Ithaca is gorges.

My side of the family — Dad, Mom, Nathan, Caleb and Grandma — came to visit us for a week! They arrived late last Thursday and stayed out at the airport, then after Ian and I got off work, we picked up a Philly Car Share minivan and went to Ithaca, New York, for the weekend! Mom and Dad have been planning on taking us (me, Nathan, and Caleb) for years, since they met at Cornell while doing their graduate studies. Visiting me and Ian in Philadelphia put us just a few hours away. I told Ian he's lucky mom and dad didn't get around to it earlier, so he could come too! Anyway, this will be a VERY photo-heavy post, especially Ithaca, because it really is gorges, which are gorgeous! (Saying taken from a shirt you can buy there.) And, of course, I'll share about the rest of their visit in Philly! So apologies for this being so long, but hang in there: mostly photos means it takes less time to just scan through, right?

We left in the early evening on Friday, which meant we hit a little rush hour traffic on the way out of the city, and then Ian was driving in the dark (and some heavier rain — Grandma was impressed with his driving skills!). We ate at Roy Rogers — don't do that. Arby's is better. Around Scranton (yay for The Office!), Nathan requested a rest stop. Ian tried to exit where it said to exit, but it just brought us around and back onto the highway. Their exits are really confusing. He tried again, and we ended up at Scranton International Airport. So Nathan hopped out and used their facilities. Not a bad rest area.

Saturday morning we woke up refreshed and ready to see Cornell. Mom and Dad took us by all their spots: Dad's old dorm, where Mom had an office, the lab where she did her research, the Ag Quad, and the scenic places they went to while they were there. It was fun listening to their stories. Dad told us how it was an adventure to bike down the steep incline of the road connecting downtown to campus/College Town, and Mom hoped Souvlaki House, a Greek pizzeria, would still be there — it was, but we discovered it Sunday morning and they didn't open until the evening when we needed to be on our way back, which was sad. Ithaca is in the finger lakes area of New York, and reminded us of mountain towns in Colorado. Cornell's campus is at the higher point of the city and is nestled among all the gorges and waterfalls. I can't explain how beautiful it all is, so I'll just continue with the large amount of photos I warned you about...

Dad and Mom in front of Dad's old dorm.

the clock and bell tower.

ivy on one of the libraries.

Caleb demonstrated how musical the roof of the library is — Ian said it was probably hollow underneath to collect rainwater to reuse for watering and such.

A nice family offered to take a family photo of us in front of Ezra Cornell's statue.

One of the waterfalls on campus — this is only the first half of it, more goes under the bridge we're standing on in the photo.

There was a footbridge crossing this waterfall, and you could walk beside this small lake. This small lake had lots of geese, and I had Cheez-Its. Which resulted in this video. When I ran out of food, I started getting a little nervous the geese would be upset and attack me. And I don't think I like the sound of my voice, just in general. Do I really sound that mousy?

Dad showed off the really old ivy — note how thick that vine is. Cornell is the only land grant Ivy League school, so he said it is at Cornell the ivy is grown for everyone else. He's pretty proud of that ivy.

the plant science building off the ag quad.

After lunch, Ian and I went to get the van and pick up everyone else. On the way, we saw a groundhog.

We adventured on the path down Fall Creek Gorge under the suspension bridge on campus. Mom and Grandma played it safe and stayed in the van.

the waterfall.

Nathan, and the walking suspension bridge above him.

me and Ian.

the stairs back up.

We next drove to Ithaca Falls, a 150 foot drop further down Fall Creek.

Then we went to the overlook for Taughannock Falls, which is a 215 foot drop. Taller than Niagara Falls at 170 feet, even if it isn't as wide. Here's mom taking our picture.

After dinner at a Thai place, we went back to Cornell so Ian could see this space, designed by Michael Van Valkenburg, a well-known landscape architect Ian met at a design charrette with Van Valkenburg's firm and Olin Partnership for a project on Penn's campus. This project is the area in front of their performance hall, and it's a great place to gather after seeing a show!

The beautiful fountain in the space, which depicts how the landscape was formed/is in the area.

Some of the trees surrounding the space.

The clock tower at night.

Sunday, after attending Dad's old church there, Bethel Grove Bible Church, we went to The Commons downtown, which is a section of street they converted to a pedestrian area and has lots of shops. Ithaca Fest 2008 was this weekend, so we had some lunch from the vendors here.

