Final Vacation Recap and What's In Store...

Hey guys! I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you miss me? Actually probably not since I kept you all abreast of life on vacation.  

Abreast.  Such a funny word.  This is exactly comes to mind...

So vacation was WONDERFUL and we rounded out our last few days just chilling on the beach some more, taking long walks, watching the sun set and enjoying killer frozen beverages.  Those wine slushies were so good.  I have decided to use any remaining wedding gift cards to buy a Margaritaville machine. All in all, it was a great time.  We were sad to come back.  I miss this view already.

Sigh...

ANYWAY, it is good to be back and to get back into a regular routine.  I have some new goals that came to mind while I was hanging out eating fried shrimp and hush puppies last week. Every night.  While drinking a wine slushy. 

Here they are!

1. Purchase new running/gym shoes and break them in within a week.

2. Get the legs and hips in shape by upping some weight in the gym.

3. Purchase some decent protein powder.  I have been cheap lately and need something decent that the hubs will like. (any good suggestions)?

4. Try out some new, clean nutrition bars and provide reviews for you lovely peeps.

5. Write a blog post about fitness and vacation...how to not totally undo your hard work.

6. Try not to dislike work a ton now that I'm back and improve on my daily attitude.

I'm definitely knocked #1 off my list.  Aren't they pretty?!??!?  PS these are girl's shoes from Kohl's.  I have teeny, midget feet.  They just fit my little narrow child's feet better.

I am partnering up with another site to do a full review about working out while traveling.  That is on tap for later this week.  I really was able to get out and do a few fun workouts on the beach last week and was asked to blog about that, so keep your eyes peeled for my workout tips.

Last but not least, I'm really making a major effort now that I'm back from vacation to work on my attitude.  Some of you guys are reading this going "what?!?! but you're so positive in your posts and motivating, how can you be unhappy?!".  And for those of you that know me in real life, you guys know that I typically don't let things get me down.  I'm a pretty happy girl most of the time.  Except when I haven't eaten on time and my blood sugar drops.  HANGRY!

Without going into elaborate details, let's just say that work has been pretty challenging lately.  And I'm usually up for that, but it's been a very stressful couple of weeks over the summer professionally that really took a toll on me.  I've always been a perfectionist and when things are not going right in certain areas, I take it really hard.  I take it out on myself and beat myself up over things that I truly can't even control.  It turns me into an angry person.  I've identified it and now have to work to get back to a better, happier place.  I can't continue to be mad everyday and upset to the point that I feel trapped.  This is going to take more than some deep breaths and sniffing lavender oil at my desk :)  It's going to mean really big changes on my part with how I deal with things and it will take having God on my side.  I know I can work through this, so there is a silver lining to what I'm going through.  A good friend of mine posted this a few days ago and it totally hit home with where I am.

That being said you guys, I can't help but think about dear, sweet, funny Robin Williams tonight.  How shocked were all of us this morning to find that out that he had passed away? A bright light that was definitely extinguished way too soon.  But to read about someone that seemed so happy and made us laugh that struggled for decades with depression and addiction just goes to show that self doubt and fear impacts everyone.  It doesn't matter if you are a Hollywood superstar or the regular 9-5 person coming home to your pile of bills at night.

I think the message that I try to send in this is no matter who you are, when you do feel trapped and alone and about to lose your mind, reach out.  To know that this wonderful comedic genius has left behind a heartbroken family just breaks me inside.  And I don't even know him, except for his films.  But what I do know is that Mork made us laugh every time.  He gave a lot of people joy over the years that will never be forgotten.  Deep down, maybe he didn't feel like he was funny, or didn't know his impact on people.  Reach out you guys.  Don't let yourself fall so far that you can't get back up.  Someone will always be there to catch you when you fall. 

Alrighty you guys, there is a good thunderstorm brewing outside so it's time for some chamomile tea and to keep my animals from freaking out.  Happy Tuesday everyone!

Vacation Post Days 3 and 4

Happy Friday you guy! I can't believe our trip is almost over! So sad, but we have 2 full days left to enjoy, so we're up trying to make the most of it.  Thinking more jet skis today, not sure, but we had a blast on the earlier in the week.

Wednesday was more of the same as Tuesday, total beach day.  We dug in the sand and picked up some sand dollars and pretty shells.  It was just a fun, relaxing day.  We went out to eat at this place called Dockside Dave's.  We really haven't eaten a ton of seafood here yet but we decided to that night.  I ordered a grouper sandwich.  It definitely kicked my other sandwich's hiney from the other night.  HUGE and so flaky and good!

Y'all....I didn't even order french fries or anything else.  This was plenty. SO SO SO GOOD!

