Getting Hitched, Eating Vacation Styles & Finding Balance

I found out very quickly that the end of a school year + working on a course + planning a wedding/honeymoon meant not a lot of spare time for hobbies. So, it's been a while since my last post. However, Dave and I returned home to the chaos that is our condo a few days ago and I am ready to get back into it!
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I wanted to begin by saying that we had an absolutely amazing wedding day! The sun was shining, to say the least (we apologize for any cases of heat stroke that may have been endured by our guests), and Dave and I both agree that it was the best day of our lives. It's difficult to describe the feeling of being surrounded by loved ones from all walks of life. It was surreal and humbling and the room was filled with so much love. We could not have asked for a better day. I now understand why everyone says that they wish they could go back and experience it all over again! We only have photos collected from family and friends, but here are a handful of pics to get the ball rolling:

When it was all said and done, Dave and I slept for a total of approximately five hours over the course of the next two days before hopping on a plane to Hawaii. We planned to visit Maui for the first half of our trip and then fly to Kauai to finish things off. There was nothing better than carrying forward the excitement of our wedding day into a honeymoon to a destination neither of us had visited before. The jet lag was serious, particularly when combined with an already lack of sleep. But within 24 hours of being in Maui, we managed to pull ourselves together. ​

Whether you're conscious of what you eat or not, I think it's fair to say that eating out for every meal can become tiresome. You end up feeling like crap and miss preparing your own food. We felt very strongly about being able to cook some of our own meals and know that what we were putting into our bodies would nourish us for the day. It also allowed us both to keep any food intolerances in check (mainly on my part) and eat in a way that made us feel well. With this in mind, Dave and I decided to rent condos throughout the duration of our trip. This is a tip I would pass along to anyone traveling for more than a couple of days. It really is the way to go. Not only do you get a fully stocked kitchen with an oven, stove, microwave, and dishwasher, but you get you to enjoy other comforts of home like a living room, patio, and washing machine. Staying in a condo meant that we made breakfast every single morning, which we enjoyed on our patio overlooking the ocean while catching up on emails, enjoying a cup of coffee, and planning out our day's adventure. To me, this was the best decision we could have made. We ate as we would have eaten at home, and felt better for it.

​​On a couple of occasions, particularly if we knew we would be indulging over dinner, we even made lunch at home. You may be thinking, "The food on this honeymoon sounds lame." But, let me assure you, I believe in finding balance, and we were just as invested in experiencing the Hawaiian cuisine as the next tourist. So there was quite a lot of indulging throughout the duration of the trip, including lobster and crab stuffed mahimahi with bore fried rice, macadamia crusted mongchong, lobster stuffed enchilada's, ginger ahi tuna, lobster guacamole, glass after glass of champagne, wine, and enough Mai Tai's to drown in. We ate at some of the best restaurants Maui and Kauai have to offer with zero regrets. We had freshly caught fish on the daily and experienced foods at a calibre unavailable to us here in Canada. It. Was. Amazing.

Throughout the duration of our trip, although our regular activity regime may have been interrupted, both Dave and I managed to stay active. Our fantastic patio and yard-access condo allowed me to do some pretty crafty outdoor home workouts. All I needed was a skipping rope, a couple of resistant bands, and a chair. I quickly fell in love with my morning routine of coffee, followed by a sweaty Hawaiian workout with a view. ​

#nogymnoproblem

Dave also spent four hours one day biking up Haliakala, Maui's largest dormant volcano with a summit of 10 000 feet. No big deal. I chose the more popular mode of transportation: a car. However, I did hike into the crater while I waited, which turned out to be one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen in my life. Photos could not do it justice.

In Kauai, we spent two days kayaking the Na Pali Coast. This was easily the most beautiful place I have ever visited. 

In the end, we may have come back a little bit softer than when we left, but feeling fulfilled and happy. Life is all about finding balance and experiencing things to the fullest. Dave and I both feel that is what we did over the past two weeks, and are ecstatic to start our marriage off on such a high note. 
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The next few days are all about finding a regular routine once again. As I sift through the piles of wedding decor and laundry, finish up the final couple of weeks of my nutrition coaching course, and hit the gym (perhaps with a little extra gusto for a week or two), I move into August with a full heart, a full belly, and a pretty big smile on my face.