How to close out a month...

After being gone for some time, it's hard to get back into the swing of things...you know, being a normal person...buying groceries, going to work, staying home at night, those kind of things. We dove back into our boring life as quickly as we could. 

Lawn mowing....

Oh wait, lawn rolling. After attending a "junk show" where Matt was the first one to buy an item, he put together a lawn roller where he makes stripes in the grass (like a baseball field). He does the front yard and backyard and if you want to get on his good side, be sure to notice them and compliment him.

Going to work.....everyday.

After being gone for a bit, it was hard to get back into the 8-5 swing of things let alone be productive while I was there. Had some projects that needed direct attention too as we were hosted by Hess at a 15 well rig site that was continuing to drill 3 more wells to add to the site of derricks. 

We couldn't forget Father's Day.

With two amazing men in our lives, we wanted to give them their due. Matt and I headed up to Lansford to spend the day with Randy and Michele. We've made it an unofficial tradition to take them to Mohall's course for a round of 9. It's a not a bad course and we get a few laughs. I lost an amazing amount of balls into one thing or another, definitely out of practice. I was glad to recover one lost ball that my mother-in-law decided to pick up in the middle of her round. Don't mind her! Michele ended on a high note...she hit the pin on the last whole. 

Randy: I got a five.
Michele: You did not. You got a six.
Randy: You weren't watching.
Michele: Well, I'm just playing out of my a....
Bickering continues...
MJR to ALR: It's nice that we can get them out of the house.

We did start a little shakey as the rain and lightning moved in by hole #2.

MJR: Mom, I think we probably need to go back to the clubhouse.

Michele: What? Phil plays in this.
ALR whisper to MJR: She does know that we aren't on the same level as "Phil" right?
MJR: Yes. I hope so.

The next weekend we took a day with my father as well. The difference in tasks really shows the difference in the couple. With Matt's parents, we golfed. With my parents, we loaded scrap iron. A lot of it. Into a truck. All day. Until the truck couldn't fit anymore in. And we had to hoist my mother on top to smush it all in. They we cleaned and worked on the shop. 

MJR and ALR watching Diana in bucket of payloader.

Diana yells something to Perry.
Perry pretends he can't hear and reeves the engine more.

Diana gives me a look.
Perry ignores and keeps lifting her higher.
ALR to MJR: It's nicethat we can get them out of the house.

MJR: okay, we are finished sweeping, do you have dust pan?
ALR stares at him.
Perry: yeah it's called the skidsteer.

Matt finished the day by helping Alaina out with her Rodeo queen speech.

Dealing with Mother Nature
After a huge storm rattled through the house, scaring the cats, taking down neighborhood trees, and even having damage all over town (gusts were up to 82 miles per hour), we were forced to do some work around the house. This included fawning over my garden and raking the yard because it looked like someone had prepped for a wedding there. The beautiful Japanese lilacs had gotten blasted and the leaves and blooms were all over.

MJR while raking: Do you still like your trees?
ALR: Yes!
ALR: Do you still like your lawn?
MJR: Yes.
ALR: So there you have it.

Bismarck fun...
We did manage to take in some fun to among our work. We went to Breakfast at the Zoo and meandered around, usually one of the best times to go because there is so much movement in the animals. My favorite this trip around was the baby porcupine. He actually almost looked soft! What a cutie.

McQuades (a HUGE softball tournament that is put on by the local Budweiser distributor) was in town too, which usually means crazy driving and busy places. We decided to enjoy some aspects of it, including seeing the Clydesdales that they were prepped and harnessed, complete with drivers and dalmatian. The pageantry was amazing on these beautiful creatures. Matt and I also took a Super A Softball game in. Was fun to watch the homers come through, even when they take out a windshield.

Best meal: I made something that was really good and I was really proud of myself but it was eons ago. I was happy with the bang bang shrimp that we made Randy. Made made Korean BBQ tacos, another great meal. We also had elk burritos, pleasantly surprised. 

PA: How to ensure you have a good flight...

We finally had to say goodbye to Philly and Reading Terminal Market.
We boarded the flight after enjoying random airport food at Earl of Sandwich.
In Minneapolis, we found ourselves running to meet the next flight.

