Cold

No one ever told me that Philly was going to be this cold. Since living in Arizona the last 3 winters, I am turned into a winter wimp. I am rather excited about the cold though. 

Very fun to dress warm with coats,scarfs, gloves and hats. Michael and I have been on the search for all new winter clothes. 
Hands down the best part about winter is hot chocolate.  I remember in Utah we used to go to the 7 eleven and get hot chocolate and add all the yummy flavors and tons of mini marshmallows. hmm... so good....

New York, New York!

Michael and I went to New York this weekend. It is only a two hour drive from Philly! HOW CRAZY is that? We had such a great time and saw so much.

We took a bicycle tour of central park. It was interesting to see the dozens of places throughout the park that we recognized from movies like Big Daddy, Home Alone, Maid in Manhattan, and What Happens in Vegas.

The park was massive and so beautiful.

This is as close we got to the Statue of Liberty; good enough for us. 

After a long day of sight seeing we made sure we had a famous Gray's Papaya hot dog. It was good but we both agreed that costco polish dogs still takes the cake. 

This is in front of the New York Stock Exchange. 

This is a memorial wall for the September 11th fire fighters that were killed. This was very neat and emotional to see. There isn't much to see where the WTC towers once stood but there is a distinct feel of the area that was evidence to us of a lasting scar from the 9/11 attacks.

Here is Michael grabbing the bull by the horns down near wall street.

We took the subway everywhere we went. This boy was on his way home from school and was sharing magic tricks with Michael.  If you cant tell Michael was enjoying them.

We also went to Coney Island and hung out at the beach. Michael touched the Atlantic ocean for the first time after having walked by it everyday nearly half of his mission.

Ahhh...This was our last night there and we spent it walking up and down Time Square. The lights reminded us of Vegas. We did not want our trip to end and we can't wait to go back. 

Amish Country

Michael and I took another adventure out to Lancaster PA, to see the Amish country. We had such a great time exploring and really seeing how the Amish have lived for over 300 years.

We stopped to get some home baked treats; Cookies, homemade root beer, and kettle corn. They sure do know how to bake.

We also went on a buggy ride and LOVED IT. We had the best tour guide, he was a old Amish man who know the in's and outs of the whole town. We were told about each home and what the farmer grew on their land. We saw orchards of tobacco, grapes, corn and several other crops. 

This is a picture of one of the farmers and his mules. Crazy that this is really how they get around. We were there when school kids were getting out and we saw all of them walking home and how cute they were dressed.

They had so many great antique shops and also small stores that sold homemade jams, jellys, quilts, baked goods, and honey. You name it they have it home made. Very inspiring to start stepping up on my baking skills.Look at all the pumpkins! The views were amazing,rolling hills that were so green. It made us both think about where we wanted to raise our kids someday and how we want them to be hard workers. These people work very hard for what they have and they have such a simple simple life. It makes you really think about what is really important. 

Eagles Rookie Meal

Each away game the rookies are in charge of buying dinner for veterans in their position. "The famous popeyes chicken dinner" has to be on the teams plane in their seats and HOT before the veterans get on the plane! This weekend the Eagles have an away game, so that leaves Michael in charge of the meal for the players in his position. I think it is the biggest CRACK up!

Here is a picture of Michael calculating in his head how many meals he had to order. He ended up buying 48 pieces of chicken, 6 sides of beans, 6 sides of rice, 12 biscuits, and 15 apple pies!! ARE YOU KIDDING? We spent $110.00 at popeyes chicken, WHO does that? Just another funny tradition the Eagles have.  

Just Cookin

So as some of you may know I have had a bit more free time since we moved to Philadelphia. (wink, wink) I have been enjoying cooking dinner for Michael and I when he gets home from practice. Tonight I made this fabulous chicken dish, a friend directed me to this website with lots of yummy recipes. It is www.getoffyourbuttandbake.blogspot.com I know kind of a funny name but honestly if I can follow these recipes anyone can. Check it out and GOOD LUCK!

Reading Terminal Market

This morning Michael and I explored a few local markets, the Reading Terminal Market and the Italian Market. Reading is an indoor farmers market with stands filled with lots of yummy homemade goods. We enjoyed walking the isles together and trying lots of delicious samples.

This is one of the flower stands. There are also lots of fresh produce stands with locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Many Amish families sell their baked goods here as well. SOO Yummy! It is not nice to stare but the some of the Amish kids are a sight to be seen. 

We had already had enough treats for the day or else we would have tried some of these rolls. We have heard that one of the amish stands sells the best peanut butter cookies. We are going to have to try that next time.

Those of you who know me well, know that the candy isles were by far my favorite part. Michael and I bought chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels.

All and all it was a fun day. Just more spots we would love to share with you guys if you happen to come and visit.

Seeing Philly's Sites. What a day!

I love Michael's new job because he gets every Tuesday off and that means we get to hang out together. I haven't hung out with my hubby this much since we got married. I love his job schedule.

We decided to walk a few blocks from our apartment and see some Historical sites. Here we are at the liberty bell.
This is us at the National Independence Historical Park.  Below, Michael is sitting in a chair where congress once met before the capital moved to the District. Michael wanted me to point out that he is sitting on the right hand side of the room. 

Next we went on the famous "Philly Duck Tour." The tour is given on a six wheel amphibious vehicle that cruises on both land and water through the historical district of Philadelphia. Sounds way dorky but it was really fun.

                    

When you first get on the boat they give you your very own "quacker." When you blow on it, it makes a sound just like a duck. Michael enjoyed that.

There was a lot to see on the tour. We saw the grave site of Benjamin Franklin, the US mint, the home of Betsy Ross, and a number of other historically significant sites. Below is a photo of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to New Jersey from a ducks-eye-view in the Delaware River.

Below are some water front apartments. The tour guide said that after Will Smith, and native of Philadelphia, bought his father an apartment here after filming Independence Day.