Beach – Traveling Love Bug

Boating Day at Peanut Island, WPB, FL

June 22, 2014July 27, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Summer is my absolute favorite season in Florida. You may ask, isn’t it summer year round in Florida? Well, my answer for those curious love bugs out there is sorta. For Northerners it is; however, for the rest of us Floridians we know the real best time to be in Florida is October-March. So you may now be thinking, well wait a second here–you said your favorite season is summer? Yes, it still is, and I will explain why. Summer in Florida is like living out a perfect beach day for 3 months in a row year over year. The water is crystal clear because the sky is the bluest, and the sun is the highest. Our pools and beach water are the warmest they ever will be (due to the extreme heat, and lack of pool heaters obviously–who needs them in Florida?), and the roads are clear of snow birds! Another great perk of the summer time down South is the lack of restaurant waits on Friday and Saturday nights! Being a frequent restauranteur, I truly enjoy this one. Of course, please take no offense to you snowbirds out there, I too LOVE being in Florida from October-March because it is our best weather and sunsets. I joyfully welcome your touristy dollars to continue enriching our Floridian economy…just stop going 35 in a 45. Thank you. I spent last weekend in my hometown of West Palm Beach visiting my amazing father for Father’s Day. We had a great day boating to Peanut Island and hanging out by our pool. I am truly blessed to have such a great, hardworking role-model in my life. I have never met anyone who works harder than him. He loves us so much and lives to provide a fabulous life for his family. For those of you who know me personally, you know I am a huge daddy’s girl. My dad is one of my best friends, my biggest fan, and gives me the truest advice known to man. He also has an impeccable sense of charcter, and can sniff the sketchy ones out right away. I still have a lot of learning to do from this man, but if I turn out anything like him, I am guaranteed a life of happiness and success. I also acquired my love of photography and traveling from him. We have big dreams, and we go after them each and every time.

Amazing view pulling into GORGEOUS Peanut Island. #GoPro

What kind of Father's Day tribute would this be without an AWESOME throwback to circa 1990. — What kind of Father’s Day tribute would this be without an AWESOME throwback to circa 1990?

Living in a Summer Wonderland: Picnic Island, South West Florida!

June 11, 2014June 12, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Picnic Island is a gorgeous little place only accessible by boat just before the Sanibel Island bridge. I spent the day there with co-workers and enjoyed every second of it. One of the many wonderful things about living in Florida, is having the flexibility to enjoy fresh ocean air, sand between your toes, and warm ocean waters whenever you want! Life gets so busy and stressful these days! It is so important to take a step back and breath in all that life has to offer. Whether it is taking the time to be a tourist in your own town or visiting your favorite lunch spot over and over again, we have to strive to make the most out of this beautiful life we have been so graciously given. If we don’t, what is the point of living at all? Live it big, live it full, live it with people you truly love.

During season, Picnic Island is swarmed with tourists and locals alike looking for that middle of the ocean, islandy feel. You are not only guaranteed a fantastic picnic with great views, but you are right smack dab in the middle of a 3 in 1 ecosystem. Like I have stated so many times before, SWFL is an incredibly interesting place. We have beautiful sugar sand beaches, and not to far from that we have panthers, deer, bob cats, and black bears patrolling our forest like marsh! Within the 3 in 1 ecosystem, you have access to great views of the water and sandbar, mangroves and swampland, and trees you thought only existed up North. Enjoy our beautiful day venture through this fabulous island! Read more →

The beauty that is West Palm Beach, Fl & the Amazing Mother who lives there!

May 11, 2014May 11, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs,

I AM HOME. I AM HOME. I AM HOME. I love being home, and HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all of the amazing moms out there! I was born and raised in West Palm Beach, and it is truly one of the BEST places in Florida. The weather is sunny and warm, it is on the East Coast so you have beautiful blue waters, there is a ton going on, and it is close to Miami if you are craving that true metro feel. There is so much to do here–from beach life to shopping to night life, you can constantly stay busy. There is also a big boating community down here as well, and no surprise, I grew up on a boat. In fact, my first word was “pescado” (fish) in Spanish but I probably said it more like “pe-cao.” I have a deep passion for the ocean as if you didn’t know from this blog. The East Coast of Florida is known for its beautiful sunrises. I woke up early this morning to catch some photos on my GoPro, and boy was it a treasure. We found a gorgeous bluish purple jellyfish (yes, we have jellyfish here) and a capsized boat. I feel sorry for the owner. Genuine rookie mistake. The East Coast of Florida is also known for their huge Cuban community, and being from a big Cuban family, we had to stop at the Cuban bakery and pick up fresh Cuban bread, croquetas and pastelitos. DELICIOUS! I can’t find good Cuban food anywhere in Fort Myers! PS. Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful mothers out there. I know I treasure and love the heck out of mine. Also, check out the flowers from my parent’s garden! The purple orchids were taken from my grandpa’s garden, but nonetheless, we were able to make a wonderful floral arrangement. Northing like home grown flowers! They are so beautiful.

DCIM100GOPRO — Hands down one of the most beautiful jellyfish I have seen in Florida in a long while! #GoPro

Fiji Day 2: Drinks, Sunshine, Snorkeling, Polynesian Dancers, and Bula Bliss

April 17, 2014April 27, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs,

Today was wonderful. I swear I think this place is magical or something. The staff at Namale bends over backwards to make you feel special. The hotel can hold up to 44 people, and has about 105 staff members. They do this purposely to make sure each person has more than enough attention. To top that off, they purposely only book half occupancy so everyone feels more than accommodated for! Sean and I rarely bump into other couples! We went snorkeling with another couple, and the dive staff took us to the most beautiful reef! It definitely gave the Great Barrier Reef a run for its money! We saw vibrant colored coral, a shark, and a turtle. The food here is to die for. The chefs and pastry chefs really know what they are doing. You can order anything you’d like at any time of the day as many times as you’d like, regardless if it is on the menu. Sean and I woke up and had the most delicious oceanfront breakfast. We then relaxed all day! It was heavenly. Namale allows you to eat wherever you want on property. There are several private dine out locations that we have been taking advantage of. We had them set us up with a beautiful private happy hour to watch the sunset, in which they served us cheese and crackers, chips and salsa, and mojitos before dinner. We ended the night watching the Miller Dance Company, a Polynesian children’s dance company. They were sooo cute, and really good!

Breakfast by the water is the only way to have breakfast! We had a great breeze, and the water was beautiful, what more could you ask for?