New York Trip: Day 1

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The last weekend in January is Ryan's birthday, so we took a big fun adventure up to NYC for a few days! We stayed with my friends Britni and Bobby, thanks again guys! I'm going to break the trip up into a few days worth of posts because I have so many photos that I really wanted to share. If you're heading to the city for a few days and need some recommendations I've included links to all of the places we visited. 

Here we go! 

The first morning when Brit and Bobby went to work, Ryan and I headed down to Chelsea for breakfast at Bubby's. I've been thinking of their pancakes since my last visit to the city and I knew they had a chicken biscuit that had Ryan's name all over it. My favorite thing about Bubby's is that they have an old fashioned photo booth in the basement downstairs. That photo strip is one of my favorite keepsakes from any of our trips together. 

 

Post breakfast, we met up with my friend Sarah, SJS! at McNally Jackson's. It's a store composed of anything and everything your office and desk could ever need. Pens and pencils, lamps, organizational accessories, and the like, I wanted all of the things. After we did a bit of shopping we headed to get some lunch at J's Pizza. When Ryan lived in NYC for a summer, he would go to this little pizza spot at least once a week. The worker's knew his order each time he stopped in and the best was that they recognized him this time as well. We gobbled up a large cheese pizza and a couple of sodas and hit the pavement to swing by the David Zwirner and Joshua Liner galleries. I loved the squiggly line installation, it's probably called something totally different, but it looked like sprinkles and made me happy so there's that. 

We said so long to SJS for the afternoon and Ryan and I hopped a train over to Brooklyn to meet up with the guys at The Arm, a letterpress shop. Ryan's followed their work for quite some time but has never made it over to visit their studio. We were both warmly welcomed by the shop pup, Henry the dalmatian. The Arm is a studio where they have half a dozen, and then some, different makes of letterpress machines. You can take classes with them or rent time to use the machines for whatever projects that you are working on. If you are in the market to buy a press, they'll find you one and even restore it as well. It's a really cool concept and I know that Ryan was eating up every minute of the time we spent with the guys there. 

For dinner, we met up with Britni and Bobby after they finished work. We headed to Urbanspace, a large interior space that houses a dozen or so different mini restaurant stands. They had anything from Dough, Sigmund's Pretzels, Roberta's Pizza, and then some. I had tacos from a place I can't remember, it probably wasn't the best choice. Ryan had a pizza from Roberta's and the Brit, Bobby and Ryan all had a chicken sandwich from Delaney's- they looked and smelled amazing. We walked over to Momofuku Milk Bar afterwards on the way home. Ryan and I had a compost cookie and Brit and Bobby had cereal milk ice cream. If you've never had Momofuku before, but you've probably heard the hype, I would say take it or leave it. We all looked at each other after we ate it and started laughing when we realized that the others were thinking the same thing but didn't want to say it out loud. Brit and Bobby thought we really wanted to go there and we thought the same about them. I would say to try it once, but if you want ice cream or desserts, there are hundreds of other places to try that are better (Big Gay Ice Cream was a favorite last time.) 

That's all for day one! We went home and watched TV and sat talking for a few hours, the best way to spend time, in my opinion. Until tomorrow! 

Parksdale Strawberry Market

Parksdale Market
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It's strawberry season here in Florida and there's nothing better than a classic strawberry shortcake this time of year. Just before the strawberry festival kicked off, my dad and I drove out to Plant City to pick up a flat and test out the shortcake at Parksdale Market. The place was packed with eager shoppers, so we picked up our flat and a few other fruits and headed over to order our afternoon snacks. My dad had the original strawberry shortcake and I ended up ordering the sliced strawberries with fresh whipped cream. Behind the counter in the kitchen were tubs and tubs of fresh cut strawberries sprinkled with a bit of sugar. The smell was enticing in and of itself, but once you tasted the berries you realized why the market was so crowded in the first place. It was delicious! I tried a bit of the shortcake at the bottom of my dad's bowl and I wasn't disappointed. It's a nice way to have a dessert while still feeling like you're eating a bit healthier ;) If you are over in the area before the month of April ends, stop by! The market is open all year round, however, they only sell the shortcakes, milkshakes, and other desserts from January-April.   

