When I was 8 years old, I started going to church.

…On my own.

I used to ride my bike down the alley beside my house to sit outside of the same Methodist church where my piano recitals were held so that I could hear the pastor’s messages reverberate off of the walls.

My parents didn’t go to church.

I never knew anything about the Bible.

But something always drew me to that place.

And it was likely because of the story of Easter.

When I first heard about a man who loved me – like, really loved me – despite my shortcomings, I felt … at home.

Something about that love – as crazy as it is – always made sense to me.

Think: The tradition of Easter has evolved into parents purchasing gifts for their children without gaining any recognition for them {they blame the gifts on a bunny’s generosity}. That’s what love is …  without receiving any credit – or anything in return – a parent provides.

So, like that, Jesus wasn’t hard for me to comprehend.

But, in examining other religions, I realized I wasn’t good enough for them.

And nothing felt as genuine as the story I heard while sitting outside of that church during those years.

I couldn’t grasp being the daughter of Something that didn’t want me the way I was created – that constantly asked things of me.

So, I stuck with the notion of Jesus.

Sometimes, I was questioned for having beliefs that didn’t seem valid. And no matter how much logic I could attach to this soul-connection that I felt, those questions from others still remained.

Sure, although the New Testament was written in first century A.D. (more recent than other manuscripts), and there are some 20,000 manuscripts in existence (thousands more than any other ancient writing) with the internal consistency of the documents at about 99.5% and the earliest textual evidence having been copied only 100 years after the original, that wasn’t always enough “proof.”

Yet, manuscripts like Caesar’s Gallic Wars and Aristotle’s Poetics were written B.C., not even A.D., each having 10 or less manuscripts (Aristotle had 5!), and the earliest textual evidence for both was over 1,000 years after the original.

I’ve struggled to understand why my logic was sometimes considered illogical when many of us quote Aristotle’s manuscripts.

But, I think it’s because Jesus seems too good to be true.

Because his love is too good.

But just because it’s too good – just because a parent providing gifts for his or her children without wanting anything in return is too good – doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

And because of that, today will always remain my favorite holiday.

Easter is love with skin on.

First, it started with cancer.

Then, the elevated thyroid.

And back, again, to cancer.

It seemed like I couldn’t catch a break … so I took a break.

I ended my relationship with my skincare routine because I was getting melanoma time and time again in places where the sun doesn’t always shine.

I wondered if it was possible that I could get cancer and then disrupt my endocrine system (i.e., hormone levels) with what I was putting on my skin.

The answer still remains unknown, but I do know this…

I started using Beautycounter – a skincare {face and body} and makeup line that I searched diligently for in the hopes that there was something better than what Whole Foods was offering.

Here’s the website: http://www.beautycounter.com/christieschroeder/.

And my thyroid levels are back to “normal.”

Since the answers to my diagnoses remain in the dark, here are the facts:

• Over 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed by our skin {our body’s largest organ}.
• Decades of studies indicate that serious health issues are on the rise and due, in part, to exposure to toxic chemicals.
• Roughly 10% of the 10,000 chemicals commonly found in personal care products have safety data. {I’m no Math wizard, but that leaves us with nearly 9,000 chemicals with no information on their safety.}
• The FDA allows companies to use extremely harmful products (e.g., lead, formaldehyde … what?) that have been linked to cancer, infertility, learning and developmental disabilities, and hormone disruption.
• And the U.S. … it hasn’t passed a law since 1938 regulating the cosmetic industry, and when they did, only 11 ingredients were banned or restricted … FYI: The European Union has banned 1,400.

Don’t think you’ll get cancer?

Neither did I.

But in the U.S. alone, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime. And … childhood cancers have increased 20% since 1975.

Oh yea … and autism, ADHD, asthma, and allergies are all on the rise in the U.S.

In fact, learning and developmental disabilities affect more than 1 in 6 children in the U.S.

And the National Academy of Sciences has determined that environmental factors contribute to 28% of developmental disorders in children.

Finally {but not really finally}, difficulty conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy affected 40% more women in 2002 than it did in 1982.

