Why not??

So I decided to start writing on more than one website and get paid for it:) I'm now a Yahoo! Contributor! I'm in the process of writing new articles and waiting for them to be published. So be sure to check them out when they are because the more people that look the more I get paid (I need that money to pay bills obviously, but also to travel and take more pictures and entertain you with my witty words about travel and fun!)!!  Here's the link and I appreciate it everyone!!!

Samantha is a Contributor now!!! Check it out!!!

2013- "I really mean it this time!"

Just a few days have passed in 2013, and I've promised myself changes!  I have always been a relatively healthy eater, but over the last few months of spending time on that island, and the holidays being at home and having, well, you know..."home cooked food". Things weren't looking too good on the health front.

SO! I decided to take things BACK into my own hands and take charge of my health for this year. I'm a pescetarian. I have been for about 7 years now. So trying to find healthy meal options (breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner) are a little harder than you would think. Replacing protein for instance took me a while to figure out. Most healthy recipes and workout eating plans have you eating lean protein, for this they compile a list of grilled chicken, and lean meats. This of course doesn't work for me, so I stick with  seafood! Shrimp, Tilapia and Salmon would be my top choices for fish during the week. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE sushi, and scallops and lobster....BUT these things are not very budget friendly and HOLY CRAP! Do you know how many calories are in 1 roll of sushi!?!?? Day-um. A lot.

I'm sure you are aware of Pinterest? I think I was a little late in the game discovering this awesome gem. At first I was thinking "oh great another laaaammmme online thing people that are bored do". OH HOW I WAS WRONG! Well, the bored thing is true....really true. BUT the lame part is not. I have spent a lot of time putting together my Pinterest boards which are now full of fashion I like, beauty tips, exercise options, foods and recipes, pictures of awesome animals, funny quotes and pictures, and inspirational quotes for those days you need a pick me up and SO much more! Here is the link to my Pinterest page...I believe my page is public so you can check out boards and pins!

Samantha's Pinterest!!!

Here's my thought on this whole "Being Healthy" thing. Do what is right FOR YOU. Don't try and follow some of these crazy bullshit (sorry for the language) routines that have you eating 700 calories a day. THAT SHIT IS NUTS! Let's be real here. We are humans, we eat food. We drink. We workout for a week, and then we "forget" one day and lose an entire week of exercise. I am guilty to all of the above. Here's the reality. If you want to be healthy, you have to choose to be healthy for YOU. Not for anyone else, do it because you want to feel stronger going through your day, or because opening your closet and wearing the first thing you grab is AWESOME, or because you simply want to see what your body is capable of!

After doing lots of reading and researching on how to be fit and healthy. Here's the group consensus on what's good and what's bad in the health department.

1. Eat your veggies!

~DUH! but for real, people really don't eat as many as they should! The closest to raw you can keep them the better! They are a great way to snack, eat celery or apples with peanut butter and raisins!! 

2. Eat your fruit! 

~ Another DUH! Fruit is a great way to start off your morning, and right before/after exercising! In a hurry after work heading to the gym? Eat an apple! 

3. Eat protein! 

~This doesn't mean sit and eat a burger every night! NOOOO red meat is ok every once and a while, but NOT every night! Protein also means: Salmon, Chicken, Spinach, Beans, etc!

4. Eat Whole Grains!

~Be careful with this one here, if you study up on Whole Wheat vs. Whole Grains you may be surprised what you find. Whole Wheat has a CRAP load of sugar!! Whereas whole grains will keep the product closer to the grains actually pulled from the earth. Your bread should LOOK like it was made from grains. Not SUPER white and so soft you can roll it into tiny bread balls.

5. Drink Water!

~No joke. Do it. It is SO good for you. Your hair, skin, nails, and body will thank you. It will keep you full throughout the day and wash out the toxins in your system! (Vamp up your water with fresh lemon or cucumber if you get bored of just plain water!)

