Every year, I look forward to the Christmas holidays! The decorations, traditions, parties and get togethers with friends and family, and celebrating Christmas Eve in a large family gathering! Even though my family Christmas gatherings are fun and joyful, Continue reading
We all have tough days, some things that worry us may seem petty or small later on when we put it in perspective, but in the moment they can bring our mood down. Sometimes bad things do happen and we cannot control them, such as an illness, accident, or losing our job. I try to practice the Power of Appreciation everyday and it has helped me through some serious tough times and moments of Continue reading
Museums are popular places to visit during the summer. But, have you considered visiting an art gallery? We used to go to San Francisco more often and one of my favorite places to visit was
Two of my favorite fruits are grapes and cherries. Apart from being tasty and having lots of vitamins, they are convenient to eat because they don’t require chopping or peeling. They are also easy to eat, not requiring utensils and can easily be taken on-the-go as a snack. During summer, I Continue reading
On many nights, when I am finally laying in bed and ready to go to sleep, I have a challenging time turning off my thoughts. Once I lay down under the covers, I have a sense of relief, an “ah, finally in bed” moment. Then, I find myself tossing and turning, with lots of thoughts crossing my mind. My mind starts to create these Continue reading
Have you purposely made a major career change that affected your life? Or, do you ever wondered what you would do if you lost your job? A friend was laid off a few months ago and decided to re-evaluate what she wants to do for the rest of her life. Not just her career, but the rest of her life. Her words and decision have been on my mind for the past few days. My initial thoughts were, Continue reading
My hubby and I eat out a few times per week. Like many people, we go to the same restaurants frequently because they are close to home or they serve some of our favorite dishes. We have different meal preferences, he is a Continue reading
Friday evening, we met with the San Diego Latino Film Festival event planner, Pilar Kuri, to review the script and do a walk through of the stage. We met outside the AMC 18 Movie Theater at Fashion Valley where the Film Festival was being held. While we were there, we greeted some attendees and I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this cute family Continue reading
(Javier & I at the private movie screening earlier this week)
This week I went to private movie screening of The Divergent Series: Insurgent. This is the second installment of the trilogy novel, written by Veronica Roth. I saw the first movie, Divergent, and was looking forward to seeing this installment! My friend Javier Tirado joined me for the screening and we made a fun evening out of it, Continue reading
I have an affection for coffee and tea, and have many mugs to enjoy them in. I do believe the mug makes a difference in enjoying the coffee or tea experience! Most of my favorite mugs and tea cups were gifts and have sentimental value. Every time I use the mug, it reminds me Continue reading
It’s hard to believe how much time has passed since our trip to Oahu, Hawaii. I am including the photos in separate posts because I had so many beautiful shots that I wanted to share with you. Here are a few more pics from our visit to the island, hope you like them. I fell in love with Oahu and look forward Continue reading
One of my closest friends is Lizeth. We have been friends for about ten years and were in each other’s weddings. We have supported each other through lots, from dating, to planning our weddings, career changes, and our personal lives. We have also had lots of fun together and confide Continue reading
Hard to believe it is already January 13! The Dia de Reyes (Three Wise Men Day) party on January 6 usually marks the end of the holiday celebrations in our family. This year it fell on a Tuesday and what seemed closer to the New Year’s Eve weekend, so we celebrated it on January 10, which was the Saturday that followed. It is a fun gathering, with the traditional meal, cutting of rosca, piñata, children running around playing, and our own family tradition of passing out the Christmas stockings. It is a tradition my aunt started a few years ago and has grown to be the highlight of the party! All the grandchildren and great-grandchildren have a personalized stocking with our name which is hung on the wall to form a Christmas tree. Each year the family grows and we add more stockings to the wall. We take turns taking our stocking off the wall, from the eldest grandchild to the youngest, making jokes, bowing or saying a few words, and taking pictures as we collect our stockings. The younger children use a ladder decorated for the holidays to reach their stocking on the top of the tree (wall). We all take the candy filled stocking home & store them until the party next year when we bring them back (some stockings have been replaced over the years). There is a prize for the first grandchild to bring back the stocking during the holidays in preparation for the Dia de Reyes party.
