I used to think having a bucket list was weird. Why couldn't people just "do things" without making a long list for it? Then I got older and realized maybe I had a bucket list of things I wanted to do, too.
So, here it is, my bucket list of things I want to do, see, and experience in my lifetime.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter, everyone!
Today my boyfriend and I headed to a new spot for brunch, the Rusty Pelican. Boasting gorgeous views as well as an awesome Sunday brunch, I knew we had to go. This place has been on my list of "must visits" in the Tampa Bay area, so I'm glad we were able to try it out.
Pretty nice, right? The Rusty Pelican offered a large breakfast buffet (two rooms) that was chock-full of seafood, a carving station, cheese, omelets, and tons of desserts.
I know I wrote about my sweet tooth getting smaller in my last post, but I had to sample the desserts since they looked super tasty.
A lot of the desserts were just okay, but the carrot cake and the apple cobbler were divine. The good thing about buffets is that you can try just a little bit of each item!
Overall it was a really nice, relaxing brunch experience and I'd definitely go back. Wish they had some Cadbury eggs though...
How did you spend your Easter?
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Taste of South Tampa
Hi everybody!
Today I had the amazing opportunity to attend the ninth annual Taste of South Tampa event in Hyde Park Village! My boyfriend won tickets on Twitter so we were super excited to check this food festival out.
Hyde Park Village was swarmed with people and tons of different food and drink options all over. We started at the entrance and made our way to pretty much every area. The tickets included all-you-can-eat food and drink, which was excellent!
Lots of local restaurants I've been to were serving up food as well as restaurants I haven't tried before, which made this event a real treat since I got to "try before I buy," so to speak.
Some of my favorite items of the day were the chicken and waffles from Inside the Box, the delicious meatballs and eggplant from Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza and the awesome salad and meat roll from CDB's.
Austrian Peppers also had a pretty good array of food. I loved their sauerkraut. The schnitzel was alright but the sausage was really tasty and flavorful.
My boyfriend said his #1 choice were the Cuban sandwiches from The Floridian, which has been ranked as the "best Cuban sandwich!"
There were also desserts! Unfortunately all of the desserts from Alessi were all gone by the time I got there, which made me super sad but I snagged an apple crumble and some chocolate cake from Austrian Peppers, which were actually very good.
The Sweet Tooth Cakery also had a sampling of desserts too. I loved their cookies and cream cupcake!
Surprisingly, I did not have many desserts. I have been trying to back away from desserts lately and I think my sweet tooth has gotten a lot smaller over time...
There was a ton of free swag too. I snagged a tumbler, some cups and even a Tampa Bay Bucs towel.
My favorite item I got was probably this cool mug though:
Today I had the amazing opportunity to attend the ninth annual Taste of South Tampa event in Hyde Park Village! My boyfriend won tickets on Twitter so we were super excited to check this food festival out.
Hyde Park Village was swarmed with people and tons of different food and drink options all over. We started at the entrance and made our way to pretty much every area. The tickets included all-you-can-eat food and drink, which was excellent!
Lots of local restaurants I've been to were serving up food as well as restaurants I haven't tried before, which made this event a real treat since I got to "try before I buy," so to speak.
Some of my favorite items of the day were the chicken and waffles from Inside the Box, the delicious meatballs and eggplant from Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza and the awesome salad and meat roll from CDB's.
Austrian Peppers also had a pretty good array of food. I loved their sauerkraut. The schnitzel was alright but the sausage was really tasty and flavorful.
My boyfriend said his #1 choice were the Cuban sandwiches from The Floridian, which has been ranked as the "best Cuban sandwich!"
There were also desserts! Unfortunately all of the desserts from Alessi were all gone by the time I got there, which made me super sad but I snagged an apple crumble and some chocolate cake from Austrian Peppers, which were actually very good.
The Sweet Tooth Cakery also had a sampling of desserts too. I loved their cookies and cream cupcake!
Surprisingly, I did not have many desserts. I have been trying to back away from desserts lately and I think my sweet tooth has gotten a lot smaller over time...
There was a ton of free swag too. I snagged a tumbler, some cups and even a Tampa Bay Bucs towel.
My favorite item I got was probably this cool mug though:
I had a super fun time at Taste of South Tampa. The only thing I wish there had been more of was the Alessi desserts and maybe more drink stations. I only drank soda during the event and had to constantly go back since only one place was giving it out.
