Andy Hits the Big 30!

The second week in May is what we call Trapuzzano celebration week.  Our anniversary is May 9, Andy's birthday is May 12, and Mother's Day falls anywhere between May 8 and May 14.  It can last anywhere from 4-6 days depending on when Mother's Day falls.  There are years when we double up.  Our first anniversary fell on my first Mother's Day and this year Andy's birthday fell on Mother's Day.  This year was made more special by the fact that it was not only Izzie's first Mother's Day, but Andy's 30th birthday.  He also happened to be born on Mother's Day, so it's kinda cool that one of his milestone birthdays fell on it again.

We started off this year with our anniversary and it's tradition for us to watch our wedding video.  Both guys were munching on popcorn and Brady was so cute pointing out all the people he knew.

Sunday the 11th, we had two birthday parties to attend.  The first was for Brady's friend, Ainsley, who turned 5.  it was a cowgirl themed party and all the kids got cowboy hats, handkerchiefs, and sherrif's badges with their names on them.

Another cool thing they did was take the kids' pictures and put them on wanted signs that they got to take home.  This is definitely going in the scrapbook.

A friend of the Reeses was taking pictures because they were busy with the party and she snapped this candid of Izzie.

The second party was in the afternoon for the twins, Emma and Ella, who live a few doors down from our house.  They were turning 3 that day.  They had a Jake & the Neverland Pirates themed party.  Brady is seen above searching for gold doubloons.  

They had amazing pirate-themed bouncy house that Brady LOVED.

Mother's Day (and Andy's birthday) morning, we woke up and Andy decided he didn't want to do our usual pancake breakfast at home.  He suggested going out to eat.  We tried out one of the many Coney Island's (don't let the name fool you, they're more known for their breakfasts than their hotdogs).  It was really good and a great value (all three of us got meals and the check was only $20).

This was my fourth Mother's Day since I became a mom.  I was only 23 when I became a mom, but I have loved every single minute of it.  I think of my kids before myself and would rather spend money on them before myself.  I've had several people ask me if we're done now that I have a boy and a girl.  My answer remains the same now as when I was pregnant with Izzie - no we're not done.  We have an ideal number of children in our minds (nothing crazy, you'd be able to count them on one hand) and will continue towards that goal as long as we can afford it.  We love children and they bring us so much joy every single day.

We've gotten to the point in our lives that there isn't much we really want, but thing that we really need.  Last year, we were in Europe and decided to forgo gifts because we traveled so much.  This year, we have a new house and need so many things that we didn't before when we were just renting smaller places.  We decided to combine our gifts this year.  For our anniversary and Mother's Day, I got the patio set pictured above.  We've eaten out there several times already since purchasing on actual Mother's Day.

Andy's birthday and anniversary gift was his new grill.  Until now, he'd only had his small one that we used when tailgating.  We've already had chicken, turkey burgers, and steak on it since acquiring it two weeks ago.  This is where we have it now on our deck, but it was in a different spot when Andy used it the first time.  We now know why you don't put a grill against the house.  He melted a portion of the siding.  I guess you live and you learn, right?

Hail to Pitt!!!! Happy 225th Anniversary!

I talk often about how my heart still belongs in Oakland.  Of all the places we've lived, it's still my favorite and I get chills just driving off the highway and onto Forbes Avenue, with the straight view of the Cathedral of Learning (pictured above), which is the second tallest educational building in the world (second only to a building at the University of Moscow).  Maybe it has something to do with fact that I was born on Forbes Avenue (within viewing distance of the Cathedral) in Magee Women's Hospital (which now belongs to the university), maybe it's because my family has an almost 100 year history of being educated there (I was the 4th generation to attend), or maybe it's because we were married on campus and Brady was also born at Magee (he was the 4th generation to be born there).  Whatever the reason, I love Pitt and Oakland with all my heart and hope that someday one of my children will go there and follow in our family's proud history.  Maybe on of them will even get married at Heinz Chapel, who knows?