Ian took some video of a couple dancing to the jazz band.

After lunch, we drove back out to Lake Cayuga so we could see Taughannock Falls from the ground. It's a flat, easy mile walk down the stream, which empties into Lake Cayuga. It's mostly really flat, and Ian and I walked part of the way down stream in the water, instead of the trail.

Ian explores a stairway off the trail.

one of the smaller falls on the way.

a pretty flower Ian photographed.

me and Grandma at the falls.

They had info boards at the base of the falls, and we found out the falls are named after an Indian chief who was killed by another tribe in a war, and the other tribe threw his body down the falls.

the family, minus Ian, at the falls. 

a final shot of the falls.

We got back to Philly later Sunday night and got the family checked into their motel. The next day the went sight seeing, and then we met up with them for dinner at Cuba Libre, which is a restaurant with amazing atmosphere. Sitting there made us feel like we were actually in Cuba. And the food was pretty tasty too.

We took the subway back after dinner, and Ian took some candid shots of the family...

Their hotel was just down the street from the Comcast Center, so we passed by it often.

the fountains in front of the Comcast Center.

Ian also took some video of the fountains, and also the amazing screen that makes everything look real. HD, look out! The video is a little grainy, so you can't tell as well, but if you see it in person, it will blow you away. There was always a small crowd watching every time we went past.

Tuesday I took my family to Penn's campus (Dad kept joking how they barely had any Ivy, and none as old as Cornell's), and the gardens Ian and I discovered the last time we walked around there. We saw a family of ducks, and Mom was fascinated by the little birds bathing in the little waterfalls.

A group of little kids with leaders arrived while we were there. I heard one little boy say, "What's that in the water? I bet it's a JELLYFISH!" Ah, kids are so cute.

After Penn, we went to the Rodin Museum. It's tiny, but cheap. And we saw the Gate of Hell.

Wednesday I met up with them after I got off work, and we hung out at Independence Mall while we waited for Ian to finish up. Once again, I had Cheez-Its (from lunch this time) and Nathan attempted to get the birds to eat from his hand. It didn't work, but some got close, looking incredibly nervous.

Ian took us up for an office tour when he finished with work, then we went to Cebu to eat. We talked this Filipino restaurant up to mom, only to find out they had recently changed their menu and had next to no traditional Filipino foods. But mom used her Filipino charm and ended up making friends with the waiter, Geian (it was his first day, and I think we scared him at first, but he was great), and the sous chef, who was Filipino. She scared him at first, too, by energetically waving at him from across the restaurant, and we all had a good laugh. Geian got him over to our table though, and he was really nice. Apparently the menu change is to try to get a different customer base, and apparently Philadelphians aren't fans of most Filipino food (boo). So we missed out on halo-halo (mix-mix, in Tagalog) for dessert, but it was a fun experience, and the food was still good. And we found out mom has met the chef's aunt and uncle, who currently live in Kansas. Forget 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, it's my mom!

Thursday I hung out with them again, and we went shopping to spend Mom's birthday money and get Nathan new shoes. Afterward, we went to the hotel to hang out, since their flight left early this morning. Mom came with me to get my computer so I could work on the bulletin at the hotel, and we took a great self portrait while we were there!

So now you've virtually traveled to Ithaca and spent a week with the family. Thanks for making it this far! And Mom and Dad, thanks for the wonderful time, and for the week-long double birthday celebration! And to all of you — Mom, Dad, Nathan, Caleb, and Grandma, thanks for having fun with us! We love you so much and can't wait to see you in August!

happy birthday, my incredible husband!

So I feel like a very prolific blogger right now (this is the fifth post this month), and I'm sure my readers don't check this often enough to keep up right now, hah! But there are lots of photos in all June's previous posts (especially the New York one, which is the first in June), so if you're interested, keep scrolling down! I also added all the short videos I forgot to add before. But instead of searching all previous posts, you can find them all at our youtube channel (also linked on the right). But I'll keep this short. I just wanted to dedicate a post to my wonderful husband's birthday! I made him dinner and then we enjoyed a carrot cake from Termini Bros. (the Italian Bakery I stare at all day when I'm at work) while watching Monsters Inc.

Ian with his cake.

me kissing Ian kissing the cake...

