Back from the beach, and ready for a productive weekend!
I’m still in the middle of going through all of my pictures (and catching up on a backlogged inbox), so for now, I’ll just share a small handful of highlights from my trip to Hilton Head Island, SC. If you follow along on Instagram, you’ve seen a few of these already. I had such a wonderful time! Looking forward to sharing more about it next week!
- I’ve shared this before, and I can’t help myself. I love singing in the car. Loudly. And this was a five-hour trip of my favorite beach-inspired tunes to get me in the island mood.
- My hotel was in an amazing location. I’ve never had such a short walk to the pool and beach. Although it threatened to rain all over the forecast, I saw clear, sunny skies for the majority of my stay. And best of all, there was a nice, cool breeze that made soaking up the sun all the more enjoyable.
- When I hit the beach, it’s rum and pineapple all. the. way.
- Coconut ice cream is my new favorite flavor. It even tastes amazing with my old favorite, chocolate chip cookie dough. YUM!
- I hardly ever put product in my hair when I go on vacation. I slather it in a protective heat oil and let it do its thing. I absolutely love that breezy, carefree beach hair thing when the saltwater works its magic. I don’t, however, love the angle of the photo I snapped – my schnoz looks strangely huge.
- Did you know that Hilton Head (HHI) is dog-friendly? I didn’t. I missed Charlie like crazy when I saw this pooch (lower left) having a ball and biting the ocean waves.
- There was a large shopping plaza within walking distance of my hotel, with tons of restaurants and little shops. I hit the jackpot in this mineral store and can’t wait to share the two projects I’m creating with my finds.
- TIKI BAR. ’Nuff said.
Finally, there is a local radio station (you Atlanta folks know The Bert Show) that is running a campaign that I think is pretty neat. As most women know (and probably you fellas, too), women dread bathing suit season. No matter your size, shape, or age, body image issues affect nearly everyone at some point. I’m no stranger to this self-consciousness, and strapping on a few thin pieces of Lycra doesn’t exactly make me want to turn on the catwalk.
Don’t get me wrong; I actually LOVE my curves, and feel blessed that I have a body that lets me leap through fire. But if you asked for a laundry list of my flaws, I could do it in a heartbeat. I hate the shape of my arms. I constantly analyze angles of my face in photographs and rarely post pictures of myself online unless I’ve put on a comfortable amount of makeup to hide behind (or sunglasses). I even criticized myself earlier in this post. So even though I rarely (um, never) post about things like this, I decided to go for it and joined the #suityourself campaign with this picture.
In the last year, I’ve braved things I wasn’t sure I could do, and feel stronger and more comfortable in my own skin than I ever have before. So even though I still think there’s plenty of room for improvement, the point of this campaign is to simply embrace your body the way it is. Right now. The way to a bikini body is to put your body in a bikini. That’s all it takes. Want to see more photos and offer words of encouragement? Check out the others on Instagram here.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
