Feel ALL THE FEELS!

WARNING: Continue reading at your own risk. I went a little crazy this week. You've been warned...

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie or television show that is so incredibly wonderful that it makes you sad, like really really sad, when it's all over? Not just because it's over, but because you know that even though it feels real it's fiction, and you know that your reality and your life will never be as wonderful as the book you just read or the movie or show you just watched? Yeah, me too. And for some reason every time I'm reading one of these amazing books or watching one of these shows or movies it always happens during some kind of transition period in my life, like a new school year starting for instance. And after I finish the book or show or movie I just end up being sad for like a whole week afterwards because the people in the book or movie or show get to go on living these amazing lives and falling in love and being so happy, and all I get to do the next day is go to school. I know this might not make a lot of sense to some people, but it happened again this week after I finished reading The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. I knew after finishing the books I'd be sad because I'd come to love these characters so freaking much that it hurt, but I was unprepared for just how many feels I was feeling after I turned the last page. Feels, man, they get you when you least expect it. And of course this had to happen on the night before the second day of my junior year of college so I got to go to school the next morning with puffy eyes from crying over this book all night and the fact that I would never know the satisfaction of being a shadowhunter or killing a demon or meeting Will and Jem and Tessa (Main characters of the books for those who haven't read them. If you haven't I highly suggest you do, regardless of all the tears. They're worth it. Promise). So yeah, I'm sure this post is sounding a bit fangirly right about now, but I just wanted to put this out there if for no other reason than it feels good to write about it. So bear with me here, people.

This whole being sad for a week after reading or watching something has obviously happened to me before, for instance after I finished One Tree Hill on Netflix last semester after we came back to school from Winter break I cried like a baby for hours. And sure, in the beginning it was all about the show being over and what a happy ending it was and they were both happy and sad tears, but then it just morphed into this crazy four hour crying fest that I wasn't sure how to stop. See, the thing you need to know about me is, I don't cry. Like hardly ever or at all. Sometimes I think my tear ducks are broken. But when something like this happens it just seems to open the freaking flood gates and then all the apparent tears I've been stocking up for a year just come rushing out until there's no more left and it is incredibly exhausting. And still I have no idea why this happens the way that it does. I mean, what gives tear ducts? Why can't you be normal and produce the amount of tears you're supposed to when something sad happens, instead of surprising me with your pseudo ninja depression tears after I finish a really good book? Obviously I have some attachment issues to books that I love, but what self-respecting book nerd doesn't? It's the fact that I get all sad about not being able to live the life in the book or show or movie that's just really bringing me down. Normal people read a good book or watch a great show and think, "Hmm, what a great book/show. I'm sad it's over, but oh well. Back to reality now." And then there's me, "WHY?! Why can't you be my life?! Why can't I be a shadowhunter, or live in Tree Hill, or find a boy like Augustus Waters?! WHY?!" Followed by copious amounts of ninja tears and a week long recovery time. I think I may be allergic to reality, guys, and though I refuse to give up my fiction NO MATTER WHAT, I'm not so sure I can handle more ninja tears any time soon. Ugh, the feels, they are exhausting, but I suppose I wouldn't give them up. Because even if my life can never be as cool as the ones I read in books, or see in movies or on TV, at least for a little while I get to pretend that I'm there with the characters and I guess that makes it all worth it. I just wish that my recover time from them would become a little shorter seeing as I do actually have a reality to get back to and no matter how unexciting I think it may be, it's the only one I've got.

Sorry this was so tangent-y and weird, but I guess I'm weird and I like tangents. Deal with it. Or you know, don't. It's up to you. Also sorry about all the ninja tear talk, I'm sure you were either thoroughly confused or repulsed by my salt water. Or maybe you knew exactly what I was talking about in which case, we're all in this together! So anyway, yeah, if by some miracle you managed to read this far, congrats! You're awesome! And I assure you after this week of recovering from the ninja tears and all the feels I will be back with much less depressing stuffs to discuss. Or maybe not, you never know what I'll write on here. Heck, I never know what I'll write on here. But of course I never claimed to be an optimist.

Love & Chaos,
Sam

"Back to school, back to school..."

Well the day I have been dreading all Summer has finally arrived, that day being, of course, the last day of Summer. Every year it's the same. Summer begins and it stretches out in front of you all shiny and new and unknown, like a blank canvas to be painted upon with all of your adventures and future memories. And then while you're not paying attention and without you even realizing it, suddenly it's June, and then July, and then August shows itself and you realize that the end is nigh. It happens every year, and yet every year I expect it to last just a little bit longer, but sooner or later the end does come and you have to be okay with that. And I am, as much as one can be I suppose, but there truly is nothing like a Summer, and when it's over there's nothing else to do but feel a little sad about it. And that's okay too. Because it really was a great Summer, with some sad parts mixed in and some precious things lost, but a lot of great memories were made and a lot of things were gained as well, and that is what I will carry with me into the coming seasons.

