So, I am back in Pittsburgh sooner than I planned. Yep.
Things got a little "hairy" (to say the least) at the end of my contract and I was unable to extend as I had hoped to do. Statements including "snafu" and "Unfortunately, you are bearing the brunt of this..." were thrown around. My manager and coworkers were also looking forward to another 13-weeks, so at least it wasn't anything personal. So... what happened?!?
It is a VERY LONG story. I am exhausted having to relay over and over, so not to get into details or frustrations, it all boils down to the most important tool in life and the work place: Communication and trusting relationships. Both have failed on this assignment.
My inspirational photo (above). My life plans have just fast forwarded a bit but maybe that's not a bad thing in the end.
Max and I moved out of my Alexandria apartment and moved in with some friends in Arlington for a few days while I tied up some loose ends. In nursing, you are trained to fear lawyers the most. "Cover your ass" they say. "Document everything" they warn. All of this for fear of lawyers. Ironically, in this situation, three of the NICEST, most understanding people to support me through this ordeal were... three lawyers. Thank you so much Kelly, Jason and Leann!
Max made fast friends with their dog, Blitzen (below), so this inconvenience was hardly a stress for him, thankfully. The car ride home was probably the worst part of this whole ordeal for him.
I am going to miss city life (mostly the food!) and the great group of young professionals I met in my short stay in DC.
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Willie Robertson and I made it to Pittsburgh at the same time. Unfortunately, I was busy unpacking my stuffed Jetta and he had a Duck Dynasty promotional gig at the new Field & Stream, so we weren't able to meet up. My network of friends delivered this photo to me which was almost as good as being there, I guess. Beards!
One of the nice parts about being home is that after I drag myself inside from the pool, I have access to a fully equipped kitchen that I can spread out in, where all of my tools are handy. The perks of of not being a traveler, I like it... I have been busy sharing some paleo recipes with my parents. So far, no one is complaining.
I have been leafing through my cookbooks and found a Tuscan menu. Sounds good to me! Let's see...
1) Chocolate chip biscotti
2) Antipasti Salad
3) Pizza Margherita
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| Yes, I DID make this delicious crust even though I didn't have the right pizza pan, meh. |
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| Hey yinz guys, it's tomato season - trying to use them up from the garden! |
4) Baked Salmon with Lemon and Capers
5) Pan fried Asparagus (not shown)
6) Affogato (recommended), but since I could not make the gelato (Dear Santa, I need an ice cream maker) I served French press coffee instead (also not shown).
Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, turned out perfectly! Maybe because the authors are from Pittsburgh, I was able to just jive with their instructions. Or maybe because we are forced to use the same grocery stores for the menu... I really recommend the book though if you are interested in trying paleo entertaining. I know my family enjoyed it! I'll have to try another menu from there very soon.
Remember, it is tomato season! I am trying to incorporate that into the menu before we have soggy, weeping produce in the kitchen. I made a Mexican inspired paleo meal with homemade salsa. It may have been a little spicier than my parents prefer, but I thought it was pretty delicious! My dad said he was up all night! I translated it as pure excitement over how tasty it was. In reality, I think it was a little visit from Mr. Reflux, whom I have yet to meet so, maybe in time, I will agree with my parents, but as far as my 32-year-old self is concerned, yum!
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| From the top, clockwise: Homemade salsa, spicy "taco" meat, cauliflower rice, onions and an avocado dead center. Boom! |
My dad is striving for diabetes when he grows up. I have to support his goals, though it is contradictory to my profession because he supports my goals too. I made a batch of gluten-free, chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes. It's not the same but it satisfies a sweet tooth. I can't report back on these because I didn't try them. I had a second helping of the Mexican bowl instead!
Enough with the food porn already!
Kelly invited me to join her for a Steelers preseason game. Now, I don't understand what ANY of this means but I was excited to go! I have never been to Heinz Field and was really looking forward to some bad-for-me food and people watching.
We parked away from the stadium lot (in a garage) and took the T in. What a great idea... that everyone else had too! Not only was the T a great idea, it was free and it travels underneath the river to get to the stadium. You can see where Yinzer priorities lie... sports!
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| A very crowded black and yellow train |
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| We emerge from the river... |
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| ...and arrive in the dead center of Steelers Country! |
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| "I remember my first game..." |
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| *You know what it is* A wall of Terrible Towels with a splash of Yinzers of all ages *black and yellow, black and yellow* |
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| Here they COOOOOOME! |
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| Get your towels in the air! |
Up first in the bad-for-me-foods was a classic Primanti's Sandwich. Is it just me or are these guys a little smaller than the restaurant version? Either way, disappeared in no time.
