We All Scream for Ice Cream!

So, I never spend long sulking and when we woke up Sunday morning and it was gorgeous outside, we decided to take off for a day outdoors.   The state parks in PA are all free and have some pretty good hiking trails.   We tried out a new one Ridley Creek State Park, which has a gorgeous old mansion on the property, as well as horse stables, so there was a lot to see besides just the plants and wildlife along the trail.   I have included a few pics of the beautiful water lilies from the reflecting pool on the property.   

After we worked up an appetite, we took our neighbor P's recommendation to visit the Chester Springs Creamery on Milky Way Farm for some homemade ice cream.   Of course no Deak girl can turn down some ice cream on a beautiful Sunday afternoon!   The farm was so pretty and quaint - much like everything we have seen in Pennsylvania so far.    

The Matthews Family owns the farm and the girls enjoyed meeting "Farmer Melba", the owner when we took a tour of the grounds and spent some time with the animals on the farm.   M is fascinated with farm animals and really wanted to milk a cow!  Since this wasn't going to happen yesterday and robots do the work for them,  Melba helped explain how the cow - milking process works by a visually using only her two hands (let your imaginations run wild here) and that seemed to satisfy M.   And to top it off, we left with some fresh milk and eggs!  

The ice cream was delicious, the farm was beautiful and it was a perfect way to send such a beautiful day!  Minus the fact that Hubby kept commenting on how cold it is going to be this winter.  I am not sure why he feels the need to keep mentioning this, but I got it!   Maybe it was because I actually had chill bumps sitting in the shade eating my ice cream yesterday.   Also, the recent prediction of this being an "above-average" snowfall year for the northeast might have him a little concerned....   Later, friends!

It's Not All Roses....

When I started crying in Wegman's today, I really wasn't surprised.   I knew a breakdown was coming...it was bound to happen.  The best part is that I really don't think today was it - just the beginning of what might be a couple of weeks filled with tears.   I am missing home - badly!

It all began earlier this week when we visited the Philadelphia Zoo - the girls and I much enjoyed it, but couldn't help be reminded of some of our trips to the Atlanta Zoo with our best pals.   Then the girls asked to eat at Chick-fil-A for lunch and play on the playground there.  Not an impossible task here,  just very out of the way on the day that they were asking for it and it is in a mall, so no playground.   My car has needed a bath for a while, so I was hoping to swing through a drive-thru car wash.  However, I couldn't find a drive-thru car wash anywhere around me.  Not a big deal, right?  Just go to the full service place with the girls and have it done - which we did.   And to add on to it, we went to open house at Avery's school and she and I both felt like the new girls, which we were.  So, when the tears came pouring while buying her school snacks for this upcoming week, I embraced it and let them roll down my cheeks.   I know that with her starting school on Monday means that the house gets a little quieter. Then Madeline will start a few weeks after and I will be left alone with my thoughts and emotions - scary!  I don't think this lump in throat is going anywhere for a while.   I miss my Woodlawn Chick-fil-A, BP car wash, Publix diet sweet tea, sitting in church traffic going to and from the little yellow church I adore - and more than anything, I miss my family and friends!

My wonderful neighbor, E, has been a God-send.   When she invited the girls and I to a picnic at the park this past week with some of her friends and then to the movies Friday afternoon with her and another fellow southern belle, it was music to my ears.  I needed to get away from my self and my "bah-humbugness".    It reminds me of the song I learned as a young girl - "Make new friends, but keep the old...One is silver and the other gold".   Just those few dates with other ladies and kids are helping me tremendously.   Seeing the girls laughing and playing with new pals reminds me that they are happy and adjusting well, which is so important.  And girl talk for me is much needed - saving my sanity these days!   To say we hit the neighbor jackpot is an understatement!

Not to make this all a pity party for myself - I mean I did have a choice in this move!  Just hearing the girls laughing while Hubby is playing with them and watching them sit outside in the afternoons, awaiting his return home from work are reminder enough of why we are on the roller coaster!  Having us all together helps me wipe away the tears and get on with things.

Is it Thanksgiving yet??????  Can't wait to come home!

