Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Currently Reading: Brides of Brighton Series by Ashtyn Newbold

Last month, I did a lot of reading and it was glorious. I had a bit of a reading funk there for a while there but I'm happy to say that I am back at it and loving every second! I set a goal at the beginning of this year through Goodreads to read 24 books this year (2 per month seemed doable) and I've already reached my goal so that's fun!

My last 'Currently Reading' post featured a novel by the same author as today, Ashtyn Newbold. I've legitimately enjoyed every one of her books and this last group was a series so that made it even more fun because I got to keep hearing about characters I loved from previous books in the series and to see how their lives were panning out. I loved each novel in the Brides of Brighton series but I think my favorite was the 3rd book. It had a How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days feel but in the Regency era and it was just an overall enjoyable read.

*I received these books free from the author and this did not affect my opinion in any way.*



If you need some good old romance novels to get you through the fall, I highly recommend trying the Bridge of Brighton series by Ashtyn Newbold. Picture this:

It's a cool fall day, slightly overcast. You put on your comfy clothes, curl up with a blanket and some hot chocolate, the fall candle is burning in the corner, and you have a couple of hours to simply read. Create that scene for yourself and read one of these books. They're quick reads that'll leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Here are the titles in the order of the series:

A Convenient Engagement
Marrying Miss Milton
Romancing Lord Ramsbury
Miss Weston's Wager
An Unexpected Bride

Do you have any book recommendations for me? I'd love to add them to my to-read list! Happy Reading!

xoxo, Chelan

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Spring Break 2019 in Las Vegas with the McMurrays

We were THRILLED to learn that my family was planning on visiting our favorite place, Tahiti Village in Las Vegas, again this year for Spring Break and we were so excited that we got to be there with them! And we were even more excited that my brother, Craig, his wife, Bailey, and their darling son, Max, were able to come this year. Parker and I have been able to go on spring break with my family every year that we've been married except for 2018 (that was hard) and that was the only year that Craig and Bai had been able to go so far so to be all together this year was super special. Unfortunately, my mom's parents who always, always, always accompany us on the spring break trips weren't able to join us but I have the highest hopes that EVERYONE will be together for spring break 2020!

The timing of it all ended up working out so well because Parker's family was all getting together in Utah for the baby blessing of our sweet nephew Kit the Sunday before my family went to Vegas so we got to spend time with the Hollingsworths for a few days which is always a treat! And it was so fun to meet baby Kit!! He is adorable and we love him so much!

Parker's family left on Tuesday, the same day my family arrived in Utah so we stayed with my aunt and uncle in their beautiful home for a couple days before we took off to Vegas. While in Utah, we got the chance to go to the Ben Rector concert which was SO FUN! His album Magic is exactly that, pure MAGIC, and he was amazing live! We also went to the hot springs in Spanish Fork Canyon so that was super fun, too!

It wouldn't be right to not get Sodalicious every time we were out and about while in Utah. 
My mom with Parker and me at the Ben Rector concert!

Then off to Vegas we went where we met up with Craig, Bailey, and Max at Tahiti Village. There were some other Cardstonites staying there that week as well, including Camrie's boyfriend who we all adore so it was fun to hang out with them that week. A week spent in the sun, the pool, eating delicious food, shopping at the outlets, visiting our favorite places on The Strip (I'm looking at you, Bellagio), with the people you love is truly the best.

And of course, this wouldn't be a proper #hollingsworthtravels blog post without a VIDEO! My favorite part and this one was, yet again, so fun to put together! It makes me smile from ear to ear every time I watch. Max is my favorite part lol. Scroll to the bottom to watch the video!

He was the sweetest little buddy for me throughout this trip! My favorite thing was that he would gesture to me with his little hand and say over and over, "Come on, Nanny!" to get me to go with him into the pool. Being an aunt is THE BEST!
My first time at Top Golf! It was so fun!
Hubba hubba!!
Goodbyes are the WORST!!!!!
I LOVE THIS CREW!



Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo, Chelan

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Hawaii

When Parker got the chance to interview for a residency position in Hawaii last year and it happened to be over Thanksgiving break, we knew we had to jump at the chance to go. Neither of us had been and it was at the top of our bucket list of places to visit. Being the beach-and-sunshine-loving girl that I am, I wasn't about to let him go to Hawaii without me so we made an entire week trip out of it and it was AMAZING!

Pro traveling tip: If you live within driving distance from an airport in Canada, US Thanksgiving is a great time to travel because you likely have time off and can fly out of Canada for way less $$ since it's not a holiday there. We've flown both to Hawaii and Cancun out of Toronto over American Thanksgiving and it's saved us significant moolah.

We stayed in an Airbnb in Honolulu that was about a 10-minute walk to Waikiki Beach and rented a car through Turo. Having a car on the island was so helpful but finding parking was probably our biggest stressor the entire trip. Other than that, everything else was super smooth and so much fun!

In my element!

Monday, October 14, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving 2019

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! If you have no idea why I am celebrating Thanksgiving today, then you must be American... Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada and since I am a born and raised Canadian girl, I get to celebrate both Canadian and American Thanksgiving. Who wouldn't want two Thanksgiving holidays a year?!

Unfortunately, Parker and I are both working today and his shift starts just before mine ends so aside from about 20 minutes this morning, we won't see each other today. I wish we were able to have the day off and if we did, I would have attempted a small scale Thanksgiving dinner for us. But being apart today just makes me a bit more grateful for the time we have together.

One of the things I get asked a lot around this time of year by Americans is what is Canadian Thanksgiving all about? Well, let me share with you what good old Wikipedia has to say on the subject:

Monday, October 7, 2019

How I Cut My Grocery Spending in Half in September

At the beginning of September, I was inspired by multiple sources to take a look at our spending, create a realistic budget, and stick to it! Some of these sources of inspiration were as follows:

+ The Cultivate a Good Life podcast episodes 48 & 49 where Becky & Becky interview Miranda Anderson (author of the book titled More Than Enough) and then the Beckys discuss their own personal application of what they learned from this book.

+ Hearing about how my friends budget and about how they recently reached some monetary goals.

+ Conversations with friends about @funcheaporfree's "shelftember challenge."

girl sitting with grocery order from Aldi

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Closet Remix 9.29.19

One of my very favorite fashion and lifestyle bloggers to follow is Merrick from Merrick's Art. She is one of my style icons so this week I thought it would be fun to recreate one of her outfits using items from my own closet. Y'all voted for the following outfit on my IG stories this week and Merrick was also kind enough to share my story with her followers so there were a lot of votes from her fans which was fun!


Also, can you believe that she made this skirt?! It's so cute and you can view her sewing tutorial for it here. When I get my sewing machine out of storage in Ohio, I have plans to make a skirt like this using her tutorial.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Easy Meal Round-Up For the First Week of Fall

Yesterday was the first official day of fall according to the calendar but the temperature around here has increased and the humidity is back so it feels like summer again and I'm not mad about it. We did have a few fall-ish days last week which made me want to cook cozy meals so I figured I'd share another easy meal round-up featuring those fall-appropriate dinners!

Easy Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

This recipe is from Yummy Healthy Easy and it's a favorite of ours. We don't eat it as just a bowl of chili, though. For some reason, I've always served this over rice which seems super random but my mom served it that way so that's what I've always done. We are having this meal this week and I'm really excited about it! So easy and delicious! Parker approved (and requested) as well!

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Closet Remix 9.21.19

You know those days where you look at your full closet and think to yourself, "I have nothing to wear"? I have been feeling this way for the last couple of weeks and I think I figured out why. I tend to wear the same outfits over and over again rather than using the individual articles of clothing in my closet in different ways. And as a result, I get tired of my wardrobe really quickly. But since Parker and I are on a budget and I can't spend $100 a month on new clothes, I created a little challenge of stretching my closet this last week to try to push my creativity and help me not get so tired of my clothes so fast.

