international village at the park.

A co-worker from Matthew's work told him about this festival at a park not too far from us. So we headed over there after M got home from work.


Basically, they have a ton of food booths set-up (hence the name international village), and you can buy food, treats, and drinks from them.
They also had a stage set up for performances from the various countries that were represented as well as to hand out some awards to the community. In one section there was a fun-land for kids and craft section. Neat place to take kiddos for fun activities!
Well we walked around for a while with M's work friends trying to decide what we wanted to eat. Hungarian, English, Vietnamese, Slovakian, Serbian, Hawaiian...way too many choices. We couldn't really decide what we wanted. Finally, Matthew decided he wanted a gyro at the Greek booth. That is, until we got wet.
A few minutes before this, we looked at each other and said, "I think it's going to rain. Too bad our umbrella is in the car." So while we were waiting in line for food, the rain just started pouring down. People ran all different directions trying to get away from the rain. It was kind of humorous because they just scattered everywhere. We chose the smart decision and ran for cover under the biggest tree there. Not so much! Since we were already sopping wet, we decided to get out from the tree and not get struck by lightning (although we didn't think it was actually storming, just rain). Now there were no lines to get food except at the Greek place - must've been crazy good food!, so we grabbed a slice of pizza at the Italian place, and ventured over to the Hawaiian booth and picked up this delicious treat.

What's on that stick you may ask? Why it's frozen cheesecake covered in chocolate. And yes, it was as delicious as it sounds. And apparently, anything can be put on a stick.

three rivers heritage trail.

Today, we went out to Three Rivers Heritage Trail to go for a long walk. It was hot and humid but we enjoyed the sights.

Poocher man is so excited to go. He can't wait to get wherever that may be. Usually, he wears himself out before we even get there because he's so pumped.

The two men in my life. Love them!

Beautiful scenery.
Lots of boats were loading and unloading today at the boat ramp. We saw a lot on the river and it looked very refreshing to jump right in.
This pupster was exhausted when we finally made it back to the car. He has been sleeping pretty much all evening. And something happened to his paw too...we think it's just raw from the heat and the concrete. Poor guy.
Matthew and Hudson chasing the birds.

It was a neat trail and if it wasn't as hot as it was we probably would've walked to Point State Park, where the three rivers meet. Maybe another day!

beautiful church.

Today I was in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh. I was walking from the car dealership (we were getting some paint chips fixed from when we bought our car) to Panera to hang out for a while and saw this beautiful church. Just had to take a picture.

As I walked by, I saw that it was a United Methodist church. Can you just imagine bursting through those wooden doors as husband and wife after your wedding and running down those steps? I sure could.
Beautiful grounds. Beautiful church. What a neat place to worship!

Hofbrauhaus

We had a date night on Saturday. We headed down to the Southside Works and enjoyed a new restaurant and brewery, The Hofbrauhaus. It was delicious and we enjoyed a beautiful view sitting outside on the patio overlooking the river!

country concert

We went to the Kenny Chesney concert Saturday night at Heinz Field. It was a beautiful day for an outside concert!
Our seats were pretty high up so we had a great view of the rivers and downtown. We went in around 4pm to see all the artists that opened up for Kenny Chesney.We saw Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, and Sugarland!
Sugarland even crowd surfed in some inflatable balls!
We had a really great time!
Now we're so excited and looking forward to this weekend....

vacation downtown

Matthew and I have had a lot going on recently. So I decided to surprise him with a mini one-night vacation in downtown Pittsburgh. We dropped Hudson off at Camp Bow Wow for the day and night and headed downtown.
We stayed at the Westin in the heart of downtown.
In a beautifully furnished, comfy room that I booked through Hotwire (imagine that!).
This was our view of downtown...and it was neat to look out at night from our room on the 21st floor!
For dinner, we walked to the Strip District about a mile away. Someone had recommended this restaurant, Kaya.
It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g! We loved the food. Matthew had pork tenderloin with plantains in a habenero sauce. I had a mole rubbed chicken breast with avocado salad and a tamale. We also had mango-salsa and kettle chips. Basically, it was one of the best meals we've eaten here.
We enjoyed champagne, strawberries, cheese and crackers for dessert back in our room. We loved just hanging out and had a wonderful afternoon and evening and slept in until 10:30am this morning! It was rejuvenating for us and we enjoyed an evening away from our pup, although we did miss him terribly and we were definitely ready to pick him up this afternoon.

What's wrong with this picture?

We drove up to get gas the other night and the pump next to us looked like this! Apparently, someone had just driven off with the hose still in their tank. While we were getting gas, our pump automatically shut off for safety reasons so it took us about 20 minutes to get gas. It's nice to know though, that they have safety precautions in place and the hose and handle will detach from the pump when someone drives off.

Sonic

They have THE BEST ice.

Did you know these are hard to come buy around here? They just don't exist...until you get somewhere in the Midwest. Except for one south of the city.

So last night Matthew and I needed to venture out for a while so we drove south about 30 minutes, where the only Sonic around here is located. We enjoyed a strawberry limeade and some dinner. It was worth the drive and Hudson even got a huge dog bone treat from the carhop. What a lucky dog!

christmas tree + a pick-up = holiday spirit

The magic of Christmas is alive here in Pittsburgh. We thought we were back in Kansas tonight after seeing this magical display of holiday cheer. (Just kidding!) A multi-colored Christmas tree lit up in the back of a pick-up truck, tied down against the ladder racks. We laughed and then closely followed the truck to get a picture, all the while people are honking at this man's holiday spirit. Thank you gentleman in the pick up for giving us something to smile about as we worked out at the gym. Your entertainment on the streets got us through our work-out with a happy face.

