Though it is with heavier hearts, Kristie and I will leave tomorrow for State College, PA to attend the 2010 PA Sustainable Agriculture Conference where we will gather heaping helpings of knowledge that will hopefully aid us as we enter our first year of sustainable organic vegetable growing.  At the very least, it will afford us some alone time where it will be just the two of us, away from living with either of our parents.

P.S. Don’t tell no one, but we have a tentative closing date on a house set for March 5th which we don’t want to jinx by broadcasting but we REALLY hope it works out.

Today I found out that one of my closest friends suddenly and unexpectedly passed away yesterday. Julie and I met in college through a mutual friend and I remember liking her immediately – she was fun, energetic and had one of the best laughs, a laugh that made your whole body and soul smile. She lived in this awesome house in Austin and I have these vivid memories of painting blue and white stripes on her living room walls, heated games of Cranium on her Pier Imports glass-and-iron table, and, of course, the white VW bug convertible that she was still driving the day she died.

Over the course of the past 10 years, we both went through major life changes – she went to med school in Kentucky, residency in Virginia and eventually became an emergency room doctor – and me – starting a career straight out of college, buying a house and getting married. And even though our paths were so different and we went though our ups and downs, we were always there for each other during the major life moments.

As life got less crazy for both of us, we started seeing each other more regularly. This past October, she met up with us in Italy and we had such an incredible time together. We did a lot of talking, laughing and drinking wine. We learned we have similar travel styles and talked about taking future trips together. She taught us how to play Hearts and we spent hours talking about our dreams and the future. She realized she didn’t feel like a third wheel when she hung out with Brett and I and we planned to spend much more time together now that we would be living roughly 8 hours apart. We completely rekindled our friendship.

And so I am sitting here still in shock, alternating between denial and extreme heartbreak, realizing all of these dreams and plans won’t come to fruition. She won’t be coming to visit us in Pittsburgh to see our new home, and we won’t be going to visit her in Nashville to see the awesome apartment she had just secured. We won’t be taking anymore trips together and I won’t get to see her become an amazing doctor.

But what I do hold on to is all of the wonderful memories that are stored forever in my heart. I know even though she won’t be there in person, she will always be with me as I continue to travel through my life, cheering me on and laughing along the way.

I will miss you so much Jules and I feel so blessed to have had you in my life, even if it was too short. I will miss how your face scrunches up when you smile, the incredible octaves of your laugh, the way you would say NOOOOOO WAY, your beautiful curly hair that you never let down, and your amazing adventurous spirit. Rest in peace my sweet friend.

Part of my travel style is to veer off the beaten path. I tend to be weary of really popular places, trying to travel more like a local than a tourist. So when we started researching Italy’s Lake Como, we (including my co-planner Shannon), immediately gravitated toward some of the smaller, lesser known towns and, of course, rental places. I had visions of quaint, pedestrian-friendly towns complete with charmingly crooked walkways and tiny little trattorias with George Clooney hidden in a dark candlelit corner.

So we found this too-good-to-be-true rental property located in the tiny town of Careno. Two bedrooms, ridiculously inexpensive, large balcony with a view of the lake and even touted that across the lake was George Clooney’s place. Can you tell George was a constant theme, and possibly the motivation for going to this area?

Julie, Shannon, Brett and I took the train from Cinque Terre to Milan, picked up our rental car and set off packed in like sardines with luggage on laps and scrunched up legs. We hoped to get to Careno before nightfall but between the tiny, twisted roads and missed highway signs, it was pitch black by the time we arrived. And even when we arrived, we weren’t even sure we were there. That’s the thing about these small Lake Como towns – they are not situated on the roads, but rather down or up hills.

Once we figured out that we were in the “town” of Careno, we found parking and Shannon and Julie went on a recon mission to find the apartment, so we all weren’t hauling our luggage aimlessly around trying to find the place. Fortunately it only ended up being about a 5 minute walk (albeit a bumpy, cobblestoned walk with barely any lights) from the car.

Needless to say when we arrived, we were thrilled to relax and put our feet up — yet, there was really no place to “relax.” The living room had absolutely no furniture except for a couple of stacked plastic white chairs for the deck. The lack of furniture and the tiled floors helped every single sound resonate throughout the place. There was no door to one bedroom, just a 60s-sytle shell/bead curtain. From that same bedroom, there was a door that led to this underground, grotto-type of space complete with random dusty furniture.

But I think our favorite part was detailed warnings about what to do if the power goes out if there are too many appliances on at the same time. And sure enough, nearly an hour after getting there, the power blew. I think the culprit was the microwave and toaster being on at the same time. WTF! Brett (thank goodness for boys) had to go outside, find the fuse box, do some sort of jiggling and the power was restored.

