I'm Moving!

I mean this is two different ways, and I'm looking forward to both of them! First of all, as of today, I have put in my notice at work that I'm going to be leaving. On May 7th, I'm packing my bags and moving to Michigan to be with Dan! After 4 years, we're finally doing it. I'm going to be talking about this topic a lot more, but that's where the second part comes in.

In case you guys haven't heard yet, I'm starting up a new blog!

I'm saying goodbye to Samantha Skye. and starting up at a new internet home. So click on the picture above, and check it out! I'll be going into an explanation as to why I'm moving as well as what's really going on with me at this point in my life.

I love all of you that I've met through this blog here, but it's time to move on! I really hope all of you guys consider following me on my new blog and I hope to see you all there!!

Her

Somehow you guys are still checking out my blog! Which, don't get me wrong, is awesome. But I haven't been around for over a month and a half! Well, I'm here and I'm still kicking so don't worry! There are some pretty big changes coming up, that you'll have to stay tuned for but for today, I'm going to do a little review on a movie.

For those of you who haven't seen this movie, it's called Her. It came out in 2013, so it's already a couple of years old. I'm sure you've at least heard of it, right? If you haven't, here's a brief synopsis from IMDB:

A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need.

Now, I'm going to admit, when this movie first came out, I thought it sounded really dumb. Like, who would do such a thing? That's what humans are for, not computers! And then it started winning awards and stuff.. I was flabbergasted. 

BUT. There's a song in this movie that so happens to be "our song" for Dan and myself, so we decided we might as well watch the movie that it's in. I didn't want to at first, I was dragging my feet to sign onto Skype and start this movie date. Some parts were a little odd, yes, but afterwards, I felt such a connection to this movie! It ended up being absolutely wonderful, and I'm sorry that I missed all the hype about it back in 2013 when it came out. 

*Spoiler Alert!* So basically, if you want to know a bit more - This movie takes place in the near future. Everyone has these interactive phones with little ear pieces that allow the person to be connected at all times. Like, even more than we already are. Theodore works as a writer, and he writes letters for people. Because apparently in the future, people can't write their own letters to loved ones. He's going through a divorce from his wife, and he's having trouble letting her go. He's insanely lonely and just a very sad dude. 

Around this time, the new operating systems are being released, and they're more interactive than ever before. Naturally, Theodore invests in one of these devices. Her name is Samantha, and she's incredibly intelligent. She talks to him and gets to know him. She's almost a real person.. except for the fact that, ya know, she doesn't have a body or anything. The two eventually fall in love and start dating. I know, I thought it too. He's dating his operating system?! 

Alright, I've spent enough time talking about what happens. This movie made me really think, especially being in a long distance relationship. When Dan isn't around, it's kind of like I'm dating a computer. I only get to see him through a screen. I can't touch him or be around him. I text him, I call him, but that's all I can do. Eventually at the end of the movie, Samantha leaves and Theodore is left feeling alone and confused. Human interaction is something we take for granted. Maybe it's just because I'm in similar shoes, but this movie really touched me. Sometimes I have to remind myself that Dan is a real human being, with flesh and bones. It might sound silly, but when you go so long without seeing someone, it's easy for your brain to get all jumbled. 

If you haven't seen this movie, even if it's for the same reason I hadn't watched it up until now, please do. It really gets your brain rolling. Makes you think about humanity and your own personal relationships. And it kind of gives you an insight to what being in a LDR is like. Except in this case, Dan and I are both real people. It's moving, it's powerful, and everyone should see it. It might even get you to put your phone down for a while and just enjoy life. 

Book Review: The Maze Runner

Happy Tuesday! So I know this book came out a while ago, and the movie is out now and I've heard lots of good things about it but this is the first time I've actually gotten a chance to read it. And I finished this book a couple of hours ago. If you haven't read the book already, here's a brief synopsis according to GoodReads:

"If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.
Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.
Everything is going to change.
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run."

