On The Up and Up in Florida!
I hope you guys enjoyed my recap of my father/daughter traditional trip to NYC! It was a great time but the food and drinks definitely got to me and my travel day to Florida this past Sunday was a bit rough in a mental sense. I just felt gross the entire day after getting up really early for my flight (I got around 6 or 7 hours of sleep but Sarah understands…I swear any less than 8 and I’m a mess). I was wearing a slobby travel outfit, had on my glasses, and my hair was in a not-so-chic rat’s nest bun. I felt ridiculously dehydrated, so much so that I couldn’t even finish a little bit of coffee. My pants felt tight (even pants of the yoga variety!) and all I felt like doing once we got to yoga was 40 minutes of P90X Yoga…not nearly “enough”, in my head. To be honest with you, I found myself restricting my intake all that day. I just wanted to feel better about myself. It didn’t really work…it often doesn’t. That’s the lesson I seem to still be learning.
A very Florida Christmas.
What DID make me feel better was having a snack after yoga, taking a shower, and deciding to make myself look presentable for our dinner at Duffy’s. I always visit this local chain when I visit; my family consistently looks forward to our Duffy’s dinner. So that was a perfect destination for our first night in town. Putting in some extra effort to blow-dry and straighten my hair, and also putting on a cute breezy outfit, definitely had me feeling better upon our arrival at the restaurant.
My grandpa George and I! He’s the smartest guy I know. He was pals with Oscar Wilde. No big.
The night kept improving when I started chatting with John, the voice behind @DuffysMVP. They’ve enjoyed my past blog mentions of the restaurant and he was nice enough to help us with getting a table and also send out a couple amazing appetizer samplers. My dad, brother, and sister especially loved getting to try some of Duffy’s heavier options that my family doesn’t typically order. You better believe I had at least one of each!
Beer-battered mozzarella sticks, Tex-Mex eggrolls, and hand-trimmed boneless wings. Plus salsa, guac, marinara, celery, and ranch!
I love that Duffy’s has a great variety of healthy options, from seafood (mahi, tuna) to meat (grilled chicken, sirloin) to sides (black beans, zucchini, broccoli). I truly look forward to ordering a “light” dinner each time I go there because it just tastes so good. Plus drinks are ALWAYS 2 for 1…it’s all about balance, yes? 😉
Simply Grilled Salad (arugula, roasted tomato, balsamic vinaigrette) topped with grilled mahi – black beans ordered on the side, added to the salad!
And a light dinner means room for my mom’s Publix birthday cake, paired with Apothic Red (I’d been craving it for eons). Oh my gosh. Publix is doing my wedding cake. Now on to find a groom…
I felt much better about myself once I was focusing on seeing my grandparents, how special Duffy’s made me feel, the spruced-up post-shower feeling, and getting to enjoy special food I don’t usually get to have. And the good vibes continued after an amazing spin class the next morning at Accelerate Your Fitness. I’m SO glad I purchased a five-class Living Social deal for that studio. The bikes and environment were so nice, the instructor and music empowering, and best of all, the class ended up alternating time on the spin bike with toning moves in between.
The upper body toning was done while pedaling on the bike!
The class flew by and had me feeling SO kick-ass. Kick-ass enough to take a bathing suit photo and like it enough to post on Instagram…ha.
With my beautiful sister in her new pin-up bikini!
It was an amazing Christmas Eve Eve (and my mom’s birthday!)…a Whole Foods salad lunch and poolside visit with my blend Brittany. I see her every time in Florida and it’s so great to have a go-to friend in the area!
I’m obsessed with her fedora!
That’s all I have time to report for now. My grandparents just arrived for Christmas Eve dinner – filet time! Keep following me on Instagram @CaitPlusAte to see more fun I’ve been having and yet to report, and more fun that I’m sure will come after I shut this computer down in a few minutes. Merry Christmas Eve!
What are your plans for Christmas?
Do you ever find that getting “spruced up” can really help your body image?
What special food do you always have to have when you go on vacation?