After dessert, we had lunch at Johnson Barbeque. I don't have any photos but if you find yourself over that way and need a lunch recommendation, we approve! My dad had a pulled chicken BBQ sandwich and I had bbq mahi fish tacos. We both agreed it would be worth a trip back over there for lunch. The interior was decorated in true southern fashion, the food was delicious, and the service was as nice as they come. 

Valentine's Tea

Chocolate Pi
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This Valentine's Day, Chocolate Pi hosted an afternoon tea chocked full of sweets, scones, and savory tea sandwiches. My mom and I jumped at the opportunity to go and we were so happy that we did. When we arrived, we were seated outside at a beautiful little table covered in fresh flowers, live acoustic entertainment, and the most delicious tea was soon delivered. You can see a few of the few photos below of the display that was served. There were deviled eggs, cucumber and caprese sandwiches, sweet scones, eclairs, macarons, and probably 15 other treats I am leaving out; they were all delicious and my favorite was the raspberry and lemon curd macaron. I also loved the blueberry scone with lemon curd, clotted cream, and jam. My mom and I were very impressed and it was such a wonderful way to celebrate the day together. I wish they did tea every weekend! 



A Day with Mey Mey

Casita Taqueria
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While my friend Sarah was in town around the holidays, we took an afternoon and met over in downtown St. Pete for an afternoon of lunching, catching up, and antiquing. We started off the day with lunch at Casita Taqueria. I had visited for dinner a few weeks prior and I had the most amazing Siracha shrimp taco...sadly it was just a daily special and wasn't on the menu when we went for lunch. We each tried one fish and one shrimp taco, with a side trio of queso, salsa and fresh guacamole, of course. Everything was delicious and with full bellies it was time to hit a few antique stores. 

While I don't have any photos of each one of the antique stores, There was a strip of about 5-6 antique stores all in a row right down from where we ate lunch. Our favorite was the Lion's Paw as they had everything from clothing, decor, and furniture. Sarah was obsessing over their selection of fur coats. She left with a silver champagne bucket and small purse, I left empty handed, however I found treasures at one of the other shops. One store, I cannot remember the name but it was just a few doors down, had some of the most beautiful antique jewelry I have seen in a while. They had a decently sized collection of art deco rings which have always been one of my favorites, it reminds me of my great grandmother's rings. 

While I don't have any photos of each one of the antique stores, There was a strip of about 5-6 antique stores all in a row right down from where we ate lunch. Our favorite was the Lion's Paw as they had everything from clothing, decor, and furniture. Sarah was obsessing over their selection of fur coats. She left with a silver champagne bucket and small purse, I left empty handed, however I found treasures at one of the other shops. One store, I cannot remember the name but it was just a few doors down, had some of the most beautiful antique jewelry I have seen in a while. They had a decently sized collection of art deco rings which have always been one of my favorites, it reminds me of my great grandmother's rings.  

After antiquing for a bit, we took a break to grab a juice down at Bodega. I was back and forth between two smoothie flavors, the mango and the lola rico, and the girl behind the counter kindly did a hybrid smoothie for me and did a combination of the two-which was delicious! I really love the juices and smoothies there, it's the perfect stop for a little snack that is healthy yet somewhat filling. Plus, the interior is too cute with that subway tile and neon, "You bet your sweet grass," sign.

The last store we stopped into for the day was China Finders. I had passed by this place several times and was always curious to stop in and see just what they had to offer. With Sarah being a blue and white china and Wedgwood collector, we had to stop in. Little did we realize just. how. much. china. they. had. It was row upon row upon row of every brand and style china you could imagine. I wasn't in the market for any china but it's an amazing place to keep in mind if you own some of your grandparents or even great grandparents china and you may be missing a piece to the set. If China Finders doesn't have the piece to complete your set, they have specialized workers there to track down the piece or pieces that you are looking for. 

