{Happy Friday} Philly, L.A., and Burning Man Prep

I feel all kinds of discombulated, guys. See I've been wanting to tell you a bit about my weekend trip to Philadelphia last weekend, but I've been in Los Angeles this week waiting for A. to arrive tonight so we can prep for Sunday's drive to Burning Man. Too much! But here's a little quick peek nonetheless.

The main reason why we decided to drive down was so A. could see his team, the Dodgers, take on the Phillies and do some exploring while we were there. I hadn't been to the area in more than five years while I was still dating Mr. First and always thought that returning to Citizens Bank Park would bring back memories of attending those games with him. Well nothing bubbled up. I enjoyed the games (the Dodgers won on Saturday and on Sunday I cheered for my former Phillies crush Cole Hamels) and the meandering strolls through the downtown area taking note of the places where our country took shape.

We also enjoyed stumbling upon random art like the buildings along South Street completely covered in hodge podge mosaics that led us to Magic Gardens. Unfortunately for us, it was closed for a private event when we passed by, but the labyrinth is made from a colorful (and somewhat inexplicable) collection of found objects, glass bits, mirrors, and painted tiles. The exterior of this sculpture garden offered so much to take in, I can only imagine what a trip the interior must be.

A. and I then took a little snack break at Tattooed Mom where we snacked on waffle fries, pineapple juice, and Dum Dum lollipops while we cuddle on the couch and wondered what on Earth was going on with the restaurant's window displays.

Sunday found us roaming around early in search for activities and food. See, aside from baseball and lunch with friends at the Continental on Saturday, we really had no itinerary planned. The night before we walked back to our hotel room at the Wyndham, giggling while I tried to follow the sidewalk footprint decals placed outside the National Museum of American Jewish History for its exhibition on Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day. Instead of going back out for drinks and mayhem, we tucked in for the night and enjoyed some bad cable TV (like Catfish!) before falling asleep on two separate full beds. It was bliss and honestly, I don't think I'd be mad if that was ever implemented in my marriage.

For Sunday brunch, A. and I wandered through the Headhouse Square Farmers' Market before sitting down at Bridget Foy's down the block where I ordered this banana and cream cheese stuffed French toast. He chose the white egg omelet with roasted tomatoes, turkey bacon, smoked gouda, and avocado crema.

Okay why is it that no matter what I order or how delicious it might seem, I always end up wanting A.'s dish instead? Without fail! After brunch we hopped on a bus and headed back to the ballpark to catch another game before heading back to NYC and continue the final bits of our Burning Man prep.

So I've been in L.A. for the past three days running errands and gathering the camping supplies we'll need for the week-long trip. Confession: the closer it gets to Sunday the more nervous I'm getting. Not just because it's Burning Man and from everything I've heard and read, it's NO JOKE, but also because I'll be traveling to No Joke Burning Man with my boyfriend. This is going to be one hell of a journey for us and I'm anxious to see how we nurture and help each other when stress and discomforts are flying at us for a week straight. See you all on the other side.