love letter.

last weekend, emily, rachel & i spent the weekend in philly. i arrived via greyhound friday night and just as we started rolling in, i could feel the energy of the city. i hadn't felt that energy in too long, at least not since visiting chicago.

i've always been drawn to the energy of big cities, but will never reconcile my midwestern compassion and 'wholesomeness.' in the past, chicago has had my heart - and i think the most appealing thing to me was that it was in the midwest, thus close to my family. i've also been sort of a wanderer, according to my sister...always searching for something. the next big thing, i'd like to think. first, it was indianapolis, then back to iowa, then spain, then back to iowa...and now, the district. at this point, i don't see a move back to iowa on the horizon...or anywhere in my plan (though numerous visits every year will be an asbolute necessity in order to stay sane). i have recently been learning to live here. the spring breeze and sunshine have definitely shone a different light on our nation's capital. couple that with my wonderful boyfriend and beautiful friends, things get much, much brighter.

d.c. is much like a town...just bigger. it buzzes, but with a totally different energy than a big city. not good or bad, just different. philly gave off every vibe of being a big city. i had no expectations of philly, other than it would provide me with a really good time with two of my favorite people in the entire world. it was much bigger than i expected, artsier than i thought, funkier, cheaper, grittier, more beautiful...etc. it really surpassed any assumed expectations that could have possibly arisen on my first trip to philadelphia. philadelphia really won my heart over. i think for the first time, i can say that i am desperately enamored with philadelphia, p.a. yep, it's true. i said it.i am no longer questioning why philly was so appealing to me when john & i were planning our escape route from iowa.