East Meets Midwest

Handel's Messiah

2011-01-07T18:00:00.000-05:00

Every year the Philadelphia Orchestra performs Messiah as a special Christmas show. The timing is perfect for my mom's birthday, and I took her as her gift. My Grandma, Aunt Carol, and cousin Gina also joined us, and we had a lovely Philadelphia day between brunch and the performance.

L to R: Me, Mom, Gina, Aunt Carol, and Grandma.

The Kimmel Center is truly a stunning venue with its all-glass, arched ceiling and guitar-shaped Verizon Hall.

View of the outer wall of Verizon Hall w/glass ceiling behind.

The performance is just wonderful — very moving and powerful. If you aren't familiar with Messiah, it was composed by Handel in the 1700s supposedly in just 24 days and tells the story of Jesus Christ. Surely you've heard certain parts of this work, as it includes the Hallelujah chorus.

The Philadelphia Orchestra performs along with the Chorale choir and four soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, bass). Interestingly, my former landlord is one of the violinists!

The stage inside Verizon Hall. The solosits and conductor
hadn't come out yet in this photo.

It's a lovely Christmas tradition that serves as a wonderful reminder of the story of Jesus Christ and meaning of Christmas, all just in time for the holiday.

View down Broad Street from the Kimmel Center — City Hall in the center.

Up on the roof

2010-12-16T21:32:00.000-05:00

Brad and I recently moved to the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia, and we absolutely love our new place! One of our favorite features is the roof deck.

We are so excited for the warm weather to return so we can spend more time up on the roof!

Up on the Roof

Written by Carol King; attributed to James Taylor

When this old world starts a getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I'll climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space

On the roof, it's peaceful as can be
And there the world below don't bother me, no, no

So when I come home feeling tired and beat
I'll go up where the air is fresh and sweet
I'll get far away from the hustling crowd
And all the rat-race noise down in the street

On the roof, that's the only place I know
Look at the city, baby
Where you just have to wish to make it so
Let's go up on the roof

And at night the stars they put on a show for free
And, darling, you can share it all with me
That's what I said
Keep on telling you

That right smack dab in the middle of town
I found a paradise that's troubleproof
And if this old world starts a getting you down
There's room enough for two
Up on the roof...

An impromptu family reunion

2010-12-12T00:21:00.003-05:00

My Great Great Uncle Albert recently turned the big 9-0. I, however, had never met him (at least not when I could remember him). Apparently all he wanted for his birthday was to get together with the family. So he and his wife drove down from Rhode Island to New Haven, Connecticut and people came out of the woodwork to see them — and about 20 people from my family in NJ caravanned up to join in the fun!

It was so fun to see my Grandma, mom, and aunts/uncles reconnect with family that they hadn't seen in so long. So many of the people there knew exactly who I was because they said I was a spitting image of my mom — and I'm pretty sure that I was mistaken for her once or twice before introductions were done!

L to R: Uncle Danny (Dante), Uncle Albert, Mom, and me

I met a lot of relatives for the first time (at least that I can remember) and also saw some familiar faces. Brad also got to witness my Italian heritage firsthand which I'm sure was very entertaining for him!

One of my favorite parts of the day was getting the story behind our dining room table from Uncle Albert himself. We inherited the table a couple of years ago knowing it was a family hand-me-down, but I never knew the full story. Apparently it was one of two built by my Great Grandfather's uncles and father to serve as the basement kitchen table. I love to think about the pots of "gravy" that simmered next to this table and the conversations that were had while sitting around it. Uncle Albert was so happy to hear that the table was still in the family!

We also enjoyed the view of the Long Island Sound, which is just minutes from my second cousin's house where we had congregated.

B and me shivering!

Dad and me

The beautiful shells that collect on the shore

All in all, it was so fun to be able to hear stories and see/meet people in my extended family. I felt very blessed, and I'm so glad that this impromptu get-together happened!

