ONE

Aaaand she did it! She figured it out! She was so proud of herself and couldn't get enough bike riding in last week. 

2019 week one!! Happy New Year!

"Noon Years Eve" party at the library!

New Year party with the cousins. So much candy and giggling. 

Luna benefitted from Christmas clean up. We had an extra basket that was the perfect size for a cat bed on the shelf. 

After months of kind of mentioning she'd like to cut her hair, and 10 (!!) minutes into brushing out the candy tangles post New Years party, V asked if we could just cut her hair. 

She absolutely loves it. For the first day she would steal glances in any mirrored surface and smile and whisper "I'm just the cutest girl in the world." 

My latest painting for a White Elephant party. 

Friday night Matt and I took a red eye to "Chicago." Surprise! We actually went to Philadelphia. We had to keep it secret so we could surprise Matt's brother Sam on his mission in Delaware. 

Matt orchestrated a meet up with an "investigator" named Tom Riddle, and set up a dinner appointment with the "local" elders. We waited at the restaurant to surprise Sam. 

He said he was suspicious all along because of the name and then recognized Matt's jacket as he tried to sneak up on him. But overall, Operation Voldemort was a success. 

Other than seeing Sam, we had the best time eating and walking our way through Philly. Breakfast fare includes: Philly cheesesteaks, and

Ice cream from an ice cream shop that has been operating in the same location since 1863! 

Unfortunately for me (and probably our country) we are in the middle of a government shut down, so the majority of Philadelphia history was off-limits to me. But here I am outside of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. 

We did get to visit the oldest chocolate shop in America! And unlike most of the other historical buildings in this city (and country) it has not been renovated or replaced or rebuilt as a replica. This is the real deal. 

Look at the beautiful paneling. 

This is the most wonderful shop. Old. Beautiful. Full of excellent quality chocolate. And historical uniforms. Perfect. 

We splurged at the market for our lunch and following day breakfast. Clockwise from top: Amish-made peppercorn cheese, seeded rye bread, Amish-made pickles, local soppressata, and jamon iberico. At $170 a pound (! YES! A POUND!) it was definitely the most expensive pork I've ever had. And it was beautiful. 

Outside the Museum of Art doing the local customary pose. 

See? Everyone does the Rocky at the MOA. 

Inside the Museum. 

Matt exchanging Masonic handshakes with Ben Franklin and George Washington outside the Masonic Temple. 

We walked to Chinatown. Look how happy I am to be having Dim Sum! I've wanted to go to a Dim Sum place for so long. And the fact that no one spoke English, everyone was Chinese, and there were weird bones and cuts of meat in the food made me deliriously happy. 

Hooray for China Town! Matt and I spent at least an hour in an Asian Restaurant Supply store. It was so fun to look at all the tools and tea pots and bowls and chopsticks. 

At the Franklin Soda Fountain getting handmade sodas and phosphates.

Outside the City Tavern. You aren't supposed to take photos inside. And we tried, and failed. It was too blurry. This restaurant is rebuilt on the site of the original City Tavern where many of the founding fathers stayed and dined. They try to recreate historical dishes and cook them the way they would have been prepared. They make historical ales, and breads, and the staff is in costume, and everyone is dining on pewter by candlelight. The best hour we spent in Philly. 

Outisde the Mütter Museum. It was fascinating, and sad, and to be honest, slightly nauseating. Visiting the museum is rather sobering as it is almost an alter of 19th century physical misery. The sign outside describes itself as disturbingly informative. It is wonderful how far medicine and understanding of the human body has come though. 

Quotes:

Theodore

"Veronica is not coming! Well, I guess we just don't have a sister now."

"I want to play for a couple while!" very cute mashup of couple minutes and little while.

Crying, "I called him dumb and he STILL didn't share." Hmmm... your logic is off.

Veronica

"It looks like your lips are about to start bleeding because you're so happy."

"Wait! We need to drink our hot tea before we go in the cold sewers. We're sewer people."

"Did you bring me a present or just this candy?"