Dreams Do Come True

Aside from finding the loves of our life and getting engaged (blah, blah, blah), John and I both had our dreams come true this year.

Don't Stop Believing
For the first time in 20 years, the Pirates finished above .500. A winning season! And not only that, they made the playoffs! And I'll do ya one better still, THEY WON THE WILD CARD GAME!!

The morning after we found out the Pirates would be playing in the Wild Card game, John drove me to school and rushed over to the stadium to buy play-off gear. Fortunately, this moment was captured by an Altoona news station (where John used to live!). So without further adieu... check it out! (Please enjoy the "modeling poses" at 0:55).

Because John was a season ticket holder (which I'm sure he'll tell you was the best decision of his life), he was able to purchase play-off tickets. So, we were lucky enough to attend the wild card game.

Before the Wild Card game.

We'd been to many baseball games before, but this one was unlike all the others. The atmosphere was electric. The stadium was full of Pirates fans... you hardly saw any Red. It was so neat! There was no extra chatter, every one was hanging on each pitch--John didn't even touch his game snacks!

The Reds' pitcher that night was Cueto. All of the Pirates fans started chanting "Cueto! Cueto! Cueto!" to get in his head. Well it worked! At one point the pitcher dropped the ball, only to have a homerun hit off of him the very next pitch. He was so shaken he got pulled in the bottom of the 4th! 

The Pirates went on to win 6-2, and I've never seen John so genuinely happy. I was lucky enough to catch the last out and his reaction, so enjoy these videos and photos....

The Gulf Tower downtown lit
up a "P" for the game

Some famous Pirates guy
threw out the 1st pitch.

A local hospital dressed up
newborn babies as pirates!!

My favorite--He's so happy.

Bridge party after the game!

MMMBop!

I've never been one to obsess over famous people--with the exception of one small time period of my life. My celebrities of choice were Hanson and the Magnificent 7 ('96 Olympic gold-medal winning gymnastics team--think Keri Strug and Shannon Miller). I was OBSESSED!

I loved Zac Hanson with every fiber of my being. I had posters on my wall, t-shirts, books, videos, everything Hanson I could get my hands on. I was accused of wanting to play drums in 5th grade only because of my love for Zac. I still claim this isn't true, but I may be questioning it more...

Because I finally got to see them in concert (thanks, Abby!). And seeing them live made me want to do 2 things: marry Zac and play the drums again (so maybe there is a slight connection between my drumming days and Zac). I can't explain the feeling of finally getting to see the band I had loved so hard.

Isaac, Zac, Taylor

The most shocking part was how little I remember their music! They kept playing songs off their first popular album (Middle of Nowhere), and I would have no idea what they were. The fan girls would go crazy within the first few chords, and I'd turn to Abby to ask her if I should know the song. She'd give me a crazy look and remind me that it was from the first album. She'd sing along to all the choruses, and I was left so confused because I couldn't recall the song at all! It makes me want to go buy their Middle of Nowhere album, but after listening to some of the songs on youtube I've realized that they really did not sound that good way back when.

Don't worry they sound good now. And look even better, too!!

Isaac, Zac (on guitar), and Taylor doing their solos.

At one point in the show Zac and Taylor actually switched instruments! WHAT?!

Zac on piano and Taylor on drums.

But the coolest part of the show was when they sang completely unplugged. The concert was at an old library (literally, you had to walk through the fiction section to get to the makeshift bar) and so the acoustics in the theater were really good. Because of the theater, they were able to sing a cappella. All 100+ fan girls were completely silent while they sang. It was so neat. And they said they don't get to do that often, so it was really cool that it happened at our show.

They probably played for a solid 2 hours. High energy, song after song, non-stop. It was such a great show! I have fallen all over again and am bringing back my love for Hanson. I only hope I get the chance to go to another show. And now, I convert all of you...

Zac singing solo:

Hanson Covering "Happy Together": (It might be played at our wedding... John or Zac)

MMM Bop, of course:

There's no stopping Hanson, or my love for them. The Anthem:

We Went to DC... 3 Months Ago

I started grad school.

I feel like that's all that needs to be said in ways of explaining my lack of posts over the last 3 months. From Day 1, I've been overwhelmed. But now that I've made it through 8 weeks, 3 midterms, 1 final, 1 final paper, and a new internship, I'm starting to feel like I've finally got the hang of things. I'm taking this time to write as many posts as I can before all the projects and tests start back up again... in 4-5 weeks.

