Feeling Fine in Philly: Cold Weather, Cookies, & Christmas Celebrations

It seems to be time for another blog entry. Not because a number of exciting things have been going on out here but because I have recently been receiving demands from a few over eager followers for another post. I blame the decline in recent adventures on the weather. It's not my fault that when the temperature drops below 40 degrees I become incapable of leaving the couch, much less the apartment. In the midst of declining temperatures and increasing anticipation of going back to the midwest for Christmas, Gregg and I have been managing to keep ourselves occupied, including finishing all of our Christmas shopping.

A few weeks ago Gregg registered to run a marathon this coming Memorial Day in Burlington, Vermont. He was inspired to run a marathon when he saw the one in Philadelphia a few weeks prior. He then settled on running the one in Vermont because it would give us an excuse to take a trip and give me a chance to exercise my true calling in life as travel agent. So far our plans are to drive through/visit Boston before heading to Vermont for the race. We may also visit Providence, or just take in some of the scenic countryside as well, but it all remains to be seen. We joined the YMCA a few weeks ago which has been a good way for him to start training and a good excuse to drag ourselves out of the apartment on cold rainy nights.

That's how Libby sums up the last couple of weeks. I'll try to sum up this last weekend for you. This last weekend, I learned a valuable lesson - never judge books by its cover. After a failed trip to the symphony a friend of Libby's and the two of us went in search of some food in downtown Philly. We went inside what we thought was a diner, only to find ourselves in the middle of a swanky hotspot in the middle of the city. After some drinks and a giant mountain of fries later, we felt satisfied with our new find. Sunday night, Libby brought over two girls from her school for some Christmas cookie making. Thanks to my Aunt Pam, who sent us a giant box of Christmas cookie themed gifts, we were well stocked with equipment for the night. The cookies that remained uneaten during the cooking, creating, and decorating turned out wonderfully. I was able to show the 3 art girls a little thing or two about mixing good colors and decorating cookies. Look for my new show on Food Network next fall. It was a fun night, and enjoy some pictures below of that night and other. (thanks again Pam!)

Libby and I are very excited to come home in just 3 days. We'll be spending three days in K.C. One and a half days in Tulsa, and 3 days in Dallas. We're excited about seeing as many of our friends and family as I can. In case we don't get to see you during our trip, have a very happy holiday!