Week 6: A Post by Glen

Hi.

This is Glen.

Nicole is just plain wore out from all the blogging she’s been doing. So I volunteered to take over for this weeks report. Terrible, I know.

But Nicole is coaching me on the proper formatting and everything so I don’t think I’ll mess things up too bad.

Day 38:

As great as Philadelphia is, we can’t make every day a spectacular event worth recording. Today was one of those days.

The only interesting little nubbin for the day was probably our dinner. Joan, our dog-walking, force of nature landlady, took Nicole to lunch at a pizza joint called “Lorenzo’s” after one of their walks. And Nicole liked it so much that we went again for dinner. And after we ate, we ordered more to take home with us! It was that good! (Also, please notice my awesome new hoodie. Also, note that it’s way too hot to be wearing it, and I’m suffering for my vanity.)

Look at that slice of pizza! It’s longer than my forearm. Anyone know how many cubits that is? I got a pepperoni slice at the restaurant and it was so unwieldy that I had to roll it up from the crust and eat it like a . . . like a pizza all rolled up from the crust. Anyway, pizza.

Day 39:

Nothing to do with “Day 39” but Nicole just turned on “Pretty in Pink,” and I would like to take a moment of silence for Ducky, who was better and more attractive than whatever guy Molly Ringwold ended up with.

*

As for Day 39, not tons happened. Except Nicole made some dyno-mite tacos. She doesn’t especially love tacos (except if it's filled with chorizo. Grandma Galan knows this all too well). But this guy (I’m pointing at myself) is a huge taco fan.  As you can probably tell. You can also probably tell that I haven’t bought new shorts in, well, a while. Cool plaid, Glen. Cool.

Day 40:

Okay, so this was a pretty eventful day. My law firm, Dechert, had an event for the summer associates and their significant others at the home of the CEO. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the kind of event where we could be snapping pictures left and right. “Hey CEO! Smile!” Not good for the job prospect. So, you’ll have to use your imagination.

We drove out to their beautiful home, met up with all the other summer associates, and had dinner whilst socializing with the firm’s higher ups.

The big fun conversation Nicole and I had was with one of the guests, whose identity, though relatively insignificant, I will not disclose for privacy reasons. Anyway, [the guest] was getting to know us and found out that we were members of the LDS church. And it turned out [the guest] had a lot of questions about the role of women in the church. [The guest] had told us one thing that bothered her about the LDS church was that men were able to hold the priesthood but women were not. So Nicole and I got to explain how men and women in the church can be equal while still fulfilling different roles. For more information about the priesthood and why only men hold it click here.

It was a good conversation and a good opportunity to share more about what we believe in. Nicole and I like sharing our testimonies.

Day 41:

Finally Friday! And Date Night!

In Philadelphia, there are a number of restaurants (20 in all) all owned by the same man, a chef named Steven Starr (the two “r’s” is kind of obnoxious).  Now, this isn't like 20 iterations of the same restaurant, just with different locations. They’re each vastly different, with different, themes, and menus, and everything. Nicole and I have decided to do a little bit of a tour of some of his restaurants.

This one is called “Continental Midtown” and it’s like a 40’s—50’s diner fused with . . . I don’t know what. There’s like Thai food, dumplings, and shrimp fajitas. Anyway, it was real good. Perhaps not our favourite (British spelling brought to you by the 2012 London Olympics), but a lot of fun. We got to sit in these chairs that swung from the ceiling! You better believe we were irreverent dinner guests!

When we were first married, Nicole and I decided that we wanted to watch the movies listed on the AFI top one hundred list. That goal kind of got thrown by the way side.

But we’re bringing it back to life! And in that vein, we finished the evening by watching “On the Waterfront.”

"You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am."

Great job, Marlon. Great Job.

Day 42:

For this weekend’s adventure, Nicole and I decided to take a temple trip to the LDS Washington D.C. temple! For our friends who aren't members of the LDS church click here to learn why we visit the temples.

So we got up early and headed down. Nicole fell asleep in the car and I got some great pictures with the phone but I don’t think Nicole will let me post them. Oh well.

As we drove into D.C., we had eyes only for the temple, waiting for its spires to appear over the tree line. After a three-hour drive, we finally saw it and walked to its doors!

And it was closed.

Apparently, what we missed the night before was a gigantic storm that thundered its way through the D.C. area and left half of the city (including the temple) without power.

We were disappointed.

But as we left, we began to notice the havoc the storm had wrought. This house was directly across the street from the temple exit.

Yes, that tree is inside that house. Yikes.

And in case you’re wondering, it’s difficult to drive through D.C. when most of the stoplights are dead.

So, because we had missed it last time we were in D.C., we decided to go the Arlington National Cemetery.

It’s amazing how many service men and women have found their final rest in this place. It is a special and quiet place.

Unfortunately the storm had brought trees down here too, and there was some damage to a few of the headstones.

We took the hike to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and paid our respects while they performed the changing of the guard. The exactness and perfection of the ceremony is really impressive to watch.

After, we headed to the most important part of our trip—the Washington D.C. Cafe Rio. On our way home from D.C. last time, Nicole suddenly remembered that there was a Cafe Rio in D.C. and she’s been plotting ever since for us to get back.

For those of you that don’t know, Cafe Rio is a Mexican restaurant that originated in Utah, Nicole’s home state. This is one of her absolute favorites. We have even tried to recreate their dishes in our own home.

Anyway, imagine her disappointment when we arrived and found that it too was closed. The electricity outage was out to get us. We didn’t take any pictures because Nicole was on the verge of tears and could hardly face the reality.

We got on the internet and found three more Cafe Rio’s in the D.C. area. I called the first. A dial tone. I called the second. It rang for 3 minutes before I finally gave up. And the third . . . “Hello, this is Cafe Rio, how may I help you?”

The voice of an angel! We drove another 30 minutes outside the city and found this heavenly Mexican food oasis.

Mmmm.

Afterwards we went home to do some dog-sitting. The dog's name is Jesse. I don’t know what kind of dog he is (Nicole has told me twice, but I don’t like Jesse so I haven’t remembered). He’s a big whiner. And when we go on walks, he’ll just stop walking and look at you. Then he’ll start walking again. When it’s really hot outside, and he does it repeatedly, I start contemplating Jesse-cide. And, apparently, he photographs like a demon.

Day 43:

Back to the humdrum. Church and then some more dog-sitting.

We never posted a picture of where we attend church, but here it is. The South Philadelphia Branch.

Then Nicole and I walked a dog named Reilly. We really like him. Nicole usually walks this dog 3 times a day, and Reilly really loves her, and she loves him. More on dogs we love next week.

Well, that’s my report. Hope everyone else had a good week too. We’ll be in touch!