This summer, one of my dearest friends from childhood, Jennifer, and her husband Anthony packed up their belongings and moved from Memphis to Pittsburgh for an amazing job opportunity for Anthony. While their friends and family were happy for their good fortune, we still miss them terribly! Jennifer is a native Memphian and I am just waiting for a serious cold snap to send her back here:) In the meantime, I flew up to PA last weekend to catch up with my old friends.
First off, it was 40 degrees in Memphis when I flew out - how cold was it in Pittsburgh you ask? A balmy 70 degrees. So far, not looking good for my fair-weather friends to head back South. But, I digress. Anthony picked me up from the airport, and we hung out until Jennifer got home from work. I have always enjoyed spending time with Anthony - I like to pick his brain over medical conditions and the research he is developing. We both share a love of research (and Law & Order SVU), and I even attempted to get him to work with me on a Health Econ project, but I couldn't get my hands on the data before they moved. Jenn came home from work and we headed to La Cappella in their Fox Chapel neighborhood (Anthony and I always vote for pizza when given a choice). The pizza was awesome. Hanging out with them on a Friday night was just like old times (sans JD). After dinner, we headed back to their house so Jenn and I could catch up on our girl talk.
Here's the part that is always funny - we have very similar tastes in clothing and decor. Even if we wouldn't pick it out for ourselves, we can usually figure out what the other would pick. Jenn came downstairs wearing the same pajama pants I have, and then proceeded to help me pick out nursery bedding that looked just like something I would have picked out (of course). We hit up the outlet mall the next day where we ended up picking up similar sweaters and purses. Afterwards, we cruised through IKEA to pick up a bookcase for their guest room. Jenn knows how much I like a good project, so I convinced her putting together this bookcase would be a snap. It was, and it looks great!
That night, we ate at the Walnut Grill restaurant near their house. The temperature had drastically dropped, and the rain from Hurricane Sandy began to move in. I managed to stay warm with a little apple cobbler:) On Sunday, I was ready to experience the touristy Pittsburgh. Jenn took me to the Andy Warhol museum. I've always enjoyed Warhol's style, and saw a traveling exhibit of his at MoMA a few years ago in NYC. Warhol is a native of Pittsburgh and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon, so I knew this museum in his hometown would not disappoint.
Jenn and I perused six floors of exhibits, then headed to the Strip District to check out the local wares of Pittsburgh's native retailers. It's basically this one-half square mile area near downtown that features local vendors with amazing produce, beautiful flowers, any kind of meat you desire. Retailers also line the Strip, selling Steelers paraphernalia and other higher-end handmade items.
I can say the meal was fun, and tasted interesting. Definitely worth the experience! Sadly, my weekend was coming to an end, and Jenn dropped me at the airport. Hurricane Sandy was moving in, and most of the flights after mine were cancelled. Luckily, they let my flight through, and I headed to Atlanta...to wait for three hours before heading to Memphis. Sounds boring, right? Not when your sister, her husband and your niece make the trek to entertain you!
While I wasn't able to treat them to a nicer meal for making the trip (Atlanta Bread anyone?), they were good sports about the cafeteria food and I enjoyed seeing them. Emma decided to explore my suitcase during dinner, so she looked like a cross between her Aunt Katie and a disturbing bag lady:
I'm always thankful to have such wonderful siblings who love each other and genuinely enjoy spending time together. I hope that, one day, JD and I will be able to have a large family with children who enjoy hanging out together like Megan, Kevin and I do. Even though Kev is in Afghanistan, he sends witty emails and likes to participate in our group banter often. Emma's fourth birthday party is in a few days, and I know we will all have a good time together! In the meantime, here is some major cheesiness from me and Emma:
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