One of my favorite places in Philly

Autumn colors are one of my favorite things.  Every year I tell Clark that we have to go around and take photos of the changing seasons, wherever we may be.  This year, I wanted to take photos inside the Woodland Cemetery.  I've blogged about this cemetery before.  It's so beautiful and serene.  I hardly feel like I'm in the city when I walk around or run here.

I got a little carried away with Picasa on some of these.  I apologize, but at the same time I don't because the colors POP even more with certain image processing features.

Clark got to be my model for the day.  He wasn't too thrilled about it, but hey, he had to oblige my wishes because I'm his wife and this was an outing I had been looking forward to for days.

I just love this one.

Me: ohhhh Clark! Go stand under that tree branch!

Clark: *sigh*

Rachel: You should just be happy you have a wife who wants to take pictures of you.

Clark: *sigh*

And his face shows his enthusiasm so well.  What a good sport.

I went overboard.  But with gorgeous autumn colors, I really couldn't help myself.  

Frankenstorm 2012

We're safe and sound. Whew, I'll bet you were worried.  Or maybe you have no idea what is going on over here on the East coast.  Apparently my brother and sister-in-law down in Alexandria just lost power.  I'm sure we'll face similar circumstances here in Philly in a couple of hours.  It's been pretty windy and rainy, but nothing majorly disconcerting. I'm just praying our windows don't blow out.  That would ruin my October.  Now that we finally have a sofa (we're grown ups!), I could see it getting destroyed by shards of glass.   There I go, letting my pessimistic mind get the best of me!

  I'm now behind on clinical hours due to Frankenstorm trying to roll her big ass through Philly.  Thanks, Sandy. Clinic was closed today and it's closed tomorrow.  Classes have also been cancelled for today and tomorrow. Bridges are now closed. Officials are keeping this city safe, that's for sure.

Poor Mr. Clark had to walk to work tonight.  He had the misfortune of being scheduled tonight, and he wouldn't allow me to drive him.  The winds weren't that bad, but he felt walking would be the safer than driving or biking.  He's planning on sleeping at the hospital in the morning when his shift ends.  I guess last year when the hurricane rolled through, cots were available at the hospital for employees. Chances are, he'll probably have to sleep in a room with 20 other people.  He was smart and brought ear plugs along, though.    

Welp, we finally had reason to tear the plastic off these containers and fill them up!  Yay for being prepared! To answer your question: no, we don't keep them filled because they are heavy and really hard to store when filled.  I realize it's probably the smart thing to do...

 Our tub is now filled just in case the water supply is disrupted and we even filled up some of our empty milk bottles.  Frozen containers of water in the freezer, too. Gosh, we done got all prepared up in here.  

Here's to hoping Sandy won't wreak havoc on this city.  For completely selfish reasons, I don't want to miss more clinical time and have to make up hours at the end of the semester! I also want our couch to remain in almost pristine condition!  

Here's to hoping this storm isn't as great and terrible as she's been made out to be.  I really hope everyone has a safe place to stay as she makes her way through.

UPDATE 10/30 am: the storm eased it's way through Philly.  Very anticlimactic (in a good way, of course). Pray for those affected by this storm, those that have been injured, the families who have lost loved ones.  We still have power unlike many on the East coast...

A Weekend Visit

The Boston Toblers came to visit us a couple of weekends ago and it was so much fun!  I couldn't hang out with them on Friday due to academic purposes, but we were able to spend the entire day Saturday touring Philly and seeing all the main attractions. Unfortunately, I didn't take too many photos but please head over to Janet and Chad's blog for a more complete description of their visit!

Violet celebrating at Game Pieces Plaza!

Aw, look at cute little Lucia strolling around the rook.

Welp, obviously the girls didn't really want to cooperate on demand.

We're so happy you guys kept your word and paid us a visit! We're sure going to miss you guys when you move to Houston!

Virginia is for Lovers...but I'm pretty sure that every other state is, too.

A couple of weekends ago we went down to Alexandria and Baltimore to see Scott and Dagmara and meet our newest niece Georgianna Tobler (and to see Kyle, Kim, Charlie and Greta, of course).  Wilst staying with my brother in Alexandria, we took an afternoon trip an hour away to explore some caverns.  I almost bought this mug at the gift shop...but my thrifty side talked me down. Can't I get a mug that says Pennsylvania is for Lovers? Can't Pennsylvania have this slogan, too?

I can't even tell you what I'm talking a photo of.  Some baby stalactites, I think. 

Clark and Dagmara were so excited about the controlled cavern exploration, but Scott was just too in love with his wife to even feign interest.

Hooray for caves, even if the stalactites and stalagmites I've seen in a cavern in AZ were bigger. (Just sayin', not hatin'.)   

I told Clark to pucker up to this bad boy.  He started talking as the point and shoot flashed, and thus our photo opportunity was spoiled forever.