Whoa Buddy!

2010-12-11T23:50:00.000-05:00

Brad's friend from his high school days is now the drummer for a band called Moreland & Arbuckle from Wichita, KS. They toured with Buddy Guy this fall as his opening act, and we were thrilled when he offered Brad tickets to a show. We ended up with 8 tickets the show in Morristown, NJ in the Community Theater — a small but fantastic venue for a show like this!

Moreland & Arbuckle was excellent! They have an awesome blues sound that we really enjoyed.

And then came Buddy, whom I've never had the pleasure of seeing before. He was as entertaining as he was talented! My cheeks were actually hurting from smiling/laughing throughout this performance — he cracked me up!

It was quite a show, and we were happy to have the opportunity to see it (thanks for the tickets Brad Horner!).

Next Port of Call: Philly

2010-10-24T00:15:00.001-04:00

I have an amazing group of friends from a study abroad program I did in college, Semester at Sea. Right after our voyage in 2001, we saw each other pretty often considering we were spread out all over the country. It's very special that we still have occasions that bring us back together!

The occasion for Port Philadelphia was Al and Beth's wedding. Conveniently, Beth's family is from the Philly area so the wedding was local for me. Four other shipmates were in town, and we had a wonderful visit!


L to R: Amy, me, Tom, Lesia, and Curry. Photo cred: Amy Butler

The wedding was in Kennett Square, Pa. at a beautiful venue called The Stone Barn. The ceremony was outside on a perfect October afternoon, and I think there were a lot of teary eyes!

And after the ceremony was a great reception inside the stone barn to celebrate the Rundle's new union.

Don't we all coordinate nicely? It wasn't planned

We're next in line to be married (unless someone surprises us)!

Congrats guys! We were so happy we could be there for your big day.

And I just have to give a final shout out to our friends who couldn't make it. A lot of them are busy having babies and such, and we understand! We missed you all and tried to represent you well. (Oh, and to our shipmate Charlie — we love you and we're thinking about you buddy!)

The Magic Gardens

2010-10-10T20:00:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday Brad and I visited a Philly landmark that we've been meaning to see for the past 3 years...whoops! We went to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, a totally unique mosaic museum — except calling it a museum doesn't even scratch the surface. It covers half a city block in mosaic! It was a beautiful afternoon!

It's essentially an intricate, multi-level maze of mosaic from floor to ceiling. And we're not just talking tiles thrown around and cemented. We're talking words, phrases, paintings, bottles, portraits, stairs, chairs, walls, and archways.

As the website describes, "The installation, primarily consisting of found objects and contributions from the community ... A walk through the labyrinth will reveal sculptures from Latin America and Asia, bicycle wheels from local South Street shop Via Bicycles, Zagar's hand-made tiles, and mirrors of every shape and size."

We took over a hundred pictures! I chose some of our favorites to post.

It's a must-see in Philly, and it's only $5/person to get in. So all in all it's pretty affordable compared to a lot of the city's attractions!

August birthdays

2010-09-01T21:42:00.000-04:00

On my mom's side of the family, we've always had a birthday party in August to celebrate the many August birthdays. While the number of celebrants has sadly shrunk over time, I still feel so lucky to celebrate my birthday with my Grandma, Grandpa (I was born on his 50th birthday!), and Aunt Carol!

Love you guys — and happy birthday to us!

Parrot Heads

2010-08-31T18:37:00.002-04:00

We attended our annual Jimmy Buffett concert in early August at Susquehanna Bank Center across the Delaware River in Camden. We had picture-perfect weather — especially for early August when it's more likely to be hazy, hot, and humid. Instead it was in the low 80s and sunny with no humidity!

Justin, Jer, Ashley, Jordan, and I have a rich tradition of concert-going, so we had to get a traditional "family" photo!

