Usually when I daydream about my birthday celebrations, I envision sun and sandy beaches, or at the very least, doing something in the warm indoors. This year Adam suggested we embrace the winter weather and go skiing just outside of Pittsburgh. It was an adventure. Yes, I may have cried just little when I got to the top of the first slope and looked down at certain death-by-face-to-tree, but I made it through my second ever attempt at skiing without breaking anything or bringing anyone down with me on one of my many tumbles. I feel like a stronger person having survived my 31st birthday, even though I did it with just as much grace as my stunt double shown here in the bottom of this photo. [Ashley takes a bow]. Ps – You apparently don’t want to ride a ski lift with me

My good-lookin’ posse rang in 2012 with masquerade masks and techno lights in Pittsburgh. Definitely fun. However, I see flannel PJs and a scrabble tournament in my future for New Year’s Eve 2012. Maybe even a snuggie. Watch out! I might get crazy!

Last night I lead a craft workshop titled, “Stampify Your Holidays” at Wild Card in Lawrenceville. It’s amazing how fast 3 hours will fly by when you’re crafting, chatting, sipping wine and munching on gourmet cookies. We had some bright and beautiful finished creations to adorn wrapping paper, gift bags, tags and note cards. Martha Stewart, watch out!

• Drove to Ohiopyle
• Unintentionally mountain biked
• Broke a mountain bike
• Drove to Kentuck Knob
• Hiked around an outdoor sculpture garden
• Drove to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater
• Decided I also want a glass living room with stairs descending into a running creek

It was a beautiful, eventful, inspirational and quad-crushing day (I’m working on my gratitude skills for Thanksgiving).

I must represent 1% of the female population that stands at or over 6′ tall. I’ve been told many times, “you make me feel so short.” This sculpture by German artist Martin Honert, at the current exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London, gave me quick sense of sympathy for my vertically challenged friends. I have to say, I think I prefer being the one towering over people versus looking up (it’s not so bad once you’re out of high school and every guys isn’t 5′ 3″). The Saatchi Gallery is always good for a perspective-changing experience.

After staring at 80 pages of text on a computer screen, it was incredibly gratifying to hold my bound dissertation in my hands. May life now return to “normal.” On to the way to London to wrap this up, I frantically wrote on the plane in the dark while everyone slept. On the way back to Pittsburgh, I watched three trashy mindless movies and one stand-up comedy gig (and love it). Whew! Onto the next big thing.

I’m a little embarrassed that waited until after I moved from London and came back as a tourist to take an east end street art tour. Better late than never. A girlfriend and I went on the Alternative London Tour today. It was the most insightful and entertaining two hours of my trip so far. I highly recommend it. It was a great history lesson as well about the development of the area through centuries of immigrant communities building a textile industry that influenced the art culture there.

As I much as I despise  the colder weather, I will gladly admit that it means pumpkins are available in abundance (both for painting and eating). This past weekend was a great start to October’s chilling weather by decorating these three beauties with friends.