There is one person who can make a simple weekend home an epic walk down memory lane... my brother. He lives in Italy and when I was living away from home the two of us having time off and making it home at the same time was a once every 6 months or so type of thing. To some people being away from their sibling like that might not be a big deal but in getting to know me you will see that Ben is legit my best friend and we have the most fun when we are together. So when I had the chance to come home for the weekend while he was here on leave I definitely took advantage.
It was a quick two night trip but I made the most of those two evenings. This is the break down.
Day 1
This pretty much sums it up. I spent the day traveling out of Nashville to Tampa. I love the feeling I get when the plane lands in Tampa.
Night 1
Obviously the family hit our usual dinner spot... Datz. My mom and I always get the spa-ahh water which is a fancy cucumber gin gimlet its pretty damn good. Ben usually orders something weird like a whiskey cocktail with bacon in. Apparently this time he chose something with a tree limb in it. Dad orders a beer... a craft beer of course. We ate some super good food and then said goodbye to the rents before getting our drink on.
First stop The Dub. Its a cool little Irish place that has trees growing up through the patio, live music, and good beer. At the Dub they toss a handful of blueberries in the blueberry beer (yeah I drink a bunch of fruity beer get over it) and I can almost convince myself that I am getting my fill of antioxidants while drinking beer... good logic right? But what I really love about Dub is kind of what I love about all the little bars on South Howard... they all have a layer of sticky beer on the floor, a couple groups of college kids getting too drunk, and some thirty somethings hoping the drunk college girls will find them hot and mature. I think we ended that night how we end almost all of our nights out with a shot and a beer at The Retreat. We took it pretty easy that night knowing we would have a day full of food and working out starting the next morning. Rough life right?
Day 2
There is nothing better than waking up a little late after a night out and going to the gym right? um wrong! maybe 5 years ago. I loved that shit back then. Now I wake up after just a few drinks the night before and I am like "Shit I guess I will drag my sorry ass out of bed and work off some of the beer"
So we put on our best lulus and tied up our nanos (we may feel like shit but we do not look like it) and headed toward MacDill AFB.
Before we got there we stopped to get JUICED.
We stopped at a little juice and lunch spot called O.E. Market. Come to find out it is an extension from the Oxford Exchange which from what I can tell is where snooty bitches in Tampa eat lunch and buy eco friendly throw pillows. We each got a fancy ass $10 cold pressed juice that we hoped would give us super strength for the WOD ... it didn't.
We did a nasty little 7 minute AMRAP of deadlifts and burpees. From now on when I mention WODs I will make an effort to tell you the weight I use, my scores, and my scales. This time I have none of that but just know... it sucked. Also know that if i say that it was probably awesome... crossfit logic.
You are in Tampa and just finished a super hard workout what next?... cupcakes and bomb ass wings obviously!
Frostings etc. is the absolute best cupcake place in Tampa... I mean possibly anywhere. Joe runs the place and a lady named Sharon makes the cupcakes. I have never seen Sharon to be honest but I picture her to be kind of like a superhero in an apron back there whipping up cupcakes while flying around in the kitchen and turning the oven on with her mind. Meanwhile Joe is seriously so friendly it is like he is a friend of the family and he seems to like us. I mean where else do you get a chocolate cupcake topped with cookie dough frosting served up with a shot of Jameson. F$%@ yeeah! This was followed up by a couple beers and some wings at Soho Saloon where they have some hilarious wall art.
Night 2
Apparently we didn't get enough of the dub the night before. This night Ashley joined the party and wrecked our asses in some kind of coaster game. Honestly though losing to Ashley doesn't really count because she kicks ass at like everything cornhole, can jam, beer pong, softball, and yes crossfit... bitch is bad. We decided to add good ole MacDinton's to the mix on night two. MacDinton's is like a landmark here in Tampa. I have heard people talk shit about it... its shitty, full of snobby UT kids and over-served locals, a 15 minute wait for a beer, and bathroom lines that lead to a creepy ass bathroom attendant offering you body spray from walmart. But I mean hello... all of that is what I love about the place. If you can not embrace the debauchery that goes on inside of these Tampa bars... you suck and you probably have never had fun.. like ever.
Day 3
Unfortunately the fun came to an end and I had to fly out.
Not before a beer at Hula Bay of course.
There it is the highlight reel from one of the many successful Tampa trips. Before I moved I knew Tampa was great but after living in other places (to include a town in Alabama that didn't even have Starbucks) I have gained a new appreciation for this sunny city. I love it and the people I share it with.
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