One of the more important parts of attending a Jimmy Buffett concert is the tailgate! People go all out (including bringing kiddie pools, sand to create beaches, and margarita makers; setting up displays, tents, tables for flip-cup and other games; and wearing Caribbean-themed outfits). Over the years, we've added to our load, and this year we arrived with two SUVs full of gear! (I also happened to make some killer jello shots — click to read more!)

Clockwise: Katie and Monica playing ladderball, a giant shark fin on top of someone's truck (with Philly in the background), Justin rocking his parrot hat and Hawaiian shirt koozie (thank you Dollar Store for both items!), and Alex, Rory, Brad, and me.

All in all a great time! Concert is generally as expected — after all, the man is in his 60s and made a ~~living~~ killing off of being the ultimate beach bum!

See you next year, Jimmy!

A hairy houseguest

2010-08-04T22:24:00.000-04:00

My parents went to London recently, so we had Bubba in Philly for a little over a week.

Aside from doing a lot of shedding, he's a pretty great houseguest! Who wouldn't love a cheerful greeting at the end of a long day at work? Plus, he's pretty amusing — even when he's not trying to be.

Family fun in Kansas

2010-08-01T20:20:00.001-04:00

We recently had a great long weekend in Wichita with Brad's family! You know you've arrived in Kansas when...

You see lots of squares from the airplane window.
The airport only has 12 gates.
There are tornado shelters in the airport.
There are signs at baggage claim about where to pick up any firearms that you may have checked.
You have two very friendly faces to greet you! (Thanks Kathy and Dave!)

We saw most of Brad's family, which was great! His nieces, Ally and Kira, spent several day's at B's mom's house, and they are adorable little girls! How innocent do they look in this pic?

Did I mention how talented they are? Kira's headstand...

Ally's Hannah Montana rendition (complete with bubble wand for microphone)...

Three generations...

Grandma Kathy and Kira...

Brad's bro Aaron and his wife Shannon hosted a great BBQ for everyone to get together! Thanks guys!

Those girls love their Uncle B!

We had a great trip! And despite having a little trouble getting home (no thanks to AirTran), we made it eventually. Hello Philadelphia!

Phillies phans!

2010-07-29T20:40:00.002-04:00

For some reason, it took me 5 summers of living in Philadelphia to make it to a Phillies game. I have no explanation for why, so don't bother asking! I just kind of forgot each We've been to a couple games this season now and have loved the views from the stadium!

When the Phils score a run or win the game, of course the Liberty Bell rings!

Exciting news!

2010-07-06T22:35:00.000-04:00

I've been a very neglectful blogger lately! My apologies to my 3.5 readers!! :)

Want some excuses? First, I've had several freelance design jobs that have kept me busy during my "home computer time." Second, it's summer and we haven't been home/inside all that much. And finally drum roll please...Brad and I are engaged!

We were both ecstatic the night it happened and are still! We jumped head first into planning so we could decide on a date — May 29, 2011! We'll be getting married in Philadelphia, and we can't wait!

Here's a picture of us the night after at the Phillies game.

Star gazing in Philly

2010-05-20T20:41:00.001-04:00

An upcoming movie, The Dark Fields, has been filming in Philadelphia for the month of May. Starring in the movie is Robert De Niro ("You talkin' to me?") and one very handsome Bradley Cooper.

Knowing these guys were in town for the month meant that I kept my eyes peeled around town. From time to time I saw the production trucks and a few trailers, but never the actors themselves. Not until they used an empty building a block away from my office and turned it into the set of a campaign center — in New York City.

They turned the blocks around my office into NYC look-alikes by changing the street signs, bringing in NYC taxis, NYPD cars, MTA buses, Don't Honk signs, and so on. It was pretty entertaining to see all of the NYC-themed items around the set!

Here's Brad and Bob (he said I could call him that) filming a scene in front of a pretty sweet Maybach. Bob is the gray-haired guy to the right of the pole...Brad's on the left of the pole in the red tie.

My office building, located at 19th & Market in Center City, was suddenly at W. 54th & 7th Ave. (That's my building in the background.)

