I have a crazy goal this year.
I'm going to read 50 books. Let me explain. This is not a New Years resolution. I didn't write this on my 2017 goals on December 31 and then carefully plan out which books I was going to read and how I was going to conquer it all. The idea to read 50 books just kind of happened. I'm an avid reader anyway but most years I read between 12-17 books (which I know is still really good and a lot for most people!) In January, I had surgery that put me out of commission for almost a month. I had planned to binge on Netflix most of the time but when it came to it, I felt even worse watching TV all day and I had a huge stack of books some friends brought over to me. So, I started to read instead. I flew through books in a matter of days. In the month of February, I read seven books. And these weren't shorties, either. At least three of them were 450+ pages. OK, they were easy reads but they were long. But still, I figured I'd slow down once I got back on my feet and back to working. Then I stumbled upon this article. And it totally resonated with me. OF COURSE I could read 50 books. If I gave up one evening of TV (or just read while Travis watches Mavs games), it would make this feasible. If I read while I ate lunch instead of scrolling through Instagram, I could make this happen. When I looked at how many books I had already read this year (somewhere in the mid-20s) and it was only April, I knew I could do it. I've since slowed on my reading (I'm at 3-4 books a month, not seven) but with a lot of summer travel coming up, I thought it'd be fun to share the books on my list and keep track of my progress (I'm currently on book 29). Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (Recommended by Dave Ramsey) Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist (I read this every July; I don't know why but it's the perfect summer book and a good reminder to stay grounded in the slug of everyday life) At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider (Her story is amazing!) Make It Happen by Lara Casey (The guru behind Powersheets) Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin (Another Dave Ramsey recommendation; I started this a few days ago and it's awesome) The Nix by Nathan Hill (reading this for book club) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (Heard about this one on Shauna Niequist's new podcast) The ONE Thing by Gary Keller (Been wanting to read this one for awhile!) When Breathe Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (everyone just raves about this one!) What's on your summer reading list? What should I add for the fall?
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The temperatures are rising, skin is browning (or burning!), and vacations planned in the long cold months of winter are finally on the horizon! Summer is such a glorious time, is it not? What is it about summer that makes us want to live life a little slower and shrug off all the "have to do's" for "I wanna do's." I'm not sure but I'm certainly not complaining about it!
As is the tradition, my summer playlist is here, just in time for the official first day of the season. This is definitely one of my favorites I've made in a long time and I really hope I haven't over-listened already! (Am I the only one guilty of playing songs on repeat until I can't stand it anymore?!) Some of my favorite tracks this time around include: "Love Hangover" by Sam James; "You Broke Up With Me" by Walker Hayes; "Tied" by Strangers You Know; and "Second One to Know" by Chris Stapleton (side note: I'm obviously having a Chris Stapleton moment. I'm trying to convince Travis we need to get tickets for his show this summer. If you're going, LET ME KNOW!) Get the playlist here and get ready for a dang good summer. Before I got married, people would often talk about how easy it was to become like roommates with your spouse rather than partners, passing each other like ships in the night. On an intellectual level, I believed them but since I wasn't married yet, I had no idea how easy it was to fall into that trap.
When two young busy people join their lives, it can be really easy to keep your separate schedules because you'll just see your husband/wife when you get home, right? Or you're both exhausted from a long day of work so you plop on the couch and eat your dinners while mindlessly binging on the newest Netflix series. Don't get me wrong: loving the same shows has been such a fun thing in our marriage but we have to be careful not to get to caught up in it. I'm not even sure how we started this (pretty sure it was Travis's idea) but when we get home from work, we try to sit on the couch for as little or as much time as we need to touch base and process events that happened throughout the day. We do talk throughout the day but it's usually short, utilitarian conversations ("Can you stop and get bread?" "Did you pay the electric bill?") Sitting on the couch gives us the opportunity to take a deep breath and re-acquaint with each other. Is it a huge time commitment? Nope. Does it take a lot of effort? Sometimes. There are so many things constantly pulling for our attention but we make an effort to shut out the noise, even if it's just for five minutes, to reconnect. Now that I work from home, it's even more important for me to draw the boundary line of when I close the door on the home office and transition out of worker bee mode. Our daily "couch time" is a lot like my relationship with coffee -- I don't necessarily feel a zillion times better each and every time (though sometimes I do!) but if I go without it too long, I feel the withdrawal. Do you and your spouse have daily touch points? I'd love to challenge you to try some couch time! It doesn't have to be anything monumental. Just a brief period of time with no phones and focusing on each other. Let me know how it goes! Well, friends, it's that time of year again: the seasonal playlist. It's the winter edition and I'm pretty dang excited about it (the songs, not necessarily the season). There are a few mellow tunes on there but it's mostly upbeat to keep you energized during the cold, gray months (not that we have all too much of that down here in Texas. I digress).
