I guess I should write something...it's only been 6 MONTHS!!!! (Be prepared, it's a long one)

Oh MY does time FLY! I can't believe it....Now I must get my synapses firing to figure out what I have done since my last post....

BOOM.

I figured it out.....A LOT. A LOT of things have happened. I moved into an apartment that is nothing short of a large college apartment. It's not my ideal place, but it will do for now.

I GOT A BIG GIRL JOB. Whatever that means exactly...other than I work during the day (as opposed to the Vampire hours I was used to at the bar). This also means I get most weekends off (pretty decent perk I must say). I now work at Michigan State University.

I must say this, I NEVER thought that I would still be in East Lansing. I thought for sure IMMEDIATELY following graduation from college (MSU), I would move out of state and never look back.
Oh how I was wrong. I DID leave the state...but only for travel. I have been to many places across the USA and almost every corner of Michigan ( I still need to tackle some of the boarder of the Upper Peninsula and East Coast).

Synapse Fire/ Something Shiny Caught my Eye: Next Post- My tribute to the Beauty of Michigan

"Being someone that has seen many sunrises and sunsets from different spots in Michigan I can truly say that Michigan is amazing. It has SO many natural beauties. The dunes, national forests, waterfalls, gorges, Great Lakes, inland lakes, Mackinac Bridge and highways with tree's that canopy you as you pass. You cannot find many states that can say they encompass all of these wonders"

Ok, back to my original post.

So I have found this job at MSU in the Outreach department. What does this mean you ask? I am a part of the Residence Education and Housing Services department. We are responsible for distributing knowledge to incoming students and parents regarding living on campus as well as making them aware of the academic and social resources you have access to while living on campus. I was the lead on the creation of the Residence Hall Tours for Academic and Parent Orientation. The planning began in mid- February and we wrapped our final our last friday. It was a VERY long,tedious and tiring project. The challenge was awesome and I can say that it is very satisfying starting a project and seeing it through to the end!

Other things I have done since my last post.....oh ya...I ADOPTED A CAT!:) I had been looking at the Humane Society for weeks at different cats, waiting for one to jump off the screen and into my heart. Yes there were many cute faces, but you don't know until you are there in person. I visited with the point of  adopting an older cat (Older pets and black pets are the last to be adopted, people don't want a pet that's "just going to die soon anyways" and black pets are "intimidating"....I call BULLSHIT). When I showed up and tried to say hi to the older cat I had been looking at for weeks, I could feel this cat was terrified. She was NOT ok with fast movements, loud noises, being surprised, or anything that would elevate her heart rate. I was so upset that I couldn't comfort this cat, all I wanted to do was love it and take care of it. After sitting for an hour outside this lovely cat's crate, I had a heart to heart with her. Yep, with a cat. She needed an older persons home to live in, she needed an elderly to move slow around her, and not have many people in and out of the house. My heart broke, I knew that it was a no-kill shelter but the idea of these animals having to live in a shelter another night was too much. I burst into tears. After calming down and having a talk with my mom over the phone about her, she consoled me and said "why don't you take a look around at the other cats, they ALL need a home you know!"....so that's exactly what I did.

I opened a few of the play area's and saw a ton of kittens, I didn't want a kitten, I knew they get adopted first, and I didn't have the time or ability to commit to a kitten. So I moved along. I entered the last room and approached a lounging tabby, she purred like a chainsaw when I pet her, she came up to me immediately and sang the song of her people. As soon as that happened, I heard a "thump" and looked up at a black and white face staring down at me from a high perch. He galloped over to me and stopped and sat to stare at me, sizing me up. I kept paying attention to the tabby girl, but kept this guy in my peripheral vision. He looked at my again and went back to climbing as high as he could go. The bell sounded and it was closing time. No cat for me. Sad again, but determined to find a feline friend, I threw up the white flag for the day and went home......until 2 days later.
Tarzan was his name, being my cat was his game.
The next time I stepped into the cat area of the Humane Society, he galloped up to me again and as soon as I sat down, he hopped into my lap like "quit screwing around and take me home already". My parents were with me and looked at me and said "Samm. This is your cat".
After filling out paperwork, learning about medical history, and buying a few necessary items, Tarzan was mine.
First thing that needed to happen? Immediate name change....I read over his story, because each shelter pet has a story.....
"Tarzan is a pretty lucky guy. He came to CAHS through our trailer park grant; the residents at the park said that there was a black and white cat that had gotten a flea collar looped around his neck and one of his front legs, but no one was able to get him for us. On the second to last surgery day for the grant, they finally got him! So he came into the clinic to take a look at his wounds. They were pretty extensive; the collar had slowly worked its way into the skin under the arm, and left a pretty large gash. Given that there wasn't anyone to care for him, and the severity of the wound, we spent a long time talking about what might happen to him. But, when CAHS agreed to take him once he was healed, a volunteer stepped up to be his foster mom throughout his healing."

So Mr. Tarzan had been through alot. He has a scar on his neck and his underarm from where the Flea collar embedded its self. He loved high places and needed to explore every closed off area, so I chose a new name for him...... Ladies and Gentlemen let me introduce you to.....

Traveller

"Trav"

He is the most amazing cat ever. I seriously lucked out. With the exception of his wake up calls 5 minutes before my alarm goes off in the morning, he is even tempered. He has a great sense of humor. He LOVES catnip toys, he loves cuddling, and chirping at birds, squirrels and anything that moves outside. He will find his way under fabric until he is surrounded like he is camping. He still climbs anything and everything. Literally. We have chairs at home that have what look like steps as the back rest and he climbs the thing like a ladder until he is up as high as possible. This cat and I were meant to be. Best friends for life. I am SO glad I adopted, and he as much rescued me as I did him :)

*As for the other 2 cats, the older cat was adopted by an elderly lady just looking for some companionship, and the tabby went home with its sibling to a couple looking for a friend :)

Last but not least, I decided since I no longer compete in competitive team sports it was time to start doing some more races.....So this summer I have completed 3! I plan on doing more this fall, so I will keep you updated!

