Sunday, August 27, 2017

All Dressed Up with Nowhere to Go!

Parker is now in his 3rd year of medical school and is busier than ever. Right now, I don't have any dance stuff going on, and I've been getting my Chatbooks stuff done pretty early in the morning so that leaves the rest of the day wide open. I hate to say it but I've been getting so bored! I don't know what to do with myself! I should probably like deep clean our apartment or something like that.... but I am almost to the point where I'm like stressing out about being productive and deciding what to do that I end up not doing anything at all lol. Who knew that having so much time on your hands could cause so much anxiety!

Last week Parker had an overnight shift at the hospital (hate those) and left around 5 pm. So I was left alone all night long and was bored out of my mind. I decided I would get creative with my closet and do an outfit post. It was kind of fun to get all dolled up with my hair and makeup and clothes but then also kind of depressing when I finished because then I just sat there in my apartment with nowhere to go.... hahah I'm so lame.

So what do you like to do when you're bored? Any ideas of stuff I can do by myself that is fun and not binge watching tv? I thought about going to a movie by myself but I just couldn't bring myself to do it hahaha.


^^^ Me looking into the next two weeks and wondering what on earth I'm going to do to fill that time.

Scarf - also love this one!
Top - similar one here.
Pants - old. Similar here.
Shoes - old. Crushing on these!

*I get a commission for purchases or clicks made through links in this post.*

Thanks for reading today! If you've ever wanted to come visit me, now is the time because I can show you allllllll the fun things about Ohio!

xoxo, Chelan

Friday, August 25, 2017

Favorite ASOS Pieces to Transition to Fall

I've been a long time lover of ASOS. At first, it started as a kind of quiet obsession where I would browse for hours but I finally own a couple of pieces of clothing from ASOS and I'm in love. You may remember this dress from a couple of posts ago. Ya, this is one my favorite dresses I've ever owned and it just so happens that it's from ASOS. So today, I've rounded up all of my favorites from ASOS that can be worn in the summer and fall since autumn is fast approaching *tear*. #longlivesummer


Click on any of the photos to take you to the product page.  I get a commission for purchases or clicks made through links in this post.

What are your favorites to transition to fall? Also, if you have any tips for prolonging summer for the rest of forever? I'm all ears. 

xoxo, Chelan

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Summer 2017: Montana/Alberta

Parker and I had 3 weeks off this summer and we spent those 3 weeks with our families out West. We visited my favorite places on earth with my favorite people on earth and it was such a dream. It doesn't get much better than that!

We flew into Calgary on Saturday, June 24th, around 6 pm and my parents picked us up. They took us home to Cardston where we spent the night. We got to go to church with them the next morning and listen to Camrie and her friends sing the most beautiful song in sacrament meeting. I could listen to them sing it over and over and over again! They have the voices of angels! We also enjoyed a delicious meal at Nana and Pumpas house that evening.

Then the Hollingsworths picked us up to go to Eureka, Montana for 5 days. We spent that time going on different hikes and nature walks, cliff jumping, and out on the lake (my happy place). It was so much fun! Parker fished a ton, we paddle boarded, and I just vegged in the sun on the floaty. I'm really happiest in my swimsuit in the sun near a body of water.

On Friday, my parents picked us up on their way to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for some camping! As soon as we got to the campsite, they got the call that Bailey was going to have the baby so they unhooked the camper, dumped us kids, and my parents took off on the 8-hour drive back to Cardston, unbeknownst to the soon to be parents. They left at 11 pm and arrived at the turn off to Lethbridge or Cardston at the same time they received a call that it was happening so they went straight to Lethbridge. Craig started calling them again as soon as they arrived at the hospital but they held off answering saying that they needed to wake us girls and Parker up so we could be there for the phone call to announce the gender and how everyone was doing. They walked around the corner to surprise Craig and to hear that it was a beautiful baby boy! Parker and I were thrilled to be here for the arrival of baby Max as his due date wasn't until after we were supposed to fly home. He is such a little cutie!

While my parents were gone to meet the babe, we got a taxi and went to the beach. My parents spent a few hours with the baby and the new parents and then turned around to drive right back to Cour d'Alene. They arrived with just enough time to take a dip in the lake and then we went back to the campsite. We enjoyed time together on Sunday just hanging out and then went to Silverwood on Monday. After Silverwood, we drove to Lake Blaine with the Quintons to spend the 4th of July there. We loved our time on the lake and the amazing show of fireworks to celebrate this beautiful country!

