Toblers are good eaters (for the most part)

Another trip to Baltimore, another weekend of unbridled feasting.

Greta earned a whole dollar from Aunt Rachel for eating a predetermined amount of Clark's mac and cheese.  Charlie, unfortunately, did not earn his dollar and made it clear he would much rather eat Arthur mac and cheese than Clark's real mac and cheese.  

Toblers for the most part really are good eaters.  There's always the exception that would rather have frosted "Winni Wheats" than steak and mac and cheese, I guess.

I told Greta to hold still! and she took it to heart.  The chocolate ice cream goatee just cracks me up!

The next weekend of riotous eating will consist of a variety of healthy foods... we have collectively decided this, so we'll see how that goes!

This and That

It's been a while. But nothing much has been happening with us, SO DON'T WORRY.  In a few short weeks I'll likely go on a blogging hiatus. Because I gots myself a job.  A job that requires an excessive amount of commuting into "the belly of the beast" aka New Jersey (Clark's reference, not mine.).  Clark says in a year's time we will be beautiful.  He better be right. Otherwise, it'll prove I'm really not good at my job. 

I've been cursing the humidity lately.  Every day when I finish my morning run dripping with sweat, I shake my fist at the sky. I shake it really hard, but my threat is empty and the sky knows it.  The humidity will continue, relentless, and I will just have to deal with the sweat/sunscreen mixture that will inevitably end up in my eyes halfway through my run. Why can't the East coast have temperate, Nor-Cal cool weather?  

On a positive note, I have a windows phone now and it has seriously changed my life.  I have never felt so attached to an electronic device. If my charger was just a bit longer I could sleep with my  phone tucked safely under my pillow at night.  I really would if I could, I love it that much.

Anywho...

We're on a quest to find the best BBQ in Philadelphia (this city has got to have one good BBQ joint).  Before we began our quest a couple of weekends ago, we had already tried two of the establishments on this list.  We tried a third and ended up sorely unimpressed.  I've learned my lesson, at least.  Always, ALWAYS ask if the ribs are fresh or if they were cooked earlier in the day. Reheated ribs just ain't that tasty. Thanks for nothing, Tommy Gunns.  So out of the three Philly BBQ establishments we've tried, I would say all are misses.  There is no gray area when it comes to BBQ.  It's either a hit or a miss.  If I would never bother returning, it's a definite miss.  

Since BBQ is no cheap meal, our mission is to try a new establishment every 3 weeks. It just pains me to think that we spent nearly $50 on mediocre at best BBQ. What a shame.

Nevertheless, Tommy Gunns is located in the awesome Manayunk area of town, and after dinner we decided to drive around a bit to explore the neighborhood.  That's when we found the most amazing custard establishment.  Seriously, Rita's ain't got nothin' on this place! I can't wait to go back!  $3.50 for a HUGE custard waffle cone.  Well worth every penny.

Last week we went out to dinner with Kyle and Kim.  We tried something new...Afghan cuisine.  Kyle was able to keep his eyes open during this photo op, thanks to some coaching. Though I LOVE being around their kids, it was so fun to have a night out with just the two of them! 

After dinner we walked around the Mt. Vernon area of Baltimore for a bit.  Double rainbow all the way across the sky...it's so intense! Go ahead, play the youtube video if you haven't seen it in a few years.  It never gets old.

Back at Kyle and Kim's, we examined some of Charlie's artwork.  This is a "cup with a straw".  You might interpret it a little differently.  I happen to see a catheter and a.........

We got to spend quality time with the kids and even spent some time at the pool with them! Georgie likes to crawl around with the bottle hanging from her mouth.  It's pretty dang cute. 

Awkward sibling photo?  

Later on we stopped by the Washington D.C. Temple.  Wish I would have had the DSLR.  The lighting was just right.

The other day Clark and I drove all over NJ to find the offices where I'll be training and the offices where I will potentially be working once my training is complete.  Oh my gosh, I can't believe my summer--my life as a stay at home wife--is coming to an end.  I'm ready to be productive and contribute to society, but it's still bittersweet.  I love wasting time on the internet, or curling up on the couch with a book.  OR curling up on the couch and watching Pretty Little Liars. Worst guilty pleasure ever.  

Seventeen year old Mary Cain...on to World's!!

The high school runner I blogged about a few weeks ago just qualified for the World Championship meet in the 1500 meter run!  

Final lap was a blistering 57 seconds.  I wish I had been there to witness it in person.

Florida's still there. We checked.

To beat the heat in Philly we headed down to...Florida...which was much more hot and humid than Philadelphia...for several days.  Clark had a stretch of days off from work and we thought a trip to gator country would be fun.  

Lots of water/pool time, good eatin', bbq meals x 2, waffle cones, family, and finally meeting my precious little niece who is now 18 months.  Fun times, indeed.

No photos from the first couple of days because it didn't seem safe to bring any sort of camera along while canoeing on the Rainbow River (which is incredibly beautiful and clear, btw) or while tubing down the Ichetucknee Springs (also beautiful and clear).  But we got in the photo snapping spirit on the third day, when we spent nearly all day at the pool with Presley.  

