A few weeks ago I watched a documentary titled Hungry for Change. If you haven't seen this documentary yet, I highly recommend watching it. My boyfriend can vouch for me on this one. This life-changing, 89-minute documentary talks about food, but more specifically, why we eat so much of such terrible food. It goes behind the scenes on why we crave chocolate, processed foods, late night munchies and everything in between. Not only is it educational, it is mentally stimulating and makes you want to change your current eating habits. One of the men who is interviewed in the show completed a 60 day cleanse; clearing out his intestinal tract, improving his medical conditions, and even dropping weight.
Now why am I telling you this? I've decided to take part in either a 2 or 3 day cleanse (I haven't decided yet if a third day will be a wise decision). I researched juicers and purchased the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juicer a few weeks ago. I looked up a 3 day juice cleanse created by the same man who I previously mentioned and the creator of the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I'm excited for a lifestyle change and to overhaul my inner workings after a terrible month of eating poorly, mainly due to traveling 16 days out of the past 30 days.
Wish me luck as I start my new journey!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Wandering Soul
I spent July 27th, 2013 celebrating the 2 year mark of my grandmother's passing. She was a strange woman who always kept to herself and never let anyone see her without her hair done; yet, she was beautiful in every breath she took. It was after the death of my grandma (the only living grandparent I had left) and my aunt's breast cancer diagnosis that I learned a valuable lesson. I should also note that this lesson was taught to me more specifically by my mother - who is kind, brave hearted soul. I learned the summer of 2011 that you should never take a day for granted and that a day spent unhappy is a day wasted. I've learned a lot in these past 2 years about myself, my family, my friends, and my significant other. If it wasn't for her, I don't think I would be living this East Coast life and experiencing so many new, exciting things.
I apologize for the long delay between posts, but as I have mentioned previously, I spend a lot of my time wandering around looking for my next adventure. In these past few summer months I've traveled to Texas, California, Arkansas and Virginia. I've spent a lot of time by myself as well and I've realized that sometimes I care too much about money and other insignificant things in this world. I've also come to the realization that I enjoy the memories of traveling, laughing, spending time with my favorite people more so than tangible items such as clothes, beauty products, etc. I've been thinking a lot lately about where I want to be in the next 5 years: what my career will be, where I'll be living, who I'll be spending my days with, and many other fleeting thoughts. It's a strange thing trying to figure out your future, yet still living in the moment. My thoughts usually jumble together, much like this post, and then I end up drinking a class of wine and relaxing with a good book...which is what I'll be doing in just a moment. I hope to post soon on recent events just to give my blogger audience a little more insight as to what I've been doing for the past few months.
xoxo
I apologize for the long delay between posts, but as I have mentioned previously, I spend a lot of my time wandering around looking for my next adventure. In these past few summer months I've traveled to Texas, California, Arkansas and Virginia. I've spent a lot of time by myself as well and I've realized that sometimes I care too much about money and other insignificant things in this world. I've also come to the realization that I enjoy the memories of traveling, laughing, spending time with my favorite people more so than tangible items such as clothes, beauty products, etc. I've been thinking a lot lately about where I want to be in the next 5 years: what my career will be, where I'll be living, who I'll be spending my days with, and many other fleeting thoughts. It's a strange thing trying to figure out your future, yet still living in the moment. My thoughts usually jumble together, much like this post, and then I end up drinking a class of wine and relaxing with a good book...which is what I'll be doing in just a moment. I hope to post soon on recent events just to give my blogger audience a little more insight as to what I've been doing for the past few months.
xoxo
Monday, June 3, 2013
Walkin' In Memphis
FINALLY! About a month and a half ago, I booked my trip for the long Memorial Day Weekend to visit my boyfriend in Little Rock. He immediately started planning things to do in Little Rock, but I had other ideas brewing in my head. Since I've moved to the East Coast, I've caught the travel bug. Mind you, it may only be within the 50 states, however, a travel bug that has burrowed deep inside of me and has created a deep desire to see these great 50 states. I started researching what was close to Little Rock on Google Maps. I looked at New Orleans, St Louis, and a few other before laying eyes on the great, little city of Memphis. When I told Christopher about my idea, he was all for it, even though he would be traveling to Memphis a few weeks prior to our trip. Once I told my parents, my dad mentioned Graceland. How could I forget where the King of Rock and Roll once graced his presence?!
