August Reading List

I cannot believe that another month has come and gone. It's amazing to me that it's already August. It wasn't a great reading month for me. I got into a bit of a slump. But I still managed to get some good reading done. 

1. She Is Not Invisible





2. Half Bad- This is a book that was on my TBR pile for months, so I was really happy to finally cross this one off.

3. The Story of Us 



4. Tease- I actually found this book on accident. I had never heard of it before but I was at the library and the cover drew me in. I'm actually surprised about how much I liked the story. I'm really glad that I picked it up even though it's not what I typically read.



5. Proxy- I was very surprised that I liked this but it was amazing! It was so much fun to jump into this new world! I can't wait to pick up the sequel!

I'm currently reading Amy and Roger's Epic Detour. I'm about 100 pages into it and I'm loving it so far!

-Chelsea

Would You Rather: Book Edition

Yesterday, I saw Kat from Katytastic do this tag and it seemed pretty fun. I'm a person that really loves books, so anytime that I can write anything book-related, I go ahead and do it.

1. Would you rather read only trilogies or stand-alones?
Stand-alones. I love contemporary novels and that's the genre that I plan to write. And most contemporary novels are stand-alones.

2. Would you rather read only male authors or only female authors?
Most of my favorite authors are female, so I'd go with females. However, I do enjoy reading books that were written by males as well. I never use gender as a factor when I'm picking out books to read.

3. Would you rather shop at Barnes & Noble or Amazon? 
There isn't a Barnes & Noble anywhere near where I live, so lately, all of my book shopping has been from Amazon. However, I prefer going to Barnes & Noble, even though it tends to be a bit more expensive. I love walking into the store and coming out with a book. Besides, my dream is to see books that I've written on Barnes & Noble shelves.

4. Would you rather all books become movies or TV shows?
Movies. I think that a lot of series would be good TV shows but as far as stand-alones go, they'd definitely make better movies. Plus, when books get turned into TV shows, they have to add and change a lot of things just to keep the show going. I'm not sure that I'd like all of those changes.

5. Would you rather read 5 pages a day or 5 books a week?
I'm a really fast reader, so 5 pages a day wouldn't be good enough for me. If I really like a book, I can normally finish it in a day anyway. So definitely 5 books a week.

6. Would you rather be a professional reviewer or a professional author?
Professional author, hands down. It's been my dream ever since I learned how to read and write.

7. Would you rather read only your 20 favorite books or always read new books that you haven't read before?
I actually don't reread books very often. I'm always looking for new stories to love and inspire me. So I'd have to go with reading new books.

8. Would you rather be a librarian or a book seller?
A book seller. Don't get me wrong, I love libraries but there's just such a wonderful feeling that I get when I walk into a bookstore. I'd love to have that feeling every day at work.

9. Would you rather read only your favorite genre or every genre except your favorite?
Wow, this one is really tough. I'm actually a really picky reader, so unfortunately, I'd probably just have to stick with my comfort zone and only read contemporary books.

10. Would you rather only read physical copies of books or e-books?
Physical books, no competition.

If you'd like to do the tag, feel free to do so!

-Chelsea

The Best Advice That My Parents Gave Me

I think that it's really important to have strong, close relationships with your parents. Growing up, I always felt that I could come to my parents with anything. I knew that they wouldn't judge me and they'd do the best that they could to help me out. I told my parents everything and to this day, I still do.

Even though I'm 21 years old, married and living 1,400 miles away, sometimes I still need my parents. No matter how old I get, I realize that I'll probably always need them or at least want their advice. I don't claim to know everything and I never have. And since I'm living on my own for the first time, I definitely have a lot to learn. Every day that passes by, I'm learning more and more about how to be self-sufficient and an adult.

But every once in a while, I pick up my cell phone and dial my parents' phone numbers. I call them every time that I need advice. I trust their advice more than anything. It's one of the few things that I consider a sure thing in this world. My parents have always and will always look out for me better than anyone else.

I've been going through a lot of emotional problems lately, as well as other day-to-day problems. So I've spent a lot of time asking them about their experiences with similar problems and what they think that I should do. I don't call them every time that I have a little problem. But I do call them when I have a big problem and I need someone to be brutally honest with me. I appreciate their honesty more than I'll ever be able to explain. They truly are my best friends.

So while I was thinking about some advice that my dad gave me recently, I started to think about all of the good advice that my parents have given me over the years and compiled a list of what has helped me the most.

• Pick your battles- When I was younger, I was the type of person that argued over every little thing and held grudges over trivial things. I lost a lot of friends along the way. My parents explained that everyone is human and nobody is perfect. People make mistakes and people fight. But not every battle needs to be fought. Sometimes the best thing to do is let the little things go. Since then, I've avoided many arguments and I've created lasting friendships. I realized that I was being too harsh and that creating extra conflict in life isn't always worth it. 

• You play like you practice- Growing up, I played a lot of recreational sports and there were some practices that I didn't give my all. I figured that because it was practice, I didn't have to play as hard as I would during a game. But my dad told me that if you play sloppy during practice, you'll play sloppy during your games because you'll be used to doing it. The same principle applies to everyday life. If you don't work hard every day at everything that you do you won't get any better. Do everything in life with heart and determination and you'll reap the benefits of your hard work.  

• Never be afraid to ask for help- This is something that I've always struggled with. I'm the type of person that is normally too proud to admit that they need any sort of help. I'd rather just get the job done myself no matter how hard it is. But there comes a time in life where you have to swallow your pride and admit that you can't do it all. Ever since I've accepted that, it's made my life so much easier. We're not supposed to be able to do everything. We're only human. Our friends and family members are there to help us. So we don't need to feel like everything is up to us. Sometimes asking for help is the best thing that we can do for ourselves.

Of course there are tons of other pieces of advice that I could transcribe here but these are just my favorites. Not a day goes by that I don't feel blessed to have been given the greatest parents that I could've ever asked for. So thanks Mom and Dad. I wouldn't be where I am in life without you. 

I love you guys, 

Chelsea 

A Day in the Mountains

Yesterday Kris and I headed out to the mountains for the first time and the trip was amazing! The sights were breath-taking and spectacular! The weather was pretty bad for most of the day but there were bits of sunshine here and there. But we definitely made the most of our day! 

I can't wait to go back one day soon! 

-Chelsea