My mom and I went to Van Gogh Alive Exhibit at the Dali museum. I thought it was the coolest thing ever when I watched Emily in Paris and was so excited to learn it had made it to St. Pete. There were a few rooms with Van Gogh quotes and paintings projected on the walls and floor. I remember seeing some of Van Gogh’s work at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Favorite obvi included Starry Night and some pretty flower paintings, but I really liked his windmills. With the classical music and dark, artsy atmosphere, it really felt like it would be the perfect location for a dance company performance. If only…

We also took a stroll through the Dali portion of the museum. He was an interesting guy. One of the nice museum employees showed us a sunglasses trick with one of the paintings. At first glance, it looks like a naked lady, but in the reflection from the front of my sunglasses, it looks like Abe Lincoln. Cray.

Museum food is usually legit so we had lunch at the cafe there. Their cauliflower bisque and grilled cheese sounded badass, but everyone else thought so too and it was sold out. Fortunately, the chicken salad panini was awesome. After, we went outside to the cute little garden area with a tree meant for wishes, a sunflower mustache, and some cool dance art. The exhibit will be here until April. You can buy tickets online. Get them early, because time slots sell out. Have fun and #savethearts : )

I surprisingly didn’t have to work on Valentine’s Day! Max gave me flowers, chocolate and coffee when I woke up. So sweet. Later, we took a walk to the pier. We had gone to Tampa the night before to celebrate one of my longtime friend’s birthdays. We had a reservation at a Lebanese place called Byblos. I tried the fig martini and hummus to start. I loved it almost as much as I love the hummus at Hummus Place in NY which is saying a lot. I ordered the chicken kebab and we split fries. Would go back! We had a great time with everyone and decided to join them at Bern’s for dessert. They have dessert rooms upstairs in wine casks so you have your own private space. The 12 layer chocolate cake was to die. We rarely see friends due to Covid. I felt safe at both restaurants and it was nice to get out for a change. Hope you had a great weekend as well!

I didn’t have to work today so Max asked if I wanted to go on a date to Sunken Gardens. I have been wanting to check it out for a while now and I found us a Groupon deal. It is similar to a place that I’ve worked events at near Naples called Everglades Wonder Gardens. Sunken Gardens is located in the St. Pete and is a side of the road botanical garden attraction. It is over 100 years old and was built within a sinkhole. There are so many beautiful birds and plants. We even saw a Zebrina, which is what we have on our kitchen counter right now (Sabrina the Zebrina). It looks so tiny from the road, but I would say we spent a good hour there. Check out the arabesques on those flamingos! It would be a great space for an event or a wedding too. One of my favorite coffee shops in town, Crislip Cafe, sells these massive stuffed croissants that I asked about one day. They told me they are from Southern Bay Bakery near Sunken Gardens. Um…perfect. It was right by the gardens. We tried the Cuban one. I had wanted to share, but Max said no. We got two and ate every bite. Glad I went to Pure Barre this morning : ) If you want to go on a cute little day date, this is the spot!

We stopped at Grove for coffee on our way to the beach. It is the cutest little surf and coffee shop. I had to get a hat since I forgot mine and just dyed my hair. They have some pretty cute clothes. We noticed the Corey Ave. Market was happening across the street. I have been wanting to check out since we first went to St. Pete Beach last year. We had the best pulled pork and mac n’ cheese from the BBQ stand. OMG! There was nice entertainment too. If we weren’t heading to the beach, I would have bought all of the gorgeous fruit and PLANTS! Probably for the best. It is on Sundays from 10-2pm if you want to check it out. We did a long beach walk. It’s a little cold and windy right now, but we desperately needed sunshine. It honestly seems like I went to the beach more when I wasn’t a Florida resident. That is so wrong and I’m going to try to make it out there more.

I always seem to keep in touch with people from the past and rarely have a friend group where I am living. Now that I am living near Tampa, I have 2 of my long time friends within driving distance. We were finally able to get together at the most adorable Greek spot called Psomi. I highly recommend the cold brew and Spanakopita to start. I also tried the Greek Dip and it was enough to take home and share with Max… something I rarely do ; ). After that we took a drive to see all of the beautiful homes (mansions). I picked a few contenders for when we make it big. Before I headed home, we checked out Hyde Park Village. It gives me Georgetown vibes and has some really cute shops. I quickly spotted Sprinkles cupcakes and felt at home haha. I hadn’t been there in YEARS and it is a favorite. I’m thankful it is a little too far away to go often. Btw…It’s official, Buccaneers are going to the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl is IN Tampa!

I have officially been MIA for a very long time. Oops. I have been busy rehearsing and performing in Virginia and will return to the gulf in the new year. Recently, I took a trip to Winston-Salem, North Carolina with two of my castmates. One of them lives there and her family was so sweet to invite us to stay with them. We are all very similar which means we took a billion dance pics ; ] We packed so many fun things into our 4 days off including a trip to the original Krispy Kreme and a hike up (and down…ugh) Pilot Mountain to burn it off. I honestly think hiking may be my new fav activity. El talked us into taking the “strenuous” trail and I couldn’t believe how difficult it was. It was a good challenge though and I felt accomplished after. We also had some really yummy food while we were there and had fun practicing our model walks during the VS Fashion Show. I love my girls.

I made a 10 day pit stop in Naples once my contract ended on the ship. It was sad to leave and weird to readjust to the “real world.” It was actually the perfect time to disembark since a hurricane was hitting and actually ended up damaging many of our favorite places in Freeport : [ Our ship actually had to find a different part of the bahamas to go to. So sad. The day I arrived in Naples, J’s parents took us to see my very first Cirque show, Ovo. Having worked with a Cirque performer on the ship, it was so interesting to see. I loved it and honestly, it makes me want to learn something new and exciting like aerial. I was able to see a ton of friends on this trip and many of them live in the same neighborhood now. Another highlight was driving to St. Pete for the Sum 41/Senses Fail comeback tour. I would so live in that area. It was all cute boutiques, coffee shops, and bars. The show was sold out and in a smaller venue, but we were very close to the front. So close that I got their guitar pick! Going to shows is one of my favorite things to do and although I prefer when bands play their older hits, I enjoyed the new stuff too. How cute is that surf coffee table?! J’s friend made it for him for the new place. I added some coasters from Francesca’s and succulents from Target ❤ Before I left, we got some paddleboarding in and were able to visit my aunt before I headed back to CLE.

I have always appreciated street art. Last year, I spent a day in Chicago photographing “Mile  of Murals,” so I was way too excited to see that West Palm is covered in murals as well. My ship cast had a blast exploring the city this way. We even met some cool people this way, like one of the Miami Heat choreographers, who recognized we were dancers and came over to chat. If I had to pick a fav, I would pick the skull (of course) or the mermaid.

Today we decided to change it up and go to Field of Greens thinking it would just be salads or something. No! They legit have the best menu ever. We got some acai bowls, but next time the avocado grilled cheese has my name all over it. This girl walked up to me and asked if I went to a certain NYC college and I instantly recognized her. It is a super small world and she now lives in Florida too. Crazy. 

We seriously made the rounds with coffee today. Subculture and C Street never get old. I am highly caffeinated and happy. 

Don’t have too much of an update. This past week has been pretty busy and we are all running on major caffeine. Our choreographer decided to change things in almost every number so we had a few rehearsals. I really like the changes and can’t wait until I don’t have to think about them. It’s probably a good thing to shake up my routine. Today, J came to visit for a bit on his way to kiteboard with friends. I gave up desserts for a week so I decided to have a yummy donut today.