See you next year, Taste of South Tampa!
Friday, April 4, 2014
Kate Spade Friends and Family sale
Happy Friday everyone!
This morning I woke up to the best email ever -- Kate Spade is having a friends and family sale in stores and online until Sunday at 11:59 p.m.! I have had my eyes on these adorable Kate Spade Keds for a while but was hesitant to spend $75 on them. Hinting at my boyfriend didn't work either so the friends and family sale was an answer to my prayers.
Aren't they so cute?
You can use the code S14FFUS to get 25% off of your entire order from now until 11:59 Sunday.
Here are some of my other favorite items at Kate Spade right now!
This morning I woke up to the best email ever -- Kate Spade is having a friends and family sale in stores and online until Sunday at 11:59 p.m.! I have had my eyes on these adorable Kate Spade Keds for a while but was hesitant to spend $75 on them. Hinting at my boyfriend didn't work either so the friends and family sale was an answer to my prayers.
Aren't they so cute?
You can use the code S14FFUS to get 25% off of your entire order from now until 11:59 Sunday.
Here are some of my other favorite items at Kate Spade right now!
What are your favorite items from Kate Spade right now?
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Rainy run at the TBT 3k Beer Dash
This past weekend my boyfriend and I decided to be adventurous and sign up for a race together! I was thrilled since I love races and my boyfriend is not a runner. I was excited to run together since it is something we have never done before. :)
We signed up for the Gasparilla Criterium 3k Beer Dash -- we mostly signed up because there would be free beer at the end of the run. I am not a beer drinker but my boyfriend likes beer, so we decided to put in the 1.8 miles to grab some at the end!
After checking the weather on Friday, it seemed like it was probably going to rain ALL day Saturday, or most of it. I was bummed because I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to get the run in and I had really been looking forward to it.
The 3k was part of a larger event where a bunch of cyclists rode around downtown Tampa in a "lap" process for different amounts of distances/times. I learned THAT'S why the event was called a "criterium." Sorry, I don't know a whole lot about cycling!
What a day for a run -- it was basically a monsoon outside. The 3k was supposed to start at 4:30 but since it had been pouring outside -- and yes, there were cyclists riding around IN the rain -- there was a bit of a delay. A lot of people must have been deterred by the rain too since there was basically nobody running the race.
We walked to pick up our shirts and bib numbers and after a lot of waiting (and watching the awesome cyclists do their races) it was time to run! The weather had actually cleared up around this time too. Woohoo!
The 3k was only three laps and I ended up going a lot slower than my usual pace since my boyfriend hasn't run in a long time. I'll admit, my feet were itching to go faster sometimes but I wanted to be there to support him and have us do the race together so I kept pace with him.
The crowd really loved him, by the way. While we were on the second lap somebody gave him a beer and everybody started cheering for him as he drank it while running. Some people use Gu, some people use Sports Beans, and some people use beer, I guess!
There was a horrible headwind going to the finish line but eventually we made it! It seemed like it was over so fast. The crowd and our fellow runners were awesome and gave us high-fives at the end. I love the running community. Everyone is always so supportive, regardless of how fast you're running. :)
We stuck around to watch some other races, including a crazy relay race which seemed super fun.
We signed up for the Gasparilla Criterium 3k Beer Dash -- we mostly signed up because there would be free beer at the end of the run. I am not a beer drinker but my boyfriend likes beer, so we decided to put in the 1.8 miles to grab some at the end!
After checking the weather on Friday, it seemed like it was probably going to rain ALL day Saturday, or most of it. I was bummed because I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to get the run in and I had really been looking forward to it.
The 3k was part of a larger event where a bunch of cyclists rode around downtown Tampa in a "lap" process for different amounts of distances/times. I learned THAT'S why the event was called a "criterium." Sorry, I don't know a whole lot about cycling!
What a day for a run -- it was basically a monsoon outside. The 3k was supposed to start at 4:30 but since it had been pouring outside -- and yes, there were cyclists riding around IN the rain -- there was a bit of a delay. A lot of people must have been deterred by the rain too since there was basically nobody running the race.
We walked to pick up our shirts and bib numbers and after a lot of waiting (and watching the awesome cyclists do their races) it was time to run! The weather had actually cleared up around this time too. Woohoo!