I'm loving grad school.

The weekend before my two-week long orientation, John and I took a small vacation to Washington, DC. One of the perks of Pittsburgh is the location. DC is only a 5-hour drive, which saved us the hassle of flying and gave us the luxury of having our own car. However, one of the perks to John, I'm finding out, is the perks. His aunt and uncle were extremely generous and kind to us, and they let us stay in their condo. The condo is within minutes of the first stop of the redline, so we could take the metro into town.

I literally just discovered that I lost all of my pictures from the trip--except for like 5 random ones. Luckily, I had Instagram'd a collage of pictures so I have very pixelated screen shots of that to use for my blog.

The first night we got there we decided to visit the Mall and all of the monuments. I even convinced John to take a romantic nighttime stroll along the surprisingly desolate reflection pool. We soon found out people weren't walking along the reflection pool because there were gnats EVERYWHERE! And since construction was the theme of the week, there was no way to exit the path. We had to walk the ENTIRE thing! I probably swallowed like 5 gnats because I wouldn't stop talking/complaining.

The blue mark on the leg is from the vandalism that had happened shortly before.

The next day we went to the zoo! The zoo is free, although John reminds me that our taxes pay for it. The only downside to this is that they charge you $3 for a map! We decided to go without and were pretty disappointed starting off. We constantly felt lost (it wasn't an easy-flowing zoo), and none of the animals were in the exhibits! Since the pandas were weeks away from giving birth, even they weren't out! Visiting the National Zoo and seeing no pandas--a shame!! We took a lunch break, and the visit picked up after that. (I'm not saying the food was the game-changer but... BGE*). There were two highlights for me: the otters and the O-line. The National Zoo has 11 otters! 11 playful, funny, active otters. One of them was playing with a rock (pictured) and another was seen carrying an entire tree branch in his mouth. We have no idea what he was doing with all that tree! The O-line is essentially a tight-rope that the orangutans walk across to get from one monkey house to another. And I should mention that the monkey houses are on opposite sides of the zoo! They go right over the heads of the visitors without a net or anything. It was SO COOL!

 

The next day was John's day. We went to Arlington National Cemetery and the American Natural History Museum. We happened to walk up to the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier right as they were about to do the changing of the guard. Arlington National Cemetery is probably my favorite place in DC. I just love the view from the eternal flame. I had never been to the History Museum, so it was fun to see the first ladys' dresses and the ACTUAL Star Spangled Banner (no pictures allowed).

The reason for the trip, of course, was to go to a Nationals game. John's uncle again generously left us his company tickets. So after an exclusive tour of the Washington Post by John's friend Tim, the three of us headed to the game. The seats were incredible and the presidential mascots were amazing. It was President Taft's debut, so he sneakily got a head start in the race. Unfortunately, sharknado got him! Never fear, Abe Lincoln dressed as batman saved him. It was wild and crazy, and I forget who actually won. I think we were mostly just confused.

We also ate a lot of excellent "cuisine." We visited Baked & Wired for cupcakes and treats, as well as the famous Ben's Chili Bowl. It was AWESOME!

It was such a great trip and I'm sure the first of many for us. Next time I promise not to erase my pictures. Ugh!

*BGE is a term created by my very clever brother-in-law Robert. He uses it when my sister becomes so hungry she gets angry. It means Bitch Gotta Eat. I've shared it with my friends, and it has since take off like wildfire.

OUR LOVE STORY ROCKS!

I'm absolutely, positively, 100% convinced that I am engaged to the sweetest man in the whole world. WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!

You might say I knew very early on that John was the one. I actually texted my good friend, Meghan Poore, saying "I know it seems crazy because it's only been three weeks, but he's the one!" And I wasn't some crazy girl just looking for love and dying to get married. I had my reasons for knowing.

And I've since developed more reasons for knowing.

And they may be centered around rocks.

Our First Date
We went on our first date August 14, 2011. John picked me up and took me to Elite Circle Grill for dinner. After, I suggested we go tortilla tossing. Tortilla tossing is a "Baylor thing." Basically you fling tortillas off the Suspension Bridge and try to land them on the cement pillar in the river. It's much harder than it sounds and not as lame as you're thinking it is. John landed one tortilla. I claim to land one as well, but it was dark and neither of us for sure saw it, so we'll never know.