Now we were in on the secret in advance, but we were honored to know the pilot- John Pinkerton! We've gotten shoutouts and all before but to actually know the pilot, have him in your wedding, stay in his house and so on...that was fun!

When we landed, we brought him to the house and took him out to lunch, a little Scottie's Drive-In before Matt and him took in a round of golf. We had steaks at our house before sending him back to his hotel room.

The vacation was officially over. What a bummer.

Flight attendant: Do you want to move up to Row 4? Business Economy?
MJR to ALR: Pays to know the pilot.
10 minutes later.
Flight attendant: Would you guys like a couple margaritas?
ALR to MJR: Pays to know the pilot!

Ode to a suitcase....

After our trip to Philadelphia, I was forced with a terrifying conclusion, I had to say goodbye and retire my beloved suitcase due to the breaking of handles beyond repair.

The suitcase came to me in Scotland and my parents helped pay for it. It has traveled to more parts of the world than some people...Scotland, England, Cabo, California, Washington, Chicago, St Maarten, Guatemala, Denver, Philly, and more. I've had endless outfits, bottles of sand, gifts/souvenirs, shoes, and who knows what else. It's had the same bow/blue shopping bag tied on it since day 1 and it hurt be just a little to say goodbye to a friend that has been with me for 10 years.

Goodbye old friend, your trips will not be forgotten.

PA: How to have one last Hoorah in Philly...

Wednesday morning started out a bit differently than the other days. Matt was

very busy with sessions all Wednesday so I knew I wouldn't get much time to see him. I started the day on a very high note, I went into Reading Terminal Market and grabbed a spearmint tea and made my way to the Dutch/Amish corner. I'd been staring at the donuts for awhile now and got a peanut butter cream. Best donut I've ever had in my life. I also meandered through the Amish items and chose a few to take home (popcorn for popping, sandwich spread, and an Amish Cookbook).

From there, Jon and Kim joined me and we wandered around and eventually had lunch, Matt joined us for that. We all split up. Kim had turkey dinner, I had a caprese grilled cheese, Matt had a corned beef sandwich, and Jon had a Philly Cheese Steak. From there we did some more wandering and ended the meal with cookies.

Now I had had the plan to get on the Big Bus Tour and wander around Philly but Jon and Kim decided to join me! HOW fun! You know you have good friends when you can spend an afternoon together, without the person that introduced you in the first place! We got a quick overview of Philly and it's history. The only hiccup in our plan was at the Ben Franklin Institute. They made a quick stop and when they did, antifreeze poured out! Like it was a scene in Ghost Busters!

After a brief debussing and a slight walkabout, we got back on for more of the ride. Was fun to see the statues and hear about how the city was organized and grew. I love that they claim to be a city in a park versus a park in a city and their green space all combined is larger than New York's Central Park. I think I could go back there and explore more. See the prison, the modern art museum, the audio halls, eat in more restaurants. 

We got off to have a drink at an Irish Pub close to old town and get out of the sun. All in all, it was a good trip to see the final visions of Philly on Wednesday. It was an amazing trip for me, and despite Matt working, we made the best of it. I don't know if I can say my favorite part or favorite meal. There are ones that stand out...Judy's crab boil, NYC pizza, my donut, Dandelion-the English Pub....and there are experiences that stand out too with both family and friends. Was good to get away.

We ended the trip with the AAAE's banquet. This banquet was similar to UMAS's banquet in the spring. Dinner was three courses. Salad, rice risotto cake with mushrooms, and pot roast with potatoes and vegetables. Dessert took on a life of its own as the next year conference holder is responsible. We had candied nuts and astronaut ice cream. Was a good excuse to dress up but a good end to remind us that we were ready to go home.

Quotes from the bus tour:Random rider: So, bus is dead?

Tour guide: well......

Kim: Where does the modern art end?

Jon: Yeah, is that road cone modern art?

ALR: Yes, it's the symbolism of construction slowly enveloping urban life.

Kim: Oh, that's good!

ALR: I know, right!