Lastly, we absolutely had to stop into Hyppo for a popsicle. I will never be in the neighborhood and not stop in for one! Sarah has never tried it, but has most certainly heard all about it...from guess who? ;) She picked the guava hibiscus pop and I tried the guava tangerine; both were light and refreshing, I would recommend them! 

 

Thank you Mey for spending the day exploring about town with me! Come back to the Sunshine State ASAP, please! 

Orange You Glad...

Gordon's Grove
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We went orange picking! Ryan drove down from St. Augustine and I drove up from Tampa and we met somewhere in the middle-ish in DeLand, FL. I had never visited before, and I don't think Ryan had either. The Pastor at Ryan's church is part of the family that owns a citrus you pick farm, Gordon's Grove. They have a wide variety of oranges and grape fruits, so many I have absolutely no memory of what we picked, other than the fact that they were all delicious. We arrived relatively early and worked our way around the dozens of rows that were separated by each variety. We each had these long picker poles that were made of giant wooden dowels with hooks on the ends. Some of the best fruit was towards the tops of the trees, making it difficult to reach without one. Most times, I had to stand on my tippy toes to even reach 3/4th of the way up the tree. 

^^ the family's cute pup, Bella. She looked a bit frightening at first, but she was as sweet as they come. 

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We left with two Home Depot buckets filled with oranges, satsumas, and a variety of grapefruits. The cost per bucket was only $10! We both had oranges and grapefruits for at least another week and a half. The satsumas were my absolute favorite. They are just like the cuties you purchase at the store, easy to peel and incredibly sweet. Fruit picking has easily become one of my favorite activities. I've crossed blueberry and orange picking off of my list. Next up, I would like to go strawberry and apple picking. 

After orange picking, we hopped in our cars and headed to a secret lunch location that Ryan had picked out. We arrived at the DeLeon Springs State Park, headed down a few pathways to park, and found ourselves at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Grill & Pancake House.  Each table is equipped with one to two griddles for you to make your own pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon. Their pancakes are all you can eat and are brought to your table by the pitcher. You could chose between an unbleached flour or a stone ground whole wheat blend. You can also order an unlimited amount of toppings for your pancakes. We ordered one of each of the batters and picked blueberries, chocolate chips and peanut butter for our pancakes. The stone ground mix was a table favorite, as we each ate about 5-6 pancakes. They were absolutely delicious and it was the perfect meal to eat after a cold and rainy afternoon outdoors.

I would love to go back during the spring or summer when the temperatures warm up. Our waitress told us that large groups will come and swim in the springs or walk the trails as they wait for a table for breakfast or lunch. She said sometimes they work on a four to a five hour wait time. She said families love it because they arrive early and can put their names on a waiting list, go play in the park or springs, and then when their table is ready, the restaurant will call over a speaker system that can be heard outdoors. She did also mention that if you are out walking the off beaten trails to be careful for black bears; apparently the park has several dozen roaming the area. I'm sure they are out and about just looking to make some pancakes as well ;)

A few fun things about the park, they rent tubes, kayaks and canoes to explore the springs. You can paddle the kayaks and canoes down to the Wildlife Refuge where there are over 200 species of birds, dozens of alligators, and even the occasional manatee. The spring itself stays 72 degrees all year round, making it an ideal swimming hole during the winter months. They do charge for rentals, as well as parking when you enter the park, but it's absolutely worth it to go and explore for the day. And if you go during orange picking season, do not miss out on the chance to stop by and pick a few of your own at Gordon's Grove. 

hello, 2016!

Well, the start of 2016 came and went in a flash..so much so that here we are in the middle of February and I still haven't posted about New Year's Eve and New Year's Day yet. To keep a long story short, I worked on New Year's Eve and drove straight up to St. Augustine from work. I arrived into town pretty late so Ryan and I both decided that Chinese food would only be fitting. We came back home to eat dinner and to decorate Ryan's apartment for when the clock struck midnight. We had party hats, ALL the confetti, and we even made our own balloon drop. Even a month later, Ryan is still finding confetti all over his apartment ;) 

On New Year's Day morning we woke up and had breakfast at Les Petites Pleasures, a little french bakery and restaurant in town. Neither of us had been before so we thought we would start the new year off with a new to us restaurant. Ryan had a dessert style crepe with bananas and nutella while I opted for the quiche loraine with spinach and gruyere cheese. Both of our dishes were delicious and while the wait for food was about 30-40 minutes, it was worth every last bite. We'll be back! 

