i'm still alive

we've been doing a lot of playing, running, and getting dirty. i love my boys.

and not just because it's thanksgiving

i am so grateful to live in this beautiful city

deep thought {but not by jack handy}

a co-worker said something to me the other day that i thought was just hysterical.

"you live a PBS life in an MTV world".

i'll take that as a compliment.

the letter

it all started on thanksgiving day, in 2005.

well, it didn't all start then, but thanksgiving 2005 brought some pretty powerful & juicy details that marked the beginning of tannon & i making our commitment to eachother.

* * * * * * * *

tannon and i met and started dating in january of 2003. we had some great times dating, but we also had our rough patches. fast forward 2.5 years - our relationship was going backwards. we i decided to end things.

we dated other people and went our separate ways.

in november 2005, tannon gave me a very unexpected letter. i can't recall exactly what day he gave it to me, but he made me promise not to open it until thanksgiving day. it's virtually impossible for me to break a promise, so those x amount of days generated much anticipation.

my family always spent thanksgiving in st. george. i was very much enjoying family time and the warm temperatures southern utah offers. without a doubt, this unopened letter was gnawing at me in the back of my mind. i had to prepare, mentally, to read it. i was still in love with tannon, but "knew" it couldn't work out between us.

thanksgiving morning finally came and i locked myself in my room. i breathlessly tore open the evelope that enclosed the most beautifully, poetic letter i have ever read. i read it over and over and over. all of the words i so badly wanted to hear from him were right in front of me.

i had changed. he had changed. and they were changes that needed to happen.

i am so grateful for that letter.

the capitol

it was one of those weekends.

you know, the ones where you have so much fun that going back to work seems excruciating.

we took a mini road trip.

ans stayed with some fun people.

we didn't do much "downtown" tourist-y stuff because jon stewart's rally to restore sanity was taking place. and dc was packed.

we did, however, visit great falls & georgetown.

it was in georgetown that we made a decision that would forever change my life.

we visited georgetown cupcake. this place is insane. we went there two days in a row, just so i could stand in their out-the-door-and-up-the-street-line and enjoy their freshly baked cupcakes. their salted caramel is the one i want to eat every day for the rest of my life. the red velvet, milk chocolate birthday, and pumpkin spice are also to die for. i love cupcakes way, way too much.

him

he:
is quiet, but not shy.
is laid back, but very OCD particular about a lot of things.
keeps nixon in business.
is a very caring, loving, & supportive spouse.
loves ice cream & chocolate more than anyone i've ever met.
is so selfless. he is always thinking of others.
loves his green laser.
has a dream to move to alaska and live off the land.
can't grow a beard, try as he may.
leaves me love notes nearly every morning.
has a really cute singing voice, especially when he sings the deep part in this song.
makes me laugh ALL the time. i don't know why, but most of the things he says i think are hysterical.
loves to fly under the radar. you can imagine how ticked he's going to be when he finds out about this. don't be surprised if tomorrow you find my blog deleted.

shed a little light

any weekend that involves this is okay by me.

utah nerds visit pittsburgh

i'm trying to decide whether having family come visit is worth it. the anticipation of them coming is so exciting. and while they are here i have SO much fun. but then they leave. and i get depressed. and it's all i can do to try and keep my eyes dry the day they drop me off at work and head to the airport. it's awful. and then i get a text from my sister saying that my niece just said, "miss woggy". ugh.

{truth be told, i mostly only get like this when it's my niece who visits}

but let me reminisce a bit and re-live the fun we had while they were here.

day 1: dad, missy {sister} & morgan {2 y.o. niece} arrive at my work in their rental car to pick me up. missy calls me on my phone and says, "we are here... parked outside the door in a red minivan". i had to laugh at the thought of them renting a red minivan. i walk out of my building and walk straight toward the red minvan. i was jumping out of my skin to see my darling niece. as i walk up to the red minivan, i notice one of two things: either my dad has gained a LOT of weight since i last saw him, or this is the wrong red minivan. as i look around, i notice a blue car behind the minivan with two sets of shoulder's in the fronts seats shaking up and down from laughter.

those two think they are so funny.

anyway. i won't bore you with all the details of the visit, just the highlights .

my darling sister gave me a wallet that i'm obsessed with. i love owls and i have a minor obsession with the beatles, so this gift was perfect. she is so thoughtful.