PA: How to appreciate Philly's art and history...

Tuesday started out similar to Monday, Matt had a bit of time in the morning and I wanted breakfast in Reading Terminal. So after a great bagel and a bit of wandering, we headed back out to take in more city sights. 

When we see an crashed plane outside the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, we can't help but stop to peer. It was a cold war plane titled "Grumman Greenhouse." The location may have been chosen because the location was narrowly missed by the plane. Not only was the artwork interesting because of the overall "impact" but the artist, Jordan Griska, had also turned the cockpit into a greenhouse with lights coming from solar power panels attached to the wings. Was beautiful to see something that could cause so much damage at one point now be art.

It wasn't the only art that we happened upon. We came to the Your Move park on JFK Boulevard and Broad Street. It was an Allison and Wonderland feeling as you were small among the dominoes, bingo markers, sorry pieces, and checkers. I love the whimsy of it in the middle of Philadelphia. The evidence of art and humanity in Philadelphia really won me over.

The best part of Tuesday was that Judy was able to make it down. We went back to the hotel to meet her and Liam. Matt spent some of the morning with us but her and I and Liam had the afternoon. After gyros at the market, we started with some historical sites including the Liberty Bell and basement of the original White House. Liam was more impressed with the honking buses and trucks than we was with Independence Hall and Independence Square. He did get a kick out of the horses but was happy when we let him out of the stroller to run around a park.

The best park for him and a hoot for us was Dillworth Park. That was where we'd been on Monday for the event, but they had it going full boar when we got there. He had so much fun with the many little geysers, well until he got unseated and had to be rescued by Grandma. Was great to watch his curiosity grab hold of him when they seemed to disappear only to come back and catch him in the face seconds later with a peel of giggles.

After drying off, Matt went back to work and Judy and I went for ice cream! We did a bit of shopping and watched Liam slowly drift off into a nap. This allowed Judy and I to wander around downtown Philly, take in a few more sights and eventually stop at the Love Park/JFK Plaza with another geyser and the famous LOVE sculpture. Was cute that that's what Liam woke up to....what a sight! Was great to spend more time with Judy too as not only did we cover a lot of ground (sore fee to prove it) but we covered a lot of subjects.

Shortly after Liam woke up, Matt was able to join us before they had to take off. We showed Judy the "Your Move" park and Liam got a kick out of another horsey. He also was a fan of the Sorry pieces, like I was. However the main steal of his attention was the grates that lead to underground....I guess I would have been impressed with them too at his age.

We got them cleared up, cleaned up, and unfortunately back on the road. The time spent with family was one of the reasons that Matt decided this conference was one that we wanted to attend. So glad it worked out.

That night, we went aboard the USS New Jersey, which is the most decorated battleship in the Navy. She saw WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Lebanese Civil War. The event was sponsored by Mead & Hunt and Jon had invited us. The ship was massive...888 feet, like 3 football fields practically! There were appetizers and tours but also a cannon shooting. Matt and I had a tour of the command center and he even took a seat in the main chair, manager through and through, I guess. I'm just glad that he didn't smash his head into anything as he was definitely too tall to be a sailor!

I think my favorite was seeing the Philly skyline from the New Jersey, Camden Shipyard station.

We had another little surprise while we were there as we had an impromptu concert from Fall Out Boy who was doing their pyrotechnics and sound check just a little bit from us, onland. We heard, "Light 'em Up" and "Saturday" they sounded great. Would have loved to take that concert in.

When the sun started setting, so did I....I suppose after a couple days of going straight, it felt good to crash a little early, before 11:00 that is!

Kim and ALR sitting at event tables.
MJR comes out of gun turret.
Grinning like a schoolboy.
Kim: Oh my gosh, look at that smile,
ALR: Yeah, I know, I knew he'd love this.

PA: How to Philadelphize....from feet to stomach...

Monday was a day to be in and out of the office for Matt. He had a session in the morning and then in the afternoon...So after we had crepes (banana-honey and bacon-egg) in Reading Terminal, we decided to take in a bit of Philly. We headed off toward the historic area and got distracted. 