Bradley is pretty dreamy...he's probably my second favorite Brad!

Philly Flower Show

2010-04-18T16:41:00.000-04:00

This year my mom and I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show, the oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world! She and I went in 2008 and had a fabulous time — but I think this year's show topped it! The 2010 theme was "Passport to the World" (which was particularly appealing to me).

Keep in mind that everything in the photos is made from flowers/plant-life! There was large display for each of several countries...including India...

Singapore...

Netherlands...

And so on...

There was so much to admire at the show, including some pretty awesome displays and tons of eco-friendly ideas.

The photo above was a hanging display with cut flowers in glass vases that were hung from the ceiling with fish line. The whole thing was 3D and very cool...I believe it won an award at the show too!

We loved the front porch displays too.

All in all, it was a great time! It's especially amazing to see how the convention center was transformed!

Split Lip Rayfield

2010-03-31T22:53:00.000-04:00

We got a taste of Kansas in early March when Split Lip Rayfield came to Philly to do a show at a small club (The M-Room). Brad knew the band well, as they have frequented the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival, which has taken place annually in his hometown of Winfield, Kansas for as long as he's been around (and longer!). This was my first experience with Split Lip, and they were definitely impressive!

There are three band members (used to be four, but one passed away — RIP Kirk Rundstrom), three mics, and three instruments...typically a banjo, mandolin and/or acoustic guitar, and a gas tank bass. Yes, I said gas tank bass, a homemade instrument with one string that a skinny little man plays furiously. It was a great show!

Clever crime in Philly

2010-03-01T21:45:00.000-05:00

For the second time in the past few months, I've come across something that I hope never happens to my car (and I've had my car stolen in Baltimore). I have to say, I've never seen anything like this!

It happens to newer cars (new Hondas, from my experience) that have alloy wheels. Someone (or I'm assuming several people) jacks your car up, puts a few milk crates under it, and steals the wheels! No, not the hubcap...the whole wheel! So you can't even have the car towed b/c all that's left is the rim!

Reason #49 to not get a new car until I have a garage or gated lot...

Old friends are best

2010-02-26T23:20:00.004-05:00

I took a quick trip to Florida last weekend to visit some old (not in age though!) friends and their growing families for a few days. It's an amazing thing when friends that you've known for more than 15 years start having babies!

I stayed in Winter Garden, FL (near Orlando) with Jen and Greg and their 13-month-old little boy Tyler. Jen, Tyler, and I went to Disney World on my first day.

It was so fun to take Tyler on classic rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and It's a Small World. We got to meet lots of characters too!

Ty especially loves Mickey and Minnie...go figure! I think Mickey and Minnie liked him too!

Waiting in line for his first carousel ride...standing like a big boy!

And waiting for the parade on Main Street USA...

On Saturday and Sunday, we hung out with Amy, Jon, and their latest adorable addition Megan, who is 4 months old.

She's a spitting image of her mother, and we had fun getting acquainted! All in all it was a great trip. Not only was it sunny and 70, but it was so nice to spend time with some great friends. Thanks Jen and Amy!

The best mirror is an old friend. ~George Herbert

I end with a little video I took of Tyler and me playing trucks. If anything, it's got to make you smile!

The aftermath

2010-02-11T22:32:00.000-05:00

The snow stopped Wednesday evening, but it seems like that was just the beginning! The city remained shut down all day Thursday, again with suspended mail, public transportation, city hall, schools, universities, etc. My company was closed for the second day in a row (and Wednesday was the first time in 25 years that they closed!).

I went for a couple of walks today and was able to take some pictures of the streets around my neighborhood. Here's a shot of my block. Note the tree limb that has 1) crushed a couple cars, and 2) made the street impassable.

It was a beautiful, sunny day in the neighborhood, and as long as you didn't spend too much time fixating on the damage and the slush, it was rather enjoyable to be outside!