I will admit, I wasn't dying to read this book. I thought it was a book more geared toward guys, and that it wasn't going to be very interesting for a girl. Oh no, was I wrong. This book was fantastic! Right from the very beginning, James Dashner was able to set the hook. There was never a dull moment, never a boring lull that sometimes books have. It kept me at the edge of my seat, and when I read the last sentence, I was very angry with myself for not buying the rest of the books in the series right away. Dashner did a fantastic job keeping the reader interested. Every chapter ended with a cliffhanger, the end of the book being the biggest cliffhanger yet. 

To paint a better picture, the book starts out with Thomas waking up in the lift, like stated above. He arrives in the Glade, where there's a whole colony of boys living. He has no memory of his past, no idea where he is. And neither do the other boys there. The only thing they know is that there's a huge maze in the Glade, and that is the key to finding their way out. Every day the runners explore the maze, hoping to find a way out or a clue or something. 

After Thomas arrives, lots of strange stuff starts happening, including the arrival of the first girl ever in the short two year history of the Glade. I don't want to give away too much of the book, but I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good ol' fashioned YA Dystopian novel. If you liked the Hunger Games, I'm sure you'll enjoy this. 

Also, I know on GoodReads a lot of people have been saying that the writing wasn't very good. And while I'll agree, that wasn't why I kept reading. I kept reading because even though the writing style may not have been the best, the plot Dashner came up with was incredible. It was well thought out and creative. Plus there's the bit of new slang that the characters use, which was ultimately refreshing. Sometimes new, made up words are a lot of fun to read. 

Hello 2015!

Happy New Year everyone!! Good Lord has this been a year! Looking back on everything that's happened, it's hard to believe that it all happened in 2014. At the same time, this year seemed to fly by. 

I turned 20, Dan and I made it "facebook official" that we're a couple for the 4th time, I spent Easter with him. I got promoted to full time at my job. My dad moved up north and I moved in with my mom again. Dan surprised me at the end of August, I spent Halloween with him. We started putting together ACTUAL REAL LIFE PLANS TO MOVE IN TOGETHER!!! (Can you sense my excitement??) 

And finally, I wrapped 2014 up by spending it with my family and my boyfriend. We didn't do anything crazy, we just hung out and watched the ball drop, but being able to spend the last seconds of 2014 and the first ones of 2015 with them made it the best thing ever. 

This upcoming year is going to bring a huge amount of changes. And I literally mean HUGE changes! Like, moving to a new state kind of changes. I've been waiting for 2015 to come for such a long time that it's hard to believe it's actually here. This is the year Dan graduates college, this is the year my sister graduates high school. This is the year I pick up my life and move to a whole new state to start a life with the guy I love. I'm scared out of my mind, but I'm equally as excited and anxious for it to happen. They say if you're dreams don't scare you, you're not dreaming big enough. Well, my dreams must be freaking ginormous because I'm terrified. But that's a whole new blog post down the road a bit. 

Here's to 2015 - may it be the best year yet!

Henry VIII

i really hope you guys get just how hilarious this is

Hello loves!

I'm really trying to write more. I spend more time reading blogs than I do on my own blog, but I think blogging is slow for everyone this time of year. I just wanted to pop in to catch you guys up on what's been going on in the life of Sam and get a couple of things off of my chest.

I know you're probably wondering why the heck Henry VIII is looking pretty at the top of today's post, so let's hurry up and get that question answered! Lately good ole' King Henry has been my buddy. I've always been interested in the Tudor family, but a picture on Pinterest caught my attention and thus started my intense affair with this awesomely dysfunctional family. If you don't know who Henry VIII is, let's fast forward a bit. You know of Elizabeth I? She's Henry's youngest daughter. I won't bore you with all the details of his life like I desperately want to, I'll leave that for you guys to research. Go on, it would make me happy. I do have a point to all this, I promise.

