Matt Nathenson Concert!

*Experience 25 new things, places, or events in Pittsburgh.*

Last night Tim and I not only went to a concert- we got the VIP treatment! Believe it or not, on my last day of work I called into a radio station on a whim to try to win tickets to a Matt Natheson show. They were giving away tickets to teachers and I thought, hey, why not?! Long story short, I won the tickets and then, later in the day, I got a phone call that I was their grand prize winner and also won overnight accommodations! I was shocked- I never win anything!

So we showed up at the Fairmont Hotel downtown (the newest, fanciest, hotel in the burgh) and checked into our room before the concert. It was a really nice room with an awesome view. We were on the 16th floor and had a great view of Market Square and PPG Place.

 Then, we headed down to the private show and a VIP reception. The reception was cool. They had a ton of fun appetizer foods and and open bar. We even got to meet Matt, who was super cool and down to earth!

After the party they gave us gift bags full of goodies, including signed CD's, and we headed into the ballroom for the show. Matt was great! His music is awesome and he is really funny. He even did a cover of " I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney and  "Little Red Corvette" by Prince- both were awesome. We had a great time and will be seeing Matt next time he is in Pittsburgh!

Some of the videos I took at the show- check out his music!

If you don't have this CD, go get it... now!

Then, since we were right outside of Market Square, we went to Primanti's for dinner. Always so yummy. Plus, with the furry convention in town, it was also super amusing. Did you know that furries have to bring their own super long straws with them when they go drinking so the straw can reach into their animal head? Yea, we learned that last night! After dinner we walked around the square, played in the dancing water at PPG place, then headed back to the hotel to get some rest in a very comfy bed- and maybe raided the minibar ;)

Me enjoying the comfy Fairmont Bed!

Tim checking out the view before we left

Moral of the story: take chances and try something new- you never know when good luck is in your corner! Also, check out Matt Nathenson, he's awesome!!

Shall We Dance?

* Experience 25 new things, places, or events in Pittsburgh*

Tonight Tim and I took a new class together- ballroom dancing! I had bought him a groupon for Valentine's Day this year that was good for six classes at Arthur Murray. I know he likes to dance and we are always at weddings, so I thought it might be fun to try- and it was! We really didn't know what to expect when we got there, but everyone was super helpful. Out teacher was really nice and showed us how to do the basic foxtrot and jitterbug. He kept saying how good we were, but it was only three basic movements so I don't know how he could tell.  During the lesson, Tim was super focused and had an intense look on his face which in turn made me laugh the whole lesson, but overall we pulled it together and learned some stuff. Now we just have to practice and do our homework assignment before the next lesson- watch a dance movie together! Before you know it, we will be winning a mirrorball trophy! 

My dancin' shoes!

Color Me Rad 5K Here I Come!

Okay! It is official- I registered for my first 5K- Color Me Rad. I am SOOO Excited!!

I started running this week so I can make it all 3+ miles on August 25th. Thankfully, Tim is helping me to train and keeping me motivated. We have done two runs so far, and already I am running better. My legs hurt, but it is nice to feel results! Yay for working on losing 25 pounds while training for the 5k- killing two birds with one stone :)

Anyhow, I would LOVE to have more people on my team to help cheer one another on and have an awesome time! Just be sure to register by the 22nd for early bird prices- not to mention the race is filling up fast. When you register be sure to join my team "Running like the Winded"! We will be in the 9:10 time slot. Here is more information:

This race just seems so awesome! The confirmation note even has a sense of humor! To learn more about the race check out the Color Me Rad site and check out this video and you will see why I am SO EXCITED! Hope you can join me!!

Memorial Day Fun!

*  Experience 25 new things, places, or events in Pittsburgh.*

On Memorial Day we spent the day with Katie, Daniel, Becca, and Kevin at Wildwood Highlands in North Park. We played laser tag, go-carted, and competed in the arcade!  Timmy rocked the basketball game, Kevin was a wiz at skee ball, and Becca and I were the laser tag queens. It was so much fun- like we were all kids again! I would highly recommend an afternoon here to anyone! I have been wanting to start to making videos, so I spent a little bit of time making one of our day. Enjoy it and let me know what you think! 

Great New Restaurant's

*1. Experience 25 new things, places, or events in Pittsburgh.*

Recently I have tried a few new restaurant's in town that were pretty darn good, thus kicking off my first goal!

