Birthday Reflections

So today is my birthday and over the past few years this day has made me want to reflect more than it used to. See, in my early to mid twenties I was so busy with life that I barely took the time to think about where I was going. I felt pretty rooted and being in college gave me a sure outlook on what was to come in the close future.  I wouldn't say that birthdays are a huge deal to me, I've never paid much attention to the number but 28 feels kind of funny.  So what is it that seems to be changing inside of me? why do I feel so unrooted and sort of anxious all of a sudden? 

I mean, I do notice one or two more wrinkles here and there, and the gray hair has been out of control since I was 16. Nothing new there... but on the inside I suddenly feel like I don't have it figured out at all. 

I moved out at 21, across an entire ocean no less, got a college degree while building a house, adopted two dogs, traveled a ton and finally got pregnant with that beautiful little boy at 26. 

My 20's seem much more grown-up on paper the computer screen than they actually felt (so far, at least). 

Becoming a mom has been the most wonderful experience by far but it has also made me wonder about who I am as woman, aside from the mom and wife part. Over the past year a longing to be more than just that, to no longer just dream but do!, has slowly crept up inside of me. It is easily covered up by the busyness of everyday life and the responsibilities that help rationalize all those wishes and aspirations away into a tiny little room in the back of my mind. Close the door and only take a peek once in a while. But as I get closer to 30 I feel like I need to not let more time slip away from me and then I reprimand myself for having such thoughts when I am so extremely blessed with what I already have, every day. I mean, why am I so confused and why the heck at 28? Shouldn't this have happened a long time ago? 

This feeling is so hard to put into words and maybe you have no idea what I keep rambling on about. That's totally ok ;) I don't really have a good conclusion to this post other than there is an awesome giveaway following. That's always good, right? 

So there you go, confused birthday ramblings are done until next year.

Happy Birthday to me and may I figure it all out this year ;) 

restore to factory settings

Coat: Mango, Sweater: H&M, Leggings: F21, Boots: Steve Madden, Scarf: Target

It's been kind of crazy since we got back home and today surely takes the cake in the "ya didn't anticipate this when you woke up, did you?" rate your days category.

Logan had to get his flu booster shot in the morning and since we were all up before the crack of dawn thanks to le jet lag, I managed to get dressed in something totally appropriate for a doctor's visit and a Target run. 

See above. 

Right! 

While getting dressed I remembered that I hadn't backed up my phone yet since we got home and it was pretty much exploding with pictures. So trying to be super efficient I plugged it in while the curling iron was heating up and since it was early and I wasn't thinking very clearly yet, I didn't hesitate to click "download and update" when iTunes reminded me that my phone still needed the newest update.

Of course by the time I was done with my hair and all, I had long forgotten about my phone updating and me wanting to transfer pictures and such...

After breakfast and right before we were heading out to the doctor's appointment the husband delivered the news that no "too many really, very necessary pictures taking" girl out there wants to hear:

YOUR COMPUTER IS SAYING THERE WAS AN ERROR WHILE UPDATING YOUR PHONE AND YOU NEED TO RESTORE IT TO FACTORY SETTINGS NOW!!!

Say what??

I won't go into too much more detail but after accepting that there was really no way around it, I gave in and decided to restore instead of using my phone as a paperweight in the future.

I don't know what caused it but I am guessing that having virtually no available space left on your phone isn't a good foundation for any software updates being installed properly. Also, it would probably help if your computer weren't just as full as your phone. 

Lesson learned.

Thank goodness for iCloud.

Thank the heavens for a patient and understanding husband.

Thank the flu shot? for a 5 hour toddler nap spent wrapping gifts for another Christmas tomorrow, 2 baskets of laundry folded and a phone restored back to almost normal. 

merry christmas

logan wasn't into the whole posing for a picture thing so this is the best shot we got... 

Just popping in to wish you all a Merry Christmas or simply a wonderful time with your loved ones!

