Scenes from the weekend + committing to...

Happy Monday, friends--how were your weekends? I hope they were relaxing and sunny and spring-y.

I did pretty much exactly what I'd planned: Go-karting, The Avengers, a nice dinner out on Saturday night, a long walk, a trip to the farmer's market near my parents' house. Oh! And I actually did a little DIY project that I'll share with you tomorrow -- it was ridiculously simple, but I'm so happy with the results and I can't wait for you to see them. (Surprising, right, especially after my claim that I am the least crafty person alive? I think sharing that "things I'm afraid to tell you" list actually gave me a little push to work on the things I'm afraid of or things that I've told myself I'm not good at. Which is pretty great if you think about it.)

Something else I've been thinking about is what I wrote in that same post about being afraid of gaining weight back. So my big commitment this week is to raze how I've been eating/exercising for the past few months and start from scratch. Part of that is writing down what I eat in a little notebook -- not calorie counting, just tracking so I can be more aware of what I'm putting inside me -- and part of it is making healthier choices, like getting back into an exercise routine, starting the day with lemon water, incorporating more vegetables into my diet, cutting out diet soda completely (I've been bad about this recently) and cutting back on sugar. It may sound like a lot, but all of these steps are not really a leap for me: I function best when I make sure to follow them, and I'm thinking of the whole project as getting back to basics. Writing it all down here just makes me feel more accountable. Also, like many people I know, I'd like to lose some weight, so I'm interested to see how these changes affect that goal. I'll let you know how it goes.

That's a lot for one week already, but some other little commitments are to cross some nagging household tasks off my to-do list (like, hello, filling my glasses prescription), making a big pot of soup or similar that I can eat throughout the week and cracking down on a few extracurricular projects so I don't have to worry about a single thing over the three-day weekend. How about you--what are your goals for the next few days?

See you back here tomorrow with my craft (I'm really too excited about this)!

Photo: The farmer's market near my parents' house.

Scenes from the weekend + committing to...

The farmer's market this weekend was full of sunflowers: Huge and golden and overflowing from their pots and paper wrappers. It was fun to see people toting bunches (sometimes multiple bunches) of them down the street; they were the perfect spring accessory, brightening up everyone's outfit.

The rest of the weekend was equally bright and cheery, too: I got to meet some new people, hang out with some of my oldest friends, drink a margarita (yum!), bake the lavender scones I mentioned on Friday and get prepared for a week that's going to be full of awesomeness (including my company's biggest function of the year -- more on that later.)

And because I often think of this blog as a love letter to Sarasota, I'm working on a little guide to the city that I'll (hopefully) share with you later this week and that I'll update periodically -- if you're planning a visit here, I'll hope you'll find it helpful.

There's lots going on right now, isn't there?

And in light of that last statement, my commitment for the week is simple: Just relax and enjoy it all. (Easier said than done, I know, but so worth it.)

How about you--what are your goals for the week? Tell me, and I'll see you back here soon!

Photo, snapped at Worden Farms' booth at the downtown Sarasota farmer's market, by me.

A snapshot of life lately.

Lazy weekends, movies, long walks, snuggles, some surprisingly cool end-of-April weather, friends, birthday celebrations, wine, flowers, meeting amazingly talented people for a new work project...

...and pancakes.

Lots and lots (and lots) of pancakes.

Photo: my own, taken with Instagram.

