Happy Friday friends! We arrived back in Charlotte on Wednesday after the most wonderful beach week in Florida with my fam.

I jumped right back into the regular routine and in the last two days I have taught two yoga classes and trained nine clients. Scheduling our week away from Wednesday-Wednesday allowed me to see most of my clients the first half of last week and last half of this week. A win for everyone – I don’t have to take a full week of unpaid time off and they don’t have to miss a whole week of sessions (most of them appreciate the accountability and/or look forward to the workouts). Just sharing for a peek into self-employment in the fitness industry!

I have currently made my way from the gym into a chair at the salon for a much needed root touchup. My regular stylist is on maternity leave so I’m seeing someone new who was recommended to me by one of my PT clients. Gone are the days where I can stretch three months between color appointments, haha.

Alright, I have two Florida posts for you! Today is just a photo dump/recap of our week. The next will be all the delicious things I ate.

BEACH WEEK RECAP

We were blessed with the BEST weather for our time in Florida. There was so much sunshine and the temperatures were in the mid to upper 80s every day.

Finn is a water baby through and through and anytime we were on the beach, he was in the gulf and splashing around in the waves. My clients and co-workers have been commenting on how tan I am and I joked that there was no opportunity to sit in the shade while essentially lifeguarding a six year old. I spent my time standing at the surf making sure he was staying within a safe distance or in the water with him.

We love boogie boarding together! Finn is so tough and really holds his own while we’re making our way out through the breaking waves.

I did a lot of running during our visit and got a little over 20 miles in over the seven-day period we were there. Conditions were pretty tough with the Florida heat and humidity but it was good conditioning for my summer marathon training that is kicking off soon!

Memorial Day 10K!

I also got a couple of strength workouts in with my number one training partner.

We stay with my grandmother when we visit so it’s always nice to get lots of QT with her. She pulled down a couple of boxes of old photos and we spent a couple of evenings going through those which was really nice. We also learned that Finn is a fan of Wheel of Fortune, Antiques Roadshow and America’s Funniest Home Videos but would prefer to pass on “looking for houses” shows (My Lottery Dream Home + House Hunters).

I swear, lunch just tastes better on a balcony. (And with a cute golden retriever.)

Beau turns seven in just a few days! He’s been with my parents for two years now and is sweet and easygoing – unless there is a thunderstorm. Beau is NOT a fan of bad weather and my dad has tried everything from thunder jackets to meds. Poor guy.

We keep an old scooter in Florida and it’s so great for Finn to get around on.

This is a century plant in bloom. They are dramatic plants that tolerate drought conditions and love sunlight. They have large succulent leaves that are textured and greenish-blue colored. Fun fact: it typically takes century plants between 8 and 30 years to flower and then they die! When the plant reaches maturity it grows a central stem that can be up to 20 feet tall. White or pale yellow blossoms appear on the spire during summertime. It was very cool to see this century plant in full bloom at my parents condo development.

Sunset on the beach.

I just had to zoom in on the original hi-res photo to make sure that blurred blob on the right wasn’t a shark. It’s someone swimming lol.

VISITING FLORIDA’S EMERAL COAST

If you are looking for a stunning beach destination with white sand and clear water, I can’t recommend the Florida panhandle beaches enough. We visit Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach but there are so many wonderful beaches along this stretch from Pensacola to Panama City.

Here are a few to consider:

• Pensacola Beach
• Navarre
• Okaloosa Island/Fort Walton Beach
• Destin
• Miramar
• Grayton
• Seagrove
• Santa Rosa
• Watercolor
• Rosemary
• Seaside
• Alys Beach

It’s known as the Emerald Coast and there’s a good reason for that name! The beaches from Pensacola through Miramar have more of a condo feel and the beaches along 30A (Grayton on down) are more beach house/small community feel – but be warned traffic is brutal during summer season).

I grew up vacationing in the Destin/Fort Walton Beach area for two weeks every summer as a kid and have the best memories of those vacations with my family (and wonderful times with my brother). It’s been really fun to have my parents retire down there (even though it’s grown and changed a TON) and to share it with Finn!

It’s never easy to say goodbye.

Finn was sad about leaving Mema and concerned that she’d be lonely. My dad drove us to the airport and Finn gave him explicit instructions on how often to visit Mema. He also left his stuffie named Sharky that lives in Florida on Mema’s bed to keep her company.

Until next time! <3

QUESTIONS 

What is your favorite beach/beach town? 

Any tips for things that work for dogs scared of storms? 

Do you have any summer trips planned?