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On Tampa Time

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We sadly flew back to NYC last night. It was so nice to be able to spend a week down south enjoying the warm weather. There’s one thing I used to take for granted and never do anymore: walking out the door without having to bundle up. It’s a dream! You can just leave your house. In under a minute, without thinking!!! Needless to say, walking off the plane was a huge dose of “welcome back to reality.”
About a week before leaving for Florida, I started to feel a little inkling of a stuffy nose. I blamed the cold weather for the constant sniffing. While in the sun, however, it developed into full blown cold. Blah! I mean, there are worst places to feel sick (the sun still felt amazing!), but being sick is just to that fun. I started feeling really bad yesterday, naturally just before the flight. It’s one thing to be sick in sunny Florida and it’s another to feel sick in 10 degree weather. So… let’s pretend we’re all enjoying an iced coffee, out by the pool, while wearing a little pom pom tunic.

It was “Florida cold” the first couple of days that we were there. I can handle Tampa cold. White jeans and cashmere sweaters one day… Skinny jeans, a striped tee, and (my new favorite thank you thank you thank you Kate Spade) scalloped coat the next day.

And lots of Buddy Brew coffee. Whoa is it good. Garrett, my mom, and I had breakfast one morning. The toast is unreal. I got the salmon because I wanted a hearty little piece of toast. But, oh! The banana and peanut butter toast is LEGIT.

Speaking of food. A doughnut shop called Perk’s Donut Bar opened up across the street from the high school. Whoa baby. The doughnuts. The maple with bacon doughnut was amazing!

We double dated (with Stacy, too) at one of our favorite Mexican restaurant Miguel’s. We also played a hilarious round of Cards Against Humanity afterwards. Still laughing about that. The five of us also at dinner in downtown St. Pete one night and another night we had matzoh ball soup at home with my grandparents. All the food, please.

More Buddy Brew Coffee. If you go to Oxford Exchange, you have to get the vanilla iced coffee. (The actual Buddy Brew doesn’t have vanilla syrup, so you can only have it at Oxford Exchange.) The mocha is great and the caramel is okay, we taste tested both. The vanilla though? AMAZING.

You know who had the best time ever? Teddy. This little guy loves having space to play. Central Park is great for a handful of months out of the year, but there’s something about having a whole house for him to explore, a backyard to romp through, and freedom to have fun without being cooped up that turns him into a different dog. (This is definitely contributing to my time in NYC running out…) 
In the picture above, we’re at the beach dog park at the tip of Davis Islands. He swam in the water in December and while he definitely was itching to get into the water, it was a bit too cold. Poor guy was shivering. Still lots of fun to have him running around the sand with some new dog friends.
The golf course is closed on Mondays which means he can run free. Look at that little guy! Does he look happy or what?!
Our neighbor has a pet pig. My sister met him when he was a tiny piglet and I knew I wanted to visit him. We brought Teddy over and the two of them together pretty much made my life. Hilarious!!! Arnold, the pig, is pretty much full grown (27 pounds) and honestly one of the cutest animals I’ve ever seen. I don’t think a pet pig is for me, but it was fun for a quick visit.
G convinced me to play lacrosse with him a little bit. I’ve never touched a lacrosse stick before and it was actually pretty fun. (Once I got the hang of it at least.) Let’s just say, I’m not terrible but definitely not good.
Such a fun trip. February is the slowest month for my business and I think we’re going to have to make this trip to Florida every February a tradition from now on! It was just what we both needed.


xoxo
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19 Comments

The Yuppie Files

I was in Naples last week & was sick with a stomach bug. I was legit in bed the entire time, it was the worst! Glad you got to enjoy some of the Florida sun- I miss it!

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Southern Sass and Class

Looks like a relaxing trip and a much needed break from the cold of New York! I love the picture of you and Garrett with you in his letters, as a sig sweetheart it warms my heart that he still has the hoodie! Sweetheart love to him and I hope you feel better soon!!! XoXo L

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missvranhalen.com

LOVED this! I'm also from Florida but live in NYC. Reading this was like taking a tiny vacation! lol My best friend lives in Tampa, so think I'm going to send her some of those donuts for her birthday! Thanks for sharing 🙂

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Kerri Koen

Looks like so much fun! I lived in St. Pete for 3 years and I still miss it – the weather but also the restaurants and people (& dog parks!). Feel better soon!

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White Cabana

Thanks for sharing all of these hot spots! I look forward to trying them out for myself this year. I'm due to be in Tampa in March, and I'll definitely be in the area this summer.

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