Philadelphia!

Philadelphia!

Although our trip was several weeks ago, we still wanted to post about our weekend get-away to Philadelphia to visit Nick's cousins Candy and Tony.

We rented a car and drove up after work on a Friday and stayed until Sunday afternoon. We loved being with Candy and Tony, seeing their house, and having a native Philadelphian show us around the town!

Tony took us on the most beautiful drive into the city. The trees, river, houses and bridges were wonderful to see, and Tony knew something interesting to share during each part of the drive. We loved learning about the history of the area and the people who make it a great place to be!

Our first stop in downtown Philly was
Independence Hall.

It was in this room that George Washington, James Madison and many other famous men met to debate and eventually write the Constitution of the United States.

Here are Tony, Emily and Candy standing in front of Independence Hall after our tour.

Our next stop was the Betsy Ross House
(she sewed the first American flag)

Who would have thought that I would meet Benjamin Franklin leaving Betsy Ross's house! Good to meet you, Ben!

I was only gone long enough for the picture with Mr. Franklin, but they already had Nick drafted into the Continental Army ; )

We were there on Flag Day, so they were having a little festival out on the street. Here I am eating my very first funnel cake.

Next stop: Liberty Bell

It was really neat to see the actual Liberty Bell after hearing so much about it--and seeing it featured in National Treasure. That is one heavy bell!

Yo Adrian!

Before we left the city, we had to stop at the Rocky statue at the Museum of Art where Sylvester Stalone ran up the stairs. We would have run up too, but it was a hot day, and there were two wedding parties taking pictures on the stairs. I guess it might have been funny for them to have two crazy people running up the Rocky stairs in the background of their wedding pictures, but did I mention that it was hot?

"Give me a provo wit"

After our sight-seeing, it was off to have an authentic Philly Cheese Steak. Tony even shared with us the secrets to ordering like a native (the quote above, which means a cheese steak with provolone cheese and fried onions). We ate at a restaurant close to the baseball stadium and enjoyed all of the sports memorabilia while we ate. We had a cheese steak and a pork sandwich. The cheese steak really was YUMMY!!

For desert, we stopped off at Rita's for a water ice (aka Italian Ice). It was really good! Then it was home for games and a good night's rest.

On Sunday, we went to church with Candy. It was nice to meet the ward members there. They really love Candy and Tony and had wonderful things to say about them. We had a great barbecue and then Candy led us to Valley Forge while Tony fixed dinner for the missionaries back at home.

Nick and Candy outside the actual forge. I'm sure it was mighty hot in there when all the fires were blazing.

Nick and Em in the forge.

George Washington's house while he was stationed at Valley Forge. It is mostly original and is a very beautiful building.

Entering George Washington's house.

A little dark, but here is a view of the valley.

Thank you again to Candy and Tony for having us visit. We are so glad that we were able to see you both! We had a great trip. It was very inspiring to be in the same places as so many of the great men who founded and fought for our country. We are all truly blessed to live in America.