I am a girl who loves all seasons and I can usually find something to look forward to when one is leaving and another is arriving and Autumn is no exception. Despite the fact that the freedom of Summer is now past, there is something special about Fall and all the new and exciting things that it can bring to you, along with the things that always accompany it. There's the usual, but equally special changing of the leaves, the cooler weather and warmer clothes, the pumpkin flavored everything, Halloween, Thanksgiving. And then there are the things that are unknown, the new people you may meet, the new things you may learn, the new places you will go. And it is because of both the new and the old things mixed together that I love Fall in it's own special way. It's different than the way I love Summer, or Spring or Winter, but still just as important and just as good. So yes, I am sad that Summer is ending, but I am also happy that Fall is just beginning and I look forward to what, and who, it brings with it.

Since school is now starting and I'll have a little more on my plate to deal with I may not be able to continue doing weekly lists, but I will try my best to keep posting as regularly as possible and keep you up to date on what's going on in the oh-so-exciting (sarcasm) world of Sam. To everyone who has already started school, or is getting ready to start soon, I wish you all a wonderful year more special than the last!

Love & Chaos,
Sam

List #17...Reading is Bliss

This summer I've been reading a lot of books, like A Lot of books. It's one of my favorite things to do in the summer because I have time off and can dedicate said time to catching up on the books on my reading list. Now that it's almost time to start school again I've been trying to finish as many books as possible before I run out of free time. A while back I made a list of some of my very favorite books, but I never got the chance to tell you why they were my favorite or what I loved so much about reading in general. So this week I decided to do just that.

Sam's List of Reasons to Love Reading

• Reality can be boring...and fiction is so much more interesting
• It's like traveling the world without leaving your bedroom
• You're never bored as long as you have a book to read
• It connects you to other people who like the same books as you do
• It's an escape
• Sometimes you can really relate to a character and it makes you feel less alone
• The right words put together in the right way can be magic
• Sometimes a book will break your heart, but sometimes a book will make you fall in love. Sometimes both.
• Books can teach us so much
• Re-reading a favorite book is like visiting an old friend
• Books can understand you in a way that people can't
• Whatever you love, whatever you're interested in, there's a book for that
• You can re-read a good book over and over and still find something new in it every time
•  The right book can make you cry...sometimes from sadness, sometimes from happiness
• The right book can make you laugh
• The right book can change your life

There are always going to be a million and more reasons why I love reading books, but one of my favorite quotes says it best..."Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on...Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it's a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it's a way of making contact with someone else's imagination after a day that's all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss." -Nora Ephron

And I couldn't have said it better myself.

Love & Chaos,
Sam

List #16...Back to School

Though I'm not going back to school for another week, I thought that since many of you are heading back to school soon I'd do a list this week about things to look forward to, to get myself in a better mood about it. Here goes.

Sam's List of Things to Look Forward to When Going Back to School

• Seeing friends again on a regular basis. If there's anything to look forward to about school, it's friends.
• Meeting new people. Usually this is pretty hard for me, but I'm determined this year to make an effort.
• Learning new things and taking new classes. Though I'm sure this semester will be tough, I think it will also be pretty interesting. Here's hoping.
• New school supplies and school clothes. I love the smell of fresh notebooks in the morning.
• Fall. Though Summer will always hold a special place in my heart, there's just something about the way the air smells in the Fall when the leaves are changing and you get to break out those cozy sweaters that have been gathering dust in your closet since winter.
• Motivation. During the Summer I tend to shift into lazy mode, as well we should, but starting school up again usually helps me get back into the swing of actually doing things. Even if one of those things is homework. Bleh.
• The promise of something new. I myself tend to love all the seasons, but by the end of them I'm usually ready for the next one to begin. So now that Summer is winding down and we're reaching the cusp of Fall I'm excited to see what's in store for this next semester. Hopefully lots of new opportunities and people are in my near future. Fingers crossed.