I shared two photos on my Instagram stories of cute fall transition outfits as inspiration and had my IG friends vote on which one I should try to recreate using items already in my closet. This was the inspo photo for this week. 


Monday, September 16, 2019

Fall TV Shows I Can't Wait To Watch

Y'all know I love TV. I already know I watch an unhealthy amount but I don't really care. Although, I'm sad that my beloved summer shows (Big Brother, SYTYCD, and Bachelor in Paradise (jk paradise has been a snooze this year)) are ending I'm really excited about a few shows that are coming back.

A Million Little Things - you may remember that I included this show as one of the things I love during the 14 Days of Love this year. If you haven't watched this show, it's not too late to get started! Season two starts up on September 26th. I'm SO EXCITED! You've got plenty of time to binge the first season and be ready to watch the second season when it airs.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

My Recent Faith Journey

I shared this post a week ago on Instagram but I wanted to give it a spot on my blog, too, because it's an important post for me. And from the comments and messages I received on IG in response to sharing this piece of my heart, it sounds like I'm not the only one who has felt this way. We are all doing the best we can and we can all try a little harder to do a little better <3.

A couple of weeks ago I listened to an episode of the podcast called Cultivate A Good Life by Becky Higgins and Becky Proudfit about their faith journeys. They shared an analogy that has really impacted my life and I wanted to share!

Friday, September 13, 2019

Currently Reading: An Unwelcome Suitor by Ashtyn Newbold

I've been really good at sharing books on Instagram lately but I also want to get back into sharing them regularly on my blog, too! Last week I got the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Ashtyn Newbold's latest book called An Unwelcome Suitor. It's book #4 in a multi-author series called Entangled Inheritance, a set of stand-alone regency era romance novels. Totally up my alley!

*I received this book free from the author and this did not affect my opinion in any way.*

Also, I know this girl on the cover in real life so that's cool! haha

Thursday, September 5, 2019

3 Reasons Why Memory Keeping Matters

"It does not matter how or where you share your story. What matters is that you document it." - Mandy @ Turquoise Avenue

Tired of me talking about memory keeping yet? I don't care. Because I truly think memory keeping is so important! So today I'm sharing 3 reasons WHY I think documenting life matters!

1. Memory Keeping Fosters Gratitude. 

How many times have you been told throughout your life that if you're having a hard day you should make a list of all the things you have to be thankful for? I know I've been directed to do that many times at church, school, on social media, etc. because it refocuses your mind to what's important. Gratitude journals are HUGE right now and it makes sense. We go through a lot of crap in this life and it can be really, really discouraging. One of the best things we can do in those tough times is thinking about our blessings. Memory keeping allows us to see those blessings through photos and our own written words and that helps us feel gratitude for our lives. It also offers encouragement to know that we can get through hard things because we've done it in the past and we can do it again.

Couple smiling in front of Newport, RI mansions
Oh so grateful!

Monday, September 2, 2019

Girls Weekend in Charleston, South Carolina

South Carolina was my favorite rotation that Parker did! We FINALLY had space to ourselves and it was the cutest condo! The views were incredible. We didn't have to eat fast food for every meal. Charleston is the most darling city! We were a 10-minute walk from the beach. The weather was beautiful. We loved the ward we went to that month. And we had SO MANY FUN VISITORS! I've realized that I feel very, very loved when people make an effort to come to spend time with Parker and me.


The video to accompany this post was one of the videos that I was most excited to make because it's all about my girls weekend with my best friends. I shared a little bit about how we reconnected along with some photos from that trip here but I'm pumped to finally have the video done so I can do a recap post of our time together in Charleston!

Saturday, August 31, 2019

New England Bucket List

When we found out we were headed to Boston for residency, we knew that we didn't want New England to be our 'forever home' as it's so far from family. So since we are planning on being here temporarily (in the grand scheme of things) we knew we wanted to create a "New England Bucket List" so we can see and do everything in the area before we move again in the distant future. I thought it would be fun to share our bucket list with you in case y'all ever find yourself out this way and need recommendations of what to do and see and where to eat!

