Scenes from the Weekend -- Birthday Edition!

Today is my 29th birthday!*

And we've been celebrating all weekend long... ;)

Kickin the weekend off right with donuts from Bethel Bakery

Spent Saturday hiking around Coopers Rock - so greeen!

And Brett played on some rocks along the way :)

The Henry Clay Iron Furnace which was built in the 1800s!

Dinner and beers at Mountain State Brewing Co before heading back to Pittsburgh

Sunday was spent kayaking on the lake at Moraine State Park!

So much fun!!

And ending the weekend with dinner and beers at North Country Brewing Co (with the Hehers)!

What a great weekend!!  Brett and I were originally planning on going away somewhere for the weekend but then decided to find fun nearby instead.  And we did!  We weren't really sure what we were going to do all weekend and all of these last minute plans ended up being so much fun!  What a great way to kick off my birthday!  Cheers!*

Bike Rides, Sunshine, Happy Times

Happiness is...

Biking along the trail in warm weather with the sun shining!

I biked 20 wonderful miles yesterday evening after work and had a smile on my face the whole time.  The weather was in the 80s, the sun was shining, and I made it home just before it started to rain.  Working an office job inside all day is tough when the weather is nice, but I make sure to take advantage of every chance I get to spend time outside.  It is my happy place.  Here's to many more months of beautiful weather, biking, and outdoor goodness!*  

Scenes from the Weekend

Admiring the artwork of my little sister

while watching the Pens game at my parent's house Friday night

Checking out a new brewery down the street from my parent's house - awesome!

Celebrating my cousin Chelsey's birthday at Dave & Busters

Biking in this glorious weather downtown with my family on sunday

And celebrating the best mom in the whole entire world!

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!

We sure did!

Cheers!*

Our Great Adventure -- One Year Later...

Last year on this very day, May 8th 2013, Brett and I pulled out of the driveway of our house in Pittsburgh to embark on one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.  Our Great Adventure!  We spent the entire month of May living on the road traveling on the greatest cross-country trip we could have ever imagined.  We explored and adventured around the United States with complete freedom and excitement, making up our journey as we traveled along.  I love looking back at photos and thinking of all the amazing memories we created during this time...

I am certain that this trip will always be one of my most favorite memories of my entire life.  I am so happy we plunged in and took the risks that we did to do this.  I am a changed person because of the things we did.  I will forever be grateful.  I can't believe it has already been a year since this crazy adventure began.  And all that has happened since then... spending a month on the road living out of our car having some of the best experiences ever, moving across the entire country to California: a place completely different and new to us, making some of the most amazing memories as Californians and learning so much about ourselves in the process, and then completing a second cross-country road trip to move back home to Pittsburgh to start a new chapter of our wild lives.  What a whirlwind!

And now I sit here today, thinking back on this amazing time and can't help but get extremely nostalgic.  I am so thankful that Brett and I are able to do things like this.  To trust each other to take risks, jump out of our comfort zone, explore new places, and always say yes to adventures.  I wouldn't want it any other way.  We only get one of these awesome things called life and we are determined to make ours count!

This is not the end.  We will never stop exploring.  Never.

Here's to many more amazing adventures to come!*

Scenes from the Weekend

Bocktown Beer and Grill for a Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week event!

(PA tap takeover!)

Taking a walk along the trail

(The spring trees and flowers around here are seriously so gorgeous and smell amazing!)

The sun came out just long enough, before it started pouring again

Homemade Indian food!

(Brett is getting sooo good at making this kind of food!)

This weekend was pretty low key.  Mainly because the weather has been pretty crapping (rainy, chilly, and even some hail) and I've been having a sore back/neck (I think I've been sleeping on it wrong...).  Though on Sunday, we spent the day in Erie visiting the in-laws, but I forgot to snap any pictures.  Hoping for better weather this weekend so we can get in some more camping and a family bike ride on Sunday for Mother's Day!

Five Things Friday

{from my run yesterday evening}

Five things I'm looking forward to in May...

1.  My birthday...

on the 19th!

2.  A memorial day weekend trip...

still in the planning phase, but we are definitely doing something!

3.  Warmer weather...

with (hopefully) less rain!

4.  The start of local farmers markets...

which means fresh homemade salsa on the regular!

5.  More days and weekends spent OUTSIDE...

I'm envisioning lots of camping, hiking, and biking in my future!

Happy weekend and happy MAY!*

Blue Ridge Mountains -- Breweries!

My other favorite thing about the Blue Ridge Mountains area (besides the great hiking) is the plethora of amazing breweries.  I don't know what it is, but something about this area just churns out amazing beer!  And we were definitely sure to take advantage of this with multiple brewery visits throughout vacation!

Devil's Backbone Brewing Co...

Starr Hill Brewery...

Blue Mountain Brewery...

There is just something so perfect about watching a gorgeous sunset with good friends and good beer.  Cheers to an amazing vacation!  Brett and I are already starting to brainstorm our next... ;)

Blue Ridge Mountains -- Hiking!

Continuing on with a few posts from our Blue Ridge Mountains Getaway 2014!

A trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains is never complete without plenty of hiking!  Hiking is one of my favorite reasons to visit this area.  The amount of awesome trails to choose from is almost overwhelming, there are so many!  For this trip, we mostly chose trails that were accessible from the Blue Ridge Parkway.  And let me tell you, just driving along this iconic road provided some awesome scenery with plenty of pull-offs to take in the views.

And once we'd get to the trails and start hiking, plenty more amazing views awaited!

A short hike around Sherando Lake...

A sunset hike along the Appalachian Trail before dinner at Devil's Backbone Brewing Co...

A steep hike to Humpback Rocks...

An Easter Sunday hike along the Riprap trail in Shenandoah National Park...

Yay hiking!  And when we weren't hiking, can you guess where we were?

Yup!  Brewery touring our way through the Blue Ridge Mountain beer scene... :)

Coming up next!*