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! 

The Bristol Renaissance Faire

This was probably one of the most amazing and awesome places I have ever been to. I know it doesn't look like much from the picture, but once you get past the gate, a whole world of awesome was waiting. 

As you guys know, Dan came to surprise me last weekend, like the best boyfriend that he is. On Sunday, my mom decided that she was going to take all of us (me, Dan, and my sisters) down to the Renaissance Faire, because we had never been there before and it's something I always wanted to experience. 

It was so much cooler than I had ever imagined it to be! It really was like walking into a new world. If it weren't for the people in regular modern day clothes, I would have thought that it was really the 1500's. 

There were tons of little shops selling all different kinds of Medieval things. Jewelry, swords and other weapons, clothing, the whole deal. My inner fangirl was going crazy. They were selling food that was popular back then, like huge turkey legs. Dan and I shared one, and holy cow! It was huge! 

I feel like the worst blogger in the world because I was so busy taking in all of the wonderful things that I kept forgetting to take pictures. 

They had different kinds of shows going on, too. For example, we watched two guys, Dirk and Guido, do a sword fight. They threw in comedy and had every body laughing. If you want to check them out, head over here. 

Dan also bought me this beautiful chain maille bracelet from one of the shops.

We found a pattern we really liked and then they handmade me a bracelet using the colors I picked out. I used sapphire and silver, and it turned out gorgeous. To check out more of their work, you can check them out right over here. 

I hope I get to go back next year, I just read on the website that costume rentals are available and I would absolutely love to dress up! 

For more information, and more pictures, of the Renaissance Faire, you can check out there website by clicking right here!

Share A Coke

I talk too much about my boyfriend. I know I do, but I can't help it! When you have something/someone that makes you so happy, it's hard to not talk about it. 

What I wanted to say today was that I'm loving this coke thing with the names on the bottles. I've found my name twice, and I've been looking for one with Dan's name. It took a while, but I found one! Now I just have to find one that says Samantha and we'll be all set :) 

But really, this made me so happy. I nearly screamed in the gas station, and my sisters thought I was nuts for getting so excited about this. But I don't care. 

I'm a weirdo with this stuff. A girl I work with has a coke every day, and she isn't picky with the names on the bottles. I, however, won't grab a bottle with a random name on it. Why? I have no idea. Because my introverted self is horrified at the idea of "sharing a coke" with someone that I don't know. So, what do I do when I can't find anyone's name that I know? I grab one that says friends or family because that's generic enough. 

So, what's the point of this post? I don't have one. I just wanted to share my thoughts on this neat coke deal. 

Have a great day peeps! 

9 Months

First of all I'm going to clear up the fact that the title of this post does not actually indicate that I'm pregnant. So family, if you're reading, get that thought out of your mind! 

I had the best surprise of my life this last weekend. Dan was packing his stuff to move back into his dorm, I was home alone because the rest of my family was house sitting for my uncle and I wanted to skype. But he said he was too busy to. On Saturday, I went to work thinking that I wouldn't be able to talk to Dan for a while because he was going to be moving his stuff into his dorm. So I was just sitting at home waiting for my mom to come pick me up so I could go help house sit. They finally got to my apartment and told me they needed my help carrying groceries in because they went shopping.

So I went outside...

Rounded the car...

And saw Dan standing there! 

It was.. the best day ever. I had day dreamed about something like that happening for the longest time. (The last 3 years, to be specific) So we got to spend one last weekend together before school started. And it was wonderful! We didn't have anything planned and we still had a lot of fun. We went out to eat the first night we were there, and then we had both gotten nominated to do the ALS ice bucket challenge so we recorded that together. We got to sleep all curled up and snuggly together, which was my favorite part. 

I wouldn't have traded that weekend for anything in the world.

But he's back at school now, and today was his second day of classes. 

So this marks the beginning of the end. We've been at this long distance deal for 3 years now and the end is finally in sight. We have to get through this next 9 months before we can start taking the next step, and it's going to require a lot of patience. It's not going to be an easy 9 months, but we've come too far to give up now. 

For my sanity, I hope it goes by quickly. 

May 9th, I'm ready for you. I've been waiting for you for a very long time and we're almost upon you. (That's his graduation date, if you didn't put it together yet) 

the gorgeous flowers my love got me while he was here <3

Mexi-Mac

One of these days I'll catch you guys up on all that's been going on but for now I'm going to share one of my favorite recipes with you!
Now this is a very complex and confusing recipe so I want you to pay close attention, 'kay?


