Inaugural Trail Ride

Today I decided to take my new bike out on the Montour Trail for the first time. I needed to work through some stress and clear my mind. Paul dropped me off at the start of the trail in Coraopolis and arranged to pick me up at the park near the 8 mile mark.

This pic was taken at the side of the trail a few miles into the trip while I stopped to have a quick drink of water:
Most of the trail was relatively level. It was decently smooth riding too - most of it was crushed limestone though there were a few paved areas. I was a little nervous since I hadn't ridden in quite a while and wasn't sure how long was an appropriate distance for me. It turns out that 8 miles was not too bad. I definitely felt like I had a workout when I had finished, but I knew that I could have kept going further too. But there was no need to push it today. I thought it was a pretty successful first ride. Overall, I had a relaxing bit of time to myself and really enjoyed the outdoors too. I saw tons of butterflies, a rabbit and two baby deer along the way.

Date Night on the Town

Paul and I got some tickets to see the Pirates last night (thanks, Mom P!) and so after work we drove into the city to check out the game. We got there a little early and decided to walk over to Grille 36, Jerome Bettis' restaurant, for dinner. It was a really nice place and I thought the food was delicious. (I had chipotle shrimp rigatoni and Paul had an awesome BBQ burger.)
Afterwards, we walked along the waterfront over to PNC Park. When we got to the game, I was really surprised at how close our seats were! I don't think I've ever sat so close to the field before. So OK, everyone knows that I'm not a baseball fan, but there was something really fun about being so close to the action. I think the fact that the game was not crowded might have helped too... we actually had plenty of room around us to relax and enjoy ourselves.

Overall it was a really fun night out. Who knew I would enjoy a baseball outing so much? Oh, and don't worry Mom P & Judy - I got some pictures of your favorite players for you!

Good times, good friends

The weekend of the fourth was pretty packed with activities for us. Wes and Danielle, along with Kim and Joe, threw a huge combined party on July 3rd. The Ambridge fireworks got moved to Borough Park (that's Walter Panek Park for non-Harmony Twp. folks) which is right across the street from their houses, so it was a good night for a party -- perfect seats for the show.

Things started out a little dreary because the forecast called for thunderstorms all night... but the rain held off and I think the evening ended up being one of the biggest parties we've had in a long time. We had live entertainment courtesy of Garrett Mudrick, a near-beer-shortage at 9:00pm due to the massive amounts of attendees (although Frank saved the day for us) and at one point there were so many people there that vendors from the park started coming over into the yard to sell glow sticks. Until Wes kicked them out, that is. We had a perfect view of the fireworks and it ended up being an incredibly fun night. Just about everybody we knew came out for the party, including tons of friends and family.

The next day we had a little BBQ with the family and then got some major cleaning done at home. We were exhausted but the house is now sparkling clean and it was worth the effort. On Saturday, it was Ryan's birthday and a bunch of us went up to his cottage on 12 Mile Island for another party. Paul and Johnny had fun making me conquer my fear of bottle rockets (sort of) and we had a fun time eating picnic food, hanging out on the dock and sitting by the fire.

All in all it was an action-packed weekend for us. I had a really great time and I just want to say how thankful I am that we have such amazing friends and family. These are the moments to remember.

Fun in the sun, OBX style

A month ago we vacationed in the Outer Banks with some of our best friends. We laughed, we drank, walked on the beach, swam in the ocean (yes, that's right - even me, the girl who is terrified of Jaws in ankle deep water!), hung out poolside and relaxed in the hot tub. Oh, and we also got to chase off a fox and watch Joe and Paul kill a snake with a mop. You had to be there.

Here's the gang on our top deck: Joe, Johnny, Kim (holding Kason), Paul, Jamie (holding Zoe), Tracy, Jonelle, Ryan, Danielle and Wesley.

Our beach house was in Corolla on the soundside. We were only a quick trolley ride away from the beach and had a nice yard for the dogs to enjoy, a huge private pool and a golf course view. One of the best things about the house was that every room and the outside areas were wired with XM radio. We had a blast listening to 90s music while chilling in the pool. It was so hot we could have fried eggs on the cement if we weren't already stuffed with great homemade meals, fresh seafood and strawberry daquiris.

Here is our beach house:

The ocean water was incredibly warm for early June (and made for great swimming):

We also decided to rent a luxury pontoon boat for one evening ride on the sound. It was a pretty good time, although the fishing was pretty bad. I guess those are crab waters.

We tried our hands at crabbing - and although Wes and Ryan ended up catching some crabs - we were definitely bested by a couple of eight-year-olds with a string and a net. I have to say that even though my crab pot never saw even one inhabitant, I did enjoy watching the crabs swim around in their cute sideways crawl.

Above all, it was a great escape. Everyone got a little relaxation... even the dogs:

I miss the Outer Banks already.

Casting for the WFR Television Series

OK, so I know I haven't posted in quite a while but sometimes a girl gets busy, you know? However, I have just been notified that the roles of Richard and Kahlan have been cast for the Wizard's First Rule TV series that will be premiering on ABC in the fall. Fans have been waiting for this day. I personally have been somewhat dreading it. I'm just not convinced that the TV show will do justice to the characters that I have in my mind after reading the books. After initially seeing the casting photos, I was not reassured.

Craig Horner will be playing the role of Richard Rahl:

And Bridget Regan will be playing Kahlan Amnell:

The more that I look at the photos, the more I am growing to be OK with them (notice I didn't say "like" because I just don't think I'm there yet). It's hard to let go of your own images of characters. I also initially thought that Craig Horner looked a little young... but I am reminded that the characters are in their early twenties when they meet. So I think it will actually be OK.

Now we fans just have to continue to anxiously wait for the show.... let's hope it does well and does not ruin this amazing series of books.