Weekend Wrap-Up

Good Morning, Bloggy Friends!

I hope you had a nice weekend. We did. It was a little busier for us than I had anticipated, but that's how it seems to be going lately. Being busy isn't a bad thing. Isn't there a saying about idle time? Something about the devil and playthings. I don't want none of that!

Friday night my friend Jillian came down from New York City. After work Alan and I met up with her and other friends for drinks. We had a great time. It's always good to see Jillian. I miss her so much.

Saturday was a big day. In the afternoon we met up with Tim, Sarah and Alex to join thousands of others, in cities across America, to protest the passing of California's Proposition 8. The gathering took place at City Hall. There were thousands of people there waving signs, chanting and screaming for their rights. I really felt like I was a part of something huge. It was so exciting. My favorite part was when we marched out into the street. We stopped traffic as we made several loops around City Hall. It was amazing. I'm so proud to have been a part of the whole experience. I posted a video below of our afternoon there. Enjoy!

Saturday evening, after we rested up, we headed out to West Chester to attend a holiday, cocktail party with people from Alan's work. The soiree was held in the beautiful home of one of his co-workers. There were a lot of people there. We enjoyed delicious finger foods, wine and a ton of fabulous desserts. It was a nice time. I don't feel like I have a lot in common with many of his co-workers, but they are all very nice people. I always enjoy these work get-togethers. It provides me an opportunity to break away from my comfort zone for a bit. That's always a good thing. To the left is a picture of Alan and some of his lab mates.

Sunday was nice. In the earlier part of the day we headed to the Reading Terminal and Whole Foods to pick up our groceries. Later I met up with the girls from my radio show for a photo shoot. We are starting to get our promos together - complete with fliers, posters and a commercial on KYW radio. It's very exciting. I'll share those once we get them together. In the evening we had our salmon. It was delicious. For a treat, we decided to walk over to Naked Chocolate for a full-bodied, dark chocolate drink. I had one infused with hot spices. It was divine. Later we walked to Washington Square Park, and then back home to relax before bedtime. It was a good night.

I hope you guys have a great day. It's sunny and bright here in Philadelphia. We've been having some cloudy, rainy weather lately, so it's particularly nice to have some sunshine today! I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Joshua Rights

Birthday Shout-Out: Funky Jilly!

Hey, Bloggy Friends!

Well, things didn't go as planned yesterday, so we're still operating from a weak internet signal. I guess I shouldn't complain, though. It's better than having none at all!

It comes and goes quickly, so I better get this out before it's too late - Happy Birthday Jillian!


You guys know my friend Jillian. She used to work with me at the Philadelphia Theatre Company. In the time we worked together we started to become really good friends. We would use the downtime at work to chat, get to know one another, and be silly. Before long, I started to recognize her as one of my best friends in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, she moved away a few months ago to funky New York City. I say unfortunately in a selfish way, but she is really happy there. She and her friend, Caitlin (what up, girl!), found an awesome apartment in Astoria, where she seems to have already surrounded herself with a ton of new friends. She has been forming important connections by working and volunteering in the NYC theater scene. I'd say she's on the right track to something fabulous for herself.

Please join me in wishing Jilly the best birthday yet. I'm sure she's going to tear it up in the big city tonight! I wish I could be there to help her celebrate. I love you and miss you, girl. I hope you have a good one!

I attached a video below of our trip to NYC, if you haven't seen it yet! Have a great day, Bloggy Friends. It is raining in Philadelphia today, but it looks like it may clear up eventually. Rainy days are beautiful days, too!

I'll talk to you soon.

Love, Josh

I'm Pooped!

Hello.Hey, Bloggy Friends!

What a whirlwind of a few days this has been! I honestly don't think I have sat down to rest since - well I can't remember when. As you know, Wednesday afternoon Casey flew into Philadelphia for work. He was only here until Friday afternoon, but we were fortunate enough to spend a little time together every day he was here. His hotel was literally steps away from my work, so at nights when I finished I would just pop by and we'd head out on the town. Friday afternoon before he left we spent the day together touring some of Philadelphia's historic sites. I saw the Liberty Bell for the very first time! We closed our visit with a little lunch in Old City, and some light shopping on Walnut. We had such a fantastic time. It was so great to see him. Having him here helps to reconfirm my belief that God blessed me with some of the best friends in the whole world. You're the best, Mimi!

