Well, I’m back home. Yes, home sweet home. The past 4 days were spent relaxing with my momma in Florida. A little getaway for my 30th (which is actually this weekend). And my kiwi Cotter gets home from France this week too. I’m excited! But that also means we go back to reality. Back to a busy work schedule. Back to living paycheck by paycheck. Back to striving for BIG DREAMS and not knowing what’s actually going to happen. Back to going 100mph versus just PARKING it for a while.
But you know what? I’m ready. I’m refreshed. I’m rested. I’ve gotten my “tune up.” Reality is waiting… ain’t it always?
Our lives will never be perfect (thank goodness). We don’t know when we’ll have kids or when we’ll pay off debt. We don’t know if we’ll both actually succeed at our dreams (pro triathlon racing, healthy bites, Hard Yards coaching, etc.). We don’t know if we’ll ever be home owners or be 100% healthy. But none of that compares to just being CONTENT.
Learning to say yes to opportunities (big and small). Learning to be thankful for everything and everyone that bring JOY to your life. Learning to temporarily say NO to reality and just resting (mentally and physically). Learning to work hard for the GREATER yet not getting caught up in pursuing GREATNESS. Learning to TRUST God’s plan, and letting go of your own. Learning to focus on what you are becoming rather than what you are lacking.
This past week was just that. I took an opportunity to escape reality. I embraced it. I savored it. In fact, I relished it.
I met up with a dear old friend (and her kiddo). I also met up with a fellow blog friend (blend).
Both spoiled me good wine for my birthday!
They are so smart. 😉
I walked the beach. Collected sea shells for my nieces and nephews. Watched the sunset and the waves slow down.
Treated my momma to a wine and and seafood dinner as well as a little dessert.
Red Snapper with Fig and Bacon compote, Crab, grilled asparagus, jasmine rice, and grilled mango and onion salad.
Strawberries, Basil, and Vanilla ice cream.
I also treated myself to the Classis GT kombucha. Wish we had the classic in TX… sigh.. 1st world problems.
Now I’m ready to shift gears into drive again. Back towards reality. I’m sure I’ll hit speed bumps along the way, along with other car (life) trouble. But hey, who doesn’t? Sometimes all it takes is a quick shift into park, then roll the window down and stare at the MARVELOUS view of life.
Click on the quote below for a great read about taking time.
What gear are you in these days? Do you know HOW to PARK IT?
Back to regular blogging talk Wednesday.
Cheers!
LC
I can always count on you to hit me just where I need it. [And I mean that in a nonviolent way, of course. ;)]
“Learning to focus on what you are becoming rather than what you are lacking.”—> I need this to be my new mantra at the moment.
I’m so glad we got to spend a little bit of time together! I’m also glad you had a great trip and it served it’s purpose. Your mom is fab, and little P was such a cutie! Nice to meet L too 🙂
Hope to see you again sometime in the near future! I’ve been very MIA lately, halting the blogging and living a little more in my day to day life. I’ll return soon!
live it up!! you deserve it. Hope to see you again soon too! <3
Just WoW !!!
Great phtogrphing
Looks like a fabulous weekend! Have you ever made your own kombucha? I do and I love it!
That sounds like a wonderful holiday from reality! Staying with my parents is holidays for me as well, so I’m happy Peter and I are going to visit them in August. And I also miss the sea!
Looks like it was a great vacation! You can’t a beach and good food/wine combo 🙂 Glad you had time to refresh!
You & Your MAMA – SO CUTE! Makes me miss my mama that much more!!!
I am in GEAR 6 right now! Full force ahead, so much so that I have had to postpone going home to actually visit my parents twice now. And now that I am thinking I might go home for labor day, my plans MAY BE postponed once again! OH THE LIFE OF A host, writer, auditioner – lol!! Something always randomly comes up… That is “SO BIG” for like 2 seconds. LOL!
