wow, i'm a fickle friend!

Yes, yes I am. I'm sorry guys! 

You see the problem is... I don't know if blogging helps me to stay on track or if it just distracts me!!!  Well anyway, the holiday weight is a total NO WAY and I am trying to get back to losing some much not needed weight. 

So, I will follow all of you bloggers out there and you can follow me if ya like. You never know just what you will find on my blog haha. I might be here, I might be there. That's just me. Off and on. 

Thank goodness in real life I can be a REAL friend and have good relationships! LOL

XOXO

Sam

I'm so sorry...

I had something happen in my life that really took my focus off of healthy living for the last week and a half. Please pray for me and my family and pray that I can keep focused during these hard times to take care of myself!!! I need the encouragement and motivation so badly! If you have a kind encouraging word, please know that it is needed and appreciated!

Much love XOXO Sam

Sorry guys...

I wasn't able to run today due to personal family issues. Hopefully I'll be back up and running (pun intended) tomorrow. :(
XOXO Sam

Sent from my iPhone

October Challenge Day 2!

Hey everyone! So I just had the funniest and most pathetic thing happen to me this morning....

I went outside, ready to jog. I usually put my keys up on the brick column holding up the front of our house. It's kind of high up so you can't see the top, but I can reach up there and hide my keys! I don't like running with them....well, how the heck was I supposed to know there was a partition or in other words, a dang hole further away from the edge?!!!

So, basically my keys are inside the bottom of this huge brick column and I can't get them :( Needless to say, I jogged, then had to wait for my mom to come back home and let me in! haha

So on Day 2 of the Oct. Challenge I have done over 20 minutes of activity! I ran/walked for 30 mins using the Couch to 5K app on my phone! I really bust up my legs when I push too hard, remember? So, while I was waiting for mom to let me in the house I did some bicycle crunches, and push ups :D AND LOTS OF STRETCHING! My right calf is still aching...

Anyone know what to do for a sore calf that feels like the beginning of a shin splint?!!


Anyway, so update on last night...I was pretty much tempted by EVERYTHING. I was helping a friend out with a HUGE family reunion. I got paid to have eat, chat, and clean basically! My plan was this: I would go ahead and try some of the things that looked really good as long as it was only a spoon full amount. I did that will probably 5 things. Those things made up probably one and a half servings or so. I also had a salad and some of the sausage they had! Everything was SOOOOO yummy!!! :D But here is where I was really tempted...and decided to give in...

Yep. And just like that I had SOME, not all of the chocolate cake, and all of the coconut cream pie. I really cannot say no to coconut cream pie :( 

BUT today I am back on track with everything as the above mentions. ;) I am eating healthy...see?

Much love bloggers! Have a healthy blessed day!

XOXO Sam

I Feel Good!

I mean I really feel good!

I'm really proud of myself! I have stayed mostly on track this week with my jogging and healthy eating!
Yesterday was really really busy and I ended up eating 2 slices of pizza because I really had no other way of eating dinner. BUT they were small pieces and they weren't as tasty as I remember pizza used to be!

As for the Oct. Challenge I ended up doing some bicycle crunches in front of the tv, stretching, and walking to the football game and back home to Bobby's house! So all in all that would account for 20 or so minutes of activity! And I'm really glad I joined up for this!

Oh and by the way! I was worried when I stepped on the scale this morning that I would have gained a pound because of the carbs last night....but NO!

Instead I LOST a pound! YAY!!!!

So as my mom said to me..."I must be doin' somethin' right!"

Now I'm on my way to go help out with a friend's family reunion!!!!
(p.s. I feel good in my shorts!)

Until later...XOXO Sam

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THESE...

GRAPES!!!

WOW. I Just Wanna Say...

Thanks to Syl at LIVE, SMILE, RUN!!!! I have OFFICIALLY accepted (perhaps against my better judgment of promise to not promise) her October Challenge!!!! As I have understood it, the challenge I have chosen to do consists of at LEAST 20 minutes of activity EVERY DAY OF OCTOBER!!!!

Now, usually I walk in the mornings or evenings for almost an hour. But I LIKE my Saturday and Sunday off! I know, I probably should do some sort of activity on those days...maybe I will! Especially with this new challenge! I feel obligated, motivated, determined, and ready to go! I hope you visit her blog and keep up with her progress as well as the many others who have joined in!

Oh, on another note....a bummer one for me :( This morning I was jogging and felt a shin splint coming on. My right leg to be precise. It sucks because now I have to baby it and perhaps not jog for a few days. I will only be able to walk in order to preserve my legs! I run on the road so it's really really bad for me. I could go to the track but I would still have to walk a mile to get there! I should though...haha.

