samfclapp

A Little Bit of My Life in Washington

The first time I ever saw Washington state, ever stepped foot on the western side of the U.S. for that matter, was when I was 20 years old and headed to a math research program for the summer. My first observation sitting in a car belonging to a then stranger but soon to be goodContinue reading “A Little Bit of My Life in Washington”

To Settle

It’s New Year’s Eve. I’m sitting in the house that I rent with three other people in Lynnwood, WA. There’s snow on the ground outside (not typical for this area), and I’m by the fire and listening to instrumental music by Yasmin Williams. (Shout-out to one of my new WA friends for introducing me toContinue reading “To Settle”

Brokeness Aside and a Little Bit of Colorado

One of my favorite songs is called “Brokenness Aside”. It’s a Christian song by the band All the Sons and Daughters. When I first heard it, I was in church and feeling the discomfort that comes with hearing a song for the first time that you’re trying to sing. Add onto that discomfort the awkwardnessContinue reading “Brokeness Aside and a Little Bit of Colorado”

Denver Memories and A Bit of Current Grief

I started this post with this paragraph when I was in Denver: “In case, it wasn’t obvious I love going new places and COVID has really thrown a wrench in my hopes and dreams around traveling. However, the stars aligned, and this trip was planned, life happened and the trip got changed a bit, (IContinue reading “Denver Memories and A Bit of Current Grief”

Beautiful Flowers and A Grieving Heart

Trigger Warning: This post contains a conversation about suicide. The sun is shining on my back as I write this. There is a soft cool breeze, an airplane passing overhead, birds chirping, and the sound of Dougie walking through leaves nearby. My heart doesn’t know how to write, how to form sentences, and coherent thoughts.Continue reading “Beautiful Flowers and A Grieving Heart”

Utah Part 3: About Solo Hikes and Body Image

I wrote the hiking and adventure parts of this post a long time ago and never got around to editing it. However, I reread it today and it still rang true. In fact, a piece of me misses this past empowered feeling version of Sam, so I decided to share. Today is a beautiful fallContinue reading “Utah Part 3: About Solo Hikes and Body Image”

Questions are Hard

I have a million thoughts swirling around in my head. “I need to write another blog post, the last one hit home with people! Yikes, now I have something to live up to… Self-care and being an amateur are safe topics, what if people don’t want to hear the other things I am pondering? WhatContinue reading “Questions are Hard”

Amateur Hour

I haven’t written a blog post in forever. I was listening to Annie F. Down’s new book That Sounds Fun: The Joys of Being an Amateur, the Power of Falling in Love, and Why You Need a Hobby, as you may have guessed from the title of both the book and this blog post, IContinue reading “Amateur Hour”

Utah Flower Game

Better late than never, right? I took the pictures in this post during my trip to Utah which was over a month ago. My friend, Kirsten, had this spot in mind to take pictures of Wildflowers at golden hour (the time right before the sunsets in photography). Another facination I found while in Utah wasContinue reading “Utah Flower Game”

Utah: A Photographer’s Paradise

If you follow me on social media, you may already be tired of my photos of Utah. However, there are just so many gorgeous views, that I instantly knew I had enough content for several blog posts. (Kirsten, the friend I was visiting, is definitely laughing in glee at this fact, if she is readingContinue reading “Utah: A Photographer’s Paradise”