quick trips

Recently Almost a month ago my friend Sarah and I took a quick trip out to Pittsburgh to see the beautiful couple Sarah and Brandon get married. Yup. Two Sarah's! It was great to have a partner in crime for my weekend road trip since James wasn't able to come along. We took advantage of all our spare time in the city by visiting the Carnegie Melon campus, downtown, Mt. Washington and of course, THE BRIDGES.

I am slowly but surely falling for the city each time I visit. How could I not? The weekend itself was gorgeous. The weather, the church, the bride, the ceremony, the reception and the whole city. Pittsburgh was starting to put up all their Christmas decorations so we got to see the holiday season hoisted up on cranes all over downtown. Maybe next year I'll make it for the lighting. I should probably aim for seeing DC light up first, seeing as I live here and all. (I guess we'll see!)

xoxohannah

buffaLOVE

1.Virginia sunsets. Always my favorite.
2. Packed up, being picked up from work to head north!
3. Start of day 2 driving.
4. Uncle Art's stray/live-in attack kitty. Seriously focused.
5. Practice makes perfect! We got started the night before with Jill and the boys because sky lanterns are the shit.
6. There was also a bonfire which was equal levels of "the shit"-ness.
7. Buffalo weather made me SO ready for fall. 70s with a light breeze. Hurry!
8. The gorgeous manuscript library where the wedding was held. Pictures can't do it justice!
9. Delaware park is one of my favorite places in Buffalo. It is as close to the peace of Red Rock as I've found since.
10. Birthday drinks back in McLean after work because my co-worker and I are 6 days apart. Love this patio!(had to throw this one in... because I could.)

It's been a couple weeks now since our weekend trip up to Buffalo for the most recent family wedding (Congrats Jeremy & Lindsey!) So I thought I would share a couple photos. Since (of course) I haven't edited any of my DSLR photos I will share my Instagram photos (follow me @signedxoxohannah, if you like!) I promise, they are the better photos anyway. I got talked out of bringing my DSLR to the reception which was honestly a good thing since I have a feeling I would have spent more time worrying about it than enjoying the party. Alas, that is why we have camera phones.

xoxohannah

to bonfire or not to bonfire

It's weird to say this but over the weekend I actually acted my age or at least a hell of a lot closer to it. A double header baseball game and a bonfire in one weekend is a big deal around these parts. Kind of makes up for not going to the movies wouldn'tcha say?

Life always has a funny way of working. This weekend was a perfect example of that. James and I may have lived in Virginia for the last year and a half but we are originally from Las Vegas. I was actually born and raised. (I'm like a mythical creature. You hear stories about them but you hardly ever meet one.) So to think that 4 years ago when I lost touch with a close friend who went into the military, I definitely didn't expect to see her again for the first time an hour away from my house in West Virginia.

I won't lie, having a friend that close is really nice. One of the hardest things for James and I this past year and a half has been social lives. Mostly because I wasn't working for the better part of a year and he was on the road 4 days a week, every week, all year. Making the trip out for the bonfire was a great chance to catch up, meet her husband before he gets deployed, and for her to meet my husband-to-be, James. I won't lie, the fact that they had s'mores DIDN'T HURT. :) I'm sure that she and I will be having many adventures to come!

xoxohannah

good times, good people, great weekend

I know I keep saying that the last couple weeks have been nuts... but seriously, they have been! I'm hopin', wishin' and prayin' that these 50+ hour work weeks stop because I need some work/life balance over here. Despite the lack of personal time, I am still extremely grateful and in no way complaining so to get away from it all, James and I decided to pack up for a little mini vacation to visit the city of bridges, Pittsburgh, PA. The company James works for is headquartered in Pittsburgh and he has been talking about going for fun for quite some time and it didn't hurt that the lovely Sarah of Coming Unstitched happens to live in the area!

 dress: TARGET / shoes: OLD NAVY / belt: KOHLS / watch: taken off long before this picture. blame the heat!

