friends in philadelphia

Our friends Martin and Mollie came to town this weekend, and we gave them the whirlwind tour of Philadelphia. By whirlwind I mean the longest fun filled adventure walk ever known to man. Friday night we ventured into Chinatown for peking duck and drinks, and then again on Saturday morning to see the sites like the gate and shops bustling with color and produce. Of course we weren't going to stop there our next stop was the close-by Reading Terminal Market.

We braced ourselves for an overfilled bumble of people, but were pleasantly surprised by how laid back the market was so early on a Saturday. I actually got to take pictures inside, without being glared at or mulled over! Going there with friends made it even better, mostly because their eyes got really huge looking at all the amazing goodies to eat. 

After drooling over all of the food at Reading we decided to head out for an early lunch at Monk's Cafe. Ryan discovered Monk's while researching Philadelphia before the move, and we'd been anxiously awaiting Martin and Mollie's trip to try it out. Apparently Monk's is one of the best places in the world to get beer. Sadly it was so dark inside the dining room I couldn't get any pictures. If you like beer though it is seriously the best spot in Philly and a must visit for awesome bar food. We will be going back.

What trip to Philadelphia would be complete with the obligatory stops around Independence Hall? We read history plaques, took goofy pictures, and enjoyed the most spectacular spring weather we'd had yet. Everything looked so pretty with the blooming trees, and clear blue sky. Gorgeous. We walked all the way down to Penn's Landing looking out towards New Jersey, and enjoying the breeze by the water before heading home.

It meant so much to Ryan and I to have friends visit us in our new home. We're settling in well, but homesickness for your loved ones creeps in just the same. We've missed our weekends with Martin and Mollie, and hanging out with them for two days was kind of amazing. They're the best people ever. Really truly. big kiss, bekuh

FOLLOW ALONG:

Pretty Peaks and Birthday Wishes

For my birthday this year I really wanted to get outside and enjoy the cooler weather. Many of you know that in my past job I didn't really get to experience Fall in all it's fullness, and that this year is extra sweet for me because I do. We decided to do one of the more challenging hikes in the area, with the most breathtaking views, and take two of our good friends with us. McAfee's knob is a really popular southern Appalachia spot for hikers and as you can see the view makes it totally worth it. We ate lunch on top of the mountain, talked a lot with friends, and then headed back down with clean lungs and jelly legs. I have no words for how perfect the weather was, Nellie was, and how happy it made me to look out over this vast valley and feel content being me. It was a perfect birthday.

Thank you to everyone who commented with well wishes on this birthday, it means so much to me that you care. I have a feeling this year is going to be the best one yet! big kiss, bekuh

Party at our house

Summer time is the most perfect time to get all of your friends together, cook a lot of food, and just enjoy each other's company. With all the hoop-la that comes with Independence Day, it can sometimes be hard to gather all of your friends in one place in July. That's why this year we decided to host a little Bastille Day party. We doubled up on fun with this event because I'm also guest posting over at Uncommon Good's blog next week, and they sent us a few products to use for our party! I had so many photos that I decided to share some with you on Secondhand Sundays too. I apologize in advance for the photo heavy post you are about to read.

Ryan was itching to use his smoker again, so we decided to cook both pork and chicken like we did way back in March. We also sought to keep as much of the food and drink locally sourced as possible,  and created a lot of great sides from our CSA bounty, and farmer's market expeditions. 

One farmer's market purchase in particular made my day. I picked up the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers full of wild purples, and giant sunflowers. I love how just a couple of flowers can elevate a space from ho-hum to perfectly quaint. We definitely had a country garden feel going with the decor.

It was a lot of fun to gather new and old friends on the porch and with a little help by an afternoon shower, and a fan we were able to keep everyone pretty comfortable with little to no melting. Little Nellie pulled out all the stops entertaining guests, and greeting everyone who stopped by to chat.

In addition to the pulled pork and chicken, Ryan also made bread and hummus for the event. I contributed the cold couscous salad, roasted veggies, and peach cobbler. I totally forgot to snap pictures of the peach cobbler, which makes me so sad because it was so perfect. That's what I get for having a good time I suppose. Some of the Uncommon Goods items we got to show off included a beautiful solar powered tea light, nifty one-handed bottle opener, and a rocking wine carafe. The wine carafe and bottle opener were definitely hits with everyone.

After stuffing our faces and talking through the sunset we brought out our old school projector and played a little game of improvised Pictionary. This was the best idea Ryan has ever had. We split everyone into two groups and spent two hours yelling answers out, and laughing at each other's sketches. Not really competitive but silly fun. We must have gotten pretty loud because one of our neighbors called the cops on account of all the noise.

At the end of the night with the citronella candles still going strong we said good-bye to all of our friends and fell into bed content, and full of love. It was a perfect summer night. big kiss, bekuh

PS- Be looking out for my Uncommon Goods post on Monday, I'll be sharing some tips on feeding a lot of people with locally sourced food on a budget. You might be surprised how little we spent.

TODAY'S THE LAST DAY. DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY HERE!

You Should Always Eat Lebanese with Friends

Every year, May through September, Roanoke is enlivened by a season of festivals and one of the most delicious occurs the weekend after Memorial Day, the Lebanese Festival. This year Ryan and I went with our friends Martin and Mollie, and since they like food as much as we do it made our pigging out seem less pathetic.

 We chowed down on traditional fare like kafta, spinach rolls, tabouleh, falafel, and hummus. Add a heap of homemade pita and you've got the picture. After dinner we picked up some dessert, and headed out to the patio to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

 Ryan and I split a piece of walnut baklawa, while Mollie and Martin had Lebanese cheesecake and a roasted pistachio roll. We ended up running into other friends and talked for a long while before leaving with full bellies and a happy memories fully in place. big kiss, bekuh

...That Evening

Time for the evening portion of the first official porch sit of 2012. After the sun went down, and the rain continued into the night, the crowd thinned out substantially and the gathering grew more intimate and subdued. We listened to music, talked, and just enjoyed each other's company for a little while.

I had the brilliant idea to give the couples that came to the party a little souvenir gift to take home with them, instax minis! I managed to get a picture of almost every couple that came for the feast. Funny thing is Ryan and I didn't get one of the two of us, so sad. I had killed the camera's batteries after Christmas and embarrassingly hadn't thought to buy batteries until this event. The pictures were purely a selfish need to over use the camera once again.

I really enjoyed some relaxing time with friend; forgetting for a moment that I have grown up bills and a very grown up schedule. I love weekends that remind you to be human and enjoy the moment. big kiss, bekuh