I just returned from an amazing trip to visit my girlfriend Monica where we ate, drank and sat out in the perfect Florida sun. With my father’s passing I really needed some time to just get away and get completely distracted. At first I wasn’t positive if I would go since this trip was planned in April and I wasn’t sure when all of my father’s funeral arrangements would take place, but it worked out. This is going to end up being a two or three part deal since it was a jam packed weekend with food, furry creatures and an "OMG" experience!

Friday Monica and I hit Da Kind Diego's for a late lunch in Satellite Beach. Personally I would have never stopped in on my own because it initially looks like a hole in the wall randomness when zooming by in your car, but in reality it is the quintessential perfect burrito stand with a surfer vibe. They have a great story about how three brothers started the joint, which you can read on the back of the menu while you wait for your food. The building itself is littered with stickers and has a cute patio area with tiki beach umbrellas to eat your goods under. I ordered the insane burrito (which according to their menu requires two hands and they even give you instructions on how to eat it when your order comes out), and because I am such a mess at eating, (the thing was overflowing and wouldn't really close), I needed to keep one end on the table as otherwise it would have really fallen apart (no, of course I did not read the instruction manual they gave). I had the fresh veggies with rice, black beans and extra guacamole. They make their own special sauces, so I tried the green one which was medium hot (actually super spicy, good thing I didn't take their hottest option).

We then headed to the beach for a bit to soak up the rays, which thankfully we put sunblock for because even though it was 3:00pm, we still saw the start of some pink. The water was a perfect temperature, but I got grossed out by the floating reefs and the sand fleas.

With it being close to the last day of work for Monica and her teachers friends, we joined them at Squid Lips in Melbourne, which is a fun restaurant located on the river. Since we were just there for drinks we sat out on the beach area where they had picnic tables and chairs. They have an indoor restaurant, outdoor covered deck (where a band was playing), and then beach seating. I guess if we had gotten there a few minutes earlier we would have seen some dolphins rolling by. I stuck to simple Margaritas that were served by a waitress called “Princess”. Great atmosphere but I fear the food would not be up my alley.

For our dinner we headed into Historic Downtown Melbourne. I had googled the restaurants in that area since we drove by it earlier and it reminded me somewhat of Lake Placid and Downtown Charleston. Low and behold I found La Crepe de France. SO EXCITING!!! Monica and I are always looking for dessert, so this looked promising. We didn’t check the address at first, so of course it was located on the opposite end of where we parked, but with it being such a perfect night the walk was pleasant. We finally found it and when we got there it was packed. Thankfully a 2 person table was available outside so we sat down (good thing because two girls were eyeing it and it would have been a bummer if we lost out). The waiters were super busy but that just allowed us plenty of time to figure out our eating game plan. End result... we split the "Superfood Salad" which included organic quinoa, beets and chickpeas; edamame, dried cranberries and toasted pecans over kale, spinach, and romaine, with a side of spiced citrus dressing (plus we added extra chickpeas). We also split two crepes, the "Spiced Apple", which had apples & cinnamon with a side of vanilla ice cream and then "Love ‘em Berries" which we added nutella and banana to (we did this only because we were going to get a third crepe with nutella, banana and nuts, and realized that might be overboard). It was heavenlly!! The atmosphere is quaint and we never felt rushed. The walk home had us passing a bar with some great outdoor live music, but we were stuffed and eager to see the critters at home.