I've always loved history, ever since I could remember. I used to want to be an archaeologist. More specifically, and Egyptologist. Hell, I won't lie to myself - I still would love to do that. Somewhere along the way, though, that dream tapered off. So for whatever reason, back when I was in high school thinking of what I could possibly go to college for, I never even thought about history. So stupid of me.

Dan and I were talking a bit back of what kind of job I would want to look into when it comes time for me to move, and naturally I said I would probably find something in the field I'm already in (banking, if you didn't know). But then he suggested, knowing my love of history, that I work at the museum in the town we'd be living in/around. And that's when the seed got planted. So I looked into it, and big surprise, a degree is required in order to work there. So very long story short, I'm thinking about going back to school. I don't know why I never thought about going to school for history, but better late than never I guess. I went through this phase a while back where I was trying to think of anything I could go to school for, and my dad was always very skeptical about my ideas. But when I brought this one up, it was the first time I got a completely positive response about it. If I'm looking for a sign, that might have been it. Nothing has been set in motion yet, the idea is just running around my brain like a chicken with its' head cut off.

I had planned on writing a bit more about the writer's block I've been having, and how I can't get around it, but I think that's a rant for another day. I really hope you guys get the Anaconda/Henry joke up there. If not, please let me know so I have an excuse to talk about it ;)

Christmas Wish List

In lieu of the approaching Christmas season, everyone has been asking me what I want for Christmas. I'm having a hard time answering this because I don't really want anything. The things I want for Christmas are coming, but not for a few months yet. I want an apartment, I want things for the apartment, and I want enough money to move into said apartment. I want a new car, I want money to pay off my car and get a new one. So overall nothing people could really give me. But there were a few things I was able to come up with:

1. A new winter coat // 2. an iPhone 6 (I know, I know. I'm not getting this lol) //3. Books! (if you would like my book list, feel free to ask) // 4. A calligraphy set // 5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas the book // 6. A weekend trip to Chicago

I know, the iPhone and the Chicago trip is a bit of a stretch but you never know lol. Some other things I would definitely not be opposed to:

• a Torrid giftcard
• a Barnes & Noble gift card
• money, because bills
• a new car 
• a gift card to some place that sells stuff for apartments. So like, anywhere.
• Christmas decorations that I can use next year when I'm in my own place
• a passport, or the money to get one
• Something personalized/engraved
• Jewelry, because I'm a girl and it's a typical want for us female-folk

I feel bad asking for money, but I'm at a point in my life where it would really solve about 99% of my problems. But that's nothing new or special to any other adult out there. Ultimately, I just want to spend time with my loved ones. I want to see their faces as they unwrap the gifts I've gotten for them and I want to soak up as much time with Dan as I can before he goes back to school. I try not to make it seem like I want too much, because Christmas is the time of year to  be thankful for what you have, and to spend time with family. I really only made this list because people keep asking me for one. 

Thanksgiving & eShakti

I received this product complimentary for review purposes. All opinions are entirely my own.

Happy December dear readers! As much as I want to spew all kinds of stuff about Christmas and December, I have to backtrack a bit and cover my Thanksgiving!

So first, just in time for the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving, I received an email from eShakti asking if I would review a product from them! Naturally, as a fan of free stuff, I went ahead and ordered my complimentary dress.

The process was something I had never experienced yet, and it was great. I normally hate ordering clothes online because you get it and it's just all kinds of not fitting. This time, though, I was able to customize everything! I had the option to put sleeves on the dress - and not just any sleeves, I could do a cap sleeve, a full sleeve, a half sleeve, etc. I could customize the length, short or long. I could put in my measurements or just pick one general size and hope for the best. 

I had a lot of fun customizing it! After I ordered it took a couple of days for it to ship, but once it did it came really fast. I got it the day before Thanksgiving, actually. The fabric felt a little like scrubs, but it was still super duper comfortable. 

For Thanksgiving, we went by my grandparents on my mom's side and everyone kept commenting how cute the dress was. My mom kept telling me to bring extra clothes, but I didn't need to. I wore the dress all day! 

