We've Moved!

The Old: Camden, New Jersey


The New: Fishtown, Philadelphia

New Info:
2135 East Susquehanna Ave #2F
Philadelphia, Pa 19125

Weekend in the Twin Cities

After our time in Wisconsin and Northern MN we were able to head down to the Twin Cites for a few days to be with Ben's family and hang out with our MN friends. It was great to see everyone at the Open House BBQ and do some MN things with the family...race car driving at the Mall of America, Caribou Coffee, and our favorite Punch Pizza!


After Race Car Driving with the family at the M of A


The Delicious Punch Pizza in our old Neighborhood


The Guys playing Bocce at our BBQ Open House


Girlfriends at the BBQ

Lake McDonald, 23 Years and Running...

The Whole Group


Mom went jet skiing this year!


A round of Uno on the lake with the family.


Dad and Judson chillin' on the tubes.


The Family

Bayfield Getaway

College Girlfriends

In the heart of August Ben and I were fortunate to return to Minnesota for a little R and R with family and friends. We started out the time in Bayfield,the northernmost tip of Wisconsin, with five of my girlfriends from college and their families. Bayfield is a charming gateway to the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. It was so good to have everyone together. Thanks for the fun weekend!

The Whole Gang on Madeline Island

Girls Weekend in DC

This past weekend my mom flew out to the East Coast so we could have a mother/daughter weekend in Kata's stomping grounds. Thanks for the memorable weekend Mom and Kata!


Mom, Kata and I after buying flowers at Eastern Market

The Grand Tour—Philadelphia Edition

The family imitating Ethan's sleeping position in DC

The Grand Tour was the traditional travel of Europe undertaken by upper crust British folk who would journey from London or thereabouts to Paris to Padua to Venice to Naples and up to Munich and Geneva before catching a homeward bound ship in Amsterdam. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s. According to the great Wikipedia, the primary value of the Grand Tour, it was believed, lay in the exposure both to the cultural legacy of classical antiquity and the Renaissance, and to the aristocratic and fashionable society of the European continent.

Kata and Toni at the July 4th Parade in DC

Two centuries later the Grand Tour is alive and kicking as Ben’s sister Sara and her guys Steve and Ethan—all Midwest spirits and East coast rookies—visited for a long weekend. And with four days instead of four months on the standard itinerary our quest began. In lieu of the southern Italy section, Washington D.C, just 2 hours south, would suffice. There we took in the faux antiquity of Greek revival architecture and magnificent grand balls. Ok, the buildings were about 2000 years newer than Europe’s and there were no masked balls, but we did see many people in masks at the July 4th parade. And I’m quite certain the fireworks blew the best that Milan offered in 1834 out of the air. Next, the grand tour veered north to New Amsterdam, aka NYC. There we met the French lady of liberty, toured the grand children’s market of FAO Schwartz, and devoured the culinary delights of a delightfully rustic region known as Greenwich Village. The Grand Tour returned to the birthplace of (American) democracy, Philadelphia, for what else, cheese steaks and the running of the Rocky steps.

Not exactly the standard itinerary of past, but magnificent nonetheless. Thanks S,S&E for the visit and PB&J and K for your hospitality in DC.

Times Square NYC


Our nephew Ethan at the Statue of Liberty


Resting in Rittenhouse Park (Philly) after 4 days of gallivanting about the East Coast

Ben and Toni: Staycationer's Extraordinaire

On our rooftop Friday Night

As tribute to the global recession, green living, and not wanting to drive 7 hours to Cape Cod over Memorial day weekend, we decided to opt for a grand new tradition: staycations.

Wikipedia puts it this way:
"A staycation (or stay-cation, or stacation) is a neologism for a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. Staycations have achieved high popularity in current hard economic times in which unemployment levels and gas prices are high. Common activities of a staycation include use of the backyard pool, visits to local parks and museums, and attendance at local festivals. Some staycationers also like to follow a set of rules, such as setting a start and end date, planning ahead, and avoiding routine, with the goal of creating the feel of a traditional vacation."

Our Philly Staycation 2009
Friday: Camden rooftop fireworks party
Saturday: The Du Pont Longwood Gardens
Sunday: A hike in Wissahickon Gorge
Monday: Ocean City Beach


Kate and Toni with the beautiful flowers at Longwood Gardens


Kate, Jordan, Ben and Toni in the topiary gardens at Longwood


Hiking the Wissahickon Gorge in Philadelphia


A relaxing day at the Jersey Shore