Hey There, Chelsie

Lifestyle + Personal

13 Ways to Prepare for the New Year

*affiliate links There's nothing quite like the feeling a fresh start, am I right? Even though I know that I can have a fresh start any time or day or month during the year, there is just something so special and motivating about the fresh start that comes with a new year. However, I've found that I typically start the New Year with a sense of chaos because of the holidays just ending and all the traveling and craziness that comes with the holidays, especially when you're hosting. This year, I wanted to make sure that we did everything we could to put some distance between that chaos (as magical as it is) and carve out some time to really prepare for the . . .

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Lifestyle + Personal

My Word of the Year (2019) | Utah Lifestyle Blog

Hi. Hey there. Hello.  2019 is here and I honestly can't believe that another year has flown by. I normally feel so hopeful and bright and shiny at the beginning of a new year, and while I have had glimpses of that feeling over the last week, I've also felt a bit more unsettled. Weird, right? I just have this feeling that 2019 is going to be life-changing, in more than one way and even though I'm excited to see what changes come, I'm also a bit nervous. Change can be hard, ya know? But, if there's any lesson that 2018 has taught me, it's that sometimes, the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change. So, I'm doing my best to mentally prepare for 2019 . . .

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Lifestyle + Personal

HTC Top Moments of 2018

Hi. First of all - MY COMPUTER IS BACK IN MY ARMS! HOORAY!  After almost 3 whole weeks without my personal laptop, I was beginning to think I'd never write a blog post again (which was a major bummer since I was feeling ALL sorts of inspired and had shot a ton of holiday content for December before dumping a full mug of peppermint tea and honey all over it.) Not having my computer was a blessing in disguise for the most part, though, because it allowed me to truly unplug from HTC during the holidays and it allowed me to do some deep thinking/reevaluating/planning on what I want to do and where I want to take my blog in 2019 without being distracted. I'm so, so . . .

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Lifestyle + Personal

HTC & Purina Give Back | Giving Tuesday

This post was sponsored by Just Right by Purina. All Opinions are my Own When Dustin and I were newly married, living in a small trailer home on the outskirts of our college town, we dreamed about the day we could bring home our first dog. We were THAT couple that oooo'd and ahhh'd at every dog we saw walking by us at the park and we would spend hours researching different breeds online and planning our future life with our future dog. One day, early into our marriage, we decide to take a drive down to the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter (about 30 minutes away) to see if we could get our "dog fix." We were told that they were always looking for volunteers to . . .

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Lifestyle + Personal

ChelsChats – November: BIG Life & Blog Updates (+ some things in my shopping cart)

affiliate links used in this post at no cost to you - thanks for supporting HTC!  I've definitely fallen out of the habit of writing here consistently over the last few weeks (or months) and to be honest, it's been kind of hard to get back into the swing of things with all the changes we've had going on over here in the Carr home. I've seriously had months of content shot and planned and just haven't had the time (or, to be honest) the energy to sit down and write about them by the end of the day. And, once I made some big decisions over the last few weeks, it felt weird to write about anything until I could share what's going on in my life and where things . . .

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Lifestyle + Personal

5 Ways to Prepare your Dog for Winter

This post is sponsored by Just Right by Purina - All opinions are my own We have snow in the mountains. Yep. You read the right. We have snow in the mountains here in Utah and we've had it there since the beginning of October. Even though we've been enjoying the most beautiful fall days here in the valley, the snow is a constant reminder that winter is literally just around the corner and it will be snowing before we know it. Time to batter down the hatches, crawl into a whole (and get those dogs ready for winter!)  I'm not going to lie - winter is not my favorite season. I mean, I love the snow when I'm all cozied up at home, snuggled in blankets with hot . . .

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Beauty + Health

How I Found Inspiration to Work Out

This post was sponsored by adidas. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support HTC. For the last twelve years of my life, I've been told to be careful. Be careful not to over-do it, to not be too active, to not do activities that involve long distances or high impact or anything that could risk irreversible damage to my reconstructed left leg. Combine with the chronic pain from a total left knee replacement on a donor bone, the energy capacity of a teaspoon and a bitter resentment towards a body that betrayed me by growing a tumor in the first place, I was convinced I would never be healthy or strong again and that any type of exercise . . .

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Cancer

10 Practical Ways to Support Someone with Cancer

At the end of September, I got brave and decided to talk more openly about my story as a pediatric cancer patient and survivor. Since September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, I wanted to do my part in raising awareness and sharing a REAL look at treatment and life after. And yes, while I've written a lot about my experiences as a survivor here on HTC, talking about it face to face (well, with my face on Instagram Stories) was really intimidating. It's hard to relive those memories of my diagnosis, treatment, and life immediately afterward in such details and it puts me in a very vulnerable and sensitive state. But. That IS my story and even though it took me a . . .

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Lifestyle + Personal

My Biggest Wedding Regret & Re-do (featuring BLANC Bridal)

October has always been one of my favorite months of the year, but I'm just realizing why: there are SO many good things that come in October for us! The weather changes, the fall candles go on sale at Bath & Bodyworks, we celebrate my official remission anniversary, and we celebrate out 1/2 year wedding anniversary. This year, it will be five and a half years since Dustin and I said "yes" to each other and were sealed for time and all eternity in the Boston Temple! It's super surreal to think we've been married for that long - part of me feels like it's been much longer and part of me feels like we were married just yesterday. I can't imagine life without . . .

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Lifestyle + Personal

The ULTIMATE October Bucket List

affiliate links It is moody, gloomy, breezy & rainy here in Utah. The leaves have started to change in the valley (and are already in full force in the canyons) and I have been snuggled in cozy leggings and sweatshirts all weekend long. It's officially October, it's officially fall, and it's OFFICIALLY the best time of the year. I don't know what it is exactly about the seasons changing, but it makes me feel so alive. Maybe it's the fact that it's not blazing hot outside, or maybe it's the hint of Christmas cheer in the air. It might just be the fact that I'm a New Englander who always enjoyed the most perfect (and lengthy) falls and I feel like I . . .

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Lifestyle + Personal

Goals & Plans for the Last 90 Days | Utah Lifestyle Blog

Affiliate links used. Thanks for supporting Hey There, Chelsie | A Utah Lifestyle Blog I listened to a Christmas song on the way to work today and I am not sorry about it. Not one bit. Monday kicked off the BEST time of the year and from here on out, my life will be filled with Marshmallow Fireside candles, Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Lattes and Christmas music. I'm a firm believer in enjoying every second I can during this time of year and you won't ever find me shaming someone else for being "basic" because Pumpkin Spice and Blanket Scarves make them happy. Yeah, I went there. ANYWAY. At the beginning of the week, my friend Karli (from everyday_ellis) encouraged . . .

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Lifestyle + Personal

Why Personalized Food is Important & Easy Romesco Sauce Recipe

This post has been sponsored by Just Right by Purina. All opinions are my own. We're in the home stretch of 2018 (hard to believe) and I've been in a super reflective mood as we get ready for the busiest (and best) time of the year. My little family (as in, Dustbust, Rosie Roo, Teddy Bear and I) have made a lot of changes over the last nine months, including a new job for Dustin, lots of home improvement projects, and a lot of lifestyle changes. The biggest change we've worked on making this year was our eating habits - specifically adopting a healthier mindset when it came to food and what kinds of food we put into our body. Dustin and I both found ourselves . . .

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