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Brittany's Blog
Date of Entry: 9/9/09 Today the upload page is unveiled! Lokesh Jagasia worked dilligently to put that together for us. I'm putting on the finishing touches and linking the page up to the rest of the website. This marks the last official thing I will do in preparation for the wedding. Aside from getting all gussied up, that is. I've anticipated a lot of things. I'm what you might call an optimist, always seeking out and finding that silver lining. I get ridiculously excited about the smallest things. So keep that in mind when I tell you that I've never anticipated an event so much as this wedding and honeymoon. There is no chance of my not having an amazing time. We have been keeping our eye on the weather. It looks as though (fingers crossed and prayers requested) Saturday will be partly cloudy/sunny. Which is partly perfect! We are hoping there won't be any rain as the ceremony will be outdoors. It looks like the temperature will be in the lower 70's which is great as I prefer not to have a reason to prespire off my makeup. Friday is still showing some rain which is not entirely favorable. The rehearsal dinner is a cook out. Thankfully, Gary the Mod Master put up a tarp over the grills. So rain or shine we will get our salmon and burgers and dogs. YAY! Loooking forward to seeing everyone this weekend and to seeing all the pictures afterwards. Thank you all for coming! Date of Entry: 8/29/09 Well, we are prepared. All our vendors contacted and most of them are already paid. All the decorations are waiting with baited breath in the Altimus homestead in North East. Tim and I had our last dance lesson, but lowered expectations on the actual performance would be appreciated. Just forget the mention of lessons entirely and pretend we came up with the routine on the spot. The only thing left to do is pick up the programs from the printers (when they call) and pack our bags for Italy! Yep, this is pretty dern unreal. Although anticipation is the name of the game, I've got to say having a long engagement was the best thing. We took our time planning this adventure. We didn't stress out over all the details as the ideas just came and then we had the time to execute them. We had no problem getting all of our vendors as they hadn't booked their schedules two years in advance. I just can't wait to hear how everyone likes the little details. I hope you all have a glorious time at the party. We are very excited to have you there and look forward to the actual day! Date of Entry: 7/26/09 I had a shower in Texas hosted by the lovely Ya Ya's. My mothers best friends for the past 30+ years. It was a beautiful event with excellent conversation and good food. I've posted the photos. It was unfortunately a whirlwind tour that I almost missed due to a poorly timed weather delay in Pittsburgh to Charlotte. I recommend never booking the last flight of the evening. Maybe second to last, but not the last. You end up staying the night in a hotel somewhere when they can't get you to your connection on time. I guess working backwards, we went camping at Cooks Forest with Dan and Angie and the kids as well as Gary and Cindy. It was an awesome time even though it rained pretty much the whole time. We've decided that it was much too short and are looking to go camping for a whole week next year. We were in North East for Tim's birthday. Which was also Sara's shower. The morning of, Cindy took me veil/tiara shopping. We went to a a woman who works out of her home and makes or alters veils to your preference. The end result is exactly what you wanted. I'm excited to see how it turns out. The fourth of July was amazing. We stayed in Pittsburgh and witnessed some amazing fireworks down at point state park. They were set to music and displayed such pyrotechnics such as I've never seen. They were truly amazing. I am very much looking forward to these next two months and in particular to the big day and seeing all of my family and friends! Date of Entry: 6/22/09 First the job. So far so good. I haven't met anyone that I haven't enjoyed their personality. Which is a massive benefit as far as I'm concerned. The environment in which I work is a big deal to me. I love my first project and my reporting manager. I will learn a lot about the bank, about the Technology side of the business as well as fantastic project management skills. I would like to get my PMP certification at some point. During orientation I was able to meet and greet with many of the executive team including the CEO, CFO, and a bunch of CXO's. The X being a variable for any other Chief Officer Designation. I felt very privileged at this opportunity. We also had a wonderful experience at a ropes course team building workshop at Seven Springs. Oh, and I am finally an AM person. I leave work at 4:30 pm. YeHaw! The Bridal Shower was beautiful and I was able to meet many members of the family of whom I had not yet had the privilege. We played a spice game where baggies of herbs and spices were passed around and the guests guessed which one they smelled. I also donned an apron that was affixed with many kitchen tools and pranced about the room for 1 minute while the guests played a memory game and listed what all I wore. Then we played 20 questions where the guests got to know Tim and I better through hearing the answers. Jai won this one! She knows Tim and I very well. The prizes were a basket of goodies including