This year, I didn’t take too many pictures because I was enjoying the moment and spending time with family, being present. It is bitter sweet to end the holidays….but other festivities follow in the coming months. With the large size of our family, we always have festivities to look forward to! As I have said many times, one of the biggest blessings in my life is the family I was born into! I am grateful for their unconditional love, it is priceless! Special thanks to my grandmother, the head of our family, who keeps us all united and organizes these gatherings! These family gatherings aren’t just about having fun, they are also about forming traditions and good memories of wonderful moments of happiness with family!
How do you end the Christmas holiday celebrations? Do you celebrate Dia de Reyes and cut a rosca?
Hugs,
Paola
PS – Picture from our Dia de Reyes party and the family holiday tradition I started.
Preparing for the piñata!
My stocking hangs at the bottom of the wall since I am the eldest granddaughter. My older brother is the first one to get a stocking, as he is the eldest grandchild. I have stored my stocking along with our holiday decorations for many years, this way I ensure I don’t misplace it. I bring it back for the Dia de Reyes party every year!
Here are a few more pics from our trip to Oahu, Hawaii. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa, it is located right across from Waikiki Beach in the city center, which was wonderful because these was lots of options for things to do within walking distance, including multiple restaurants. The hotel offered various activities for guests and on our second night, we saw a luau. After the performance, we walked to Tikis Restaurant and enjoyed dinner on the balcony overseeing the ocean.
During our trip we did some sightseeing, but I was also able to get some R&R time! On one of the days, I spent the morning exploring the hotel and enjoyed some time in the jacuzzi, as well as reading by the pool. As a gift, I surprised my hubby with a massage at the Na Ho’ola Spa at the hotel.
Within the Hyatt are the Pualeilani Atrium Shops, a three-level shopping center, which had some nice stores. It made shopping for keepsakes and gifts we brought back for family convenient. My hubby also bought a nice Aloha shirt (Hawaiian shirt) at Rix Island Wear in Pualeilani. The hotel has an amazing open-air atrium. One of the guest activities is a guided tours of the atrium. They also have a number of beautiful parrots, which repeat the words guests say to them, it was cute! They reminded me of the parrot my grandmother had when we were growing up.
Hope you enjoy these pictures. In the next Travel Diary posts, I’ll include my visit to Ala Moana Center (the world’s largest open-air shopping center), the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort (hotel where my sister’s family stays when they go to Hawaii), walk along the Waikiki beach, and our visit to the Aulani – Disney Resort & Spa!
In case you missed it, here is the link to the post from our first full day in Oahu, Travel Diary: Hawaii Part 1 – Flight Over Oahu.
Have you been to Hawaii? If yes, which island? Do you have any hotel or sightseeing recommendations?
Hugs,
Paola
PS – Our trips to Orlando & Germany.
The waterfall in the center of the Hyatt.
One of the beach views from the hotel. The location was wonderful, very central, and within walking distance of multiple shops and restaurants.
Waikiki Beach is located right across from the hotel. Look at the palm trees & clear water – breathtaking!
The Luau performance, presented by the Hyatt.
We enjoyed dinner at Tikis Grill & Bar.
I had a tuna tartar as a starter, hubby had a salad.
Hubby had steak as his entree, I had a salad.
The weather was a nice warm temperature, but more humid than San Diego. I spent most of the vacation with my hair styled back or up, and minimal (if any) make-up. The lei I am wearing, was one of the gifts we received when we checked-in at the hotel. It is made of kukui nut beads, which is the seed of the candlewood tree.
On most of the days, we had breakfast at the hotel. The buffet had a good variety of options.
Hawaiian papaya & pineapple! The sweetest ever! Delicious!
I also tried this fruit.
Hawaii has many visitors from Japan. There was signage in Japanese throughout the hotel. On the islands, there are lots of shops catering to Japanese travelers.