After breakfast, Ryan and I hopped back on the road and headed straight over to Tampa for my grandmother's traditional pork and sauerkraut dinner. It's probably my favorite family tradition that I look forward to each holiday season. For as long as I can remember my grandmother has always spent the entire day roasting pork and hot dogs in the biggest beds of sauerkraut I've ever seen. The one year I lived in Atlanta and couldn't make it home for New Year's Day my grandmother called and gave me her recipe and advice for making her traditional dishes. The trick is to just keep the sauerkraut in the oven alllll day long, consistently taking it out every hour or so and stirring it up with a little brown sugar. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it. After gobbling up almost all the sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, pork, biscuits and corn possible, we finished it all off with dessert and headed home for the evening. Spending that time with my family in my grandparent's home is something I cherish deeply. I wish New Year's Day came around more often so we could enjoy her holiday cooking more often, but the wait just makes it even more worthwhile in the end. 

Although we all dove head first into the new year, I hope it's proving to be a happy and healthy one for all thus far! 

Downton Abbey Preview

Back in December, the Tampa Theatre hosted a free Downton Abbey Viewing event. They previewed the entire first episode of the newest (and sadly the last) season. When I received the email for the event, I knew that my mom and grandma would especially love to go. I've watched the show since day one, and while I absolutely love it, I believe my grandmother is quite possibly the biggest fan. On the evening of the show, we all met up and headed downtown for a slice of pizza at Sam and Eddy's pizza. After dinner, it was show time! All of the Downton Abbey fans were  over the moon with excitement. The Tampa Theatre was the perfect setting for the show and the audience was certainly not disappointed. 

After dinner, we stopped for dessert at Village Inn. A co-worker of mine kept mentioning an infamous candy cane pie, which I had never heard of before. After hearing amazing things about it, I knew it would be the best place to stop so that we could all try a slice. Thankfully, they were not sold out and each ordered one slice for ourselves. We were all in heaven at first bite. It's almost like a french silk pie meets peppermint pie. There's a flaky, chocolate crust that is filled with mousse and topped with dark chocolate and peppermint colored chips. My mom and grandma both approved ;) 

Mom's Birthday Celebrations

Lunch on Limoges
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My mom's birthday is a couple of weeks before Christmas, and while we celebrated on her actual birthday with a family dinner, our plans for her requested Lunch on Limoges birthday lunch were postponed when she found out she had to work. Without fail though, we rescheduled for the end of December and it was to Dade City we went to celebrate for lunch. My mom and grandmother have been taking me to Lunch on Limoges from the time I was a little girl. It has always been a very special place to me, as I'm sure it is to many other people in the Dade City and Tampa area. With it's unique decor, delicious take on southern favorites, and their sweet as can be staff, it will probably always be a place I hold very close to my heart. This last trip to Lunch on Limoges will be no exception, seeing as my grandmother was able to join us as well. It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, surrounded by great food and two of my favorite people. I'm very lucky to have such wonderful women in my life, and I'm glad to be able to celebrate with them. 

We had traditional raspberry iced tea and miniature muffins to start off with followed by an appetizer size of fried eggplant with a creamy lemon caper sauce. For our entrees, my grandmother had pecan crusted grouper, my mom chose crab cakes, and I had blue crab stuffed shrimp with eggplant casserole and garlic potatoes. For dessert, because no birthday is complete without dessert, my grandmother had the strawberry cake, my mom chose the coconut cake, and I had a pan seared butter poundcake with poached pears and strawberries. Everything was sinfully delicious and I can't wait to celebrate again already next year :) 

St. Augustine Christmas

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Right before the holidays I lucked out and had a few days off back to back, so it was off to St. Augustine I went to celebrate Christmas with Ryan. Before I arrived, he went and picked up a mini tree for us (we got the last mini tree on the lot!) and I arrived with so many boxes of Christmas lights, Ryan's apartment ceilings are now practically all covered. 

