primanti’s

The Eve of the Big Day

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I know, I know. I’m moving in reverse. I know I live-blogged about the day before our wedding, but I left out a lot of stuff, like about the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner.

Oh, and — as Chris just reminded me — how our sink exploded that morning.

Okay, I’m being dramatic. There was a leak and a bit of a mess, right before we were leaving to begin our prep day. We looked at each other and realized there really wasn’t much of anything we could do at that point other than clean it up, have minimal use of the sink, ask our friends who were checking on Graham to make sure nothing fell apart, and hope for the best.

(Nothing fell apart, and all is well.)

We got our nails done, did a bunch of prep with some friends and family, and then went upstairs to get ready for our rehearsal and also some cookie dropoff.

(Guys, our cookie table was epic, and that isn’t an exaggeration, but you’ll have to wait to see that for yourselves in a post or two).

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Sister-in-Law Amy demonstrating how to sit down or something, I guess.

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Luck

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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how lucky I am. Like, not “find a four-leaf clover on my way to cash my million-dollar lottery prize” luck, but the luck that gets me through each day with such incredible people; the luck that got me the family that I have.

Growing up a fat, nerdy, pretty gay kid in a small town in West Virginia is not for the faint-hearted. And I definitely had some amazing friends, but I was so lucky to have the parents that I did. They loved me (and even liked me most of the time!) no matter what — mouthy teenage years, gay, bad girlfriends, car wrecks, and everything in between. I was…a handful, to say the least. Different parents would have turned their backs on me, tried to pray the gay away, tried to talk me out of dating someone. Well, maybe that last one would have been a good idea…

Anyway, I guess what I’m saying is that I feel so lucky to have who I do. My thoughts always turn kind of sad this time of year, so I guess that’s what this is all about.

I am sad and happy today. Sad that my dad died. Grateful that my mom is so awesome. Sad that it’s been 12 years. Happy for the 26 that we had before that. Angry that he’s gone when it seems so unfair. Lucky that my mom has done such a good job of being two parents since then.

 

 And looking great while doing it.

  My graduation from college.

I remember the first (only?) time my dad had a Primanti’s sandwich. We were going with a work friend of his, Dave, to Italian Oven, but it had closed, so his friend suggested Primanti’s. Having gone to college downtown, I was familiar, and so was Dave. Dad said, “That’s all your going to order — just a sandwich?” Thinking that wouldn’t be enough, he also ordered a bowl of chili. Too many years have passed to remember the exact conversation that followed our food being brought out, but needless to say, he soon understood why “just a sandwich” would probably have been okay.

At Christmas every year, my family somehow ends up talking about some strange topic, often sexual. And that’s how the task of explaining what a tossed salad was to my mom. By the end of it, we were both in tears from laughter, barely able to speak. Whenever I see that item on a menu, I always think of that Christmas Eve.

If you have parents, hug them. Call them. Enjoy them. If you don’t, give yourself a minute to think about them and just feel — be happy, be sad, be grateful, be honest — let yourself feel how you feel, have a good cry and/or a good laugh, and remember something fun.

Cheers to my parents — sorry you got stuck with me, but I’m grateful that you did! 

Staycation, Day 3

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Apparently, I have to clear something from yesterday’s post up. Earlier this week, Primanti Bros. did this giveaway thing and asked Twitter followers to tweet something with a creative use of #WhenPigsFly (the name of their new sandwich). So…I tweeted this.

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Future SIL Amy was confused and told me I needed to explain the tweet, so I did. Happy, Amy?

Coincidentally, I went to Primanti’s today and tried the new sandwich, and it was spectacular. Holy crap. Throw some smoked chipotle Tabasco on there (that you either have to ask for or hope you’re seated next to a condiment station and can steal), and it is a party in your mouth.

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Look how happy I am! Also, it looks a bit like it’s a party in my shirt, too.

Going to dinner and picking up cookies (happy birthday, Aubrey! Good choice of restaurant!) was the most productive thing I did. I started watching “Scandal” on Netflix and accidentally watched six episodes. Whoops. But I’m on vacation, so I don’t feel that bad. Tomorrow will be more productive. Tomorrow, I bake a cake, and you’ll be along for the journey. Tune in!

It was a good day. Entertaining TV followed by good food and good company. Really can’t ask for more.

My staycation is almost over! Oh, no! I meant to be more productive, but I think I’m getting better at this relaxing thing. I think that’s a good thing. And the house (and its necessary work) will be there next week. Right?

Right. Where’s that remote?

Staycation, Day 2

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The day started off well (sleeping in) and ended well (thank-you notes with the lady) and had some awesomeness in between (errands and lunch with a friend), so, basically, a perfect day.

I slept in until 9:00! I was also up for an hour and a half in the middle of the night, but…9:00!

Before lunch, I decided that was the perfect time to switch out the cable boxes and, as a result, was a tiny bit late.

But lunch was with my friend Angela, who I haven’t seen since right after I started dating Chris three years ago. We probably live 20 minutes apart, so there really is no excuse. And you know those friends you have where you pick up right where you left off and talk for almost two hours? Yeah, she’s one of those friends. And she took time away from her adorable daughter, which she seldom does. I felt very special.

Then errands. I got Chris a squishy kitchen mat for when she does the dishes. I meant it to be much nicer gift than it sounds. More “how sweet,” less “your place is in the kitchen.”

(We follow some stereotypes based on our appearance but not all. For instance, I’m [outwardly] the more butch of the two of us, but I’m the one who likes to shop. And the one with the shorter crying fuse.)

Tonight, we finished up thank-you cards for the party. Of course, I was tearing up. What else is new?

I think my staycation may be a little boring, but it’s kind of awesome.

Tomorrow — more errands! I do love a good errand. And dinner for a friend’s birthday.

Oh, and the most exciting thing to happen today involved Primanti Bros. Not only do they now follow me on Twitter, but I won a t-shirt because of this tweet:

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Not from Pittsburgh? Don’t know what Primanti’s is? It’s a giant sandwich with coleslaw and fries on it. And they also have delicious, delicious wings. I’m going there tomorrow, so there may or may not be a picture.

How exciting!