Christmas Eve

Christmas 2009 is our first Christmas away from home. We decided that with all the craziness of the move to Pittsburgh we would stay here. It is bitter sweet to start our own traditions as a family this year. We are missing all our family terribly but also enjoying the time at home.
We built a gingerbread house this afternoon! It was fun but we went into a sugar coma after we got it finished!
I then started to make our Christmas Eve dinner..Cornish Hens, twice baked potatoes, grandma's stuffing and butter corn. Now keep in mind this is the first big meal I have ever attempted! And I must say I did one heck of a job! Vince told me I need to cook like that more often-it was a nice compliment! I now have a greater appreciation for the wonderful cooks in our family that make our holidays so special! We stuffed ourselves and are now debating if we have room for cookies and cheesecake for desert! I am going to bet that we will have to save desert until tomorrow!

A Moving Update

After many tiny hiccups we closed on our Pittsburgh house on the 30th. We moved out of the temporary housing and started staying at the new house! We brought our futon mattress from Philly so we would have a bed! We got right to work cleaning and painting. I got our new master bedroom carpet ordered and then installed and also got wood blinds for the main level ordered! We ended up painting the kitchen, hearth room, master bedroom, living room and dining room all painted! We headed back to Philly on the 4th to prep for the movers and say goodbye to some friends. The movers began packing on the 7th and managed to get it done in one day! The 8th they came back to load the truck and after 14 very long hours they were done. We stayed downtown that night and ate breakfast at one of our favorite place...The Reading Terminal! Then we went back to the old house to finish cleaning up and we were off to Pittsburgh. After a long 5 hour drive with very strong winds, crazy temp drops and rises, fog, and random snow we made it to Pittsburgh! We got word late Wednesday that the truck would not be unloading at our house until Friday. But this actually worked out great, we got our blinds installed, washer & dryer installed and got the basement painted! Friday was an early morning and the unloading began...9 hours later they were done. The movers did forget to get our giant KU yard rock off the truck so we are waiting to hear if they will bring it back to us. Hopefully they do b/c I don't even know if you can mail something that heavy! The past few days we have been busy unpacking boxes. As I write this Vince is unpacking his office and it is shaping up nicely! Vince did a heck of a job organizing most of the garage on Friday and I have fully unpacked the kitchen, dining room, hearth room, living room, master bedroom, my office and the laundry room! Tomorrow will be the guest room and basement. All of our new furniture looks nice but we need to by a loveseat for the hearth room. Once I get things a bit more put together I will post updated pictures!

Sorry I can't seem to get the pic's to move to organize them.

We SOLD The Philly House!

After 49 days on the market, 39 showings, 4 second showing, 1 broker tour, 2 open houses and 3 price reductions we finally got an offer and sold the house!

We are so thankful! We didn't get the price we really wanted but we are still making all of the money back we put into the house so we are happy. We had to include the plasma TV over the fireplace but that just means we get to buy a new TV! The inspection is on Monday so fingers crossed all goes well.

We close on the Philly house on December 31st so we will not have to worry about paying a double mortgage or having to sell a vacant house! We had the inspection on the new house and it went great-only a few outlets that weren't grounded and the owner is going to fix them. The appliances we picked out should be getting installed next week just in time for our closing on the 30th! The movers are set to pack on December 7th, load the truck on December 8th, drive to Pittsburgh on December 9th and unload on December 10th! We have started to by some of the new furniture we need-we got a new sectional couch this week and this weekend we are going to buy Vince a desk for his new office!

We are heading back to KC for Turkey Day! We leave Tuesday morning and stay until Friday morning! We are so excited to see everyone!

Here is our new address...

1594 Pinetree Dr

Upper St Clair, PA 15241

We Bought House #4

We got the official word a bit ago that we have reached an agreement with the seller of 1594 Pinetree Drive! This was the only house we saw (after looking at over 50 houses) that we really liked and was move-in-ready. The house is south of the actual city of Pittsburgh in a township called Upper St. Clair. The house is 49 years old but has been completely upgraded inside and out-new roof, new windows, new deck, new landscaping, new kitchen, new bathrooms, new game room, new lighting ect...The seller gave an allowance for new appliances so I get to go shopping this week and pick them out as well as the dining room light fixture! We are so thankful that this house we can move right into without doing any work! But of course you all know me so I have a small list like painting a few rooms and putting carpet in the master bedroom! We close on the house November 30th but we aren't going to move until we have a contract on the Philly house. We have been advised that we will have better luck selling the house with all of our furniture in it. We have had 31 showings in less than 30 days but no written offers yet. We dropped the price after the first 15 showings and are now faced with another price drop. We are hoping to just break even but it looks like we might have to take a loss. But we have St. Joseph buried and we are hoping he is doing his job!

