Honeymoon Destination Revealed

My guess is that about 99 percent of you are going to scroll right past this lunch post to get right to the honeymoon decision, so let’s make all the food chatter nice ‘n’ quick!

Leftovers made lunch assembly awfully easy.

I made myself a buffalo chicken sandwich using the leftover meat from Tuesday night’s dinner.

Pulled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

On the side I enjoyed fresh strawberries and sliced radishes marinated in Italian dressing.

Berries

Italian Marinated Radishes

The Italian dressing helped take some of the spiciness away from the radishes, but they’re still a little too intense for me. I like them better in salads than on their own fo’ sho’.

Sandwiches Make Me Happy. Seriously. Any Sandwich.

The Spread

Good news: The buffalo chicken was just as tasty a couple of days later.

Thanks to the three of you who read my food mumbo-jumbo. Now onto the honeymoon fun! 😀

Honeymoon Destination Revealed

After months and months of research, planning and talking to everyone we know about travel recommendations, Ryan and I finally selected our honeymoon destination.

We considered a lot of different options ranging from the Dominican Republic to Costa Rica to Hawaii. (Well, maybe I just considered Hawaii. 😉 )

In the end, we decided to go to St. Lucia!

St. Lucia

Thank you so, so much to all of you for your comments, recommendations and emails. Both Ryan and I read every single one and, for a while there, felt like we were on a wild goose chase, visiting all the places you mentioned and weighing our options.

We selected St. Lucia because it met our requirements:

• Caribbean location
• Beautiful beach
• Adventurous activities

While in St. Lucia, Ryan and I hope to relax on the gorgeous beaches, but also enjoy some fun activities. On our possible to-do list:

• Scuba diving
• Jungle biking
• Zip lining
• Rainforest hike

One thing we will not be doing? Deep sea fishing… We definitely do not want to revisit our sea sick ways on our honeymoon.

Question of the Afternoon

• In your opinion, what is the perfect length of time for a honeymoon?

Ryan and I plan to stay in St. Lucia for a week (six nights).

Barney Butter Barley

You guys know how much I adore my barley breakfast bowls.

To make them I usually combine barley with Greek yogurt and fresh fruit.

Well, today I replaced the Greek yogurt with something fantastically delicious.

Barney Butter!

Barney Butter!

After cooking up some pearled barley after dinner yesterday, I stirred in a packet of Barney Butter and let it chill in the fridge overnight.

Today I added a sliced nectarine and some pumpkin pie spice to the mix.

Barney Butter Barley Bowl

Oooooh yum.

Nutty Fruity Barley

The Goods

So tasty! I literally licked this bowl clean… and then Sadie did, too. 😉

"Barney Butter RULES!"

Workout

This breakfast was the perfect post-workout meal. Today’s gym session included a BodyPump class followed by 20 minutes of light cardio on the elliptical.

I increased the weights on the back track this week and was really feelin’ it! Today’s lunge track was a little too easy and I feel like my lower body didn’t get quite the workout I was hopin’ for. Next time, my friends! 😀

Honeymoon Update

We are officially overwhelmed.

We read every single one of your comments and suggestions last night (thank you!) and spent hours looking at the websites of various resorts.

All I can say is that if I had a bazillion dollars, I would love to stay at The Ladera in St. Lucia, recommended by blog reader Lindsey.

The Ladera

Not only is this place unbelievably gorgeous, but it also offers a bunch of activities, ranging from scuba diving to zip lining to cooking classes to rainforest hikes. Can you say heaven?

Though this place is beyond amazing, we’re looking for something more within our budget. Your comments and speaking with some friends made us think twice about the Dominican Republic, as it seems like we may not be able to do as many adventurous activities or as much exploring as we’d like to. We don’t want to feel confined to a resort on our honeymoon.

If any of you out there enjoyed a vacation that included fun activities like scuba diving and zip lining and exploring a town, etc., puh-lease let me know! I’ve heard great things about Costa Rica with regard to it being a beautiful place with lots to do.

Why is picking a honeymoon destination so hard!?

The good news  about all this honeymoon hoopla is that Ryan and I have a pact to pick a place by the end of this weekend! We’re going to be vacation-research mad men for the next few days. 😉

Question of the Morning

What is more appealing to you: A vacation filled with activities or a vacation full of relaxation?

Honeymoon Selection

Sloppy joes are kinda like chili in that they seem to taste even better the next day.

My lunch today included a leftover sloppy joe sandwich along with slice cucumber, grape tomatoes and kidney beans.

Tuesday's Lunch

Crisp 'n' Crunchy

Beans, Beans, They're Good For Your Heart

Confession: As I packed this lunch this morning, I easily ate a serving or two of cold sloppy joe meat. It’s so darn good!

Honeymoon Selection

Our wedding is less than two and a half months away and I can really feel the momentum picking up!

Ryan and I have been pretty laid back about the whole wedding planning process. We selected our venue, photographer and florist first, waited a while, and then selected our officiate and DJ… and now, 2.5 months out, all of the “little” projects are demanding our attention.

One not-so-little project that we really need to figure out is our honeymoon!

We Want the Beach!

For some reason neither of us are too into planning our honeymoon. I think it’s because there are so many options that meet our criteria:

• Caribbean location
• Beautiful beach
• Activities available (namely scuba diving)
• Clean, romantic hotel
• Hotel located near a town for exploring

Yep, that’s pretty much it! This pretty much describes more than half of the hotels in the Caribbean!

We’re slowly narrowing down our choices and are leaning toward some resorts in the Dominican Republic. We love the all-inclusive options, as they seem like a great way to indulge but also save some money.

Our goal is to get this trip booked within the week!

Question of the Afternoon

For Married Molly:

• Where did you do on your honeymoon? Would you still choose to go there if you could do it all over again?

For Single Sally:

• Where would you want to go on your honeymoon?