I need to stop drinking so much coffee. I was on such a good water kick, and now I feel like I crave caffeine all the time. It’s weird. Perhaps that’s why I can’t sleep at night. Melatonin- you are my hero. This weekend was absolutely amazing. Dan and I left for Naples on Friday afternoon, and I had such a fun and necessary girls’ weekend. I met up with Darla and Alex for dinner at Brickhouse and drinks on 5th Ave on Friday night, and then we spent the entire day on Saturday at Vanderbilt beach.

My shoulders got a little toasty (ie. blistering), but I definitely needed the color. Saturday night we ate a gorgeous restaurant on the inner-coastal called Mira Mare and then went to Blue Martini and another cigar bar in downtown Naples. It was definitely tough to leave, and I already can’t wait for our next girls’ trip! I was not expecting to meet such amazing women in the Miss Florida system, and I’m so grateful that we’ve stayed in touch.

After the world’s best intercoastal meal, we hit up downtown Naples for some cocktails and drunken people watching.

Naples is so friendly that random drunk men ask to be in all your photos! That’s what I call southern hospitality.

Their apartments inspired me to redecorate my room with some classy Naples taste. I need to devote effort and money to it, and I know I can get my house looking more like a home and less like a living space. Thank goodness for Pier 1 and Pottery Barn. First step needs to be some colorful new rugs and a unified color scheme, which my current design completely lacks. I’ve got black mixed with rustic white mixed with a pastel green. Yikes. Also, Darla got me hooked on the show Smash, and all I think about at work is finishing the first season. I personally don’t care for Ivy, and I hope she loses her part. That’s mean, but whatever. And if you’ve never made Gorilla bread (shout out- Paula Dean), don’t. You’ll simultaneously be in heaven and ingest 4000 calories in under 5 minutes. Seriously delicious.

Then on the four-hour ride home from Naples, Dan and I stopped in Tampa to have lunch with our good friends Tiff and Luis, and it was so good to see them. Ever since they moved to Tampa, I’ve felt like our little group has dispersed. Feel free to come home! Oh, and I found out last week that my mom was going to buy me a new car. I know how blessed I am to have a mom who gives so much. From spending every night with me in the hospital to showering all of her kids with undeserved presents, she’s truly the best mom in the world. Tony and I went to the dealership on Friday morning, and I fell in love with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. I also liked the Liberty and the Compass, which were much more understandably priced. To my surprise and outright elation, my mom got me a brand new 2013 Grand Cherokee, and it was waiting for me when I got home from Naples. I love love love it. It drives so smoothly, and it’s a pretty bangin’ looking car… if I do say so myself.