Lifestyle + Personal

Life Currently V.1 | Utah Lifestyle Blog

August 21, 2017

I know I’m always adding/trying out new series on the blog, but I am really excited about this one and think it will stick for a while (if you guys decide you like it, too.) I’m trying really hard to work on the balance between producing helpful content and personal content – because I love this kind of blogging/writing the most. It’s important to me to share the little things about life because that’s what makes life the most vibrant!

Life Currently V.1 | Utah Lifestyle Blog

On my calendar

My microblading appointment! If you follow me on Instagram/watch my Instagram stories, you may have caught my updates on going to my brow consult a couple weeks ago. I shared a little bit on why I decided to get my brows microbladed (wanting to not be reminded of my cancer every time I look at myself in the mirror and taking my eyebrows BACK from cancer.) I was supposed to get them done last week, but I found out that I needed to be on antibiotics for a few days before getting them done because #imahighriskforinfection. So, I rescheduled for next week and I’m a little nervous, but mostly super excited.

Next week is Dustin’s 26th birthday and we’re going away to Park City, UT for a long weekend getaway to celebrate. Dustin and I haven’t been able to go on a “just the two of us” trip in about a year – with everything that this year has thrown at as with buying a house, Dustin’s surgery, and bringing home Teddy, it just wasn’t possible. I didn’t think we were going to be able to make it on any trips at all this year, but we were able to get this one on the books and I’m so excited! My sister and brother-in-law will be staying at the house to watch the dogs, so we won’t have to worry about them while we are gone!

Blogger closet sale! I’ll be teaming up with several of my favorite bloggers to sell off some of the items in our closet that aren’t worn as much. We’ll all be donating a portion of our proceeds to a charity that is important to us/our brand. I’ll be donating a portion to OneMission, a non-profit that supports pediatric cancer patients in Boston – where I was treated for my cancer! More details to come soon on this!

Inspired by

Capsule wardrobes. I’m seriously, seriously considering doing one for the fall/winter. I tend to wear the same pants and sweaters during fall because I know my favorites and I believe in being comfy and cozy ALL the time. However, I’d like to structure my wardrobe so that I can get the most out of those pieces and teach myself how to style certain pieces multiple ways.

Listening to

Podcasts! I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get on the podcast train (I probably just hadn’t found the right kind of podcasts for me) but I’m on it now and riding fast. I’m kind of on this kick where I’m trying to soap up as much information about lifestyle changes as possible. It’s just gotten to the point where the things that I’ve been doing for the last 5-6 years just aren’t making me feel fulfilled anymore. I want to change up my routines, I want to find more purpose and intention in my daily activities, and I want to be more proactive at growing and learning. I’m really enjoying Melyssa Griffin’s Pursuit with Purpose podcast right now. In fact, one of the episodes I listened to is what inspired me to write this post last week!

I am also LOVING the Evening Chill Playlist on Spotify. It’s so moody and soothing and perfect for fall! Highly recommend – it’s been on repeat for me in the late afternoons while I burn my Marshmallow Fireside candle by Bath & Bodyworks (which is the dreamiest falls scent ever and makes me wish the candles were edible so I could just take a giant bite out of it. That is how delicious it smells.)

Eating

Dustin and I have been following a loose version of the Keto diet for about three weeks now and have seen some pretty amazing results. Not only has it been so eye-opening at the amount of crap we put into our bodies on a daily basis, but it has been the easiest diet we’ve ever followed. We haven’t had to cut a LOT out, although there

Note – even though it’s called the Keto diet, we’re working hard to make it a permanent lifestyle change. This isn’t a 4-week diet plan or anything. We are committed to actually making this permanent!

Loving these blog posts

I’ve also been really inspired by some of my blogging friends recently. They have been producing some amazing content and it’s what keeps me inspired to keep working on my space here!

#sponsored #ad #affiliate #co isn’t fake. Let me tell you why. – Joy Lynn Lifestyle

Freshly Picked – a balancing peach (aren’t her photos dreamy?!)

Bloggers, You Need to Stop Bashing Brands – The Confused Millennial

Living Room Gallery Wall Ideas – Everyday Ellis

Choosing to Live Off the Internet – Making Mrs. M (where I was inspired by this post)

Upcoming on the blog

Mini-capsule wardrobe for a weekend getaway
Office makeover reveal
20 Makeup Products for Fall
Harry Potter World Food Guide

p.s. Would you be interested in hearing about how the Keto diet has been working for us? Or how I put together my fall capsule wardrobe? I’m thinking of doing another Q&A post, so leave any questions you have down below!