I highly recommend this company, it was a lot of fun picking out something I liked and customizing it to exactly what I needed. If you guys want to take a peek at the awesome selection they have, check them out at eShakti! 

Blogger Men Tell All

Hey all! It's been a looong time since I've done a link up, and I want to get back into the swing of it so I've decided to do a linkup with Samantha (not myself, I swear) and get my boy talking on here!

I've never actually had Dan make an appearance on my blog other than in pictures I post of him, but today he's going to talk a little! So ladies and gents, my boyfriend:

• What food do you look forward to most at Thanksgiving dinner?

I'm a college student, so I look forward to a home-cooked meal, whatever it may be. Conveniently it's a holiday known for food(among other things) so it's a great time to go home. I've never been a huge fan of turkey, but somehow it always tastes a little better on Thanksgiving. My father just purchased a turkey deep fryer, so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see what comes of it this year

• Do you ever go shopping on Black Friday?

I've only went Black Friday shopping once, and it was purely for the novelty of going. I had nothing specific in mind to purchase, but simply wanted to experience the nocturnal shopping rush. I wouldn't be opposed to doing this again, especially if I have a particular item in mind.

• What's your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Thanksgiving lands during Michigan's U.P. hunting season. This means I get to hunt, eat, and spend time with my family, and I have been doing this my entire life.

• Do you travel for the Thanksgiving holiday or stay close to home?

Until recently, I've never been a resident of the UP (where we hunt, have the majority of my remaining family, and spend Thanksgiving every year), so we would travel up there every year for a week or so. Nowadays, I go to college downstate and will be traveling up north to the UP for Thanksgiving, so you could say I am traveling to go home.

• What are you most thankful for this year?

I'm thankful for many things this year, none more than the other:
-The health of myself and my loved ones
-Having amazing friends and loving girlfriend in my life
-Financial and occupational blessings
-Many opportunities resulting from my university experience

Just to name a few!

Franklin Cider Mill

So I know it's been over a month since I last updated you all on my glamorous life, so it's time to fill you guys in! I don't know what it's been like across the rest of the country, but here in Wisconsin, winter kinda snuck up on us and smacked us in the face. One day I was wearing just a sweatshirt to work, and the next day I'm scraping snow off of my car. So in honor of poor autumn, I'm going to talk about my fall adventures with Dan!

I left Wisconsin on October 28th, and went on my first train ride! It was a little intimidating at first, but I got the hang of it pretty quick. And I have to say, sooo much easier than driving myself! Amtrak is totally the way to go, folks.

We did a whole bunch of stuff, but what I really wanted to talk about was our trip to Franklin Cider Mill. It's this adorable place located in beautiful Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Everything about it screamed fall!

I thought it was more of a pumpkin patch, but it's actually quite the opposite. This place leans more toward apples and cider and donuts. They have honey and preserves and jam and all types of yummy stuff!

The apple cider that they sell was probably the best apple cider I've ever had. Not to mention all of the other neat things to just look at there. 

After we made our purchases, I wanted to play with my camera a bit, so we set up my new little tripod and took a couple of pictures of just the two of us :) 

I'm only putting one up because since it was just the two of us, I had to set the timer and run into place. And you can't tell, but this picture is actually zoomed in quite a lot, since the only thing to place the tripod on was a million miles away from where we were standing. Needless to say, running back and forth made for some silly pictures. 

If you guys haven't yet, feel free to check out Franklin Cider Mill! It's a really neat place to visit, and I'm glad I got to go! 

Being Plus Sized

All my life, I've grown up with the idea ingrained in my head that being plus sized is a very bad thing. After I hit puberty in 2nd/3rd grade, I became a chubby kid and I never really lost that weight. For a long time I stayed around the same size, but near the end of middle school and into high school I went up a size. 

