This year for Thanksgiving, we went with our friends the Maxwells and the Robins (also a Ryan Robins' brother Seth and his roommate) to a cabin in Wrightwood, a small mountain town in SoCal. Get this: we had snow!
And here we are posing around the fruits of our labor, our briefly before we stuffed our faces with it.
And here we are in the center of charming downtown Wrightwood, where they hosted a Christmas tree lighting.
And here is a nice little video that shows off the cabin we stayed in, shot by Matt Maxwell himself.
We have fallen quite behind with blogging in the busyness of summer, so apologies for the lateness of this post! We're excited to tell you about a wonderful visit we had just a few weeks back by our dear friends Maureen and Chandler. We were thrilled when we heard they were coming for a visit and had all kinds of socal fun with them!
You may remember Maureen and Chandler from their beautiful wedding last October which we told you all about here. Maureen is my oldest friend and a dear one at that, and you can see she was a beautiful bride! Not that you should be surprised. They are such a great couple and we are happy to see them enjoying married life and thriving!
Mo and Chan man came in on a Monday night and stayed with us before hitting the road for SF the next day. After Alcatraz, some golf along the coast and seeing some friends up north, they came back and spent the weekend with us. We hung out at the pool, went out to dinner, hit my favorite Malibu beach spot and then ventured to Six Flags Magic Mountain. All made for a great weekend.
Maureen and I have a mutual friend from highschool who lives just a few minutes from me with her husband and darling little girl, Avery. Avery is such a ham, seriously adorable and constantly entertaining! We got to hang with the whole family that weekend and it was fun reminisincing high school memories and catching up.
Here are some shots from our Withington Weekend:
The marsh we pass on the way to the beach. Can you see the pelicans?
Pausing for a pic.
Cuteness!
Maureen in the back of our Saab convertible! Maureen has always had a thing for convertibles. It seems that nine times out of ten, if I'm in a convertible it belongs to Maureen. But now we own the convertible and she's our passenger!
Here we are at the Americana in Glendale. There was a giant chandelier outside for some reason.
The following Sunday, we were off to Six Flags Magic Mountain.
More cuteness!
We ran into the fresh prince of bel aire! Haha, sorry honey:) Benner is not a fan of this picture.
Are we seriously doing that?
So Maureen and Chandler love roller coasters. Benner as well. Me? Well, I needed some persuasion and I got plenty of it! Maureen and Chandler's preferred method of persuasion was to withhold as many details of these scary ass rides as possible until the very last minute. Which is how I found myself hanging from a harness, facing the ground from 100 feet up as we swooped and dipped and loopdy-looped on large steel machines with names like Goliath and Tatsu and the Vomi-tron.
I don't know how I let myself go on those things. Maureen and Chandler must be especially charming.
This is the one ride I opted out for. It promised a "4D" experience. I didn't care to find out what all those D's stood for, thank you for much, but Maureen, Chandler and Benner seemed to think they were worth it.
During all the long lines, we played rounds of "Spot The Worst Tattoo" and "I Spy An Ill-Advised Hairstyle." We were also entertained by Chandler, who has a funny story for every occasion. Maureen, however, seemed distracted at times by her throbbing need for funnel cake. Thankfully, we were able to locate some on our way out of the park at the end of the day and she was a happy lady.
Aw, man! This post is making me miss you guys. Thanks so much for coming out! Can't wait for our next visit!
Yes dear readers, it's true: last Monday, May 24, I turned 27-years-old. And what an eventful birthday (and week) it has been. I went surfing on the west coast for my first and second time, there was cake and cards (and a nice bottle of pinot noir from my boss) at work, I got all kinds of awesome gifts from my wife (the surfing days included!)... it was just a special time.
And things were made all the more special by Rhianwen, who is usually not the best at keeping surprises. But this time she surprised me good. You see, there's this little place called Alcove that has a chocolate peanut butter chip cake I would eat every day for the rest of my life if I could. (For financial and geographic reasons, I don't. Oh, health reasons too, yeah.) So anyway, Rhianwen suggested the day before my birthday, "Let's go to Alcove tomorrow night and get that cake you love." I suspected something, but she played it down, not even balking when I changed my mind about going at the last minute. But the allure of the chocolate peanut butter chip cake won out, and I decided that yes, I must go to Alcove. It's my birthday, after all. So we went, and this is what was waiting for me there:
Yes, Rhianwen had eight dear friends waiting there for us. I was truly, truly surprised. And touched. Thank you, honey. And thanks Robins, Jongs, Maxwells, Chapman and John for coming out.
