28th birthday in Miami, FL
This past weekend was one for the books! I didn’t realize how much I needed a break. If you know me, you know I’m a huge fan of birthdays… particularly my own :) I start planning rather early, and this year I wanted to take a big, international trip. Due to certain circumstances, that could not happen this year. Instead of staying home and moping, I decided to plan a weekend in Miami for hubby and I. Honestly, I was super nervous about leaving Micah because I hadn’t spent a night away from him yet. So, to go from 8 whole months with my little human attached to me to 2.5 days without him was definitely worrying me.
Turns out, it wasn’t too bad. I missed him so much and FaceTimed my mom a bit more than I should, but I was able to really enjoy my break from mommyhood to just be with my husband and celebrate my birthday. I’m a big planner and believe in itineraries, but I’ve learned that if we don’t follow everything, it’s really all good. I planned out all of the food places we’d go to, all of our activities, and even rest. We did more resting than anything else — so needed. We reconnected in a way that we didn’t even know we needed, and that was really priceless.
On Thursday, my mom treated us to some yummy Brazilian food in Pompano before we headed to Miami. Although I had planned on already being in Miami, I really enjoyed that extra time with my baby. My brother and his girl came along, which made it that much better. Once we were done, they headed home [after I kissed Micah over and over again] and we headed to Miami! We stayed at The Gabriel, Curio Collection by Hilton and it was GREAT. I have no complaints! We don’t typically stay at hotels, but this time we decided to go that route. I really loved our room and would definitely stay there again. Our favorite part of the room was definitely the huge shower with two shower heads ;)
The plan for Thursday was to explore Wynwood together, take some Instagram-worthy pictures, and just hang around the area. We did none of that. I was super thirsty and refused to pay $9 for a bottle of water, so we took a little walk to CVS. On our way back, we noticed that there was an Indian restaurant nearby, so we went in to order food. The service was amazing and the food was even better. We took the food back to the hotel, ordered complimentary drinks and headed back to our room. I told our bartender that it was my birthday and asked him to surprise me. And, boy… was I surprised. It was so strong it took me forever to finish, but he mixed a great drink! The hotel’s restaurant was so cute, I had to snap a few pictures!
My birthday morning! I had the most amazing night… no baby pulling on me all night long. My hubs woke me up singing happy birthday and I was just acting a fool due to my excitement. We woke up as early as we would if Micah was with us, but it worked out because we were starving.
Friday was supposed to be our beach day… but guess what? I literally packed nothing for beach. Mom brain is real. So, instead, we got dressed and went exploring. I wanted to have breakfast at this super cute coffee shop and that was a success. The food was great and the decor was literally what I love — minimalism + greenery. I recommend All Day to anyone who’s in that area.
They have a cute walkup window for takeout orders, or you can sit inside and enjoy the decor. We both had their fresh lemonade and I ate brioche french toast with berries and hubs had bacon, scrambled eggs, and potatoes — the usual lol. I was obsessed with their matte gold utensils and of course I told Gerald we need some in matte black.
After we filled our bellies, it was time to walk off the food and find drinks! We walked over to Bayside market on the water. On the way, we decided to stop and snap a few pictures. My hubs loves wearing his “Simple Blyss” shirt, so it was only right to wear it on my special day. He told me to be myself while he snapped the pictures and that was my cue to just dance around! I took pictures of him in my shirt and just thought about how lucky I am to have someone who literally supports all of my crazy dreams… and just my crazy, period.
We initially planned on going to Fat Tuesday, but we passed by this mojito place and decided to get that instead. While we were there, the bartender made a comment that really bothered me. I shared that I’m from Brazil and her response [along with a very surprised face] was, “you don’t look Brazilian!” It’s been a while since I got one of those. I was feeling good and decided to let that one go, but it was so fitting that I made a “black+brazilian” shirt to wear during the trip. I don’t want to get into details… but don’t ever tell someone they don’t look Brazilian because you’ll sound as stupid as that statement is #you’rewelcome :)
When we got back to the hotel, I wanted to take a picture with the yellow bike in front of the cool floral thing [great choice of words… I know]. After that, I was beyond ready for a nap. I had a great time while we were out, but I felt exhausted. We took the best nap and woke up ready to eat! It felt so good to be in the room, watching TV, with no responsibilities. We decided to order room service instead of going out and I was just so happy. We had plans of going out that night, but just the thought of being out around a bunch of people made me tired. Although we hadn’t realized it, we really needed the quality time with no interruptions.
We ended the night by hanging out with one of my close friends… and by hanging out I mean she came over and fell asleep next to me lol. We just ate, drank, and watched TV. I was beyond relaxed and excited for my last night of interrupted sleep. With all of that, I still missed Micah so much. I couldn’t wait to get back to my baby!
Saturday morning was checkout time and I was a bit sad about it. I really wished I booked the room until Sunday, but that just meant we needed another vacation very soon. After sitting around “getting ready” and then rushing once I noticed we had 8 minutes to check out, we got our car and headed to brunch. I was starving and couldn’t wait to eat, even though knowing my friends, I knew I’d have to lol. We brunched at Tap42 and everything was exactly what I expected! The food was on point, they sat us right by the DJ and he was bomb! The overall atmosphere was really what we needed to end the weekend.
Although I did not end up going to these places, they came highly recommended:
1-800 Lucky: fish-shaped ice cream cones
Kush: yummy burgers
CVI.CHE 105: delicious Peruvian restaurant
I’m so thankful for having made it this far — some may not see it as a big deal, but each day we’re granted on earth is a blessing. Year 27 brought a whole new human to my life and I’m curious to see how any other year can top it. This year, I pray for growth, prosperity, and greater faith.
