A Perfectly Lovely Weekend

Last weekend was amazing! Friday night, I met Dan after work and we headed over to an Indian restaurant in the neighborhood. It is one of my new favorite places, not only because the food is so delicious and veg-friendly, but also because they have an amazing buffet! Indian food is one of my most favorite things, and I'd been craving it all week! Mmmm!

On Saturday, Dan and I headed out on a perfect morning to participate in a community mural project. Earlier this year, Philadelphians voted on a winning design and are now participating in a series of community paint days. The mural is huge--it's 42 panels and over 100 feet long--and the finished product will be displayed as a whole for a while and then different panels will be permanently installed in neighborhoods across the city. The winning mural design is pictured below.

There was a paint day in our neighborhood about a week ago, but Dan was out of town, so we headed to South Philly this past Saturday. We had to take the train, then the subway, and then walk several blocks, but it was totally worth it. The weather was perfect, there were so many different kinds of people involved, and it was awesome to see people from different parts of the city working, talking, and laughing together. The atmosphere was so great; the project took place at a local park, and in addition to folks working on the project, there were kids getting their faces painted, playing on the playground, and running through the sprinklers of a water fountain. Dan and I worked on the purple panel (the one on the far right).

I love that we were able to participate in this. Not only was it a great way to feel connected to our semi-new city, but it will be awesome to see the finished product and think, "I helped make that!"

From there, we walked around parts of Center City, including Chinatown, rested for a bit at home, made a quick trip to IKEA, and then caught an 8:00 showing of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (in my opinion, the best of the HP movies). Sunday was a perfect day of morning coffee and Dunkin' Donuts, hours on the couch reading a book, and a delicious afternoon nap. A perfectly lovely weekend in every way.