It's energizing, a little playful and definitely full on anticipation for warmer spring months. A few of my current obsessions are "Find You" by Pandas & People; "Xo" by Nightly; "Ooh Love" by Ria Mae & Neon Dreams; and "Oh Brother" by Saint Raymond. Listen now! Let me know what you think in the comments! Previous playlists: The best of 2016 Fall 2016 Summer 2016 Spring 2016 2016 was quite the year for me, professionally and personally. It's easy to gloss over everything and keep charging ahead (in typical Chelsea fashion) but I'm trying to be more mindful so what a great time to sit down and reflect on everything that happened. If you read this through the end, thank you -- you're my hero! As an added bonus, you get the link to my best of 2016 playlist. Personal highlights: Well, this might be my biggest highlight from the past 10 years (ha -- only half kidding!) but I finally paid off all my student loans. That debt has been weighing on me since freshman year of college and for a very very long time, it felt insurmountable. When Travis and I were married, we made a commitment to live below our means and pay off the loans. It took about two and a half years and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. But now being on the other side, I can say it was TOTALLY worth it. We don't owe anyone anything. Being financially free allowed me to quit my full-time job and pursue being a photographer full-time (more on that in a few). I got to travel a lot in 2016. We kicked off the new year in Cancun for Travis's birthday, which I wish we could do every year! It was such a relaxing trip. However, my favorite trip of all was to Paris (duh!) I studied there for a semester in college and was elated to go back and show Travis the city I love. I also went to New England twice, Michigan and all over Texas. I went to some awesome concerts: Andra Day, Nathaniel Rateliffe and the Night Sweats (where Leon Bridges made a surprise appearance!), Johnnyswim, BORNS, and Andrew McMahon/Panic at the Disco/Weezer (random, I know). Going from a side hustle to a full-blown business is something I had been looking forward to for about two and a half years. Though I would've loved to do it sooner, I'm so glad the timing worked out like it did (that's retrospect, though, believe me!) It felt so good to end five years of work at the nonprofit I worked for, walk out the door, and be my own boss. God surely blessed that decision as soon as I quit because I booked TEN weddings within the first two months. I've built some really strong relationships with other photographers and vendors and have just plain loved working for myself. I don't think I will ever look back. #girlboss highlights Have I mentioned yet how much I love being a girlboss? Yes? Well, let me tell you one more time: I LOVE BEING A GIRLBOSS! I love making my own schedule and having the freedom and flexibility to meet with vendors and clients throughout the day, instead of trying to jam everything on nights and weekends. I can actually relax at night with the hubs instead of going from one computer at the office to my computer at the dining table. It's been awesome. I shot film consistently all year and I've really developed my style. I attended a few workshops and worked on multiple styled editorials. I shot seven weddings and 12 engagement sessions (eight of which all occurred during a three-week period!) I have loved all of my 2016 clients and am so excited for my 2017 brides! The biggest tangible accomplishment of 2016 was being nominated for Belle Lumiere's Image of the Year award (image at the beginning of this post). I almost didn't even enter anything because I thought there would be no way I was nominated! But that just goes to show the answer is always no until you ask. Below are some of my favorite images from the year (organized by category, obviously). I am so humbled and honored to have been a part of each and every couple's day and every styled shoot. I'm thankful vendors and brides trust me to carry out their vision and document their stories. I could honestly cry I'm so grateful and excited. But enough with the gushing! Onto the pretty. WEDDINGS Andy & Lib Berger ENGAGEMENTS |
About meI'm Chelsea - a photographer, writer, adventurer, traveler, wife, Christ follower and mama to the most adorable rescue pup. I'm passionate about telling authentic stories with meaning and purpose and spreading joy through photographs. Grab a cup of coffee and stay awhile. Categories
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