The next day we went back to Canada and spent our days out in Beazer building a pretty dang awesome dam to make the swimming hole deeper. Writing this is making me want to go back so bad! We spent some time in Waterton with my uncle and cousin who surprised everyone by randomly showing up on Nana & Pumpa's doorstep. SO FUN!

After our time in Cardston, we went back to Eureka for about 5 more days spent more time fishing, more time in the lake and I couldn't complain. To end our trip we went to Banff/Lake Louise and did a hike and it was absolutely beautiful! I had a tear or two as we left the mountains toward the airport.

I've compiled a video of our trip and I'm so excited about it! Watching it brings me so much joy so I hope it will bring you joy, too! I'm by no means a professional video editor or filmmaker or anything but creating videos of our vacations is one of my favorite things to do! I'm quite proud of this one :).

Be sure the click the 1080p HD option to ensure the best quality!



Thanks, Hollingsworths and McMurrays for always giving us the best time when we come to visit! We love you!

xoxo, Chelan

Monday, August 21, 2017

Comparison

I don't think I've ever really hated anything about myself. And for that, I count myself lucky because I know that there are a lot of people out there who are constantly plagued with self-doubt and self-hatred. Ok, so maybe I've hated my natural brown hair but I'm grateful for a sister that makes my blonde dreams come true ;) @hairbymatlin #hitherup. I've never been one to really doubt myself or be super insecure. But I have noticed that having a blog and being on social media definitely has taken a toll on me.
Image via Pinterest

I listened to a podcast episode recently from Awesome with Alison that I absolutely loved. Let's face it, I love allllllll of the episodes of this podcast but this particular episode just sparked something in me. It was episode 28 called "PUMP UP: Why it doesn't matter that other people are doing what you want to do!"

THIS. I get so caught up in the fact that I am one in a million bloggers. I am one in I don't even know how many Instagrammers and I've had the thought too many times to count, "What's the point? Why do I even bother doing this because I will never be as good of a blogger as so and so?" And it's not just about social media and my blog but with other things in my life, too. "What is the point of even decorating my house because it's not going to look as cute as the houses I have pinned on Pinterest?" or "Why even exercise because I'm never going to have the body that she does?" "Why should I share my story? There are other people that are better at this, they have better things to say, they are better writers, they take nicer photos, they go on cooler trips, they are more successful, etc. etc." I go through phases where I'm really good and I don't care so much about what other people think and then suddenly, I am obsessing over it so much that I have to 'detox' and delete my apps from my phone.

Ohhhhhh the comparisons. They have got. to. stop. I can't be the only one that does this, can I?

Well, Alison puts it rather plainly in saying that every single person on the planet has a unique language. We all have a unique story to share and no one else is going to be able to share the same experiences that we can. There are a million other bloggers out there that share similar things that I do. But "they do not have my voice. They do not have my words. They do not have my experience..... Our story is the only thing that is uniquely ours." And I feel called to share my story!

So I'm going to keep sharing my life and I'm going to continually *try* to not compare myself to anyone else. I am me and that's all I can ask of myself. It's time I quit comparing myself to others and start owning my unique voice. #uniquelyme #stopcomparing #ownit #selflove

Image via Pinterest

What are your thoughts on comparing yourself? Do you have tips to get out of the rut of comparing yourself to others and feeling inadequate? 

xoxo, Chelan

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Living Room Transformation & our Amish Country Adventure!

Parker and I went to Amish Country this last weekend with some friends and I left feeling all sorts of inspired so this week I decided that it was finally time to decorate our apartment. We've lived in our current apartment for just over a year now and I hadn't hung anything on the walls except for one little picture. If you've been a reader of my blog for a while now, you may remember my plea for help to find some pillows to go on our patterned couches and something to put on the wall above the couch back in September of 2016. Well, I finally bought some pillows and put some stuff on the walls and I'm quite pleased with the result. Is it magazine worthy? No. But it's homey and I think it reflects our my personal style pretty dang well if I do say so myself. Also, I know nothing about photographing home decor (or anything for that matter) so please forgive my lack of professional photography lol.