5 Must-Haves for your New Puppy

August 16, 2017

This post was sponsored by The Naked Dog Box. All Opinions Are My Own.

I cannot believe that Teddy has been a member of our little family since the end of April and I have yet to officially introduce him here on HTC! Granted, we brought Teddy home two days after Dustin had his emergency surgery in Boston, and three weeks after we closed on our house, so we were a little distracted at the time.

Now that Teddy has been around for some time, I wanted to share his sweet little face here on the blog and share some of my tried and true tricks for bringing a new puppy home for the first time. Since Teddy is the second puppy we’ve brought home, I’d like to think we’ve gained a fair amount of knowledge on how to adapt and prepare for a new puppy.

Why we decided to get a second pup

Dustin and I have always wanted to get a second dog so that our Rosie Roo would have a pal to spend time with. Rosie suffered from the worst separation anxiety the first year of her life, and while we have gotten that under control, we knew that a friend could really help her not feel so lonely when we had to leave. However, since we were moving SO much and we didn’t have a yard, we knew we had to wait for a second dog until we were more settled.

If you’ve been around these parts for a while (and have followed me on Snapchat for some time) you’ll know that I spent last summer taking care of our friend’s dog, Cooper. Cooper is an apricot golden doodle, and boy, did he steal my heat. He is as SWEET as they come and the snuggliest, goofiest, happiest dog I’ve ever met. I wasn’t the only one smitten by Cooper Trooper. Rosie was the happiest I had ever seen her because she had Cooper over every day to play with. They wrestled. They played tug. They spooned each other on the bed. And, Rosie never whined when we left her to go out to the movies because she had Cooper to be with her.

After last summer, we knew two things: we were going to get a second dog as soon as it was logical for us to, and it would be a golden doodle.

Meet Teddy

Teddy is a Teddy-Bear Goldendoodle (hence his name!) Teddy bear doodles are half poodle, half English Cream golden retrievers (the white ones.) Dustin wanted to surprise me with a puppy for my birthday (a week after we closed on our house) but decided to tell me he wanted to get me one so we could pick one out together. We decided not to bring a puppy home until after my sister’s wedding in April but wanted to look at a few pups before we left on our trip to get an idea of what was out there. Teddy was the first puppy we went to see and it was love at first sight. He came right in, plopped down right in front of us, and kicked his legs straight out behind him. We went to look at two other puppies that day, but we knew that Teddy was the one for us and went back the next day to put a deposit down on him. Thankfully, the breeders agreed to hang on to him while we went home to Boston for the wedding and we were able to bring him home after that.

Teddy is now 7 months old, and he. is. a. hoot. He reminds me of Cooper in so many ways but has his own very distinct personality. Teddy LOVES the hair dryer, he drinks water like he is a camel, he is undecided about the vacuum (but usually wants to fight it) and he is obsessed with his big sister, Rosie. He loves to chase laser lights, puts his paw on your face when he wants pets, and has only chewed up my college diploma.

Rosie took about two weeks to warm up to the idea of Teddy. Cooper was one thing, but a bouncy puppy was another. However, we only had one incident where Rosie got too grumpy, and after two weeks, it was clear that they had bonded. They are always together, always wrestling, sharing toys, and (much to my dismay) digging holes in the backyard.

I’ve always said that bringing home Rosie was the best thing we’ve ever done in our marriage and I still stand by that. But bringing home Teddy was the best thing we could have done for Rosie, and in turn, makes our family a little more complete.

5 Must-Haves for your New Puppy

Facing Fears in a Bathing Suit | Seven Peaks Provo

August 9, 2017

This post was sponsored by Seven Peaks Resort and BillieJo Clothing. All Opinions are my Own

Earlier this summer, I had the awesome opportunity to partner with SevenPeaks Resort and enjoy a fun day at their Provo, Utah water park with several of my blogging friends. You may have caught all of our adventures on my Insta-stories (we took over the SevenPeaks Instagram for the day and had a blast!)