Wow, I am so glad you got some time alone and away, because it just looks so perfect and NEEDED. And you did just as I would have done, gotten away. Simplified. Enjoyed. And wine’d 🙂 And once again, your words are so wise and full of advice, in the most perfectly put way. XOXO!
Yay! Glad you had a great trip! PS.. did you announce who won your wine chiller giveaway?
I did. I announced it last monday. But .. I might have something for you. Shoot me an email when you can.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!
THIS was a truly marvelous post. I’m glad you’re feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the real world.
so so happy that you and momma got to take a few days off and enjoy some beach time. beach time is good for the soul 🙂
well…I had to park it this week too thanks to my failure to defy gravity last weekend. Spent 4 days in bed/in docs offices/body packed in ice and have had to slow down from my 100mph speed of life to nothing. Next time I think I’ll take a beach vacay instead of taking the bike crash recovery vacation.
oh no. hope you are healing friend. WIsh you could have been beaching it with us!
Lindsay, you are such an inspiration to me. You are truly so wise and know how to treat yourself well. I love the contentment that you express and your ability to “say no to reality” while also saying yes to opportunities. We all need to say yes more in our lives. I love what you say about working hard for the greater instead of being caught up in greatness. Too often we get caught up in the “rat race” of life and pursuing greatness. You are truly a lovely person, inside and out.
thank you Mary. I hope that we all can continue inspire each other to LIVE fully. Cheers!
This post made me happy to see you unwind, relax, enjoy the sea, wine, food, and of course time with your beautiful Mom! Not really sure what gear I am in right now, but I am dreaming and believing full speed ahead. XO
I love vacation to recharge, but find life inevitably waits in full-speed for the moment I return. Which is okay, but I do sometimes dream for a slower speed. But then I’d probably be bored and want more to do. Haha! 🙂
haha yes, i totally get that!
you two already succeeded at your dreams 🙂 you guys are so inspiring for the rest of us to keep pushing forward, HUGS
oh Florida beaches the best! makes us miss home. and the beach! love mommy dinner wine times 🙂
xoxo
What a great thought provoking post. With life being to fast past, and only getting faster, we often find it hard to actually take a step back and as you say ‘park’ it and just appreciate the little things around us that often goes unnoticed!
Glad you enjoyed your time at the beach!
indeed friend! we need to notice the unnoticed more often
LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Love the undoing & peace & just being present that you got away – so needed!!!!
You sound so much like me when I was young with the ifs – & we still don’t won a house & most likely never will unless we win the lotto – so be it…
I did not always go after my dreams though – it was other stuff that got in the way so I am happy you are trying while you are young! 🙂
I have so much in my head right now – plans for some August stuff & more of things I have to do as well vs. want to but this is what happens sometimes…
HUGS!!!!
This month has been crazy busy, I am looking forward to parking it until the fall rolls around 🙂
I’m with ya there!
Great post Lindsey. I love the quote at the bottom. I recently read something similar…that God isn’t looking for perfection, he’s looking for progress…even in it’s in baby steps. He loves us as we are, imperfect. Like you, I’ve been able to rest up this summer. What a blessing to reset and rest as we gear up for the next leg of the journey.
So glad you had such a wonderful birthday and family time.
so glad you could take the summer to the same friend. So needed! Enjoy the last bit
I love this post so much!! I am in overdrive these days and I just need to sloooooow down but it’s hard. Hopefully everything will balance out sooner rather than later.
i hope you get that too friend. Maybe after the marathon?!
I love this post! So good to reconnect with people (and God and yourself) and disconnect from jobs and stress and routine etc. So glad you were able to do that with your mom! It will be so neat to reconnect with James and get back into routine, although the break is always beneficial. Enjoy your time with him! 😀 And I hear you on the “never-being-home-owners” part… We had that talk (again) this weekend (“Think we’ll EVER actually own a home?!”)… SO much I connected with in this post. 😀 LOVE YA!
i think we share similar lives friend. So glad we can relate. And welcome home! <3 love ya
I sure hope so. Hopefully everything will balance out once my daughter starts school and we get into a new routine.
