Bucket List Updates

It's been a while since I've posted anything about my bucket list, so I thought that it was time for an update! I've crossed off a few things since the last time that I posted about it and I've also de-cluttered the list a bit! I hope that the next time that I post about it, I'll have more things crossed off and maybe some new things added!

(These are in no particular order, by the way!)

• See a lantern festival
• Drink coffee in Seattle
• Visit Pearl Harbor
• Visit Ground Zero
• Cliff dive- 6/11/2016
• Celebrate my 100th birthday
• Make a wish in the Trevi Fountain
• Kiss/be on a big screen 5/15/2013
• Go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
• Run the Color Run- 6/18/2016
• Snowboard/Ski
• Start a blog- 4/29/2013
• See the Eiffel Tower
• Visit Pixar Studios
• Write a letter to myself and open in 10 years 6/28/13
• Eat pizza and spaghetti in Italy
• Eat in one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants
• Visit the Hershey's Chocolate Factory in Pennsylvania
• Try Chicago style pizza in Chicago
• Visit Ben&Jerry's in Vermont
• Eat at Carlo's Bakery
• Take a tour of the White House
• Be in 2 places at once
• Witness a miracle
• See a meteor shower
• Graduate college
• Go to Disneyland in California
• See a Broadway play in New York 
• Finish my novel- 7/28/2012 at 12:15 a.m.
• Rescue a dog- 5/28/2014
• Get married-5/12/2013
• Go on a Disney cruise
• Win a championship- November 2009 and 2011- NSPA
• Run a Disney marathon
• Ride in a helicopter
• Take an art class- 05/17/2016
• Be on T.V.- 5/11/2011- WPTV
• Go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween- 10/16/2012
• Dance in the moonlight- 1/25/2012
• Go on a road trip- 12/19/2014
• Scuba dive
• Swim with dolphins
• Skydive
• Learn how to play guitar
• Rock climb
• Learn to sing
• Get published
• Go on a book tour
• Write a second novel-1/29/2016
• Have kids
• Adopt a kid
• Make the NY Times Best Seller's List
• White water raft- 6/11/2016
• Zipline
• See the Northern Lights
• Make a snow angel- 11/18/2014
• Learn sign language
• Go surfing
• Have a white Christmas
• Build a snowman
• Shop in N.Y.C.
• See the Statue of Liberty
• Swim in an infinity pool
• Play messy twister
• Carve my initials into a tree
• Attend a masquerade
• Have a shaving cream fight
• Ride in a hot air balloon 5/16/2013
• Learn to embroider
• Go to Austria

I can't tell you how good it feels to cross things off of my bucket list! I can't wait for even more adventures to come!

What's on your bucket list?

-Chelsea

It's My Birthday!

April 4th is one of my favorite days of the year because... it's my birthday! Yep, today I am officially one year older! I've learned a lot in these 20+ years and I thought that now would be a good time to reflect on it!

• Don't judge anyone- You don't know anyone else's story or what they're going through, so don't pass judgment.
• Make yourself happy- Only you know what it takes to make you happy and what you want out of life. Life is short. So live it the way that you want to and don't worry about what anyone else thinks about it.
• Try new things- Life is about experience and making memories. Don't just stay in your comfort zone. Get out there and experience everything that life has to offer.
• Laugh as often as possible- Don't dwell on the bad things in life. Stay positive and let yourself enjoy life. Laughter is the best medicine.
• Appreciate people while they are there- People don't stay around forever and when they're gone, you'll always miss them. Make sure that you let them know how much you love and appreciate them while you can.
• Never stop trying to live your dream- If you have something that you want or want to achieve, go after it and never stop fighting for it.
• Be grateful for what you have- Always appreciate how blessed you are and never forget that.

I've led a pretty incredible life so far and I'm extremely grateful for it. Over the past few years, I've learned to love myself as I am and I've realized that I'm more than I ever thought I was.

I am...

A sister.
A daughter.
A wife.
A student.
A friend.
A writer.
An athlete.
An artist.
A caregiver.
A nanny.

Life has taken me on an incredible journey so far and I'm so excited to see where the next year takes me!

