Note: The Duck Boat Tours in Philadelphia, no longer operate.

On Wednesday we had our overnight trip in historical downtown Philadelphia, for my birthday weekend! (My birthday is Sept 4th). We had a really nice time and we got to see a bunch of places!

We took the train downtown and the weather was sunny and around 86 degrees both days we were down there which was good, because we walked everywhere! Our hotel was down the street from Independence Hall and right in the middle of all the historical spots, so it was ideal for walking. We didn't need to take any transportation, aside from the train to get us downtown and back home.

Here's a few from our trip! Wednesday before we checked into the hotel, we got to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall!

Liberty Bell

Independence Hall- they were renovating.

Chestnut Street

Best Western Independence Park Hotel

Our Hotel is a historic building.

We took the Duck Boat Tour Wednesday evening. When we got there to check in, they refunded us $12 on our tickets, because they said they weren't going to be going out on the water that evening because of the aftermath from Irene. I don't know what changed but midway through the tour- we did go out on the water after all, lol!

There was a lot of debris floating in the Delaware River but we kept to the side.There wasn't room service at our hotel, so for dinner we walked down to a Wawa on Walnut street and picked up a salad and wraps for dinner Wednesday night.

Benjamin Franklin Bridge

First Congress

Where Ben Franklin had his society for intelligent gentlemen.

Betsy Ross House

First Post Office in the United States.

First Stock Exchange in the United States.

 Video of our Duck Boat going into the Delaware River:



Thursday morning we had breakfast at the hotel and checked out around 12pm.Then we visited the Independence Visitors Center and Christ Church Cemetery. After that we went to Reading Terminal Market and finished up at The Gallery before taking the train home!

Constitution Center- we didn't get to visit.

Christ Church Cemetery- Benjamin Franklin is buried here. There are so many old tombstones, some of which the writing is no longer legible.

Benjamin Franklin's Grave- they throw pennies on his grave. A penny saved, is a penny earned. Sad... Eleanor, aged 5 months, 2 weeks, 3 days. This little girl was only 9 years old. She passed in 1791.

Entrance to China Town. We didn't get to visit, so we'll go back some time.


Reading Terminal Market was crowded! I saw these Chocolate Rats and wanted to get some, but they probably would have melted on the train ride home, lol! Afterwards we headed to The Gallery. We picked up Popeye's Chicken and Cinnabon to take home for dinner/dessert, hehe.




What is your favorite thing about your hometown? (Place, Food, Etc.)
For extra entries- (Leave a separate comment for each extra entry).

-Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect. (You can find the 'Followers' link under 'Contents' on the right hand sidebar. If you follow already you automatically get an extra entry if you answer the mandatory question). 

-Follow me on Twitter: @tunaynamahal82 (Include your user name in the comments. If you follow me already you automatically get an extra entry if you answer the mandatory question- just leave your Twitter username in the comments).

-Tweet about this giveaway (Include your link in the comments).

Giveaway Ends: September 16th, 2011.12AM EST.

Tonight Irene passes over Philadelphia. Philadelphia is under a hurricane warning. They say it will be the worst storm in 50 years. Lot's of flooding.

SEPTA is suspending all service for the first time ever. Where we are just outside Philadelphia, we are under a tropical storm warning. But there are still flooding threats and we could lose power... hoping we don't though.

(Photo Credit.)

And just this week we had an earthquake too! (Though I was napping and didn't feel it. I thought my husband was teasing me when I woke up!) What in the world is going on?! All of the things I told my husband we don't get, we're getting! I told him he must have brought this extreme weather with him from the Philippines, lol! :-p

I hope things are okay weather wise later this week for our overnight vacation in down town Philadelphia for my birthday. I hope the trains are running by then and that we'll still be able to take the Duck Boat tour that we prepaid for.

I got a new cell phone on eBay for my birthday! I was able to get a T-mobile Sidekick 4G for $300.00 less then T-mobile is selling it for. (I'm on a special $49.99 unlimited plan- but the catch was I have to pay full price for a new phone).