Lighthouse on the beach in Martha's VineyardGirl walking the streets of downtown Boston

New England Bucket List: 

+ indicates that we've done the item. 
- means we have yet to check the item off the list. 

+ Do a day trip to Maine

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Back to School is for EVERYONE with My Sister's Closet Boutique

Every year at about this time I find myself wanting to refresh my closet and I think that's because it's the back-to-school season and my body/mind/closet just knows that shopping is in the air. But I'm no longer a student so I have had a hard time post-graduation justifying getting new clothes at this time of year because I'm not going back to school, ya know? But I think back-to-school shopping should be for everyone because whether or not you are a student yourself, heading into a new season is an adjustment so everybody deserves to treat themselves to something new!

Introducing My Sister's Closet Boutique! I am SO excited to share this collaboration that I've been working on with this adorable shop! Not only do they have the CUTEST clothes, but they also have amazing prices AND you can use the code CHELAN10 for 10% off your purchase. It's a no brainer!

My Sister's Closet Boutique sent me this darling floral dress and I've already worn it a few times because it's so comfortable and cute! I love the ruffle sleeve, smocking detail, and floral pattern. The colors are perfect to transition into fall, as well. And they have so many items on their site that are just as adorable so be sure to take a look!

Girl in a floral dress posing by a grand staircase

Monday, August 26, 2019

Colorado

After our month in North Carolina, we headed to Utah for a weekend before driving to Colorado. You can read more about the fun weekend we spent exploring our old stomping grounds and meeting up with friends from college here! Seriously so much fun! We drove through the mountains to Denver for 'away rotation' #3 and the drive was stunning with the changing leaves.


We both started working that Monday morning - Parker at the hospital and I was at Chipotle's corporate office downtown. Since we were both working we didn't get to explore Denver as much as we wanted to but what we did see and do was great! We would love to explore more of Denver in the future!

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Easy Meal Round-Up

If you know me at all, you know that my abilities in the kitchen have been a constant struggle my entire 5 years of marriage. BUT! I am learning and I am improving! If you are at all insecure about your cooking abilities, please read this post about a few of my cooking failures. I'm sure it will make you feel better about yourself.

I am here today to proudly tell you that I have improved when it comes to cooking. Not by much, mind you, and cooking for people other than Parker still really scares me, but I'm getting there! So I wanted to share with you a few easy peasy lemon squeezy and delicious meals that are Parker and Chelan approved (because I'm also one of the world's most picky eaters... read about that here). I promise you, if I can make them, you can too!

Garlic Butter Fettuccini with Chicken and Zucchini

First things first, I love the website that this meal is from. We have liked every recipe we've tried from Damn Delicious (I really hate the name of the website btw) but this one is our favorite. Parker requests this dinner often and it was a real winner when my friends came to visit us in South Carolina last November, too. I like to top mine with a little sprinkle of lemon pepper which isn't listed in the recipe but is SO GOOD!


Monday, August 19, 2019

Wide-Leg Pants

A few weeks ago I needed some 'work appropriate' attire but I didn't want to buy a bunch of clothes that were strictly for work and work alone because where's the fun in that?! It's a good thing I had that mentality with my shopping because I ended up switching jobs and have a much more relaxed atmosphere for work now but I can still wear all of the items I purchased that were for work - one of those being the pants I'm sharing today. They are amazeballs!

I've never owned official 'wide-leg pants' before and I was a little hesitant to try them because some that I've seen have been quite unflattering but I'm SO GLAD I tried these on in Old Navy because it was love at first sight. They fit perfectly, are so freaking comfortable, and they are cute to boot! They will also be perfect to transition to fall.... which is still over a month away, might I add, so no need to get hasty about it. Let me just throw that out there haha! #longlivesummer

I wish I had gotten these pants in every color. They're currently on sale and you can get an additional 30% off with the code EXTRA so I just might add a few more colors to my closet. I love the off white color (Creme De La Creme) and the navy (Darkest Hour)! So cute!

