Wild & Dangerous

 

A few weeks ago, A & I noticed that a new EVOS location was being built in Carrollwood, & we had been hotly anticipating its grand opening. Alas, the two of us can't go anywhere without a photoshoot first, & we managed to get A's brother, Ashton, to crawl out of the house to snap a couple photos of the two of us together. When one of us is always taking pictures of the other, we find we don't have enough of the both of us. I think we added a couple of winners today. You wouldn't believe how many we had to delete! (She'd hate me for saying so, but A looks too beautiful in any picture to me that I've had to make deleting her responsibility).

Finally, I was able to take my little foodie there with me to try out some "airbaked" goodness. As we always do, we scarfed down a pair of cheeseburgers like we were famished, but we were rather impressed with the restaurant's ketchup variants(mmmm, anything called "Cayenne Firewalker" just speaks to me). As burger authorities, this place gets a thumbs-up. And if A loves it, you know it's delicious. She's the pickiest when it comes to tastes & smells.

Bellies full of burger, we scooped an apple empanada from Mr. Empanada's on the way home for a homework blitz. Little A tore through multiple academia-related blog posts, my lil champion. I couldn't get much done, in between air-drumming & getting distracted by her adorable face. I'm feeling over-complimentary today about that face, huh? 

A tradition for the two of us over the past year together has been to visit A's family while they're out somewhere in Florida in the RV. This weekend, we visited them at Hillsborough River State Park, where we dined on even more burgers. Mmmmm. A says she's never had burgers twice in a row before. How humbled I am to be the man she experiences such a glorious memory with. 

Our night was cut a bit short when the mutant mosquitoes of Florida did a number on A's legs, but a couple hours out in the wilderness with my little adventurer was enough to satisfy this guy. That girl looks her cutest when she isn't even trying (see the candid photos that made the cut above). Oh & I managed to capture some shots of B chasing a rubber ball. Nothing I could type here can describe the hilarity.

As I wrap this up, I realize that all I accomplished today was eating a bunch of cheeseburgers & not wearing the same t-shirt as multiple previous Stellar Piece posts, but it's the simple days with A that I love the most.

Love (you, bug),

J

Aisha // Blouse: Vintage from Revolve // Shorts: Levi's x Urban Renewal // Bracelets: Forever 21 & Pulsera Project Sunnies: American Apparel

Jake // Shirt: Supreme // Shorts: Fourstar // Pants: Levi's // Shoes: Vans // Sunnies: Ray Ban

To the (Lazy) Moon & Back

 After hyping it up for a whole year, J finally took me to Lazy Moon while we were visiting Orlando last weekend. We've always wanted to go together but ended up bailing out last minute for some reason or another. I'm glad that we finally took an extra 45 minutes to drive there because it sure was delicious. 

Let me make it known to you that although J talked about Lazy Moon non-stop prior to our visit, no amount of build up could have prepared me for how amazing it actually was. One slice of pizza could easily feed a small village & was practically un-eatable without the help of a fork & knife. J got what I like to call 'The Jake', a slice of pepperoni pizza & I switched it up with a pineapple and ham. To our surprise, it was 'Free Dipping Sauce Friday', so J delved into classic marinara & I had the best ranch I've ever eaten. In typical A & J style, we cleaned our plates without a problem.

Lazy Moon kept us happy & full all the way through The Vaccines show that we went to at The Social later that evening. It fueled us through yelling lyrics, dancing like fools & finally meeting one of our favorite bands. I highly suggest driving out of your way to check it out, it will be well worth your time & your belly will thank you.

Love,

A

Beach Buns

Ever since I hit that too-cool-for-everything pre-teen stage, I've hated the beach. Then I met my soulmate, A, who feels just the same. It's hot, sticky, sandy, & the water is always still too cold for my rice paper-thin skin. I still groan when the word is uttered, but there is one spot that merits an exception: the Fort DeSoto Dog Beach. What's more Floridian than a beach day in September?

We met A's family at their RV spot on Saturday afternoon, & after chowing down on some  Xtreme Cheese Goldfish & Pub Subs (turkey, mustard & cheese only, thx) we packed the car full of some snacks & our favorite little traveler: Bentley. 

My pale skin is no match for Florida's scorching hot beach days, so pass me the Coppertone. I somehow manage to always forget to lather up my neck & shoulders, you know, the only two parts that really require ample amounts of sunblock. Thankfully A had my back when the heat got hot (literally). Oh, & a big thank you to the weather gods, because the water was perfect & I'm always the one to scurry away from the ocean or pool if it's too cold (remember, I hate the beach).

A & I love the dog beach because watching such a widely diverse range of dog breeds interacting with each other, while simultaneously peeing on anything in sight, is hilarious. Nothing is funnier than when little Shelby trots up for a scratching while a frazzled owner screams her name from a distance. 

Our little Bentley is such a diva; not only does he refuse to play with any dog that is remotely near his size, he doesn't care much for the water, either. At one point, all seven of us were in the water calling for him to join us. He instead turned around trotted up the sand, & sat on a chair beneath an umbrella. Okay, Bentley.

In between moments of balancing Aisha's little brother Aric on my shoulders & coaxing Bentley into the water for a family portrait, we all took turns trying to stand up with our feet on two separate boogie boards. Summary: not easy if you weigh more than an eight-year-old boy, but I was more than impressed to see A get all the way up there.

