It is somewhat hard to pinpoint the exact moment when you fell in love. One of my favorite quotes is from a book (shocking):
"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."
That perfect gem is from John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. When Spencer and I first met, I fought my feelings for as long as I could.
That ended up being about six weeks.
At that time, all of our 'differences' were thrown out the window and we just decided to let ourselves fall in love. While we cannot name a specific time, it was right around my birthday. I had taken a day off from school (personal days are glorious) and we headed down to Sarasota. As we walked around the museums and local attractions that magical day, there was a definite shift. We had a romantic dinner later that week, and my great love story was finally in full swing. We hadn't been back to Sarasota for awhile, and it seemed like a great place for a romantic getaway.
Spoiler Alert: It was!
Museum
My brother Lance attended The Ringling School of Art for a hot minute back in the day, so I have always loved this museum. John Ringling and his wife Mabel lived here, and they were lovers of Italian art. So, when those fat circus checks started rolling in, the couple bought art.
It is on display everywhere, from the Ca' d' Zan to the many outlying buildings. You could spend a full day here and not see everything. We hadn't been here for 8 years; since then it has become part of FSU and there are many upgrades. It is now a little slicker than I remember, and half of it was closed for renovations, but it will always be a special place to us.
Hotel
Now that we are traveling so much, I am starting to fully appreciate a really good hotel when we find one. The_Modern is one of those rare finds. It is a boutique hotel that is cool without being snobby, clean without being institutional, and fun without being in-your-face. It embraces the mid-century modern look with all of the up-to-date amenities.
The bar had great craft cocktails (although they closed at 10:00...welcome to the retirement capital of the world) and we enjoyed playing ping pong outside while the rest of the country survived the polar vortex. We can't wait to come here again; next time I want one of the rooms with the bathtubs on the balcony.
Day Date
I love walkable areas. St. Armands Circle holds a multitude of shops and restaurants. It is a great way to spend an afternoon. We had a couples' pedicure, enjoyed lunch at the Columbia Restaurant, visited an art gallery, and bought some swim sandals, all within a few blocks.
Unconditional Surrender
I love the above named statue in Sarasota. I will continue to work on my movie kiss skills, as I could only laugh into my sweet husband's face because there was much hooting and hollering coming at us from the adjacent street.
Where and when did you fall in love? Did you know it in one moment or was it a progression?
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