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!).

scenes from the weekend + committing to...

what a weekend: after a fun dinner with my friends k. and s. on friday night, i got to meet stacy london (!) on saturday afternoon at a mall in brandon, florida -- and fellow what not to wear fans, rest assured that stacy is just as funny and warm and, yes, direct in person as she is on television. it was such a great experience and it made me start thinking about how i want to dress this spring/summer -- always a fun thing to contemplate. (fyi: stacy says natural fibers like cotton blends and silks are best in heat, and she also says no linen, because you'll look like a mess the second you sit down. good to know.)

sunday was a quiet, and though i spent some time outside by the water in the beautiful weather, the majority of the day was dedicated to doing work, laundry and grocery shopping. (i made a big pot of this soup -- flavorful and no-fail, seriously.)

it's a short week for me at work, which is exciting, but as is the case with all short weeks, it's shaping up to be a busy one -- lots of new projects on the horizon. so i'm planning on buckling down -- and in that spirit, here are my little goals for the week:

+ cut back on sugar -- this is actually my goal for the entire month of april. i've noticed that my sweet intake has gone up lately, and honestly, while i love a treat as much as the next girl, too much of a good thing makes me feel yucky. so i'm going to go easy on the white stuff (and use natural sweeteners, like agave nectar and honey, if i have to have them) and replace my usual desserts with fruit. (tonight, for example, i'm having orange slices with cinnamon and honey. yum.)

+ continue the waking-up-early thing. i've been doing really well with it; here's to keeping it up.

+ organize my closet -- it's kind of scary in there and i think it's time for a goodwill drop-off.

+ do my taxes. (sigh.)

how about you -- what are your goals for the week?

photos -- little vignettes around my apartment -- by me.

scenes from the weekend + committing to...

last friday, i took the day off work and went to my first-ever baseball game at mckechnie field in bradenton (about 30 minutes north of sarasota). the pittsburgh pirates were playing the philadelphia phillies, and we had great seats: though we were right by the phillies' dugout (we were rooting for the pirates), we were only a couple of rows away from the field itself and had a prime view of all the action. on top of that, the people seated around us were so friendly, the weather was sunny and in the mid-80s (but we didn't get sunburned at all -- here's to spray-on spf 85!), and the pirates won (yay!). i've never been a baseball fan, mostly because i didn't know anything about it, but i would absolutely go to a game again (in fact, i hope to). oh, and the photos above are pictures from the day.

in other, non-baseball news, there was lots of relaxing, movie-watching, good-food eating and shamrock-shake imbibing this weekend, too. and it was all delightful.

this coming week will be busy, as well: my mom is coming to visit (she works in education and is on spring break this week), so that will be fun, and there're lots of other projects to get done. i'm looking forward to all of it. and speaking of this week, here are my little goals for next few days:

+ practice patience. i made a joke about instant gratification the other day, but the truth is i often expect it and i should work on being better about it.
+ continue to work on the sleeping thing. (i'm hoping the daylight savings adjustment period is over; i could not sleep for the life of me last week, no matter what time i went to bed.)
+ exercise and eat well (shamrock shake season has ended, thank goodness!).
+ last week's flower posts inspired me to pick up some flowers for my apartment, so yes: do that.
+ make time to take in how beautiful sarasota is in the spring. the weather is gorgeous and the sidewalks are literally carpeted with fuchsia, purple and yellow flower petals. it's beautiful and worth slowing down for.

how about you? tell me, and i'll see you back here tomorrow.

photos by me

scenes from the weekend + committing to...

happy monday! how were your weekends?

mine was exactly what i hoped it would be: a quiet friday night made way for a raucous saturday evening downtown with some of my favorite people. chillounge night was a blast, proving once again why it's one of my favorite annual events: there was amazing live music, champagne, a fashion show and just a general feeling of festivity, despite a random downpour in the middle of the event.

after saturday's shenanigans, sunday was a low-key day, as well. i slept in (way in), got my grocery shopping and erranding for the week done, had dinner with a favorite friend and ended the evening in my apartment listening to the rain outside while lighting candles and watching movies inside. this week is a short one for me -- i took friday off -- but there's lots to get done before then, so it feels nice to be organized as i head into it all.

and speaking of, here are my little goals for the week:

+ stay organized.
+ get enough sleep. (i've been really bad about this lately.)
+ spend time outside. (maybe a trip to the beach, since the weather's been in the 80s and doesn't seem likely to change.)
+ continue to embrace color in my wardrobe and my life in general. it makes me happy.
+ try to remember one of my favorite things to say: everyone has a story. (i find that thinking about that leads to fewer snap judgments and more tolerance and patience.)

