I'm sure this is much easier for people that blog regularly as they have something to look back on, but I thought it might be fun to recap this past year.
January:
I honesty can't remember anything from this month! I know I was still out of work and bummy because of that. I attempted to start a project making and selling cellphone covers, but it didn't go over too well.
Some of the case I made.
I also went to Gasparilla, opting to ride my bike there and meet up with friends rather than the usual meet up to pre-game and then attempt to get the mass of drunkards down to the parade route. It was nice being able to do my own thing, I may do the same this year.
I'm in the middle there.
Okay, maybe January wasn't SO bad. Facebook's new timeline feature is my lifesaver here! My brother was on leave from the Navy and came to visit and he took me to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for the day. We rode EVERYTHING and I got to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
I look so mean!
February:
I finally started my new job at Misener Marine on the 14th, Valentine's Day! I also tell Sam that this was our friendship anniversary since it is the day we met. (She was training me.) I don't recall anything else exciting happening around then, I think I was just getting myself back into work mode after being unemployed for nearly 6 months (and out of the corporate world for almost a year!)
For the sake of having at least one picture, these are my favorite nails from February:
March:
I started to really get situated at my new job in March. I discovered that my favorite close beach (but not my favorite FAVORITE beach, that's Anna Maria Island) was close enough to my new job to start going there during my lunch break. I would have my lunch packed, bring a blanket, and spread out on the sand and eat and relax for about 45 minutes and it would be the best part of my day.
On Picnic Island during my lunch break.
I also had a fun day when I went with my mom and her friend on the water taxi from downtown Tampa to this amazing dive restaurant called Rick's on the River. It's the kind of place where you sit outside and they have live music and you eat fried fish and drink beers and margaritas. I want to do that again soon.
My mom and I at Rick's on the River.
April:
April was a pretty good month. I went and saw Suckerpunch by myself and I LOVED it! It got a lot of bad reviews but it was pure eye candy from the amazing costumes to the makeup and hair to the beautiful actresses. It also had a killer soundtrack which I promptly downloaded as soon as I got home from the movie.
The main most exciting thing that took place in April was when I went with Kerry (a friend that I met from Facebook!) to go see Semi Precious perform at this bar called the Kennedy. Really it was just Justin, the lead singer, playing DJ but it was really fun and we danced and drank and partied! But the best part was when Lady Gaga decided to stop by for a visit! She performed "Judas" which hadn't even been released as a single yet. It was so hectic and amazing and I took as many blurry pics as I could before I had to get out of there to avoid being crushed. I was right next to her and that put me in a position of great danger.
I started going to my mom's barn which she rode so I could play with the animals out there, including a donkey, some goats, a pig, peacocks, and English Bulldog puppies!
I also went to the Dragon Boat races, which I go to every year.
I baked some tie-dyed cupcakes for Easter.
And possibly most importantly I learned about EpicMealTime and the honey badger video!
May:
My mom had a horse show at the fairgrounds so I put on my finest wellies and hung out there for the day.
May was also a real good month for nails for me:
Sam's birthday was in May and she decided she wanted to go to St. Pete beach and have lunch at this place called Crabby Bill's before actually going to the beach. Well we ended up eating/DRINKING for about 5 hours and finally stumbled onto the beach at 5, so it was too late for any real beach activities, but we did get to sit and wait for the Rapture to happen!
Eating my first raw oyster.
I made Sam and I these starfish hair clips.
For the first time in the 8 years our parents have been married, I got to meet my eldest stepbrother, Kris. He came to visit us along with his wife and his son, Konner. I am an Aunt!
Konner with Layla and I.
The whole family went to a Rays baseball game.
June:
The main fun thing I did in June was go to the Ringling Museum with Sam. I have wanted to go since I was in high school and I just never made it out! So one morning we headed down to Sarasota to finally see it. And let me tell you, it was amazing! The "museum" is basically an estate with several buildings on it, the main parts are the circus museums, the Ringling's mansion, and the art museum. It was so huge so we only made it through the circus museums and then we wandering the grounds a bit, checking out the gardens and the water.
The second half of the day we spent at St. Armand's Circle which is this outdoor area with lots of shops and restaurants and it is very artsy and Floridian. I love going there. We got some ice cream at Ben & Jerry's and some sweets at Kilwin's, but mostly we shopped around in all of the little boutiques. On our way home we stopped in front of this amazing statute that I always drive past on my way there.
I bought my first box of macarons.
A cool ring I bought at a little shop in St. Armand's.
Whew, blogging is way more work than I realized! I think I may stop this for now and bring you part 2 later!