Little Presley is fearless when it comes to swimming.  At 18 months she's already jumping off the ledge of the pool and willingly swims out and back to her Daddy (with just the smallest amount of assistance). No floaties for this girl.  Quite impressive, if you ask me.  

Presley has a tendency to make the cutest faces.

That's my hunk of a husband.  

Presley was the keeper of Clark's soda for a while.  She enjoyed handing it to Clark when his thirst became overwhelming.

The next day, we drove out to St. Augustine, the oldest city in America. Cute town, but a little to commercialized. But I guess every noteworthy place is, really.

Castillo de San Marcos

Walls made of oyster shells.

Later that afternoon we drove down onto the beach for some ocean action. 

On our final day we hit up a bbq joint just outside of Gainesville. Part country mini-mart, part restaurant.  It was good, but Adams BBQ Co. (a different bbq place we hit up after tubing a couple of days before) ribs were much better.

We were supposed to fly out of Jacksonville that evening, but wouldn't you know it, there was bad weather in Atlanta and our flights were delayed.  So, we had to extend our stay in a hotel for a night and fly out early the next morning.

We had such a blast in Gainesville and the surrounding areas.  Thank you Jeff, Amy and Presley for your hospitality and for letting us come visit!  Big thanks to Presley for letting us take over her room.  Love you guys, and good luck with the upcoming move!  

Memorial Day BBQ in Fishtown

We had ours on the curb outside of the music studio in Fishtown.  Since the guys were doing some recording, it seemed like the best place to have it.  Little did we know that some of the neighborhood boys would ride by on their bicycles and, after each given an otter pop, continue to ride by in hopes of us asking if they would like a burger or hotdog.  We weren't that nice, though. They weren't malnourished so I figured if they wanted a meal, they could go on home.

I'm becoming a mean old bitty already.

I tried to get some candid shots of the guys while us women sat on the curb on the other side of the street.

Before the BBQ started, I went down to the Super Thift thrift store a block away, where I picked up a few books for some light summer reading.  Two for a dollar, how could I resist!?

It was a pretty great Memorial day.

I know nobody cares, but I couldn't not blog about this

So there was this awesome track meet last weekend in California, and a high school junior by the name of Mary Cain ran an astonishing 4:04.62 1500 meters.

4:04.62!!!! That's ridiculous and all together spectacular! She broke the American junior record, which should go without saying. She also hit the qualifying "A" standard (ran under an established time), meaning that if she quite possibly  finishes top 3 at USA's, she will qualify for the world championship meet. As a junior in high school. I want to be disgusted with her but I'm just too stoked on how talented she is to even start to be disgusted by her abilities.

My best 1500m time in college was 4:19 so....yeah, this girl puts me to shame. Granted that was my junior year and I was hurt my senior year (Excuses, excuses.  IT band problems are quite debilitating).  My goal was always to run a 4:15.  But that is no where near 4:04.  That's like finishing nearly 100m behind Mary Cain. Hot damn, this girl is the real deal.

The only time I've witnessed her race was at last year's Penn Relays where she won the high school girl's mile in a time of 4:34 (or 4:35. I can't seem to find the final results of that race).  As a freaking sophomore.  

I'm so excited for this athlete.  She's so young, full of potential, and has so many more opportunities to look forward to!

I'm excited to see whether she decides to go pro after high school or run collegiately.  I'm just praying that if she does run in college that she won't choose Oregon.  Stanford would even be a lesser evil.  Colorado? Lesser evil.  Just. Please. Not. Oregon.  Villanova?  Now, I could get on board with Villanova. 

Look who came to visit!

What?!?  It's my PARENTS!  I'm so glad they came out to Philadelphia for a visit, and for my graduation ceremony.  I think, and they would likely agree, that their visit was FUN, but very exhausting.  A couple days in D.C., a couple of days exploring Philadelphia, an entire day of graduation festivities, and a trip to the Jersey shore. Whew! I'm exhausted just recounting all that we accomplished.

They flew in on a Wednesday night, and Thursday morning we drove down to D.C. My parents have never been to the East coast, and they made it clear that they would rather spend time in D.C. than NYC, given the two options.  They made a wise choice.  Attractions in D.C. are FREE, whereas anything you see/do in NYC is expensive.

Day one in D.C. consisted of walking to all of the monuments, and visiting Arlington National Cemetery.

Clark and I have visited D.C. a number of times, and we've never heard or seen so many helicopters flying overhead.  We learned later that evening that Prince Harry had arrived so perhaps all the commotion was due to his arrival?

Clark resting his "dogs" at the Jefferson memorial.

Two things on my Dad's bucket list were to see the Washington Monument and visit JKF's grave.  We saw both, but unfortunately BOTH were under construction/renovation.  Ugghhh, maybe next time both sites will be completed and unobstructed?!

