Living Life.

Ever since I started HLC I set out on a serious mission. To actually practice what I was preaching! Living Healthy, Living Life, Living Free. Three very easy (or seemingly easy) rules to live by to live a full, happy, healthy and regret free life. Right? Add in a blog for accountability purposes and Ta-Da!

In the 9 months of my transition I have hit several high and low points (I am human after all) but the biggest thing was that I am sticking to it! Do I blog all the time? No. Do I benge eat or do crazy diets? No. Do I exercises every day? Not close. However. Do I eat healthier and make better food choices? Yes. Do I guilt myself for having dessert? No. Do I exercise regularly? Yes.

It's all about your perspective and your ambition. Setting realistic goals and reminding yourself that it's okay to go at it on your rules and at your pace. It doesn't matter if your blog doesn't look as cool as others you read, it's not about how many followers you have, how often you post, if you don't count calories, join a gym, follow a workout routine or if you only run 3 days a week.

Do it for YOU. Do what makes YOU happy.

Alright well, enough beating around the bush...

In the part of living free and figuring out a way to help my goals for this chapter of living a healthy lifestyle I made a bucket list...yes, a bucket list. I made one years back in an old journal and every once in awhile when I stumble upon it I have been able to add the dates to the events after I cross it off the list and that feeling, as quick and seemingly nonimportant makes me so happy and feel accomplished.

A bucket list doesn't have to necessarily be these HUGE events, they can be small goals or dreams that you set out to obtain. It can be a vision board you visually see everyday, a small checklist you check often, anything you wish to make it.

Mine is simply an updated list from my old list I made in 2003. Once I accomplish something from the list, I take a photo (if applicable) and write an entry about it. Like my latest accomplishment on my bucket list.

I wanna know: If YOU had a bucket list, what would be on it?

Britt The HLC

HLC goes Blonde.

Literally.

After years and years (well, okay 9) of asking or offering to let me try going blonde, I took Evan up almost as a dare or "yeah, that'd be fun for summer" thing and I have to say....I'm totally liking this.  I've always thought of trying to go drastic from my dark hair, I mean I was blonde the first 3 years of my life and was pretty cute. I can rock an auburn do with burgundy highlights like no other especially with short hair.

This time around though I put complete faith in a long time friend who also happens to be my stylist and for once (she told me last time to lose some weight before I chop my hair so short, ha) she said "Let's try it out" so off I went after Megans wedding to get my hair chopped off and to lighten my hair a shade or two (since I have no desire to go full blonde in one day). When I got to the salon though we decided to do all over highlights and low lights and test it out for a month. Again, I love it. I'm super excited to go back and get more blonde put in and test it out for the summer. The old me would never take such a bold risk, let alone feel so confident simply over a hair cut.

So far I've gotten positive feedback and only my mothers semi "ohh, well, that's new". I even ran into an ex at the grocery store and he didn't know who I was!!! (which was awesome)

What do YOU think?

Here we go!

Rockin' the foil...

Goodbye 6 inches!!!

TA Da!

Hmmmm

Oh Yeah!

Have you ever taken a risk with your appearance to make yourself feel good?

Living Free,
Britt the HLC

8 months later....

8 months ago I made a choice.

I made myself a priority. I put my health, my happiness, my self esteem and my well being into prospective. I started making different and new types of sacrifices, I got educated, got focused, got involved with activities that helped motivate me. I let go of unhealthy friendships and relationships and in the process have met some amazing new friends and connections.

I still have a way to go to reach some personal goals but after 8 months...



I am HAPPY. I am HEALTHY. I am FREE.

1st time I have EVER felt good in a dress in almost 6 years!

My amazing Husband, so supportive and inspiring with his own journey to living healthy.(42lbs down)

This is what HLC is all about.

I was in a friends wedding this weekend and during the whole process of helping her plan and make this wedding happen I noticed a lot of differences in the old me verses the new me. The old me would never have agreed to wear a dress like these. I would have requested being covered head to toe and in something not flesh colored. The shoes were also foreign to me with towering heels, bright glitter and a lot of sex appeal. (pain, oh they were painful to wear). The old me would have cried over how insecure I felt and would have been miserable the entire day. Not happy, smiling and feeling amazing in front of a church full of people. The old me would have headed for the wine and cake at the reception and sat in the far corner of the room with a plate full of food; not skip them both and just enjoy being with friends. Oh the old me would have been miserable and left early and felt guilty days later.

