Happy Birthday, Abby! The Boyce Visit!

This weekend was a special treat because my niece, Abby, and her husband, Stan, came to Pittsburgh for a visit! It was their first trip to one of "America's Most Livable Cities." We had a great time exploring the outdoors . . . both in our own neighborhood and at North Park. There was snow on the ground, but it was in the mid 30's with quite a lot of sun. We managed to take a short hike on Saturday afternoon. Then on Sunday, we did one of the trails in the woods at North Park and even tripped onto the Rachel Carson Trail for a short while. Gabe was so good riding in the backpack! He even took at nap in there on Sunday afternoon; we couldn't believe it.

Gabe was eating baked sweet potatoes with his hands on Saturday. Abby said he was quite a mess, so we took his picture. But frankly, I think he just looked like he was enjoying himself. It is kind of gratifying to see a kid his age eat so many different kinds of vegetables!!! Since he is allergic to milk products, Gabe eats more healthy food than practically any American I know. My Weight Watcher leader would be impressed. This boy has the "Core" program down to a science. I never saw anybody eat that many peas at a sitting in my life!

Of course, Thursday, 2/21, was Abby's birthday. We had a birthday supper on Saturday night with Honeybaked Ham and Roasted Vegetables and chocolate cake and (of course) ICE CREAM!!!! We all sang Happy Birthday and feasted away. Then we drank coffee and sat around the table and talked for quite a while before turning in.

On Sunday evening, we drove into Pittsburgh and showed Stan and Abby a few of the sites. Then we went into Oakland where University of Pittsburgh is located and stopped at one of the great Italian restaurants in that area, Joe Mama's. There we feasted away on all kinds of great stuff. It was kind of like carbohydrate loading in reverse since we hiked in the afternoon and then ate the pasta afterwards. Oh, well! Sequence isn't all THAT important.

It was a wonderful weekend! I really enjoyed being outside and spending time with Abby and her family. It is a rare occasion that you get time to spend with young adults with their own families. There is always so much to do . . . and holidays just aren't long enough.

Thanks, Stan, Abby and Gabe, for sharing your weekend with us! Come back again soon!