The Big Apple

Personally, I think the proximity to NYC is one of the coolest things about living in Philly.  I adore the city and haven't been since the girls were born.  So when a friend mentioned that there was a Pinkalicious musical in Manhattan, I was all over it!  Sounded like the perfect excuse to get in the car and head to the island.   Our next door neighbors offered to dog sit Lucy, so we opted for a day trip just to test out how it would be taking the girls.   The drive is just under 2 hours and couldn't have been easier - parked close to the Holland tunnel for an easy exit and cabbed it around all day.

Since Pinkalicious was in a theatre near my fav section of town (SoHo), we enjoyed walking around and a little shopping before show time.  And I mean a little shopping - must come back without the kids (and even Hubby).  We found a quaint little lunch spot called The Smile, which seemed fitting since I had a huge one plastered on my face.   Finally... showtime!  A is getting to the age to where she "acted" like she was too old for it.  But believe me, she enjoyed herself just as much as M.   After the musical, the cast met the girls in the lobby to sign autographs, take pics, then enjoy a cupcake, of course.

Madeline and Pinkalicious

The day ended up being gorgeous, so we opted to take advantage and enjoy the views atop the Empire State Building.  The girls were momentarily amazed, but really had the American Girl Doll store on their mind.  So our time up top was pretty brief, but we managed to take in the beautiful views and point out the big landmarks to the girls.

Looking downtown NYC

After hours of asking, we hailed a cab to the mecca of doll stores.  No trip would be complete without experiencing this store.   It really was an amazing store and the girls were swept away by everything inside.  Even though I wasn't really the doll-loving little girl myself, I got wrapped up in it too and was shopping for cute outfits for their dolls.   I do believe Hubby was trying to take himself to his happy place of beer and football the entire time, but he was a good sport and loved seeing the smiles on the girls' faces.  And crazy enough, we even managed to run into some new Philly friends while in the store!

M's "Ella" doll getting her hair braided

A with Lainey and her hairstylist

After hours of walking, we ended with dinner back down in Soho  - a terrific little taqueria named Tacombi which serves tacos from inside a VW van that came from the Yucutan.  The girls thought that was pretty cool and frankly, the atmosphere was just as great as the delicious fish tacos!  You know I love my tacos!

It was a great day in the city - a repeat trip for sure! M will tell you she loved riding in the cabs without a booster seat the most.  And if you ask A what her favorite part of the day was, she will tell you it was seeing the torch lit on the Statue of Liberty as we headed back home.   This affirms that they are not too young to appreciate the sights and we may NOT have to go back to American Girl next time ;)

Shore Enough

So we took a little adventure to the Jersey Shore this weekend...it didn't quite live up to my expectations, not because of the geography, but the weather.   We knew there was a chance of rain - 30% before we left the house.  Living always glass half full, that meant 70% that it wouldn't right???   And it always rains at the beach :)  So we set out for some sun and fun! It took about an hour and half to get there and we spent a whopping 3 hours there before turning around to head home!

Ocean City, NJ was filled with families and had a boardwalk, which is something new for us.   It was pretty neat to leave our stuff in the sand and visit the boardwalk for some food and shopping.  This was especially handy since the rain and overcast skies kept us from enjoying time in the water.   However, the boardwalk didn't make up for the fact that it was only 73 degrees outside on Saturday and the water was only 72 - I think I am just now getting the feeling back into my legs!  The girls really wanted to build sandcastles, so we toughed it out.  But after an half hour of sitting in the rain, while wrapped up in beach blankets, Hubby and I called it quits!   It just wasn't our day at the shore.  That 30% chance quickly turned into 100%, with some thunder and lightening to boot.  We shall try again another day.

Not too many pics for ya - the weather wasn't so friendly for photos!

Avery was freezing, but a good sport for a photo.  

Ocean City Boardwalk  - before the rain!