It looks like you had a wonderful early birthday vacation with your mom and friends! It is so needed to get away sometimes – life can get too hectic and it is important to remember to stop and relax 🙂
you got that right friend!
I love that you got away, got to park and relax and got to spend time with your mom and friends. That’s the best way, yes? I’m sprinting towards my vacation. Cannot get here fast enough. Then, I just plan on parking my butt at the beach for a month. xox
I so wish we could have joined forces for our b-day vacations!!! Yours looks amazing though. I want that snapper with the fig and bacon compote – yum!!! I also was able to get a GT’s classic this weekend. I was scarily excited by it. LOL!
Looks like you had a marvelous trip! I love how different florida is. The gulf side looks nothing like the ocean side, it makes me love the state! Back to pushing ahead right there with you! 🙂
LC, i think we are on similiar gears! i just got back from a long weekend in nantucket where i parked myself on the beach, had some cocktails, ate a ton of lobster rolls and ice cream. i managed to squeeze in a triathlon even though i was not happy with my performance. i think i was too laid back and relaxed to concentrate on racing. but i am AOK with that. welcome back!
fueled by lobster and ice cream. Nicely done! does kiwi know about this?
😉
Perfect post per usual, friend.
It sounds like an absolute blessed weekend filled with all the rest and rejuvenation you truly needed.
I think it’s so important to get that relaxation time as much as we need it, and it’s never a bad thing to relish and accept that.
Looks like a wonderful time!
I love that you were able to “park” it for a few days and really just step back and unwind. This really is a great post and something that hit home to me. I don’t know if my fiance and I will ever hit our dreams, and do all those things you said, but the fact is we have each other and we will make it, even if its day to day.
I’ve been unwinding the past week since my first 70.3. I needed time to focus on me, relax and just do whatever I wanted after months of serious training. Although training for my next marathon technically started the moment I crossed the 70.3 finish line, I am happy and content to be back on the running mode for a while.
My mom is trying to con me in to flying down to Clearwater in August and darn it if this doesn’t make me want to!!
Great pics:) You deserved a nice long break.
Happy Early Birthday and welcome back to the real world!
This is amazing —–> “Learning to work hard for the GREATER yet not getting caught up in pursuing GREATNESS.”
You got MAD INSIGHT SKILLZ!!! (0:
What a wonderful time with your mom! Yes, reality will always be here waiting for us, so it is important to disconnect from time to time. I’m hoping for a little disconnect time before summer is over!
Beautiful post & such a hard concept for us sometimes! I almost never “allow” myself to “park-it” which is ridiculous! Your trip looks phenomenal & I envy how relaxed you sound! Thanks for the reminder that downtime is “ok”. Happy Monday lady 🙂
So jealous of your parking it time, but soooooooo happy you got it! : ) I love ya friend. Cheers to taking things one little step at a time now that you’re home. Thanks for the reminders and inspiration as always!!!!
I’m in a season of resting a little bit…but resting always makes me feel guilty! I think we are so pressured into being busy busy busy all the time that it really is tough to just “park it” and be content.
Thanks so much for this post and for being the wonderful gal you are! <3
such a great reminder! Love the pics
Sounds like the most perfect getaway! Sometimes it’s so nice to escape reality, disconnect and just enjoy life. I know I definitely need that sometimes! It’s my way to recharge and focus.
This looks like a wonderful and relaxing weekend at the beach with your mom! I’m glad you had some family time, me time, and wine time 😉 I love collecting shells along the beach or when you find one in the deep parts of the ocean! Hidden gems!