Afterward, I "tried" the pulled pork nachos. And then had to wipe my nose until we left from all of the jalapenos. Hot stuff!
In between wipes, I was able to get a panorama view of the stadium. The lights showed up too bright and I wasn't able to capture the real view where you can see the Mount Washington in the distance. Boo. Maybe next time.
We decided to leave just before the game ended because we wanted to avoid the crowds. It was a pretty swift exit but a very long line to get back onto the T. We decided that the night was pleasant enough and we were going to hoof it back to the car. This was a bad idea for a lot of reasons but also ended up being a really good idea. I was able to see a lot of the city that I have missed and also, the Andy Warhol Bridge covered in yarn! My pictures don't really capture it well because of the lighting but yarn was... EVERYWHERE.
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| (borrowed some pics so you non-Pittsburghers could see) |
And what do Yinzers do when they "yarn" a bridge? They do yoga on it! What?!? A very big turn out though. Who thinks of this? And actually has roads shut down to carry it out? Impressive.
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| (also borrowed these for your eyes) |
What's updog, n'at?
Back to our night. We stopped for photos and toilet breaks the entire way. There may have been blood, there definitely was sweat and also some tears (from laughing). We calculated the original wait time to be about 30 minutes at the stadium which prompted us to walk but by the time we got to the car, an entire hour had passed! It was an hour of hilarity and fresh air though, so, I'll take that. It was a good, good night.
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| Bomb. |
Another plus side to being home is that I am present for milestone events for my family! My brother and his fiance moved to their new home this week. I was able to help ready the house and be a moving help.
Cons: Everyone else found small spiders or knick knacks. I found a snake, so what if he is small!
...and I also found poison ivy! I am fortunate enough to be able to recognize it. As I was clearing the side of the house from all of the ivy crawling up the wall, I spotted a few leaves of it and screamed "abort! abort! I can't continue!" I ran in the house and washed my arms and legs in the sink and limited contact with anything else until we got home where I stripped and showered, washing everything (clothes and body) in the hottest water setting possible. Next day, no signs of a rash. Phew!
Day after that, I had a third nipple on my elbow. Ruh roh. It has grown since and is all over... my elbow. I washed up to but did not include... my elbow. Lesson learned.
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| Be aware of your leafs. |
Pros: I was able to put in several hours for several days (since I don't have to go to work yet) to help my brother and sister-in-law prepare for a new home and a new baby!
The last night before Blake's arrival, I enjoyed some wine and the VMAs. "What is all of this about?" I wondered, or really "How much have I aged?" Even if you didn't watch it, I am sure you got wind of the highlights.
The good: Justin Timberlake and N Sync
The bad: Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke
The hilarious: (see below)
Even though this isn't the first time, I always reference this episode of I Love Lucy when preparing for the birth of another newbie to the family:
"The time has come."
This is it! My little brother became a dad on 8/26. Jeff and Christie welcomed Blake into the world at 9:34am. He was 8lb 3 oz, healthy and everything is where it is supposed to be so we are blessed again. Now my parents have 4 granddaughters and 4 grandsons. Seems perfect enough to me, I am not looking to mess this zen up. All three are set to come home on Thursday. Until then, I can't stop looking at baby Blake!
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| Three generations of Wells boys |
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| "What just happened?!" |
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| Abbey is always the mom, never the aunt. Such a sweet shot! |
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| I spy.. with my little eye... |
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| Ready for my close up |
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| With 25% of my little ones |
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| Forcing family photos wherever we go, even from the new mom! Sorry Christie! |
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| My brother, the new dad |
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| Blake is waking up! |
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| Most recent shot "Ready to load!" |
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| Makes you realize how big the most recent baby has grown! Peek-a-boo, Will! |
We are looking forward to Blake's arrival home and our continued celebration of life with him!
If that wasn't a feel-good ending to this post - first of all, what is wrong with you?! Secondly, I have another attempt at smiles for you:
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| C'mon, that's funny! |
Looking forward to trying to keep this blog alive during my Pittsburgh times. Get out your AED, Aunt Traveling Nat may not be traveling anywhere, but she is sure to be an aunt again in the future!
XO