So here's what's going on. That bowl of delicious up there is probably known to just about everyone but just in case we're going to give you, the lucky reader, directions on how to indulge yourself.


First, make a box (or however many boxes you need) of macaroni and cheese like normal. With the milk and butter and cheese powder and all that jazz.

I usually brown the hamburger as I'm going that but you can do it whenever your little heart desires. But make it all nice and taco-y. As for a measurement, use as much hamburger as you want. I just used a pound with 2 boxes.


After both of those things are done, mix them together. Yup, just throw the meat right into the pot of mac-n-cheese.


Finally, to give it that mexi-mac name, add some taco seasoning. And I don't have a measurement for you, I just go by taste. So put as much in as you want, stir it all together and enjoy!


Fine dining on a budget is what this is. But really, it's one of my favorite things to eat because, hey, I'm a cheap date.

15 Things You Should Stop Saying To Girls WIth Tattoos

Happy Thursday! If you haven't noticed, I've kind of hit a wall over the last two months. I was throwing posts out there every day, and now I do one every couple weeks. I'm sorry, I suck.


 You guys are going to hate me, but I'm doing another one of those copy/paste posts because I find this article relatable too. #SorryNotSorry


I only have one tattoo, but doesn't mean I don't hear some of this stuff all the time.


Here's my official disclaimer: The list that follows was copy and pasted from this article. The picture is mine though.

15 Things You Should Stop Saying To Girls With Tattoos

1. "But you're so pretty!"

I’m not sure if you’re saying girls with tattoos are less pretty, or…? (And I think my tattoos are pretty, and they make me feel pretty, which is more than I can say for your complisult.)

2. "Aren't you worried about sagging/what they'll look like when you get older?"

You know what I’ll look like when I get older? An awesome old lady with tattoos.

3. "I don't usually like girls with tattoos."

Congratulations. The tattoo-free ones are still out there. Even if you’re following this up with “… but yours are okay,” it still feels like there was some serious initial judgment.

4. "Well, I wouldn't get that."

Well, it’s a good thing it’s not on your body, isn’t it?

5. [if you're a total stranger] "But what does it mean?"

Do you realize the potential can of worms you’re opening up here? Do you really want to ask somebody about something that could, for all you know, be related to something really personal that happened in their life? Do you? Do you want to take the conversation there?

6. [if it doesn't mean anything] "So why'd you get it then?"

Because I wanted it...?

7. "What do your parents think?"

Whatever they think, at the end of the day, it’s not on their body. (Besides, how do you know if my parents don’t have them, too?)

8. "What about when you have kids? Are you going to let them get one?"

If they’re an adult, they can do what they want. (P.S., ink doesn’t make me any less suited to be a
goodgreat, accepting, loving, understanding, encouraging parent.)

9. "Do you only date guys with tattoos?"

Do you only date people who ask questions that stereotype someone else?

10. "Why would you spend so much money on that?"

A) It’ll be there for the rest of my life, hopefully, so it’s smart to spend good money on quality work.
B) The best artists — because yes, this is artwork — don’t come cheap.
C) I sense that you think I wasted my money. I don’t think I did.

11. "Don't you regret it?"

Do you just want me to admit that you’re right and I’m wrong and tattoos are dumb and oh lord forgive me for I have sinned? Because I won’t.

12. “Aren’t you worried what it looks like with your [wedding dress/work clothes/insert clothing here]?”

No, actually, I think it kind of enhances the whole thing and makes it more unique. But I still know how to cover up when I need to. It’s all about being appropriate to the situation.

13. "I'm thinking of getting [___________]. Should I?"

Whatever floats your boat, or finds your lost remote, baby. I’m not here to sound off on the shoulds or shouldn’ts between you and your skin, because if you’re having second doubts now, chances are good you’ll hate it in five years.

14. "Did it hurt?"

…………. Needle. Skin. Puncture wound. Foreign substance. Inflammation. No, not at all! (But my saying it did doesn’t make me any less worthy of having them.)

15. "When are you going to stop?"

When are you?

51 Things You Wish You Could Ask Him Without Sounding Crazy

Hi everyone! This whole not having internet at home thing is kind of sucking right now. As in, I don't really get around to throwing up a blog post whenever I feel like it. But please know that I'm working on it.


So today's post is inspired by this link on facebook that I saw the other day, and it made me laugh like none other.


Disclaimer: The list that will soon follow was not  written by me, I'm using the ole copy/paste method because I think girls everywhere will be able to relate to this. Because it's funny, because we girls need to know that we're not alone in our crazy thinking. To read the original article, check it out here. So here we go.

