Mom in the Mtns

Hi everyone!  Thanks for all your support for my last post.  I’m feeling better and haven’t cried since Thursday morning so I think I’m doing better!  I feel like I was in some kind of dark place and was overwhelmed but now I’m feeling a lot better, especially after talking to my parents about everything and getting their support with the move.  I think I’m just really overwhelmed with all the new things that will be happening in the next few weeks and seeing how easy it was to fall back into my old routine in Philly made me want to stay here instead.  I know that we needed a big change in our lives and that Alaska was the right choice, but it’s definitely tough to remember that when I’m in Philly with my favorite people.  I feel like all I’ve been doing for months is writing depressing blog posts and I’m really looking forward to FINALLY settling in to our new lives in Anchorage and things calming down!  I feel so lucky to have so many people out there reading my crazy posts and helping me feel better!  Thanks everyone!

Repping Alaska on Broad Street!

Now on to the real reason I’m here:  My time in Southeastern PA is coming to an end.  My best friend is getting married on Saturday, and we’re spending Friday and Saturday up in State College to celebrate before I fly out to Seattle for training on Sunday.  I’m still terrified of flying alone (especially since saying goodbye is going to be insanely hard and sad) but I think I’m feeling ready for it now.  And luckily I’ve had an awesome week and a half here!  I got to see my family, friends, and most importantly, Bella!

Selfies with my BFF!

I’ve also been hitting up all of my favorite places to eat and shop in the area and I don’t think I could physically eat or shop any more!

Where I ate the most:  Wawa.  I went there at least once a day.  Mostly for their pumpkin spice coffee (it’s perfect with some fat free french vanilla creamer!) and breakfast sizzlies.

My favorite meal:  This one surprised me, but I loved eating at Chick Fil A more than I thought I would!  Why is that not a west coast thing?

My least favorite meal:  I ate at Federal Donuts in center city and was not really impressed with my donut/fried chicken.  It must have been an off day.

My favorite dessert:  A tie between Turkey Hill chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream from the grocery store and a milkshake from the Shake Shack.  So good.

What I totally forgot to do: Eat cheesesteaks and soft pretzels. And you know they won’t taste the same up in Alaska.

The best place we went: We spent Wednesday walking around Queen Village/Old City with my friend Carly who has an awesome apartment there. I love all the old houses and cobblestone streets, plus we got to eat at Franklin Fountain and they have the best hot fudge!

Seriously, their hot fudge is insane.

Where I bought the most stuff:  TJ Maxx/Marshalls obviously!  I bought some awesome stuff:  4 pairs of running/yoga tights, some fleece-lined running shirts, and fleece-lined tights for non-running occasions.  I think I’m ready for this Alaskan winter!

The cable show I was most addicted to:  The Great Food Truck Race (all the seasons are on demand!).  We won’t have cable up in Alaska since we’re trying to save some money so I’m binge watching everything!

The thing I missed most about living near Philly:  The way people talk.  It’s nice to have everyone around me saying “wooder” (water) and “jawns” and no one thinks it’s weird  🙂

The amount of days I felt too hot:  all of them.  Dear god, it’s hot here.  Running in 80 degree weather with humidity feels so hard!  Speaking of running, I only ran once here because I didn’t know how I would do with the humidity.  It turns out I did terrible in it and it was such a bad experience that I didn’t try it again.  Although I’m hoping for one more run before we leave for State College since the weather is getting a tiny bit cooler!

Running around Carsonia Lake in my neighborhood and trying not to pass out

I totally underestimated how much we’d be able to do during our time here, and we didn’t get to do a few things that I’d planned on doing.  We didn’t go camping because my sister was unexpectedly home for the weekend and we wanted to see her.  We also didn’t get to pick apples because it was too hot out and we had no idea how the apples would turn out.  It’s too hot for pumpkin carving too!  But I think I got a lot done though and I don’t have any regrets.  It’s sad that I won’t be back here for another year, but I’m so happy I got to come back here at all!  I can’t even begin to explain how hard leaving will be, but I think it’s going to be okay.  Philly will always be in my heart, but Alaska is definitely calling me back.

And in closing, writing this post made me notice a few things:  I definitely make the same face in every selfie I take, I am obsessed with food, and I belong in a colder climate.  For the record, when I’m back in Alaska I will be completely overhauling my diet and either joining a gym or signing up for Barre3 online classes because I definitely need to make up for the past month.

Philly people: what’s your favorite Philly food item that you can’t live without?  Would you rather stop at Wawa or Dunkin Donuts for coffee?