Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Saturday in Philadelphia

On Saturday morning, Brad and I headed out in the morning to grab some breakfast and do some exploring. We found a little coffee shop close to the hotel, and had some great, freshly-baked pastries for breakfast. 



After breakfast, we headed out to do some exploring. I took along my wonderful new camera and tried to get some good pictures of the city. I'm definitely still learning about my new camera, but managed to get a couple of good shots. 









A little bit before noon we met up with Matt and Shannon. After stopping at the Comcast building and Love Park, we made our way to the Reading Terminal Market. Brad had seen a piece about Tony Dinick's pork sandwiches on the Food Network and was dying to try it. After checking out the market, Brad and Matt waited in line for about 20 minutes to get the sandwiches while Shannon and I scoured the market looking for a place to sit. We all met up and everyone seemed to enjoy their lunch.





We spent some more time in the market (Brad bought some cheese, are you surprised?) and walked around the city before parting ways. We always enjoy spending time with Matt and Shannon.

After a much-needed stop at Trader Joe's, Brad and I headed back to the Lehigh Valley. We had a great time in Philly, and are definitely excited to go back. That trip might have to wait a bit, though…before too long, we're headed somewhere warm… :)

Blessings!
-Nikki

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Date night in Philly

On Friday, Brad and I had a very special date night in Philadelphia. As part of his Christmas gift, I made dinner reservations at Le Bec Fin, a George Perrier restaurant. We decided to stay overnight and make a little vacation out of it, so we headed to Philadelphia on Friday afternoon.

After checking in to the hotel, we explored a little bit of Philadelphia before getting ready for the evening.


This week was Restaurant Week in Philadelphia, and below is the tasting menu that we were able to choose from at Le Bec Fin:

  
Please excuse the blurry iPhone photos, but it wasn't really the appropriate atmosphere to break out my wonderful new camera!

As an appetizer, Brad had the snails (which he said were fabulous), and I went for the salad. As a main course, Brad had the steak, and I went with the salmon.



For dessert, I had the cake with ice cream, and Brad chose the key lime pie.


We had a great time, and the food was fantastic!

We spend the rest of the evening exploring the city. On Saturday, we were fortunate to be able to meet up with our friends Matt and Shannon. More on that tomorrow!

Enjoy your Sunday,
-Nikki

Friday, January 27, 2012

Welcome to the world, Brinley!

Congratulations to new mom and dad Erick and Denyel Decker! Brinley Nicole Decker was born Friday, January 27th, weighing 7 pounds and 12 ounces and is 19.5 inches long. We can't wait to meet her! Love you guys!



What a blessing!
Brad and Nikki

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Workout Wednesday Fail

Yesterday was workout Wednesday. Except that it wasn't

Because sometimes things change. And you have to go with the flow.

Because sometimes opportunities come up, and you just have to embrace them.

And I'd much rather have dinner with this guy:

Brad's grandfather, "The Grizz"

...than worry about a workout. Family comes first. 


Catch ya later!
-Nikki

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Date night, part 2 and 3

As you may have read, date night started on Thursday evening with a trip to Creamery on Main in Emmaus. We had good intentions of going home to watch a movie, but may have fallen asleep instead. No worries--we were able to continue date night on Friday, and rather unexpectedly, on Saturday.

On Friday night, after a quick trip out, we came home and had a great dinner prepared by Brad. Stuffed chicken breasts and creamy polenta, followed up with some ice cream for dessert. Delicious! We also spent the evening on the couch, watching the Travel Channel.

On Saturday, we had plans to meet up with these fine folks:


...but unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. We woke up to this on Saturday morning:


The roads were still covered and there was still some freezing rain coming down at the time we needed to leave, so we decided not to make the trip. We'll (hopefully) see them soon! Most of the day on Saturday was spent catching up on laundry, playing Wii, and enjoying each others company. Besides the disappointment of not seeing Tony and Lauren, it was a pretty great snow day.


By the way--if you are in the Harrisburg/Enola area, be sure the check this out: The Narrow Road Church

Sunday was spent at church, Fuse, and then out to lunch with some fine folks from church. Late Sunday afternoon/evening included planning for some upcoming trips, blogging, The Food Network, and quality relaxation.