The phone I won was in pristine condition. It still has the factory protector stickers on it. The guy who was selling it had switched to another carrier. I can actually watch my Netflix on my phone now with the Netflix App! So cool! And the battery lasts way longer than my Motorola Charm battery did. I had to switch batteries mid day with that phone. The Sidekick also has a touch screen and a keyboard, which I need, I can't do those touch screen keyboards! :-p


Please stop by and give your congratulations to my Sister in Law on her blog! She & her husband had their baby girl, Zia on 08/21/11. So now F.B. is an Uncle and I'm an Aunt. :-p

(Photo Credit: Zei & Rich).

And, just some cute pictures of the ratties to finish off with! ♥♥♥

Baby Violet

Mister Curry Wigglesworth, lol. (Picnik)

As you've noticed, I've also changed my blog layout. I think the blue matches my header banner better!

F.B. and I ordered a ton of Filipino food and snacks from Phil-Am Foods. It was my first time ordering from them. They pretty much had all our favorites and really cheap prices too! I've ordered Choc-nut from other Philippine markets online and had it cost $3.00 a pack! Phil-Am is selling Choc-nut for $1.69 a pack! Whoo! The shipping was pretty affordable too! Only $12.00 to ship from New Jersey to Pennsylvania! 


I'm a fan of Phil-Am Foods on Facebook. And they had posted that if any of their customers posted a picture of their order, they would send a free gift!


We were really happy with how fast our order arrived, (within 2 days!) so we posted a picture on their Facebook page and they said they would send us a gift! To our surprise a huge box arrived in the mail today from Phil-Am Foods! We definitely didn't expect all of this! Wow! Thank you so much Phil-Am Foods!!! So exciting! :-D

Our Free Gifts from Phil-Am Foods!

Philippine Snack Foods

Foreign Food Cravings

Taste Testing (Asian Aisle)

1. I was struck by lighting June 13th, 1997. (Yes... Friday the 13th!) We had a really bad thunderstorm in Philadelphia. We lived in a 3 story row home that wasn't grounded. When the lightning struck the house it came through all the power lines in our house blowing out electronics, starting a fire in an outlet in my parents room. I was sleeping in a bunk bed and woke up to what I thought was the light bulb exploding. I slept with a metal locket on, I sat up trying to get out of bed and felt a jolt go through me. The locket acted as a conduct-er. My left arm had nerve damage and I needed physical therapy for a little while. The worst thing was going to the emergency room and having everyone ask, "Did you hair stand on end?!" To this day if I visit a new doctor and they check my reflexes they always say, "Hmmm, do you know your left side is weaker than your right?" And then I have to tell the story!

Image Credit

2. I'm left handed.

3. I can't write in cursive. It never stuck with me as a kid. I can sign my name and that's about it. Everyone always comments on my signature!


4. When I was 13, I won a grand prize trip for 4 to Los Angeles California and I got to co-host a kid's radio show called The Fox Kid's Countdown. I was even in their Fox Kid's magazine, lol.


5. We got to tour Warner Brother Studio's while in L.A.


6. My brother and I only wanted to go, because we were obsessed with the Animaniacs and thought they really lived in the water tower there, lol! We even dressed up as them one Halloween!



7. I will not set foot inside a McDonald's. I'm anti McDonald's for some reason. Maybe I went there too much as a kid, I don't really know.


8.That doesn't stop me from going to another fast food place... Wendy's! I ♥ Wendy's!


9. I've been to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo. The last 3 were just the airports I've been too... but when you have to use different currency in the airport to buy items like this gatorade, I think it counts!


10. I met my husband online on a Lindsay Lohan fan forum in 2004. :-p We were just friends at first. We had a long distance relationship for 5 years, and we were married in the Philippines, December 19th, 2009.

11. As a kid I was terrified of the one that yells in Dr. Suess', One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I would skip the page, or hide the book.