51 Things You Wish You Could Ask Him Without Sounding Crazy

1. Why did you like that girl’s Instagram picture?

2. Do you think she’s prettier than I am?

3. No, but really?

4. Is the stuff you watch in porn actually something you’d want?

5. If you did watch porn–but you don’t, right?

6. You’ve never gotten a lap dance, have you?

7. Do you remember what I was wearing the first time we made out?

8. When you go out with the guys, can you just, like, not make eye contact with any females?

9. Actually, can you just not leave the house, ever?

10. You don’t still think about your ex, do you?

11. What do you think you’ll do at your bachelor party?

12. Please delete every girl you’ve ever hooked up with, kissed, or shared a conversation with on social media.

13. Actually, can you just delete all of the girls? It’ll be easier.

14. How come I’m not in your profile picture?

15. Did you ever hook up with that girl you just said hi to?

16. Why the fuck did that girl just hug you? Do you like her or something?

17. You didn’t text me back right away because…?

18. If we had a threesome, you wouldn’t leave me for the other girl, would you?

19. Can you tell me I look pretty and that you’ll stay with me forever every hour on the hour?

20. Are your boners always for me or…?

21. Would you love me more if I had bigger boobs?

22. Your ex had bigger boobs. Is that, like, something you miss?

23. No, you like my personality right? She had a shitty personality, didn’t she?

24. What did that tweet mean? #Seriously

25. You realize I can see the Instagram pictures you like, right?

26. When are you thinking about getting married?

27. More specifically, when are you thinking about marrying me?

28. If I got pregnant, you’d help me raise the baby, right? 

29. What would we name it?

30. Do you think my hair looks sexy pushed back?

31. Between Kate Upton and me, you’d pick me–right?

32. Can we just live together and cuddle but, like, only have sex when I want it, and also have you not cheat on me?

33. Are you mad at me?

34. Like, at all?

35. Do you still talk to girls you hooked up with?

36. Yeah, you need to stop that. Like, now.

37. I DON’T CARE IF THEY’RE YOUR FRIENDS.

38. I SHOULD BE YOUR ONLY FRIEND.

39. EVER.

40. Why didn’t you get me a present for our three month anniversary?

41. Do you not love me?

42. If we were in “The Notebook,” would you be Noah or Lon? GO!

43. Why do you have a passcode on your phone?

44. No, I get it but, like, are you hiding something?

45. You got a text. Who’s it from?

46. Does you mom like me?

47. Did you mom like your ex more? Like, at all?

48. Who’s in your group project? Are there any girls in it? Are they pretty?

49. Why are you still friends with your ex on Facebook?

50. Who’s fucking hair is this?

51. You don’t think I’m crazy, do you?

Motley Crue

Happy Summer! If you're new around here and don't know I'm from Wisconsin, well, now you do! Hah. Okay anyway. In Wisconsin we have this sort of big deal called Summerfest that happens every year around the end of June and beginning of July. There are big headliners that perform at the big main stage at the park that you have to pay for, but then there are a million other free stages that not-so-famous people perform at.

Last year Imagine Dragons was at one of the free stages (surprisingly) and it was the most crowded concert I have ever seen there. It was nuts, and we ended up leaving because it was crazy. 

But this year, if you guys don't know, is Motley Crue's final tour, and one of their stops was at Summerfest. And for my birthday, like the most wonderful boyfriend that he is, Dan bought me tickets. So instead of seeing fireworks and a parade on the 4th of July, we saw a Motley Crue concert. And it was pretty kick ass. 

Alice Cooper opened for them, and he put on a pretty good show. I'm not big into Alice Cooper, and I was impressed so that's saying something. 

Now let me explain something about Motley Crue. When my dad was younger, Nikki Sixx inspired him to pick up the bass guitar. Ever since then, my dad has been in several different bands with the hopes of becoming famous. But alas his dreams were crushed when my parents found out they were pregnant with, guess who, me! 

So while I was growing up, Motley Crue was a huge staple in the house. I learned to love them from an early age on. And being able to see them in concert was probably the best thing ever. Besides this adorable guy next to me:

When they came out onstage.. I fangirled. There's no other way to describe it. I started jumping up and down and I was getting weird looks from just about everyone but hey, that was perfectly fine with me! We were the third section back, so sort of far away but even still, to have Nikki that close to me was overwhelming. 

