Thoughts of the Day

I had true plans to be productive today.  I really did.  No joke.  The pitter-patter of rain forced me to sleep in.  At least the dogs and I are on the same page; when I finally did get up and go downstairs, I got not even a flinch from both of them...they didn't move an inch, just kept right on sleeping.  Dogs know best :) So here we sit--day 3+ of steady rain (remnants of Tropical Storm Lee who clearly had lots of moisture left over to dump throughout the Susquehanna Valley). Take a quick look at what's been going on in my head lately.  

What I'm loving...

• Listening to the rain fall from the sky outside my windows.  Although, I'm sure by Saturday (when it has rained all week) I'll either be under water, swimming through my house or way over it.

• The hint of fall weather in the air...the house stays cool, I get to lounge around in my sweats and leave a fresh batch of granola cooling on the counter.  Couldn't ask for a better day off of work, than spending it with my handsome hubby! 

 

• Perusing the vast selection of craft beers at Wegmans in an attempt to try a large variety (ahem...ALL) of the different local, independent, and East Coast microbrews that we don't typically see back in MN.

  

What I'm Missing...

• So, I'm not trying to make this all about the beer, but...I am missing myself a little bit of some delicious Spotted Cow and a little Finnegans and an endless supply of Leinies, or as Mike's friend Justin calls it--"Kuges"--Love it!

I really think they should consider expanding their service distribution area
OUTSIDE of Wisconsin, perhaps Central PA?

• Kind of goes without saying, but we definitely miss all of our family and friends back home...it's so weird that we're not just down the road or across town anymore.  

AJ, your graduation is next!

• My work "family" at LifeSource...I miss the people, I miss the job, connecting with families, and most of all, I miss the purpose behind the work that's done.  I'm enjoying bedside nursing, but miss truly loving the work I do and being connected to the purpose. Still waiting on my DonateLife license plates to represent!

   

• Hailing from the Land of 10,000 Target stores (and living a mere ~2 blocks from a Super Target back in MN), I have to say that I am severely missing the SUPER TARGET concept out here.  Sure there's Target, but it's just that--TARGET.  Let's just say it was a big deal that the local Target stores now carry **limited** grocery items.  Although, I did find a new line of biodegradable dog poop bags that I'd never seen before.  Important-YES, exciting-NO.

Mechanicsburg Target, not super...

• Having a Lululemon store within short driving distance from my home.  No more quick trips to check out their new and ever changing spandex inventory.  Although, I know that's its saved us a crap-load of moolah, since lots of those "browsing" trips turn into spending trips.  The store closest to us is about an hour and fifteen minutes away--only on special occasions :)

Lululemon at King of Prussia...near Philly

 I'm so glad we...

• Caved and bought MLB.tv. Not sure what we would have done if we hadn't been able to watch the TWINS all summer! Their record and performance lately is another story...doesn't matter, I'm still a true fan :)

I'm getting excited for...

• The delivery of our new bed :) **Hopefully before the arrival of our company in two weeks!!** If anyone wants to provide me with a blank check to use at Room & Board, I'd be most excited!  Had a conversation with Mike the other day about the delusional thoughts in my head--thinking our home should, could, or would look like it jumped straight off the pages of a Room & Board, Crate & Barrel, or West Elm catalog, LOL.  Remember, I have no design skill whatsoever...still LOVING the bed.  Next: tackling mattress shopping so we actually have something to lay on.  Still need a desk, rugs, and curtains, Oh my!

Ooohh...a nice crisp, clean, contemporary/modern, restful night sleep in our future

• The start of HOCKEY SEASON!  I think I need to start doing a little research to determine if there's an NHL variant of MLB.tv I can order...a girl from Minnesota can't get through the winter without hockey! How can you not be excited about that view of the ice (not Brent Burns backside, just the view of the ice in general)!  

From our "seats on the glass" upgrade a couple seasons ago!

• The all-anticipated, sure-to-be-impending, always-keep-us-guessing announcement of the new iPhone 5 release from Apple.  Mike and I resisted the urge to upgrade to the iPhone 4 when it was released, citing that we would wait for the iPhone 5 instead :)  I've got no exciting photo for this one...just waiting patiently!

So...it's still raining.  I guess that means I better head downstairs to the basement just to make sure there aren't any surprises down there!  We're not used to having a basement so I don't usually think about it, but I've had friends and co-workers talk about their flooded basements in the area, so I better  take a quick peek.  You never know, by weeks' end we may need to start building an ark! 

Phil-adel-phia.

It's Labor Day Weekend...so we took Sunday to make a lightning-fast trip to Philly.  I was in desperate need of a West Elm shopping fix; I think Mike was excited for me to finally try my first Philly Cheesesteak (at least that's what he told me).  We spent some time driving around downtown, trying to find a space to park...walked around, snapped some photos, spent a little money shopping, walked around some more, and ate at Tony Lukes.  I'm still full.

Can't say we really had a chance to do the historical (not that I'm really all that in to history, but there are definitely a host of historical things I probably should see at some point in my life), touristy stuff or see even 1/4 of the city--no Rocky steps, no Liberty Bell, no Independence Hall, and no treasure hunting (a la National Treasure)--so that means we'll definitely be making a trip back sometime soon.  Oh yeah, and I'd like to take a walk through the Mutter Museum of Medical Oddities...I assume it's right up my alley!

View looking up Broad Street

Mike and I were thinking more "Broad Street Bullies" than "Avenue of the Arts"

Philadelphia City Hall

LOVE Park/John F. Kennedy Plaza 

Who are these two??