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Currently Reading: Everything I've Read So Far in 2019

I've talked a lot about books recently on Instagram and I wanted to share all of the books I've loved this year - and maybe a few I haven't loved so much - in a blog post so its all in one place for a quick read rather than a bunch of IG videos to click through.

First things first, if we aren't friends on goodreads or if you don't have an account, it's free and so fun! Click here to go to my profile to see what books I love and create an account if you don't already have one.

I'll share books in two catagories: "Don't Waste Your Time" vs "Worth The Read". Also, please note that I really don't like sharing negative opinions about books (or anything for that matter) because I understand that people put in so much time and effort to create it but I'm simply sharing my opinion and I wish I had spent my time reading something else that I would have enjoyed more.

Don't Waste Your Time:

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton - this kills me because I LOVE Kate Morton but this was one of her weaker books. It was still better than The Distant Hours which is saying something. I would read her other books like The Lake House, House at Riverton, or The Secret Keeper if you want to give Kate Morton a try! She really is such a great writer, this book just missed the mark, in my opinion.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Sodalicious at Home

Pop. Oh, how I love pop! Sodalicious became a thing right before I left Utah (which was probably a good thing) so I didn't get to enjoy it for very long but I've been a general pop lover since I was in the womb. Diet Pepsi is like pure nectar from heaven if you ask me. The sound of a cold can opening makes my mouth water. I crave the burn in the back of my throat on a daily basis.

My parents renovated their kitchen last summer and one of the additions to their updated space was a 'drink station' complete with a mini-fridge that is stocked full of pop of all kinds at all times, syrups and flavor add-in options, and cute cups/straws so you can create the perfect brew of your choice. Pretty much Sodalicious at home! When we moved here to Boston, I decided I needed pop mixology in my life and that doesn't really exist outside of Utah so I created my own favorite mix at home like my parents.

My favorite pop creation includes:

+ Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi
+ Lime Juice
+ A shot of creamer to make it 'dirty' or so they call it at Sodalicious. Two shots is considered 'extra dirty' lol. My fav is Coffee-mate Natural Bliss creamer in the Sweet Cream flavor. It's delicious!!

I'll pour it all in a cup with some ice and a cute straw and I'm good to go! SO GOOD!
I've shared my sisters' favorite mixes below, too!

Matlin loves:
+Dr. Pepper
+Raspberry Puree
+Extra Dirty

Cam's favorite is:
+Mountain Dew
+Strawberry
+Peach
+Dirty

What's your go-to Sodalicious order and have you ever made it at home?

xoxo, Chelan

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

So You Want To Be A Better Memory Keeper?

Have you been itching to start memory keeping but don't know where to start? Do you feel overwhelmed by all of the documenting you haven't done? Don't know how you'll ever catch up? I'm here to help! And I'm LOLing bc this sounds like the beginning of an infomercial.

While I personally love physical scrapbooking like I shared here, I know that this isn't always the easiest method of memory keeping. Especially if you have small kiddos running around. The thought of pulling out a bunch of scrapping supplies only to have it be taken over by curious little hands sounds stressful if you ask me. And I know it's not always plausible to have the time to create beautiful albums when little humans are demanding so much of your time and energy. So here's where the digital world of scrapbooking comes in.

Project Life scrapbooking method layouts

Introducing the Project Life App. The method of scrapbooking with pocket pages that I have been using for years is called Project Life by Becky Higgins. It started as a physical product, then a digital option was created to be done on the computer, and there is now an amazing app to help make your documenting dreams come true in the palm of your hand.

The app itself is free! Wahoo! There are a few core kits and value kits that come with downloading the app so you'll have your choice of filler cards and journaling cards to compliment your photos but you can also purchase more kits within the app (and there are some DARLING ones) for less than $3.