Here is the link to the virtual tour of the new house-http://www.propertypanorama.com/mls.asp?id=72690

Burgh Update

Last week Miles and I went with Vince to Pittsburgh. Miles did great in the car and in the hotel! I had 4 days of house hunting and was not impressed with anything I saw. I was disappointed but we did narrow down what county we want to live in and a few townships we like. Vince is back out in Pittsburgh and will be doing some hunting the next two nights-hopefully he has more luck than me! Our house is officially on the market and we have 2 showings today.

Here is the link to the house listing...

http://homes.longandfoster.com/Real-Estate/PropertyDetails.aspx?MlsCompanyID=16&MlsNumber=5600228&Add=17-Allendale-Rd,Wynnewood,PA-19096

House Pic's

Our realtor hired a photographer to come take the pictures of the house yesterday and they came out really great! Here is the link if you want to check them out...

http://homesite.obeo.com/viewer/unbranded.aspx?tourid=561582&refURL=&locale=en-US


We are still waiting on our official paperwork from Waddell & Reed so we are trying to get everything ready so when we finally have it we can hit the ground running! We have a tentative plan of heading to The 'Burgh this weekend to explore and start the house hunt-hopefully we will get the paperwork so we can go. Fingers Crossed!

Mom & Dad's Last Visit To Philly

Mom & Dad's yearly visit turned out to be their last since we got the news of the big move the same day they arrived. We had a great visit with both of them! Once Mom & Dad landed we went downtown to the Reading Terminal. Mom loves one of the little shops in there and we thought we could grab a quick bite. Lunch is not worth mentioning but we got some cookies and candy for later! We came back to the house and had some cocktails and grilled a yummy dinner. We played some cards but no one seemed to be as happy about it as I was so that didn't last long! Thursday we headed to the Jersey Shore. Luckily we beat all the holiday traffic and made good time! It was a bit cloudy and cool but it was still fun! We walked on the beach and on the boardwalk and then grabbed a slice of pizza.

We headed back into the city for dinner at a great restaurant called Devon. It was a really nice night so after dinner we took a stroll around Rittenhouse Square and in the park to work off dinner. Friday we took off to New Hope, PA for some shopping and lunch. We hit the wine and grocery store on the way home and grabbed some app's to go with the wine! We had a nice evening sitting on the patio chatting! We were sad to see them go but they promised to come to The 'Burgh when we move!

Time To Call The Movers...

Vince and I got so interesting news yesterday from Waddell & Reed-they have decided to split up the existing territories across the country. So that means we are moving...again...and our new destination is Pittsburgh. We have not even celebrated our year anniversary in Philly yet! We are still in shock with this news but we are looking at the pro's of the move like having a garage again and being closer to KC! But we will miss the ocean and NYC so much. Hopefully we will have the house on the market in the next few weeks. We decided to hit the ground running with this move- we decided it will be easier to sell the house now rather than waiting until winter. We have to be in Pittsburgh by January 1, 2010 but our goal is to be moved before the holiday season-so fingers crossed.

I will keep the blog up to date with all the move updates.

Our New & Improved Living Room

Well after a year of talking about hanging the T.V. we finally did it! Our contractor came yesterday and hung the T.V. and then installed some great mouldings to hide all the wires. Vince and I couldn't agree on putting the cable box in the basement or leaving it in the living room-so I gave in and got creative. I found an old vintage wood Pepsi crate that works great for holding the cable box and dvd player. We also got a great deal on a new leather chair and ottoman to go where the T.V. was. It is nice that we can now have more than 3 people in the living room!

Carrie's Visit To Philly

We had a great weekend with Carrie! She had a little trouble making it out due to weather but she made it Saturday morning instead of Friday night. Once Carrie landed we hot the ground running! We went to the Liberty Bell and then played in the city all day! We had lunch at a great place called Devon-that we thought was a one of a kind steak house but it turns out it is part of the Bristol family. This was a great surprise because the Bristol is one of Carrie's favorite restaurants! We sat outside and people watched with some cocktails and then headed to one of our fav bars called the Continental, they have a great roof top bar! We then met up with our friend Emily and head to the oldest bar in Philly called McGillins. We then came back to the house and threw some food on the grill. Sunday we were planning on heading to the shore but the weather was not on our side so we headed out to Lancaster and did some shopping! We had a great dinner at a very nice restaurant called Nectar. On Monday Vince had to work so Carrie and I went to a few of my favorite stores. No trip to Philly would be complete without a Philly Cheesesteak for lunch! Carrie seemed to really enjoy her stay and Vince and I sure did! Up next are my parents on Wednesday and then Marci a few weeks later!