Little changes, results from little choices have truly made me who I am today and I am so amazed that I have let 8 months go by and I'm still sticking with this! I'm happy. I'm truly happy and I'm learning that the old me was focused and dwelt on the wrong priorities and used every excuse to not look at herself in the mirror and face the music on how bad she was treating herself.

It's not about the weight, in fact, the less I dwell on it, the easier it is to lose (14lbs down). The less I worry about all the non important keys of losing weight and gaining confidence the more happy I am in my own skin. The more confidence I have and the more I realize how truly blessed I am.

Have you ever had an "aha!" moment about yourself?

April Running Mix

I'm excited about this months running mix, lots of new music and stuff I am currently loving. Yes, a lot is from the Hunger Games soundtrack. :)


Aprils Running Mix:

1. Abrahams Daughter- Arcade Fire
2. Paddling Out- Mike Snow
3. Free- Ben Kweller
4. I run to you- Lady Antebellum
5. Let the waters rise- Mikeschair
6. I Believe in a thing called love- The Darkness
7. We are young- FUN
8. Cough Syrup- Glee Cast
9. Just a game- Birdy (I'm currently obsessing with her)
10. Rules- Jayme Dee
11. Wild Ones- Flo Rida (featuring Sia)
12. Carry me to the cross- Kutless

Tell me, who are you listening to these days?

Body Image Tuesday

I haven't done one of these posts in awhile, yikes. Quite awhile.

I love how honest I can be here, like my little domain of truth and honesty that I block off my negative thoughts and excuses from that I find myself bickering with internally everyday. You all know what I am talking about, don't deny it.

So true story......

I've gained 13lbs. Oh yeah, out of nowhere I'd say but at the same time...I've slacked off big time with my normal regime of eating better, sleeping more and not drinking soda. Add in I'm on 2 new medications and there you have it. 13lbs.

I will also say  that despite this little news shocker, I'm totally OKAY with it. I'm not crying about it, feeling guilty or down. I feel great about how I look and yes, I can tell in some of my newer clothes that I need to get back to my healthier eating and living habits but it's just a different stand point than I used to do when I gained a bit of weight or suddenly couldn't seem to lose weight.

I have accepted who I am and what my body looks like and no longer having the stress of those unrealistic thoughts and weight goals has been such a sweet relief and an amazing turn around for me!!

Don't get me wrong though, it's spring. My butt will be in the gym more and running more with the warmer temps, not too mention....swimsuit season? Hello!

At Cracker Barrel, my one weakness for food.

It's safe to say that for me, Healthy living has become a bit different than I once thought and scoffed about it being. 8 months of little changes have had a HUGE impact on my self image, my food knowledge and even friendships. It's not about the number on the scale, what you eat or don't eat, how often or not often you work out....it's just about making the attempt, finding what works for you and trying new things before quitting and NEVER losing focus on your goals.

What works for you?

Britt The HLC

Keep Calm and Run on!

I promise I will do my picture post tomorrow, I had a few other ideas requested of me and I think I'll also tag a few fellow blogger to try this picture post game out. :)

I must say I feel a little spoiled with the weather lately, yes, it just rained 4 days in a row but it was never severe and it came and went and just made the weekend super mellow. Today it was sunny and 81*, oh yeah...loving the spring like weather.

Tomorrow after we drop off the cuppycake at MDO, Evan and I will be driving to McKinney to pick up our race packets for Saturdays race in Dallas. I'm excited to go to the RunOn! store since I'm kinda following them and their race events and PLAN on buying new running shoes from them in the next 2 weeks. Do you guys have RunOn! stores near you? I'm telling you, you MUST check out their website and see how much they can offer you as a runner. Clicky Clicky! I'm also taking donations from people who love me to help me get this shirt.

My next few 5ks will be run from this awesome site. Skipping the July one since well..it's Texas. July in Texas? NO THANK YOU! I'd keel over by the time I hit the finish line. What ways do you find your races from?

I must admit, well, okay let's back that train up....I must CONFESS that I have not been running hardly at all. I hate to make excuses but seriously, every time I start to run or warm up my foot starts to kill me. Even with the ice pack/heat pack and night brace treatment, my Plantar Fasciitis flares up more now than it did before the Hot Chocolate 5k. My x-rays showed no heel spur and the tendon has healed but it just seems that once I start to run, the same stabbing and shooting pain hits me and I'm limping again.