The only positive attribute was its deck – and one of the reasons we liked the place when we first found it online. But that did not make up for its creepy vibes, lack of any sound absorption and the ease of power fails. Once the power was back on, we pulled out good ol’ Rick Steves and started calling hotels. We found two rooms at Hotel Olivedo located in Varenna, one of Lake Como’s main towns.

We ended up just emailing the owners of the rental property, left enough cash for the first night and busted out of there as early as possible the next day. That also reminds me of another crazy point, we emailed the owners because we could not get a hold of them on the phone. What owners are not available on the night they have renters arriving?

Ultimately, it all worked out and we adored our new hotel rooms, salvaging the rest of the Lake Como trip. Sometimes going off the beaten path brings you hidden surprises and authentic experiences, and sometimes it’s just creepy.

We have been back from our Europe trip for roughly 2.5 months and yet I have not completed all of my blog posts. I still have about three weeks of the trip left to write and the longer I wait, the harder it seems to start them. So I sit there and I wonder why I continue to put them off. Is it just simply procrastination or is there more to this story?

It might be that they tend to take awhile because I like to have them well-written, detailed and informative. It might be that the information isn’t fresh in my head so I’m not as inspired to sit down and write like I am about current things going on in our life. But what I really think the culprit might be is that it makes me sad. It makes me want to time travel back and relive all of those memories again. To have no stress, no worries, see amazing things every day, eat tons of incredible food and drink. Now I fully recognize that this is ridiculous, that we are so lucky to have even had this experience and I just sound selfish for wanting more. But right now with no house, no job, a cold winter, that’s what I want.

Instead, I gave myself a big “slap, slap” and “pull yourself together Lawler,” and started writing again, because seriously, all of this information isn’t going to stay in my head forever so I have got to get it written down! So I’m back in the saddle and you will soon start seeing Europe posts again – granted, it’s been 2.5 months so who knows who will care anymore? Oh well, I will.

My Holy Trinity is Hops, Barley and Yeast and I’ve found my new place of worship, The Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh, PA.  Kristie and I went here as a treat after a Sunday morning house hunting trip.   When we pulled into the parking lot, my jaw dropped.  This place is massive, it apparently used to be a full-out catholic church and school, and back in 1996 it was purchased by two investors and turned into a TRUE house of worship.

As you enter the lobby you see an impressive wall of awards (mostly from 1999-2002, so either their quality fell off or they are so awesome they no longer feel the need to post their awards), then you walk through the foyer doors into what heaven must look like.

I’ll keep the review short and sweet.  Their menu is awesome, it’s diverse enough to cover all the local favorites but has some items for more adventurous types and still manages to pay heed to what is in season.  Oh, and they have a wood fired oven IN THE CHURCH.

Their beer list is diverse for a microbrewery and they serve at least 3 seasonals which is impressive and ensures that their beer menu is always fresh.

I ordered a pizza from their wood-fired oven and Kristie got the soup and sandwich (turkey w/brie and cranberry compote and their soup of the day: French Onion). She was pleased with both.

Two things the place should sustain: a food menu focusing on local favorites with some items spiced up with exotic ingriedients (eg. pierogi stuffed with chorizo sausage and ancho chili cream sauce),  and a diverse and rotating beer menu (eg. 3 Christmas ales).

I’ll also give two improves: 1.The beer was flat, no ifs, ands, or buts about it (we ordered the Deluxe 7 beer sample).  I’m talking “left out in a pitcher overnight then served” flat.  This is really a shame cause the TASTE of the beer was awesome but there were NO bubbles.  I’m guessing they carbonate their beer in-line (between the cask and the draft handle) and maybe they just had the CO2 knob turned down, but it was still a shame. 2. I ordered the Plum Tomoato Sauce Pizza (tomoatos, cheese, basil) and while it was GOOD, it could have been GREAT with just a LEEEEETLE more care given by the cook. (Basil distribution was half-hearted, there was no garlic used, the cheese was poor and the pizza’s crust was undercooked)  I sat facing away from the wood oven and said to Kristie it tasted like the cook just didn’t care when he made the pizza and she, who had a view of the oven, noted the cook looked like he didn’t really want to be there.  To be honest, I can see where the cook is coming from but if I was the owner and knew about it I’d be pissed.

Since we arrived about 10 minutes after it opened on a Sunday, I’d like to go back on a Friday or Saturday night when the staff has no excuses for not being on their A game and give them another shot.  The place is just a little nudge away from being awesome and I hope they succeed.  Will let you fools know how it goes and assume that if you come down to Pitts. to visit, we’ll be going here to worship.

