10/31/2013

Today has been a hard day.

I got a phone call around noon letting me know that my mom is in the hospital.

She is battling stage IV metastatic breast cancer.  This week, the cancer decided to give her a sucker punch.

My mom is a very strong lady, it takes a lot to put her down.  That's one thing that makes this so hard...I know that it had to be really, really bad.  That just breaks my heart for her.

The kids and I have had plans for a long time to visit her in two weeks (we are in PA, she is in FL).  I could leave this very minute and be there sometime Saturday, but I know she would be disappointed.  She is in the ICU and wouldn't be able to see the four youngest kids.  So, as long as she is stable and improving, we will try and wait with hopes that she will be at home and feeling up to a house full of pint sized visitors in two weeks.  We have sleep-overs planned, things she wants us to cook together...having the visit to look forward to should be good medicine for her.

Why am I telling you all of this?  Well, for one thing, it is all I can think about.  There's absolutely no way I can sit here and think of/talk about anything else right now.  Not today.

There's another reason, though.  The main reason, actually.  I would like to ask ya'll to please pray for my mom.  Pray for a miracle.  Pray for her healing here on this earth.  Please, just pray for her...

Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

We are staying only a couple of hours north of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, so of course we had to take a drive down one day and check it out.

It turned out to be exactly what I expected and at the same time, not at all what I thought it'd be.

There were plenty of farms...

...picturesque covered bridges...

...beautiful flower gardens...

...and Amish people going about their business.  As you'd expect.

we saw SO MANY young men riding these scooters around

The unexpected part was the huge crowds of tourists (ahem, just like us I suppose).  I figured there would be some tourists or whatever, but not to that extent.  Have any of you ever been to Gatlinburg, TN, during peak season?  That was the feeling I got when we were in the Lancaster area.  Way over commercialized and really kind of ironic when you think about it...the draw is the simple Amish lifestyle and yet, when you get there, it has been turned into the exact opposite.  Ugh.  We couldn't wait to get out of the middle of it and onto a quiet country road...I can only imagine how the Amish must feel about all of it.

Anyway, busyness aside, we did have a nice day.  We ate at one of the "PA Dutch style" restaurants, shopped in one of the bulk food markets, and even stopped at a yard sale a few Amish girls were having in front of their house.  At the yard sale, we bought a shoo-fly pie that had just come out of the oven (still warm, yum!), a small handmade lap quilt (for only $15!), and Tristan bought himself a horseshoe (because he "just liked it"). 

I'm glad we went and saw it for ourselves, but I don't really think we'll be going back.  Unless we get a craving for another shoo-fly pie, that is ;)...

Randomness around Philadelphia

**I started telling ya'll about our trip to Philadelphia (you can click here to see the first part) and I got a little distracted by the ocean and all ;).  I'll try to pick up where I left off...

As I told you earlier, we spent the day walking around Independence NHP.  When we were done with that, we were all tired and super hungry.  When in Philly, you simply have to eat a Philly cheesesteak...it's a rule.  So, like apparently everyone else in the city that day, I looked up where to get the best sammich.  If you've ever been to Philadelphia, then you can probably guess the first two places that came up.  Geno's and Pat's, longtime rivals that sit right down the street from each other.

Traffic was horrible...the streets were packed with not only cars trying to drive, but cars parked all along the sides squeezing in and making the lanes even tighter.  Throw in a healthy dose of pedestrians weaving their way through it all and it was a bit crazy.  We finally made it to the restaurants and holy cow...we just thought the streets were packed before.  Both places were entirely wrapped up in mobs of people...very long lines, no available tables, and absolutely nowhere to park.  Not happening with five kiddos in tow.

Time for plan B.

When we booked our hotel rooms, we had some rewards points to use.  We didn't reserve any rooms until that afternoon...so that, combined with finding a place to redeem the points, meant we were spending the night just across the river in New Jersey (even though it was in NJ, the hotel was called Crowne Plaza Philadelphia...so it really wasn't very far at all).  Plan B = punching in the address of our hotel and finding the first place along the way to get a cheesesteak (that we could actually park and get to with the kids).

We ended up at a hole in the wall place called Yellow Submarine, somewhere in the suburbs of New Jersey.  We found this place through Yelp (link is here), for any of you that may be interested.  It was a tiny little shop with maybe four tables and best of all (at that point), there was parking!!!  After ordering our cheesesteaks and sitting to wait, we realized that the place was booming busy, just the majority of people had phoned in orders to pick up.  Good idea since they only have four tables ;).