I love visiting Arlington National Cemetery.  Of course it's incredibly heart-breaking to gaze upon rows of white headstones that seemingly never end, wondering about the person each headstone represents. But I feel such humility and peace when I'm there, and each time it makes me appreciate even more the sacrifice of others on my (our) behalf. 

DC day two: The National Gallery of Art, National Museum of the American Indian, National Air and Space Museum (Mom and Dad), a walk around the Capitol, terrible traffic, and a yummy BBQ rib dinner the Baltimore Tobler home.

An El Greco piece.  I came to love his artwork during Spanish class in high school. I didn't really retain the language, but I can still recall the Spanish artists we learned about.

Another El Greco...Christ cleansing the Temple.

My favorite artist ever: Edgar Degas' Four Dancers and Before the Ballet. Maybe it's because I feel I should have been a dancer that I love his realist paintings of dancers.

Some Van Gogh's.

Taking a break...it was a hot day to be walking around D.C.

Clark had to work Saturday and Sunday, so we explored nearly ALL of the downtown Philadelphia attractions without him, as well as Valley Forge.  I didn't take many photos, mainly because I've taken pictures of these sites several times over.

Saturday we took the trolley over to Love Park and Game Pieces plaza.  The water in the fountain was dyed purple for some reason.  The we walked to Macy's (the old Wanamaker building) to see the world's largest pipe organ.  From there we walked through the Reading Terminal market on our way to Chinatown for lunch.  Then on to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Christ Church, Ben Franklin Court and his grave site, and stopped for a sundae at the Franklin Fountain.  

Ben Franklin's grave at the Christ Church Burial Ground.

Walking to Penn's Landing.

Sunday we drove out to Valley Forge.  We were able to go into George Washington's house, and we learned that the stair railing is the original from Washington's time. 

Monday was graduation.  Finally.  Rubbed shoulders with the likes of Joe Biden, Denzel Washington, and Laura Bush.  Maybe not, but we did have the opportunity to hear talks by Joe Biden and Laura Bush, and saw Denzel who was in the crowd at commencement supporting is son who also graduated.

Clark didn't have his telephoto since we weren't sure exactly how much security would allow through, but Denzel is the guy in the grey suit standing up in the center of the photo.  

Joe Biden waving to the crowd, right behind the lady in the red regalia.

Joe Biden speaking. He reassured ALL of us that he could totally relate to the middle class and how hard it will be for some Wharton school graduates to scrape by on $150,000 a year, but that they can persevere and do it. I may or may not have made up that last part. 

The dean of the School of Nursing asking its graduates to stand. I'm in there, somewhere in front of the blue caps.

Post commencement.  My Dad was freezing. He didn't bring a jacket with him and they sat in the shade in inside the stadium. My Mom barely kept her eyes open in this photo. Thank goodness.  We only have this one!

Clark's freezing, too, but at least he has on a longer sleeved shirt. Aww, my husband is so cute!

My friend Andrea and I.  As her husband once said, we wouldn't have gotten through the program without each other.  True that.

After a reception luncheon at the School of Nursing building, we walked to a different building downtown for the School of Nursing ceremony. On our way we stopped for some photos with the Philly skyline.

At the Kimmel Center, Greta was on her best behavior during the graduate procession.

Walking by and so happy to see that Kyle, Kim, Jan, and the kids had joined my parents and Clark!  Thank you all for being there! This photo also reminds me that Clark's photography skills need to be refined.

Laura Bush spoke at the School of Nursing graduation.  After her speech, she didn't waste any time and immediately exited out a side door.  And her assistant had to come back in and grab some of her essential items that she had forgotten at her seat.  Jan got some amazing photos of this ceremony with her telephoto, and I'm pretty sure that Ms. Bush is looking directly at Jan in one.  Check them out here.

Finally...some closure!

We all reconvened back at our apartment after the ceremony for some croissant sandwiches, watermelon, veggies, chips, and Costco's amazing red velvet cake.  If you haven't had it, you are missing out.

If only Kyle's feet weren't in the background of this photo. Greta and Georgie were enjoying some quality sister time.

Then Jan made me dress up in full regalia since I hadn't had any photos taken with my cap and gown.  I felt a little awkward, since the moment had passed a few hours before.  But I obliged because she's such a great mother-in-law.

Tuesday, we drove out to Ocean City, just south of Atlantic City. 

Had ourselves some good Kohr's custard and then a mediocre-at-best lunch during senior hour at the Crab Trap Restaurant.  It wasn't officially senior hour, but the four of us were the youngest in the restaurant by years.

Driving around, we almost passed Lucy, the World's "largest" elephant.  While looking for shells on the beach and wetting our feet in the ice-cold Atlantic, we missed our opportunity to climb up to the top of old Lucy (i.e. the gate was locked).  Maybe next time.

I hate to use this cliche, but it was a whirlwind of a visit!  I'm so happy my parents came out to Philadelphia to experience a little of what the East coast has to offer.  I love you guys so much and do hope you'll make the trip again at some point.  And maybe next time, we'll buy Mom her own Red Velvet cake since she liked it so much.  Incentive?? I think so.