Brett and I had this grand idea for 2010. I do emphasize idea not resolution – because resolutions always seem set up to fail. We thought, let’s try and go a whole year without buying anything made in China. Between recalled toys, low-wage workers and feeling like they are taking over the world one ceramic vase at a time, we thought we’d take a little stand and buy things made in other places, ideally the U.S., but that seems to be an extinct concept these days.

We didn’t get off to a very good start. A couple of days into 2010 I bought two shirts, seeing the sale sign and feeling the soft cotton, I didn’t even think to care where it was made. But we got a free pass on this one — they were made in Guatemala. Glad we didn’t fail right out the gate. So we’re back on track and I set out to find a good pair of snow boots. Holy crapola – do you know how hard it is to buy boots not made in China? And I have a sneaking and quite scary suspicion it’s going to be this way for most shoes. I quickly checked my favorite Privos and there in bold print: Made in China. Nooooo!!!

But I was not deterred, no siree, this is why Google was invented, right? But after scouring and searching the Internet, I learned that Sorel, Canada’s proud winter boot, is no longer made in the Great White North and the oh-so-Australian Uggs? China, China, China. I was becoming so desperate that I was checking out some really ugly, but cheap, vintage Sorels on Ebay from the days when they were actually made in Canada. Then my wonderful mother-in-law came through with a name. LOWA. Never heard them, but turns out they’re sold at a bunch of distributors including one of my faves, Zappos. Established in 1923 in Germany, LOWA takes their manufacturing seriously even including a Corporate Responsibility Statement on their website. Their determination is quite admirable and definitely seem to be an island of integrity in a sea of sellouts. Plus, their boots look like quality, long-lasting footwear – and they were on sale at Zappos! Talk about meant to be. Even on sale, they are a little pricey, but I figure if I’m supporting a company that retains its integrity, then maybe other companies will hear the message and follow suit. But I doubt it because money still talks. Today I went to Sears and saw a Danskin yoga set including mat, ball, strap and DVD for the rock bottom price of $6.99. I grabbed it, bought it right up and practically skipped out of the store excited about my bargain. Oh right, I wonder where it was made. Where do you think?

Oh well, that’s why we’re not calling it a resolution…or maybe we should.

“Have a great time house hunting,” “I hope you have fun looking at houses,” “Are you having fun looking for a house?”

These are the typical responses received when I mention we have begun the house search.  Not to fault anyone who has said this, I would say the same thing, but does anyone really have fun house hunting? After viewing about seven houses (albeit only seven and in the dead of winter), I would describe it as more depressing than fun.

It was so different the first time we bought our house. We knew exactly what neighborhood we wanted to live in and we knew we wouldn’t be there forever. We looked at five, liked two and knew immediately upon entering our house that this was the one. We lucked out because it had a lot of updates but still had character, was affordable, and besides some painting, it was move-in ready.

So far, this experience has been very different. Part of that is because the houses, in general, are newer and yet still affordable in Texas. We like older houses, but we also like them to be somewhat updated.

Here’s some highlights from our recent trip.

1. The Foreclosure

We were interested in this property because it was an older house (1933) with lots of character and located in a popular, walkable community with a good school district. Houses in this neighborhood tend to fetch a good price, so if we could get a deal, it would be a good investment.

The property definitely was a foreclosure. The porch railing sported peeling and crackling paint and looked as if it would collapse the second you leaned on it; the kitchen sink looked so dirty/rusty/stained, I wouldn’t even want dirty dishes in it; the basement was creepy ; and the whole place was winterized which means it was not only freezing but the toilets had plastic wrap over them. How inviting. The bedrooms were pretty small, to the point where I don’t even know if our bed would fit, and the bedroom closets were practically non-existent. It would definitely need a lot of work before we moved in.

That said, the house had character, gorgeous hardwood floors underneath the crappy carpet, big windows in the dining room and living room, and a nice deck with a small fenced-in yard (seemingly hard to find in this neighborhood).  If the price was right, we would definitely consider moving forward, turning a shabby home into something amazing. But, at this point, we probably wouldn’t be able to get it for the price we would be comfortable with, knowing how much money would need to put into it. It’s not off the list, we’ll see how desperate the bank gets.

Sadly, this was our favorite house of the trip.

Exterior needs a little clean up, but we could see the potential.

Kitchen definitely needs a little reworking.

Hmmm..wonder if that's mold on the walls?

Creepy, McCreepy, especially considering it's only lit because of the flash.

2. The No Driveway, No Garage House

I will start by saying that Brett really did like this house. It was spacious, had an open kitchen, four bedrooms and two-tier deck complete with hot tub.

