Bear Lake Reunion

So this whole last week I have been in Utah. Why? Because Utah is where the love of my life is going to school, and this weekend we had a reunion. It was a lot of fun! So, like I once did for my European travel posts, I thought I might chronicle this trip day by day. Here goes!

Day 1: I left early on Tuesday, July 24th. I drove all day, only stopping for gas, and made it to Provo at around 6pm. It was a fairly uneventful drive, and I made good time. I met up with Thomas, hung out with him for a bit, ate some Brick Oven pizza, and then went to my friend Katy's apartment for the night.

Day 2: I woke up refreshed, and got ready for the day. I had a job interview, so I put on my snazzy clothes and headed out to find breakfast. I got lost finding breakfast, so I just went straight to Thanksgiving Point where I had my interview later that day. I was three hours early. So I went and got some food, and sat out in the grass. I was also tasked with finding a storage unit for Thomas and I to put our stuff in until we could move into our new apartment in Provo. I figured all of that out and continued waiting for an acceptable time to go find the woman I was being interviewed by. I wandered around Thanksgiving Point, did some window shopping, and finally went to the interview. It went well, I think, and so I proceeded to wander back to Provo and waited for Thomas to get off work. We made some dinner, went for some frozen yogurt, and then I once again headed to Katy's.

Day 3: I woke up late  and just chilled out until Thomas was done with classes for the day. Of course, I was cheating with Katy and ended up being late meeting p with him. We hit the road and made it to Woodruff, Utah by late afternoon. We were camping in Bear lake, not far from Woodruff, for the next few days, but he wanted to show me his Grandparent's  ranch before we went. We drove around, looking at everything. It was fun to see where he spent his childhood. We headed down to Bear Lake
And found the family at the local KOA camp ground. I set up my tent and got everything situated, and met the family. Of course, I didn't remember half of the names that first night, but I tried my best! We all went to a local burger stand for dinner, and the raspberry shakes were amazing!  We sat around the propane fire for a few hours talking, then I went to bed. Thomas set up a cot outside next 
to my tent, but by the time he went to bed, the wind was howling and it was raining, so he ended up sleeping in his car. Poor guy!

Day 4: I woke up early and talked a bit with some of the Aunts and Grandma. Eventually, we began cooking breakfast and Thomas woke up. We all ate breakfast and then headed down to the lake. It
was a blast! We rode jet skis, played in the water, and sat in the shade. It was a blissful day, and I only applied sunscreen four times...;) I should have put more on Thomas, as he got a nice amount of sunburn on his legs and shoulders. We all went back to camp around 6pm and had dinner, which consisted of slow-cooked beef, scalloped potatoes, and corn. It was so good! After dinner we roasted marshmallows for s'mores and taked a bit more. We set up Thomas's cot again, and this time the weather was pleasant enough to stay the night outside.

Day 5: We all woke up later in the morning, as pretty much everyone but me had a nice sunburn. We ate some breakfast and again headed down to the lake. We got there just in time to get the last good
spot on the beach, and Thomas and I went out on a jet ski. It was a lot of fun to be together out in the middle of the lake, away from the family, and just take a break. We spent the day much like we did the day before, swimming, playing on jet skis, and lounging. The only moment of panic happened when all three of our sun shades got picked up by a random gust of wind, upended on our neighbor's shade, and destroyed it! We felt really bad, but there was nothing we could do about it. As the crash had also taken out a couple of our shades. So the day ended pretty early, and we headed back to break down camp. After dinner and a family picture, we put away the tents and sleeping bags and all 
headed back to the ranch in Woodruff. There we showered and parted ways. Thomas and the rest of his family (including me, of course) stayed the night there, with the intention of leaving the next day, his family for Colorado, and us back to Provo.

Day 6: His family hit the road early, and we kind of just lazed around for a bit. When we decided to leave, we loaded up and headed out. About eight or ten miles down the road, the car died. It just
stopped working. It would turn over, but you couldn't accelerate at all, and then it would die. We were stuck. So we called a tow truck, and got towed back to the ranch. There is a small repair shop close by, and we dropped the car and then Grandpa came and picked us up. Since the shop wouldn't open until the next day, we just resigned ourselves to leaving the car situation until the next day. 


