Long Distance Relationships

Growing up, I knew tons of people who were in long distance relationships. They constantly complained about how much it bothered them that they couldn't be with their significant other the way that other couples could. They made the whole ordeal sound anything but desirable. So I always told myself that I'd never be in one.

And now I am.

Technically. Ironic, isn't it?

My husband is in the army and I haven't seen him since Christmas. Before that, we hadn't been together for 7 months. And I still don't know when the next time that I'll see him is. So sometimes I laugh at how skeptical I was about long distance relationships. Thanks to all of the wonderful technological advances like cell phones and Skype, communication has never been easier. There are so many ways to make it work.

Don't get me wrong, nothing compares to actually seeing my husband, kissing him and spending time together but it's not unbearable. I can see now just how narrow-minded I was before and I regret that. Having an open mind and a positive attitude has really helped me through this process. I miss him like crazy but being apart isn't as impossible as I originally thought it would be. I'm so proud of him, everything he's done and everything that he's sacrificed, which does make it a bit easier.

Distance isn't going to break our relationship, it's just an obstacle that we have to temporarily overcome until we can finally be together. So even though I never thought I'd be in this position, I don't regret it for a second.

Our love and commitment to each other is stronger because of it and there is no one that I'd rather wait for.

-Chelsea

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Meet & Greet with The Backstreet Boys!

As I've mentioned before, a few months ago, I met The Backstreet Boys. To say the absolute least, it was a childhood dream come true! Nick Carter was my first celebrity crush and I almost freaked out when I met him.

My mom won the meet and greet passes and concert tickets from a radio competition and we got to listen to their sound check. It was so surreal! There was even a proposal!

I wish I had known that there would've been a Q&A session thought because I couldn't think of a question on the spot! But let me tell you, when you get a "meet & greet" pass, that's all it is. You just say hi, take a picture and leave. At least that's what the experience was like for me.

But still, meeting them, saying hi and shaking their hands was beyond mind-blowing. And it was over too fast! But I will forever hold onto the memory of Nick Carter walking up to me and saying, "Hi, it's nice to meet you. Thank you so much for coming." 5-year-old me is still squealing! Seriously, how many people get to meet their childhood celebrity crush?

We were not allowed to take photos with our cameras or get autographs. However, their photographer did take a photo of us. And because it is Throwback Thursday, I figured that I'd post that picture! (And I just love telling this story!)

-Chelsea 

Ruby Red

Ruby Red is the story of Gwyneth Shepherd, a girl whose family carries a time traveling gene through the females. For her entire life, it was believed that her cousin Charlotte carries the gene, not Gwyneth. But when she's 16, Gwyneth travels through time and her family is in disbelief. Following this stunning revelation are tons of questions, secrets and adventures and Ruby Red is just the beginning.

This is the first book in The Precious Stone Trilogy and I've heard so many people talk about how great this book is. But because it's about time travel, I was skeptical about picking it up. I have tried to read 2 time travel books before and I found them confusing and annoying. But because of all of the hype for this book, I decided to give it a chance. However, I must admit that because there was such hype for this book, I was afraid that my expectations would be too high and I'd end up disappointed.



But I can definitely say that I was not disappointed! At all! (And let's all just take a second to appreciate this gorgeous cover!)

This story, I must say, was fantastic! It was way more fast-paced, intricate and elaborate than I expected it to be! Reading it was just so much fun! The characters were a lot of fun to read and the ending left me with a lot of questions! I never expected this book to be so mysterious and I can honestly say that I'm glad that I borrowed it from the library. I'm sure that I'll go out and buy my own copy very soon!

I don't want to spoil too much of the plot, so if this story sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend it! I'll hopefully be reading Sapphire Blue very soon and have another review up immediately following it!

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?

-Chelsea

A Spark of Inspiration

I've been working a lot on my second novel but for a few days, I was having really bad writer's block. I really do try my best every day to write. It makes me happy and feel more productive. But some days are harder than others. It's difficult to be creative every single day and sometimes it feels like all of my creative juices have been dried up.

But then sometimes you have a magical moment where you're mid-sentence and all of a sudden, you get a spark of inspiration where you come up with a major plot twist. Then the book ends up taking an entirely different direction and you become extremely invested in your new idea. The excitement you felt when you first started writing comes back to you and you feel so proud of what you're doing. It seriously is one of the best feelings in the world.

For anyone else that's working on a novel right now but has hit some writer's block, just keep pushing through. It'll come. But remember, sometimes it does a person good to take a break for a little bit and recharge.

Happy Friday/Valentine's Day!

-Chelsea

Moving

I'm in the process of moving right now. My lease for my apartment is up in just a little over a month but I'm someone that always does things way ahead of time. I hate procrastination and refuse to wait to the last minute to do anything. So anything that can go in a box, is going in a box. If it's not an everyday necessity, it's most likely sitting in my garage right now.

And as I'm looking at my nearly empty apartment right now with bare walls and no pictures put up, it feels empty but exciting at the same time. I didn't actually enjoy living here and honestly can't wait to leave. I'm excited for the next chapter in my life. Every day that goes by means that I am one day closer to living with Kristopher and starting our married life together, officially.

So even though the moving process, for lack of a better word, sucks, it still manages to bring a smile to my face every morning when I start packing away more stuff. :)

-Chelsea

A Good Cry

Have you ever felt like nothing was going right for you? That you're having really bad luck that won't go away? That's pretty much how I feel right now. Life has been really stressful for me lately and I've been super sick on top of that. Then Kris called me last night with really bad news.

That was the last thing that I needed.



So I cried a lot because I don't cry very much and it all built up inside of me. I called my grandmother and she told me to come over. She let me cry and get everything out. I could not be more grateful for that.

I honestly feel like if someone tells me to "stay strong" one more time, I'll have to resist the urge to punch them in the face. Sometimes you just need a good cry, to let it all out and be vulnerable for just a few minutes.

It doesn't solve any of my problems but I feel a lot better. I needed that today, to feel like I had a friend, someone who would listen to me without judgement. I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders.

So if you need to cry, let it out. It's not worth it to keep it in.

-Chelsea

Shatter Me

I finished this book less than 5 minutes ago and I just had to do a review of it while it was still fresh in my mind! This book was fantastic! I recently discovered it because of "BookTube" which is where people do book reviews, book hauls and book-related videos on YouTube. Quite a few of my favorite "BookTubers" raved about this book and I can understand why. Because it's nothing short of superb!

Juliette is a girl whose touch kills people. She cannot control it and because of it, society has cast her off. Even her own parents don't love her or want to be around her. She ends up in an asylum and then captured by the military. The man in charge, Warner, wants to use her powers to his advantage, against her will. Juliette does not want to use her powers at all and wants nothing more than to escape Warner's evil clutches. With the help of Adam, a childhood friend, she sets out on a mission to obtain her freedom.

The writing style of this novel was absolutely beautiful. I cannot compliment Tahereh Mafi enough! The writing was fresh, unique and just an absolute pleasure to read. I also loved how some of her sentences were crossed out. I had never seen that in a novel before and I thought it fit the story perfectly. The plotline itself was quite ingenious! I cannot imagine going through what this poor girl had to endure!

The pacing was quick and exciting. It was a very easy and compelling read. I finished it in less than a day. I was legitimately enveloped in this novel. The characters were well-written, interesting and I really connected with them, which is something I always look for in a book.

The end left me with quite a few unanswered questions and a great cliff-hanger. I cannot wait to go to Barnes and Noble and pick up the sequel! If you have not read this book yet, I highly recommend that you do so! Shatter Me earned a well-deserved 5/5 stars!

-Chelsea