One Last Summer Hurrah

 
All summer long, I have been hoping to get myself to Kennywood. Lucky for me, I have friends like Kelly who also have the same fabulous ideas. For those of you unfamiliar with what I'm talking about Kennywood is an amusement park located in Pittsburgh. Of course we wait until the very last weekend it's open to go. Well, at least until it reopens for Phantom Fright Nights. We may be in our twenties, but we'll always be kids at heart. Needless to say the park was extremely packed and every ride line was nearly an hour long. That didn't stop us.

We started our day off with a little shopping at the SouthSide Works. For most, it's impossible to leave that place without indulging at the Cheesecake Factory. Do you know a better way to kick off an evening at Kennywood? I sure don't.

 
I do have a minor confession to make. I'm a hidden scaredy-cat. I put on a believable front until I hear a gut wrenching scream from someone on the ride. Then the fear turns me into a different person. Don't get me wrong I love going on rides, but I am a chicken to the extreme while riding. For the most part, I close my eyes and hold on for dear life. Every once in a while you might hear a squeal, an obstinacy or an "I hate you". After the ride is over and the initial fear cools off, I really enjoy myself. Kelly may have enjoyed my reactions more than the rides. I already got a call from her this week reminding me of what I was like. Amusement parks truly are one of my favorite places to go. All the silly things that I do on the rides are simply uncontrollable coping mechanisms for my fear of heights and reenacting the roller coaster scene from Final Destination. No big!

Kennywood 2012

Please ignore the green on our faces. It is not some new makeup trend that we're trying out. Apparently they have already begun to decorate for Fright Nights. This means transforming all the lights to spooky colors.

This venture to Kennywood brought back some wonderful memories of a vacation I went on at the beginning of summer. My mother and I went to Disney World in Orlando. A tradition we recently brought back to life. When I was a munchkin, Disney World was a place I visited yearly mostly because my grandparents had condos in Florida. This was a convenient bonus to my childhood. After they sold them, our usual summer vacations turned into the Outer Banks and Vegas. (In no way am I complaining about that!) Last year, to help satisfy my Harry Potter obsession, my mom and I took a mini vacation to Orlando to visit Universal Studios and an impromptu visit to Disney World. We enjoyed the trip so much we had to go back this year for more. It was honestly one of the best trips of my life. There's nothing I love more than spending quality time with my mommy.

Animal Kingdom 2012

Epcot 2012

Magic Kingdom 2012

Universal Studios 2012

Magic Kingdom 2011

Good news to all Disney dorks. Walt Disney World is currently expanding the Magic Kingdom. The special addition is known as the New Fantasyland. Some may say this is a place where mermaids sing, beauties tell tales, beasts roar and elephants fly. Storybook Circus is already open to guests and the Enchanted Forest will be opening in December 2012. Ladies, if you're a fan of Belle or Ariel get excited! The little girl inside me is already packing her seashell purse. 

Back to reality... The weekend ended in the best way possible, with a Pittsburgh Steelers win! A much better outcome than last week's game. The New York Jets may have two hunky quarterbacks, but looks won't win you football games. Mondays are always a little bit better in Steeler Nation after a Pittsburgh Steelers win!

Fall Fever

Fall is right around the corner, but I've already caught a strong case of fall fever. It all started with the long awaited release of the pumpkin flavored everything at Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. Then came the sudden temperature change over the weekend. Today, not so much. This opened my eyes to some leaves that have already begun to fall. The colors aren't quite there yet. Fall or Autumn, which ever you prefer. This is the season I live for!

Pumpkin Iced Coffee

Listing all the reasons why I adore this spectacular season is close to impossible, but here it goes. First off I would like to begin with one of the most important. For all those out there with naturally curly/wavy/frizzy hair, you don't need me to tell you that fall brings with it the perfect hair weather! Might sound ridiculous, but I only speak the truth. Not too dry, not too humid... just fresh crisp air. I also like to think of this weather as "football weather". Another one of my favorite things. The past few Steeler games have been hot ones. Let's hope this Sunday's games brings some of that crisp air to Heinz Field. And of course a win.

Heinz Field

This leads me to the clothing situation that goes hand in hand with the weather. Autumn means sweater weather! Time to break out all the adorable sweaters, cardigans, blazers, hoodies, jackets, jeans, BOOTS and scarves. All my favorite pieces. Layering is simply the best fashion advise I've ever learned as a girl. Fall is the perfect season to do just that.

