The Weekenders strike again!

This weekend has been so much fun! It began with building a fort in the living room, and then Saturday consisted of blowing bubbles outside in the sunshine, and ended with a bonfire! It was great spending time with my many wonderful friends!



The fort!


It was so cool!


We watched the Scarlet Pimpernel in it!

The More...Interesting Side of Sam

So, I get bored easily. Especially on weekends when all my friends, excepting one, abandon me. So when my very good friend and roommate Stacy and I decided to dress up, we went all out!



Oh YES!


Stacy and I RULE!






Now that my future children have plenty of ammunition, I'll end. Bye!

Bake-Off!

So I decided to challenge my old FHE brother to a bake-off after he insulted my roomie's baked goods. So we set it up, and we each baked something. My offerings were cupcakes. I did two kinds, a double chocolate mint cake with dark chocolate mousse, and a strawberry butter cake with fluffy marshmallow icing. Yes, I know I am an overachiever, I do plate designs. Don't judge me.



The Strawberry Cake

href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtaP_yYIR9M8UE3iAV5sdw3ECOuqT1Oqb-JDnWr03ZErXDJwLXXICBre_H1HAQ2vmOtgxRqC8vwasD-xkS1Hz_1L62Z7mIWE1CAmC-J1ltc-ixFcE70PVn8zmwMGSC1_j7-JRTKjpeFc/s1600-h/IMG_2275.JPG">
The Double Chocolate Fudge Mint Cake


My Contender was Craig, who brought Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread.



After our numerous judges tried all the goods...


Nicole


The boys...Kyle, Travis, and Craig

After the judging, it was decided that the winner was....Both!
Because of the differences between the baked goods, it was decided that each was good for a different purpose. Lame. I think I showed much more skill. At least in appearance, I win hands down! We decided to have a round two, baking a set product at the same time. So stay tuned!

Impatient!

Ever since I found out that I got a job with United States Armed Forces Recreation Centers in Garmisch, Germany, I have been very antsy. Every day I want to look up new information on traveling in Europe, and I have been itching to contact the bishop of the ward over there to let him know I'm coming. However, I will not be flying to Germany until August 9th, so I'll have to be patient. Which, if you know me at all, I am VERY not. Patience is not a virtue that I have at this point in time. I have found it hard to wait for other things in life as well. Finding my FEC (haha!), getting my degree, and much more. Even in daily life, I find myself wanting to move faster in classwork, and people around me notice. My classmates often comment on how much faster I am at doing assignments. I think that this is sometimes a flaw, but somtimes it is a good thing. I also think that I have been partially ruined by my Military Brat upbringing. Every three years or so my family would up and move, giving me a chance to make new fiends, have new experiences, and learn new things. I love having the chance to start over with a clean slate in new places! I have a hard time staying in one place for very long anymore. I remembervtelling my Mother, after living in Colorado for three years, "Okay Mom, time to move again!" I just love it! So I am very grateful for the traveling I have been able to do already, and I am looking forward to doing much more in the future! I am going to go to as many places in Europe as I can in the time I have this next year! If you happen to have any suggestions, let me know!

Flawed

Yes, I am very, very flawed. And as I continue to find my many flaws, I will continue to be grateful for the people in my life who point them out! Last night my parents called, and asked me how I was doing. I, being the kind of person who won't ask for help unless it's absolutely needed, told them I was fine, and that I am doing well, which I am. I neglected to tell them that I had two dollars in my bank account, and would not get paid for a week, and was running out of clean underwear. I also neglected to mention that out of my earnings for each month (around $300), $200 went to rent, and $30 to tithing, I was left with around $70 for everything else. But I was never going to ask for money. I hate asking for money. It is absolutely my least favorite thing to do. If I have to live off ramen, I will. That's how much I dislike it. But my loving parents have the foresight to call, and knowing my personality, they asked me directly how much I had in my account, and soundly reprimanded me for not telling them I was flat broke. I love parents! They told me for the umpteenth time that if I was personally doing everything within my power to make ends meet, they would happily supplement my income each month. Of course, they give me much more that I would ever ask for, both monetarily and otherwise, but it never ceases to amaze me that they are so in tune with the spirit that they know when I need a hand, or when I'm struggling. I am so grateful for my loving family that supports me, and for the opportunity to be brought up in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Evry ay I see blesings, whether it be a phone call, a friendly smile, or a postponed exam :) I know that I am nothing without my Savior, and I am eternally indebted to Him for everything I have. I hope that all of you that rad this and have not had the opportunity to hear the truth of the restord gospel will not hesitiate to ask me anything you want about it!
Love, Sam :)

One down, many more to go!

Yesterday I accomplished one of my life goals. I rode a long board. It was exhilarating, and very painful when I hit the pavement! I have some pretty sweet bruises to prove it! But I was so proud of myself! There are so many things I would like to do, like skydiving, para sailing, and hang gliding, as well as some not-so-thrilling ones, like visiting all inhabitable continents (four down, two to go!) and so many others! I have decided to let go of all my fears and inhibitions and do some fun things in my life! I am going to accomplish several while I spend the next year in Europe, visiting all the most famous museums, cathedrals, castles, and anything else that looks cool! If you happen to have any suggestions, let me know! I plan on visiting England, France, and Italy, and I hope to go to all Germany's neighboring countries as well, because they are close to where I'll be living. In the meantime, I have started a bucket list for my last semester here at BYU-Idaho. I want to do all the things I missed out on because I was anti-social for the first few years I was here. Some of those things on the list are: a bake-off, glow-in-the-dark hide-and-seek, whipped cream baseball, a bonfire, river floating, hiking the R, and anything else I think sounds fun! I want everyone who can to help me with this, and I hope to get it all done by July 23!

I Love Sundays!

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. The time I get to spend just relaxing from the rest of my life; school, worries, etc. I love being in the Relief Society Presidency, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to get to know all the girls in my ward. I find that having this time recharges me for the rest of the week, and reaffirms that I am a worthy child of God. I was thinking today about the fact that this will be my last semester at BYU-Idaho. All in all, I have had an amazing experience here, and I have grown so much! I feel like I know myself so much better, and I finally know what I am capable of. I went from an awkward roommate with very poor social skills to a fully capable adult. Of course, I still have so very much to learn, and I tend to still make things awkward for myself on a regular basis. However, I know I have come a long way! I am so grateful to those people who have helped me grow, and have stayed friends with me, even if I am strange sometimes :) I love the opportunites I have had here, and the lessons I have learned will stay with me for the rest of my life. As I leave this Desciple Training Center, my hope is that I will continue to improve and become more like Christ. I am ready for whatever life throws at me, and I know I will have devine help wherever I go. Recently I have had people ask me if I am scared to move to Germany, where I have no friends or family. I can honestly tell those people that I am not in the least bit scared. I know that no matter where I go, and no matter who I meet, the Gospel and the people that live by it are going to be there. That is such a blessing! To know that wherever I am, I will ahve a family. I love that! I am so excited to go on this grand adventure, and to share the gospel with those who have not heard it yet. Of course, I am not actually serving a mission, but I feel like I will have opportunities to share the Truth with others while I am living and working in Germany.

So, now that I have written a small novel, I'll finish!

Love, Sam :)