Post Thanksgiving Weekend

After Thanksgiving my family stuck around and we decided to see another part of Pennsylvania while they were here. We headed to Lancaster County...better known as Amish country. It was a nice weekend in the country relaxing at the Osceola Mill Bed and Breakfast while we watched the Amish buggies drive by and experienced their simple way of life. Thanks for the fun trip Mom, Dad, Kata and Judson.


Osceola Mill Bed and Breakfast


Family style dinner at Stoltzfus Farm Restaurant


Outside our front door when we woke up.

Thanksgiving Week in Philadelphia

Ben and I were blessed to have both of our families visit us during the Thanksgiving week. Here are a few pictures highlighting the week!


Touring Eastern State Penitentiary.


Bowling night and dinner in the city.


At the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day parade!


The guys deep frying our turkey in the rain...thank you!


Cousins Bailey and Berlin getting their Thanksgiving Dinner.


Thanksgiving Dinner...all 15 of us!


Heading back to DC after breakfast at Parc on Rittenhouse Square.

2nd Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

This year our flat had its second annual Pre-Thanksgiving dinner. We are lucky to have incredible chefs as neighbors and a beauitful afternoon to eat outside once again! Thanks for the delicious meal everyone.


Hanging out in our courtyard before dinner.


The delicious spread.


The dinner!


Annick and Teague...too cute!

Austin, Texas!

For the second time this year I headed down to the Lone Star State...never in my life did I think I would spend so much time in this surprisingly wonderful place! I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Austin, Texas with my parents for a wedding reception of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Sarah. Sarah and Cliff had a destination wedding and had this reception in their home state for all of us to celebrate with them. Congratulations Sarah and Cliff!


Sarah and myself with our moms.

Camping in the Pennsylvania 'Mountains'

In an effort to enjoy fall in Pennsylvania Ben and I thought a weekend in the Pennsylvania 'mountains' would do just that. We spent a beautiful weekend in Jim Thorpe, PA camping, hiking, fishing and relaxing with our good friends Jackie and Corey. Thanks for the fun weekend!


The guys in the Lehigh Gorge.


One of the many waterfalls we saw while hiking.


At the top...it was worth it!


At the Boulder Field.


Berlin, happy to be along.


Fishing at our campsite.


Enjoyed lots of time by the fire.

New England in the Fall

We’ve been a little pessimistic of New England. To do so, is to be a Midwesterner. There are still too many Ivy League schools per square mile, and too much traffic, but after touring through Cambridge, Boston, Plymouth, and Cape Cod we can safely say, it’s one of our favorite spots in the country!

Our Top 5 List:

1. The Harvard University Bookstore, Cambridge.

2. The Bakeries at Quincy Market, Boston.

3. Free Tiramisu at Pomodoro in the North End, Boston.

4. Park Ranger talk about King Philips War at Plymouth Rock, Plymouth.

5. Church of the Transfiguration, Orleans, Cape Cod. (Protestant Benedictine Monastery)


Ben on the steps of the Harvard Library, Cambridge MA.


Meeting up with the Helmbergers in Quincy Market, Boston MA.


At the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock, Plymouth MA.


The spectacular Church of the Transfiguration, Cape Cod MA.


Nauset Beach, Cape Cod MA.

Adam's Visit

It's not quite a book dedication, but after I stayed at Adam's pad in Chicago for about a month while doing research, my old college roommate was kind enough to splendor us with a weekend visit.

Yards Brewery, Philadelphia

Crist's East Coast Road Trip

Over Labor Day weekend we were blessed with a visit from our dear friends the Crists. They drove out from Minnesota to spend the long weekend with us and check out some East Coast cities (Philadelphia, New York and Atlantic City). Here are a few pics from the weekend. Thanks for the fun visit!


Elfreth's Alley in Old City Philadelphia.


Wyatt's first trip to the ocean!


Don't tell Wyatt he rode in a pink carseat the whole weekend :)


Central Park, New York City.


Dinner in our courtyard for Crist's last night.

Libertipalooza

Every summer all 3 Liberti Church congregations get together for a day of fun, food, relaxation and competition out of the city...


Relaxing on the hill.


Ben showing off his moves.


Berlin and his new BFF Chloe.


Some extreme greased watermelon rugby.


Just the 3 of us.

Twin Cities Weekend

Our last weekend in Minnesota was spent in the Twin Cities with the Brandenburgs/Muhrs and friends. We were able to spend time with our growing niece,Ellie, and nephew, Ethan, along with hitting up our favorite restaurant Punch pizza! Sadly we missed out on the Minnesota State Fair by only 4 days...maybe next year.


An afternoon at the Science Museum.


Berlin enjoyed hanging out with his Aunt Molly.


High school girlfriends.


The car packed up for the drive back to Philly.

24 Years at Lake McDonald

The majority of our week in Minnesota was spent at Big Lake McDonald Resort...where the Pearson and McLaren families have been going every August for the last 24 years!


The guys showing us their moves.


All of us!


Hanging out on the dock.

Duluth Reunion Weekend

In August Ben and I were able to head to Minnesota for a week to spend time with family and friends. The first weekend we were home we headed up to northern MN to hang out with my 4 college girlfriends and their growing families. It started out as 5 college friends and there are now 17 of us! (yes we are the only ones without kids:)

Here are pictures of our fun weekend on the beautiful Lake Superior in Duluth.

From 5 college girlfriends...


...to a group of 17!

Schroeder's Visit

Ben and I have been blessed with many visitors this summer...our latest were our college friends Lauren and Wade. We were lucky to be apart of their 5 year wedding anniversary trip to the east coast. Here are a few pics from our fun weekend together....thanks for the visit Schroeders!


At LOVE Park.


A very hot day at the Jersey shore.


A tour of historic Philadelphia.


Lauren & Wade's first cheesesteaks!

Short Reflections on our Summer in the Woods

We love our urban jungle. We love cobblestone streets that aren't supposed to be romantic. We love the way the unemployed amuse themselves. We love the stained glass window variety of cement that seemingly covers every square inch. We love random one way streets...

...But we also can't stand these things at times. And in the summer, we especially must escape to the woods. So these last few weeks we ran away to the beautiful Wissahickon Creek, Philadelphia; French Creek State Park, Western PA; Fallingwater, Southwest PA; and the exotic Hocking Hills, Ohio.

Here are pictures from our last few weekends.


Hiking Wissahickon Creek, Philadelphia.


Our rainy hike while camping at French Creek State Park.


At Frank Llyod Wright's Fallingwater.


Outside Fallingwater, Southwest Pennsylvania.


Playing Corn Hole at our cabin in Hocking Hills.


Hiking Conkle's Hollow, Ohio.


Hiking Rock House, Ohio.