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Published: January 19th 2018
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Dinner Along St. Petersburg Coast
Dinner Along the St. Petersburg Coast. Shrimp and grits were the best I'd ever had! Since having my two children in 2014 and 2016, my husband and I have found it a little difficult to travel out of state. For the most part, our big vacations have consisted of quick weekend jaunts to the Carolina coast, both babies in tow. However, after our most recent trip to Myrtle Beach this past spring proved pretty disastrous and miserable all around, we've stuck close to home as often as possible.
Still, for someone who was used to going on weeklong road trips along the West Coast, or New England, on a whim as a newlywed, I've felt a little stuck. Don't get me wrong, this is one of the sweetest times in my life and I absolutely adore being a stay-at-home mama! However, when the opportunity arose for me to attend a work conference in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida last week, I jumped at the opportunity. Thanks to a generous grant from my employer, I was able to attend the conference at a minimal cost. Plus, I actually have extended family in the nearby Bradenton, Florida region so I stayed with them to cut down on lodging costs.
It was a quick week that flew by.
Conference Friends
Me and a few girls from my proposal department in the hotel lobby before our last session. My days were filled with conference sessions centering on how to grow as a professional
proposal manager. Not exactly riveting stuff, but for someone who's been cooped up in a cottage by the road for what feels like forever, I soaked it all up like a sponge! I rose early, ate grapefruit and cereal with my great aunt and uncle, then rode with them to the hotel where the conference was being held. From Monday to Wednesday, it was a rote routine. Sunny mornings with family, hotel conference rooms and meeting sessions all day, then suppers in their living room until it was time to pick back up and do it all again.
A Pullover and a Party However, last Thursday, things took a momentarily crazy turn for the unexpected. We were traveling along Highway 275 when we saw the dreaded red lights flash in the rearview. My great uncle had gotten a little ahead of himself and in his rush to get me to my 9:00 a.m. session on time, had overrun the speed limit. A few minutes of shame on the side of the interstate later, we were back on the road and minding every mile with the eyes of a hawk! As someone who's never been pulled over in my life or even looked a law official in the eye, I was in the back seat mortified. Thankfully, my great aunt knew a
Florida ticket firm who's law services she'd retained in the past, and she assured me all would be well. We kept chugging along until I got to my conference, where I quickly ducked out of the car and into the refuge of stale coffee, monotonous speakers, and plenty of information on the Shipley proposal method that I'd come to dread.
I thought for sure the traffic stop would be the most eventful part of the day. However, when the last session ended, I soon realized that it was far from over. My supervisor invited everyone out for dinner along the St. Petersburg waterfront. We dined on fresh shrimp and grits and discussed what we'd learned over the course of the four-day conference. By the time the dinner was through, the sun was setting over the Gulf of Mexico, turning the entire sky a gorgeous shade of cotton candy pink swirled with deep purple and blues. Though the morning had been stressful, this was the perfect way to wrap up the week. I caught my very first Uber back to my great aunt and uncle's home when everything was done, and spent the next hour relaying the rest of my day to them over a pot of hot coffee.
The next morning, I packed my bags and we drove back to the Tampa airport. We said our goodbyes in the parking lot and I went in alone, duffel bag in tow, stuffed to the brim with t-shirts, mugs and other swag from the conference. The flight home took only an hour and a half, and I arrived back in time to eat dinner with my family, hug on my babies, and tuck them into bed.
While I appreciated the time away, and I'm grateful to my family for helping take care of my kids and husband while I was away, my time in Florida reminded me that there truly is no place like home. We can travel the world and see some pretty incredible sights. We can learn new ways of doing and seeing things, and taste delicacies unlike anything we've ever experienced. Yet, when it's all said and done, there's nothing like tapping those ruby slippers and making a beeline back to the people, faces, sights, and sounds that we love the most.
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