-Chelsea

Staying in Touch

I'm a firm believer that relationships are work, whether they are romantic relationships or friendships. But I don't think that's a bad thing. In fact, I actually think the opposite. I think it's a really good thing. If you're working on a relationship, it means that you're making sure that you stay a part of that person's life. For example, ever since Kelsey moved away, we've been keeping in touch with each other. We mostly talk through text messages but there have also been phone calls as well as Face-time chats. I even went to go visit her new place in Kentucky a few months ago. (Click here to read about it). We've talked about trying to take another vacation together some time in the future as well. We're always talking and keeping each other up-to-date on what's going on in our lives. To me, that shows me just how important I am to her and vice versa. Even though we now live over 1,000 miles away from each other, we're still doing our best to maintain our friendship and make sure that it's just as strong as ever. To me, that's true friendship. We aren't letting the distance come between us.

I understand that life goes on and people get busy. It's not practical to think that I'll be in constant communication with my friends and I don't. That goes for my other friends as well. I still consider myself friends with many of the people that I left behind when I moved out of Florida. We talk when we can and meet up whenever I come down for a visit.

But it really shows me how close Kelsey and I are because we are still making that effort to be there for each other. And I know that we always will. I have no doubt that if I called her at 2 a.m. and told her that I needed her that she'd figure out a way to be there for me. And she knows that I would do the same for her in a heartbeat.

I still miss her like crazy every day and life hasn't been the same since she left. There is nobody that can ever replace her. And it feels really good to know that she's still my best friend and that she's still there for me no matter what. When people move away, most of the time they promise to keep in touch with the people that they leave behind. In my opinion, it's a rarity and a gift when they come through on those promises. I'm so appreciative that I found someone that did. I always knew that Kelsey was a special friend and that I was blessed to have her in my life. Her effort to hold onto our friendship proves that I was right.

-Chelsea

Thankful Thursday

I've always been really thankful for what I have and I do have a lot to be thankful for. Those thankful feelings are magnified around the holidays and I think that it's important to acknowledge what I'm thankful for.

My family- My family is always there for me, no matter what. They are loving, passionate, caring and thoughtful people and I am so blessed to have them in my life. I've always felt lucky to be a part of this family and I know that I always will. I love my family more than anything in the world and couldn't imagine my life without them. I am so thankful to know them and to have had them to teach me about life, the real world, the true meaning of family and myself.

My husband- Kris and I have had a crazy 5 years together (2 years married) and I can't believe that it's been that long. Time has flown by and I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else. We have a special bond that I've never felt with anyone else. He makes me feel loved and special. I'm so thankful that we found each other and that we've made the commitment to spend our lives together. I welcome whatever adventures find us in the future.

Kelsey- Kelsey and I have a friendship that is stronger than any friendship I've ever had. Even though she moved away, she is still my closest friend and our friendship is stronger than ever. She always finds a way to push me out of my comfort zone and makes me feel better about myself. I'm a better person for knowing her and she's absolutely irreplaceable in my life.

This is only a small glimpse into what I'm thankful for. I'm saving the rest for upcoming posts! Until then, happy Thankful Thursday!

What are you thankful for?

-Chelsea

Austria

I don't know about you guys but for me, the holidays are a time for reflection. I think about what's important to me and what I really want out of life. As I've gotten older, I've realized that life isn't about material things and that things I want can't be bought.

I lost my grandmother this past January. We were extremely close and I miss her dearly every single day. Christmas was her favorite time of year and Christmas Eve was, by far, her absolute favorite day of the year. No competition. This time of year is very special to my family, especially now that Grandma is gone. It's been the hardest holiday season of my life because everything reminds me of her and because it is my first Christmas without her. She's been on my mind constantly, as well as the many wonderful memories that we shared together.

The most important thing to her was family and that was something that she transferred to everyone that she knew. I always wanted to be like her and I still do. I know that I always will. She and I had so many wonderful memories together. One of my favorite memories is us watching The Sound of Music together over and over. I spent many weekends at her house and I'd always ask her to play that movie. It was our favorite. While we'd watch it, we'd talk about how beautiful Austria was and how much we'd both like to go. Austria was the one place in the world that she wanted to travel to and she never got the chance. I can't think of The Sound of Music or Austria without thinking about my grandmother and the trip we both would've loved to take. There aren't any words that can describe how much I wish that she could've taken that trip before she passed away.

So when I reflect on what I want out of life, I know one thing is for sure: the one thing that I want most is to go to Austria. I don't know if I'll ever get there but I do know that I'll do everything in my power to try to make it happen.

I miss and love my grandmother and I hope that one day, I can make that dream of going to Austria come true. Although the one thing that I want most can't be wrapped in ribbons or bows, if I ever get it, it'll be the greatest gift that I could possibly ever receive.

I hope that you all get everything you ever dreamed of.