Saturday afternoon Alan and I met up with his aunt, Jude, to see the latest play put on at PTC - The Happiness Lecture. This play, starring Bill Irwin, was a highly entertaining piece of performance art. I was a little skeptical going in, because I thought it was going to be a silly show about clowns and magic - boy was I wrong. It was such an uplifting, comical show that had me laughing out loud - and holding back tears of joy at the end. The show was full of dancing, singing, special effects and puppetry. One of my favorite aspects of the performance was the usage of the entire theatre space, by the actors. They were running through the aisles, climbing up rafters and even communicating with some audience members. It was fantastic. If any of you are in the Philadelphia area - I totally recommend seeing this show. Bring your loved ones and be prepared to be overjoyed! It's a winner.

As always it was fantastic to see Jude. When the show was over we headed to a restaurant on Pine Street, called MIXTO. We conversed over drinks and a little dinner. Jude's husband, Lou, was a little under the weather, so she had to rush off a little quicker than usual. We hated to part so early, but hope to see them again soon when Lou is all better. Speedy recovery!

Today we woke up and took care of all our puppy duties. This includes several potty breaks, feeding, playing, and watching him incessantly. It is starting to feel like a hassle and is a huge reason why I don't feel like I have been able to chillout in days. He has been doing so much better since my last post, though. Thank you all for your advice. Around one o'clock we headed a few miles away to the home of our pet sitters, Scott and Zoe. They have been helping us out since December when we go on vacation, or when we are not here during the day to take Galileo out. They were hosting a Garden BBQ for friends and clients, so we went along to meet some folks and let Galileo socialize with other puppies. He had a great time running around with this cute French Bulldog named, Driver. They are about the same age, and nearly the same size, so they became fast friends. It was great to see him take so well to other dogs. We also met a lot of interesting people. The food was delicious and the weather was fab. I'm loving the Philadelphia summer.

So, as you can see we have been running rampant over the past few days. It has all been worth it, but like I say in my title - Josh is pooooooooped! I have some great videos to share of Casey's visit, and of course the final two parts of our Kentucky road trip - so stay tuned for those in the coming days. When I close this blog I am going to head downstairs, make myself some warm tea and crash on the couch for the rest of the evening. Does that not sound dreamy???

I hope you guys had a lovely weekend and here's to a perfect week. Below is a slide show of PICTURES we took over the past few days - most of which are from Casey's visit. Gotta run, Galileo is barking for some attention!

I love you all. Good night.

Josh

More Pics from the Hillary Rally!

Hello.Hey, Bloggy Friends! Here are more pictures from our trip to the rally Monday night. I know there have been a lot of Hillary posts this week, but just bare with me for a minute while I calm down from excitement! Don't miss the video I posted of the evening a few posts down. Have a great night. I love you all!

Josh

Hillary @ UPenn!

Hello.Hey, Bloggy Friends!

Today is the big day that I have been waiting a long time for! Pennsylvanians are finally heading to the polls to make their decision on who they think should be the Democratic presidential nominee. It felt so good to finally walk into that booth and push that VOTE button. I don't think I need to tell you who I pushed it for! Philadelphia had been buzzing with excitement over the past week - this election is inspiring a great deal of passion in people. It's so awesome.

Last night the Clinton's held one last rally at UPenn here in Philadelphia. I almost didn't go, but some friends from work talked me into it at the last minute. I am so glad I did. It was one of the most exciting, uplifting events I have ever attended in my life. We were blessed to find spots on the ground near the entrance. We had a chance to meet all of them, get pictures, autographs and handshakes on their way in and the way out! They obviously made themselves very available to the crowd - which I found extremely impressive. I was a little worried when I talked to them, though, because I had just eaten a falafel wrap and was afraid I had serious garlic breath!

Chelsea, Bill and Hillary gave uplifting speeches. They were fired up and completely right on point. The speech Hillary gave may have been the very best I have ever heard her give. Without jargon, she laid it all out on the table and had the entire crowd going crazy. I was sure that she would make a great president before, but after seeing her last night there is not a doubt left in my head. She wants this so passionately and she really wants to make a positive change in this country.

My experience last night was undoubtedly a dream come true. This was the very first time I have ever seen an actual President. He was very approachable and even carried on quick conversations with some of the guys in the crowd around us. He reminded me of my Dad. Chelsea was sweet, pretty and the easiest to approach. It was such a blessing to walk away with pictures of them - but the highlight of my evening was when I shook Hillary's hand, told her good luck - and then she looked at me and said "Thank you." My heart melted.

I have made a quick video of the evening. It was hard to squeeze it all into 5 minutes, but I did the best I could. Enjoy! I am headed down to watch CNN - it's 8pm and the polls are just now closing. Good luck, Hillary!!

Love you all!

Josh