Back after 18 years!

Where did I go back to after 18 years? That would be Philadelphia, PA, the city of brotherly love. I went there the summer of 1991 on a family reunion trip. Here is a photo, courtesy of my parents, of the kids in front of the Liberty Bell. Can you tell which child is me? And now, 18 years later, with friends Amanda and Christina.

This was just a quick weekend trip to visit Amanda's house actually and pick up some china from Amanda's mom for a tea party we're going to have. Her parents live in a darling cottage outside of Philly. And since her parents were such amazing hosts we felt like we were staying in a B&B. Not kidding there was a little bedside table with a rose and drinks plus a basket full of random shampoos/soaps/toothpaste/etc. for us to use. And the next morning even though Amanda's mom had to be at work by 5am or something, she still laid out a beautiful breakfast for us. So sweet. We enjoyed our stay very much.

We met up with Stacy and Krissa after visiting the Liberty Bell and we all went to the market where the highlight was definitely the baker's dozen of delecious gourmet cookies that we purchased and then divided into 5 parts so we could all sample each one. This is a video of Amanda cutting up the cookies. She was taking her job very seriously. The cookies were AMAZING!!!

The rest of the day was spent walking around Philly, taking random photos, visiting the Art museum, running up the Rocky stairs which I actually never knew were in Philly. (I don't know that I've actually even seen that whole movie...) The museum was probably my favorite art museum I've ever been to. They don't just have art on the walls, they have entire rooms that are from all over the world. This was one of my favorites. Christina and I walked in and both of us were instantly reminded of Sound of Music when Maria is dancing in the ballroom. I of course had to take a picture of me doing the same. I just wish I would have had a dress on like hers.

The funny part about this trip is when Amanda gave us a list of "must dos" for our day in Philly, the majority had to do with food. I already talked about the cookies, the other two major foods were soft Pretzels and Philly steak and cheese. The pretzel story is kind of ridiculous, but basically we couldn't find a place open and we finally found one when we were on our way home. They were good but I prefer Pretzel Time (which always reminds me of hanging out in the St.George mall when I was in middle school). And for the Philly steak and cheese, those of you who know me best will recognize that steak is not something I usually eat, but I sacrificed, and it was surprisingly delicious. I took off about half the steak that they piled on, but combined with the onions and peppers and some ketchup, I enjoyed it. I think I could handle eating one every few years...

All in all, the trip was fantastic. I love living in a place where weekend road trips can take me to places so different and historical.