Pittsburgh, again

the sunken garden :: the desert room :: the baby victoria amazonica :: the 'down under' installation :: the long fellows in the orchid room :: the palm house :: julian, butterfly tamer

We took Julian's parents to Pittsburgh today so they could see all the places we'd enjoyed for the past five years. Usually, we make a day trip near the holidays, but there have been more than one mad dash to the Apple store during our time here in Morgantown. (And if you're going to drive and hour and a half for a new laptop battery, you might as well see the sights.)

We stopped in to IKEA where I picked up a wall storage set for the new house, went to Joann's and got new upholstery fabric for our dining room set, shopped through the best stores of The Strip District, and marveled at the greatness of Phipps Conservatory (one of our very favorite Pittsburgh spots).

It was a special day to go through these places knowing we might not ever make it back. We are both very ready to move on, but it is nice to remember the lovely times shared here.

Par-tay

We made it. Our 100-day countdown came to an end, both more quickly than we planned and more slowly. This Friday was Julian's graduation party and Saturday was his graduation topped off by his high school lacrosse team winning their third consecutive state championship right after graduation. The whole whole weekend was a delight.

I think the whole situation is so surreal for all of us. Transitions are always a bit nebulous but it is just hard to imagine that we moved our whole lives four and a half hours away from our home to complete a single {albeit very difficult task} and now just like that, here we are on the other side of it.

So what comes next? Julian will join the faculty at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia this August and the coming weeks will be spent packing. We've got our house there already but haven't got our current house all buttoned up and settled yet. I'm looking forward to posting more here about what's coming down the pike, but of course I can only post what I know, and some days that ain't much!

Family time

**This is a long overdue post about a wonderful weekend we got 

to spend celebrating my cousin's and my Grandmother's birthday 

(which is also our nephew's and Julian's Grandmother's birthday) 

in Pipestem State Park, West Virginia. **

 

This was the first time I'd made it to cousin Myra's new house, met her son, David Robert, and met Neil and Blair's son, Will. It's crazy how we all stay in touch so often on FB but we never seem to be in the same place at the same time... until this time! I suppose turning 85 is as good a reason as anyone to get the whole crowd out. I hadn't had any doubts that they were darling little boys, but now I know for sure. 

This occasion did not disappoint. It had all the usual features of our family gatherings: extensive porch sitting, a nature hike that lasted too long, super-photogenic Blair,  a monster cake laden with artificial food dyes, awkward photographs, and pine tar. What's not to love?! (except the pine tar)