Chels Wears: Retired Rainboots

So yesterday's weather was odd. It poured for most of the morning, which inspired wearing these boots, but then about an hour before heading out, it was clear blue skies and as we took these, total wind storm. In case you couldn't tell by me practically blowing away in these photos. But now that I've had the chance to wear these guys, I have decided it's time to retire them. These rain boots were a Christmas gift from about five years ago, so they've had a great run but if you didn't notice there is a big cut in the front of the right one, which isn't an appealing quality in a rain boot.

In other news, I can honestly not concentrate on anything except my announcement tomorrow. Which is my excuse for posting a pretty bland outfit today too. There's still a lot of little things I need to get done today before I feel ready to launch, and those will be consuming my thoughts all day. Hopefully my morning shift at Family Video will go quickly so I can get home and get busy! Perfectionism is a problem in these parts, these days.

Five Things I've Learned Since Graduation

It has been one year since I finished my Master's degree. Technically, one year and two days. I am certainly not where I thought I would be when I was thinking about this point in my life last year. And to be honest, so many things have gone wrong this past year, but so many things have been sweet little blessings in disguise. Spoiler alert, this post gets a bit heavy. You are allowed to stop reading it if you only come to this space for the flowery and fashionable. Though I hope you keep reading. Here are the top five things I've learned since graduation.

Jeremiah 29:11 Chalkboard Print by Lily & Val.

1) Where you want to be is not always where you should be.
If I had it my way, I would still be living in downtown Pittsburgh. When my lease was up last summer, I cried. Literally. Downtown Pittsburgh might be the pits for some people and others don't understand why I loved it so much, but it was my own little slice of Heaven. However, if I was there now, I wouldn't get to have this experience of living with my brother. If you haven't caught on to this yet, Eric is seriously my best friend. We should have been twins, if only so he wouldn't have had to spend that first year without me. I wouldn't have the freedom to not be paying a ridiculously high rent payment every month on top of my student loan payments. I'm sure for those two reasons alone, I would have started to resent that location eventually and because I'm not there, it's still a little Heaven in my eyes. Do I want to move back? Of course. But now isn't the time.

2) No job is below you.
I recently took on another job of bartending just to be able to make a bit more money with tips and another little paycheck. Why? Because who doesn't want a little wiggle room when bills start rolling in? And while bartending is great, this job also has a waitressing aspect to it, which I have never done before. Do you know how awful people treat waitresses? Yeah, that's why I never waitressed before. Not like retail is much more glamorous, but at least there isn't half-eaten food involved. But not taking a job that most people would say is "below" me is stupid. Does it give me money? Do I technically get a workout in while at work because of how much running around I do? Am I physically able to do this job? Yes. So while I don't need a Master's degree to figure out how to put in an order for Chicken Alfredo and then sweetly hand it to someone, everyone could do with having a job that teaches you how to serve someone. Serving someone else and expecting little to nothing in return is honestly what everyone in this country should have to do for at least a year in my own opinion. I might as well get my year in now.

3) MJ is greater than the man of my dreams.
If you know MJ personally, then you know that he has three things in mind. Career. Family. God. Not necessarily in that order, but that's about it. From the beginning of our relationship, he has made it clear that he wants to be married and have a boat load of children, and I have made it clear that I don't want either of those things until I feel totally set and complete on my own and then after that, I'm all in. If you remember my 25 before 25 list, I wanted to get engaged this year. However, that was with the ideal in mind that I would have a steady full-time job and I would be living on my own before he proposed. Obviously he was on board for this, and we were on this track up until I was no longer employed by Dress for Success because of some unforeseen financial difficulties on their part. MJ told me on Valentine's Day about how he had planned to propose. Way to lay it on thick, right? And to make you love him more, it was going to be at the party for his parent's 40th wedding anniversary, which is the exact same way my dad proposed to my mom. Yeah. That would have been last month. But this man. THIS. MAN. My man has put me and my desires first, yet again. He knows I would not be happy being engaged without feeling complete on my own, so his dreams of a wedding and little family are set aside for my dream of a career. I am selfish and I do not deserve him. But I thank God for him everyday and always will.