Frogurt: I love frozen yogurt. Like LOVE. My friend Mallory introduced me to these new froyo stores last summer and I have been bummed ever since that there wasn't a froyo place around me. Until now!!!! Three cheers for the guys who finally built one in Monroville. Anyway...  One night, I had a hankering for some froyo, googled it on a whim, and low and behold, to my extreme excitement, there was a new froyo place in Monroville. I called up Mallory and we met there 20 minutes later to enjoy froyo happiness. The thing I love about these new froyo places that are popping up is that you make your own dessert. Since I am trying to lose weight this really helps! I get just a bit of low fat froyo and then load up with fruit and granola (and a few chocolate chips for good measure!). If you haven't been to a froyo place yet, stop reading this blog, put down the computer and go. I will be waiting here when you get back. Now go!

My favorite combo: chocolate froyo with strawberries, bananas, peanut butter sauce, granola, & a few chocolate chips!

Dakota's Bar and Restaurant: Timmy and I went here one night for dinner and much to our surprise it was really good. It is a hole in the wall bar not far from our house and we only decided to try it since we had a coupon. When we first got there the place was completely empty so we were a little worried, but it was a great choice. It looks like a sports bar and has a pretty basic menu: subs, salads, burgers, etc. We ended up ordering two subs and they were great!! We split the turkey bacon swiss and chicken bacon ranch. They were both awesome but I liked the turkey one just a teenie bit more. They were big so we even had leftover for the next day. The prices were good, the service was friendly, and the food was great! If you are ever in the Monroville area check them out! Oh! And the server told us they will be opening a new pittsburgh themed sports bar even closer to us- score!

I had to steal this photo from the internet since I forgot to take one myself!

Gil's Cafe: After Brita's grad party this weekend we decided to stop for some cocktails with my cousin Jill. She suggested this bar/restaurant and it was pretty darn cool. The place was really nice and the service was great. We all split some fried zucchini and Jill and Tim had some mozzarella sticks. I decided to get some clam chowder- my favorite. All of the food was pretty good, but Jill assured us the main meals were great too! I would suggest this place to anyone. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the service was awesome. I will be back next time we are in the South Park area!

Home Decor Shopping Spree

*15. Decorate my house with 25 new items. Bonus points if I made them myself!*

This weekend we had a nice long three days off to enjoy Memorial day weekend, and boy oh boy did Tim and I stay busy. On Friday we celebrated our second anniversary by going to the drive in. Then, Saturday and Sunday we busted our butts around the house. It  was really nice to get some things checked off the to do list while beating the scorching heat by staying inside. 

On Saturday we painted the kitchen yellow. I like the color but it definitely needs some accent color- cobalt blue! Then on Sunday we did some major cleaning and organizing. In the afternoon I ran out to get some food and thought I would look for some decorations for the fireplace room while I was at it. Looking for some decorations soon turned into decoration the whole room! 

I was shopping at WalMart, which I openly admit to hating, but it is right up the street from my house and often has what I need in one convenient location so I end up there often. Anyway... I was surprised what I found there! I hit up the floral department to find most of the glass containers and fillings that now sit on the mantle. Then, found a lot of stuff I liked from their Better Homes and Gardens collection- including my curtain rods and throw pillows. So, all in all I got a lot of stuff for a decent price, and with a touch of a crafty hand I ended up with this... 

Anniversary Date Night!

*Go on at least one date every month- with Tim, my friends, or even myself!*

This weekend has been busy- and thankfully it's a long one so I still have one more day to enjoy! On Friday, Tim and I celebrated our two year anniversary. We talked about going away for the weekend but decided we would rather use the weekend to work around our house (we are crazy, apparently). So Friday we had a date night! Since the weather was so nice we went to the drive in- one of my favorite summer activities! Even though I fell asleep a few times we had a great night together and a wonderful anniversary! 

Instead of getting each other gifts this year, we decided to buy some new furniture for our front porch. We like to spend a lot of time here in the evenings just enjoying the weather, so we figured it was a perfect gift for our anniversary- it would allow us to spend even more time together! We also decided to write a list of 50 things we love about each other. They were a lot of fun to read together and I look forward to having them to read on future anniversaries. :)