I was in the band for four years as a part of the color guard, so I went to every home game and several away games each year (including an amazing win at Notre Dame my freshman year).  The crowning achievement was the trip to the Fiesta Bowl in 2005.  We didn't win, but I will never have to put attend a BCS bowl game on my bucket list.  Not only did I attend, I performed!  That was my only bowl game however.  The next three years were pretty bleak, but sometimes you have to sit down and weather the storm.  Once I graduated and Andy started grad school, we bought season tickets.  We kept them even when we moved to Michigan in the summer of 2010.  Moving to South Carolina made it very difficult to keep them because it was impossible to drive home for a weekend (the drive one way was 10 hours on a good day).  We gave them up with intentions to renew them this year as we planned on returning to Michigan.  With Pitt's upcoming move to the ACC (next fall), the home schedule was very weak (with the exception of one game), so we decided to hold off until next year, when we are guaranteed quality opponents at home.  My parents have kept their season tickets through all of this, so we have had opportunities to attend games in the last two seasons.

The big game I wanted to attend was the Virginia Tech game that took place two weeks ago.  My parents were headed to Columbus to see my brother (Cal was playing at Ohio State).  This was perfect, as we just used their tickets.  A few weeks before the season started, Brady started to say, "Go Pitt!"  Nothing could make me happier and now he equates all football to Pitt. 

 He's so happy to be there!

 Screaming, "Go Pitt!!!"

 Brady didn't want to sit still while waiting for the parade, so it was hard for me and Andy to hold him down long enough to get a pic.

 Watching for the parade to start.

 Seated and scarfing down a Primanti's sandwich.  It seems like it should be illegal for other places around the country to not put fries on sandwiches and salads.

Pitt started the season looking pretty pathetic and starting 0-2.  With Virginia Tech highly ranked and going to a BCS bowl every year, things didn't look good for us heading into the game.  Well guess what?  Pitt actually came together as a team and killed Virginia Tech 35-17, forcing four turnovers, and effectively knocking VT out of the rankings altogether.  VT will be on our side of the ACC, so starting next year we will play them every year and they are the main competition to reach the ACC championship, so it's a great feeling to know that we can hold our own against them, when so many other teams can't.

Brady hit naptime around halftime but without Puppy it was impossible to get him to sleep.  Andy took him out of the stands and under the shade of the concession stands and that's where they remained the rest of the game.  It was supposed to be a chilly day, but turned out quite warm and none of us was wearing sunscreen.  We all got sunburned, but Andy and I got the brunt of it.  I was worse than Andy and my burn took a week to fade.

Brady has been going to Pitt games since before he was born (same with the new baby), and for the most part he loves it.  It was certainly easier before he was mobile, but he still has a lot of fun.  The next set of pictures will show him in seasons past.

 2011 (Pitt vs. Utah)

 2011 (watching pregame)

 2011 (Brady and Dubby)

 2010 (Brady's first Pitt season)

 2010 (hanging with Roc)

 2010 (waiting for the parade)

 2010 (asleep in the stands)

This is a very special year for Pitt.  It's the 225th anniversary of it's founding in 1787.  It's an amazing feeling to know that Pitt was the first institution of higher learning west of the Allegheny Mountains and is older than most universities (and states) in this country.  I've never been so proud to be a 4th generation graduate.  My mom's side of the family has been attending Pitt for almost 100 years and my dad's side of the family has only been in this country for the last 67 years, so that's kinda crazy to think about.  There was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to go Pitt since I was a child.  My dad graduated from Pitt with his Ph. D in 1985 and in 1987, Pitt celebrated their bicentennial.  I was younger than Brady is now and it's so cool to know I was there (since it's highly unlikely I'll make it to the tricentinnial at 101 years old).

Above is me at 1, already celebrating Pitt's proud history.  Regardless of the fact that I would be a 4th generation legacy, my mom didn't want to let me apply to Pitt.  She didn't enjoy the city living, but I've always known that I do.  It took almost a year of lobbying before I even got her to agree to let me apply.  They were the only school I applied to and I was accepted.  I wouldn't trade my four years of undergrad and one year of post-grad for anything in the world.  I am proud that I was one of the lucky few who not only could be married at Heinz Chapel, but that I was married there.  Happy anniversary Pitt!  Can't wait to celebrate 250 years!