But for those fortunate enough to conceive, more than 200 chemicals {many known to be toxic} can be found in nearly all Americans, including newborns who are exposed to chemicals in utero.

And today, girls are entering puberty earlier than a generation ago – in part, due to exposures to endocrine disruptors. Note: Early puberty puts girls at a higher risk for breast cancer later in life.

Yikes.

Trust me … I know.

This was all terrifying to me, too.

But the good news is … there’s a non-profit organization called EWG Skin Deep that is educating people on the safety of personal care products. {http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/}

They offer a free app where you can find safety ratings for nearly 80,000 products with ingredients largely unregulated by the federal government.

And Beautycounter is  on a mission to integrate safety with performance, only offering products ranked a 1 or a 2 with EWG Skin Deep {and the prices are in line with what’s at Sephora}.

Beautycounter has banned more than 1,500 ingredients {the strictest standard in this country} and has worked side-by-side with A-list celebrity makeup artist, Christy Coleman, to ensure its quality.

{I suppose the company’s mission is working…}

And guess what … they even have a baby and kids’ line, along with sunscreen, etc.

I’m obsessed with the products and I’m the girl who can look at something wrong and get a break-out. {And the girl who used to spend an obscene amount of money on La Mer and La Prairie.}

If you’d like to learn more about Beautycounter, the products, or how to join the mission, please reach out on Facebook or via email: christieschroederbc@gmail.com.

Here’s a 3-minute video to take a peek at, too, in case you’re {kind of} in love already: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZfV91Ybmnc&feature=share.

Stay tuned for more about fashion – or love – in the next post!

xxo,

Christie

athleisure :: athletic + leisure

noun

a trend in fashion in which clothing that is designed for athletic workouts is worn outside of the gym.

We’ve all seen athleisure in action:

Girl goes to the grocery store in her yoga pants and tank top.

Boom … athleisure.

It wasn’t until the other day, though, that I realized how incredible this concept was outside of this cliche scenario, and what it could mean for my pocketbook.

The other night, Brett and I went to a comedy show that started at 8:00 pm. I accidentally woke from a nap at 7:09 pm. This meant that I had roughly 21 minutes to get ready so that we could grab our uber and be seated in time without getting heckled.

Because I was hurried and in a drunken-like, sleepy haze, I didn’t reach for my black, go-to ponte pants for when I go out – or for when I do anything remotely worthy of slinking myself into tight clothing that cuts off my circulation.

{Don’t know what ponte pants are? http://lmgtfy.com/}

Instead, I threw on heels, a lightweight jacket, and a summer scarf on top of my all-black yoga pants and scoop-neck, pima cotton top that I was already wearing for the duration of my nap.

And … it looked pretty good. {I think.}

If we hybrid the following two outfits {we’ll pretend that those in the first photograph are “yoga” pants}, paired with both of their bodies, that’s what I looked like.

It had never occurred to me to wear activewear to go out in. I had only ever sported (no pun intended) athleisure for errand-runs or casual outings.

So now, the days of having to buy skinny, black pants and clothing of the like are gone. I will be coupling my already-existing activewear with heels, wedges, and jewelry.

And I’ll post some pics of my outfits on here when I think something of the athlesiure nature looks awesome … or moderately awesome.

Please refer to my sweet girlfriend’s blog for more tips on athleisure and fashion:

http://www.theweekenderafashionfieldguide.com/blog/athleisure-layers

xo,

C

One word: gusto!

synonyms: enthusiasm, zest, delight, glee, satisfaction, appreciation, liking

Isn’t that word great?

That’s where Brett and I met.

Brett and I looked at one another and didn’t say a word.

So, how did we “meet” there?

Well, I guess we technically didn’t.

This time, he made it twice.

In order to come back and leave this note for Boston to give to me.

Which was followed by this..

Oh.

So … the rest is history.

These are the flowers that changed everything.

Well, not really the flowers.

The “I’m not going anywhere if you still have cancer” that changed everything, accompanied by the flowers.

And this is the boy that changed me.

Happy Sunday, y’all!

I’ll see you next time with some fashion or beauty.