Where We've Lived: Philadelphia

After New Orleans, we made our way up north to Philadelphia. While New Orleans was the furthest west I've ever lived, Philly was, by far, the furthest north I've ever lived. I've joked with my husband many times that every time we move, it seems to be in the wrong season. We moved to Charleston in winter, to New Orleans just as summer was getting really hot, and to Philly as the weather was turning cold. We have impeccable timing. So we packed up and set of just in front of Hurricane Isidore. We slowly made our way up north, stopping to see both sets of parents and show off our new baby.

S found us an apartment in Doylestown, about an hour north of Philadelphia's center city. I loved the area but it prevented me from really exploring the downtown area. Plus, I had a small baby and it was winter. Not a good combo. We did find some wonderful restaurants, though. Are you seeing a pattern here? We like to eat good food. Our favorite treat, by far, was going to Los Sarapes. It's an authentic Mexican restaurant with the best food you can imagine. Their mole sauce is unbelievable and is quite unexpected in that area of Pennsylvania. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised because another favorite was Cafe America in downtown Doylestown. It's a great Mexican/American cafe.

When I set out to write about Philadelphia and all its fabulousness, I realized I couldn't talk much about the city itself because I don't have very much personal experience with it. There is a ton of American history in Philly and lots of wonderful places to visit. It just didn't happen while we were there. What did happen is that we made some wonderful friends. Obviously, I made friends in Charleston and New Orleans although we weren't in either place very long. But in Philly, even though we only lived there for a few months, I made friends to last a lifetime.

Our first Sunday in church in Willow Grove, we met a young couple with a new baby, about the same age as K. I got to know Lisa and her daughter, Ginny, very well. We had play dates and joined a women's bible study together. She was my first real "mom" friend and Ginny was K's first little friend. We were able to laugh together, cry together, encourage one another and vent about all the little mommy things in life. That was something I really needed! S and I were also able to join a bible study in our church that enabled us to get to know other couples in the church. Again, what we needed!

We moved from Philly in April 2003 to the city where we currently live. I'll talk about that lovely city when we eventually move on. We were only supposed to live here for 6 months and we have lived here for over 4 years.

When we left Philly, I cried. I hadn't done that for the previous cities. Sure, I was sad to be leaving them but I didn't have the relationship investment that I did in Philadelphia. I'm thankful for that investment even though I don't get to see my friend every day, or even talk to her every day, though we do stay in touch. God knew what I needed at that time, as He always does.