Last week I said I was out of excuses for not blogging regularly, now that I’m starting to feel more energetic as I enter my second trimester. Well, it turns out I think I do have another great excuse for neglecting my blog:
Moving.
Yes, we are moving in 8 short days. And I am not nearly finished packing. I really can’t believe it’s almost here. It makes me sad…but also excited for new things. When we moved to Pittsburgh five years ago (on a very hot August day!), I thought five years seemed like a really, really long time. How would we ever get through it?? Hey, don’t blame me for feeling that way…we didn’t know a soul in this town when we moved here!
But now that five years has almost come and gone, I’m left wondering how it passed so quickly. And darn it, I start to get tears in my eyes when I think about leaving behind so many memories, friends, and special places (some of that might be hormones, too).
Don’t get me wrong, I would never want to redo these past five years. They were filled with plenty of struggles, heartaches, and tough growing pains. In a lot of ways, I really feel like I “grew up” in Pittsburgh. I got my first “real” job post college, realized that office life wasn’t for me, started my own business, quit my day job, and began doing photography full-time. Oh and Jay got a masters and PhD in the midst of all that. Now we’re bona fide grownups expecting our first child.
So Pittsburgh will always hold a special place in my heart. And so will this old apartment we’ve been living in the past five years. You see, strangely enough, this apartment will be the longest place I have ever lived in my life. Five stinking years. All the rest of my life has been moving from place to place, never staying longer than four years. So you’d think I’d be an expert at packing.
But I’m not. So that’s my excuse for ignoring the blog. Just be prepared for me to ignore it some more these next few weeks as we move and settle into our new home in Maryland.
How about a nostalgic photo? Here’s one I took of our apartment five years ago before we moved in. Believe me, it does not look this empty now. But it has to by the end of next week!!
by mary
Mark Schwarz - Mary … Great post. I guess I am only one of three people who remembers that dreadfully HOT day. I can’t imagine a more hot day, or more steps to the second floor. But we did it and I’m glad to have shared in that memorable day.
I never imagined how your lives would change during those five years, but I never doubted that both of you would succeed together. It was just a matter of finding your way and find out how the game was played.
Of course, I am super proud of Jay. He overcame a rough start to finish at the top. And that is an accomplishment no one can every take away from him. But, you have grown in so many ways individually and professionally. Who would have ever imagined that you would have become an accomplished photographer and business owner. It was a “bold” move, but once again I never doubted you could do it. Look how your confidence has grown!
You two have so much to be proud of. I hope you are looking as much to what the future holds as we are for you. We love both of you and will always be your biggest supporters! We’ll see you in a few days.
Dad
Vincent Pugliese - We never did figure out meeting for lunch! It’s understandable, with you having a baby, us having a baby, you moving…if you have a spare moment for a meal in the next eight days, let me know! Good luck with the move, go kill it in D.C.!