I know this list is a little shorter than usual, but can you blame me? Still, I hope that all of you have wonderful first days of school and a wonderful year. Good Luck. "And may the odds be ever in your favor." :)

Love & Chaos,
Sam

List #15...Movie Magic

Hey everyone! Hope your summers are going well! It's sad to think that mine is almost over, but at least I have the wonderful fall weather to look forward to. Can't wait for comfy sweaters and boots and hats! But in the meantime I'm going to do my best to soak up these last few precious weeks of summer as best I can because all too soon they'll be gone. Another thing I have to look forward to, however, is all of the great movies that are going to be coming out in the next few months and in 2014! And most of them are all based off of some of my favorite books, so you can imagine I am one happy girl when it comes to movies at the moment! I've always loved going to the movies because like with reading books, it's a way to escape reality and go someplace a little more exciting for awhile. So in honor of that, here's a list of all the movies that are coming out in the next few months and in 2014 (and a few that have already been released) that I can't wait to see. Hopefully you're excited to see them too!

Sam's List of Upcoming Movies To See

• The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones...I love this series sooo much! Can't wait to see it come to life on the big screen in just a few weeks!
• Catching Fire...Duh.
• The Spectacular Now...pretty sure this has already been released, but I still haven't seen it yet.
• The Way, Way Back...another already in theaters.
• The Kings of Summer...An indie that only came out in selected theaters. I must see it.
• Romeo and Juliet...DID YOU KNOW THEY'RE DOING ANOTHER REMAKE WITH DOUGLAS BOOTH AS ROMEO?!
• The Butler...this movie has everybody.
• Stuck in Love...looks great
• Anchorman 2: The Legend continues...gotta add a little comedy to this drama fest.
• At Any Price...looks interesting. Plus, Zac Efron.
• The Place Beyond the Pines
• Magic, Magic...An incredibly creepy Michael Cera? I'll take it.
• Kill Your Darlings...A movie about the poets and writers of the Beat generation, need I say more?
• Summer in February...Period Drama. Aww, yeah.
• Byzantium...One word. Vampires.
• About Time...so sweet.
• The Fault in Our Stars...not sure when this is coming out since they haven't even started filming yet, but there's no way it wasn't going on the list. Favorite book of all time! And hopefully soon to be favorite movie.
• Divergent...another favorite book turned movie. Let's hope it lives up to the books.
• The Maze Runner...Dylan O'Brien, people. Dylan O'Brien.

I know I'm probably forgetting a whole bunch of great movies that are coming soon, but these are the ones I can think of at the moment. Can't wait to see them all! If there's any you're looking forward to that I forgot to mention, leave them in the comments. I'd love to know what they are so I can add them to my list!

Love & Chaos,
Sam

Great Smoky Mountains - Part 3

Hey everyone! Time for round three of the GSM pics, let's hope I can fit the rest of them into one post. Here goes nothin'!

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip! We went to Ober Gatlinburg and got to ride the sky lift high into the mountains. So much fun!

Dad and Em in the car behind us.

Going up!

 

The alpine slide ran underneath the lift as we went up.

Sooo high up!

Oh you know, just a guitar and a lunch box heading down on the lift. Great way to get things back and forth.

Almost to the top!

Made it to the top! Great view!

Going back down!

View of Ober down the mountain and Gatlinburg even farther in the distance.

Getting closer to the bottom.

Found this little cutie riding the train all by herself like a big girl! Go Bells!

So many beautiful flowers!

After the train she insisted on riding the cars about four times in a row. Even gave us her princess wave every time she passed.

Tired kiddos.

What a view from Ober Gatlinburg.

On our last full day in town we went back to the park and went on a hike up into the mountains to see Laurel Falls. It was over a mile uphill, but definitely worth it!

View from our hike!

Finally reached the falls! So amazing!

Tried to get a full view of the falls, but they were just too big.

Beautiful morning.

All in all I'd say it was an AMAZING trip, filled with lots of fun times spent with the family and memories I think we'll never forget. Can't wait to do it again next year! But how about the beach next time, huh guys? I haven't seen the ocean in far too long!

 

Love & Chaos,

Sam

Great Smoky Mountains - Part 2

Hey everybody! Here's part two of all the photos from my recent family vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains. Enjoy!

On our way into the park.

Finally made it!

Little stream we found near the entrance to the park

Stopped to check out the river. Someone stacked the rocks.

Driving through the tunnel!

 

Scenic drive through the park.

Ry being silly.

Bella wants in the picture too!

Ah, mountains!

The mill near the Visitor's Center.

Found this beautiful little stream near the Visitor's Center.

Treetop shot!

So peaceful.

Sunlight in the trees.

Heading out of the park, but hopefully we'll be back soon!

 

Part three of the vacation pictures will be up soon!

Love & Chaos, Sam