PHL Report + New Month

I spent Saturday to Monday in Philadelphia — the do-over for a cancelled trip in July, I suppose!

Doing a 3 day weekend is pretty easy for me (Monday = flexible and for once I do not feel super behind on all of my creative projects). I decided to let G miss one day of 3rd grade and come with me — I figured this would make it easier for Josh, AND that we would have a ton of fun.

We arrived (uneventful flight!) to my dad sitting outside, which was a lovely surprise! He even walked up and down the street with us with his walker (his first time doing this outside, too).

He is making progress in some areas AND is also pretty physically miserable, unfortunately. I know he loved spending time with his grandchildren but we had to balance it with rest and I know everything is just hard when you are in physical pain (he is).

Some of it I feel confident will get better and some of it, time will tell (but there is still hope!).

G had a BLAST playing with her cousin M. These two are closer in age (just over 2 yrs) then G is to C (nearly 4 years) and they are both SOOOO into imaginative play.

We stayed with my sister but had dinner each night with my parents and played with ALL of the toys there . . .

On Sunday we let my dad rest while we headed out on a local trail. The weather was BEAUTIFUL the whole time. I am so jealous that they can enjoy being outside during the days for extended periods even SOME days in the summer!

(We really cannot! Or at least I cannot!)

Then G and I headed over to Laura‘s! We recorded 2 eps and then just hung out. I had my first nonalcoholic beer (Best Day Hazy IPA; did not want to drink and drive my dad’s car on windy roads home). It was honestly pretty delicious!

I Door Dashed us dinner on Sunday night and on Monday we got to spend the morning having a leisurely breakfast and then visiting my parents again. Another outdoor walk for my dad + visit to the school playground with M (same school my sister and I went to, and her school year starts TODAY!).

We headed to the airport (I did not want to get home later than dinner) and I experienced an airport lounge for the first time ever. I had upgraded my AA card in preparation for Hawaii (BAHAHAHA) and also to get the points bonus but figured we had better put that ridiculous annual fee to good use.

Then we had lunch and I did some math in my head and realized that, given the price of food at airports and the frequency which we fly AA as a family, this card might not actually be the worst deal ever even without the bonus.

Anyway, it was great and G LOOOOVED it.

I’m so glad I went, and now and thinking about making another 3 day stretch work (potentially with another kid though G does NOT like that idea at all, she wants to go back). It logistically was easy – I was able to work on the plane (wrote my newsletter!) and was home for dinnertime Monday to be with the rest of the fam. I can often get flights with miles very inexpensively and the Sat-Mon stretch doesn’t require any PL.

As for my dad, I just hope it’s onward and upward and know it will be a long road but hopefully incremental improvement.

AND ALSO, IT’S SEPTEMBER!

I am (ALWAYS) excited about the new month, and have a whole Hobonichi saga to report (it ended happily!) but I will save that for tomorrow because this was long enough.

I will end with this to-die for pic my friend Vickie took at Boston General Store which she just referred to as her “local Hobonichi store”. I am sooooo jealous (but will hopefully get to go there later this very month!).