Aloha and happy Thursday🌺 I'm writing this while I stare at the gorgeous ocean and am surrounded by palm trees. Needless to say I'm one very happy camper right now. I'm excited to share this weeks thinking out loud from the beautiful island of Kauai.
1. I never want to come home. Hawaii has always been my happy place, but it's seriously a dream being here. There are so many gorgeous paths to run on and nothing beats running next to the ocean. I always took time after my run to watch the sunrise and just soak in the beauty of Hawaii. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be here and I want to savor every second of it.
2. I stopped in an adorable coffee shop/cafe in Kapaa for an açai bowl but was devastated to find out they were out of açai😭 I got a dragonfruit bowl instead which was still incredibly delicious but not as good as an açai bowl.
3. I may sort of be a dog stalker, but it's not totally my fault. I was out running and a guys dog ran up to me so of course I had to pet him and he was so well behaved. I ran into another dog later and had to stop and pet him too. One of my friends said my run would get done so much faster if I didn't stop (or be stopped) to pet all the puppies. That's just not going to happen because I am in love with dogs.
4. Speaking of adorable dogs, this is Roman😍 I had some time to kill before I could get into the next condo so I stopped at the human society in Lihue and took some of the dogs out to play. I spent a few hours there playing with and petting the puppies. Roman was by far my favorite because he was such a ham. He had a fantastic personality and was such a happy dog. He fit as many tennis balls in his mouth as he could and loved playing keep away. I would have brought him home in a heartbeat if there was an easy way to get him home. He was genuinely such a sweet dog and I hope he gets the best home ever. I want to take him home so badly😫
5. On a tastier note, I found the cutest ice cream shop. It's called Tropical Dreams and it's located in Kapaa. They had a fantastic selection of ice cream, dairy free ice cream, vegan ice cream, and gluten free options. The owner and workers were the absolute nicest and I cannot recommend Tropical Dreams enough. Hands down the BEST dairy free ice cream I've ever had. Ben and Jerry's dairy free has nothing on Tropical Dreams.
6. Aside from all the delicious eats, I've been getting in plenty of beach time. There is absolutely zero filter on this picture, the water is seriously that blue. It's even more stunning in person. I'm never leaving✌
7. If you have not heard Ed Sheeran's new album do it now!! I'm not a giant Ed Sheeran fan but holy cow his new album is amazing👏 Perfect is my new favorite song. It's unbelievably sweet and gosh he is just perfection on this song. Go listen to it, you won't regret it.
I'll end things here this week. Here's to sending some warm weather and sunshine your way🌸🌴☀ have a terrific Thursday!!
What is your favorite thing to do on vacation?
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
Hi there👋 I have noticed an increase in traffic recently so I wanted to take the chance to say hello to all the new faces checking out my blog! I'm not sure what brought you here, but I'm glad you're here! My name is Rachael and The Simple Life is where I share recipes I have created, random things I think about (thinking out loud), and posts about life, love and everything in between. I have been tagged a number of times to do the 10 facts about me on instagram but I wanted to do it here to share with all of you😊
1. I started this blog as a way to share recipes with my family and friends all at once because I grew tired of handwriting out recipes multiple times.
2. My favorite place to be is on the beach, preferably in Maui or SoCal. One day I would love to have a little house on the beach. Nothing beats falling to sleep and waking up to the sound of the ocean.
3. I have a 4.5 year old pup named Cora who I got from an animal shelter. She's a little (or a LOT) nutty, but she provides much needed comic relief and I love her to pieces.
4. The outdoors are my favorite places to be. I love getting out and enjoying nature whether it's running, biking, walking, hiking, playing on the beach, paddleboarding, pond hockey, etc. Life is too short to waste sitting inside in front of a screen.
5. Hockey is my favorite sport. I can watch any hockey game and have a good time, but my favorite team is the Pittsburgh Penguins. I root for my hometown Detroit Red Wings too. Growing up in Michigan hockey is a way of life, mostly because winters are so long. My dad had me up on skates at the ripe old age of 3 and I've been skating ever since. My brother and I would spend hours out on the lake passing the puck around in the winter.