I’m going to be straight up honest with you all – I had a really hard time wanting to take photos in a bathing suit because I was worried about how I would look in them. I wanted to be skinnier, I wanted my scar to be a little less noticeable, I wanted my chest to be more proportionate to my body. I was worried about what I was going to look like next to my friends who were probably going to look a lot cuter in their swimsuits. Sure, I’ve made great progress in loving my body and embracing it for what it is, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to commit to a swimsuit shoot at a waterpark.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was a constant worry and anxiety in my life. How often have I limited myself and prevented myself from having vibrant life experiences because I’m too worried or self-conscious about how I look to others? How often have I said no, not because I didn’t want to do something, but because I was too scared of how I was going to look? I realized that the answer to those questions was: often. Way too often.

So, I decided to push my anxieties aside and let myself have a day at the park with some of my favorite blogging friends. And do you know what happened? I had SO much fun! We floated the lazy river, we tubed down slides and we rode waves in the wave pool. Yes, once in a while, I did worry about how I looked in a bathing suit, but it was fleeting because we were too busy dragging our tubes to the next slide.

Seven Peaks Water Park

I’m not an Expert, I’m on a Journey – Repositioning HTC for Success

August 2, 2017

It’s been a busy couple weeks as I’ve adjusted to my new job and work schedule, managed two busy schedules with just one car while we waited for mine to be fixed, went through most of my remission tests, bought a lot of furniture, and watched a lot of HGTV. I’ve neglected HTC on so many levels because “I’ve been busy” but the truth is, I’ve been in a bit of a rut. And yes, I’ve had a lot going on in my life, but I’ve also had a lot of down time that I’ve filled with HGTV, so I really can’t use my business as an excuse.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Hey There, Chelsie because I’ve been away from it more than I had planned, basically for the last 6 months. I know I keep saying that I want to be more consistent (and I do) and I keep saying that I have a lot of projects in the works (and I do) but I just haven’t been able to recommit to it like I’ve wanted to. Every morning I wake up so mad that I didn’t get my post done the night before and every night I come up with some reason to not work on it. It’s not that I’ve lost my passion for my blog, but I’ve been so sucked into the comparison game and watching everyone else grow while feeling a bit of a loss on my own.

I’ve found some clarity, recently:

I was listening to a podcast the other day with Danielle Laporte (HIGHLY recommend listening if you are looking for some inspiration) and something she said really struck me to my core and resonated with me.

“Stop trying to be an expert at the crap you are not expert at just so you can make money. You might not actually be a teacher yet, but you want to be of service and make a living through that. So, talk to us about your journey. And talk to us about what you’re finding out. And tell us what you want to learn. Take us on the path with you and that can be of incredible service. Show us your hunt and your discovery and the questions you’re living right now. And let us know that it’s not all perfect. Be a seeker. Take us with you on the seeking. Live your life. Learn what works. Suffer. Win. Succeed. Then we are all in it together.”

This is where my roadblock has been recently. I’ve been stuck thinking that every thing I share and everything I write has to be from the point of an expert in order to make HTC successful. And even though I have always believed that Lifestyle Blogs Matter, I’ve convinced myself that I need to niche down at something I’m an expert at in order to get HTC to be successful. And I’ll admit it – there are times where I’m more focused on making money than sharing what’s really on my heart and mind.

But that’s not why I started blogging. I started blogging because I was on a journey of self-discovery and healing and in pursuit of a vibrant second-chance life.

I realized that is where true community is created when a journey is shared. A real, honest journey. So here’s an update on mine:

HTC Chit-Chat & Updates – July | A Utah Blog

July 20, 2017

The thing about blogging is that sometimes I get it in my head that all of my content has to be amazing and helpful and useful and then I feel like I can’t just sit down and just write to say hello. While I want most of my blog content to be helpful and useful, I also want everyone who stumbles across HTC to know that I’m a real person with an imperfect life (even if Instagram shows otherwise.) I want to bring back my monthly series where I just write to say hello, catch you up on my life, and chit-chat about anything and everything that I think you should know about (but doesn’t warrant a whole blog post.) So hopefully, these posts still are kinda helpful?

Life Chit-Chat

Dustin and I surprised my mom with a round-trip ticket to come visit us in Utah for Mother’s Day and she finally came last Tuesday and flew out yesterday. I don’t know who was more excited to see her, me or Rosie (she has a very special connection with Roo.) It was so fun to show her our new house and to take her around Utah. All of my siblings and their spouses came down from Idaho for the weekend and stayed at the house and we went to a water park and had a big BBQ in my back yard. It was so fun to be with so much family (but also exhausting.)