Here's how it works:

Download the app and create an account. From there you can follow the prompts to create pages by adding photos from your camera roll, WhatsApp, iCloud, Dropbox, etc, and filler cards. Add some quick journaling either by typing it out or you can use the microphone button on your keyboard to speak and it'll type your words out for you (genius). Save the pages and then you can order them from the app individually to put in page protectors & into a 3 ring binder orrrrr you can order complete photobooks straight from the app. While I haven't ordered any books myself from the app because I use the physical products, I have seen the books and pages and the quality is unreal!

It's literally the fastest scrapbook-esque memory keeping and its all in the palm of your hand. You can do a page or two while you lay in bed at night, waiting at the doctor's office, in the carpool lane, etc. So quick, so easy, so cute, and SO WORTHWHILE!

Becky shares a blog post HERE all about how she creates family yearbooks every year using the app and how it takes her only 10-15 minutes per week to put it together. That's only a few minutes per day, you guys. Totally doable! Her post also shows some photos of the photobooks you can order via the app.


I know that not only will you love these albums but your family and friends will adore them, too! Documenting life creates connection, fosters gratitude, and helps us live our lives with more intention!

If I can help you with your memory keeping goals at all, don't hesitate to reach out to me! I would be thrilled to help in any way I can!

xoxo, Chelan

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Our Love Story: Part 16 | The Proposal

"Here's the thing about this love story of ours. It's long. And drawn out. And mushy-gushy. And even a bit cheesy. But it's true. And I've decided to take my time writing it, capturing all the special details of those moments I never want to forget. So if mushy-gushy, cheesy love stories aren't your thing, I totally get that. Just know that I'm writing this as a gift - to my family, and my children, and their future children - and also, for [Parker] and me - so that on those days when the kids are screaming, the laundry is overflowing and the bills are rolling in...on those days when it all just seems so hard, we'll have this to remind us of those first moments when we fell in love. And if sappy, detail ridden love stories are your thing, well then you've come to the right place." -Ashley Stock

To read the beginning of Our Love Story, click here.
***
***
We'd been back together for about two months when American Thanksgiving rolled around and we decided to head up north to spend it with my family. I had absolutely NO IDEA what was to come from that trip and it turned out more perfectly than I could have ever imagined!

Sunday, June 30, 2019

How I Did 2 Years Worth of Documenting in 2 Days

There is nothing like flipping through an album I've made and reliving the special memories that I have created with my family and friends. As we've been traveling around the past year, I've felt an overwhelming need to record everything. But it's kind of hard to pack up scrapbooking supplies and take it all with you when you are traveling for a year. I did take lots of video footage and tons of photos (check out my recent travel posts here) because I had big plans to get caught up once we were settled.

Once we finally got moved into our new place, operation "Get Caught Up" began in full force! I was about 4 years behind and it was overwhelming, to say the least, but this project was and is important to me so I made up my mind that it was going to happen no matter how long it took/takes. 


Wednesday, June 26, 2019

North Carolina

Parker's next rotation was in North Carolina and we had quite the adventure that month. To get there, we first drove from Oregon to Bear Lake in Utah/Idaho for a week with Parker's family. It was such a fun week and I was terrible at taking photos. Oops! After Bear Lake, we went to Provo and we bought a car from Parker's brother and drove that to North Carolina with a little pit stop in Ohio to stay the night with family. So. Much. Driving. But it was actually really fun! We filmed this little diddy while driving in West Virginia, naturally, and it makes me laugh every time.

North Carolina was nuts. If you didn't follow along with our Airbnb saga and the hurricane drama I've linked to those posts for you. We did get in one amazing Labor Day weekend at our favorite place on earth - Bald Head Island.

On our way to BHI, we stopped for some exploring in Wilmington. If you know me, you know I love Nicholas Sparks novels and movies and most of his books take place in NC but a lot of them specifically in the lovely city of Wilmington. One Tree Hill is filmed there as well and seeing all of these places from stories I love was SO FUN!

Also, be sure to check out the video (and the special surprise in the middle of the vid) at the bottom of this post to see just how magical BHI truly is!!


