Summer Bucket List

I want this summer to be fun, fun, fun! 

As far as work goes, fun is a given with 11 summer dance camps and the studio opening...add So You Think You Can Dance to that...love.

I have a lot of things I want to do with Matt this summer too. I thought it would be fun to make... 

Our Summer Bucket List

*See "Brave"

*Go horseback riding

*take an archery lesson to feel awesome like Merida and Katniss :)

*have a campfire on the beach at Alki and make s'mores

*climb/hike Mt. Si

*have friends over for a cook-out BBQ

*go to an outdoor movie or 3 at Marymoor Park 

*Go to Wild Waves

*Pick our own strawberries and raspberries

*Seattle Underground Tour

*Drive to Seabrook for the day just to hang at the beach

*spend a day in Portland with a stop at VooDoo Doughnuts and pig out on maple bacon bars!

*take a walk around Greenlake because we haven't been in over a year :(

*Visit Mt. Rainier again

*be brave and go kayaking

*Get a new car!

Let's see how many of those we can check off!

I love summer in WA :) Summer and Fall are my favorite times here.

Disney Cruise Here We Come!!!!

Matt and I made a big decision on Monday night...

We will no longer be going to Sunriver this year...

becaaauuuusssseeeee..........

We're going on an Alaskan Disney Cruise!!! Eeeeee!!!!! 

We get to hang out with these Alaskan cuties!

September 3rd-September 10th!!

With the cruise taking off from Seattle, we couldn't resist. We end up in Vancouver, so Matt's parents will be picking us up :) So nice! We are already counting down the days until we leave. It's fun that this summer feels a lot like last summer already because we were waiting last summer for our September 2nd wedding and leaving on the 3rd for our honeymoon. And now this year we're excited for our anniversary which is also Matt's sister's wedding and then leaving for our anniversary-moon the next day! We wanted so badly to go to Disney World for our honeymoon, so this is just awesome. 

Mel & Clint's wedding is in Seattle at the Aquarium so the next morning we can just wake up late, check-out of our hotel at 11am and then walk over to the ship to go on board! Yippeeee!! 

I have been pinning clothes and ideas like a mad woman. I can't wait to look all cute on the ship and to wear pretty dresses! We decided we're going to dress up for dinner every night :) 2 of the nights we get to be really dressed up with Matt in a suit and me in a gown/cocktail dress! I'll get to wear my awesome bridesmaid shoes more! We will be going to some awesome shows, "The Golden Mickey's", "Toy Story-The Musical", & "Disney Dreams-An Enchanted Classic." I can't wait to hug Pluto!! ; ) 

The lobby is all themed after The Little Mermaid which has me pumped because that is my all-time favorite movie! I want to get some awesome art while we are on the ship. I'm excited to shop in all the gift shops and to go to the spa!!!

You can find us at the pool (heated to 90 degrees) watching Disney Movies all day! I can't wait to get some new swim suits :)

We are beyond excited! Matt has a countdown going, we're at 96 more days!! Eeee!!

(Mel, just 95 until your wedding!!! Yay!)

Dear Summer,

Be awesome but go fast.

Love,

Me

What a Wonderful Weekend!

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We spent lots of time with family and friends and lots of time together just relaxing and enjoying the time "off". 

Saturday was our big hike to Rattlesnake Ledge and that night Katie called and invited us over for dinner. We had such a great time over there with her parents and their friends. We played ladder ball, ate yummy tacos, had some good laughs and ended the night with drinks and Apples to Apples.

I spent 1.5 hours in Ben Franklin (I love that store!) and found some great ideas for Mel's Bridal Shower and picked up a few crafts that I wanted to make from Pinterest. 

One of them, I am so excited about...my new make-up brush organizer!

I made some delicious S'mores Campfire Cookies...mmmm mmm Mm! They got demolished at Chris & Katies :)

Yesterday we had a yummy breakfast at Lance & Marie's for the weigh-in and good family time. Matt is at 13 lbs lost. I'm so so proud of him! He is feeling so good about himself and it makes me so happy to see him feeling like this. His confidence has already shot up and I can only imagine how he'll feel if he makes his goal. I'm really proud of him. 