This will be the third time to get shin splints if this actually keeps acting up with my right let. I gotta learn to let up once in awhile! And this is what I think of SHIN SPLINTS:

AHHHH!!!!

Why didn't anyone tell me I was am HUGE???

Oh, why didn't anyone tell me....

Just saw some pics from last week of my mom's birthday. I look so horrid. I feel horrid. I know I am on the right track, but if only I had known sooner!!! Would I have done something about it? WOULD I?!!

AM I?!!!

As big as I think I look, I feel about this small.

XOXO Sam

My Day in Pictures

This is from yesterday actually.
I had a deliciously healthy lunch!

I caved in...

And had a diet coke.

Short post today...

Here are some pictures of how I've been doing so far this week. As you may know, I am on a week of boycotting FAST FOOD. I am doing great seeing as how I haven't had ONE thing from a fast food joint so far! I don't consider Starbucks fast food because everything they serve doesn't have HFCS or other artificial things! STARBUCKS FTW!!!!! (for the win). I have walk/jogged everyday since Sunday and will continue on until Saturday, or if something comes up. 

I want you to know that I "feel" thinner!!! I am workin' so hard on it all! I also feel more confident!!! (Until I have that before-my-shower-in-front-of-the-mirror moment). Keep working hard everyone! It pays to be healthy! I am exhausted though, gotta get up early to run! I'll try to get a more detailed post in on the weekend...but for right now you will have to be ok with my random pic blogs. :D much love!

XOXO Sam

      

(whole grain rice!)

(the ketchup is ORGANIC!)

A Lot's Been Happenin'!!!

Hey everyone of you amazing followers you! 

How is everyone? I hope your weekend has gone well and you are ready and prepared to take on another week! Where I live, it's gonna be a hot week...yuck. It'll hit 100 for a couple of days so I'd better get my walking/jogging in early!

As the above title mentions, I have had a lot that has been going on! This past week was really busy with school and work again...plus I had a beautiful mother who's birthday was on Friday! Guess who's?! 

MINE!

I baked her a chocolate cake (everything was either a mix or pre-made) and decided to have a go at fondant icing! It was super fun and although time consuming, it turned out beautifully. :)

Aside from that taking up most of my day on Friday, plus work in the evening, Saturday was a lazy day. I slept in deliciously late and focused on...well, quite literally nothing. :D I honestly can't even remember what it consisted of! Probably lounging around the house.

BUT, here is the part that has been happening. I finally watched Supersize Me. WOW. I knew how bad that fast food was for my body, but I didn't realize it was THAT bad!!! This movie put everything into perspective for me and I am so glad of that. Basically, if I continue eating fast food daily, I could "pickle" my liver just as an alcoholic does. I would be considered a fast foodaholic. I just might be well on my way to killing my liver. It could KILL me! Plus, it doesn't help that a lifestyle of fast food gains me weight. :( 

I am really happy that I watched that movie because I have learned so many things! For example...did you know that the Big Gulps at your local 7 Eleven consist of around 40 teaspoons of SUGAR?!! OMG.

This guy, Morgan Spurlock, sacrificed his body for an experiment in which he ended up consuming 30 POUNDS of sugar in the course of 30 days!!! A lot of that was through his liquid calories of milkshakes and soda...but STILL!!! He gained 24 and a half pounds in the 30 days he was doing this! 

You who haven't watched it need to find it on Hulu.com and watch it RIGHT NOW. It will really change your perspective on things!!! I have decided that I am going to boycott ALL fast food for the next week if not longer. The reason I chose a week to begin with is because I've been known to lag on my promises...I WANT to do amazingly, but if you're human, you know real life exists. I might be on the road and get hungry...I might not have the money to afford healthy eating...anything. Although right now I am thinkin' that starving would be better for my body compared to stuffing it full of death. 

Have a great night everybody! Good luck on being healthy and keeping your body active this week!

XOXO Sam

You're A BUM!!!! (Rocky quote)

I HAVE been a bum! Well, not a lazy bum haha...

I have been so busy!!! How are you all? I'm sorry I haven't posted for awhile. It's been hectic and I've been getting up early and going to bed early to get my walking in! I have done over 10 miles this week of extra walking!!! And a bit of jogging in-between :D

I'm really proud of myself in that area! It seems like exercise is something I can handle and actually do on a day to day basis. Eating on the other hand...will be my ongoing lot in life. It's so hard to stay healthy when I have NO money to spend on expensive healthy foods!!!!

