saturday morning market Archives

Weekend Recap – Home Sweet Home

Last week was a whirlwind. I feel like my whole team was on the go from sunrise to sunset (and sometimes beyond!). Regardless, it was a great week. I got to spend time with some of my favorite people and eat delicious food. What more can a girl ask for?!

I don’t plan to recap my trip, but I do have a few new restaurant recommendations – Remington’s, Beatrix, and State and Lake Chicago Tavern.

My weekend started when I got home on Friday night. Vishnu was up and waiting for me. It was nice to sit and chat for a while, especially given that we hardly talked all week. I filled him in on my meeting and what I ate/did, and he told me about some of his work stuff. We called it a night around midnight!

I had every intention of sleeping in on Saturday, but it seems that I’ve lost my ability to do that. So I woke up at 7 am, ate breakfast, and waited for Vishnu to get up. A few hours later, we headed out for a (hot/humid) long run/walk. My ankle starting hurting almost immediately, so we stopped at a bench and Vishnu stretched it out a bit. Thankfully, it was okayish after that.

I didn’t get a chance to go grocery shopping on Saturday, so we decided to grab lunch at the Saturday Morning Market. After checking out all of our options, both Vishnu and I decided to get a taco plate from the Taco Lady food truck. My veggie tacos were delicious and so flavorful. Unfortunately, I overdid it with the hot sauce and could only eat a few bites of the beans and rice and one taco. Oops!

I spent the afternoon filing our taxes (so happy to cross that off my list). The whole process simple and easy-to-follow, AND we got a hefty little return. Turbo Tax for the win!

Our friend Cara’s sister is in town, so a few of us met up for dinner and drinks in the evening. More Mexican food and a delicious ginger beer for me!

We got home at a reasonable hour, but I didn’t physically make it to bed until a little past midnight. Oy vey!

And of course, the next morning started at 7 am (seriously?!). Overall, Sunday was more low-key because I was forced to keep quiet. Vishnu started his final (!!!) nights hospital rotation last night which means he slept all day. I, on the other hand, hit up Trader Joe’s, squeezed in a workout, and meal prepped a bit.

I am more than ready for this work week because it’s a short one. I head to Austin on Thursday for my sister’s bachelorette party! Can’t wait!

Side note – Did you notice that I didn’t mention cleaning this weekend? Well, that’s because Vishnu deep cleaned the apartment before I got home on Friday. Love my hubby!

Weekend Recap – Only One Picture to Show for It

written by Parita 3 Comments

Our weekend was pretty great. Nothing out of the ordinary or spectacular but great in a simple, easy, and fun way.

And I only have one picture to show for it.

I’m going to recap the weekend by starting with this picture.

This, my friends, is the delicious and ooey gooey arepa Vishnu and I shared on Saturday at the Saturday Morning Market. SO GOOD!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. My weekend started at 5:30 am (London time) on Friday when I left to fly home. Both of my flights were uneventful…and very tiring! By the time I got home at 7:00 pm (12:00 am London time), I was beyond exhausted but so excited to see my hubby!

We hung out for a couple of hours before I headed to bed. My sleep was average at best. I tossed and turned from 3-5 am before getting up and starting my day.

Once Vishnu was up, we showered, got ready, and headed out to the Market for lunch. We shared a cheese arepa (see above!), coconut macaroons, and Thai food. The Thai food was flavorless, cold, and a total disappointment. Lesson learned – Thai food should not be eaten at a market.

We also checked out a local art show and walked along the water before heading back home. The plan was to hang out until five and then drive to Titusville to view a rocket launch, something Vishnu’s wanted to do for a while. Welllllll…I kinda sorta fell asleep for four hours (I blame the jet lag!). Vishnu wasn’t feeling too hot either, so we decided to postpone this fun adventure to March. Talk about a complete change of plans!

Sunday morning was spent at Costco and Trader Joe’s. And unlike most weekend shopping trips, Vishnu joined me for this one. I blame him for our overspending at TJs! It’s ok though – the extra $$$ was worth having his company!

The rest of the day included Chipotle, reading, a long run, the first two episodes of Quantico, and pancakes for dinner.

Like I said, it was a great weekend.

P.S. Two other pieces of exciting information – I am off from work for the next two weeks (our company is shutting down for the holidays), and more importantly, my sister gets in later today!!! She’ll be here with us for the rest of the week (and next week but more on that later). WOO HOO!!!

Did you have a great weekend?

Weekend Recap – When Friends Visit

written by Parita 11 Comments

I was looking forward to this past weekend since May! That’s when my friend Jenny asked if we were going to be around because she was going to be in town for a conference and her husband Jimi was going to drive down for the weekend.

I’ve known Jenny since my freshman year at UGA. We quickly bonded during late night study sessions and continued to stay close over the years. Vishnu and Jimi actually met during Vishnu’s freshman year as well…way before I knew Vishnu and Jenny knew Jimi. Craziness!

It’s been a long time since the four of us have really hung out and spent time together. Of course, we’ve seen J&J at various weddings over the past couple of years, but those don’t count as quality time! I’m so glad it worked out for them to stay with us this weekend.

Jenny and Jimi got to our place late Friday night. Unfortunately, Vishnu was sleeping because he had work in the morning (the only crappy part of the weekend!).

On Saturday morning, we got up and lounged around for a few hours chatting about…pretty much everything. J&J love deep conversations as much as I do! Seriously though, we talked about everything from our childhoods to our take on healthcare. SO MUCH FUN!

Eventually, we got ready and made our way to the Saturday Morning Market in downtown St. Pete.

Horrible picture but you get the idea!

Jenny, Jimi, and I scoped out the different stalls and then got our eat on…literally! I tried a cheese stuffed arepa, a pineapple + strawberry smoothie, and a falafel wrap. Aside from the amazing food stalls, there was lots of fresh, organic produce as well. Can’t wait to make the Morning Market a regular thing!

After stuffing our faces, we continued on with our walking tour of St. Pete and eventually ended up at Kilwin’s for some ice cream! There’s always room for ice cream. I decided to go with a scoop of the chocolate peanut butter…my fav!

Since we couldn’t fathom anything other than sitting on the couch for the next few hours, we headed home after our ice cream break.

Quite a few hours later, after Vishnu got home from work, we headed to Taco Bus for dinner. Jenny and I decided to share a plate of nachos because neither of us was that hungry. Best decision ever (I was kind of sick of food by this time). We ended the night with funny YouTube videos and random conversation!

The next morning unfolded a little slowly. We got up and talked for a bit before showering and getting ready. We then made our way to Banyan Cafe for brunch (the same place Vishnu and I went for his birthday brunch). I decided to go with a breakfast sandwich this time (eggs, cheddar, spinach, and Cuban bread) and was happy with my choice!

And then came the sad part…saying bye to J&J! Even though I didn’t want them to leave, I was so glad we had the chance to spend good quality time together. Jenny and Jimi are so much fun to be around. I honestly haven’t laughed this much in a long time! Can’t wait to do it again soon (I hope)!

Until next time…