The start of School

Matt has officially started his last year of law school which means this is his last year of school ever. We have been married for over 4 years and Matt has been in school the entire time. It has been a very fun time of life but it is nice to know that there is an end. The weekend before school started we wanted to celebrate and make sure we are enjoying some of our favorite things about Pittsburgh. 

On Friday after work we went to the Little Italy Days in the Bloomfield neighborhood. They had lots of booths and tents set up and it is fun to walk around. My favorite part of the festival is ALWAYS the canolis. They are fresh and our the closest thing to authentic Italian. 

On Saturday morning we woke up and did a long bike ride. We are training for a sprint triathalon in October and have been training from opposite sides of the country this summer.We loved training together again. It was a beautiful day and good ride. 

Side note Matt has the best selfie arm. (Thank you 6'6'' frame!)

On Monday Matt started his first last day of school EVER! We were both very excited for this. It was a beautiful day and I made him take a picture with a sign similar to an elementary school child. 

Upstate New York

After being apart all summer Matt and I planned a trip to New York before the start of school. We stayed in Palmyra and did some of the church history sites as well as some of the other fun tourist attractions.

Every morning we were there we walked around the Sacred Grove. It was the best start to the day.

On Saturday Morning we went to the Palmyra temple. 

I ate way too much Chill and Grill. 

We went out on Sodus bay 

It started to rain so we were not able to go to the beach near the light house but it was still beautiful. 

We went on a tour of some of the Church history sites. 

Breakfast for Dinner is always the best. 

Chill and Grill again

We also went on a hike in Watkins Glen. It was beautiful. There were 19 waterfalls in total. 

The first week in August ... California

After being apart for ten weeks this summer for our jobs it was nice to be able to spend some time together without work. We were able to go to the beach almost everyday with my parents and even spent most of Saturday on an all day adventure down to San Diego. We went to the Mormon Battalion, saw Torrey Pines, went to the light house, and drove PCH through all the adorable towns in San Diego I never knew existed. It was so fun and a great trip to be with people again after living alone for the summer. 

We were able to see my adorable friend and her girls. It was the first time I had met her youngest even though Matt had seen them this summer.

Another beautiful day at 3arch. I even got my dad down to the beach a couple times. 

Anniversary Week

Matt and I spent our 4th Anniversary in Pittsburgh. We hiked, biked, ran, shopped, ate a lot, and went to a sold out baseball game. It was so fun to be able to spend time together during this stay cation. 

California in May

In may we went home for Matt's cousins weddings. It was a really fun and quick weekend. When we first got to California we were not use to the time change at all so we ended up waking up at 5:30 in the morning and went for a walk by Matt's parents house. Matt's cousin was married at the Newport beach temple and it was one of the most beautiful May day. 

We were able to spend a lot of time with Matt's whole family. Matt's parents even hosted a breakfast the day after the wedding at their house. 

After the family left we took the boat out to the harbor for a night and then had Baja Fish Tacos the night before I left. It was a fun and quick trip but it was nice to see family again. 

My Parents Came to Visit

       During the first weekend in April 2014 my parents came to visit us in Pittsburgh. The first part of the trip was spent traveling DC with my parents and the second part of the trip we explored Pittsburgh with them. The trip was originally planned during the height of the cherry blossom festival, but due to the cold weather this winter it was only the beginning of the blossoms.

     The first day of the trip we drove through Baltimore and walked around Annapolis during the morning. Annapolis has some beautiful architecture. Matt often says it reminds him of Balboa Island. That night after exploring Annapolis and settling into DC we met up with the Glens for dinner and then explored the monuments. My favorite time to visit Lincoln Memorial and the World War 2 Memorial is at night. My parents loved walking around the monuments. The Lincoln Memorial is one of my favorites because I love that he is sitting there looking over the mall and capital in the middle of the building. On his right and left side there are two of his most popular ape aches written on the wall. 

We got crab cakes for lunch and my dad was pretty excited about it. 

On the second day we woke up early and took the subway into DC.  We started off by going to the American History museum. My mom and I really wanted to see the First Lady inauguration gowns exhibit. My mom also was taking pictures of things to show her first grade class such as the red slippers worn in the Wizard of Oz, or historic battle ships. We then went to the Natural History Museum to see the hope diamond. It was much bigger than I thought it would be. After visiting the museums we walked down to see the White House and grab some lunch. After lunch we went to the Air and Space Museum and then to the tidal basin. Even though the cherry blossoms were not in full bloom the magnolia trees were beautiful. We then took the subway back to the hotel and drove over to the Georgetown where we ate dinner and got toasted marshmallow milk shakes for a special treat.

We found some beautiful magnolia trees walking around DC. 

The whole group in front of the Washington Monument. 

We had to take my parents to Good Stuff Eatery for toasted marshmallow shakes. My mom was a little apprehensive at first because there was no chocolate after her first sip she realized it does not need chocolate.  

The third day in DC we went to Mount Vernon.  I have always wanted to go to Mount Vernon but have never been. We toured the property and the house. It was beautiful  and had a great view of the Potomac. A lot of the pieces in the home were still period to the time that George and Martha Washington lived there.

After DC my parents came to Pittsburgh with us. We went to Falling water their first day in Pittsburgh. Matt and I love taking our friends and family to visit Falling Water. I would highly recommend seeing it if you are ever in the Pittsburgh area. I love having family come to visit and show them where we live and what we do. It was so fun having my family visit and to be able to explore DC with them.