I didn't really pay much attention to what I was ordering (super hungry, remember?) and when we got our cheesesteaks, I realized that they came with provolone instead of cheese whiz.  I had wanted to try them with the whiz since we never had and that's kinda the thing in Philly.  Maybe the thing in Jersey is provolone?  I dunno.  Anyway, the sandwiches were good but not excellent (in my opinion, but I don't usually eat that kind of thing so I'm no expert).

With full bellies, it was time to go to our hotel.  It was really nice and comfy and I was SO GLAD.  I had pulled my back somehow the day before and after walking all day, I was in quite a bit of pain.  I just wanted to take some ibuprofen and go to sleep.  We got up to our rooms (we had two adjoining) and after everyone got ready for bed, my husband came into the girls room with something in his hand.  Uh oh...he can be a prankster at times and I didn't know what he was up to.  Turns out the hotel had left samples of some Temple Spa products in the rooms and he had found them.  He thought it was funny that there was this spray called QUIETUDE that you "mist into the air to create a space of peace".  It was funny.  He was telling all of the kids goodnight and giving them their "mist of peace" aka making them giggle :).  When he sprayed it, it smelled really good so I asked him what other products there were.  There was one called AAAHHH that is made for achy, tired muscles.  He rubbed some of that into my back for me and ya'll, it was awesome.  For real.  My back felt better right away and I slept great.  Note to self:  get some of the Temple Spa products that have silly names but work great :).

The next morning, we woke up hungry again (funny how that works) and decided to give Geno's and Pat's one more try.  Cheesesteaks for breakfast?  Only in Philly :).  We got downtown with much more ease than the night before and snagged one of the last parking spots along the street about two blocks away.  There were even some empty tables this time, yay!  We chose Pat's simply because it was the first place we came to.  It is cash only and they are quick.  The second I had finished ordering, the sammies were lined up on the ledge and the guy was looking over my shoulder calling out "next!".  Don't even think about dawdling or they will give you the stink eye.  Trust me.

We all got pretty much the same thing...wiz wit, some with extra wiz.  Ya'll, these cheesesteaks were EXCELLENT!  So good.  And just so ya'll don't think we are the only crazies eating cheesesteaks for breakfast...by the time we were done eating, the place had started to resemble the chaos from the night before.  Cars parking in the street, people everywhere, line forming, and we even had a family squeeze in at the other end of our table with us.  Crazy, but oh so good :).

After our breakfast, it was time to see more of the city.  The first place we went was the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial.  This memorial is the smallest unit in the National Park system, that alone intrigued me enough to pay a visit.

Kosciuszko was a Polish freedom fighter and military engineer who helped design American forts during the American Revolution.  After being injured, he came to the house that is now a National Memorial to recover during the years 1797-1798.  He had many friends, such as Thomas Jefferson, who came to visit him while he stayed in this home that is open to the public today.

The surrounding area was pretty, cobblestone streets and old row houses with marble steps...

Our next destination was across the city and in a not so pretty area of town.  The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site.  To give you an idea of the area...the NHS keeps its doors locked and you have to knock and wait for them to come unlock the door and let you in.  Uh huh.

This place is also a house, one that was lived in from 1838-1844 by Poe, his wife, and his mother in law.  You can opt for a free guided tour by one of the Rangers or just go through on your own.  We went on our own.

It was very interesting, we learned a lot about the famous author and why he was the way he was...one reason being his young wife's illness and death.  So sad.

The house hasn't been renovated or updated much...

...including the cellar!  EEK!!!

When our visit there was done, it was time to head home.  I snapped a quick picture of the city from my window as we were leaving...

...then it was back to the smaller town where we are currently camping.  Not too far from home, we spotted a field of what looked like tomatoes.  We pulled over to check it out and sure enough, there was a field full of Roma tomatoes!  Never seen that before :)...

How's that for an odd ending to the day?  Haha :)

"Not all who wander are lost" ~Tolkien

It seems I've done it again...

I said I'd "be back soon", and well, it's turned into later. 

We decided rather spur of the moment to take a short trip up to Niagara Falls, just a four-ish hour drive away and one overnight stay. 

Instead of coming straight back home (to our camper), we took the long way and that one night turned into a week or so :)...

I'll fill ya'll in on all the details soon (really!), but I will tell you now that where we ended up involved the ocean...

What?  You didn't know that the ocean was on the way from Niagara Falls to central Pennsylvania? 

