48 Hours in Philly

Well, hello hello!

I'm back from my quick zip around Philly and I'd like to share some pics with you.

I was up before the sun on Friday to make it to Myrtle for my flight, which ended up being super delayed. :(

Finally made it into Philly mid day and my girl Abby picked me up from the airport to take us straight to her apartment in Center City.

Abby is a Doctor who is doing her residency in the heart of the city!

You may remember her hooding ceremony in this post.

Anywho, I love a good cityscape snap!

After dropping off my bag we hit the streets, opting to kick off the weekend with pretty drinks at an equally pretty second floor terrace at Revolution House:

 

 From there we walked around the corner to Spruce Street Harbor.  This place was super cool!  It reminded me of Water Front Park, if Water Front Park had a Food Truck Rodeo every night.

 Some amazing people watching...

After cabbing back and freshening up, Friday night we hit the town.  I really have no idea the names of places we visited, but it was great!

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Saturday morning we visited Terminal Market for breakfast.  This was my favorite part of the trip.

Terminal Market is AMAZING! It's essentially a gourmet grocery store/food court.  Everything is fresh, authentic, and delicious.  I could have wandered and sampled for hours.

This photo doesn't really capture anything but picture a historic, Costco size warehouse (with much lower ceilings) filled with open air restaurants and markets.

Heavenly.

 I could not stop thinking about how much K would love this place.  This particular deli literally shaved the roast beef for your sandwhich and sliced you fresh bread.

I opted for a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant. 

I was one happy customer:

 After breakfast we went to Macy's because it was in the low 70's and I wanted to pick up a light sweater, as I only brought summer clothes.  The Macys is in a beautiful building and there is an organist that plays throughout the day...nice touch.

After relaxing back at the apartment for a bit, we walked down to South Street for a Philly cheese steak.  The lines were outrageous!  No matter which way I looked at it, standing in line on a chilly day for sandwhich just made no sense.  So, we walked around the corner to a cute little french bistro for a late lunch.

Later on, we rounded out the trip at Abby's neighborhood wine bar, Zavino.

Cheers!

My flight home on Sunday was also delayed so I figured I must capture this aspect of my trip with an airport restroom selfie. 

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Overall it was a great quick trip.  Philadelphia is full of history.  I saw the first library, the first hospital in the U.S.  A huge thanks to my dear Abigail for hosting me!

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Have any of y'all ever visited Philly?  Anything major I missed?

Note: We did visit Indepedence Garden (Liberty Bell, Constitution, but more just for a glance because of the lines).

Thoughts on Thursday

This week has been a busy one in the Nielson house.
This post is going to be all over the place.

Starting with this picture...We hung our rehearsal dinner guestbook in our kitchen.  Cool!

Last night I joined my best girls for dinner and drinks at California Dreaming.

We didn't last too long outside,
but the breeze off the water made it bearable for a bit.

 I am heading to Philly early early tomorrow and I'm so pumped!
I'm a little bit worried about the traffic and road closures due to Obama and the Emanuel AME funerals.  But I am flying out of Myrtle Beach, so hopefully I'll be out of dodge before the madness ensues.

 Our menu this week.

Some notes:

The wraps on Monday were these from Costco.  Quick and easy!

My mom bought 7 lbs of local shrimp over at Shem Creek so we used some for the pasta Tuesday. 

Tonight's pizza is Walmart Marketside.  I really despise shopping at Walmart but the prices are just unbeatable.  These pizzas are in the deli section and they are less than $10 for a huge extra large.

My favorite is the pepperoni with fresh mozzarella:

See y'all next week!

p.s. would love any Philly recs.  

p.p.s. CHEESESTEAKS!

Hot Hot Hot

Hey now, it's hot!  How many times have you said/heard that lately, Charleston?

This weekend the heat index was 112.  That's insane.

I usually enjoy reading on the back porch after work, but it has been unbearable.

To cool off, I have been enjoying Vintage lemon sparkling water with sliced strawberries lately.

Sidenote, this book is steamy.

Also pictured, the blazing sun.  

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My dad said he wanted to play shuffleboard at Gene's for Father's Day, so that's what we did Friday night.  We love Gene's!

We stopped into Gala Desserts on our way out.  It's somewhat new to the Avondale area and my mom and I each ordered a slice of their Chocolate mousse cake to go (bottom left in this pic).

Delish!

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Saturday we went to Costco to pick up a beef tenderloin for a family cookout, and for the best lunch deal in all America:

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Later on we decided to stop by James Island's newest, The Screen Door, for a cocktail. 

We also ordered an appetizer of their wings, which were great but an $8 order consisted of only 4 wings.  We opted to head home for dinner because the menu just wasn't that impressive and seemed overpriced. 

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Yesterday I got sucked into marathon watching UnReal on Lifetime.  

I really enjoyed it!

I've loved Shiri Appleby since Roswell days.

It comes on right after the Bachelorette tonight so I'm looking forward to a new episode.

Rounded out the weekend with a family cookout to celebrate Father's Day with my in-laws.

The End!

I hope y'all had a great weekend!

I keep starting and stopping writing a post about the Emanuel AME tragedy because I don't know how to express such intense emotion with words.  I keep tearing up with every new article or photo I see.  