Wednesday night, we decided we would purchase tickets to Busch Gardens.  We were about 45 minutes from the park and drove our car, and we both love roller coasters, so we said why not.  We had a blast until I managed to get sick on one of the roller coasters and it started storming.

BG is like a big theme park and a zoo, so we saw all sorts of cool animals all over the place.

This kangaroo obviously did not want to get up and say hi, he just wanted to chillax on the ground.  But he was cute.

This guy was a little more friendly, but we didn't have any food.  Sorry 'roo.

FLAMINGOS! A ton of them, and some random seagulls. Bossy little birds.

White Bengal Tiger.  He was really pretty and just walked around like he was in charge! Reminded me a of a certain gray kitty back at home....

We did see some orangutans but they were like up in a treetop and hard to get a picture.  Meanwhile, Jarrett is standing at the bottom of the exhibit yelling "HEY MONKEY!".  I'm surprised they didn't like go all orangutan on his butt.

Anywho, the park was awesome.  The rides were really fun, but it was very apparent from the first roller coaster that I wouldn't be able to hang like I used to.  It rattled me so much that I quickly got a headache and then we rode another, which was awesome and very smooth, so I felt a little better.  Then we rode some water rides, which was awesome because it was 96 degrees here yesterday.  Good break from the roller coasters.  By the last ride, which had too many loops and turns, Jarrett was going "OMG THAT WAS THE BEST!" and I was quickly turning white and it felt like all the blood was pumping in my ears.  And then it started storming, so after grabbing some lunch, we headed home to nap it off.  We managed to get through about half of the park, but would definitely go back.  Total blast. 

And I am officially old :)

Last night we spent the evening at a beachside tiki bar to enjoy some drinks and watch the sun set again.  Just cannot get enough of the sunsets here.  They are beautiful.  I'll leave you guys with this for now.  I hope you have started off your Fridays on a good note and are looking forward to the weekend!  I haven't worked out since Tuesday so I'm about to throw on the shoes and go for a stroll and do some intervals in the humidity!  PHEW, it's hot here!

Vacation Post Numero Dos

Hey guys!

I am writing this post upon being up for about only 10 minutes.  YAWN! We were really lazy this morning and decided to sleep in before heading out to enjoy today.  You can totally be jealous.

Yesterday was a little more laid back that Monday.  Those jet skis really made us sore, so we took it easy on doing anything physical.  Well, I take that back, I got up early and ran on the beach for a bit and did a ladder workout.  10 lunges, 10 pushups, then went all the way down to 1.  Something about working out on the beach super early just makes me feel like I've woken up the right way.  And you can definitely work out without weights/machines while on vacation, you just have to do it.

We took to the beach again and chilled.  It's been threatening to rain the entire time, but it manages to miss the actual beachfront a good bit, so it remains overcast, but we've both gotten some sun here.

One thing I do well with as far as my skin goes is getting a little sun and sand.  Now I always use SPF 50 or above because I tend to burn, but something about salty air or salty water manages to clear up every blemish I have.  And I totally try to go without a lot of makeup the entire time.  My routine has dwindled down to very minimal and I've been using my new beauty sponge to just even out my skin tone.  If you guys don't have one of these, go get one.  It's worth the money spent, it just blends all of your makeup better than a brush or your hands.

You put it under some water and let it expand, and you just pat it all over your face until everything is blended really well.  Pretty much all I've needed for a night out is the following: a little foundation, mascara, some eyeshadow...maybe a little lipgloss.  That's all! And the result is sunkissed and flawless.

Speaking of flawless, we watched the most beautiful sunset last night.  Everyone told me that sunsets in the Gulf are fantastic, but I really had no idea.  Here are a few to prove it.  I mean, it was breathtaking and relaxing all at once.  I'm just in love with this side of Florida.

Just absolutely beautiful.  Couldn't have asked for a better way to end the day.

Jarrett made like a really deep statement yesterday which totally caused me to think about life in general (Kinda like Deep thoughts by Jack Handey). He was grilling some massive burgers for us and was kind of taking in like where we're staying and what we've been doing.   Ok we've splurged on some good food and done some fun activities so far, but we're staying in a small bungalow and just living very simply this week.  And he just pointed out that we're living on less this week than we normally would, just taking our time and basically being happy with what's around us.  Now I get it, you're on vacation, it's supposed to be a happy time and you're supposed to eat crab dip every day if you want to.  But we really are just truly at peace to go sit on the beach, watch the world go by, and eat turkey sandwiches all day.  It's the best feeling.  

I will leave you guys with that today to think on.  I think tomorrow's plan involves a trip to Busch Gardens to feed our inner child needs while we're here :)

Happy Hump Day!