And yet another road blocked by a fallen tree. This one miraculously fell in the 2-foot gap between two cars. Lucky!

You can see my building in the distance (pointy top w/a light at the top). I guess I'm actually going to have to show up there tomorrow...and I get to walk the whole way!

Snowmaggedon

2010-02-10T21:10:00.002-05:00

We had a huge snowstorm the week before Christmas that dumped about 2 feet of snow on Philly. I've lived here for 5 winters now, and that was by far the biggest storm I had seen in the city! (See blog post It looks a lot like Christmas.) And now, in the past week, we've had two more huge snow storms.

Call it Snowmaggedon, call it Apocalypse Snow...whatever you want to call it, it's been messy! The first storm dumped 28 inches in Center City over the weekend. The view outside our door...

And my car, which I thankfully haven't needed yet.

So that was Saturday/Sunday. Tuesday comes along, and we have another blizzard warning in effect for 4pm Tuesday until midnight on Wednesday. Say what? All schools, government offices, postal services, stores, and public transportation shut down. Not to mention that the highways were all closed, and Mayor Nutter said that anyone who was "non-essential" was to stay put. The police even told the local news crews, who were reporting from various local towns, to get going...ha!

I got cabin fever and decided to spend some time outside. This is a shot of our patio while it was still snowing. The black rim in the background is our table...

Check out that grill mound!

And I thought I would try my hand at making a snowman...it's been a long time! I was probably a tween playing with the Hollander boys the last time I made one...

This evening the official announcement was made that this is the snowiest winter in Philadelphia history (70.3 inches so far this season). I could swear that Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz (local meteorologist) got choked up on the news when he said, "No matter how old you are, you probably will never experience a winter like this in your lifetime, again." Tear.

Survey says...

2010-01-24T16:48:00.002-05:00

I am thrilled to report that my survey revealed that I have at least 7 readers! Ha! And only one of them reads my blog out of pity. Fab! See my smiling face?

It's not much, but it's enough to keep me posting...for now at least. Imagine how happy I'd be if, say, 20 people read my blog. Too exciting to even consider for now. Please note the mild sarcasm. :)

Rock chalk Jayhawk!

2010-01-14T21:43:00.005-05:00

Brad recently got a little taste of home when we attended the Kansas v. Temple basketball game. They played on Temple's campus January 2 — because it was winter break, there were hardly any students and (we could swear) more KU fans than Temple! Notice Brad with his arms up in the back row...

Apparently there are very active northeast KU alumni associations, and Brad's friend Alex (whom he went to high school with in Winfield, KS — and who coincidentally is going to school out here) was able to get tickets through one of them. In our little section of the Liacouras Center, Brad was hanging with at least 3 other Winfield-ians. Or -ites? Either way, it seemed unusual considering we were in the middle of Philly! Brad and Alex at the game...

The best part? I got to see the Waving Wheat (albeit on a much smaller scale than at the home games) firsthand! (If you don't know what this is, click here and see the "Traditions" section.)

Note: While there is someone waving a baby in this video (wait until about 7 seconds into it), I don't believe that's part of the tradition...

Holiday recap

2010-01-04T20:25:00.000-05:00

We had a lovely holiday this year — nothing new or unusual — just good old tradition! You may recall that my dad had an unexpected quadruple bypass in 2008, just a few days before Christmas. So normal Christmas = great!

Even though no one else saw it, Brad and I got our first Christmas tree together. It made the apartment smell great! We were sad to see it go.

And, of course, there were lots of cookies — a la Danielle. Except I forgot to put carrot noses on the snowmen until it was too late...hindsight is 20/20, right?

One holiday tradition that has stuck with my family for a long time is Christmas breakfast with the Hollanders. During our traditional breakfast, Charlie (my dad) cooks, mimosas are made and consumed (although the kids weren't always allowed to have those!), napkin rings are stuck in our eye sockets (long story), and a family photograph is taken.

