Friday Favorites #7

Happy Friday! I hope you all have had an amazing week. I'm once again typing this from 32,000 feet up in the air. We are on our way home from an amazing week in the Maldives. I think this will officially be the longest Friday of my life. Due to the time change and flights we will be living in "Friday" for something like 32 hours. No complaints, but it's a weird state of having no idea what time it really is or when we should be sleeping/eating. The good news is it gives me some time to get this post up before the end of the day!

I mentioned last week that my goal was to get one non-Maldives post up earlier this week. Obviously, that didn't happen. But(t!), there is a glute activating post coming your way early next week. In that post, I'm also sharing a bit of my running history and struggle with injuries so if any of that interests you please check back!

As always, I'd absolutely love to hear what things are making you smile this week in the comments. Thanks for reading <3

Uninterrupted time with Matt in the Maldives

By far my favorite thing of the week was getting uninterrupted time with Matt. With our schedules, it's very rare for us to have a full week together. Having time for relaxation and adventures together without our typical obligations was the best treat. While it's sometimes tough having Matt travel a lot for work, I know we're both so grateful that it also allows us to have incredible vacations like this one. Now back to working hard and playing hard so we can return again soon. :-)

Amazon cover-ups

I ended up bringing two of the cover-ups that I ordered last-minute from Amazon, and I loved them both! They were perfect for throwing on while out on our deck. Bonus: they are both under $20! I adore the plunging back of the ivory crochet cover up (perfect for bathing suits with cute back designs). The green cover-up comes in tons of different colors. I loved that the shorter front is combined with a relaxed fit and longer back so that it doesn't look like a tent but still provides enough coverage. For reference, I'm 5'2". For those taller than me it will probably be very short in the front. The neck area is large, so you could pull it so that it's not quite as short as the picture above shows. Heads up: this paragraph contains one affiliate link.

Staying active and healthy on vacations

I'm ending my vacation feeling rejuvenated and healthy, not sluggish and in need of a detox. While I spent plenty of time relaxing by the ocean, I also took advantage of a beautiful gym and a lenient schedule to enjoy workouts that I love and fun activities in the water.

I also took advantage of the plethora of fresh and healthy seafood, fruit, and vegetable options for dining. I opted for treats that I knew would leave me feeling energized for a fun day in the sun. I left the sugary or heavy options that I can get anywhere and that likely would weigh me down and zap my energy levels. For example, it was such a luxury to have green veggie juices made to order at breakfast, and I was in heaven with all of the different seafood options at all times. It was a treat to have healthy options available like flavorful vegetable sides that I didn't have to prepare myself. I also loved trying all of the unique tropical fruit they had to offer.

I don't think there's anything wrong with splurging on extra treats or taking a break from exercising if that's what's needed mentally. But I do think it makes the transition back to "real life" a little easier (especially when also battling jet lag) when I don't feel lethargic or like my liver needs a break at the end of the trip.

Trying new things

Vacations are the perfect time to try new things, because I'm already in a new environment and feeling laid back but adventurous. In the fitness department, I tried a couple of new classes including an anti-gravity yoga class and a "jump fitness" class. The anti-gravity yoga was such a neat experience using a silk to do a number of different poses (mostly upside down) and swinging in various positions. The jump fitness class was super fun and basically involved doing different choreographed jumps on a small trampoline to music. Kind of thinking I need a little trampoline at home now... It's hard to not be in a good mood when you're bouncing up and down to good music.

One of the activities I was most excited about on our trip was the dolphin excursion. I've never seen dolphins in the wild, and the Maldives seemed like the perfect setting. Just as we thought we weren't going to see any, we completely lucked out. We ended up having a pod of about 12 dolphins swim right next to our boat jumping and twirling out of the water for a long time. It was magical and one of the best "firsts" ever.

Finally, this trip has been a great opportunity to try some new foods. For better or for worse, I learned that caviar is delicious. One of the breakfast options each morning was an omelette made with lobster, Alaskan king crab, and caviar. I ordered that several mornings, because that's not something I can have in real life. As mentioned above, I tried a lot of crazy looking tropical fruit (all delicious). Whenever I saw a fish that I hadn't tried on a menu I ordered it. One night the catch of the day was a local reef fish, and it was one of the best fishes I've had.

Perfect Puns

You may have seen on my instagram that we went parasailing a couple of days ago. The experience was breathtaking (I'll go into more details later), but the boat ride and company were also entertaining. A father and son joined us on the excursion, and while heading back to land we chatted about what brought us to the Maldives. The son had used points to book their trip, just like we did. When he realized this he commented, "I guess we're all in the same boat". That was THE BEST pun, because we literally were all in the same boat. I'm sure this is one of those things that is much funnier in real life, but I love a good pun. I'm documenting it here so I don't forget it. Thanks for bearing with me.

Appreciating the Moment

The pace of our day slowed down while in the Maldives and it allowed me to savor moments, smells, and views much more than I typically do day to day. I have approximately five thousand pictures of the water now, because it really is a combination of brilliant turquoise, aquas, and blues. Multiple times a day, I would have to just stop and admire the views and breath in the sea air. I hope that I can continue to savor little moments like that once back home.

In the evenings, the resort put out incense along the pathways so that the entire grounds smelled beautiful. They also offered cool towels scented with lemongrass at the gym, at meals, and even on boat rides. These extra touches were another demonstration of the level of detail that the St. Regis provides to make every experience spectacular. I'm planning to diffuse similar smells once home to help with the transition back into the cooler, less tropical environment.

On this trip, Matt and I frequently would look at each other and just smile - enjoying the moment. With busy lives, this doesn't happen frequently enough. Friday Favorites has been a great way for me to focus on the little things that bring me joy each week, and that's something that I want to continue to prioritize more. At the end of last year, Matt and I started taking turns planning one fun date each month. I admittedly dropped the ball on that this year, but I'm looking forward to getting that started again next month. We don't have to be on the other side of the world to schedule time to have fun and enjoy each others company.

Having a cute puppy and great life at home we're happy to return to

Did we contemplate cancelling our return flights back home and working at the St. Regis resort in the Maldives forever? Maybe a little. But joking aside, I feel so grateful to have the cutest little pup who I can't wait to see this evening. We're also excited to see friends and family, and to be back in our home that we have worked to make feel as comfortable and relaxing as possible. I always return home from a vacation ready to tackle some home projects, so expect more of those in the future!

What was your favorite thing this week?

What is the most beautiful place you've visited?

What's something new that you tried this week?

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.