Tomorrow's the big day...

Get ready!




Oh yea - It's Joe's birthday tomorrow too...

Date night...

...but it's not with Joe!?!? I have 7 o'clock reservations at Ibiza with my friend, Tara. She was one of the girls I met while studying abroad in Spain, so having some tapas and vino together will bring back some good memories. Poor Joe will be home alone unfortunately.

Not so grey today

After this morning's blizzard, it's actually sunny!

It's grey in the city...

Today's wintery mix left the Pittsburgh roads with a layer of silvery slush. My mom told me that Solon had 8 or 9 inches of snow making for a very serene and scenic winter day. I think Pittsburgh's Steel City reputation isn't the reason for the greyness, I believe this is just the difference between the suburbs and city. Oh well, at least we have more take out places...

Working from home...

It really has its perks. It's nice not to have to shower/get dressed right away in the morning. It's a relaxed atmosphere and you don't have to pack a lunch. However, even after a productive work day, I feel like I haven't done much. I feel lazy and I suppose I have been since my only exercise is going downstairs to eat and occasionally running to the bathroom.

Monday morning.

Two things that have made my morning:

1. As we were checking out at the Foodland, Joe and I got a "Thank yinz."
2. Joe wiped out completely as we shoveled some of Cityzens' properties.
   

Picture of Pictures.

Joe and I hung a few picture frames last night to create a mini collage on the wall across from our front door. We put our wedding pictures in the frames for now, but we plan to swap them out eventually...

Date Night!

Joe and I are going to see Slumdog Millionaire tonight. It's supposed to be a very good movie and we have wanted to see it for a while. It is no longer showing in a lot of the main theaters, but it is still in the Manor Theatre in Squirrel Hill, a small 4-screen theater. Should be a nice night!

A Day of Home Improvement.

We finally put up curtains for our sliding doors! I think they look pretty good.

Railings Installed!

No longer do we need to worry about falling off the edge of our third floor landing!

Poconos Weekend.

I had a very nice and relaxing weekend at a Poconos house with 3 of my good friends from Spain. We arrived Friday night in the very cold weather - it was -3 outside and so cold in the house that we could see our breath! Luckily we got the heat turned on and a fire started so things were normal by the following morning. We didn't ski or go snow tubing as we had initially planned, but we enjoyed watching movies, cooking and catching up with each others' lives.

Also, the Steelers are in the Super Bowl! Whooo!

Poconos

After work today, I will be headed off to the Poconos for a reunion with my study abroad friends. We had such a good time together in Spain and we don't get to see each other enough back here in the states. It should be a fun weekend! However, I will miss Joe since this will be the longest that we have been apart since our wedding...

Left behind

We (Cityzens) recently purchased a house where the owner left all of his stuff (mostly junk) behind. Our job this week was to clean this place out, top to bottom. We went through 3 floors throwing out old pots and pans, furniture, and personal items that once belonged to a man named Chip. It felt a bit odd to rummage through this old man's unwanted possessions, especially when I came across a box that had hundreds of pictures. I was stunned that someone could leave all of this behind...

Visitors!

My mom and dad came into Pittsburgh for a few hours last night to see our house with furniture and all. My parents hadn't seen our house since the night before the wedding so they were happy to see the progress. We took them on a short tour of Mount Washington and some of the properties we are or will be working on. After that, we capped off the night at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto for a delicious dinner while overlooking the city. It was a short but very enjoyable visit!

Refrigerator Update:

The temperature dropped to 40 degrees this evening! That means GE will not incur the wrath of Lauren just yet.

Uh oh.

Our refrigerator temperature went up to 46 degrees yesterday...if it isn't colder tomorrow, someone might get very angry.

Resolutions

Joe and I brainstormed our New Years Resolutions on our vacation and here some of them are:

1. Be healthy. After having quite a bit of red meat and many servings of french fries, we want to eat healthy and workout regularly.
   
2. We would both like to read one book each month.
3. Finish furnishing our house (including hanging artwork and re-painting where necessary).
4. I would like to officially have my name changed to Lauren Patrick by 2010.
   

Back.

We left the 75 degree weather in the Bahamas today to be welcomed home with 30 degree weather and about a foot of snow. We were just happy that our flight was not delayed or canceled. Joe and I will be spending the day in New Castle so we can watch the Steelers game and play poker.

Poker Update.

For those who didn't know, the whole reason behind the trip to the Bahamas was so that Joe, as well as his dad, brother and friend Bob, could play the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Joe did pretty well in the main event - he made it to Day 2 but then lost in the first level of the Day 2.

Joe's brother, Jono, has been doing well in a different event and is already in the money with a very good pile of chips. Hopefully he can make a final table.

Otherwise, Mrs. Patrick and I have been supporting the poker players and enjoying the pool and spa.

One year ago today...

Joe proposed...and I said yes!

Atlantis!

Happy New Year - 2009!

Florida has been great so far - the weather is warm and it's so nice to feel the sun! After arriving yesterday morning, we went on a boat with some friends. Then we watched a movie before we went our for our New Years Eve dinner at Bacchus. We rushed back to the condo to miss the ball drop by 17 seconds...

Today I went for a nice morning jog and then helped Mr. and Mrs. Patrick buy groceries as Joe played golf. Now we are watching the Rose Bowl...Go Penn State!