Recent additions to Christmas breakfast include: Bubba (dog), Jasmine (dog), and Brad (human). Meet Jasmine (Susan's dog) and Brad...

See Jasmine and Bubba...could they be any different?

And of course, the annual Hollander/Mittermaier photo taken using the tripod...

When did everybody get so tall? Well, almost everybody! It's such a gift to have friends who feel like family! And another wonderful year comes and goes...

It looks a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-19T22:07:00.002-05:00

This weekend we're enjoying our first big snow storm in a while (I remember complaining the past two winters that we never got any "real" snow). It's been snowing pretty consistently for about 12 hours, and it's expected to continue through the night into tomorrow morning. The first picture was taken this afternoon; I took another shot about 4 hours later, and you can barely find our table!

We went out for a walk this afternoon to get food and play a little along the way. It was beautiful outside! It wasn't too cold, and the snow was light/powdery.

In the end, we ended up with what we were after...food!

Some pictures from the next day/week...the first one is a pic from our front stoop. Thanks to Philadelphia being broke, no plowing on our street! The second is a pic of a bike in Center City that was buried in snow. How funny that people shoveled all around it...The third pic is of a store right next to the bike. Those were some beautiful icicles!

We are thankful

2009-11-30T22:54:00.002-05:00

This year for Thanksgiving, Brad and I traveled to Wichita, KS to spend the holiday with his lovely family. We were so lucky to spend five days visiting with friends and family — I even got to see Jen, my high school bestie! Yes, that's right, I ended up in the same family as my high school bestie. It makes getting together pretty convenient!

You may know that there are seven sons/stepsons in Brad's family, and all seven boys (plus their awesome girlfriends, wives, and kids) were in town for the holiday for the first time in a while. People came in from Florida, Georgia, St. Louis, and from all over Kansas...and obviously we flew in from Philly. It was a very special Thanksgiving that was packed with Fishers and Scrapers and Walkers (oh my)!

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, unless you count the dozens that I took of Tyler (oh my that child is cute!). But here are a few from what I did take:

Jen and Tyler...

Brad and me on Thanksgiving...

Kathy (Brad's mom) and her sister Susan

Brad and Grandpa Merle...

Look at that face! Tyler on a walk with his mom and Aunt Dani...

Brad and his mama...aww!

Aunt Dani and Ty...

Girls night at Shannon's! From L to R: Me, Tiffany, Mary Ann, Shannon, Jen, Christin, and Kathy...

Uncle B with his nieces/goddaughters, Ally and Kira...

It is apparent that we have so much to be thankful for, including our (and everyone else's) safe travels to and from Kansas. We had a wonderful time, amazing weather (think 60s and sunny!), and lots of fun. We are truly blessed! Thank you Kathy and Dave for putting up the crew!!

I leave you now with a quick clip of Tyler, who has learned how to make sniffing sounds with his nose and thinks it's pretty fabulous! In the background are Kathy and Tiffany playing with Brody and Miranda...and the sounds of us all enjoying Ty's laugh. Enjoy!

Stop and smell the roses

2009-11-01T22:47:00.002-05:00

There are some lovely, rural views along the drive from my parents house in NJ to Philadelphia. Every now and then, I have to remind myself that it's okay to stop and capture the moment (even if it means that I won't make superb time on the drive back). Here are some shots from a recent drive — I was lucky enough to catch a beautiful, stormy sky behind a horse farm on Bear Tavern Road.

Sit. Stay. Good dog!

2009-10-29T21:55:00.003-04:00

We had the pleasure of doing a little dog-sitting while my parents took a Southwestern jaunt. Bubba came stayed with us for a week and got to live the life of a city dog for a while. I did my part to at least try to find him a little grass on our walks each day. It was the least I could do!

