Tuesday, June 26, 2018

How We Wore It | Back to Basics

Going strooooooong with the How We Wore It series this year and I'm proud of us for it! For the month of June, we are sharing the most classic of all the outfits: white tee & denim. It really doesn't get more classic than that, right?
I was really excited about doing this outfit this month because when my mom was here, we went shopping at the Aurora Farms Outlets and I got the cutest white tee with a little ruffle detail on the sleeve from LOFT. It's adorable! This was the first time I'd ever set foot in LOFT and I was blown away. I always thought it was above me and out of my league, ya know? Like I couldn't afford such a luxurious store! But the outlet was full of beautiful clothing and we really scored in the clearance section which was even better! Since this top I'm wearing is from the clearance section of the outlet, I couldn't find it online. However, I've linked to some darling & affordable white tops that have special details to make them not just your standard white tee.


My favorite thing about this top is that it's simple, yet the ruffle detail on the sleeve makes it unique. As soon as I saw it, I knew I needed it. My mom got one, too! #twins

Be sure to check out my friend's posts, too! They are lovely, as usual :). I'm lucky to have such awesome friends to blog with and be inspired by! I love these ladies and this series we've created so much!




Here are a few other things that I am crushing on from LOFT. It's my new favorite store!


Hat (old but similar one here) & capris are from Target.


Thanks for stopping by, lovelies! You da best <3. 

xoxo, Chelan

Friday, June 22, 2018

Our Magical Trip to Harry Potter World in May 2018

Parker got to go to a dermatology conference in Florida in May and as soon as I heard that they booked out The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios for part of the conference I knew that I had to tag along. How could I not, right? My boss was gracious enough to give me time off to go with Parker because she knew how much I love HP and I am so grateful because our time at Harry Potter World was literally some of the happiest hours of my life and I'm not exaggerating at all.
As soon as we landed in Orlando, Parker got an email saying that food and an open bar would be included at the park which we were super surprised by. We were pretty skeptical thinking that there was no way that butterbeer would be included in that open bar because they had to make money somehow, right? Especially since our tickets to the event were so inexpensive at $25 a person. We were fully prepared to spend the rest of the money that we would have on tickets to Universal on butterbeer alone. After riding the free shuttle to the back entrance of the park we walked the little way left to the entrance of Hogsmeade and as soon as I heard the music I started to get emotional. It truly is a magical place!

First things first, butterbeer! There was a butterbeer cart near the entrance and we walked directly up to it to get in line behind another HP World goer. To our utter astonishment, they were handed their butterbeer and walked away without paying. IT WAS FREE! My eyes started watering some more because butterbeer was freaking free! I remember thinking over and over again, "Is this real life?"


We each had 6 butterbeers (enough to make ourselves sick but oh so worth it) and were able to pretty much walk onto the rides because the lines were nonexistent. The Hogwarts Express was also available to us all evening long so that was a fun attraction that we hadn't been able to do the first time we went to Universal back in 2015. Walking through all the shops was another highlight because the attention to detail in that place is absolutely incredible. It really is like you're transported into a different world. The included dinner was delicious and super filling (or maybe that was the multiple butterbeers I was chugging while simultaneously eating dinner). I had my wand with me and gosh I just can't stop smiling while typing this. I wish I could just relive those 3 hours over and over again.
We were both equally as exhausted as we were happy at the end of the night and fell asleep quickly with overfull bellies and smiles on our faces. What an adventure!

Have you been to Harry Potter World? If not, you need to put it on your bucketlist ASAP! And don't forget to try the butterbeer! We prefer it frozen!

xoxo, Chelan


Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Current Favorite Workout

I don't like to know when I'm exercising. That's one of the many reasons I love dancing. It's a killer workout, but it's fun so you don't feel like you're actually working out. Creative Motion Studios, the studio I work at, has some adult dance and fitness classes and at the beginning of this year, they added a PiYo class into the schedule. I took that class every Tuesday night and it was honestly the highlight of my week. So what is PiYo you ask? It's a combination of pilates and yoga and even though it's a workout, it's super fun and keeps me engaged so I'm not in my head or checking the clock the whole time. The PiYo class has been replaced by Strengthen and Lengthen (heavily inspired by PiYo) and it's on Tuesdays at 7:30-8:30 if any of you people are in the Northeast Ohio area and want to join us! It's a blast and we have the BEST cooldown/stretch at the end of class, hence the 'lengthen' part of the name, that makes you feel like a million bucks. Come take your first class at the studio for free!

If you can't make it to CMS to take the class, you should try the YouTube video below at home. It's a pretty good representation of the PiYo/S & L class that we do each week. One of the things I love most about Strengthen and Lengthen is that I am always sore in all the right places the next day. It makes me feel like I worked really hard!