The downer is I discovered, after getting home from work, the ceiling was leaking (on Ian's birthday! seriously, how many things can go wrong in one apartment in 8 months?). They did come right away (as in 20 minutes after I personally went to the management office to let them know) and said it is probably the AC upstairs. The painters are supposed to come today, along with people to shampoo that spot of carpet. It did stop dripping last night and is starting to dry. I just don't think they should actually paint until it is completely dried...

baseball, Danny DeVito, the heat wave, Sylvia, Gary Vaynerchuck, and inclement weather

modified June 17 because I forgot a few things

Two Thursdays ago, Ian and I once again had the "opportunity" to attend a Phillies game. Okay, it actually wasn't that bad because we were less emotionally invested. We aren't big Reds fans, so other than the passing hope we would get to see Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th home run, and the passing hope the Phillies would lose, we didn't care so much. Both were unfulfilled hopes, by the way. The bonus was that it was paid time for Ian, so he got to enjoy an afternoon of baseball, hang out with office people, hang out with me, and get paid for doing it! The down side is we were sitting in the nosebleeds, which is where the weirder people sit, and also the school groups, and others who want the cheap tickets. This is bad combination, because we had a young middle school group in front of us, some crass high school/early college kids behind us, and a group of older, intoxicated adults behind us to our left. A drunk older lady flashed people, the high school kids hooted even more rude things because of it, and a mom yelled at them for doing it in front of young kids. The experience just reinforced our resolve to never be Phillies fans.

On to more positive events! On my walk to the subway to meet Ian for the game, I saw people filming at Logan Square. I asked one of the people who was diverting foot traffic around the set what it all was for, and he informed me they were filming for the show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And the crew also let passers-by take photos, as long as it wasn't flash. In this scene the two actors (I don't watch the show, so I don't know who they are) were standing in the fountain yelling at each other.

Friday, when Ian and I were walking home, Ian interrupted our conversation with, "Hey, I think that's Danny DeVito right there!" Sure enough, it was. He's in Always Sunny and they were doing yet more filming on Chestnut Street. We figured they are doing all of the outside shots for this season. So, I think this is our first known star sighting since arriving in Philly!

Saturday the heat wave peaked (then remained there through Monday), reaching 100 for 3 consecutive days (probably around 11 a.m. each time). It was painful. We watched the Belmont Stakes and once again, the triple crown was unclaimed, dashing my hope to see Big Brown win and tell our kids how we witness a triple crown victory. After that, we hit the pool, which was incredibly refreshing. We also ate lots of fudgesicles and ice cream to help keep ourselves from overheating. And we finally got the specifics of our budget hammered out. That's a big relief, and another concrete aspiration to cross off the list!

Wednesday, Sylvia and her friend Ashley were in the Philadelphia airport on an extended layover from Greece/Italy for a study abroad program (so jealous!). I was able to go out to the airport to see them, and it was lovely! Sylvia was a dear and treated me to dinner. It was great to hear about their amazing trip, and of course, see my darling Sylvia!

Thursday was Gary Vaynerchuck Day. If you're around Ian for an extended period of time, especially in studio, you'll know he's a big fan of Gary Vay-ner-chuck and Wine Library TV, a.k.a. the Thunder Show. This was our model our Jones Soda tastings back in January (to read, go to January 2008 in the archives). So when Ian discovered Gary would be in town just blocks away from our complex on his book-signing tour, he was thrilled. However, this was 4:30-5:30 p.m. — Ian would be at work. So I, as a loving and supportive wife, traveled to the Philadelphia Wine School to have Gary sign our pre-purchased 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World. Gary was really nice, and not as ADD as he perhaps comes across on the show — he's just passionate about what he does: opening the door for everyone to appreciate the wine world. And I got a photo. He was taller than I expected, for some reason. (And if I realized at the time of the photo that my grocery bag would be showing, I would have completely dropped it. *sigh*)

Also, as I walked out, I was stopped by ClassicWines.com for an interview. I laughed! One of the questions was what is the weirdest taste I had ever experienced. I said frosting that tasted like freezer-burnt marshmallows. But as I walked home, I thought I should have mentioned durian, a tropical fruit my dad loves, which has been described as five-star custard dragged through a sewer. At any rate, they said it (and I'm assuming other interviews, all edited together) would be on the web site, but I haven't yet figured out where to find it there.

UPDATE! The video is online! Watch it here.

