Adventures of Chloe

Ahhh I love this time of year. Nothing beats this crisp fall air! Troy and I have been taking advantage of the gorgeous weather by doing lots of hiking as per our resolution to spend at least 1 day a week in nature.

We have been keeping up with this habit for almost 2 years and I stand by how beneficial it’s been in our lives and relationship. We used to talk about going hiking a lot but life would always get in the way. Now we schedule it every Sunday and don’t cancel unless it’s a very important reason. I come to cherish this time and can’t imagine life without it now.

For any of you living in Portland, this is the website we visit to find good hiking trails. We loved the Cooper Spur Hike and would definitely do it again! It was long ad challenging but worth it (as most hikes are).

We are always searching for new trails new and far to the city, so if you guys have any recommendations please let me know in the comments!

Love, Chloe

It is spring in Portland which means the cherry blossoms are out and oh so gorgeous! I love walking down our street this time of year with a pink canopy overhead. Once the trees start shedding the petals, the streets become lined with light pink petals and often mound of petals that we love to run through and kick. Ahh spring, it’s simply the best! I’m so looking forward to BBQ parties in the park, long walks at dusk, and camping! I think 2018 is already off to such a great start and I know these fun summer activities will send it over the top!

What are some of your favorite summer activities? Are they different based on where you live in the world?

Love, Chloe

I LOVE WINTER! There are so many amazing activities to do outdoors come winter time! Some of my favorites include snowshoeing, cross country skiing and and downhill skiing. So much fun! For our weekly outdoor outing we usually head to the mountains to do one of the three. Sometimes we even make a weekend out of it and just soak up all that beautiful winter air for 48 full hours.

I also love getting cozy after a day in the cold crisp air. Hello hot chocolate in front of the fire! One of my favorite memories so far this year is last weekend Troy and I rented a cabin in the woods and snowshoed all of these great trails near our cabin both Saturday and Sunday. At the end of the day on Saturday we built a huge fire in the wood fireplace in our cabin and seriously never let the fire die down once over the 6 hours we sat in front of it just laughing, playing board games and even doing a puzzle! I would NEVER do a puzzle at home but being in the woods in front of a fire brings that out in me. It’s so relaxing and also fun for me! I think it’s so important to give your mind the opportunity to focus on new things every now and again. It works out the mind in a new way!

I’m looking forward to spending many more weekends and days in the snow on adventures with my Troy over the next few months. We’re even thinking of taking a roadtrip to Canada for epic skiing at cheap prices. I will keep you guys posted!

Love, Chloe

This summer I was going crazy over how casual everyone was dressing in the office! It’s hot, I get it, but shorts and flip flops are not office appropriate! My office is not super formal but still most people wear dress pants and dress shirts, or dresses and skirts for the ladies. No suits unless it’s a really important meeting! But then come summer all rules seem to fly out the window and suddenly no one cares about their appearance or looking professional for clients. It was driving me crazy! I don’t feel it’s my place to say anything directly to my colleagues but I did comment to my manager and she said she had noticed too and was going to send out an email. For a few days after the email went out people cleaned up their act… until the following week when it was 93 degrees and back to flip flops we go.

Has anyone else experienced this in a professional setting? I can’t do much about it other be annoyed. I’m trying to care less and not let it bother me. Don’t sweat the small stuff as they say right? I’m just glad I’m not the manager who has to tell her employees this like it’s not common sense. I guess I just make sure I look trim and professional and everyone else can look sloppy – only makes me look better right?! Ha.

Okay that’s the end of my rant. Now I’m dreaming about cozy sweaters and scarves for fall. And boots! I need a new pair of boots. Online shopping here I come…

Love, Chloe

Did you know your body is made up mostly of water? Not only that, but our health is greatly influenced by how much water we drink. Fail to drink enough water and you might find yourself dehydrated with a headache and feeling unwell. On the other hand, drink plenty of water and find yourself purged of toxins and feeling healthy and energized!

I know we all struggle to drink enough water, and there have been a ton of gimmicks over the years to try to get us to remember to tip back enough cups of water during the day. I have tried a lot of different strategies! One thing I used to do is drink an entire litre of water as soon as I got to work. That inevitably made me need to go to the bathroom like clockwork an hour later. Then, on the way back from the bathroom I’d down another litre. Rinse and repeat!

I have also tried using one of those water bottles that shows you how much you should have drunk by whatever time of day, so you know if you are not drinking enough. Another technique I have tried is getting a really beautiful water bottle. If the aesthetic is beautiful, that tends to make me want to drink more water out of it!

I have had periods where I have stayed super hydrated, and I have had periods where I have been busy an fallen behind. And it’s in those periods that I have fallen behind where I tend to find myself getting cranky and suffering from migraines, which are totally by-products of dehydration.
Then again, there are times when I have managed to stay hydrated even during busy times (especially by using the first method noted above – a girl’s gotta pee, no matter how busy she is)! And it’s during those times that I’ve found myself more resilient to stresses and illness. More energetic, too.

I have made a new promise with myself to make this my most hydrated summer ever. My promise to myself is to drink 4 litres of water a day. I know what you’re thinking – “geez, that’s a lot of water!” But if you get into the habit, it should be easy, and it will definitely help my body purge itself of toxins. Anyway, wish me luck and stay tuned! ☺

Love, Chloe

So, I don’t know if you know about this, but I recently went gluten-free. While it has had a ton of amazing health benefits, and I feel so much better, it also means that I can’t eat some of my favourite foods, including pizza. Bummer!

