If you follow me on Instagram, you followed along on my recent week-long holiday to Palm Beach, Florida. The Englishman and I spent six days wandering the beach with no Wi-Fi – it was pure bliss. While it wasn’t Mustique or the Maldives, it was still a refined getaway for us, filled with blue calm waters, private white beaches, and romantic dinners together.

As we all are, I am always so happy on vacation. This time, I tried to pay attention to what habits made me happy – and which ones I could bring home with me. On this trip, I felt glamorous, active, relaxed, happy, and refined. What if we spent every day living blissfully, as if we were always on vacation? 

Less Snooze, More Sunshine: Our guest room overlooked the ocean facing east. We kept the curtains – and often the windows – open the entire time. Most mornings, I woke up to the sunrise and lazily enjoyed the light entering the room before starting the day. I was out of bed around 7:30, extremely energized and ready for the day. Now that I am home, I have left the curtains open overnight and embraced the early morning light.

Less Naps, More Walks: The guest room had a large balcony with comfortable outdoor furniture – sometimes TOO comfortable! Often, I would be dozing off into a sun-induced slumber. I asked myself if I wanted to spend half an hour napping, or playing on the beach searching for seashells. Every time, I decided to put on a bathing suit and head to the beach. Back home, I am exchanging naps, TV binging, and staring into my Twitter timeline for walking to my lake to check on the geese. They’ll be having goslings soon!

Less Takeout, More Dinners Out: We dined in a restaurant for lunch and dinner almost every day in Florida. One day, our plans went a bit awry. In a starved panic, we Yelped the closest restaurant and found ourself in a fantastic bistro overlooking the ocean. The view was worth a million dollars, and yet the bill – after a fantastic meal – was only about $30. When we got home, we grabbed sushi from Wegmans and ate it on the couch (glamorous!), only to realize that our takeout cost as much as our romantic date by the sea. Now, I’m trying to spend less on takeout and instead put it towards meals I can enjoy at bistros, cafes, and restaurants. The food, atmosphere, and experience will be much more enjoyable.

The list goes on. Less texting, less makeup, less television, more reading, more talking, more laughing. Can we live life happily, like every day was out of the ordinary? Lets find out!