city of brotherly love

jason & i hopped on a bus (for get this, $20 round trip, $40 total...can't beat it) for a quick trip to philly. it is only 2 hours away! so crazy coming from california. we scored a great hotel for a killer price.

we kept it moving in our slightly over 24 hour trip. first stop, eat something! j & i saw a show on the food network that showcased killer food spots in philly. we attacked ALL three of them.

reading terminal market is really cool. imagine the best food court ever mixed with an incredible indoor farmers market. we enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich with broccoli rabe & sharp provolone. mmm...mmm...good!

seriously, i ate so much i was hurting. i just couldn't stop! 

one thing that is awesome about living in NYC is we are not afraid of public transportation. for us, subways, buses, cabs and our legs have become a way of life. 

jason scored tickets for us to see the US National Soccer team play Turkey before they left for the world cup! such a great game!

final score 2-1 USA! 

beth, one of my co-workers is from philly and she recommended a great tapas restaurant for dinner. 

it was so stinking tasty! not to mention the incredible decor. i was head over heels in love with the feel in that place. all the different styles mixed and combined to perfection.

yes, i am getting this excited over the way a restaurant looks...can't help myself.

the next morning, we were up & out, ready to explore some more!

elfreth's alley. the old residential street in the united states.

i, of course, was smitten!

cobble stone street, shutters, old street lamps...heaven.

 

we wandered over to Betsy Ross' house. 

technically, they don't know if this is her house 

or the house next door that has already been torn down.

there is so much history packed into this city!

we saw benjamin franklin's resting place!

the line for the liberty bell was SO long & we just didn't have time to wait. 

so we snagged a photo through the window and admired it from there.

snapped a photo in front of independence hall

we headed to the tomb of the unknown soldier

it was special to do ALL of this on memorial day weekend. 

so much history, so old, so different than california.

special.

between the heat & humidity! 

we were ready to eat. 

now everyone knows. you can't visit philly without doing what?

that's right. philly cheesesteaks!

check out the line.

last stop before catching the bus back to NYC...ice cream.

franklin fountain is a cute little old fashion ice cream parlor. 

a banana split please!

it was a great trip & a nice escape from NYC!

Geoff & Marcia

good heavens! it is about time that i shared this with you! my cousin geoff & his awesome wife marcia came for a visit. it was so nice to see them & have them here. we had to work but luckily enjoyed some fun activities during the weekend.  can you see how spoiled we have been with visitors?

the girls

the boys

green day entertained us for an evening with their new hip broadway show, "american idiot"

still feeling bad about the seats, geoff & marcia. hope it wasn't too terrible!

for our last supper we chowed down at an agrentine restaurant.

thank you for coming out geoff & marcia.

we loved having you guys and hope to see you both again soon!

Happy 3rd Birthday Laney Mae!

we scored when we were home last month (technically two months...can you believe it is already june?) for michelle and tim's wedding. why? because we not only got to see an amazing couple get married, we also got to celebrate laney's 3rd birthday!

lindsey planned every little detail to perfection. i love watching littles celebrate their birthday.

lindsey's mom made laney this drop dead gorgeous Cinderella dress.

complete with perfect blue pearls on the birthday girl.

the perfect princess cake.

the perfect princess castle.

the perfect princess book.

and no party is complete without the perfect princess!

oh and EVERY princess needs a frog! (julia won the hot potato aka frog game)

i love this picture of jules telling laney a secret.

look closely and you can see jules whispering in laney's ear!

ah how i miss getting to see this little princess...

two adorable pics of the gorgeous mama & the birthday princess

happy, happy 3rd birthday princess laney!

we love watching you grow & love the little girl you are!

thank you linds & justin for having us!

Mr. & Mrs. Cremins

hooray! it's their wedding day! i had such a fun morning getting ready with the girls. michelle planned every detail of her wedding to perfection. not surprising that everything was stunning. especially michelle herself. the wedding had killer views, with exquisite florals. the sun was shine, shine, shinning! the cocktail hour was packed with amazing company & killer appetizers. and the reception was filled with romantic touches & a hopping dance floor. pretty perfect. exactly what this dynamic duo deserved!

without further adieu, here are some of the moments J and i captured of tim & michelle's wedding day.

cute story about the picture below. reese (brooke's daughter, above) wanted to take some pictures of me. she requested funny faces. so i of course delivered a fish face (and a handful more)! seriously, this is just one of many and i am impressed with her photography skills.

 it was so amazing getting to spend so much time with brooke. just love her.

tim was so sweet & had these gorgeous roses delivered to his bride. 

i love this picture of hudson. so sweet. 

i love these girls. but, i think if you read this blog. ever. you'd know that. 

me = total deer in headlights but jason looks handsome!

michelle had this very special groom's cake made for tim. yes, it really is a CAKE!

and we will end with their first dance...of many. as husband & wife. 

congratulations tim & michelle! we love you both and 

look forward to making more lifetime memories with you!

we hope you had a blast in hawaii on your honeymoon!