There’s nothing, and I do mean nothing, like a 3-day weekend. (Well, except maybe a 7 day weekend! HA!)

On Friday, I flew down to Orlando to visit some of our best friends who moved there last year. It’s funny - we’ve visited them twice in the last 6 months but didn’t manage to visit once during the 4 years they lived in Nebraska lololol!

Airport style // wearing Lucky Brand jeans and ADIDAS sneakers

After a three hour delay (not getting me into Orlando until about 9 PM), I was more than ready for a few drinks. We headed downtown to Artisans Table for dinner then over to Tap and Grind (also best name ever) for some beers and people watching. LET ME TELL YOU - the people watching on Friday night in Orlando is like no other, friends.

Saturday we quickly got ready and headed to Daytona beach. I’ve been waiting to wear my new favorite Triangl bikini since it arrived in March and the bright color seemed like the perfect fit for the Daytona atmosphere.

I don’t always go into the ocean, but the temperature was too good to miss out on. So we played monkey in the middle (as a an upper twenty-something does) in the water until our arms got sore. Then we ate all the guacamole and chips and soaked up every last bit of sun. But not before the tastiest ice cream from a local shop.

I joked on Instagram that before a trip, I’m all green smoothies, brown rice and cooked veggies. But once I’m on vacation, all my willpower disappears and I end up eating everything in sight. Except I wasn’t joking and I actually did eat ALL THE THINGS.

Genuine Glow collection, exclusively at Blue Mercury // Ditto sunglasses (use code **ITSJULIEN** for a free month!) // Angela Roi bag

Before going out that evening, I tried out the new Estee Lauder “Genuine Glow” collection that just launched at Blue Mercury. YOU GUYS - these pieces just took me summer makeup routine to a new level. My favorite of them all is a blush and lip creme in “Peachy Keen” which you’ll be seeing my wearing non-stop until Fall arrives.

Sunday we went to Waikiva Island, the most fun little “island” that had corn hole, kayaking and live music. We rented a few canoes (and even spotted an alligator in the water!) and raced down the stream to a natural spring…luckily, it was netted off to keep all the crocs away. We swam and relaxed there (with about a trillion other people) until we got hungry and canoed back.

We took it easy that evening and started planning our trip to Yosemite coming up at the end of this month! I can’t wait to share all the fun things we have planned for it!

Wearing Cuyana slip dress and saddle bag

Monday we enjoyed a pool day and we made a new puppy friend. We went out to a nicer lunch so I got to wear my new Cuyana slip dress! It’s absolutely stunning. You’ll definitely be seeing more of it around these parts.

Tell me - how was your MDW?!

It’s been about seven months now. It was a rough start but I’ve made it through. Back in April, I started on a clean eating program. To be honest, I didn’t even know what that meant when I was starting…I just knew something had to give.

So I jumped aboard the 28 Day Challenge from The Fit Girls Guide on a whim when a coworker suggested we do it together. The PDF with the program recipes and workouts was only $25 so I thought, what the heck, I’ll give it a try.

And seven months later, and 20 pounds lighter, I’m seriously the happiest I’ve ever been. To be honest, I lost most of the weight within the first two months of the program and now I’m maintaining…and trying my hardest not to eat every cookie I see. ;)

It’s amazing to me - the amount of support and love from friends, from family and from you, my readers, through this whole ordeal. Each sweet text and each encouraging conversation has pushed me to become my best self…from someone who grew out her hair to hide her insecurities to someone who is confident, energetic and might I add, ballsy.

People love to ask, ‘What are you doing?! How many miles are you running each day?” And I laugh. YOU GUYS!! It’s all about what we’re eating. Seriously. I eat oatmeal or eggs for breakfast, opt almost exclusively for whole grains, limit my salt intake, drink all the water, and eat a YOU KNOW WHAT ton of cooked or roasted veggies. I have taco, pizza made on top of a whole wheat pita and pumpkin lasagna on the reg…and it’s actually super tasty.

ANYWAY in honor and celebration of 6 months of healthy eating, I wanted to share a little roundup of my favorite swimsuits from our trip to St. Lucia! Tune in Wednesday, when I'll be sharing my last (and favorite!) look of the whole trip! XO!

Suite 1: Cocosand Swimwear
Suit 2: Mars Vida
Suit 3: Triangl Swimwear
Suit 4: Trina Turk (cover up version)