We're still alive, I promise...

In fact, we are very alive, and very busy. I can only sit here so long sipping at coffee before I have to take off for work, so I cannot write much. But I will give you a taste of our last week.

• I made homemade corn chowder. Not to toot my own horn, but it was outstanding.
• We successfully got our driver licenses and car registration. (After having previously been turned away from the PennDot for not having sufficient proof of residency - a bank statement with our new address did not count, apparently - the last time they never even asked for any proof of residency. I almost shoved our mailings in his face just as retribution.)
• Went to Mutter's museum and a piece of the a tumor of John Wilkes Booth and other medical oddities.
• We had two great friends from Oklahoma, Daniel and Adrienne, visit us. This was a blast.
• We had a great friend from New Jersey, David, visit us the next day. He got an iPhone and made me jealous.
• We visited with Maggie's aunts and uncles at a HUGE summer home on the Chesapeake in Maryland. This included seeing Maggie's new cousin who was recently adopted from China.

All in all, a crazy week, but a blast.
(I'll update this with pictures later...)

Oh, the Perks of Modern Pennsylvanianite Vehicular Requirements!

"So when are you going to get your Michigan plates changed?"

"I figured I'd do it in October when they expire."

"Huh, really..."

Within twenty days of moving to the grand state of Pennsylvania, one must change their car registration. In order to change the registration of your vehicle, you must have a Pennsylvania driver's license. To get a Pennsylvania driver's license, you have to apply in person and prove your residency in two ways, which can include utility bills, lease agreements, or other forms that formally state your new address. Typically utility bills arrive thirty days from when you first sign-up, lease agreements take ten to twenty days because the head of the rental company has to sign it, and usually the latest Bed Bath & Beyond flyer addressed to "Our Neighbor" just doesn't quite prove your residency too well.... Pennsylvania is also a very green state, and requires yearly inspections of every vehicle (lest you incur fines and penalties by disregarding such requirements) for brakes, general safety features and emissions. This must be done within ten days of completing the vehicle registration. I believe we have now come full circle...

We recently decided to hire Stan, our paperwork guru pictured to the left to take care of all of the necessary paperwork. We pay him in sprinkled donuts weekly.

The headaches of vehicular requirements aside, we are absolutely loving Pennsylvania. All but two moving boxes remain, and we have taken quite a fancy to their decorative accent to our new flat.


Here's hoping Stan is The Man and we successfully get our vehicular portraits published this weekend.

-M

Hatboro-ian observations

This is the second day in a row in the mid-60s

(and every morning here I've woken up to sunshine instead of an alarm clock)

The Adventures of Brad & Maggie Continue:

CHAPTER ONE: The Arrival
So we survived the 11+ hour drive, toll booths, caffeine overdoses and sedated cats escaping their cage and are now settling into our new apartment. I have chosen a photo that will be representative of what two 22-year old, somewhat newly-weds can accrue in their lifetime, and that no neurotic, overly-organized person can overcome. That's just the dinning room. Holy cow.
CHAPTER TWO: The Grocery Store
Oh, to be in West Michigan, wandering the aisle-ways of our friendly Meijer store, complete with everything from strawberries and motor oil to pepper spray and alcohol. But nay, in the quaint suburbs of Philadelphia you will find there are several pit stops for groceries and the like.

For general groceries (food, toiletries, etc.) we have found Giants Food. A lovely combination of D& W and Family Fare, we discovered the key to savings: a Giants Card. Sign-up is free, and the savings are endless. Organic cherry tomatoes are 2 for five dollars today...

CHAPTER THREE: Alcohol
I have not yet searched where to buy motor oil or pepper spray, but for alcohol, there are rumored to be several complexities to the system. For wine and hard liquor, you must seek out the "Wine & Spirits" stores, which are run by the state of Pennsylvania. As for beer, you will find it at any "Beer Store" or the few shops that say "cold beer" on their flashing neon signs. Curiously, because of extremely costly liquor licenses, the city of Philadelphia literally has it's own BYOB tradition, that when entering a nice establishment that does not carry a liquor license, it is customary to bring your own six pack or bottle of wine. They provide the glasses, and you save a couple bucks. Interesting.


CHAPTER FOUR: Tomorrow
I (Maggie) will be starting my first day at LSA tomorrow morning. Much is to be done to empty the many boxes scattered around our apartment floor, counter tops, and living space. We shall see in the days to follow what will become of the ever-growing pile of cardboard boxes.

-M