Also, a couple funny pictures came out of that night. Here they are:
This is already a long post, and I feel kind of self absorbed at this point because it's all about me, but there's more! Later that week, my mom sent me two packages, stuffed to the brim with Vermont foodstuffs. (She's not from Vermont, she just happens to travel there regularly.)
Look at all that! That's way too much stuff. Particularly excited about the beers (Vermonster was good) and the maple mustard sauce. And then I got a package from my dad, in honor of both my birthday and the Flyers heading to the Stanley Cup Finals, who sent me some Flyers swag.
Thanks dad! Go Flyers! Happy birthday, me!
UPDATE: Oh, I almost forgot, one of my bosses was actually on vacation during my birthday, but he did upload this YouTube video in my honor:
By now, many of you will have received our Christmas card and the accompanying letter. In case you're too lazy to read said letter, here is a spectacular dramatic reading by our friend Greg Jong. I do say, his British accent breathes a spot of life into it. Just push play!
Last weekend we went to three Christmas parties. (We have pictures from two.) Here's our friend Mick. He's fantastic. You may know him as the voice of Disney's Kung Fu Panda. (That is, the soon-to-be released animated series on Nickelodeon, not the movie. That's Jack Black. Mick is not Jack Black.) He's pretty fancy.
We also went to the annual Rilesly's holiday party. Bo our favorite dog was there, along with some of my favorite Telepictures gals. Here we are sitting pretty:
Lucy, the hostess with the mostest even arranged an appearance by Santa. We couldn't help but snag a shot:
I could not be happier for my dear friend Maureen and her new HUSBAND Chandler Withington! What an incredible couple this pair makes! Benner and I had the pleasure to fly home a couple weeks ago to celebrate Maureen and Chandler and be a part of their wedding. It was an honor. A little crazy....pouring rain and a couple visits to the ER for the the bridesmaids....but it all worked out beautifully in the end!
The day before the wedding Rhi attended to Maureen's pre wedding needs by getting a pedicure and lunch! But then it was all business as they checked off the final items of the to do list and got ready for the rehearsal dinner. Maureen can drive her mini like its nascar if she's running late.
The rehearsal dinner was a sweet night. Chandler shared his love for Maureen in a very emotional and moving speech. My favorite thing about Mo and Chan (!) is how well they compliment each other's personalities. Chandler is a self proclaimed "sap" and toward the end of his discourse we all heard Maureen whisper "wrap it up:)" which was a highlight of the weekend. Chandler's dad who worked for with the Billy Graham ministry talked about what God did in their lives and it was such an awesome testimony to what God can do in the life of someone with an open heart. And Maggianos is delicious.
Despite the rain and a head injury resulting in an ER trip (no, not me this time! Maureen's sister Kristin!--- who by the way is just about the most awesome maid of honor EVER! I seriously think she should consider doing it freelance for cash. Any bride would be lucky to have her.) The wedding day was perfect. The wedding photos came out beautifully I think BECAUSE of the rain and overcast skies. Maureen has NEVER LOOKED SO GORGEOUS IN HER LIFE. I kept finding myself staring at her she looked so incredible! Chandler knows he good he's got it. You can just tell by the way he looks at her! The only real disappointment of the ceremony is that the music system failed and we had to scrap our intensely rehearsed Chris Brown choreography. Sigh.
We all got a chance to boogie at the reception of course. Kristin and her dad both delivered speeches. (I heart Maureen's dad.) From this we learned that Maureen always looks for ways to support and affirm the kids that struggle more in school, that on occasion she likes lollipops for dinner and if Chandler messes up he can win her over with chocolate:)
Let's see, this is getting long so I'll wrap up a few highlights from the night: the band was great, Greg almost ate Benner's face, we got to reconnect with old faces from the past, (Julie and Danielle are preggers!!!) the cake was amazing. (I still wished I had finished Maureen's since she didnt.) And Maureen's creative crafty touches all came together in a most beautiful way. Oh and the candy bar was awesome.