Our New 4 Runner

We got a new car this weekend! Vince & I had started the research and process of looking into getting a new SUV a month or so back. We knew we needed to trade in the Pathfinder b/c it was getting ready to roll 100,000 miles and was starting to have some probems. Vince went to the Toyota dealership that we bought his Camry at and he ended up finding this Limited Edition V8 Toyota 4 Runner. He worked out a great deal and called me to have me come up and look at it. I was in luv! It had everyting I wanted and more! Vince is happy to have me in a bigger car with many added saftey features.

We are heading to the Shore on Wednesday for some beach time! Some friends of ours have rented a Shore house for 2 weeks so we taking them up on their offer and head down! I told Vince he needed a day off to play at the water before summer was over! We are so excited for Carrie to come out and visit on the 21st.

Molly & Erin Visit Philly

July has been a busy month! Starting with a visit from Matty then a 4 day trip to Pittsburgh and wrapped it up with 2 great friends coming for a visit. Molly flew in last Monday and we headed straight to the shore! We went to Ocean City, NJ for a fun day of sand, sun and water! It was a beautiful day and we had a blast. Tuesday we went to explore Lancaster and then headed out for a fun night of bowling and beverages!

Wednesday I took Molly to Old City so she could see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. We had a great lunch and walked around exploring! We then headed to the airport to pick up Erin! We went to a yummy dinner and the girls and I spend a nice evening on the patio catching up.
Thursday morning Molly had to leave and then Erin and I had a nice day.

Friday we got up early and headed to NYC. This was Erin's first trip to the Big Apple. We had a busy day and Brian volunteered to be our official tour guide for the day. We were all over the city...World Trade Center, St Pauls, Harbor, Battery Park, Took a Harbor Tour, Times Square, SoHo, China Town and Little Italy. We got home Friday night and Vince had prepared a great dinner on the grill for us! Saturday we went to the Phillies game with the KU Alumni group-we had a great time! Sunday we took Erin to Old City for brunch and then went to the Liberty Bell, Love Park, Reading Terminal and Rittenhouse Square (where are old apartment was). Monday i took Erin to have her first ever Cheesesteak! I think she was really surprised at how yummy it was!

We are so thankful for Molly & Erin coming for a visit and we hope they come back soon!

Pittsburgh!

Vince finally got me to go to Pittsburgh, PA with him! I finally gave in and agreed to go for the weekend. Vince and Kate a girl he works with from Ohio National had a client event on Sunday. So I went to Pittsburgh not very thrilled about the trip and boy was I wrong about Pittsburgh! We had a blast! We had a date night on Thursday and went to the famous Primanti Bros sandwich shop and had a crazy sandwich. There is only one way they make them...bread, meat, cheese, french fries, coleslaw and tomatoes. The sandwich is HUGE and was really yummy! After dinner we headed to an Irish Pub called Finnigans and had a few drinks. It was a great night out with Vince! Friday Vince had some client meetings on Friday so I relaxed and got a pedicure and then we had a client Happy Hour to attend at SoHo Bar with Kate and her husband Marty. Our plan was to go to the Pirates game but a huge storm rolled in and we ended up having a great steak dinner and then heading to South Side and meeting up with our friend Baine. We had not seen Baine in about 2 years so it was great to see him!

Thanks Baine for showing us a GREAT time in your city!

Saturday we headed to the Strip District for lunch and did a little shopping! Saturday night we went up on MT Washington and had a drink at a bar looking down at the city of Pittsburgh. The view was amazing. Some rain moved in and then a rainbow showed and then a double rainbow! We then headed to a nice dinner at a restaurant named the Tin Angel. The restaurant had huge windows that over looked the river and the city. We timed this perfectly and we were finishing dinner right when the Pirates game ended and they were putting on a fireworks show! We had a front row view of them and it was really cool!

Sunday we went to Vince and Kate's client event and then headed back to Philly. We are now excited to start our week of visitors with Molly and then Erin!