After the tortilla tossing, John asked if I wanted walk along the river. We went a little ways and then he decided to sit on some nearby rocks. He sat down first and proceeded to dust the rock off next to him.

My heart melted.

I knew right then and there that he is the sweetest boy in the whole entire world. He was trying to clean off a rock for me! A rock! A hard lump of dirt! And there he was trying to make sure it was okay for me to sit on. Who wouldn't want to be with the boy who will do whatever he can to make sure you're getting the best? Even when the task at hand is practically impossible?

I will never forget that moment.

Our Time Apart
About two weeks after our first date, John and I started seeing each other on a daily basis. We spent every weeknight together after/before work, and all of our weekends together. We were in puppy love bliss.

After 7 months of dating though, John felt our foundation was strong enough to endure a long distance. He decided to move to Pittsburgh and so began one of the hardest periods of my life. I spent the majority of my free time from January to May looking for a job in Pittsburgh. And while I had interviews here and there, nothing ever developed. I finally took a job in the Dallas area (just to get out of the news business) and continued (half heartedly) to search for a job in Pittsburgh. We knew before he left that I would move to Pittsburgh eventually, we just had no idea when. And with no job prospects, the move seemed very far off.

The first few months of our long-distance relationship were so tough. But then I moved to Dallas, got in a routine and things got easier. But as 6 months turned to 9, you can say I got a little crazy.

Throughout it all, John stayed strong. He was my rock. He reminded me the end would come and urged me to be patient. He put up with me when I refused to be patient and was unmoved when I would falter. If you want to know what he was like, you just need to listen to this song (which I can no longer hear without crying).

I am forever grateful for how solid John was during our year apart.

Our Engagement
John is a season ticket holder to the Pirates baseball games. I've gone to a handful of games with him this season and every time we talk about how we want to go to the Point at night.

The Point is this huge fountain/park area where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join together to form the Ohio River. This area has been closed for the last few years due to renovations. In June they finally opened it back up, and John and I were there for the grand re-opening. We saw it during the daytime then, but we heard it was much prettier at night. We just hadn't made the trek over there to see it.

On our way to the game John mentioned that we should walk over there after the game ended. I wasn't too sure that it was a good idea because I was extremely tired and had an early class the next morning. The game was unfortunately disappointing (the Pirates lost by 1 to the Brewers) and had some very looooong innings. It was 10:30 by the time the game ended but John insisted we walk over there. Every other time I've tried to get him to walk over there, he refused, so I figured I should take advantage of this opportunity and suck it up.

We got to the point at 10 til 11. A bike-riding officer informed us that the park closed in 10 minutes. So we hurried around to the very tip so we could get a picture with the city skyline in the background. Since no one else was at the point, John told me to just take a picture of the fountain with the background without us in it. I snapped the picture and when I turned back around, he was down on one knee. And in his hand was the most gorgeous rock I've ever seen!! Not long after, the fountain shut off and we were told to leave. We spent the rest of the night calling our friends and family to share the news!

It was the best night of my life.

I am in love with the rock that sits so elegantly on my left hand and constantly has me staring.
I am in love with the rock that sits along the Brazos River and was "cleaned" off by my favorite boy.
I am in love with the rock that sits permanently in my life and refuses to budge no matter what I do or what mood I'm in.
I am in love with John Peter Mallick IV, and I so can't wait to marry him.

The only picture of us that night.
Pre-game and pre-proposal.

My gorgeous ring from all angles!

The (crappy) picture I took as he got
down on one knee.

The best night ever.

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily... Life Is But A Dream

One of the best things about John is his sisters. Unfortunately, Emily doesn't live here (yet), but I have been able to hang out with Abby quite a lot. And while John isn't so interested in being outdoors and running 5K's, Abby is. Which is great for me!

Recently, Abby and I decided to snatch up a Living Social deal for a paddle boarding lesson and rental. Paddle boarding is like kayaking, except your standing on a very wide surfboard. It looks tricky and intimidating, but it was surprisingly easy!

Neither of us had paddle boarded before, so we were both expecting to fall in a lot. However, it's almost more difficult to fall off the board than it is to stay on. Actually, our guide told us that it's almost impossible for the boards to flip over. So if you do fall off, you can actually use the board to pull yourself back on the board, like you would the side of the pool.

I know this because I actually did fall off. Yeah, all this talk of how hard it is to fall off and here I am falling off. But we had just rescued a basketball and there was a tree branch I couldn't paddle around fast enough, so... there you go.