We got to drop the happy couple off at their hotel and had them all to ourselves on the ride there. I'm sure they were thrilled to hang with us:)
Maureen and Chandler, we love you to pieces and are such awesome friends to us. We loved sharing your special day with you. We can't wait to see what God has in store for your lives!!! Congratulations!
This is Greg and Dani Jong. They are our good friends, and they are also talented musicians. Here's Greg's website. Click it, you can hear music there. Just thought we'd let you know.
Question: What’s the best way to spend Fourth of July
Answer: By stickin’ our freedom and liberty in the face of an Englishman!
That’s right, dear readers, your humble Rhi and Benner spent the birthday of our dear sweet America cozying up to a limey, tea-swilling Redcoat! But really, don’t hold Greg Jong’s citizenship against him. He’s a right good bloke, eh guv’na?
Anyways, the Benners and the Robins spent the holiday grilling at the Jong’s house. It was a low-key sort of night, as Greg and Dani were trying to help their new puppy Ivy June recuperate from illness. (Though things were looking bleak for a while, Ivy is doing quite swell now, and she is just about the cutest, sweetest dog ever.)
Here’s a slideshow from the night, followed by a few notes. Enjoy.
- Isn't Ivy June basically the cutest dog ever? - Ryan Robins, God bless him, made potentially the worst beer choice ever by picking Michelob Ultra Light Cactus Agave Beer (or whatever it was). Nothing says Freedom and America like a sugary, low-carb, cactus-flavored alcohol. - We love the Jongs and the Robins a lot. - Though we heard plenty, we didn't see a single firework go off this year. Personally, I'd like to say I'm bummed, but it's just flashing lights and loud noises.
Oh, but time is a cruel mistress, for alas I, Benner, know the wicked 26th lash of the chronological whip! Woe is me, my age has surpassed what can rightfully be considered young, I am but an old man in waiting!
For shame! For shame!
Sorry. My 26th birthday was on May 24th, and I've had that lament pent up inside me for some time. But even though I have exited the first quarter of my life and am firmly implanted in the next, not all was bad about my birthday.
For instance, my beautiful and wonderful wife Rhianwen (who is still 25, blissfully living within quarter number one, what a whippersnapper!) organized and threw a spectacular celebration for me! She worked so hard to organize and plan the event, decorating everything just the way she knew I'd like it (like stringing up cartoon character Christmas lights, for instance) and even making sure that there would be deviled eggs for consumption (deviled eggs being one of my favorite foods).
Our good friends Greg and Dani Jong were kind enough to let Rhianwen throw the shindig in their backyard (and Dani made the deviled eggs!), where we BBQ'd, beer'd, bocce ball'd and badminton'd the night away with a handful of our closest friends here in LA. Don't believe me? Here's a slide show to prove it:
I'd like to take a moment to point out the magnificent cupcakes made for me by our dear friend Roxanne. Yes, those are Benner Bots. Yes, they are the greatest homemade cupcakes ever, in history. No, you cannot have any of your own. They're mine. Thanks, Roxanne!
All in all, it was pretty much up there with the best birthday parties I've ever had. I just want to point out to all you readers one more time that my lovely and beautiful wife is the one that made it happen for me. In fact, the best gift I got for my birthday was the love and adoration Rhianwen showered upon me for pretty much the entire week of my birthday.
And while we're at it, let's just share a story from my birthday week. Actually, my birthday day, when I was scheduled to work from 4pm to midnight. There I am, working the late shift at Trader Joe's, when suddenly a voice comes over the loudspeaker.
"MICHAEL BENNER, PLEASE COME TO THE FRONT OFFICE, NOW."
"Uh oh," I thought. "I think I'm getting detention."
When I get to the front of the store, who is standing there with a big homemade chocolate pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing? Rhianwen, that's who. She brought a cake and served it to me and all my co-workers at 11pm for my birthday. I felt so loved and special.
What a wonderfully blessed life I lead, that I get to call her wife! I guess the next 75 birthdays won't be too bad after all, as long as she's around.
Maureen, one of Rhianwen's oldest friends, came to stay at R & B Inc. recently.
