Hello, hello! Can you guys believe that we're already towards the end of July? It seems like the summer is just whizzing by! Next weekend starts the beginning of a month of travel for me. First, I leave for the east coast to spend time with my family and friends out there for a few weeks. My hubby was already scheduled to take a trip to Philly for a weeklong class to start his Masters degree at Temple University, so it seemed like a good time for me to head east too. I'll be based at my parents' house in Jersey, but will also traveling around the state to visit in-laws and friends, heading to Philly a few times to see my hubby, and will probably visit NYC once or twice. Then, I come back to Cali for a week of normalcy before heading out to Ireland. I've never been there before ... [Read More]
healthy living
The Healthy Habits I Practice Daily
The following post is sponsored by Dandy®. If there's something that every single health professional and enthusiast in the world can agree on, I think it's that being healthy is not a destination, it's a lifestyle. It's something you have to put in the effort for each and every day. Consistently making healthy decisions makes me feel strong, capable, and confident, and it transcends into every other area of my life. Today I wanted to share some of the healthy habits that are part of my everyday routine. They're ways of life for me that make me feel vibrant and energized, and help me to be the healthiest, happiest person I can be. Let's get to it! Stretch. Stretching is something that I not only do before and after my workouts, but also on my rest days too. I think it feels ... [Read More]
A Few of My Favorite Summertime Things {Weekend Recap}
Well, it's official... I'm obsessed with watermelon strawberry smoothies again. I've made it three times in the last week, and it's seriously so refreshing! Can't stop, won't stop my friends. Besides slurping watermelon smoothies, here are some other favorite summertime things that I did this weekend: I blew up a raft and floated around in my pool. This is actually the very first time I've gone in the pool this year! We were having pool issues for a few months that finally got resolved a few weeks ago - just in time for the summer heat to arrive. Having a pool definitely requires some maintenance, and I love when I get a chance to actually enjoy it. It felt lovely to soak up the sunshine from my pool after a long hiatus. On that note, I'm definitely going to bring back ... [Read More]
WIAW + Heading South of the Border!
Happy Hump Day! We've made it through half of the work week, woohoo! I'm a bit antsy this week in anticipation of the holiday weekend. Why? Because I'm heading to Mexico for vacation! (source) This summer my hubby is turning 30, so I planned a surprise trip to celebrate the occasion. I had to tell him about it a few weeks ago, since he had to take days off of work. I decided to make a Mexican themed dinner - black bean enchiladas - and put some cute clues around hinting that we're taking a trip south of the border. It was fun and I enjoyed planning out a trip that A was clueless about. :) Now I'm just excited and very much looking forward to lots of relaxation + fun in the sun with A in Cabo San Lucas! Stay tuned for blog trip recaps, and follow me on Instagram to check out some ... [Read More]
5 Health-Conscious (& Inexpensive) Meet-Up Ideas
Hi there! How was your weekend? Mine was one of those weekends when everything seems to just align so nicely. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so I spent a lot of time outdoors. There was a nice balance of relaxing - including taking my pup to the dog beach, a leisurely Sunday brunch at home, and sunbathing for a bit by my pool - and being productive - including repainting my bedroom + trimming rose bushes & tidying up the backyard. My hubby and I even fit in a date night: a dinner picnic at the beach, followed by what was supposed to be a night at the movies. The movie wound up being sold out (minor hiccup in the night), so instead we rented The Intern via Redbox. It was a cute comedy with Anne Hathaway & Robert De Niro. Anyone else ever watch it? And speaking ... [Read More]
When You Shouldn’t Give It Your All {Weekend Recap}
Hello friends! I don't know about you guys, but a low-key weekend was much needed for me after my week last week. A couple of things with work and otherwise kind of bogged me down, and I totally needed a few days to mentally decompress a bit. Luckily, my hubby and I had only one thing on the agenda for the weekend: getting our carpets cleaned, because every time I did a pushup in recent months, I'd get a whiff of a certain someone who loves to snooze on my living room floor... While we waited for our carpets to dry, we killed time at the Del Mar dog beach. It was a beautiful day for a long walk there! There are certainly worse places to waste time. :) My weekend also included an at-home movie night, a long family walk along the coast Sunday morning, heading back to ... [Read More]