"Open When" Letters Topic Ideas

Hey guys,

In one of my recent blog posts called "Gift Ideas For Your Boyfriend or Girlfriend", which you can view here, I wrote about how I did 100 "Open When" Letters for my boyfriend as one of his Christmas gifts. I knew I wanted to do at least 100 letters but getting to 100, I was struggling at the end because I couldn't think of anymore topic ideas. I went on Pinterst and googled topic ideas and found some. I think it's very creative, thoughtful and a gift that I know my boyfriend will love, so if you want to do this for your significant other, friend, sibling, here are my 100 topics if you need more topics.

1. Open First/When You receive these letters
2. Merry Christmas 2017
3. New Years Eve 2017
4. When you're sick (I included cough drops and a pack of Kleenex)
5. You're hungry/ want a snack (I included some coconut chocolate candies)
6. You're missing me (I sprayed some of my perfume on an index card so he could smell it and pretend that I'm there)
7. You need to laugh (I included some jokes)
8. You need to know how much I love you
9. You want to know why I love you (I included a list of reasons)
10. You're sad 
11. You had a long day
12. You're bored (I included some made up puzzles for him to do)
13. You can't sleep
14. You're happy
15. You're feeling lonely
16. It's your birthday (I included some cut up confetti)
17. I've just left after visiting
18. We got in a fight
19. You want to try something new (I included some coca flavored chewy candy)
20. You need a hug and kiss (I put some Pouty Pop Crayon on and kissed the paper all over)
21. You want to know my dreams for the future
22. You want to know how happy you make me
23. 1 year anniversary
24. You feel like no one cares
25. You miss my kisses (Again, I put some Pouty Pop Crayon on and kissed the paper all over)
26. You miss holding my hand (I traced my hand on the paper)
27. New Year Eve 2018
28. Christmas 2018
29. Valentine's Day
30. You're feeling punny (I included some puns)
31. You're feeling lucky (I included a lottery ticket)
32. You're stressed (I included some bubble wrap)
33. You want to know songs that reminds me of you
34. You want to know random things about me
35. 4th of July
36. Halloween 2018
37. You want to know how important you are to me
38. You need to vent (Again, I included bubble wrap)
39. We just talked on the phone
40. You're mad at me
41. I'm mad at you
42. When you wake up
43. Before you go to sleep
44. When you had a bad day
45. When you had a good day
46. You can't stop thinking of me
47. You really want to see me
48. You really don't want to cook lunch or dinner (I included some Ramen noodles, easy to fix)
49. You need to talk to someone and I'm not picking up my phone
50. You go to the casino (I included a $1 for good luck)
51. You need to smile
52. You need motivation/encouragement
53. You're crying (I included a pack of Kleenex)
54. You're craving chocolate (I included some caramel/chocolate small candies)
55. You're craving something sweet and sour (I included sour patch kids)
56. You want to relive the first time we met (Which you can read about here)
57. You need support/ a listening ear
58. You want to read some of my favorite quotes
59. You want a drawing I made for you
60. You have a good dream about us
61. You feel like being a kid again (I included a Star Wars coloring book and some Star Wars crayons)
62. Just because
63. You need me
64. 2 month anniversary
65. 3 month anniversary
66. 4 month anniversary
67. 5 month anniversary
68. 6 month anniversary
69. 7 month anniversary
70. 8 month anniversary
71. 9 month anniversary
72. 10 month anniversary
73. 11 month anniversary
74. I fallen asleep on you
75. You're thinking about the future
76. It's the weekend
77. You need to know I'm in it for the long haul
78. You're having anxiety
79. You need to hear some compliments 
80. You need to hear a friendly voice
81. It's Easter
82. St. Patrick's Day
83. It's Star Wars Day
84. Thanksgiving 2018
85. You want to read a poem 
86. You want to watch funny YouTube videos
87. You need new movies to watch
88. You need new songs to listen to
89. You're cold (I included some hot cocoa)
90. You need a pick-me up (I included a Hershey bar)
91. It's Sweetest day
92. It's boyfriend's day
93. You beat me at Trivia Crack
94. I beat you at Trivia Crack
95. It's popcorn day (I included a pack of popcorn)
96. It's puzzle day (I included a cut up picture of us that he has to put back together)
97. It's best friend day
98.  It's love note day
99. You're about to see me again
100. You read all of the other envelopes

Now,  I used medium and large yellow manila envelopes for the letters that I included things that couldn't fit into a plain white envelope. I hope this list helped you add more topics to your list. Have fun, and I'm sure whoever you give these to will love it. 