"Was there something special?" you are all asking aloud, right now. "Some sort of twist?"
Oh there was a twist, dear readers:
Just the day before she arrived, Maureen had gotten engaged to a fine fellow named Chandler! This here is the cake and champagne that we used to congratulate her. Seeing as how Maureen has a wedding to plan and Rhianwen loves planning things, you can imagine that there was all kinds of wedding talk happening, all the time, everywhere. At the beach, for instance: And even more wedding planning at the wedding dress store, oddly enough: Oh, and Maureen was there when Rhi saw Katie Holmes (along with Lindsay Newton!). Here's the gang, shortly after spotting Holmes on the Warner Bros. lot: Oh, the excitement! And look at Maureen purposefully covering her mouth with her LEFT hand, so as to show off that rock. Sorry gentlemen, she's taken!
Anyways, we miss you Maureen! We know you have a wedding to plan and all, but feel free to come back and stay with us whenever you want!
So a lot of people probably didn't realize it, but Rhi and Benner were back in Philadelphia this past weekend. It was a last minute trip, and a whirlwind one at that. We weren't even in town for a full 40 hours, really. But the purpose of our trip was to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Grandmom and GrandpopBenner. What a remarkable accomplishment! This milestone has us thinking about how you measure 50 years...we'll post more on that later.
Here's a run down of the weekend: Mike's Aunt Marge picked us up from the airport on Friday and to our delight had a philly soft pretzel and some after dinner candy that Rhi enjoys waiting for us. She is so thoughtful, and man was that pretzel good! Aunt Marge was one of the few people that knew we were coming into town and we tried to keep it a secret as much as possible. From the airport, Will and Aunt Marge took us to the Benner family hang out McShea's where we met up with Ray and Barb (Benner's parents) and brothers Ray and Chris. We enjoyed a gourmet and quite satisfying meal. Mc Shea's is actually owned by a chef who always wanted to open an Irish pub and if you get the chance to hit it up, you should.
We spent the night at Greg and Trish's house-- Greg you will recall was Benner's best man. Tirsh is expecting and it was so exciting for Rhianwen to see her baby bump! (Can you guess who is writing this blog post?) It was so nice to catch up and weren't feeling entirely jet lagged until the next morning when we woke up early to meet Rhi's parents for coffee. It was a brief visit but it was nice to spend time talking face to face. Gwenyth shared about a delightful little 3 year old at her church that she simply adores which was fun to hear about. Rhi had a nice little walk around Borders with her dad and we all got to catch up for a bit before stopping by the Lozano's to say hello. It's amazing how big the kids are getting and we always feel at home at Naylors Run Rd. But it was only a matter of time before they had to run off to celebrate baby Matthew's 2nd birthday.
We got there early and surprised Vince and Janet and got to spend some special time with Matthew while they set up for the party. Then we hid upstairs while everyone trickled in. Few minutes later we emerged and the smile on Benner'sgrandmom's face (Babe) was priceless. Matthew is such a big little guy and has such hilarious mannerisms that kept us constantly entertained. We can hardly believe that he is already 2 years old and are glad we got to be a part of the celebration.
We left the party to go get ready for the reason we flew in in the first place: To celebrate GM and GP Benner. A party was held at Evviva in Narberth and we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. It has a mix of classic and eclectic art and is really a one of a kind place. All of the immediate family were there and a photographer was busy at work to document it. Rhianwen enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with her three girl cousins: Maddie, Regan and Savannah who are all such sweet, fun and clever girls. The food was excellent and we all got to hear GM and GP's kids reminisce about their childhood. Grandmom and GrandpopBenner have seen a lot in their day. And they've worked tremendously hard-- year after year--in order to build their business and provide for their family. Their work ethic is defined discipline, commitment and perseverance and is to be admired. They have stood by each other through it all, and they are still each other's most precious friend. Grandpop read aloud a sweet poem he wrote for his bride of 50 years and the family showered the couple with gifts. It was a great night.
And no one forgot that the very next day was Savannah's birthday. She was celebrated with a birthday cake of her own, which you'll notice in the pictures. yum.
We work up at 4 am the next morning so that Rhianwen could fly home and spend the day with her friend Christine who was visiting LA. Details to come!