Thank you, Mom Tobler for suggesting the updated Picasa.  I just love me some 1960's era looking photos. Outside of the cavern, where they were getting all into the autumn spirit.

After our lovely visit with Scott and Dagmara, we drove up to Kyle and Kim's and were finally able to meet Georgie!  She is so sweet and little and beautiful and all that being a baby entails.  

Awwwwwwwww

Such a sweet, cuddly baby. 

Charlie and Greta sure love their baby sister and Kyle and Kim are adapting like seasoned pros.  

We're so glad we were able to get away for the weekend and see family! We can't wait until our next opportunity to visit you Virginia and Maryland folk again!  

And the winner is!....

The tufted taupe sofa from Macy's! Her name is Claudia.  She arrives on the 25th.  (this picture was stolen from the Sugar Blossom Boutique blog.  I've never actually viewed the site, but I am so thankful for this blogger who allows her photos to be searchable on google. This photo is much better quality than the blurry image below.)

Thank you all for your input.  I think we've made the right decision, and we'll accent the room with a bright rug, coordinating pillows, and a couple of brown chairs.  So excited! 

My current motivation

We'll be needing these in a few months!

Decisions, decisions...

I need some feedback.  We are in the process of selecting a sofa. (YESSSSSSSSS! HELLS YESSSSS IT'S ABOUT TIME!)  But we're having difficulty deciding since the sofa we really love doesn't come in a color we really love...follow me?  So please, be part of our process and help us decide! Keep in mind these are all leather selections. My better half likes the finer things in life, apparently.

Couch #1 our current fave. Color selections are pearl (directly below) and taupe (which is actually more gray than brown in real life)

Couch #2 Chocolate brown

Couch #3 Also dark brown leather. Pictures don't do it justice and it looks like black fabric in this image. But you get the idea.

So, let's have it. We'd love to hear what you think. Even if we don't use your advice, we'll still appreciate your input and perspective.  I promise.

UGLY CREATURES

Somebody at MSN photos must have a personal vendetta against Kirsten Dunst.  Personally, I think she's very attractive. And, she has an envious rack.  I've seen it. Topless. In movies.  

TMI? Nahhhh.
 My chest never developed out of the prepubescent stage, so I CAN'T HELP my envy of women with lovely racks. 

Please still be my friends and not ostracize me for the above comments.  I'm only human.

nostalgic and heavenly

His and hers. This might just be the best stuff on earth. Or in the heavens. Or anywhere, for that matter.

Dark chocolate taste, thick, and creamy. There's something so nostalgic about drinking milk from a glass bottle; it allows me to pretend for a few moments that I'm living in a different era. Until I gaze out our North kitchen window and see graffiti covering the back walls of several abandoned buildings close by.  And then I remember it's 2012 and I live in Philadelphia. 

Happy hump day, it sure has been a helluva week thus far.

Fabulous thrift find

When I visit my family in Washington, one of my favorite things to do is go thrift store shopping with my sister.  The Pasco and Richland Goodwill stores always seem to have a decent selection of unwanted treasures.

I ended up finding this gem on the dress rack in Pasco:

My sister laughed out loud when she first saw it, but when I tried it on she was like Ohhhh, it actually looks really good.  Thank goodness our fashion styles vary and we don't have to fight over $3.99 dresses.  It came with a matching belt, but I like the white contrast better.
Kind of reminds me of this dress from Shabby Apple, minus the peter pan collar, all-over polka dots, and $96 price tag.  

I just love good thrift finds, don't you?  

Hmmmmm, something is just not quite right...

(All I could do was laugh when Clark ushered me into the room and said: I have something I need to talk to you about.  Dang wordless Ikea instructions! Luckily, they do sell paint...)

UPDATE 9/11: Ikea DOES NOT sell paint anymore.  But Home Depot saved the day. Whew, Clark narrowly escaped having to dissemble the frame. He's one lucky boy.

A move is a move is a move

Whether your moving a few blocks, across the country, or to a different country (hey, we've  done all three in less than 2 years!), it still sucks the life out of you.  It's exhausting and you not only have packing to do, but cleaning and organizing, junking out and justifying.

Now imagine moving into a new place in a hot and humid environment, calling the electric company to have your electricity transferred, and you're told that the power has been SHUT OFF and a technician cannot turn on the power for the next 5 DAYS because that's the soonest a technician will be in your area.  We may have experienced a similar-- nay, this exact situation.  It's infuriating, let me tell you.  Nevertheless, we got through this situation without any tears, which is a miracle on my part.  But I did have to restrain myself from calling up the management company and chewing them out for not alerting us that the previous tenants (most likely) moved out weeks ago and shut off the power.  How rude.

Moving right along...

Our electricity was turned on a few days ago and it feels heavenly.  I will never take electricity for granted again.  Cold showers only feel good for so long. We're almost completely unpacked and organized.  We are FOR REALS going to invest in a sofa and a tv.  FOR REALS. No messing around this time.  We have the space, so we might as well make our living room feel like a living room.  

