What HE wants for Christmas- Designer Wood Watch from JORD

Jav has gotten extremely lucky this year. He got his Christmas gifts early. If there is one that he just can't stop talking about, it's his JORD watch! 

See the cool watch here:  https://www.woodwatches.com/series/frankie/koa-and-ash/#kelsiemarietaylor

The watch comes in beautiful packaging with directions on how to care for it. The wood blew me out of the water. Pictures don't do it justice. It is a stunning watch. 

Since I am not the one wearing it daily I am going to have Jav take over this blog post so you get the real scoop on the watch. 

Thanks for the intro Love. I remember when Kels first asked me why I never wore a watch. I told her that I was not accustomed to jewelry and preferred to not feel the weight of a watch on my wrist. I quickly realized that in the professional world a nice watch can help you when making a first impression. 

I have plenty of friends who believe bigger is always better when it comes to watches, but that is just not me. I prefer a light and sophisticated piece that compliments any outfit well. 

My Jord watch is exactly that. It is so light that sometimes I forget I am wearing it and their selection of colors and styles will definitely make a repeat customer out of me. The fact that the watches are made out of wood have made them a pleasant talking point at recent networking events that I have attended. It is such a unique watch and I have had a blast recommending Jord to my friends.

Enjoy an instant giveaway link:  https://www.woodwatches.com/g/kelsiemarietaylor

This post was sponsored by JORD Wood Watches.

What she REALLY wants for Christmas!

Christmas shopping can be tough. So I have come up with a few things to help make your last little bit of shopping easier. Every lady can never have enough clothes in her closet so I have some great items from a few places to add to your Christmas list.

The first place is the one and only Shabby Apple! They always have the cutest dresses and they have created an amazing brand.

If you are looking for that perfect holiday dress stop right now! I found it. It is cute and different. My goal is to never worry about having the same clothes as someone else so this dress takes the prize because it is unique and adorable. The best part, they are offering 30% off of everything with the code CHRISTMAS2016.

The Nest Boutique is great not only for all my Utah locals but for all of my online shopping addicts too. They not only have clothes but home goods too.

Let's talk about these amazing booties... I LOVE THEM! First, they are adorable and second, I did not even have to break them in. They fit great and don't hurt or rub blisters.

The long cardi is a closet staple. This one feels like a fleece blanket. When I first tried it on I could not believe how soft it was. I am still amazed.

I love Fancy Frills Boutique! They are always having great deals whether it's through their own site or through Jane.com. Follow their Instagram so you can be the first to know!

The pink jacket is to die for! It is so comfy and keeps me warm. It goes with almost anything! Definitely a closet must.

The plaid top is so unique I love the fraying at the ends. The material is very soft so it makes it one of my go to tops!

I hope you all find Christmas shopping a little bit easier this year. Stay tuned for what HE really wants for Christmas!

xoxo-Kels

Searching for Happiness

My family has been extremely fortunate to live so close to California for the majority of my life. It has been our weekend get away for years. Disneyland was considered our second home because we had annual passes for over 8 years and would travel down at least once a month. After a good trip to Disneyland, we always go to the beach. Newport or Laguna are our favorites and we still make these trips pretty regularly. 

Recently, with my family dealing with Mason's passing we haven't wanted to leave home. I have driven down to Vegas so many times just to have time with my family. I knew we needed to do something besides sitting at home and reminiscing about memories with Mas. A good family friend who had some members of his family pass away several years ago told us about how going to the beach became his happy place. He is an avid sea glass hunter and goes to Laguna Beach to find his spoils. I love listening to him when he talks about finding treasures at the beach because you can tell it truly brings him happiness. I decided that this is exactly what my family needed. A trip to the beach to go sea glass and happiness hunting! 

Over the span of 4 weeks we made 3 separate trips down to the beach. Each were filled with laughter, love, sea glass, sand, fun, tears, memories and most important happiness. California still remains one of my favorite places but now it holds even more of a special place in my heart. Mason loved California and now we get to travel down and grow our collection of sea glass and sea shells in remembrance of Mason. It's been amazing to see what finding one piece of sea glass can do to a family member. I know because of these new traditions, Mason's legacy will be passed on in many different ways. Buddy, I hope you know I love you and miss you more and more each day. 

Since we have been traveling so much I haven't done any posting. Whoops! Please forgive me. I promise I will be better at making sure I post more regularly. With that being said, here is a double post! 

First, I want to talk about my ADORABLE romper from Shop Eva Jo. This is definitely my go to outfit right now! It is so comfortable and I receive nonstop compliments when I wear it! 

They have several different colors and styles! We are currently doing a giveaway! Head over to my Instagram for the details because it ends Thursday at 11:59 p.m.Shop Eva Jo.