Much apologies to our friends that we didn't get to see. We didn't tell you we were in town because there just wasn't enough time. But hey, you can always come out and visit us!
By now, many of our readers have probably received a picture like this in the mail. It was our Christmas card, and we think it's really swell. Our friend Aaron, a talented photographer, took it along with a slew of other shots. We weren't expecting him to bring a bunch of professional equipment, big stand flashes and umbrellas and such, but that's what he did. We felt sort of like celebrities at a low-rent photo shoot, as Aaron picked off a bunch of shots and cars slowed to a roll and stared as they passed. Despite my eyes being slightly squinty due to the sun, Rhianwen thought the one above was cute enough to send out to family and friends.
This one, though, is my favorite shot from the day:
Oh, it is just so amazing... maybe some of you will get it in the mail soon enough...
Usually we spend Christmas day rushing around to the houses of various families. A couple hours here, a couple there, onto the next place and by the end of the day we're pretty exhausted. So despite being so far away from our families and friends this year, we were looking forward to celebrating with just us this year. So with our tiny little tree decorated and our lights up around the apartment, we settled in for a good night's sleep on Christmas eve.
The next morning we woke up, read some scripture, sang some Christmas hymns (we're not going on tour anytime soon), ate breakfast and admired our little Christmas scene:
Then we opened up all the presents, and this is what our scene turned into:
With all those great gifts, we were happy, and this is what we turned into:
That night, we had our friends Chapman and Becca over for Christmas dinner since, like us, they do not have family in LA. Becca's husband Ryan was originally going to come as well, but he had to fly to Seattle for his Grandmother's funeral at the last minute (Becca had to work and was flying there the following day).
So we cooked London broil with a Gorgonzola cream sauce and mashed potatoes with caramelized shallots. Chapman brought prosciutto-wrapped asparagus and Christmas cookies, and Becca came right from work with a fantastic bottle of wine, a spicy Syrah that complimented the meal perfectly. We all proceeded to eat, drink and be merry, and then we retired to the couch where we took this photo:
Eventually everyone left, and Rhi and I collapsed onto the bed in a food-related coma. It was a good Christmas.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Remember Thanksgiving? It feels like a million days ago already. We're almost a month late posting to our blog about it, but better late than never, right?
So, as the title of this post suggests, we made it back to Philly for Thanksgiving. The circumstances, as we've mentioned previously, were not ideal or necessarily enjoyable. But we took the unexpected trip home as an opportunity to see as many friends and family as possible, and boy did we ever do that.
The easiest way to break this down is day by day, I suppose.
Tuesday, November 25 We landed around 5pm on Tuesday night. Our friend Matt Lozano picked us up and took us to our other friends--and their brother/brother-in-law/next-door neighbor--Phil and Rachel's house, where we were staying. (Jenn, Matt's wife, and the bevy of Lozano children were there as well.) After a hearty dinner, we split the scene for my Grandmother's house, where we chatted up my family for a few hours. Then it was back to Phil and Rachel's, where I stayed up worrying about the eulogy I had to give the next day. Eventually, I fell asleep.
Wednesday, November 26 This was the day of my Grandpop's funeral. It was a sad affair, one which I may not care to relive word-for-word here. But, it was a great ceremony for a great man, one loved by many, and many did show up to show their respect. It was especially cool to see people he played baseball with when he was ten-years-old show up. He will be missed, and by many I didn't even know he had an impact on.
Later that night, I hung out with many of my oldest friends while Rhianwen caught up with her best friend from high school Christine. It was a great blessing to see our friends, even if we had to cram them in one what was one of our only free nights.
Thursday, November 27 THANKSGIVING WOOT WOOT! We kicked the day off by visiting with Chuck and Gwenyth (Rhianwen's parents). It was a pleasant time, and let me tell you, Chuck was in rare form. I knew this man loved puns, but he was whippin' 'em out left and right this day. He cracked himself up so much that Rhianwen did not recognize him for a moment.
From there, we went to my Aunt Beth and Uncle Russell's house in Narberth for Dinner Part I. Many of the Benners were there, but unfortunately not all of them could make it. It was a good time regardless, as we all went around the table and said what we were thankful for, ate a lot of delicious food, and then most of the men retired to the front porch to play hacky sack. That last part was a strange, new tradition, but it was fun nonetheless.
