Thankgiving Adventures

Brad and I have a lot to be thankful for--especially the ability to spend time with our family and friends. Here are some photos from our Thanksgiving weekend adventures.

We started our Thanksgiving Day with a 5K Pumpkin Pie run with Brad's mom. We also got to spend some time with the rest of his family...

...before heading to see my family for Thanksgiving dinner. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures!

On Friday, we did a little bit of shopping (as in, we went to two stores around noon, after the madness was over) before heading to downtown Lewisburg for an afternoon "date."

On Friday night we headed to Skeeter's BBQ for dinner with this mom and dad to-be: 

We spent Saturday morning at the house before packing up and heading to the Reading area to meet up with Stacey. I can't believe I didn't take picture--sorry Stacey! We did our part to support Small Business Saturday by meeting at Haute Chocolate Cafe. As Brad would say, it was quite delicious.

Now we're back home, gearing up for a busy week. 

Until next time,

Nikki

So, I accidentally volunteered us to make a turkey...

Just imagine Brad's face when I told him THAT!

Let me back up a moment. We are very blessed to have found a great church and a wonderful adult Bible fellowship group geared specifically toward young married couples. We have a blast with the folks from Fuse every Sunday morning, and enjoying spending time with the couples "outside" of church time. On Sunday, we all shared a Thanksgiving meal.

While we were all signing up for dishes to bring to the event, it seemed to be that everyone was hesitant to sign up to bring a turkey--us included. I volunteered us to make mashed potatoes, because I was pretty sure that I could handle those (perhaps even on my own!). While talking with some of the ladies, I MAY have said that if no one else volunteered to make a turkey, Brad and I would give it a shot. Neither of us had ever made a turkey before, so I volunteered us with that disclaimer. And so our turkey journey began...

Side note: I was lucky enough to spend Friday evening at my mom and dad's house while Brad was out of town for work. We just to hang out, eat great food, and be together. Oh, and Dylan and Jen were there too!

The official turkey making shenanigans took place AFTER I got back from my trip and BEFORE we headed to the Philly area to celebrate the engagement of these two:

Congrats Matt and Shannon!

We also managed to sneak in a trip here before the party: 

Can you see the sign in the background? 

We had a fabulous time at the party, and headed back to the Lehigh Valley to finish the turkey...well, in the morning. 

                    A rose blooming in the parking lot...         ...and my wonderful husband driving home.

Finally, after days of preparation, Brad got the turkey started before I was even out of bed.

 

And finally...the finished product: 

And the verdict: DELICIOUS!

Special thanks to Danielle Nelson, who fielded a WHOLE BUNCH of phone calls about the proper way to make a turkey.

Until next time,
Nikki

Date night!

Somehow, this week seemed to get away from me. Things seem to be getting busier and busier, but we still made time for a date night this week.

We started here...The Burgery Company.

Then headed back here...[insert picture of our couch here]

We reminisced about this...

...since we celebrated our 5 month wedding anniversary on Friday.

And ended the evening with some of this...

We had an exciting and busy weekend... more to come on that! Be ready for some great pictures! :)

What went well today?

I know that it's only Tuesday, but this week seems to be flying by! What's gone well so far this week?

• lots of meals with lots of friends
• a lazy Sunday afternoon on the couch with my wonderful husband
• a busy work schedule
• discounted plane tickets...and a vacation to look forward to!!
• finding great gifts
• leftovers

What's going well for you this week?

-Nikki

Weekend with Friends

Yesterday, Brad and I had the pleasure of spending the day in Lancaster with some great friends. We headed to the area in the late morning, where we met up with Lauren and Tony at the Iron Hill Brewery for lunch. We were also surprised (and excited) to see Jessica and Nate seated at the table next to us. What a great bonus!

We enjoyed our lunch (their sweet potato fries are amazing) and then headed to Lititz. We stopped at the Wilbur Chocolate Factory where we picked up some chocolate covered vanilla caramels with sea salt. Delicious!

 Me and Lauren at the Wilbur Chocolate factory--the display behind us (and the one pictured below) are entirely edible!

 

Tony and Lauren

 

            

Brad and Me

After saying goodbye to Tony and Lauren, Brad and I headed to LCBC to meet our friends Nick and Kassondra for the 4:30PM service. LCBC always has great music, and this week there was a powerful message about Simon Peter. (Eventually you will be able to watch the message here, it just hasn't been posted yet). And surprise! Guess who we saw at LCBC? That's right, Nate and Jessica. Twice in one day--how did we get so lucky? 

After the service, Nick, Kassondra, Brad, and I headed to dinner at John J. Jeffries. John J. Jeffries is a seasonal, sustainable, farm fresh restaurant at the Lancaster Arts Hotel. Brad and I have been there a few times, and they always provide a great meal. We had a great time laughing and catching up while enjoying some "small plates" before heading to one of my favorite places in Lancaster--Carmen and David's Creamery. Chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream? Yes please!

