Everything and Whiz On It

Our long weekend in the Philadelphia area was everything I dreamed it would be and more! Ever since our lovely daughter became engaged to Corey Park, I've been looking forward to shopping for "the dress" with her. You see I was thinking of good memories with my mom and sister shopping for my dress - finding "the one" at Regency Bridal in Omaha.

I was thinking that wreck in the West Roads parking lot happened when Betso got married but she says that was my shopping trip. But Bets says she got her dress in Colorado, so Mom rammed into another car shopping with me! It was minor, anyway.

George at Valley Forge

Paul and I headed to Pennsylvania on Thursday. That afternoon we visited Valley Forge, just north of West Chester where Amy lives. George Washington and forces wintered there in when the British overtook Philadelphia. There is a museum and quite a large area where the troops lived. It was beautiful to walk around - one could feel the history. That night we sat outside in West Chester at one of the cute restaurants - enjoying family time. We took Franklin the Wonder Wienie on several walks.

On Friday we ventured into the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. We visited Independence Hall after I snapped a walk-by photo of the Liberty Bell - that line was long. Sad I didn't get a picture of the crack.

We decided to go super tourist and ride the double decker bus. It was a great way to see all of the sites and we even stopped at the steps that Rocky ran up in the movie. Later in the weekend we watched the movie. It's still good - Adrian! My college girlfriends and I were just goofy over Sly Stallone, ya'll.

We hopped off the bus to go to Pat's, a local joint known for Philly Cheesecake sandwiches. Corey scoped it out. He coached us on ordering - you can't stand there like a dummy when it's your turn. You must know what you want. Paul and I split a sannie with onions and whiz. That's Cheese Whiz. Oh, you can get real cheese, but it's just not right according to the pros. It was drippy delish!

Amy and I don't have the best track record shopping together. My recollection of school shopping with my artsy girl was of her inventing an outfit in her head that didn't exist and we'd spend a day trying to find it. Frustrating! She and I learned to split up and shop separately - meeting up later to compare notes and purchases.

Philly Street

I know Amy too was a bit concerned about how the two of us might go about finding a wedding dress for the big day in August. The kid did homework to get ready. She pre-shopped in her hometown of West Chester and even the Big Apple. Amy's been watching "Say Yes to the Dress" episodes and knows the dress designers. Gee before my wedding all I did was buy a copy of Modern Bride magazine.

Amy made an appointment with a fine wedding dress establishment. We took the train in to the city from near her home. It took about an hour. We had a few extra minutes before our appointment so we walked through a historic alley on our way there.

A lovely young lady helped Amy select dresses to try on. My daughter had figured out the styles and designers she was interested in. She tried on several before she found "the one". I must admit I got choked up for just a second. (okay I had to blow my nose too). Success was a good feeling. The dress is coming on a slow boat from China just like mine did (translation it's taking 8 months or so to arrive from wherever). After filling out all the paperwork we were so happy we walked across the street to Fork and had salads and drinks. Later Amy and I went to another shop to check out bridesmaid's dresses. Success again. The train ride back was a happy one. That night we tried another local establishment.

Sunday I talked everyone into visiting King of Prussia Mall - the biggest in the Universe or something. Corey wasn't wild about the idea, but I played the Mother-In-Law card. We got back to West Chester in time to attend the Chili Festival - 50 or so types to try! I only managed to gulp down 12 or so, but they were yummy. We tried bowling after that. I was a failure, but my muscles are still reminding me how much fun it was.