The 3k was only three laps and I ended up going a lot slower than my usual pace since my boyfriend hasn't run in a long time. I'll admit, my feet were itching to go faster sometimes but I wanted to be there to support him and have us do the race together so I kept pace with him.
The crowd really loved him, by the way. While we were on the second lap somebody gave him a beer and everybody started cheering for him as he drank it while running. Some people use Gu, some people use Sports Beans, and some people use beer, I guess!
There was a horrible headwind going to the finish line but eventually we made it! It seemed like it was over so fast. The crowd and our fellow runners were awesome and gave us high-fives at the end. I love the running community. Everyone is always so supportive, regardless of how fast you're running. :)
We stuck around to watch some other races, including a crazy relay race which seemed super fun.
After watching that, we headed home and then got dinner at the Mermaid Tavern, which was super tasty! Overall, it was a great day and I'm glad I was able to run it!
Have you ever done a "beer run?"
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Trader Joe's Comes to Tampa
Over the last few months I had heard a lot about this little grocery store called Trader Joe's. My sister raved about the great prices and the awesome organic selection at this store. Over the holidays, she even let me try a peppermint flavored Oreo-style cookie from Trader Joe's. I fell in love at first bite.
I tried the creamy kind at first. Pretty good, interesting consistency. Then I tried the crunchy kind and was blown away. Same texture as the creamy kind (almost like peanut butter, but smoother) but with bits of crunchy gingerbread in it! Heaven.
Of course I got a jar!
I loved my experience at Trader Joe's and definitely anticipate more trips in the future. Organic foods at awesome prices? Yes, please. I'm officially a Trader Joe's convert!
Have you been to a Trader Joe's before? What are your favorite things to buy from the store?
So when I heard a Trader Joe's was going to open up nearby in Tampa, I was pretty excited and also curious to see if the store really lived up to the hype. After surveying my Facebook friends, I decided to venture to Trader Joe's yesterday.
The store opened up on Friday, March 21, so I was expecting it to be pretty busy. However, I am a huge early bird and usually get my workout done in the morning around 8 a.m., which is right around the time the store opens. On a typical rainy Florida day (Sunshine State? Yeah right!) I pulled into the Trader Joe's parking lot, found a spot, and headed in! Easy peasy.
Welcome sign
Beautiful, inexpensive flowers (hint hint, gentlemen)
The produce here looked awesome and almost all of it was very inexpensive. Baby spinach, which runs around $3-$3.50 at Publix, was only $1.99. And it was organic! Score.
Great prices
Yummy treats! Those donuts...
I love this stuff...only $3!
The store was allowing people to sample their famous cookie butter, both the creamy kind and the crunchy kind. This was it. My first time trying cookie butter.
Cookie butter sample cups
I tried the creamy kind at first. Pretty good, interesting consistency. Then I tried the crunchy kind and was blown away. Same texture as the creamy kind (almost like peanut butter, but smoother) but with bits of crunchy gingerbread in it! Heaven.
Of course I got a jar!
Cookie butter shrine
The checkout aisles are named after big streets in South Tampa. So cute.
I loved my experience at Trader Joe's and definitely anticipate more trips in the future. Organic foods at awesome prices? Yes, please. I'm officially a Trader Joe's convert!
Have you been to a Trader Joe's before? What are your favorite things to buy from the store?
Monday, March 24, 2014
Running for Strawberries at the 33rd Strawberry Classic
This weekend I ran for the berries at the 33rd Annual Strawberry Classic! It's hard to believe this race has been going on for SO long -- it's older than I am! But after running the 5k on Saturday, I knew why.
Originally I had signed up for the 10k, but something funky happened with my ankle at the Sarasota Half last Sunday and I have been way too afraid to push it with my running per my doctor's orders. He said I probably had an inflamed peroneal tendon, which is super depressing for someone who loves to run like I do!
Luckily, I was able to switch to the 5k which I figured would be okay. On my way to the race I was getting nervous since my foot wasn't feeling super great and I woke up feeling kind of sad for some reason.
Once I got to the race site at Temple Terrace Elementary, I stretched out my ankle and did some calf raises, hoping I'd be able to run with as little pain as possible. I moved up towards the front of the 5k starting line, praying for the best.