12. I have 3 tattoos. My name on my left ankle, pink stars on my right ankle and a rat tat on my right wrist.


13. I have 7 piercings in my ears, but I only wear earrings in my 2 cartilage piercings now.

14. I have owned 41 pet rats since October 2007. (Not all at the same time of course!) Pet rats have a lifespan of 1-3 years. (Updated: 11/14/13)

15. I currently have nine pet rats. 4 boys, 5 girls! (Updated: 11/14/13)

16. My rat Sugar was in the Philadelphia Metro Newspaper back in June 2009. I had come into work late that day, and all my coworkers kept coming up to me all day saying I was famous, lol.


17. I wanted to BE Laura Ingalls when I was a kid, I was obsessed.


18. The boys next door to us when I was a kid in the 80's, thought I was Punky Brewster, lol.


19. When I was a kid, I used to keep pieces of gold Crayola crayons in this Easter egg locket, I guess I thought it was treasure!


20. I taught myself how to play acoustic guitar in my teens, I used to even write and compose songs. I haven't played since 2004. I think I forget how to now...

21. I was home schooled from 6th grade until I graduated high school.

22. I took acting classes in my teens. They were pretty expensive, my grandparents were nice enough to pay for them. The owner of the classes, Rodney Robb, even gave me a scholarship for some of the classes.


23. I had a cat named Popcorn for almost 15 years. I used to dress her up when I was a kid, poor cat!


24. I never took public transportation until I was 28 years old. Now I have to commute on the train to work. I've been driving since I was 16.

25. I always eat cereal or soup out a cup or mug, because it's easier. I never use a bowl.

Just something I decided to throw together for dinner this evening. It turned out wonderful. It's a very hearty comfort food meal. It reminded me a bit of beef stew. Loved it! I will definitely be making this again.


I wanted to share the recipe:

Potato/Veggie Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 can of mushroom pieces
1 can of carrots
3 small or medium potatoes.
Half an onion cut into small pieces
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Parsley Flakes
Flour

Sauce:

1 can cream of mushroom soup.
Milk
Brown Sugar
Corn Starch
Worcestershire Sauce
Montreal Chicken Seasoning

Directions: Heat Oven to 350 Degrees.

1. Cover bottom of casserole dish with light coating of olive oil. Cut potatoes in round slices, then cut the slices in halves. Place around edges of dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley flakes.

2. Cook up your onions and mushrooms together with a little bit of olive oil in frying pan until onions are clear. 

4. Coat chicken breasts in flour, then sprinkle with salt & pepper and brown in another frying pan.

5. Place browned chicken breasts in the middle of the casserole dish. Pour in carrots, onions & mushrooms over the potatoes surrounding the chicken. 

6. Pour sauce over the chicken and veggies. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.


Directions for sauce:

In a bowl whisk together 1 can of cream of mushroom soup & 1 can of milk. Stir in about 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of corn starch and a few shakes of Montreal Chicken Seasoning.

Picked up some books from the library yesterday. 3 of them, I just found while browsing on Amazon.com seeing what was recommended for me.

Here's what I'm reading:





































I also bought this. Very good book. But it's also very graphic, as it's a biography account of her kidnapping.










Here's what I'm still waiting to read from the library waiting list:























































(I do use Amazon Associates, but not because I've made any money- because I haven't! lol! But I like that I can show a picture/link with a book or music when I'm blogging. Plus I do recommend Amazon.com for their low prices. That or Ebay!)

Please meet sweet little Violet. She's a baby PEW. ♥ We got her today. She was a curious little rat with her paws up against the glass staring at us. ♥



I've updated My Pet Rat Page with some new pictures.

Also, Star's Rat Rescue currently has 50+ rats in the rescue, they need help with donations to buy food & other necessities. I've adopted 7 of my rats from SRR. So if you can help contribute please click on the Chip In below to donate! 



You can also join us at the Star's Rat Rescue forum. We would love to have you there to chat about your rats!