I think this basically gets me up-to-date. Ian left Friday morning for home, since he's a groomsman in Mike & Trista's wedding as I mentioned before (congrats again!). So I spent the weekend catching up on things, calling people, cleaning, watching The Bachelorette... Megans — I think I like Jason the best so far... but I could only watch episode 3 online, so I don't know the ones she kicked off already... and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition — I always almost cry when I watch them. Oh, and I did survive a scary thunderstorm without Ian. It started suddenly with a huge downpour and I could barely see our sparkly building out our window.

And I also made birthday preparations for Ian. He's 22 today, so we'll be the same age for 2 weeks, yay!

Graced by Miss Giltner

First off, it happens to be the celebration week (all but one within 7 days, anyway) for friends and family. So, happy birthday to Daniel, Karen, Katie, Ian, and Grandpa! And happy anniversary to Aunt Coleen & Uncle Eldred, and Dane & Micki!

One of my favorite birthday memories growing up was having Grandma's red velvet cake (when I was really little I thought of this as the ONLY kind of birthday cake) and/or mom's angel food cake, which she would decorate beautifully with a favorite item, like oreos or strawberries. We'd even get both if we were home on a birthday, and visiting Grandma and Grandpa shortly before or after our birthday. So I thought I'd virtually share these treats with you. (I know these are just photos found on the internet trying to approximate the real thing, and I don't think that these particular cakes, although very tasty, could measure up in my mind to Grandma's or mom's.)

But you get the idea, anyway! [ red velvet via alpine berry / angel food cake via Health ]

So my last update (besides the tornado back home) was our trip to NYC, which then brings me to our visit from Sarah! She arrived Saturday, May 31, from Kansas City, via Chicago with a company party on a boat, at approximately 3 in the afternoon. After chatting a bit, Sarah and I went to the Franklin Institute for an hour before it closed, then met up with Ian when he got off work (only for a required Adobe workshop, they don't make him work Saturdays, don't worry!). The three of us wandered down to Old City and the Independence Hall area. The line for the Liberty Bell is generally huge, so Ian and I, while having seen the back of the bell from outside the building countless times, hadn't yet made it inside. However, on this evening, the stars aligned and the wait was nonexistent (for Sarah's sake, I'm sure!), so we went inside to catch it before it closed.

After this, we went to Ian and I's pizza joint of choice, Top Tomato Pizza Kitchen, to share this discovery with Sarah. Then we meandered home, with Ian guiding us to some interesting spaces (most designed by Olin), and we discussed them. As I mentioned before, this happens often when you are with a landscape architect (and these great photos magically appear on my camera!).

the new Comcast Center

I forget the name of this building, but it is a great space!

Sunday we went to church, then headed to the Italian Market to give Sarah the experience, to get supplies for dinner, and also try out one of the two major competing cheesesteak places: Pat's and Geno's. Geno's site shows tons of celebrity photos (Oprah and JT, to name a couple), and an article we read in the paper on our bus ride to NYC made it seem like lots of current politicians ate at Pat's. They are right across the street from each other, and apparently which one you pick makes a statement. We picked Pat's, and I'm not sure what statement we made with that. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure it was so over the top good compared to Spataro's in the market. Spataro's is less overwhelming when you order, too. At Pat's you have to know by the time you get to the window if you want "wit" or "wit out" (onions) and if you want Provolone, American, or Whiz, all in a small time frame. And there are specific instructions on how to order, delineated on big posters. The line is long but fast, the cooks look intimidating, and they really rush you through. Then there isn't much seating. But it was a good experience. Like Sarah said, it felt like we were on a Food Network traveling show, like Rachel Ray's $40 a Day. After walking around in the heat, we were ready to go back to the apartment for a movie and dinner. When it cooled down, we went down to the Schuylkill and watched the sunset, then wandered around the museum.

Boathouse Row

I decided to climb this statue. It seems lots taller looking down from it than it did from the ground.

Monday, Sarah toured historic places while Ian and I were at work. I got off early, so we met up for ice cream, then had a lovely chat in Logan Square (Sarah, it was so great to catch up with you in person!) while we waited for Ian. Over dinner we watched National Treasure so we could point out to Sarah all the movie locations she'd seen. (If you're planning on visiting us and you haven't seen the movie in a while, you might be required to view it with us.) Tuesday was Sarah's last full day, and she, in her vast benevolence, treated us to a nice dinner at Caribou Cafe, heavy on dessert. After a second tasting, we officially decided their brioche bread pudding is the best dessert ever.

It was a lovely visit, and Sarah, it was so good to see you! Thanks so much for visiting, for a great time, and a great dinner! We look forward to our next meeting!