I didn’t mean to get so long-winded in my weekend recap! Now that it’s almost Thursday…I think we need to wrap this thing up! :) Let’s pick up on Sunday morning. I woke up naturally around 6 a.m. (that time change!!!) with plenty of time to eat breakfast and get ready to head to Balance [...]
Travel
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Mother’s Day Weekend in Florida
May 17, 2017 { 23 comments }I hadn’t seen my family since Christmas so I thought Mother’s Day was the perfect occasion to book a trip to visit. I arrived on Friday evening around 6 p.m. just as a big storm was moving out. My dad picked me up from the airport while my mom prepped one of my favorite dinners [...]
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Resort Review: Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita Riviera Maya
May 5, 2017 { 23 comments }I think that Cinco de Mayo is the perfect occasion to post my Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita review. I certainly wish that I was in Mexico’s Riviera Maya sipping on a skinny margarita right now! (photo Zoetry Resorts) We traveled to Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita back in February for our annual Y2 Yoga [...]
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St. Pete Beach Wedding Recap
April 12, 2017 { 17 comments }I’m a little late on getting the second half of our St. Pete weekend recap to you. I hit the ground running this week after four days away. We have some big and exciting stuff in the works that I can’t wait to share! This wedding was too beautiful not to write about so let’s [...]
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Workouts + Workout Playlist + Wedding Weekend Part 1
April 10, 2017 { 3 comments }We got home from Florida around 4 p.m. on Sunday from a super fun long wedding weekend in the St. Petersburg, Florida area. We were a few hours delayed in getting home and these two couldn’t wait to see us (but let’s be honest…we were probably even more excited than them). After a quick stop [...]
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Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita: The Food
March 7, 2017 { 16 comments }I’m looking forward to sharing more details on Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita with you guys. This was our second trip to this incredible resort and our sixth visit to Zoetry resorts. Zoetry is a luxury all-inclusive brand with a focus on wellness. We always choose Zoetry for our annual yoga retreat because we know [...]
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Ohhhhh Mexico…20 Photos from our 2017 Yoga Retreat
March 2, 2017 { 20 comments }We just arrived home from our yoga retreat in Mexico late last night. There was a ground stop in Charlotte on Wednesday evening due to some crazy storms so we were diverted to Jacksonville, Florida. The initial plan was for us to deplane and go through customs in JAX but thankfully they kept us on [...]
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Hiking the Profile Trail on Grandfather Mountain to Calloway Peak
September 8, 2016 { 14 comments }During our recent vacation to Grandfather Mountain we spent a day hiking the Profile Trail on the west side of Grandfather Mountain to Calloway Peak. It was one of my favorite hikes I’ve done in the North Carolina mountains. I get asked for hiking suggestions pretty frequently so I made sure to take tons of [...]
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Our Vacation at Grandfather Mountain Golf & Country Club
August 20, 2016 { 13 comments }I took an unintended break from blogging the back half of this week because getting my half marathon training plans finished and the group organized has been a time consuming (but fun!) endeavor. I also had a few other projects due and vacation was so wonderful that I wanted to soak it up while I [...]
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15 Scenes from Sunset
July 27, 2016 { 13 comments }I’m off soaking up the last day of Sunset Beach with my friend Dorie’s family. This is my third year joining her family vacation and I couldn’t be happier to return to this very special place. Here are 15 scenes from my time at Sunset. Sunset from the back porch Beach time. Fish taco feast for 10. [...]
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Staying Healthy and Happy at the Charlotte Marriott City Center
June 22, 2016 { 4 comments }Today I’ve got more details on our Saturday night staycation in Uptown Charlotte at the newly renovated Charlotte Marriott City Center. The hotel is wrapping up a multi-phase renovation project that overhauled the entire hotel. I wanted to share my experience and photos with you because a) the renovations are clean and modern and b) they are focusing [...]
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Family Birthday Dinner + Recent Eats at the Beach
June 14, 2016 { 24 comments }I’m packing up to head back to Charlotte after a long weekend visiting my family. It’s been a great few days with lots of good eats so I thought I’d put together a recent eats post for ya while I enjoy one last oceanfront blogging session. The highlight of my trip was a dinner out [...]
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Where The Heart Is
June 13, 2016 { 8 comments }This week begins on a somber note as the tragedy in Orlando weighs heavy on my heart. I woke up in Florida on Sunday morning to the news of the mass shooting in disbelief that we’re here in this same spot again. I went about my day as normal and as I was on the treadmill [...]
