Old City, Old House, Old Habits

New City. New House. New Habits. Or, would it be more appropriate to say: Old City. Old House. Old habits. Either way I suppose, I am back to blogging.

After a power packed few months we finally got out the door and made the trek to Philadelphia. When we did this a few years ago it was just Josh & me headed off to take on the world. This time, with the girls in tow, it is more of a wrench. We will miss the West (It couldn’t have been prettier this year!). But most of all we will miss family and friends. I am still hoping for a constant flow of visitors. We are taking reservations now!

Alan helped us pack up our truck. It was a work of art. I don't think we had an inch of wasted space and everything survived the 2,500 mile journey without a scratch. It was one of those times when following Sebastian's advice paid off. "If you want something done, you have got to do it yourself."

We had a fun drive across the country. You can tell a few days have passed, since I described it as fun. The girls did do very well though. Kate would get in the car seat and ask, “Is today a driving day, Mom?” and then she would settle into the routine of snacks, activities, and toys. Jane survived and we survived Jane, which is about all you can ask of a 1-yr-old on a cross country trek.

Stopping along the route was the high point of the drive. We spent the first night in Denver with Aunt Julie and Uncle Delmar. They waited up for us and had snacks waiting, which being Woodfords, we heartily partook of. The girls loved the heart waffles and Aunt Julie’s play room the next morning. In fact, Kate still asks to go back to Aunt Julie’s house to play.

Our second stop was Missouri and the home of Josh’s sister, Angela, and her husband, Brady. We stayed a day there. It was fun to wake up to a rooster, explore the farm, swing on a rope swing, eat potatoes from the garden, feed the chickens, play with cousins, cook dinner over a camp fire, and chase fireflies. What a life! Jane has a thing for chickens and Kate would still be in the tire swing if it was her choice. One cute story: Angela’s youngest daughter is named Charlotta. Kate, not having too much experience with that name, called her “Gelato,” which, thanks to her mom and Grandma Shelly, she has plenty of experience with.

Stop three was Indiana. We loved the country side so much we took an hour long detour while I sorted out directions on the GPS. By the way, have I mentioned I have a very good natured and patient husband. We stopped for dinner in Indianapolis at the home of Ann & Bryn Huntington, some friends from our last ward. They are the kind of friends you can not see for months but when you get together you pick up where you left off and have a grand time. They were (I hope that is past tense now) expecting their first baby any minute, but were still kind enough to entertain us. Then we drove another hour to Batesville, Indiana where we stayed with Derek & Melissa Adams at the home of Melissa’s parents. We had a great slow paced day relaxing, riding a party barge across the lake, playing games, doing laundry, and touring the house and collections of the Rockwoods.

Then it was the final push into Pennsylvania. We went a little out of our way to stop for lunch at Graeters in Columbus, Ohio. No sacrifice is too great for Graeters. It is a tradition now that the first thing in our home when we move is the dry ice cooler containing six pints of Graeters ice cream. We drove as long as the girls could stand it and then stopped for the night in a hotel with a swimming pool.

We pulled into Philadelphia in the late afternoon on Monday. Our truck arrived the next morning. The police, who were supposed to block off a section of the street so we could park our truck, never did arrive. Josh and I unloaded the truck entirely by ourselves. Well, not entirely by ourselves.

Tender Mercy #1: Jane slept the entire time we were unloading the truck.

Tender Mercy #2: Kate was as good as gold and entertained herself with play dough, finger paint, stickers, and paper dolls.

Tender Mercy #3: Somewhere inside these incredibly buff bodies of ours we found the strength of 10 grinches plus two and were able to pull the mattress through the second story window without any help.

We have had a couple classic moments to welcome us to city life. The first happened when we went to get our driver’s licenses. We were right in the heart of Philadelphia. We couldn’t find parking anywhere. We ended up finding a meter under an overpass (i.e. dark, damp, dirty place). I was holding a sleeping Kate and the diaper bag. Josh was holding Jane, the folder that had all our documents in it, and trying to feed the parking meter. Let’s talk about that folder for a minute. It held everything I had taken out of our file to bring across the country with us--the title to our car, birth certificates, social security cards, credit card information, etc. Josh couldn’t get the coins in the meter, so he dropped the folder on the ground. I’m standing there thinking, “Oh, good now all our important documents are sitting on the filthy sidewalk,” when I see an arm reaching around Josh’s legs and picking up the folder. My soccer reflexes kicked in and I stomped on that folder with all my might. Yeah, I scared the guy half to death. He was just trying to help.

Next classic moment. We were trying to get to Costco. I was driving and Josh was navigating. Then Josh had to take a phone call so I was trying to drive and navigate. I got lost. I pulled over in a parking lot to reset our GPS system. It said I was only 0.6 miles away. I followed the directions and ended up on a toll road going to New Jersey. And I didn’t have any cash in my wallet. $1.25, scrounged from the depths of the car, and an hour later we were at Costco, which coincidently was just on the other side of the parking lot where I originally stopped.

o break up the drudgery of unpacking we have tried to mix in a few fun Philly activities. After the parking meter incident, we ended up parking at the National Constitution Center and walking a few blocks to the driver’s license bureau. We decided that while we were in Old Town and had a parking place we should go see the Liberty Bell. As we got to the front of the crowd and could finally see the bell Kate said, “Oh, this one has a crack in it!”

Saturday morning we pumped up our bike tires and went out for a family bike ride. Josh pulled the bike trailer and we went exploring. We found a great path that runs along the river and starts about two seconds from our house. I have a feeling I am going to get to know that path very well.

So, we are back on the East Coast. Back in the land of toll roads, humidity, historical places, tall trees, skinny streets, and itty-bitty living spaces. Our neighbors are great. They have shown us how to park, where to shop, how to get around, and where to find farmers’ markets. Our street is lined with pretty flower pots and at night it has lights strung across it. I know we’ll love it here. This week will be the real test as Josh starts his classes and I become a one woman show. Fortunately for my sanity Sydney and Abby are coming next week!