Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

An Accidental Trip to Philly! December 29, 2011

Filed under: Baby,Pennsylvania,Travel — Kelocity @ 8:51 pm
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Dear Baby,
If there is one thing your father and I want you to know about us, it’s that we have a fierce love of travel, exploring and finding adventures. You probably already know this since we’ve been going non-stop this year, but we wanted to show you how easy it is to see the world. It’s all about seizing opportunities when you find them and learning to roll with the punches.

Sure, we love to plan robust vacations with driving directions, plane tickets and advanced reservations, but sometimes the best trips are the ones you go into knowing nothing about. Allow us to explain. Say (hypothetically, of course), your cross country flight has become so delayed you missed all connections out of that city. You might choose to freak out…or you might see it as a blessing in disguise.
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Perhaps Philadelphia had been on your bucket list anyways… then you’d realize that a 24-hour layover = a free vacation. Little one, make sure you always travel with your netbook so you can immediately visit tripadvisor.com to scope out the top ten attractions before you get there. I’m sure you’ll have much more complex tools than our little Dell computer by the time you travel solo, but man, those things come in handy when you need it.

Before you know it, you’re booked in a four-star hotel all cozy under the covers excited for what the next day will bring. If you keep an optimistic attitude and always make lemonade out of your lemons, you may find yourself here:
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The Liberty Bell has been a symbol of our great country for centuries, and to see it up close was pretty amazing. Your daddy had been here before, but he was still a little guy back then too.
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I’m not sure if you got a close enough look at the beauty of the bell or the details of the ‘crack’ down the middle…
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…But don’t worry, we’ll bring you back here someday when you’re old enough to learn about it’s history. You’ll read about it in your textbooks and you will be able to tell your classmates you had been there before! We look forward to seeing you learn about these things in school and get excited about seeing them in real life. We already dream about what field trips we’ll take you on someday, based on your interests too!

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Before we left the bell, we stopped in the gift shop to look around. We didn’t get you anything this time, but we had a blast trying to figure out what you might have picked out if you were old enough. Would you have gone for the Colonial Wardrobe paper dolls? The George Washington posters? The bag of ‘pick your own gem stones’? We seriously giggle out loud when we think about this stuff. Nerds.

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Then we wandered around the old government district of the city. Hard to imagine our country’s greatest men walked through those doors. Ben Franklin, George Washington… all the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution. (Don’t worry, I was bored with that stuff in school once too, but someday you’ll learn to appreciate the significance of it and how lucky you are to live here).

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We go around the world to see capitols, old buildings and the such, but we’ve got so much great stuff in our backyard too.

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This is the old courtroom where laws were made and justice was served. The painting in the back was an original.

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This is the exact room where the Constitution of the United States was signed. The chair in the center is also an original!
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(Here’s a painting of what happened in that room!
File:Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States.png
[source]

This is the room that Congress met in. It looked almost exactly like this back then too.IMG_0999

And the senate met upstairs in this room. Word on the street is that Congress and Senate didn’t get along even back then. =)
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After our morning history lesson, it was time for lunch. Of course we had to get Philly Cheesesteaks!! We waited in line for about 15 minutes and your daddy got the traditional one: with Cheese Whiz and Onions (which we found out you have to order like “Wiz Wit”.) I chickened out and got Pizza Fries. I know, I know. Don’t judge me, baby.
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Then we walked for a few miles to the other side of town for a few last minute stops.  (All that walking to balance out the Cheese Whiz. It’s all about doing things in moderation.) We loved how French this building looked. I think that’s the current city hall.
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You would have LOVED the oversized game pieces they had on display out front. We can already picture you running in and out of them.
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Finally, in the bitter cold, we reached our final stop of the day. Love Park.
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What do you think, baby? Your parents are super good-looking right? Bahaha!IMG_1019
PS: Thanks for the fleece, Mom! I seriously would have froze in Philly if I didn’t have that!

Is this where the Monopoly board gets the “Pennsylvania Railroad” from? So cool if it is! Do all those squares on the board actually exist somewhere? If so, it’s now my life goal to visit all of them!
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We made it back to the airport and enjoyed our first class seats on the way back. You’re not even born yet and you’re riding in first. You are already the luckiest baby in the world.
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Welcome back to LA, little one. It’s way warmer here than it was on the east coast, but I hope you had as much fun as we did!

