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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Currently: January 2016.

It's been a long, long time since my last "currently" post. Like six months long. I love looking back on these when I troll through my own archives (that's what a blog is primarily for, right?) so I think it's about time for an update.


Watching...

I finally caught up on Pretty Little Liars! While I wasn't necessarily shocked at who A was, I really liked how they brought it all together. I'm interested to see how the rest of the season pans out as "five years forward." Ryan and I also finished Making A Murderer this last week, and I have no idea how to feel! Next up? I'm trying to get into Game of Thrones, but I have yet to make it past the first episode.

Reading...

You Are A Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome life by Jen Sincero. Ryan's sister gave this book to me for Christmas, and so far I am really liking it. It's a bit of a wakeup call for my inner negative Nancy. Oh, and I've been reading my textbooks.......obviously.


Feeling...

Similar to my last "currently" post, I am indeed sick. First cold of 2016, what's up?! I skipped class and cancelled my volunteer hours today, and managed to get a whole lot of nothing done as far as school work goes. 

Loving...

My new iPhone 6s Plus! It was awkward getting used to how big it was at first, but all the other iPhones feel like chicken nuggets compared to this baby. I'm never going back! NEVER.

Pumped about...

Gasparilla 2016! For anyone who isn't familiar, Gasparilla is basically Tampa's version of Mardi Gras. Thousands upon thousands of people dress up as pirates and line up along Tampa's iconic Bayshore Boulevard and try to catch cheap strands of beads from parade floats...all awhile intoxicated. Well, you don't have to be, but it makes dealing with all the crazy people a little easier. I haven't always loved Gaspy, but I've found that it's all about who you go with. This will be me and Ryan's third parade together...time fliiiies.



What have you been up to lately? Reading, watching, etc.? 





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Thursday, January 21, 2016

The Perfect Green Smoothie Recipe.

Like most, I started the new year with the intention to live a healthier lifestyle. I got a jump start in November 2015 when I started Kayla Itsine's BBG workouts, but it's safe to say that I started getting a little more serious about my workouts and eating habits post-Christmas.

Something I really started slacking about in the last few months (or years...but who's counting?) is my vegetable intake. It isn't for a lack of love for greens...I do love me some veggies. But my schedule filled up quite a bit last semester, and with that, my desire to actually cook healthy meals dwindled.

Ever since Ryan won a Nutribullet through his work during the holidays, I've been trying to find new ways to drink my veggies, so I started making my own green smoothies! I've been drinking these either first thing in the morning or right after a workout. After a lot of trial and error, I have finally perfected my own recipe, so I figured I would share!


The Perfect Green Smoothie 

1 heaping handful (or two) of spinach
6 cubes of frozen pineapple
5 slices of frozen banana
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
1/3 cup of vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2 cup to 1 cup of water (I don't really measure it...it's totally your preference!)
2-3 ice cubes (optional...I just like my smoothies extra cold!)

If you're feeling extra feisty, throw in 1/2 an avocado. I don't always have them on hand, but it definitely gives the smoothie a creamier texture, and you can't taste it at all! You can also replace chia seeds with flaxseed if you prefer, but chia seeds are proven to help clear your skin, and I must say that my face has been clearer than ever since downing these baby a couple times a week.

Give it a whirl! And if you do, let me know what you think :)
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Monday, January 18, 2016

Why I Hate Shopping.


[Pictured: When I had some semblance of "style"...I should point out that neither the headband nor the necklace is mine]

Never did I ever think that I would actually utter (or type) those words.

I've never been one to understand why girls would say they hate shopping. How could they hate something that brought so much joy into my life? I don't think I ever admitted it in my out loud voice, but shopping for clothes used to be quite the obsession for me. Not in a "Confessions of a Shopaholic" type of way, of course. More of a "I want it, I don't care if I have five items just like it, and it is going to be mine."

Then I read up about the capsule wardrobe idea, and decided I wanted to give it a whirl. Spoiler alert: I didn't do it. But I did purge my closet...and then I purged it again. And again. And then more I purged, the more I realized that my closet didn't feel like "me" at all. It all felt too young - crop tops, tie shirts, too tight shorts, frilly dresses. Donate, donate, donate, bye, bye, bye.

Suddenly, it's August and I've started school, which means I'm working less hours. Less hours meant less income, so I adjusted my spending style accordingly. If I didn't absolutely need it, I wasn't spending my money on it.

Fast forward to now, and I'm at the point of the Spongebob episode when after he's told Sandy he doesn't need water over and over again, he finally breaks down and cries, "I NEEEEED IT!" Are you picking up what I'm putting down? In a nutshell, I need clothes.

But here's the issue...I have no idea where to start again!

Now that I'm on a college girl budget again, spending $30 on a new top feels like a waste. Having said that, spending $7.80 on a new top from Forever 21 that will undoubtedly shrink in the wash after the first wear doesn't sound appealing either.

I'm at a (clearly pivotal) point in my life where, for the first time, I don't like shopping. I don't like it because I don't know what I like anymore. I don't know my style, and it's difficult to shop for a new wardrobe when I have no idea what I'm looking for.

Has anyone ever run into this problem before? What's your sense of style, and where do you shop for it?


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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

An Engagement Story: Photographing My Best Friend's Proposal!

A little less than a month ago, something really fun and unexpected happened.