These ABC stores are everywhere in Waikiki! There were three in the hotel!
Do you ever take pictures on vacations and then don’t get around to printing the pictures…..or in my case posting them? That is what happened to me with two recent trips we took: Hawaii & Boston. I think I also missed posting the pictures from our visit to Nancy, in France. With digital cameras, I tend to take hundreds of pictures. As a result, it takes me quite a bit of time to look through the pictures and select which ones to share with you, and then actually do the posting. I did mean to write a blog post with the pictures, but then life got in the way 🙂 You know how that goes.
Recently, a friend asked me why I didn’t post the pictures from Hawaii. When I told her, she replied, “you should still post them now.” It is not like the island or beach have changed, ha! So true! The pictures are recent! So, I’ll post the pictures from our trip to Hawaii.
Before this trip, I had never been to Hawaii. When I was single, I’d travel often with friends. When we would plan a vacation and Hawaii would come up as one of the options, we would end up choosing other locations like Europe, Miami, Cabo, or Northern California. I am not a lay on the beach all day, for multiple days, type of a person. Also, for some reason, to me Hawaii seemed like a romantic destination, which it is, but it is also a wonderful destination for a family vacation, surfing trip, or get-away with friends! And, there is a lot to see, historic locations, gorgeous landscapes, cultural venues, tourist locations, excellent shopping and top cuisine restaurants! And, of course some of the most beautiful beaches in the world…with warm water. Would I go back? Most definitely yes!
We visited the island of Oahu. The weather was warm and humid, but bearable, it reminded me of Miami weather. The first day, we checked in, had dinner, and explored the area around the hotel. We were staying right in front of the beach, but also on one of the main streets, with lots of other hotels, shops, and restaurants, so there was a lot to see – and lots of people! It was fun to walk around and see the shops.
As a hobby, my hubby is a pilot. One of our favorite things to do when we visit new cities is make (take) an aerial flight. This was a unique flight because it was around the entire island and in about an hour we flew around Oahu. It was amazing! We saw the landscape, beaches, farms, many homes, Pearl Harbor, tourist destinations, and Disney’s Aulani. I work with the Disneyland Resort folks and interview them a couple times per year. When Aulani was about to open, I did an interview and when we went to Oahu, I was very curious to see and visit Aulani. My hubby has a friend who lives on the island and he joined us for the flight. Between him and the co-pilot, they gave us aerial tour of the island.
Here are the pics – an aerial perspective of Oahu. Hope you like them!
Have you been to Hawaii? Did you like it?
Hugs,
Paola
PS – Travel Diary: Hawaii Part 2; Travel Diary: Hawaii Part 3 (Ala Mona Center & Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort), and Visiting Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa.
A quick pic before the flight – next to the plane.
An interesting little fact about Oahu is that private flights also use the same landing strip as major airline flights (we flew out on a small, private plane, on the same landing strip we arrived to the island on – while on a commercial airline flight). Usually, in larger cities, private planes are kept at smaller airports and use those landing strips, not the same landing strips as major airlines. So, in Oahu, we had to wait in line to depart after a huge plane, it was interesting.
You don’t see this type of landing strip everyday, water on both ends (sorry for the dark spots, this is the best shot I could get, the plane’s wing is visible in the right corners of the pic).
So green & tropical!
These homes were nestled among the landscape.
Farms.
This is one of my favorite aerial shots: I like how it represents the three perspectives of ocean, land, and open space – plus the way the sun is beaming through the clouds, and the visible waves in the right side.
Sky, land, & sea.
Nature at its best! Took my breathe away!
I was able to zoom into a catamaran that was sailing in the ocean, look at the clear water!
The Disneyland Resort – Aulani! An aerial perspective. We visited it while we were there, I’ll post those pics in one of the next Parts of the Hawaii Travel Diary. It has the Disney magic, captured in a resort, on its own private beach!
Pearl Harbor.
We landed .