Lessons Learned: Part 1

You learn alot about yourself when you move - some things make you feel proud and some things disappoint.   I titled this Part 1 because I know I will learn much, much more about myself over this journey.   But, I thought I would share a few with you for now:

1. I have a Southern accent, so much so I have been asked to repeat myself - a few times.
2. I am not a very good driver - okay, I am bad!  I am sure to find a few tickets in the mail any day now because I have ran so many traffic lights!  Every one of them has a camera up here!
3. GPS is not perfect - actually has been wrong many times and I rely on it a little too much.  Yes, I updated the map before we left Georgia.
4. I can still talk to a brick wall and really don't mind striking up a conversation with a stranger.  Nothing new to learn there, I guess ;)
5. My kids are amazing and have some great coping mechanisms - they inspire me!
6. I am actually a little scared to hit the Jersey shore this weekend :)  After watching RHONJ and Jersey Shore, not sure I can live up the expectations.
7. I love to Vox!  If you don't know what this is, download the Voxer app on your iPhone and have fun.  Thank you, CLP, for getting me hooked.   It is nice to hear my family and friends' voices when texting.
8. Listening to country music brings tears to my eyes.  However, there are two country music stations up here - little shocked by that.
9. I am missing Duke's mayonnaise and Coke products in the restaurants up here.  Can't I get a little Coke Zero with my burger??
10. Scubbing bubbles CANNOT be used to clean a stone shower!    

OOPS!  These streaks appeared AFTER I cleaned!!  Please email if you know how to make them go away!

Happy Thursday!

Going Green

A little geography for today... we live in Willistown Township, which is a part of Chester County, PA. Within the township, there are a few towns to make it up and one of which is Malvern, our town as of now.   Willistown Township is 75% open space - meaning that there is just open land and green space all around us.   To be on the edge of Philadelphia, you would almost think we where in the rural countryside.  There are lots of historic, old buildings in the middle of large, open green pastures - quite beautiful to say the least.

One of our neighbors (whom I met while he was playing the bagpipes in his front yard - how random is that!!!) recommended we visit Okehocking Perserve - an 180 acre wildlife preserve that has around 5 miles of trails and is leash-free for Lucy.   Since we haven't visited churches yet, we decided to spend our Sunday morning yesterday enjoying some of God's creations and set out to explore this land.

The park was beautiful and we had a great time walking (sometimes hiking) through the trails and watching Lucy roam without a leash.   We met several other doggy families and Lucy made a few new friends.   To finish off our hiking, the girls and Lucy enjoyed splashing around in Ridley Creek, which runs alongside the preserve.    We all agreed this place will become a regular visit for our family - it was just too pretty of a spot to not enjoy frequently!

Starting on our hike 

The woods cleared and we found an old barn!

Ridley Creek

Okehocking Preserve

Dirty, wet shoes mean a good time!

Playing Tourist

It is hard to believe that two weeks have passed since we first walked through the door to the new home and we already had our first visitor this week - Aunt Amy!  The girls and I were thrilled to play host and have her with us as we took in some more Philadelphia firsts this past week.   Nothing like family to make you feel a little more at home and keep us company while Hubby works the day away at Sidecar.

Our neighbors recommended taking the girls to Dutch Wonderland - an amusement park about 45 minutes away in Lancaster (heart of Amish Country).   There they can ride everything and most without an adult even!  It was perfect for their ages and even had a small waterpark attached.   Amy and I rode rides that would normally make us sick just to please the girls, but we had to draw the line after riding the Whirly Turtles three times in a row after lunch.  This momma is getting too old for spinning rides.   It was a great time and even more exciting, we saw our first horse and buggy, fully equipped with blinkers!

Since the amusement park failed to wear the girls out, we took the train into the city the following day.  You just can't escape a Duck Boat tour with little kids - so we hopped on the boat with other non-locals to see some historic sites.   Our Duck Boat captain played a few rounds of trivia about Philadelphia and it made me realize just how little I really know about this city and its history!  However, he confided that most people who live in Philly don't know the history either, so I was in good company.   While Amy and I love seeing the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the girls were most excited about riding the train.  I could have saved a lot of money and just rode the train around Philly all day!

We visited Valley Forge on Amy's last morning, which is just six miles away from our home.  It is beautiful and I cannot wait to run through the park this fall while the leaves are changing colors.   I tried to explain to the girls the history of Valley Forge and I know very little.  Avery's take-away of my history lesson - "So this is the place where George Washington and his soldiers forgot to wear shoes in the snow".  Yeah, pretty much :)

We were sad to see Amy leave and we were all fighting off tears at the train station, but I know she will be back soon to visit - it is just too pretty up here not to come and stay for a few days!

Here is a video of their favorite ride - the Frog Hopper!

Madeline and Lucy in Valley Forge Park

More of beautiful Valley Forge

Independence Hall