I know my shoes are to blame, I've had them for 2 years and have trained close to 200 miles in them. I also do not want to make the same mistake in buying my next pair, which is why for my birthday, Evan is letting me get fitted and matched up for the right pair of running shoes. An investment well worth it in my opinion. However, that will not be happening before this Saturdays race which is already paid for so I can't flake out now. :(

I'll be crying I know but at least I won't come in last. *rolls eyes* so mature, right?!

Anyone else have a similar injury? Treatment? advice? I'm all ears on this subject, my doctor swears it's what it is and I don't doubt him, but with little to help cure it or make it stay gone other than NOT running...I feel totally in the dark.

I miss Running. I find it funny for me to say that now. Anyone who knows me can attest that before 2010, I was NOT a runner. Nope, not me, no thank you! I never thought of myself being one, never liked the idea of it in Volleyball or PE growing up and thought people were crazy to pay money to torture themselves on a perfectly nice day to sit on the couch and be lazy!!!

Oh, OH, how misguided I was. There is just something about that first 10min mile, your first completed 5k, the people you meet, the sense of belonging you get, the pure joy of breaking a sweat, the honks from strangers telling you "yeah, you look good.", how good you feel after a run, how motivated you get, how relaxing it can be, how distracting it is yet it also allows you to clear your mind and just escape the world. Not to mention your first race t-shirt (like a badge of honor), your first pair of REAL running shoes, the re-caps, swag and goodies you get just from doing what you LOVE to do. I mean, how many other hobbies out there reward you as much as running can/does?

I WANNA KNOW: What do you get out of running? What got you started?

-Britt The HLC

Getting to know you!

Alright, Life has been beyond crazy and my emotions are everywhere. I haven't felt like blogging much about it and if I do, it will more than likely be on the family blog. Just giving a heads up since I know I have been slacking on the family blog and devoting more time with the HLC.

So I have this fun idea for a post, however, it requires YOUR input. Yep, it's a group effort for this to play out and I think it'll help me get creative and inform you of who I am and what it's like to be me all at once. I've done this a few times on my old Xanga (Is it still around?!) I also did it on the family blog a few years ago.

Picture Post Game!

Comment below with what you'd like me to photo and post on my next entry. Be creative, be simple, but most importantly, don't be afraid to ask!!
A few samples:
"What's inside your fridge?"
"Where do you like to relax?"
"Whats for dinner?"

etc. etc. You get it, just think of something you'd like for me to share via picture. It's super fun so give it a try!

What are you waiting for?
-Britt The HLC

March Madness!!

No, this is NOT a post about basketball. Your safe, I promise.

It's only 5 days into March and I have been split in so many places I feel like I'm literally spinning. With that said, I shouldn't be sitting here updating you with mundane news on the blog when I have 2 places I should be other than sitting on my rear typing.

Thursday was my Birthday, Yep March 1st is a cool day to be born I must say...with it also being a leap year I got an extra day to stay 26, something that when I was younger, I hated! Now, I'm very much okay being younger a little longer.

So the big 27 I am.

Evan let me sleep in a little while he took Avery to MDO, from there I enjoyed some quiet time before we got ready and drove to Frisco to enjoy The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Right as we were about the leave the house came a delivery, a very delicious delivery!!!

Yep, I got an edible arrangement from Evans parents. My in-loves are amazing!

We stood in the kitchen munching on fruit before Evan reminded me there was Cheesecake waiting for me. So off we went.

I know they have good food but I am a huge sucker for their little flat bread pizza, preferably the Mhargarita

So light, so good, and low calorie!

After we ate our lunch we went to the task of choosing our Cheesecake. My birthday tradition is I always get a pineapple upside down cake. My grandfather always made me one and after he passed away Evan took over the tradition. Another one is I get cheesecake instead of cake for my birthday so when I found out that they offered a Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake.....well.....I was stoked!

Sooooooooooooooo Good. Like, bigger than good. Amazing. The perfect balance of both my Birthday traditions and in one slice! Score.

From there we headed back to Denton to pick up Avery from MDO and then I had to go to work. Evan had suprised me with taking the day off to be with me so he got to tag along and see what I do every afternoon. It was 81* and perfect outside so we changed into play clothes with the girls and headed to the park to enjoy some sunshine.