Paddle boarding is a great work out for your core and arms! You can definitely feel it in your obliques as you propel yourself forward. Our paddle board location was on the most beautiful river, and there was a rope swing! That may have been the best part about the paddle boarding.

The water was freezing. The rivers are disgusting to swim in. And we had to walk through mud, climb rocks and scale trees in order to swing. But we're just adventurers like that.

Abby getting ready to swing.

Me getting ready to swing.

Abby's not so graceful entry.

My not so graceful entry.

But we got better...

Such a pretty day!

Next, we hope to conquer paddle board yoga, and then we're moving on to bigger and wilder. Down river boarding, here we come!

Our next adventure!!

A Resolution Fit for Keeping

I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions. I very rarely make them and even more rarely keep them. However, this year has been different...

Last fall I decided to do a half-marathon in Dallas with one of my best friends. I had done a few half marathons before, and it always took me too long to run again after completing one. So with race day in early December, I decided to make my New Year's Resolution running-involved. I decided to do one running/fitness event each month. This way I would constantly have a goal to work toward and I wouldn't fall of the training wagon.

So far, I've been pretty successful! A recap:

January
I kicked off the year with the 2013 Donut Dash. My best friend Courtney came to visit, and we had a blast running it. Each water station had boxes of donut holes, not to mention the full donuts at the beginning and end of the race. Eating a donut hole at each of the five water stations was a great added challenge to the 3 mile run.

Courtney and I with our Finisher's donuts!

Lots of donut holes at every water station.

February
Next, my friend Kimberly and I ran the Hot Chocolate 5k (Are you sensing a theme? I seriously only run to eat). Getting there was absolute craziness. The traffic was horrible and there were many times that we thought about turning back and skipping the mess. Luckily, we pushed through and made it to the race. Although we were a few minutes late, we just hopped in with a later heat and nobody seemed to mind. It was a good race and at the end we were given a cup of hot chocolate, chocolate fondue and all sorts of treats to dip in said chocolate. This made the craziness all worth it.

Kimber and I with our goodies!

Yummy treats!

My mom came out to cheer us on and navigate the traffic!

March
John's sister, Abby, and I decided to do a 10 mile race this month. We were both training for our big runs in May--Abby was running the PIttsburgh marathon, and I was running the half. I was extremely nervous about this run because Abby had told me she wouldn't let me stop. Luckily, we made it through the entire thing and Abby was nice enough to run EXTREMELY slow with me. In all honesty, the hardest part about this run was finding a Dr. Pepper afterward. Two gas stations and a Rite Aid later, I had to settle on Diet. Boo. And unfortunately for me, this run turned out to be the last long run of my half-marathon training (oops).

Just a 10-mile run in the park

April
It was decided that I would move to Pittsburgh the month of April, and I chose my moving date based on my next event. April 13 I participated in my first ever CrossFit competition and on April 14, John and I drove away for good. I love CrossFit, but I'm not very good at it. Luckily, I just barely finished in the top half of women in the beginner division. I was so grateful that my parents and friends were able to come and cheer me on (and not to mention, help pack things and move after the event)! I haven't been able to join a CrossFit gym in Pittsburgh yet, but I do kind of miss it. Maybe someday I'll get back into it.

So glad my friends came to watch and cheer me on!

Clean and jerk competition--105 lbs!

Gotta love CrossFit... and burpees!

May
The Pittsburgh half marathon! You can read more about it on my previous blog here.

Marathon and half-marathon finishers!

June
Abby and I signed up for the 5k Color Me Rad. Basically you wear white, run 3 miles and every so often have colored paint powder thrown on you. We decided to go with the "Risky Business" theme and wore oversized white dress shirts, tube socks and shades. For whatever reason, we think this concept was lost on people. Idiots. It was a really fun run, although the race course was mostly on a gravel parking lot, and it made for a terrible running surface.

Rocking the Risky Business look. You get it, right??

And after... Covered in color.