I arrived in Little Rock on Thursday before the long weekend. Christopher and I decided to cook dinner that night instead of spending money going out. I think cooking with him might be one of my favorite things to do. It's so relaxing to enjoy a glass of wine while we catch up on our day. The next morning we woke up bright and early and made breakfast, packed up the car, and hit the road. I was so unbelievably excited! A short 2 hours and some odd minutes later, we crossed the border into Tennessee. After setting our bags down, we ran back out the door to visit Graceland. Graceland and Memphis mingle the past and present to form an eye opening experience. Elvis's estate remains untouched from some of his last moments - including the piano he played the morning of his death. Although most of Graceland is a complete tourist trap, I enjoyed every moment. I forced Christopher into most of my pictures and made him pause our audio guided tour numerous times so I could snap pictures of a place I'll probably never get to visit again. After walking around the estate for 2 hours, Christopher and I decided to head back to the hotel to catch a quick nap. Later, we grabbed dinner at an amazing deli and walked around Beale Street. I enjoyed my greatest past time - people watching - while meandering up and down Beale Street definitely.
Overall, Memphis was nothing like I expected - in both good and bad ways. Most of the city looks as though it hasn't been touched since the Civil Rights Movement and the era of MLK Jr. My Memphis experience can be described in one word: surreal. The fact that I was walking down streets where many fought for the right to be an equal. Stepping inside the mansion of one of the greatest music legends of all times. Overall, it was so surreal to think about my place in this big world and the many people who have left even bigger footsteps to follow in. I'll leave you with some pictures to enjoy my memorable weekend:
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| Elvis's grave |
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Momma Sampson Visits Baltimore!
About 2 1/2 weeks ago, my mother FINALLY came to visit my new city. I was so excited to show her my new home and have her understand exactly why I moved across the country. We started off her visit with a trip to Virginia Beach. Although the weather predicted thunderstorms and lightening, we were surprised to wake up to an absolutely gorgeous day. We spent most of our time sitting on the beach and enjoying drinks. I can't tell you enough about how much I needed this weekend with my mother. After a stressful few weeks at work, it was simply amazing to relax and chat with my mom.
After 2 nights spent in Virginia Beach, we headed back home to Baltimore. I loved showing my mom the different neighborhoods here in Baltimore. We enjoyed a nice mother's day brunch (mimosas included) in Canton and strolled around the inner harbor. My mom was able to experience and taste all the delicious seafood platters Charm City has to offer.
On Monday, I went back to work while my mother explored the city. She came to visit me at work as well as meet my boss. After some not so subtle hints from my mother, my boss gave me the rest of the day off. My mom already had a plan to visit Annapolis after our failed attempt to see the town the day before. We shopped and explored Annapolis, which is an adorable little town nestled right in the along the Chesapeake Bay.
Tuesday morning, my momma left bright and early to head back to California. I was sad to see her go, but so so happy and grateful that she came to visit my new home. I was talking to Christopher the other day about how much more I appreciate home and my family since I've moved to Baltimore. I once had a psychology professor claim that distance makes the heart go wander (in reference to long distance relationships), however I like to believe the opposite. I think distance makes the heart grow fonder, more compassionate, more caring, more of just about everything when you add 3,000 miles to the mix. I can't even begin to explain the strange funk I was in before my mom came to visit. As soon as she stepped out of the hotel lobby and gave me a huge hug - all my worries disappeared. Only one more month until I'm back home in California! I apologize for the semi short post, but I promise to post pictures soon from my trip to Little Rock and Memphis!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Long Distance Lovin'
I've been meaning to write this post for awhile, but every time I come to this page I seem to get writer's block. After some nagging from my best friend and a day spent sick in bed, I think it is only appropriate that I finish this post.
Long distance is a very close friend of mine (pun intended). I am no stranger to long distance relationships. At first, it began with long distance boyfriends, but now it has turned into a long distance relationship with my family and friends. Long distance can be wearing on the soul. It can be an evil thing setting off fights over petty subjects, crying spells, and feelings of loneliness. However, long distance can also be a great teacher of several lessons a glimpse of hope or light at the end of a long day.
