Our friends Jason and Blair have been inviting us to visit them in Philadelphia ever since they moved there a couple of years ago, but we have never been able to find the time to make the trip. So, they decided to get married, and we really couldn't miss such an event, right? Road trip!
On our way up to Philly for the wedding, we stopped off in Washington, D.C. to visit Uncle Mark. This is Natalie and Mark outside of "The Silver Diner" where we had a delicious breakfast before getting back on the road. Just prior to this picture, Mark made good use of his cell phone and "speed dialed" the parking police to report an illegally parked car (yes, Mark has the local meter maid on speed dial). Anyway, in his own words . . . "He's retired." Anyway, we had a great time visiting Mark and hope to see him again soon!
All right, back on the road . . . What!? Who placed a McDonald's drive-through in the middle of a I-95? Oh, wait . . . it's a troll . . . I mean toll. Sorry, we don't have these horrible things in North Carolina. Would you believe that we spent over $15 on trolls . . . I mean tolls . . . on the way up to Philly? Personally, I don't think its a coincidence that the word "toll" is only one letter away from the word "troll" (you know, those scary things from fairy tales that live under bridges and make poor, innocent travelers shell out their hard-earned cash in order to pass over). Kind of sad that our neighbors to the north have resorted to such tactics to "repair" their roads (and I use the term "repair" liberally). If only we had won the War of Northern Aggression . . . .
Once we got to Philly, we checked into our hotel and I took a moment to admire our view of the city. What you can't tell from this picture is that it was absolutely frigid outside!
Despite the weather, Natalie and I took a quick walk around the city before we started getting ready for the wedding. Here is one building that I thought was really cool looking. I think that is Benjamin Franklin on top of the building . . . I just made that up.
After walking around the city for an hour or so, we went back to the hotel and got ready for the wedding, which was held just a block from our hotel. That's one thing I'll never get used to in big cities . . . all the walking. I love to go on walks as much as the next guy (well, maybe most guys don't like to go on walks, but I do) because they're good exercise and you can get some fresh air. But I don't think I could ever get used to walking to places with a purpose (i.e. walking to the grocery store . . . or to a wedding).
Once we arrived at the wedding we mingled for a bit and found some fellow North Carolinians! Then the ceremony started, which was very nice, but unfortunately fairly dimly lit, so my camera didn't capture many good pictures. I think this one of Blair and his mother walking down the aisle came out nice though.
Here are Jason and Blair right after the ceremony. I think I see a coaster set from Kodak Gallery in their future (that will only make sense to anyone who has spent more than five minutes in our living room with a drink that required a coaster).
It was nice to spend some time with Jason and Blair after the ceremony. Here we are with Jason.
On our way out of the reception, these little chocolate covered strawberries were waiting for us. Not that we could eat anything else by that point (but we did). All in all, we had a great time at the reception. The food, music, and company were all wonderful. We are grateful to have been included at such a special event.
The next morning, Natalie and I made use of the work-out facility at our hotel and did our best to run off the previous nights bad decisions. The only problem was that the treadmill was right in front of a big window overlooking the city, and I thought I could see a Dunkin' Donuts just down the street. So, after we showered, we went to get some munchkins so that we would have another excuse to run when we got back to North Carolina.
Of course, ever since arriving in Philly, I kept telling Natalie that I was "crazy" to see the Liberty Bell, so we headed out to catch a glimpse of it after breakfast. For those who are unaware, the Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of the rights and freedoms valued by people the world over. As such, I thought it fitting that I should stand in front of the Liberty Bell making my own symbol of a right and freedom that I value.
Then this totally eccentric, weird guy in a mumu shows up and tries to steal my move. Dude, it's called originality, get some.
All in all, we had an excellent time in Philly, although the trip was way too short. We hope to return soon to explore more of the city.
When we got to the Thrill, Donovan was showing off his new car!
We opened gifts with my family during the afternoon before our big Christmas Eve dinner.
And Donovan with his fashionable sweater!
My dad was excited to get started on his new book and to watch the best show ever - Friday Night Lights! Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!
After the gifts, family started to arrive for dinner.
We always have a big group at my parents house. I think we had 20 people for dinner.
It was a lot of prep work, but yummy and worth it!
David's parents also made it over for dinner. We were one big happy family!
I was awake, but still a little tired!
After David and I opened stockings we started making our famous Christmas brunch.
We stuffed ourselves silly and enjoyed spending the rest of the day with David's parents relaxing and going to the movies.
While they were here we took a fun trip to the Natural Science Museum. David really enjoyed playing with Gabi and showing her all the fun things to do there.
I think everyone's favorite part was the tigers! 
Gabi is so much fun to play with as she gets older and starts to talk!