<3 Amanda 

Favorite YouTube Channels Pt.4

Hey guys,

I thought it was time to give some shout-outs to 5 of my favorite YouTube Channels. You should definitely go subscribe to their channels because they are all great YouTube Channels.

• Our Wonderland Life (Channel): This is such a cute little family. It consists of the parents Travis and Carah, and their two adorable daughters Alaina and Emery.  They post travel vlogs, about the holidays and much more. She has her own channel called Carah Amelie, which you can check out here.  They are both good artists (Travis and Carah) and Travis has a drawing channel called  Sketchy Trav that you can check out here. They have other social media sites like Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook,  Carah's Twitter, and Travis's Twitter.

• Britneyandbaby (Channel): Britney is a young mom to three cute children; Aria, Nolah and Harlow; and her fiancé is Ean. They are a cute couple. She posts videos of routines, tours, baking videos, grocery hauls, Target hauls and much more. You should definitely go follow them on their other social media sites; Pinterest, Twitter,and Instagram 

• This Is How We Bingham (Channel): This family include Brandon and Mindy (the parents) and children Madi, Ryler, Krew, Brexsen and Hazy. If you like challenges and vlogs, you will enjoy this channel.  They have other social media sites as well, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and they also have a blog where Mindy posts recipes.

• Gardner Quad Squad (Channel): This family consists of parents Tyson and Ashley, and quadruplet girl toddlers;  Indie, Esme, Scarlett and Evangeline. We actually have the same birthday! They struggled with infertility for 8 years and did IVF, and they were blessed with 4 cute little girls. After subscribing to their channel, they have taught me to not give up on things because they didn't. They were strong! You should definitely check out their channel if you want to feel some encouragement. They post holiday vlogs, unboxings, and more. You should check out their other social media sites, Facebook, Instagram( gardnerquadsquad) Instagram  (amiracleunfolding), Twitter and their store.

• The Crazy Middles (Channel): This family includes the parents, Jared and Shelly, and children Kylie (Husband Marc), Destiny, Weston,Jonathan, Cody, Lacey, Elizabeth, Cynthia, Spencer ,Harlan, Jacob ,Aubrey ,Landon, Addison, Mason ,Braxton, Anavaeh, and Paul. The parents are wonderful examples because they have two biological children but wanted to adopt. Something special that they do is adopt siblings so they don't have to separate. They post videos such as holiday vlogs, sport vlogs (football, cheerleading and dance), tours, challenges and more. You should check out their other social media sites, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You should definitely go subscribe to all of these channels. They are all great and have great videos. 

<3 Amanda 

Elf On The Shelf

Hey guys,

Do you do "Elf on The Shelf" in your family? I am almost 27 and my younger brother is 19 so Elf on The Shelf wasn't a thing back when we, along with my older brothers were younger.  I think it's a good thing to do with children maybe starting at age 3. I say age 3 because they might not fully understand the meaning behind having an elf hiding in your house each day during December. When I have my own children and they are at the age of 3, I think it would be fun to do The Elf on The Shelf. I have seen pictures on Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest that looks like a fun thing to do for kids to make the holiday season more special. I will have to remind myself to move the elf each night before I go to bed though.

If you do The Elf on The Shelf, do you have any favorite places that you left your elf? What were they doing?

<3 Amanda

Gift Ideas For Your Boyfriend or Girlfriend

Hey guys,

Christmas is 18 days away. I thought I would give you guys some ideas if you're last minute Christmas shopping or need some ideas on what to get your boyfriend or girlfriend for Christmas.  I'll tell you what I got for my boyfriend. I told him not to read my blog until after he gets his presents so if you're reading this, close out of this!! 