^^Our little tree all decorated and awaiting Christmas morning. The next morning we woke up really early and opened up gifts and stockings followed by a decadent Christmas cinnamon roll breakfast. I had gifted Ryan with several new pour over coffee accessories, so he whipped us up a couple of pour overs to start the day. 

Back when I visited my friend Katherine in Germany, she gave me a couple Kinder Happy Hippos to try out. I had intended to save them until I got home from Europe, however, I ended up eating one on the plane ride home. I was so upset when I did because they were so delicious and I could not find them anywhere stateside. A few months ago, while visiting my favorite Polish restaurant in town, I noticed that they sold them in packs of 5 in their food market. I was so excited that I snatched up their last two boxes, yet I refused to eat any of them because I knew I would be craving them as soon as I ate the last bite. I had mentioned it to Ryan once about how I had been hoarding Happy Hippos and low and behold, for Christmas he ordered me a box of 50 so I could finally enjoy them and not have to worry about running out immediately. Next time you see anything Kinder related at a European market, buy it! Just don't wait to eat them like I do!

We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with a few of Ryan's friends, eating pizza, and riding the carousel on San Marco. We used to ride it sometimes when I would visit my friends Britni and Bobby at Flagler, but it's been a few years since I've been back on it. Ryan and I walked down to the carousel and paid our well worth it $1 for the 3 minute ride. The park wasn't very busy, so Ryan and I had the carousel to ourselves. We took advantage and paid a few extra dollars to keep it going. 

Later that evening we just spent a bit of time walking around downtown for Nights of Lights. It's my favorite time of the year in St. Augustine and I wish that they would leave the lights up year round. I suppose then it wouldn't be as special, so I'll soak it all up while I can until it's time for them to take the lights down. 

Each year, for the last five years, Ryan has made a "staching through the snow" letterpress Christmas card. This year, in celebration of his new press and the five year mark, Ryan designed a five color letterpress card. Each year, he sends them out to friends and family, and in return, they must post a photo of themselves holding up the card as if the mustache were their own. It has seemingly become a fun tradition for Ryan's friends and it's one I know I enjoying doing as well. Below are two of the photos we took. 

Mount Dora, November 2015

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Back in November, Ryan and I ventured back down to Mount Dora for the Renniger's Antique Extravaganza. We both left with lots of treasures including mid-century globes, file cabinets for Ryan's letterpress tools, post cards, brooches, old time Florida theme collectibles, and then some. The highlight of our trip was probably the fact that Twisted Willy's, our favorite pretzel stand, was back and whipping up the most delicious garlic parmesan pretzels. I would be lying if I said we did not eat at least three...evidence is shown below. The good news is we will be going back to visit the next show in February and we fully intend to eat at least one pretzel an hour ;)

Savannah Smiles Part II

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Below are a few of the photos from our second day in Savannah. We had breakfast at The Collins Quarter, walked all over town to check out a few antique stores, had lunch at The Green Truck Pub, afternoon tea at The Gryphon Tea Room, stopped into a few bookstores, and finished the night with pizza at Vinnie Van Go Go's and ice cream at Leopold's before heading back to St. Augustine. We both thought that Savannah reminded us a bit like St. Augustine; a little touristy at times, but filled with local gems that make it worth visiting again soon. 


Savannah Smiles: Part I

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Recently, Ryan and I took a quick 36 hour trip up to Savannah. I had spent the last few weeks scouting out a few places to stop into while there. We had the best time exploring the little historic town; it reminds me a lot of St. Augustine mixed with a little bit of Charleston. I've been twice before, but the first time was for less than 12 hours and the second time was for a bachelorette party. This time was most certainly my favorite though. We arrived early and had a pizza snack before starting to shop at a few of Savannah's best. First up was Paris Market, which Ryan and I equally agreed was one of our favorite places we stopped into. The decor, the product, the ambiance, it was all beautiful. Not to mention, those chocolate chip cookies we had from their little cafe were absolutely amazing. 

