout the night...well guests at this wedding got to munch on 95 DOZEN cookies in addition to the beautiful (and delicious) raspberry filled cake!

The DJ was pretty awesome. We all enjoyed getting down on the dance floor. Of course fitting party hats were provided for the "YMCA" - lol! I sported the fire-fighter helmet while Patrick went for the festive Indian head-dress - haha!

Overall, it was a great night with great friends. A ton of wonderful memories were made throughout the entire wedding journey :-) Congratulations, and best of luck in the future Mr. and Mrs. Scott Cooper!!!

On Sunday the wedding festivities were over but our weekend continued on the fast paced stride it had been on for us. Patrick and I attended a Memorial Day picnic at our friend Jay's house. It was so nice to finally meet Jay's wife Jenn after hearing so much about her. Let me just say I learnt a thing or two from her...she is a hostess with the mostest! She made a fabulous meal for us and some of Patrick's teammates and their wives/girlfriends. First off, the weather was perfect. We enjoyed talking over some wine and appetizers then played a couples game of bocce. I think I found my sport! I'm not the most athletic person and am not very competitive at sports because I'm usually pretty terrible at them, but I was really good at bocce! Patrick and I won with me getting 5 of the 7 points we needed! After bocce Patrick and I faced our friends Maggie and Tyler at sack toss/cornhole. It was a super-close game, but PB and I were sadly defeated. As I mentioned before, we had a delicious dinner. Jenn is a fabulous cook...I think I want to take lessons from her as badly as Patrick wants me to take lessons her - haha! Mmm...she made this scrumptious strawberry almond tart...amazing! Patrick and I were the stragglers...we stayed until midnight just chatting with Jay, Jenn, Aaron and Jaime. It was so nice to get to know all of them better. It really was a great day :-)

Thank goodness this weekend was a 3-day weekend! Friday through Sunday were so busy that we did absolutely NOTHING for the holiday on Monday. We went food shopping, rented a movie from the Redbox and just lounged around and it was great! I had felt bad for not giving Bozwell much attention so we made sure to give him some TLC as well.

Now it's back to the grind...another month down and a new workweek begins. I have no real teasers for next week, but stay tuned because I'm sure something fun is bound to happen :-)

Two Hands

2010-05-23T08:49:00.000-04:00

"God blessed us with two hands. The first is to help ourselves, the second is to help others."

This weekend was a busy one that's for sure, and next weekend is set to follow suit (You'll have to wait to hear about that!). On Friday night my boyfriend Patrick and I were invited to attend a charity event at the Kean Theatre in Gibsonia, PA. The night benefited research for Pancreatic Cancer and was held to honor the memory of Randy Pausch. Randy was a long-time professor here in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University. You may know his story if you read "The Last Lecture". The co-author of the book, Jeffrey Zaslow of the 'New York Times' was at the event and spoke on the memory of his late friend. Prior to Friday I had known a little bit about Randy's story because of his ties to Pittsburgh but I had not read his book. I purchased it and look forward to reading it as soon as I finish my current read ("Something Borrowed" by Emily Griffin).

I got the opportunity to meet Jeffrey and he was so nice. The things he said about Randy were so touching. There is no doubt in my mind that Randy must have been a remarkable person. He made this special inscription inside of my book...

Now that's what it's all about! I'm going to live those words that's for sure! Another guest also appeared and spoke on the memory of Randy...Guess Who?!

I guess I should preface a bit and share that the conclusion of the eveing was a sketch-comedy play. Mr. Jeff Reed got into some of the props. Don't be fooled, Patrick did as well but he wasn't as willing to pose for pictures in his garb!

Jeff got to meet Randy when he came to the Steelers facility. He shared that Randy's dream in life was to become a professional football player. The Steelers organization made that dream as much as a reality as they could and Jeff was one of the players that got to help coach him. He told us that Randy made a field-goal on his first attempt at it wearing street clothes and sneekers haha! He must have missed his calling.

As I said before, the night was capped off with a play. It was called "Horray For Hollywood". It was written and directed by my friend Tom Madden and it was HILARIOUS! Get this, he used all of AFI's top 100 movie lines throughout the play. It poked fun from all area's and it really was enjoyable! It was especially fun for me because I've done some acting at this theatre and many of my former castmates were featured in this play. A big "Bravo!" goes out to each and every one of them involved :-)

Patrick's youngest brother Andrew came in for the weekend and shared the packed weekend with us so I had to share this studly picture of the Bailey Brothers...they just look so handsome!

In all this event raised $7,000 for Pancreatic Cancer research...Awesome!

