October 2013 – Tiny Tales

As many of you know, I think October is the most wonderful month. It’s a time of transition and change, and it always excites the what if and the why not within me.

Because October excites me in such an inexplicable way, it’s also one of my busiest months of the year. I feel like the Energizer Bunny and I just go, go, go.

Relive my favorite moments as I recap my favorite month.

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October 1: My month started with two tickets to see the Pirates play the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card game at PNC Park. (Shout out to American Eagle for the sweet hook up.) It had been 21 years since the Pirates played in the Playoffs, and this year’s fate rested on the game that night. It was crisp, dark, and the energy in that stadium was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. I was quite literally on the edge of my seat on more than one occasion. The Pirates won 6-2 that night, spurring a city wide celebration.

October 3 – October 6: A few days later, I crossed the Mason Dixon to spend a wonderful weekend with my grandparents on their farm in Maryland. Read all about my stay here.

October 11 – October 13: The next weekend, I hopped back into my car and drove back to Maryland. I had been anticipating this weekend for weeks. See, my mom, aunt and grandma have forever been this adventurous and unstoppable foursome, but when I moved to Pittsburgh and Stella was added to the mix, I found myself appreciating our time together so much more. Saturday night, we celebrated my birthday at Ayse Meze, a unique Eastern Mediterranean restaurant with food that is mouth-watering, finger-licking, order-seconds delicious. (Also, for any wine connoisseurs out there: Yarden’s 2012 Syrah is impeccable.) I sadly returned to Pittsburgh the next day, with a heart full of love and happiness from two wonderful weekends with my family.

October 16: The most wonderful day of the month — my birthday! (Just kidding. Sort of.) I spent my day at work, which I felt was a very adult thing to do. In college, it was like a rule to not go to class on your birthday. I knew someone had made plans for the night, but for once — and I say this with love — they were actually able to keep the secret from me! I left work a little early to take a nap (true story), and was rudely woken up by Nate Williams, whose presence was my present. We cracked a beer, and I started to get ready for our 8:30 reservation. At 8:31, I arrived at Tamari, one of my very favorite restaurants in the city, with some of my closest friends. The wine, champagne and food was flowing! Among the several dishes we ordered, my favorite was bone marrow. Plated with cauliflower, kabocha crème, pickled jalepeños and grilled bread, tissue has never tasted so good.

October 19 – October 20: Our friends packed up a few belongings, and headed north to taste wines in Erie. The day was a success, and I came home with 8 bottles of delicious wine. Most other details are hazy.

October 23: American Eagle put a ring on it. (Metaphorically.) I’ve been working at AEO’s corporate office for over a year, but I was cheating the system to do it. Today, we made it officially official with a giant raise, benefits and a 401k. I’m now a real adult.

October 24: My first “official” day of work consisted of zipping around in a bright yellow convertible with 12 red balloons. Not a bad “first day” at all.

October 27: I walked out my front door Sunday night and quite literally ran into a couple on a tandem bike. They looked a little lost, so I asked them if they needed any help. Turns out, they had biked from Minnesota in 28 days, sleeping at hostels and YMCAs along the way. When they arrived in Pittsburgh, they found that the hostel they had been searching for was now a Chinese restaurant and they were looking for a place to stay. Long story short, we opened up our house to them and they spent the evening telling us stories of their past travels and future plans. Carl said it best when he said that karma is a real thing, and I believe this couple (Lacey and Snot, by the way) will pay it forward when the time comes.

October 31: Today has been pretty uneventful, besides the ounce of sadness that arises when I think about how my favorite month is coming to an end. Maybe I’ll go out with a bang. It’s Halloween and our last softball game of the season, so I’m sure I’ll have one heck of a story tomorrow.

On a happier note, Christmas is in 55 days!

My whole entire life, I have loved fall on the farm. 153 sprawling acres of nature calling my name.

I used to play in the leaves and the flowers until I squealed. In my little grip, I carried the small pumpkins my grandma used as decoration in the front yard. I even tried to befriend the farm cats. Something about this place as the weather gets cool and the leaves begin to change just has always felt like home.

This year, I’ve been lucky enough to spend two wonderful autumn weekends here (and next weekend makes three). My days have been filled with walks to the barn, sipping on hot coffee, and sitting on the picnic table reading Real Simple. But the best part has been spending time with my family.

I drank PBR with Claude, and as I type, he’s making his traditional Saturday night pizza. (He buys a pepperoni pizza from a local joint, picks it up, brings it home and towels off a hefty amount of grease. Then, he adds his own peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and cooks it a little more. Truly, he’s been doing this every Saturday since I can remember.) I got to catch up with my aunt Michelle, whom I don’t see nearly enough. I may look exactly like my mother, but my adoration for the finer things in life comes directly from her.

I played with my baby cousin Stella, who in all sense of the word is not really a baby anymore. She walks, she talks (“Ab-by! Ab-by!”), and she laughs the kind of laugh that is loud and moves her entire body. (And, as it turns out, her love for the leaves on the fall is the same as mine at that age.) I even got to spend some quality time with my mom and all my brothers on a spontaneous lunch excursion to Pennsylvania.

And, I got to bake my very first apple pie with Granny. On our drive home from Pennsylvania, we stopped at Peter’s Orchard in Adams County to load up on Northern Spy apples. We were on a mission to bake the perfect pie. As soon as we got home, we started coring, and peeling and slicing, and soon we had the most wonderful, decadent, aromatic apple pie I’d ever seen. And, it was the fruit of our own labor — no pun intended.

Ingredients: 6-7 cups Northern Spy apple slices / Sugar / Cinnamon / Nutmeg / Salt / Flour / Pie crust (store bought, or my homemade recipe)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375° / Evenly coat sliced apples with mixture of dry ingredients. / Fit half of pie crust dough into the bottom of a pie pan. / Add apple mixture to pie pan. / Top with 4-5 small pads of butter for a little extra oomph. / Cover with remaining pie crust dough. / Lightly brush top with milk and eggs. / Sprinkle sugar onto pie crust. / Bake 50-60 minutes. / Enjoy your lovely fall treat.

Month: October 2013

October: A Recap.

Fall on the Farm.

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