Flirty Thirty

Happy flirty 30 to my bestie, Marielle! Friends for 22 years, maid of honor at each other's weddings (hers, mine), we've known each other for most of our lives and been there for the good, the bad and the awkward moments in-between. We're more than friends; we're family. Sisters. We've been on many adventures together and, in more recent years, as happens in adulthood, we've experienced much apart. But no matter how much time goes by or how much distance separates us, we're always there for each other and we can always pick up right where we left off. That's what happens when you know and understand someone so completely, and love them unconditionally. That's family. I feel blessed to have such a friend as her in my life and grateful that our friendship has persisted all these years later, after that first meeting on the elementary school playground! 

I'm thankful we were able to spend my 30th together when I was visiting California this past March (my birthday was just three days after her wedding!) and I just wish I could be home again to celebrate with her. But honestly, Marielle isn't too keen on big birthday parties, and I know she is spending her birthday exactly the way she would want: traveling with her love. Right now she and her hubby are (finally!) enjoying their honeymoon, which they are spending traipsing around Italy. So I know she is having an incredible, magical, fabulous time. And I'm sure JP is spoiling his wifey with a fancy Italian dinner tonight and lots of wine. Just what the birthday girl deserves!

Fortunately for me, my BFF has been feeding my wanderlust by sending photos and messages from Italia. It's almost like I'm on vacation with her. Almost. For now, I'll wish her and her bubs sunny skies, full bellies and happy hearts for the rest of their journey.

Buon compleanno, bella!

An Ode to Florida : Reflecting On Our Year in St. Pete

We bid adieu to St. Petersburg three weeks ago and I've been meaning to write some sort of reflective post for nearly as long. But how do I sum up our year in Florida? Trying to do so is a bit of an overwhelming task but ... here goes.

We had our highs and we had our lows, that's for sure. The move to St. Pete was not a smooth one, nor were G's first days and weeks at his new unit. (Similar to our current transition to Jersey.) And I wasn't sure I liked, or would grow to like, living in Florida. (Kinda how I'm feeling about Union City right now.) But once we made it through some serious financial drama (that happened through no fault of our own), unpacked and settled into our apartment, and survived the brutal summer humidity, the hubs and I began to enjoy our new life in the Sunshine State.

We celebrated our first married Thanksgiving and Christmas (with a visit to the Oakdale Christmas House!), and rang in the New Year—in our pajamas, no less.

While I didn't cross everything off my Florida fall and winter/spring bucket lists, G and I did go on many, many adventures. 

Together we...

Explored indie biz-focused fairs (Localicious and Localtopia), partook in boozy events (Oktoberfest Tampa, Guavaween in Ybor City, the Gasparilla pirate fest, the Tampa Bay Margarita Festival, and First Friday, with tubs of beer, in downtown St. Pete), shopped for fresh produce at the Saturday Morning Market (here and here, here) and picked up pre-loved wares at the Brocante Vintage Market.

Toured the Sunken Gardens, Great Explorations Children's Museum and The Florida Aquarium.

Fell in love with the Oxford Exchange and made multiple visits, for dinner, brunch and a book signing, and sometimes just for the delicious coffee.)

Walked around the gorgeous University of Tampa campus.

Viewed world-class art (and stunning architecture) at The Dali, the Chihuly Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts and the Mainsail Arts Festival.

Enjoyed beachy days in St. Pete (Treasure Island, Fort De Soto dog beach and the boardwalk at John's Pass Village), Clearwater, Dunedin, and a Miami Beach.

Attended games to watch local teams—the Buccaneers, Dolphins, Rays and Lightning—play G's favorite sports (football, baseball and hockey, respectively).

Sailed Tampa Bay at sunset.

Took a (BIG!) bite out of the Tampa Bay culinary scene, with visits to: 

Birch & Vine and The Canopy (day and night) at The Birchwood, 

Bella Brava (with the most enormous baked pasta dish you've ever seen), 

Cassis (for a light lunch and our one-year anniversary dinner), 

theAvenue (to cheer on the Chargers), Lucky Dill (for breakfast and lunch),

Annata, 400 Beach, Sea Salt, Rocco Steak, Ceviche,

Tryst, Red Mesa Cantina, Z Grille, Hook's, Cafe Del Mar, Engine No. 9,

Frenchy's Rockaway Grill, The Getaway, RumFish Grill, 

the restaurant at OE (for a gourmet brunch and dinner)

Anise Global Gastrobar, Taps, Hablo Taco, Bar Louie,

and even Bob Evans.

Sipped on... craft beers at dog-friendly Green Bench Brewing Co., 3 Daughters Brewing
and World of Beer (Pup Crawl! Football Sundays! The Jackass!),
various varietals of wine at Try Wine and the Locale Market bar,
classic cocktails and Moscow Mules at Mandarin Hide,
and some of the best java around at Kawha Coffee.

Our favorite "souvenir" from Florida has to be the one and only Jasper, the furbaby we welcomed into our family just months after arriving on the Gulf Coast. But the best thing about our time in St. Pete, and the reason it ended up being difficult to say goodbye, was the people. 

The friends we made in Tampa Bay 

are what made it feel like home. 

Without them, Florida would have been 

a beautiful but lonely place to be.

At the end of May, I organized a going-away pool party at our apartment complex so G and I could see everyone one more time before heading off to Jersey. It was a sun-soaked day full of good food, strong drinks, inappropriate card games and lots of laughs. The perfect way to wrap up our year in St. Pete.

Until next time, Florida! Thanks for the memories.

