Pennsylvania Welcomes Tourists

As we traveled to Pittsburgh for a framily wedding, I saw this sign and knew I had to photograph it. It became the opening of the photo album I created for the wedding couple. It is an inspirational slogan created by the Pennsylvania Tourism Partnership. Karen Winner Sed, Co-Chair of the PTP stated, "Happiness is a universal aspiration. Whether you are looking to explore the outdoors a historical attraction, or an urban setting the overarching motivator is happiness." Happiness flowed throughout the wedding weekend. Smiles were everywhere but it did not take a sign to bring out the sunshine that lit up faces. Happiness is an inward emotion that does bring smiles.

 What made me happy this weekend in Pittsburgh?

• The Priory Hotel was a beautiful setting for an elegant wedding. It was built in 1888 and was refurbished beautifully.

• It was such a joyous moment when I was able to hug all my framily friends and enjoy special times with them. There are now several new little ones to bring love and laughter into our group.

• The wedding was a beautiful celebration of a dear couple who were embarking on their own pursuit of happiness journey.
• We took a brief walk through a part of Pittsburgh's history, the Strip District filled with boutique stores, larger shops, and restaurants. While it was cold outside, it was still fun seeing what Pittsburgh shopping offered. The long street reminded me of shopping in China Town in New York City.
• The drive home was pleasant and we had a delicious meal in a restaurant we love that is only an hour away from home. 

Because we were busy all weekend, I missed a couple of slices. Tonight, I am joining, Two Writing Teachers for their Slice of Life Story Challenge, Day 20.

Pack Our Bags and Go

Am I an organized packer of our bags when traveling? Frankly no. I have been working on this for years. I think I am getting better at this but my son is not and always needs assistance so nothing is left behind. A case in point is the year we were going to my mother's burial and my son left his dress shoes at home. Thank goodness that my husband had his hush puppies. Proof number 2 is that his toiletry bag is missing from our Disney trip in late January. So you can see why packing for a trip regardless of how long it is makes us all worried that something will be left behind. I checked and double-checked the trunk before taking off to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a framily wedding. 

Packing

P  acking 

A dd only what is needed

C hallenge myself to

K eep it simple

I  nclude toiletries and makeup

N o extra clothing

G et on the road with the hope all is in the bag

©CVarsalona, 2023, designed in FotoJet

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 It's time to join Poetry Friday Roundup. Thank you poet/Kidlit author and friend, Laura Purdie Salas for hosting Poetry Friday this week. Click here.

Logo by Linda Mitchell

AND

Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge Day 17.

NOTES: 

• This post/slice is an extension of my Day 16 Slice of Life that can be accessed here.
• We are almost at our destination so I will respond to comments throughout the weekend.
• Happy St.Patrick's Day-We will celebrate with the framily tonight at the Welcome Party for the wedding! It's at a Pittsburgh pub. 

A First

How special we thought, a first for us! All packed, we were ready to drive through the fog to Baltimore for an out-of-town, extended-family wedding. Unfortunately, the fog followed us to Baltimore but we did not allow that to dampen our mood. We were happy to have arrived safely and looked forward to seeing our grandbaby, Sierra.

First, I needed to get adjoining rooms for our daughter, son-in-law, and baby Sierra and my family. It took a long-winded conversation to accomplish this but once the request was in place, we began the process of unpacking and rearranging the rooms. We needed to leave plenty of space for the baby paraphernalia to arrive. Little did we know that my daughter would be delayed due to DC traffic. The clock was ticking. My daughter needed to get ready for the rehearsal dinner and meet my son-in-law who was the best man. My husband, son, and I needed to take care of the baby so everyone was put on standby.

My husband and son settled into our room while I started arranging the furniture in my daughter's room so the play and pack would have its own spot. Even the bellman was waiting for the car to pull up to the hotel. When the text came, my family and bellman rushed to meet in the lobby but the car was not there. Tension mounted. We waited for what seemed a long time. Then, the car pulled up and the busyness began. The bell man quickly began unloading the endless amount of baggage and I hurried to check on Sierra. 

Believe it or not, after two and half hours of travel Sierra was smiling. In fact her smile radiated so a chain of smiles were seen by all as we traveled upstairs to our rooms overlooking Baltimore harbor. Unfortunately, the fog was so thick we could not appreciate the beauty of the nighttime sight until the next day. For the time being, we were content and delighted to play with Sierra and get ready for her nighttime routine. 

The night turned out to be a joyous first babysitting venture that I will never forget. In fact, the whole weekend was filled with many life living moments!

Thanks Two Writing Teachers for the space to write my slice about my "grandmother" life and share it with a community of writers.