morgan went bowling for her first time. we had a blast. i learned that morgan has some wicked break-dance moves. i have no idea where she gets her weird-ness from.


have i ever told you that i love fall? well, i do. while they were here we were able to squeeze in some fun fall festivities. we went to soergel orchards where morgan had a blast. she rode the train, went through a corn maze, painted a pumpkin, painted a frisbee, won a fake ice cream cone & much more.

morgan came to church with tannon & i while missy & dad ...... who knows what.

our friends were so generous to take us out on their boat and give us a tour of the city. i love pittsburgh.

i was able to take tuesday off of work at the last minute. i am SO glad i did because this was my favorite day of their entire stay. we started our day off with a ridiculous breakfast at deluca's. afterward, we drove about an hour and a half to go see frank lloyd wright's "falling water". this house was amazing and to think of it being built in the '30s just blows my mind.

then, we were able to visit ohiopyle state park. i fell in love with this place. we walked around, took some pictures, enjoyed the amazing weather, sat by the river and indulged in some ice cream. i can't wait to go back. the pictures don't even do this place justice.

i think the entire goal of my dad's pittsburgh stay was to order a calzone at big jim's. the thing is monstrous. here he is in all his glory. tannon & i will be eating the leftovers of this bad boy for weeks.

okay so their visits are totally worth it.

pumpkin lovin'

it's fall. and that means baking. i got this recipe from my friend, kim last year but this is the first time i have put it to use. these pumpkin cookies are melt-in-your-mouth, even-if-you-don't-like-pumpkin-cookies-i-bet-you'll-like-these type cookies.

make them. you won't be disappointed.

best pumpkin cookies

1 cup shortening

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup mashed cooked pumpkin (you can use the canned from the store)

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

Cream shortening and sugars well. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla; mix well. Sift dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture and blend well. Drop onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool and frost.

Frosting:

3 T. butter

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

2 cups powdered sugar

Combine butter and sugar in a saucepan: bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Cool Slightly. Add milk, beat until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar to make a spreading consistency. Spread on cooled cookies.

ticks are jerks.

foodie

since i'm a total foodie and love food way more than i should, i thought i would document some places to eat here in pittsburgh that i really enjoy {in no particular order}

qdoba. i don't know what is wrong with me, but i've been craving mexican lately. and if you know me, that means something is seriously wrong with me. i just haven't figured out what yet.

big jim's. i think this is the first restaurant tannon & i tried when we moved here. my friend, blair, saw it on the food network, so we figured it must be good. it's a family favorite.

church brew works. this place is neat. it's an old church, turned into a brewery. make sure to sit on the left side, though. that's where they serve pizza & subs. the right side is fine dining that will cost you an arm and a leg. we really like their pizza.

buffalo blues. i actually really liked the food here. it's bar food, but it was fun. i think a lot of people go here to drink and watch sports, so it might be a hectic on a game night.

cafe euro. really great food. a little pricey, but worth it.

deLuca's. best.breakfast.ever. no, really.

pamela's. this was the best breakfast place. until i met deLuca's.

sheetz. i know this is really weird, but hear me out. sheetz is a gas station and they sell subs. and they are so good. unfortunately, these aren't actually in pittsburgh, but whenever we travel outside of pittsburgh, we're bound to drive by at least one.

la capella. really good italian food and conveniently located.

monte cello's. another italian restaurant worth mentioning.

judge me all you want.

huh.

it turns out i'm an introvert. i always knew that i needed more 'alone' time than the average person, but i just read this article and now it all makes sense.

you know you have a temperature problem when...

you come into work and see this on your work website:

* * * * * * * *
Fall begins when.........

A) School starts
B) The weather gets cool and you have to wear a jacket.
C) When the calendar says, "Fall begins today."
D) When McCall keeps her heater on all day, instead of most of the day.
E) When the leaves start to change.
F) Samuel Adams Octoberfest beer comes out.

zucchini & red onion flatbread

i saw this recipe a while back on the sister's dish and thought it looked very interesting. then, my friend, sarah, said she made it so i wanted to give it a shot. i'm so glad i did! i will be making this again and again.

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough (i made this one)
3/4 cup cream cheese (i actually didn't have that much cream cheese, so i puree'd some cottage cheese to make up the difference)
to taste: dill, pepper, garlic salt, italian seasoning, parsley, oregano, etc.
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 small red onion, cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds
1 zucchini (yellow or green), cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds
3 T. chopped fresh parsley or your favorite herbs -(i used Rosemary)
olive oil

1. chop veggies. prepare dough. preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. combine cream cheese with dill, garlic salt, and other desired seasonings.

