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BEATING THE WINTER WOES

01.30.15

I’ll be the first to admit that while I love winter and all the joy it brings (Christmas, New Years, our wedding anniversary), I find myself having an harder time during these colder months. Now, I bet you’re thinking — but Chelsea, you live in the desert! And while that’s true, I can’t deny that the winter blues can often be found alive and well in the Goodson house. So how do we beat them? Well, I’m glad you asked.
1. Take a walk.
I’ve found that one of the best ways to pick yourself up out of a funk is to go for a walk. Scott and I have a favorite walking path near our home that’s brightly lit and has a great view of the surrounding city. A couple of times a week we bundle up after dinner and take a two mile walk to clear our heads, talk about our days and burn a few calories off. I always feel better after these evening walks, and find myself look forward to them when I’m in need of a mood changer or a change of pace.
2. Go out for coffee!
You knew this one was coming, didn’t you! Well, it’s true. When I’m feeling crummy and in a slump, going out for a cup of coffee (or whatever your hot drink of choice may be) gets me moving, warms me up and perks my senses so I can finish my day on top. 

3. Plan a day trip.
It may be a Phoenician thing, but folks around here are big on day trips. Up to Sedona to see the red rocks, down to Tucson for Sonoran hot dogs or maybe up to Flagstaff for a true snow day. With living in such a busy city, sometimes it’s nice to escape and see new things, experiences new places or even just visit a few of your favorite old spaces – like Macy’s Coffee Shop in Flagstaff, a must for us when we’re up North! 
4. Take up a new hobby.
Knitting, yoga, basket weaving – whatever floats your boat! Give yourself a few hours each week to try something new and get your creative juices flowing. The last hobby I picked up was Project Life, and while I haven’t been the best at keeping it up, I do have fun when I sit down and knock out a page or two. 

5. Netflix binge.
Getting lost in a great show can be the best cure for the winter blues. Scott and I recently started watching Gilmore Girls and find ourselves indulging in a few episodes every other night. I grew up watching GG and love that Scott finds their witty humor just as charming as I do.
I would love to hear your tips and tricks for being the winter woes!
-Chelsea xo

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A MONDAY MOOD

01.27.15

Hey friends! I hope ya’ll had a great weekend – for me, it went by way too fast, but alas, all the great ones do. Scott and I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, but it was definitely a weekend well spent together. Today, I headed into work and there was literally no traffic (god bless the Pro Bowl fans that took today off to relax – haha), so I sipped my coffee, listened to the radio and make a pact with myself to make the rest of my day just as good as the beginning – and you know what? It worked! Sometimes you just need a little mind over matter to wash those woes away. 





Outfit details:
Nordstrom Scarf
Free People cardigan
Madewell top
Loft jeans
BC Footwear booties 
Tonight, Scott and I are camped inside with Gilmore Girls Season 2 playing in the background, raining dripping down our windows and two pups and two kitties snuggling on either side of us (sigh – the perfect night). I’m also doing a little research on the Barre method and looking into signing up for a few classes locally. Ever since having my gall bladder removed in August, my body has been a bit on the fritz (as expected), so I’m hoping that a solid workout routine will help adjust my mind and body back to a happier place. I’m a strong believer that being active is a cure-all (endorphins make you happy!), so I have a feeling this will be just what I need to get my body and mind back into tip top shape! 
Anyone every tried the barre method and loved it? Hated it? Please share!
-Chelsea xo
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ON A SUNDAY

01.26.15

Just stopping in to say hi! I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the old days of blogging lately, and how I would often just drop in for a minute or two to share my thoughts or a few photos from the day. While things have changed over the years, my passion for writing, taking and sharing photos, stories, outfits and more has not – in fact, it has only grown and morphed into something that I can’t even image my life without. While my busy schedule has hindered my ability to here as much as I would have like in the past few months, I still want my presence and passion here to be know, always. 
Does anyone else feel this way? If so, let a lady know! I’ll be here..
-Chelsea xo
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WINTER AT THE ORCHARD

01.23.15

While we may be in the dead of winter, the days are getting longer and the days are slowly getting warmer. Our favorite orchard is covered in leaves, and our newlywed badge has been officially stripped away. January has always been one of my favorite months, and so I’ve been doing my best to take in every winter sunset, sip on more hot then cold coffees, and cherish our little town in the winter before the heat comes knocking at our door – because we all know that day will come sooner than we hoped. 





Scott and I recently gave our favorite orchard a little visit. This hold places holds so many good memories for us, including the time we took our engagement pictures here among the green leaves and and pistachio lined paths. Season and after season, this place only seems to get better with each visit.