I panicked, knowing that I was getting closer to the dreaded plus size section of the store. But not quite, I could still shop in the regular women's sizes. Even the juniors sizes for shirts and such. The only problem was the jeans I wore never fit just right. They were either too big in the legs and too tight in the hips, or they fit my legs just right but then I was left with this super huge waist that looked awful. I couldn't find a pair of pants that were just right. Until the day I decided to venture into Torrid. 

I think everyone knows that Wal-Mart, Target, Goodwill, and other places like that has awful plus sized clothes. They just don't look appealing at all, and it was drilled into my head that I should be disgusted with myself if I ever needed to get those types of pants. 

I walked into Torrid expecting the worst. I went in there hating myself for even considering shopping at a plus size store. But when I tried that first pair of jeans on in the dressing room, holy crap did my opinion change. For the first time in forever, I was wearing a pair of jeans that fit me perfectly. They fit my legs, they fit my hips, and they even made my butt look good! The next pair of jeans I tried on had the same effect, and then I started to have a change of mind. 

I had learned to hate plus sized clothing. I thought that if you had to wear plus sized clothing you were a disgusting person and you needed to lose weight. That's not the case. Very far from it. I don't need a size tag on my clothes to tell me anything. All it means is that I need to shop for that size. It doesn't define who I am, it doesn't tell me that I'm ugly or a terrible person. 

And you know what the most important thing I discovered is? I like being plus sized. I really do. Just because I have a few extra pounds on me doesn't mean I'm not a human being. There are so many plus sized people out there who are stunning and gorgeous and how am I any different from them? Torrid has really fricking adorable clothes and I love shopping there. For the first time in my life, I'm not afraid to shop for clothes that actually fit me. I have plenty of clothes that don't fit me that I wore because it was highest size I could go before I got to plus size. I put them on now, and they are so uncomfortable. Now that I know how absolutely wonderful it is to have clothes that fit me, that flatter my body and make me look good, I know I'm not going back. 

Being plus sized doesn't mean a damn thing unless you tell yourself it does. And that's the one thing I'm still working on overcoming. I have to tell myself daily that it doesn't matter what size I am. After spending so many years believing that being fat was the worst thing a person could be, I have a lot of work to do. Day by day I'm overcoming that way of thinking, and embracing the person I am. Do I want to lose weight? Of course, I think everyone can think of a few pounds they'd like to lose. But I want to focus more on being healthy. I would rather lead a healthy life, and if I happen to lose weight because of that, that's great. But I'm not going to obsess over it like I have been. 

Another thing that has been weighing on my mind lately is that it really sucks that for some people, they have conditions for being friends with/loving someone. If you're so shallow that all you can see when you look at me is the fat on my body, then I want you to pack your bags and leave. If you can't love me as a plus sized girl, I don't want you around. I want to be enough for people. I don't want other people telling me what I should and shouldn't do. 

"You should go work out!" Why? Why should I work out? Is there a reason? Oh, because I should lose weight? Suck it. 

"You shouldn't eat that, it's bad for you." Oh, but you can eat it? It's just as bad for you as it is for me. What's the difference if I eat it vs. you eating it? 

So, to sum this whole big long post up, the whole message I was getting at today is this:

I am plus sized, and I am okay with that. If you can't handle that, or can't accept that fact, I don't want you around in my life. I do not live to please you, I live to please myself.

P.S. Plus sized people are more fun to snuggle with. We're like a huge warm pillow that hugs back. And I have big boobs, so I'll never have to spend a crapton of money getting a boob job. Hah, take that!

Can We Take A Minute?

Rant post!

Okay, let's take a minute here to acknowledge that something is seriously wrong with this generation here!

What am I talking about, you ask? I am talking about the fact that the term "side chick" is becoming more and more popular over the last few months.

Let's back up. My rant started earlier today while I was checking facebook. I was just scrolling down my newsfeed, minding my own business, when I saw this picture:

What the actual...? I heard this phrase "side chick" a few months ago and I've just been ignoring it, but this just set me off. New to this phrase? Here, according to Urban Dictionary:

UM OKAY LET'S NOT!! Really? Is this really becoming a thing? Is this really becoming an acceptable thing?! WHY?!?! You do know that it's not right to cheat on your girl, right?! 

