What a fabulous time in Pitt. The weekend went by super fast and I considered staying in Pitt, searching for a job and starting a new life in Pitt. But of course, with year-round beautiful weather in Florida, I decided to pass on the hills and urban city-life and return back to Jacksonville. Also, not sure if my furry best friend would enjoy the winter months...and of course, my life revolves around my lovely chihuahua :)
My brother kept me and my family super busy during our stay in Shadyside. As a fabulous tour-guide, there was very little time to sit and relax. But that's ok, I like to be on my feet and see new sights, get inspired by local eats and of course, enjoy life to the fullest.
While sitting in the Posner Auditorium for the Tepper School of Business commencement, thoughts of my graduate commencement ceremony at Florida Atlantic University came to mind. It seemed like yesterday that I was stressed from so many exams, projects and papers as well as my many thoughts of "I can never do this!". Despite my brother being exceptional smart (ok, I have to brag about his 3.82 GPA at Carnegie Mellon, business school), he is part of the elite 50-finest of Pittsburgh as well as a Big Ten High Bar champion and overall, amazing brother. I am so proud of my brother who will be earning a hefty salary at Ernst and Young (starting in August). Most of all, we are both thankful for our amazing parents who have supported us in all our academic endeavors as well as being our number 1 fans for our sport(s) of choice.
My brother and myself have always been motivated by higher learning, mostly because we love to learn and help others. While we both have different fields, I think we share similarities in that we are both type-A individuals who never give up what we start. We both spent our college years as student-athletes and will always enjoy a healthy dose of exercise as a way to stay healthy and stress-free.
After graduation on Saturday, we all woke up super early to head to downtown Pitt for the Pittsburgh marathon and half marathon. I suppose from the pics, you can guess that this was a rainy race! This was my brothers 3rd half marathon (all being at the same race) and the secret was out that my brother had hopes to beat my PR of 1:32.
Well, I didn't doubt him for a minute as I watched my brother all over the course.
My parents and myself saw my brother at mile 1 and 3 and then I cut the course and headed over to mile 9 to catch up once more before the finish. Slightly ahead of the 3:10 marathon pace group at mile 9, I knew my brother was pushing to beat his older sister.
I also cheered on my friend Kim who had a stellar race after an intense IM training week.
I had a great time cheering and running all over the course. I made it to the finish just in time to see my brother at mile 12 1/2, yelling at him to pick up if he wanted to beat my time.
Well, he sure did cut it close. 1:31 was his finishing time, less than a minute faster than my time. Way to go Aaron!! I guess I have some training to do!
We finished our Sunday with an amazing, over the top, performance of Cirque Du Soleil Totem. If you have the opportunity to see this show..it is amazing! This is my 2nd Cirque show and I am just amazed by the human body. Simply amazing.
This was the tent where the show was performed.
My last out-to-eat meal of the weekend was at Mad Mex mexican restaurant in Shadyside. YUMMMM. A mushroom on top of a bed of lettuce with avocado, corn, chickpeas, tomatoes, peppers (green and red) and cucumbers. Served with a tortilla and cilantro lime and spicy ranch dressing. DELICIOUS..I could have licked the bowl! I can't wait to re-create this salad!
My brother kept me and my family super busy during our stay in Shadyside. As a fabulous tour-guide, there was very little time to sit and relax. But that's ok, I like to be on my feet and see new sights, get inspired by local eats and of course, enjoy life to the fullest.
While sitting in the Posner Auditorium for the Tepper School of Business commencement, thoughts of my graduate commencement ceremony at Florida Atlantic University came to mind. It seemed like yesterday that I was stressed from so many exams, projects and papers as well as my many thoughts of "I can never do this!". Despite my brother being exceptional smart (ok, I have to brag about his 3.82 GPA at Carnegie Mellon, business school), he is part of the elite 50-finest of Pittsburgh as well as a Big Ten High Bar champion and overall, amazing brother. I am so proud of my brother who will be earning a hefty salary at Ernst and Young (starting in August). Most of all, we are both thankful for our amazing parents who have supported us in all our academic endeavors as well as being our number 1 fans for our sport(s) of choice.
My brother and myself have always been motivated by higher learning, mostly because we love to learn and help others. While we both have different fields, I think we share similarities in that we are both type-A individuals who never give up what we start. We both spent our college years as student-athletes and will always enjoy a healthy dose of exercise as a way to stay healthy and stress-free.
After graduation on Saturday, we all woke up super early to head to downtown Pitt for the Pittsburgh marathon and half marathon. I suppose from the pics, you can guess that this was a rainy race! This was my brothers 3rd half marathon (all being at the same race) and the secret was out that my brother had hopes to beat my PR of 1:32.
Well, I didn't doubt him for a minute as I watched my brother all over the course.
My parents and myself saw my brother at mile 1 and 3 and then I cut the course and headed over to mile 9 to catch up once more before the finish. Slightly ahead of the 3:10 marathon pace group at mile 9, I knew my brother was pushing to beat his older sister.
I also cheered on my friend Kim who had a stellar race after an intense IM training week.
I had a great time cheering and running all over the course. I made it to the finish just in time to see my brother at mile 12 1/2, yelling at him to pick up if he wanted to beat my time.
Well, he sure did cut it close. 1:31 was his finishing time, less than a minute faster than my time. Way to go Aaron!! I guess I have some training to do!
We finished our Sunday with an amazing, over the top, performance of Cirque Du Soleil Totem. If you have the opportunity to see this show..it is amazing! This is my 2nd Cirque show and I am just amazed by the human body. Simply amazing.
This was the tent where the show was performed.
My last out-to-eat meal of the weekend was at Mad Mex mexican restaurant in Shadyside. YUMMMM. A mushroom on top of a bed of lettuce with avocado, corn, chickpeas, tomatoes, peppers (green and red) and cucumbers. Served with a tortilla and cilantro lime and spicy ranch dressing. DELICIOUS..I could have licked the bowl! I can't wait to re-create this salad!
