Handel's Messiah

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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!