There he was, my father's idol and inspiration, playing on a stage that wasn't too far away from us. It was sooo amazing. 

They played all of their old greatest hits, and I was in heaven. But the absolute best part came at the very end. You guys know the song "Home Sweet Home" by them right? No? Go look it up. We have this DVD at home of music videos of their greatest hits, and for HSH it's a live concert version of the song. The lights go down, the crowd waves their lighters in the air, and it's awesome. 

They finished up, not having done HSH and I was about to be a little sad. But then they all came running from a side of the stage onto this platform thing even closer to me than the stage was, and Tommy started on the piano, playing the opening for the song. 

Keep in mind, ever since I was little I've wanted to be a part of the crowd that waves their lighters to the song. And while I didn't have a lighter, I did have the flashlight on my cell phone. Guys, I cried. I was so happy that I cried. 

As Of Today...

I have loved you for 1,662 days.

That's equals out to 4 years, 6 months, and 19 days.

You've been on my mind for 39,864 hours,

Which means you haven't left my heart for 2,391,840 minutes,

Meaning that 143,510,400 seconds later, I'm still thinking of you and loving you with everything I have.

If I live to be 100, I will have loved you for 30,749 days

That's 84 years, 2 months, and 6 days.

If I live to be 100, you will have been on my mind for 737,976 hours,

And in my heart for 44,278,560 minutes.

Meaning that for 2,656,713,600 seconds, I wouldn't have been able to stop thinking about you and loving you with all of my heart and soul.








I'm Still Alive! And Happy Father's Day!

I live!!

Seriously guys, I know I've been the worst blogger ever and that I haven't thought up something creative and awesome in like almost three weeks. But sometimes real life just gets in the way. So let's play some catch up, okay? .

For some follow up on my Walmart post, I went to Target, and they did not disappoint!

Besides that, I spent the last couple of weeks moving. My dad moved up north with my step-mom and step-sisters and my two sisters and myself moved in with my mom. We're not going to get into what life is like with my mom. But before my dad left we all got together for a big group selfie, Ellen DeGeneres style!

That's really all that's been going on. I haven't had time to do much else besides move and go to work. Now I'm going to be on the hunt for a second job so I can save up and get the hell out of here. 

And of course, since it's Father's Day, I need to make a special shout out to my dad, Troy - the best dad a girl could ever ask for! I miss him so much, but I can't wait to go up there and visit on the weekends. 

This picture perfectly describes our relationship, I think. Happy Father's Day to all of you dads, and I hope you have a great day with your families! 

The Upper Penninsula - Memorial Weekend Recap

So I haven't been the best blogger, I know. I've been super busy! I spent all last week with Dan doing a whole bunch of different stuff, and then on Wednesday we decided that I was going to take a spontaneous road trip up north with him and stay the weekend. His dad lives up there, so it was mostly a trip to get him up there before he has to go back to Detroit for his internship.

So when we got there, his dad had a bonfire going and his aunt and uncle were up there. So all hung out for a while before everyone headed inside for bed. The next day I took a sauna (having a Finnish boyfriend has it's perks).

After that we took his 4-wheeler to go exploring around the area. And let me tell you, it gets really dusty out there. A lot of roads out there are dirt roads, so riding the 4-wheeler around, you kick up a bunch of dust and you get kind of dirty. For future reference, ya know. 

We stopped on a bridge that went over the Escanaba River, and then meandered under the bridge to continue exploring closer to the water. 

After we explored around the bridge we continued on our merry way to Boney Falls and the Boney Falls dam.

We finished our day off with watching both Madagascar movies. Because we're actually little kids. :)

On Sunday we went into town to spend a little time with Dan's grandpa and uncle. They live right on the Escanaba river, and they've got the most beautiful backyard. Dan did a little fishing while we were there, but didn't catch anything. 

After we got back from that, Dan and I loaded up the 4-wheeler again and took off, heading for a place to go fishing at. 

See a little peek of the river in that last picture? We found this cool set up way back in the woods, but the bugs were so horrible that we didn't stay for very long. We spent most of our time cruising around on all these back roads, and it was a really fun time. When we got back we took turns in the sauna again and watched a movie before bed time. Which I ended up falling asleep during. But can you blame me, with all the adventures going on here? 

Monday morning I got all my stuff packed up and said goodbye before I headed out. Leaving sucks, and it gets harder every time. At least I have a bunch of good memories to reflect on until I see him again. At least I got this pretty picture on the way home:

I took it as my own personal message from up there that soon we won't have to say goodbye anymore <3