The next outfit I want to talk about is this fabulous lace dress! I have seen this dress a few times and have loved it every time. I just wasn't sure if I would love it once I put it on. I love the crop top look but I am always afraid that it might fall at the wrong spot on my body. Luckily enough it fit just right! Make sure to check it out at Ivy City Co!

Mason, I love you.

Thursday June 23rd around 5:30 AM I was startled by a loudest pounding sound on my window. This has happened once before but this time things were a little different because I was still groggy and a little annoyed. I grabbed my keys so that Juan could use my car to make it to work because he missed the train. I opened up the front door and was immediately wrapped in a hug that I will never forget. Juan did the hardest thing you could imagine and I could not be more grateful that I have him as my rock and that he was the one to be there when the message was delivered. As he embraced me he said four simple words that changed my life forever. "Mason didn't make it." I remember leaning back and saying, "Are you serious?" My mind could not comprehend what he just told me. The surgery went fine. This is a sick joke. Why is he saying this. "Are you serious?" came out of my mouth again. That's when he answered back "I am so sorry." A phrase that I would hear a million more times after Mason's passing because it is the only thing you can say. It was at that moment that I felt the most horrifying pain. Worse than a punch in the gut. It felt as if my heart had been ripped out from my chest. Darkness and emptiness were the only things that filled my entire body.

I called my dad because my entire family had been trying to reach me but my phone was on silent this particular night. As I talked to my dad, I was still in shock. I think am still in shock because it does not feel real. As we spoke over the phone, the reality sunk in just a little bit more. My dad was trying not to cry. After the phone call Juan walked me in to my room and lifted me into bed. I felt numb. I did not want to move and I barely felt alive. That's when the guilt hit me. I spent his last days focused on myself and my dreams. His birthday was spent doing things for me and not him. He sat in a theater filled with people who will never know how wonderful my baby brother was. I did not get to say goodbye or tell him how much I love him one last time. I was not prepared for this in the slightest. I do not understand how this is my new reality.

Shortly after the news broke Juan and I drove down to Las Vegas. I did not want to talk much. Slowly Juan broke open my shell like he normally does and we talked about everything. I remember asking if Mason was alone. I did not want him to be scared. I was afraid for him. I love my brother more than anything and I do not want him to be suffering in any way. Did he know anyone on the other side? Can he see me? Can he hear me? Is he happy? Is he okay? Can anything bad happen to him? These questions might seem silly to you but until you are put in this situation you will never know the fear and questions that come. I remember telling Juan that I was afraid to go home because I felt like it was going to make it more real and being surrounded by everyone was going to make it more difficult.

After the longest ride in the car I was not excited to be home. I braced myself as we turned into my neighborhood. I was hoping that Mason would be standing at the front door laughing because it was all a joke. I wanted that more than anything. I would not be mad in the slightest. There are still times that I hope to see him walk through the front door or to give me a phone call and just say that it was all a joke. Seeing my family in this state was so humbling. I love my family more than words can describe. The hardest part is knowing that I cannot do anything to help them fill the hole that we all have in our hearts. Mason is an amazing person and no one will ever be able to fill the crater we are all left with because of his absence.

Our house was full. Full of love, family, friends, flowers, laughter, tears, sadness, pain, and wonderful memories. It is still full of all of those things and it makes me happy to know that Mason and my family are truly loved by so many people. I cannot thank all of the people who came to talk and to love and care for my family. For the countless items that were brought to our home. To the people that shared their personal experiences that brought hope and light for the future. For the text and Facebook messages. Also, the silent acts of kindness that no one knows about but that brought feelings of love to my family.

Soon it had been a week and I was afraid to go dress my brother's body. Not because of anything other than the fact that it would become a reality that he was really gone. I won't go into detail about this special day. It was hard but it was beautiful. I love my brother so much. I know he was close by and was having a good time watching over the family. I want to share a short story about Mason. A few months ago I had a giveaway for a tie from DAZI. I got a call from Mason after I had posted about it and he wanted the tie more than anything. I told him he would have to enter in order to win. Mason is not the type of person to enter a giveaway but after our phone call I had a notification on Instagram letting me know that Mason had entered the giveaway. My mom and I talked and laughed about it because he actually entered. Since his birthday was coming up, I bought him and Zach a tie from DAZI. The next time I came to visit I told Mason that he won the giveaway even though he didn't and I gave him the tie that he wanted so badly. He was so excited and he was yelling in the house "I WON A GIVEAWAY, I'M A WINNER!!!" My mom and I were laughing so hard at his excitement. He would tell my mom how much he loved this tie. When we were deciding what we wanted to dress Mason in, my mom said we should have him wear that tie with his suit. It may seem like such a small thing but knowing that he had that final gift meant the world to me. So thank you DAZI for reaching out to me to feature your ties on my blog. You will never know how much your ties have meant to my family.

