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! 

Ch-Ch-Changes

Good morning peeps! Fall is in the air and I felt it was time for a change!

As you can tell, a bit of a new design going on here. I'm still working on tweaking some things and getting everything perfect, so if you notice something that could/should be fixed, feel free to drop a comment. It's always appreciated :)

Hopefully soon there's going to be some big announcements coming up that I'm chomping at the bit to share, but I have to be patient. I don't want to give it all away too soon before anything is set in stone. I'm going to shut up now before I spoil anything I shouldn't.

I was hoping to have a bit more to talk about today but with all of this new stuff buzzing around in my head, it's hard to think of anything worth sharing.

I did just get a new camera though so I'm thrilled to go out and start snapping pictures. It's a perfect time to get a camera, too. Right when the leaves are starting to change and sweaters are starting to come out. Life is good right now. A statement backed up by this beautiful salted caramel mocha latte sitting right next to me. God I love fall!

Have a fantastic day, everyone :)

Graze

This adventure started when I signed up for the Disney Movie Club. I got my first bunch of movies, and they sent me all of these coupons and codes for some free stuff. Graze was one of them. I had no idea what this was, so I checked it out. 

Basically, you can pick how often this company sends you a little graze box. There's a million different options, and each time you get something new to try. 

I've had some good things, and some not so good things. And the beauty of this is that you can go to their website and customize what they send you. You can pick the option to have a particular item not sent anymore, or sent all the time. 

It's all healthy snacks, too. All of the snacks that Graze offers are packed with a bunch of good stuff for you. Protein, whole oats, fiber, vitamins and minerals, the whole deal. If anything, it's a fun little thing to get in the mail, and you get to eat it! I mean, how much better can it get? 

And now I have a little treat for you! Because everybody loves treats :) If you want to check out all of the great stuff Graze has to offer, but don't know if you want to start paying for these boxes, I can get you one box for absolutely free! Honest to goodness free. How do you do that, do you ask? It's simple: Just click right here! Go ahead, click it. You know you want to! :)

Back To School Care Package!

I know it's already about halfway through September, but I wanted to wait for Dan to get this before I posted it's contents all over the internet. 

Back to school sounds kind of.. elementary school-ish, but that's what this is. Dan just started his senior year of college, and I put together a little care package to kick off the school year. If anyone needs a little inspiration for their own back to school care package, check this out! 

As you can see up there, I got him a bunch of food/snack food that he likes. So there's a box of pop-tarts - the thing he has for breakfast every day. I also got him a 3 pack of gum, lifesaver mints, and a box of beef jerky, although it's hidden under the gum. 

He's also a fan of Tangled, though I'm not sure he would admit that out loud. Hehe. I was at the Disney store a couple of weeks ago, saw Pascal and knew I had to get it for my man. 

Now for the letters :) 

In the "Open Me Right Away" letter, I wrote out a brief summary of all the stuff I got him, and what all of the letters were for, 

This group of letters is set aside for the first of each month up until May. They're little encouraging letters to remind him to stay strong and that I love him. 

This group of letters took some prep. I wrote out a  bunch of letters for him to take advantage of as he needs. I've seen this idea on Pinterest before and I've been wanting to do it for a while and I finally got the chance too :) The ones I did were:

Open when...

- you need to know how much I love you

- you miss me

- the distance is too much 

- I'm mad at you

- you're mad at me

- you're sick

- you're stressed

- you need a boost/encouragement

- you had a bad day

In each of them I put some sort of encouraging note, and a few bible verses for him to look up. In the "miss me" one I included a small USB drive with a bunch of songs that remind me of him, and all of the pictures we have together so he can look back on them and smile. 

I was really excited about this one, and I'm glad that it's not something that he goes through all at once, that the letters will last him a while. And he liked it too :) 

If you guys have any other suggestions for care packages, feel free to drop a comment :) I'm always looking for more ideas!