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The Ultimate Girl’s Guide to a Fitness and Foodie NYC Weekend
March 29, 2016 { 17 comments }Hey, hey! Remember last summer when I went to NYC with a girlfriend for a long weekend of food, shows, workouts, sightseeing and more food? Well, we had such an amazing time that I wanted to put together a post that could serve a resource for anyone trying to plan a similar trip. Having this blog [...]
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Date Night at AlSol Tiara Cap Cana
March 15, 2016 { 13 comments }One of my favorite things about vacation is that every night is date night! I only get to put on a dress and heels on (few and far between) special occasions in my day-to-day life so I always use vacation as an excuse to pack all of my favorite cocktail and sun dresses in my [...]
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2016 Dominican Republic Photo Journal
March 9, 2016 { 9 comments }I think I took over 500 pictures over the course of the week we spent in the Dominican Republic for our yoga retreat and vacation. I have quite a few trip posts planned for you in the coming weeks including full resort reviews of both Zoetry Agua Punta Cana and AlSol Tiara Collection Cap Cana. [...]
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Recent Eats: Vacation After The Whole30
March 4, 2016 { 38 comments }When I completed Whole30, I had about three and a half weeks before we left for our yoga retreat/vacation to Zoetry Agua Punta Cana and AlSol Tiara Cap Cana. My goal was to have most foods re-introduced by the time we left so that I didn’t have to deal with it on the trip. Before we [...]
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Making the Most of My Leap Day
February 29, 2016 { 6 comments }Happy Leap Day! Some fun facts… Nearly 113 million Americans (35%) nationwide think Leap Day should be a federal holiday. Nearly half the country (46%) would be more likely to get something productive done, rather than relax, during their extra day. More than a quarter (26%) of Americans nationwide admit to thinking that because Leap [...]
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Yoga in Paradise
February 26, 2016 { 9 comments }Good morning from beautiful Zoetry Agua in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic! We arrived on Wednesday for our fourth annual Y2 Yoga retreat and our third trip to Zoetry Agua. This was the location of our very first retreat and we were also here for a friend’s wedding two years ago. It’s good to be back. We [...]
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Florida in Photos
January 26, 2016 { 16 comments }I just arrived back in Charlotte after a nice long weekend visit with my family in Florida. While it was a bit too chilly for much beach and outdoor time, it was a really nice and relaxing visit. Here are the highlights in photos! Beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Never get tired of this sugar white [...]
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Weekly Workouts + Travel Yoga (And Love for Balance 30-A!)
January 25, 2016 { 19 comments }My default travel workout is to throw on a pair of running shoes and hit the road. It’s easy, free and a great change of scenery. That said, it can be really fun to try out new classes and gyms if time allows and options are available. Usually when I’m visiting my parents I stick to [...]
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Birthday Surprise: 36 Hours in Fort Walton Beach
October 31, 2015 { 8 comments }Happy Halloween! I’m getting ready to head to a costume party (and can’t wait to post a pic of my costume…be on the lookout on Instagram!) but I wanted to share my quick getaway for my mom’s birthday surprise with you first! Wheels up in Charlotte on Wednesday afternoon. The scenery was beautiful thanks to [...]
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NYC Food + Fitness Girl’s Weekend: Day 3
August 8, 2015 { 6 comments }The final day of our weekend in New York City was my favorite day by far. We set our alarms early again but this time for a run in Central Park. We wanted to beat the heat and get our day started. We took the subway up to Lexington Ave./59th and walked over to the [...]
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NYC Food + Fitness Girl’s Weekend: Day 2
August 5, 2015 { 15 comments }Our alarms were set for 7 a.m. on Saturday morning to make it to Barry’s Bootcamp for the 8 a.m. class. The wonderful thing about where we were staying is that we rarely found ourselves more than a mile from anywhere we wanted to go. Barry’s Bootcamp was an easy half mile walk on Saturday. [...]
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A Long Weekend in Sunset Beach
July 27, 2015 { 18 comments }I’m back from a quick but lovely visit to Sunset Beach! As I’ve shared before, my close friend (and Core Desire Yoga business partner) Dorie rents a house for two weeks every summer with her family and this was the second summer that I’ve joined them for a few days. It’s a full house of [...]