a mason jar of cookie recipe ingredients (all but milk and eggs) and canvas bags of candy or tea and coffee. I even got to take one home! Then there were the gifts. Very generous and lovely thoughtful gifts. I was overjoyed by each one. And I had been particularly waiting for Cindy's as she was scrapbooking our relationship as it went from great friends to engaged and through the civil ceremony. They totaled 4 books. I remember when she said it was 2! But they mean a lot to me and I love looking through them. And what I learned is that I had been overwriting Tim's blog entries! Thankfully they were captured in the scrapbooks and will return soon. Camping was a blast... or should I say a monsoon. We received the inclement weather starting at 6 am on Saturday morning and didn't get a reprieve until the afternoon. We were still able to be outside as Gary and Cindy have an amazing tarp rig that covers the picnic table and the surrounding area. The weather was in our favor, however, as we received a break when it came time to cook the filet. Massive hunks of beef from Costco, my new favorite place to buy meat. We had to cut them down, and have plenty left over. But they were awesome! I guess that's enough joy for now! Looking forward to July which is host to another shower and a trip back to Texas where I can see my cousins! Date of Entry: 5/29/09 We needed to know where we were moving to after moving out of the Oakland apartment. We had to decide on the menu so the RSVP could collect that information and we could give that to our caterers. We had to decide on an invitation. Which was actually really hard to do! There are so many choices and customizations that could be made. We focused on color incorporating both our orange and green favorites. To tie those together our neutral is a delicious espresso and bronze. Looking back I'd like to have added some design, but the paper is really nice and the colors and fonts. I am also a fan of the envelope design. You'll have to let me know what you think! Finally being on a break I have gotten back into cooking. I've made a carrot cake and Tim's been grilling. Lokesh and I also made cashew chicken which provided more than one meal for me with the leftovers. With the beautiful Summer weather I've also been making a number of salads. These are no run-of-the-mill rabbit food things, but are meals in themselves. Some were even topped with homemade Caesar dressing, though it was a bit heavy on the anchovies this time around. We put in a garden for the first time ever. We are growing basil and tomatoes, broccoli and romaine and a mesculune mix. The landlord has also put in roses and various other flora around the house. Back in Ithaca I tried to raise orchids, but my travel schedule prevented me from being a good host and I lost every one. I'll have to try again, but I think I will wait until after the Italy honeymoon to start. Although many of the goals have gotten their big check complete, there is still so much I am looking forward to. There are the two bridal showers, one in Texas and one in North East, PA. The Altimus clan is also going camping near Harrisburg where I get to see my Maid of Honor, the Best Man and Ring Bearer! Shane, I can't wait to see you too! But starting off all this fun is our house warming. We finally have hung all our curtains and unpacked every box. We even have a good amount of garnishing on the walls. As I said, there is so much to look forward to in the coming months that I cannot stop smiling. To quote Miss Martha...that's a very good thing! Date of Entry: 4/27/09 In our new place we have no shared walls. It is quiet here. Many thanks to Gary and Cindy Altimus for loaning us the truck for a week and for baking cookies for the team of movers. Also thanks to Lokesh who assisted Gary with fitting the queen bed up the staircase. They had to saw it in half and wench it into a burrito to fit it up the stairs. Did I mention that although this house is brand new from the plumbing to the rooftop, the structure was built in 1910 and they apparently all slept on hay bails or something that was more easily transported up the stairs. But don't you worry, the guestroom has the queen and the king made it up there too. If the queen bed was not enough, there was an unfortunate occurrence in the side lawn. As Tim was backing out to return the amply-sized 26 foot truck, the Craig's List movers did not alert him to the fact his tires were tearing up the grass. So on top of putting everything in its place and making this house livable, we also had to visit Home Depot to purchase lawn care items to repair the damage. I was also able to enjoy some time outdoors. In the backyard is a raised bed where I will grow some veggies, hopefully. I've never done it before so I am hoping for a green thumb. We shall see. I've started the Brandywine tomatoes, the broccoli and the basil in little seed starters. I will be planting the Romaine and Mesculune mix directly into the soil. It seemed pretty fertile as there were many earthworms. Though the plant bed is under an oak tree, so weeding will be a daily occurrence. We are incredibly happy here and look forward to having people come and visit. Date of Entry: 4/1/09 The planning has finally gotten to the little details. What is going on the tables and how to make the place seem special. We have also decided on the dates for the Bridal Showers. Yes there will be two. As I have managed to live in a few places and amass friends all