Outfit details:
Free People lace top
Free People trapeze slip c/o Zappos
We Love Colors tights
Sam Edelman booties
It’s Friday eve and I am so excited for the weekend. I do have a work event to attend on Saturday, but afterward I may be holding a brand new nephew in my arms – so that makes it totally worth it. Scott and I also plan on spending some time with our family, cleaning up around our house, making pumpkin pancakes, sipping on hot coffee and snuggling our kitties. I have a feeling we’ll be all about “the little things” this weekend.
Happy Friday Eve, friends!
-Chelsea xo
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OUR FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

01.20.15

Yesterday, January 18th, was our first wedding anniversary. One year ago we stood in front of a room full of our family and friends and promised our love and commitment to one another forever. This moment had been so many years in the making, and to think that it has already been a whole year since we said, “we do,” just blow my mind! Our first year of marriage was such a blessing, and while life threw a few ups and downs our way, it was nothing that we couldn’t handle together. 


To celebrate our special day, we made a reservation at a new-to-us restaurant, dressed up in our wedding colors (blue, grey and yellow – my hair stood in the for the yellow 😉 ) and shared the most delicious dinner, dessert and coffee – of course. We also took these sweet and silly photos to commemorate the occasion, ya know – for our future grandkids!

Thank you to everyone who wished us a very happy anniversary and celebrated our special day with us! We appreciate your kind and thoughtful words more than you know.

And with that said –
John Scott, I’m so honored to be your wife. Here’s to a million more!
With all my love,
Chelsea xo
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ALL ALONE IN A RED COAT

01.15.15

As I type this, I have the most snuggly of kitties wrapped up in a blanket with me and a belly full of a veggie Chipotle burrito – a winter evening at its finest. We’ve been having the most dreary of weather around here the last few days, so evening snuggles, cozy coats and lots of black coffee have been a must. Dreary weather aside, Scott and I also have been spending the week making dinner at home, taking long (and very cold) walks around our favorite park, and reminiscing over what we were dong this exact week last year when we were prepping and preparing for our wedding day. I loved every bit of that full week we got to spend together before our wedding, and may have gotten a bit teary eyed just thinking about it. SIGH! I’m such a sap! 😉 






Outfit Details:
Michael Kors coat
Kate Spade purse
Lucky Brand sweater
Levi’s striped shirt
Loft jeans
Sam Edelman booties

On Sunday we’ll celebrate our first wedding anniversary, which is crazy to think! Where did the year go? We plan on celebrating throughout the day, and then going out on a special dinner date to a new-to-us restaurant in Phoenix. I’m also thinking about wearing my wedding dress, because when else would it be appropriate to wear it again? 😉 


Have a good evening, ya’ll!
-Chelsea xo

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1ST ANNIVERSARY TRIP – PHX TO WILLIAMS

01.13.15

Hello! Sorry for the crickets around here – we’ve been having a few busy days around here and I’ve been falling asleep before I can even get a sentence written. Well, aside from last night when I wrote this whole post out and then lost it – damn internet. Anyways, tonight I wanted to share part one of Scott and I’s early anniversary adventure. Back in December, we took a spontaneous trip through three states, a dozen towns, through the mountains, down to the ocean and back again. The funny thing is, we didn’t even decide to take the trip until the evening before, but after a few words of encouragement from my folks and securing a (fancy) rental car, we packed our bags and made plans to head north in the morning.

After kissing the kitties goodbye and grabbing a few coffees to-go, Scott and I we’re on the road. For our first day, we decided to drive the scenic route up through Sedona – just incase any fall leaves were still holding on – then up to Flagstaff for lunch, and over to Williams to go to Bearizona and rest our heads for the night.



We made our first stop in Flagstaff at Macy’s Coffee Shop for some hot drinks and a warm lunch. It was 20 degrees when we first stepped out of the car, so a hot meal was a must for these desert rats. Macy’s is famous for their grilled cheese and soup, so we placed our usual order and snagged the best seat in the house.

After filling our bellies with delicious food and hot drinks, we made the chilly walk back to the car so we could head on to our next adventure – Bearizona. 


About 30 miles outside of Flagstaff is Bearizona, a wildlife park whose mission is to promote conservation through memorable and educational encounters with North American wildlife in a natural environment. The drive-thru park takes about 30 minutes and along the way you’ll see black bears, wolves, bisons, sheep and more.


While you stay completely safe in your car (windows up, doors locked), it is a bit scary (and awesome) to have the animals so close to you. We were there right at feeding time, so most of the animals were out close to the drive-thru path. The wolves, however, were right in the road and surrounding the cars as they drove by. If this happens, they tell you to keep driving (slowly) as the wolves might get aggressive and start attacking your car – yikes! 