We've got a busy--and exciting-- week in the works. Stay tuned!

-Nikki

Friday, January 20, 2012

Date night, part 1

Now that the holidays are over and we've done some traveling, we're ready to get back into our regular date night routine.

Last night included a trip to Creamery on Main, which you may remember from this date. Get ready for this---we didn't even have ice cream! Crazy, huh? Instead, we went to enjoy their wide variety of sandwiches and burgers. They have a TON of burger options with some really great names. If I hadn't gone for the soup (lobster bisque, yum!), I probably would have picked this one:


NKOTBSB Burger? That's awesome! Brad had the Nittany Lion burger, and other burgers worth mentioning included the Sheldon Cooper and Barney Stinson. Isn't that funny?


We had intentions of going home and watching Bones, but American Idol was on instead. We ended up heading to bed pretty early, so we're hoping finish part 2 of our date night tonight. It looks like some winter weather is headed our way, so we're staying in! Movie on the couch in sweatpants? Sounds good to me!

Have a great weekend!
-Nikki 

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Workout Wednesday

In the Nelson household, Wednesday has officially become "Workout Wednesday." Here's the photo to prove it:

 OK, so it's really not the best photo that we've ever taken, but you get the idea. And we DID just finish a workout.

In an effort stay healthy, we've made a pact to work out together on Wednesdays. We each choose two other days per week to work out on our own, and we hold each other accountable. Sounds do-able, right? I sure hope so!

So, here's to Workout Wednesdays! Who wants to join us?

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Brad's Trip to California

Good morning!

You haven't heard much from us lately, mainly because Brad was lucky enough to spend most of the week here:

Lake Tahoe, California! Brad belongs to a national study group with guys from all over the country, and once a year they get together specifically to work on their business. Fortunately for them, they always seem to gather in a pretty great location.

The house where they stayed
Emerald Bay

Lake Tahoe at Sunset
 
Brad's new dream house. 

Hopefully we'll be back soon with some more photos and stories from Brad. Until then...

Blessings,
Nikki


Thursday, January 12, 2012

What went well this week?

Hi all! Things have been a little different around here this week, mainly due to hectic work schedules. I'll be sure to fill you in this weekend, but for now please enjoy the latest edition of "what went well this week."
  • a successful event at work, which included my first official television interview. I haven't seen the clip yet, but if I can get my hands on it, maybe I'll share :)
  • a lazy Sunday
  • getting back to a regular workout routine
  • a great trip to NYC
  • spending quality time with friends
What went well for you this week? 

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Nothing but Nelson in NYC

Brad and I have had the pleasure of spending the past few days in New York City. Brad was there for a work event, and I was just along for the ride. We had a blast, seeing some sights of the city and spending some time with his friends and co-workers. Brad got to NYC on Wednesday, and I joined him late Thursday afternoon, in time for the cocktail party.



On Friday (while Brad was in meetings all day), some of the other spouses and I (and Luke, too!) had a chance to explore the city. After a quick breakfast, we headed Rockefeller Center before going to the NBC Studios for a tour.





We were not permitted to take photos during the tour, but we saw the studios where they film the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Saturday Night Live, and the Today Show. After the tour, we made a quick stop at this lovely little shop...


Where we enjoyed these treats...

                         This was mine--chocolate chocolate!                         Red Velvet

Nate--thanks for the recommendation! (He suggested we check out the bakery)

Carley (and Luke)

 Luke

We headed back to the hotel to get ready for the evening festivities. I may or may not have talked Brad into visiting the Shake Shack with me. Delicious!


We also checked out Times Square so I could play tourist with my new camera


That's for you, mom!





Friday night was a fabulous dinner dance. Brad's coworkers are a LOT of fun to be around!


After exploring the city a bit on my own on Saturday morning, we met up with Matt and Shannon to explore Eataly and Central Park. 

 Bryant Park

Our cheese plate from Birreria, the rooftop restaurant in Eataly

 In Central Park

Matt and Shannon



What a great time in NYC!

Blessings,
Nikki