this time last year, some of my favorite girls and i packed our bags and took a little getaway to Tampa for my bachelorette party! all i really wanted to do was to celebrate the last few days of "single" life and eat some real good food with my girlfriends, and we did just that! i've been extremely lucky to be blessed with the most genuine group of friends, in which i have been close friends with the majority of them for atleast 10 years, and some 20+ years! i never got to share those fun moments with them, so here they are and how i miss them so.
the world's turned upside down since then and i get a bittersweet feeling when i look back to times where we didn't have to worry about a pandemic. but that's why i decided to post the fun times! so here they are:
bachelorette dinner
we got all dressed up to eat at one of Tampa's new hot spot, Armature Works. it's basically a mix-used-food-hub of a building located in the Tampa Heights neighborhood. it's like a farmers market of restaurants. as you're walking around the repurposed building, you're given a ton of different food options to choose from. some of the restaurants are in pockets of the building designed as to-go styled stands or dine-in restaurants.
we ate at a restaurant called Oak & Ola, and it was THE yummiest! the vibe of the entire restaurant was so comfortable, so stylish. and had a lot of art deco elements throughout the space. i ordered (what they had at the time, they're at a limited menu right now) their Onglet, which is an 8oz steak smothered in cabernet sauvignon-shallot vinaigrette, roasted golden beets, pea shoots, and blue cheese crumble (i'm a sucker for blue cheese). i paired it with some yummy truffle fries and ughhhh it was sooo good! we were all extremely satisfied with everything. we also had little bites of each others food too. everything was pretty delicious. the interiors were gorgeous too, i mean look at that marble slab at the bar!
dessert
okay, so i got dessert at Oak & Ola too (felt a little extra that day so i treated myself to more dessert than originally planned lol), but it was on my list to hit up a dessert spot and this was the place to hit up. we found The Dessert Spot at Toffee To Go just a few minutes away from Oak & Ola. if you know me, dessert is my main weakness and constant struggle to say "no" to. but no regrets at all.
this spot had ice cream, cakes, cookies, and toffee. it was a cute little dessert shop, and because we were such a big group, we just combined two tables to one so we could all sit together. we are all huge sweet tooth's, so we each bought different desserts and had little bites of each others goodies.
sleepover
a target run was not part of the itinerary, BUT it definitely made its way in there and no one's complaining! love me a good target run. we bought snacks, drinks, and face masks.
when we got back to the airbnb, we dressed down to our pj's, put on some face masks, and obviously ate more food and snacks lol. we got in some good conversations and talked and laughed for hours! we asked each other questions, relived old memories, talked about our future goals, and got some sweet advice about being a married woman. again, really love these girls. they make you feel super loved and valued, but not just me, they make everyone around them feel that way.
as we were about to head to bed, there was a lone lizard in one of the bedrooms (which explains the photo above of my friend hiding under the covers, scared for her life lol). if only i have the footage of my friends trying to catch it. it was hilarious!
brunch
the next morning, we cleaned up the airbnb and made our way to my favorite brunch spot, the Oxford Exchange! i love the atmosphere of this place. i even considered it as one of our options for our wedding venue, but it would be a bit of a drive for our friends and family.
but this place is gorgeous. there's a beautiful sunroom, a library, an eyeglass store, a shop, and restaurant all packed in one. they mainly focus on breakfast and lunch food's, but if they added dinner on their menu i can imagine them be busy non-stop. being an interior designer makes me more appreciated of the spaces i'm surrounded in. it's definitely a breath of fresh air when you are eating brunch with your girlfriends under that beautiful sunroof.
after our brunch, we headed over to a nail salon and got manicures and pedicures! because we came in a bigger group, they gave each of us a discount and provided complimentary wine and drinks haha. i personally don't drink, but it didn't go to waste since some of my girls do. a mani and pedi sesh was a good way to relax and prepare for our drive back to Orlando.
again, i'm so grateful for this group of girls. they are individually so loving, kind, funny, and accepting of everyone. not everyone i invited was able to make it, but those who weren't able to come are just as awesome. i can't believe almost a year of marriage has already gone by and that we were all together not having to worry about masks or social distancing exactly a year ago today. looking back on days like this helps me remember the special moments we've shared together. looking forward to doing a reunion like this again when everything is much safer. love these people with all my heart.
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