I made sure to take advantage of my mom’s green thumb while she was here and had her help me in my gardens. She helped me pull all the weeds from my second garden bed, pick out plants that would survive the 6 hours of direct sunlight in the morning, and she helped me plant them. We also got rid of the VILE NASTY POKEY (see here) and it is such a relief to not have that thing in my yard.
The big news of the month is that I’m starting a new job on Monday! I am really sad to be leaving my current company as their HR assistant, but I couldn’t say no to the pay raise and the shortened commute at my new company. I’ll be working as a corporate recruiter (and it’s still part time, so I’ll be able to work on my blog in the afternoons!)
Dustin and I have COMPLETELY finished my office re-design and I can’t wait to unveil it to you in the coming weeks. Thank you to all who helped me decide on a paint color!
As you can see above, Teddy got his first hair cut and looks like a poodle! I know it will help him stay cool this summer, but I can’t wait until he looks more like a doodle again.
I recently had all of my scans and tests done (minus one) to see if I’m still in remission. It’s always a pretty stressful and scary time to have these tests done and this time it was even more nerve-wracking because I officially have transitioned to a new team of doctors here in Utah. I really trust my team back in Boston, so it was hard to see new doctors who hadn’t been with me since the beginning. Thankfully, they were all really great and answered a lot of my questions about this stage of my survivorship. Once I have my last test completed by the beginning of August, I’ll know if I’m still 100% in remission, but it’s looking really good right now!

Let’s chat about that Nordstrom Sale

I know, I know, every blogger, their mother, and their dog has written about the Nordstrom Sale. I purposefully have NOT written about it until now because I didn’t want to add more to your newsfeed about it. But, I did pick up a few things from the sale and figured I would share them with you here in case you were interested in what I’ve snagged. Most of my orders will be here by the end of this week and IF you are interested, I will do a try-on post for HTC. If you are tired of seeing Nordstrom Sale posts, let me know and we’ll skip it.

Catherine Maladrin Fit & Flare Coat – This is my splurge item, but since I got rid of all my winter coats when we moved to Arizona, I figured I should invest in a quality one to get me through a few winters in Utah. I like that this one is edgy and girly and definitely more work/church appropriate.

Lush Perfect Roll Tab Sleeve in Quail – I already have two of these tops in other colors and love how flattering they fit and how well they layer. Plus, it’s under $30.00, so it’s a great deal.

Caslon Knit Blazer in Black – My new job’s dress code is a bit dressier than where I’m at now, so I figured it would be good to grab a blazer. This one is under $40.00 and is knit, so I’m hoping it will be more comfortable to wear compared to other blazers.

Dreamers by Debut Forward Seam Tunic Sweater in Tan – This sweater looked so cozy and comfortable and would pair great with leggings. It was under $30.00, so I definitely put one in my cart to try on.

BP. Seamed Moto Leggings in Olive Green – I’m not even kidding, I tried to order these exact leggings for OVER A MONTH last winter and they were always sold out in my size. I grabbed these the SECOND I saw them and if they fit well, I will probably order the other two colors. You can never have enough moto leggings.

BaubleBar Abbie Tiered Y-Choker – This has already sold out twice but I was able to order it when it came back online (even though it was back ordered.) I’m not going to lie, this is a little more than I typically spend on jewelry, but I saw Jaclyn Hill wearing it and LOVED it on her. It was just one of those things that I had. to. have.

Sole Society Susan Faux Leather Tote – I’m really excited about this bag. I had a really beautiful leather tote that I got when I first got married, but it has seen better days. I know I need to get rid of it, but I really wanted to find a replacement and I knew that this was it when I saw it.

BP. Lightweight Rib Stitch Cardigan in Oatmeal – This sweater is only $31.00 and I’m kicking myself for not ordering it in grey, as well. I think it’s going to be perfect for layering in the fall and winter and classy enough to wear in my office.

Zella Lexi High Waist Relaxed Leggings – This wasn’t a NEED for my closet, but they just looked so comfty that I wanted to order them and try them on. I would really like to get rid of about 40 pairs of sweatpants, but want a nice pair to replace them.

Halogen V-Neck Tunic Tee in White – I loved the cut of this tee and want to replace the three white v-necks I have right now because they are all stained and yucky.