Another crazy sculpture across the street

He decided to wear his nom, nom, nom shirt...forever captured in history

I was really having an issue with my hair in just about every picture we took that day...
must have been a bit breezier than i thought

So...I'm trying to be better about actually getting Mike and I in some of the photographs we take.  Otherwise, you guys are left with just the scenic views (which may or may not be better, depending on your preference)!  Either way, you'll just get a little more variety :)  Back to our little Philly journey...last year, Mike, Mick, and Lori took in a Phillies game while Mike was in Chambersburg for the summer.  Needless to say, they hit up a couple cheesesteak joints for a taste-test: Pat's and Geno's.

This time, we got the insider information from Big City (our neighbor, Jake) who told us we HAD to try Tony Luke's...that it was like no other cheesesteak to be found.  It was a challenge we were willing to accept.  I'll spare you the photos of our sandwich and the photo Mike took of my first bite...both are quite unappealing to the eye.  I will say, however, that the sandwich itself was fantastic (although I've now been told that the fact I ordered sharp provolone instead of Cheeze Whiz is somewhat sacrilegious...I beg to differ, since I am no fan of Cheez Whiz)!

 

Geno's Steaks...we did a quick drive-by

The lines are UNREAL! Makes me wonder how many cheesesteaks they make a day!?!

The line at Pat's

At this point, it was after 3PM and we were hungry for lunch! (He's getting excited to give Tony Luke's a try)

In all honesty, it was a bit of a wait...but not bad at all

Seriously...a little diner/shack under the I-95/Delaware Expressway underpass
EXACTLY the type of place Mike was looking for!

After lunch, we found a random parking spot on the street, near a park in the historic district of town.  There wasn't a NO PARKING sign in the vicinity and there were no parking meters in sight.  We safely assumed we'd found FREE parking!  After a while, we became suspicious and started to wonder if it was too good to be true; we made it a quick trip and walked back to the car, hoping it was still where we'd left it.  Before we left, we ran up a large flight of steps across the street from our car and found an amazing view of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.  The bridge spans the Delaware River between Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ.  It was a very cool view worth dodging traffic for!  By this time, we were also about 99% sick of taking pictures and acting a little strange...

Mike's favorite Philadelphia sign by far!

Dad...this one's for you.  I'll have to find out if they allow tours!

And I now remember that I should be looking for and saving "P" coins... 

I'm pretty sure crossing carries a toll of some sort...they're pretty much commonplace out here
Our PA friends are always surprised to learn that most of the Midwest is toll-free

Excited to be heading home soon?  Or more excited about his recent cheesesteak adventure?

I can't believe my pants look that long when I wear sandals!

 We spent Sunday night with friends and most of Monday shopping online (in an attempt to furnish our house) and working off the excess cheesesteak remnants at the gym!  Luckily both Mike and I have Tuesday off, too, before heading back to work for the week.  Hope you all had relaxing, exciting, Labor Day weekends full of good friends, food, and lots of laughs...happy unofficial end of summer!

Tank Photo of the Day

Just in case you're wondering, this little one is the brains behind the blog.  Well, not really since he's sitting in front of Mike's work computer...

Happy Friday to everyone.  Hope you all have the chance to say au revoir to summer appropriately by enjoying a long, relaxing, Labor Day weekend!  

Let the Sun Shine

Irene charged through last weekend and in her aftermath, left some downed branches, trees, and power lines in the midst, but also left behind some totally G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S weather in the days since.  The howling wind and driving rain tapered off Sunday afternoon and left behind clear skies, crisp, fresh nights, and warm, sunny afternoons. Viola! It's like perfect early fall weather...or maybe it's just late August in Central Pennsylvania.  Either way, I'm all smiles :)  I love it when the temperatures dip down during the night, leaving our house nice and comfortable for the following day.  Oh yeah, and did I mention that Kaia and Tank really, really enjoy basking in the afternoon sun??

We were detoured around this mess on our way to the gym Sunday afternoon

Front Street and McClay...a few blocks from our house

Green Street, somewhere in Midtown...luckily NOT on our block

Uh oh! Good thing it's a shallow dam!

So...these definitely aren't my photos, but some that were posted online during the first few days after Irene.  Our block was littered with leaves and small branches, but luckily was spared any extensive damage or downed trees.

The weather's been so great that we've actually cooked inside! With the oven! More than once! These fabulous looking Chocolate Chunk Toffee Bars are cooling on the counter as we speak!

Chocolate Chunk Toffee Bars from Oh She Glows

We've got a neighbor-date on Thursday night...field trip to the Senators game on City Island to see none other than Stephen Strasburg make his final rehab start before being back with the Nationals early next week.  Last year, in his first three career MLB starts, Strasburg set a MLB record striking out 32 batters!  Needless to say, he comes with a lot of hype...which is why we're going to see him while he's in Harrisburg.  Mike was right on top of his game, ready to order our tickets and organize the outing on a moments notice!  For those of you who follow baseball, here's a link to the Senators website, detailing tomorrow's game--RHP Stephen Strasburg Expected to Make Rehab Start Thursday.

Standout pitcher Stephen Strasburg all suited up for the Senators

Old-timer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez caught in Harrisburg on Tuesday night...it's possible he may also be in Thursday's game!?!  Just confirmed via an article on the Senator's website that he will catch Strasburg on Thursday--Ivan Rodriguez Proving to be a Great Teammate During His Brief Time With the Harrisburg Senators.

A little mid-game tutoring session

Maybe most importantly, the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo is also in town...Whiplash!!

On another note, Mike was lucky enough to pick up a set of tickets to the Penn State football season opener this Saturday; I'll be working, but the rest of the guys and gals will be enjoying a Saturday full of tailgating and Nittany Lion football, when they host Indiana State at Beaver Stadium...woah! I'm a wee bit jealous :)  Mike will fill you in with all of the details after the fact...till then, you'll have to settle for the one lonely photo below.

Beaver Stadium at Penn State