Celebrating Year 33 In The Florida Keys With A Little Birthday Bump: Isla Bella Beach Resort

My birthday is always right around Blaises winter conference for work. So every year we try to make a little trip out of it. This year, the conference was in Orlando and we didn’t make any concrete plans- but I had been dreaming about The Florida Keys for the past month. However, I was also suffering from crazy morning sickness and wasn’t sure how fun a road trip of that span would be. And Blaise was not overly enthusiastic about driving 4 hours in the opposite direction when there are plenty of nice beaches on our route home. So we did the ole “play it by ear” routine we so often do. 

The day we were leaving Orlando, I found a last minute deal at a beautiful beach resort in Marathon, FL. I just entered my second trimester, was feeling less nauseas and ready to brave the drive. Blaise was not convinced. But after presenting my case which included: a killer deal, photos of the resort, the weather app, my birthday wish and a pregnant wife’s plea. We headed south. 

We stayed at Isla Bella Beach Resort and barely left the grounds. It was everything I wanted- multiple pools, a sandy beach and 76 degrees in early February. It was perfect for a pregnant mama who gets tired at 6pm, a 2 year old who is obsessed with exploring the outdoors, and a husband who needed to be dazzled. (P.S. He was and the whole time told me how “worth it” it was.) 

Every morning when we woke up, I would ask Ella if she wanted to go to the pool or the beach. “Let’s go watch the sunset!” Same reply. Every morning. At 9am. Started each day by melting my heart. It wasn’t easy to explain to her that we would definitely watch the sunset… in 8 hours. But fortunately, she was quickly distracted by the birds and lizards. 

On my actual birthday, we relaxed by the beach, played in the pool, watched the sunset, ate Italian at the resort’s oceanfront restaurant, and ended the night cuddled up watching The Bachelor. Sidenote: my birthday is sometimes on Super Bowl Sunday or The State of The Union address - neither of these am I particularly excited about. But this year, THE BACHELOR aired a special extra episode on my birthday - and it was on a WEDNESDAY! This was the moment I truly knew this was going to be MY YEAR!!

I would 110% recommend The Florida Keys if you have been thinking about going- and the Isla Bella Beach Resort was a literal dream. Gonna be hard to top this birthday! 

Cheers to year 33!

I'm Wildly Productive When I Have An Eye Infection

Got some Vitamin D for the first time in 4 days! I misdiagnosed myself with pink eye early this week— but later figured out it was a stye! I’ve never had either so I didn’t know the difference. But IT WAS THE WORST. I’m not fully recovered but was developing a severe case of cabin fever. So today, I grabbed my biggest pair of sunglasses and took them off for no one. 

It turns out, I’m WILDLY productive when I have an eye infection. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t shower, workout, get dressed, clean, cook dinner, or venture outside for 4 days. Maybe a new tradition I should implement every few weeks- minus the eye situation. 

  1. I released my Keto Shopping List! This is something I’ve been THINKING about for months. So many people ask me about my keto journey and what I eat so I was thrilled to finally share my grocery list with yall. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, you can get it here: KETO SHOPPING LIST.

  2. I dropped my first YouTube video… LOOK OUT PewDiePie! (Just kidding, I only have 12 subscribers.) It’s another one of those things I’ve been thinking about but haven’t gotten around to. Thank God I had already done the actual video PRE stye-arrival. But I was able to edit and upload it while quarantined. My first upload is of me making the easiest keto recipe ever: Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Soup. You can watch it here on MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

    And yes, 14 year old me would seriously FREAK OUT if you would subscribe to my channel. She would like literally die if I had more than 12 subscribers. I on the other hand, do not care. But I mean, click here if you wanna subscribe. It’s whatever though.

  3. I figured out how to use Liketoknowit. Y’all, I’ve had this thing for a year and am just now using it. If you don’t know what it is, it’s an app where I can share what I’m wearing and if you like it, you can “Shop The Look”. Don’t get too excited though as my primary uniform is Target leggings and an over-sized sweatshirt. On the occasion that I do get dressed, like today, you can scroll to the bottom and I’ve linked my whole outfit.