Cuppycake & I.

My friend Megan kept Avery when she got home and Evan and I headed to his parents house where we waited for his dad to get home and then headed to Mr. Chopsticks for my birthday dinner. Chicken pad thai, avacado rolls and edamame = BLISS. Once we were done there we headed to the Square where we walked off our dinner before getting some ice cream from Beth Marie's. I love that place so much but when I saw they had my summer favorite as a permanent flavor I squealed with delight. (Literally) Bee's Nees ice cream which is lavender and honey. Wish I had taken a picture to share but I didn't pause once it was in my hand to share it with anyone. :)

Very much a nice Birthday this year, laid back and full of food. I still have half a basket of fruit in the fridge!

QUESTION: What Traditions do you have?

Hubby Moment #13579

My Hubby, Evan. He gets me. He knows just the thing I need to hear sometimes or when humor is needed to un serious a situation or thought process I'm in. How precious he is and blessed I am. So to honor him and share in our "Dorkness" I have decided to add a few random convos between us in a post here and there and dub them "Hubby Moments".

Hubby Moment #13579

Me:  (Giving the pouty look in the Dr. office) "Seriously?"
Evan:  "What? Did we forget something in the car?"
Me:  "Look, I've gained 2.3lbs since last month!"
Evan: "You mean you've added 2.3lbs of sexy ladyness to yourself!" *purrs* (then realizes the nurse is still in the room with us) "Er..I mean, you mean you've added...2lbs of AWESOME to yourself? I could have told you that. Keep it!"

LOL

He turned beet red and looked at a magazine while the nurse went on with my vitals, she was snickering at him and trying to keep it together. When she left the room he smacked my leg with the magazine.

Evan: "Why didn't you tell me she was still in the room!?"
Me: "Excuse me? Last I checked your eyes worked fine"
Evan: "Obviously since I was staring at your butt and thought you were getting at me for it and not paying attention to who or what was going on!!!"

When the Dr. came in she said Hi to him and as she shook his hand she said "So you like the ladies who have Awesome, I hear?"

His beet red face was priceless and we all got a giggle out of it.

I'm so excited!

*Cue horrible 80's music*



That's not fair, I love 80's music and it's not all THAT bad....



I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
And I know I know I know I know I know I want you

We shouldn't even think about tomorrow
Sweet memories will last for long long time
We'll have a good time, Baby, don't do worry
And if we're still playin' around boy that's just fine.





Update later for the reveal!


 

See, I'll even share a picture of my excited face.

Actually, Avery took this at random during lunch yesterday and I just found it on my phone haha.

Happy Tuesday,

Britt The HLC

Dear Self....

I was recently on a cleaning spree with Evan when I came across a box of letters and photos from high school. I sat for awhile laughing at some of the letters to friends I wrote, magazine clippings of Jake Gylenhal, Josh Hartnett and my geek crush Josh Groban when I found a CD with my senior pictures on it....

            

90's perm                                                 Age 10                                                    Just smile.

To be honest, looking at my younger pictures is hard for me. I hardly had friends and in the majority of them I have 1 of 2 looks, one where I have this huge false smile on my face and the other where I look sad or upset with having a camera in my face. My how that seems like a lifetime ago.....

Just before I started my Senior year, I had a breast reduction surgery that truly was what I wanted. Besides the fact that I needed to lose weight and I had medical issues due to the weight I was. I  wanted to fit in, I wanted to feel pretty and accepted, I wanted to be healthy and stay in school without constantly being sent home due to my medical issues.

To sum up a sad and pointless story....I had my Senior pictures re-done in Feb of my senior year and the pictures were Amazing. I was smiling in them, I was posing and not hiding myself, I even had my best friend be in a few with me. I look so relaxed and just comfortable and I didn't cry about them to my mom. I remember printing so many of them out and handing them out to people I knew and even Evan, who was a sweet friend of mine with no romantic feelings yet surfaced. I think that stage of my youth I felt good in my skin for the first time and started to make my way into the world with my head high and yet...I still felt overweight, I felt "Fat".

So there I was, sitting in my fave pj's, no make-up on, hair in a messy bun laughing at these pictures with my husband and proclaiming "GOD, look how thin I am!! Look at my skin! I want to be this thin again..." and internally scoffing at my younger self for being so silly and for thinking I wasn't beautiful or worth much. It doesn't take much to feel good about yourself....believe me. It's a process, a journey you hate at first and then even more when you realize...YOUR PERFECT AS YOU ARE!