Now, for your enjoyment, here are a few photos of our place in disarray:

Living room with french doors.  So classy.

Hallway lined with...stuff.

Desperately trying to focus and prepare a Sunday school lesson in 90 degree heat.  This did not go over well and we had to seek a cooler environment at our friends' apartment.

Enjoying some Chinese food before the sun sets.

View from our kitchen window. Our balcony and one of the kitchen windows overlooks a community pool.  I felt more comfortable taking this photo inside because people probably would have thought I had bad intentions if I had been taking photos from the balcony.  If we're still here next summer, we're going to pay the membership fees and join the pool.  It stays open late and all the little kiddies go home around 5 pm.    

Get ready for a virtual tour of our apartment in the next couple of weeks!  Why, you ask? Oh, because nobody loves us and/or wants to visit us.  *sniffle, sniffle.*  But honestly, I do think some people who may not ever visit might like to see our place. So Clark and I will be your proud tour guides!  Just don't judge us if we don't have a sofa or tv by then.  We'll get there...

  

We got him, and we got him GOOD!

After our camping extravaganza, I flew back to Pasco  for a very specific purpose: my Father's surprise 60th birthday party!  It was pretty awesome and I must say, I am so impressed that my Mom pulled it off!  Though his actual birthday is in January, she scheduled the party for the summer to eliminate any form of suspicion.  In order to send out invites to his closest friends, she had to sneak into his phone and locate his friends' phone numbers.  Only she's not super technologically savvy, so I know this was a difficult errand for her to perform.  The couple days leading up to the party she had him believing that she was going to throw me and my little brother a party, jointly, because Scott just graduated from Embry-Riddle and I am set (fingers crossed) to graduate in December.  Thus, it would be a graduation celebration of sorts.  She also told my Father that I believed the party was for Scott, and he believed it was for me.  Whew.  So theoretically everyone was thinking the party was for someone else.  This method was implemented so that no one would be suspicious with the set up of tables and chairs, and traeger parked in the lawn.  

The afternoon of the party, my Dad, Scott, myself and my two cute nephews Chase and Cole headed in town for some Fro-Yo and to pick out a computer for my Dad at Costco.  When we entered the driveway just after 4pm,  my Dad recognized several of the parked cars.  His initial response was: What the??? 

As we climbed out of the vehicle he looked at me and said: this is for you guys.

So I kind of laughed and said: Uhh, nooooooo, it's for you! Cedar's awesome banner was displayed along the pool fence so I'm sure that as my Dad read the banner the reality of the situation sank in.

And then various individuals on the lawn yelled surprise!! (As you can imagine,  it's kind of hard to choreograph a simultaneous yell of surprise when everyone is out in the open, so it wasn't actually attempted.)  Nevertheless, my Dad was stunned! And embarrassed.  He doesn't like attention.

Like the title of the post reads, we got him, and we got him good!!

Scott, Cedar, Katie and Ty all enjoying the bbq feast.

 Dad's tropical themed cake.  Props to Costco for being willing and able to decorate a cake with non-standard designs!

Teya and Dad 

Dad and his three grandchildren. It's pointless to get them all to look in the same direction.

Dad and two of his sisters.

Some party decor.  Thank you, Dollar Tree.

I decided to present Dad with his gifts a little early.  He received a Penn shirt and this mug.  The other side is way cooler, and displays Penn's coat of arms.

The evening's entertainment was funded by Cedar.  He brought over a bunch of fireworks.  He also lit two sparklers and handed them to 4 year old Cole.  Best idea of the night? Probably.

Now, Cedar actually lit some fireworks the night before, just for funsies.  He sent a bottle rocket soaring into our parents' deck roof, yelled oh sh*t!, and ran helplessly to the roof where he could not retrieve the rocket.  Luckily, the house didn't burn down and no one was hurt.  Cole was also extremely scared of the sounds of the fireworks, and cried like a little baby.  Oh wait, he's only 4.  So, I gotta admit, I'm impressed the little guy came around in 24 hours later and held onto TWO sparklers.  Kid's got grit. I just love the look of consternation on his face in the picture below.   

Cedar and Scott lighting some bottle rockers in the field.  Don't worry, everything is fireproof in the country.

Cedar narrowly escaping a small explosion.

Oh, hey look.  The chickens were enjoying the party, too!  Yes, my parents have 4 chickens.  And yes, the chickens are allowed out of their coop to roam around the yard.

Mom and Dad, with part of Cedar's awesome banner.

The complete birthday banner in all it's glory.

It was a fun party and it was great to see relatives who made the effort to attend!  My only regret is that we didn't even get a family picture.  Dang, I should have hired a professional. 

Love you so much, Dad! Hope you had a wonderful "birthday"!