  4. I also started reading- okay listening (THANK YOU AUDIBLE) to Girl, Wash Your Face. I know I know, I’m about a year and a half behind trend- but you know my motto about reading good books, cleaning the kitchen, blogging about my life, and arriving literally anywhere at all…Better Late Than Never!

xo,
Christina

SHOP THE LOOK:

Autumn Gathering in Greenville, South Carolina

If you know me at all, you know I love bringing people together, hosting events, and most of all- a really good cheese board! This weekend, we had an Autumn Gathering at my place. 🍂 Everyone who watched my stories responded with “So, did you eat the pie!?!” 🥧 LOL The answer is no. I stayed keto(ISH) and ate mostly cheese, nuts, and berries- although I did have a “taste” of the cinnamon bun dip that turned into 2 or 3 tastes :) Our goal is to do these gatherings once a month. If you live in or around Greenville and wanna come, send me your email via the contact page and I’ll be sure to send you an invite to the next one! ❤️

Celebrating Our 5 Year Anniversary: Our Favorite Spots in Dallas, Texas

Thankful for this fun and much needed anniversary trip! We chose Dallas because Ella could spend the day with her grandparents and stay the night with us. That way we were able to lounge by the pool, have uninterrupted conversations, go to fancy restaurants and explore the city. But still pick Ella up in the evenings so we avoided any type of separation anxiety…. and I’m 100% talking about me. Im sure Ella would’ve been fine. 😆

It’s so crazy to think that 5 and a half years ago, I was alone in Nashville and secretly signed up on eHarmony. I wasn’t very hopeful but had zero relationship leads so was down to give the internet a go. And now, I am celebrating 5 Years of marriage to my BABE of a husband!! (Your 👏 girl 👏 does 👏 not 👏 settle.) I might have had to wait a little while, I might have picked up a few jokers along the way, I might have had to humble myself and let the World Wide Web work it’s magic. But I got EVERYTHING I wanted in a man, husband, partner, and father to our daughter.

Everyone’s love story looks different... BUT if you are still waiting on yours, sign up for eharmony! *This is not an ad... but one time, we were! 🤣

Celebrating Our 5 Year Anniversary: Our Favorite Spots in Dallas, Texas by Christina Foret

Some of my favorite spots we went in Dallas:

The Joule Hotel - this is where we stayed. Right downtown, top notch service, and a rooftop pool, what more could you want?
Haywire - technically in Plano, we actually go here every time we’re in Dallas, amazing food and ambiance.
Dallas World Aquarium - I act like we go to aquariums for Ella… but really, this was for me.
Over Easy - we are brunch people. Love breakfast but never make it to a restaurant while they are still serving it. So, anywhere that serves breakfast until 4pm is at the top of our list.
Sundance Square- downtown Fort Worth, walk, shop, eat!
Rosewood Mansion Restaurant- fancy dinner, excellent service,
The Statler Dallas Hotel- I’m all about those rooftop pools so we had to spend some time here as well.

Celebrating Our 5 Year Anniversary: Our Favorite Spots in Dallas, Texas

Welcome to the World Ella Jean Foret

On October 23rd, 2018 at 3:33 PM, I heard the most perfect sound - my baby girl letting the world hear her roar. I spent 9 months crying and waiting and hoping for that sound. I am so exhausted, I've been cut open and taken apart and sewn back together. I haven't slept in over 24 hours, my insides feel like they could fall out at any moment, her nursery isn't finished and I have a good 20 (okay, 30) pounds to lose. And this is the happiest I've ever been! My sweet Ella Jean Forêt, you are more and better and lovelier than I could have ever imagined. I love you more than life.

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The Night Before I Became a Mama

We literally waited until the LAST minute to take some maternity photos. This was the night before sweet Ella Jean was born. Thanks to my little sister Alysha for snapping these photos for us. 

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Baby Shower: It's A Girl

Blaise and I decided not to announce the gender of our baby because we wanted it to be a surprise. (But really, maybe it's because we didn't have a super cute reveal idea - where do y'all find all this colorful smoke anyways??) And from the very beginning, I said neutral colors only- NO PINK! Welllllll, I'm 35 weeks pregnant and I changed my mind! We had our baby shower this weekend and I have never loved pink so much! So, if you didn't know- now you know!

My mom and sisters overdid it on the balloons and I was pretty thrilled about. So many sweet friends and family members spoiled us with love and gifts. I could not be more thankful for the people in my life. 