6. I'm pretty competitive. I like to win and I have no problem talking smack. Most of my friends are guys so I take competition seriously. My boyfriend and I talk smack to each other all the time, especially when it comes to Mario Kart on N64 (yes I still have my Nintendo 64). I've beat him countless times, he's just a sore loser.
7. Minimalism makes me happy. I've had long talks with people about this and don't get me wrong I LOVE having a big closet, but really you only need so much to live. I would rather have fewer possessions and spend my money traveling and experiencing new places. My travel bucket list is pretty long but I have been able to tackle a few on my list including London and Paris.
8. Dogs make me happy. If I'm out running or walking I always notice dogs before I notice anything else. I have also banned myself from going to an animal shelter because I will come home with a dog- that's how Cora came home. Basically I'm just a crazy dog lady who wants to rescue and love all the dogs.
9. I'm not a big fan of wearing shoes unless I'm working out. For awhile my dad used to call me his hippie child because I walk around barefoot all the time. I'm also not a fan of having to tie shoes so flip flops, slip ons, or boots are normally my go to. In the summer good luck trying to get me to wear shoes at all.
10. Nothing makes me happier than hearing from my awesome readers! Whether it's a comment, being tagged in a picture on instagram because you tried a recipe, or reading an email from you. I LOVE hearing from you! Even if you just need someone to talk to don't hesitate to contact me😄
Happy Thursday! I am pretty excited about today's thinking out loud because I am sharing it from the beautiful state of Hawaii🌴🌸 With everything that has happened recently I needed an escape and what better place to escape to than Hawaii? So far there has been tons of beach time but also time for exploring and up next is paddleboarding, which I am SUPER pumped about😁
1. I have a love/hate relationship with flying. On one hand I'm so thankful for the ability to jet off and go on vacation on the other hand flying is a pain. There's long security lines, I always have to pack food- which involves figuring out what foods I can get through TSA- and then there's always the planes which haven't been cleaned in, well probably ever😳 I'm that person who brings lysol wipes and wipes down my seat, tray table and basically everything in my vicinity. I'm also that unfortunate person that whenever I get up to go to the bathroom we hit horrible turbulence. On the positive side I love that it makes traveling more efficient and sunsets in the sky are amazing.
2. Nothing beats landing in Hawaii, especially after over six hours in an airplane plus a flight the night before. There's something about stepping off the plane into the warm air, there's palm trees and you just exhale and feel relaxed😎 driving in Hawaii is also something I love. There are gorgeous views everywhere, whether it's the mountains, or the ocean, or flowers, literally everything is gorgeous.
3. LOCAL KOMBUCHA!! Oh my goodness Kauai Juice Co. I don't know what you do to your kombucha but it's AMAZING🙌 It makes me never want to drink any other brand of kombucha ever again because it's that good.
4. Even though I'm on vacation I am still fitting in my workouts. The local gym is small, but has a free weights, machines, a bosu ball🙌 and a decent amount of cardio equipment. I'm maintaining my lifting and running schedule because I genuinely love those things and it helps me get my day going. If you've never used a bosu ball I highly recommend trying one out. Planks on a bosu ball are much harder, but you can do push ups, squats, mountain climbers and so much more on them. It's a fantastic tool to have.
5. My new favorite post workout ritual is cooling off in the ocean. When I finish my run and cool down I take my shoes off and head into the water. I only go in a little ways but it definitely helps me cool down. I don't think I could ever tire of cooling off in the ocean or running in Hawaii.
6. Speaking of running in Hawaii, can we all just take a moment to appreciate that view😍 I feel like I'm running in a dream because no matter where I look it's beautiful. There's an amazing running/biking path nearby and I have been using it everyday. I can't imagine getting to run looking at the mountains and the ocean everyday. Also my shorts are from Carrie Underwood's Calia line and they are the most comfortable running shorts I have ever owned. I'm not paid to say that, I genuinely just love them that much. Please excuse my dorkiness and overly happy run face in this photo😁
7. I'll end with this beautiful view from the beach. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be here, but I do miss my puppy. If you want to see more pictures from my adventure follow along on my instagram.
Have a terrific Thursday and a fantastic weekend!
What is your favorite place that you have traveled to and why?
If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?
