travel

Thanksgiving in Tampa

I wanted to do a little recap of my trip down to Tampa for Thanksgiving. I love going down there in November when it’s freezing in Connecticut. The day before I left we had some flurries (we couldn’t stop talking about it at the gym), and I knew I was ready for some sun.

As I was pulling photos from my phone for the post, I realized that I didn’t take too many photos. And I’m not mad about that at all. I did the very bare minimum workwise, and I did have some time to relax, despite Black Friday/Cyber Monday madness. I told my friend today that I didn’t regret it one bit. It was so worth it, especially since I’m not in Florida for Christmas. I really wanted to soak up all my time with my family.

The flight down to Tampa is so easy. I leave from Westchester, and it’s such a small airport that you can show up 30 minutes before boarding and still have plenty of time to get through a magazine or two after security.

I love flying Jetblue because they have free wifi and tv and snacks… I try to do a little bit of reading (currently loving Along the Infinite Sea) before completely getting sucked into reality shows on Bravo!

Top (c/o) // Shoes

On Wednesday I hosted a meet and greet with Danielle at the Kendra Scott in Hyde Park. We had wanted to do a meet and greet in Tampa, and a few weeks before Thanksgiving, we finally got the ball rolling. The Kendra Scott team handled everything, which made it so easy for us! A girl I went to high school with does marketing for Hyde Park, so it was fun to work with her too. (I don’t think we had officially met before!)

I stayed a few minutes after to make sure we got to say hi to everyone who waited in line, and then I rushed over to meet the baby of one of my best friends! It was so fun to be in the same room with my friends (we live all over now: Tampa, Boston, Atlanta, Alabama) and to meet her baby! Suze is actually the only one of us married, so we gathered around while she shared all the real details about pregnancy/delivery/baby/etc. We all took turns holding Collins and let me just say, I did not want to pass her along! The sweetest.

Turkey Gobble 5k Tampa

Thursday was Thanksgiving, of course, and I’m so happy that my family agreed to wake up early for the Turkey Trot. My dad was our “Uber” driver, and we almost didn’t make it because someone forgot our bibs and we had to circle back home to pick them up! Stacy and my mom did the one-mile walk, and I did the 5k run; we all met up at the end of the race.

I remembered that I have actually done one 5k before (the Tunnel to Towers race in NYC, which is incredible if you ever get the chance to do it). I was not in great shape when I did that one though, and I wasn’t ready for any kind of running. This 5k was surprisingly easy, especially after doing a “trial run” the Saturday before on a treadmill and feeling horrible about it.

(I was thinking about doing a fitness update post if you’re interested because I’ve been working out consistently for just over a year now.)

Grandma

Thanksgiving itself was pretty low key. My grandma came over, and I got to show her the video I filmed at her 90th birthday party this summer.

Brownie Bites

The best about being home is that my mom is always whipping up baked goods for clients. The worst part about being home is that said baked goods are ALWAYS around tempting me. She had brownie bites leftover and, omg, I could have eaten the whole container. (I had a couple of DMs about the recipe: they’re the Baker one bowl brownie baked in mini muffin tins, and then you pop a Hershey Kiss or Hug while they’re still warm. They taste like mini chocolate lava cakes.)

Oxford Exchange

My mom and I have a little afternoon routine all established. We swing through Starbucks for her afternoon Dopio (and a package of chocolate dipped madeleines to share). Then we pop over to Oxford Exchange so I can get a peppermint bark fog (steamed milk + tea). We definitely do a little poking around while we wait for the tea too. Great shopping. I kept finding Christmas gift ideas for people!

Warby Parker Tampa

Hyde Park Tampa

Carter and I met up to shoot some photos and video (it’s alllllll about my mom, omg, she was loving it). Can’t tell you how nice it was to be outside enjoying Christmas decorations when it’s 80 degrees!

