Hi there!

If you’ve been a reader of my blog for some time – you’ll know I usually write eczema-specific posts – but I thought I’d take the time today to introduce you to something more: my life. 

It was my birthday this past week and it’s almost been a year since I’ve been writing in this blog – so what better way to celebrate and thank you for reading my site than to introduce more about myself – including the type of lifestyle I live, things I do to keep my skin healthy, and generally – more about my life!

So without further ado, this past Wednesday, I celebrated my birthday AND 2 months of marriage! I’m possibly the newest newlywed you’ll meet on the block today 😉

On June 27 – I married my best friend. If you read my story of eczema, you’ll know that my flare up was an incredibly painful and scary time. I wasn’t sure how the flare up and pain was going to stop – I thought I was spiralling downhill with no end in sight – but somehow God provided me with a faithful man to stick with me by my side.

Meet Bryan – my husband 🙂

Bryan and I met in 2011 when I was the “new girl” who started attending his church. We started talking – and voila – things blossomed into something more.

It’s been 2 months since this wonderful man married me – and I just want to encourage you that miracles and dreams do happen! God always provides when you’re in need. 🙂

From being at the bottom of the pit almost 2 years ago – I can’t believe that 2 years later I’d be getting married at the altar! It was one of the most beautiful days of my life.

I’m not one to like attention – and it’s weird to have a party where everyone’s there for you!

We got married in Toronto, Canada at this beautiful outdoor venue in a historical village!

Our Honeymoon

We ended up going to Jamaica for our honeymoon and soaked in the sun! My skin actually dried out there – which was strange because I know the salt water is supposed to be a big help to the skin.

The best part of our honeymoon?

Finding cliffs and waterfalls and jumping off them!

I know – we’re quite the daredevils!

This was the number 1 recommended Trip Advisor spot in Jamaica 🙂

This is a bad quality photo – but I LOVED dolphin swimming and being kissed by dolphins as well! (My dream came true!) 😉

So what’s married life been like?

Not going to lie – it’s definitely been a huge adjustment!

As you know, I eat a very clean diet to maintain healthy skin (and make sure the eczema doesn’t come back), while my husband has been blessed with amazing skin without having to keep a clean diet.

It’s certainly been a challenge for him to learn how to cook clean foods and eat the way I do – but he’s learned quickly, and I’m amazed at how much he’s compromising and willing to eat so clean! (I know it’s not easy for guy, so I’m thankful for this) 😉

If you follow my instagram account – you’ll know that for breakfast, we’ll make things like vanilla chia pudding (yum!) and even start our days with a green smoothie.

We’ll also batch cook a few meals in advance – and make things like chicken with avocado and greens for lunch! (yep – loading up on the healthy fats for glowing skin) 😉

Sometimes we’ll also experiment with new recipes – like this amazing mint watermelon salad! It’s SUPER easy to make – and very delish!

We both work full time jobs and then make dinner once we’re done – so we’ve found that it gets tiring to constantly cook (even though we try to cook in batches). We’re still learning the routine of things 🙂

We’re also trying to plant our own vegetables and grow our own garden in the backyard. So far, everything’s still in its infancy and its slowly growing! But soon – we’ll have a collection of herbs (including parsley, basil, and rosemary), along with radish and many others!

What about other lifestyle adjustments?

Working out is a huge part of my life – and always has been. Unfortunately, I’ve been slacking over the last few months since the wedding – and I’m trying to get back into the groove of it. It’s an activity I really enjoy and I’m learning to put it as a priority and make time for it – since sweating is great for eczema and it’s the key to getting toxins out!

I’ve been trying to follow videos on YouTube – specifically Lionsgate BeFit videos since they’re so great and a lot of them are 30 minutes long! Other times I’ll go for a run outside.

Another thing we’ve had to adjust in our lifestyle is sleep!

Sleep is huge for us.

We never lived together before getting married – but when we were dating, there were times we’d sleep in the same room on different beds, and I’d keep scratching all night that it would wake him up (and trust me – he’s a deep sleeper)!

This was one of my biggest worries – that even though most of my eczema had significantly healed, I was scared to unconsciously scratch at night and wake him up! So he uses ear plugs sometimes (or either he’ll sleep through it) – and we find that it works most (but not all!) of the time.

(Readers – what works for you guys? Feel free to share in the comments below if you have strategies or ideas that work for you.)

And last but not least…here’s me working away in our new home – checking reader’s emails, eating vanilla chia pudding, and blogging away 🙂

Thank you for reading this post! I hope this post has allowed you to get to know me more. It’s been a pleasure celebrating my birthday with my readers and I’m thankful for all the emails I receive from you guys! I get inspired when I know that my blog content is able to help you 🙂

If you have any other questions about me, eczema, or even my lifestyle – message me! 🙂

Love,

Abby (& Bryan!)

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P.S. Check out my resource page for a full list of Products I Love!

Biography

Abby is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who helps clients achieve optimal health. She is passionate about seeing people use health and nutrition to transform lives. She hopes that her experiences and knowledge can help educate others on natural remedies that will help eczema. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube for more updates!