Perfect Weekend Routines

I do love a good adventure and exploring new things. But do you know what else I love? My chill weekend routine that I just never get tired of. No new untried adventure required.

One of my work collegues asked me this week if I still get a thrill when I go to the beach or if it has become normal to me. My answer was "Every single time I see the water or go to the beach, I thank God that I get to live here. It thrills me. Every. Single. Time." So even though I always crave doing new things and exploring the unusual, having my weekend habitual routine is also incredible.

I am writing this on an early Sunday morning spring at my favorite coffee shop that I go to every weekend that I'm in town. I sit at the same table (on the water, right by a fan, under the shade of a tiki hut, where I often see dolphins swimming by).

Today I treated myself to their iced strawberry latte, and this space is where, hypped up on caffeine, I plan out my upcoming adventures and sort out my mental space.

Could I go to a different coffee shop every weekend and break my habit while exploring the world? Yup. Should I? Maybe. But there's also something so rich about sameness in perfect contentment that for right now I don't see a need to change.

Plus the is a little island crammed packed with pink birds and pelicans that I just adore. How can this be bad?

After this, I jump in the car, turn on my latest audiobook (which currently is Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918) and drive up to see and be spoiled by mom and dad. See what I mean? A perfect day.

The rest of my routine weekend is also very engaging and comforting despite the familiarity. Friday evenings are spent at the beach or the pool. Saturdays always give me a long early morning beach walk and swim (though last week past Debby storm, I made a mistake of wading in hip deep before getting stung by a jellyfish in the murky water. My skin itched fiercely before I could jump in the shower. Not sure if the itching was a result is the sting or thE sewage that had been dumped in the gulf as a result of the storm. Either way, a very, very, very dreadful experience.)

I usually hit the farmers market (to feed my belly), the library (to feed my mind), or the pottery studio (to feed my creativity). If you want a stupid, awkward piece of pottery that might make you laugh, meet me know and I'll make you one. Here are some of my newest that I made for Emily:

Then I am lucky enough to go out with my gang. I love these guys so much. Even when we do things that we've done before, it is always an adventure with them full of belly laughs.

This weekend we hit Safety Harbor and schlepped the cute shops.

Then we went to Gigglewaters for dinner and a movie. Remember this place from past adventures I have written about? It's got absolutely ridiculously delicious food (think Waygu burgers and truffle popcorn) and $5 movies in a super small movie theater speakeasy in a back room. We saw Mad Max and I got a really good nap. Sorry Cin. But if I had known that it was Thor in the lead role, it might have kept me awake.

Tomorrow I had back out for a double week off business trips--Texas and Alabama. As much as I love adventure, I hope I don't have the same flight cancelation adventures I had last week in Charlotte.

But I didn't tell you about a cool experience that happened when I was at the airport trying to get home. I was standing in line at Tsa pre-check when I noticed the woman ahead of me had a ribbon on her backpack from Paris Olympics. I asked her if she went there and she said she had and it was cool. I asked her if she was there to watch or to compete. She said she was there to compete in swimming. Wicked cool!!!

Everyone around heard and it turned into a paparazzi photo session and interview. How cool to meet an Olympic athlete in real life! She competed for the Virgin Islands and was in both Paris and Tokyo Olympics.

You never know who is standing next to you in line.

Signing off so I can get a few more chapters in before heading to the 'rents. Hope you are having a gloriously routine day too (and I mean that in the most badass Adventury way possible.)