Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be dropped off on a private island where all of your needs would be tended to? On my recent trip to the island, I was impressed by the number of facilities available. Caladesi Island State Park comes pretty close to providing all the beach essentials [...]
April Rose & Thorns – A monthly recap of the highs and lows experienced each month. Rose: 5k Races April was a significant milestone in my running journey. I ran not one, but two 5Ks this month. For the first race, my goal was simply toy run my fastest 5K. I was shooting for the [...]
Honeymoon Island is one of Florida’s most popular State Parks. The white sand beaches softly blending into turquoise water are just like the advertisements for Visit Florida. The shore is sprinkled with sun-bleached shells ripe for the picking to take home as a souvenir. It’s easy to see why many people chose Honeymoon Island as [...]
Hunsader Farms is like an amusement park loaded with farm activities. The humble beginnings of the Hunsader Farm started with an eighty-acre crop of tomatoes. Over the decades, the farm has grown to add additional buildings to the property, including a barn to house produce for the farmer's market, an ice cream shop, and a [...]
I recently took myself to my first pottery class. Like those painting with twist classes, this is one of those artsy activities where I can try my hand at creating art, and in the end, the only person who sees value in the finished product is me. I was inspired by binge-watching the fifth season [...]
March Rose & Thorns – A monthly recap of the highs and lows experienced each month. Rose: 10K This month marks a significant running goal. I’ve slowly built up my running time and endurance, which has led me to run my first 10k distance. In 1:01, I was able to run 6.27 miles. I was [...]
Finally, I’ve checked off one of my home makeovers for this year. I went back and forth on the style, amount of storage, and budget for this project. Like a flock of cattle egrets circling a tractor to eat the newly turned-up bugs, I found myself circling back to IKEA to find the best storage [...]
My visit to Cow Creek Farm started early before the Florida sun could warm the air on this cloudless morning. A faded green tractor hauling a wagon rattled into place, ready for our tour around the fifteen-acre farm. As I walked to the check-in booth, the farm’s two resident donkeys greeted me with a bellowing [...]
Tarpon Springs is known for two things; Greek food and sponges. The two may seem like an unlikely pairing; however, the relationship started in the early 1900s, when Greek sponge divers settled in Tarpon Springs and created a thriving industry selling natural sponges harvested from the Gulf of Mexico. Today, Tarpon Springs relies mainly on [...]
February Rose & Thorns – A monthly recap of the highs and lows experienced each month. Rose: Girl’s Night This has been the month of going out and catching up with friends. Having the weekends off made planning a celebratory girl's night a breeze. My best friend and I started new jobs this month, so [...]