Another component that we added into the class that wasn't exactly in the PiYo curriculum were resistance bands. They add a whole new element and make you feel like your muscles are screaming... but in the best way! Pinterest has a bajillion band exercises for glutes. I personally love the lying clam raises and glute bridges. Feel. The. Burn!



And while we're at it, why not throw in some music that I'm currently loving for exercising. Pretty sure I got all of these from my mom and everyone else probably already knows them but just for fun:

Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld
I Like Me Better by Lauv
Getting Closer by NEW CITY
All My Life by DallasK
Answerphone by Banx & Ranx, Ella Eyre, Yxng Bane
Alien by Sabrina Carpenter, Jonas Blue
More than Friends by James Hype, Kelli-Leigh
False Alarm by Matoma, Becky Hill (an older song but never gets old to me)
How To Love (Boombox Cartel Remix) by Cash Cash, Sofia Reyes

Do you have any songs I should add to my list? And what's your favorite workout right now? I've also been really loving just going on long walks since it's so nice outside these days.

Thanks for stopping by today, y'all! I really appreciate it so much!

xoxo, Chelan


Monday, June 18, 2018

Favorite Summer Recipe | Pasta Salad

Pass-da pasta salad (if you're Canadian, you'll see what I did there). I have really struggled lately with cooking. I'll have an on week and then an off week. One week I'll cook every night and then the next I won't cook at all. Ramen for everyone!

But there are a few meals that we seem to have on repeat at our house and this is one of them. It's my Aunt Brenda's Summer Pasta Salad and it is my favorite.


Ingredients:
Pasta - I usually use Rotini or Elbows
Grated or cubed cheddar cheese
Dill Pickles
Bell Peppers
Cucumbers
Celery
Bacon
Chicken
Ranch Dressing
BBQ sauce


I'm not going to walk you through the steps of making it... You just cook the pasta, cut up all the veggies (however much you want of each), bacon, and cheese. Cook the chicken however you like - I usually buy tenderloins and pop them in the oven with some olive oil and lemon pepper. Use one part Ranch and one part BBQ sauce and stir it all up, add more later if necessary. Top with salt & pepper to taste and voila! Bon appetit! It's delicious, easy, and quick, and you can easily tailor it to your own taste buds by including different veggies to mix in. The Ranch and BBQ sauce combo is divine.


What is your favorite summer recipe? I'm in need of some new ones to add to our rotation. Happy eating!

xoxo, Chelan

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Memorial Day Weekend 2018

I know, I know, it's been a while since Memorial Day weekend but we had such a fun time and I'm trying to do better about documenting our adventures closer to when they happen so we don't forget them. Our fun weekend started on the Friday before Memorial Day. Parker had a test that morning and was finished with everything by 11 am which was awesome! Let the long weekend festivities begin!

We played a little tennis and found an awesome fishing spot in a cool new-to-us park. I read while Parker fished, we went to the driving range, and then cooked hot dogs on the grill. It was so fun! So many of our favorite summer activities in one day. Then we did a lot of the same things on Saturday + we went to the new Star Wars movie Solo. Sunday was a regular old Sabbath day where we went to church and spent time together at home afterward. On Monday we went to Cedar Point with some friends of ours to finish off the weekend (which I got no photos of dangit). It was seriously such a great time all weekend long and I love that I got to spend every second of it with Parker! You know it's a good weekend when you go to text your spouse the next day because you miss them after having spent all weekend together and you have to scroll down in your texts to find your text thread.

 This is where I hung out. This swing was dreamy!
 Love my forever adventure bud.

Very grateful for those who serve(d) to protect the freedoms that we enjoy in both of the countries that I call home <3. Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you're having a fabulous weekend of your own!

xoxo, Chelan

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Mom's visit part 2!

I've been giving my family flack for not coming to visit us the 3 years we've lived in Ohio lol. We created a list of things we would go see and do if anyone ever visited so we were prepared and had everything all planned out even though I didn't know beforehand that she was coming. On our list, we had Cedar Point, a Cleveland Indians game, Amish Country, shopping, and the LDS church historical sights in Kirtland. We also celebrated Parker's 26th birthday. He deserves a whole blog post about how much I love him and that'll come back later. Oh, and we got to watch the season premiere of So You Think You Can Dance together for the first time in years complete with fountain pop and homemade popcorn with salt & vinegar and dill pickle seasoning. We got through everything on our list and had the greatest time! It was exhausting and there were a few bumps throughout the trip but that's to be expected. All in all, it was such a treat to have her here with us. Thanks for coming, Momizz!

So glad we got to have such a fun visit! Be sure to check out the other post where I share a video (that is working properly now haha) of the actual moment of surprise! You can find that post HERE!

xoxo, Chelan