All in all, maybe I don't hate the beach as much as I thought. Getting out in the fresh air & watching the dogs & kids play must have inspired childlike enjoyment out of me, because A's sister Ariana had to ask me how old I was multiple times throughout the day.

Here's to broadening our horizons.

Love,

J

Lack-of-Labor Day Weekend

J & I were joking all weekend about how Labor Day weekend should really be called Lack-of-Labor Day weekend because we tried to do as little as we possibly could. Last week was our first week back at USF and we were pretty excited to veg out summer-style for a few more days. I know it sounds easy but sitting in class listening to your professor read every single word of the syllabus can really eat away at your soul...

On Friday we did what J & I do best and had a dinner // movie date. We went to Boston's, where I introduced J to the amazing world of crunchy green beans & he tried their new #PIZZABURGER. Then we went next door to Veterans & watched You're Next. It was gory & had a good plot twist, so naturally J & I walked away happy.

Saturday was a day full of last minute adventures. At first the natural planner in me hated the idea of impromptu plans, but J quickly warmed me up to them with his skills of persuasion. We started the day with a yummy little lunch at Panera Bread & wandered over to Microgroove Records where I found New Order's Blue Monday on vinyl for $2.99. On our way home, we spotted the quirkiest little comic book // music store on Hillsborough called Green Shift. As Jake & I wandered around the store that looked like it might be on next week's episode of Hoarders, he told me all about his days of comic book collecting. Watching him stare in awe at all the old vintage microphones and amps made me remember why I fell in love with Jake in the first place. He's passionate about so many things & can find beauty in even the rustiest old equipment.

Later on J persuaded me to go to the first USF football game of the season. While football isn't really my cup of tea, I had fun people watching & yelling at the players with Jake. Even later that evening, we decided to go to the Tampa Pitcher Show to check out the live action performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show that they do every Saturday night at midnight. As RHPS 'virgins', Jake & I were pretty much clueless the entire time. Let's just say my favorite part about going to the Pitcher Show was the Shrimp Fra Diablo that J & I ate. It was "exxxtra diablo".

Sunday has become our favorite day of the week lately because of one thing: BREAKING BAD. We got some homework done during the day & came back to Jake's dorm to have a little Breaking Bad watch party with some friends. We ordered some pizza & ate some wings while we anxiously waited for Walter White's next move.

Even though we spent the majority of the morning tackling more homework, Monday was great because J & I were just happy to not be at school. We lounged around during the early afternoon & grabbed a late lunch at PDQ. In the late afternoon, we took a little trip up to Orlando to meet up with my family. On the way up, J put together a little playlist full of our favorite songs (get Spotify Premium, it's the seriously the coolest). I swear that the best times I have with Jake are when we're listening to music together and talking about anything. I haven't been able to keep my mouth shut around him since the first time I opened it. He's just the greatest when it comes to conversation & it's just another thing that I absolutely adore about the boy.

Although we are sad to see this weekend go, we're surprisingly excited to get back into the swing of things at school. We both love our classes so far & this semester seems to be full of new adventures. September is going to be the best month yet & I am so ready to see what the future holds.

Love,

A

Retro Dates

 

 

At the beginning of the summer, A & I had the idea to go on a series of "retro dates", taking part in some activities that were big in previous generations. Because Tampa has an apparently unlimited array of retro options, we decided on a bowling/arcade date, a trip Johnny Rockets, & a night out at the roller rink. We even saw The Shining on a blow-up screen at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Downtown Tampa at midnight for free. As it turns out, retro dates are right up our alley: they're cheap & very silly.

For our bowling night at Tampa Lanes, $14 each bought us three games at the pins and 40 (an actual staggering amount) arcade tokens. Heeding to the "best two out of three" philosophy, A & I were tied up heading into the third game (she absolutely destroyed me in the second), but I emerged the ultimate victor. Taking our talents to the arcade was another treat in itself. They actually had a Top Skater game, which I haven't played since I used to spend hours on it in Dave & Busters as a little kid. A proved to be quite the little sharpshooter at both Hoop Fever and Extreme Hunting. You should see that little girl put down an e-Bison. Whoa.

Our trip to Johnny Rockets was a delectable day date. I grubbed out on a classic meat-and-cheese burger, one that I am constantly ridiculed for by waitstaff (I just don't like lettuce or tomato, k?), but A scored an absolutely gorgeous "Number 12", complete with Johnny Rockets' "red-red sauce", aka a chili-ketchup delight that competes with Sriracha sauce for first place in my heart for "condiments that aren't Heinz Ketchup". 

We made the pilgrimage to United Skates of America for a night of rollerskating fun. From my days as a kid rollerskating at Kabooms in South Florida & skateboarding endlessly, I figured skating would be a breeze. When we arrived for all-you-can-eat pizza night (I know), we noticed we were at least 5 years older than the oldest kid there. Dodging through 11-year-olds ripping through the rink backwards & trying not to slam into actual children, we realized we looked a little less like Ellen Page from Whip It & a lot more like this guy. If there's one thing A & I are not afraid of, it's making fools of ourselves. Maybe because we can't avoid it.

Retro dating is easy to accomplish when you're looking for some weird, affordable fun. Check out your city's arcades, lazer tag arenas, or if you're lucky like Tampa, drive-in movie theater.

Love,

J