Hi, Everyone!! I’m back from my vacation and have so much to share with you I’m bursting at the seams! I really missed my little blog and all of my readers. I hope you had a great week, and I am looking forward to reconnecting with each of you 
I wanted to post a single photo that would capture just how amazing the past week has been. While I do have several photos to share (these will be sorted out and posted on Wednesday), I have something that I think is more appropriate for today – a memory:
On our second day of kayaking in the bay just off the Gulf of Mexico, we asked the owner to direct us to an area where we could see things we hadn’t experienced the day before. She was kind enough to give us coordinates to her favorite location. After recording them into our GPS she said, “Just start heading 2 miles that way,” and pointed on a fixed area out to sea.
We started paddling, and about 40 minutes later we began to notice how far from land we were. The water that day was utterly still and looked like glass and the only sound we could hear was that of our own voices. After a while, my husband said, “We’re here,” so we came to a stop, threw in our anchor and let ourselves drift a bit.
It only took a few minutes before I silently pointed towards a place where I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a break in the water. Then, as if on cue, they were all around us. From that moment on we realized we were in the midst of something wonderful.
Coming up for air were numerous Loggerhead sea turtles. We watched in silence as they rose to the surface, purged their airway of saltwater, took in a deep breath of fresh air, then disappear below the surface. Suddenly one loggerhead, weighing roughly 300 pounds became curious of our kayak and surfaced less than two feet away; then just as quickly, she disappeared back under the water. For those few minutes it was as if the rest of the world disappeared; it was just us, and them. What a gift it was to be able to experience something like that.
We picked a perfect place to completely unplug from life. The area we visited is called ‘The Forgotten Coast’ for a reason. No high-rises; no amusement parks; no neon. Just quiet, sandy beaches, friendly locals and the freshest seafood around. It’s also a nature-lovers dream vacation. Without effort we saw a pair of bald eagles scouting for fish on the beach every morning; we watched dolphins swim west at dawn, and east at sunset. We walked the beaches during low tide looking for seashells while stingray and blue crab swam around our feet.
As you may remember before I left, I decided that this vacation was going to be a no-plan, Winging It comfort zone challenge. So, how did I do? Well, first I want to share with you part of an email I received the day before I left from a very wise, very thoughtful Munchberry:
Nothing can go wrong because there is no itinerary to relaxation. Perfect. You lay around, you stroll, you kayak the tranquil bay, you go to places that you pass by and pique your interest, you window shop, you head out for impromptu picnics and lay back, look at clouds (hand in hand) and do some dreaming.
If you tried to plan out a trip like this, you would ruin it. This is not a vacation – it is a get away from it all where relaxation and peaceful feelings ensue.
And you know what? She couldn’t have been more right. I didn’t fully understand what she meant until after my return but trying to plan this trip would have indeed, ruined it. We left our house with bags in hand, not knowing what to expect from moment to moment, and that became a good thing. Since I had already decided to let go of that pressure – that need for my trip to be perfect, I wasn’t crushed when our luggage ended up in Minneapolis, Minnesota instead of our destination airport. Arrangements were made and it did arrive eventually, but there was a Target store on the way, so we bought a few things to get us by until then. Had I not reminded myself of my decision to just roll with it, my whole outlook probably would have been different. I remembered the importance of this challenge and what I wrote on my blog before I left…
I need to let go of the illusion that things will go the way I want them to just because I have a ‘plan’. My husband and I don’t get much time away together, so when we are lucky enough to get a vacation, I put way too much pressure on myself to make sure that everything goes perfectly. In reality, all it does is stress me out, and since I’m still in the process of eliminating negative and stressful situations from my life, this needs to be worked on.
…and looking back I could have easily thought to myself, We haven’t been gone 5 hours yet and already our luggage is lost. What else is going to go wrong? Sadly, my attitude – not what did or didn’t happen – could have set a negative tone for the rest of our trip. But that didn’t happen because I didn’t allow it. I couldn’t change the fact that our luggage was somewhere else, but I could certainly control how I was going to react to it.
