Travel Archives - Page 49 of 59 - My Healthy, Happier Life

ashleyd / October 17, 2011

22 Hours Straight

After yesterday’s 20 mile run, I was ready to lay horizontal for the next few hours! I was absolutely exhausted, both emotionally and physically.

Luckily our hotel, the Tampa Marriot Waterside, included a gorgeous pool area which, despite the below picture, was the perfect place to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather all afternoon.

I went straight from the ice bath to the pool lounge chair. After learning the hard way that Aleve should never be taken on an empty stomach, I enjoyed a small bag of pretzel thins while the boys were off getting lunch.

Lunch couldn’t have come soon enough! This delicious barbecue grilled chicken sandwich with sautéed mushrooms and onions was gone in no time! The fries were a little mushy so unfortunately they weren’t enjoyed nearly as much as the sandwich.

I spent the afternoon alternating between water, Corona Light, Cigar City Good Gourd beer, and Miami Vice.

ashleymeghanncheers

Luckily, I had good friends to relax and drink with poolside.

Unfortunately, at 5pm we had to head up to our rooms to get ready for the wedding which meant saying goodbye to Meghann and Derek!

I was especially excited for my wedding attire since I was able to use my late grandmother’s earrings and clutch. Neither of which hold much value to anyone else, but to me I felt like she was looking down on me all night.

IMG_5009 (478x640)

The wedding organized shuttles to transport guests from the hotel to the church and then to the reception, a gesture which we appreciated greatly as out of town guests who were ready to party!

The Catholic wedding ceremony took place in Tampa’s beautiful Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The wedding was shorter than we expected as it turns out there are two types of Catholic weddings: wedding ceremony and wedding mass. Last night’s celebration was a wedding ceremony instead of mass which meant the following:

Mass Or No Mass

If the ceremony takes place without a Mass, the ceremony concludes with nuptial blessings and a final prayer from the priest. He then tells the congregation, "Go in peace with Christ," to which they respond, "Thanks be to God." If the ceremony includes Mass (which adds only 15 minutes to the service), the priest asks for the "sign of peace," in which everyone shakes hands with their neighbors. Holy Communion follows. Finally, the priest recites a concluding prayer and nuptial blessing asking for strength and protection for the couple.

After the wedding we boarded the shuttles for the reception at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club. The evening weather was perfect for a cocktail hour on the back veranda overlooking the palm trees and golf course!

We enjoyed the cool evening weather with their signature cocktail, a French Martini, and passed appetizers which included escargot stuffed mushrooms and rack of lamb.

An hour later we were seated for a sit down dinner before a night of dancing. The decor was gorgeous and the food was some of the best wedding food we’ve enjoyed. Everything was cooked perfectly and seasoned well. As soon as we were seated for dinner, my post long run hunger caught up with me which meant I enjoyed the meal thoroughly!

After dinner it was time to party! We realized very quickly that Puerto Ricans truly know how to party!

We danced from 10:30pm until 2:30am enjoying both Puerto Rican music and Top 40 hits alike!

It was a wonderful evening with old friends but by the time I hit the bed at 3am I was beyond exhausted! After staying up for 22 hours straight all I wanted was our hotel room’s king size bed and compression socks!

Follow:

ashleyd / October 15, 2011

Tampa Greetings

Greetings from Tampa!

Luckily, I’m not traveling for work this weekend. Instead, Bo and I are down in Tampa to celebrate the wedding of one of his good friends from graduate school. Therefore, it means that I’m the lone wife tagging along with he and his two best friends. I’m sure it will be a weekend of debauchery and fun with a side of sunshine and pool time. Everyone attending the Rodriguez/Hoback wedding was greeted with a welcome sign, compliments of the Tampa International Airport! How fun!

Lucky for me, I have friends in Tampa who were available for a dinner date! Meghann and Derek picked me up at the airport tonight fresh off of their vacation cruise! Bo had to stay in New York late this evening due to his work schedule but I was ready for the mini vacation to begin!

Due to parking issues and other obstacles, we ended up relying on Yelp for a restaurant recommendation last second which worked out wonderfully! It turns out they recommended the winner of Tampa’s Best of the Bay Italian Restaurant!