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New York Is Always A Good Idea
July 14, 2015 { 112 comments }I was having coffee with a friend a couple of weeks ago and sharing with her that I’ve had this crazy urge to plan a trip to New York City lately. I’ve only visited New York once in my life (circa 2008) but it continues to have this crazy strange pull on me. I dream [...]
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Florida Part Three: Pizza Night + Go Karts
June 17, 2015 { 22 comments }Someone left a comment on my last post that they bet this final Florida post would contain wedding pictures. I’m sad to report that the best you’re going to get here is some pizza. Not quite the same…haha! The last two days of our trip were so much fun (and full of good food!). We [...]
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Florida Part Two: Surf & Turf + Birthday Dinner
June 16, 2015 { 23 comments }Not going to lie…while I always love and appreciate seeing my parents, visits home have gotten exponentially more fun and relaxing since they moved to the beach. Prior to moving to Florida they lived in Atlanta for a few years and Houston for a few years before that. Both cities were great to visit but [...]
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Florida Part One: A Very Happy Vacation
June 16, 2015 { 41 comments }Hi everyone. Today is my 32nd birthday…and I feel really, really happy. After a long period of time where things felt up in the air and a little unsettled, I feel grounded and perfectly content with exactly where I am right now. It’s a good way to feel. I arrived home around 9:30 last night [...]
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Vacation Week Workouts (Mini Golf Counts, Right?)
June 14, 2015 { 20 comments }Good morning! I sure do wish that every Sunday morning looked like this…coffee with a view! My beach routine goes a little like…sleep in, coffee and computer on the balcony, smoothie, more coffee and computer, workout, shower, beach. It’s pretty amazing. As most of you know if you’ve been reading any length of time, I [...]
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Airport Dining Has Come a Long Way
June 10, 2015 { 17 comments }Greetings from the Atlanta Airport! I left these two chickens in Charlotte this morning (I don’t even think they noticed I was leaving) and Ubered to the airport for a flight to Florida to visit my parents. I woke up at 5:45 a.m. to a text message informing me my Charlotte to Atlanta flight was [...]
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A Weekend at Amicalola Falls State Park
May 11, 2015 { 20 comments }I spent last weekend at Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia for a much appreciated quick getaway. Amicalola Falls State Park is located in the North Georgia Mountains. Its main attraction is a 729 foot waterfall (the biggest in the state) but the 829 acre park also features a beautiful lodge with a restaurant, cabins, [...]
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How to Find Fitness & Yoga Retreats
April 10, 2015 { 18 comments }Hi and happiest of Fridays! Let’s talk about fun stuff today…like vacations! I have been so fortunate to go on an annual yoga retreat for the last three years. Through blogging about my experiences with the retreats, I have received many reader questions about how to find yoga and fitness retreats so I thought I’d [...]
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Breaks, Being Present & What is Balance?
February 25, 2015 { 11 comments }Hi. I think this is the longest break I have taken from blogging in…years? And it felt…really good. I went into this trip thinking that I’d blog every day like I normally do but after the first day, I just decided not to. Instead I dedicated myself to my practice, my friends and being present. [...]
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Resort Review: Majestic Colonial Punta Cana
February 11, 2015 { 18 comments }I recently returned home from a four night, five-day girl’s getaway trip to the Dominican Republic. We stayed at the Majestic Colonial, which is an all-inclusive resort that is part of the Majestic Resorts located in Punta Cana. Over the last 10 years or so I have traveled a good bit around the Caribbean and Mexico [...]
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The Journey Home + Weekly Workouts
February 1, 2015 { 21 comments }Hi! I am currently camped out in the Punta Cana airport with two hours left to go before my flight departs. They like to get you here reaaallllyyy early which can be good when the airport is a zoo but today it was smooth sailing. This is the first time I’ve ever had a really smooth airport [...]
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Friday in Paradise
January 30, 2015 { 17 comments }Happy Friday! It’s been a beautiful day here in Punta Cana! We were shocked to wake up this morning and discover it was 9:45. We slept 10+ hours last night. We decided to get moving with a poolside yoga practice led by one of my friends who is also a yoga teacher. It was sweaty, [...]