For the gifts I have for my boyfriend are two that I found on Pinterest. Pinterest is a great site to check out if you're stuck on gifts ideas and much much more.  Pinterest has a ton of different categorizes.  The first idea was "Open When" Letters. I thought this was a great idea because we are kind of long distance and don't get to see one another that much. I should have taken a picture of it before I wrapped the box up. But I can still give you ideas if you want to do this for your significant other or this would also be a great gift for a long distance friend, or a sibling that lives out of state. I did 100 envelopes just so that he has envelopes to open for a long time. Some of the envelopes I did were "Open When You/re____"

• Bored
• Feeling Lonely
• Craving Chocolate (Added some chocolate in the envelope)
• Need To Hear Some Compliments 
• Sick (Added some Kleenex and cough drops)

My second gift is based on the movie series "Star Wars"  because he likes those movies. In the box I included:

• Some Star Wars Cheez-it's
• Some Pokemon Fruit Snacks (He also likes Pokemon)
• Some Takis because he likes spicy foods
• Some Cheese Pringles as "Drone Chips"
• Some Sour Punch Straws as "Light-sabers"
• Some spearmint gum as "Chewbaca"
• A Kraft Mac and Cheese, Star Wars Themed
• Some Star Wars cards

I have also wrapped up the box and everything inside with Star Wars wrapping paper. I haven't done this part yet but on the top of the box, I'm going to write on a piece of paper: "A long time ago in a GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY, I found a box full of goodies".

Here are some other ideas you can get for your boyfriend:

• His favorite candies/snacks
• A DVD. and popcorn gift set
• His favorite cologne
• A gift card to his favorite store
• If he likes sports, maybe a sport ticket for the upcoming year

Here are some gift ideas that you can get your girlfriend for Christmas:

• Chocolate (what girl doesn't like chocolate)
• Perfume
• A gift card to their favorite store
• Clothes
• Her favorite candies/snacks

Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? I'm still waiting on two more things and then I'll be done!

<3 Amanda 

Winter Tag

Hey guys,

I thought I would create a winter tag and have you guys learn more about me, and possibly others will join along.

1. Are you a winter person? No, I'm not a fan of the cold and snow.
2. What is your favorite Christmas movie? The Family Holiday and Christmas Shoes
3. Are you a fan of hot chocolate? No
4. Anything special on your Christmas list? To be able to spend time with my boyfriend and his family
5. Anything you're looking forward to besides Christmas in general? My birthday- December 28th. The big 27.
6. Do you have any ideas for New Years Resolution's yet? One is to post on here more.
7. Favorite Candy Cane flavor? I'm not a big fan of candy canes and peppermint so probably spearmint.
8.  Favorite winter outfit? Leggings, hoodie and uggs.
9. Favorite outdoor activity? Snowball fight
10. Do you have a fake or real tree? Growing up we had a fake one, if I remember correctly

I like tagging at least 3 people so they can complete this tag if they want to. I like learning more about fellow bloggers. The three people I chose to tag are:

Karlena @CliffordKarlena (http://karlenaclifford.co.uk/) 
Tracy @IAmTracyNicole_ (https://iamtracynicole.com/)
Mallory @MindfulWithMal  (http://www.mindfulwithmal.com/)

<3 Amanda 

Amazing Blind Date

Hey guys,

The weekend of November 3rd was a weekend that has been stuck in my head with good memories of course, and that weekend is when I met the guy who I have been chatting and texting with from POF. 

Thursday, November 2nd I was really really nervous because I was thinking what if he doesn't like me and things are going to be awkward between us and I have to spend Friday evening to Sunday with him. I was rushing around trying to get myself prepared and packed so I wouldn't forget anything. That took me awhile because I kept getting distracted by playing Bingo on Facebook Messenger. Thank you to the person that got me addicted to that (they know who they are). 

Friday came and I could not fall asleep the night before due to nerves so I don't think I fell asleep until around 3:30ish in the morning. I had my alarm set for 9am but didn't get up until 9:30am because obviously I was tired since I had trouble falling asleep. Later in the afternoon, his sister came and picked me up. The week leading up to it, I was nervous that it would be a quiet car ride because of how quiet I can get when meeting new people but we chatted pretty much the whole car ride (1 hour). As we got closer to their house, I started to become really nervous because every girl wants their crush to like them back. We went in the house and we pretty much just looked at one another as we both could tell that the other one was nervous as well. He handed me a vase of pink roses, which are my favorite color and flower. We hugged and I met their adorable dog who loved getting petted by me (he loved me).

We (him, his sister and I) then just walked around Downtown Benton Harbor while we waited for their aunt to get home from work. They played Pokemon Go so I tagged along when they tried to catch one. Then they took me to a casino out there and that was the first time I have ever stepped in a casino. They played a few games and then we grabbed some pizzas and headed over to their grandma and aunt's house.

