Naples Pt 1... Somebody Get Me a Juice Cleanse

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I am hanging out in the 80 degree weather in the Naples, Florida area this weekend, and let me just say that I am trying my best to stock up on my Vitamin D so that I can survive the rest of winter in the Midwest... I'm sorry I can't bring any back for you.

My wakeup on Friday morning was 4:30am. The only way to make this happen is with an iPhone alarm and lots, lots, lots of emojis.

I somehow managed to get to the airport with all of my toiletries, limbs, and electronics intact... except for my iPhone charger. I pulled a Carly and left my iPhone charger plugged into the wall next to my bed. What can I say, life is hard at 4:30am. 

Just chilling with Tory, Diane, Apple, Lulu, and Sperry. My travel BFFs.

Another thing that is hard at the butt crack of dawn? (Besides anything, ever...) --> FLYING! We booked the trip last minute, so I flew Spirit on my way into Florida and am flying United back. The thing about Spirit is they do not give you any food or drink. Like, not even a cup of crappy water. You have to pay like five bucks for a tiny water bottle. Not my jam.

So, as soon as we landed, I was on a mission to hydrate. A huge Smartwater did the job.

Are you making me smarter?

After a quick stop to drop my bags off, we headed to the ballpark. We had second row seats, so I really could not complain. The Boston Red Sox played the Minnesota Twins. Despite not knowing (or caring) a bit about baseball, I enjoyed a Bud Light (and a bag of pistachios I smuggled in, don't tell) and had a great time. 

Don't know, don't care, I am loving the sun.

This was followed by a series of shrimp and tuna, which left me extremely stuffed and ready to pass out. I woke up early the next morning to go on a run, but it was only 55 degrees at 6:45am, so I grabbed my lulu jacket since I was a dummy and didn't bring pants.

Look who's excited to wear shorts outside!

I ended up doing a combination of sprints and walks. I have been planning on a Paleo/Primal March for quite a few weeks now, so I was determined to make my March 1st workout count. I sprinted all out and then walked or jogged for a while in between.

Other things that happened: Amazing swordfish on the beach.

Oh yeah. Swordfish is dreamy. 

Shrimp. More shrimp. The image below used to be a plate of coconut shrimp, but... well, then they all disappeared. I truly do not know what happened.

I would do it all over again.

Hanging out in Olde Naples.

And eating far, far, FAR too much dessert. No I did not eat all of this... but I am going to be stuffed for a while. Don't get mad at me when I go on a juice cleanse upon returning to the Midwest...

Let's talk about dessert.

OH, AND DID I MENTION DESSERT?

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Do you indulge in dessert or are you healthy on vacation?
• Do you try to get in workouts while on vaca or just live by 'when in Rome?'

Travel Time

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If you know me, you know I'm not very good at staying in one place. Heck, I can't even work at the same table all day, and I end up moving around with my laptop from place to place.

This is especially true when the weather gets bad. As everyone knows, the midwest was completely slammed this winter. I am between Chicago and Michigan, and Chicago has been insanely cold, while Michigan has gotten more snow than ever. Basically, I'm stuck between a rock and a cold place.

I feel like there are two options here: take advantage of this crazy snowy winter weather, or simply just escape it.

Can't choose one? Me either. So, I'm about to do both.

My next two weekends consist of some crazy temperature and terrain swings. We are taking a ski weekend (okay, snowboard for my husband) up in Northern Michigan this weekend, and the following weekend I will be flying down to Naples, Florida for some heat.

I figure this way I can get the best of both worlds, but it does mean a mere 4 days in between to regroup and completely pack my bag with very, very different clothing. Oh, well. At least I won't have to do any laundry in between!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Do you like to experience and take advantage of the cold, or escape it?
• Are you planning any winter weather escapes? Where to? I feel like everyone I know is going to Scottsdale or Palm Springs. Both places are pretty solidly warm, so I can't blame them!

Last Days in Clearwater

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Monday was our last full day in Clearwater, so we started the day off right. We headed over to Broadway Cafe in Dunedin. I had an amazing egg white omelet that had vine ripened tomatoes inside, alongside a ton of veggies. I may have also had another side of grits... Can't stop with that stuff.

Afterward, we headed back to my in-laws'. My husband had some work to do, so he holed up in the living room with his computer and spent some time on conference calls. Personally, I had a conference call with the sun. It was very successful.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, everyone was a tad bit hungry. We headed back over to the Hyatt and split some chips with guacamole and salsa. I kicked my anti-blended-drink issue and ordered a peach daiquiri,  my FIL had some kind of blended drink as well, but my poor husband had left his ID back at his parents', so he was not served.

Trying to choose our drinks... (Before my husband realized he had no ID)

We spent a bit of time lounging up there, despite the intense wind, because the view was spectacular.

View from the Hyatt's swim bar

After snack time, we headed back to my in-laws' to regroup and get ready for a boat ride and dinner. We grabbed some beer for the ride and boarded the boat around 5.

Having spent almost all of our trip on land, it was neat to see everything from the boat. I had no idea that the intercoastal waterways were so expansive!

Look at that hunk!

After the boat ride, we headed to a bar and restaurant called Pier 60. It is located on the top floor of a building, and has amazing, panoramic skyline views.

They specialize in the sunset hour, and we arrived about 30 minutes before sunset. We ordered a couple Rum Runners and a White Russian and then watched the sun slowly sink into the sky.

Just as the sun was setting, they passed out shots and all the patrons took a shot together as the sun finally slipped below the horizon!

After our sunset shot, we headed to Sandpearl resort for dinner. I loved this place from the start; from the decor inside to the self-playing piano, I was sold.

