One of my besties just got engaged this past weekend and I could not be more excited for her and her fiancee. When she called me Saturday night, I was over a friend’s place getting ready to go out for a late dinner. When she screamed, “I’M ENGAGED!” I thought I was gonna pee my pants and cry all at the same time. I knew an engagement was coming but I just didn’t realize it would be so soon.

Check out her bling!

Although I am 100% happy for her, the poor boy is worried that I am feeling left out from all the excitement and that I would be yearning for a proposal soon. I can understand his concerns and I do admit to feeling a bit jealous, but that emotion is fleeting and true happiness for a friend is lasting.

Any good news lately?

xoxo,
h

I know I’ve harped alot about my fitness goals lately but I have really let myself go in terms of my goals to stop scratching. My eczema has been acting all out of whack in the past few months. It has been breaking out on my arms and face (which is one area that it never was before.) The frustration has been building and building because I can’t pinpoint the reason for the outbreaks. I’ve looked into my diet, laundry detergent, beauty products, etc and nothing has changed. My boyfriend said something last night to me to clicked (non-verbatum):
“You can’t change the situation, but you can change how you handle the situation.”

I am fully resolved to not let my eczema take over my life. I am going to lotion even more than usual, use my prescription cream as needed, stop and think about the consequences if I scratch when I am itchy, and ONLY rub lightly if the itch is a 10.

Have you had any challenges in your life? How did you overcome them?

xoxo,
h

In life, some people will never be happy or content no matter what circumstances are thrown at them. I am so lucky to have wonderful parents (who still drive me crazy!), a fantastic boyfriend who loves me unconditionally, a healthy body that can take me from point A to point B, and a warm cozy bed. No matter what happens, I know I am one of the lucky ones… especially with my upcoming vacation to the Bahamas in May

Do you ever take your life for granted? If so, how do you change your outlook?

xoxo,
h

Yesterday morning I was affronted by this in the office kitchen!

Chocolate raspberry cake at 9 AM! Whose idea of a sick joke is this?! I went back an hour later and the entire cake was gone. Who has chocolate cake at 9 AM?! Who am I kidding? That was me before my health kick. And then today was the company’s monthly birthday celebration with:

Now this is getting a bit out of hand! But one thing I have to say is that – I am not as tempted as I thought I would be! Maybe my body is getting used to the healthy food, now that junk is officially out of my system for a week.

Any temptations you have encountered? How did you deal with it?

xoxo,
j

I’ve taken up running – well really jogging but let’s pretend! – lately and I’ve been doing better than I expected. The first week I could barely do a full lap around the track and now by week three, I completed 4 laps which is one full mile without stopping! My fitness goals really do change week to week. My new goal is to be able to do a full 5K run without stopping. Here’s to new goals and new accomplishments.

Any new fitness goals you want to share?

xoxo,
h

Ever have a friend that consistently cancels dates that have been preplanned for days and weeks? I have one and I’m sure you do too. I had planned a Sunday brunch with a couple of my close girlfriends over 2 weeks ago. Yesterday, one friend emails us and says that she may be out of town this weekend and asks if we can push the brunch back one week? Normally, I can understand if an unexpected event comes up but this planning process has taken us over 2 months and each time, she has cancelled or backed out. I don’t expect anyone to cancel their plans and make special time just for me so if you are busy, I can understand. But saying you’re free and cancelling last minute is rude and disrespectful. I take the time out of my schedule to meet up so a friend should respect that and understand the simple rules of etiquette.

Anyone have similar experiences to me? How did you deal with it?

xoxo,
h

After eating a snack, I generally leave my plate on the counter until dinner time which is no more than an hour. This saves on time and natural resources such as water. The boy does not agree and some people find this little habit dirty as germs will grow on the plate.

What do you think? Is saving a plate for future use (30 minutes later) dirty or is he just being a clean freak?

xoxo,
h

I was in the dressing room at Forever 21 the other day with my girlfriend. As I’m trying on a dress, a little girl peeked under the door at me. My girlfriend laughed and I did too. I mean she was only 5 and probably curious about who was next to her.

Ever encounter a situation that made you uncomfortable? How did you handle it?

xoxo,
h

I love shoes. Can you tell? Check out my new love. (Excuse my robe and dry winter legs)

Do you love them as much as I do?

xoxo,
h