A1A - Beach Front Avenue

This past weekend, I headed across the state to Miami to celebrate a dear friend's birthday. Driving to Miami from St. Pete always kind of blows monkey chunks because of traffic issues in the Ft. Myers-Naples area and, of course, in Miami. I'm partially to blame because a) I leave on Fridays, usually, around 3 and hit rush hour in those areas; b) I'm an impatient mo-fo; and 3) I don't earn enough to have a personal driver/pilot. That being said, I am always rewarded with an awesome time once I arrive.

On this trip, I hit the ground running as the girls and I headed off to Moon for dinner. I spoiled my appetite a bit on the way to Miami by making an emergency hunger stop in Naples. McDonald's ain't no gourmet shizz, but when on the run, it does get the job done...After Moon, we ladies headed out to THE event of the summer blockbuster season: Sex And The City. SJP and the gang are back and looking more fabulous than ever. The movie theater was an effing zoo of stilettos and BFFs, all gathering to watch yet another episode of everyone's favorite single and fabulous New Yorkers. [Well, the ladies of SATC may not be single, but they are always fabulous.] Mini movie review: saw it, loved it, will watch it again.

Saturday, I drove Katie on up to a wedding in Hollywood Beach, then Karin and I headed up to Ft. Lauderdale to check out the Florida gallery of artist Michael Ringer. I love Ringer's Clayton gallery in the 1000 Islands and in the 3+ years I've lived here in Florida, I've meant to check out this version of his gallery. It definitely had all the earmarks of a Florida shop - fish, flamingos, turtles, and white sailboats. There were some good finds, but I ended up walking away without a single purchase. I guess I'm saving all my souvenir and gift dollars for Peru [7 DAYS!].

The trip to the gallery was followed up by lunch at Tarpon Bend, near Riverwalk off Los Olas Blvd. in Ft. Lauderdale. I think this weekend was the most time I ever spent in Ft. Lauderdale. Mostly, I find that city useful merely for a) the airport; b) the line dancing; or c) the conference space. A lot of folks would say they prefer the laid-back style of FLL to Miami, but me, I love the flash of Miami. You either love or hate Miami, and me, I think I'll always be a lover. I had a blast while in graduate school there and it will always hold a soft spot for me. Plus, I know some really awesome people there that keep all real and feed me fantastic homemade gourmet meals. [Mrs. M - thank you AGAIN for the Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake. You are divine!!]

Sunday came around and reminded me that these weekend visits ALWAYS feel way too short. I hate that moment where you have to start working your way out the door of your beloved host's home. If only there were some really grand excuse for you to stay, to skip work, and keep the fun going. Alas, I cannot damn The Man, and well, Karin would miss her plane if I didn't drive her back to Ft. Lauderdale (see, it is really good for that) on my way home. [In general, I hate Sunday nights because it means the 40-hour work week is about to start. Sunday nights are extra special horrible when you also have to say goodbye to dear friends and time together.]

Lemme sum up:
Free movie tickets wrangled: 5 (Thanks, Kenny!)
Glasses of White Zin: 1
Number of candles blown out: 29 (that's for you, McOldy!)
Number of love bugs killed while driving across Alligator Alley: eleventy million
Number of texts Karin sent: eleventy million times 2

Sarah Too