Mindi Arrives in Pittsburgh!

I love my hometown of Pittsburgh and was excited to share all of the wonderful sites with Brock's cousin, Mindi.  Mindi planned to spend a week in Pittsburgh to meet my family, check out the city, and to have a memorable vacation.  All things we could definitely accomplish!

Mindi arrived on July 1st ready for some fun and so were we!  We stopped in at Bocktown Brewery for some local beers and eats.  We caught up and made a game plan for the week.  

First thing first, Mt. Washington and Station Square.  We drove through the curvy roads of the South Hills, down 51 and up the back way to Grandview Avenue. Mindi couldn't believe the greenery of Pittsburgh and loved the massive amount of trees and flowers.  She also noticed the older architecture of houses and buildings and how much history the city had.

We rode down the Monongahela Incline from Mt. Washington to Station Square. The Mon Incline is the oldest and steepest incline in the United States, as well as the nation's oldest cable car operation.

courtesy of Incline Website

 When we were on the incline, a few locals mentioned that there was a country concert going on at the Hard Rock and Kenney Chesney was supposedly stopping in to perform. With Mindi being a HUGE country fan, we decided to hit up the Hard Rock and dance the night away!

Our Fave of the night- Sonia Leigh! She rocks!!!

Dancin on stage of Course!

After a great night of dancing, singing, and free giveaways, it was time to introduce Mindi to Pirmanti's!  Pirmanti's is a Pittsburgh tradition since the 1930's and if you are visiting town, you HAVE to go to the original in the Strip District. A Pirmanti's sandwich consists of Italian Bread, meat, cheese, coleslaw, french fries, and tomato.  No Substitutions- no changes.  Mindi said there was no way she would eat such a thing... but after trying a bite (or two or three) she had to admit, it was a pretty decent sandwich.

Pistrami, Egg, and Cheese Pirmanti's Sandwich

The next morning, Mindi and headed to Conneaut Lake! My sister, Kathleen and her husband Stephen have a lake house up there and it was a perfect way to spend the weekend.  We were welcomed with open arms from them and all their in-laws.  It was time to party and enjoy the water!

Sisters!

Thumblelina!!

 We took a scenic ride around the lake in their beautiful Century Boat!

We decided to stop at the Lake Country Club to have a drink and what do you know, there was a wedding going on inside!  The girls in our group danced off to the side until the wedding party invited them to dance with them! 

We arrived back at the house and Mindi, Kathleen, and I decided to go on the Jetski!  Mindi and I forgot our bathing suits so I went in a skirt and Mindi in shorts! Great... until we flipped the jetski and flew into the water!

We got ready for the night and headed out dancing!

 The next morning we woke up ready for a big breakfast!

Morning Kath!

 

the largest pan in the world!

 We took a couple more rides around the lake before we took off to Nicole and Ray's for a massive Sunday dinner.  Madi and I played until dark.

Mini Gaga

 The next day it was the 4th of July!! We woke up to our small community parade.

Mom and Tony

We headed out for downtown to see the Regatta and 4th of July Celebration! The Regatta is Pittsburgh annual celebration on the 3 rivers.  There are performing artists, boat shows, races, and more!  We arrived at a VIP event where the Pitt Marching Band played!

Robert Petrilli! Amazing person and greatest boss!

 We ran outside to watch the fireworks!  Then we went down to the SouthSide to bar hop and have some fun!

The Point tattoo! Classic

On the last day of Mindi's stay, we had a mellow day.  Family bonding and packing up.  We ended the day going to a Pirates Baseball game at PNC Park, one of the most picturesque stadiums in America.  It overlooks the river and the city skyline.  We had great seats and a lot of fun!

It was a great trip! Next up, our adventures in New York City and more!

Tennessee to Pennsylvania

Kayce here....

We left the Organic Farm and headed back to the Jack Daniels Distillery!  This time to actually go on the tour!

chillin with Jack

the trees all around the distillery are coated black

We took all back roads and traveled to Louisville, Kentucky! Beautiful drive through farmland until 10 minutes before Louisville... then the sky turned pitch black. The next thing we know... we are in the middle of a huge tornado storm. Rain was pouring and funnel clouds were forming.  I just wanted to get to safety... and we finally did. This is what we drove through:

We reached the Sheraton where we were able to meet up with Dally!  Since we arrived later in the night, we decided to go for a slice of pizza and a much needed beer and catch up.

Driving through crazy tornado was totally worth it to see Dally!

 We spent the next couple of days with Brock's friends and business partner, Daniel and his wife Angie.  Brock worked most of the days in the Louisville office while I worked on Find Festival Jobs and hung out with their dog, Rosie! However, we made sure we checked out the town.  Very cool city that has a lot going on!

keeping the ice cream tradition going

Cool bar with tables built around trees

Rosie!

Most creative sushi we've ever had!

Jillian is the best waitress we have had all trip! Thank you girl!

Sake Time!

Checked out a bunch of Victorian Homes

 It was time to depart and off to Pittsburgh!  We took a very round about way home, wanting to check out the beautiful Kentucky scenery and crossing into Ohio Twice! 

We shared a peanut butter hot fudge milkshake

This place was on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives

 We finally made it to Pittsburgh!  I was so ecstatic to be with my family and my precious Sadie!

The morning Brock, Mom and I took Sadie to the Dog park and again, went out for ice cream! We had a picnic in the park and wore Sadie out!

We played some Boggle and called it a night. The next day we woke up and played some tennis!  Mom and I played a great game and we taught Brock how to play! He turned out to be a pretty good player!

Mom and I went out for "Mommy Daughter" Day!

We checked out the city and had a great time, just the two of us.  I had been looking forward to time with Mom for months.  It was simply refreshing to be able to sit and talk with her. Love you Mom! You're my best friend.

Best Friend!

Our A-Team Accountants!

 Brock and I spent the next 2 days getting things in order for Find Festival Jobs.  We met with Lawyers, Accountants, and Insurance Agents.  All great people who are more than willing to help us get this company launched. We are very grateful for these people.

People are serious about the 4th... these chairs are set up 1 week early for the parade

Brock and I went and visited our good friends Nicole & Ray and their daughter Madi! She is so adorable and so smart!  It was great to be able to spend time with them.

fruit snacks via chopsticks

 Great time so far.... our next blog will include crazy times with Mindi as she flies in to stay with us in Pittsburgh for a week. Stay tuned!