Five Days In Florida + Early Thanksgiving

What a long, wild week it’s been. I am a little on the emotionally wrung out side. I hope you’re able to take a big exhale on this Friday and make some space for self-care, family time, friends, movement, baking, nature (whatever you need!!) this weekend.

I was chatting with my yoga class yesterday about how we live in a world that is more connected than ever thanks to the internet and social media – but we seem to be more DISCONNECTED than ever because of it. It’s been an overwhelming few months in the online/social space (who am I kidding – I feel like it’s been this way since the pandemic started) and more than ever I am finding myself needing boundaries around my participation in and consumption of online content. It’s also important for me to prioritize getting out from behind my screen and being IN nature and IN community and IN my body.

Here is a short (non-exhaustive) list of things have been helpful for me recently:

• Phone chats with my grandmother and friends
• Turning on some music and cooking myself a nourishing meal
• Going to bed early (clean sheets are the icing on the cake)
• Reading fiction at night
• Meditation and breathing practices
• Running
• Being outside (taking Finn to the park, playing n the backyard, outdoor house chores, walking the dogs, going for a hike, etc)
• Meeting a friend for a walk
• Spending QT with Finn (snuggling, reading, movies, eating dinner together, working puzzles, etc)
• Watching a mindless show (loving the Golden Bachelorette and Nobody Wants This at the moment)
• Taking a yoga class
• Training my clients at the gym
• Tidying/organizing my home
• Planning a weekend getaway

Speaking of Mema and weekend getaways, here are some photo highlights from our time in Florida.

SATURDAY

Finn thinks it’s great fun to ride the bus from the Daily Deck to the terminal. We flew out of CLT on Saturday morning around 11 and it was a breeze! Great time to travel – flights were cheaper and so much easier than flying out on a Friday evening. Bonus – we got to attend the Charlotte FC playoff game on Friday night and they WON!

Travels were uneventful and Finn was in the gulf by 2:30p. We swam for a couple of hours and then watched the second half of the UGA/Florida game.

Sunset. <3

Dinner was homemade beef stroganoff. My dad used a slow cooker recipe.

SUNDAY

I was up and on the road by 5:45a on Sunday morning for a half marathon distance long run. It was easy to get up early thanks to being on central time where it’s an hour earlier in combination with the clocks falling back and hour. To my body, it was essentially two hours later than it actually was.

I had an awesome run and it was a great confidence builder for the marathon. I got to practice running a flat road (Charlotte is super hilly, Savannah is super flat) and I held goal pace (actually a little faster than goal) for the duration of the run. This was my third half marathon distance long run of the training cycle and so encouraging to see it all coming together.

I am EIGHT DAYS out from the Every Woman’s Marathon and just so incredibly grateful to be where I’m at. I feel calm and prepared but also the good kind of nervous and excited all at the same time.

We made a Target run and then spent the afternoon at the beach and pool.

And then it was time for Thanksgiving Dinner! My dad decided to serve our family Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, November 3 since we won’t be in Florida for the holiday this year. Everything was perfection and I’m so grateful that he prepared this amazing meal for us. The homemade rolls were something I’ll be baking myself very soon – they were so soft, fluffy and delicious.

My dad is the number one champion turkey cooker. I couldn’t get over how juicy and tender his turkey was. Even the breast – so, so good.

My two favorite turkeys in the whole world.

MONDAY

Monday was a lazy day. We hung around my grandmother’s condo all morning and then hit the beach in the afternoon.

One of Finn’s favorite Florida activities is playing with my parents’ golden retriever, Beau. He’s the sweetest boy. We brought him down to hang at my grandmother’s place a lot.

Finn and I went for a sunset walk before dinner. He was already showered and in PJs. I gave him the option to stay at the condo but he wanted to go for a ride. I keep an old stroller down there that he still likes to cruise in but man is that thing ever hard to push with a bigger kid!

Homemade pizza with sourdough crust.

TUESDAY

Tuesday was a busy day! We kicked it off with a trip to the Gulfarium where we love to watch the sea lion and dolphin shows. We decided to buy an annual pass earlier this year so we’ve been taking full advantage. It’s nice to visit during off-peak season when it’s not so hot and crowded.

I made a delicious lunch for me and my grandmother with the Thanksgiving leftovers. Open face turkey sandwiches on my dad’s homemade rolls with cranberry sauce and havarti cheese.

Finn and I ran a few errands during which he begged me for these new shades in the running store. What a cool dude.

We finished the evening with a family movie night. Finn made a little cozy spot for us on the floor. We watched Paddington 2 and everyone loved it! Such a great movie.

WEDNESDAY

We spent the morning with Mema and got all packed up to head back to Charlotte. Finn left his new dolphin stuffie “Swimmy” that he got at the Gulfarium with Mema for safe keeping. Lately, he’s been leaving her a stuffie so she’s not all alone. So sweet.

I was teary eyed heading to the airport. Seeing Finn’s “I <3 U MOM” that he wrote on his hands back at Mema’s house brought a smile to my face.

I packed lunch for us to eat on the plane. Travels were easy and we were back in Charlotte by 3:30p. We stopped at Whole Foods on the way home to restock the kitchen and then got settled back in.

It’s always so hard to say goodbye, but Christmas will be here before we know it.

Have a good weekend. Take good care y’all.

QUESTIONS 

What are your current favorite relaxing/decompressing/connecting activities?

Best family movie night movie that you’ve watched recently? (old or new)

How are you doing?