72 Hour Travel - Ocala National Forest

72 Hour Travel 

 Ocala National Forest

Why travel to Ocala, FL?  Take a Look!

Ocala National Foresr is home to four major natural springs of crystal clear water.

Silver Glen Springs

Juniper Springs

Salt Springs

Alexander Springs

Ocala NF is an amazing camp site but... Be prepared. You may just run into a few critters.

Ocala Forest is listed as one of the 100 Best Hiking Trails in North America. You better believe I am going to take my kayak here this summer. I heard this place "Rejuvenates the soul" so I may just need to just move there. 

Why go camping when you can stay at a hotel ?!

There are many valid reasons for escaping the routines of ordinary ife, and camping facilitates that escape for many of us. We all need a return to nature now and then, and we all can benefit with a break from our routines. 

-The  American Camp Association 

says, " The camp environment creates a positive community for children to practice growing up. 

Research confirms that children feel safe and happy, and that they reinvent themselves at camp. They learn the skills needed to become successful, belonging, contributing members of society: leadership, problem-solving, decision-making, and coping to name just a few.

So bust out some smores and enjoy the ever shrinking planet we live in!

I Love ___ in Bed

I Love White Noise in Bed! 

Ever since I was a little girl I would go to my Aunt Bonnie's house in Selma, Alabama. I remember the Buster house had a mini fan on every bedside table. When I moved out of my parents house to college I realized that this habit just runs in the family. After college I started to travel overnight with work and ran into a few uncomfortable sleep patterns. Then, 

I would just turn on a bedside fan and immediately feel at home. Not only is a fan a comfort thing for me but I have found that there are also a few interesting health benefits.

Sleep Awareness:

• Insomnia, which is Latin for “no sleep,” is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. Insomnia is also used to describe the condition of waking up not feeling restored or refreshed. 

  Insomnia is more than just having difficulty falling asleep. It is also having difficulty staying asleep through the night.

People who use fans to help them sleep often report that the "white noise" of the fans can reduce or even eliminate disruptive sounds.

~Queen Charlottes Hospital in London found that white noise had a major impact on helping newborns get their Z’s. The study found that 80% of a group of newborn babies fell asleep within 5 minutes when exposed to the sound of a white noise generator.

Checkout this Modern 360 fan

~Using a bedside fan can help you sleep, say scientists at the John Hopkins Sleep Disorder Center in the U.S. They found the fan's low drone blocke out the noise of the traffic and neighbours, also has a soothing effect, lulling patients to sleep.

AND...........White Noise Machines Great for Travel

This is a sleep sound therapy machine from Brookstone. Playing sweet lullabies and nature sounds. Like RAIN - my favorite.

White noise generators help you get to sleep, stay asleep and sleep more soundly. If you’ve been harried lately by a night owl infant, a white sound machine might help both of you get a good night’s rest.

Well.... I'm off to bed! NIGHT

A Guide for 2011

Health:

1.       Drink plenty of water.
2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4.       Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5.       Make time to pray.
6.       Play more games
7.       Read more books than you did in 2010 .
8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9.       Sleep for 7 hours.

Personality:

11.    Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12.    Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13.    Don't overdo. Keep your limits.
14.    Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15.    Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16.    Dream more while you are awake
17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18.    Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20.    Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23.    Smile and laugh more.

Society:

25.    Call your family often.
26.    Each day give something good to others.
27.    Forgive everyone for everything.
28.    Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of  6.
29.    Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30.    What other people think of you is none of your business.

Life:

32.    Do the right thing!
33.    Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34.    GOD heals everything.
35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37.    The best is yet to come..
38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

72 Hour Travel - Georgia Canopy Zip-Line Tour

Don't have much vacation time?

My first 72-Hour Travel Trip is a Canopy Tour in Georgia. This Ultimate Eco Friendly Lodge is nestled within 1200 acres of preserved North Georgia woodlands. Not only is Historic Banning Mills a cozy venue for a weekend getaway but there are an abundance of amenities. This 72-Hour Travel Trip is a one stop shop for outdoors lovers.
My favorite activity..... The ZIP-LINE!

Like Escaping into another World

The zip line at Banning Mills the Largest continuous Zip line Eco Canopy tour in the world. With more than 5 miles of Zip lines, Towers, high tree traverses, tree houses, some very cool challenge elements (more than a Hundred and Eighty in all at heights of 60 to 300ft), and special high speed zip lines with speeds up to 60 mph.

Banning Mills has an amazing lake stocked with fish, golf, horseback riding, and they even offer team building for corporate parties. Pretty neat little place for a weekend trip on a budget......don't ya think?!?!

Checkout the website :

The Lodges at Historic Banning Mills

http://www.historicbanningmills.com/

Sweat it Out: Experience HOT Yoga

Sweat It Out

Hot Yoga is a series of yoga poses done in a heated room. The room is usually maintained at a temperature of 95-100 degrees. As you can imagine, a yoga session at this temperature promotes profuse sweating and makes the body very warm, and therefore more flexible. 

