Philadelphia Visit October 2010

This is a very delayed post. So sorry!

It was my first trip to Philadelphia and Andrew's second. We were there for Matt & Claire's wedding on Saturday, but got into town early on Friday morning so we would have some time to explore the city. Andrew's cousin, Kelley, organized a tour of Independence Hall & it's grounds for a big group of us. It was very interesting and informative, and the day was absolutely beautiful, but we were bummed that the outside of the Hall was under restoration and surrounded by scaffolding - it didn't make for great photo ops. After the tour of Independence Hall and Congress Hall we headed over to the Liberty Bell for another dose of history. Then we broke into separate groups and Andrew & I headed back to the hotel to meet his parents. We grabbed some lunch and spent the afternoon with family at the hotel. That evening Andrew's aunt Brenda had reserved a private room at a local public house for those of us not attending the rehearsal to have dinner. It was great getting a chance to catch up with everyone. The next day, Andrew & I went off on our own to explore Philadelphia. We grabbed some lunch at the Reading Terminal Market. (Philly cheesesteaks of course!) Then we headed over to view the remnants of Benjamin Franklin's house and print shop and see his museum. I must say Franklin was an interesting, but odd guy. Afterwards, we took a carriage ride through the historic area of Philadelphia and Society Hill. It was a fun and educational experience all in one. Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.

Matt & Claire's Wedding, 10/23/10

This is a very delayed post. So sorry!

We had such an amazing time at Matt & Claire's wedding in Philadelphia. The ceremony & reception were both at the Union League right in the heart of downtown Philadelphia. It reminded me of the club where Patti & Jeff had their reception in Washington D.C. Dark wood and carpet - very old boys club style. The difference was that the Union League had a portrait of every single Rebublican president hanging on its walls...oh, and a couple Whigs too I think. Everyone enjoyed taking pictures in front of Richard Nixon's portrait the most.

We did not attend the ceremony as seating was very limited but of course we were at the reception. They had a fantastic meal complete with cake topped with KISS figurines representing Matt & Claire. It was the perfect cake-topper for them. Claire's father gave one of the best Father of the Bride toasts I've ever heard. And the band was awesome! The dance floor was always full. Claire's Outlaw Induction was pretty brutal, but she handled it well. Welcome to the family Claire!

Girl's Fall Outing at Kruger Farm, 10/17/10

We had a fabulous day at Kruger Farm this past Sunday! It was the perfect Fall day - sunny and 60. For $8 each we got entry into the corn maze, an ear of roasted corn, a caramel apple and a pumpkin to take home - a great deal we found at livingsocial.com. When we arrived we decided to hit the corn maze first and found 7 of the 10 markers in the maze before calling it good and deciding it was time for some roasted ears of corn. Some of the ladies also made a stop at the beer cart to help quench their thirst. After our corn, we headed over to the U-pick flower fields for a couple photo ops and then hopped in line to grab our caramel apples. We took our sweet treats with us out to the pumpkin patch to each find that perfect pumpkin to take home with us. It was such a good day!

Sarah & Adam's Wedding Reception, 10/9/10

This past weekend, we helped Adam & Sarah celebrate the beginning of their lives together. They actually got married in August on Maui, but the ceremony was only attended by immediate family, so their good friends Audra & Dan hosted a Portland reception for them on their farm. It was a fun, laid-back affair - BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, a variety of salads and cake in the party barn! Luckily, the rain let up partway through the evening and we had a great time sitting around the bonfire and watching people attempt to make it across the slack-line. Congratulations Sarah & Adam!

Prost Oktoberfest, 10/3/10

Since we weren't lucky enough to be able to go to the real Oktoberfest in Germany with Weylan and Josh, we had to settle with Prost's inaugural Oktoberfest. We had such a great time! Prost is always a great place to hang out and is one of our favorite East side bars. For Oktoberfest, they had their usual German beers on tap but also had a tasting of all the local microbreweries Oktoberfest's. They had a variety of "keep the glass" specials, vendors selling German clothing and souvenirs and a variety of food options. Jamie wore her beer maid outfit and only got confused as a waitress a dozen times.

Local Natives Concert, 9/25/10

After our long, grueling day on the bike, we had the Local Natives concert at Wonder Ballroom to attend. Luckily, we got there right when the doors opened and were able to get front and center seats in the very limited seating in the balcony. There was no way I was going to stand the entire time after that bike ride. It was our second time seeing Local Natives in concert and they were even better than we remembered. We also really liked both opening acts - The Union Line and The Love Language - and ended up buying both bands' CDs.

Hood River Harvest Ride, 9/25/10

A couple weekends ago, Andrew & I participated in another organized bike ride. This one was through the Hood River valley and was an extremely well-organized ride. It was an absolutely gorgeous day - not a cloud in the sky and a high in the upper 70s - perfect weather for biking.

The ride started at the Hood River County Fairgrounds in the heart of the valley and from there you had four different loops you could ride - or make any combo of the four. If you completed all four loops, it added up to a century. Andrew & I made a goal to complete three of the four loops for a total of 60 miles.

We arrived at the fairgrounds around 9:30am and decided to start with the green loop, which was a little over 16 miles through rolling hills of orchards up to Panorama Point park. It was the perfect start to the ride. After completing the green loop around 11:30am, we stopped at the Fairgrounds for an early lunch (turkey sandwiches, lentil salad and brownies) before taking off on the 26 mile blue loop out to Parkdale and through a bunch more orchards. We reached Parkdale around 2:30pm and it was time to decide whether we were going to do the 18 mile orange loop up to Cooper Spur Village. We decided to tough it out and grind through the seven miles uphill to the Village. We reached the village around 3:45pm and then had a 22 mile trek back to the Fairgrounds - but the majority of it was downhill. We finished the whole ride just before 5pm, putting not only 60 miles behind us, but 5000+ feet of vertical climbing as well. It felt like a great accomplishment!

Next year I want to add the fourth loop up to Lost Lake to the ride and complete the century!