Hi! I am a little late to the game posting my monthly recap of life in Florida (insert my excuse), but late or not, here we are.
It’s been a little over three months since I moved to the Tampa Bay area, but most days it feels like much longer ago. I don’t know if there is such a thing as homesick fever, but if there is, I have it.
Month 1: settling in.
Month 2: exploring our surroundings.
Month 3: fun with friends & family.
Florida Life // Month 3
Feeling // Homesick, plain and simple. I try not to think about the fact that I’m more than 3,000 miles away from most of my friends and family. I anticipate this feeling will dissipate as I get into a regular routine, but chatting on the phone or FaceTime is not the same as going for a run or sipping cocktails with a girlfriend. I am also feeling antsy to work. The job hunt continues…
Missing // If it wasn’t clear from above — my people. I also miss Chico a lot. While I was born and raised in Humboldt County, Chico feels home-y to me. I miss small-town life, and the mountains. But… in less than two weeks, we are headed back to Cali! We will be in NorCal twice in the span of three weeks for a couple of weddings. While I am excited about both trips, I am bit apprehensive that I won’t want to return to life in the South.
Doing // April, or Month 3 (as they are one in the same), was a busy month for us! Between Nick’s surprise birthday weekend (his two best friends flew out from CA for a few days) and my dad visiting for a week at the end of the month, the month was packed with fun activities ↓ ↓
I also worked – behind the scenes – with a graphic designer to give Nutrition Nut on the Run an anticipated mini makeover. Unfortunately, after six weeks in the making, it did not turn out as I’d envisioned. So, here we are, back to drawing board; meanwhile, I am embracing the current layout and functionality of the blog until the timing is right to try again.
Nick & his besties playing frisbee at St. Pete Beach
Activities & Adventures // Of course the highlights of the month were completely surprising Nick for his birthday by having his friends stay with us for a weekend and my Dad spoiling us with good eats and house tweaks for a week. I feel like we explored quite a bit of the bay area this month with highlights including finally going to the beach (St. Pete Beach) and sticking my toes in the warm Gulf water, getting a fresh cut at Level Salon Spa, visiting The Florida Aquarium on a stormy Sunday, and soaking up the sun and chill vibes at Armature Works.
Exercise // Oh, exercise. It definitely seemed like there were a significant amount of rest days in April. That’s intuitive exercise for you. I still have yet to sign up for a gym membership, so exercise is a mix of walks with the dog, the occasional run (I haven’t been enjoying it as much), backyard workouts at home, and gym workouts on base. I did try out a few classes at CAMP Tampa this past month, and had an absolute blast; so, if I do get a membership somewhere, this is definitely a top contender.
Eats // Although we ate out a bunch, we enjoyed many healthy, wholesome meals at home. The highlight was definitely when Dad came with his sourdough supplies in tow (read: he dried his sourdough starter and packed it in his suitcase — that’s dedication!) and, together, we baked up two beautiful loaves of homemade bread. Dad’s poached eggs on homemade sourdough. Enough said.
I often share food highlights on Instagram. So get yourself on over there for the action.
Restaurants // We ate ate out quite a bit in April, but such is life considering we had visitors. And when you have out of town guests, it is only reasonable that you explore the local eats. I wish I had kept track of everywhere we did dine, but the Cliffs Notes version is: sushi in Ybor City at Samurai Blue, rainy day happy hour drinks at Fly, post-beach fare at The Avenue (St. Pete), Boca Tampa with Dad, sunny Saturday cocktails enjoyed al fresco at Armature Works (such a fun vibe, we’ll be back!), plus a Don’t Kale My Vibe smoothie from Sweet Soul.
Boca Tampa
Alligators // Zero… aside from seeing them at the aquarium.
That was Month 3 of Florida Life in a nutshell. While moving across the country from everything you know is not easy, I am happy I am here.
xx Hill
What were your April highlights?
Have you ever moved far far way from home?