I know we all do this to ourselves on bad days, I know people struggle with it. Lord knows I did a lot growing up pretty much until I turned 18 and started dating Evan. But once I realized I was beautiful for a multitude of reasons and a lot of them being on the inside....I let my true self show and that's attractive. I also think Evan saved me from myself....he saved me from a dangerous place in my life and he did it by starting off as my friend and by telling me flat out the choices I was making in my life were making me ugly. He wasn't the only one back then who had said as much to me but he was the one whose voice caught my attention. How I love him for that hard conversation. (long back story for that to make sense, sorry)

Still though, when you feel good about yourself it shows in so many GOOD ways and when you love someone who allows you to be yourself and brings the best of you out....you just get more attractive when you embrace who you are.

So to my Self (Past, Present & future):

-ALWAYS REMEMBER-

You are Beautiful. You may not feel it everyday, you may not act it on occasion but trust me. You are perfect the way you are. You are a woman capable of obtaining any goal you set before yourself. You are an amazing wife to a man who adores you for everything you are and a mom to one outstanding little girl who also brings out the best of you. BE PATIENT with her and remember to remind her always that she is beautiful by being unique in her individuality. Remember that diets only make you cranky, water is your friend and the gym makes you feel like a rock star so don't be so afraid of it. Running in the early morning suits you best because you get to clear your head and get a good quiet time in too. The scale lies, it always has and you realized this at 22 so don't bother going by it, in fact keep on not allowing them in your home all together. Your a strong christian who has a brilliant smile and contagious laugh to go with your awesome sense of humor. You choose to be positive rather than negative about things and your friends find you to be loyal and always there when they need you. You love musicals and British movies, your a history geek and a foodie at heart (you caught the microwave on fire, who does that?!) and you still believe you will be able to convince your husband to eat and love tofu. You are creative and crafty when you don't talk yourself out of doing something along those lines, you also tend to second guess yourself entirely too much. You are doing good for yourself by realizing your worth it and so is your family. Keep it up!!!

Something New

So I had a funny discussion with Evan about how much money we are wasting a month by NOT going to the gym. We hate wasting anything but money is a HUGE thing we cling to when we can. With 2 huge trips in  motion this year I definitely do not want to waste a penny!!

So I got up this morning and took myself to the gym. And am now feeling the effects of not going. I also forgot how good it always feels when you leave the gym a sweaty mess.

 I think I am more sore from trying out the Zumba2 fitness on my friends wii yesterday too. 45minutes and 228 calories later I was achy, sweaty and panting for breath!!! LOVE IT! Since I take care of her daughter after school I'll be able to do this Zumba everyday for an hour. SCORE.

Fun music and the belt holds the controller so it can sense if your movements match the dancer. Needless to say I didn't score high but I still got a workout. Anyone else try it?

Hopefully, I get myself out the door in the morning and go for a real jog, cold weather be danged, it's time to get my winter body out that door!

How Rude!! (Rant)

Recently I was chatting with a friend through messenger whom I haven't talked to in a LONG time. We'll call her "Rude Friend" or RF for short. After a pleasant 15 minutes of catching up with one another RF made a comment about how good I looked these days. "You know Britt, you look better now than you did in high school and most women after they have kids really let themselves go which has been a fear of mine."
okay.....I should mention that RF is currently pregnant with her first child,
So I laughed her comment off and thanked her. She asked me how much I had lost since having Avery and I was honest in telling her that I lost close to 42lbs but I gained back 30 of it and am trying to get to a healthy average for my body type.

RF:"Oh, wow. That's awesome. Wait, don't you have a "Healthy Living" blog or something I saw on FB?"
Me: "Yes, I have 2 blogs I maintain for fun."
RF: "Don't you think it's wrong to promote a lifestyle you're not doing good at?'
Me: "What do you mean by that?"
RF: "I just mean, and don't take this wrong but I mean like, you're still overweight...how can you blog about living healthy when you obviously are not doing anything to change your weight and stuff...like, I guess I haven't seen you really doing anything other than a few pictures of you in workout stuff and I know you told _____ about doing a 5k soon"
Me: "That's a little rude, we haven't seen each other in almost 3 years since you guys moved away and you just got done saying how much better I look now than in high school? Have you read my blog at all?"
RF: "No, I just saw your FB page about it..sorry..I mean I guess I just don't understand why you'd put yourself out there like that when you don't look.....I dunno how to word it without it sounding horrible...you get what I mean though, right?"
Me: "No, not really."

