Pennsylvania Trip!

Hello!

My family went down to Pennsylvania last week, so I thought I’d give a summary of what happened!

So we went camping at a little campground in the middle of the woods, in our tent trailer, as always. (My family is big on camping). First thing we noticed is that the campground was empty! We had accidentally booked a non-electrical site since they’re marked differently in Canadian campgrounds, and so we were all worried we wouldn’t be able to switch over (because we’re sadly dependent on our laptops). But when we asked the front desk about it we were told to just drive around and take our pick! It was crazy! And it wasn’t a run-down campground, either–it was nice! Here where I live, if you want to get an electrical site for August you book in February!

So that was a nice surprise. But since we came from Canada to the states we weren’t able to bring any food, so we had to go on a huge grocery trip. So the next thing Katie and I noticed about America is that you guys have some crazily wacky food.

(Cereal in bags?? such a good idea. Also, the Hershey’s breakfast cereal looked..special..*squirms*. And then there’s cheese balls. What the heck.)

The campground was beautiful, but we didn’t really stay long, because the very next day we went to Punxsutawney!

In case you do not understand the significance of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, it is the little town in which Bill Murray’s fantastic movie, Groundhog Day, is set (although, to our disappointment, turns out most of it was filmed in Illinois or something). This town LIVES for groundhog day. I kid you not–they have thousands of people come out to Gobbler’s Knob every year to watch a groundhog predict the weather. It’s fantastic.

Anyway, we met up with a great friend of ours while we were there, and quickly realized that there were tons of giant groundhog statues around the city. There really isn’t anything to do in this little town, and so  the three of us set out to find as many giant groundhog statues as we could. We found 22 out of 32, which I think is impressive since we didn’t have a car and only had a few hours, so here’s some of them:

They’re pretty special creatures, they are. And they all had some really cheesy line to go with them, too!

Seriously. I want to live here.

We eventually made it up to Gobbler’s Knobb (which yes, is a real place) and saw the spot where Phil the Groundhog is pulled out of every year to predict the coming spring or winter.

It was life-changing.

The little stump where Phil comes out of was completely covered in people’s names and random carvings, so I decided to add one of my own:

Was that bad of me? ;)

But that concluded our Punxsutawney trip (I honestly don’t care at this point whether I spell it right or not–you guys get it.) We headed back to the trailer, watched What About Bob, (we were in a Bill Murray mood) and then the next day went on a hike!

Now, in Canada, hiking means something totally different than in the states, we discovered. See, in Canada, an ‘easy trail’ is usually about 5 feet wide, often part boardwalk, and is pretty much a stroll through the woods. That’s what we were looking for this day because we were tired, so we took the “easy trail”.

This was not easy.

We’re pretty good hikers usually, we’re not wusses when it comes to hills, mud, etc. But this was hard. Katie and I made up a game, it’s called, “Find the trail!”

-_- seriously?

We got through it, and it was fun, but most of the trail had to be cleared. So it was definitely an experience!

On Wednesday Katie and I left the campsite to go and stay with a family whose eldest daughter was getting married! We’re friends with the family, and Katie and I were invited to come and do the hair for the big day! On Wednesday, after we got there, they took us out to our first professional sports game ever (I know, I’ve never even seen an OHL game)!

We saw the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Miami Marlins, and it was so much fun! :) We met the mascot, saw a homerun–it was fun.

It was so great just hanging out with everyone–having girls’ nights, watching Pride and Prejudice, frantically running around trying to get things done, and just laughing and teasing and generally having a good time. It was busy, but it was fun, and it’s always a great time when you’re surrounded by such great, Christian friends. Everyone involved was from a family who does international Bible quizzing, and so we only get to see everyone once a year, if that. So it was truly a blessing to be able to spend a whole 4 days together outside of the quizzing atmosphere.

The wedding itself was beautiful. It was in an Anglican church, so there were stained glass windows, which I love, and it just seemed so reverent and majestic. There really is something about two strong, dedicated Christians getting married that can’t be touched by anything else–it’s truly amazing to witness, and it was so inspiring to watch these two commit their lives to one another.

The wedding reception was so much fun, as well. The Maid of Honour is one of Katie’s best friends, and was very particular about our table to make sure we had a great time. And she did an amazing job–Katie and I were laughing so hard the entire meal we were barely even able to eat! Also, it was at an aquarium, and there was a petting tank for sting rays which was cool beyond all cool. I’m a major junkie for anything ocean-related, and so I was pretty happy. :)

Seriously, though–they loved getting pet!

All in all it was an amazing trip. I miss everyone so much, and although I love being back in Canada, the people in Pennsylvania (and various other places who traveled to Pennsylvania) really are irreplaceable. So, if you’re reading this, thank you so much for everything, God bless, and see you soon :)

Becca