3. brush a large baking sheet with olive oil, and stretch dough out in the pan.

4. spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough, sprinkle with parmesan.

5. arrange 1 row of zucchini slices down 1 long side of the dough. arrange onion rounds in a row alongside zucchini. repeat until all is used. brush vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with s + p.

6. bake until puffy and golden brown, about 24 minutes. sprinkle with fresh herbs.

i caught a bug

i'm officially addicted to photography. i'm not any good, but i'm sure having a heck of a time pretending.

i have been taking an online photography class. and i love it.



my teacher, faith, is so sweet that she even featured one of my pictures. i'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with the photographer, but all to do with the subject. i'll take what i can get.

public

for several reasons, i have decided to make my blog public.

go ahead and add me to your google reader.

or not.

one thing i learned today

today, everyone is peppy.
everyone is pumped.
everyone is smiling.

it's like they're in utopia.

the steelers (a.k.a. 'stillers') are playing tonight.

pitt utah is playing tonight.

pittsburgers la la love their football.

**************

my boss is determined to help me understand football bookkeeping.

his dad was an illegal bookkeeper for college football

and i'm preeeeetty sure he had something to do with the mafia.

anyway. today he's teaching me about spreads, juice, push, over & under, you name it.

he won't stop quizzing me. my brain is starting to hurt.

on the syllabus for tomorrow's training: parleys & teezers.

wish me luck.

p.s. go U.T.A.H.!

i'm going there someday

i am now accepting donations to go on this cruise. i pretty much dream about it at night.

Day 1. Auckland, New Zealand

Embark the m/s Paul Gauguin in the stunning harbor of Auckland, known as the "City of Sails."

Day 2. Tauranga, New Zealand

The city of Tauranga is at the head of a large harbor and has beautiful beaches. Take the day to climb Mt. Mauao, a small mountain with spectacular views of the coastline, or explore the area's kiwifruit industry.

Day 3. Bay of Islands, New Zealand

This bay has 144 tiny isles and an abundance of interesting marine life for guests to see, including penguins, whales and dolphins.

Days 4 - 5. At Sea

At sea, with wildlife and history lectures, trips to the casino or piano bar and Polynesian dance revues.

Day 6. Nuku’Alofa, Tonga

Disembark at Nuku’Alofa, the tiny capital of the tiny kingdom of Tonga. Meander along mellow streets and visit stone churches and the Victorian-style Royal Palace.

Days 7 - 8. At Sea

Days at sea, with still plenty left to do onboard, including luxuriating in the ship’s award-winning spa, with its professional facials, body wraps, aromatherapy and beauty treatments.

Day 9. Rarotonga, Cook Islands It may be the capital and most populous isle of the Cook Islands, but Rarotonga’s population is even smaller than Nuku’Alofa’s, at just 14,000. Its unpolluted and crystalline Muri Lagoon is a snorkeler’s dream locale.

Day 10. Nuku’Alofa, Tonga

If you didn’t have a chance on Day 6, today is another day to explore the fruit and flower marketplaces of Nuku’Alofa in Tonga.

Day 11. At Sea

Learn how to move to the intricate rhythms of Polynesian dance, or bask in the sweet sounds of a Parisian chanteuse at the La Palette Lounge.

Day 12. Bora Bora

One of the most famous and most photographed spots on Earth, towering Bora Bora was justly described by author James Michener as “the most beautiful island in the world.” Choose from the many optional excursions, such as a glass-bottom boat ride to feed stingrays, or simply relax on the beach.

Day 13. Taha’a (Motu Mahana)

Spend a full day discovering the isolated French Polynesian islet of Motu Mahana, where the cruise hosts an exclusive barbecue lunch with Polynesian musicians and singers.

Day 14. Moorea/Papeete, Tahiti

The jagged skyline of Moorea’s once-volcanic peaks makes it one of the premier honeymoon destinations in the world. A number of adventures await: catamaran sailings, visits to ancient Tahitian stone temples or golfing on one of the most scenic courses imaginable.

Day 15. Papeete, Tahiti

Papeete, Tahiti’s capital, is cosmopolitan but still laid-back, despite the locals’ complaints of “traffic.” It’s here you will bid a fond farewell to your new friends and crew as you disembark in the morning.