July
Not long after the color run, Abby suffered from an alleged foot injury. I'm not entirely sure what the exact diagnosis is, but she has to stay off of it for a good month or two. Luckily, my hero swooped in and agreed to do a 2 mile charity walk for Pittsburgh Charities. Target was participating, so I signed us up along side my co-workers. Saturday morning, we put on our matching Pirates T's (we got them for free at the game the night before), and we arrived at the race site around 7:45. The walk was scheduled to begin at 8, or so I thought. The website said they were expecting thousands of people, but the starting line was surprisingly desolate. It wasn't until I checked another website that I realized the walk actually started at 9:30. I wish I had seen that site earlier. But even the flyer at Target said it started at 8, so who was I to second guess it? Luckily, John was understanding, and we decided to just take our own little walk and leave. Unfortunately, my July event was a bust.

In front of the fountain at The Point. I wish the walk had started at 8.

But look... it's really not my fault.

August
I have already registered for my August event, and I'm very excited for it. It's the Cranberry Township Aquathlon--a 5k run, 400m swim and 2.8k run. I did a sprint triathlon back in college, but I sucked at the biking part. So I'm glad this one replaces the biking with more running--well as glad as you can be about having to run more. Feel free to ask me how my training is going and make sure I'm staying on track.

Meeting the Mallicks

Every two years the Mallick siblings and their families get together for a family reunion. This year it was in Buffalo, NY over the 4th of July weekend. And I had the great pleasure of joining John for the vacation. John's dad is one of nine children. Eight of the nine were able to make it for the weekend and most of them are married with 1-3 children. I met a lot of people. It was a blast!

The reunion was held at John's aunt and uncle's house. They have a huge backyard with lots of land, including a pond stocked with fish! They put in an above-ground pool, built an amazing deck around the pool and even have a trampoline! We hung out at the house most afternoons, as there was plenty to do there. There was also a ton of food. I had just recovered from a little food poisoning incident where I dropped a couple of pounds. But I had no problem gaining it back with the pizza and wings that Buffalo is so famous for.

We arrived in Buffalo on the 4th for a nice picnic and fireworks show, put on by John, some of his uncles and cousins. Then, Friday morning we went to the Maid of the Mist. I had only seen the Niagara Falls a few months earlier on our trip back from Toronto, but I really got to experience it this time! It was so fun to get doused by the falls. After the boat ride, John and I trekked up the steps just along the falls. We were SOAKED!

American Falls from the Maid of the Mist.

Me, John, his sisters and cousin on Maid of the Mist.

The stairs we climbed after the boat.

That afternoon we did some arts and crafts. John's mom is a very skilled crafter, and she made everyone "smash" books. She brought stamps, stickers, pages and brads galore for us to fill our books with. Then we'll add pictures from the reunion. I'm pretty sure this was John's favorite part of the day. My favorite part of the day was that night when all the women of the family sat on the deck and shared some laughs. We also got to know his Aunt Maureen very well. She's so funny.

Family craft time

Such a good sport.

On Saturday, we went for a hike along the gorge. It's a beautiful trail along the Niagara River, and it's crazy to think that you're looking at Canada on the other side of the river. We had a relaxing afternoon, which included exploring the shops of Lewiston. Lewiston is a super quaint and cute town. I loved it. That night we went out for a BBQ dinner, which doubled as a surprise party for his Aunt Diane. They hired a photographer to take family pictures, and I was lucky enough to get this one with my handsome man.

Enjoying the BBQ and open bar!

The highlight of the dinner was when John's 10-year-old cousin, who I was sitting next to, turned to me and said "Aunt Jessica? (pause) Er... what do I call you?" This happened just after we bonded over our love for macaroni, chicken fingers and fresh baked bread. For once, my picky eating paid off!

Sunday morning was my favorite. We went on the whirlpool jet boat tour, which takes you through class 5 rapids! (Class 6 is the highest level, which the river also has. Unfortunately, the class 6 rapids are too dangerous for their boats, so we didn't get to go through them). As our guide said, no matter where you sit on the boat, it's still going to feel like you jumped in a pool. Of course, I sat in the front row with John, his uncle, cousin and sisters. We were creamed by the waves every time we went through them. There are some pictures where you can't even see us because we're under water. And it was cold!!!! They offered you ponchos to help protect you/keep you warm. I stupidly denied one. But I don't really regret it. 

We ate lunch along the river at a little place called the Silo. Their haystack sandwich was featured on Man vs. Food, so I had to get one. Steak, mozzarella, mayo and hashbrowns on a hoagie. It was delicious!

Our group before the jet boat tour.

So much fun!

I'm starting to think I should have people meet me in Lewiston instead of visiting me in Pittsburgh. It was seriously such a great weekend. The town, the activities, and the people. I loved it all!