Once you come to the end of the trail there’s a camp site with a snack shack, souvenir shop and a few more animals to admire – bobcats, foxes, shetland ponies and more. After spending a few minutes walking around and enjoying the recent snowfall, Scott and I hopped back in the car and made our way to Williams, a historic town along the famous Route 66. 




After checking in at our hotel and taking a drive around the town, we stopped in at the Pine Country Restaurant for dinner and pie. The restaurant was packed, so we wandered around the gift shop until our table was ready. There were tons of people in town for the last weekend of the Polar Express train ride, so we got to see lots of families in their pajamas together, scarfing down their meals before the next train arrived. 


We both go turkey melts for dinner, and then shared a giant piece of cherry chocolate pie for dessert – which we definitely couldn’t finish. After paying our bill, we headed back to the room to rest up for our next adventurous day.

We woke up to a light dusting of snow and two degree weather outside. Before heading out, we stopped by the hotel breakfast and filled up on not-so-great coffee and waffles. After we got out to our car we were surprised to find that the coffees we had left had froze overnight, as well as the bananas I had left in the trunk (rookie mistake). We both got such a big kick out of this, and may have taken a few photos of us “drinking” the frozen coffee — haha. Afterward, we pitched the coffee and hit the road toward our next stop, Sin City!
And that’s where I’ll leave ya’ll for now, but I’ll be back soon with our vegas adventures! 
Have a wonderful day tomorrow, sweet friends!
-Chelsea xo

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A COZY WINTER WITH FREE PEOPLE

01.08.15

Hello! I’m back this evening to share my second collaboration with Free People! If you missed my announcement a few posts back, I’ve teamed up with Free People (one of my most favorite brands ever!) for a couple of fun holiday and winter collaborations. My last post focused on dressing up for the holidays – a personal favorite blog post of mine for the year! This time around, I was challenged to style up this super cozy, oversized turtleneck sweater – the Dylan Tweed Pullover, to be exact. While I could have layered up this outfit a million different ways, I chose to stick with a long, gold necklace, skinny jeans and a favorite pair of boots – a classic style for a classy and cozy sweater. During the chillier days we’ve been having in Phoenix, I’ve been pairing this with a marsala colored leather jacket, an infinity scarf and knee-high boots. It’s really a great investment piece, and I’m already looking into getting it in a few other colors!







Outfit details:
Dyland Tweed Pullover c/o Free People
Gap leggings
Seychelles booties
We’re seven days into the new year and so far things have been mighty fine around here. Scott is enjoying his last week of freedom before he heads back to grad school next week, and I’ve been staying busy working, exercising (trying my best!), organizing our house and planning a baby shower for my sweet cousin this Sunday.
I hope 2015 has been treating ya’ll well so far! I have a feeling it’s going to be an incredible year!
-Chelsea xo

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HIS & HERS: 2015 GOALS & RESOLUTIONS

01.04.15

With a new year, comes a new set of goals and resolutions for the Goodson household. I’ve always been into making New Year resolutions and setting goals for the following months. Scott, on the other hand, likes to set goals and resolutions when the moment feels right and the occasion arises. However, this year we banded together and decided to write out a few goals and resolutions that we want to focus on and accomplish in 2015. Without further adieu —
HERS
-Do more with intention (an important word to me this year)
-Blog more often, from the heart and soul
-Read more – fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, etc.

HIS
-Graduate from Grad School
-Work hard and land an amazing job to start my career 

THEIRS
-Focus on eating healthy and cooking at home more
-Drink more water
-Exercise more often
-Start saving for a house
-Find a church to attend
-Save for and take a faraway trip
Now that you know ours, what are your goals and resolutions for 2015?
-Chelsea xo

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WELCOME, 2015

01.02.15

Happy New Year, darlings! I’m back after taking the holidays off to spend some time celebrating with my family and friends, and to take an early anniversary road trip with my sweet husband. During the time that I was away, I gave a lot of thought as to where I see Tea Talk going in the next year, and the goals I hope to accomplish along the way. Over the past few years, I’ve shied away from the lifestyle posts where I began my roots and focused my attention more on my personal style – something that I’m still incredibly passionate about. Why those beloved outfit posts won’t be going anywhere, anytime soon, I do have plans to focus more on our life, our adventures and even the mundane that makes life what it is here on the blog. Also, don’t think that I’ve forgotten about my YouTube channel. I plan on coming back to this in full swing this month, and look forward to learning and growing in this space throughout the year. With that said, here’s to a year of living with intention, in love and to whatever 2015 may hold for us – we’re ready!
What goals do you have for 2015? I’ll be blogging Scott and I’s goal soon and would love to be inspired by yours! 
-Chelsea xo
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