What I’m Leaving Florida With
Disclosure: Thank you to SOREL and Collective Voice for sponsoring today’s post. All products were selected, worn, and loved by yours truly.
In case you can’t tell by the snow falling all around me, yes, I am officially back in Indiana and my days of being in the warm Florida sunshine for the winter are over. There was something so special about being away this winter. In case you have zero ideas of what I am talking about, Shawn and I purchased a home on Anna Maria Island this past December and spent the better half of 4 months down there. It was such a precious time to have together [and to have with our 42 nights’ worth of friends and family who made the trip down to visit]. While yes, it was amazing due to the weather alone, it was amazing for so many reasons beyond that.
Today I thought it’d be fun to share a few takeaways that I am leaving Florida holding onto and walking into Indiana with. Before I get too far, speaking of walking — friends, if you haven’t tried SOREL for footwear yet, you are missing out. I have been wearing SOREL shoes for a minimum of 5 years now and I swear they just get better and better. In today’s post, you’ll notice two styles specifically I am highlighting, both of which are perfect for transitioning from winter to spring [and can be worn often throughout other parts of the year as well]. The quality is incredible and the comfort is next level. I love that I don’t have to trade looks for comfort as SOREL checks both off the list. You can see their best-sellers here!
Kinetic Impact Lace Sneakers [true to size]
So what am I taking with me [aside from these insanely comfortable sneakers] you ask? Allow me to list the things…
- For starters, the power of a walk. I will never take for granted the ability to walk the dogs twice a day every day during the winter. Almost every time I was walking them I’d tell them “This is just as good for me as it is for you guys.” For those who typically live in states that like to freeze us to our core in the winter, outdoor walks can be extremely harder to make happen. My go-to shoe for walking? You guessed it — the Sorel Kinetic Impact sneakers. They are extremely lightweight, easy to slip on and off, and like I mentioned above, the queen when it comes to comfort!
- What 15-30 minutes of quiet time in the morning can do for your day. Friends, I am telling you, if you are able to wake up 15 minutes before anybody else in your house, it can be a life-changing experience. I was consistent with this routine I developed in Florida and I have no intentions of changing my routine now that we are back in Indiana. I would grab a journal, write down what I am grateful for, what would make today great, and a daily affirmation. I then pray over everything I wrote down – thanking Him for my gratitude list, asking for His help in every component of the day that I wrote down, and then simply sitting in silence listening for anything new that came into my mind or heart. Because of this practice, I was able to walk into every day with intentionality, gratitude, and a spirit of power.
- Just because something didn’t go as planned, it doesn’t make the entire experience bad. As we ventured off to Florida I was just “so sure” that I would become pregnant while we were there this winter. I noticed as we were nearing our time there, the pressure was mounting inside of me “But you were supposed to go back to Indiana with progress made in the family planning stage” and yet, I returned without any [lasting] positive tests. For a minute I found myself being bitter about this. But the more I sat in it and reflected on it, I couldn’t help but also be so thankful for the gift of the season that I was given to feel well, have the energy to host all of our friends and family, enjoy amazing food and drinks and so on. It’s common for a season to not go as we hoped, but that doesn’t always mean it was a bad season.
- The power of creating [and sticking to] a boundary. I failed to do this at the beginning of our stay in Florida when it came to how I was going to handle working and hosting people in our home. Halfway through the season, I created a boundary that guests wouldn’t see me outside of the bedroom until 9:00 am or so. I made it known upfront, nobody was upset about it, and I was able to have focused quiet work time for an hour or two before jumping into a conversation with others. While I know this is a specific example, it taught me all over again just how important boundaries are and how often we think others will be “so affected” by them, but they really aren’t at all.
- Wear what makes you feel good. In Florida, I lived in comfortable clothes and shoes and it was awesome. There’s something freeing about living somewhere where you know nobody. But it taught me – nobody actually cares. When you feel good in what you’re in, you wear it all over your face as well. That’s how I feel every time I slip on these wedge booties [I literally want to tell every person I come into contact with just how good they are]. Confident and ready to tackle the day. Even better? If you come into contact with rain [or in my case, snow] you don’t have to worry because they are waterproof. April showers bring…no harm to these booties 😉
Out N About Wedge Bootie [true to size]
And for a few more SOREL favorites that will have you feeling confident and comfortable all day long, scroll away here –>
Founder and creator of LIY, Erin turned her dream of a hobby blog into a full-time career which she now runs alongside the LIY team! When not in front of her computer screen [with a La Croix or wine in hand] or in front of a mirror taking mirror selfies, you can find Erin spending time on the water, cuddled up with her two pups and husband most likely watching the latest Shark Tank episode, or getting lost in an easy beach read.
