We took the kids on a day trip to our old stomping grounds in Pittsburgh. Kade has a fascination with skeletons, especially those belonging to dinosaurs. We decided to take him to the Pittsburgh Museum of Natural History since 1) it would be a good excuse to go to the burgh again and 2) they have one of the best dinosaur collections in the country. We talked about our upcoming trip all week so Kade was beyond excited. Then we checked the Carnegie museums website on Friday night – the dinosaur exhibit is under renovation (i.e. closed till 2007)!!! I immediately panicked, but my level-headed husband (in this instance anyway) said not to worry because it’s probably better that way (there were still a few dinosaurs on display). After our nearly 3 hour trip (thanks to a missed exit) and a delicious lunch at LuLu’s Noodles, we headed into the museum. Kade freaked when he saw the first sign of bones, but after some coaxing we got him to walk through the exhibit. Thank goodness the big dinos were packed up. He was happy to check out the “baby” dinosaurs, but his favorite part was the Indian dancing. There were 2 traditional Indian dancers performing in the museum hall and Kade was mesmerized by them. He has been dancing ever since.

I thought I would be more emotional about going back to the city we loved so much. I went through what I believe now to be a period of depression when we moved back to Sandusky. It was very difficult for me to leave my life, friends and job in Pittsburgh and I fell into a real funk. I have finally come to love our new life in Cleveland and as much as I miss Pittsburgh, our life is pretty great here. Walking around Oakland did remind me of when I was newly pregnant with Kade and I would gently rub my growing tummy in anticipation of the days I would spend with my child – going to the museum, exploring the treasures of the library, having lunch with Daddy at one of our ethnic favorites, walking through campus and the nearby parks. I may not have had the chance to do all of those things in Pittsburgh, but we have done even more here in Cleveland. I guess the trip made me realize that I can’t live wondering what things would have been like. I have to live in the present and make the most of where we are now because that is what made our time in Pittsburgh so great. We made the most of every day of our 6 years there, which is why we missed it so much. So my arms are open Cleveland, I’m ready to stop comparing and start enjoying…

However, I am not technically starting until tomorrow because it is currently SNOWING here (the stick to the ground, cold, blowing kind) and has been all day and it isn’t even Halloween yet so I’m not too happy. Did I mention how much I like fall, yeah, well I’d like a few more weeks of it before winter starts…