Thursday, May 31, 2007

life in the 'burgh


We are excited to finally get involved in the blogging scene! I (Libby) thought an appropriate first post would be a patchy overview of our life here in Pittsburgh, since most of our wonderful friends and family haven't experienced it. So, here goes nothing!

DJ is loving dental school at University of Pittsburgh. So far he has enjoyed the way the school's curriculum is structured. He's in the lab working on lots of teeth (both fake and real--however none are on real people), and it seems he is getting a good start on a lot of actual procedures. That's not to say I don't think some things are unnecessary (like the name and location of every nerve in the foot), but he enjoys it. He probably wouldn't tell you that it's hard, but I will! He is always studying for the next big exam, but don't worry, we're able to squeeze in time for our little family.


(that is the only picture I could find that represented dental school. The ceil blue scrubs are a required article every day.) There are some great guys in his class (many of whom also happen to have wonderful wives), and we're having a good time getting to know them.


I am a working woman these days. I work at a wonderful company called DynaVox Technologies. The company provides augmentative communication devices for those who are non-verbal. Our main base is people with autism, cerebral palsy, and traumatic brain injury. Who would have thought my Music Dance Theater degree would have landed me there? Regardless, I really like it. Right now I am working in the Key Accounts department doing some analysis of marketing strategies. Come July my position will most likely change (for the better, I think). As for theater, I check all the websites for auditions far too often, and far too often I find not much posted. Most of the companies here only audition once a year. I've gone to a few auditions, but nothing has panned out yet. It turned out to be a blessing because I found this wonderful job, but I am still looking for shows to do on the side.

I am putting my talents to use though! I was just called to the best calling in the whole world: primary chorister! I have loved it so far. I get worried sometimes, because it is a big responsibility, but it seems to be going well so far. DJ is in the primary as well as a CTR 8 teacher. He also enjoys being with the kiddos, and we enjoy being called to the same organization.

As for Pittsburgh itself, it is wonderful! The opening picture is of us at a Pirates game. They have an incredible stadium (view from Three Rivers Stadium shown below), with incredible fireworks shows, and a not-so-incredible team.
There are TONS of places to eat here. As our real estate agent put it: "people here...not so in to fitness. We eat!" We're slowly but surely trying them out. If you ever come to visit, we can take you out for some yummy food (unless, of course, you want Mexican. No Mexican in Pittsburgh). We're trying to stay fit, regardless of the yummy food. Because gyms are so few and far between and the passes are almost three times as much as they are in Utah, we purchased a treadmill (I had to beg for months). And now that it is getting warmer, we go out and play tennis at least two or three times a week. DJ is very good, and he is trying to teach me to hit the ball over the net. I'm working on it. Anyway, there's much more to share, but this is getting ridiculously long, so I'll save it for another post another time.

We miss our wonderful friends and family so much! We hope this will make it easier for you to keep up with us, and us with you. Thanks for stopping by.

20 comments:

Jonny, Mel, Aaron said...

First comment ever on the Jones family blog!! I feel honored. The blog looks great, and it's good to know you're doing well. :)

Amy F said...

Hooray! Very nice... well done. I love it, and I hope you will keep us well-informed so that it isn't too hard to keep up with the Joneses!

I love the Disney picture... how come I've never thought of taking that picture?? :(

Let us know when/what you decide about which job position to take??

Dad (TMF) said...

Good to see you are still in love. Can't seem to keep you hand off each other.

libby said...

Jonny: I thought the bright blue might be a little overpowering, but it's kind of growing on me. What do you think?

Amy: I can't take credit for the picture idea. We just followed suit after we saw someone else take the same picure. I would be extra impressed if you could tell me which ride that wall is apart of...

Dad: I guess you can be the judge of that when you get here. Less than three weeks...

Amy F said...

Hmmm... I don't have any idea which ride that is a part of. I would have said it is a wall down by the castle, but I guess I'm wrong since you say it is a part of a ride. Hmmm... guess I wouldn't be good at finding all the hidden Mickey ears.

libby said...

Amy:
I was wrong. Sorry! It is part of an attraction. Look for it when you go to the interactive talk with crush--i'm pretty sure it's on the way out.

DJ thinks the hidden mickey ears are fake. I guess I'll have to do some research and see if he's right.

paul said...

i like the fireworks picture...who took it?

libby said...

Paul:
Another of the LDS Dental students. He practiced for a while before the fireworks started to be able to hold the camera still enough to use the night vision. Have you ever tried taking pictures on night vision? Next to impossible. He did it though, and I think it turned out well.

Jonny, Mel, Aaron said...

Bill, I like the colors.

Jonny, Mel, Aaron said...

I still haven't heard much about the new job offer. What will you be doing if you switch positions?

paul said...

night vision meaning no flash and holding the camera really still? i have tried that and doesn't work well without a tripod or something to set the camera on.

i assume you didn't mean he used night vision goggles to be able to see where you at when pointing the camera?

Stephen said...

oh hello my jones' side of the family. would it be proper to just write "keeping up with the jones" instead of 'keeping up with the joneses"?

libby said...

jonny: the new position is inside sales. I would basically be doing a lot of outbound calling with the goal of selling x number of devices in a year. It is commission based, and seems like a great job. I just have to decide if I want to do something more detail oriented with lots of variety, or something more self-driven that is more monotonous. I definitely think the executive assistant job falls better within my personality, but I'm definitely willing to stretch myself. It looks like I'll be meeting with HR on Wednesday to get a better idea of how the jobs compare. I'll let you know!

libby said...

Paul:
Right, no goggles.

libby said...

Stephen:
We could do that, but don't you think 'Joneses' is funner?

paul said...

definitely funner.

deej said...

stephen: http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/90/5/708
--this helped me out when we were trying to figure out what to name the blog. also, see you soon.

libby said...

and there you have it.

Amy F said...

DJ with the slap down.

I'll look for the "Happily Ever After..." today... we're going to enjoy perhaps our last time at Disneyland/Cal. Adventure, as our passes end this month. I don't know if/when we'll renew. ::::((((

Let us know about the HR meeting...

petey said...

deej/stevey.
it might also have to do with whether you are keeping us with the two people named jones (jones')or the things that belong to joneses (joneses)...