the weekend + committing to...

this past weekend was one of those where i rediscovered my love for sarasota, my city on the gulf. after an early night on friday, it began with an all-day bachelorette party at the ritz-carlton beach club on saturday (pool time and pina coladas -- does it get any better?), followed by a two-hour sunset cruise on the famous le barge and then a fantastic cuban dinner at columbia (can we say pompano stuffed with shrimp, crabmeat and artichokes and baked in parchment paper?). that's my friend t. and me on the cruise in the first photo above; it was about 70 degrees outside and an amazingly beautiful and fun night.

after a haircut on sunday morning, i ended up having lunch alone at a little downtown cafe called savory street. i'm normally not one to eat by myself -- for me, meals are a social thing and if i have to have them solo, i like to have a book or magazine with me. but instead of getting my caprese sandwich to go, i settled down in a seat by the window with the cafe's copy of the new york times (print media, i will always love you) and my food and enjoyed every minute. (it didn't hurt that the cafe's staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating. also, isn't the savory street's, um, street super-cute? it's photo number two above.)

then my friend k. called and invited me to her sister-in-law's grandmother's condo on longboat key for a swim in the gulf of mexico and a barbecue. there's really nothing i enjoy more than swimming in the ocean, and doing that and then sitting down for more delicious food and a clear view of the setting sun was bliss (see: photo three).

i really, really needed this weekend. and even though i'm rolling my eyes at the idea of having to jump back into the work week as i type this, i came away from it feeling refreshed and with a brand-new list of things i'm excited to be committing to -- such as:

+ food detox. i am an emotional eater, this i know. and i've been miss crankypants for the past couple of weeks (this i know, and this you know, too). those facts, coupled with all the eating and drinking i did this weekend, leave me needing to eat super clean for the next few weeks. that means no diet soda, no candy, and no french fries -- for a little while, at least.

+ signing up for a 5k! i realized how much i love-love-love being outside at this time of year this weekend, so why not sign up for a race?

+ mapping out my (personal, financial, professional) goals for the rest of the year, and starting to think about (gulp) what i want for 2011.

and you? tell me, and tell me how your weekends were, too! xoxo

photos by me.