Day 7:  We were awoken by Grandpa early the next morning asking if we would like to help with the cattle drive that day. Of course we both said yes. So we got all geared up and left with a trailer full of trusty steeds. When we got to the location, Grandpa, Thomas, and I mounted up and set out to round up the cattle. Thomas and I found the herd and the other herders and helped as best we could. We drove the cattle about a mile from where the were, and neither Thomas nor I got in the way. We were helpful, I think. Of course, being in the saddle for the first time in years did take it's toll on both of us, but the soreness we knew we would face that night and the next few days was totally worth the trip! When we got back to the ranch, we were exhausted. We got some lunch, found out that the car was fixed, and went and picked it up. Once again, we headed out, but not before I sprained my foot. Which was annoying. But the car ran perfectly and brfore long we were back in Provo. We went to see our new apartment, which is wonderful, and then parted ways. That is the last time I will get to see him until the wedding. It was a great trip, all things considered, and though it ended with a broken down car, we did have the very fun experience of helping with a cattle drive because of it. So I would count that as a success. ;) 


So that's the story! Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I seem to forget I own a camera a lot. I will have to rectify that soon!

Random Ramblings

I am now 28 1/2 days from being married. How crazy is that? It's even crazier how time works when you are so excited/nervous/ecstatic. I find that my days move slowly, but my weeks are gone in a flash. It seems like I wake up on Monday, and then suddenly I'm waking up on Friday. The middle just doesn't exist. Which is weird, because I can look back and although I know what I did each week, I feel like I did it all in one weird middle-space. Not the three weekdays that come between Monday  and Friday.

Now you all think I'm crazy.

Which is probably true.

But still. Time is a fickle thing. It goes too quickly when you want to take it slow, and too slowly when you would give anything for it to speed up.

Take car trips for another example. Whenever I drive somewhere, it seems like it take hours longer to get there than it does to get home. Even smaller trips seem that way. Especially if I am driving somewhere new. It's weird.

At the same time, there are some things that happen so fast but feel like they took forever. Like me and my awesomely handsome fiance. We met in February. February 13th, to be exact. Only one month later, on March 16th, we became a couple. Considering we had only been on four dates, that was pretty quick in my book. We were engaged on May 8th. We're getting married on August 10th. So from the time we met to the time we are married we will have known each other for six months. SIX MONTHS. And yet it feels like I have known him my whole life. I am closer to him than I have ever been to anyone, and I can't imagine my life without him. And yet I have actually only known him such a short time!

Sometimes I wonder if Heavenly Father laughs to think about how much His children misunderstand time and the rules that apply to it. And just misunderstand things in general. I know I am constantly staggered by the thought of how little I know about everything in this world. It's all so fascinating (well...except math. That not so much.), and I hope I get to continue learning and exploring. I'm sure the more I learn, the more I will understand how much there is left to learn. But that won't keep me from finding out all I can.

I have this fascination with watching travel shows. I have done a fair bit of traveling myself, but there is still so much left to see. There are so many amazing places on the planet, I can't imagine anyone not wanting to explore as much of it as possible. I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about. Some people call it the "Travel Bug". I'm pretty sure I caught something a bit more severe. Like the "Travel Flu" or the "Travel Fever" or something. It's not a little bug. It's a full-blown passion. I was always amazed by the friends I had in Germany that did all of their shopping at the US grocery store (or Commissary, if you are familiar with the lingo) and only made friends with other Americans. I feel like they missed out on some of the most amazing food, culture, and people. Germans are some of the most generous, kind, hardworking, and interesting people I have ever met. They are so much fun, and I have several friends in Germany that I can't wait to go back and see.

The world is made up of so many incredible people. In all of my traveling, I have learned that people make the place. Places are beautiful by themselves, like Paris and Barcelona, but the people make it incredible. Some of my favorite places became my favorite because of the people I met there. In Edinburgh, our tour guide through the city was so fun and enthusiastic it just made the trip amazing. Our guide on the bus to Loch Ness was also just awesome. In Rome, I met a few families that went on tours with me and a couple of girls at my hostel that really made my trip amazing.

Of course, those places are fascinating with their history and the beauty of the country. But the people I met brought them to life. And the more I met people, the more I realized how much our Heavenly Father loves them. Growing up, I always thought I was special. On of the "elite" because I happened to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. I was better than other people, and they deserved to be pitied. I didn't understand at all. In fact, I am ashamed that I ever felt that way. Because it isn't true. It absolutely isn't true. People are amazing. Every person ever born on this earth has just as much worth as everyone else. And the more I learn about the gospel, the more I understand just how much Heavenly Father loves His children. Not just the ones that know and accept Him and the sacrifice of His Son. But ALL of them. Every person who has ever lived and will live is an individual to Him. As much as that blows my mind, I know it's true. I know that His capacity for loving His children is not limited by our ability to understand it.

And now I'm getting a little bit deep. So I'll stop for now.
I hope you enjoyed my random ramblings. ;)

I'm trying, okay?

