a week in photos

fall is here... its my favorite time of year. i've been waiting months for it. the crispness of the air, the warming of the leaves, the smell of autumn. something you can't quite explain. a feeling that makes me want to trade in my iced tea for a warm latte in the morning, a summer beer for a glass of reisling, the tank tops for sweaters. this season has always been like the "new year" to me, when its time for a change. i'm ready for it.

we've decided to take the month of october off from any house remodeling. we basically took september off, but that doesn't count ;) we only have a few more things to finish up, so once we get back on track this winter, the house may be ready for the market in spring/early summer. we will see.

now with all this free time on our hands, we're trying to spend as much of it outside as possible, enjoying the weather and watching the leaves change. they're starting to, and just that brightens my outlook. i pretty much missed this whole season last year, so its nice to be able to enjoy it again. last weekend we went to oktoberfest at penn brewery. it was fun, but crazy crowded. ridiculously crowded. and the smell of sauerkraut everywhere. sunday morning we made croissants from trader joes, coffee, and headed out for errands and some open houses. we check out the swissvale houses for comparison (our house is looking very good compared to whats on the market), then we checked out some potential neighborhoods. we've visited forest hills, blackridge/churchill, mostly the east end/suburbs-ish areas. we'll continue to explore the areas... we've got time :)

this weekend was nice and very relaxing. i'm glad it warmed up a little bit too :) on saturday we had more errands to run, and made our way out towards monroeville. we headed a little further east, and went to schramm's farms for the start of their fall festival. we did some shopping at the market, and i was stopped in my tracks. i had walked by some concord grapes. wow... i was taken back to my parents house in erie, where we grew them in the backyard. my parents made their own grape jelly and grape juice, and the smell is so powerful. i had to buy some :) we strolled thru the pumpkin patch, picking out some winners that we'll carve later this month.





we ended the day at shady grove for some onion soup and sandwiches. i'm totally digging their website. very nice.

on sunday, ian ran our recycling over to construction junction, then we headed over to frick park with sydney for a long walk. its going to be beautiful in another week or 2, when the leaves are really changing.







after the walk, we took sydney to the self-serve dog wash in wilkinsburg. it was convenient, and timed, so we were able to wash her more quickly than in the tub at home. however, they don't say that the air-dryer is COLD. poor syd was whimpering the whole time, but we had to get her somewhat dry before getting back in the car. next time we'll bring towels and smocks. we got a little soaked.



the night was capped off, by, of course, marshmallow roasting outside. it was super chilly, but the fire was warm and the treats were tasty. and while i don't completely like this photo, i think it conveys the toasty warm feeling of the night.



in other news, tomorrow is our 2 year anniversary. damn!