To be honest, the past month has been a lot. There have been highs and lows, and sure, some quiet moments too… but all in all, it has been a lot, and I’m really hoping that the next month is a little calmer. So here’s what my life has looked like over the last month.
Starting off with one of the more quiet moments. We have a hummingbird feeder on our patio, and time to time I’ll be lucky enough to look up and happen to spot one of the hummingbirds there. Usually, by the time I pick up my phone to try to take a picture, the hummingbird is already long gone – they’re so quick! But this time I was able to catch it flying away. I’m not really a bird person, but I do have a soft spot for hummingbirds, so this was a nice little moment.
One of the highs of the month was definitely getting my permanent bracelet from Skelton Jewelry. I’ve wanted one for a while, but didn’t know of a Pittsburgh jeweler who I trusted doing them! After my friend Sophia posted about Skelton starting to offer them, I booked my appointment immediately. It was such a great experience – I chose a simple chain with a tiny lightning bolt charm. I have a pretty small wrist, so it’s exciting to have a bracelet that actually fits, and it looks so beautiful, too. I couldn’t love it more.
No real context to this one, just a moment where Lily looked incredibly cute while hanging outside on our patio furniture! She loves hanging out there as long as we’re all around, too.
We had to say goodbye to Simba earlier this month. It was really tough – we found out he was in kidney failure, and he just got very sick very quickly. Even with the cat version of dialysis, he had mostly stopped eating, and was just pretty lethargic all the time. We were able to find a service that let us say goodbye to him at home, which helped make the experience so much more peaceful (for us and for him – he really, really hated going to the vet). It’s been weird not having him around the house, but getting a tiny bit easier every day.
I got a birthday blowout at Drybar and then stopped by the little wine bar that’s in the same complex for a cocktail and a snack. I actually ordered an espresso martini, but this lavender French 75 that my sister ordered was seriously delicious. I’m so glad I finally checked the restaurant out and want to go back before their outdoor seating closes for the season!
September also had one of my favorite events of the whole year – the Family House Polo Match. Family House is an incredible organization – they help house families of people undergoing long-term medical treatment in Pittsburgh who might otherwise not have anywhere to stay. Not only do they provide the actual housing, but support and a community during an incredibly stressful time, which is just invaluable. And every year in early September they hold a charity polo match as a fundraiser! Everyone gets dressed up in their polo best (I wore this gorgeous floral mini dress from Abercrombie), eats, drinks, bids on silent auction items, and watches some real-life polo. It’s so much fun!
After Polo, I had a few friends over to celebrate my birthday. Originally, we were going to watch Barbie on the projector screen on my patio, but the streaming release date ended up being pushed by a week. So instead, we had mountain pies and s’mores over a bonfire while everyone wore pink outfits and drank pink lemonade! And had this absolutely delicious red velvet cake with cheesecake icing from Milkbar, which I proceeded to eat leftovers of for the next few days. Seriously, SO good.
And then I finally did get to watch Barbie, now that it’s out to rent/buy on streaming! I was a huge Barbie girl – my first wheelchair was an officially Mattel-branded, pink and purple Barbie wheelchair, and my sister and I called our playroom “the Barbie room.” So clearly, the movie had high expectations to meet, and it really was everything I hoped for and more. I loved that Wheelchair Barbie was there, too – I definitely noticed and appreciated the Barbie disability representation. I can’t wait to watch it again!