5 Years Ago Today - The Story of Us

Five years ago today, on June 8, 2007, Andy and I went our first date and we've never looked back ;)  People ask us all the time how we met, so I'll tell the story to all of you now.

It actually began on May 14, 2007.  I had ended a long-term relationship and was looking to branch out on my own for a bit.  I didn't really trust myself to pick out a guy since I'd done pretty bad in the past.  As fate would have it, an eHarmony commercial came on TV that night, you know the one they show advertising free viewing of your matches.  That very night, I went online and filled out my profile to get my matches.  That night there were four matches and online one really interested me.  There was one guy named Andrew who talked about being ambitious and funny, etc.  Unfortunately, without paying you can't see a picture.  I decided to wait and think about it before committing any money.

The next morning, I woke up to an email, saying that Andrew had contacted me.  I couldn't contact unless I paid, so I thought about it that whole morning while I was at my summer course.  It was election day, so when I went out to vote with my mom, I talked to her about it.  She thought that since it was the only one I was interested in, that I should go for it.  She figured the creeps out there wouldn't be willing to pay for a service like that.

I decided to get the year subscription since it was the cheapest per month.  Little did I know at the time that I probably only needed two weeks.  Andrew and I went back and forth via the steps of communication that eHarmony sets up.  Finally we exchanged phone numbers.  On Memorial Day, while celebrating at my grandparents' house we had our first phone call.  I was outside playing with my cousins and my cousin, Ava, who was only 3 at the time, grabbed my cell and screamed into it.  I could've died on the spot, figuring that I'd never meet this guy, who had become Andy instead of Andrew over the past few weeks.  Turned out he liked kids and didn't hold it against me. 

We spent the next two weeks talking on the phone every single night, learning what we could about each other.  We'd spend about 3 hours talking every night and I laughed the whole time.  He was just so much fun!  Finally, we got around to setting up a first date and he was so accommodating about it, offering to let me bring a friend, or even my mom, since he knew it could be scary meeting someone from the internet.  I decided that I could go on my own, and he even picked a place closer to my house than his.  We were set to meet at Bravo's on June 8.

I remember waiting around all day for the time to get ready.  This guy seemed way too good to be true and I had body image issues, so even though I was at my lowest in years, I wasn't sure it was good enough.  I remember sitting out in the car in the rain, mentally talking myself out of the car, I was so nervous.  I knew he was already inside because he'd told me what kind of car he drove.  I worked up the courage to go in (thank goodness), and he looked up at me, flashed his smile, winked, and said, "Look at you."  We had an amazing time at dinner and even sat in the Starbucks at the Barnes and Noble across the street talking until almost midnight.  That was the beginning of us as a couple.

This was my profile picture and along with a pic of me in a suit at my brother's confirmation is a big part of what attracted Andy to my profile.  He liked that I could be versatile and in this red dress, called me gorgeous.  I thought he was joking or being cheesy because no guy had ever called me that before.

For the first couple of months, we spent almost every single day together.  This is him at one of the Pitt football games where I was performing in September 2007.

The first time he took me up to Penn State in September 2007.

Hanging with friends in the early days.

Making muffins in the kitchen when we were living in Washington (2007).

 

 Above we are pictured together just before Christmas.  I had joined eHarmony expecting to date for a while and certainly wasn't expecting anything serious for a while.  We got serious fast and by Christmas had already been to the jeweler to design my engagement ring, although we weren't officially engaged yet.

Our first Christmas together (2007).

The night we got engaged (January 31, 2008).  We had dinner at the Tin Angel on Mount Washington, and after dinner he took me to a lookout point and got down on one knee.  We had wedding pictures taken on that same platform only 15 months later.

Going out for our first Valentine's Day to the Grand Concourse (2008).

Sealing the deal with a kiss on May 9, 2009, only 23 months after the day we met.

June 8 always holds a special place in our heart and is doubly special, since on June 8, 2009 we found out that we were pregnant with Brady.  It's really hard to believe that it's been five whole years and at the time I was only 21 and Andy was only 24.  We've done so much in that five years and who would have ever thought that we'd have lived in four states together and even lived in Europe!  Today we are celebrating our special day in the most romantic city in the world, Paris!  I can only hope the next five years are just as wonderful and filled with adventure.