-Chelsea

My Favorite Shows On Netflix

If you're anything like me, you absolutely love Netflix! I'm addicted to many of its shows and have spent quite a lot of quality time with it! Last winter when Kris and I were snowed in for days, we used the time to catch up on our shows! Also, after a long day of work and school, it's nice to unwind with some of our favorite shows!

I'm a little late getting on the bandwagon for a lot of these shows but that doesn't stop me from enjoying them as much as I can! I've found a lot of great shows by reading other peoples' blogs for recommendations. I've got tons of shows on my list that I can't wait to get to once I finish the ones that I'm watching now!

Although you're probably either watching or have watched these shows, I thought I'd recommend my favorites in case you haven't!

These shows are listed in no particular order.

Shows I've Finished:

Merlin- Seriously, go watch it. My friend recommended it to me years ago and I never watched it. Once I got through it on Netflix I couldn't believe that I'd blown it off for so long. It's so different from anything that I'd ever watched before. It was refreshing, dramatic, emotional and full of adventure!

Gilmore Girls- I wasn't thrilled with the last season of it but for the most part, I really enjoyed it! The relationship between Rory and Lorelei reminded me a lot of my relationship with my mother.

Heartland- I'd never heard of this show until a few months ago and once I found it, I binged-watched it! Only the first 6 seasons of the show are on Netflix and I can't wait until the rest of it is added!

Cheers- This show is a classic. It needs no description!

Parenthood- There are not enough words to describe how much I love this show! I've never cried so much while watching a show until this one came around! A lot of the characters reminded of people in my own family!

One Tree Hill- This show will forever be one of my favorites! I watched it because Chad Michael Murray was in it but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did! If you're into basketball, drama and love triangles, this show is for you!

Scandal- If you're not watching this show, why not? You need Olivia Pope in your life!

White Collar- I watched this show on a whim one day and it quickly became a favorite! Neal Caffrey will steal your heart and will always keep you wondering which side he's on!

Grey's Anatomy- I stopped watching this show season 12 but I love all of the previous seasons that are on Netflix now!

Last Man Standing- I'm a huge Tim Allen fan, so watching this show was a give-in. This show is always good for a laugh and always puts me in a good mood!

The Dick Van Dyke Show- I've always been a huge fan of Dick Van Dyke, so I had to check out this classic show! I absolutely loved it and all of the characters! It was funny, sweet, wholesome and adorable! I believe that it's being taken off Netflix but you should definitely try to watch it some other way!

Shows I'm Watching Now And Haven't Finished:

Bones- I'm on season 8 right now and I can't wait to catch up! The show is on season 11 right now and I can't imagine how they're going to keep this show going! But I can't wait to find out! This show takes an unlikely pair and puts them together to solve murders. It's funny, heart-wrenching, dramatic and surprising. My husband and I absolutely love to watch this show together!

Friday Night Lights- I have always been a huge football fan, so when I found a drama that was centered around football, I quickly added it to my list! I'm so glad that I did! Although the show deals with a lot of football, you don't have to be a football fan to watch it as there are a lot of different facets to the show. The characters are lovable and memorable and there is something for everyone!

Scrubs- Kris and I watch this show when we need to wind down and watch something that'll put a smile on our faces. This show is light-hearted and fun with just enough reality to make it well-rounded.

Everybody Loves Raymond- We love this show for the same reason that we love Scrubs. What's not to love about a show with busy-body parents that live across the street from their son?

I hope that if you haven't watched any of these shows that you'll check them out and like them as much as I do! If you have any recommendations, please feel free to leave a comment!

-Chelsea

My Favorite Time of the Year!

October has finally arrived and that means that it is officially my favorite time of the year! There are three holidays within the next three months which, for me, means endless smiles! I don't know about you guys but I absolutely love Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas! I think that it's a time that most everyone enjoys, which makes this time all the more beautiful.

 

Now that Kris and I live up north, we get to experience the changing of the seasons. Our days are filled with apple cider, changing leaves and cool temperatures. It's, in my opinion, the most beautiful time of the year and Kris and I love to share it together. I love all of the wonderful traditions that Kris and I get to start and all of the time that we get to spend with our friends and family. A lot of wonderful things are happening in our lives and it just makes this time of year even better, if that were possible!

I really try to be a positive person and spread positivity to the people in my life. So when this time of year comes around, it makes me so happy because all of the people around me are sharing in happiness and positivity. I'm going to make the best of these next few months and I hope you will too!

-Chelsea