As you can see, I was pretty close to the start line, but it was still difficult to hear the instructions. What color arrows do I follow? I was worried I was going to end up choosing the wrong color and end up on the 10k path and bust my ankle. Thankfully, runners are awesome and I was able to get the correct color (green) for the 5k. :)
As the run began, I took it pretty easy. I felt like my right foot had to be pretty flat since it wasn't feeling totally normal. Still, I was able to pass some people and eventually got into a good groove.
The course was a little hilly which I never really expect in Florida. During the Sarasota Half I think my ankle got messed up due to the huge bridge I ran over so even these small hills were scary to me. I didn't want to hurt myself even more. Soon, I was a mile in...then a mile and a half. The miles flew by and eventually my foot stopped hurting altogether.
I was feeling good and checking my phone time, I was pacing pretty well. The course was really peaceful and quiet, winding through a cute neighborhood. The weather was perfect.
Soon enough, the race was over. I could see the clock time. 25:21 when I crossed the finish line, which was the exact same time I had during the ZooZoom a few weeks ago.
After crossing the finish line, I snagged my medal (love race bling) and some strawberries and water.
There were a ton of other race refreshments as well, including Dunkin' Donuts and tasty looking breads.
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And of course, strawberries galore:
There were lots of other race goodies, including quick massages, and FitLife foods. I got a massage and the lady said my right leg was super tight. Lol. Girl, I know. My right side is the side with the gimpy foot. She also asked if I was over 18. Yes. I am. By like, 6 years. Thanks, random sports massage lady!
Afterwards it was time for the awards. Guess what?! I got 2nd in my division. Gun time was 25:21, but my chip time was 25:14, a new PR!
I got a snazzy silver medal, which I love.
Overall, I had a great time at this race. I'll definitely do it again -- hopefully the 15k or the 10k next year!
Did you race this weekend? What have been the coolest races you've participated in?
Originally I had signed up for the 10k, but something funky happened with my ankle at the Sarasota Half last Sunday and I have been way too afraid to push it with my running per my doctor's orders. He said I probably had an inflamed peroneal tendon, which is super depressing for someone who loves to run like I do!
Luckily, I was able to switch to the 5k which I figured would be okay. On my way to the race I was getting nervous since my foot wasn't feeling super great and I woke up feeling kind of sad for some reason.
Once I got to the race site at Temple Terrace Elementary, I stretched out my ankle and did some calf raises, hoping I'd be able to run with as little pain as possible. I moved up towards the front of the 5k starting line, praying for the best.
As you can see, I was pretty close to the start line, but it was still difficult to hear the instructions. What color arrows do I follow? I was worried I was going to end up choosing the wrong color and end up on the 10k path and bust my ankle. Thankfully, runners are awesome and I was able to get the correct color (green) for the 5k. :)
As the run began, I took it pretty easy. I felt like my right foot had to be pretty flat since it wasn't feeling totally normal. Still, I was able to pass some people and eventually got into a good groove.
The course was a little hilly which I never really expect in Florida. During the Sarasota Half I think my ankle got messed up due to the huge bridge I ran over so even these small hills were scary to me. I didn't want to hurt myself even more. Soon, I was a mile in...then a mile and a half. The miles flew by and eventually my foot stopped hurting altogether.
I was feeling good and checking my phone time, I was pacing pretty well. The course was really peaceful and quiet, winding through a cute neighborhood. The weather was perfect.
Soon enough, the race was over. I could see the clock time. 25:21 when I crossed the finish line, which was the exact same time I had during the ZooZoom a few weeks ago.
After crossing the finish line, I snagged my medal (love race bling) and some strawberries and water.
There were a ton of other race refreshments as well, including Dunkin' Donuts and tasty looking breads.
Here's my sweaty post-race self, with said strawberries.
There were lots of other race goodies, including quick massages, and FitLife foods. I got a massage and the lady said my right leg was super tight. Lol. Girl, I know. My right side is the side with the gimpy foot. She also asked if I was over 18. Yes. I am. By like, 6 years. Thanks, random sports massage lady!
Afterwards it was time for the awards. Guess what?! I got 2nd in my division. Gun time was 25:21, but my chip time was 25:14, a new PR!
I got a snazzy silver medal, which I love.
Overall, I had a great time at this race. I'll definitely do it again -- hopefully the 15k or the 10k next year!
Did you race this weekend? What have been the coolest races you've participated in?
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