my great friends josh and kallie hosted me for a week. they took such good care of me - sacrificially and happily. it was overall a restful visit and i felt at home - a perfect balance of activity and low-key chilling. we actually did a lot while i was there...
the first and last night with them i got to join in their bible study time with friends - a group of people seeking to encourage and prompt each other how to live their lives in response to the amazingly good news they've discovered in the bible.
i tagged along as josh and kallie volunteered for a food ministry where they get up dark-early in the morning, make a bunch of toasted egg and cheese begal breakfast sandwiches in a church kitchen and drive the fresh sustenance to various people in need.
we went to the open door for a lovely semi-untraditional church service. in lieu of the typical lectured sermon, we had a more focused reflection and congregational sharing time on the passage in john where thomas encounters the risen jesus.
josh and kallie live close enough to town to walk there.
we passed by the stadium where the penguins ice hockey playoff game was being held. people who didn't get an inside seat could watch the outside big screen for free.
pittsburgh is known for its multitude of bridges and rivers.
josh made reservations for dinner and we got a booth with our own tv to watch a penguins game!
being fans of sweets, on evening we participated in the baskin robbins 31 cent scoop night!
josh showed me his running route. it was only a week before my 10-miler run... time to start training. ha! i ran a few miles with josh on one day. the next day i went for another run, after meeting josh for chinese lunch and visiting my former coworker jen at my company's downtown pittsburgh office. my long run went along a seemingly endless path along the river. it hurt, but it gave me confidence that i'd be able to manage the 10-miler a week later.
over the weekend our friends from philly - john, kristin, and dave - drove to pittsburgh and multiplied our fun! we had a bbq in the back yard.
our pittsburgh friends ryan and anna came over too! i was surprised to find out they still had a special bottle of beer that josh bought for me last summer during his week-long bachelor celebration. i had accidently left it at their house in pittsburgh. as it turns out, its a beer that seasons well and, as we discovered on the internet, is best opened in april. perfect! apparently it's the strongest lager in the world. hmh. thanks josh!
kallie loves making food and i love eating food. josh whips up good meals too! we had plenty of good food and good company.
we went to the pittsburgh aviery and saw a bunch of beautiful birds. pretty cool place! anyone who wants to can participate in the bird feedings.
we walked through the strip district market.
we watched another penguins game at the hofbrauhaus. the place went nuts when their team won and advanced.
"shot ski" - a bonding group activity.
rummikub, speed, vidoe games, movies, late night water fights... the things that happen when you put silly friends in the same house.
before our philly contingent returned home, we hung out at schenley park. we tossed a frisbee and enjoyed soaking in the sunshine and friendship. i love these guys so much! : )
i also got to see the newly weds deirdre and jordan! yay! they invited me to return to pittsburgh for their mid-may wedding reception. it's a good thing they just handed the invite to me, because i'm not sure if the postal service would have successfully delivered it. ha!
Wow, looks like you were busy, not relaxing!
ReplyDeletei guess it's all relative.
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