1.2.3.

while my partner-in-crime was away for a week, i kept busy by romping the pittsburgh streets with these two crazies.

we had so much fun. when i'm around them, i laugh. a lot. i love my mom & gramsy.

call me anything you'd like

i have a lot of nicknames. i blame my dad for most of them. a few of you have recently asked for definitions of them, so i thought i'd share them {along with their backgrounds} with you.

*cally: this is without a doubt the most frequently used one. this is what you will hear tannon refer to me as, unless i'm in trouble... then it's mccall. i don't like it when he calls me mccall. i think you can pretty much guess where it comes from. you know, mccall --> mccally --> cally. pretty easy.

*callywog: because it rhymes with pollywog.

*mugwomp: i really have no idea where this one came from. my dad called me this all the time while growing up.

*poopstain: again, i'm blaming my dad. i think i used to call him this when i was younger. one day, i broke my arm and asked him to be the first to sign my cast. he told me to close my eyes. the rest of my cast-wearing-months i had to walk around with "POOPSTAIN" written in ginormous, bold caps on the darn thing. occasionally, my dad will whip this one out, but only when it's completely inappropriate.

*woggy: this might be a stretch, but here goes: mccall --> mccally --> callywog --> wog ---> woggy. {pronounced wah-ggy}. a lot of people have the urge to say wooogy, but i don't know why, since there is one "o" and two "g"s. all i know is that i treasure this name. it's what my immediate and {some} extended family call me, including my 2 year old niece. i melt into a big, fat puddle when i hear her sweet voice call me by this name.

*shelf: yep, because of my shelf-butt, which was much cuter in high school.

*hammer: my boss has the entire law firm referring to me as "the hammer". it's quite ridiculous, actually. the boss-man says "she's the enforcer. no construction gets done without the hammer". ridiculous.

i love surprises. especially this one.

the other day, tannon decided to go into the thrift store next door while i picked up some things at JoAnn. he came back very excited and told me that he got me a surprise. i was scared to find out what this surprise was, coming from the thrift store. he then proceeded to whip out this lovely package of red velvet Sprinkle's cupcake mix, complete with peppermint snow crushed up candy canes and a Williams Sonoma scoop spatula. i seriously thought i might cry. these cupcakes are my absolute favorite, but i don't get to have them very often because they are nearly a dollar a cupcake. tannon got this entire package for $2!! i was (let's be honest, i still am) thrilled.

biploar disease

remember my last post?

well, now i'm about to list a reason i don't like pittsburgh.

it's 1,836 miles away from her.

the other day, morgan (my 2 yr old neice) and her mom (missy, my sister) were making morgan's bed. randomly, morgan said to missy, "want woggy back". (i'm woggy).

this girl has my heart.

don't blink

i can't wrap my head around the fact that we've called this place home for a year.
a year!

things i love about pittsburgh: (in no particular order)

1. my friends. i really can't stand the thought of me not having them so close for the rest of my life.
2. it's beautiful here. the trees, green-ness (i like to make up my own words), bridges, old buildings, grey skies, sky-scrapers, stadiums. it's all so, so lovely. just kidding about the grey skies part.
3. my new-found hobbies. i had to get kind of creative once i moved here (i know, heaven forbid). i have found new things that i enjoy doing that i don't think i otherwise would have even attempted.
4. my calling. why does nursery have such a bad rep? i love it. those kids make me smile.

5. cinemas in the park. each week, local participating parks play a family-friendly movie outside for free.

6. the restaurants. i think we could go out to different places every day for the next three years and still be discovering new, fun places to eat.

7. the wildlife. we see squirrels, chipmunks, deer, & groundhogs all over in our yard and i love it. two days in a row, i saw the same deer 'family' - a mom and her two babies. so darling!

8. the rivers. i could have just lumped this into #2, but i feel they deserve their own number. pittsburgh is nestled in-between two rivers that form the Ohio river. one of our favorite things to do is ride our bikes along the 'trails' by the river.

9. i love that there are lots of fun places within a relatively short drive. since living here, we have visited columbus, washington d.c., erie, & west virginia. there are a lot of places on our bucket list that i'm excited for.
10. the thunderstorms. they are second to none.
11. the library system.
12. oh and we can't forget about our Steelers. i have never seen a place so obsessed with their sports team(s). this house is even painted with Steeler pride.