Trey, Aaron, Brady, Richie, Tyler, Alexis and everyone else who participated in the concert that was held the night before Mason's services, I wish I could put into words how strong you could feel Mason's presence. For those of you who don't know him very well, Mason was a lover of music. It was his way of life. He loved being a part of his band. When they had a concert in honor of Mason it was like you could hear him singing if you listened close enough. It was in that moment that I knew he was happy. I will never forget the feeling that I experienced that night. I am tearing up just thinking about it.

Mason's celebration of life was an amazing day. Hundreds of people came and supported our family as well as paid tribute to Mason and the wonderful person that he is. As I spoke, it was amazing to see how many people were there. The entire chapel and both overflows were full. From what I could tell, there was not an empty seat.

I love you Mason. I am sorry that your life was cut short due to heart failure. I wish that we had more time. I wish that my children would get to experience your humor and just know how amazing their Uncle Mason is. I wish that you could attend my wedding. I wish that I could attend yours. I wish I could have been the favorite aunt to your children (sorry Jess). There are so many more things that I wish, but I know that life will continue on and one day we will be together again and this lost time will not feel like a thing. Until that time, I hope you know how much I love you. I hope you know how much I miss you. I love all of your jokes. I love your music that we would listen too. I miss all of the times we worked in the shack together. All of our secrets that we share. I am sad that my partner in crime and the other middle child has left me to get in trouble all on my own. I am sad that the Kenny call won't be echoing through the house when I come to visit. Most important, I am so grateful that I have you as my brother. You are a great kid and you deserve the best. I love you with all of my heart. I promise to carry on your legacy for the rest of my life. I love you Mason.

No Heat Curls!

Maybe it's just me, but I hate damaging my hair by using blow dryers, straighteners, or even curling irons. The struggle is real because I love curly hair. Not only do I want to keep my long locks healthy; I also want my bone straight hair to have some curl every once in a while!

When I first heard of Savvy Curls I was pretty skeptical. How could this product curl my hair with absolutely no heat? I decided I would just try it for fun because it wouldn't hurt. To my surprise it totally worked!

I am super excited to share these bands with you. You just simply wrap your hair around them with a little bit of styling gel and you leave it overnight or until it's dry! 

It saves so much time! It's also comfortable to sleep in which is great. Not like those plastic foam hair rollers your mom used to make you wear overnight HAHA! 

Use my coupon code to get $2 off any order!! It's savvyc1 (all lower case) Visit savvycurls.com today to get your band! Best invention ever!

Support and Looking Good

If you take your job seriously as a titleholder for the Miss America Organization, you have a lot things on your plate. I can tell you my days are scheduled out to the minute because I have so much that I want to accomplish. I know that if I don't do these things every day and work hard to be my best each day I won't be satisfied. 

I have plenty of people who have doubted me and have told me that I am not good enough. It would be a great honor to win the title of Miss Utah, but I also know that I will strive to be successful no matter what the outcome is. I know that my hard work will continue to pay off. 

I could not be as successful as I have been without the support of my friends and family. They have helped me overcome many obstacles and shown me that I can do it even when I have felt small. I want to give a special thanks to my family. They have done so much from sitting in the audience to shopping for pageant dresses when they are on vacation. My mom travels to Provo almost every other week which I could not be more grateful for. 

Since the fashion post today is going to be about men's ties, (Go check out my Instagram for a giveaway!) I thought I would focus on my best friend for a little bit. Juan has been the biggest supporter through everything. Through my pageant journey he helps me not compare myself to the other girls. He pushes me to be my very best and he spends countless hours talking current events, platform and even state topics with me everyday. I think he knows my violin song better than me sometimes because he listens to me practice quite often haha!

Thank you family and friends for all of your continued support and outreach. I appreciate the sweet texts and emails that I receive from all of you. I am excited for my future and I know that no matter what happens in June, that I have the best support group and that I will still continue to leave my mark/share my story where ever I go. 

Now lets talk about the fun stuff! DAZI NECKTIES!!! I had Juan put these guys to the test and they are fabulous! I don't know if you can say that about ties, but I am saying it. They are very durable ties and the strength of the fabric and unique prints make it a must have for all seasons. They hold their shape and they honestly look great with everything. daziusa.com

Like I said earlier in the post, we are doing a giveaway for one of these ties. Juan is very picky with his ties and he asked if we could buy all of them! They are perfect for any event or even just everyday business attire. Make sure to check them out and to enter the giveaway!