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Lake Jocassee at Devils Fork State Park and A Few Thoughts on Week 25 of Pregnancy

Blaise would rather sit on the couch and watch Back to The Future or anything else TBS has to offer than drive an hour to the lake when it's more than likely going to rain. This is the first time in our marriage that we’ve had cable - or a TV for that matter, so I try to give him grace. But I have a very convincing “even if it rains, I promise it will be fun” argument and after a dramatic side-eye, he conceded. 

It did rain. But only a little. And I was right, it was still fun. We took a nap in the sand, had a picnic then kayaked around Lake Jocassee. 

This was 2 weekends ago when I was 23 weeks pregnant. It was the first week I started to feel confident in my bump. I didn’t like taking photos the first 20 weeks of pregnancy because I didn’t necessary look pregnant. Up until now, I just looked like I had a really good time at brunch. (And on most days, that was probably true.) But now, there is no hiding this little miracle. 

I’m just over 25 weeks now and there is no question I am sharing my body with a little babe- about 13.5 inches long, a pound and a half. The size of a Prairie Dog, if you will. When I feel little kicks, I try to place Blaise’s hand in the perfect spot so he can feel too- this has been successful 2 out of 832 times. Every night before bed, I look at him and say “But for real, can you believe there’s like this tiny person who we’ve never even met who is just living inside my body?” And we both start laughing. Because being pregnant is actually the weirdest thing. 

Everything I read about this stage of pregnancy tells me I am hormonal and probably acting crazy. Occasionally, I’ll check in with Blaise on the matter, “So, do you think I’ve gone crazy yet?” He says no- which means either I haven’t gone crazy. OR I have most definitely gone crazy.... because who's gonna tell a crazy pregnant lady that she's crazy? It’s hard to know anything about real life when you’re pregnant. Everyone lies to you. People will see me “You look SO good”… and I’m like “Really? Because I haven’t washed my hair in 4 days and I’m pretty sure I’ve gained nearly 20 pounds since the last time you saw me.” So, what scale are we going by? I look good compared to what - back when I still wore eye liner and could walk up a flight of stairs with out taking a break? Good compared to that? Or are you just a nice person and your initial thought of “My god, I can’t believe you left the house like that” didn’t seem appropriate?

Either way, I am appreciative. My self esteem is likely built off of white lies and I am totally fine with that.

25 weeks down, 15 to go...

TRANSITION: A Little Update On Life

Transition.

I’ve decided that is the best way I can describe pregnancy: a transition.

A transition from eating saltines to throwing them up, a transition from loving avocados to hating them, from being maddeningly uncomfortable in my own clothes to giving up and buying overpriced pants with a giant elastic band around the waist, a transition from the highs of each day to the lows - and trying to settle somewhere in between.

I’ve had to give up a few things I wanted to do this year while putting others on hold. But I’m learning to give myself grace while fighting the thoughts of feeling like a bad wife, friend or business owner. Taking care of that extra heart beating inside of me is everything right now. Thankfully, I married a good man who handles life with tremendous ease… or at least he pretends to. Probably so I don’t cry. Which only works out half the time.

We're in the process of moving. I have been in full nesting mode but instead of decorating and creating a comfy home, I'm boxing and packing and cleaning the one we’ve got. The one where we built the beginning of our life together. The one that will always be a special place where it was "just the two of us”. 

I have been on a mission to go natural this year. I started with the obvious: food. January went well - I did (mostly) Whole30. Then I got pregnant and switched from “eating clean” to “eating anything I can keep down” which turned out to be hardly anything. My daily diet consisted of bagels and popcorn for about 10 weeks straight. Soooo, that was cool. 

Instead, I shifted my focus to getting toxic chemicals out of our house. I’ve been obsessed with the Think Dirty App, my essential oils, and making my own deodorant and cleaning products. We aren’t there yet but SLOWLY switching out small parts of our life for better options. This is something I've been wanting to do for a while. But this little baby growing inside my belly has given me a sense of urgency. 

I’ve unintentionally neglected this space for a while. The past two years, I've been pouring myself into Asheville Folk (with no regrets!) But now, more than ever, documenting our life and growing family is the most important thing to me. (This is my very vague, noncommittal, non-specific way of saying I plan on blogging a lot more... Wish me luck!)