Tampa with the Johnstons

The last time we visted our friends David and Chloe in Tampa they had just gotten married and adopted a super cute pup named Rex. It was Summer of 2013. Unfortunately it had been entirely too long since our last visit and they had since added a new two legged member to their family - Clare. We finally planned a trip to spend the weekend with them and we had such a great time! You know those friends who you can just be yourself with? These are some of those friends. We can be on the go or just hang out together doing absolutely nothing and enjoy ourselves just as much in both cases. We headed down to Tampa last weekend after work. We passed the time in the car by watching the movie Heaven is For Real on the iPad. Sidenote…chills! 

We got to Tampa around 9:00 and proceeded to stay up late playing catch up. It’d been too long! I know Rex was happy to see us. He was probably convinced we were there just to see him.

Rex and David speak the same language.

Saturday morning we lounged around and played with Clare.

Hers so smiley! Oh my goodness - what a doll baby! She was such a sweet heart and a joy to be around all weekend. I certainly hogged her every chance I got :)

Fueling up before we were heading out. Chloe is such a good Momma!

We decided to check out the new section of the Tampa Riverwalk. It was a nice area downtown that had restaurants and a nice walking path. We walked a good ways exploring and then decided to grab some lunch at Taps.

Me, Chloe, David and Clare on the Riverwalk.

David and David

My David had Grandma’s Macaroni Pasta or something along those lines. I had a blackened grouper sandwich with avocado, bacon, cheese, lettuce and garlic lemon aioli on ciabatta bread. Is your mouth watering yet? It was SO good.

A storm started to roll in so we packed up from the Riverwalk and headed over to the Citrus Park Mall for some Starbucks and window shopping. However we took a bit of a non-scheduled tour through the city on the way. David (as in Tampa Dave) has lived in Tampa for a while now but apparently he didn’t know the exact route to the mall from the Riverwalk. We ended up at one point going the entirely wrong way, as in against oncoming traffic, on a three lane bridge. Lucky for us there wasn’t a car in sight when we were heading up the bridge so we lived to tell the tale. Good times!

A house with a view

We spent the evening hanging out and David and Chloe fed us a delicious dinner. We had some intense rounds of corn hole and just enjoyed getting to be together!

Friends since elementary school!

If you know me, you know that I am picky with wine. As in I don't typically like any of it. But Chloe poured me some Merlot and sprite so it was a sangria sans fruit. I did like that a lot! Why can't I just like wine? What's wrong with me?

Sunday morning we went on a neighborhood walk before it was time to hit the road. They have such a picturesque "South Florida" neighborhood. I loved looking at all the cute homes and of course enjoyed the palm trees. 

One last play time with Clare. I'm having withdrawals!

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Tallahassee. Another fun Tampa trip in the books. Can't wait til next time!