6. Eat at the correct times!

~Don't skip breakfast!!!! Don't do it! Your body has been starved for at least 8 hours over night, and if you are also on a workout program, you know how bad that is for muscle development and your glucose levels. Eat throughout the day! Bring snacks with you (fruit and veggies for example, pre-portion them and take them along!)

7. Moderation is key!

~ You will have days where you want to eat a piece of pizza...GO FOR IT! Just don't eat 4 slices!!! No one got fat from 1 piece of cake. Ever. Eating healthy is important, but there's nothing wrong with having a slice of pizza and a beer while watching the game! Just regulate what you're eating!!

7. Workout!

~ It's not a bad idea when you are first starting to transition to a healthier you, to first work on the food then start adding in the workout. But get MOVING! Go for a walk! Bike! Hike! Run! Swim! Something to get your body in forward motion, and believe me, that "A body in motion, stays in motion" thing...is TRUE! Once you start moving and getting to the point in your workouts that you are sweating and pushing your body to amazing limits. You WILL keep going! 

These are the common notes in all the research I have done on getting fit!  Now keep these things in mind. 

-Everyone is DIFFERENT! Our body shapes, our metabolisms, where we are starting and what our goals are! I could be in the best shape of my life and NOT have the "gap" between my legs...why? BECAUSE MY BONES WON'T ALLOW IT! I will also NEVER be a size 4. If i was...I would be dead. (I'm 5'10 and right now around 165lbs, I've been athlete all my life and you will see me lifting 20's before ever seeing me with bean string arms. YUP I JUST PUT THAT ON THE INTERNET!)

-CHANGE DOESN'T HAPPEN OVER NIGHT, OR EVEN OVER A WEEK! Don't expect to eat healthy for a week and lose 10lbs...that shit is crazy, and I want to slap anyone that thinks they can do that in a healthy way. It is NOT good for you! Most of the weight you are losing is water anyways. This isn't an over night thing. Don't get discouraged, just know that you are starting your change. One day at a time! 

-BE REALISTIC! Like I said above, everyone is different and change doesn't happen overnight. Keeping those things in mind, apply those to your goals. Do this for YOU!

-SET A GOAL! This year I plan on taking part in 5k's, 10k's, Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder. All races that will challenge me and test my strength! This for me is fun. I like a challenge, and if I have a REASON to be healthy and workout, I'm more willing to do it. (The inner athlete in me is dying from having no team sports). 

-IT ISN'T GOING TO BE EASY! If someone is saying it is, they are lying to you. Change is hard. If you don't think it is, you're probably not really changing. You are going to have cravings, and temptations. It is up to you to say no. No one is standing there with a fork full of chocolate cake trying to cram it down your throat (if there is, re-evaluate who you are friends are).  Get a support group of friends, family, significant other, anyone! Writing down what you're eating and what you are doing to workout is a great way to help as well. There's something that happens in your brain when you write down everything that you eat during a day. It's a serious reality check!

For more information on exercises, food, and inspiration, go to my Pinterest page!

Here is a great website for healthier meal options that I find myself going back to everyday: Skinny Taste!

I wrote this blog because I couldn't find enough things that were straight forward when it came to changing your health/fitness. Also I feel like I should put a disclaimer saying I'm not a doctor. So don't go and sue me for putting my thoughts on a blog! :)

I will continue updating throughout the year on how the change is coming. I will also post different races I am taking part in, and of course photo's!! If you have any questions, feel free to comment!

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!!

With 2012 coming to a close, I say goodbye to yet another chapter in my life. 

Last year was composed of moving on! Letting go of crappy jobs with crappy bosses and crappy coworkers (Not saying I'll never be in that position again....but let's hope not for this entries sake :), let me also make clear that not EVERYONE I worked with was crappy, but the majority. Crappity crap CRAP.

I don't need to cover everything that I did last year, the traveling, adventuring, discovering and photographs all speak for themselves. SO I will simply say adieu to 2012!!!