When I was 27 and at my heaviest weight I went on vacation with my practice husband. We flew to San Francisco which should have been one hell of a trip for an Indiana girl, right? But all I did was obsess about my weight the whole time I was there. Instead of living in the moment and appreciating what I had right in front of me, that obsessive thought instead became the highlight of my vacation. Life is a gift. Either I wallow in it or I live it; my response to it is my choice.
I can proudly say that I passed this challenge with flying colors and it taught me a lot about the way I choose to see my life, but even though I went into this challenge with the idea of going with the flow, you all helped me set that plan into motion – and keep it there. So, please share in this success with me because your comments and support really helped!
As I mentioned earlier, Wednesday will be Picture Day. I haven’t finished sorting through the many digital photos and video that I took. We all know how boring it is to look at someone else’s vacation pictures, so I want to share my best ones with you. Until then, I’ll be catching up on your blogs, trying to get my body adjusted back to this cold weather, convince the dogs why they should get over being mad at us for leaving, and catching up on my favorite shows: The Office, Parks and Rec and Big Bang Theory. In other words, back to reality – dare I say, a slightly sweeter reality
XO,
Ellen
So glad to hear the trip was such a success. I am cringing just a bit as I imagine myself in your place, wondering if I could let go like you did. Eek.
Only because I kept reminding myself that I’d said I was going to do it, Karen. That’s the power of the Internet! lol
I’m so glad you had a wonderful time. The ocean is my favorite thing in the world — so magical, so dark, so wonderful, so frightening, so peaceful, so chaotic. It’s everything from time to time. It always reminds me that life flows through cycles like that too. We are kind of like the ocean — sometimes very tranquil, sometimes not… and whatever it is, it will pass.
Looking forward to photos.
P.S. The Office cracks me up too!
My husband scuba dives and I love the water, but neither one of us had ever taken a vacation to the beach before. I still can’t believe it. We’re hooked, though.
And you’re right about the ocean. It can be a very spiritual place to just ‘be’ and reflect.
Oh, what a wonderful experience! I’m so happy you were able to truly enjoy your vacation!
Thanks, Cammy. It’s amazing how great a vacation can be when you’re doing as little as humanly possible! lol
Way to go, Ellen! Glad you had a nice, relaxing time on your vacation.
Hope you’re feeling all recharged now!
I’m riding this high as far as it takes me, Greg. It’s been so long since I’ve totally unplugged, I’d forgotten how great it feels, even after I came back. Usually, I’m overwhelmed as soon as I drop my bags at the front door, but that didn’t happen this time.
Welcome back! Sounds like you had a glorious adventure. Ellen, did you rent a two-person kayak or 2 one-person crafts. Clint and I were going to buy one or two kayaks this past summer, but with all that was going on here, we never did.
I semi-spoiled many a vacation when I was younger by trying for perfection and then voicing my dissatisfaction when things went wrong. Congrats on being a faster learner than I was about how wonderful life can be when you just roll with things rather than trying to control everything.
Marsial, let me tell you about the kayaks: we each rented our own on the first day, and on the second we rented a tandem (two person) one. We thought we could go faster and farther if we were in the same kayak. Totally not so. At least not for us. It was harder being in the same kayak. It actually slowed us down because we couldn’t work in sync. When you’re in your own, you go at your own rhythm and you move faster. It was a good lesson because we considered buying a tandem one, but not anymore!
I would give anything to be where you were when surrounded by turtles. Wow!
I cannot wait to see the pictures. I’m so pleased you had a wonderful time!
Tim, it was one of the best trips I’ve ever had, and I can’t believe we’ve never vacationed at the beach before. I need to start planning for our next holiday…England?
You know what. I think this is one of your better posts. It is a marvelous thing (and so rare) for someone to be able to take life (which includes vacations where things happen) as it comes and to do it with a smile and acceptance. That transfers to so much in life – and – coincidentally, into so much happiness and peace.