We had fun driving around to model homes with Mel & Lance yesterday so Mel could look at paint colors for their new house which now has some walls up, yay!! She got some great ideas and we got to see the houses we love again. It was super fun :) 

We went and worked out this morning and then went to a matinee this afternoon with Lance & Marie. After we went to Seattle to see the Disney Wonder take off on it's Maiden Voyage from Seattle! It. Was. Awesome! Speaking of...exciting news coming soon :)

We finished the weekend watching The Bachelorette and having some awesome deep conversations...not about The Bachelorette ; ) I loved this weekend but am excited for this week too.

I am hiring lots of teachers this week and am starting those interviews tomorrow morning. Friday we get to go to the studio with the woman who is sub-leasing it to us so we can decide what will stay and what will go. We're also chaperoning a dance & going on another hike this weekend. Can't wait!!!

I am very much enjoying life right now and am just grateful for everything we have and everyone we have. Life is way too short. 

Rattlesnake Mountain!

We just got back from an amazing hike at Rattle Snake Ledge.

We were up early ready to go and headed up the mountain around 9:15am. We got down at noon. 

We went with Matt's parents and his mom's old trainer. 

The weather is beautiful here today and it was definitely the perfect day for this hike. 

We all felt pretty proud when we were done and can't wait for the next big hike.

We loved it.

We got some amazing pictures today!

 Matt and his dad at the top

 Just chillin' with my hubby at the top of a mountain :)

 My awesome in-laws :)

 I love this one :) and Matt has his Wisconsin hoodie on so it's even better

 Going down...

 The end :) The lake is so clear and blue, it's almost turquoise when you're standing by it. We all kept saying how my family would love it here with the kids.

Mountain Hikers!

 See that little peak on top....yep, that's where we were.

I'm already excited about our next hike. It was such a great way to start off the day. Now we're just chillin'. Matt is exhausted but I want to keep going and get out. We're going to take Cogs Wogs to the dog park and go to Barnes and Noble :) Tonight I'm making S'mores Cookies I found on Pinterest. Mmmmmm! Great day :)

-Chelsea-

Thursday Randoms

I have been working really hard on making the most of each day. 

So far, I've done pretty well. 

We had a nice weekend.

On Friday we picked Matt's parents and brother's family up from the airport after their trip to Disneyland.

We had Avery with us and I had fun walking around the airport with her pretending she was mine, Ha! Yes, Katie knows I do this lol. Matt does it too. We'll be somewhere and someone will say she's cute and we just go, "Oh thank you!!!" Ha! (Saves awkward weird explaining to cute little old ladies). 

This weekend we went and looked at some model homes in our favorite community. It felt even closer to being real and it was fun to look and dream. Except now we're saving for those dreams and it's exciting!

Here is our favorite floor plan for a town home we love. **Just Dreaming** We just realized this floor plan has a patio and we were all ready to accept the fact that we would have to bbq in the garage. :) These town homes are still being built and won't be done until closer to 2014 so there is a lot of time for us to get ready if we do still like these when it's time to buy a home. 

We also enjoyed taking Cogsy for a walk around the lake and we had breakfast with Matt's parents on Sunday :) 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and today I have been praying lots and lots for my Uncle Jim, Aunt Lori and family. My Dad visited them today. My mom told me that the doctor came in and asked my dad to stop talking to her because her bloom pressure was going up to much. She is in a coma but can still hear :( My dad said he was talking to her telling her that he's there and is going to be there for Sam and Jim. :( I wish I could go there to give them hugs and tell them I love them too. I checked plane tickets but they were just too much. 

Today I went to one of our new locations to finalize everything for this Fall. I'm really excited to start at this new location. I'm working on hiring and scheduling everyone now. The building is absolutely beautiful!

This weekend is going to be nice and relaxing.

Saturday we're going on a family hike, I'm excited :) 

-Chelsea-

We Need a Miracle.

These past few days have been filled with sadness and lots of praying.

One of my childhood friends, Sam's (Sam-I-Am), parents were in an accident while on their motorcycle. The wind took them. They did not hit anything, no one crashed into them. It was just wind. Strong wind. They had their helmets on, but that did not help with my Auntie Lori. (growing up we called them Auntie Lori and Uncle Jim and I still do when I see them now). Both of them were rushed to the hospital and Auntie Lori was flight for life. They were sent to separate hospitals. 

From what I know is that my Uncle Jim has broken ribs and arms. He is still in the hospital and has just found out about Auntie Lori and he is not doing well with that :'(. I can't even imagine....