As for 2013. We all make our New Years resolutions, and usually about 2 months in, we've already forgotten what we toasted to. This year I'm working on that not happening! I'm shooting for 6 months. JUST KIDDING! I am focused on getting a good job, something maybe new to my normal job field, but using everything I have already dabbled in. The job could bring me new opportunities and my finances would be pretty happy too:) I also plan on adopting 2 cats, instead of from the Humane Society, I will be getting them from the Ingham County Animal Shelter (I can't stand the thought of perfectly healthy animals being put down because no one can take them home!!! :( ) 2013 also brings along my 10 year High School reunion....Holy. Crap. Does THAT make a girl feel old!!! It will be awesome to see old friends again and reconnect with people I lost touch with! 
So 2013...I have big plans for you, you BETTER have big plans for me!!  AND of course, there will be more traveling and photo taking!:) 

So stay tuned for another adventurous year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! MAY 2013 BRING YOU LOVE, LUCK AND HAPINESS! :)

All I want for Christmas is....

FOR YOU TO DONATE TO MY CHOSEN SHELTER!:) 

Every day I log onto Facebook, and see people writing a status about how "things need to change" and we "need to save this world" and "do unto others as you'd have done onto you", etc. etc. Speaking with my friend Josh the other day, he mentioned to me that most people TALK about these things, but don't actually act on any of it. I have assisted in Volunteering throughout my life. I have given hundreds of hours of my time to the Greater Lansing Food Bank in assisting in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. 
I am friends with Capital Area Humane Society on Facebook, and everyday I get their wonderful updates on animals that have found their forever homes. Then I go to their site and see all of the animals that are still at the shelter...it is heart breaking. This is a non-kill shelter. I can't even imagine euthanizing   an animal because someone just "didn't want to take care of their pet anymore". 
After being heartbroken about how many animals had no home, I decided I needed to do something to help. The volunteering section is full (AWESOME) until January, but I wanted to help now. 
This holiday season I am putting the word out that this shelter has a wish list they would like filled to help the pets, the shelter and the volunteers at the shelter. 

Here is a link to their website if you haven't heard of this shelter: 
Capital Area Humane Society

Here is their Wish List for the holiday season:
Wish List for the Shelter!

Please read all the way through the list, there are small items and large items. If you can donate anything it would be greatly appreciated, or if you only have a few bucks lying around, anything can help! I want to contribute to this shelter because maybe someday these non-kill shelters will be the only thing around, so even if animals cannot find their forever home (some animals at the shelter are over 7 years old), they can live the rest of their lives comfortably:) 

Do your part in changing the world for the better.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world..."

Happy Holidays!!

From Michigan to California, up the coast to San Francisco and back....here are the total miles! I think it may be about 5, 743.4......but whatever, that's a lot of miles....GOOD JOB DANTE!!

Total Miles on the car after the trip....

The Crew..hahah

The dinosaur looking map to track where we were on the trip!

Oops!! Forgot a chunk of the end of the trip!

Here's Kara's update from the rest of the trip!!! :)

DAY 8 Mon Nov 12th:

Our first day in LA!!! Ely made us a very nice breakfast that we consumed with massive amounts of coffee. That wasn't until after I of course met her very, shall we say, intense neighbor!! When walking to her apartment a pot fell off this tiny ledge outside his apartment. I knocked on his door to inform him and he rudely barked orders to clean it up without even cracking open his door. Ely later told us he is a very old man who simply walks around in nothing but his underwear so thank goodness that door was never opened!!

