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 6: Happy Easter from Namale as we celebrated our last morning in paradise

May 3, 2014May 3, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs!

The Namale life is still as fresh in our minds as the daily mojitos we enjoyed in SavuSavu during our time there. We can still smell the fresh mint, and taste the refreshing lime as we reminisce on our islandy days in this sunny wonderland. We dream of operating on Namale time, and crave our 3:00pm afternoon nap in the hammock overlooking the ocean. I can feel my eyes slowly closing just thinking about the sound of the waves smashing into the sand. We were so blessed to rejoice in Jesus’ resurrection in true paradise. We enjoyed Easter morning by starting the day with room service. The Namale staff took our breakfast orders, as well as the entire resorts, the night before at dinner. They brought room service to each bure. We were delivered fresh breads in a beautiful hand woven palm frond basket.

Sean and I relaxed in the sun, went paddle boarding, and said goodbye to our favorite parts of the resort! We had such a blast paddle boarding. We laughed the entire time because we kept falling…we don’t know if it was the pitcher of mojitos we drank before or the waves crashing into the boards. All we know is that in the midst of laughing our butts off, we were stranded in the middle of the lagoon for 2 hours laughing hysterically. The hotel staff even took it upon themselves to take the boat out to check on us not only once but twice to see if we wanted a lift back to the resort. I will never forget that Easter morning of laughter. I wish I could go back. The Namale team does an excellent job of making you feel like a true part of their family. Upon leaving, they have you sign a cement brick, and they place the dried bricks around the entire resort enticing you to come back and find it. We were so sad to leave as they loaded our suitcases into the van and sang us traditional Fijian goodbye song.

Happy Easter! We love our Handmade Palm Frond basket.

Fiji Day 5: A trip into the village of Naidi, SavuSavu.

April 27, 2014April 28, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs,

I know it has been awhile since my last post, so please accept my apologies. I have been adjusting to the time change and jet lag! Yes, it really is as bad as everyone makes it seem. Sean says it is all mental, and he luckily has not suffered. I, along with many people that I have spoken to are suffering from a bad case of it. I finally have begun to feel normal this weekend, and it has been a full 8 days since I landed. This post will showcase our last full day in Fiji. We went into the village of Naidi, experienced the culture, tasted their homemade ice cream, and did a little shopping. We are so incredibly blessed to live the life we do in the USA. Yes, Fiji is complete paradise, but the Fijians who live there really do live in villages. The homes were like nothing I have seen in the U.S. Many homes had blankets covering the windows with tin roofs and concrete bricks that made up the frame of the house. Out of respect, I did not photograph or post any photos of the houses and people around them. Below you will find pictures of the village streets and markets. It was truly an eye opening experience, and I feel incredibly blessed to have had the upbringing I did. When we finally got back to the resort, we did a lot of relaxing, and then got ready for another ocean front private dinner.
We, for the first time ever, got to see the moon rise from the ocean. It was remarkable and like nothing I have ever seen! I had no idea the moon was even capable of rising like this. The moonlight was just beautiful.

There were 3 natural hot water springs outside of the village. Some Fijians wait there turn and cook there dinner over these hot springs. — There were 3 natural hot water springs outside of the village. Many Fijians wait their turn to cook dinner over these hot springs to save money on electricity bills.

Fiji Day 3: Vinaka! Secluded meals, Horseback riding, Cave explorations, and Kava!

April 18, 2014April 27, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs,

Sean and I highly recommend a trip to Fiji! We wish we didn’t have to leave because we’re having a total blast. Honestly, we have had so much fun together. Our days have been full of exploring, relaxation and laughter. Today was absolutely wonderful. The Namale team set us up with 2 Private meals, and they were just to die for! We had breakfast on their “Lover’s Deck” looking over the ocean by the jacuzzi, and then dinner in a romantic cave. They decorated an oceanside cave with at least 100 tea lights so it was glimmering in the moonlight beautifully. In between meals, we went horseback riding on the beach and around the property. We also walked on reefs and explored the caves finding any and all hermit crabs we could find. After dinner, Sean became the “Bametti” in the Kava Ceremony. The “Bametti” mixes the kava in a huge bowl, and has the honor of handing it out. We spent the rest of the night hanging out with the workers (local Fijians) drinking Kava. I have some great videos of it that I will share once we get back to the states!

We had the most wonderful private breakfast. Here is the picture of the setup! Love my Seansy.

A close up of our private Champagne breakfast! It was delicious. The blueberry pancakes reminded me soo much of my best friend, Ally, who loves them! Miss you Als!

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?

Why not? Why not give back while you travel?

March 31, 2014March 31, 2014TravelingLoveBug

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.-Gandhi

There is no better feeling on this earth than having the opportunity to help someone out. No matter how big or small–it is always appreciated, and it always generates the same amazing feeling. I wanted to share an AMAZING website I found while browsing the web: Pack for a Purpose. Check out their amazing website here ! Read more →