Skip to main content

Missing the Beach


Fall is slowly giving way to winter. The cooler weather makes me reminisce about warm summer days and beach vacations. Not much beats the feeling of warm, soft sand between the toes and the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing softly. For me, the ideal vacation involves renting a condo on a white, sandy beach and spending my days under an umbrella, reading book after book.

My husband and I have found one spot that we both love to visit, Perdido Key, FL. It's about 20 minutes from the hustle and bustle, family attraction of Gulf Shores, AL. It's quiet, with no "main" strip of bumper to bumper traffic. There are only a few restaurants to choose from, and the condos are all on the beach and not towering.

We typically try to go over Memorial Day weekend. It's still very calm and quiet. The weather is pleasant with no threats of hurricanes. Renting a condo is ideal; it allows us to cook in almost every meal. This saves money and is also healthier. We also choose a condo with some sort of gym. Even though we are on vacation, we do try to stay healthy and active (for the most part).

The first day is usually our first "eat out day." We'll hit the grocery store (and liquor store), then indulge in pizza (typically). Then, it's all about relaxing on the balcony, listening to the waves. In general, we make no set plans. It's vacation; it's about relaxing and not worrying about time, timelines, timeframes. The only agenda we have is to relax.

We typically get in a run in the mornings, allowing ourselves to sleep in if we choose. Breakfast is overlooking the ocean from our balcony. Then we head directly to the beach with books in tow. Lunch is back at the condo, on the balcony of course. Dinner is usually had on the balcony, again. We plan for 2-3 meals out, all others in. One day, usually on a rain day, will be shopping at the outlet mall in Foley, AL. I am a sucker for an Ann Taylor Outlet store.

While most people use vacations as an excuse to eat out and put exercise on hold, we do try to hold true to our typical routines. We both enjoy cooking, and nothing beats cooking your favorite meals and enjoying them with a bottle of wine overlooking the peaceful ocean.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I Run to Feel Alive

Today is National Running Day . Guess what I did this morning? Cycling? Nope. Lifting? Nope. I bet you thought kickboxing right? Nope. Running? But of course! I actually sort of planned my running days this week just so I could participate this year. I didn't get to run last year and didn't even know about it the year before. But running has become such an integral part of my life and who I am, that I couldn't miss this year. Basically, I run to feel alive . It calms me, it helps me work through life, it's often a reason to get out of bed. No matter how tough a run is, it makes you feel ... period. My plan was to get in 5 miles (got in 5.5 actually). It was about 10 degrees warmer this morning and definitely more humid. That always makes for a tougher run. We decided to take a different route today. Well, it was really only a few streets over different, but still. The point is we took a different street. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not. I did realize th...

Love in Photos

In honor of Valentine's Day - Love in Photos Husband Family and Furbabies Friends Even if you're not a fan of Valentine's Day - I hope you have a wonderful day and remember the loves in your life.

Weights, Run, & Road Trip Details

Two on Tuesday This morning my eyes opened wide at 4:55 am. I tried to go back to sleep, but quickly realized I was only fooling myself. So I got up and got my workouts done. Today was leg day with quad focus. Wide-stance squats - 3x8 Rear leg elevated lunges - 3x10 Firewalkers - 8 total Narrow-stance squats - 3x10 Static lunges - 3x10 Squats with low-end pulse - 3x8 Wall squats with ball - 6 reps of squat with 10 sec hold Outer thigh raises with ankle weights on ball - 2x24 We had storms roll through last night, so the temperatures dropped finally. It was 74 this morning, so I decided to take advantage of that and get in a short 20-minute run. When I first started out, I seriously didn't think I was going to get very far. My legs were already yelling at me. But, about half a mile into the run, they loosened up and it felt good. What's the Deal With the Road Trip? I am really glad I got the workouts done early. I feel like I still have so much to do to get ready ...