Saturday Morning Pancakes

Last week I asked some of the girls at work for recommendations on places to take my mom while she was in town. Several people recommended that we check out  The Old Spanish Sugar Mill Grill and Griddle House so on Saturday morning we woke up extra early to beat the morning rush.

The restaurant features tables with electric griddles built in where customers get to make their own pancakes! I guess I didn't do a good job of explaining this to the crew because when we sat down Jon said "We have to make our own breakfast?!" Haha!

After we stuffed our bellies full with the amazing all-you-can-eat pancakes we headed outside to enjoy the natural spring and tour the area. Being from Indiana, I had never seen a spring before so I wasn't sure what to expect. Apparently the springs are a constant 72 degrees year round, make a perfect swimming hole in the cooler months, and are home to several manatees! While we were there we found out that you can rent kayaks so we are planning a day trip to do that very soon!

It was definitely a fun morning and Jon and I are already planning trips back to the spring very soon!

Question of the Day

Have you ever been to a DIY restaurant? Have you ever been to a natural spring? 

Sweet Spot

Late Thursday evening my mom flew in from Indiana for a long weekend visit. Yesterday she was on her own as both Jon and I had to work all day so she took her time relaxing on the beach, enjoying a local coffee shop, and touring downtown.

Last night my mom and I headed downtown for some homemade ice cream.

We both chose to get one scoop of the coffee ice cream and one scoop of the salted chocolate caramel ice cream. This made for a delicious combination and satisfied our late night sweet tooth!

We decided to go on a walk through downtown, ice cream in hand, to tour some of the local shops.

Downtown was packed with people as there was an event going on. In Florida it seems that the cool thing to do is to take your dog with you everywhere you go. There were dogs in the wine bar and laying under the tables in restaurants while their owners ate! I wonder if they allow cats in places too...  ;)

Vacation Recap

As some of you may know, Jon has been down in the sunshine state completing an internship before graduating in May and I have been up north in the cold and snow! Because I haven't seen him in two months this vacation was much needed! The weather was nothing great while I was there and the state was even under a cold weather advisory - it was 50 degrees some days. I thought of it as a huge joke but the locals who were walking around in winter coats and hats take it very seriously. I was pretty sad that I was unable to break out the summer shorts but was very thankful that I packed a few extra sweatshirts!

When I was there I was taken on a tour of a few of the sports facilities, the locker rooms, and even got to watch a few games. I also left with a handful of new shirts to represent FSU while I'm up north!

The campus and all of the statues were absolutely beautiful. The day we went on the tour the weather was perfect and I only needed to wear a light jacket! I'm still mind blown that I needed to wear a jacket in Florida.

Jon worked most days while I was there but we were able to escape to Panama City Beach for a long but chilly weekend away. We were able to relax on the beach with a few drinks, walk the pier, shop and stuff our faces with as much seafood as we could eat!

The views from the pier were stunning. We were lucky that there was one other person out on the pier, a local fisherman, who was able to snap a picture of us!

The last night we were there we checked the sunset time, grabbed a few beers, and headed down to the beach to watch the sunset. We were amazed how accurate the timing was on the weather app with the time the sun actually set! 

Now I'm thinking I need to plan another trip sometime soon... Maybe when the weather will be above 70 degrees down there! Who wants to go with me?!

Tallahassee Bound!

Hello there, friends!

Next week I am headed down to the sunshine state to see this guy...

...and I am SO excited!

He moved down there a little over a month ago to complete an internship which means he will be working most days that I am there. Because he's still not very familiar with what all there is to do in Tallahassee, I need to find some fun things to do! If any of you have been there before and have any recommendations on where to eat, cool sights to see, or places to venture to, please let me know in the comments below! I greatly appreciate it!

While I Was Away

Hey strangers. Or am I the stranger here? I haven't blogged in... awhile.

While I was gone I seriously debated on whether or not to keep this blog alive and active and then it hit me - I love blogging when I can. So that's what I'm going to do, blog when I can.

It was stressing me out being away from the blog and not posting anything but I've realized that life comes first. I need to focus on my classes, work, and training (I'm going to start training for another half very soon!) and will definitely update you on that!

Anyways, the only fun and exciting thing that happened when I was gone was my 21st birthday! My mom took me to Chicago for my birthday and some of her best friends tagged along! We went out to eat at a fun Italian restaurant, went to several bars (some were very interesting!), and did a little shopping on Navy Pier. It was definitely a great trip.

Speaking of trips, I'm leaving for Cali on Monday to visit family and I couldn't be more excited! I love it out there. I will share pictures when I return!

For now, enjoy some pictures from Chicago!

Question

Any exciting vacations coming up for you?!