We found several antique shops that were surprisingly open on a Sunday. I found an entire wall of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books; Nancy Drew was my favorite when I was younger. We also made it a point to visit the shop SCAD. The store is a really awesome concept, where SCAD owns the building and they only sell products made by SCAD alumni. I left with a few greeting cards, but had my eye on a few weavings and journals. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the downtown area through all of the town squares. We had time to kill before dinner so we checked into the hotel after a couple hours of strolling. For dinner, there were two places that we wanted to try- The Olde Pink House and The Grey. We arrived to the Olde Pink House as soon as they opened so that we could be seated in the downstairs first come first serve tavern. When you make a reservation online or over the phone, you're making a reservation for the upstairs portion of the restaurant. The downstairs tavern is cozy, dimly lit by candle light. There was a fireplace and intimate seating, making it a much better option than upstairs, in my opinion. They also serve from the same menu whether you sit upstairs or downstairs. We each had a drink and split the fried green tomatoes and cheese and fruit board. 

Post Olde Pink house we found ourselves caught in a rainstorm and had to sprint, literally, back to the car. We then drove over to The Grey, a restaurant housed in the old Savannah Greyhound station. The interior was incredible, with a "diner" upfront and the restaurant in the back, they both served separate menus. We had reservations for the restaurant, however we decided the diner looked a bit more fun so we sat upfront. Ryan ordered a cuban sandwich and I had the roasted veggie sandwich with house-made chips.

Osborne Family Lights

Disney Hollywood Studios
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If you are familiar with the Disney theme parks, you'll know that every year for the last couple of decades, Hollywood Studios has played host to the Osborne Family Light show. Towards the back of the park, they cover all of the buildings in millions of Christmas lights, decorated to portray different scenes. There's a large peace on Earth globe, Nativity scenes, Santa with his reindeer, and hidden mickeys galore. Sadly, this is the last year they will be hosting the lights as that area of the park will be expanding and themed around Star Wars. My friends Cathy and Brad met up with Ryan and me after work to ride a few rides, see the lights, and have dinner. Ryan had never been to the light show before, so I am glad he was able to enjoy it before they end it for good. Below are a few pictures we took; although none of them do the real-deal any justice! 

 

Hot & Ready Now

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
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a little post from a morning at Krispy Kreme with Ryan before he headed out of town. I must have forgotten to have posted it a while back- so here we are! 

I am off to St. Augustine for a mini vacation. We'll be headed to Orlando for an evening to see my friend Cathy, exploring some new restaurants and coffee shops in Jacksonville, and driving to Mount Dora for the big antique extravaganza! Stay tuned for more on those later. 

Hope you have a sweet rest of your week ;)

Halloween Eve!

Tampa Theatre
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For the last several weeks my mom had been hinting to the fact that she had a surprise activity planned for us on the evening before Halloween. Turns out, that surprise was a trip to Tampa Theatre for an after hours ghost tour! The stories they told made it seem as if all of the ghosts that "live" there are rather friendly. If I lived/haunted such a beautiful and historic theatre I would probably be one happy ghost as well- free popcorn 24/7! Aside from the entertaining stories, we went back stage, which was probably my favorite part. There were so many great pictures of the theatre from years ago, older framed news articles, and disco balls! The theatre offers the ghost tours around Halloween each year. Aside from the ghost tours, they also do a behind the scenes tour each weekend that is open to the public for a small fee. That tour is next on my list, as both tours focus on different facts about the theatre, making each one worthwhile. My mom and I had a great time and it was the perfect way to set the spirit going into Halloween. Thank you, mom! 

Pumpkin Heads

Sykes and Cooper Farms
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Last weekend I had a day and a half off of work with 0 plans, so it was off to St. Augustine I went. We had lunch at Blue Hen before we ventured into Palatka to check out Sykes and Cooper Farms. They had a large corn maze, farm animals, pumpkins for purchase, hayrides, and a beautiful sunflower field. It wasn't hours of entertainment, but it made for a fun hour and a half walking through the mazes, taking a hayride and picking out pumpkin to decorate later that evening. My favorite might have been the cute piggies eating all of their pumpkin snacks. Another favorite, that massive pig sleeping- Ryan said we could not keep him. Le sigh, maybe next year. 