But ladies and gentlemen, it had no garage and no driveway. WTF? It doesn’t even look like there was ever a garage which they converted, and there’s no land to build one. Plus, it was on a narrow street so even on-street parking was a tight squeeze. Not that I even need to go further, but it also gave me the creeps a bit – I think it was the high-gloss, swirly ceilings and the weird, newly walled dining room with small wooden columns.

But the price was right, of course. This one was definitely a no.

I'm not exactly sure what the columns add.

Nice hardwoods but that painting "technique" looked like snot was rubbed all over the walls.

3. The Bachelorette Pad

This property was a little out of our price range, but the photos intrigued me because it seemed like a really great deal for the money.

This was one of the few houses that was actually still occupied and boy did we get to learn a little about the owner. First of all, she made some major architectural renovations. This was actually a similar style to the previous house I mentioned, but she added a whole entryway that changed the entire façade. Inside, it was a mix between contemporary and very girly, complete with a stuffed, high-heel chair, not one but two wooden male torso sculptures, fur comforters, a separate princess play house attached to the house and, the scariest, a photo of a baby with makeup. Here’s hoping it was photoshopped.

Beautiful? Yes. But as Brett put it, this is one of those houses that was so individualized that it would never be our house.

The kitchen was really nice, just a little modern for our tastes.

I wonder if she would throw in the torsos

Holy Crapola!

And to round out the bunch was a charming house conveniently backed up to Allegheny Memorial Park, otherwise known as a cemetery. And the house that was so cluttered I felt claustrophobic, complete with dirty litter boxes and the owners sitting in the sunroom. Good lord.

To be fair, I wasn’t really excited to see any of these houses, so I shouldn’t be too surprised that none of them was the house for us.  But I guess that’s what it’s all about – managing expectations and having patience.

On a positive note, and I do try and stay positive, our realtor keeps reminding us that inventory is very low in the winter and new houses are coming on the market every day, ones that look like they have a lot of potential. So here’s to new houses in the New Year and finding one we love — or at least like.

So Kristie’s dad, in his benevolence, gave us his two tickets to the Bills vs. Colts game for 03JAN10 at home in Buffalo.  We went.  We went last year to the Bills VS. Patriots game where there was negative degree temperatures and 35-40MPH winds, the weather wasn’t much different this year.  They pretty much just subtracted some wind and added some snow.  The pics are pretty self-explanatory (click here to see the whole gallery).  We only stayed till halftime, we’re crazy but we ain’t THAT crazy.

Click here to view the entire gallery.

You tried the car alarm remote trick and it worked, didn’t it?  DIDN’T IT?!?!  And now you’re scared, confused, maybe a little disoriented.  Your world, the very core of your reality, shaken by the counter-intuitive ProTip (like if I told you “if you kept your left thumb on your nose during cell phone calls you would never experience another dropped call”  p.s. I just made that up).  The ProTips are kinna like that.  That’s why I don’t disperse them that often.  If I were to unleash that kinna knowledges on the planet all at once it could very well cause a tear in the social fabric of society such that the entire planet is plunged into a paralyzing, arms around your knees, rocking back and forth catatonic state. Wouldn’t want that now would we.

On this final day of 2009, I can’t help but reflect about the wild ride this year turned out to be. It began with a big dream and a big plan: leave Texas, travel for two months and move to Pittsburgh.

For me, the first half of year was focused on work. Making my mark before I headed out, soaking up the final moments of a job that I loved and spending time with some of the best coworkers a girl could ask for. July was filled with a lot of tears, but also amazing memories as the wonderful people in our life sent us off in style, feeling very loved.

We spent August in Buffalo, enjoying the amazing summer weather of the north, helping to assure us that we made the right decision. I haven’t spent that much time in Buffalo since my college years and it was nice to have the ability to spend time with friends and family.

And then of course, the amazing trip. The highlight of the year – heck, practically the highlight of the past 30 years (with the exception of my wedding day, of course honey). It was amazing, incredible and not a day goes by that I don’t think about it.

I look back on 2009 and there’s one word that keeps popping into my head: happy. Not to say I haven’t had other amazing years and that I was unhappy before, but this year was different, this year was filled with numerous soul exploding, uber-happy moments.

So I feel my feet drag a little as we head into 2010. We have big plans for this year like buying a house, possibly expanding our family and fulfilling a dream of creating a working farm. And I’m sure it will all be amazing, but there’s part of me that is still holding onto the amazing year we’ve just finished. But I know new adventures, experiences and happy moments await — so I’ve got to pick up my feet, put on my positive hat and dive into the new year.

Happy New Year!