blue and other things.

The first few weeks of November in Pittsburgh have been surprisingly warm. These are the kinds of surprises I welcome. Instead of knit hats and mittens, I have been donning simple sweaters and, at times, bare toes. While the trees are slowly but surely shedding their leaves completely, providing twisted, barren glimpses of winter, the sunshine and warm air continually bring me back to a summery kind of ease.

This past Saturday, the warmth and sunshine pulled me outside. I spent about three hours at Highland Park, reading, enjoying the blue sky (as the photos below prove) and loving on the sunshine while it's still around.

(This first photo diverges from the others just a bit. It's me on my first day of work per Nancy's request. Here ya go, Mom!)

Here's two of the few photos I took from Halloween. I was a bumble bee complete with tiny wings and a stinger, Lydia was a rooster complete with yellow rubber gloves for feet, Jordan was Thomas the Tank Engine complete with built-in beer can holder in the form of a tiny smoke stack, Dave was the classic mummy complete with constantly dropping chunks-o-toilet paper and Jenna was a bubble bath complete with shower cap, as you can well see. It was fun.

This photo was taken at the farm in Louisville when Elisabeth, Jenna and I drove down in September to visit the ladies plus Bradley and celebrate Lydia's 22nd birthday. The farm house is charming and has endearing qualities in some respects but, I know Lydia and Jamie are generally sick of unwelcome critters joining them as housemates and the ghosts that make themselves known in the middle of the night--they say the place is haunted. Yup.

More photos and words coming soon.

Love and all good things.

pittsburgh, PA!

Hello friends and family.

This space for writing and sharing has been profoundly neglected for the past year of my life. So, in an attempt to keep everyone updated and to continue reflecting on the changes in my life since entering the scary world of post-college graduation, here I am again, typing and posting photographs from my experiences and life here, in Pittsburgh.

Here are some photos from my time in Pittsburgh so far, taken by miss Jenna Sue (for those of you who read the "Since You've Been Gone" blog, sorry for the repeats!).

My new home! 508 N. Sheridan

Jenna, Elisabeth and I decided to go for a walk up to Highland Park on one beautiful fall afternoon. Highland Park is a park that sits high above the city skyline. The park is a wonderful place for walks and picnics with its rolling hills and giant, ancient trees.

Jordan, along with Jenna's pro-painter mom Susan, helped me paint my room a lovely butterscotch color. It is nice and cozy.

For Americorps, Jenna, Elisabeth and I have trainings every-other Friday in the supervising office downtown. This is a photo of our stroll back over the bridge to our car after the long day of meetings was over.

Backyard silliness with a monocle. This picture is obviously a bit old--notice the bare shoulders and extra-short hair. Lately, fall has provided us with chilly temperatures and my hair looks much shaggier.

Pittsburgh still feels a bit strange to me at times but, it's starting (slowly, but surely) to feel more and more homey. I have started taking yoga classes on Wednesday nights at the Union Project where Jenna is working and it has been nice to venture into parts of the city that I have never explored before. Work has been a blessing and a challenge all rolled into one giant ball of frustration, confusion and joy (much more on this to come). Home always feels like a retreat--a warm place to come together and cook delicious meals together, watch good movies, read solo and have good conversation.

Now, it's time for a pot-luck dinner with friends who live a few blocks away. We're already about 5 minutes late.

Thanks for reading and looking.

Sending peace, love and all good things your way,

Ali

I will do my very best to post as often as I can.