SCENES FROM MY SUMMER '16 VACATION...

{The view from our balcony - where I spent most of my time...}

HI THERE!!! How are you?? I had zero intention of taking that long of a break from blogging, but life has just been getting in the way over here. I'm still on my healing journey, so I'm still massively cooking and resting most free moments I have. My precious sweet baby of a cat has been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (i.e. severe heart disease), so I've been nursing him and giving him all of the love and attention I can possibly give him. After all of that plus work, time and energy just haven't been there...

But I'm a little more energized now that I'm just back from my FAVORITE place on earth - the beach. My family and I recently went back to Singer Island, FL for some R&R and we had a great time. We all have really busy daily lives, so we planned things as each day came- and most of the time our plans involved hanging out at the beach, watching Netflix (LOVED Season 2 of Chef's Table!!), cooking, and having long chats on the balcony. It was super laid back, which was exactly what I needed. Here are a few moments from our trip... 

{The beach...  Yes. Yes. And yes.}

{Just because I was on vacation didn't mean I vacated my daily meditation practice. The beach made it even more relaxing and enjoyable. The top of that super cute and comfy swimsuit is here. The bottoms are here, and the hat is from here.}

{I'm still on my extra crazy Autoimmune Protocol diet (which is REALLY hard but REALLY working I must say), so we grocery shopped and cooked a lot instead of going out. This was lunch that my brother and I made one afternoon. He made his signature turkey sandwiches and I made organic fruit salad and sautéed zucchini and squash noodles to go on the side... }

{Since I can't have gluten, the sandwiches were out for me, so I made myself this organic chicken & avocado salad. I tucked the rest of the zucchini and squash noodles in there and topped it with a little olive oil and fresh lemon juice. The chips you see there are Terra Taro chips. I can't have white potatoes right now (I've been dying for just ONE French fry or regular potato chip), but these chips have been a good stand-in... }

{A little evening beach photo session with my brother - a brother who is so patient, super smart, wise, the BEST listener and advice giver, and incredibly talented with the camera. I just love him. }