Sarah and I have been reading each other's blogs for quite some time, pretty much since our "beginnings". I was thrilled when her and her wonderful fiance, Brandon, offered to come into the city and show us around 'local style'. I must admit that knowing a local is about the best way to visit any new city. You always find the best restaurants (like Jerome Bettis with the deep fried cheeseburger (yea, you heard that right, A DEEP FRIED CHEESEBURGER!!)(this deserved 3 parenthesis, for reals.) and you get to see beautiful views like the spot where Brandon proposed to Sarah (so sweet!). James also used his spare time to practice his rugged and handsome thinking face.

We had to primp for photos... come on. Like you don't do this and then hide the proof :)

No one really knows what I was doing here. But I recall being happy so that's all that matters.

I'm a stealthy photographer as James likes to call me. So I snapped a couple photos of the gorgeous Sarah when she was busy posing for Brandon.

We then had to take some awesome photos like 'LOOK OVER THERE!' and 'this is a seriously funny story being told right now'.
 
I have to say that meeting other bloggers can be HIGHLY intimidating. I know first hand though that some of the best people I've met in life have been through the internet (like James for example). So after spending a few minutes/hours we all just clicked. Sarah is one of the sweetest people I've ever met and she is just so easy to be around. She is also very persuasive about getting us to move to Pittsburgh, someday. You can tell by just spending an afternoon with her and Brandon that they are best friends and true partners. Their wedding this fall is going to be beautiful and I might just crash it if I get really bored in November. (just kidding Sarah! haha)

It didn't take long before the photographers ended up in front of the camera and they weren't very thrilled. Brandon looks especially displeased in this photo. haha

Throughout the rest of the afternoon we enjoyed the muggy heat, brewskis at Hofbräuhaus, and generally enjoyed some great company. We shared tons of stories and got to witness a little boy standing on a table swinging his sippy cups while his brothers (?) stood up and swung their mugs while singing along at the Hofbräuhaus. I REALLY wish I would have caught that on camera. Too stinkin cute!

Before we knew it the night was over and we were crashed in the hotel room. We had an amazing trip and were so glad to make some new friends within driving distance. We can't wait for them to come out next year after their wedding to get a locals tour of DC. Watch for 'Party Animals: DC' coming to a blog post near you! Just kidding, we are a bunch of awesome old people who love watching tv in our pjs. I'm sure that has something to do with why we get along so well.

You should definitely take a moment to go check out Sarah's post about our weekend to see some more awesome photos and dialog. You can follow her on Twitter here. Check out her Blog here. Follow her via Bloglovin' here. And definitely go check out her Fashion Column here.

What did you guys do this weekend? I bet your feet aren't as sore as mine are ;)

xoxohannah

my day at the equestrian center

The names have been changed to protect the families and children involved because I truly felt that I should share with you my experience.

I spent the last week visiting a friend of ours up in New Jersey while James is on a work trip and she is a trainer. Of people, on horses. She gives riding lessons. An amazing girl that I am lucky to call my friend and I'm so glad that we finally have time to visit her and her husband. She works/volunteers at a local equestrian center with boarding stalls, training rings, arenas, etc. They do a lot of work with a local school for disabled children to help improve their motor and sensory functions.

I have spent a lot of time around kids in my life. I was a babysitter on and off since I was a kid watching my brother. Then a nanny, personal assistant, and I have friends with kids. Up until yesterday, I have never spent any time with disabled children. I would be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated. Besides the fact that I grew up around horses and rode when I was 8-12 years old, I was in completely uncharted territory. You could say that I was definitely out of my comfort zone and it was one of the best experiences I've had in a very, very long time.

Helping out last week mostly consisted of being a sidewalker. A sidewalker is someone who walks alongside the horse to help support and hold onto the child so that they don't fall off. They usually don't have any balance so we are there to support them physically while they learn to hold their bodies upright. You have to keep in mind that some of these kids are blind, some cannot speak or understand you, others are incredibly intelligent and know exactly what is going on but are trapped inside their body and cannot communicate back with you, and others are in perpetual states of motion (always rocking and throwing themselves around). Some kids were easier than others to work with.