Friday, June 21, 2019

Oregon

When we finally had Parker's 4th-year plans solidified and we knew all the fun places we would visit, I knew I wanted to document each location. Videos were at the top of my list! Well in the midst of packing, we packed up our external hard drive and the cord to connect it to the computer and then Parker was constantly using the said computer so I didn't get around to creating any of the videos until today. I'm planning on going in order of rotation/vacation so first up is Oregon!

We loved Oregon. Parker spent two weeks in Portland before I arrived... I was busy having too much fun in Canada with my family haha. More on my time with them here! I rode the train to meet up with Parker and we spent the last two weeks of his rotation together. While there we spent a lot of time with my friend Candace and her sweet family. Candy and I were roomies in college and hadn't seen each other for about 3 years so being in the same place for a bit was awesome! Candace fed us amazing food multiple times and we were so grateful!

A few things Parker and I made sure to do while in Oregon: 

Cannon Beach - I wrote a blog post and shared photos about that here. It was such a fun birthday!
Multnomah Falls
Crater Lake - when we went it was suuuuuuper smokey from the fires so we couldn't really see much but what we could see was beautiful so I can only imagine how pretty it is on a clear day!
Columbia River Gorge
Neahkahnie Mountain
Tillamook Cheese Factory - good but not as good as Amish country cheese factories in Ohio. 

Thursday, June 20, 2019

I'm Back and Ready To Roll

Hey y'all! I'm back from traveling the world and I'm excited to get into a new routine. Traveling was absolutely amazing and I'll be doing posts on each of our trips at some point in the near future so I won't share too many details right now besides this: several times whilst we were on the go I would look over at Parker or gaze at the amazing view and think, "How is this my life?" I feel so much gratitude for those oh so special two months of exploring new places and revisiting some of our favorites. And maybe the most special of all was spending time with the people I love. I know that we are very lucky to have done what we did and I am so grateful!

With that being said, it feels so good to be somewhat settled as we haven't been in the same place for longer than 2.5 months since July! We have successfully moved to Boston and our apartment is small and expensive but it's darling and we love it! I just landed a job that I'm excited about and Parker had his first real day of residency today after a week of orientation. We've done a little exploring of our new city including walking the Freedom Trail and riding bikes around the parks near our apartment. We are now grocery orderers (greatest thing everrrrrr to have groceries delivered) and subway riders. I'll share more on our Boston specific adventures later, too!

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Two Thoughts To Help You Stop Being So Easily Offended

“He who takes offense when no offense is intended is a fool, and he who takes offense when offense is intended is a greater fool.” - Brigham Young

I've spent a lot of my life recently being a 'fool'. I've felt personally victimized by things people have said or done that had nothing to do with me. I've been put off by small comments in conversations that I'm not even a part of and think, 'What an insensitive thing to say.' Someone will post a photo on Instagram and they'll share a vulnerable caption about a trial that they're going through and somehow I twist their words to be offensive. I do this often, yet when others get offended by something I've said that was never meant to be hurtful I think, "Why on earth would they think that?!!" I'm constantly contradicting myself. 


Two things that I've realized recently that have given me a lot of peace and helped me combat these thoughts and feelings: 

Sunday, March 31, 2019

How We Wore It | Unlikely Accessory

Here we are again on the last day of the month, finally getting these posts up. At least we are still showing up, right?! This month I left mine to the very last minute so I knew I needed to do something super simple and what's more simple than bobby pins? I've been pinning images like these recently so I knew this would be a really easy option which I needed.

Images via Pinterest

Well, I only had time for a super quick trip to the store and found some simple lil beauties - they didn't have any pearl ones or I totally would have picked those and if I hadn't left procrastinated I would have had more time to find some pearl clips/pins. You bet your bottom dollar I'll be keeping an eye out for some moving forward. 

I've also seen some fun things with plain bobby pins, too! Who woulda thunk you could have so much fun with a clip and/or pin to spruce up an outfit? 

Be sure to check out my cute friend's unnecessary accessories that they featured this month! 


xoxo, Chelan