This past week we had plans on a few nights, which made the week go by quite fast! Does this happen to you as well? The weather in San Diego was odd this week, we had a heat wave and storm, it was in the high 90s-low 100s. The warm weather made me want to jump into a pool! Did you cool off in a pool this week? Thankfully, the weather seems to be back to normal and pleasant again!
What are you up to this weekend? We went to see an outdoor movie with my family (pic on FB)! We also went out for dinner to one of our favorite restaurants! Saturday, I started to clear out a few items from my closet and did lots of reading. I have been busy and haven’t dedicated as much time as I’d like to finishing the books I am reading. I am learning about meditation and the psychology of happiness. I have been meditating with a yoga/meditation DVD I have at home . It helps me breathe deeply, reflect, and remind myself to be grateful – everyday!
Thank you for your comments on the blog and on Facebook! I appreciate your support more than you can imagine! I am trying to post more often and am glad you like the topics! On Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, I share daily pictures, outings, and include links to blog posts, in case you also want connect there! I’d love to hear from you!
Hope you have a nice rest of your weekend! Here are a few links from the web: fashion, helpful tips, some make me want to workout more often, others are simply fun! Hope you like them!
Hugs,
Paola
Halloween decoration season has arrived – a few Halloween Decoration Ideas for your home or office. / Decoraciones de Halloween.
A women’s dream: Spinning Shoe Rack, love it! Efficient use of space! / ¡Organizador Giratorio para Zapatos, genial!
Five Looks for Spring 2015 from Fashion Week New York. I have been searching for a romper – glad it made the list! / Cinco Atuendos para la Primavera 2015 de New York Fashion Week.
So true: the friends every women needs. / Muy cierto: las amigas que toda mujer necesita.
Wardrobe fixes with simple items you have around the house. / Arreglos sencillos para tu atuendo con artículos para el hogar.
JLo released her new video Booty! Can she be in any better shape? Amazing body! / ¡JLo lanzo su video nuevo: Booty!
This will help our booty look better: 6 minute squat workout. / Ejercicios para gluteos en 6 minutos.
Dessert I highly recommend! / ¡Postre que les recomiendo!
New RedBox DVD release I want to see, sis saw it and she liked it: Think Like A Man Too / Estreno de DVD RedBox que quiero ver, a mi hermana le gusto la película: Think Like a Man Too
New releases on Netflix On Demand, saw these three movies over the weekend (click to watch trailers): Last Love (good story-line, brought tears to my eyes – in a good way, starring Michael Cane), Gambit (comedy, entertaining, got a few laughs, starring Cameron Diaz or Colin Firth), 3 Days to Kill (action film, didn’t really keep my attention, starring Kevin Costner). / Estrenos que vi en Netflix On Demand: Last Love (buena historia), Gambit (comedia, entretenida), 3 Days to Kill (acción, no mantuvo mi atención).
For my Spanish reading friends: I share my latest column in El Latino newspaper. / Para mis amigos que leen ESPAÑOL comparto mi columna mas reciente en Periódico El Latino.
A common question people ask me often is what I eat everyday and if I follow a special diet. I don’t really follow a strict “diet” but I do try to follow a healthy diet. The way I eat is part of my lifestyle, it goes along with exercising, trying to be positive, happy, & fulfilled.
Growing up, my mom used to give us healthy food, lots of fruit, vegetables, wheat bread, some protein, every meal was cooked fresh. One of the fruits we’d eat was papaya. I also ate it for breakfast on weekends during high school and college (I lived with my parents). Papaya is not that easy to find in the U.S., except for Hawaii. After I moved away from my parents’ home, papaya became one of my favorite fruits to eat for breakfast when I would visit family in Mexico. My mom and grandmother knew I liked it, so they’d prepare a large bowl of papaya for me, yum! My mouth is watering just writing about it!