over the country we thought it best to try and have a party both near Tim's parents and another one near mine. Saturday June 13th will be the Erie Bridal Shower arranged by my mother-in-law, Cindy Altimus and expertly assisted by my Sister-in-law and Maiden of Honor, Angie Altimus. We have been discussing the details of this so regularly I am dying to see the results! Saturday July 18th will be the Arlington Bridal Shower arranged by my Mother's best friends, the Ya-Ya's. These ladies have been in my Mother's close circle since I was a baby and I look forward to attending their event! On the local front, Tim and I have signed a lease for the last place we will rent. We found an amazing place in Ben Avon, PA that is 10 minutes to downtown and 15 minutes to the airport. We have scouted the area and looked at the local grocery store. It is the largest Giant Eagle I have seen yet! There is place for us to grill and even for us to garden. Tim is so excited as we are responsible for mowing the grass. He can't wait! Our landlord seems very nice and the house (no shared walls!) is amazing. Completely remodeled and very nicely appointed. The rooms are large and we will be able to have a dedicated guest room for folks to visit. Both Tim and I will have our own office. I can't say enough about it. We are so excited to move! This is my final mini at Carnegie Mellon. Looking back the time really did fly. My mantra of "Community through mutual suffering" still holds true as I have made amazing friends. Two of my closest friends will be (fingers crossed) staying in PA. So excited! The capstone project is coming along nicely and we are all getting good life experience from it. The Product Management Club I founded has transitioned to new leadership. I am very excited to see it live beyond us. There are so many things to look forward to it is hard to keep my feet on the ground. But thankfully my schedule allows me some time this mini to dream about the future. Until next time... Date of Entry: 1/25/09 On Saturday we had an apple themed dinner with Darryl and Julie. We started with an apple soup that was garnished with bacon and gorgonzola cheese and flavored with a hint of Apple Brandy. It was fantastic! I'm looking forward to the leftovers. Second course was a ham that was glazed with cider and brown sugar. The cider had been mulled with cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise. I was very excited to use Star Anise for the first time. Our starch was a sweet potato mash and accompanied by Green Beans with almonds and bacon. For dessert we made an apple crumble. We continue to search for the ultimate apple crisp/crumble/cobbler recipe. This was unfortunately not it. But was good with some vanilla bean ice cream. Over the break both Tim and I finalized our wedding party and started working out the minute details of the ceremony and reception. I asked Morgan, my cousin, to stand up with me. Also, I finalized my future job! Upon graduation I will be a Management Associate for PNC. This is a two year rotational track where I perform a high profile project in 2 to 4 different technology departments. Based on my performance I will be placed into a role that is decided by myself and the main CIO. Due to the visibility of the projects, the Management Associates tend to achieve the senior level positions much sooner. It has been coined the fast track to CIO. As CIO was my stated career goal, I could not have found a more ideal job! Also this means we are staying in Pittsburgh! As they say... the future is bright. Date of Entry: 1/4/09 The past semester was very demanding and fruitful. I finished up the programming portion of the master's degree. Thankfully I will not need to program again, but now that I am through with the assignments can look back gratefully that I was able to survive the courses. I now can program in Java and C# and have dealt with various middleware functions. If all of this is Greek, you're not alone. It was probably the most challenging aspect of this program. But yes, I am glad I did it. Even more so, I am glad I no longer need to. Date of Entry: 11/23/08 Today Tim officially moves in! Gary and Cindy are driving down as I type to help us with the larger pieces. We are grateful for Gary's truck and trailer as they will help us move everything from Thorn Run to the old King Edward and to the storage facility for what doesn't fit. Jai and Lokesh will also be here to help. We have planned a thank you lunch of Tortilla Soup and Quesadillas and a thank you dinner of Salisbury Steak over egg noodles. Yesterday afternoon we saw the Penguins play the Canucks and in the first 25 seconds there was an all out brawl. Three penalties were given to each team, although only one from each team sat in the penalty box. I suppose a one on one would not have been as entertaining. Unfortunately, the first goal scored by the Canucks was actually scored by our Penn's goalie. The next goal was even less exciting. As we had so much to do to prepare for the move and I have three group projects where my schedule this weekend was entirely inflexible, we left after the close of the second period. The final score was 3 to 1. What has also kept me busy this semester is starting a club. I've focused on Product Management for my career path and have started a club to gain exposure to the needs and challenges of that position. This idea really tapped into something as the club gathered 30 members after the first announcement. We