So, for those of you who actually read my blog, you know I am horrible at updating it. This is my attempt at being better. Two posts in one week-unheard of! Believe it! ;)

So now is the part where I write something witty and hilarious...

Yeah, about that...

There is NOTHING going on. Seriously. I work about 4 hours a day (if I'm lucky), and the rest of the time I try to either get wedding stuff done or sit around moping because I miss Thomas. Sometimes I try to eat something. This usually ends badly.

So instead of trying to tell you about my day-to-day life, I thought I would take a page out of my friend Anne's book and do a list of 50 very random things about me that nobody really ever needed or wanted to know.

1. I can't eat salad. Not won't...can't.

2. I enjoy being outdoorsy, which you would never be able to tell by the amount of time I actually spend outside.

3. Somewhat because of not spending a lot of time outside and mostly because I am just heinously pale, I have always been unable to tan very well. I don't really count this as a tragedy.

4. I really like Oreos. So therefore, I will not buy them. This goes for any kind of food I very much enjoy. Like Triscut crackers, HoHos, and any kind of potato chip. Mostly because any time I do buy any of these, I end up eating the whole box/bag/package. So I just don't. Very often.

5. I like to feed people. Most probably already know this about me, but still. It's my favorite thing. When I am married, if you happen to live in the general vicinity of Provo, I will most likely invite you to dinner. Just expect it at some point.

6. I hate spiders. Unless they are tarantulas. I'm okay with tarantulas.

7. I really want to step foot on every continent. Four down, three to go!

8. I love kids. Which is great, since Thomas wants 6.

9. When I am stressed out, I usually go to the worst case scenario. When I was in college, every time I had to take a test, I would tell myself that if I flunked out of college, I would just have to marry a guy named Bubba, and all of our 12 children would go shoeless because we were so poor.

10. I tend to be a bit dramatic. In case you missed that.

11. I love gardening. The fact that you can plant a tiny seed and it will become a huge plant fascinates me!

12. I love dogs. I have wanted one since I was five, and at eighteen I finally got one! Now I have to leave her behind, but I'm positive I will have dogs in the future. I even think about what I would name them...currently the top choices are Milo and Ruby.

13. I have never broken a bone, and hope to never experience that.

14. I used to love roller coasters and things of that nature, but recently they just give me a headache. I will always, however, go on those rides that take you up high and drop you. Like the Tower of Terror. Best. Ride. Ever.

15. I also love Splash Mountain.

16. And Disneyland in general.

17. I have been to Disneyand in California and Paris, but never Disney World.

18. I can make awesome wedding cakes, but I have vowed never to make one again. Too much stress. I mean, I could ruin someone's wedding!

19. For this very reason, among others, I have decided not to have a wedding cake at my wedding. Nope. Not doing it.

20. When I was growing up, I seriously thought I would be married at 19 or 20. Ha. Hahaha. Ha.

21. I LOVE Sundays. They are my favorite day of the week. Probably because any time someone asks me to do something on Sunday I get to say, "No can do. It's the Sabbath."

22. I also love church, just in case you thought I sat around like a lazy blob all day Sunday.

23. I love olives. All kinds of them. Green, black, purple...mmmm...

24. At one point, I could have sworn I was going to die on the side of a mountain in Thailand. Long story.

25. I hate making phone calls. Given the choice I would rather email, or text, or talk face-to face. Unless your name happens to be Thomas, in which case I would listen to your sexy voice on the phone any time of the day.

26. I am madly in love with a boy named Thomas Tingey. Luckily, he loves me back, so it's not a weird stalker relationship where I creep outside of his apartment and spring out at him adoringly. At least, not all the time.

27. I don't like cooking for myself. If I have to do it, most of the time it will be a grilled cheese.

28. I eat like a two-year-old. Not messily, but not very much at once.

29. In fact, I have been out-eaten by a two-year-old. Touche, Gabriella.

30. I have a favorite child at work. We're not technically allowed to have favorites, but he is just the most awesome child ever. I found out yesterday that he named his teddy bear after me. How adorable is that?

31. Whenever I decide to paint my nails, inevitably I will be doing something in the near future that will mess them up. Just my fingernails, though. Weird.

32. When I was in kindergarten, I decided it was my life's goal to own three horses: a brown, white, and red trio. Their names would be Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry, respectively.

33. In college, I took all the horseback riding classes BYU-Idaho offers. I can rope, jump, barrel race, and herd. I'm legit.

34. In the 25 years I have been alive, my family has only ever owned Mac computers. If that offends you, you may fight me.