The next morning we went to Theo's per my request for dippy eggs and toast. Theo's makes THE BEST bread rolls that they use on all of their sandwiches and as toast. When I used to visit Brit and Bobby at Flagler I would always leave with a half dozen to bring back with me to Tallahassee. This trip there was no different, I was eating toast at home for days. Other than their toast, they make massive cinnamon rolls that are the size of your head, quite literally. They sell out of the cinnamon rolls early, so it's an extra incentive to avoid sleeping in. After breakfast we headed back to paint our pumpkins and eat more pumpkin cheesecake pops. I'm still laughing over those pumpkins we painted. Classic pumpkin heads. 

I Brocante Even

Brocante Market
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A few weekends back, when Ryan was in town, we met up with Whitney and Casey to shop at the monthly vintage market, Brocante. I couldn't help but snap a picture when we all left because our finds were absolutely ridiculous. Casey and his brass horn, Whitney and her alpaca cape and tiny rose enameled tin, me and my yellow bubble lamp, and Ryan with his oil can and time card holder. We spent the rest of the morning having brunch together before Ryan and I went over to The Hyppo and walked around to see of the Shine Festival Murals. You can see a few of our favorite walls below. There are so many more spread out throughout downtown St. Pete that I want to explore a little more next time I am over there. Also on our to-do list in St. Pete, Green Bench Brewing and The St. Pete Shuffleboard Club. 

Lumberjack and Lace

Sacred Heart Catholic Church
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This weekend, my best friend's older sister, Cherice, married her fiancé (who conveniently looks just like a lumberjack.) They were married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Tampa, followed by bbq and endless dancing at the Tampa Garden Club. I have zero pictures of the bride and groom, but I do have pictures of grilled cheese and cookies, so hey, that is something! We had some time in between the ceremony and reception, so keeping with my most recent wedding day tradition (and I love traditions) we headed to Steak 'n Shake for fries and grilled cheese. It wouldn't be right to not share a picture of our gourmet snack, which can be viewed below. One of my favorite aspects of the wedding hands down was the crazy dessert bar. A few days prior to the wedding, I went over to the baker's house, she's a good friend of the family and just so happens to be a phenomenal baker in her spare time. We helped her decorate all 300 plus cupcakes and we made the key lime pie shooters. In addition to 4-5 cupcake flavors, there were cookies- chocolate chip!!!, mini donuts, small apple pies, and smaller tiered cakes. We ate ourselves silly with desserts and I contemplated taking a dozen cookies in my clutch home for later. I absolutely loved the hutch display and wish that all of my drawers at home were filled with an endless amount of chocolate chip cookies. 

Thanks for the fun time Cherice and James! Hope you're having fun in Canada as I post this from your living room while eating popcorn and watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2...I'm dog sitting for them all week ;) 

Fabrica Pizza

fabrica pizza
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To say that Ryan and I may have found a new favorite pizza spot in town would be an understatement. We tested Fabrica Pizza out one evening for dinner while I was babysitting for a family nearby. We loved it so much we went back for dinner the next night as well. I tried two different pizzas: the vedura with broccolini, spinach and ricotta as well as the melazane with oven roasted eggplant. Ryan went with his traditional margherita and red chili flake pizza which we both thought was delicious. It's down in the Channelside district and the menu is set up with several specialty pizzas or you can create your own. Afterwards, we hopped the crosstown to Brandon to try Revolution Ice Cream. They make their own ice creams in-house and have several flavors that they rotate through as staples and, in addition, they have several seasonal flavors. I had the puppy chow ice cream, which tasted exactly like the kind you make at home from scratch, and Ryan had the cinnamon roll. I tasted the pumpkin snickerdoodle as well, which was out of this world. I will most likely be back before very, very soon ;)