Well it was this time...

...and it was lovely :).

Liberty, Freedom, Independence...

On one of our first weekends in Pennsylvania, we took a little overnight trip to Philadelphia.  Actually, we ended up spending the night just across the river in New Jersey...but I'll get to that part in a minute :).

We got up early on a Saturday morning and drove to the city to spend the day in Independence National Historical Park, home of the Liberty Bell.  The visitor center has parking underneath it for a fee, so we parked in their garage and went up to street level into the vc.  We had read online that you have to get tickets in the vc (they are free) to be able to tour Independence Hall.  The tickets you will get are for a certain time, a Ranger leads tours through at timed increments throughout the day, and that you should get your tickets first thing because they often sell out (or run out-again, they're free).  We snagged some of the very last tickets available for that day and set off to see as much as possible in the other buildings until time for that tour.

After leaving the visitor center, we crossed the street to the area where the Liberty Bell is housed.  Just in front of that building were some informative videos playing on outdoor screens and an excavation glassed off for viewing.  We stopped to read the sign and discovered that the excavation is of the first Presidents' house!  We were standing on what used to be the home of George Washington and after him, John Adams, so essentially the first White House. 

Next, we got in line to see the Liberty Bell.  The line was long, but it moved really fast.  It didn't take long for us to make it to the front and the first security check point of the day.  They did look inside my camera bag and we all had to hold up our hands and turn in a circle (?), then we were allowed on through. 

This building is all about the Liberty Bell.  There was exhibit after exhibit with any kind of information you can imagine pertaining to the famous bell.  We read, looked, and walked...until finally, we could see the bell!  It was really cool to be standing that close to it...

When you exit that building, there is another street to cross and then you are on the block that has Independence Hall, Congress Hall, Old City Hall, the American Philosophical Society Museum, and Independence Square.  To get to these places, you have to go through another security check point pretty much exactly like the first one.

In Old City Hall, we saw the court room where the Supreme Court met and cases were tried in the late 1700's...

Next, we walked through the building that has housed the American Philosophical Society since 1789.  This Society has had members such as Benjamin Franklin (founder), Albert Einstein, John James Audubon, and many Presidents and Nobel Prize winners.  Pretty cool...

After this, we found a bench to sit on and rest our feet for a while in Independence Square.  This square is an open grassy area full of big shade trees. The clock tower on top of Independence Hall rises above all of it giving a beautiful focal point to ponder as you sit.

This Square is where the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to the public on July 4, 1776.  Wow...

The next building we entered was the West Wing.  It is a very small room that houses original drafts of the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, and the Declaration of Independence.  To think that those very same documents passed through the hands of the founders of our Nation...they touched them, wrote upon them, poured so much of their selves into them.  Just incredible... 

When we exited that building, we had just enough time to take the Congress Hall tour before it would be time for our Independence Hall tour.  I am SO GLAD that we did not miss Congress Hall.  I was so wrapped up in everything that the Ranger was saying during the first half of the tour that I completely forgot to take any pictures of the downstairs. 

When we entered the building, we were told to take a seat.  The seats where we sat were polished wood with a desk area in front of each one.  There were two sections, each side had stadium seating that curved around and faced a raised seating area in the front center of the room.  It was in this building, the first capitol of the United States, that both the House of Representatives and the Senate convened.  In that very room where we sat...both George Washington and John Adams were inaugurated as Presidents of the United States...the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution was ratified...and Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee were admitted as states.  The Ranger that led the tour and told us all of this was an excellent speaker.  Everyone in the room, even the children, listened intently as he spoke.  It was excellent :).

The second half of the tour was upstairs, where the Senate met.  I did get some pictures up there :)...

Our last tour of the day was Independence Hall.  This tour starts out with everyone being shown into a room and being told to find a seat, also.  Night and day difference, though.  If this room had a specific purpose, we weren't told what it was and the seats were folding chairs that were in two groups that faced each other.  Not quite the ambience of the last tour, but it got better towards the end. 

The highlight of this tour was the last room in the last building we were shown.  The Assembly Room in Independence Hall.  This is where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were drafted and signed.  Can you imagine...

There is a chair with a rising sun on it that sits at the head of the room...this chair is the very same chair that George Washington sat in as he and the other men laid out the foundation for our nation...

I am so glad that these things exist as reminders of where our nation started. 

***I'm gonna break this up into 2 parts, this is getting rather long...be back soon!