Bella’s Italian Café was the perfect dinner spot for a casual but delicious carbohydrate rich dinner. When Meghann asked where I wanted to eat in preparation for our 20 miler tomorrow morning my only request was “somewhere with either pizza or pasta.” Located on South Howard Avenue in South Tampa, this fit the bill wonderfully!

The restaurant was packed when we arrived but we were able to snag a table without a wait. Within seconds of sitting down, our waiter presented us with complimentary bruschetta, just the thing to hold off our hunger.

The menu was huge, with options ranging from salads, pastas, fish dishes, and make your own pizzas. My eye was immediately drawn to the pizza sections, especially when I saw the oak burning oven and read about their delicious thin crusts.

I created my own pizza including mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions as toppings along with the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. On the side, I added a small salad since I felt like my day was lacking in vegetables.

We had so much to catch up on while we waited that I felt like our food came out very quickly! In the middle of their Cozumel stories, our pizza and pasta graced the table. Derek chose a tomato cream pasta dish while Meghann took a risk on their Rustica pizza: prosciutto, caramelized onions, roasted potatoes, mozzarella, and fontina cheese.

My pizza was exactly what I was craving and the perfect size for one person! The size of a large dinner plate, I ate 3/4 of the pizza.

After our delicious dinner we stopped at Publix Greenwise before heading towards my hotel. While I double checked my list three times to make sure I didn’t forget anything for tomorrow’s 20 miler, I totally forgot about pre-run food.

Meghann and Derek were excited to share Greenwise with me, the Publix version of Whole Foods.

It was amazing! It reminded me of a Whole Foods but improved since you could buy all your favorite Publix staples there as well, such as my Jif Peanut Butter and Thomas Bagel Thins!

I ended up buying two bananas, Cinnamon Raisin Thomas Bagel Thins, Jif, and a treat for Bo when he gets to the hotel: a six pack of his favorite beer!

Now that I’m safe and sound at our hotel, over looking the gorgeous bay and surrounding islands, I’m ready for bed! I’ve organized all my gear, filled my CamelBak, and set the alarm!

Hopefully our 20 miler through scenic Tampa will be awesome tomorrow!

Question: Tonight at dinner we debated whether beer should be savored or enjoyed quickly upon purchasing. How long does a six pack of beer normally last in your home?

Follow:

ashleyd / October 2, 2011

A Busy Day at the Beach

What can I say? The fresh air, long run, good food, and bocce games took it out of us.

After everyone finished their runs we made lunch and were entertained by our new guest, Isabelle. Isabelle is the second baby our group of girlfriends has had but she was the only one to make the trip down to the beach this weekend. She had more outfit changes than Brittney Spears and was the center of attention all day.

My lunch was more delicious than normal as my hunger returned just in time.

A turkey sandwich, complete with cheese, mustard, and Duke’s mayonnaise. On the side I enjoyed some pickles, Baked Lay’s Ruffles, and a Blue Moon Pumpkin beer.

After lunch our group split into two groups, the ESPN crowd and the beach crowd. Normally I would have been on the couch cheering for Georgia Tech, Georgia, and Notre Dame. But, since I’ve only had two beach weekends this summer the beach was my destination of choice yesterday.

These are the beverage choices of a long runner: a gallon of water and a beer.

We were blessed with gorgeous weather again yesterday though the wind kept things too cool for swimsuits.

After the Dawgs won the game the rest of the group came down to the beach for a game of Bocce.

Bocce is the perfect beach game because it allows you to keep talking, hold a beer, and play all at the same time. The driftwood, shells, and soft sand made for a more challenging game than normal.

By dinner time everyone was ready for a big Low Country meal, a Low Country Boil. Also known as Beaufort Stew or Frogmore Stew, a Low Country Boil is, according to Coastal Living Magazine

Once called Frogmore Stew, this one-pot wonder was created by a National Guardsman when he needed to cook a meal for 100 soldiers. Richard Gay, who learned the recipe from his family, had everyone remembering his stew. The dish was later named Frogmore, where Richard was from, by the guards who teased him about home. The postal service eliminated the name Frogmore, which changed this popular dish to Low country boil.

This seafood dish is a combination of shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes. Great for relaxing trips to the beach, it is also easy to create for a crowd. Low country boil can be served on newspaper for easy clean up. Crab, onion, and butter are frequent additions to the pot, and having a removable drain basket only makes cooking easier. The rule of thumb here is the bigger the crowd, the bigger the pot.