Vacation Post Numero Uno

Hola friends all the way from sunny (and muggy) Maderia Beach, FL!

So yesterday after hours on the beach just relaxing, Jarrett had the bright idea that we should blog our vacation so that we have a photo/written journal of our time here.  Good idea!  Let's just hope you get me blogging not after one too many frozen drinks :)

Right now, I'm up super early, which is usually always the case for me on vacation.  It's hard for me to break the habit of getting up early for work, but I usually don't mind.  It gives me a chance to enjoy my coffee by myself and just be thankful to be taking a break from work for a week.  There's just something about enjoying coffee during the early morning hours without the looming possibility of opening your email that is just complete and total heaven.

J and I haven't been on a true vacation since our honeymoon in December.  We both had time to use at work and had no idea where to even think about going, we just wanted to go somewhere warm and tropical. When we were originally booking our Florida vacay several months ago, we initially had Key West in mind.  We've both never been and it sounded like fun.  But flights were really spensy, so we started looking at the Gulf and lo and behold, with the magic of VRBO, we found a really cheap deal a block from the beach and 2 blocks from shopping and good eats.  Can't beat that with a stick.  And we drove from Charleston.  About an 8 hour drive, but worth it.  We can drive to several beaches, restaurants and attractions without any issues.

Now, we live at the beach, and it's great, but we both immediately said as we walked on the beach Sunday that there is something peaceful and serene about the Gulf Coast.  And I like being able to see my feet in the water :)

This beach is NOT crowded ONE BIT.  Charleston has become a  hot tourist spot in the past 10 years.  We have to fight parking and other people just to get a decent beach spot.  And our beaches get so trashed sometimes.  Not here.  It's really beautiful and family friendly.  White sand, blue green water.  So amazing.

Sunday, we spent most of the day walking around and exploring.  The shopping/eating area near our house is called John's Pass.  We pretty much decided to do about 2 days in town, because it's on the small side, and then go explore the rest of St. Pete/Clearwater, which is very close by.  But we had a blast just walking around.  We discovered a place that made wine slushies... I'll pause while you wrap your brain around that...

Let's just say it was nothing short of amazing andddddddd I might have needed a quick nap after a long drive plus a strong adult drink.  Just sayin :)

Anywho, Sunday night's dinner and drink plan was in town.  DELICIOUS Italian food at a little pizza place, followed by craft beers down the street.  J enjoyed one of his favorite past times.  Hand rolled cigars.  Normally I'm not a cigar fan because they're so strong and smelly, but this one wasn't bad and the bar owned the cigar shop and just let us hang out there while he enjoyed it.  Winning!

Yesterday, I was up early (as usual).  Even while on vacation, I typically try to do some sort of physical activity each day.  I managed to run/walk over the bridge close to us into town.  We needed a small cooler for beach drinks and some sunscreen.  This was about 2 miles from our house, so I just decide to explore and walk and sweat out my wine slushy :)  4 miles in the hot muggy Florida heat was great.  

We stuck to our beach near the house for most of the afternoon. The beach was so relaxing.  I think the reason why we're loving the beach so much is because of the not so crowded mess we typically deal with.  OH and you can drink on the beach without any police issues.  We're also walking from where we're staying, so no driving issues.  I have ZERO complaints about all of those things.

After our long day on the beach, we enjoyed a little lunch back at our Casa de Beach.  We have a sweet little hammock that is the perfect length for short people.

We decided to rent a jet ski after our beach time.  We've both driven one before, but it's been years, and I always forget that ocean jet skiing is like riding a bucking bronco for an hour straight.  You get beat to death by the waves, but it was soooooooooooo FUN!  We had an AWESOME time and most likely going back again today.  We were super sore last night, it felt like getting whiplash from a fender bender. I would do it every day until we go back to Charleston though.  We were about 3 feet from dolphins for part of the ride and we stopped to watch them swim by.  And then, Jarrett let me drive and I threw us off twice.  It was so fun.  I don' think I've laughed and screamed that much since I was 12 years old on my first roller coaster.

We were definitely beat last night after our waverunner adventure, so we took it easy with a later dinner and drinks at a local spot called The Daquiri Shak.  Our waitress immediately informed us that waiting 15 minutes for drinks would result in them being $1 all evening sooooooo we definitely took advantage of that cheapness.  The food was awesome.  I scarfed down a grouper sandwich (which was the size of a large man's hand) in record time and didn't leave a crumb.  J had an awesome philly cheesesteak sandwich.  I think we will definitely go back there for more good eats. 

Ok guys, my morning WOD is calling my name after perking up with some coffee.  Not sure what our plan is today, but we're definitely doing something fun! :)  Tune in later for part dos!