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. 

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!

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! 

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! :)

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

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.








Weekend Recap... On A Thursday

I've had a weekend. Holy cow. I haven't posted anything since last week, and I'm sorry about that. I've been pretty busy.

On Saturday, after work, my car decided to throw me for a loop. I was on my way home from work when my battery light came on. And then my brake light... and then my air bag light. And then all of a sudden my emergency brake light was flashing at me and my car was turning off and slowing down. So I got her onto the side of the road where she totally died. And thus, three days in to my brand new insurance policy, I had to utilize their roadside assistance.

About a half hour later the tow truck finally got to me and towed my car over to this little auto body place nearby.. that was closed. By this point, my mom was there so it wasn't like I had no where to go. I called the number on the building hoping for a voicemail of some kind, but a lady answered and she was already on her way back to the place. Thank God. So she got there and I told her what happened and she said they'd look at it on Monday morning and get back to me.

So Monday rolls around and they call saying that it was the alternator, and I would get it back the next day. So Tuesday comes, and I go to pick up my car. And $332.25 later, I had my car back.

But I'm not done.

So the guy told me that I have to get my car looked at, because there's a bunch of stuff wrong with it, just in the front end. He didn't even look in the back. Ohhhh yay! By this point I'm pretty sure I looked like this

And probably a little like Leo here

And felt like doing this

What am I going to do? I'll tell you. I'm going to get my brakes fixed on Monday, because I know that those are pretty bad, and then I'm going to head on over to a dealership and get a new car. And not the sketchy kind of dealership I got my current car from, because that's proving to be coming back to bite me in the ass. I wish I didn't have to put more money into getting my crap car fixed before I trade it in, but I'd rather get as much as I can for a trade in on it.

If anyone has some advice, I'd love to hear it!