Let's talk more about Amish Country, shall we? Parker and his cousin Cody were kayaking together so Cody's wife, Kaitlyn, and I decided to go check out the shops in Amish Country. As we were driving along, we drove past a store that had a large banner with Joanna Gaines' face on it and said Magnolia Homes. I about jumped out of the moving car and I think I scared Kaitlyn a little bit with my enthusiasm. She didn't know who Joanna Gaines' was (don't worry, I told her she had to watch Fixer Upper ASAP) so I excitedly explained that she was only the best interior designer to ever walk the planet and that her style was my dream! Kaitlyn flipped the car around as soon as she safely could and I couldn't get into the store fast enough. It was called "The Peddler" and if I could live there, I would. It was the cutest home decor store I have ever seen and I really did want to move in right then and there. I fell in love with everything and I'm just itching to go back! Kaitlyn and I both bought some stuff there and it was so fun to just wander throughout the store!

We also went to the Christmas store (I didn't catch whether or not it had a name other than that...) where they sell Christmas stuff all year round. It's MASSIVE and was super fun to check out. I'll hopefully be going back closer to the holidays. Or maybe I shouldn't..... it might be dangerous to our bank account lol.

We met the men at the cheese factory, Heini's Cheese Chalet, which was hands down Parker's favorite place in Amish country. Maybe in all of Ohio, actually. You get to sample all sorts of different kinds of cheese including different flavors of cream cheese and cream cheese fudge. My favorites were the smoked gouda cheese, the peach cream cheese, and the mint chocolate cream cheese fudge. We also had the best root beer we've ever had there. We'll be back, cheese factory! We'll be back!

Parker and I wandered around the town of Berlin a little bit longer while Cody and Kaitlyn headed back home. We were totally enthralled with this cute little place, the shops, the horses and buggies, the food, and we really hope to go back soon! If you ever come visit us, we've got an itinerary planned out and you bet your bottom dollar Amish country is high up on the list!

xoxo, Chelan

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Our Love Story: Part 12

"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
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April 2011 - July 2011

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Parker and I didn't get to talk to each other while I was on my cruise so we went from seeing each other every day all day/texting when we weren't together, to no communication whatsoever. So Parker was absolutely adorable and wrote me long messages on Facebook for when I got back from my cruise. He even had songs I should listen to while I read each message included at the beginning of each one. It was so cute and I loved coming home to that! I thought that Facebook had swallowed up all those old messages but I just went back and found them and I'm dying over them! They are such treasures!!!

Friday, August 11, 2017

Me Time

Tonight I find myself with some unclaimed time which is super rare. Parker isn't home right now, the house is pretty much clean, I have finished work for the day and I don't have any other commitments or things to check off my to do list. So I'm just wondering what YOU would do if you had a few hours of time to yourself. What is your favorite way to spend your extra time?
Image via Pinterest

Here are a few of my favorite things to do when I have down time to myself:

+ Have a bath. There is something so soothing about relaxing in a hot bubble bath. Unfortunately, our tub right now is rather small and I don't like it when I can't fit my whole self under the water at once lol. Someday I'll have a giant tub that I can completely relax in!

+ Read. I love reading and I feel like there is never enough time to just read for hours on end. And sadly, reading is never a priority.

+ Scrapbook. I love getting my creativity on and scrapbooking but this is often one of the last things I do because it does take quite a bit of prep and I don't usually have hours upon hours to get all my photos printed and pages done.

+ Paint my nails. I've become pretty fond of painting my nails over the years. I have an LED light and I love that I can give myself a dang good gel manicure right from the comfort of my own home.

+ Blog. I actually really enjoy writing. I started to like writing my senior year of high school and I thoroughly loved the English classes I took at BYU which surprised me because, until then, I don't recall liking it much.

+ Watch TV or a movie. I haven't been much into TV these days. I have been working on my Personal Progress with the YW and we have a month long integrity experience that we are all doing. So many shows on Netflix right now are inappropriate so I'm trying really hard to be better at 'practicing what I preach'. If you have any shows that you like that aren't nasty, let me know! I could use a new one!

+ Sleep. If it wasn't so late, I would have a nap because I love sleeping. But I'm not tired enough to go to bed yet.....

+ Pin. I freaking love Pinterest. We should be Pinterest friends. You can find me on Pinterest HERE.

So tell me, if you were me and had a few hours of time to kill, what would you do with it? Go!

Image via Pinterest
Some flowers for your Friday. Have a great weekend, everyone!

xoxo, Chelan

Sunday, August 6, 2017

Sunday Best in my Birthday Dress

I turned 25 on Friday and this was the first birthday in my life that I wasn't super excited for. Usually, I'm like a little kid and can't sleep the night before because I'm so excited about it but this year I'm just over the whole getting older thing. I'd be fine to stay 24 forever... But this year turned out to be such a fun birthday (as it does every year) and Parker took such good care of me that I've ended the weekend feeling so loved. He's the best!