We are thoroughly enjoying our time over here, eating a ton of great food, visiting with friends and relaxing :) 

Paris was wonderful and I will be posting about that as soon as I get some pictures edited. 

For now I hope you are all staying warm and enjoying the holidays as much as we are!

oh christmas tree

on saturday we went and bought a christmas tree. our family tradition is to make a trip out to this small village that has a bunch of families selling the trees right out of their garages, driveways or barns. 

it's so much fun hunting for the tree that's just right while drinking hot wine, eating waffles and freezing our toes off. once that tree is found it's of course time for more food! 

i'm pretty sure logan could eat all day long anyway. he also loved riding on his brand new tricycle (yes, it says puky, i know, husband laughed pretty hard) and playing with my brother's girlfriend's phone. it's amazing how easily he can unlock that iphone and open different apps. kinda scary actually... 

so what are your christmas tree buying traditions? 

oh! baby

this past week/weekend was a rough one. logan got sick while jason was on a work trip and I totally lost all my extra points for the mom of the year award. things were not pretty let me tell you, including lots of cries on both sides and the realization that my perfect and sweet little boy turns into a tantrum throwing, screaming, scratching, kicking and biting little monster when he gets sick. 

on top of everything, i am also trying to get us travel ready for our trip to germany. 

sooooo, I am sorry i've been kinda lazy around these parts but something's gotta give right?  it may be a little more quiet here while we try to adjust to a 6 hour time difference with a toddler and spend some much anticipated oma and opa time :) 

they have a ton of snow, folks!!! 

enjoy this most wonderful time of the year and I will pop in to say hi as much as I can.

xx

pittsburgh i love you

as many of you who've been reading this blog for a while may already know, I am definitely a transplant to the city of pittsburgh. i moved to the area in 2006 from germany, to be with my husband who grew up here. in so many ways i have grown to feel like a true pittsburgher and that is mostly due to the people that live here. when visiting the burgh you will quickly find that its residents are some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet. and if that's not enough the beauty of the city will surely make you want to spend a lot of time here.

when my best friend melanie came in for a short visit last week we obviously had to show her what this beautiful city has to offer and while a day is definitely not long enough to see it all, it still allows you to get a little taste for what pittsburgh is all about. 

the typical touristy thing to do (as are most of these suggestions) is to take the duquesne incline up mt.washington and get the best view of the city, 3 rivers and of course the many bridges. we do this every time someone from out of town comes in for a visit and they all love it!

 the incline opened in 1877 and the restored cable cars take you up and down mt.washington 7 days a week, all year around. we had the most awesome weather for a november day so the view was truly incredible. from the incline parking lot it's a short drive down to station square where you'll find restaurants including (if it's your thing) the hard rock cafe and a ton of shops as well as a few clubs to visit at night. 

if you come on the weekend your morning/early afternoon stop should be the historic strip market district with all of its hustle and bustle and amazing food. if you're looking for fresh produce, seafood, meats or ethnic foods you've come to the right place. wholey's lobster rolls are to die for and there is one of the famous primanti brothers restaurants right around the corner. if you want to stay on-the-go, street meat won't disappoint either ;) 

if you're looking for that funky and hip neighborhood, make sure to take a stroll through the south side (east carson street) to shop small boutiques, vintage shops and take a break at one of the many cafes and restaurants. nakama is one of our favorites for sushi and the full hibachi experience. if you're looking for pittsburgh's nightife the south side is also where you want to be. 

keep following carson street to get to the southside works for more shopping and restaurants like the hofbräuhaus - a truly authentic german experience! ok i'm just kidding! 

i also like to frequent the huge goodwill down there for some thrifting. it's ok if that's not your thing.

visit market square in downtown where you can currently find a european inspired christmas market, (can't wait to check that one out for authenticity) and the christmas tree and ice rink at ppg place. 

we had dinner at 6 penn kitchen which was good but we really recommend eating at a place called meat and potatoes. make sure to get a reservation at both places. 

