Random Catch-Up

Well...hello. I'm just checking in to acknowledge the continuation of my existence! Here are one or two random thoughts I've had lately...

...how incredibly blessed are we to live in a place where we can see fireworks at a ballgame and know that the lights and sounds are all orchestrated and not part of some military attack?

...why does The United Methodist Church have no presence in Downtown Pittsburgh? Really. I'm asking. And if I'm wrong and we do have something going on in the city I would be glad to admit my error. I saw information about this in the program for the musical Rent. I was embarassed that there was no United Methodist church listed among the active congregations working in Pittsburgh. (And no, you haven't somehow skipped over to my husband's blog...I can be serious too!)

...how much better would this picture be with Christian in it? We moved here after the picture was taken, but he did get his own picture taken last week. The band was in the Fall Fantasy Parade at Kennywood last week. They really looked sharp!

...isn't it ironic that I moved to the city/suburbs from the country and now I see more wildlife than I ever did. On my way to the highschool last evening I saw 5 deer, 2 groundhogs and 10 wild turkeys. Cool.

...did you know that if you buy beer in a can at Heinz Field the vendor will have to open the can and pour the beer for you? I know this because last Thursday I worked a booth at the Steeler game. Aramark (a vending and food services company) allows various non-profit organizations to work their booths (concessions and beverages) at the stadium in order to raise money for their group. The TJ Band Patrons work these games and I went to my first one last week. It was really fun and I had the best view in the stadium (of the city, that is...not the game). I can say I have actually bled to raise money for Christian's band trip. I cut my finger opening one of the 407 cans of beer we sold from our cart. We advertised "the coldest beer in the stadium" since it had been on ice for nearly two hours. I was advertising "the coldest hands in the stadium" since my hands were in ice for nearly four hours. Most of our customers were very nice, seemed to be drinking well-within moderation and some even left us tips. Pittsburghers are great! The women were so happy to be carded, but the guys looked a bit less-pleased. So, if you're at the stadium, be nice to the vendors! I'm going back on Thursday, September 7...the season opener. Pray for me. It will be a madhouse. I did get to (shhhh) sneak down after we finished (the beer booths close early because we serve no alcohol after the fourth quarter starts)and saw the last 5 minutes or so from the back of the first section. It's amazing in Heinz Field...and very very loud...almost a scary sort of roaring noise. I can't imagine how expensive the tickets in that first section are, but the view is fantastic...even from the fifth level the players look like real people, not little black and gold ants!

...TJ Football beat Belle Vernon, 48-0...yippee! Woodland HIlls HIgh School lost (yes, lost) to Mt. Lebanon. High School football is serious business around here. Check out these rankings.

...is it beginning to sound like I care about sports? Scary. Where's the knitting? Where are the recipes? Have I temporarily taken leave of my senses. (Yep, it's Fall in Western PA...it happens)

...if you haven't seen the Pixar movie Cars, don't walk, RUN to see it!


It's in our dollar theater now, so you may have missed it since it was released in early June, but do yourself a favor and see it as soon as you can even if you have to wait for the DVD. It is truly amazing...the animation is my absolute favorite so far. I'm a big fan of Pixar. Not only do their movies look great, but the story-writing holds up, too.