The first young boy I worked with, we will call him Ryan, was in a perpetual state of motion. When he first got on the horse he rocked back and forth, throwing himself forward until he slams his helmet into the horses mane, and then throwing himself backwards until his head hit the horses butt. It is a bit scary when you think of the safety side because leaning forward on a horse means go. We are very lucky that the center not only has wonderful trainers working with the horses but wonderful horses that can tolerate and cooperate with these kids. Towards the middle of Ryan's ride he stopped rocking. He sat perfectly still and though he couldn't hold himself up physically (that's what we were for) he wasn't thrashing and he was just crying. At that moment, I realized that he was happy. His body was responding to the soothing motion of being on a horse. Ryan wasn't in pain for that moment, his body could relax. It broke my heart, in the best possible way.

Throughout the rest of the morning I sidewalked with a blind girl, an older boy and and older girl who had been going there for several years. The blind girl, we will call her Ann, was actually there for the first time ever. Her teacher told us that even at school when they try and do motion therapy of any kind she screams, blood curdling screams. I would have never guessed because she was quiet, unbelievably quiet. She may not have known where she was but she was happy, supporting her upper trunk and riding a horse. The older girl, we'll call her Maggie, had a serious fascination for my glasses and hat. She also loved to sing. Although she wasn't particularly in the mood to "work" on her skills and using her hands with the certified therapist trainer, she certainly was having a great time and even recognized herself in the mirror on the horse. I cant really come up with the words to describe how great of an experience this truly was. I have a new-found respect and admiration for the parents, families, and dedicated individuals who work with disabled children or even adults every day. The amount of physical and mental strength it takes to get through each day must be tremendous. I am so thankful to my friend and the lovely equestrian center for having me as a volunteer yesterday. This was an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life and keep as a reminder of how much we "able-bodied" people can take advantage of the things we don't ever think about.
 
I know that this type of experience isn't for everyone but I think that volunteering somewhere like this can be a great memory and learning experience for all people, especially when you are working with children.

Have you ever been part of an experience that truly touched your heart and gave you a new outlook on life?

Please feel free to share your stories in the comments. I would love to hear about your experiences and takeaways. 

xoxohannah

anchor

You can also view the video at this link.

I am so excited to share this little video I made from our trip up to Buffalo, New York. In case you don't know James and I were there for his grandma J's funeral services. She passed back in May shortly after we both arrived in Virginia. I was very fortunate to get to meet her and spend the 2010 holiday season with her.

Grandma J had a tradition of buying everyone socks and underwear for Christmas. I was not aware of Grandma J's tradition until shortly before so I was a bit curious to see how that present opening experience would go. I opened the present to find knee socks (my favorite!) and I found out that she told his mom that she was too embarrassed to buy me underwear. She tried to make me feel better by explaining that she didn't know what kind or size but she was just too embarrassed to get me any. It had to be one of my most awkward moments one of the funniest parts of the whole holiday season.

She was an amazing lady who is loved and missed by so many people. This video may not be technically fantastic but it gets me every time. In so many ways this song reminds me of James but we both know that it is the perfect song to remember Grandma J by.

Anywho, I am not a videographer in the least so please don't rate this for it's "technical merit". A huge thank you goes out to Sammy from Everything In Between who actually introduced me to this song. Thanks Sammy! P.S. I figured out why I thought I'd heard it. Her voice and part of this song very closely resembles the melody in the song "Little Boxes" that is used in the opening credits of the show Weeds. I'm not crazy I swear. haha :)

Do you have a song that this in your life? I would love to hear your stories if you are willing to share :)

Happy Monday!

xoxohannah

when I first moved to the east coast

The first thing I did once I got settled in Virginia was meet up with a friend in DC for a little weekend sightseeing. It has been months since this happened but I was going through pictures and felt like sharing. Forgive any crappy photography as this was taken on half rainy days with a Nikon point and shoot. Most of them came out alright though!