That is one of my biggest pet peeves that I will argue about all my life unless it changes in the near future, which, it won't. I can't STAND the fact that I can buy a double cheeseburger at McD's for a dollar and a freggin' salad costs me $5!!!!! What on earth is this world coming to? I think it's all a conspiracy to kill us fat, food loving people off the planet and the thin ones will take over the world...I dunno, it's just my theory.

So things have been good though! I have been keeping in touch with Anand through skype which is SO fun :D And, I have been busy at school with all my art classes, drawing on paper (int. drawing), drawing on the computer (painter), making my face into an Avatar (photoshop), and replicating candy bar wrappers (Illustrator). It all seems like busy work but I really am loving all the practice time I get in for my future career as Professional Graphic Designer! maybe...still not quite SURE.

So, just for contemplation's sake... as you know I have been walking and jogging around 3 miles everyday this week. I have come to realize that I have a bad habit of self demoralizing. Yeah, demoralizing IS actually the perfect word for what I've been doing. At the end of my walk (which is btw full of confidence, motivation, and determination), I find that I imagine people drive by and think to themselves, "Look at that fat girl running". Now, most people I know "don't think" I'm fat...ok and I guess I "don't think" so either. But it DOES pop into my head sometimes. And I know I DO need to lose weight. That's why earlier I said eating healthy seems to be the hardest thing for me...I can exercise but it's so hard to eat right.

I need a confidence boosting and relatable amount of encouragement...anybody have some for me?

Thnx for reading...

XOXO Sam

My Busy Day in Photos

This morning I was up at 6am and walked at 6:20-6:50ish. This first pic is the view from my house!

Food Today...

So I started off pretty healthy today. I had a cup of tea before church and a cup of coffee at church.

I then made some oatmeal with cinammon and honey which I only ate half of because I accidentally DUMPED the dang cinnammon in the oatmeal and I seriously just couldn't eat it....

Then I decided I had to get my body moving on my free time no matter how hot it was! And it was hot. So Jillian and I decided to go walking/jogging. I was really happy that I made 3 miles in 45 minutes!!!! It was my record for longest with Jillian haha. I love this app! If you have an iPhone you can download this app for free! Oh, and you should follow me on twitter at @shmampayne.

Me, stretching after my walk...

This is my kitty Buddy. I just call him Cat.

For lunch I had left over crockpot roast beef, carrots, and potatoes.

Random picture of me looking happy about my day :D

Ok, so here is where it gets hard. The boyfriend gets off of work and of course he's starving...so we get the easiest, fastest, most filling thing possible. Jack In The Box. :( I know...guilty as charged...at least it was a small right? RIGHT??????

So...that was my day of food in pictures. I hope you guys make a better dinner choice than I did...I'll try to do better tomorrow!!!

XOXO Sam

Ahhhh, Sunday Mornings

I'm in love with Sunday Mornings :D

These particular days consist of waking up at 7:30 am (which almost feels like sleeping in!), making some hot tea, eating/or not eating oatmeal, and heading to church with Bobby. Church makes everything ok. It re-energizes me for the rest of the week. It reminds me of the things I want to work on to better myself. It reminds me that I am loved. :)

This morning, I felt convicted about my health among other things. I know health is something that I verbally say is SO important to me... Now is the time to make it physically important to me by taking actions!!!

WHO IS WITH ME??!!

So, my plan today is first of all to eat something small after this post because it's 11:41am and I haven't eaten yet today. Then I want to walk the 3 or so miles around my neighborhood. Who cares if it's walking or jogging? Not me! BODY MOVEMENT. Remember?

Oh, on another note, the BFF just texted me and she's moving into her dorm room as I type. She's nervous and so am I, for her sake. She has the family with her and she's met her roommate and Anand said that she seems nice. :) I'm glad of that because if you haven't figured it out yet, I have more guy friends than girls because, well.....MEOW!!!!! Can u guess what I mean by that? Girls are catty!!!
I miss her though and it's crazy to think that I might not see her for a long time...yes she will be back for the local fair and Halloween and whatnot, but it won't be the same.

What about the times when I need a friend to talk to RIGHT NOW? I need my random Starbucks discussions with her...I will comfort myself in the fact that maybe we will grow even closer through techno communication. Text, email, letters, skype etc...

One last thing: I'm going to be keeping a "Snaplog" or picture log of what I am eating today...I'll update this post or make a new post at the end of the day so you can see if I'm being healthy or not!!!! We will see!!!!

