
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Yes, I Am Alive But Now We're Going Camping

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014
The Day My Brother Got Married | 8.16.14




Here we've got Parker with his 2 sisters, us with his entire family (that I'm sure will be this year's Christmas card), and my mom with her best friends.


Jeanne sang at the wedding and happens to be my best friend so she stood right next to me almost 4 years ago when we got married.



Following the ceremony our "party bus" was a quick pontoon ride around the lake to celebrate the new Mr. and Mrs. All in all, it was a beautiful night. The weather was beautiful (read: hottttt) during the ceremony and dinner and then it basically down-poured for the rest of the night. Which turned out ok - we just moved the dance and DJ from the yard into the decorated garage.
We really couldn't have asked for anything better. And I really couldn't have asked for anyone better to marry my brother. We are all so lucky. And I just love weddings.
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Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Drink: Red's Moscow Mule
**This is a guest post written by Laura @ The Suzie Lou Blog**
Greetings Everyone! My name is Laura and I blog over at The Suzie Lou Blog! Which is dedicated to the many creations and quarks in my journey in life, love, food, friends, family, and most importantly God! When I am not working on my blog I can be found living my dream as an actress on the stage of my local community theatre or in a local coffee hangout planning my next greatest adventure. Grab a cup of joe and come along for the ride!
Today I am so thrilled to be guest posting here at The Samantha Life! We have both jumped on the Orange is the New Black bandwagon and we both love our fun cocktails. So what better way to merge the two together than to have a fabulous themed cocktail!
One of my favorite ways to relax after a hard day is with some Netflix and a yummy beverage! My new current favorite Netflix binge is Orange is the New Black. In honor of their 12 emmy nominations, including my favorite character, Red, played by the amazing Kate Mulgrew. I decided to create a twist on a traditional Moscow Mule. I am calling it Red's Moscow Mule! Here is what you need:
Ingredients
Vodka- 1 to 1 and 1/2 shots
Ginger Ale
Orange Crush Flavor Powder
Ice
Fun glass to drink from
Instructions
(I find that this drink comes together if you create it all while speaking in your best Russian accent)
Start by adding lots of ice to you glass of choice.
Add your vodka.
Keeping with the Orange is the New Black theme, add your orange crush powder.
Mix it all up!
Fill the glass to the top with Ginger Ale.
Stir and Enjoy!
For those of you who don't like orange: never fear, you can still have a Red themed drink. Just use the Strawberry Crush flavoring instead. Your drink will just match Red's fierce Magenta locks.
And there ya go! I hope you enjoy this drink as much as I had creating it. Happy Netflix binging to you all! Thanks again Samantha for allowing me to guest post!
Nostrovia! (Cheers!)
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Monday, August 25, 2014
15 Reasons Why I Love To Come Home
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Friday, August 22, 2014
It's Already Friday And I Don't Hate It



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Wednesday, August 20, 2014
6 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW {What's Been Going On}

Co - Maids of Honor.



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Thursday, August 14, 2014
15 Tips For A Successful Marriage
You guys are in for a treat today! I am probably helping my mom prep for the Groom's Dinner tomorrow and helping the Bridezilla (I'm just kidding, Alyssa :) ) prep for Saturday's wedding day so today Charlene is here. And I love her. She's young, somewhat-newly married, and just an all-around great girl. I hope you enjoy her post and go check her out -- she's one of my favorites!
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Hey readers of The Samantha Life! I wanted to share some tips for a successful marriage with you guys. Because I'm an expert after being married for a little over 2 years, right? Not really, but I have some experience and I can share what I've learned.
So, here goes.
1. Don't stop dating after you get married. Just because you're married now doesn't mean you can stop trying to impress your spouse. Even though you spend a lot of time together now that you are married and you live together, you still need to set aside special time to spend together. Get dressed up and feel pretty. Do things you don't normally do. Spend quality time and conversation together away from the TV. My husband and I try to make sure we go on at least one date per week, and watching TV at home doesn't count.
2. Try to have dinner as a family every night. This is in addition to a weekly date night. We try to have dinner together whenever possible. If my husband comes home after work in time for dinner, but he still has a lot of homework to do, we at least make time for dinner at the table before he gets started.
3. Put away technology as much as possible. When I am spending time with my husband, I try to not even have my phone on me, but it's tough. I know some people have "no technology in the bedroom" rules. I at least don't have it with me at the dinner table.
4. Don't stop flirting after you get married. Both you and your spouse still need to feel loved, wanted, and attractive. Be the type of parents that make your kids sick. Kiss goodbye in the morning, greet each other with a kiss and hug at the end of the day. Send texts in the middle of the day just to say you're thinking about them.
Check out this month's featured lady:

