I’ve been a bit stressed out lately, and but came up pretty suddenly this past week. As we were driving away from the city late Friday night, I could start to feel some relief. But it wasn’t until about midway through Saturday when I could feel my tense body finally start to relax and the neck pain that had been lingering for the last 2-days was finally gone – that’s when I realized, I really needed this weekend away from reality with my little family.
Initially the weekend was supposed to be a girls trip with an afternoon at the spa, but some things came up so B was stuck with me heading to one of our favorite spots, the cabin. The cabin is literally in the middle of no where, there is no wifi, although there is TV, but it’s largely you, nature and just a break from the real world. Even on weekends when you’re home with no plans, you always find something to do – clean the house, laundry, yard work – or you think you should be doing something besides nothing. But that’s not how it is at the cabin, sleeping in is ok, watching Shark Tank marathons and day drinking is also totally acceptable.
We also ventured to our favorite spot near the cabin, Southern Tier Brewery Co. – and yes they had our favorite seasonal beverages on tap, Pumking and Warlock. The weather was perfect and we even brought Moz along this time! Usually we leave her behind at the cabin, but after a walk around the property at the cabin, she had plenty of exercise and just hung with us at the brewery. We also grabbed some yummy eats at STBC – our go-to the pretzels and then split the BLT this time, which was so good! They never disappoint from a brews, food or atmosphere perspective. It was the perfect breakup in the day.
The leisurely mornings might be my favorite – taking Moz out around the property for her morning routine, and then drinking coffee before B whips up a tasty breakfast is always so relaxing because we’re never usually in any rush for anything. And by the time breakfast is done and cleaned up, it’s about time to take Moz for a longer walk so she can take in all the fresh smells of nature, chase chipmunks and watch frogs jump into the pound. Friday night after we got there a huge storm rolled in and we fell asleep to the rain pounding on the roof of the cabin, it was so relaxing and so perfect.
As we were driving back to reality, I was reflective on the fact that we all need to take a little extra time for ourselves, an intentional break from the day to day, from the stresses of the work week and everything else. It was also a good reminder of making the most out of changed plans and still taking time away. Even if it’s a simple getaway for a night or two, it’s refreshing for the soul and it helps us stay sane.
Radiant Defense – Liquid Perfection. I was super excited to give this foundation a try, because it also happens to be SPF30 on top of giving you flawless coverage. I used three of the colors, since typically I would probably be the lightest one on the chain – but given my summer glow and abundance of freckles, I thought the two second lightest colors might work well on my skin too. I think the Beige was the perfect shade for me, not to light and not to dark – also the coverage of this sample was the perfect amount and gave a good base. It covered up imperfections like my little color patch in the top of my forehead, plus it was light and airy and I didn’t feel like I had a pound of make-up on – which I feel like is just as important as everything else. I felt flawless and effortless all in one and that feeling carried on into the day.
Overall all the products had super light or no scents, which is important to me with a routine, so it was very refreshing using each of the different products. The Radiant Defense is a product I would definitely love using especially for special occasions or those days I need a little extra umph to get me going – I did feel super beautiful using it. I think it’s also important finding a good cleanser to exfoliate the face every now and again and R+F definitely offers a variety of options for all skin types and ages!
One thing that has been pushing me through, especially this week, is my silly little fitbit. I am new to fitbit’s, and received one at my new company since health and wellness is ingrained into the culture with fitbit challenges and quarterly fitness outings, along with some other cool perks! It wasn’t until I had a fitbit that I realized how little I actually walk throughout the day. Getting to 10,000 steps without consciously making decisions to be active or go for a walk is hard when you’re mostly confined in an office from 8:30 – 5:30. I’ve realized I need to get a walk in the morning, a longer walk at lunch and then a medium-to-long walk in the afternoon/evening to hit 10k. Regardless of how ugly the fitbit is *giggles* it has definitely made me more aware to take advantage of the little opportunities and get up and walk more. I’ve hit 10k steps 3 of the 5 days so far this week! Which is a significant upgrade from my previous weeks.
Here are my tips for those stressful/busy times and ways to take a moment for yourself, since it’s often really hard to just do that.
the bee life 