Philadelphia

We just got home from a trip to Philadelphia. Charlie had to make a trip out there for work, but he also has a lot of family there so he decided to extend his trip a few days and take Isaac & I along too. We all had a great time!


Isaac was a very good traveler. Everyone used to tell us "Enjoy travelling now, because once the kids come along you won't be able to go anywhere!" Well bringing Isaac along does require a lot of extra stuff, but other than that, it really wasn't that tough. The only real challenge was the security line. Coats off, belts off, shoes off (Isaac just has socks that look like shoes so he was okay), carry-on bags layed on their side, lap top out of the bag, liquids in a Ziploc, baby bottles must be inspected, Isaac comes out of the stroller, stroller dis-assembled and loaded through the conveyor belt, present our boarding passes, and finally we were through. Whew! Then it was time to put it all back together again on the other side. And TSA doesn't want to help you at all. So thank goodness for Charlie because I have no idea how I would have done all that with just one free hand. Anyway, Isaac did great on the plane. He slept a lot, and was only fussy during the descent because his ears were hurting. Way to go Isaac!



We stayed the first few nights in a hotel so that Charlie could have internet access for work. Then we stayed the weekend with his Grandma in Paoli. Charlie also has a few aunts and uncles and cousins that live near by and his mother flew in so that she could enjoy some time with her new grandson. So even while Charlie was off to meetings, Isaac and I had plenty of company. All of the family LOVED Isaac. He got tons of attention and everyone wanted to hold him and play with him. He was the star of the show.



On one of Charlie's days off we drove out to Amish country. The drive was nice because we got to see all of the countryside with the beautiful fall leaves. We stopped on the way and had a homestyle lunch in a little town just outside of the Amish country. It was pretty cold, but we bundled Isaac up really good and took a buggy ride with an Amish tour guide and he showed us the farms and explained to us a little about how the people live. It was fun to see, but I have to admit I was a little disappointed. I expected these guys to be much more old fashioned. I thought that everything would be hand made and home made. Instead it seemed like they got to kind of pick and choose which modern conveniences they were going to take advantage of. It was a little odd. They would be wearing hand sewn clothing and a pair of Nikes. They use a clothes line instead of a dryer, but there were store bought towels on the line. They have a telephone, it is just outside the house instead of inside (what's the point of that?). I figure if we went a little farther out in the countryside where they are not giving tours, then maybe things would be a little more authentic. Anyway, it was still interesting and fun. The Amish pretzel we ate was the best I've ever had. And the jam was really yummy too. They had a tasting station with about 20 different kinds. It was tough to decide, but we picked a few winners to bring home with us. Yum!



Charlie and I had some alone time while Charlie's mom Janelle watched Isaac. On Friday night we went out for dessert at Friendly's and then walked around the mall for awhile. They really should have a Friendly's in CA. They have a whole menu full of ice cream options! Now that's my kind of place.


On Saturday night we went out to dinner with Charlie's cousin Eric & his girlfriend Lauren. We went to the General Warren Inn where Aunt Shoo was our waitress. It is a very nice restaurant and the food was delicious. Shoo brought us some Snapper soup made with turtles! They are brought in live every day from New Orleans. I can't believe I actually ate turtle.


One day we went to a little town called St. Peter's Village. We went to an old vintage arcade and played some pinball. We climbed down the rocks by the water and then went back and got warm with some hot chocolate and a brownie at the bakery.


Monday we went to Valley Forge. I love this place. When we were there last summer Charlie & I ran the 5-mile loop around the valley with Aunt Cathy. That was probably one of my favorite runs ever. It is just so beautiful and peaceful there and it is neat to see all of the history along the way. This time Charlie ran by himself and I went for a walk with Isaac in his stroller. It was also nice that we were there on Veteran's Day. We stopped by the visitor's center for awhile too.

It was such a fun trip and really nice to be able to spend so much time with family. We were glad that Great Virginia got to meet Isaac, and I was glad to get to know everyone much better. I really loved all of the trees turning fall colors and the cold weather. It is a beautiful part of the country. I think I might even want to live there someday!