Distracted by China Town with it's amazing Friendship Gate, which is traditional in that it doesn't have any nails, screws, glue...it's a puzzle that was put together and being held on it's own.

Distracted by the Federal Mint. Where we went through and saw a tour on the process and then peered over the minting floor where we saw sheet of unmade coins, unstamped coins, and pennies all over waiting to go into circulation. Was actually very interesting. We attempted to get a fresh bag of newly minted ones to give back to Michele, but they don't sell them any more.

We also jumped across the street and went through Ben Franklin's burial cemetery. It was a very quiet landmark...and cheap. We paid $4 and that included the map that I thought would be a good idea to get. Ben's grave was covered in pennies due to his own saying, "Find a penny, pick it up..." And these contributions bring in $3,000 a year which help support the maintenance of the grounds. Ben Franklin isn't the only signor of the Declaration buried in the graveyard..there are five others. Some of the plots have been there so long the writing has been wore off.  We did manage to find a couple from this century recently buried.

Next we went down the oldest residential street, Elfreth's Alley. Starting in 1702, there was paving and some of it's original for these 32 quaint homes. The paving was actually somewhat difficult to walk on. Can't imagine how it was 200+ years ago. It did feel a bit like walking back in time to see the construction and look of these homes. There were two for sale that we looked at. One was a three bed, three bath and was selling for 3/4 a million dollars. It was mentioned that this National Landmark is a celebration for the common man because the early inhabitants were of common occupation; butchers, glassblowers, merchants, shoemakers, grocers...which many worked out of their first floor. I found it completely appropriate when I found the child's drawing in the windows of one of the homes giving a little history on the small street. 

On the way back to the motel we stopped at OCP Grill... Old City Pizza, which described the neighborhood we were in. We ordered a couple Italian sandwiches and a mega slice and weren't disappointed in what we got. We only ate half the sandwiches, which Matt was glad about because he said they were even better the second time around. We kept walking to find Betsy Ross's home and Independence Hall, which was close to the Liberty Bell. I loved the statues and art that we continued to find that was soaked in history.

While Matt was at the conference, I went out shopping a bit for the banquet, I hadn't planned on attending so when we got a ticket, I knew I'd have to come back with a dress and shoes to go. Hit up some shopping and managed to recover from getting disoriented in Chinatown. Was happy to navigate a bit on my own. I've come to rely on Matt so much for this that I've forgotten that I had some decent skills at it. I also made sure to take a spin through Reading Terminal again and grab a chocolate chip, caramel, pecan dipped cookie with Himalayan Pink Salt on top. Serious.

The night was a big family event in Dillworth Park. It's the park right in front of City Hall that's got the area of fountains. They called it Party in the Park, Philly style. They broke the event up into different areas and highlighted the areas with different food, fun, and games. I think my favorite food was the pizza and or the Philly Cheese steaks/Chicken cheese steaks/Italian sandwiches. But my favorite entertainment was the children that performed as the dragons for China town. They were so beautiful with their sweeping eyelashes. Makes me want to take in a Chinese New Year for the art and pageantry.

The only downside of the park was the forecast of heavy rain. This brought a lot of people to leave early but we stayed for quite awhile visiting with Kim and Jon. Kim was Matt's previous teacher who helped him into the Dickinson Internship (and we all know how that ended). She's continued to play a mentor role for him and we've loved having them as friends. They appreciate the foodie/traveling lifestyle and we often compare notes. It's never a dull conversation with her and husband Jon, who also has the airport lingo down because of his involvement in the industry. I enjoy them both immensely and was so glad to have them at the conference as well!

The night closed out on a high note...a sugar high that is! We went to a vendor event, Death by Chocolate. Everything was chocolate. Chocolate martinis, chocolate fountain, chocolate sorbet, ice cream, buffet. It was beautiful but I left wanting to swim in a glass of milk. I was lucky the wait staff took pity on me and brought one. I couldn't believe how stuffed I got.

ALR: Did you see two of those home on Elfreth's Alley are for sale?
MJR: Yes.
ALR: Wouldn't a home in Philly be nice?
MJR rolls eye: Sure, that's plausible.