girls weekend!

my sisters and i went with our mom on a trip to new york last June.

Chloe, my baby sister, is all grown up and thinking of attending NYU next fall.

eeeeeeaaarly plane ride...

a trip of 'firsts' for my sisters!

first yellow cab ride & first NY subway ride

quick shot in our hotel room before heading down to campus for the tours.

Chloe and Hallie waiting for the NYU informational meeting to start.

NYU is a beautiful campus!

this is the view from an empty room near the cafeteria, i think?

we did top of the rock instead of the empire state building.

my mom and i had already gone up to the empire state building.

top of the rock is way cooler, i must say.

i found a gorgeous hydrangea plant in Rockefeller center that i wanted to take home.

(no way that would fit in my suitcase)

my sister had her first NY street vendor hot dog

the three of us being tourists in super crowded time square

we lunched at the American Girl cafe inside the multi-level AG store!

 (we were the only table of adults only, ha!)

AG even has little high chairs for your doll, or doll for the day if you don't bring one.

molly was my doll when i was a child, so i used a molly substitute for our lunch.

we had a good time :)

 the food there is really, really good.

 its tea party style, but with yummy three courses that even your dolls get to "enjoy."

this was my second trip to the store, and third trip seeing the amazing AG empire overall.

i possible may have forced my husband into the store on our Chicago trip, and when we visited NY last February...

 

my first trip to the Guggenheim!

 we also made it to the Natural History Museum

my favorites are giraffes

and of course i had to take them to on more firsts!

serendipity3 for frrrozen hot chocolate

and

pinkberry  for a slightly more healthy dessert

my favorite pictured...chocolate with strawberries, and sometimes chocolate dots or nuts

(okay maybe we went to pinkberry more than twice)

 and one of our last stops was a trip to dylan's candy bar

every child's dream

i somehow only got shots of the main candy station on the entry level, sorry. 

or adults who never really grow up...

this was my fourth time visiting the amazing city.

i don't think i could ever turn down the chance to back!

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blog business

if you haven't noticed...

my blog redesign is completed!

much cleaner than the old blogger layout, don't ya think?

i like the tiled photos i discussed here the best.

thanks to bighugelabs.com for the mosaic and elise for the inspirational kick that i blogged about a few weeks ago!

three columns are the way to go, seriously. and the mosaic maker is SUPER easy to use.

hopefully more items will be added as i get back into the swing of it!

~ let me know what you think ~

tutorial found here

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Ahh! where has time gone!!!

okay so yesterday i got super pumped by this blog. elise is SO inspiring.

i can't believe i have been absent so so many days.

my brand new hubby is now moved three hours away and making progress with his field placement.

cross your fingers for a real job offer at the beginning of december for him!

i've been looking for a new job and working hard though too!

check out the new website look

HERE

up next, revamp the blog!

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25 while 25

so i must say this was love at first sight.

being inspired to keep memories in a tangible list, and not take up much time,
i have been compiling lists...slowly.

25 things to-do and done while 25

1. got engaged

2. had an all girls weekend

3. made something organic

4. scavenged a city-wide yard sale

5. got my dream job

6. kept a (small) garden

7. celebrated my “last fling”

8. threw a party

9. got a passport

10. took a weekend trip

11. planned my wedding

12. celebrated with friends who tied the knot

13. used my sewing machine

14. back blond like the old days

15. organized and eliminate stuff

16. took on premarital counseling

17. welcomed new babies in the family

18. went on at least one road trip

19. had a photo session

20. went to a smokies game

21. bought a real piece of furniture

22. chopped off my hair

23. bought my wedding dress

24. made a lot of something

25. went camping in the blue ridge mountains

i plan on showing you  more of this list soon!

my 26 while 26 list is already in the works.

AND even more exciting,

i am taking a class by the very crafty & inspiring elise

on how to compile our photos, travel sentiments,

and tell a good story all at the same time!

i'm really super excited about it.

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and then we were engaged!

we were fortunate enough to somehow convince friend and my 'little' from my college sorority, dana duncan to be our photographer for our engagement photo session and wedding events

aren't they pretty great?

thanks dana!

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we wish you a merry christmas, happy new year, easter, and memorial day

in lieu of my teensie tiny blog break,
i did not post anything about the holidays and things feel incomplete!

here are some details from our holiday celebration events

our "save the date!" christmas card photo

(on knoxville's church street methodist steps)

engagement photo at christmas
(my aunt's holiday house party)

across the state friend marshall

knoxville friends philip & kate 

new year's eve celebration polaroids

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post about my eight month break

so..............................

i have taken a seven month break so far,

and fully intend to start back up as soon as we get back from our honeymoon!

i'll be back 8/22

look for a multitude of posts, a new look, and way more than you ever wanted to know about my eight month hiatus!

~chelsea

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