When I moved back to San Diego, I wouldn’t really buy it because it was hard to find at the “general market” grocery stores, plus I didn’t want to make the time to peel it and chop it up. I’d opt for other fruit. About two years ago, I discovered that Northgate Market sells it chopped up in convenient, individual serving containers. Plus, Northgate Market is only a few miles from the TV station where I work. I would go to Northgate at the beginning of the week to exclusively buy four containers of papaya, that is all I would buy. I would store the containers in my small refrigerator at work. I’d eat them for lunch or midmorning while working at my desk. I’d try to go back to Northgate on Fridays to buy three more containers of papaya. I’d take two home to eat on the weekend and leave one in the refrigerator at work for the following Monday. The papaya they sell at Northgate is sweet & delicious! I went so often that Brandy, the associate in the fruit department, knew me and was always friendly!
Every once in a while, I would buy an entire papaya and chop it up at home. Now, I am used to chopping up the papaya fresh at home. I’ve been trying to do this more often since my schedule has been busier, making it harder to get to Northgate Market. Every two weeks, I buy a few small papayas at Sprouts or Northgate Market, and store them in the refrigerator at home. The papaya sold at both stores is from Mexico.
I’ll chop up one papaya at a time and store it in individual servings in small plastic containers, then refrigerate it. This way, it is convenient since the papaya is chopped and there is no excuse to not eat a healthy breakfast. It also keeps me feeling pretty full throughout the morning since it has lots of fiber. The smaller papayas tend to be sweeter & I wait for them to be ripe, they just melt in my mouth! It is said that Christopher Columbus called papaya, “the fruit of the angels,” for its sweet taste and soft, butter-like consistency. Papaya has many vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and fiber. You can find more information on the benefits of eating papaya on The World’s Healthiest Foods.
The most delicious papaya I have eaten was in Hawaii, it tasted like a combination between mango and papaya, with more of a tropical taste! It reminded me of my childhood in San Diego when my mom would occasionally buy very small papayas, she would tell me those were Hawaiian papayas.
In our home, I pretty much buy papaya just for me, since my hubby doesn’t like it. I usually eat it plain, but sometimes add honey. If I want something with chili, I eat it with Tajin or chili powder and lime, also delicious!
Have you eaten papaya?
Hugs,
Paola
First I wash the papaya and set it on a cutting board.
I cut it in half.
Remove the seeds. This papaya had lots of seeds, some smaller papayas have very few seeds.
Next, I peel the papaya with a knife, it has a very thin peel.
I cut it into small pieces.
I place it in plastic storage containers, in individual servings. I cover the containers and place them in the refrigerator. Ideally, these should be eaten in the next few days, or a maximum of about five days.
Papaya is usually sweet, particularly the small, ripe one’s. You can also add honey to sweeten it even more.
For a chili and lime flavor, Tajin or chili powder with lime can be added.
I use the grocery bag to collect the seeds and peel, making for quick and easy clean-up.
A little tip: I make a knot on the bag, for easy disposal. Papaya peel and seeds can have a strong smell after a few days if you put them directly into the kitchen trash can. Placing them in an enclosed plastic bag helps mitigate the smell.
This week flew by! What are your plans for the weekend? My husband is preparing for a hunting trip, so I’ll be spending some time with him in his man cave 🙂 I also plan to spend time with our kitties and hopefully relax like Blackie does. He loves to lay by the window and get some sun. I think he enjoys the view from our patio more often than we do! I will also do some reading and catch up on my magazines. Once they start getting stacked on the coffee table, it is time to go through them. Hope you have a nice weekend!
Here are some links from the web – some are fun, some are yummy, some made me reflect, others are just cute! Hope they make you smile.
Hugs,
Paola
I would have loved to have one of these dolls when I was growing up. Would you buy one? / Me hubiera encantado tener una de estas muñecas cuando era niña, tu comprarías una?
Not your average French manicure: Six French manicures that are far from boring. / Seis estilos diferentes de manicure Francés.
Add some fall spice to your pancakes. / Añadele un toque de otoño a tus hotcakes.
This song made me start dancing in the living room…because, how can you not dance to it? Did your hips start moving when you listened to it? / ¡Esta canción me hizo bailar en la sala!
Fashion Week New York is in full swing: Live from Fashion Week. / Fashion Week en Nueva York.