The last thing I crave when I work out is a heated room. But..... in pursuit of a good sweat this yoga trend has many mental and physical benefits. After my first class I had a satisfying feeling of achievement. I finished the class and I left the studio thinking I just completed a successful workout. Usually I leave the gym and I feel like I could have always pushed myself a little harder. Plus, my skin felt absolutely amazing and I slept like a baby that night. I give Hot Yoga an A+ for mental, physical, and emotional health! 

I love love love it!

Try a class:


~Bikram Hot Yoga Mobile, AL
   www.bikramhotyogamobile.com


~Destin Hot Yoga Destin, FL
   www.destinhotyoga.org

~One of a kind finds~

"The Salt Lamp"

This one of a kind find was a gift from my Yoga Guru Grandmother Lyne and I have absolutely fallen in love with the salt lamp. 

A salt lamp is a chunk of mined salt that has been hollowed out to allow room for a light bulb or tiny candle. The light has a soft glow through the middle of the salt crystal. Salt crystals for salt lamps are mined in Russia and central Europe as well as in the Himalayas. 

Facts:

• The heating of the salt causes the crystal to release negative ions. Negative ions have long been considered healthy; the sea air, mountain air and the air around swiftly running water is high in negative ions. Indoor air, recirculated air, and air around electronic equipment is very low in negative ions.
• This lamp is a natural air purifier great for asthma and allergies
• Improve air quality by reducing air pollution, airborne dust particles, and airborne bacteria and viruses
• Improve concentration
• Relieve headaches, migraines, feelings of fatigue and insomnia

These lamps are beautiful in a organic rustic kind of way. The lamp can add the perfect touch to a bathroom. Even set the salt lamp in an office corner in hopes it can take away some of the stress from emails 24-7!

I have my Salt Lamp in my bedroom. I will turn all of the lights out and just sit with the lamps glow before I fall asleep. Very peaceful . 

P.S. ~ I licked the lamp..... Yes, it is real salt    ;  ) 

How do you tell a great steak from a regular steak?

A steak (from Old Norse steik, "roast")

Kobe, Angus or Piedmontese beef? Porterhouse, shell or flatiron steak? These days, going to a steakhouse is much more complicated. I'm just sayin. . .

We'll leave it to the cattlemen and women to sort which is the best cut of steak. Meanwhile, I'm going to take the bull by the horns and sort out all the terminology for you.

How do you tell a great steak from a regular steak?

• First there is the grade
• The grade tells you about the quality of the meat based on marbling and age
• In the United States grades are prime, choice and select with prime being at the top and select being the bottom
• Second there is the cut
• Different cuts have different flavors and qualities
• Third tip is the marbling!
•  This is an important because it's were all the FLAVOR hides. If the meat is fat free then the cut has not a lot of marbling.  Remember, more marble more tender and tastiness!
• Last but not least
• The trick to making a great tasting steak is always knowing how people like it cooked and knowing the types of flavor you or other people may enjoy.

Where to have a "Great" steak on the Emerald Coast?

~ Marlin Grill located in the Baytowne Village of Sandestin. Melt in your mouth Hickory Grilled Filet served with a red wine demi-glace, shoestring onion rings and béarnaise sauce on the side! My favorite addition to this entree is definitely the fresh jumbo lump crab meat. Wow...I am drooling!

~ Let's talk about Prime! Seagar's Prime Steaks and Seafood Restaurant located in the Hilton Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort is a item to add on your bucket list. Prime grade beef makes up about 2% of all the beef produced in the US and Chef Bruce McAdoo and the award winning staff will exceed your highest expectation with a true dinning experience. Not to mention melt your taste buds   ;  )

~ Chef Tim Creehan of Cuvee Bistro has some hot things cooking in his kitchen.  Chef's Petite Filet served with mashed yukon gold potatoes and a tasty vegetable du jour is a masterpieces. Although, “Cuvee” is a French term referring to a “blend of ingredients" so each entree is a foodies dream!

Duck..... It's Whats for Dinner

After a long absence from the American food scene, duck is making a big comeback. And why not? Well-prepared duck is tasty and very healthy. Both domestic and wild duck are an excellent source of iron and protein. Too, fresh duck is found in many supermarkets and specialty food stores from late spring until early winter. 

And who doesn’t like to try something other than chicken or beef now and then?

Where can you try this tasty treat on the Emerald Coast?


Catch Executive Chef Bruce McAdoo at Seagar's Prime Steaks and Seafood. Chef's one of a kind Hudson Valley Foie Gras is Grade A+ duck liver pan-seared with caramelized granny smith apples. This amazing dish is served with a hint of lavender honey and white truffle oil on grilled Tuscan bread. YUMMMM- E!


Check out Fire, a restaurant in Grayton Beach, FL. Fire's Smoked Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast is a delight. Country Ham “Cassoulet”  smothered Kale topped with port syrup. 

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