On Saturday Patrick, Andrew and I went to see Shreck 4 and then helped celebrate their cousin Carissa's 15th Birthday. We went to eat at Sawa Hibachi Steakhouse...It was so yummy! After we watched Carissa open her gifts and got to have some of Carissa's TWO Birthday cakes, a Dairy Queen ice cream cake, and a Mrs. Field's cookie cake (Really are there any better cakes to have?!)

After church on Sunday I spent the morning with my mom, her friend Kathy and my sister Katie. We went on the Brighton Heights House Tour. I had never done anything like that before but it really was neat! About a dozen houses in the neighorhood were on display for anyone who had a ticket to tour though. Let me just say there were some BEAUTIFUL homes and I now have a lot of good ideas for after the closing of my house. (I'm buying a house in case you didn't know...)

Directly after the tour I had to hurry up and get to Fate Lounge in the Strip District for an event called "Glitzburgh". It was a fashion show and concert to raise funds for Children's Hospital. Patrick was asked to be one of the male models and after one of the females backed out they asked if I could step in. A ton of local celebrities were there including Patrick (of course!) and his teammate James Harrison, Miss Pennsylvania: Gina Cerilli (just finished in the top 15 at Miss USA!), Miss Teen Pennsylvania: Elena LaQuatra (will compete at Miss Teen USA this summer), Erin Elmore (The Apprentice) and Ashley Elmore (Jake's season of the Bachelor!).

I unfortunately don't have many pictures of this event...I don't know where my brain was because I didn't even get one picture of me and PB all dressed up at the event! His brother Andrew did snap these few pics of us on stage and one after the show...

This event raised over $13,000 for Children's Hospital! Amazing!

So this crazy weekend has come to an end and another one is right around the corner! Next weekend my friend Miss Colleen Conneeley will become Mrs. Colleen Cooper :-) I can't wait to share Coll and Scott's special day with ya'll (yes, Patrick's southerness has rubbed off on me! I'm a "ya'll" sayer!) Let me just take the suspense out for you...she is going to be the most beautiful bride ever!!

Beautiful memories are to be made so stay tuned!! :-)

The Blog Train

2010-05-17T21:40:00.000-04:00

All Aboard! Maggie is officially on the "Blog Train"!! I have some close friends who blog and after months of admiring their dedication, I decided to act on their inspiration! My life isn't extremely entertaining on a daily basis but some interesting occurances do take place from time to time and I plan to dish all the details on here :-)

I grew up writing. All throughout highschool and into college I wrote in a diary. Somehow I lost touch of doing that and for years I've kept my memories locked inside my head. These days there's not too much room to spare up there and I fear some precious moments have already slipped away for good! Hopefully this will help me get back in touch with that side of my personality.

For now, just the basics...My name is Maggie Rose Kutschbach. I'm 24 years old and live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I work in medical sales and I sell "Bone Growth Stimulators". I can say this...I absolutely love my job! There's so much more to it then the satisfaction of making a sale. Each day when I lay my head down at night, I rest with the satisfaction of knowing that I've helped someone who is suffering from pain to feel better...now that's cool! I used to work for a television station as an Associate Producer, the fancy title for a "writer". I also liked that job. I had dreams of getting into on-air broadcasting but somewhere along the way my dream changed. I knew to make that dream a reality I would have to leave my hometown and set fourth on the road alone. I wasn't ready to do that, and thankfully I listened to my heart! I stayed put in the 'Burgh, got a "behind-the-scenes" job, and eventually moved into my killer apartment and met an amazing man! Everything happens for a reason...I'm a big believer in that! And you know what?! Life is good 8-)

What else can I share?! I'm part of a rapidly growing family! I'm the youngest of three girls. Kristy is my oldest sister. She is 30-years-old and owns her own Nail Salon, "Salon Chic". Katie is 29-years-old and is a stay at home mom of soon to be four!

Kristy has an 8-year-old son named Blayze and Katie has three, soon to be four little ones! Caroline is 4-years-old, Elizabeth or as we call her for short "Lulu" is 3, and Adelaide "Addie" is 1. Edward North Jr., "Teddy" will be actively in the mix come late August/early September! I LOVE being an aunt! Each one of those kiddos holds a special place in my heart :-)

My boyfriends name is Patrick. We've been dating for about a year-and-a-half. He's wonderful and I'm sure he will make lots of guest appearences in this blog :-)
I recently got a dog. His name is Bozwell or "Bozzie" for short. He's a 2-and-a-half year old "Morkie" or "Yorktese" (that's a mix of Yorkshire Terrier and a Maltese) He's been such a fun addition to my life :-)

Well, that's all for now...hopefully the next time I write I will have something a little more active to post about it. Stay tuned, good times are ahead 8-)