XOXO Sam

Art

Here are a few of the drawings I've been assigned to do this semester in my intermediate drawing class :)

So tired...

How funny is it that almost all of my posts include the word tired in them?

I don't feel much like blogging today...maybe instead I'll just post some pictures later. I stayed at a couple of our friends' house last night and played 5 card poker and catch phrase :D But it was a late night and an early morning so when I got home I instantly went straight to bed.

It's my Saturday, so why not? It's been a lazy day...Oh, and about the eating healthy thing... well lately it's really hard. I'm kind of broke and out of money so I have been struggling with eating fast food. I mean, hey it's cheap right? But it's SO bad!!! If I had some more money maybe I would focus on making my own healthy dinners and plan ahead for the week but I have zero money... :(

On a good note though, Blockbuster said they are going to start my background check on Tuesday!!! So hopefully I'll get the job for sure and make some healthy food money haha.

Anyway everyone, I am lazy and I don't feel like chatting too much today. I like how pictures are worth the thousand words that I don't want to say... stay posted.

XOXO Sam

No Worries Weekend!

My week is coming to an end. 

I can finally relax tomorrow after school is over and enjoy the other side of my hectic, crazy life. 

I saw my best friend for the last time today before she leaves for college on Saturday. :( Although it was a sad parting, I know all will go well with her for she is stronger than any other girl I know. 

Today was busy/relaxing at school if that can make any sense to you at all... It consisted of 9am-3pm art all day. First it was Photoshop and catching up, then drawing and boring critiques. I may love art but basically that means I enjoy the pleasure I receive from looking at it and creating it, not analyzing it. 

And I do love my art classes! I will post some pics on here soon of some work I've been doing in class. But, art classes at my college DO have some setbacks. My drawing class for instance...no offense against Russians, I think you guys are great! But sometimes it's hard to understand what you're saying (depending on the person...this is mostly geared towards my drawing teacher), and maybe it's hard for you to understand what I'M saying. 

Since I am in the intermediate class, she says she expects more from me. I do understand this. Obviously I won't sketch my work in a half-ass way. I put time into these things! And yet, I get graded more difficultly because I'm in the intermediate class. I have talked with her about it and out of everything she has told me I've gathered this information: She won't give me anything over a B if it's not PERFECTLY what she wants.

No doubt, I could be wrong...but then again, Russian to Sam=???

Enough of that. My last day of school for the week is tomorrow and I don't want to think about it. I want to dream about sleeping in on Saturday and lounging around the house (aside from doing laundry and cleaning etc.). My boyfriend would say "piddling" around the house. He has used that exact word probably 3-4 times today and I'm wondering, 

"If you're going to pick a word of the day in which to use excessively, 

why "piddling"???"

I would probably use something more like (lounging as the above, or) lolling. I also just looked up the word "piddling" and I'm sorry my love, but you are using it in the most incorrect way!

It's late and I must dash-

I really hope you got the humor in that last comment...

Much love XOXO Sam

Roadie

It's too late to make much of this.

I am so tired!!!

I had school this morning from 8am-1pm. Then I jammed to my bf's house, ate lunch, rested for 45 mins on his bed, then moved some stuff into storage.

I then proceeded to jam back home by 3pm to get ready for work and leave at 3:30pm back to my school campus where I met a fellow worker. We carpooled to "The No" and worked until 6pm and got back to school at 6:30pm.

I finally got home around 7, changed and headed back to Bobby's where we ate dinner and watched UFC fights. Thank GOD my friend Nat came by for a visit during the fights.

SORRY HUN, I LOVE THE FIGHTS BUT GIRL TIME IS A MUST!!!!


Anyone else agree????


After we finished visiting I watched the premiere of this season's The Ultimate Fighter.
GSP is one of the coaches and ladies....if you don't know who he is, please Google.
One word to describe him.... BOMB.

Now finally at home, it is 11:27pm and as soon as I hit the last key on this keyboard I am shutting the laptop and falling back into my delicious bed. Then up again at 6:30am.

WOW. Oh, the one thing I did today in which I "moved my body" was the 20 lunges I did in front of the TV while watching GSP's HOTNESS onscreen.

Sleep well everyone...I know I will!

XOXO Sam

Tension...

Is innnnnnnn the House!

I mean, I LOVE my family but at my age, it's starting to to grate on my nerves that I can't afford a house or apartment of my own!

It's dinner time and my mom is making some spare ribs with veggies :D I ate more crap today because I'm on such a busy schedule and I hate that it's so hard to have self control on days like this.

