Borich Fam in Philly...

OK, so now that we will periodically be taking Mykah to an airport that she can fly non-stop to Salt Lake City to see her dad, we figured we should turn each place into an adventure. This particular adventure involves Philadelphia and we had a great time! Joe & I are both history-loving dorks on the inside, and it's trickling down to Mykah, because she digs history, too! Philly is very historical and we're blessed to be able to experience it firsthand.


Independence Hall.


The Liberty Bell, which we found out symbolizes religious freedom, not freedom in general. Until the famous crack couldn't be repaired, it hung in the tower below.

Coolest story behind this architecture...The British taxed individual walls of homes, so that's why all the homes are right next to each other. They use the same walls to avoid being taxed too heavily...Love thy neighbor takes on a whole new meaning with homes this close!

Home of James & Dolley Madison pre-presidency

To feed our need for an accurate history lesson, we employed Camilla & Woody (horse-drawn carriage) for a ride around the area. Mykah loved the stories by Camilla and Woody, see below, and Max loved riding around-not walking! Corny, but very fun and very educational!

Woody...

Benjamin Franklin's gravesite...


Home of Betsy Ross, where she sewed the first flag...

Since Josh took over the pack & play, Max got to experience big boy hotel life! Looks pretty comfy, doesn't he?!

Little Miss World Traveler, who fortunately, is only gone for a week this trip!

So, are you noticing the time frame for this post? Yes, I'm posting after Mykah is already home because the week she was gone was very interesting at the Borich abode...I haven't been feeling well lately and the doctors haven't been able to find anything wrong. Early Friday morning that changed when intense pain sent me to the ER. Turns out I have 2 kidney stones. One is still in my kidney, but the other one was about an inch from my bladder, and at 6mm in diameter, was mostly blocking the tube from my bladder to my kidney. Apparently, this causes the kidney to swell, creating the pain previously mentioned. Side note: this pain is worse than labor! So, I had to see a urologist the same day, who told me I was not likely to pass it on my own and would need surgery. During surgery later that day (this is all on Friday) the doctor discovered that the stone was actually embedded in my ureter, not good! The surgery was done with a scope, they used laser to break the stone apart, then left a stent from my kidney to my bladder so it can heal from the damage done by all the inflammation. I go back in a week to have the stent removed (ewwwwww) and hopefully, this drama will all be over!
Also, poor Mykah's flight was unable to land in Philadelphia when it was supposed to on her return trip. They re-routed to Dulles Airport to refuel, so instead of getting to the airport at 4:25, she got there at 9:30-then there was still 4 hours to drive home. There was a wonderful woman who was traveling next to Mykah who had an 8 year old herself and she let Mykah borrow her cell phone when they landed "at the wrong airport". (according to Mykah) So I was able to calm Mykah down, but it sure felt yucky to be that far away from her when she was scared. Please thank God for the woman with such kindness in her heart. I thanked her profusely, but really, are there enough words as a mother to express that kind of gratitude?
I'm tired! Thanks for listening...