My first long distance relationship started my senior year of high school. My boyfriend at the time graduated a year before me and moved 2 hours away to attend college. This first relationship taught me a lot about what it meant to love someone. It taught me patience, understanding, and just how much a long distance relationship relies on truth and communication. I'm trying to make this sound all poetic and hopefully my audience understands what my measly little 17 year old brain was dealing with during this relationship. I admitted defeat in this relationship and broke it off when the distance became too much for me to handle (I would like to take a moment and pause at this fleeting thought as I sit in a long distance relationship who is 17 hours by car away from me... end pause)
I enjoyed single life for all of about 1 month before I got into my next relationship. This time, I was the one leaving for college. I told myself I didn't want to get into a relationship right before leaving, but again, let's take a moment to evaluate my life at this point in time: 17, just graduated high school, no responsibilities, life is awesome. SURE LET'S GET INTO ANOTHER RELATIONSHIP (this is me yelling at myself). My 2nd boyfriend and I managed about 6 months of long distance. We called and texted everyday. We managed trips to see each other every 2-3 weeks. I made him silly CD mixes and he gave me Tiffany's (smart, smart boy). Life was pretty fabulous and I thought I had FINALLY figured out long distance the second time around. I think there were a lot of things on my part that made this long distance relationship end on not so amazing terms. I battled clinical depression during this time in my life, which made communication and being so far away nearly impossible to handle. I think we were also very young and both at different moments in our life. We both dealt with the first year of college in different ways and our paths didn't necessarily align in the way we needed them to. I think I grew up a lot from this relationship and post this era of my life that I am extremely grateful for. I learned more about myself. I learned just who would be by my side for the rest of my life. I became grateful for my friends and family and just about everything in life. I appreciated the small moments and memories that filled my life.
About 8 months later, I met another boy who has slowly but surely turned into a man of great knowledge, passion, and understanding. I met Christopher when I least expected it, yet needed him in so many ways I didn't even understand. After 3 months of living in the same city, he moved back up to Oregon where we began our long distance relationship. I learned in this portion of my long distance saga that I enjoyed having "me" time and truly appreciated every waking moment I got to spend with my boyfriend when I did see him. Fast forward 3 odd years later (I will spare you the long story of how we got here), we are back together but even further apart now. Most people don't understand how much time goes into a long distance relationship, mainly because there are only a few measurable moments where we are actually together in the same city. Through of all our trial and errors, we've learned a few things:
1) Communication is absolutely necessary. Yes, my dear boyfriend, you are going to have to use your words to explain what is going on in your head even though you have a history of terrible communication.
2) Trust is key. Due to our past, I've had my moments of "what the hell am I getting into", but I think what makes me so certain is the complete trust I have in a man that I only get to see every so often.
3) The small things always make life a little sweeter. Voicemails. Sweet good morning text messages. Unexpected flowers. Snail Mail. I could go on forever about these small moments.
My list could probably go on forever about what makes a long distance relationship work. Granted, we are still learning things as we go and only looking so far into the future as the next trip that we are planning to see each other.
My series of long distance relationships has also helped me learn how to deal with the miles between me and my favorite people in the whole wide world. Moving to a city where you know absolutely no one is terrifying, yet exciting. I've lived in Baltimore for a little over 6 months now and I still love everything about this city. I do admit that not everyday is rainbows and butterflies, but rather stress and anxiety and moments of "Why did I move across the country". Countdowns, plans for Giants whooping Dodgers butt, and an immediate trip to In N Out with my best friend as soon as I land on June 29th keep me going everyday. My mother flies in tonight to Baltimore and I cannot wait to show her around and have her on the East Coast with me. I will hopefully update you with my travels from this upcoming weekend sometime early next week (or until my best friend bugs me again :)
Long distance is a very close friend of mine (pun intended). I am no stranger to long distance relationships. At first, it began with long distance boyfriends, but now it has turned into a long distance relationship with my family and friends. Long distance can be wearing on the soul. It can be an evil thing setting off fights over petty subjects, crying spells, and feelings of loneliness. However, long distance can also be a great teacher of several lessons a glimpse of hope or light at the end of a long day.