Roseanne Barr remembers Joan Rivers: Hail, Hail, A Vagenius Has Left This Realm. / Roseanne Barr recuerda a Joan Rivers.
Mix it up with these healthy breakfast muffins. They look pretty too! / Panques nutritivos para el desayuno.
Ariana Huffington invites you to try 33 Days to More Well-Being, it’s free! I signed up. / 33 Días Hacia Sentirte Mejor.
Movie I am looking forward to seeing: Romantic comedy with Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, & Jane Fonda, need I say more? / ¡Película que estoy anticipando con gusto ver!
Small romantic wedding – in France. Glad to see Brad & Angelina got married – and shared pictures. Not that it is any of my business anyway 🙂 / Brad y Angelina se casaron – y comparten sus fotos.
For my yogi friends: X-ray Body in Motion – Yoga. / Para mis amigos yogi: Rayos-X Cuerpo en Movimiento – Yoga.
If you watch a DVD: I found this movie interesting and suspenseful, plus I like Liam Neeson movies. Thumbs up & it’s available at RedBox for a dollar & cents. / Si vez un DVD: esta película me gusto – y esta disponible en RedBox por un dolar y centavos.
Hundreds of umbrellas float above streets in Portugal – simply beautiful! / ¡Cientos de paraguas flotan sobre calles de Portugal – hermoso!
If you like Soda Stereo, you’ll miss him & his music. Si te gusta Soda Stereo, lo extrañaras a el y su música.
Hi friends,
For the second part of my birthday trip, we spent two days at Calistoga Ranch – An Auberge Resort, in Napa. It is an amazing Resort! This is where we celebrated my birthday. My hubby really outdid himself with this gift! Every detail was taken care of, it was a very nice & personalized experience!
The resort is set back into the mountains of Napa , with only about 60 lodges on the property, giving guests privacy and tranquility. Each lodge is located on an individual lot and guests are transported throughout the Resort on golf carts.
Here are some pictures from our stay at Calistoga Ranch! If you want to celebrate a special occasion, I recommend this resort! It will be a memorable & unique experience!
Hope you like the pics!
Have you been to Napa? What was a memorable vacation you took?
Hugs,
Paola
PS – I’ll share pics from our visit to the spa in the next blog post.
Arriving at Calistoga Ranch.
This is where guests are greeted upon arrival.
The reception area.
This was our lodge – 138 Lake. It was a little piece of heaven in wine country!
We were greeted with a birthday surprise! Such a treat! My hubby had made the arrangements for this, ahhhh, so romantic!
My hubby had also gotten me a spa package for the next day.
Our room…..heaven!!!
Each lodge comes with it’s customized IPad.
This bathroom is gorgeous! With a bathtub in the middle, shower in the corner, and two separate vanity sections. It has windows looking toward the outdoor shower.
Of course, the women’t vanity is the larger one….that is what our host told us as part of the tour of the lodge.
The outdoor shower….amazing! I showered here that evening. It was nice to look up to see the stars at night!
The walk-in closet.
During our stay, I enjoyed a relaxing bath with these citrus salts.
Our deck. We sat here to enjoy some Calistoga wine in the afternoon.
The weather was in the 90s, which is quite warm for me, so I was wearing a light summer dress with sandals. I had brought another dress & heals to change into for dinner, but it was so warm and the restaurant has an outside deck, that I decided to simply add a light scarf to my outfit and remove my hat. And, I called the restaurant ahead of time to confirm casual attire was appropriate.
Our room was turned down for the evening. Robes & slippers are always a nice touch.
Fresh water was set by our bed for the evening.
I was going to try to take a stroll before dinner….and this rascal surprised me! More like – startled me! He was on the deck located by the entrance of the lodge, I couldn’t leave without crossing his path. I am afraid of large squirrels because once in San Francisco a squirrel (a small one) climbed up my husband’s sweater and almost tried to get into his shirt! So, I stay cautiously away from them. This particular critter was quite big, it looked more like a big cat than a squirrel!
It kept running on our deck and onto the tree. I took these pictures from inside the room.
