Our Weekend Ritual

Since the weather has been nice, Brian & I have been taking Val to her favorite spot in the world every weekend - swimming in the Wissahickon in Chestnut Hill. It is so fun to take her leash off a few yards before the entrance to the creek and then watch her run at full force down the path to then hear that big splash in the water. She loves it!

But of course, so do we. We hiked a lot this weekend - venturing down different paths and exploring through the forest. It has to be our favorite thing to do during the weekend and with the combination of the beautiful landscape, the sounds of the birds chirping, the cool breeze through the trees, & the smells of honeysuckle - it is a priceless event that feels like it's worth a million bucks.

Fun with Friends

We had our friends over for dinner - pictured below (Jean, Tom, Joe, Michelle, Brian, Quigs, and Rory). We ate, made s'mores, and then spent the rest of the evening playing games. Pictured below captures some of our fun playing Cranium and then we finished the evening playing Catch Phrase. Pictured from left to right, top to bottom - Joe & Michelle gearing up for their sensosketch. Quiqs & Rory laughing, Fireman Tom being a pyromaniac, Tom & Jean trying their hand in yet another sensosketch - which they never were able to solve, Joe's output of his sensosketch (stick shift), Brian helping us see the game at night, & Val passed out on the grass after a long day.

Maddie Turns 1

Brian and I had a whirlwind Saturday of 1 year old birthday parties. We spent the first part of the day at our neighbors and then headed out to Reading to celebrate Maddie's birthday. Madison in my friend Jenny's daughter.
A bit of history...Jenny is my sorority sister, we roomed with each other in the dorms, we went to England for school together and spent 4 months in a flat with a diverse group of girls, we traveled England & Ireland together, she hooked me up with my first job in Philadelphia, and she let me live with her and her boyfriend (now husband) while I tried to find a place to live in Philly. Net, net...a very good friend.

We hadn't seen Jenny and Rich for about 2 years since the family moved out to Reading, but we have kept in touch. It was so good to see her and the family. And Maddie was a doll on her birthday.

Mutual Friends

Our neighbor, Thomas, turned 1 on Saturday and Clare and Lee threw him a superb birthday party. Full spread of great eats and good company to celebrate 1 year. See picture below of Thomas.

And since Clare and Lee are friends with a former colleague of ours, Brian and I got to catch up with Diane and her husband Jim and son James. See picture below. Great time catching up.

Happy Mother's Day

We celebrated Mother's Day at our house with Mr. Kenney, Bob, Mary, Ava & Luke. We had so much fun together and Brian grilled a rockin steak. We do wish Mrs. Kenney was here to celebrate with us & that I could celebrate with my mom in Pittsburgh ("Hi Mom!"). We thank our moms for all they have done for us to make us who we are today. Below are pictures from our evening - Uncle Brian & Ava, Luke & Mary, and then the pillow blanket on Val that Ava was determined to make.

Jasmine

Brian and I have (for the most part) lived up to our New Year's resolution of cooking dinners rather than getting take out - but once a week or so, we treat ourselves to Jasmine (the local Chinese food restaurant). It is always my job to jump out the car, run in and pick it up and because they are so fast at making the meal, it is always ready for me to pay.

This past week was a treat. I called on my way home from work but when I arrived, the food was surprisingly not ready. As I sat waiting for it, I couldn't believe the intricate wooden sculpture that I had missed in my hurry each time I ran in to pick up our food. I couldn't stop looking at it. It is a fascinating piece of work. I took this picture with my Blackberry so you obviously can't see all the holes they made for the coral or the sharp teeth of the piranha - but take my word for it - it is outstanding. Makes you wonder how many incredible things you can miss in your haste throughout the day. So lesson for the week: Stop and smell the roses. Or better yet...eat more Chinese food.

KKG Lunch

One of the best decisions I made was joining Kappa Kappa Gamma at Penn State. I made such amazing girlfriends and I just love the time I get to spend time with them. Meghan (who we haven't seen since 2003ish) came to Philly for the Broad Street run - and since Facebook has virtually reconnected us, it was easy to arrange a get together and catch up. Below is Jamie, Devon, Meghan, me, and Katie at Sabrinas in the city.