Note – I normally do not shop at Nordstrom because, as Kathleen Lights would say, ‘Das Esspensive. However, I currently am trying to revamp my closet to include more classic quality pieces that I can wear for a long time and felt like some of the deals at the Nordstrom Sale were too good to pass up. I don’t know if I’m keeping everything, but I ordered everything I was remotely interested in because Nordstom has free shipping and returns, so why the heck not?

Things worth chatting about:

.eb Wellness – Some really good friends of mine recently started up a company called .eb Wellness to support and raise awareness for those struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, or mental illness. I opened up on my Instagram last night about my fight with PTSD and anxiety (check it out here if you want to learn more about my story) and wanted to share their amazing cause on the blog as well. Proceeds from every shirt go towards organizations dedicated to helping those experiencing depression or anxiety.

The cool thing about these shirts is that the word “strong” is actually printed backward so that when you look at your reflection, you can read the word! If you want to be part of this movement, you can check out their shirts here and order one before they close this round of orders!

HTC Catch-Up

In case you missed it, here are the blog posts that went up on HTC over the last few weeks:

Phew, that was a lot to catch up on, but it feels good to just take a pause from other kinds of content to say hello. Let me know below if you are interested in a Norstrom Sale Try-On/Final Thoughts post next week and how you have been over the last little while!

Thoughts on 4 Years of Marriage

June 29, 2017

Insights and Lessons from 4 years of marriage | marriage advice, marriage goals, marriage struggles, marriage young // Hey There, Chelsie

Dustin and I celebrated 4 years of marriage in April, but because we had just bought a house, gotten back from a wedding, brought home a new puppy AND had gone through a scary emergency surgery all within the two weeks before, I didn’t have a chance to sit down and write anything about it. At first, I figured that I would just wait until next year since the time had passed, but I then realized that I shouldn’t have to wait for our official anniversary to write about our love.

So today, I’m pulling out all the photos from the day we got married (I don’t think I’ve ever shared them on here before) and wanted to open up a little bit about what 4 years of marriage has looked for us.

Photos by Jen Perkes Photography.

Insights into 4 Years of Marriage - relationship advice and things to learn when married // Hey There, Chelsie - Jen Perks Photography

Insights on Year Four:

One – I wouldn’t say that the newlywed stage has “worn off” but now that we are four years into our marriage, we definitely feel the weight of making adult decisions more and more. In year four, we decided to change jobs twice (which resulted in two cross-country moves) and to buy a house. Those are really big adult things that we didn’t have to deal with when we were still in college, living in a little apartment. As big as those decisions were, I don’t think they have ruined marriage for us – we’re even more in love now than we were in those early months. Going through those challenges evolved our love and made it deeper than ever before, mainly because we’ve allowed them to. I think it’s easy to let stressful situations (like job changes and moves) put a wedge between you, but we’ve vowed to always let them strengthen us. How? We make it a point to always talk about how we’re feeling and being open to making changes to help each other through those times.

The Carr Home: Lessons as First-Time Homeowners v.1

June 23, 2017

We’ve officially been homeowners for three months and it still feels like yesterday that we were closing on it. Some days, I feel like we’ve got this home ownership thing down, but most days I feel like we’re barely keeping our head above water as we try to figure everything out. Turns out, there is a LOT more that goes into owning a home that we didn’t realize (and I thought we were really prepared!)

Since owning a home is a new adventure for me, I really want to share our experiences here on HTC. If this is something you want to read more content on (like how we’re decorating our space and other lessons we’re learning) please let me know in the comments below!

5 Lessons for First-Time Homeowners

Lesson One: Yards are a LOT of work

We’ve never had a yard before, but that was on the top of our “must-have” list because we wanted our pups to have a space they could play in every day. We were prepared to buy a lawn mower after moving in but didn’t think beyond that. Turns out, there is more to maintaining a yard than just mowing it every two weeks.

The previous owners didn’t do a great job of maintaining the lawn or yard over the last few years, but we didn’t realize how rough of shape it was in until a couple weeks into being homeowners. We had to get weed killer to spray between the cracks of our driveway because they were overgrown with tiny grass and weeds. Our lawn was COVERED in dandelions, which spread like wildfire, so we spent several hours pulling them up by hand. That helped with the dandelion problem but made our front lawn pretty lumpy from all the holes. We have patches of thick grass and patches of dry grass, so we learned that we needed to fertilize the grass at least twice during the season. We also had to figure out how to turn on and program our sprinkler system (which we put off for weeks because we were convinced something was going to be wrong with it.) Thankfully, our next door neighbors came over to help Dustin turn them on and run the test and we only had one sprinkler head (out of 25) that didn’t run properly. Additionally, our whole backyard is fenced in, which means that Dustin needed a weed whacker on top of a lawnmower to cut down the grass that grows along the fence.