Auntie Lori is now in a coma with a swollen brain. She has broken bones over he entire body, including her face and has a ruptured spleen (sp?). The numbers given by the doctors are not good. The doctors say even if she makes it out of this (2%) she will never be herself. She won't be able to communicate. 

This is just the saddest thing. I wish so badly that I was home right now so I could be with Sam. Sam has been my friend since I was 4 years old. We used to live in the same town homes with them...us on one end, their family on the other end. Our families were inseparable. They would come camping with us in the summer and we would go to their house even after we moved away to Hartford. Sam and I have stayed in touch to this day. We don't see each other as often as I would like and the timing never works out to visit when I'm home. She'll always be my friend though and I am just crushed knowing she is going through this right now. 

Today I cried. I haven't yet because I've been pushing it off. I didn't want to cry. I was talking to my mom while she was in the hospital with Sam in the room with Auntie Lori. (My mom drove to Illinois to be with them today...that's where the accident happened). Sam was out of the room when I called and when she came back in the room my mom handed her the phone. I hadn't talked to her yet and the second I heard her voice I burst into tears. I hadn't called yet because I knew I would break down and I wanted to be strong for her. I'm so mad that I cried. She said she hasn't been answering her phone because it's too hard to talk so it was okay that I texted instead. My mom has been talking with her a lot these past few days. My mom is really good at that. She is the best person I know to talk to when you need someone to comfort you. She is very nurturing like that. I'm so glad she is there with her. 

My mom has been crying a lot. She is now with my Uncle Jim. Sam asked my mom to explain to my Uncle Jim that he needs to stay where he is so he can heal. He just wants to be with his wife. I'm so so sad for him. Now I'm crying again. I should stop writing. 

This is just not real. This isn't supposed to happen. This is something from an awful sad horrible movie. Not real life. Not to Sam. Not to Uncle Jim & Auntie Lori. They're wonderful people. I have such amazing memories with them growing up. I keep thinking about Auntie Lori knowing her and Sam can never talk again. It's horrible. Most of my memories with her are just talking with her. Mostly in her kitchen with Sam. I can hear her laugh and picture her smile clear as day! Even though I haven't seen her in a few years.

Before I left to live in Florida at Disney I remember being there with her and how excited she was to hear all about it. 

She is strong. We need a big miracle on this one, God. 

If you pray, please pray for them. 

-Chelsea-

"What to Expect When Your Expecting" LOVE!

Do you love babies? I do...I'm obsessed. No really, it's a real problem I have. 

If so...you should run, not walk, to see "What to Expect When Your Expecting".

I laughed so hard that Matt had to shush me and...cried so hard that Matt asked me if I needed to leave.

(the thought alone of a miscarriage will make me cry so to see someone go through that made me bawl...biggest fear in life) I watched my Mom go through a lot of tubal pregnancies and miscarriages growing up and parts of this movie brought that all reeling back except in a very scary, real, different way. Knowing that could happen to me makes me cry. 

Annyyyways....

Most of the movie I laughed and it made me just so much more excited to start a family with Matt. Those are going to be the best days of our lives. I need to learn patience. I'm not doing so well with that.

I give the movie a 10 out of 10. Matt says a 7. So, that's pretty good :) It was fun to watch together being in the place we are now in our lives. They definitely didn't beat around the bush, it was really real.

They touched on everything we've been learning about so it was cool.

They also touched on some super sensitive subjects that hit home.

*weight loss while trying to conceive

*miscarriage

*c-sections...and the scary things that could happen after surgery

*wanting the "glow" but realizing that's unrealistic and just in the movies and magazines

*jealousy of pregnant women every time you see one walking down the street or in line with you at Target

We thought it was maybe a bad idea to go and see this movie because I want a baby so so bad (always have). But, actually agreed it was good for me to see because they didn't sugar coat it. It was real. I loved every second of it. Me and the woman bawling along with me in the seat next to me lol. Matt kept leaning over to make sure I was okay. At one point I almost did leave because it was too sad and real and all my biggest fears were real on the screen in front of me. I'm so glad I stayed though. 

Everyone keeps saying, "When you start trying you're going to get pregnant right away!" That is way to optimistic thinking when talking about making a baby. I know all too well about all the problems that can come along the way and how many women are out there with children or without children who have tried and tried before getting pregnant or not being able to get pregnant. 

