Hello & Happy New Year! I am officially back in my office and getting back to the grind of e-mails and clients. It feels pretty good! I hope everyone who comes and reads my blog had a wonderful New Year and is ready to tackle new dreams in 2018.
It felt good to step away, even if just for a few weeks after a busy season. And I always feel so inclined to title my personal posts “more love, less hustle” because it really has become more than just a mantra for my family. It’s become more of a lifestyle. We hustle hard when we have to, put in long hours as parents, employees and as a small business owner. But let me tell you, when we slow down … we slow waaaay down. I literally go from 160 mph to ZERO once my work is done, and my vacation reply has been set. And boy, does that feel amazing.
Who’s with me?
So once again this year, we hopped on a flight bound for Naples to ring in the New Year with my lifelong & best friend, Sara and her family. Feeling the warm sunshine and getting our kids together (who are more like siblings) is my reset button. We spent a few days with them, but cut our time short by a few days thanks to the “winter storm” in South Florida and her poor husband who was battling a kidney stone. We were a little limited in what we could do, and boating was surely out because it was chilly. But we had such a great time for 4 days together. We only get to see these guys once, maybe twice a year so it is really cherished time.
Once we put our plan together, we made a run for the Florida Keys for the last 4 nights of our trip where it was warmer and we could settle in a beautiful resort for some R&R.
We stayed at this gorgeous resort on Islamorada, one of my favorite parts of the Keys. It’s full of things to do, great restaurants and of course surrounded by nothing but pristine beaches and ocean views everywhere you looked. We were really take aback, however when we realized what a beast Hurricane Irma was and how much devastation there is still down there. Since we have family & friends that live in Florida, and had just honeymooned in Key West we followed this hurricane pretty closely. But nothing really prepared us for what we saw. Pile and piles an piles of debris on the side of the highway, homes boarded up, marinas reduced to what looked like metal matchsticks, people living in tents and about 70% of the businesses still boarded up. Houses on the opposite side of the road that than they were built and even one large vacation home with a big, beautiful yacht marooned in the back yard. It was sad, and I’m still struggling with it all.
The resort we stayed in was one of 3 in the Islamorada Resort Properties, and it is the first one that was rebuilt from the ground up. And as much as we felt guilty for staying in this beautiful resort while people nearby had lost everything, the staff was more than excited to have guests and keep their economy going. The place was packed with families enjoying every little bit of the Keys, including us who watched the weather all week turn into a frozen tundra back home.
We arrived just in time for my husband, Joey’s birthday and we loved celebrating him around the fire and the tiki bar. We booked an ocean view room, and woke up to the most beautiful sunrises and saw some incredible sunsets. We swam, we snacked, we ate some of the best seafood of our lives. It was such a great trip, and we’re already booking this resort for New Year’s Eve 2018 with our friends. We can’t wait.
And of course, my favorites are of my little ones enjoying their time together. This doesn’t happen often at home, trust me. I watched them battle this hammock for a good half hour. It was hysterical. They need to get out more often.
And although I’m not so much into those strict New Year resolutions where I typically fall flat on my face, I’ll make a mini one here and put it out into the universe … get them in front of one of my “big girl” cameras more often. Even if it means I have to chase around a half naked little boy fresh out of the shower to get a few keepers.
+ COMMENTS
add a comment