Five Favorite Products + Playlist – June

June 22, 2017

***Affiliate Links may be used in this post at no extra cost to you!

It’s been quite some time since I sat down and shared my favorite products as of late, so I’m stoked to be sharing some today. Since it has been so long, I can say that I’ve been using all of these products for over 2 months (minus my hat, which I just picked up) so I have really put these things to the test. I love trying new things out and sharing my thoughts because I know how overwhelming it can be to try to figure out what products to buy/put your money into. Hopefully, I can help out in that department just a bit!

I usually have a fail product to share as well, but I really couldn’t think of one this time around. I guess that’s a plus, right? Anyway, here are my five favorite products (+ a playlist, to makeup for not having a fail!) for June:

Five Favorite Products:

itCosmetics Bye Bye Makeup Melting Balm – I’ve always used the tried and true Neutrogena makeup wipes to take my makeup off at night, but over the last few months, I felt like they just weren’t cutting it anymore. My skin has had a hard time since moving to Utah and has been incredibly dry and the wipes seemed to be irritating it even more. Plus, they would always snag in my eyelash extensions when I tried to take off my eye makeup and pull them out. No fun.

I was so stoked when It Cosmetics sent me their Bye Bye Makeup Melting Balm because it looked like a product that might work better for me. It has not disappointed. This stuff literally melts my makeup right off my face when I softly rub it into my skin. After I wipe it off with some cotton rounds, my face feels SO moisturized and calm. Plus, this stuff is gentle on the eyes and easily takes off my eye-makeup without bothering my extensions at all. In fact, I think my extensions retention has gone up since switching to this product as my primary makeup remover.

June Goals & Updates

June 13, 2017

June Goals & Updates // Hey There, Chelsie

And just like that, it’s basically summertime. Anyone else a little freaked out about how we got to June so fast? I mean, we were just closing on our house at the end of March – it’s so hard to believe that we’ve been in it for 3 months now! Time is seriously flying by.

May was another busy and crazy month. Things at work got really hectic for a few weeks, Dustin had to do a lot of traveling for work, and my car finally went into the shop to be fixed from the accident I was in at the end of April. On top of that, we’ve been still figuring out this whole home-owners thing, like turning on sprinklers and planting flower gardens. I guess I should stop expecting life to slow down because every month I think: “this month is going to be slower” and it is just as busy as the month before.

That being said, I wanted to check in on my goals from last month and share my goals for June!

May Goals Update:

Work on Home Improvement Projects every week – I’m not sure if we worked on a home improvement project every week, but we did get a lot accomplished on the home-owner front during the month of May. I finally picked a paint color for the horrid brown wall in our sitting room, we successfully turned on and programmed our sprinkler system, I weeded, planted, and mulched my front garden and we figured out how to turn on our swamp cooler and replaced the pump and pads on it so that it would run correctly. I would say that’s a fair amount of progress for one month!

Go to VASA 3X a week – I did really good at this for the first three weeks, but haven’t made it to the gym in the last week and a half. We’ve been so busy with errands, responsibilities for our church, and Dustin’s traveling that we haven’t made it a priority. We hope to change that mindset this month.

Read Three Books – Also a fail, but I did read one! I just ordered some books from Amazon that I’ve been dying to read for months now, so I hope to make up some ground on this and read more this month.

Pack Lunch & Snacks for Work Every Day – This also started out really well in the month and then tanked when things got crazy. I’m planning on going to Trader Joe’s tonight to get back on track.

Post 3X a Week on the Blog- I didn’t post 3X a week, but I did post at least once a week, which was an improvement compared to previous months!

Engage on Instagram 2X a day – This was a pretty big fail. I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about it by now, but Instagram has become a huge joy suck. In fact, out of my 20,000 followers yesterday, not even 500 saw the picture I posted. Talk about discouraging. I’ve decided that I’m done letting Instagram get me down. I’m going to post photos and use the stories feature, but just not freak out about the engagement issues because it’s adding on way more stress to my life than it should.