how about you? what are your goals for the week? tell me, and i'll see you back here tomorrow.

p.s. lots more flowers coming this week...

photo by me, snapped before sunday's rainshowers.

scenes from the (long) weekend + committing to...

i love the neighborhood where my office is located; there's a plethora of adorable shops and restaurants (with even more opened recently) that make walking around a joy.  sometimes you'll see something sweet, like the display in the first photo with the big "delight" sign and the lace window treatments.

and then sometimes you'll see something truly weird. like an eight-foot lego-man staring out at you from the second-floor window of a restaurant building.

for those of you who don't know, sarasota made national headlines last year when said giant lego-man washed up on siesta key beach. there was quite a kerfuffle over where he came from, who would claim him, and where he would live after he was adopted. turns out, that somewhere was right above bond restaurant. of course, we had to take a picture when we saw him up there on friday morning.

seriously: only in sarasota.

anyway, the weekend was mostly good: there was a movie night at home on friday night; a fantastic dinner party on saturday; and my first performance of circus sarasota on sunday.* unfortunately, sunday after the circus, i got hit with a pretty bad cold, and with the exception of some time spent outdoors with friends on monday afternoon, i spent most of the day at home, chugging tea and laying around.

my biggest commitment for the week is, of course, to feel better. but then there's also this -- a thought that i like to come back to every so often because i think it's so important, and one that i sometimes forget  in the shadow of other things:

*i should note that i normally don't enjoy the circus at all because of the way the animals are treated, but this show was happily almost entirely free of animal acts with the exception of one horse act and another bit that basically served as a showcase for rescue dogs.

top photos by me; quote by paper owls

scenes from life lately.

these were supposed to be part of my usual monday "scenes from the weekend" post, but -- as you can probably guess from the radio silence around these parts so far this week -- life intervened. so here they are on wednesday instead: gorgeous afternoon light; a view of a pretty lake (can you see the bird sunning himself on the tree?); fuchsia azaleas; and a knot of clover -- all taken at kraft azalea gardens in my hometown on a perfect saturday afternoon.

happy wednesday, friends.

all photos by me

scenes from the weekend + committing to...

this weekend included a very quick trip to central florida to see one of my best friends who's in town for a brief visit from new york city. kaitlin and i went to undergrad together and both got our degrees in english; now she's working on her ph.d. in english lit at cuny.  she's one of the smartest, nicest, most generous people i know and while i miss her all the time, i'm so glad she's in new york doing exactly what she wants to do.

after having lunch at our favorite coffee shop (the scene of many wonderful meals during my four years at stetson), we ended up walking all over downtown deland and the stetson campus. i took photos, of course, some of which you can see above -- they are: 1. the athens theater, one of my favorite buildings ever; 2. the buttercup bakery, which is so cute and yellow; 3. beautiful elizabeth hall, which is sort of the epitome of stetson; 4. pretty windows on elizabeth hall that i would somehow like to replicate in my future home; 5. the stetson quad; 6. architectural details on flagler hall, aka the english department building, aka my former home away from home; 7. kaitlin and me (side note: you can see some of my ombre highlights, which i'm so happy with).

so it was a great weekend (capped off by a visit to my beloved yum yum cupcake truck before i headed back to sarasota on sunday), and i'm looking forward to an equally great but busy week. here are my little goals for the next few days:

1. prioritize. i have a bunch of projects swirling around and i really need to get them in order.
2. continue with the regimented exercise -- now that the holidays are over, it's so nice to be back in a routine and i'm excited to keep it up.
3. try out a new recipe. (any suggestions?)
4. keep the house clean. have not been keeping up like i should be lately.
5. smile.

how about you -- what are your goals (or what are you looking forward to) this week?

photos by me

scenes from the weekend + committing to...

some photos from a lovely and low-key weekend: 

1. a delicious cappucino (a real treat for my mostly non-coffee-drinking self) with some of my best friends over brunch.