I again became really nervous to meet their grandma and aunt because I wanted them to like me because I liked their grandson and nephew and I also wanted to make a good first impression.  We walked in and I met them and I could tell that they liked me. We ate pizza and just chatted. Then his aunt asked me if I was ready to meet the dogs, all 6 of them. She let them in and they all pretty much ran to him and his sister and then they realized that there was a new person. They all loved me. They are all so adorable and cuddly (if you can't tell I am a dog person). Besides dogs, they also have 5 cats which pretty much all loved me as well. What can I say I'm a lovable person.  Later on, we were hanging and chatting with his grandma and aunt, and then we went upstairs where we chatted and watched TV, and then we went to bed. 

Saturday, we both slept in because I don't think we slept the greatest the night before and then we had a long day the day before. We hung out until his sister came and we all (his grandma, his aunt, his sister, him and myself) went to another casino near them. That was a fun car ride. We got there, went to the buffet for dinner and then the casino. I had money from my mom to play for her and his aunt was nice enough to give us each money. We all spread out but me and him were together because that casino was huge and I wasn't about to get lost. I ended up with $15 and my mom ended up with $2, so I didn't lose but then I didn't do that awesome either. I walked past someone at a machine and they won $600, and was like why couldn't that be me.  His sister asked if we were done and we said yes, and we headed for the arcade where we played a few games and then their grandma came in because she was done at the casino. I went up to them because they were at the prize counter where they were getting sloths, and the guy behind the counter asked if that was for me when I was walking up. Not sure how he knew I was with them, maybe he saw us walking in together. His sister was nice enough to give me that sloth and got another one. At the end of the night we ended up with like 6 or 7 sloths. Here's mine:

We then left and they went to take pictures with all of the sloths while I sat in the warm car with their grandma. We drove back to the house and his sister went home, and we stayed up a little bit talking to his grandma and aunt again before heading off to bed. 

Sunday morning we woke up and I got all packed because I was going home that day. As we were waiting to leave, his stepdad stopped by and I met him. He's really nice.  On the drive back to my place, we stopped at McDonald's for lunch. The GPS kept making us make U-turns and making us go in circles but we finally made it to my house. He walked me in and gave me a hug and a kiss. 

We continued texting and on Monday , November 6th, I asked him to be my boyfriend and he said yes. Fun fact: We started texting on October 19th and to this specific time we have a total of 7,137 text messages between us. We are planning on seeing each other the end of December to exchange Christmas gifts and also spend my birthday weekend together. Only 43 days if everything goes as planned. I was really nervous when we were planning to meet for the first time and I can't wait to see him and his family again. They are all so nice.

<3 Amanda 

Why Another Mass Shooting?

Hey guys,

I know that this devastating event happened a few days ago but I needed to get my thoughts together for this post. I remember waking up Monday morning and do what I do each morning which is to look at my phone on Twitter,Instagram, Facebook, check my e-mail and etc. The first thing that I saw was about the Las Vegas mass shooting. My first response in my head was "Why???" Why does another person think it's the right thing to do to get a bunch of large (unneeded) guns for anyone to have as a civilian and start shooting at thousands of innocent people?? I just don't understand.

When I was younger, there might have been shootings but I don't think there were any large ones like we sadly have had. I'm only 26 years old, and at the top of my head I can already name 3 mass shootings around the county; Columbine High School, The Pulse and now this one. I also remember one that happened a few years ago in my own city. I even remember being in my house watching the updates on TV.  There was 7 innocent lives taken away that day and I know that 7 is not even close to the numbers in the other mass shootings but honestly, any number is way too high for any shooting.

One day I hope to have my own children but I'm honestly a bit nervous to bring children into this scary world where people think that they can go buy guns and shoot people for no reason at all.  When the time comes for me to have children, I'm going to absolutely be a great role model for them and express to them that I'm there for them if they ever want to talk to someone.

There has been several talk show hosts who has talked about the shooting but one that really struck me was Jimmy Kimmel's speech, which you can watch here. I was not aware that he was from Las Vegas and I understand how he was feeling. If you see/hear something happening in your hometown, you think to yourself that this wasn't how my city was when I was younger. Our cities were a lot safer back then, and that is because some people think that they are all that and go buy guns, and then go killing innocent people. That's the world we live in now and I'm just one person but something needs to definitely change. Now these days, people don't really want to go to concerts or out to celebrate occasions because there might always be the fear of someone taking their life for no reason.

My heart, prayers and thoughts goes out to all of the victims, their families and friends, and also to everyone who were injured and their families and friends as well.

<3 Amanda