After breakfast we went to Runyon Canyon for a nice morning hike... Thankfully it was no challenge when compared to the Grand Canyon! We walked for a little while before reaching a lookout point where we could see not only the city but the infamous "Hollywood" sign as well. After that it was time to get back to the car (parked just down the road from Sheryl Crow's house) and get Ely, the up and coming actress, to USC for her audition! Katie, Samm and I had planned to park on campus and walk around while we waited but Samm had already made one gutsy move cutting between closed gates in front of a cop so we decided to hang in the car and simply wait. Again, thank goodness for those puzzle books of Katie's! Samm found a shady spot and we all worked on crosswords until Ely was done. I thought students at MSU were crazy... these kids didn't seem to even notice cars driving around campus! Spencer works over at Paramount and was nice enough to get us all passes to get in for free! So after the audition, Ely led three very giddy girls through the gates and into what seems like an entirely different world all together. Spencer picked us up off the streets of "New York" in a golf cart and gave us an incredible, and very behind the scenes tour of Paramount!!!! We got to see different studios, Spencer's office, an actual set for a TV show (they're so crammed together) and even drove by Chevy Chase's car!! Little did we know five mins later we would see Chevy Chase. IN PERSON!!! "Are you happy now, Clark?? She's deaf!!" We drove right by him and had to do everything in our power to not go crazy and start yelling at him. (Being from MI doesn't warrant a lot of star sightings). Not five mins later I thought I was going to have to hold Samm from jumping off the back of the cart as we drove by Kevin McHale (he plays Artie in the TV show Glee). Unless he wears his costume around in real life they must have been in the middle of shooting an episode. After all the excitement we went to the gift shop where Samm picked up a coffee mug before us three ladies had to part ways. We said our thank you's and goodbyes until later and took off toward Hollywood Blvd. I had never been so Katie and Samm took me down to see all the stars impressions. Somehow I missed Tom Cruise but got a picture with a framed photo of him leaving his mark outside the Chinese Theatre. We didn't however miss the cast of Twilight (the final movie comes out in four days)!!!! Next it was up a set up stairs turned into a piano (yes it in fact plays music as you step on each step) and off to Hollywood and Vine where Samm was more amused by the people walking around than anything. It was starting to get dark and we were all famished so we went back to the apartment and ate leftovers. Spencer and Ely were going to take us to Universal City Walk after her class but Katie, Samm and I were so exhausted we watched "Accepted" and passed out instead.

DAY 9 Tues Nov 13th:

Samm looked online last night and found a reasonably cheap hotel two hours north of LA right on Avila Beach; so we awoke relatively early, had breakfast, packed up the car and went on our way. Of course not before Ely played paparazzi and snapped a million pictures of us.

The hotel was very homey so the three of us settled in, took in a sunset on their gorgeous sunroof then made some spaghetti for dinner. We got some California wine and settled in to watch the first part of Twilight Breaking Dawn as Katie had yet to see it!!! It took us about four hours to get through the movie as we paused it on several occasions to get in some much needed girl time as well as making a mad dash to the only store in town for another bottle of Moscato!! In order to enhance our movie viewing experience we took one bed and turned it perpendicular to the other one so we could all be close. It was still early when we did finish Twilight so we took our wine on the roof an hung up there until bed time!!

DAY 10 Wed Nov 14th:

Maybe the bed arrangement for our "movie viewing" experience wasn't the best for sleeping. Samm awoke completely turned around on the rearranged bed, the sheets all torn off! We moved it back around expecting to be checking out that day. After further discussion, however, we all decided we wanted to have a day of complete relaxation instead. So we booked a second night and headed across the street to catch some rays along the beach.

I went for a short run along the water before meeting up with the girls on the beach. Its official... when I eventually settle down it will be along the water. The hotel let us borrow chairs so we sat on those and tried to remember how to do absolutely nothing!! After a while hunger took over and we went inside to make some sandwiches before moving to our favorite spot: the rooftop!! There Katie and I curled up on a hammock and Samm took to a very comfy chair with lots of pillows!! We read, worked on puzzles, napped, whatever suited us until snapping shots of a gorgeous sunset!! Katie broke our usual pattern of indecisiveness and decided we should continue to do nothing and go out for dinner instead of cook ourselves.

