In December MJ and I spent a couple weeks on the east coast in the new townhouse. It was the first long stay we’ve had there together, and though the holidays limited how much we could get done, particularly when it came to contractors, we did have a whole bunch to do.
First, I continued my quest to go through boxes of things that almost exclusively belonged to MJ’s grandparents. Unpacking, cataloging and deciding what pieces stay in Pennsylvania and what we’re sending to California. In the course of this I also had a deadline creeping up on me as I needed to find the menorah before Hanukkah began on the evening of December 24th. The timing of Hanukkah landing right along Christmas and New Years worked out well for us, MJ had some time off and it made the timing of the visit even more of a no-brainer. Plus, we were able to celebrate the entire eight night holiday there in Philadelphia rather than breaking it up between there and San Francisco.
The most amusing thing about finding the menorah was that it’s nearly identical to the one we have at home. MJ had mentioned that it was similar when I picked it out, but I had no idea that it was almost identical. Nothing wrong with the familiar, it’s a beautiful menorah.
House-wise MJ got the garage door opener installed and shelves put up in the powder room. With the help of his friend Tim, he also got the coffee table put together and the television mounted over the fireplace on New Years Eve. The TV was up in time to watch some of the NYE midnight broadcasts! We got the mail handling, trash schedule and cleaning sorted out with relatives who will be helping us with that, so the house will be well looked after in our absence.
I put together the vacuum and used it for the first time as I did the first thorough tidying of the house since we’d moved everything in from storage. I got my desk put together in the den, even though it’s still surrounded by boxes and will be until we ship stuff out to California. I was able to finally unpack some things we had actually ordered the last time I was in town but never got to put around the house, like a bunch of trash cans for various rooms and some kitchen goodies from ThinkGeek (Death Star waffle maker! R2-D2 measuring cups!). We also ordered a pair of counter-height chairs for the kitchen and they arrived in time for me to put them together just before we left, so the kitchen is also coming together even though we still need to go shopping for pots and pans.
Family-wise, we did a lot of visiting. On Christmas Eve we went to the nearby Samarkand restaurant, featuring authentic Uzbeki food. It was wonderful. We also did various lunches and dinners. A couple days were also spent going down to the city to visit a relative who is recovering in the hospital.
I didn’t see everyone I wanted to see but we did also get to visit with various friends. I saw my beloved Rogue One: A Star Wars Story a second time and met up with Danita to see Moana, which was great. I’ve now listened to the Moana soundtrack more than a few times. We met up with Crissi and her boyfriend Henry at Grand Lux Cafe in King of Prussia, where we also had a few errands to run and I was able to pick up some mittens at L.L. Bean. New Years Eve was spent with our friends Tim and Colleen, where we ordered pizza and hung aforementioned television. They also brought along some sweet bubbly for us to enjoy at midnight.
We also had lots of our favorite foods! We celebrated together at MJ’s favorite French cuisine inspired Chinese restaurant in Chestnut Hill, CinCin. We visited some of our standard favorites, including The Continental and Mad Mex. Exploring around our new neighborhood, we indulged in some east coast Chinese, made it to a Jewish deli where I got a delicious hoagie, found a sushi place that has an excellent roll list. We also went to Chickie’s and Pete’s crab house a couple of times, which, while being a Philadelphia establishment, I’d never actually been to. We also had a dinner at The Melting Pot, where I was able to try some local beers along with our fondue, and I’m delighted to see how much the microbrewery scene has grown since I moved away. We also hit a few diners during our stay, and enjoyed some eggnog from Wawa, which is some of the best eggnog ever made.
Unfortunately it wasn’t all fun. I’ve been battling a nasty bout of bronchitis for the past couple months. This continued ailment led to a visit to urgent care to get it looked at, and an x-ray to confirm I didn’t have a pneumonia. A pile of medication later, my bronchitis lingered and later in the week I spontaneously developed hives on my neck, which confounded the doctor. In the midst of health woes, I also managed to cut my foot on some broken glass while I was unpacking. It bled a lot, and I was a bit hobbled for a couple days while it healed. Thankfully MJ cleaned it out thoroughly (ouch!) once the bleeding had subsided and it has healed up nicely.
As the trip wound down I found myself missing the cats and eager to get home where I’d begin my new job. Still, it was with a heavy heart that we left our beautiful new vacation home, family and friends on the east coast.