HERE WE GO...Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl!

I went home to Butler this weekend, and my trip was fabulous! First of all...I dedicate this blog to my Pittsburgh Steelers, who overcame a lot of ridiculous mistakes (penalties) on offense to take the AFC Championship last night. And how about our defense, led by the insane Troy Polamalu?? Though his touchdown run was awesome and all, I particularly liked the part where he jumped over our entire defensive line and pushed Joe Flacco away from the first down mark with his bare hands. If you couldn't tell, I am SO excited that Pittsburgh is going to another Super Bowl, and I look forward to watching them crush Arizona in two weeks. I hear Steely McBeam eats cardinals for breakfast...just saying.


Those of you with an eye for hometown goodies will notice that this Terrible Towel was being used to catch the crumbs of Eat 'N' Park Smiley cookies (well, okay, maybe not...but we thought it made for a good picture). And these were not just ANY Smiley cookies we had as game-time snacks...they were Steelers Smileys!! My mom and I had lunch at Eat 'N' Park on Saturday afternoon, and she kindly bought them for me after I decided that they were a must for Sunday's game. My favorite cookie honoring my favorite team! Doesn't get much better (or yummier) than that.

It was so cold in Butler while I was home (below zero with the wind chill), but I was nice and warm due to a belated Christmas gift from my parents:

This is a terrible picture of me (I'm not so good with the self-portraits), but check out this hat!! It is so warm and fuzzy...I absolutely love it. For those of you (like my sister) that think I look ridiculous, you're probably right. But in my opinion, it's okay to look ridiculous if you rock it, and I rock this hat. And so, I will continue to wear this hat proudly until the weather warms up.

While I was in town, my parents and I also hit up the ol' Regal for a movie, even though I no longer know enough managers still working there to be guaranteed free admission! Going to movies there is strange for me because all of the non-managerial employees (what we used to call "vests" back in the day because of the awful vest/bow-tie uniform we had to wear) look like they are 12 years old! I'm sure they are 16, and I'm sure I looked just as young when I worked there...but wow, I felt old watching those high school kids trying to upgrade my dad's combo order. Anyway, we decided to see Gran Torino, and it was amazing. Clint Eastwood was so badass! His movies always tell such great stories, and this one was no exception.

This visit was exactly the therapy I needed to start feeling good again. My family took great care of me while I visited, and I didn't feel frustrated by all of the little things they did to help -- instead, it felt nice to be doted on. My dad put new windshield wiper fluid in my car, and cleaned off all the snow. My mom partitioned all my laundry (that she washed and ironed!) into several small grocery bags so I wouldn't have to lift anything heavy, and even packed me a lunch for the road! My grandmother loaded me up with cookies, which I am never, ever too old for! And my grandfather and I had a really nice time watching the game. It was nice to feel so special for a weekend.

Leaving was hard to do today, and not just because the traffic at the turnpike exit for Washington, D.C. was insane and the weather in Harrisburg was awful. I just really enjoyed being home, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that (I used to). Now I know that sometimes it's okay to be a kid again and go back home for the weekend. I am just grateful that when I get to be a kid again, I am always my parents' kid...and when I go home again, I go to Butler, PA (that little town north of Pittsburgh that people can't ever seem to find on a map).