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Dominican Republic Girl’s Getaway
January 29, 2015 { 35 comments }Hi from the Dominican Republic! I said goodbye to this (growing!) fluff ball on Wednesday morning and headed to the airport to meet up with my girls. It was an easy 3.5 hour direct flight down here. I packed lunch for everyone. PB&Js, grapes, carrots and pretzels. I watched “This Is Where I Leave You” [...]
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My Dad is Going to Food Blog! + Scenes from the Beach
October 14, 2014 { 24 comments }Hi everyone! I hope your week is off to a nice start. It’s been so great to be in Florida with my parents for a few days. I’ve enjoyed the down time, extra sleep, break from teaching/training and being able to help out a little around here. I’ll be sad to go home tomorrow. The most [...]
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A Change of Scenery + A Smoothie with a Spoon
October 11, 2014 { 11 comments }Happy Saturday from Florida! I flew down late last night to visit with my parents for a few days. My mom recently had surgery and I want to help out with a few things. I also need to spend time seriously focusing on writing my second book without the distractions of training/teaching/my normal routine. And sleep. [...]
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So Much Worth Smiling For
July 31, 2014 { 13 comments }I finally came home from the beach today. I was originally supposed to return Tuesday. Then I stayed until Wednesday. Then Wednesday rolled around and I was still in my PJs working at 3 p.m. I decided it was a better plan to hit the beach for a few hours and have one last family dinner and then [...]
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Recent Eats: Beach Edition (so much good food!)
July 30, 2014 { 10 comments }Beach eats have been nothing but good! I have been fed so many delicious things here… The first night we had grilled flank steak, asparagus, salad, roasted potatoes and quiche. What a feast! Another dinner was pasta with sauteed shrimp and scallops with salad and green beans. These sea scallops were so good. We went out [...]
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Sunset Beach
July 29, 2014 { 7 comments }On Saturday after the baby shower I left Charlotte to spend a few days at the beach with a girlfriend and her family. They rent a house in Sunset Beach for two weeks every summer and she invited me to join them for a few days. It’s been so much fun to be a part [...]
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Trip Photos + Golden Love + What I’m Reading (GONE GIRL!!!)
May 7, 2014 { 17 comments }I arrived home yesterday sun-kissed, rested and already a little homesick. I’m so thankful for the long weekend I spent with my parents and I’m already planning a return trip to stay longer this summer. I really want to STOP these six month spans between seeing each other. Family is too important. I really love the [...]
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Realizing when you need a break. (And letting yourself take one.)
May 4, 2014 { 18 comments }I’m so happy to wake up to this… I really need to think harder about that dream of mine to move to the U.S. Virgin Islands and open a yoga studio/training center. ;) In all seriousness, I want to start off today’s post with an important topic. Realizing when you need a break. (And letting [...]
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A Very Special Happy Birthday
April 10, 2014 { 20 comments }I’ve spent the last two days in Georgia celebrating a very special birthday! My Mema’s 84th! Last year I cleared my calendar and drove down to Georgia in the middle of the week to surprise her on her actual birthday so I decided to do the same thing this year! Earlier this week I baked [...]
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An Afternoon in the ALDI Test Kitchen {Giveaway!}
March 10, 2014 { 205 comments }I’ve spent the last month serving as a short-term blog ambassador for ALDI to bring awareness to not only their brand and the unique shopping and saving experience they provide but also their new focus on providing customers with nutritious and affordable food. ALDI recently launched a new organics line, Simply Nature, and introduced organic [...]
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Back to Reality + Off to Chicago {This Week’s Eats}
March 6, 2014 { 24 comments }Back to reality this week but it’s been a short one. I am currently on a plane again but not headed anywhere tropical! I’m on the way to Chicago for a quick overnight. I’m visiting the ALDI headquarters where I’ll spend the afternoon doing activities like switch and save tastings, price challenges, a smoothie challenge, [...]
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My Vacation Food Philosophy
March 4, 2014 { 27 comments }How I eat on vacation can be summed up pretty simply…whatever I want! I consider vacations (and girl’s weekends and quick getaways) to be sacred me time and I allow myself to let loose a little and eat, drink, sleep as I please. This goes back to my childhood. My family always spent two weeks [...]
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Vacation Week Workouts
March 2, 2014 { 13 comments }Hi! I’m home! I kind of decided to take a break with the blogging for the last few days of vacation and focus on writing during my limited working hours and soaking up the experience the remainder of the time. There was a moment yesterday where I thought “I could blog or I could take [...]