FLORIDIAN HEAVEN

Happy post-Cubbie World Series win day! I’m sipping hot coffee in the early morning with my momma, as is custom when visiting her in Ponte Vedra. It was her birthday yesterday, and I flew in the afternoon before to spend the week with her!

M SHACK GOODS

Upon arrival at the Jacksonville airport, my best friend Hilary picked me up from the airport and took me to M Shack at the St. John’s Town Center, where we met up with our other best friend Emily (of Carprov fame) to have a quick catch-up lunch.

I ordered fried pickles and a cookies and cream milkshake, like ya do. (They were delicious, but The Spot still takes the cake when it comes to the perfect fried pickles.) This was my conservative meal choice, as I knew I’d be eating dinner with my parents soon after.

A QUICK RUN

When I got home, I hung out with my dad and caught up on working remotely before getting an itch for a quick run. I had run 9 miles on Sunday and it was now Tuesday, so I thought I’d sneak away for a trek around the neighborhood. I did a fast 2 miles in the Florida heat and humidity. Look at how sweaty I got. Gross!

DELICIOUS DINNER

After I showered and my mom got home from work, we whipped up a quick dinner, accompanied by the man’s birthday gift to her: a fresh baked loaf of bread! My mom made angel hair pasta with tons of veggies and a light cream sauce.

Of course it was topped off with some wine. 🙂

LUXE SPA DAY

The next day was my mom’s actual birthday, and we had lots of great things to do! First, after our early-morning coffee, we headed out for some exercise. My mom rode her bike while I ran 6 miles, and we talked the whole time. It felt great!

After a quick shower, we headed to the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club spa for friendship facials (in the same room) and a day of luxurious relaxation.

After a tour of the facilities and a brief lounge session in our robes, we headed off to our 1-hour facials. They massaged, exfoliated, extracted (ouch!), and moisturized. It was both of our first times, so it was all a bit of a surprise.

After we finished up the appointment, we were free to stay there and use their steam room, sauna, hot tub, and hydrotherapy pools. And, of course, we did!

After trying out everything, we had lunch delivered poolside, because #spoiled.

I ordered a skinny Caesar with salmon, which was so good. The dressing was made with nonfat Greek yogurt and absolutely delicious.

My mom ordered this field salad, topped with berries and feta cheese. IT was also quite delicious, especially the sweet balsamic dressing. Yum!

And, of course, we ordered peach and strawberry daiquiris, because #duh.

AFTERNOON CAKE + DINNER

After our long spa afternoon, we broke all birthday rules and had cake before dinner! Actually, now that I think about it, that’s exactly how it’s done right. My dad made a chocolate bundt cake with cream cheese frosting. Yum!

MUCHO GUSTO

Later that evening, after my mom and I did our own fun Carprov experimentation (she did so well!), we headed out to an Italian restaurant called Gusto, in Jacksonville Beach.

I ordered the Pappardelle Alfredo, which was rich, creamy, and hit all the spots. I took half of it home, and topped the night off with some tiramisu, shared with the birthday girl.

And that’s it. What a great day!