Bagel and Lox

My sister had requested lox and bagels on Sunday morning. I LOVE bagels. Like, love bagels. Might be my favorite food of all time. I never let myself eat them though because then I’ll want one every day. This was 100% worth it. My mom set up the best little bagel station for us, and then we sat around enjoying our bagels. (Then Stacy and I burned off the bagel at a pilates class!)

Toast

pajamas (c/o)

Is there anything better than toast made by your mom? It doesn’t matter how old I get, no toast can beat my mom’s.

There's No We in Fries

Monday was packed. Breakfast with my grandma at Goody Goody (their cafe con leche is the best). Meeting with my financial advisor. Lunch with my mom and her friends (love them). Spoke at a local college in a communications class. And got to see my friend Ashley for coffee at Buddy Brew!

Buddy Brew Coffee

I’m always sad when I have to get on the plane to go home, but my parents and sister are coming up next weekend so we all just kept saying, “see you next week!”

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22 Comments

Erin Lucy

Great pics, seems like it was lots of fun! I actually just picked up Along the Infinite Sea from the library last week and I am glad to year you like it because I have no idea what to expect.

Erin

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Veronica

T2T is amazing! I’m glad you got to take part of it while you were in NY. I think with things like that, no matter what shape you’re in, it’s the experience that makes all the sweat worth it!

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Bridget

Time with family is always great! I would love a fitness update post. I started working out regularly again in March and love to read about other people’s fitness journies/ plans!

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Ashley

Glad you had a nice holiday! Absolutely love your leggings in the Turkey Trot pictures 🙂

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Leah

I snagged Along the Infinite Sea from my library on Friday after seeing you mention it on Instagram and I cannot. put. it. down! Thank you for the recommendation.

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Lauren

Looks like you had a fun trip to Tampa! So glad I got to make it to the meet and greet. You all were so sweet! If only it was a little cooler here for winter but def not flurries ha. Have a great rest of your holidays!

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Shannon

It looks like you had an amazing trip to Florida! It’s hard living away from family during the holidays but being able to come back to visit is nice. We were also in Florida for Thanksgiving and the weather was perfect!

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Nancy

Keep reading Beatriz Williams books- she is amazing. Her plots and characters keep you on the edge of your seat. Start with the “sisters” series- A Hundred Summers, The Secret life of Violet Grant, Tiny Little Thing, and A Certain Age. I’m all caught up with her books and can’t wait for her new one this summer.

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Lauren G

Yes to the fitness update!! I’d love one especially because I struggle so hard to maintain a routine!
Lauren | Fashion and Fernweh

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Krystal // The Krystal Diaries

I know how hard it is to say bye sometimes. I was down in the Tampa area visiting my family for Thanksgiving too and I was so glad to be down there when there were flurries up here! I wasn’t really looking forward to coming back to the cold weather at all!

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Abigail F

Loved meeting you at Kendra Scott! I enjoyed exploring Tampa for the first time with my best friend. She took me to Oxford Exchange *so amazing* and I also enjoyed Bartaco. *YUM* Definitely visiting again soon! Xx

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Meghan

Yes to the fitness update! You also mentioned meeting with your financial advisor. Would love to hear about how to find a financial advisor and what kind of questions you should ask.

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Julia

Westchester airport is THE BEST (my parents live in the Hudson Valley, and Norwalk and I recently started flying in/out of Westchester game changer from JFK)
Also, I would definitely read an updated fitness post!

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Julia

Westchester airport is THE BEST (my parents live in the Hudson Valley, and Norwalk and I recently started flying in/out of Westchester game changer from JFK)

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Nicole

I’ve also run the 5K you mentioned in New York and agree that it is an amazing experience. Just wanted to point out that it is called Tunnel to Towers (not Tunnels to Tower) since it is a run through the Battery Tunnel to where the Twin Towers were.

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Missy

How many minutes and what temp do you bake the brownies in mini muffin tins – the recipe is for a full pan… thanks so much!

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