OHEMA: QUEENLY NATURE

It's my Locaversary! It's been one full year since I started locing my hair. It's been a fun trying this new hairstyle. I treat hair like I do most things on this earth: if I don't like it and it doesn't suit me; I change it. Above is me pictured a day after I started my locs in Arlington, VA. The picture feels like it was from a lifetime ago.

Fashion Attack: Sometimes I go off A couple of weeks ago, we decided to get out of town. It was the first warm day in weeks. I rang it by wearing some of my spring staples. Shoes: purchased at a no name spot on a weekend trip to Lisbon, Portugal Bag: Kate Spade Jacket: Helmut Lang Dress: Sam and Lavi I can't believe I only have less than three months left here in Europe.

This bar takes euros and major debit/credit cards. 

Fitness to the Test: Reclaiming my Health What have I been up to? So many things. I've traveled to at least ten more countries and a number of new cities, I've celebrated a new year, and I've decided that 2016 will be the year in which I reclaim my body, hobbies and personal development. One of which is being able to re-establish a sustainable fitness and nutrition routine where I still get to eat the things I love, lift heavy weights and move more throughout my day. I am working with a coach even though we are 5000+ miles apart. With his guidance and support, I've made some real progress. Now rounding out the beginning of my 8th week, I've lost a little more than 10 pounds. I've also reclaimed more than half of my wardrobe, self-confidence, and self-love. I'll update you on some of my travels and my body recomposition in later posts. I just got back from London yesterday!

I have to update you on my other travels! Amsterdam, Antwerp, Accra, Dusseldorf, Luxembourg City, Barcelona, Athens... so much travel in the last six months.

Find them on Facebook.  

picture via  thebodynarratives.tumblr.com 

For Your Thoughts: Today, I love you. Lately, I've been thinking about what stresses me, what motivates me, what makes me feel good, what makes me feel bad, and why I choose to do certain things. Today, I love you. I love today and the opportunities it gives me to make better decisions, be a nicer person, and improve the world around me. Although, today, I also DON'T love you. This morning, one person made me doubt my capabilities, my worth, and capacity to do my work because no one had explained to me that what I was doing wasn't "correct". Those are the days I loathe. I don't expect anyone to lay at my feet and praise me but I do expect to be treated like an equal. I don't like others to set my mood for the day but once in awhile words hurt. I can't be a strong confident woman everyday. Honestly, it is tiring. Today, I'll hide in my shell for the meantime and hope that the latter half of the day is better.

Gaelen’s is a bakery located outside of Brussels, about an hour's drive. Gaelens bvba 't Walletje 12 8300 Knokke-Heist T: +32 (0)50 61 06 94 Pictured the Gebak | Macaron | Framboos

Healthy Glow Eats: Antwerp, Belgium's Chateau Blanc Chocolate Shop The Canadian Traveller blog describes Chateau Blanc as "the one stop chocolate shop. Chateau Blanc sells their own unique high quality blend of pralines made in-house while distributing the works of the best chocolatiers in Belgium like Leonidas, Godiva, Dolfin and Cafe Tasse. Visitors can get an assortment of those chocolate products and their pralines all wrapped up in a travel friendly box, in the form of chocolate diamonds or pick up a pair of unique hand shaped chocolates." After reading that, I knew I had to make it one of my stops while visiting Antwerp for the first time earlier this month. The chocolate shop is quaint and crowded. During my visit, I noticed a strange occurrence. Despite how crowded the shop was, no one left. Every customer waited patiently for their chance order there sweets. As the one shop attendant waited on the twenty or so people in front of me, it gave me more than enough time to see all of the intricately made, beautifully colored chocolates. There were prepackaged chocolates but the real fun lied in picking individual chocolates that were perfectly displayed behind a huge glass case. My favorite purchase were the individually packaged hot chocolate powder mix. The flavor is rich and not too sweet with flavor a ranging from cinnamon to caramel. The mix is perfect was to beat back the cold Belgian weather. Besides shopping, experiencing culture, boutique hopping, and enjoying the arts, this chocolate shop also needs to be on your list. Château Blanc Torfbrug 1 2000 Antwerp Belgium You can scope out their product selection, order their chocolates online and get general information: http://www.chateaublanc.biz

I would also suggest eating at Hong Kong Delight. It is the perfect low key spot for Chinese dishes. Go get a fresh fancy pastry at Charli Bakery. Get a beer at Bar des Ami.  Get a taste of latin america with a cocktail at Dona Flor Cocktails mobile bar that is usually parked right in front of  De Noordzee / La Mer du Nord.  Go visit the SC Organic market open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7:00am to 5:00pm for your fix of food and flowers in one of oldest markets in Brussels.

Recipes: Strawberry Lime Ice Cubes 🍓 One of my favorite aspects of living in Europe specifically in Brussels, Belgium is the accessibility and affordability of fresh produce, meats, and cheeses. My partner and I have tried a number of open air markets that happen in the city but our favorite is Marche du Midi. This market happens every Sunday from 8am to 2pm. The market happens week, rain or shine right outside the Midi/Zuid station. At the market there are a variety of items sold-from shoes to cheese and chicken to persimmons. It truly is amazing and affordable. For an American understanding, imagine if Costco dumped all of its goods outside in its parking lots. One of my favorite items to purchase is fruit, specifically strawberries. One can purchase three over flowing cartons for only two euro. The strawberries are some of the juiciest, bright red berries that you have ever seen. They are diverse too. The berries range from the size of an American dime coin to the size of a two Anerican quarter coins. I used to just think it was great to eat the berries plain in all of its natural goodness, but we've now expanded our berry recipe repertoire. We've made strawberry lemonade, strawberry limemade, fruit salads, strawberry muffins... But my favorite creation is our strawberry lime ice cubes. You can add them to any drink but my favorite is adding the cubes to CHAMPAGNE! Recipe Ingredients: -1 container of strawberries (or 2 cups of frozen strawberries, slightly defrosted) -1/2 cup of sugar -The juice 2 limes or lemons (1/4 cup of commercially available lime or lemon works too) Directions: Wash and hull the berries to remove the stems. Juice the lemons or limes. Add the berries, citrus juice, and sugar to a blender. Blend the berry, citrus, sugar mixture until smooth. Pour the mixture into a ice cube tray and freeze until solid, preferably overnight. Add the ice cubes to lemonade, any citrus bubbly beverage (such as Sprite), or champagne. Enjoy, you fancy devil, you.

Outfit Posts: Red with Passion My partner has a way of taking photos of me that always me feel more beautiful than I feel. One day while making our way to a day party (that eventually turned into a early morning ending at 3am party in a museum in the middle of Brussels), he took my picture. I thought I was just being silly, but he captured how I felt that day... carefree and just happy to spend a warm sunny Saturday afternoon hand and hand with my partner. I rarely can turn my mind off, stop planning, or worrying. But this Saturday, I didn't have one worry in my head. I'm looking forward to more weekends like that with him, exploring Europe. Outfit details: Hat: Zara Dress: ASOS Shoes: Target Purse: Dooney and Burke Sunglasses: Burberry

TEMPORARY Blog Retirement. I have decided to take a break from Healthy Glows for the time being. It's been fun but I haven't felt inspired for awhile. I'm hoping that in the next couple weeks I will blog with frequency, especially as I prepare to move overseas. I have three years of blog posts, some very good, some very bad, some that make me question if I was just copying and pasting (with sources), or if I was just blogging to boost readership. I'll get back to you, I promise. But, cheers to introspection, having an outlet, and doing what makes me and you happy.

Music Monday: "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) What would you change?