35. I can wiggle my ears, curl my tongue, and raise one eyebrow. That's talent.

36. I am also a champion whistler. However, if other people whistle, it drives me crazy. So I try and keep my whistling to a minimum so as not to be a hypocrite.

37. I hate being called Sammy.

38. Some of my nicknames are: Sis, Sammy Sam, Spam, Samwise, Sammy Sosa, and Ghetto Booty Girl. Don't ask about that last one.

39. My GPS unit is named Jarvis, and answers to that name. Thanks, Thomas! ;)

40. I LOVE museums, aquariums, botanical gardens, etc. They are so much fun!

41. I have eaten Haggis. Yep. That happened.

42. My hair has been every color that happens in nature (blonde, brown, black, red).

43. I don't do well on very little sleep. In fact, I become narcoleptic and start falling asleep randomly in the middle of sentences if I am up too late at night.

44. I really love sleep. I will consistently sleep nine hours a night.

45. I have had 12 jobs since the age of 18. Before that I would babysit, but as far as actually getting paid by a company, I have had 12. That seems like an inordinate amount to me. But hey, I moved around a lot.

46. I would rather be cold than hot. There is only so much you can take off to escape the heat, you can always put more layers on if you're cold. Or, you know, cuddle with another warm body...

47. I would rather eat fresh fruit than dessert. I absolutely LOVE fresh fruit. I also make a bomb awesome fruit dip. Don't ask for the recipe...it's a secret! ;)

48. I love to sing, and am randomly singing at all times of the day. Including in the shower. And in the kitchen. And especially in the car.

49.  If you have read this far, give yourself a pat on the back for staying awake this long!

50. I am a generally happy person, but the thing that makes me so happy is the amazing and merciful gospel of Jesus Christ. I love my Heavenly Father, and I know he loves me! I wouldn't be the woman I am today without the loving guidance of my earthly and heavenly parents, and I am grateful that I was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.



Well, if you made it through the whole post, kudos! I will be better at posting, I promise!

I think you underestimate the sneakiness...

So last weekend I was super sneaky. Ninja. Stealth. Under the radar.

I managed to surprise Thomas (the love of my life).

I must admit, it was difficult. I am the kind of person that has a hard time with surprises. If I get you a Christmas present, chances are you will have to open it in front of me long before Christmas day, just so I can have the pleasure of seeing the joy on your face when you see how perfect the gift is. This probably stems from the fact that getting people gifts is my favorite thing. I LOVE it.

So anyway. It was hard. I knew a week ahead of time that I was going to surprise him. And because he is my one and only, obviously we talked quite a bit between the time I knew about the surprise and when it actually took place. I almost told him so many times, it's not funny. Every time he said he missed me, or that he was tired, or bored, or hungry, or annoyed, or any other complaint, I ached to let him know that soon I would be holding him in my arms! But I held strong, and it was worth it.

This is how it all went down.

On Friday, June 22nd, I got a phone call. A girl in my ward who I also happen to Visit Teach was the caller, and she asked me if I would like to go to Utah with her. She was going out for a wedding and needed a driving buddy. Struggling not to scream in exultation at her, I agreed. We would leave the following Thursday morning and stay the weekend, driving back on Monday.

That week was torturous. Every time I talked to Thomas, I knew in the back of my mind that I would soon see his handsome face. It made me want to climb through the phone and cuddle him. But because there are currently no available modes of instant transportation, I would just have to wait.

Thursday rolled around quickly, which was a blessing. We left early in the morning and drove almost non-stop to Provo. We arrived around 5pm, and then i had to wait. I was staying with my amazing friend Bethany, and the poor girl had to put up with my craziness for the afternoon. I called Thomas and asked him to let me know when he was going to be home from work, as I needed Bethany to  drop something off to him. He called at around 7pm. I was in a frenzy of excitement. I jumped up and down, freaked out, and the drive over in the car was almost too much to bear. Every red light was an eternity.

We finally made it to Campus Plaza. I sent Bethany up to get him, and she told him what she had for him was still in the car. They began walking down the stairs.  They rounded the corner. I popped out from behind a bush.

He was surprised.

We hugged, kissed, and just clung to each other. After four weeks we were so happy to see each other! I know all I wanted to do it sit on the couch and cuddle for four days straight. Unfortunately, he had some things to do, and we were staying a few miles apart in Provo. But the weekend went swimmingly (no, seriously, we swam...) and at the end it was hard to say goodbye. Fortunately, we are going to see each other at the end of the month, so only a few weeks remain until I see him again.

I seriously love that man.

In case you missed that.