The Tracey Trio takes Florida (Pt. III)

March 21, 2026 / Cate Tracey / 3 Comments

It’s hard to believe it’s been two weeks since our Florida trip. I was on the phone with a friend on Sunday and we agree that it’s such a blessing to have “time fly by when you’re having fun.” My loneliest year in Chicago felt like five, depressing, agonizing years—and my time here in Atlanta has felt like six months tops! There’s something about knowing who you are, being with the right people and feeling “at home with yourself” that has made my post-Midwestern years feel like they’re moving a million miles a minute.

I miss Linley stretching his head out the window to hear the ocean waves, feel the sea breeze and simply take it all in. We’re lucky that he’s such a good boy in the car, and he always found the sunshine no matter what…

In Atlanta, we live near Ponce City Market, and near a street named Ponce de Leon Ave, so of course we had to find Ponce while we were in Florida, too! We wanted to check out some natural springs and they were gorgeous. Luckily we didn’t discover any alligators during our stroll, although we did discover some beautiful views.

We snacked on some breakfast treats at a picnic table while we watched people swim and play in the park. It was awesome to find something like this in Florida, because I don’t realize how many natural springs existed there. We’ll be back!

After Ponce, we ventured to 30A (not our cup of tea whatsoever, but we wanted to check it out before leaving Florida). We found a non-bougie afternoon hangout where we grabbed a drink and enjoyed the fog. One other thing that threw us off about the PCB area was all the fog; that was my first time in the panhandle and it was insanely foggy, but abruptly! From Ponce to 30A, I felt like I was in a completely different climate and place altogether.

We found an amazing lunch spot with delicious food. The price showed because we were in an expensive part of town haha, but it was worth it. Linley was getting so much attention from all the women on spring break, and from other pups walking by, too. He’s well-loved wherever we go! 🙂

We quickly stopped at our Airbnb but ventured back to downtown Panama City because again, it suddenly felt warm and sunny. There was an art fair going on and although Lin was overstimulated, we found a great spot by the water to walk around and grab a drink before hitting the beach one last time. Seeing Linley smile and play the way he does when he’s in a new place is something that always melts Alex’s and my hearts. And seeing my two favorite fellas bond is something I’ll never get over!

The theme of the day was fog, because we sadly had one last evening of it during sunset. We met a stranger named Lee, who was nice but talked our ear off, so maybe it was a blessing it was foggy (I would’ve felt like I was missing out otherwise haha!) Despite the fog, Linley enjoyed frolicking on St. Joe Beach again on the last evening of our trip. When we visit again, we’ll stay near this beach because it was absolutely beautiful, barely anyone was around, and it was one of the nicer beaches we’d ever been to with Linley. I miss it just writing this now!

We headed back into town for our last dinner of the trip, and let’s just say I ate my body weight in crab legs! Aside from the fried fish we made the night before, it was my best meal of the trip, and it was great to be on the patio with Alex and Linley. The whole weekend felt like my happy place!

We were exhausted because of how much fun we had! We can’t wait to return, and we can’t wait for our next Tracey Trio roadtrip. 🥹

Media taken Saturday, March 7 & Sunday, March 8, 2026.

The Tracey Trio takes Florida (Pt. II)

March 15, 2026 / Cate Tracey / 4 Comments

It’s been a week and I’m still daydreaming of our time in Florida. I’m really missing the beach, the sand in my toes and the sea breeze this afternoon.

Last Friday, we attempted to see the sunrise with no luck. But it was still such a fun experience to be at the dog beach again with less people and pets running around. Linley, of course, had to mark his territory and say hello to strangers every chance he could. That’s one of many things about him that I love so much; he makes himself at home wherever we go.

Lin was in no mood for fetch!

After some fun in the sand, we hung out and had a pretty relaxing morning. You better believe we found another beach to hang out at in the afternoon though, and that was even more private than the dog beach in Panama City. St. Joe Beach, about 45 minutes from our AirBnB, was perfect; we enjoyed collecting shells, walking as a family along the water and the entire afternoon was the “pause button” I really needed.

Like I said in my previous post: I always get so emotional reflecting on all the times Lin and I have enjoyed the beach together. He used to be my little beach buddy when it was just the two of us, and Alex was that missing piece that we never knew we needed (but so badly wanted!)

After s’more fun in the sun, we grabbed lunch in St. Joe and had a relaxing afternoon of good food, conversation and laughs.

After lunch, we headed to this super cool brewery and cocktail bar before cooking at our place. I enjoyed some snacks and two mocktails while Alex had a beer and a cocktail afterward. Linley kept getting attention and we all had some fun with my heart glasses.

I’d imagine this is how Lin sees the world

Between our afternoon pit stop and heading back home for the evening, I wanted to see the sunset because our first night was such a flop due to the fog. And we got lucky because it was absolutely beautiful! Linley was a bit fussy haha, but we enjoyed it regardless.

Our first official sunset on the beach 🥹

I can’t wait for our next adventure!

Media taken Friday, March 6, 2026

The Tracey Trio takes Florida (Pt. I)

March 11, 2026 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

Last weekend, the three of us had a great time in Florida. It was my first time in the panhandle and Linley’s first time in Florida altogether. Our roadtrips and long weekends away are something I’ll always cherish, and am already missing so much (we got back on Sunday!)

We started our day on Thursday by exploring a couple places for lunch and nice views in the afternoon. Then once our AirBnB was ready for check-in, we relaxed on the patio for a little while. We all enjoyed soaking up some sun!

Our first sunset wasn’t the most successful, given that it suddenly became extremely foggy as we drove to the dog-friendly beach nearby. It was such a bummer because we really wanted to see it, but we were able to enjoy a sliver of it.

When I look back at these photos and videos, I get emotional because I love these moments together more than I can put into words. And I’ve genuinely enjoyed soaking up every sunset and sunrise with Linley over these past eight years, and now we get to do the same with Alex.

On a lighter note, of course our boy had to sniff and dig around in the sand!

And as much as Linley enjoys the beach, he doesn’t enjoy his post-beach routine (but we do!)

Media taken Thursday, March 5, 2026 in Panama City Beach, Florida🌴

Fun in Florida

December 11, 2022 / Cate Tracey / 7 Comments

I feel like Florida is an extremely polarizing state in the U.S., but if you know where to go it can be a blast! I was there last Sunday through Wednesday for an on-site client meeting—my first business trip of this sort since joining the company in May. My boss, one of my favorite peers and I had a productive – and fun – time together in the sunshine state.

I arrived Sunday, a full day before Justin and Cosmo landed (yes, I work with the coolest dude who happens to have the coolest name!) and enjoyed some relaxation in the sun. There was a music festival right next to the beach resort I stayed at in Fort Lauderdale, so as I read my book I heard some punk rock bands going at it—giving me major early 2000s energy. Feeling the sand, salt water and base beneath my feet was (oddly) just what I needed.

Later that evening I took myself to dinner—which led to a good night full of great conversation. I met Cynthia at the bar, a woman from Montreal who is also experiencing the pain of divorce, and we spent probably four or five hours talking about life, travel and overcoming our current hardships. One of my favorite travel experiences is connecting deeply with a stranger-turned-friend, and my time with Cynthia is something I’ll always cherish. We’ve actually been texting ever since we met a week ago!

The rest of my trip was filled with last-minute preparation for my client meetings, working from a hotel room when I’d rather be order gin and tonics at the pool, and making fond memories with some of my favorite coworkers. The conversations, laughs and words of encouragement shared over nightcaps and good food was the kind of relief I so desperately needed in my life. In between the meetings and visits with our client, I was luckily able to enjoy the sunrise, warm water and “me time.”