I had a good day today. A really good day. I woke up at 6 am to head out for a run. I hit the beach with no music, no set goals/pace, and no plan. I ran with just my thoughts, God, and the sound of the ocean in my ears.

I had time for four slower, steady miles again to process some thoughts and simply be with myself. At the end of my run, I happened to come across two very special people – Peter and Makenzie. We strolled the beach a little longer together before coming in for breakfast. I once again had my favorite bowl of oatmeal and some refreshing iced coffee.

Something about iced coffee tastes that much more refreshing at the beach. I savored it over a chill morning before getting ready for a special lunch date I had planned for later.

Julie and I have been buddies through the online world even before we both began blogging. Last year, when we knew we would be in closer proximity, we made sure to get together for a lunch. We had such a great time and needed to continue that tradition again when I came to Florida this year. And luckily, two other friends managed to add to the fun as well – Meghann and Kelly! I couldn’t wait to get the chance to meet both of them for the first time since we have bonded online for so long.

We met up at the Virgin Olive Market in Orlando for a lot of girl talk and sandwiches.

We were all ready to eat so hit up the order counter right after my arrival. I ordered the “Laughing Uncello” sandwich, which included turkey breast, provolone cheese, fresh basil, tomato & onion with a sundried tomato aioli all pressed on focaccia bread.

The sundried tomato aioli made this sandwich. Also, the focaccia. Without a doubt, focaccia makes a good sandwich. I loved every bite…and I do mean every bite. I ate the whole thing over the span of our almost 3 hour chat. Yep. Almost 3 hours. I would expect no less putting four women who love to share their lives and participate in such a fabulous community together. We talked blogging, relationships, Healthy Living Summit, family, running, babies, and more. I cannot wait to see them again…which luckily I won’t have to because we will all have the chance to spend more time together at HLS in August and at the Savannah RNR Race in November. Yay!

picture taken from Meghann because mine was super blurry

Hanging out with blog friends never fails to provide a lot of wonderful conversation, laughs, and plain ole fun. Next year hopefully I will remember to plan ahead enough to make it a bigger meet-up. More bloggers just means more fun!

• What do you love most about the blogging community?

You know how I mentioned the unlikelihood of me making a green smoothie on vacation? Well, I lied. I lasted until yesterday and then I wanted to whip out the blender. I wanted to taste the power of green for myself and convince my family that spinach can blend into a satisfying, refreshing, and taste-bud thrilling concoction.

At first, they seemed a little uncertain on what a spinach smoothie would taste like. Then, they said cheers and drank up!

Verdict: I have converted two more to the green smoothie ways. Muahahaha! The world shall sport green mustaches from here on out. Or, at the very least – my family will. 😉

I love showing others not to judge healthy options until they try them. I know the blog world has opened my eyes to trying a wide range of foods and has converted me into a lover of many things. Although Kombucha won’t be one of them. I draw the line at fungi floating in my drinks.

Alright, now I must dive into something a little more serious. That’s where the “my butt” part of the title comes in. Yes, that qualifies as serious conversation because I more specifically mean body image, the beach, and my butt.

On any given day, I feel great about my body. I think I look fit, strong, and healthy – which is all I hope for my body to look. I have confidence in what I have accomplished. I take pride in the way I care for myself and the dedication I take to my goals. I appreciate all my body can do, like rocking a 10K race and delivering my children. I can feel super self-confident, especially when put together in a cute outfit highlighting my favorite body parts, such as my legs and arms.

Then you put me in a bikini with my butt, about which I always feel most self-conscious, out in the open and I become a little more self-aware.

It will bring some of those old inadequate feelings back to the forefront. Having my body exposed in a bikini all day long will leave me critiquing myself and getting negative in my mind. Something about the beach, a location where I have many times in the past participated in some of the worst fat-talk, will have me longing for appearances and physiques of my past and feeling unsatisfied with my present. I’m not perfect. I still struggle with body image from time to time. I still sometimes wonder, “what if I had been tighter with my eating?” or “if only I looked more like I did X years ago”.

The key is to recognize those moments. To recognize them as the evil they consume and the lack of truth they possess. Instead of allowing those thoughts to consume me, I paid attention to them and thought about what triggered that reaction.

Then, I replaced the negatives with positives. And told myself to suck it up and rock that bikini. My body can do pretty fabulous things. And it doesn’t look half bad in the process either…because healthy looks hot on anybody.

• What moments/places trigger body image struggles for you?
• PS: Stay tuned for a giveaway sometime tomorrow!