A "Real Life" Post.

Last night, I found out my Uncle Mike died.

He had leukemia.  

There's a chance some of you are like, Yeesh, Chelsea, what the heck? Isn't that private? Is that really something you want to share on your blog?

If you're new around here, or you think this is too real, I agree. 

I desperately wish this wasn't real. 

But it is. 

Cancer is real. 

And yeah, sure, if I didn't talk about it, I'd be sparing myself a few awkward moments of not being sure what to say, or how to act okay when I'm not feeling okay. When I constantly feel like throwing up. 

But if I don't say something, I think I might regret it. 

Because this is an opportunity to let people know how prevalent, how real, and how evil cancer is; how evil it can be, how evil it was to Mike, and sadly, how evil it will be to more people in the future.

Now I feel even more encouraged to run, raising awareness and raising money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

I pray that I can keep Mike's spirit in mind, not just throughout my training process with Team in Training, but throughout my entire life. 

He was an incredible man, and I'm so thankful for his influence in my life. 

Five on Friday: Fall Essentials Edition

Happy Friday!

Hope everyone's weekends are off to a good start! 

It's my favorite blog day of the week, because....

Link up with Darci, Natasha, Christina, and April!

Time for that Five on Friday! On the docket this week:  

(Well, not essentials... But things that make fall a lot more fun, and fun is certainly essential!) 

Clockwise, starting with the top left: 

1. Shut the Front Door Burlaps by Ryann. I'm a little in love with every. single. one. of these burlap door decorations by my sweet blogging friend. Seriously, how adorable are these? I think a pumpkin is perfect for October and November, and after that, good luck picking just one for Christmas! 

2. Gold Bond Intensive Healing Hand Cream. It happened this week. My hands betrayed me, per usual in the cold weather, and dried up like the desert. I've been using Cetaphil a little haphazardly on them, but let's face it: that stuff isn't going to turn sandpaper into a baby's bottom. However, Gold Bond's intensive healing hand cream just might. I bought it tonight at Target, and after one application, I'm a believer. This stuff means business. 

3. Hot Hands. I guess I have some seriously high-maintenance hands, because aside from getting chapped, the hands also get ridiculously cold! Hot Hands were a must for last night's eight o'clock kickoff in Death Valley! Yay for another "W" for the Tigers!

4. eos lip balm. Okay, okay... Maybe I just have the most sensitive skin in the world, because my lips also tend to take a beating in the winter. This year, I'm being proactive! Last week I bought some eos, although I was a little skeptical, because I thought maybe the whole spherical packaging was a gimmick. I was wrong, because it is awesome! However, I think maybe this holiday packaging actually is gimmicky.... And it's working. Mark my words: my lips (and hands!) will not suffer this year!

5. Soup, dere it is! Sorry, but I had to reference my dad's favorite holiday SNL sketch. In all seriousness, soup has become my go-to meal for suppers. It's hard to beat just throwing stuff in my crockpot and having warm and delicious meals for the entire week! I'm pretty sure this ravioli and zucchini soup is next on my list...

What are your fall essentials? 

Ta-Da!

Notice anything different?

Well, in case you don't, the blog got a makeover from the inside-out!

I decided to make the move from Wordpress to Blogger, which hosts most of the blogs I follow. 

Basically, now it'll be a little easier to spread the love to fellow bloggers! 

Also, I changed my blog address, which is now chelseagrowingup.blogspot.com. 

While I was at it, I decided to give the blog design a whimsical facelift! 

Whatcha think?!

I'm diggin' it. 

Tomorrow, I'll give a little update on my Team in Training experience... Spoiler alert: people are awesome.