Pursue Your Happiness

Wow, it's been a hot second.

Every time I visit somewhere cool I think, wow, I should blog about that.

Arrested Development Narrator voice: And then she didn't.

It's been a full four months out here in Philadelphia, an overwhelming, good, hard, amazing experience. Since I haven't done proper posting, here are some highlights that I missed writing about. Pictures that I had on my phone included..... Justin is the master photo compiler. Check out his albums for a lot more awesome pictures.

• Fourth of July  -- we went to a picnic at Valley Forge. We went to Valley Forge when we first arrived, in March, because George Washington is one of my heroes, but it was lovely to see it in summer and blooming. Complete with Revolutionary War reenactors! I don't envy those long skirts and petticoats, it's very much "hot as hell," as they since in 1776, set in Philadelphia at the time the Continental Congress was meeting about the Declaration of Independence.

• The PA Department of Agriculture put out a kind of ice cream bingo called Pursue Your Scoops. For every local creamery on the bingo card that you visit, you get a stamp. Collect five, and you get a t-shirt. Justin and I visited our fifth last night. It was a truly delicious trek. My favorite of the five we went to was Chester Springs Creamery. Not only was the ice cream out of this world good, each flavor is named for one of their cows. How cute is that?? We also picked up some fresh produce and have been enjoying it at home.

• I've been in rehearsal for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for a couple months. My goal when I moved here was to be in a show for my birthday so I would by default have some friends. And I did! I'm having a great time singing, attempting to dance, and making fun of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

We have more of a set now

• Went downtown twice in one weekend to see Superego podcast live, with the incredible podcaster talent that is Paul F Tompkins, and the next day to see Latin History for Morons. I also got to see Mike Birbiglia, my favorite comedian, work out some new material at a comedy club. I'd never been to a comedy club before, but I figured it out. And it was awesome to see Mike again (I've also seen him with Justin in Denver and Salt Lake.

• Probably the most special thing I've done since moving here was visit Mount Vernon. As I said, George Washington is one of my heroes. And to walk where he actually walked, to see his land and his home and his grave.... it was incredible. Highly recommend. Standing in front of George and Martha's tombs was a profound experience. Walking around the estate made him feel more like a man, an actual person, than a mythic figure. And I also had some heavenly French toast in the restaurant there.

• We visited Harrisburg and Hershey one Sunday. The capitol building at Harrisburg is breathtaking, the most ornate statehouse in the country. There's Renaissance style art and soaring domes and crystal.... it's really beautiful. I've visited a handful of capitol buildings together: Denver, Annapolis, Dover, Salt Lake, and each has a different aesthetic going on. The Hershey Museum was an interesting, quick tour. It's always nice when business leaders turn out to have actually cared about their employees and not just profits. Milton was devoted to making a city that people would actually want to live in, not a factory slumtown. And it's a real cute place! We also stopped and got a treat at Duck Donuts, must recommend. The best donut I personally have ever had.

• Justin and I tried to adopt a stray cat in our neighborhood who kind of looks like the cat that looks like Adam Driver. But our other cat was just not having it, and so we content ourselves with feeding him. I just want to hug all them, but you can't, can't hug every cat. (The lullaby I will sing to my future babies.)

SO there are some updates. Like I said, my husband is waaay better at taking and posting pictures. It was a beautiful spring, prettier than any I saw in the west, I have to say. And summer is beautiful too, even with the constant humidity. There's just so much life: plants and trees and vines growing and blooming everywhere you look. Lots of quick, intense thunderstorms.  We've been feasting on seafood and real Italian pasta. And the bread..... mmm. 

My job (judge's clerk in Wilmington) is one I enjoy. And every day when I cross the border back from Delaware, I see the "Welcome to Pennsylvania: Pursue Your Happiness" sign. What a great message for people. Moving out here has a crazy adventure, harder than I thought it would be, but man is it ever cool. I never ever thought I would get to live this close to so many historical and cultural sites. I'm going to New York again with my sister in a couple weeks, and am also planning a Boston trip over Labor Day. Life is what we make it! Pursue your happiness!