2. one of my favorite alleyways/buildings in town.

3. an inscription on said building that i love and totally agree with ("living well is the best revenge").


and some goals for the upcoming week:

1.  work hard and be nice. (a forever commitment, no?)

2. give the house a good scrub. so satisfying.

3. spin and yoga and pilates, oh my!

4. reconnect with an old friend. (these plans have actually already been made, i've just got to wait until saturday to actually follow through with them.)

5. less sugar. more sleep. (still.)


and you?

photos by me

scenes from sarasota: statues on ringling museum campus.

it's a gray, rainy day here in sarasota, which is why i think i'm drawn to the way these photographs -- of statues at the john and mable ringling museum of art campus -- were taken. the mood of them, the absence of our typically abundant florida sunshine, feels just right today. (and i can't even tell you how much i love that lion.)

photos by mary ann mattox

scenes from sarasota: birdwatching.

one of the cool things about sarasota is the animal life that abounds. on any give day, you'll see manatees and dolphins in the bay, pelicans hanging out on fishing piers, parrots in the trees at island park, turtles and coyotes (yes, seriously, although the latter are super elusive) on the beach, and all kinds of other birds everywhere. it's awesome. (side note: one of my all-time favorite sarasota experiences was having a baby manatee swim right up to my kayak one warm spring evening. it let my friend kate and me pet it, rolled over in the water, let us hold its flipper and was generally the cutest thing i'd ever seen. i would really like to have that experience again some day.)

anyway, on my travels the other day i saw this white dude hanging out in front of a house and had to snap a picture. isn't he cute? he looks like he's waiting to be let in for some kind of garden party!

scenes from sarasota: evening paddleboarding.

this is by no means a perfect photograph (in fact, it's terribly crooked and pretty dark), but i really love it all the same. i was taking my usual bridge walk the other evening -- it was one of those quiet, hazy spring nights that are so unique to florida at this time of year -- and happened to look over the railing at the top of the bridge, where i saw these two paddleboarders heading toward the sunset. there was nothing surrounding them except water, and it was such a beautiful scene that i couldn't help but snap a picture. i don't know why this speaks to me so much, but it does -- maybe it's the metaphorical undercurrent of making your way towards something bigger, or of re-realizing your smallness in the face of nature (in this case, of course, the ocean), which is something i think we all need to come back to from time to time.

i hope you all are having great wednesdays.

scenes from sarasota + what are you doing this weekend?

one of my favorite things about sarasota is the little details that are everywhere -- from the architecture of the city's buildings to the little embellishments on its streets. i always stop and admire the sweet flowers that are part of the sidewalks near my office and on main street, downtown, but yesterday i actually snapped a picture of them for you. seriously, how cute are these? they make me smile when i see them.

and as for the second part of the title of this post--what are you doing this weekend? i have tomorrow off from work, so i probably won't be posting, but i have big plans for the next few days: sleeping, doing a little freelance work, and spending time in the sunshine among them. but the biggest plan of all is that my best friend k.'s birthday is saturday, and i can't wait to celebrate it. she reads this blog, so: happy birthday, bonesy! i'm so glad i get to celebrate with you.

see you monday, friends. i hope you have a wonderful weekend!

scenes from sarasota: sunset over payne park.

this was one of those accidental photos -- i was driving home one night, happened to look up and see this, and knew i had to take a picture, so i did. one of my favorite things about living here is the sunsets -- they're different every night and spectacular almost all the time, whether over the ocean or just over a city park.

scenes from sarasota: strawberry fields forever.

one of my favorite things about living in sarasota is the downtown farmer's market. it's chock-full of everything wonderful: produce, artisan cheese, olive oil and honey, fresh pasta, pastries, and much more -- and all of it's local and well-priced. i really should make an effort to get down there every weekend; as it stands right now, i make it about twice a month.