 

Christmas on the East Coast

Filed under: Baby,Christmas — Kelocity @ 8:45 pm
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We had a great (though incredibly short) trip back home for Christmas. It all started with a less than stellar flight though. Not only were we delayed, but they somehow lost our GATE CHECKED bag that was filled with Christmas presents. The bag did arrive two days later, but my poor husband had no fresh clothes to wear on Christmas. Luckily he got a new US Soccer shirt as a gift. haha

But the best part is being home with family. We had such a nice and relaxing few days. I missed my sisters!
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Everyone was excited to touch “the bump” even though it’s still a bit small. I was excited for this picture. This is four generations! Love it!
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I was so excited to get the tea box I asked for. Whoo hoo!! haha Hi Chris!
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I actually didn’t take my camera out much at all during our visit. Just wanted to take it all in and relax. I even took a two hour nap while I was home. (Why do people always sleep better at their parent’s house? Maybe it just feels nice to know your mommy is around if you need anything. hee hee!)
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My oldest friend Linsay came over before I left. She knows me so well and came armed with a jar of pickles and gifts for the baby.
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Note to self: Seated bump pictures are VERY unflattering!

How cute is this ornament? I LOVE it!
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It was a beautiful Christmas filled with all the things that mattered most (family, mild weather, and a few games of Scribblish). Couldn’t have asked for anything more. Thanks to everyone who spoiled me, Irving and the new baby!

 

Coming 2012 December 24, 2011

Filed under: Baby,Christmas — Kelocity @ 9:18 am
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Sent out in our Christmas Cards this year.

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Crazy to think this time next year I’ll have a 6-month old!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

The Lights Make it Magical December 22, 2011

Filed under: Baby,Christmas,Home — Kelocity @ 7:41 pm
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So I hear that Christmas is a mere two days away! Perhaps you’d like to see pictures of my tree! It’s another Home Depot Special, but it’s actually gorgeous and fits our space perfectly. I have to say I’m in love with it this year.
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I got all fancy this year and outlined our sliding doors with white lights and it definitely adds a nice glow to the room. I might try to convince Irving to let me leave them up til Valentine’s Day. They’re just so cozy!
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Man, my camera’s photo quality keeps getting worse and worse. I don’t know why these bottom ones came out so grainy. I really have to start lugging out the big SLR, even when I’m lazy. But here I am. Dressed up for a holiday party.

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We had a prenatal appointment today too! Baby’s heart rate was perfect and is measuring right on target. I will be 16 weeks on Saturday! That’s four months! Almost half way there! But you’d never know it looking at me! Where are you, baby??
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I started wearing the tighter maternity shirts this week, hoping it would make the bump pop more! I’m sure he/she will make an appearance soon enough and I’ll be wearing that bump loud and proud.
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Hard to believe that a year from now, we’ll be decorating our (Home Depot Special) tree with a baby on my hip.

So excited for the holiday festivities to begin!!! One more day til the weekend!

 

Smooth Move December 16, 2011

Filed under: Baby — Kelocity @ 8:53 am

This morning, I thought I’d be healthy and go for a walk with Irving before work. It was a gorgeous morning in LA. It felt like spring. The day after a big rainfall here is always gorgeous and fresh. We were happy to take advantage. We did a two mile walk, and halfway stopped to pick up some smoothies (keeping the healthy train going, right?) So I order my usual protein shake with extra blueberries.

We walked a few blocks, I tripped on a curb… lost my balance… and fell… ON MY SMOOTHIE! That thing exploded EVERYWHERE! Once I got up, Irving said “are you ok? is the baby ok?” and all i could say was “I want my smooooooothie!!!!” and the proceeded to cry. It was so sad.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, I had to walk a mile back to my house looking like this while Irving carried my busted up (now empty) cup til we found a trashcan.

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I think my pregnancy hormones are all out of whack this week too. For some reason I can’t seem to get a hold of myself. So glad it’s the weekend.

Happy Friday.