For those of you who don't know Bubba, he is one cool dog...
He is a rottweiler mix — possibly with some basset hound (see legs) or chow (see tail and black tongue). He's about 80 lbs...but has legs that are about 6 inches tall, which makes him somewhat of a low-rider! He doesn't really fetch or play around too much....not really there for your own amusement. But he's a very even-keeled presence and is definitely a loyal friend to have around!

Like any visitor to Philly, Bubba wanted to see the sights:

He ran the Rocky steps...

Visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art...

And enjoyed the Philadelphia skyline...

I think we did a good job of tuckering him out each day, so he slept a lot too. Aside from the shedding, he was a pretty good house guest to have around!

Oh, and by the way, SuperDog wants to wish you a Happy Halloween!

View from the top

2009-09-04T20:59:00.007-04:00

Despite the fact that I hang out in a cube eight hours a day, I actually have pretty cool view! I have three sides to my little cube on the 35th floor of the building...

And one of the three sides of the cube is a window...

In fact, working in a building that is sided entirely in glass offers some great views from all angles! Because I seem to enjoy the views from all sides so much, I thought I would share it! Click on the pictures, and you'll be able to see them close up.

(View to the south. And yes, I can see where Brad works from my desk!)

(View to the east. Richie Sambora — guitarist for Bon Jovi — bought a condo recently on the 46th floor of Two Liberty Place. It was the highest priced condo ever sold in Philadelphia's history!)

(View to the north — my favorite one (probably because it's my neighborhood!))

Summer concert recap

2009-09-01T21:48:00.006-04:00

This August we saw a handful of great concerts, a favorite summer pastime for us. There's nothing like a cold beer and great music outside on a summer night! We had a pretty eclectic line-up this past month — Elton John and Billy Joel on August 1, Stephen Marley and Snoop Dog on August 7, and Allman Brothers and Widespread Panic on August 21.

Elton John and Billy Joel
Brad and I went to the Elton John/Billy Joel concert at Citizens Bank Park (the Phillies' baseball stadium) with Jeremy and Monica. We lucked out and got a beautiful summer evening that was sandwiched in between two days of severe thunderstorms and flash flooding — what luck!

(Photo cred goes to Brad...nice shot!)

These two legendary performers are both about 60 years old, and they can still put on a great show! To start they show, these two rose from the floorboards at their pianos, which were set up dueling-piano style.

(A fun tidbit: Reese Witherspoon, her kids,

and Jake Gyllenhaal are sitting right in

front of Elton John, who is the piano to

the left in this picture.)

They played a set together, then each did an individual show, and then played together again for a total of more than 3 hours of music! I saw Elton John at Radio City Music Hall several years ago (thank you, Jeremy!), but I never saw Billy Joel and was glad to cross him off of my concert wishlist before he stopped touring.

Together they played songs that included Your Song, Just the Way You Are, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, My Life, I Guess that's Why They Call it The Blues, Uptown Girl, The Bitch is Back, You May Be Right, Benny and the Jets, Candle in the Wind, and Piano Man.

Stephen Marley and Snoop Dogg
The following weekend we were at another concert, this one called the Blazed and Confused Tour. I'm pretty sure we were the oldest people there (which turned out to be rather obnoxious — let's just say that I'm unimpressed with young adults today!). Nonetheless, we found a way to enjoy ourselves and the great music! The concert was at Festival Pier, which is an outdoor venue right under the Ben Franklin Bridge on the Delaware River.

Stephen Marley, son of legend Bob Marley, started the show off and was awesome! I'm pretty sure that there's no better reggae voice out there right now!

Stephen Marley is on the far right of the photo — my favorite part of this picture, however, is the little boy on the left who waved the Jamaican flag for literally the entire performance along with several other Marley children! Marley played a lot of songs from his new(er) solo album, and he also covered a lot of his dad's songs (e.g., Punky Reggae Party, Buffalo Soldier, Is This Love, Three Little Birds), which were fantastic!

Snoop Dogg (I too am amazed that I went to see him) was pretty entertaining too. Perhaps Brad is better-suited to write about Snoop?