Parenting is all around me in my everyday life. Motherhood especially. I am with so many kids and moms every single day. Moms who are pregnant, moms who are trying, moms who have lost early on and sadly later on in pregnancy. It's all very real to me. 

Anyways...this movie was awesome and if Matt would let me I'd be there again watching it right now :) 

We were pleased to find out that all the funny parts in the trailer were only about 1/4 of the funny parts in the movie. It's a funny movie even for people not quite ready for babies. There were tons of high school kids in there on dates (super weird), but they were even walking out laughing and liking it. 

GOOD movie!!

Ok, I'm done :) 

We had a great day today! Looked at some model homes, took a walk around our mini lake/pond, had a nice lunch together and bought me an iPad to use as our register for dance :) Fun day!

-Chelsea-

Booked!

Operation Disneyland Step #1 complete!

We booked our 2nd half of our trip's hotel.

My team kids are dancing in the Holiday Parade at Disneyland November 2-4th for the ABC-TV taping. Matt and I will be there October 30-November 5th. 

Because we're going with the team, we get super discounts on hotels.

We just booked our team portion of our trip to stay at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa! 

Matt used to work there and I've been inside, but I've never stayed there. : )

I'm. So. Excited!

November 2-5th we'll get to stay there!

October 30-2nd we're staying at Disneyland Hotel because the Grand was sold out those dates.

Yay!!!!!

Next step...book Disneyland Hotel :)

February 2011 (we didn't stay here, but took pictures because Matt used to work there)

We. Can't. WAIT!!!

Matt's parents are there right now with Matt's brother and sister-in-law and their 3 kids. I won't lie...we're a teensy weeny bit jealous ; ) I hate waiting for Disney trips.

I can't wait to see the new Little Mermaid ride (most excited for...all time favorite movie), Cars Land & the new Star Tours :) FUN!

-Chelsea-

Weekend Fun

We had another great weekend. 

Thursday & Friday we had Avery and the little stinker barely napped (oops...I played with her way too much) ; ) 

This little munchkin is just 10 days away from being 5 months old...she's growing so fast! We absolutely love our time with her, and her mommy & daddy too :)

{Avery, 4.5 months. Working on her mad sitting skills. She can balance for 2-3 seconds :)}

This was our day when we played...a lot. Like, she didn't sleep for a full 4 hours...oops! :) 

Auntie Chelsea & Avery just hanging out :)

Thursday night we went out with Matt's parents and celebrated signing the lease on the studio! Mmm Tutta Bella :) 

On Saturday I went in to check on my classes because I don't teach on Saturdays anymore, I have other teachers teaching the classes. It was fun to see the families. 

I left at noon before the last class and Matt and I had time to head to our farmers market (our wedding location). We loved being there. It was hot out! Walking around there seeing all the families, Matt and I were talking about how we feel it will be worth waiting maybe another year more than we thought to buy a home so we can live here forever. I want to bring our kids to this farmer's market...where we were married. I loved walking around and having my kids there saying,"Hey Miss Chelsea." and being so nonchalant about it that I would just walk past and say, "Oh hey ________!" It really is home here. I don't want to leave.

Busy day at the market!

My first time buying food from a food truck! Molly Moon's!!! Mmmmmm!

"Scout" Mint! (Girl Scouts Thin Mints in natural homemade mint ice cream!)

New added to my nail polish obsession collection. Essie Mojito Madness. I love it!

On Sunday we had a great family day with Matt's parents, his sister and her fiancé. We took a walk together as a family on the lake in the morning and then us 3 girls went out dress shopping for Marie's Mother of the Bride dress. It was so much fun! Mel and I bought our shoes for her wedding too! I'll leave Mel's a surprise, they're a-mazing! She's a pretty awesome big sister to let me buy these!!! Whoa! I've never ever in my life had shoes as beautiful and sexy as these...Hehe I'm so excited! They're wedding day will be our 1st Anniversary so these make that even more awesome : ) 

I'm so so proud of my husband right now. Matt, Marie & Mel and doing "The Biggest Loser" together this summer. Every Sunday morning through this summer we will be going over there for their weigh in and a healthy breakfast together. Matt's been working really hard this week. He's been going to the gym, running and taking Cogsy for walks :) If he wins or doesn't, I'm so proud of him for his motivation right now.

I'm looking forward to another fun filled weekend. 

-Chelsea-