more things to do in pittsburgh: 

visit the andy warhol museum (love that place) 

the children's museum will keep your kiddos busy (see my post here) 

see the birds at the national aviary

the pittsburgh zoo

kennywood amusement park  

the waterfront for shopping, entertainment and movies 

university of pittsburgh campus and the nationality rooms at the cathedral of learning (super interesting and decorated for christmas) 

carnegie museum of natural history

carnegie museum of art

carnegie science center 

pittsburgh steelers at heinz field

pittsburgh pirates at pnc park

pittsburgh penguins at consol energy center 

shop at ikea 

happy thanksgiving

oh hey! i cant believe how quickly this week went by. my best friend melanie flew back home on tuesday, I spent 3 days trying to finish our annual photo book and get it ordered which involved a few revisions once I realized ordering 3 books (one for each our families) would cost almost $500! whoops, I guess I get a little carried away sometimes... and then there was of course thanksgiving. 

holy food, family and gorgeous weather. 

I have so much to be thankful for this year, like an amazing husband who works tirelessly to take care of us, amazing family and friends near and far, and of course I am most thankful to be logan's mama. life is pretty amazing right now :) 

thank you so much for reading this blog and your kind comments. i have met so many great people through this blogging community and am amazed by the wonderful talents so many of you are sharing with the world. 

2 nights in paris

photo credit: sherry page 

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paris, paris, now you've finally managed to reel me in. jason and i recently booked a 2 night stay at the le meridien hotel in paris for right before christmas. we'll be in germany for a few weeks visiting my family and they have offered to look after logan while we hop on a 5 am train to take us to the city of love. i have to admit that even though I am terrified of having to make use of any of my (awful) french, i am kind of excited to get away and explore this city for a bit. 

jason has been begging me to go for years and I always turned him down... yeah I know you think I am crazy. 

well, here we are making plans for what to see and do. if you have any great suggestions that don't include the obvious choices, please do share :) 

À bientôt Paris! 

on friendship

photo credit: On the Caterpillar by Grace Robertson, source

i'm so happy right now, folks! my best friend in the entire world, who has taken it upon herself to make the long and expensive journey from germany to come stay with us for 5 days, will be arriving tonight. 

that girl has stuck with me through thick and thin since we met at our first tennis lesson, set up by our parents, the summer before 5th grade. 

luckily but also sadly, she is the only one of my close friends from back home that always has and continues to make an effort to keep in contact, see me when I'm visiting or by making a quick trip over here. even though there is an enormous ocean and a 6 hour time difference that separates us (not to mention the financial aspect of air travel these days), we remain best friends.

she's my soul sister. the kind of friend that you can go without talking to for weeks or months, but pick back up right where you left off when you see each other again. 

the one that remembers your birthday, anniversary and every little quirky or special thing about you. 

the one that doesn't try to change you and turn you into a different person. the one that accepts you for who you are. the one that sits right next to you on this roller coaster ride that is friendship after high school, college, getting married and having children. all the while cheering you up when life is trying to blown up your skirt once again. 

yup, that's the kind of friend that is coming to visit me tonight. 

so please excuse me for leaving you with a few scheduled posts while I try to make her stay as memorable as possible. 

"if there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever." 

-winnie the pooh

children's museum pittsburgh

on halloween we took logan to the children's museum because it had been raining for days and there wasn't a change in the forecast for a while. so we put on some warm clothes and rain boots and got out of the house for a few hours. 

he absolutely loved it there and so did we. it's fascinating to see how quickly he learns and how focused he is on a task. he obviously loved the water floor and I could barely contain myself seeing him in that floor length apron he could barely walk in. we had a hard time getting him to go anywhere else after that but then we found the bouncy house and oh my did that little boy put on his running shoes socks. 

i can't wait to take him there as he gets older and able to take advantage of everything they have to offer, like the art studio where you can screen print, paint and even make your own paper. 

can you tell I wanted to spend some time there myself? ;)