did a tabling event and gathered 17 more. The professors are chipping in by giving sessions and connecting us with their business partners for more interaction with industry professionals. It's been an excellent experience. Well, I must return to the studies. But I am looking forward to Thanksgiving at the Altimus' home with Gary and Cindy and Dan and Angie and Luke and Shane and my husband, Tim. I am hoping we can take a family photograph. Date of Entry: 09/8/08 Tim and I continue to talk about our future together and plans for our house. It is very exciting to think about, our future. I just can't wait to make it a reality! I am lucky to have found in Tim someone I can talk to, someone I undeniably trust and someone whom I don't want to change. That is rare and I feel truly blessed and lucky to have found him. What is also enjoyable is our love of experimenting in the kitchen. This weekend we chose barbequed chicken with broccoli, salad and scalloped potatoes as one dinner and the other dinner was Grilled Pizza! I made the dough from scratch (it has been a LONG time since I've made a yeast dough) and we built our own pizza after Tim expertly grilled the dough on both sides. It had such a wonderful flavor. We had a base of sun-dried tomato pesto, fresh mozz, fresh basil, fresh tomatoes, and sausage, pepperoni, onions and red peppers. You wouldn't think you could fit all that on a personal pizza, but we managed. And to top it all off... Balsamic Glaze. Boy, that stuff is good! You don't need much, just a drizzle, but it adds so much to the overall flavor. Next weekend we are going on a double date with two friends from Grad school! Hopefully soon we will also get to see Darryl and Julie again. Date of Entry: 08/26/08 Once the semester was over, I only took one day off (to recover from an allergy attack) and began studying for the Financial Accounting exemption exam. Luckily I passed as I heard all last semester how much homework was assigned, anywhere from 8 hours to 12 (even 24, depending on whom you asked) per week! So one week of vacation and an hour exam seemed well worth it. I find out sometime when the exemption exam is for Principals of Finance. I'm also going to ask the professor about exempting Economics as these classes were my undergraduate major and all taken at the Graduate level in the Johnson Graduate School at Cornell University. I hope I'll be able to, it just means I'm studying as though I am currently taking those classes at an accelerated pace to be ready. After the exemption exam I was so ready for a week of rest. I made some jewelry and assembled some scrapbook pages. It was awesome as those pursuits are very indulgent and I am unable to devote the time during the semester. I was also able to cook meals for Tim and myself. I made meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy from scratch as well as a side of dill carrots. This was a meal Tim has been requesting and we were finally able to put in the time. No wonder microwaves came along! Those types of dinners are very time consuming! But tasty. Then we made Flank Steak with roasted corn salsa. That was so good! That corn salsa I could eat all on it's own. Finishing up the meal was my Peach Blackberry pie which is rapidly becoming my signature dessert. It's a slight modification from a recipe we found in the Cooking with Wine book. Thursday of last week we headed out to North East to visit Tim's side of the family. Unfortunately there were multiple family health issues that kept Angie and Gary away much of the time visiting the hospital to care for their loved ones. Cindy, Angie and I also did some preparation for the Wedding. We went to Potratz for a flower consultation as well as to David's Bridal to try on dresses. I'm glad there are witnesses to attest, I only tried on one dress because once I had it on I knew it was the best one. It is one I had been looking at and always drawn to and luckily it fit and looks as good as I imagined. I am so excited and very glad I had my ladies with me. I only wish my mom could have been there too! Friday we went to Bella Spa to get pre-wedding hair and makeup. I wanted to try them out to experiment. See the pictures on the photo page for the entire weekend. Since we were all gorgeous, the boys grilled us dinner. Sweet and spicy Italian Sausage and Hamburgers with grilled peppers and onions and corn. We also brought salad fixins, of green leaf, cherry tomatoes, candied walnuts and gorgonzola cheese. Have that with balsamic dressing, yum! I made the Peach Blackberry pie on Thursday, however the peaches we bought from the grocers freezer were nothing like the peaches I used earlier in the week that I bought fresh and froze myself. You wouldn't think, but it made a huge difference. We also got to see Patty and Floyd, Angie's parents and had a wonderful time chatting with them. We got to watch some Olympics and put together more scrapbook pages and see the family so it was a wonderful weekend and I look forward to Labor Day weekend when we return to Racoon Creek park. Date of Entry: 07/20/08 In New York, I was able to get my driver's license, register to vote and register my car all in the same location. Pennsylvania believes in a more decentralized approach. Once you take a number from the red deli counter style machine, wait for three hours in a place that only has 6 chairs to be served by only two workers, to find the network between New York and Pennsylvania is down, you start