We’ve officially been in St. Petersburg for over a week.  And in one week, I’ve gone from thinking that this place will never grow on me to actually enjoying myself while exploring our neighborhood. 

I had a mini meltdown early last week while talking to my mom.  I’ve never been the best with dealing with major change, so couple that with pure exhaustion, and you’re left with a very emotional Parita.  My mom, doing what she does best, gave me the best advice she could – give it a little time. 

It’s no big surprise, but she was right.  I needed to give everything a little time to settle down, as well as give ourselves some time to adjust. 

And after a full weekend in our new city, I’m already feeling more at home. 

On Friday, we had plans to go for a walk after I got done with work, but as soon as the clock hit 5:30, the rain started to come down.  And it didn’t stop for most of the night.  So we ended up watching a Bollywood movie at home. 

 
Vishnu’s not the biggest fan of Bollywood movies, but we both enjoyed this one and highly recommend it!

We woke up bright and early on Saturday and decided to go for a run.  I’m not quite sure how many miles we covered, but we managed to get almost 8,000 steps each.  Always a good thing!

Next up on our list of things to do on Saturday – go to the beach!  Even though it was super crowded, we really enjoyed ourselves.  Unlike the east coast of Florida, the beaches on the west coast are seaweed free.  This in and of itself makes the experience so much fun.  Can’t wait to go back! 

 
After coming home and showering, we decided to keep the good times rolling by visiting Costco.  You guys!  This was probably the best Costco experience I’ve had in…well, forever.  You weren’t forced to play bumper carts in every single aisle, people were really friendly and nice, the checkout process took no more than five minutes, etc.  As we walked out, I looked at Vishnu and said, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that was actually fun.”  Haha.

We ended our day with dinner (my first Pho experience!), ice cream, and another movie at home. 

 
Sunday was a little more low-key – gym, Trader Joe’s and the outlet mall.  I snagged a cute jean jacket at Loft, and Vishnu got quite a few things including work pants, shorts, and workout clothes. 

The rest of my day was spent napping and watching the last half of the NBA finals.

A great weekend overall!  My mom’s advice was on point – give it a little time and everything will be alright.  In a weeks time, I’m already feeling better and ready to make the most of our year here!

Happy Monday and thanks for reading!

How was your weekend?  What was the last movie you watched?