I had my second job interview today at Blockbuster. Although the title of my blog may give you visions of Acting, Hollywood, starlets, and lounging by the pool all day I am afraid that this is not the case. I DO live in Cali...a smaller, sad little part of it anyway. And I HAVE to work, hence the interview at BB.
I don't have any of that cool lounge-y, rich stuff here, sorry to disappoint. I go to a community college and I also work there. I needed a second part time job to afford gas for here and there.

I plan on traveling the world in my spare time once I have a career.

Don't worry, I have PLAN.

It's my last semester at the little school then off to the big school at State for me! I'm getting my AA in art and I am thinking of Graphic Design in my future. I'm hoping Blockbuster will help pave the way...

Anyway, the other day I tried to post from my iPhone and it didn't work so I'm just now getting back on here to retell all.
I walked my dog the other morning at 6:15AM!!!! That's dang early for me! And in the evening Bobby and I walked to Starbucks...not sure if this is a repeat or not...Oh, well.

So tonight is going to involve walking to Bobby's and maybe walking back. I need to MOVE!!!! Oh, and I did lunges last night and today while picking up Bear poop. (That's my dog).

Until later!
XOXO Sam

Up late. Again.

I need to learn how to prioritize my day or something...

How do you guys organize your day so you get everything you want to get done, done? I usually end up doing school and/or work and when I'm done with that I spend the other part of my day with Bobby.
We do EVERYTHING together haha.

I find that I don't have much time to do anything else even if I DO spend time alone...the only reason I ever stay home by myself is usually to sleep because I'm so tired. Then, when it's night and I'm supposed to be sleeping that is when I spend my time "relaxing".

What do I do when I relax? I probably just stay up late watching CTFXC videos on Youtube. haha. I love those guys...

Anyway...as an example, I tried to tell myself I would clean my room on the weekends. I did last weekend but this weekend it didn't happen. I found myself doing sketches for my drawing class and doing laundry instead. It took up quite a lot of my time! Then for relaxation time I went to Bobby's and we did more schoolwork and watched Entourage.

Why is life SO busy at times and SO slow at others? Ugh...Life, please make up your mind.

XOXO Sam

Ice Skating

So tonight was the big night. Oh my goodness, I hadn't been ice skating in years!!! Not since I was 13 I think... It was so awesome!

The group consisted of my best girlfriend, my boyfriend Bobby, and my "boys" as I like to call them. This group of buddies can be found pretty much every night at our local Starbucks. :) There isn't much else to do around our rink-a-dink town of Kingsburg. So we all decided to make a big thing out of this going away party for one of our own and traveled 25 miles out of town to the big city.

HA.

Fresno, or "The No", as we like to call it holds much more interest than Kingsburg. Malls, fine restaurants, and activities (such as ice skating!) abound!!! At this, we laugh, because although these fun things exist it is still nothing compared to the ever alluring LA or New York.

So we all met up at Starbucks (where else would we meet?) and took off for "The No" and the "Gateway Ice Center".

        

Me in the truck on the way.

RJ, funniest buddy EVER.

The ever sexy boyfriend, Bobby. 

We all stopped on the way to eat at In-N-Out, our favorite treat when entering Fresno. More pictures happened. As did the LOUDEST experience I've EVER had at In-N-Out. 

       

My best friend Anand and her boyfriend Kyle.

Silly Bobby! 

I LOVED this picture of us! He's so handsome!!!

Finally we were at the skating rink.

I really thought that Bobby was going to just plain SUCK, seeing as how it was his first time. And I thought I was going to do OK. And my best friend thought she was going to just fall down a lot. :D

Well, she did. And Bobby ROCKED. And I, well...I did ok! :) It was GREAT! I got some great video footage too and once I get a chance to create one of my FAMOUS (LOL) videos I will have to post it on here!

Anand and I showing some love on the ice!

Bobby and I doing "FACE", a picture that will become quite familiar to you :D

Anand, trying to keep her balance as the boys help her stay up!

And here is the whole group!

From left to right: Bobby, Nick, Alex, Anand, Kyle, RJ, Franky, and me in the middle!

It was a great night and I had so much burning so many calories after 2 hours of ice skating!!! Plus I had done the 5 mile walk earlier that morning...So I had spent my whole day being active and it felt SO great!!! I plan on doing a lot more walking and a lot more ice skating ASAP. It is so important to me to start focusing on moving my body and I hope that this day will have given me an idea of how fun it can be! 

Thanks for reading and please come again! 

xoxo Sam