A Golden Birthday : Cheers for my 30th at Malibu Wines

Despite my best intentions to get back into blogging last week after my six-week long California vacation trip adventure, I was simply too busy or tired to do so. Busy because just three days after my best friend's wedding it was my 30th birthday, and then of course the packing (oh, the packing!) for our return to Florida. And tired because of, well, all that—plus it was tougher than I imagined to get back on East Coast time. The first three days we were home the hubs and I slept in until almost noon! I'm not exactly what you'd call an early riser but G is, so that was quite unusual for him.

But today is Monday, a fresh start to a new week and just a few days into a new month and I'm feeling recovered. (Even if our bags have yet to be unpacked. Oy vey.) As much as we loved visiting our friends and family in Simi Valley and San Diego, after so much time away it felt good to walk into our own place, our small, humble apartment home, and relax. While puppy Jasper came along with me on my adventure, our big girl Cali was over the moon to see us when we picked her up from the house of some truly great friends who had watched her for three weeks (!).

Since I've been in and out of the blogosphere for a while now, I have a lot of catching up to do. So much to share! Today I'll start with my aforementioned birthday—my golden birthday! I turned 30 on the 30th. 

G knew how busy and, I'll admit, stressed I had been with planning my best friend's bridal shower, and bachelorette party, and with helping her do any and everything to prepare for the wedding (dress fittings, DIY supply shopping, crafting, sign making, general MOH listening and encouraging, etc.) so he happily took on the task of planning my birthday party. While I knew something was happening on Sunday, March 29, the day before my birthday (and two days after my bestie's wedding), I didn't know what or where or who. The hubby decided to keep that a surprise. Even though I kept pestering for details! 

Funny enough, a friend had mentioned to me the idea of going to Malibu Family Wines to celebrate, which I thought was a fantastic idea since I had never been but always wanted to go. When I passed this information on to G, he told me not to worry, he already had a plan in mind and in motion. As it turns out, he was planning to take me to Malibu Wines all along! That guy. He knows me so well.

After arriving to the outdoor winery, I was greeted by a group of friends and family, waving and cheering under a gazebo reserved just for the party. We popped bottles of red, white, rosé and champagne and got to drinking. (And eating, and chatting, and playing Jenga and Cards Against Humanity.) It was a beautiful, sunny day and a wonderful afternoon hanging out with my best people. Friends from elementary and high school, friends from my days at the Acorn Newspapers, even my parents came out for the celebration. I felt so loved and appreciative that my husband put the whole thing together for me.

(A few more snaps of me and my silly, beautiful friends...)

The next day, my actual birthday, was low-key but just as nice. G and I went to breakfast with my family, I opened my gifts, and that night we went to Marielle and JP's house to hang with the newlyweds and cook dinner together. I made my go-to, crowd-pleasing appetizer, bruschetta, the hubs made his delicious sausage pasta coated in a decadent white wine sauce, Marielle made garlic bread and vanilla cupcakes, and JP poured the wine. It was perfect.

Part of me can't believe that I'm 30. I don't feel sad about it necessarily, but maybe in denial. Ha! Perhaps that's something to explore in another post. Truly though, I feel lucky to have amazing people who love me in my life and I have a feeling that my thirties are going to be even better than my twenties. Cheers to that, right? Yes, I have to remind myself sometimes but there is so much to look forward to, and many more adventures on the horizon.

Wedding Wednesdays : Bright & Cheery San Diego I Do's

This past Friday, G and I had the pleasure of returning back to our beloved San Diego to witness the wedding of two dear friends, Casie and Clay, who tied the knot bayside in Marina Village.

Claysie, as the pair is affectionately called, is the sweetest, most fun-loving couple around, and their big day was a total reflection of their upbeat personalities. The color palette featured bright and cheery hues—pink, yellow, orange, blue, green... All the colors of the rainbow! Guests were even invited to pick up a pair of neon sunnies upon arrival, to don during the waterfront, outdoor ceremony. And they were needed, because it was a gorgeous, sunshiny SoCal afternoon. Casie and Clay could not have ordered more beautiful weather for their wedding day.

The ceremony and reception details had a rustic and handmade touch. Burlap-wrapped mason jars filled with an assortment of blooms lined the aisle. Casie wore a stunning lace gown with an open back, showing off her slim figure, and her bridesmaids complimented her dress in vibrant blue lace frocks. Inside the light and airy reception room, burlap runners, colorful napkins and candles dressed up the round white tables, which featured DIY centerpieces (similar to ours!) made in part by the bride and groom: wood slices topped with wildflower-filled mason jars. Clay even crafted the rustic, wood slice table numbers!

Other fun details included personalized cocktail napkins, a "wall" of photos illuminated by twinkle lights and a Jenga guestbook where friends and family could leave short words of wisdom or advice for the newlyweds on one of the game's wooden tiles. In addition to dancing up a storm, the hubby and I had a blast watching Casie and Clay warm up the crowd by playing the shoe game (wish we had done that!), and later playing Bingo, one of C&C's favorite pastimes and party games. It is now my firm opinion that no wedding is complete without a few rounds of Bingo.

It was a beautiful wedding full of love and joy and we were so happy to be a part of it. Now, a few photos from the day, if you'd like to see...

After the stress of planning our wedding last year, it was so wonderful to just be a guest. You can dance more, drink more, relax more! Luckily, Casie and Clay seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves during their wedding though. That is my wish for every bride and groom. And we have one more wedding to attend before we head back to Florida: My best friend's wedding! You can bet I was taking mental notes when Casie's maid of honor gave her speech (she totally rocked it). Nine days to go and counting!