Pizza has been my favourite snack since, like, third grade. Not only did I love to eat it, but I loved to make it. Something about mixing up the flour and watching the dough rise also felt so soothing and relaxing. I even spent the summer working at Domino’s Pizza when I was 16! 🙂

Luckily, I recently found a way to have my cake and eat it too. There is this awesome pizzeria in Portland called the Mississippi Pizza Pub which makes excellent gluten-free pizza, all in a lovely atmosphere. I went there last night and had a great time. Check it out! Troy and I discovered them through this great blog post we found about gluten free pizza places in Portland.

Love, Chloe

Guys, you will not believe the amazing shopping haul I just went on! The other day, Troy and I were getting ready to go out for dinner and a movie, and I had absolutely nothing to wear!

I mean, I had plenty of stuff in my closet, but I just wasn’t excited about any of it and felt I needed freshen up my wardrobe with a few new pieces. Anyway, Troy, being the dream boat and supportive boyfriend that he is, suggested that we cancel our movie plans and instead go shopping for some new clothes!

I had been intentionally avoiding clothing shopping for some time, as I have a bit of an addiction and I was trying to keep my finances in better balance. But, when Troy flashed his credit card, I knew I couldn’t resist. He is so nice and supportive, and he has a great job and is really to help me out every now and then.

We started off by going to Neiman Marcus, which is a store that I absolutely love. I put on a little fashion show for Troy and we picked out some beautiful items including a really lovely Little black dress and some other cute outfits.

I think the little black dress will go so well at the work party that Troy is having in a few weeks from now, and the other items will be so perfect as the weather gets a little bit warmer. Something about shopping always lifts my spirits, I guess that’s why they call it retail therapy!

How about you guys? Have you picked up any nice items in your wardrobe recently?

Love, Chloe

I love my family! I’ve been thinking recently that life just isn’t meaningful without plenty of family all around you. Unlike most people I have a really big family. Six brothers and sisters in total, can you believe it? On the other hand Troy’s family is a whole lot smaller – it’s just him and his little brother.

Troy and I often compare our experiences growing up, and it’s really funny how different they are. On the one hand, I grew up not really having much privacy, and learning how to share with my siblings, whereas Troy is a bit more of an introvert and really needs his own space. I think that’s why we get along so well – as they say, opposites can attract.

Sometimes my family can drive me crazy, I must admit. I usually get a little bit of cabin fever when I spent four or five days with the whole family, nonstop. When that happens, I like to get away and get a break from them. on the other hand, if I spent too long away from my family, I really start to miss them. It can be really fun spending time with mom and dad, and all my brothers and sisters. It was really easy to grow up with all of them, and we didn’t really fight all that much. 

Anyway, I’m writing this after having spent many months away from my family, because I’ve been so busy with work and life with Troy. Fortunately, we’re about to have a big family reunion over the Christmas holidays, and I’m really excited about it! I guess I thought it would be a good idea to blog about family :-).

How about you guys? Do you have small or big families, and do you visit them often?

Hugs, Chloe

Troy got me the most interesting gift for my birthday this past weekend. I like to pride myself on being in touch with the latest health trends, but I had never heard of the health benefits of drinking from a copper pitcher until I received Troy’s gift!

Troy got me this amazing copper water pitcher. The website has a really interesting discussion of the reasons why drinking from a copper water pitcher can be so beneficial for your health. For example, copper can help support a stronger immune system, help keep your mind sharp, help kill bacteria in your water, and otherwise just help keep your body in tip-top health.

Even without all of the interesting ayurvedic health benefits, the copper pitcher is a work of art and absolutely beautiful! They are handmade and hand hammered to create a beautiful texture and aesthetic. My pitcher feels absolutely one-of-a-kind, and I love it!

They say that it’s best to fill up your pitcher and let it sit overnight, so that the water can become charged with the benefits of copper. You are then supposed to drink three or four cups immediately upon waking up in the morning. I’ve been doing this for a few days already, and I have already felt an improvement in my energy levels. Very cool!

It’s so important to stay hydrated, especially during an active day. I have a water bottle that I keep in my purse, and I started filling it up with water that I let sit in my copper pitcher overnight. That way I can take the best water available with me on my journey throughout the day!

How about the rest of you? How do you stay hydrated throughout your active days?

Love, Chloe

I have recently been thinking a lot about the importance of relaxing and recharging. There is no doubt we all live very busy lives, particularly if we live in a big, bustling city, like New York, where I live. We work big city jobs, go out with our friends on the town, and usually live in tiny, shoebox apartments with lots of people all around us. As fun as all of that is, we can’t doubt that it has some effect on our health.

As a result, my boyfriend and I have recently vowed to escape the big city and spend at least one full day in nature for every six days spent in the city. Not only that, but my two best girlfriends, Jenna and Kim, have vowed to do the same things with their boyfriends, and sometimes we all escape into nature together. I have got to say, the results have been incredible! My relationship with Troy has become so much better, because the time spent in nature is a total stress reliever, and gives us a great opportunity to reconnect. In addition, any time spent in nature is going to involve some exercise, which is great!

The other thing Troy and I really appreciate about getting into the outdoors is the abundance of fresh air. It’s really hard to notice just how dirty the air in the city is until you spend a bit of time away from it. Getting out into nature is a must to do, if only to give your lungs a chance to breathe some fresh air and exhale all the toxins you get from the big city.

Anyway, I am writing this on day six of one of our weekly schedules, which means that tomorrow is my day with Troy in the great outdoors! We’re thinking of renting a car and driving out into the country. The weather is looking like it’s going to be quite beautiful, so we’re very excited about it. I hope all of you have a lovely weekend as well!

Love, Chloe