After changing and freshening up we went to the only bar in Avila: Mr. Rick's. Thankfully this place is nothing like the Ricks of EL! We got some beer for happy hour, ate seafood and enjoyed one another's company in a bar where we didn't know a soul (a rare experience for us after living on Mackinac). Well one pitcher turned into two which quickly became three and before we knew it we were singing karaoke. Correction: Samm and Katie were singing and I was simply laughing anytime the microphone came near me. It was there we met the bartender Levi who gave us some helpful tips on things to do on our way up to SanFran! He also gave us directions to some natural hot springs right down the road from our hotel. They usually smell like rotten eggs but thankfully the one we went into was small and did not. What a way to finish off Avila!!! :)

DAY 11 Thurs Nov 15th:

Sadly it was time to say goodbye to our cute little hotel :( We will not miss the construction going on right outside our door or the lack of Internet but it was certainly a fun little town to spend two nights in!! From there it was off to Salmon Creek Trail along the Pacific Coast Highway! I felt like Little Red Riding Hood as we literally went over a river and through the woods to see this incredible waterfall. Words cannot even begin to describe how amazingly beautiful it was. If it was warmer and I didn't have three different electronic devices on me I would have jumped in the water!! I thought for sure this view would come in second to the Grand Canyon but I was put in my place about twenty minutes later as we started making our way up the PCH also known as US-1... It was difficult to drive along this twisty turny road and take in the views all at once but thankfully there were plenty of opportunities to pull off to the side and take pictures. So we did just that! What should have been a three hour drive to our hotel (The Sofitel in Redwood City... Thank you Mr. Heberlein!!) ended up being the most breathtaking six hours! As a tribute to Miles and Greg we played, "Circle of Life" while Samm videotaped some of our drive. At one point we hiked down this slope to get pretty close to the water and make a rock formation of the mitten!! We had to leave our mark somehow. I could go on all day about all the incredible views but I figure I will let Samm's pictures do the talking instead...

Once we got out of the mountains and reached civilization, Samm took over for the final stretch into Redwood City. We arrived at The Sofitel and Samm parked the car while Katie and I carried our bag of clothes that very much resembled a dead body (yes people commented) up to the nicest room we have stayed in thus far on the trip! It was just after dinner and Samm and Katie nicely dealt with my not so pretty "hungry side" as I ordered us some Dominos. We quickly stuffed our faces before getting ready for bed and watching the Hangover Part II... Definitely a replica of the first but funny nonetheless. Nighty night!

DAY 12 Fri Nov 16th: KATIE'S BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday, Katie!!! Last night we had found a theater to watch the new Twilight movie at so we once again packed up our lives and headed out from our seventh home in the past week and a half. The movie was amazing (aside from the few points where Samm almost left the theater ha) to anyone that has followed the series and has yet to see it. It was rainy and gross out so we just decided to make our way to SanFran and figure it out from there. We were staying at my friend Kris's house and he didn't fly back in from work until 10 so we has plenty of time to kill. We started off by driving past the house they used for Full House (even though there are several locations listed as being the one we of courseeee saw the real one :P). Next it was a quick drive through the park before heading to the bridge. They had a place to pull off at so we were able to walk around for a few and get some sweet pictures despite the rain. Our final stop was Fisherman's Wharf!!! Unfortunately it was rainy and dark so we didn't get to do everything we wanted. We did however stop and get some CA souvenirs before we got completely drenched.

Samm and I had been dying to eat sushi while in California so we headed to Sushi Hunter for an all you can eat menu. It was only thirty each and we split eight rolls plus edamame... Ah!! Katie is not a fan of sushi and was a very good sport as she ate some edamame while we stuffed our faces. We offered her some food but she politely declined. It wasn't until she stepped out to smoke that Samm realized she was sitting right in front of an octopus' leg. No wonder she wanted nothing to do with even a taste!

Kris's flight got delayed so we had another hour and a half to kill. We took this time to finally change out of our wet clothes and move the car to a location where we could park overnight. We unanimously agreed living in a big city would be a pain in terms of dealing with parking 24/7. We attempted to go to a bar for Katie's birthday but were having trouble finding one and were getting cold so we went back to Dante, packed some overnight bags and waited until Kris got home. One final walk in the rain and we were finally at our end destination. It was so nice seeing Kris!! I felt bad we couldn't do more for Katie's birthday but the rain took everything out of us. There was a mattress in the living room that Katie and Samm shared right next to the couch I curled up on.