I lost my luggage (well many times) but once when we went to Spain. We landed in Madrid and no luggage for several days. The reason why I remember this time so much was that I tried to find clothing to fit me and apparently no Spaniard was as tall or fat as I was! I ended up wearing the same thing I wore on the plane for several days. One day with my wet panty line on my pants. My husband took a picture of me with the wet panties coming thru the pants and had it framed. It is one of the things we laugh and love to remember about that trip.
So I think you have in front of you an important achievement. it will translate and permeate everything you do going forward.
Your vacation and that kayak spot… so jealous. Next time rent snorkle and fins and jump in with them.
I cannot even believe this story. You and your husband sound like me and mine – you either get our sense of humor or you don’t. I think that is hilarious! And whoever mentioned on your blog that you ought to write a book just may be on to something – if nothing else, you’ll have no trouble keeping your blog up and running for the next several years with stories like that.
…oh, and as for the ‘smile and acceptance’ – I had some pretty fantastic support
Hi Ellen. YAY….sounds like a FANTASTIC time!!!! Glad it was such a success. Have a good week.
Thanks, Roz. It was pretty awesome, if I say so myself! I’m glad my luggage finally arrived or else it may have turned out very differently!
Wow!! I’m so impressed and proud of you. Now that you know you can do this, you can choose to do it again any time.
What a great trip to share with your husband! Adventures together…
I’m glad you’re back!
I actually really missed my blog and reading about everyone else’s week.
Now, if I can just remember that attitude on my next vacation, I’ll be set!
WOW! I love turtles, what a fantastic experience. And how great that you enjoyed your vacation so much without planning the whole thing out!
When I read what you wrote I thought, ‘geez, that sounds like something that should be so easy to do!’ and it did make things much less stressful just having that thought in my head from the get-go; now, if I can just do it the next time!
…and the turtles – I love them, too. Always rescuing them during mating season from the road. I need one of those bumper stickers that says ‘I brake for turtles’ so someone doesn’t hit me from behind when I slam on the brakes.
Wow…what an amazing experience with the turtles! Did you ever think in a million years that letting go of planning a vacation would pay off this well???
LOL…”practice husband”…I knew I liked you.
Welcome home! I’m SO beyond proud of you for rolling with the punches. I will have to take your lead sometime. I’m a huge planner too! Your trip sounds glorious! I love the special moments you had together in what felt like your own little world. So glad you had such a great time!
I have to admit, having a husband as easy-going as mine does make it a bit less difficult. And I’m sure HE had a better time with me being more laid back. Thank you for the welcome home, Jan – missed you!
Well done Ellen, you must be thrilled with yourself and your holiday. You have inspired me – we have planned a very similar trip in November to Fiji. Never been there, no real idea of what to expect or what we will do when we get there. But I do know we need some time out away from the rest of our crazy household to just spend relaxing and being together. You have encouraged me to let go of the fears nagging at the back of my mind and just look forward to it.
Oh, Julie! Fiji? Never been there, but I can guarantee that you will LOVE it there. Have heard a lot about it from a friend whose been there. We’ve talked about it being a destination and I would love to hear about your experience. What helped me a lot when getting anxious was just reminding myself that I was one half of a team, and that two heads are definitely better than one, so if anything unexpected comes up, you have each other to lean on and figure things out together. Plus, just reminding yourself to live in the moment (that was my mantra, let me tell you!) really, really helps. So happy for your opportunity to do something like this!
Yay Ellen!! I am just thrilled to bits that you achieved what you wanted to with this vacation.
“Life is a gift. Either I wallow in it or I live it; my response to it is my choice.”
INDEED!!
Beautiful! & I have a funny, if slightly TMI-type story for ya about derailed vacations:
Future hubby had invited me to SPAIN, that 1st wonderful summer we were dating, to meet his family. A couple of pieces of our luggage didn’t complete the voyage – & unfortunately one was my valise that carried my DIAPHRAGM. I was joking w/P that he was going to have to learn to ask for condoms in Spanish at the local pharmacia, but it arrived a day late…