romping and giggling.

i'm not even sure that romping is a word, but it seemed suitable for alison and my adventures. we giggled and ate. then giggled and romped around. we started the day with coffee, biscuits (how southern) and scrambled egg whites made by miss alison, hostess extraordinaire.

 

then, we road tripped a whole mile to USF's campus (alison's alma mater). their mascot is the bulls and looking through my photos, i realize approximately 87% of them are me posing in front of a bull. the campus was very similar to how i imagine all college campuses are in hot weather - white, open, palm trees, tables outside where students gather... (as opposed to the midwest where students in parkas speedwalk to find the nearest source of heat).

i didn't do much touring of campuses when i was choosing a college. i applied to two schools i was familiar with and badda bing, badda boom. sometimes i wish i had taken the opportunity to see more options. its interesting to me, how different colleges can be, when the intention of education is the same core idea. is there anyone reading who spent time touring colleges and had any good or bad experiences? jaw dropping campuses?

after sipping starbucks around USF, we headed back to alison's to make cupcakes. i made coconut cupcakes with whipped frosting and toasted coconut

 

and alison made carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, sprinkled with cinnamon.

then alison's friends joined us for a highly competitive game of putt putt. we played with penalty strokes if your ball left the green and i am embarrassed to admit that i, the one who plays actual golf, came in fourth....of four people, but we had a lot of fun.

we showered and prettied ourselves up for a fancy girls night at bern's steakhouse in downtown tampa. their upstairs is entirely devoted to dessert and wine. (i think this is a must for my someday house, how fun is that?) we were seated in a room filled with cozy booths and our very own piano player.

he played everything from classical to lady gaga and smiled every so often at alison and i giggling and taking pictures like it was our job.

we both ordered apple pie topped with homemade cinnamon ice cream. oh my goodness. it was so fancy and delicious. the crust of pie is my least favorite part so it was a little heavy on the crust but the presentation and apples inside were divine. i also ordered a cup of coffee. i don't remember the exact story, but i think the coffee beans were soaked for a year and then ground and put into my mug. (okay, this may be a slight exaggeration, but it was the best espresso drink i've ever sipped. that's saying something!)

i love fancy nights filled with giggles, silly moments, new inside jokes and telling secrets with a dear friend.

oh, i almost forgot. awkward moment of the night: i had just gotten out of our booth to take a picture of alison, when a man in the booth next to us offered. i excitedly handed him my camera. he said, "i understand, we've been looking for someone to take ours too." i said i would be happy to oblige. he responded, "well, we don't have a camera so we'll have to use yours." i didn't understand at all and waited for him to laugh it off to no avail, but nothing. he went back to his booth and alison and i could hardly contain our giggling. oh the joy of awkwardness.

xo.