Wired for the Weekend

Yeah, I know, it’s Wednesday and I’m just now getting around to this post.  It’s the last day of school, so the last couple of days have been nuts of giving finals, grading finals and doing all the end of the year stuff that is part and parcel of being a teacher. I’m also moving rooms so that has been fun trying to figure our what to toss and what to take, and I still haven’t bought any boxes. I need to do that on the way home today.  Ok, so the weekend.  Most of you know that I am a volunteer photographer for Southeastern Guide Dogs and for the last four years I have been photographing both Guide Dog University (when the dogs return from their puppy raisers) and Puppy Raiser Day, when the dogs are matched with a handler and are graduating.  Plus, I also photograph Service Dog dinners/meet and greets and other things as needed, which means that my weekends are sometimes over run with obligations.  Earlier in the Spring I decided that I needed a break and took off from volunteering for the summer, beginning in May.  As of now, I plan on returning in August, but we’ll see how I feel then.  I didn’t realize how burned out I had gotten, even though I love doing that work.  So, last weekend was the first weekend that I didn’t have any obligations, and to give my hubby a break from us, Amanda and I headed over the Skyway to St. Pete to do a coffee run, because why not. It’s basically a twenty-ish minute drive, and for good coffee.. I’m there.  Our first stop..Intermezzo Coffee and Cocktails. This shop started off as a pop-up and is now a permanent fixture on Central Ave in the Edge District.  They have expanded their coffee menu to include cocktails after 5pm and have Empire Oyster setting up shop in the lot next door.  I have yet to try the cocktail or the oysters, but that is on my list for this summer.

After Intermezzo, we did a little shopping at Plain Jane and Whim So Doodle Amanda and I both picked up a few things. At Plain Jane, I picked up a little cross body pouch and Amanda got a couple of super soft shirts.  Whim So Doodle is so dangerous to go in as I always find something fun for my art journal or craft room.

One of our favorite places to go is Swah-rey, St. Pete’s only dessert bar.

Leslie and her team have the most delicious cakes and minis, plus if you have some four legged furry friends at home, you can take home some Pup Cakes.  Amanda’s favorite of the moment is the cookie dough cake, but my favorite is a luscious, decadent, perfect strawberry shortcake.

One would think that after coffee, and then dessert, we’d be too wiped out for more. Nope…. enter Bandit Coffee Co.

We didn’t stay to enjoy our drinks at Bandit, but took them to go as we needed to get back home.  It was a pretty quick visit, just a couple of hours, but we love spending time in St. Pete.  With the exception of Whim So Doodle, all of the places we visited are on Central Ave.  There are other coffee shops in St. Pete that we have yet to visit, but that’s on our list for the summer.  This weekend, I think Amanda and I are going to do a Coffee Crawl in Tampa.  Their coffee scene is booming and we’ve been wanting to try several of them for a while.  I’m sure we’ll be wired for the weekend.

And finally, a gorgeous if warm evening.  The view from my backyard.