Reason #15674893 I live in Florida….
the beach is never more then a couple of hours away. 
Well for me this beach is a little bit less then 2 hours away, but really whose counting?
After breakfast this morning I pulled on the swim suit and headed to good ole Tampa for some fun in the sun.
On the way out to the beach we stopped at Pita Pit for some grub.
I had a Whole Wheat Pita with Hummus, Jalpenos, Spinach, Sprouts, Onion, Black Olives, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Feta. With some Grapes on the side, it was just the kind of meal I was looking for.
Derek and I headed to meet up with Jenna and Ryan in St. Pete where they were kicking back at the famous Don CeSar Hotel.
Ok, so I’m not sure exactly how famous it really is since I hadn’t heard of it before today, but it was a pretty sweet hotel inside.
We of course immediately got to work on the beach doing super healthy things such as practicing our open water swimming techniques and starting up a pick up beach vollyball game…… or you know we took the beach day another direction and indulged in some yummy tropical drinks instead.
I enjoyed a Margarita on the Rocks while Jenna had her Mojito. Yes this is the way you live it up right here. (Sarah, I am rocking the green swimsuit and alcoholic beverage beach combo just for you )
While resting and gabbing it up on the beach I also snacked on some Green Grapes…
And a cereal conconction I made before I left that involved Cheerios, 365 Brand Cinnasnaps and Peanut Butter Puffs.
Yum! Oddly cereal made the perfect beach side snack.
After some beachside tanning and hot tub sulking we were feeling the hunger deep in our stomachs for dinner or rather Jenna and I were crying hunger while the boys gave us funny face and told us it was only 5:30… but you know what ever.
For dinner Jenna and Ryan invited Derek and I to their favorite Cuban Restaurant on the beach called Bella Habana.
It was a little hole in the wall place where you can sit right outside and enjoy the night breeze.
Since I was by the water all day I had a big craving for seafood, so that was the only part of the menu I even read. On Jenna’s reccomendation I ordered the Blackened Grouper with Black Beans and Fried Yuca.
The blackened grouper had the perfect amount of spicyness and the yucca made for great dipping in the black beans.
I had a wonderful piece of Sweet Cuban Bread on the side that was perfect for seeping up the juices on the plate.
I even tried a bite of Jenna’s delish Chickpea dish, which to much of our effort she still had about 75% of the plate left when finished.
This plate was huge! She had enough to feed four people! She did put up a good effort to eat as much as she could though. 
After dinner Jenna gave us specific directions on how to get to D*Lights, a low cal ice cream place I constantly see featured on her blog. Derek was sweet and drove out of the way so that I may enjoy the creamy treat.
I ordered a small Tagalong with Chocolate Chips.
It had a great peanut butter and chocolate taste that paired nicely with the chocolate chips. I really enjoyed my first D*Lights experience and will happily return in the future.
I believe I have had a perfect Saturday: 12 mile run, Beach, Hanging out with great friends, Ice Cream and now a little time with my Twilight obsession.
That’s right on the way to Tampa I picked up a little present for my self.
Let’s see how long I can stay awake before I crash to visions of Edward Cullen dancing in my head.
Good night!
{ 40 comments }