4) I have the skills and power to make my dreams come true.
You guys, I am so excited to finally announce what I've been working so hard on! This Thursday, be sure to check back because everything will be explained, I will need your input, and I really hope that you are as excited as I am.

5) God has perfect timing and a plan greater than any of my own.
Thursday's announcement is a big deal for me and I don't think it would be happening if the mess of this year didn't happen. This has been a seriously rough road since graduation. From the high of graduating, to the low of leaving Pittsburgh, high of being employed by one of my favorite non-profits, to losing that job for reasons that I had no control over, to the mess of moving again to Erie, and struggling on the job hunt train, this past year has had it's great moments, but overall, it has just been rough. But through it all, I know God knows what he's doing. He has a plan for my life and while I choose my daily steps, he is guiding them and working in and in spite of them to make things happen. I trust in him to get it right when I am certainly messing it up. Is Thursday's announcement the end all, be all of God's plan? Probably not, but it is certainly his doing. I had this in mind for much, much further down the road in life and it has made it's way to the present. I also want to make clear that other ventures are not being let go because of Thursday's announcement, but they are on the back burner. This has made it's way to the front of my mind and for good reason and I'm putting my trust in God that it will work out.

Blogger Q & A: from Jess

A blogger friend of mine, Jess, has tagged me in a Q&A post, which I love! I always like when bloggers do these kind of posts because you get to learn more about the person behind the blog, which is important. So I will continue the tag as well, for any of you interested in possibly filling this out as well, the ones I've tagged will be at the end of this post! Otherwise, grab some coffee, sit back and get to know me a little more!

01// If you could live any place in the world, where would it be?
Washington D.C. - I love every time I've been to D.C. and would love to live there.

02// What do you miss most about being a kid?
Every day dance classes. I took these for granted sometimes when I was younger and I really miss them now.

03// Who or what inspires you?
Varies Bible verses. I always see them pop up in my life seemingly in a random way and know that God has a plan.

04// Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Let's see, 34. Hopefully a successful career, married to MJ and with a couple of cute little brats.

05// Your 50th birthday party- who's invited?
Anyone who wants to be there, hello, 50 and fabulous!

06// What are your strengths?

Getting to know people on a personal level, even when just meeting them. Honestly, this is my biggest strength. I don't know what it is about me, but people seem to want to tell me all of their business even when we have just met. I've been on interviews where I learn more about the interviewers extended family then I'd ever need to know. I don't judge people by the junk in their life so I think it makes them feel comfortable to talk to me about anything.

07// What are things you want to improve on?
Patience. 

08// Places you've traveled to?
All within the U.S. and Canada but oh, the places I wish to go!

09// What is a routine you could never do without?
Honestly, waking up and brushing my teeth is the only routine I rely on, after that, my days are never the same or have any kind of routine to them. 

10// What was an act of kindness shown towards you that caught you by surprise?
Recently a customer yelled at me at Family Video because they had a re-rental fee on their account, there is literally nothing I can do to take that off, you must pay for it. She stormed off and the guy behind her just came up to the counter and said, "some people suck, brush it off." It wasn't much, but it's what I needed in that moment.

11// List some of the best times in your life in less than one minute. ready...go! (don't cheat!) 
Sundays at Gram's house, Disney World, Niagara Falls (both times), New Orleans mission trip in 2007, Seton Hill...all of it, Living in downtown Pittsburgh, Steelers game with Eric and any Pirates game I have ever been to.

And I tag: Sara, Setarra, Toni, Nicole, Danielle, Lauren,

Elizabeth, Kristin, Callie, Rachel, and Anna Belle.

Have fun, ladies!

Fashion Forward Fridays: Reader Submitted - Meet Denise!