A wise woman by the name of Tina Fey once wrote... "In girl world, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." -Mean Girls

Um, Hello Halloween! The excitement that overcomes me when thinking about what I want to dress up as is something like a child writing their Christmas list. Who cares how old you are. I say Halloween is for everyone. Of course not everyone enjoys this holiday. Can someone please tell me what's wrong with those people... do they hate puppies and rainbows too? Speaking of those people, an ex-boyfriend of mine hated Halloween. Silly me should have seen that as a big, fat warning sign, but I suppose it's a lesson learned.
My superhuman of a mother used to make all my Halloween costumes and even some of my friends. Yeah, she can do anything and everything. One of my best was the year I dressed as Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls. I'm going out on a limb here and saying it was 4th grade. Supermom crafted together a replica of Geri Halliwell's infamous British flag dress. (I'm sure if I put that thing on today it would fit just like Geri's did, but at the time it was an appropriate length for a 4th grader!) The outfit was completed with chunky, red platform shoes, a red wig and an excessive amount of body glitter. Girl Power! Lately I've been into reliving my childhood by dressing up as all the Disney Princesses. Last year it was Snow White. The year before, Jasmine without an Aladdin unfortunately. This year: to be continued...

The Spice Girls

Geri Halliwell

Halloween 2011

The only thing bad about this season is it flashes before your eyes. Some may say that about summer. For me, fall is the season that comes and goes way too quickly. Maybe it's because the colors of the trees are so breathtaking... They are only meant to last so long so we never forget to appreciate their beauty. No need to fear, it just means those snowflakes and Santa are own their way!

 
In honor of the Season Premiere of The X Factor and the legendary Miss Britney Spears I'll leave you with a song you may have never heard of. Autumn Goodbye<3

The Perks of being Jobless

...Just being optimistic Mom & Dad! I’ll move out one day, I swear.

One of the perks to being jobless is it allows me to take full advantage of my social life. Yesterday was the last preseason home game for the Steelers. As you all know or should know, I am avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I get it from my mamma. My family has season tickets and somehow I was able to take a few of my best girlfriends to the game! These moments are usually unheard of so I don’t take them for granted. I took two of my best friends from high school, Kelly and Chrissy. Let’s just say, I don't think it could have been a better night. The weather was perfect and we won! By “we” I mean the Steelers of course.

A good girls night out is good for the soul. As we grow up, it’s become more apparent how limited those nights are. With big kid jobs, boyfriends and all that comes with getting old, it’s rough to make sure to take some time to actually spend time with your best girlfriends. Currently being a struggling teacher-in-waiting has given me the opportunity to see my friends a lot more and I’m not complaining. (Keep in mind, I am in no way praising a lifetime of not having a full-time job.) Below is our classic stadium pose picture of the night and a few additional ones for your enjoyment.

Kelly, Chrissy and myself

Instagram Style

Chrissy & Kelly

Everything is better with a straw.

As I mentioned earlier I get my love for the Steelers mainly from my mom, otherwise known as the biggest Steeler fan you will ever know. Steeler games are typically our thing. We go to every home game together, sunshine or snow storm. Usually snow storms, it’s Pittsburgh we’re talking about here! Why doesn’t my dad get first dibs on the tickets you ask? You’re not alone. Many are confused by my dad’s peculiar decision to never attend the games. He lives in a house of all women so who do you think runs the show? If you can’t figure it out, it’s clearly us, the women. Besides that, he enjoys watching any sports events with his guy friends anyway. We like to think of them as the Desperate Husbands of Rolling Meadows Drive. Thankfully this gives me the power to tag along with my mom to all the games. Oh who am I kidding, I’d go even if my dad didn’t have to keep perfect attendance for his neighborhood book club.  :)

Epcot 2012 with my mom

Latrobe Airshow 2012 with my daddy

For anyone who has been living under a rock it is clear that Steeler Nation is simply the best. Even if you are not a Steeler fan you can’t deny our pride and love for our home team! Hopefully these past few games foreshadow what is to come for the football season. If so, it sure will help me to forget not having my own classroom, at least for a little while. With that, I'll leave you with a little gem curtsy of Wiz Khalifa...

 

Here We Go Steelers… Here We Go!