Soooo, I didn’t do a great job hitting any of these goals, but I did consistently work on almost all of them for most of the month. I’m proud of myself for still improving on some of these fronts!

[Read more…] about June Goals & Updates

My Journey to Becoming Healthier: The Beginning

May 18, 2017

Opening up about my journey to become healthier and why I'm starting now (after neglecting it for 11 years.) If you are a cancer survivor struggling with wanting to take care of your body, this post is for you // Hey There, Chelsie

When I was going through the process of being diagnosed, the one thing that my dad kept saying to EVERY doctor we saw was: “Besides her leg hurting, she is as healthy as a horse!” It was a little annoying to hear him say repeatedly because clearly, something was wrong with my leg. But, looking back at it now, I don’t blame him because he was right. Because, back before cancer entered my life and tore apart my body, I was pretty dang fit. I was almost 16 years old, I was an active soccer player and marching in the high school band every weekend. I ate relatively well, I could run a fast mile, I was at a decent weight, and I rarely got sick. I was pretty dang health, you know, besides the fact that I had a 6-inch tumor growing in my leg.

Of course, after a year of chemotherapy and three reconstructive leg surgeries, the last word anyone would use to describe me these days would be “healthy.” Yes, I’m almost 11 years cancer free and I haven’t had any major issues health-wise recently, but I’m still far from being healthy. The truth is, I haven’t tried to take care of my body or my physical health in 11 years, minus that one month that I went soda free. I would talk about it once in a while, try to cut out some sugar, but inevitably would give up and fall back into my habits.

At first, I didn’t take care of myself because I physically couldn’t. With a new leg pieced together by donner bone, metal rods, screws, and titanium plates, it’s hard to even get up out of bed in the morning. But as my leg healed, I started using my leg as an excuse to not take care of myself. I was mad at my body for betraying me, I was frustrated that I was stuck in a body that didn’t feel like mine, and I didn’t want to put effort into taking care of it.

It’s like driving a comfortable Ford Edge Limited for your whole life, (you know, one with heated leather seats and Bluetooth,) and waking up one morning to find that you have to commute in a 1993 rusted Oldsmobile with transmission problems. Not only do you mourn the loss of your comfortable and familiar car, but you now have to try to take care of a car that doesn’t want to run. After trying a couple times, it’s easy to say “whatever, I’ll just run it into the ground because it’s never going to drive like my Edge did.” That’s where I was at for the last eleven years – running my Oldsmobile into the ground because it wasn’t the Edge I grew up with.

5 Ways I’m Coping with my Survivor’s Guilt

May 8, 2017

About a year and a half I opened up about something that I rarely had talked to anyone about before: dealing with survivor’s guilt and anxiety. It was a really hard post for me to write, but it was therapeutic as well. I finally felt like I was in a place in life where I could openly admit that I was dealing with those things and that there was no need to be ashamed of them.

Last March, I opened up again and talked about how cancer complicates my birthday. For the last nine years, I have had a really hard time wanting to celebrate my birthday because the survivor’s guilt was so heavy. I would find myself in a deep depression during the month of March and last year was specifically really hard because Maddie would have been turning 18. It was one of the roughest months of my life post-cancer and mentally, I wasn’t in a safe place.

I had hit my breaking point and during a tear-filled evening in the arms of my husband, I told him I needed help. I needed to get my anxiety, my PTSD, my depression, and my survivor’s guilt under control because I was drowning. I couldn’t keep my head above the water anymore and I was terrified. So, I embarked on a new journey to learn coping techniques and strategies so I could carry the weight of it all a bit easier.

Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional and do not claim that THIS is the only way to deal with survivor’s guilt. I am sharing my own experiences and what helps me. Please seek a professional opinion if you need help dealing with survivor’s guilt or PTSD (because that is what I did!)

5 Ways to Cope with Survivor’s Guilt

May 2017 Personal & Blogging Goals

May 3, 2017

I haven’t really done any goal posts this year because I felt like maybe the weren’t very helpful or interesting to anyone besides me. But, since I’m starting fresh this month, I decided I wanted to bring back the goal post to help me get back on track. Plus, this is my blog after all, and I hope that by writing about some of the things I’m working on makes me more real to anyone who reads this. I don’t want anyone to think I have a picture perfect life just because I post pretty images on Instagram or just write about clothes, you know?