At this point I was kinda disgusted with the entire conversation and used Avery as an excuse to leave the chat. Am I wrong or was she way out of line?!

*Hops on soapbox*
Look folks, I know I am no skinny minnie and guess what, I'm NEVER going to be one. Don't have a desire to be either since my entire life I've always been a little bigger than most girls. I have hips, I have boobs, God gave them to me because he knew I could handle it. Granted, I got rid of some of the boobs thanks to surgery but I still have more than most. It took me sadly, years to figure out I was perfectly fine the way I looked. I embrace my body as MINE and so what if I have a pouch or stretch marks from having a child or I don't look like a VS runway model. My husband loves me as I am, my daughter looks up to me looking the way I do and I feel good in this body! I let way too many people put me down in my teen years for not being or looking like a certain type. I was bullied for years and it robbed me of some good oppourtunities in life and if my blog can help someone out there see that it's okay to be who they are as long as they feel good just by making healthy living choices everyday then I've succeeded in my goal for this blog.
-End Rant

I've never claimed this blog was an entire thing on losing weight, it's part of my Healthy Living journey/transition sure, but is it my main focus and what this blog is for? Not even close. If you read my blog (the few awesome people you are) then you'll recall one of my earliest entries was how I am not Promoting losing weight or diet fades....not going to find it here...

Healthy Living Chick represents 3 key things....
Living Healthy- Exercises, eating healthy, making healthy choices daily, switching one bad habit with a healthy alternative, cooking smarter, educating yourself etc.
Living Life- I'm a wife and a mommy, I'm balancing those two jobs with a little me time mixed in with a part time job...I'm busy!
Living Free- Accepting and acknowledging who you are and being happy with that! God made us individuals for a darn good reason and thanks to societys sick standards girls and woman (men too) these days feel the need to be in a certain stereo type or body type to feel desired or accepted and it's just not right. Embrace your curves, love your flaws and remember that you can be healthy and happy without being miserable or unhappy.

 Whatever happened to the Disney rule of thumb? "If you can't say nothing nice, don't say anything at all?"

-HLC

...Then it happened....

I hope you all had a great weekend. I am enjoying the roller coaster that is known at Texas weather with highs and lows all over the place. This weekend was very pleasant though and I regret not getting to run during it but E and I took A to a concert on Saturday to support and watch a dear friend perform in a band he's in. Check out Sleeperstar on iTunes!! Or go here http://sleeperstar.com/ (shameless plug for the ones I love.)




So today I had a realization that has probably taken me 15 years to figure out and in the most bizarre place I could ever think of it to happen. While standing on the scale. I almost put revelation, but it's not a revelation when it's been kind of clear as day to anyone who knows me. The last 6 weeks have been both hard and overall amazing for me. I'm eating healthier, I'm exercising more, I'm taking time for ME! Something I hardly ever allowed myself without feeling guilty. The results are a few pounds lost, more confidence in myself, less stress and way more energy than I've had in years and so so much more personally for me.

My goals seem attainable without outside help or motivation. I love running and going into the gym and even when I have my weird inner self confidence issues on how I look to others or go through my closet 3 times over to find something I'm comfortable in and making sure it's not a t-shirt EVERYDAY with my comfy jeans...it's not riddled with anxiety and panic.


I've accepted who I am on the outside and guess what...
I'M BEAUTIFUL.

(A took this pic of me on sat., my 2 year old is too smart)

I also have to just say to you, sweet reader that you are, that you are also BEAUTIFUL. I wish that we as a society had never put titles or labels on people or made beauty based on a number or a size. I've wasted so much life by worrying about those petty things. I've cried too many tears over it and my childhood was full of wayyyy too many bullies that I allowed to have power over me because I was just a different kind of beautiful, one that is suggested not to be accepted by people and for what reason?

So I embrace my stretch marks, my calves rock and I know some who wish they had my bust. My hair is awesome and my smile is cherished by my hubby and sweet daughter. I'm happy. I'm healthy and it's only getting better the more I allow myself to see and believe this.

I can only hope and pray you see this in yourself as well.

Stay Healthy!

HLC :)