My first long distance relationship started my senior year of high school. My boyfriend at the time graduated a year before me and moved 2 hours away to attend college. This first relationship taught me a lot about what it meant to love someone. It taught me patience, understanding, and just how much a long distance relationship relies on truth and communication. I'm trying to make this sound all poetic and hopefully my audience understands what my measly little 17 year old brain was dealing with during this relationship. I admitted defeat in this relationship and broke it off when the distance became too much for me to handle (I would like to take a moment and pause at this fleeting thought as I sit in a long distance relationship who is 17 hours by car away from me... end pause)
I enjoyed single life for all of about 1 month before I got into my next relationship. This time, I was the one leaving for college. I told myself I didn't want to get into a relationship right before leaving, but again, let's take a moment to evaluate my life at this point in time: 17, just graduated high school, no responsibilities, life is awesome. SURE LET'S GET INTO ANOTHER RELATIONSHIP (this is me yelling at myself). My 2nd boyfriend and I managed about 6 months of long distance. We called and texted everyday. We managed trips to see each other every 2-3 weeks. I made him silly CD mixes and he gave me Tiffany's (smart, smart boy). Life was pretty fabulous and I thought I had FINALLY figured out long distance the second time around. I think there were a lot of things on my part that made this long distance relationship end on not so amazing terms. I battled clinical depression during this time in my life, which made communication and being so far away nearly impossible to handle. I think we were also very young and both at different moments in our life. We both dealt with the first year of college in different ways and our paths didn't necessarily align in the way we needed them to. I think I grew up a lot from this relationship and post this era of my life that I am extremely grateful for. I learned more about myself. I learned just who would be by my side for the rest of my life. I became grateful for my friends and family and just about everything in life. I appreciated the small moments and memories that filled my life.
About 8 months later, I met another boy who has slowly but surely turned into a man of great knowledge, passion, and understanding. I met Christopher when I least expected it, yet needed him in so many ways I didn't even understand. After 3 months of living in the same city, he moved back up to Oregon where we began our long distance relationship. I learned in this portion of my long distance saga that I enjoyed having "me" time and truly appreciated every waking moment I got to spend with my boyfriend when I did see him. Fast forward 3 odd years later (I will spare you the long story of how we got here), we are back together but even further apart now. Most people don't understand how much time goes into a long distance relationship, mainly because there are only a few measurable moments where we are actually together in the same city. Through of all our trial and errors, we've learned a few things:
1) Communication is absolutely necessary. Yes, my dear boyfriend, you are going to have to use your words to explain what is going on in your head even though you have a history of terrible communication.
2) Trust is key. Due to our past, I've had my moments of "what the hell am I getting into", but I think what makes me so certain is the complete trust I have in a man that I only get to see every so often.
3) The small things always make life a little sweeter. Voicemails. Sweet good morning text messages. Unexpected flowers. Snail Mail. I could go on forever about these small moments.
My list could probably go on forever about what makes a long distance relationship work. Granted, we are still learning things as we go and only looking so far into the future as the next trip that we are planning to see each other.
My series of long distance relationships has also helped me learn how to deal with the miles between me and my favorite people in the whole wide world. Moving to a city where you know absolutely no one is terrifying, yet exciting. I've lived in Baltimore for a little over 6 months now and I still love everything about this city. I do admit that not everyday is rainbows and butterflies, but rather stress and anxiety and moments of "Why did I move across the country". Countdowns, plans for Giants whooping Dodgers butt, and an immediate trip to In N Out with my best friend as soon as I land on June 29th keep me going everyday. My mother flies in tonight to Baltimore and I cannot wait to show her around and have her on the East Coast with me. I will hopefully update you with my travels from this upcoming weekend sometime early next week (or until my best friend bugs me again :)
Sunday, March 10, 2013
My Absence
My absence in this blog stems from me actually LIVING and being SOCIAL. It's crazy to think that I moved to Maryland almost 5 months ago and I don't regret that decision for a day. Sure, there are days I wish I could be hanging out with my closest friends in California. Or days where I wish nothing more than to be eating and drinking with my mom and dad, however, this experience is so much more gratifying. I keep thinking about one day when I have kids or make new friends. I can tell them all about how I once spent sometime in my life living in the great city of Baltimore. This weekend I drove to Virginia and it was absolutely beautiful. I stopped in Old Town Alexandria to have lunch and walk around. I then drove the measly hour to get back to Baltimore. It is still insane to me that I can drive to not one, but many states within the span of a few hours. I have now made visiting every state in the US my number one on my bucket list, (yes, number 1, one, uno, if I could include every language for "one" I would...) so if anyone would like to help me with this goal, I would love you forever.