Kari and Neal Visit!

Kari and Neal (my sister and brother-in-law) came to visit us for the weekend! I picked them up on Thursday afternoon and we had a busy, nice weekend! Here are some highlights:
Birthday present for Matthew...a Michigan hat!
Hudson got a present, too! (He always does when visitors come...what's up with that?) A minty smelling football - he loves!!!
A hand-me-down Halloween costume from Tucker. It even glows in the dark (that's why we are in the bathroom).
Happy 3rd Anniversary to Kari and Neal...just a few weeks late.
On Friday night we went to the Andy Warhol museum. There are some very interesting paintings and photographs here. On Saturday afternoon, after watching KU play (for Neal) we headed to the Tanger Outlets in Washington, PA which is about 40 minutes south of where we live. We had fun shopping and there are some real nice deals! I already bought 3 Christmas presents....oooo, I wonder who they are for....
Then we headed to the South Side and ate at this Tapas and Wine Bar. Very yummy food and sangria (although we're not sure there was actually any wine in it)!
At dinner with Matthew.
On Sunday afternoon, we did a Ducky Tour. What is a Ducky Tour your might ask??? You ride in a 1940's World War II amphibigous vehicle around the city for a tour. I must say it was hilarious and very informative and only a little scary when the boat was leaning towards the right (our side). I took tons of pictures of Pittsburgh and learned lots of facts (to post later...).
It was a tight fit but fun! The boys...And Kari and I...
And we had to go to Church Brew Works for the traditional Pittsburgh salad...it was once again yummy!

Thanks, Kari and Neal for a fun weekend. Can't wait to see you and the doggies at Thanksgiving!!!

Amber and Joseph Visit!

This past weekend, Matthew's brother and sister-in-law came to visit us in Pittsburgh! We picked them up on Thursday night (sign in hand!) at the airport. We were so excited and happy to have visitors again.
They were so generous to us - a housewarming present for Hudson (from his cousins Kota and Matty) and one for Matthew and I.
A very cool Nylabone (I must say!). He LOVES it!!!
And this very neat cutting board, made in the shape of Kansas with a dot where Manhattan is for where we met, dated, and got engaged!!!
Happy Birthday to Matthew!
So I found this restaurant, Big Mama's House of Soul, and planned to take Matthew there for his birthday last Tuesday but we decided to go there with Joseph and Amber instead. Well we got there and walked right into the kitchen. Amber thought it was a buffet in the kitchen with no seats! :) We found out we walked in the wrong door and headed around the corner to a plywood door with a Steelers flag outside. No sign though...interesting. We walked in here and found two tables, some folding chairs, lots of Steelers paraphernalia and line to pick up food. Little did I know (when planning this) that it was a take-out restaurant. Ah well...we got a picture with Big Mama herself and decided to order it the next day for lunch and take it home. Lesson learned! And the food was great...well the ribs and BBQ chicken sandwiches.
On Friday we played some games (Phase 10 and Skip-Bo), went to Target, ordered pizza, and rented a movie to watch. We don't really recommend Leatherheads.Saturday we got up (late! - wahoo!) and headed to Station Square to go up the Monongahela Incline. Matthew and I had been up the Duquesne Incline so it was great to head up a different one.
In the car to the top.
My hubby and I.
Amber and I at the top of Mount Washington.
All of us and the skyline of Pittsburgh.
The Point State Park fountain is dyed pink for Breast Cancer Awareness in October.
Back at the house, Amber graciously offered to take some pictures of us with our Hudson. Thank you!!! This is on our front steps.In the backyard. We can't wait to see all of the leaves change colors!
Saturday night we decided we would head downtown to watch the big fireworks display to celebrate Pittsburgh's 250th Birthday! This was a little more involved than Matthew and I planned. We'd like to think we do pretty well finding our way around the city but heading from the Waterfront to downtown to Station Square proved to be a task...mostly because of traffic. After crossing the Fort Pitt Bridge (which does not circle down to Station Square where we needed to go) we ended up in the Tunnel going towards 51 (the Highway that leads us home). At that point we saw many, many cars parked down at Station Square and decided we'd try and catch the "T" into Station Square. Apparently, everyone else had that idea too. But not at our "T" stop....it was the stops before us that caused the trolley to be packed! Two went by...and we were getting ready to head out and figure another route when a trolley passed on the other side and said they were sending one for us in 10 minutes! YAY...we waited, got on, and did not have to pay...awesome! It was busy in Station Square and we found a place to watch the fireworks on the 4th floor of the parking garage. It was totally-worth-the-adventure to watch them. They were wonderful! A thirty-minute show and me asking, "Is this the finale?" was entertaining! It was very crowded to get home but we made it and were very entertained on "T" home as well...
On Sunday, we went to church and Rita's, and then to the dog park in the afternoon.
Rita's Italian Ice
This was Hudson's second trip there. He's getting better at running around with the other dogs. But he still likes his daddy to protect him when necessary. Check out that tail. He's pumped!
Running!!!
Such a great picture Amber took. He was running around and having fun (for some of the time)!
Sunday evening we went to the Church Brew Works for a yummy dinner.
We really enjoy this restaurant, The Church Brew Works, although it is kind of weird to drink beer in what used to be a church.
Thank you so much for taking the time to come visit us, Amber and Joseph! We had a lot of fun having you here and only wish Kota and Matty could've joined us. See you in a little over a month!!!