Recap Saturday

Saturday, May 26th:

(aka Tuesday)

Saturday was action packed. I think that if we tackle it in chronological order, it'll be manageable ;)

First things first, I slept in... oops. But it was lovely. 

Mrs. Girata's family came over around noon for a cookout. Over the delicious meal, I was put through the wringer by David... mini example:

David: What bars do you go to?

Me: I don't go to bars. I'm 19.

David: But do you drink?

Me: Huh? I'm 19.

David: But of course you've had something to drink before, no?

hahaha he was quite the tricky gentleman. But I'd like to think I passed the test. Uncle Ozzie kept winking at me and Grandma remembered a good deal of personal information from our previous meetings (meaning I'm memorable, right?).

After lunch, Mike and I hit the road for the city. Touring the Heinz History Center, at first we walked through the extensive sports section-- I wasn't sure if he was tricking me into going to the sports museum, but there was more stuff to come. After looking at baseball cards, old jerseys, and football helmets, we reached the area where I (somewhat) shined: the football toss. I actually got it in! I surprise myself sometimes. 

Yeah... We're the athletes of tomorrow...

We then continued to explore and learn about Lewis and Clark, the French and Indian war, the Heinz company and their array of products, and Pittsburgh in general. The oddest part of the museum, I must say, was the section devoted to nuns... I don't mind nuns. I love the movie Sister Act. But this was gosh darn creepy. They had mannequins in nun garb, but the figures didn't have faces. They were covered in cloth and could very easily come alive and kill us (with the ominous nun hymns and organ music in the background). 

But probably the most educational part of the museum was a talking robot that taught us Pittsburghese. 

This little dude explained that a gumband is a rubberband, Jine Iggle is Giant Eagle, yinz is the equivalent of y'all, Stillers are the Steelers, dahntahn is downtown, and I wrote down nebby in my notes but I can't remember what that one means... oops. 

Not only was he smart, but he was cute to boot!

After the museum, we headed to Station Square and walked around (greatly missing the museum's air conditioning). We explored the mini-mall, holding hands and chatting, and then made our way to the river and sat on a bench in the shade. After cooling off there for a bit, we headed to the Monongahela Incline. Though stuffy inside, the ride was most definitely worth the $3.10. The top gave the most beautiful view of Pittsburgh, and taking a walk along the edge allowed us to leave the crowd and have some alone time up there. 

On the ride up...

At the top :)

Please disregard the disheveled hair... on Mike's part. Mine totally looks perfect.

We got back to the bottom and finally started to feel the beginnings of hunger so we headed to one of my very favorite restaurants, Olive Garden. Being the boring person that I am, I ordered the "usual" Five Cheese Ziti al Forno. But if it ain't broke, why fix it? It was a delightful meal, made only more delightful by the boy across the table from me (and the schizo waiter who almost gave us the meal for free).

After getting home and showering, we joined his parents outside on the back porch while the sun was setting. I really do love his family (and I am sooo lucky to be able to say that. I've heard horror stories about other crazy "monster in-laws"). Mr. and Mrs. Girata surely do not fit that bill. 

We finished the night watching America's Funniest Home Videos and the end of the Pirates game. It was a full day, brimming with activity, and this calm close to the day was absolutely perfect. (and the Pirates won) haha