Matts Trip to Philly

July is the month of visitors...and it starts with Matty! Matt got in Wednesday night and I took him straight to WaWa to grab a sandwich! Which he loved! Gosh who would have thought one of the best turkey sandwichs I have ever had would come from the gas station! Well I guess I shouldn't be so surprised since we love Oklahoma Joes BBQ in KC and they are in a gas statioin!

Thursday we decided to head up to NYC! Luckily our friend Brian took the afternoon off and played with us in the city. We had a great lunch and then headed to Central Park-it was a great day with temps only in the 70's and lots of sunshine. We walked around the park for an hour or so and then hit 5th Ave. We went to FAO and played on the giant piano from the movie BIG! We then went to an Irish Pub to quench our thirst and then we headed back to Philly.

Friday we headed to Center City for lunch at a yummy Italian restaurant and then we went to the museum and ran up the famous Rocky stairs! I had never done it before so I was glad we got to do it!

Then we ventured a few blocks and went to the North Eastern State Penitentiary to show Matt our very own Alcatraz. He seemed to enjoy it and Vince & I didn't mind going on the tour again.

We hurried home to change and pack up the car for Matt & I's first Phillies game. Vince has been a few times and always talks about how great it is! We loaded up and headed to the stadium for a little tailgating but then we learned that you can't tailgate. Vince & Matt were not happy campers. We learned that you could sit in the car and have a beer but you can't sit or stand in the parking lot. So the boys made me sit in the car with them as we "tailgated". Once we made it in to Citizens National Park it was amazing. It is a huge stadium with tons of vendors, restaurant, bars and shops. The Phillies beat the Pirates so it was a great night!

Saturday we decided that it was the perfect day to go to the shore. Boy were we wrong...the 1 hr 20 min drive took us 3 1/2 hours because of all the traffic. I guess everyone had the same idea about going to the shore. But we finally made it to Ocean City, NJ and parked and headed to the beach! We landed a perfect spot right by the water and set up shop! We tried out our new beach chairs, played in the water, looked for shells and walked along the beach. After a few hours it was time to pack it up and head back to Philly so we would get Matt to the airport.

Thanks for coming to visit Matty! Hope you had as much fun as we did and that you hurry back soon!
Up next to visit is Molly then Erin then Carrie then my parents and then Marci! We are so happy to have visitors! Also FYI we had to use a credit we had with US Air so we will booked some tickets and will be back in KC October 8-12...perfect timing for Carrie's birthday and KU Homecoming.

4th of July

Well the 4th of July sure did sneak up on us this year...I still can't believe it is summer since we have had such mild temps. Vince & I were planning on staying home and enjoy our 3 day weekend by finishing up some projects we needed to get done around the house. But then our friend Emily and her boyfriend George invited us to go into the city to hang out and have a few drinks. So we took the train into the city about 2 pm and had a late lunch and then headed to Old City and found a great bar with outdoor seating! We sat and chatted and people watched until we realized it was getting late and we all needed to get home! The rest of the weekend was spent finishing up some landscaping and fixing some baseboards that needed repair. All in all it wasn't a bad 4th of July in Philly but we sure did miss being in KC with everyone.

Exploring Baltimore

Vince & I have made it a goal to try to explore as much as we can on the East Coast while we have easy access to it. So this past weekend we decided to head south of the Mason-Dixon line and check out Baltimore. A little added bonus was that our friends Trish & Jim were in Baltimore for Trish's sisters wedding. We spent Saturday exploring downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor. We had lunch at a local pub and sat outside with the local just relaxing. This is when we really realized we were in the South...people were actually friendly and a lot of men were smoking cigars! After we ate we walked around and sat by the water and had a snack before returning to our hotel to get ready for dinner.

Vince had found a restaurant on the water that seemed promising and it was! We started with some yummy crab dip and followed it up with 8 jumbo crabs. I didn't realize how hard we would work for our dinner and how dirty we would get! But it was a blast and the best crab we have had!

We got back to the hotel and met up with Trish & Jim at the hotel bar. It was great seeing them and catching up. We also got to spend some quality time with baby Madelyn Sunday morning! After a quick lunch with Trish, Jim & Madelyn we headed back to Philly for a nice relaxing Sunday evening. I was really surprised how much I actually liked Baltimore and I still can't believe it is only 1 1/2 hrs away!

June has not been what we have expected-cool temps and rain almost daily. So we are looking forward to July and hopefully some summer weather! We are also excited for all the visitors that will be visiting us Matty will be here next week followed by Molly and then Erin! We are so excited to get to show our family & friends what Philly is all about! We hope for more visitors in the following months!