In May, I am going to visit Christopher again and we've decided to make a trip to Memphis, Tennessee. It started with me just dilly dallying at work, trying to find something to do in Little Rock for my long weekend when I stumbled upon the fact that Memphis is only 2 HOURS(!) away from Chris. My dad told me Graceland was there and I was sold. Who wouldn't want to see the King of Rock's great estate?! I'm pretty darn excited. Thank god Christopher is okay with me dragging him to visit other states and cities. We're also planning on making a day trip to Philly to see the great historical sites, oh, and eat an infamous Philly Cheesesteak. Needless to say, I'm pretty stoked on the next few months!
Anyway, I will try to post more soon about life, food, work, whatever comes to mind. I hope this finds you well!
xoxo
In May, I am going to visit Christopher again and we've decided to make a trip to Memphis, Tennessee. It started with me just dilly dallying at work, trying to find something to do in Little Rock for my long weekend when I stumbled upon the fact that Memphis is only 2 HOURS(!) away from Chris. My dad told me Graceland was there and I was sold. Who wouldn't want to see the King of Rock's great estate?! I'm pretty darn excited. Thank god Christopher is okay with me dragging him to visit other states and cities. We're also planning on making a day trip to Philly to see the great historical sites, oh, and eat an infamous Philly Cheesesteak. Needless to say, I'm pretty stoked on the next few months!
Anyway, I will try to post more soon about life, food, work, whatever comes to mind. I hope this finds you well!
xoxo
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Adventures with Cooking
Tonight was by far the biggest struggle to make dinner. After a long day at work and an even longer time waiting at the doctor's office followed by grocery shopping, I drove the struggle train trying to make dinner. However, after pushing myself to try and eat healthier, I didn't want to ruin today by eating mac and cheese (even though it's one of my top 10 favorite meals).
I decided to make Turkey Stuffed Peppers by Skinny Taste. I've been finding a lot of awesome meals on this website and in my quest to eat healthier/learn how to cook, this is my go to. I'm hoping tonight's dinner looks like this:
Although I'll be happy with pretty much anything at this point.
I decided to make Turkey Stuffed Peppers by Skinny Taste. I've been finding a lot of awesome meals on this website and in my quest to eat healthier/learn how to cook, this is my go to. I'm hoping tonight's dinner looks like this:
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| Skinnytaste.com |
Sunday, February 3, 2013
New Year, New Me
Along with a new city, new work, new daily routine, new cooking skills, I decided to add a new hairstyle into the mix. I've been growing my hair for about 3 years now. My very fine, typically blonde hair was starting to hate me. I'm sure picking at my split ends probably didn't help either. A few days ago, I walked into the Phillip Michael studio that is a few blocks down for my house for a simple consultation and walked away with an appointment to chop and color my hair darker. I can't tell you much lighter my head feels without all that hair weighing me down, not to mention how much easier it will be to blow dry and straighten my hair now!
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| Before |
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| After |
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The weekend before last, my handsome boyfriend, Christopher, came to visit me again in Baltimore. We spent the weekend traveling to Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware, Rohoboth beach, watching the 9ers and Ravens games, drinking, sight seeing, and enjoying each other's company. Long distance is definitely not the business, but we already have plans to see each other for the next few months and in about 2 weeks I will be making my first visit to Little Rock, Arkansas. Enjoy pictures from our weekend!
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| This treehouse was sold on ebay for $1 and was originally assembled by a couple of people at Burning Man every year. They eventually got tired of hauling the pieces back and forth and decided to sell it. So, the owner of Dogfish Head bought the piece for $1 and then had to pay some ridiculous amount like $300,000 to ship the parts. He then flew out the people selling the treehouse to construct it on the property |
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| Chris at Fort McHenry |
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| At Fort McHenry looking out at the Harbor |
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| Birthday Dinner! |
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| Christopher getting to experience the insanity that was the Ravens going to the Superbowl |
Friday, January 25, 2013
Snow!
It finally snowed in Maryland! I've received many questions about how I feel about the snow, how the Californian is doing in the weather, etc. etc. I'm actually doing really well! It's surreal to see snow falling on my car and while I'm driving. Enjoy some pictures:
I'll update tomorrow about last weekend when my boyfriend came to visit!
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