Seriously, what the mother effing eff with this generation growing up here? What kind of households are these poor kids growing up in that they think that this is okay? Let me tell you something kids:

THIS IS NOT OKAY!!!

Girls, how can you put up with this? Is this what you think is normal? Is this what you think a normal, healthy relationship is like? It's not! If a guy really and truly cares for you,  he will not have a "sidechick" because that's cheating. Did Prince Charming have a few other girls he was sleeping with while he was on the hunt for Cinderella? NO. Was Beast screwing some girl on the side while Belle was off enjoying the library that he gave her? NO. Let's even go with the example of Barney Stinson. Good ole Barney was the king of being a man-whore. He had a flipping playbook of moves he would use to get girls to sleep with him. He slept with so many women throughout the 9 seasons of How I Met Your Mother. But when Barney was with Robin, did he cheat on her? Did he have a "sidechick" while he was dating/married to Robin? NO! Why? Because he loved her. 

Girls, please, if you think this is normal for your boyfriend to have sidechicks, please, run as fast as you can and get the hell away from that douche bag. Why? Because he doesn't really love you. This is not normal, this is not okay, and you deserve SO MUCH BETTER. 

And for the guys - if you are one of those guys that thinks this is an acceptable way of life, you deserve to get hit by a bus. You should not EVER put a girl through this kind of crap. Do you really think karma won't come back and bite you in the ass? If you are one of these boys, you are a douche bag that should get his wang cut off. 

Let's reverse the situation. If you're dating a girl, and you find out that this girl has been cheating on you with her side dudes, what are you going to do? Dump her, right? Because cheating is wrong! Why would you be with a girl who gives herself to other dudes? That's your girl! And she's giving all her goods to other guys. That's not okay! So why is it okay for you to do it? 

And parents - BE A BETTER INFLUENCE. I know cheating is a lot more out in the open than it used to  be, and many marriages have been ruined because of crap like this. But please, please, for the love of God, make sure your children know that cheating is a very bad thing to do. 

And if you don't believe that this sidechick thing is a real thing, just google it. Better yet, google the "rules for being a sidechick". They exist. And it's sickening. 

Love is special, love is one of the greatest things that humans experience, and this whole sidechick thing is ruining it. It's disgusting and sickening. Girls, if your man is involved in something like this, you're a damn idiot for sticking around. Go find someone who actually loves you, who dedicates 100% of his time to making you feel like a damn princess because that's how it should be. 

And guys, keep your damn dick in your pants and get your crap straightened out. You're a disgusting human being if this is you. 

Hello Fall!

Hello Fall, you sexy son of a bitch. We've missed you! The leaves are starting to change, the temperature is dropping to perfection and life is goooooood. As of today there is 27 days until I get to see Dan, and I hope it goes quick. I have a whole list of things that we're going to do, since this is the first time we've been able to do fall-y things together. Pumpkin picking, carving said pumpkins, Halloween party.. all of that jazz. I can't wait :) 

On Saturday we meandered down to the State Fair grounds for Harvest Fest, which turned out to be really cute and fun. It was me and my sister, my co-worker and her daughter, and another one of the new girls at work. 

And then on Sunday, my family took advantage of the beautiful weather and we all cruised up to Holy Hill. You might remember my post from back in May, which you can read right here if you missed it. This time around, the scenery looks a lot different. It's absolutely beautiful, and we were having so much fun running around snapping pictures of the beautiful trees and the church. And this time we got to go inside, so I got pictures from in there, too. 

And it was such a beautiful, clear day, that if I zoomed far enough on my camera, I could see the Milwaukee skyline. Keep in mind, Holy Hill is about 33 miles away from Milwaukee. 

Have a great October 1st everyone!