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I'm struggling so much with the concept of faith and how it plays so directly into Wednesday night's event.  I don't mean to say I'm having a crisis of faith, it's just to think that a group of faith minded people, filled with trust, confidence, and belief were the target.  It's too much to wrap my mind around without falling deeper and deeper into sadness and emotional chaos.

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I think a lot about what it will be like raising a family in this day and age.

I will teach my children to treat all others with respect.

I will be watchful to protect them from every threat.

I will also be a watchful parent within my family, to ensure my children are well adjusted and happy.

I wish and hope that all parents do the same.

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I can't wrap this blog post up with a bow, there is no end to the conversation.

But I'm out of ways to say what's on my mind.

I can't make sense of this.

And I don't really want to.

Isaiah 43:2  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Cynthia Hurd

Susie Jackson

Ethel Lance

Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor

The Honorable Rev. Clementa Pinckney

Tywanza Sanders (fellow James Island grad)

Rev. Daniel Simmons

Rev. Sharonda Singleton

Myra Thompson

Wednesday Randoms

Goooood muggy morning out there!

Let the random thoughts proceed:

So let's see, last week was a busy one.

Wednesday was nice because K went to a hockey game with his friends and so I enjoyed one of my favorite guilty pleasures: frozen pizza and SVU reruns.  My favorite frozen pizza is the Dr. Oetker brand.  I eat the entire thing.

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Thursday I had a vino date with my bff.  We schedule our hair appointments together (She began going to Lava after having wedding hair done there) and then walk next door to Avondale Wine and Cheese.  There was a wine tasting happening and I ended up buying this bottle of red.  The smell reminds me of a cigar shop (RIP Club Habana) and has a sort of effervescence to it.  I'm not a red drinker but I really really loved this, hence the empty bottle.

I was actually off on Thursday because I worked Saturday.  I will usually just collect overtime but decided to take the day to get some things done.  My point?  I won't do it again, it essentially felt like I had two Mondays last week.  

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Here's a silly shot of my new 'do.  K hates it when I ask him to take pictures of me when we're out, so this is the best I could get.  On another note, I love this top.  I bought it on our honeymoon and it is super soft and comfortable.

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Another bright little number I like, this romper from F21.  I am looking for a few easy outfits for my trip to Philly next week.  I am only bringing a carry on so this would fit perfectly.

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On Sunday we went to see Jurassic World and then went to PF Changs to use the gift certificate we won a while back. 

It was my second time eating there and same reaction: glorified Chinese.

But, the summer rolls were excellent.

Jurassic World was exactly what I expected,  a summertime action blockbuster! We went to the 4 o'clock showing and even 30 minutes early the theatre was packed.  

Noteworthy: 30 minutes worth of previews!!! It was ridiculous.  I ate all my Sno Caps before they were even finished.

Also, Chris Pratt.  Hubba Hubba.

I feel like he's kind of the underdog and it makes me even more happy for his leading man status.

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Another "underdog" that I'm rooting for: Jared on The Bachelorette!

At first glance I was not so intrigued but his demeaner and body language are downright sexy.

But alas I have no hope for this season at all because I think Kaitlyn is vulgar and more interested in playing the field.  But anyway, Go Jared!

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One last thought...

My man shaved his beard Monday night and I feel like I've fallen in love all over again.

Don't get me wrong, I love his beard, but I haven't seen his smooth face since our wedding and I'm so happy it's back...for now.

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Humpity Hump, Hope y'alls Wednesday is going well.

:)

Humpity Hump!

June, sloooow down!

I'm just popping in with a few of the haps around here lately...

Hope all is well with you :)

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Last week we celebrated my brother's Birthday down at The Palace Hotel, a quirky bar that's off the beaten tourist path.  They created a special cocktail for his occasion, which was delish!  

Happy Birthday Slither Boy! 

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I picked up this flyer at the gym yesterday and was so excited to sign up...until I realized it's over in Mount Pleasant.  Bummer!  Any Mt. P peeps, check it out:

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Y'all.  I drive by this house on my way into work and I swear I am waiting for a garden gnome or fairy to fly out the front door with a watering can.  Have you ever scene such lush, beautiful landscaping.  The little flag says "Vivian's Garden".  Vivian, I love you.

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And last, a little Lowcountry love to get you over the hump:

Have a great week!

Our Weekend

 Helloooo Monday and What's up June! 

How was everyone's weekend? 

I worked late on Friday night so we grabbed a glass of wine and take out at Mondos.

Unrelated but the side braid is my summer style go-to.

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Saturday morning I went to Body Combat at Gold's before popping into Tres Carmen for their Spring Sales Event.  I got a couple of cute things off the $15.00 rack and I picked up this bracelet from local designer Taylor Diggs.  

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This weekend officially felt like Summer in Charleston.  We used it as an excuse to pop this bottle of rose from the wine shower at my Bachelorette Weekend.

"For you to enjoy with a summertime meal on the grill"

(Thanks Lauren!)

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Fake Baby Alert!

We watched American Sniper Saturday night and I could not get over the fake baby!  It was so distracting for such a serious, big money film.  

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We rounded out the weekend with a Sunday spent at the pool and then a family cookout at my parent's house, where these two babies pretend to ignore eachother.

How was your weekend?