.kingsley ryan.

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kingsleyryan

meet the pupster.
he’s such a sweetheart.
i adopted him.
he’s a lab mix. with some pit in there somewhere.
i can’t believe i have a puppy.
i’ve had him for a week and two days now.
he’s a major cuddle buddy, which i can’t get enough of.
i hated leaving him at home this past week.
i’m quite certain he likes naps as much as me.
he’s been such a good boy since i’ve gotten him. minus one pair of shoes..
i like buying stuff for him. a little too much possibly.
he’s an old soul in a pups body. kinda like his mama.
he’s pretty much the best kind of roommate.
his attention span is all of two seconds.
i really want one of these paracord amazingnesses for him.
he met most of the family this weekend. everyone can’t help but to adore him.
being a puppy mama is the best.

march days.

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if you asked me how things were going right now I’d tell you…

  • i’m loving our first peak at gorgeous warm spring weather. and wish it would stay that way.
  • completely falling in love with how cute my apartment is turning out. especially since dad helped me hang some shelves & other things last weekend. i seriously never want to move!!!
  • i would tell you that the week finished up a lot better than it had begun.
  • having my own place to myself most days has been God sent. my OCD tendencies love being able to have everything exactly the way I want it. but I’m not gonna lie that it doesn’t get really lonely sometimes.
  • i am really really contemplating getting a young dog. i fell in love with two rescues online & will hopefully meet them soon. stressing out about whether its a right decision or not. they’re already house trained, which is the major thing I was worried about not being able to do. but we’ll see how it turns out!
  • seriously missing that boy of mine. three weeks without seeing him? not happy at all. definitely a love/hate relationship with LDR’s. fo sho.
  • hating google is getting rid of google reader!!! like what the heck?! i set up my blog lovin account & have used it for a few days, but it’s really not the same.
  • seriously dreading the next couple of weekends. which in turn is making me dread the next couple of weeks. can I just skip to the end of March already? please?!
  • i can’t believe I have my second tattoo appointment booked. could not be more ecstatic.
  • i’m pretty sad that I haven’t worked on project life in like 2 months. my year ends at the end of march. i’m gonna take a little break. so I can get caught up & rethink exactly how I’m gonna continue. i don’t have as much time as I used to & what I want to get out of it has shifted.
  • sadly i have a hole in my ear and no piercing. i have been wanting my tragus pierced for forever. however, the lady had trouble and after finally getting it pierced couldn’t get the jewelry in. uber sadness.
  • can’t wait for sweet summertime. warm weather. boyfran to be home. and pool days.

-samdann

.lately i.

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  • have been getting my tan on. however, yesterday it got the better of me. going to need to turn the face tanning bulbs off for the rest of the lays this week.
  • this cold windy weather has made me live in the pea coat, leggins, & boots. but since layering is my favorite i’m not complaining.
  • realizing how lucky I am to have this sweet guy in my life. he’s amazing and seriously a blessing.
  • spent the better part of the night last night catching up on my Project Life binder [after being 2 months behind!!]! still got a little more to go. but very happy with the progress. thankfully this refreshed my love of this project. not to mention it was the first time using elise’s seafoam kit & I absolutely cannot tell you how much easier it is to do when I actually have a kit I actually use.
  • adoring spending time with that sweet boy. even if it is spent studying over coffee. so glad he came up this weekend.
  • hello long[er] hair! she’s growing out and here lately I haven’t hated it. thinking i’m going to try and rock a medium length for awhile [but i am not making any promises! ]
  • after realizing the favorite pens in my collection were all Steadtler. i quickly answered my question of what to purchase to with my new planner. hello, sweet color coding.

and here’s to a very very very busy week ahead …

.currently.

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wondering  how I am possibly going to make it through the rest of this week! I know it’s only 3 more days… But it’s literally been the most insane BUSY two weeks of my life.

dreaming Of finally having a break from things, getting away and enjoying time with that sweet boy of mine!!

covering my new apartment’s walls with pretty paint :)

feeling very anxious. The anxiety floating around me and my life the past two weeks has most definitely been unprecedented.

thinking about how crazy it is that everything can change so quickly in such a little time frame.

wishing there was a way to spend more time with his face, but I’m thankful for the time I do get to see him.

watching my apartment come together right before my eyes. Slowly. And one step at a time! It’s going to be absolutely gorgeous when I am finished!

planning Well, it feels like everything. I’ve got so much stuff to still do for the apartment and then gotta plan out next semester and get all of that paperwork done.

reading The Creative Habit, it’s taking me quite a while to get through this book & all of the craziness isn’t helping. Hopefully after settling in after the move it will continue progressing.

savoring my first extremely short and sweet “commute” to work now :) after three years of commuting over an hour it feels nothing short of AMAZING!

waiting for the HOLIDAYS!!! They’re right around the corner. Not working retail last year was the first time I got to actually sit back and enjoy them. This year I will be diving in to all the cooking and excitement!

working on fun DIY projects for the apartment. Definitely my favorite part of moving.

excited for UNCC finally getting a Football Team!! I’m sure it’ll be a slow start, but it’s FOOTBALL :) Woot Woot!