Then, it was Dinner Part II, at my Aunt Janet and Uncle Vince's house in Belmont Hills. Though the absence of my Grandpop definitely changed the tone of the holiday, it was an enjoyable night with terrific food. We ate and drank and were even a bit merry at times, particularly when Rhianwen and I handed out our Christmas gifts to everyone (we figured we would save on shipping by packing them for our trip). And then there was Matthew, baby Matthew, my awesome and cute little cousin who I am like 24 years older than. Here he is in action:
After that, we went to McShea's in Narberth. It has been a semi-tradition (at least since turning 21) for all my friends to meet there on Thanksgiving night and pour a few beers on top of the turkey. It was a good showing this year, and we all had a great time. I am thankful for such a large group of friends that I have known for over two decades in some cases, and who feel like brothers to me.
But I must admit, despite all the great food and wonderful family and hilarious friends, getting back to Phil and Rachel's and collapsing into bed was perhaps the best part of the day.
Friday, November 28 As chance would have it, the Chandlers were in town as well! We made last minute plans to meet up for coffee, catch each other up on our lives, etc. etc. So that's what we did! We loved getting to spend even the briefest of moments with Tim and Jenny, and it was amazing to see how grown-up Emme and Zander are. Unfortunately, this seems to be one of the only surviving good photos of the gathering, featuring Rhi and Jenny in a Starbucks.
And it was good to know that there were other people who were shocked about how cold Philly can get too (the Chandlers moved from Philly to St. Augustine, Florida about five years ago). We miss them!
After that, we went to visit with Rhianwen's best friend/college roommate Jen, her husband Rob and adorable son Aiden in Phoenixville. We hung out around their super-nice house, while Rhianwen walked around videotaping everything for later inspiration. (Jen, it turns out, is the svengali of home decoration.) We had lunch and played with the baby, and talked about life and just relaxed. That, I think, is the best part about Jen and Rob: hanging out with them is always just a relaxing time with enjoyable conversation. Rob also was showing off his new prized possession: the cork from the champagne bottle he popped after the Phillies won the World Series. Aiden will inherit that cork someday, I'm sure.
From Phoenixville, it was on to the Shah residence in Newtown Square. The Shahs--Adeel, Seher, Coco and the newest addition Esfandyar--you'll remember, are the family that Rhianwen once part-time nannied. I was just seeing Esfandyar for the first time, and he is one handsome little guy. As for Coco... well, she's a little shy around me. So I chatted with Adeel and Seher while Rhianwen hung out with her in the other room, and Esfandyar napped upstairs. On the one hand, I am terribly saddened because I adore Coco. On the other hand, I understand because I'm just some weird guy in her house she's only met a few times, and she's only three. Good thing Seher and Adeel are such wonderful, enjoyable people, and talking to them was quite fun. And Rhianwen is extremely thankful, because she loves the Shahs and shares a special connection with Coco.
But alas, from thence we departed for the Lozano compound in Havertown, where Jen and Matt were hosting a dinner of steak and salad and pure deliciousness. Three-fourths of an entire Lozano generation were represented, as we ate too much of everything, sipped Pinot Noir and talked and laughed about many things for many hours. I don't think we took any photos of it, because we don't have any, but here is a photo from another night of Joe and Steven (who were there) and cousin Michael (far left, but he wasn't there that night):
Eventually the night tapered off to an end, and we crawled into bed for a much needed rest.
Saturday, November 29 This day, we took SEPTA to Center City with Phil, Rachel and their kids Jamie and Jude. Here is Rhianwen and I with the kids, waiting for the R5, looking like we have a little family of our own.
Our destination: The Comcast Center, which was (and currently still is) hosting a Holiday video show in its lobby. The giant front wall in the atrium, you see, is a humongous LCD screen onto which many things are projected. The building is amazing, the technology is mind-blowing, and the show is a bit underwhelming if you're over the age of ten. Call me crazy, but I think if I'm going to watch a saccharine-coated holiday spectacle, I might choose the Wanamaker's light show for all its cheesiness. Jamie and Jude seemed to like it though.