DAY 13-DAY 15 Sat Nov 17th-Mon Nov 19th:

We had planned to stay in SanFran one more night but after yesterday we decided it was time to start the long journey home. I headed out to go grab the car only to find Dante had died :( Thankfully Samm had jumper cables under the floor in the trunk of her car (which I had to access from the back seat) and Kris met me after the gym to get us back on track. Not to say he didn't have to block an entire lane of traffic and make a bus driver very angry but all is well that ends well. We did some laundry while Kris made us a very yummy breakfast to start us off on the right note.

At around 3:30 we got on the road and started toward Michigan!!! Crazy to think the trip is over already... Accounting for the lost hour we made it to Cheyenne, WY in twenty hours!! The three of us showed up just after noon on Sunday exhausted and barely able to put sentences together. Katie's boyfriend, Keogh, met us there from Colorado and was more than generous in booking Samm and myself a room of our own to pass out in for eight hours. We showered up and watched about five mins of the Lions vs Packers game before setting our alarms for 9:30 pm, saying good afternoon and passing out-each in our own bed!!

I could not fall asleep for more than an hour here and there so finally after tossing and turning in bed for two hours I got up a little before nine (10 pm Chicago time) to call my sister. She was just headed to bed so after a quick chat I hung up just as Keogh came into the lobby. We hung out with Katie until Samm got up which meant we once again had to say goodbyes :( After about six rounds of hugs we finally got in the car... And then there were two! Thankfully Samm took one look at me and knew I could not handle the first shift as originally planned. She started out the first part and I passed out in the back seat. Even though it was a million times less comfortable than the bed at the hotel, I was out instantly and for the entire first leg! After that it was just more and more driving and jams until we finally reached Chicago!!!

Those were the final entries from Kara on our trip! I will put more pictures up on Facebook and the blog as I get them edited!! Hope you enjoyed. The trip was amazing and I highly suggest it to anyone else that would want to go!!!

Back home for Thanksgiving...

San Francisco-Golden Gate Bridge

After making the very long journey home in 2 days. Yes. I said it. 2 days. We drove from San Francisco, California to Cheyenne, Wyoming in one day. We arrived at noon, slept from 1pm-9:30pm and then got back on the road to drive again. The next leg was from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Chicago, Illinois to spend a night at our siblings place. We crashed hard that night, and I'm still trying to make up the sleep that I lost in the last few days of the trip. This trip was amazing. I am SO glad I was able to make it, and that the people that came along were able to join.

To Miles and Greg- thank you for bringing humor into all situations.Greg for helping us finish all of our crossword puzzles, Miles for celebrating your Birthday with us in such a special way. To Kara and Katie- thank you for being an emotional support to me when I needed it. I will not thank you for being indecisive....I can't or wait...can I? I dunno...whatever you want to do....;) Kara- for wisdom and maturity beyond your true age. You are an amazing person and I'm so glad I met you on the island and our friendship will carry off of it. Katie- You have been one of my greatest friends over the last 4 years. I can't imagine working without you, or not being within a few minute drive of you. You are the best.

After a very long journey on the road exploring new towns, states, and nature. We come to the day we save each year to give "Thanks". With the kitchen wafting smells of spices, herbs and creative concoctions, and the TV blaring the Thanksgiving football game. We sip on seasonal beers and dip pretzels into sharp cheddar cheese.
I am so very thankful to be able to return home whenever I need to recharge, relax, vent, cry, or just be me. With the next month to organize my life and decide on my future, I take a few minutes to recognize the people that have changed my life.

Thank you to everyone I met this summer on Mackinac Island. It was an amazing experience, and I would never give that up.
To the friends that I have made- May we always keep in touch, or retouch whenever one is needed.
To the challenges I faced over the last 6 months- thank you for remolding who I am and what I will become.
To the people that tried to make my life difficult- may you find something better to do with your time.
To the island- may you always stay beautiful, true to your roots, and smell of horse shit and booze;)

To all my friends that live near and far- may we always be able to meet up, no matter how long it has been, and finish the joke we started telling years ago. Friendship is so important, and I'm glad to say I have amazing friends.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

May you give thanks today, and every other day of the year!