- samdann

anna karenina.

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I’ve discovered with the random want to do this task, that I’m quite odd.

What you ask?

Well I got the strange urge to read a classic novel. The random mention of Tolstoy in a movie may have had something to do with it. I never paid that much attention to the often boring novel picks in high school & figured my knowledge of classic literature is quite lacking. This clearly isn’t gonna totally fix that, but will broaden my horizons a little just the same.

What sparked Anna Karenina? Again no clue. I wasn’t even sure what the plot of the story was. In spite of that for some reason I was drawn in to it. I am sure this is the classic novel I wanted to dive into.

When I went to google it for the correct spelling of it. I stumbled across a movie trailer with the release date of November 20th! What?! A new movie!! I’m not gonna lie made me 10x more excited than before about it.

Looks quite interesting too!

After finally deciding that audiobooks fit into my life a little better right now, despite my love of having the physical copies of books. It’s off to download it and see if it lives up to the hype I’ve created.

- samdann

erratic fall thoughts.

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I’m quite certain there aren’t enough weekends in fall for me to accomplish all of the fall activities I’d love to do. Not to mention all the homework/studying/assignments I’ve got to fit in to the normally busy schedule.

All I have been listening to for the past week are the sweet sounds of Mumford & Sons and Wakey!Wakey! Even after realizing this I can’t stop it. They’re just so lively, and have awesome lyrics, and sound like the sweet sounds of Fall rolled into amazing bands.
Someone should probably stage a scarf intervention & by that I mean I’m running out of space & need a storage idea option. #someonehelp
“Because I Said So” movie is playing right now & it could not be the most fitting movie for the way I’m feeling right now. Not quite 100% sure why. But it’s adorable, and kinda makes me wish I had a sister or two. Not to mention I’m totally gonna dress in the awesome classic clothes Daphenne Wilder wears when I get to that age :D . Plus the difference in Johnny and the lame Jason is quite funny. Shows you not to judge a book by it’s cover. And my second favorite movie quote lies somewhere within the lines of this script. Also, I love everything about this movie.

Pumpkin. Pumpkin. Pumpkin. Beer that is. It’s pretty much rocking my world. If you’d like to try some of the best, you should check out Dogfish Head Punkin Ale or Southern Tier Pumking.
Prediction for the fall / winter. My outfits will all consist of leggings, long tank, boots & a fantastic scarf. You’re right I don’t see a problem with this either.
The Cowboys are playing the Panthers here in Charlotte this Sunday & I’ve got to admit that I’ve never been as excited about a sporting event in my life. Excited to see the game. And surely hoping my boys play well & grab a win. I’m also a hundred percent sure I’m sad that I didn’t order my Personalized Jersey in time to have it to wear on game day.

I’ve had this strange urge to wear plaid [ whether it be a plaid flannel shirt or plaid patterned anything ]. I found a shirt at target tonight, but couldn’t make the plunge. Am I really gonna wear that ? Who knows with me. However, I did set my sight on a sweet scarf! Who can argue with hunter green, mustard yellow, navy & off white ? I couldn’t either.
Have I mentioned football watching, scarf wearing, pumpkin eating/drinking season is my absolute favorite? Because man, there literally is nothing better than this time of the year.

Side note. I should be ban from Target. For my own good. Why do I want everything there? Why?

Just like that my random thoughts shall end. I’ve had such a delightful fall so far and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for the rest of this wonderful [ also favorite ] season of mine. I’m gonna get back to watching this awesome movie I’ve popped in & hit the sack soon.

PS. My favorite quote of the movie is….

“‘Cause you were so nervous, you laughed like a hyena in that beautiful polka dot dress of yours.”

“Really? Mmm-hmm. I’ll tell you one thing, through. You did not have me the moment we met because I wasn’t even sure that I liked the fact that your staff talked about you behind your back at the dessert table. And, excuse me, but, truth be told, I didn’t like anything that you ordered for me on our first date, except the calamari. And okay, fine, yes it was nice to not have to think for a change, but who wants someone who doesn’t think? Look, and sometimes you laugh when I cry and say, “Huh?” when I make perfect sense. And never, ever in my life have I burned a chocolate souffle until now and that, in and of itself, oh my God, should have told me I don’t feel like myself around you. And I would have decided that a long time ago if it weren’t for my mother. Because who wants someone who laughs like a hyena in a polka dot dress that my mother made me buy?”

