Downtown Sights

I was going stir crazy in the house Monday night so Chris decided we would go downtown to see some of the Christmas lights/decorations that the city puts out for the season. The city really gets into the spirit of Christmas and there are plenty of things to see and do. The first thing we went to see was a lifesize nativity scene called the Pittsburgh Creche which is the worlds only authorized replica of the creche erected in front of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The next thing we came upon was the historic landmark where people from Harvard, Yale and Princeton could come and commune with eachother.

This is me in front of the gate to the club.

Next we went to the waterfront where Fort Pitt used to be. All that is left is the Fort Pitt blockhouse which was bulit in 1764 and a museum that was erected which contains artifacts from the actual Fort that was torn down. Sorry for the dark pictures, but these were taken around 10:30 at night with my phone!

We stopped by one more place on our trek and that was the outdoor ice skating rink which is usually a water fountain in the summer. They erected a beautiful tree that is huge!

The buildings, streets and bridges are decorated in lights making it a very beautiful sight. I am hoping to go back and get more pictures with my real camera soon.

There's so much to be thankful for

Thanksgiving always brings around the question, What are you thankful for?  This year I can definately say even though there have been countless changes and hard decisions made, I am at peace and thankful for more than I can express in words.
This Thanksgiving for us was about starting traditions and celebrating the holidays our way...as a couple.  It was a low key day which is always nice for us.  We got a small turkey that Chris cooked, had mashed potatoes, stuffing, broccolli, and crescent rolls with dutch apple pie for dessert and a bottle of wine. 
We played games throughout the day, watched a movie and some football and just had a great time with eachother.  Eventually, and of course, Chris fell asleep for a couple hours and I crafted. 

Our Home

Some of you have wanted to see what our new place looks like.  I have taken some pictures and will post them below.  I tried to get the whole room in the picture but it's so hard to do when there's not much space to move around!  Our place is 850 square feet and our laundry room is located in the basement. (which is shared by the 9 apartments that are alongside us)  We sit on top of a hill that overlooks a big wooded area mostly.  It is so beautiful when the weather is nice and the sun is setting.

This is what our building looks like.  Brown brick, reddish doors and green shutters.  Our mailboxes are inside our screen doors.

This is our teeny tiny bathroom.  It gets the job done though so thats all that matters I guess.

 Our bedroom, goes about 7 feet more to the bottom where our dresser and TV are.  Chris' clothes closet is to the right. (mines in the extra bedroom)

                                  Our dining room, coat closet to the right.

Our tiny kitchen with small refrigerator, normal sized range, and half dishwasher.  We have a food pantry to the right in the picture.

                             Our Living room. (half of it)

                             The other half of our living room.

 Our spare bedroom.  AKA the rest of our boxes we haven't yet unpacked.  The room is a MESS!!

 

Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium

Chris' days off are usually Mondays and Tuesdays so this past Monday we went to the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. 

We got into the zoo and realized there weren't that many people there.  Pry around 100 people that we came in contact with.  Didn't know if it was because it was during the week or because it was a little after lunchtime.  Either way, it was really nice not to be bombarded with crowds.  It was around 70 degrees Monday which was really nice for this time of year.

We spent around 3 1/2 hours total in the zoo and it was a very enjoyable afternoon.  I got to see alot of animals that the Oregon Zoo doesn't have such as kangaroos, gorillas and flamingos. 

At the aquarium they had stingrays you could touch as they swam around, tons of huge saltwater tanks with gorgeous fish in them, and coolest of all a water tunnel with sharks swimming all around you.

The sea lions were hilarious and I stood there and watched them for half an hour or more.  It was a great day and I can't wait to visit again soon.

My new life

As I sit here and write this, the sun has just set on another gorgeous fall day in the East.  Sun shining, multi colored leaves falling, slight breeze....sounds perfect right?  Well....almost.
Moving a month ago has made me realize a lot of things about myself.
1)  I hate change but can deal quite well with it.
A lot of you would think that I would be a nutcase having moved away from all my friends and some of my family but so far it hasn't been horrible.  We got into our apartment and after receiving our things have made it into quite a nice home for us.  Yes, we had to compromise on certain items coming into the house and yes, we don't seem to have quite enough room for everything but it feels good when I look around and I think that's all that really matters.
2)  Job hunting is an exhausting pastime.
I now know I have taken for granted the past 17 years I have worked.  Being a nanny I always had a limitless supply of people whom I knew, that needed childcare or they knew someone who was in need of childcare and offered my name.  I do not have that same network here.  All I can say is that the search has been long, frustrating and time consuming.  I know the perfect job will come along that is intended for me but it's hard to wait in the meantime.
3)  I need to have people to talk to.
I call myself the human TV guide these days because that seems to be all I am doing right now.  Well, that and going on long walks if it's nice enough outside or reading.  While none of these things are particularly bad for me, it does point out the obvious....I used to spend a lot of time with people. (Old and young people.  It's still someone to talk to...or at!)  I still talk to those same people on the phone but they all have jobs and so during the day, it's me myself and moi.  I feel bad for Chris when he finally gets home at night because I seem to talk and never shut up trying to make up for all the "quiet" times during the day.
These are just a few of the things I have noticed that seem to stand out the most. 
Yes, I miss my friends. 
Yes, I miss my old jobs.
But would I change anything to go back and be able to stay in Oregon right now?
No.
I am here for a reason and can't wait to find out what that reason is.