He kept me hostage for about 15 minutes!
Then, I realized he was thirsty. By that time, we were ready to head out for dinner and my hubby went on the deck to ensure the little critter went back to the canyon side (and off our deck!), before I came out of the room.
This is the walkway toward our lodge.
The wine cellar.
The restaurant. It is only available for guests staying at the Resort.
The restaurant overlooks a lake and canyon area, these deer were just a few steps away from us.
My hubby had the three course menu – with steak as his main entree.
I stuck to one entree – a lamb dish. I rarely eat meat, this dish was tender and quite tasty, with mushrooms and pasta!
My hubby had some sorbet for dessert (sorry, not pictured)….at the end of the dinner, they brought us these little lemon tart treats, so cute! Perfect for the palette!
I went for a walk throughout the Resort in the evening. It was quiet and serene. You can definitely disconnect and relax here.
The pool was open 24 hours and lit up for the evening (but nobody was there).
The next day, we got an early start and enjoyed room service for breakfast. I started this new year right, with fresh fruit and rich coffee! It was a treat to have a relaxing breakfast with my hubby! The perfect way to start my birthday!
After breakfast, I took a yoga class on the deck. I was able to stretch, relax, and reflect. A wonderful start to a relaxing day!
This is Brooke Bunge, the yoga instructor. Her class was excellent! She taught me some relaxation and meditation techniques. I have been using them every night before I go to sleep and they help me clear my mind.
After yoga, I changed into a summer dress and went for a walk.
The restaurant – with the mountains in the background. This view was breath taking! I was glad I ventured over the bridge and got to see this view.
The pool area looked even more beautiful during the day!
Oh yes, there was a gym….an open air gym overlooking the pool. It was a little too warm for me to use the gym. There was also an enclosed section with air conditioning….in case you are wondering, because I did!
The Resort also had bicycles guests could borrow. There are some vineyards close by making for a scenic bicycle ride.
After the walk, I headed back to our lodge to change for my appointment at the spa. I’ll write about my spa experience in my next post. It is a unique & beautiful spa….I’ve never been to a spa quite like this one, it made me feel like I was at a spa located in a tree top!
Hi friends,
As much as I enjoy my active lifestyle and career, I also enjoy a relaxing Sunday at home. It is a day to re-charge and rest. Sometimes, I simply need it. It is one of life’s simple joys – the art of relaxing! If you are like me, you are productive all week….I’ve had to learn that it is ok to relax. To learn that relaxing, will help me re-charge.
My husband and I like to travel, and do it often, so I don’t get to enjoy weekends at home every week. A few weekends each month I’ll work, or we have commitments with friends and family. My weekdays are pretty full and long. Like many of you, I regularly work more than 40 hours each week, then try to exercise after work. About once a week, I’ll attend a work related function in the evening. So, by the time I get home and make dinner for my hubby, it is late. I try to spend some time on a blog post, do some things around the house, prep my outfit for the next day, take off my make-up, then it is time to go to sleep. That’s it, the day is over. Does this sound familiar?
So, when I can relax at home on a Sunday….all day long….I really, really enjoy it! I’ll sleep in a bit to catch up on my z’s, make some breakfast for my hubby, enjoy my cup of coffee in my pajamas while sitting with my husband as he has his breakfast. I’ll shower, put on some jeans, then watch TV or a movie, do some reading, catch up with friends or family over the phone, organize something at home, maybe do some laundry….and if I can, I’ll take a nap…and of course, write a blog post. Later in the day, I my have some tea and make an early dinner for my hubby, or he’ll go get some take-out (he’s so sweet). I’ll enjoy my hubby’s company & spending time at our home. Once a week, it is nice to not have to look at the clock or have any commitments.
Do you ever take a day off to just relax? What do you do on a relaxing day at home?
Hugs,
Paola
Of the breakfasts I make for my hubby, waffles are one of his favorite.
Afternoon tea is SO relaxing!
I get to sleep in a bit on a relaxing Sunday…or take a nap in the afternoon.
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Time to Relax