“I love that dress”

…… Oh boy, if that doesn’t say it all.

:) Goodnight Folks.

— samdann

<3

hello 430am. didn’t really care to see you.

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There’s something about getting up real early. About starting off on the right foot. Whether or not today’s early morning rise was due to the fact I was unable to sleep since 4am & decided I might as well get up and do something.. It was sure a great, productive, and ultimately a fulfilling day.

Started off getting all my reading done before getting ready this morning. That was nice, and more helpful than hitting the library after class. Also finished up my Excel Project which was sweet to check off my to do list. Taking my time & actually able to fully get ready was a definite change. Left for work way early, making it peaceful to not have to worry about traffic. Sweet sounds from my new Autumn playlist made the commute extra enjoyable. Got my favorite parking spot to back Sophia into. And scrolled on into work. Focusing more on work stuff since I didn’t have to worry about classwork on my break.

After work, I was able to snag a cute bench outside one of the school buildings and enjoy a little of the absolutely gorgeous day while finally getting to read in my ‘just for fun’ book [twyla tharp. the creative habit.]before class. Been struggling to find time to read in my personal reading, since I always feel like I should be reading or studying for classes. But man, let me tell you! Being all caught up and ahead of assignments for class sure makes them a lot less stressful ;) [I know common sense, but this semester is one of the first times that’s happened.] Makes a world of difference!!!

Then instead of picking up the dinner to go, as I hate eating in somewhere by myself. I decided that I wanted to eat in & was accompanied by awesome words of my book :) But a fun change. Was looking forward to popping out this blog every since I hopped in the car to leave campus! And now that I’ve written it, gotta fill out my answer for the ‘Q&A a day’ journal [Q&A Journal] and I am gonna throw in the towel on one successful day! :)

just for fun reading. the creative habit.

I can only hope that come tomorrow, at the crack of dawn… my love and joy of a proactive early starting day will win out over my love of staying all cuddled up in my amazing bed until…. the… last…. possible… minute…. ;)

guess we will see….

guilty balance issues.

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I fear that my birthday and the start of new habits came at the worse time. I had just got myself into a good routine and now I feel like I’m already slipping off the bandwagon.

Charleston Bridge
With the start of classes infused with planning & taking a birthday vacation trip to Charleston totally has thrown my newfound semi-routine.
I haven’t been so behind on my Project Life binder as I am now. Not even sure how I’m gonna get caught up!! Not to mention its horribly sad because I had so many things planed for my birthday weekend spread.
The Creative Habit
Part of my 24 in 24 list was read 12 books. There’s so many new books ive wanted to read, not to mention the couple sitting on my bookshelf I’ve yet to dive into. And I had been doing really well with this one so far, but with the start of school. There’s always reading to do for classes and I feel guilty ‘pleasure reading’ when I should be doing class work.
Let’s not even get into working out. That ship sailed about 2 weeks before we left for Charleston. You know because of all the obviously important birthday shopping & outfit planning that needed to take place.
My attempt at collecting my thoughts and blogging more has fallen quite short as well. Although not due to the lack of blog ideas coming to mind.  And partially to do with the void of time and a lot to do with the fact I have to create a website for a class. Again the guilty feeling that I shouldn’t be contributing to my personal website with that due date creeping up.
It seems lack of time, guilt, and balance issues are the theme here.
Well, time to hop off the blog and try to conjure up a game plan.

and so the end has come…

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Just like that I’m finished with all of the books!!

I’ve got to admit although the first book is a good read, semi-predictable but still keeps you interested, it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. I enjoyed it greatly and fell in love with Katniss’s character, but I didn’t really feel strongly one way or the other about the book and that kinda left me feeling odd. That quickly changed once I finished the second book. And by the third I was completely obsessed. I wanted to finish to know what was going to happen, would Katniss make it? Would she end up with Gale? Would the capitol win? Would she die as a token of the war? Would district 13 turn out to be as devious as the capital had? Who was good? Who was evil? It brings so many questions.

I’m so sad to finally come to an end though. It feels so empty on my drive home now, without the audio book to keep me company :( hehe. I wish there was  more to the story! I always become so attached to the characters of books I read, hence my twilight obsession ;)

Although none of the events are directly related to anything happening in our world, there are hints of themes that make you relate to them. Make you question certain aspects.

I am in no way a good book reviewer, just my thoughts on finishing up! I’ll continue my obsession with watching the movie numerous times and putting the sweet soundtrack that I CAN NOT stop listening to on repeat!!