Afterwards, we had lunch in the building's cafeteria and took a walk over to City Hall. As unseemly as Philadelphia can sometimes feel--and it often feels that way to me, though I say that with utmost love--I think there are few municipal buildings as powerful as City Hall. Coincidentally, here is Phil and I looking like a gay couple with an adopted child, walking through Dilworth Plaza at City Hall.
From there we caught the R5 back to Havertown. Rhianwen and Rachel decided to go for a walk, and I grabbed a cup of coffee with my dad, swung by and visited my Mom and Grandmom and then back to Phil and Rachel's to get ready for the night ahead.
After some freshening up, we went to visit with Grandmom Benner and the Schmidts since they couldn't make it to Thanksgiving. It was great to spend time with them and hear about all the activities that keep the Schmidt kids busy. We were especially impressed to hear that Madison, our cousin who is not even in high school yet, is being recruited by Johns Hopkins University for one of their programs. She's only thirteen and already she's smarter and going to a better university than me. And of course, our other cousins Regan and Steven were there, but were a bit busy making an elaborate cupcake tableau. Unfortunately, said tableau was not completed and we did not get to eat any of it. As for Uncle Steve and Aunt Janet, they shared tales from their recent trip to Europe. Having written all of that out, I think Rhianwen and I realize the Schmidts lead very exciting lives. We're glad we got to be with them, even for just a short time.
From there, it was on to the annual Papa Thanksgiving party. You see, we did not tell Kathy or Gary that we would be coming home for Thanksgiving. In fact, we told them we were really sorry but couldn't make it. Technically, when we told them that, it was true; my Grandpop hadn't passed away yet and we were planning on spending the holiday out here in LA. But when we found out that we were going to be in town, we decided to make our presence a surprise.
And boy were they surprised. It was one of those moments where you wish you were filming. Gary was wailing, Kathy was screaming, and we were glad we worked so hard to keep the secret.
And from there, Dinner Part III commenced. The Papas do not skimp, my friends, and they had a spread that could clog an artery just by looking at it. We got to spend time with Sonia and Larry, and Kevin and the super-pregnant Penny (who has since had a baby girl, Rory Michele!!!), and two of our favorite guys Nathaniel and Tucker Papa.
From left, Nathaniel, Nathaniel's guitar, Tucker, Rhi and Some Guy on Piano. We love the Papas dearly, and we're so happy we got to surprise them by crashing their party.
And then, since we hadn't gotten a chance to see him during our entire trip, we stopped off and visited with Greg--my best man--at like midnight. We had a beer, chatted about life, how HE AND TRISH ARE HAVING A BABY!!!, and other stuff. Rhianwen bonded with Lucy the dog, we all complained about how Saturday Night Live isn't very good, and then Rhianwen took this weird picture, somehow:
Not quite sure what is going on here, so let's move on.
Sunday, November 30 Our last day in town. We woke up and had coffee, spent our last moments with Jamie and Jude, Phil and Rachel, packed our things and said goodbye. Chuck and Gwenyth were driving us to the airport, but we had a nice time chatting for a while because we were far too early for our flight. But eventually, they had to leave us...
...and we reentered Philadelphia International Airport en route to Los Angeles, where it is warm and sunny, and jeez we can't believe we used to live in weather like that. But, we miss the place regardless. We love you, Philly and all whom dwell within your general region!
We're Rhi and Benner, otherwise known as Rhianwen and Mike. This blog is the place to come for breaking news about us, our friends, our jobs, our lives here in LA, what we like to eat, what we watch on TV and other extremely important stuff. Sometimes we post frequently, sometimes we don't. Feel free to stay, look around our archives (might we suggest the epic saga of our Road Trip as a good introduction to our blog?) and leave comments as you please.
Just the day before she arrived, Maureen had gotten engaged to a fine fellow named Chandler! This here is the cake and champagne that we used to congratulate her. Seeing as how Maureen has a wedding to plan and Rhianwen loves planning things, you can imagine that there was all kinds of wedding talk happening, all the time, everywhere. At the beach, for instance:
And even more wedding planning at the wedding dress store, oddly enough:
Oh, and Maureen was there when Rhi saw Katie Holmes (along with Lindsay Newton!). Here's the gang, shortly after spotting Holmes on the Warner Bros. lot:
Oh, the excitement! And look at Maureen purposefully covering her mouth with her LEFT hand, so as to show off that rock. Sorry gentlemen, she's taken!