Mackinac Island Lilac Festival 10k

  

TOUGH MUDDER 12 Miles

Lansing Color Run 5k



Ok, that was a really long post.....sorry. I will continue writing, lots of posts, just shorter ;) Hopefully. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!!!

Saying goodbye to pets....not easy....

This morning, we had to say goodbye to our 11 1/2 year old rescue dog, Pez. She passed after complications from some surgery so instead of picking her up this morning to come home, we must now adjust to her loss. She was a good companion to us and to her beloved Hannah and to our great dane, Matilda and she will be missed. Safe home Pezzie. There's a giant mountain of Milk Bones and Hannah, happily waiting for you in a spring time park....

Contributing to Yahoo is a joke!

Apparently when you send in articles to Yahoo, they are extremely picky about what they want to publish. SO I will just post what I wrote on there...HERE! The article was supposed to be about keeping a New Years Resolution...so I wrote about keeping the resolution of "giving back to your community"! Enjoy, and please pass on the advice to anyone looking to volunteer!!!

We have all clinked glasses at Midnight with "visions of change" dancing in our head, but where do we start? It's simple really! I have put together "5 Steps to Giving Back". Follow these steps and you will be well on your way to keeping your resolution and making a difference in someone or somethings life! 
Step 1- Decide which organization you want to assist. The Greater Lansing Area has many organizations in need of assistance. There are Homeless Shelters, Food Banks, Animal Shelters, Health Clinics, Safe Houses, etc. If you are nervous about volunteering, maybe stick with something you are more comfortable with. 
Step 2- Decide what kind of assistance you want to provide. 
Do you plan on just writing a check? Gathering donatable items? Volunteering your time? Throwing a fundraiser to benefit the organization you chose? This step you should take some time to think about. Places that need assistance are more than happy with anything you are able to provide. Nothing is too small. If you plan on writing a check to donate- Call your organization and ask who the check should be made out to. They may ask you to drop it off in person, or provide you with an address to send the check. If you want to collect items to donate- Once again contact the organization or check their website. You may be surprised the items some places need, it can be anywhere from a washing machine to kleenex! If you chose one of these two options, all you have to do is collect the items and drop them off/send them into the organization you chose. If you want to be more hands on, move on to Step 3. 
Step 3- Getting involved. If you are planning on giving your time by volunteering, you must contact your chosen organization. They will provide you with a list of volunteer jobs that need filing. They will also give you times and dates to come in to discuss your part in volunteering. Some volunteer jobs at Safe Houses and Homeless Shelters may require a more in depth interview to be sure you would be a good candidate in assisting. Some may even have a training day for you to better understand what happens at the organization. If you choose to throw a fundraiser, a staff member will sit down with you to discuss your plan, and the next steps to take. 
Step 4- Pass on the word! If you ever give back, make sure to pass on the word that you did, and what you did! You may be surprised how many people never know where to start. With these steps you can now assist others in giving back as well! 
Step 5- Give yourself a pat on the back! Congratulations you just kept your Resolution, and helped someone in need! Giving is the best gift and it is the best feeling in the world. 

Here is a link to search for volunteer opportunities: http://www.mivolunteers.org/ 

Samantha grew up in East Lansing, she has compiled hundreds of hours volunteering, spent her winter break collecting donatable items and making blankets for the cats and dogs at a local animal shelter. Over the years she has helped raise more than $500,000 for the Greater Lansing Food Bank, by assisting in running the Empty Plate Auction.

The Truth Project 2013

What if you found out that your deepest, darkest secret was something you had in common with countless other women? If you could write that secret down with complete anonymity and send it to a place where it could join thousands of other secrets women keep hidden in the deepest parts of their hearts, would you?
Be a part of The Truth Project 2013 
We are gathering these truths into a book project throughout the calendar year of 2013. 
We do not want your name. Mail us a brief note saying the thing that you dare not say out loud. Your truth may be one sentence or one short paragraph. It does not matter why or how it happened; it matters that it did happen.
Please do not share the names of people that may be involved with your story. Please, do not give us your own address or contact information. You may type or legibly, handwrite your contribution. We prefer that you mail your truth contribution to the address below and, again, please do not give us your return address. If you would like to share your age or the state or country where you live, we would appreciate that, but it is not necessary to participate in this gathering of anonymous truths.
It is our sincere hope that as you read through the hundreds of entries, you will see that you are not alone and that our common stories; even those that appear to be our darkest moments, are shared and understood by sisters in secrets everywhere. We hope that this revelation of shared secrets will allow you to lay your burden down, even if it is just for a moment. And we hope you will know that none of us are ever, truly, alone.
Visit the blog below for instructions on how you or women you know can participate in this project. Please feel free to pass this along to any women you know.

Mimi & Samantha, Co-Authors and mother & daughter

The Truth Project 2013

Secrets....

Have you ever had a secret that eats away at you? One that you would never say out loud? What if you could share your secret anonymously, and realize that your secret might be the same secret someone else was keeping? Check out a project my mom and I are working on....and please feel free to contribute....

http://thetruthproject2013.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-truth-project-2013.html

Remember: This is anonymous. Your secret is safe.

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!