5 on Friday - Vacay Version

I'm linking up again for 5 on Friday and I decided to go with a themed version this week in honor of my vacation. I hate that today is our last day, but I'm excited to get back home too.

1.

My Birthday!

 

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday. I have to admit that in the weeks leading up to my birthday I was absolutely dreading it. I really don't like getting older, especially when it's birthdays as uneventful as 23 and when I can tell I'm actually starting to feel older (for example, I don't exactly have the same super fast metabolism as I did when I was 19 and I can't even stay up past midnight without having a terrible headache the next morning - I really hope I'm not the only one). But, now that I'm getting married, yay, getting older feels more appropriate. I'm making some pretty big decisions in my life and it's only appropriate that I'm growing older and growing up along with them. To celebrate my birthday, I ate waaayyyy too much - breakfast, dinner, and dessert out. The food was absolutely delicious. Breakfast at The Broken Egg, where I unfortunately didn't meet Dick Vitale even though he apparently goes there a lot. Dinner at Hub Baja Grill, where I had delicious fish tacos and an allergic reaction - seriously, my lips and tongue swelled up but I have no idea why. And then, much later, dessert at Orange Octopus, which has the best Salted Caramel ice cream. Diet officially starts Monday.

Brad and I attempting to take a picture of ourselves last night at dinner.

You can kind of see my bottom lip starting to swell up, oops...

 

2.

Seafood

 

Seafood, especially shellfish, like crab or clams, is one of my absolute favorite foods in the entire world. I love eating it and the beach is one of the absolute best places to get it. I don't often get to cook it at home because Brad is not a big fan of seafood. I have stuffed myself with unknown amounts of seafood this week, practically for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have no doubts that I will probably have a few extra pounds to get rid of before the wedding due to the foods I have eaten this week, but it's totally worth it to me.

For example, my delicious Clam Strips at The Old Salty Dog

 

3.

Ocean Breezes

 

The bedroom that Brad and I have in our condo opens up to a balcony. While our balcony doesn't face the ocean head on, you can see the ocean. At night, Brad and I slide the screen over the doorways and push the glass doors back so that we can hear the ocean. I normally like pitch black and dead quiet when I sleep but being able to hear the ocean has been absolutely amazing. It puts me to sleep right away and just makes me feel good listening to it. Plus there is always a breeze from the ocean and it actually keeps us cooler than we would be otherwise since we don't have ceiling fans here.

 

4.

Sunscreen

 

Sunscreen has been my absolute best friend this vacation. Despite taking an entire bag of sunscreen down to the beach every day and lathering up before going down as well as multiple times at the beach, I have still managed to get a little sun burnt. However, I'm sure it's not as bad as it would be if I had avoided the sunscreen. I really love the spray sunscreens because they are so convenient, but I tend to miss a lot of spots with it, especially if I'm spraying down at the beach, and it's so sticky and drying. I like the lotions but they take forever to rub in. I'm so glad that I found Hawaiian Tropic's newest sunscreen line this summer. It's called Silk Hydration and my skin feels so smooth when I use it - not sticky - and it covers really nicely. We have gone through 2 bottles of the SPF 15 Spray this week and I also really love the SPF 30 Lotion for my face and the spots where my bathing suit and skin meet - for whatever reason I tend to burn there if I'm going to burn. I highly recommend it!

                                                     

5.

My Ring

 

Because Brad and I got engaged at the beach, I haven't been wearing my ring very often. Normally just when we go out. My mom actually lost her wedding rings in the sand on her first day at the beach, so I have been too nervous to wear them out (side note - she found them, but only after everyone around them on the beach helped them dig through the sand for about an hour). After I shower in the afternoons, I speed through putting on my lotion, aloe, and hair products in so that I can put on my ring. Every time I put it on I feel like I'm putting it on for the first time. It reminds me of how happy I am to finally be marrying my best friend and, even though he doesn't have his ring yet, of the commitment we are making to each other. I definitely can't stop staring at it.