It's Our First 'Burghversary N'At!

Wow. Has it really been a year since Rob, Olive, the cats, and I pulled into our new neighborhood of Highland Park? I can remember that evening so clearly: we arrived at our destination slightly weary and famished. We deposited the cats in our still-being-renovated apartment and set out blindly in search of Trader Joe's, which I recalled was nearby from my visit with Kellie and the kids the summer prior, and was amazed at the ease with which I found it (I give myself all the credit here, since I was the sole navigator for the first four months or so of our life here. In my beloved's defense, he was a total newcomer to Pittsburgh - to cities in general, so I accepted my role willingly). Lazily we grabbed a couple of frozen pizzas and rushed back home, burned the first one in the unfamiliar oven but scarfed both of them down in short order, nonetheless. The bedroom was sweltering, we had no bed and thus slept on the floor, giving Olive her crib mattress (I feared a fight would break out; I knew Rob was longing for a good night's sleep on that little thing). The level of physical discomfort that first night was disturbingly high, but our spirits - at least mine - were through the roof. After spending several years feeling distressingly out of place and homesick for a place that at least could feel like a real home, landing in this corner of Iron City was such a relief. That feeling hasn't waned since our arrival, and I feel like we're truly flourishing here, both of us having jobs that we not only enjoy but also allow each of us to be home with Olive every day but one (and we're thankful for that day, too, as that provides the opportunity for her to spend most of the day with her amazing cousins, aunt, and uncle. Living only nine miles away from them has been a real treat). We've made good friends and discovered a bountiful local food scene in the process, I've found outlets for artistic endeavors, recently taking on an art student and two piano students, all of whom are in our fantastic neighborhood and have great families (this makes an enormous difference, I have found), and we've been able to live so comfortably here, I'm in no hurry to ever leave. I can't stress what a contented feeling this gives me, what a remarkable place this Pittsburgh is.