I am refreshed just reading and looking at the pictures. What a nice weekend and nothing better than seeing your momma. I just read recently that a study was done, that when some people listened to their Mother’s voice they had a spike in oxytocin. It sounds like that was the case for you 🙂 xoxo
Sounds like the perfect escape! I had one of those a few weeks ago – not a care in the world! Right now I am back in go, go, go mode, but looing forward to my next small escape where I can just BE! Love all your pics!
So glad to see you relaxing and just BEING! Embrace.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I often feel as though I’m rushing, not taking the time to be in the present. Life’s not a race, but a journey and I’m not rushing to the finish line anymore.
Glad you had a good start to the 30th celebration! I’m just a year behind you as I celebrated my 29th on Friday! 🙂
sounds like a wonderful vacation!!
I’m so happy you got to relax with your mom last week! Such a nice birthday celebration! And I’m always a strong believer in carrying the celebration through all month long 🙂 Happy early birthday friend!
So glad you had a break and a chance to “park it” for awhile!!! The picture of you and your mom is beautiful as are all the other pictures from your vacation!!
I’m planning to do a lot of parking this week since we are in Florida for a vacay!!!
Being content (not complacent) is way underrated. I’m looking forward to a restful getaway at my parents’ place next weekend. Happy Monday, lady!
I can imagine it was such a fun and relaxing trip – also well deserved break for you! I’ve been working a lot, thinking too much and trying to dig deep for continued patience that I’m making the right moves and on the right path to my dreams. Parking it is not my strong suit… 😉
It looks like a fun trip! I love the beach but haven’t been in years. We had a staycation this year to save some money.
What a perfect getaway to park it for a bit! Lovely pics of you and your mom. The last week or two have been a lot of relaxing for us, too, before the craziness of unpacking begins. I’m enjoying it!
An escape from reality can work wonders and the beach is a perfect place to escape.
This post just makes me smile. So glad you were able to get away and just enjoy. I think we all need that time to reset.
you know what’s funny i feel like my current life is an escape from reality in so many ways! i’m not working 9 to 5, we drive to the beach on weekends and all that jazz…yet I realize that I’m always thinking about working and what’s next and a complete brain stop is totally needed!
It is always so hard getting back to reality after being on vacation. I just came back from Florida last week, too. I LOVE that place!! Where in Florida were you? I was in Destin. Dinner looks fabulous!
Glad you had a relaxing vacay with your mom! I love mom-daughter getaways. And, I can’t stop thinking about Red Snapper with Fig and Bacon compote . . . .
I’m so glad you found a chance to relax! I’m sure you needed it (both physically and mentally!) so I’m glad you were able to 🙂
Beautiful post!
The beach is definitely a great place to think and reflect and REST! I’ll catch ya next time hopefully
Sounds like a great and restful little getaway! I have the hardest time trying to relax. Even when I have a little time on weekends I always feel like I should be doing something- cleaning, cooking, anything! I am trying to focus on just relaxing a bit- God knows I need it sometimes! Happy Monday!
such a beautiful post! looks totally and completely relaxing surrounded by good family and friends (and of course good food… and wine! hehe)
You and your mom are so pretty 🙂 I’m glad to got to take a nice relaxing vacation together. Sounds very refreshing and relaxing..Just how they should be. I love your honesty and all the powerful messages! x0
I simply STARED AND STARED at the pic of you and your mom on FB too.
you both look just happy and content and present.
xo
Looks like a wonderful, relaxing, refreshing vacation! Although I do wish I could have seen you- if you were just a bit closer 🙂
You & your Momma are just too cute!! You look similar- both beautiful!
Hope you have a great birthday week!!
& Thank you for the inspirational message as well- just that it’s OK if things aren’t perfect…because they aren’t supposed to be! LOVE that message.
Wonderful!!
It seems you had such a beautiful vacation, the pictures are breathtaking!
I love that ‘parking’ feeling. Sometimes it’s just so good to pause. And watch. And feel. And then experience how the energy is coming back to go on in reality.
Happy return and start of this BIRTHDAYweek!!