Parker spoiled me again this year. He's such a good gift giver. I, on the other hand, SUCK at gifting. Poor Parker. Every Christmas and birthday I tell myself that I'm gonna do better for him and somehow I always drop the ball. But not Parker. He's a total champ and consults with my Pinterest boards for gift ideas. He gave me a Fitbit Alta with a bunch of different bands so I can match it to my outfit every day. Woot woot! He also got me a nice UV lens protector for my camera and a fancy schmancy tripod which I tested out for the first time with the photos below. He took me out to eat at Crave in Akron and I had some of the best fries I've ever had in my life. My mouth waters just thinking about them! Potatoes are my favorite food, in all the different forms, so I was pretty tickled pink to have such yummy fries. He got me a delicious cheesecake that we have been eating all weekend long and we still have lots left for this coming week. AND he sent me shopping on Saturday. SPOILED! I'm so spoiled! Thanks for making my 25th birthday one for the books, Parker David! I love you so much!

My parents sent me this beautiful dress from ASOS along with some shopping money because they know that I don't shop very often. I am really weird about spending money... I bought this really pretty purse from Charming Charlie and I'm so pumped about it! I love the structure because my last purse had none and I could never find anything in it! This one keeps my stuff super organized and it has a pocket for everything. It was love at first sight!

Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, you guys! I really, really appreciate it and they made my day! I hope you had as fabulous a weekend as I did!


Dress: ASOS
Purse: Charming Charlie
Fitbit band
Shoes: old. Also love these.
Earrings: Kate Spade


*I get a commission for purchases or clicks made through links in this post.*

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you had a lovely Sunday :).

xoxo, Chelan

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Lululemon Obsessed

Let's chat Lululemon, shall we? I wouldn't say that I'm much of a brand snob. You know those people who have to have the brand name clothing/products and they won't buy anything else? I'm not that way... except with Lululemon. I am most definitely a Lulu snob. In high school, Lululemon became all the rage. I got my first pair in grade 10 and I've really never looked back. I still have that pair, by the way, and they are in perfect condition even after all these years! Let me tell you why I love Lululemon Athletica so much.

+ Comfort. Lululemon Athletica has some of the most comfortable clothing I have ever worn. Their leggings are the best ever. Hands down. Period. The end. The Align Pants are my absolute favorite and I want them in every color! The Aligns are made with their nulu fabric which is meant to give you basically a naked feeling and it does the job. You feel like you're wearing nothing and it's the best.

+ Style. Lululemon has so many different styles to choose from and they are all so chic. It definitely makes it hard to decide what to get. But just take comfort in the fact that whatever you choose, you will not be disappointed. I obviously recommend the Align Pants but I have also tried a few other styles, all of which are awesome. You really can't go wrong.

+ Their customer service is top notch! I just spoke with a representative this morning about my size not being available in the color I want for my next pair of Align Pants and she was so nice and helpful! Having worked in customer service for a while now myself, this is always super important to me. I love companies that take care of their customers!

+ You'll look good. Let's face it. Lululemon Athletica makes you look good. The Align Pants (can you tell I love them? haha) hug you in all the right places. They are high waisted so they don't cut into my muffin top. The seams are small and don't cut into my skin (does anyone else have this problem??). They smooth everything out and make you look toned. It's magical! They just make you look good, plain and simple. Boys, get your gals some Lululemon and it'll be a win win for everyone! ;)

+ The longevity. Lulus last forever. Like I said at the beginning of this post. I got my first pair 9 years ago and I've worn them roughly 468 times (at least once a week for 9 years but I know that when I first got them and in college I work them more like twice a week if not more often lol). They still look great. They hold their shape. They make my booty look fabulous. What more could a girl ask for?!

+ Cost. The only 'downside' for a lot of people would be the price. But having something last so long and look so good after so much activity, it only makes sense that such a high-quality product would cost as much as they do. The Align Pants are $98 and are well worth every penny!

+ Confidence. Being a dance teacher and a dancer, it's really important for me to feel comfortable and confident in my dancewear. Lululemon does that for me! I feel cute, confident, and strong when I'm wearing my Lulus and I know that they'll give me the support I need either at the gym, chasing kiddos around a studio, doing ballet, travelling, headed to the grocery store, on a run, or whatever I may have on the schedule on any given day.

So go get some Lululemon Athletica because you deserve to look amazing whether you're hitting the gym or hanging out on the couch!


*I get a commission for purchases or clicks made through links in this post.*

xoxo, Chelan