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Hey readers of The Samantha Life! I wanted to share some tips for a successful marriage with you guys. Because I'm an expert after being married for a little over 2 years, right? Not really, but I have some experience and I can share what I've learned.
So, here goes.
1. Don't stop dating after you get married. Just because you're married now doesn't mean you can stop trying to impress your spouse. Even though you spend a lot of time together now that you are married and you live together, you still need to set aside special time to spend together. Get dressed up and feel pretty. Do things you don't normally do. Spend quality time and conversation together away from the TV. My husband and I try to make sure we go on at least one date per week, and watching TV at home doesn't count.
2. Try to have dinner as a family every night. This is in addition to a weekly date night. We try to have dinner together whenever possible. If my husband comes home after work in time for dinner, but he still has a lot of homework to do, we at least make time for dinner at the table before he gets started.
3. Put away technology as much as possible. When I am spending time with my husband, I try to not even have my phone on me, but it's tough. I know some people have "no technology in the bedroom" rules. I at least don't have it with me at the dinner table.
4. Don't stop flirting after you get married. Both you and your spouse still need to feel loved, wanted, and attractive. Be the type of parents that make your kids sick. Kiss goodbye in the morning, greet each other with a kiss and hug at the end of the day. Send texts in the middle of the day just to say you're thinking about them.
5. Go to bed angry. If you are having an argument, sometimes you need sleep on it and you will be more rational in the morning.
6. When you argue, don't bring up past arguments. Pearson and I attended a weekend marriage seminar when we were engaged and this was one of the big points. The couple presenting this point said that after they have a fight, they flush the argument down the toilet. Literally. They write the problem down on a piece of paper throw it in the toilet and flush. This somewhat ridiculous gesture helps them remember that the issue is over and will not affect future conflicts. You see, when you unnecessarily bring up old arguments, it only fuels the fire and doesn't help anything. Everybody makes mistakes, but we learn from them and move on.
7. Don't try to change your spouse. If you don't like something, try to change your own perspective and your attitude and see where that gets you. You didn't get married to change your spouse, you got married because you love the person he is!
8. Hold hands everywhere you go.
9. Listen to each other. Sometimes your spouse isn't looking for a solution. They just want you to listen and sympathize.
10. Tell each other how you feel. Even if it seems trivial. Your spouse wants (or should want) to know about you. I learned this one from reading The 5 Love Languages. Sharing is as much a part of quality conversation as listening is. If your spouse's primary love language is Quality Time/Conversation like my husband, then their love tank will never be full if you don't share what you are feeling.
11. Never stop "studying" your spouse. Get that PhD in your wife or husband. A lot of people told us this before we got married. It goes along with some things I said earlier. Don't stop paying attention to your spouse after you get married. You do NOT know everything there is to know about them. And besides, people change as they get older so there is always something new to learn.
12. Be intentional about loving your spouse. Once you are out of the "in love" and "infatuation" stage and reality sets it, it might not be so easy to love your spouse on a daily basis. If you choose to love them no matter what, it will eventually become a habit again.
13. Encourage your spouse with your words. This means to speak kindly even if something negative needs to be said. It means to encourage him or her to do things that they want to do (not that you want them to do). And it means making requests of them as an equal, not demands as an authority. This one is hard for me because it is my natural tendency to nag, but there is always a way to get across what needs to be said in a kind way.
14. Don't compare your marriage to other people's marriages. You are two individual and unique people so your marriage is unique as well. What works for other people might not work for you and vice versa. Comparing only brings negative things to light and nothing good can come of it.
15. And last but not least, keep God first. What does this look like? Pray with your spouse. Pray for your spouse. Study the Bible with your spouse. Go to God with conflicts in your marriage. Make church and the Bible a priority. Find other Christian couple friends to fellowship with.
This certainly is not an exhaustive list, and I know I have a lot more to learn but I hope this post has been an inspiration to you. What would you add to my list?
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out my monthly marriage goals, my post about The 5 Love Languages, and my tips for arguing with your spouse.
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014
12 Reasons Why You Might Be From North Dakota If...
I am lucky enough to have met Samantha, who blogs at Busy Sweet Life, through this crazy blogging world. Plus, I even get to meet her in person at a meet-up in September so you could say I'm pretty excited about that. She's a fellow North Dakota blogger and so we thought it would be fun to share with you some normal North Dakota happenings.

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Monday, August 11, 2014
The Result of "Trying To Kill Some Time"

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Friday, August 8, 2014
Watching Vlogs + Job-Searching + Tequila


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Thursday, August 7, 2014
The Blue Bobbin' Margarita

I have shared photographs of this margarita on many occasions and I feel like it's time you let you in on this marvelous little secret. You see, the first time I ever tasted the Blue Bobbin' Patron Poppin' Margarita was at Zorbaz, the Mexican/Pizza Joint that we frequent on our lake. But then we decided we should try to make our own version - 1) Because it's delicious and should be consumed often, and 2) Because my brother's fiancee wants it to be the Signature Drink at their wedding (next week!).
Below is the recipe we came up with. Side note: You definitely want to use Silver Patron because it is clear and does not distort the color of the margarita. Also, we always make them ahead of time in a jar that we put in the freezer and then we serve the margarita on the rocks -- there's nothing better than an ice cold margarita!
Either way, the way I see it: the more you practice, the better it gets. Drink up the tequila, my friends!
Ingredients:
2 oz. Silver Patron Tequila
1-1/4 oz. Blue Curacao
1-1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. lemon juice
Directions:
Combine in shaker with ice, shake, and serve.
Or, mix in a jar ahead of time, freeze, and serve on the rocks.
Salt the rim, garnish, and enjoy!


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Wednesday, August 6, 2014
How-To Resize a Button

Change the code to this, inserting a pixel value for your desired height and width:
The changes appear in purple.
- Save the image to your computer.
- Upload the image to PicMonkey, resize to be your desired height and width, and save to your computer again.
- Upload the resized image to any image-hosting site (i.e. photobucket, tinypic, etc.)
- Copy the Direct URL for the resized image from your image-hosting site and paste into the img src field in the html.
Although I truly think PicMonkey rocks, in this case it is definitely not the easiest method.
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Monday, August 4, 2014
A Day In The Life [Summer Weekend Edition]







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Friday, August 1, 2014
Dear Parker: Happy Birthday!


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