 

Kassondra and Nick

 

 Mr. and Mrs. Nelson

 Brad and the alligator

  Nick and Brad

Shortly after enjoying our ice cream, Brad and I decided to call it a night and head back to the Lehigh Valley. We had a great time visiting with friends!

Blessings!

-Nikki

Random fun fact: Lauren was the matron on honor in my wedding, and Nick was the best man.

Date...afternoon?

Next week, Brad and I will have been married for five months. Let's face it--we already act like an old married couple. In bed by 9PM on a Friday? That's us! Antiques Roadshow on Monday nights? You betcha. But dinner at 4PM? We're officially old.

This week was absolutely crazy. On Monday night we went to a memorial service to celebrate the life of one of Brad's acquaintances. Tuesday night Brad was lucky enough to spend the night at my parent's house while he was out and about for work. Wednesday night I teach a Zumba class, and Thursday night we both had separate work events later in the evening. We were determined to squeeze a date in there somewhere--so dinner at 4PM it was!

We made a trip back to White Orchid. (You can read about our first trip here.) We decided to go there because it was restaurant week at the Promenade Shops, and all of the restaurants were offering special menus. When we go there, we decided to order from the regular menu anyway.  Oh well.

We started with colossal prawns (which I mentioned last time but failed to take a picture of). This time I was more successful!

There are only three shrimp on that plate--that's how colossal they really are!

Brad enjoyed some coconut soup and some Pad Thai, and I had the special--tropical fried rice. It had chicken, shrimp and mango--delicious! I meant to take a picture of it before I ate it...and then again before I ate the leftovers for lunch. Oops! I guess we'll just have to go back there again!

We had a few minutes to walk around the shops before going our separate ways. We both made it hope in time to enjoy the new episode of Bones before calling it a night. We've got some fun stuff planned for this weekend, including catching up with some great friends.

Until next time,
Nikki


Don't forget to thank a veteran on this special day! Happy 11/11/11...and happy anniversary Kathy and Jeff! Can you believe that this was five years ago? Here's to many more to come!

Weekend Conversation

This weekend, I had the privilege of accompanying a group of high school students to a local nursing home to do some volunteer work (and yes, I'm guilty of  complaining about having to work on a Saturday). It turned out to be a great experience, one that initiated an interesting conversation.

I spent most of the day directing the high school students (although, at the beginning of the day the activities coordinator of the facility came up to me and said, "Are you from the school waiting for Mrs. Nelson?" To which I kindly smiled and said, "I am Mrs. Nelson." I know, I know...I'll appreciate that when I'm 50.)

Anyway... toward the end of our time at the facility, an older gentleman came and sat near me. We began to talk and he shared with me that his wife was doing some volunteer work, and he was waiting for her to finish up. He was telling me about how much he loves to read, and that he has read 600+ books in the last 10 years. As we were talking, Brad walked in the door and sat down next to me. The man said to him, "Do you know this girl? Her face lit up when you came in."  To which Brad proudly proclaimed, "She's my wife."

The men got to chatting, and this gentleman informed us that he and his wife have been married for 57 years. Brad told him, "Congratulations, that's amazing." His response is what sparked our conversation, "Thank you. But it shouldn't be." He proceeded to tell us about how his wife is his best friend, and how they've been through a lot together over the past 57 years. He said that they never fight--"well, we disagree about somethings, everybody does" -- and that they truly enjoy each others company. They reminded me of these folks:

My grandma and grandpap have been married for 50+ years.

It must have something to do with the fact that my grandfather is a fabulous dancer! :)

Brad brought up the man's comment yesterday as we grabbed a quick lunch at Yocco's (no, I did NOT eat a hot dog!) and we got to chatting. We came up with some theories about marriage, and why people are so surprised to learn about couples that have been married 50+ years. I'd like to hear your thoughts--what are your tips for a long and happy marriage?

I'm interested to hear what you have to say. Blessings!
-Nikki

Thursday Date Night

Hi all! I know that we've had a lot of excitement in the Nelson household this week (in case you missed it, you can read about Brad's big news here). Tuesday turned out to be a later night for Brad work-wise, and Wednesday night I taught a Zumba class. We were originally going to have dinner with friends on Thursday evening, but some things came up and voila--Thursday night turned into date night! We decided to try Louie's in Allentown--Brad has been there before, but it was my first time. I love carbs in any form, and I thought their homemade bread was delicious. We shared some fried mozzarella, and a shrimp scampi pizza. Amazing!

We headed home for a relaxing evening of TV. Did you catch the season premiere of Bones?

Sorry that I don't have more to report. After all of the excitement earlier in the week, maybe it's good that things were relatively quiet!

Until next time,
Nikki

Congratulations!

Congratulations to my wonderful husband, who was officially named a Managing Director today! We found out a few weeks ago (I was sworn to secrecy-- in a "don't put it on the blog, yet" kind of way) that it would be happening, but the official announcement was made this afternoon at his office.

This is Brad's next step in taking on more leadership with his company, and something he has been working on for a long time. I am so proud, and I know that he is going to do a wonderful job. Congratulations, Brad!