to consider how they could be better organized. But maybe they have it laid out like this on purpose, because people give up and leave before they have to do any work! But I admit to being bitter. Luckily they did have a location that was open on Saturdays. Tim was wonderful and came with me for the communal suffering. This location was far more organized and provided seating for close to 40. The number machine actually provided a time estimate of 35 minutes. So an hour and a half later my number was called and I was sent to get my picture taken. Here I was also able to register to vote, thankfully, and received a temporary yet fully functional license. And my picture isn't that bad! Then I go to register my vehicle at another location. Unfortunately my proof of insurance still had my New York address. So I contacted my insurance agency and asked for it to be faxed. Three hours later, my car is registered in Pennsylvania. YeHaw! And I only have to rinse and repeat this process when I change my name in just over a year. Date of Entry: 07/08/08 We took walks, built massive fires, chopped wood. I posted the photos on our photo page and Tim annotated the images. So forgive us in advance. ;). I had an excellent time camping and can't wait to do it again come Labor Day weekend! Date of Entry: 06/30/08 This weekend is July 4th weekend. I will be camping with Tim and his parents and am very much looking forward to it!.. This past weekend Tim and I bought a home building software package. We have strong ideas about what our home should look like and thought it would be a fun treat to virtually build it together. It has been very entertaining, both in getting to know the application and in getting to create on screen what we both see in our imagination. Date of Entry: 06/12/08 So far so good, knocks on wood. Even in my feared Java, I have an A. It takes dedication and lack of alcohol, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make. ;) Actually, Grad School is very different than Undergrad. Here we are a much more diverse group. There are folks that were in the work force for less than a year along with folks that have held professional positions for more than 10. There are also those that are back in school only part time. It makes for a very active mix. The work is intense but so far manageable, again knocks on wood. Although I am very focused staying up until 1 or 2 am most nights, waking between 8 and 9 am most days. I do my best to get the homework done before the night before it's due. Work continues to roll on in. I find it difficult to justify my netflix membership as I don't have time to watch a movie. But I continue to reflect on how perfect this program is for me. It is exactly what I was looking for. Date of Entry: 05/26/08 The weekend began with Angie, Cindy and I meeting with florists to attempt to get ideas for flowers and possibly select a vendor. I was amazed at how the decor of the florist and their demeanor effected me. It really drew my attention and steered my desire to work with certain people and to steer clear of others. I have whittled the pool to 2 vendors. One of which could not meet with us this weekend, they were doing 3 weddings that day! Saturday evening, Tim and I took Dan and Angie to the Peak 'n Peek for a double date dinner. We got all dressed up, Angie even wore heels with a bad ankle. Both ladies were unveiling new dresses and looking forward to this chance to hang out just the four of us. Tim had the filet, I had swordfish, Angie had the scallops and Dan the Chilean sea bass. Tim asked Dan to be his best man and I asked Angie to be my Maiden of Honor. And the wine was good too. Over dessert we talked about plans for the wedding while reminiscing about the wedding Dan and Angie shared 7 years ago. Sunday was the family picnic, we had a full crowd of 18 members of the extended family. Grandma and Grandpa Altimus, Gary and Cindy Altimus, Dan & Angie, Luke and Shane Altimus, Dan & Holly, Elizabeth, Abby & Hannah Piazza, Patty & Floyd Piazza, Lois Mundaniohl, and Tim and I. The food was awesome, Salmon, burgers and hot dogs for the main dishes, Potato salad, Slow cooked bean dish, crudettes, angel eggs, fruit salad, spinach salad and more! Monday we head back to Pittsburgh where I jump back into the grad school mind set. It has been a good first week and I am looking forward to not falling behind. ;) Date of Entry: 05/17/08 Date of Entry:
04/27/08 Date of Entry: 2/23/08 Date of Entry: 2/17/08
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Timothy's Blog
One thing though, really stands out to me. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were absolutely wonderful. Britt & I had such a great time exploring the island together. Once Britt had left for home though, the island felt more like a prison to me that it did a tropical paradise. It's amazing how the beaches of paradise become nothing more than a place to kill time until you can be with the one you love again. It just isn't exciting to drive around the island on your own, or to snorkel without anyone to share the moment with. I had originally planned on staying the following weekend as well, but by Wednesday, I couldn't wait to get back to Pittsburgh. And so now, here I am, sitting in her living room writing this, while she organizes the photos from the trip. I'd rather be here with her than alone on Coki Beach watching the sun set. Till next time... |
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