Happy Friday! I'm very excited to have a reader submission for today's Fashion Forward Fridays since I haven't had one for a while! Today I'm introducing to you a friend of mine from Seton Hill, Denise. She's a great girl and has recently launched her own blog, Beauty Beyond The Scale, so I was very excited when she submitted photos because I knew this would be a great time to introduce you to her blog as well. I hope you enjoy her interview and sense of style!

How would you define your style?
My style is very modest, professional, & dressy. Nothing is too formal for me. I like skirts, dresses, & fancy blouses. I especially love layering. Black leggings, cardigans, & big, chunky statement jewelry are a staple in my wardrobe. Also, I love black clothes & that's what most of my wardrobe consists of.

Where are you favorite places to shop?
Honestly, the majority of the pieces I buy come from thrift stores. I love that I can find unique things there, save money, recycle, & put my money toward charity all at the same time. There are a lot of great reasons to shop at thrift stores. Other than that, I'll shop anywhere I see something I like. I'm not picky at all.

If someone asked you for fashion advice what would you tell them?
Wear whatever you want. Do whatever makes you happy & confident. Honestly, don't ever worry about what other people think. I can't stress that enough. You don't want to live your life doing things just to please other people. There's nothing wrong with breaking "rules" when it comes to fashion, makeup, & beauty.

Tell us a little bit about your blog and why you started it.
 I love makeup, fashion, & all things beauty. I also struggle with my weight. I am currently implementing lifestyle changes to put an end to that struggle. Over the past year, I’ve lost 40 pounds and plan to continue losing weight & becoming a healthier person. In the summer of 2012, I started having health issues, no doubt because of my unhealthy lifestyle & food choices. I developed a stomach ulcer, Acid Reflux Disease, & became really depressed about the state of my health & overall self esteem. I set out to teach myself how to be a healthier person & to try & cure myself without having to start a course of scary medication at such a young age. Since then, I’m happy to say that I have cured my ulcer, have far less severe episodes of Acid Reflux, & have changed my attitude about life completely. With my blog, I want to share the things I have learned so far that have helped me, as well as things I am currently learning. I’m by no means, a health expert, but I have learned a tremendous amount of things that have helped me & my health. On my blog, I discuss healthy eating, exercise, makeup, fashion, & anything else that I have learned to help me build my self esteem & appreciate my own beauty beyond the number on the scale.

What do you hope to accomplish as a blogger?
I realize that there are so many blogs in the beauty, fashion, & health community that having your voice heard is hard. That's fine. I don't have to receive millions of views. If I can have even a few people read what I have to say & take away something positive that might help them, I've done what I'm here to do. 


Anything else you'd like to add...
Love yourself as you are now, today, just as God loves you. Express yourself & be unique. Otherwise, you're denying both yourself & everyone around you.

Hope you enjoyed reading through her interview as much as I did! Such good advice and inspiration. If you'd like to be featured on an upcoming Fashion Forward Fridays Reader Submitted post, email me at chelsandthecity(at)gmail(dot)com

- whether you're a blogger or not, I'd love to feature a fellow fashionista! 

Happy Weekend!

Chels Wears: Grown-Up Easter Bonnet

I hope you all had a great Easter weekend and the weather cooperated with all of your egg hunting plans! Since Eric is now a preacher, our parent's came up to Erie for the weekend to dye eggs on Saturday (after Eric and I went to Record Store Day, of course) and hear him preach and go out to eat on Sunday. It was a great weekend! 

These pictures were taken by my dad at a local park that has just been cleaned up for spring and, fingers crossed, I hope that spring is really here to stay now! And although this outfit is a little dark for Easter attire, I wanted to wear the hat and this little boho look seemed fitting. I actually got every piece of this outfit from the Dollar General. Holler for a bargain! Since I always wore hats growing up, especially on Easter, I felt it only proper to bring that tradition back this year. Mom has always said I have the perfect face/head for hats, cannot blame her for thinking her only daughter is cute ;)

How was your Easter weekend?