As if we didn't sweat enough last weekend...

we are going to Fort Myers, Florida for the weekend to attempt to enjoy the heat and humidity. We're going with Joe's parents - I expect that I will be gaining more experience on the golf course. Hopefully I won't be eaten by an alligator...

More on the Move

Neither Joe or I could have guessed that we would be moving so soon! We thought we were going to be in our Mount Washington house for quite a few years before switching locales. However, after our careers changed paths and now the location of the warehouse is going to be moved, we decided we needed to pick up and head north to New Castle in order to be close to work.

Here are some of the perks of moving:

1. Short commute to work
2. Being near Joe's friends and parents
3. A safer community
4. The grocery store will be close
5. Rush hour traffic will not bring things to a standstill in a suburb
6. We'll have a yard for the dog we will eventually get

Some downsides of leaving Mt. Washington:

1. Not as many restaurant and entertainment options in a close radius
2. We'll lose our great view of the city
3. No longer living in our first house
   

Big Announcement!

Who: Joe and Lauren.

What: Are moving!

When: Once we put the house on the market and it sells.

Where: To New Castle, PA - where Joe used to live.

Why: Our work location is switching from New Kensington, PA (35 minute commute) to New Castle, PA (1 hour 10 minute commute).


More information coming soon!

Planting Day!

So we picked the hottest day to spend a couple of hours laboring in the direct sun - I'm pretty sure it reached 90 degrees today! We shoveled out all the old grass and weeds, added some top soil and put in some plants.
The yard looks a lot better even though we didn't implement our full landscaping plan yet.

My parents met us at Best Feeds Garden Center this morning to pick up all that we needed. We got three hydrangea, a green mountain boxwood (pictured on right), a clematis and a pot of petunias. It didn't take as long as I thought it would and we were able to enjoy the sun by grilling out and walking around the strip district. It was very nice of my parents to help out and it made the work very enjoyable!

On the course

It was a great day to be outside! So, Joe, his dad, Brian and I went the New Castle Country Club to play some golf. This was my first time actually playing on a course. I started out playing every other hole and I would pick up the ball whenever I wasn't happy with my shot. Sometimes I would only drive and others I would only chip or putt. Overall, it was a good first experience and in the future (after some lessons and practice) I can see myself actually playing every hole...

Our New Green Room.

Spring Cleaning!

Joe and I both had a half day at work today but decided to come home and keep working. We did some deep cleaning - vacuumed, dusted, washed... It felt great to get done! We kept hard at work as we decided to finally finish painting one of the third floor bedrooms. We had started painting quite a few weeks (or months) ago and finally completed it today! It's a dark green color - I'll post a picture once it's dry!

Weekend Update

Joe and I never seem to spend the weekend in Mount Washington - we are always going here or there! This weekend was no exception. We spent Friday at home but then headed North to New Castle on Saturday so Joe could try out his new clubs he had gotten the day before.

After he played a quick 9 we traveled westerly to good old Solon, Ohio! We went to Petitti's with my Dad to look at flowers and shrubs with the plan to spruce up our curb appeal this coming weekend. A delicious dinner at Mavis Winkle's in Twinsburg and then Joe and I met at Suzi's house to see Chelsea Handler (comedian) at the Playhouse Theatre in Cleveland. She was very funny and put on a great show!

We stayed the night in Solon and then went back to New Castle early afternoon. We had an intramural soccer game and were victorious. We were worn out!

PA License!

I am officially a PA resident - I traded in my Lauren Anson Ohio driver's license for a brand new Lauren Patrick Pennsylvania one! I think I liked my picture on the Ohio ID better than my new one, but oh well!

Fore!

Watch out: Joe has a new passion! If you haven't already guessed from the title of the blog - it's golf. Working with his friend, Brian, has reminded him how much he used to enjoy the game. This will inevitably lead to our divorce...

That is a joke! Joe has foreseen this issue and decided it was time for me to pick up the clubs as well. I bought my first golf outfit on Friday and went to the driving range on Saturday night (thankfully no one else was there) for my first lesson from Mr. Patrick. Since I feel I performed decently at the range, I think I will give this game a try.

Twilight.

Last month, Joe read the Twilight series in a matter of a week - all four books in probably 8 days or so. He could barely put them down. At the time, I was slightly annoyed when he ignored me as I asked him a question while he was reading. However, now I understand why - I started reading the first book on the flight home from San Francisco on Wednesday and have been spending almost every other free moment completely engrossed. Better than Harry Potter?

Rude awakening.

Whoever was jack hammering right outside our window this morning is not appreciated at all. Especially when sleep is so valuable as out internal clocks transition back to EST.

Home Sweet Home.

We're back in Pittsburgh! It's nice to be at home after living out of a suitcase for quite a few days. The rest of our trip in California went well - Mr. Patrick and Joe had some good business meetings while Mrs. Patrick and I went to the beach, went to a movie and did more leisurely activities. It was a nice trip.

San Diego.

We were welcomed to San Diego with sunshine and warm weather yesterday morning! After checking in to the hotel, we went to the bar and grill that overlooks the ocean to enjoy the view and a cocktail. We went for a walk along the beach and then rested for an hour before heading off to a delicious seafood dinner. It was a great start to the trip.

This morning we got up early and had some Starbucks coffee and enormous muffins from a pastry shop before driving north towards La Jolla. Joe was very excited to see the Torrey Pines golf course where the US Open was held. The view from the greens were beautiful! We headed up along route 101 to enjoy the view and happened upon The Flower Fields. It was pretty cool! After that we had lunch and meandered our way back to the hotel - stopping to walk along the beach and see a few different towns. San Diego has been great and we will be sorry to leave tomorrow.

Busy days ahead of us.

We have a couple of busy days coming up. Tonight Suzi and Jon are coming back to Pittsburgh for the Ray LaMontagne concert. Then, Joe and I are leaving Suzi and Jon to lock up the house tomorrow morning (hopefully we can trust them...) since we have a 7 AM flight to San Diego. We will enjoy the rest of the weekend there and then will start our journey north. Mr. Patrick has a meeting in Irvine on Monday and then another meeting on Tuesday in Silicon Valley. We will be flying home on Wednesday. It will be a nomadic next few days but enjoyable all the same.