By now, many of our readers have probably received a picture like this in the mail. It was our Christmas card, and we think it's really swell. Our friend Aaron, a talented photographer, took it along with a slew of other shots. We weren't expecting him to bring a bunch of professional equipment, big stand flashes and umbrellas and such, but that's what he did. We felt sort of like celebrities at a low-rent photo shoot, as Aaron picked off a bunch of shots and cars slowed to a roll and stared as they passed. Despite my eyes being slightly squinty due to the sun, Rhianwen thought the one above was cute enough to send out to family and friends.
Oh, it is just so amazing... maybe some of you will get it in the mail soon enough...
Then we opened up all the presents, and this is what our scene turned into:
With all those great gifts, we were happy, and this is what we turned into:
That night, we had our friends Chapman and Becca over for Christmas dinner since, like us, they do not have family in LA. Becca's husband Ryan was originally going to come as well, but he had to fly to Seattle for his Grandmother's funeral at the last minute (Becca had to work and was flying there the following day).
Eventually everyone left, and Rhi and I collapsed onto the bed in a food-related coma. It was a good Christmas.
Remember Thanksgiving? It feels like a million days ago already. We're almost a month late posting to our blog about it, but better late than never, right?
And it was good to know that there were other people who were shocked about how cold Philly can get too (the Chandlers moved from Philly to St. Augustine, Florida about five years ago). We miss them!
From Phoenixville, it was on to the Shah residence in Newtown Square. The Shahs--Adeel, Seher, Coco and the newest addition Esfandyar--you'll remember, are the family that Rhianwen once part-time nannied. I was just seeing Esfandyar for the first time, and he is one handsome little guy. As for Coco... well, she's a little shy around me. So I chatted with Adeel and Seher while Rhianwen hung out with her in the other room, and Esfandyar napped upstairs. On the one hand, I am terribly saddened because I adore Coco. On the other hand, I understand because I'm just some weird guy in her house she's only met a few times, and she's only three. Good thing Seher and Adeel are such wonderful, enjoyable people, and talking to them was quite fun. And Rhianwen is extremely thankful, because she loves the Shahs and shares a special connection with Coco.
Eventually the night tapered off to an end, and we crawled into bed for a much needed rest.
Our destination: The Comcast Center, which was (and currently still is) hosting a Holiday video show in its lobby. The giant front wall in the atrium, you see, is a humongous LCD screen onto which many things are projected. The building is amazing, the technology is mind-blowing, and the show is a bit underwhelming if you're over the age of ten. Call me crazy, but I think if I'm going to watch a saccharine-coated holiday spectacle, I might choose the Wanamaker's light show for all its cheesiness. Jamie and Jude seemed to like it though.
Afterwards, we had lunch in the building's cafeteria and took a walk over to City Hall. As unseemly as Philadelphia can sometimes feel--and it often feels that way to me, though I say that with utmost love--I think there are few municipal buildings as powerful as City Hall. Coincidentally, here is Phil and I looking like a gay couple with an adopted child, walking through Dilworth Plaza at City Hall.
From there we caught the R5 back to Havertown. Rhianwen and Rachel decided to go for a walk, and I grabbed a cup of coffee with my dad, swung by and visited my Mom and Grandmom and then back to Phil and Rachel's to get ready for the night ahead.
And from there, Dinner Part III commenced. The Papas do not skimp, my friends, and they had a spread that could clog an artery just by looking at it. We got to spend time with Sonia and Larry, and Kevin and the super-pregnant Penny (who has since had a baby girl, Rory Michele!!!), and two of our favorite guys Nathaniel and Tucker Papa.
From left, Nathaniel, Nathaniel's guitar, Tucker, Rhi and Some Guy on Piano. We love the Papas dearly, and we're so happy we got to surprise them by crashing their party.
Not quite sure what is going on here, so let's move on.
...and we reentered Philadelphia International Airport en route to Los Angeles, where it is warm and sunny, and jeez we can't believe we used to live in weather like that. But, we miss the place regardless. We love you, Philly and all whom dwell within your general region!
