Thanks + Giving = Thanksgiving

After class on Wednesday, we hightailed it up to Philly. Though we left at 4:30pm and expected tons of traffic, it only took about 4 hours, which is not bad considering it was the day before Thanksgiving and rush hour.

Stef's sister, Olivia, got to the Kreamer house just before we arrived. We talked around the kitchen table for a while, catching up with Caroline and Catherine, and then we hit the sack, totally tired from the three day week.

We woke up Thanksgiving morning to an hour or two of beauitful snow flurries. Stef and Liv went out to buy some apple cider (Philly almost had an apple cider shortage!) and stopped for coffee on the way back. The coffee place was right next to Jenny and Chris Stanchak's apartment, so we stopped in to drink or coffee and chat a bit. Once we were back at the Kreamer house, it was non-stop kitchen hustling until it was time to eat. Heidi joined from New York, and there were even more curly haired kids in the house.

Jonathan did a great job helping Stefanie make green bean casserole, especially considering green beans are his least favorite vegetable. Olivia did a stellar job making creamy mashed potatoes. See them hard at work below.

Dinner included a big group! Stefanie, Jonathan, Olivia, Catherine, Heidi, Caroline, Tom, 2 grandparents, a great aunt, and Holman and Carolyn joined a bit later. Oh, and 1 dog + 3 cats!

Dessert included Pecan, Pumpkin, and Apple pies, complete with ice cream. After all the food had been eaten, dishes cleaned, and guests seen off, the kiddos played Parcheeze late into the night. Well, Stefanie studied near by while the rest of the gang played.

The next morning consisted of delicious left overs for brunch. Stefanie and Jonathan spent some time studying on Friday, and there was more Parcheeze playing as well. We left Friday evening to get back to DC to do some intense studying. Only 17 days left in the semester and lots to do!

Happy Thanksgiving, blog readers. Let your life be a thanksgiving.

Kreamers Go Marching Two by Two, Hurrah, Hurrah

Jonathan returned safe and sound from Chicago after four exciting days of road-tripping, sister-helping, Chicago-seeing, and a few other unnamed adventures. Despite only having two short days in Chicago, Jonathan and Nick managed to do a lot! They saw Wheaton's beautiful campus, and helped Jonathan's little sister Catherine move in. Then came an evening in Chicago, featuring delicious deep-dish pizza, Grant Park, and The Bean. The next day the fearless duo took in a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, and sampled scrumptious Polish Sausage. But most spectacular of all was the drive. 32 hours in all, from Philadelphia to Chicago and back again, with a pit stop in Pittsburgh. Four states, and nothing to change their view that Pennsylvania is the most beautiful.

The last two weeks proved to be busy! Jonathan recuperated from his road trip, got ready for school, and kicked off year two of grad school. He's taking Advanced Macroeconomics, Computational Economics, and Trade. Stefanie continued to plug away, learning lots of medical facts, drinking lots of coffee, and spending a (likely unhealthy) amount of time dreaming about summer vacation options. She moved from Unit One (General Pathology, Microbiology, and Pharmacology) into Unit Two (Musculoskeletal System, Skin, Connective Tissue, and Hematology).

This past weekend we had a little breather from all of the work, and headed up to Philly for some fun. Hurricane Earl (which Jonathan finds to be a whimpy name for a Hurricane) brought us nothing but perfect weather. We were sad, however, to have missed saying goodbye to Catherine (off to Wheaton) and Mary Robin (off to Turkey) the previous week!

Saturday we headed out to Wissahickon Valley to do some hiking. Here are some pictures from our time in the great outdoors:

Jonathan was quite the bush-whacker. Now if only he had had a machette.

Cooling off our feet in the river while eating lunch. Stefanie was tempted on multiple occasions to jump in. Only the idea of a wet train ride back to Philly held her back.

Jonathan is beaming at our perfect lunch spot. No mosquitos + sandwiches from Reading Terminal Market + great scenery (and company). What could be better?

Can't we do this all the time?

We found someone at the Valley Forge Inn to take a picture for us. Half way through our hike and we are still smiling.

Saturday was fun, but the weekend didn't end there. Sunday we headed off to our good ol' Alma Mater and did some work in Houston Hall. It almost felt like we were back in college- drinking coffee, eating food from Wawa, and totally engaged in work. Except those new freshmen looked so young! We, of course, never looked that young or lost. In the afternoon we walked out to City Church and got to see some friendly familiar faces.

Sunday evening held the traditional fantasy football draft. Jonathan, along with several friends from college, hung out eating pizza, catching up, and hand picking the best teams they possibly could. Great tradition! Great friends! Great time! Stefanie spent the time with her little sis, Olivia, eating dinner, decorating Liv's dorm room, getting to know her roommates, and watching 2 episodes of House (and feeling proud every time she knew something House talked about).

Monday brought us back to DC. Our study-filled bus ride landed us in the nation's capital a little more rested, a little more connected with friends/family, and feeling mostly ready to conquer the week ahead. Minutes after walking back in the door, the books were out, computers, on, coffee cups filled, and it was time to get back to work.

Already looking forward to the next 3-day weekend! (Columbus Day)