Allman Brothers and Widespread Panic
Finally, we went to the Allman Bros/Panic show at the amphitheater across the river in Camden. Not only were we heading to a great show, but we got to take the ferry there (I love a good boat ride)!

And, Dad. This tangent's for you — a dedication to the USS New Jersey
(pictured below), which resides in the Delaware River between Philly and Camden!
This ship was built in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and launched
December 7, 1942. Due to her outstanding service record, the USS New Jersey
holds the distinction of being the most decorated battleship in naval
history (Wikipedia taught me all of this).

I digress. Widespread Panic, one of Brad's favorite bands, came out first and had an awesome set! Band members from Panic made appearances throughout the Allman Bros' set as well, and it was awesome to see a bunch of middle-aged (or older) men jamming out on stage!

You'll notice Greg Allman sitting to the left in this picture at the piano/organ, which is generally where you'll find him (even when he's the lead singer on the song!). All in all, it was a great night! Here is the end of "One Way Out"...enjoy!

Clemente Park

2009-08-20T20:33:00.011-04:00

Brad and I like to play basketball and frisbee at Clemente Park, which is about a half-block from our apartment. The park serves many functions — dog park, soccer field, baseball/softball field, basketball court, playground, recreation center, a place to loiter, etc. The park once served another function, as it was the location where the intro to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was filmed! In the opening scene of the intro, you can see Will Smith playing bball in the park. From the different angles in the intro, you can see the school in the background...

...the baseball field...

...and the recreation center, which has since been painted into a beautiful mural. And isn't the cloud in this picture just perfect? I was rather pleased.

So, while Will Smith raps about a childhood in West Philadelphia, he actually filmed in good old Fairmount at 18th & Wallace. Of course, the park and neighborhood have since had 20 years of gentrification and demographic shift!

Oh baby!

2009-08-04T21:13:00.017-04:00

I got to see two great friends the weekend before last, Amy and Jen. We've been friends for over 15 years — yikes! A couple of years ago, my friends were all getting married. Now, all of a sudden, my friends are having (or have) babies! Amy is in her second trimester, so it was a perfect opportunity to throw her a shower (while she could still fly up from Florida). My mom graciously hosted the event in good old Branchburg.

And no, we didn't all plan to wear navy — total coincidence! The baby shower, of course, also doubled as a perfect opportunity for me to make lots and lots of baby-themed cookies.

Since Jen traveled north with her family in tow, I also got to visit with my nephew (to be!) Tyler, who is about 6 1/2 months old. I love this kid! I met him for the first time when he was 3 months old, but this was Uncle Brad's first time meeting Ty. We had a great time playing with him! Tell me he's not adorable. I dare you!

The farther away my good friends get, the better it is to see them! And just for old time's sake...

Our new digs

2009-07-03T23:22:00.010-04:00

The lovely city of Philadelphia is where Brad and I call home. I moved here in 2005, and Brad joined me in December of 2007. We both have a lot of love for this city!

We moved to a new place in June, and I've been very slow to post photos of our new digs (sorry!). I finally took some shots and will post them here. There's a good chance that we will paint, but for now you can see the place as it currently is.

Our block:
Kitchen:
Pantry:Living room:
Dining room:
Bedroom:
Walk-in closet/laundry room:
Patio (my favorite part!):

We love to have guests, so if you're interested in taking a trek to the City of Brotherly Love, I know two adept tour guides (ahem, I'm talking about Brad and me). Come one, come all!

The Fishermaier's can blog too!

2009-07-03T22:41:00.010-04:00

I've decided that it's about time that Brad and I joined the blogosphere! I can't promise that we'll have anything important or profound to say, but I can promise updates on our lives here in Philadelphia from time to time.

With family and friends spread out around the country (and world, for that matter!), I figure that this might be the most efficient way to "keep in touch" (cyber-wise anyway). We hope you enjoy!