A Relaxing First Sunday

What a wonderful and restful Sunday I had today.

I slept another 10 hours last night, I didn't realize my body was so exhausted. I mosied about the house a bit, fussed the cats (becoming quite the usual routine now), and had cereal. Janice was up as well and invited me to take Zeke for a walk. I figured since I hadn't been to the gym in two days, it was good to get a workout even if it was a mild walk. The mild walk ended up being 2 hours! It was a super warm today, not as bad as yesterday though (reached 100 degrees and didn't even cool in the evening). I'd say it was about 90 degrees today with a nice breeze, so it didn't feel too bad. We walked down the hill to Schenley Park. According to Google maps, it's about 2.2. miles from Janice's house. Check out the wikipedia page for Schenley park.

Schenley Park
I'm so bummed I didn't bring my camera. I would describe Schenley as an outdoor enthusiast's oasis in the middle of a city. Within minutes of entering the park, you're surrounded by lush green trees, small creeks, gorgeous cobblestone bridges, and the lovely sounds of chirping birds and robins. Ugh I'm so mad I didn't bring my camera, but it gives me an excuse to go back and take pics. Here is a nice pic I grabbed off the web.

Gorgeous cobblestone bridge in Schenley Park

While we were walking, Janice and I saw dozens of robins and at one point, I could smell sweet, succulent raspberries and blackberries. I don't know if someone was cooking or eating them, but they smelled glorious. I'm determined to make some kind of berry pie/dessert this week as a result.

Janice and I were exhausted coming back - all sweaty and sticky from the walk. Even poor Zeke took a few breaks on the way back because he was tired,too. And he's a 6 month puppy with tons of energy and endurance, so that's saying something.

We got back, relaxed, and let our aching feet take a break. Janice went to her sister's and I did some laundry. I got a bit restless and was in need of some retail therapy, so I walked up the street and hopped on the 61C bus outside the Giant Eagle to Squirrel Hill.

Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill is a lovely residential neighborhood just 10 minutes by bus and 5 minutes  by car from Janice's. It's got cute shops, boutiques, stores, and very walkable. It's one of the nicest areas in Pittsburgh actually. Here's the wikipedia page for Squirrel Hill if you're interested.

Squirrel Hill

I got off the bus and walked over to Avalon Exchange. It's similar to Crossroads in CA, where people buy and sell used/like new clothing of good brand names. I didn't expect to buy anything, but as soon as I walked in, for some reason (I swear I had no control over my body), I darted to the shoes section. Maybe it's because the shoes I was wearing are super worn out (but they're so comfy!)  Before I knew it, I had four or five pairs in my hand and were trying them on. I settled on a pair of nice, shiny black flats with peeptoe and a small but comfortable heel. For all you ladies out there, you know how hard it is to find black, comfortable flats. My justification for buying them was for work, but I have a feeling I'll wear these for non-work situations as well. Upon leaving, the guy at the register gave me a flyer for Dollar Days, in a couple weeks hundreds of items will be only $1...Janice and I will be back soon... so stay tuned for Avalon part 2! hahah!

Avalon was the only shop open, so I decided to find a Giant Eagle close by and do some grocery shopping. I got some essentials for the week and waited for the bus. I thought "oh gosh how long do I have to wait " (the buses in pittsburgh are notorious for being late and having a mind of their own essentially when it comes to arriving on time) and 10 seconds later, there it was :) At Giant Eagle, I indulged in a small ice cream. I was enjoying it so much on the bus I almost forgot to ring the bell to get off at my stop.

A relaxing evening
The day cooled down considerably by evening. We had a beautiful pink sunset and it was so nice, I decided to sit out on Janice's porch. I had homemade lemonade, leftover Salpicon (which tastes even better the day after fyi), and called Nick, my mom, and Carrie (one of my good friends from middle and high school). What felt like only an hour of people watching and thinking about what a nice weekend I had, it was dark (around 9:30 pm) and Janice was walking up the steps with Zeke. We chatted for a bit, I showed her my shoes, and she asked if I wanted ice cream. She had ice cream (since I endulged earlier) and I bought a yummy otis spunkermeir (is that how it's spelled?) cookie. It was such a nice night to walk...I think it's the first night of many where I haven't been in a perpetual state of stickiness.

Sydney having a nice stretch upon my shopping return

Janice's lovely porch... I relaxed on the one in the far back

A yummy dinner of Salpicon and homemade, fresh lemonade

View outside Janice's house in Greenfield

My new shoes =) from Avalon Exchange

I only planned on having this being a short post, but looks like I got carried away. Anyways, I've got to go put my laundry in the dryer and prepare my lunch for tomorrow... got to be in at 8:15 am tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!