this weekend, my mom and i spent a good hour meandering through the market. we both picked up some local honey to try and soothe our terrible allergies (side note: have you ever taken honey to help allergies? did it work for you? i've heard great success stories!),  and i snapped the above pictures. don't those strawberries look delicious?

scenes from sarasota: little blue house.

not a lot of story behind this one, but i spotted this pretty blue house on my travels recently and had to snap a pic. i love the juxtaposition of the blue sky, blue paint and red flowers (and the pretty tile details) -- and this is also a good indication of the incredibly beautiful, sunny weather we've been having lately. yay.

scenes from sarasota: posh on palm.

my coworker, h., and i like to take a little walk every afternoon, for a variety of reasons: to go to the quickie mart to get a snack or beverage, to catch up on the day's events, to visit a new shop, to just get some exercise or fresh air. we usually have a set route, but occasionally we deviate. the other day was one of those times: we ended up strolling up beautiful palm avenue and just happened into posh on palm, a fabulous store that would make any shabby chic lover jump for joy. while i tend toward a more bohemian-modern style, i have a very soft spot for shabby shic (at least, shabby shic done right), so this store made me smile. i'll definitely be back; it's the perfect place to pick up a gift or home accessory.

photos by me

scenes from sarasota + catching up

hi, guys! i feel like i should be writing my happy monday post today, but it's wednesday. it's weird, even though i posted yesterday, it felt kind of...abrupt. is that odd to say? i don't know; i feel like my monday posts start off the conversation for the week, in some weird way, and missing them makes me feel strange. (or maybe i'm just strange.)

anyway, before i start really babbling, the reason i didn't post on monday, and why you're getting way more words than you would from a normal scenes from sarasota post, is because i got a nasty computer virus (aaaaand cue a whiny "i miss having a mac" chorus). thankfully, my friend/co-worker's boyfriend works in IT, so it took him a whopping 20 minutes to fix everything, but the day and a half i was without my laptop was...hard. which, honestly, makes me think i need to unplug more often.

in other news, i've been cooking up a storm this week -- so far, i've made shrimp curry (again), homemade granola, buttermilk pancakes from scratch, and tomorrow i'm going to whip up some chocolate two-bite cookies as a thank-you treat for my friend's computer-saving boyfriend -- and it's been great. going to try to keep the homemadeness up.

i've also been listening to adele's new album, 21, and oh my gosh, it's amazing. like, heartbreakingly so. i'm the kind of person who thinks in stories, and i can imagine a story for every single song on this album, even if it's not my own. there are big, swelling, movie-soundtrack-worthy songs, and then there are songs that literally hit so close to home they make you squeeze your eyes shut and take a deep breath. my favorites of the moment are "rumor has it," "turning tables" (which makes me think the most of the aforementioned movie soundtrack) and "someone like you," which kills me. go. listen. enjoy.

oh, and on a completely unrelated and random note: i ran out of my beloved lancome mascara last weekend and replaced it with cover girl lash blast (orange tube, non-waterproof), which i was tipped off to by a tweet from anna at door sixteen, and i love it. possibly even more than the lancome, if that's possible. (i need to write a makeup post soon; i've been using a bunch of products that i absolutely love and think you might, too.)

so that's what's been going on so far this week. and here are two photos from one of my favorite places in sarasota -- the top of the ringling bridge. (not the most perfect shots, obviously, but i still love them.) i took the first one, with the city views, from one side of the bridge, and couldn't get over how pretty the lilac-colored sky was, and i took the second one when i was walking back up the other side and the sun had sunk even lower -- i love seeing the progression of the light. the bridge is one of my happy places -- it's awesome for a jog or a power walk, but it's also a great place to think and listen to music and look out over the water. i'm really glad it exists.

i hope you're having a great week so far -- see you tomorrow!