Scenes from the weekend + committing to...

What a wonderful weekend. I'm at that point in my life where I now appreciate the quirks and beauty of my hometown, and going to visit it, like I did this weekend, means taking advantage of those things rather than counting down the minutes until I can get back to Sarasota. A nice feeling, for sure.

I had Friday off from work, so after a morning pedicure (much needed, long overdue), I headed north to Winter Park and my parents' house. On the way, I stopped at Rifle Paper Co.'s bricks-and-mortar storefront and picked up a few little treats (see: first photograph), then headed home to see my mom and hang out with my seven-year-old cousin, who's been staying with my parents. He and I wound up having a great time taking my parents' two dogs to the local dog park and then eating too much frozen yogurt afterward.

Saturday, I have to say, was a total throwback to childhood thanks to two little words: go karts. We took my cousin to Lil 500 (a go-kart track my uncle used to take my brother and me to when we were my cousin's age), and I think we loved it as much as he did. It didn't hurt that the weather was absolutely perfect, either -- humidity free, with highs in the upper 70s and a warm breeze -- and the feeling of the wind in our hair and the sun on our faces was enough to give us all perma-grins. What a fun day.

Then, before Easter dinner at my parents' house on Sunday, we decided to take part in the ultimate Winter Park tourist activity (and one of the most fun, too): the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour, which has been around since 1938 and which travels through the lakes and canals of Winter Park -- which is also known, apparently, as the "Venice of America" (a title that makes me laugh). The weather was just as perfect as it was the day before, and it was fantastic being out on the water, listening to our old Southern tour guide (who was wearing tape-measure suspenders!) and just completely relaxing. My favorite part of the trip was going through the pretty canals, pictured above.

A fantastic few days off, indeed -- and now it's a new week and I kind of can't believe it. Nevertheless, here are my goals for the next few days:

+ Continue early-waking and sugar-reducing.
+ Speaking of food, plan out my menu for the week. I've been eating kind of randomly lately and, as with most of the things in my life, I find I function much better when I stick to a bit of a routine. So, yes: do that.
+ Do. My. Taxes. (Oh, hello, last minute.)
+ Be kind. As I've been reminded via some family stuff lately, you never know who's struggling or how much.
+ Embrace the gorgeous weather.

And you? Tell me, and I'll see you back here tomorrow!

Photos by me, taken with Instagram (I'm pinkoclock, if you'd like to follow me!).