Anyway, I’m starting fresh with some goals for both my personal life and my blogging gig and hoping that having them written out will help me stay focused my plan to get back to a routine.

May 2017 Blogging and Instagram Goals // Hey There, Chelsie

Personal Goals:

Work on a house improvement project every day.

Owning a home is no joke-there is ALWAYS something to work on. We didn’t buy a fixer-upper by any means, but man, do we have an ever growing list of things to do. For a while, it was pretty overwhelming and Dustin and I would just ignore it and watch movies instead. But, we’re finally getting off our bums and slowly tackling our to-do list. We’re actually trying to work on one thing every day, even if it’s little. For example, Sunday night we built the guest bed frame and today I bought curtains and printed some art out for the walls.

I have a couple big things I want to get done by the end of the month, but I figured I would start a separate series for HTC (like a home progress report.) Since we’re such newbies to house owning, I figured it might be fun to document and share our adventures (and lessons learned) along the way. Let me know if that is something you would be interested in.

Get to VASA 3X a week.

My work subsidizes gym memberships to VASA as a work perk, meaning that I only have to pay 5 bucks a month for both Dustin and me to be able to go. So, I signed us up for memberships at the beginning of April, and of course, April happened, and we haven’t gone. Once. I told him that if we don’t make it to VASA by the end of this week, I’m canceling our memberships! So, I want to get to VASA at least once this week, but ideally, want to make it 3X a week to make it worth my while.

Since Dustin’s surgery, we both had a wakeup call to how poorly we’ve let our health get during the house-buying process. We were looking at houses every 2-3 nights for almost a month and eating out while looking. We also ate out every night during the whole moving process. We weren’t sleeping well, we were staying hydrated and we both felt pretty crappy. We want to get into a routine now that things are settling down and start taking care of ourselves better.

Read 3 Books

The weather has been so beautiful in Utah, and Teddy needs to be watched when he is in the back yard, because he can’t be trusted not to eat a stick or rock. I can’t look at my phone when I’m in the yard because Rosie instantly becomes obsessed with the reflection from the sun off my screen, so I picked up a book to read last week that had been sitting on my bookshelf for ages. Before I knew it, I had been in the yard for over an hour, breezing through an amazing read. I was amazing at how fresh I felt from unplugging for a little bit and escaping to a different world, and want to get back into that habit!

Pack my lunch/snacks for work every day

This goes hand in hand with our goal to get to the gym – basically, my company has a lot of free soda/snacks for us in the breakroom and I am always in there eating something I probably shouldn’t. I think it would be a lot easier to resist if I packed my own snacks and lunch!

Blogging Goals:

Post 3X a week

I might be setting the bar high here for someone trying to get back into the swing of things, but as I sat down and wrote out my content calendar last night, I realized I had so much to say and share and catch you all up on. 3X a week is also my ideal blogging schedule, so I feel like if I can do it this month, that will get me in the habit from here on out!

Engage on Instagram Consistently 2X a day

I could go on and on about how much heartache Instagram is causing me (and the blogging/small business community) but I’ll save that for another day. Instead, I’m just making it a goal to stop ignoring it (because I have been) and get on at least 2X a day and engage with my friends and followers on there.

Not a whole lot of blogging goals since I’m giving myself a reach goal with 3X a week. I’m hoping that getting back into a consistent posting schedule will allow other things, like social media, unfold naturally and easily. I just don’t want to overwhelm myself – I still have a lot going on and if I give myself too much, I’ll get discouraged!

I’d love to know if you have any tips for these goals above, if you have any book recommendations for me, or what your goals are for the month!

Lifestyle + Personal

Life Currently V.1 | Utah Lifestyle Blog

Life Currently V.1 | Utah Lifestyle Blog

5 Must-Haves for your New Puppy

Why we decided to get a second pup

Meet Teddy

5 Must-Haves for your New Puppy

Facing Fears in a Bathing Suit | Seven Peaks Provo

Seven Peaks Water Park

I’m not an Expert, I’m on a Journey – Repositioning HTC for Success

I’ve found some clarity, recently:

I realized that is where true community is created when a journey is shared. A real, honest journey. So here’s an update on mine:

HTC Chit-Chat & Updates – July | A Utah Blog

Life Chit-Chat

Let’s chat about that Nordstrom Sale

Things worth chatting about:

HTC Catch-Up