My best friend Sable's boyfriend texted me and another one of our friends in reference to a message we'd sent a few months back.

"Are you sure that's the style she likes? ;)"

I paused for a minute and thought, "why is Shawn asking me about style?" Then I realized he was talking about engagement rings for Sable! (To free up some storage, I'd previously deleted the thread of engagement ring photos we jokingly bombarded him with awhile back). Like any true, sane friend, I immediately texted back "OMG OMG OMG I AM DYING" and started freaking out about this soon-to-be engagement like it was my own. After five years of dating, it was clear to anyone who'd met Shawn and Sable that they were meant to be together, and I was thrilled that they were about to take the next step toward "forever."

I offered to be sneaky and take pictures of the proposal, and Shawn agreed! I was lucky enough to be the first person to get to see them in all their newly engaged glory. But not before wearing a scarf around my head and hiding behind boardwalk steps. I managed to cut my toe open on a shell whilst photographing, but it was a sacrifice that I was more than willing to make.

Shawn and Sable go fishing together all the time, so it was the perfect opportunity for Shawn to pop the question when she was least expecting it, and while doing something they love together. Although considering the proposal happened less than 10 minutes after arriving, it's safe to say that no fishing was done that day.

























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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

2016 Goals!


Are we all sick and tired of hearing about New Years resolutions yet? Me either.

2016 snuck up on me. I certainly celebrated New Year's Eve, but all that aside, there was never a moment where I thought to myself, "this is it, this is my year." Maybe it's because 2015 was such a challenging yet wonderful year for me, that I didn't really feel the need to "start over" like I have in years prior.

But I'm nothing if I'm not a planner, thus I must make my 2016 goals and resolutions known:

2016 New Year's Goals


  1. Get into grad school - it's hard to believe that I'm almost done applying. It's been a long time coming, and I am so ready to have this weight off my shoulders!
  2. Complete at least two rounds of Kayla Itsine's BBG program - I started back in November, but because of the holidays I had to restart a couple weeks, so I'm only on week 5. I'm loving it so far, and having a huge Instagram community is really inspiring me to keep going!
  3. Start paying myself back - Going into 2015, I had a lot of money in my savings account. And then I quit my job, moved, and paid for my classes out of pocket. My plan is to set up an automatic monthly payment of $X to at least start getting myself back to where I used to be.
  4. Take at least 3 trips - Aside from quick trips down to Naples, Fort Myers and Orlando, I haven't taken a real "vacation" since our Chicago trip last May. I haven't really had the time (or the money), but I'm starting to get a little stir crazy. It's time for another adventure!
  5. Go on more adventures with Ryan (and the pups!) - We both have such busy schedules that sometimes it's easier to just lay around on the couch and catch up on our latest Netflix addiction when we finally have some down time. I want to start kayaking or paddle boarding, or trying a new cooking class or wine tasting. I want to make more memories, and start documenting them with that fancy pants Nikon I bought last year.
  6. Drink at least 8 cups of water per day -  I suck at drinking water. I don't know what it is. I don't hate the taste of water, I just don't think about it. There are some days that go by where I don't even have one full glass of water...it's so bad! 

Any New Years resolutioners out there? How are you doing so far? 


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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

A Look Back at 2015's Resolutions.


In true Samantha Rose fashion, I'm a little late here.

We are five days into 2016 and not only have I not listed my "resolutions" for the year, but I haven't touched base on my 2015 goals and how I reached them/if I even did at all.

I like looking back at old blog posts and seeing how my resolutions change over the years. It's hard for me to believe that I wrote my 2014 goals so long ago. Let's look back at 2015 and see how I measured up:

  1. Read one book per month. Okay, I'm really serious about this one this time around! I'm just about done with Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling, and then Ryan's mom gave me Wild for Christmas. Can't wait to start! Considering I was stuck on Paper Towns for three months, this didn't really happen. This was the year I learned to just stop reading a book altogether if I thought it was god awful. Paper Towns by John Green was that book for me. Notable reads: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham, The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon, and The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.
  2. Take the GRE. I'm not sure when I'll need it, or if I'll ever need it, but the scores are good for five years. I want to take it just to be prepared for the future. Took this bad boy twice, and as it turns out, I did need it.
  3. Give up shopping for clothes for one month. I'm an impulsive cardigan buyer, I just can't help it. Becoming a broke college student made this one real easy.
  4. Put away $200 per month. Ideally, I'd like to put away more, but I want to start small. This one happened for the most part until I started school in August...and then it was more like taking $200 out per week. Just kidding, but really.
  5. Work out for one hour, four days per week, for one full month. Take progress pictures, and see what kind of difference one month of effort actually makes. I didn't really do this one until around November when I started Kayla Itsine's BBG workouts...and I'm definitely seeing progress. Exciting!
  6. Travel to three places I've never been before. As of now, I'm thinking Key West, New Orleans, and Canada. Crossing my fingers! Key West and California (Los Angeles, Malibu, Santa Monica? Can we pretend these are all different places?)

On the whole, I think I did a pretty good job of accomplishing most of my goals. Like most, I kind of forgot about my actual list of resolutions about two months after I made them, but I think I still made a decent dent considering.

Now for 2016...am I the only one who still hasn't accepted that it's a new year? Yes? Okay, great.


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