The Stewart Standard

The last two years I had the privilege of working in a Dermatology clinic. Along the way I picked up a thing or two. Haha. This is a joke to me because I truly learned so much. I thought I would share a few things I learned! (of course in list format)

1. WEAR SUNSCREEN. I know this is cliche and you've been told this a million times... but really wear it ALL DAY EVERYDAY! Do you want brown spots? Wrinkles? Skin Cancer? No.. ok good then go invest in a foundation or lotion that you put on every morning that has some sort of broad spectrum SPF at least 15. It doesn't have to be 100... that's ridiculous... but no the SPF 4 tanning oil does not count.

2. If your skin is itchy there is a 99% chance it is just dry. Utah is the second driest state in the US (second to Nevada). So lather up my friends.

3. Do not over do your skin care regimen. Like I said we live in a pretty dry state so putting on every acne product from Target's shelf, plus proactive, plus some expensive Retinol product your mom gave you is going to dry up your face and can do more harm then good. Keep it simple. Cetaphil cleanser is every dermatologist's go to.

4. It is completely normal to get acne clear into your 40's and 50's. It sucks I know. But don't be shocked when you break out worse in your 20's and 30's then you did when you were in high school. And be careful there are hidden thing's that can be making your acne worse. (IUD's, etc.)

5. If you used Tanning beds in high school (guilty) or still do, you should probably stop. You can get skin cancer in your 20's and scars on your face to remove them are not fun. And did I mention wrinkles?

6. That topic of Skin Cancer. I had no idea when I first got hired that there were different types of skin cancer. The really bad one is Melanoma this can even appear where the sun don't shine. Watch out for a really dark spot or a mole that all a sudden starts looking funny and growing into a different shape. Then there are Basal Cell and Squamous Cell carcinoma's. These are usually from sun damage and can be removed with surgery but let me tell you it is still not a fun thing. 

7. When do you go get that spot you're worried about now that I told you what to look for? Watch it for a while and if it has changed or looks like a sore that is not healing, you should probably go in. It is a peace of mind kinda thing.

8. Wash your hands more than you think you should. 

9. Drink lots of water. It is really really good for your skin. Diet otherwise really does not affect the skin very much. I am sure there are a million people that would disagree. This is coming from the Doc's. But hey if something is working for you... keep at it. 

10. Picking makes everything worse. See picture below. 

haha story of my life...

xoxo,

Carly 

Exactly one year ago my mom, sister, and myself were jetted off to Europe for my last hurrah! before I got married. But in reality that is not why we went at all haha. Before I had even met Dallas my sister was a senior in high school and for her graduation present wanted to travel to Europe so my mom used up just about all her frequent flyer miles to book three tickets round trip to Paris. Little did we know then that we would be booking this trip two weeks before I got married.

Once I was engaged and the wedding date was set we decided not to cancel the trip. When plans were under way we thought it would be no big deal to travel two weeks before the wedding. 

Everyone else looked at us like we were crazy but we thought "c'est la vie!' It was such an incredible trip our itinerary went as followed:

London  -   Paris   -   Avignon  -  Isle Sur La Sorgue   -   Le Baux   -   Cannes  -  Nice  -  Monte  Carlo

All those incredible places in 2 weeks. I have to give credit to my mom. She was the CHAMP of the trip. We rented a car and spent the second half of the trip exploring Southern France. None of us spoke a lick of French but she handled those french streets like she was a pro. 

I can't wait to take Dallas back. For any questions on hotels, restaurants, or to-do's in any of the cities above please feel free to comment below!

London

Paris

 Cannes, Nice, and Monte Carlo

Let's talk about how Lake Powell seriously could be considered one of the best places on earth... why you may ask? Because I have never seen Dallas happier than when we were in Lake Powell.

Both Dallas and myself went to Lake Powell a lot when we were growing up and this was the first time that we got to together and it was perfect. Spending the Fourth in Lake Powell was the best way to spend it. We had such a fun group of people go down with us as well including two of Dallas's mission friends and their wives. We had such a blast and our days went something like this:

Wake up, eat breakfast, go exploring or on boat rides to cool places to swim, come back to the house boat, eat lunch, go back on the boat wakeboarding or sufing, come back, swim, paddle board, eat AMAZING dinner's, play games, watch movies, and then doing it all over again for four days straight.

Like I said now we have Lake Powell hangovers. (and the world is still slightly rocking like I am still on the boat thanks to some gnarly wind storms at night). 

Hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July like we did!