Last Thursday, my sister Carla and I hopped on a plane to finally visit my best friend Nicole. The trip was a long time coming. Nicole has lived in Florida with her husband for a year (he’s military) and I’ve been promising to visit since they moved. But, life seemed to happen and Nicole ended up coming home to Maryland really often. Between weddings, work, and her coming to stay for two weeks when my brother Jack passed away, I’ve seen her more since she left than when she lived here!

Our trip to Tampa was a wonderful retreat of relaxed fun. We slept in each morning, visited Nicole’s favorite places, discovered new ones together, watched the sunset on the beach (Nicole and Nick’s anniversary session images coming soon!), and laughed our faces off to Amy Schumer in I Feel Pretty late one night. Overall, it was exactly what Carla and I needed. Quality time in sunshine with someone we dearly love.

The cherry on top was arriving home only half an hour delayed into a DC snow storm. Not that we would have been disappointed to stay another day….

Here are some images from the trip and a quick list of our favorite stops. It was really fun taking pictures with no pressure. No client, no deadline, no nothing! I left with a renewed love of the art 🙂

Places and Spaces:

Oxford Exchange– the coffee shop, restaurant, and book stores of your dreams in one gorgeous space

Ybor Market- farmer’s market with produce, art, and wild chickens running around

Bartaco in Hyde Park– a chain (I’ve been to the location in Virginia), but you can’t argue with fantastic margaritas, beachy decor, and outdoor seating

St. Pete Beach- the location of Nick and Nicole’s sunset anniversary session (perhaps my favorite session to date! Blog post coming soon…)