Tampa for Thanksgiving

As many of you know My Guy has been living in Tampa, Florida for almost two years so we try to alternate seeing each other. I usually go down there for Thanksgiving since his birthday is around then as well plus it's nice to have some nice warm weather at the end of November since I live in Cleveland. Last year we decided to take a cruise to the Bahamas in celebration of his birthday and Thanksgiving but this year we just stayed in Tampa and enjoyed our time together. 

My flight was early on Thanksgiving and it was blistering cold in Cleveland. I fly a good amount of time between Cleveland and Tampa but I've never been on a plane while it was getting deiced. It was a neat experience but I was ready to get out of the cold and to the warmth of Tampa.

Thursday we enjoyed a night in filled with (too much) Sangria, home cooked (by us) food, monopoly and The Hang Over 3 as well as smiles, memories and laughter.

Upon my arrival in Tampa, we made our stop downtown to have a quick appetizer and some midday drinks at our favorite place, Jackson's Bistro and Sushi. I absolutely love the view, the menu, the decor and the staff at this location. We love it so much at we visit it almost every time I go visit him in Tampa. Check out my review on TripAdvisor of Jackson's.
After Jackson's we made some Sangria and started making some delicious food, this was the first time we were both cooking together in the kitchen and I am extremely happy to report that it was perfect!
After making food we played Monopoly (for about 4 hours). We had a blast!! So many firsts: first time cooking together in the kitchen and first time playing a board game together. I love nights in!

Friday was the day we celebrated his birthday! I had done some shopping at our favorite store, Express, for some birthday presents. I also booked us a dinner cruise, which was so romantic! For his birthday I got him a couple button downs, a sweater and a pair of jeans as well as the dinner cruise.

The dinner cruise we were on was the Yacht StarShip which is docked at Channelside in downtown Tampa. The ship we were on was the StarShip 2 which was a little smaller than the StarShip 1. The ship had 3 levels: level 1 was were dinner was held, level 2 was a bar and DJ, level 3 was a place to take in the beautiful views of downtown Tampa. The price per person included a salad or soup, an entree and desert. I will say the food was amazing, it was mouthwatering. Take a look at my TripAdvisor for the complete review of the StarShip2.

My lovely date and I on board the Yacht StarShip 2 celebrating his 28th birthday and Thanksgiving!

After the dinner cruise we spent the rest of the evening catching up with Angie at the casino. While her and I were enjoying some drinks, My Guy was playing Casino War and lost all of the money he wanted to gamble. When I first met this girl I was skeptical of her friendship with My Guy (since they met while him and I were taking some time apart) but she really has turned out to be a great person. I always enjoy catching up with her while I'm in Tampa. Crazy how a first impression can completely alter your views on a person, but I am glad I got to know her. 

Saturday was more of a lazy day with My Guy. He had to go into work for a few hours so I ran some errands and just hung out at home. We went to see the Christmas tree lighting at Wiregrass mall, looked at some engagement rings then finished the night with some drinks and appetizers. 

Love this picture of us! I have finally taught him how to smile...only took 3 years haha. He looks so much more handsome when he smiles. Oh and I finally wore my Christian Loubutins!

Beautiful Christmas tree at Wiregrass mall. His expression about my mom's new car. And a fun ice skating ring in the middle of an outdoor mall in Tampa!

Sunday was a day spent wondering around St. Petersburg. We had a fun drive from Tampa to St. Pete and just walking around visiting a place I've never been is one of my favorite things to do. 

We walked around the main street in St.Pete and we stumbled across a mail box where people can mail letters to Santa and he will respond back. I wish I could have had an envelope so I could have written a letter. We walked down to the pier and just enjoyed out time together. Living so far apart is very difficult.

While in St.Pete, we had lunch at Cassis which was very relaxing. We had a table outside on a sidewalk patio where we could enjoy the warm weather. For lunch I had a mixed fruits salad and he had the grouper slides and we shared a side of fries. The food was great but the service seemed a little unorganized. Check out my TripAdvisor review!

A few random pictures from this weekend. We always have a good time together with some laughter, smiles and arguments we always make the best out of everything (at least we try to)

How was your Thanksgiving? 

Do you enjoy going somewhere warm in the winter time?