Current status: Loving life in Philly

It hasn't even been a year, I know. And I'm probably still in a quixotic honeymoon phase with our life in Philadelphia. But still, knowing that it won't always be like this, and that even now there are days -- and oh, but there are -- where I don't feel any of this, I want to make this list. Whatever the day-to-day of life looks like, no matter how messy, I want to keep the big picture in mind. And I document it here, for the days when I might lose perspective.

The big picture summary is this: we love it here.

I snapped these photos on a walk through Fairmount, our neighborhood, which is downright adorable, wouldn't you say?

I can pinpoint the pieces that make up the whole.

Our neighbors have introduced themselves. They say hi and invite us to stuff. I get compliments on my junky little bike. It feels like everyone is looking out for everyone else, at least a little bit.

On holidays our street gets unofficially closed, and neighbors gather and share food and drinks and the kids ride their scooters up and down the road. A strong sense of family is one of the things I loved most about Harlem when I lived there, and what I will always seek in new places. Neighborhoods, comprised of neighbors, feeling all neighborly.

I have potted plants on our sidewalk. I kill them all, but the street is forgiving.

With the exception of a few icy days this year, I've been everywhere on my bicycle. The city has given us a zillion lanes for just us, and has spaced most of the places I want to go a perfectly bikable distance apart from one another.

I still love not owning a car, and not needing to.

Our friends live nearby. Blocks away. They've seamlessly and graciously invited us into their lives. We get to see them all the time, for kickball games and Game of Thrones and just because.

We live in a tiny house, just right for us, and comfortable enough to have had friends and family in town almost every weekend.

Here I've determined the perfect size for a back yard: big enough for a grill and too small for maintenance or yard work.



Art is everywhere. On the walls and in the architecture. Museums and exhibits and galleries galore. Murals and pop-ups and creative businesses around every corner. Details and stimulation and eye candy.

And theater! I've seen four plays this year.

It's just the right amount of friendly. Strangers smile and say hi and hold doors and have conversations of just the right length.







Not for nothing. My job is the best. Like, I might never leave.
I'm kind of still floored that it exists and that I somehow landed it.
I don't want to go on and on because what if I jinx it.





Also. This husband of mine is even better than I imagined he would be. Which was, in the first place, unrealistically good.




I love that we're not feeling the itch. Or thinking about the expiration date. Or wondering where we'll move next.


Here and now is a good place to be.