Taking Time to Date Myself {Weekend Recap}

Happy Hump Day!

Today I’m backing it up to a couple of days to last weekend. Any longtime readers may remember that when my hubby left active duty for the Marine Corps almost 2 years ago, I wrote a post about lessons I had learned as a USMC wife (read it here!). I talked about my experience as a military wife – a chapter of my life that was seemingly over (although I still referred to my man as a Marine – because once a Marine, always a Marine!) but I mentioned something in there about never say never to being a military wife again…. 

Well, it turns out that I’m now a Marine Corps wife again! This time around is a little different because my hubby is now a Marine Corps Reservist. He missed being a Marine, and it just sort of worked out that an opportunity opened up at the base really close to where we live that fit in with his other jobs, so here we are… back in the military life, only at this point, it’s not a full-time thing. Last weekend was his first training for the Reserves, which meant that I had a few days off of work to have some “me” time.

My weekend kicked off with a great hike with Harley just before sunset – literally, as we had to kind of book it back to the car before the park ranger had my car towed – and a homemade broccoli, ricotta, mozzarella & tomato pizza with whole wheat dough that I had nabbed at the farmer’s market.

Saturday morning I fueled with the below yogurt bowl with banana and cashew butter for breakfast, then headed to what turned out to be a sweaty boxing class.

Note: I’m currently obsessed with cashew butter, and there’ll be a new recipe up with cashew butter very soon!

I also met up with a new friend for lunch at Del Mar’s Crepes & Corks. I had their garden veggie crepe (so good!), and it reminded me of my love for crepes. Now I think I might need to go back to Crepes & Corks for a sweet crepe (nutella & strawberries perhaps?!), because I’ve been wanting one ever since. I think I also may need to try my hand at crepe making at home again sometime soon.

Since it was a gorgeous day, we also walked around Del Mar beach and checked out a market they had going on nearby. 

Funny tidbit: My above photo was used on the San Diego news during the weather segment Saturday night. I happened to flip on the news at the exact right time and see the picture, along with my name scrolled across the top of the screen!

Saturday evening was soup making time: Red Swiss Chard, Chickpea, & Leek Soup to be exact. It’s so nourishing and definitely gives you an awesome dose of veggies! After cleaning my house and tidying up my inbox on Sunday morning, I decided that the rest of my day was going to be about resting my body and relaxing. It was an active rest day for me, so I took Harley for a long walk in the neighborhood and had a restorative yoga session…. 

…but then after that, I decided that I wasn’t moving much the rest of the day. Next I did something I have not done in quite awhile: lay in my backyard in a bikini, soaking up some sun and reading. I started three books over the holidays, and sadly, have barely taken the time to sit and read any of them since then.

It felt so nice to soak up the sunshine! While I love being outside, most of the time when I’m outside, I’m hiking or doing some other kind of workout, so it felt relaxing to take the time to not do much for a little while outdoors.

Afterwards, I went and got an hourlong deep tissue massage. My achy body needed it, that’s for sure! My left calf and foot have been bothering me from old injuries, and the masseuse worked on massaging the knots out. It’s frustrating that my injuries never fully go away and created these sorts of weak spots in my body that get kinked up, but I try to keep it at bay by getting sports massages, and regularly stretching and icing post-workout.

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My Sunday was one big date with myself, and it left me feeling refreshed and calm. Since my hubby was working, it was an ideal day for “me” time, but I carve out time for myself regularly. In fact, I make dating myself a priority… whether that means just going for a pedicure, spending a few moments meditating quietly, or having a whole afternoon of relaxation as I did on Sunday. I just think it’s so important to spend time just on our own doing things that we enjoy or that help us develop a healthier self-relationship. It’s like pushing the reset button, and it allows me to dive back into things with a clearer head.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, everyone’s talking about gifts to give your significant other or any of the loved ones in your life…. but what about giving yourself a gift? What makes you feel rejuvenated, relaxed, and more content with life? I challenge you to empower yourself with some “me” time. With all of the busyness we all have going on in our lives, it’s easy to let our self-relationship fall to the wayside…. but with February being the month of love, show yourself some love with a solo date, in whatever healthy ways that make you happy!

Tell me… When was the last time you treated yourself? What’s your favorite way to spend “me” time?