There is something lovely to be found in each season; summer makes me want to go out and enjoy the sunshine in any way I can, fall is an exciting transition where all I want to think about are the holidays, winter is a good time to cozy up; but now that we are starting to peek into spring, I am wishing it was fully here. I am loving sun, warmth and am very much anticipating cheerier weather. This transitional time of year can be challenging, and that is why my family always tries to plan a vacation for the end of January- it gives us that exciting piece that may normally be missing from this time of year.

We stayed in Maui, Hawaii, and I am so thankful that I was able to go and experience such a beautiful place. I have to say that I absolutely love flight and travel (apart from the whole occasional turbulence thing…) but other than that I am in complete heaven whilst traveling to an exotic and fun place. I will do a separate post on the trip, but for right now I will just say that the location was insanely gorgeous and we were definitely blessed with consistently spectacular weather- thank you mother nature.

I have been to Maui several times and each time have never been brave enough to go snorkeling or truly swimming in the ocean. This time, however, I was able to step out of my comfort zone and give myself a pat on the back. Even though travel has always been huge to me, in the last few years I’ve realized how much I really want to enjoy the culture and take the most from each location I am able to visit. I believe I stand with the majority when I say that I find the ocean a bit scary and intimidating. Being suddenly submerged in the unknown, I find myself in a state of ambivalence because on one hand anything daunting can be beneath you and the intimidation can make the shore sound very inviting- on the other hand, beauty and adventure can be at your fingertips and sometimes it just takes a leap of faith to explore.

I will say that if the ocean does not strike your fancy, of course you shouldn’t feel obligated to dive in. For me it was always something that I didn’t do purely because I was scared. When I can look at a situation and determine that the fear is the component stopping me- that’s when I like to see what I’m made of (within reason, of course). This was a time for change. I grabbed a boogie board and just went for it. It helped that to my left I could see 10 year old children swimming about… that’s when I realized it probably wasn’t as big of a deal as I felt it was. But anyway, I faced my fear and swam out. I can’t say I saw anything too groundbreaking, after all it was more just floating around out there keeping an eye on the waves than an actual sight-seeing excursion.

It was a lot of fun though, and I’m really glad I took the plunge. Attempting to ride in the waves was hilarious. I in no way looked like a professional, there was not much technique that I displayed- it was more just hugging the board and squeezing my eyes tight for the anticipated action. I now have my fair share of entertaining videos! But for this day, I enjoyed playing in the surf, relaxing in the sand, enjoying the ocean breezes and taking in some much needed vitamin D.

For these days, the perfect swimsuit is definitely needed. I love this baby blue one piece that brought color in a subtle way. I have to say however, when I ordered it, it didn’t look quite so low cut and I was debating not wearing it… but I loved it, and I think it’s a beautiful piece. I normally just go with a simple two piece, but this time I decided to stick with my vacation theme and step out of my comfort zone. I must say, it put a different spin on the ‘typical shoot”. I certainly had a ton of fun playing around on the beach this day, but it’s always important to choose swimwear that is comfortable and makes you feel confident.

Through experiencing new waters, I learned that I can do things I didn’t think would ever be for me. I suppose trying new things really can pay off- after all, I did have a lot of fun pretending I was a mermaid. And as the wise quote says, “life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and that is something I am trying to remind myself daily.

xx Hailey