We started our meal with a toast to my brother-in-law and his fiance, who had just gotten engaged that weekend. We were all so happy for them that we wanted to let them know we were thinking of them!

A couple of cocktails later, we walked home. On our way, we ran across these monstrous sized chairs and had to get a shot of me in them. Just one of the perks of being a shorty who married into a tall Dutch family (we're about to inherit another shorty, YES!).

When we got home, we watched a movie before passing out for the night. The following morning, we awoke to some serious fog...

We went out to breakfast and then I did some shopping with my in-laws while my husband did some more work. By the time the sun finally made its way through the fog, we ended up with a bit of time left for laying out (2-3 hours) and then headed to the airport!

What about you?

• What do you like to do on a foggy day on vacation? Sleep in? Go shopping? Watch a movie?

A Day In Sarasota

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After a great poolside day at my in-laws and evening at Carlouel Yacht Club, I had an incredibly deep and long night's sleep. Let's just say I woke up a little sweaty - that's how you know you were passed out!

I walked into the living room to see my husband and his father on the balcony, chatting away and watching the water. It was too cute to interrupt.

I had planned to do a Bodypump-style workout with my husband, so I decided to get a head start with some cardio. Yes, you can see the Gulf of Mexico from the treadmill. Add that to my gratitude list...

After about twenty minutes of light cardio, my husband joined me. We did a thirty minute mini Bodypump set. Basically, we put on music and did Bodypump-style movements with medium weights. My heartrate was sky high and my muscles were sore, so I am calling it a success.

We had plans to head into Sarasota for the majority of the day to visit with a friend, so we showered and then hit up a breakfast joint on our way out of town. We stopped at Wildflower Care in Clearwater at the suggestion of my in-laws, and the food was delicious. I went with an egg white omelet and a side of grits.

When we arrived in Sarasota, we went directly to our friend's place. As it turned out, three of my husband's childhood friends were in the area (one of them lives there, two were visiting), so it was like a miniature Holland reunion. 

Our friend who lives in Sarasota has his own beer brewing operation in his back room, so he gave us the tour, showed us how it all worked, and we got to business (read: drinking the beer).

After catching up, the boys decided they wanted to do some frisbee golfing, so we walked to a nearby frisbee golf course. It was like frisbee golfing in the jungle (okay, I am a city girl and don't get out much, but still!). 

It was only my second time ever Frisbee Golfing. I started out being decent, but then things quickly deteriorated and I ended up being pretty awful. Oh well. You win some, you lose some!

Afterward, we headed to the grocery store for some grilling supplies. I found the largest avocado I've ever seen, but refused to buy it. It was labeled organic, but I just don't understand how it got that big!

We ended up with some tenderloin (which was sub par), some swordfish (which was delicious), some grapes, and some apples. My husband grilled up the meat, and we had ourselves a delicious pool-side dinner.

As I was sitting poolside and watching my husband play around in the pool, something popped up on my phone... My brother-in-law's then girlfriend had texted me this picture:

How gorgeous is that ring!?

I promptly freaked out and started calling and texting her incessantly. Sorry I'm not sorry! I am beyond excited for these two and can't wait for the Goeman clan to officially get even bigger!

What About You?

• Have you been Frisbee Golfing? Are you any good at it?
• Do you get incredibly excited about engagements?

Beach Time Trumps Blogging

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Sorry I went missing for a while there... a full week to be exact! Not sure how long it's been since I took an entire week off from blogging. Let's just say... I procrastinated and I'm sorry.

That said, I was pretty freaking busy. Between work events, Bulls (I mean Pistons) games, and a trip to Florida, I've been a little bit all over the place and I'm a lot okay with it.

On Friday, my husband and I headed down to Florida. I took a half day for our late afternoon flight, and things went pretty smoothly.

We flew Chicago > Atlanta > Tampa. My MIL/FIL picked us up at the airport and drove us to Clearwater Beach, where their place is. It was pretty late, so we ended up chatting and then hitting the hay. In the morning, I awoke to a pretty stellar view.

Not a bad way to wake up, eh?

We headed over to the Hyatt for breakfast. I went with an asparagus and goat cheese omelet that left me STUFFED to the brim. Afterward, we went back to my in-laws' place to regroup and get sun ready.

Did I mention I am blessed to have married into a family with great taste? My mother in law and father in law gutted this place and decorated on their own, and it turned out to be a wonderfully modern take on beach living.

Sun and gratitude exercises

We went outside, where there is a large patio with a pool, lots of deck chairs and umbrellas, and a nice view of the Gulf of Mexico. For the next few hours, we sunned ourselves. 

When early afternoon rolled around, we were hungry for a little snack and bar action. We got some fish spread and crackers. Everyone got a Strawberry Daiquiri, but I am a weirdo who is skeptical of blended drinks at bars, so I opted for a Corona.

Post-snack, my husband and I took a walk down the pier to get a view of the beach from out on the water. 

We walked along the beach on our way back, and then spent a bit more time in the sun before going back inside to get ready for dinner.

My husband's grandmother had made us reservations at Carlouel Yacht Club, so I went ahead and busted out the black dress on our first night in town.

We headed over to Carlouel, which was a short drive away, at the end of the island. 

Once we got back from Carlouel, we weren't fully ready to hit the hay yet, so we ordered Stuck In Love On Demand. I had mixed feelings about it at first, but ultimately the movie just made me want to publish a book. And be nice to people more. Two good things to want to do!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Do you spend time in the sun on vacations?
• Have you seen any good movies lately?