Schedule Change

This week has been rather dull compared to others. Even though we have not gone on any adventures, we have spent a significant amount of time planning and re-planning what our next few weeks will look like. Justin was originally assigned for his first Grand Opening assignment in North Carolina. Since next month is Thanksgiving we are also trying to coordinate with our parents coming to visit, their hotels, and flights. We would have been staying only minutes from the Biltmore Mansion, so we were more than excited to take a tour with our families. During the week, Justin met with his boss who let him know that we would be moving to a different location in Baltimore and that Justin would be the IM for an owner who has retired. That night we called our parents to tell them not to buy tickets to fly to North Carolina, because we would be staying in Baltimore. We also booked rooms for ourselves and our families to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City! We have always wanted to go to the parade, and there is no better time than with our family. The next morning Justin received an e-mail saying that he would not be staying in Baltimore, but that he would be taking over a store somewhere in the Atlantic Region. For his job the Atlantic Region includes: North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Neither a city nor state were specified. He was told that we would know something as soon they were able to give us the information.

Friday, we went to dinner at Justin's favorite restaurant to eat crab cakes, G&M. The food was great! We also had the pleasure of being entertained by his grandmother during dinner. She always has interesting stories to tell. There is definitely never a dull moment when we are all together.

Sunday, we had a cleaning day with a couple of the team members from work. We spent a few hours doing some deep cleaning that is impossible to accomplish while the store is open. Cleaning doesn't seem so bad when you get to take turns pressure washing! After cleaning, we went home, ordered pizza, snuggled up with the puppies on the couch and watched the Raven's game.

The rest of the week proceeded as normal, but on the weekend we made a short trip to Philadelphia to visit some friends from home, Dave and Tammy. We started our morning with the Liberty Bell and Liberty Hall. Justin wanted to try and lick the Liberty Bell so badly, but the guard was taking his job seriously. (Barney and Ted did that on HIMYM.) There was no getting close to that thing. And for the Bell's sake and preservation, its a good thing.  Liberty Hall provides free tours through the building. Our tour guide was extremely informative. We could not believe that we were able to stand in the exact same room where our forefathers wrote the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence!

After touring the building, we headed down the road to check out the Quaker Meeting House. The building is still used today for annual meetings and prayer.

 Next, we made a brief stop by Benjamin Franklin's gravesite.

Betsy Ross's House was the next stop on our tour. She actually had a pretty sad life. Most everyone around her died. We read that other than Washington and the other political figures that had asked her to make the first American flag, no one else really knew she made the first flag of our country. It did not become well known until after her death. That information was kept quiet, largely due to the fact that she was taking such a large risk. It was considered treason to make another country's flag in Great Britain's eyes.

You can't go to Philly and not get a Philly Cheesesteak! When the lunch bell rang, we grabbed and Uber and took a ride through town to go to Pat's King of Steaks. Tammy and I had both heard that it was the best around. If you do decide to eat there, be sure to follow the rules that they have posted on the wall. They offer no answers to questions and absolutely no southern charm. You must only say what you want and in the order of the directions on the wall. Justin and Tammy both were harshly corrected for a normal ordering technique. The restaurant is also cash only, so make sure you have your bills in hand and ready to pay. While the service was not what we were expecting, the food was pretty good. It definitely had a cool atmosphere. The outdoor seating and traffic circling the establishment even offered a sort of entertainment with lunch.

After lunch, we visited the Benjamin Franklin Museum. It was an interesting and interactive museum. You were encouraged to touch and even play with many of the displays. They had several original pieces that belonged to Franklin. Though his house no longer stands, due to his grandchildren sold off his house and property, they have a ghost-like outline of his home and business. The only historical drawings are of the outside of Franklin's home, but there were no drawings of what the inside may have looked like.

Just outside of the museum there was a printing press. The tour guide that we had earlier at Liberty Hall, was also demonstrating and teaching about the printing press.

By accident, we happened to stumble across where the Continental Congress met. Not much to see here, but it was a beautiful building.

At the end of the day, we had to say goodbye to Dave and Tammy, or at least until our paths cross again. We found one more fun photo-op just before we reached our car.

Justin finally received his assignment. We packed our bags and boxes, and jumped on a plane to Charleston, SC. Until our next schedule change...