Flashback Sunday: Fall 2006

I know, I know, the only way to describe Flashback Sunday for the last couple of several weeks is: FAIL. I could make up excuses about how we've been so busy (which I guess we have) but it wouldn't matter. You make time for the things that are important, no matter how busy you get.

Today at church, we revisited the goals we made at the beginning of the year. We felt sufficiently chastised. So, we recommitted ourselves to Flashback Sunday.

This post is just a random assortment of fun things we did during the Fall of 2006.

Sam's roommate had these silly hats. We wore them to my apartment one night to model for Philip and Merrick. They were amused. It's funny, because it's bigger than a normal hat.

For my 20th birthday, Sam made me a delicious dinner of BLTs and then took me horseback riding at his Aunt and Uncle's house. I had never been horseback riding and I had mentioned to him once that it was something I had always wanted to do. It was a really fun surprise.

After the horseback ride, we went for a walk. Sam gave me a ring he got on his mission. It was called a black diamond. He said he wanted me to wear the black diamond until he could buy me a real one. (I later wore that ring when my wedding ring wouldn't fit on my swollen, pregnant hands.)

We took a road trip down to Cedar City to watch Sam's buddy Tater play football at SUU. Sam taught Tater and his family on his mission. It was so neat to meet him and his awesome family along with one of Sam's mission companions (and his future wife.)

Sam played in frisbee and flag football intramural leagues. I went and watched all of his games, rain or shine.

We attended all of the home BYU football games. We would usually try and make it to the Street Heat before the games to visit Sam's work friends and check out the vendors.

We went with a group of friends to a corn maze. While we were going through the maze, Sam manage to get gouged in the leg by a wooden maze marker. The corn maze was another first for me.

We attended a lot of Sunday dinners at my Aunt and Uncle's house. Around Halloween, all of her grand kids come over in their costumes so we decided to join in the festivities. (The blurry/self timer photo shows how much fun we always had together.)

Flashback Sunday: Reunited

After being apart for a few more weeks, I flew back to Utah to start another school year. My parents came with me to visit their papas and meet Philip's fiance, Merrick. They started dating and got engaged all while I was in Arizona (Crazy Mormons!) Our flight was late and then my luggage never arrived on the baggage carousel (can't you just hear the airport lady's voice on the loudspeaker). Needless to say, I was pretty grumpy. I just wanted to get home and see Sam. Plus, we had plans to go to his brother's house for me to meet some of his family for the first time. After giving the baggage people my info for them to get my bag to me whenever it arrived (which was around 2 a.m. the next day) and then waiting for Merrick's flight to get in (She flew back on the same day), we finally went home.

I came home to find this in my room:



A dozen roses is always a good way to break a girl out of a grumpy mood. I went over to Sam's house and we headed to his brother's house. We played Dominoes (my first time) and chatted. While we were playing, Sam's brother hit the table and all of my dominoes fell over (face up). It was pretty funny and opened the door for years of sibling-in-law teasing.

The next day, we went with my family to Park City to ride the alpine slides.



Later in the week, we went with our friends to the Nickelcade (an arcade where tokens are only a nickel!)





We finished the week with a BYU football game.



It was so nice to be back together!

Flashback Sunday: Oh What Do You Do In the Summertime?

The first kiss really sealed the deal for our budding romance. The next Sunday I was sitting outside of my apartment when one of our mutual friends made a comment about Sam and I being "official." It was nice to be informed of this, seeing as we had never really discussed it. In my opinion, it's best to avoid that awkward conversation at all costs.

Aside from work and class, we spent all of our time together. We grocery shopped, studied, ate dinner and played together.

Some of Sam's buddies from work were going fishing and invited us to tag along. I come from a not-so-outdoorsy family and this was my first time fishing. The guys we went with assured us that this was the best place to go--that they always caught stuff there. We were, apparently, bad luck because neither of us caught anything. Despite the heat and a pretty nasty sunburn, we had a really fun time. I loved seeing Sam play with the kiddos. I got a glimpse at what a wonderful father he would be.





We spent a lot of time outside going for walks and playing in the park.



We spent even more time sitting on the couch relaxing!



Sam left for several days to help his brother drive across the country. We hadn't spent more than 36 hours apart since our first date. Needless to say, I missed him a lot. He sent me some flowers while he was gone because he missed me too! (Yes, I know, I look so young and skinny! Ha!)



Before we started dating, I had planned to spend a few weeks with my parents in Arizona. Now that I had met the man of my dreams, I was totally bummed to leave. In the long run, it was good for our relationship to spend some time apart, but more on that later. Anyway, the night before my departure we went to a delicious dinner at Teppanyaki (the deliciousness was diminished slightly by the lack of AC in the restaurant) follow by a drive-in movie. We borrowed Sam's roommate's awesome truck (also lacking AC), so we were forced to drive in silence to Salt Lake with the windows all the way down.

Flashback Sunday: The First Kiss

As previously mentioned, it was a long-awaited first kiss. If we're being honest though, it really wasn't that long. 13 days from our first date, to be exact. It seemed long though because we spent every spare minute we had hanging out with each other.

After school/work, I accompanied Sam to his work BBQ. (I know, right? Who brings a girl they haven't even smooched yet to a work party?) The guys from work had been teasing him that he was making me up so he thought he'd better bring me along to prove my existence.

We cut out of the party early to head to Sam's ultimate frisbee game. Sam can't remember the outcome of the game but I'm fairly certain they lost (miserably). However, being the last game of the season, everyone decided a celebration was in order anyway.

We all met back at Sam's apartment for ice cream.



While everyone was hanging out, it started to rain. I suggested to Sam that we go play in the rain. (Too many good kissing opportunities had passed and what's more romantic than a kiss in the rain?)

While we were walking/dancing (Sam walking, me dancing) around outside. Sam gave me a hug and, being a romantic, asked me if he could push me in the bushes. I made some snarky comment like, "Do it and see what happens."

After getting sufficiently wet, we started to head back inside. We paused for another hug under a light. I looked up at Sam and he planted one on me. There were fireworks and angels singing. Best first kiss ever! Totally worth the loooonnng wait!

And 700,000,000 kisses later, there are still fireworks and angels singing.

Flashback Sunday: Dating Memories-Part 1

Our lovely first date left me feeling very confused. I recognized Sam's amazingness but was very unsure of where things would lead and how to proceed (if it all).

As I was getting ready for church two days later, I tried to look extra special. Despite slightly chilly weather, I purposely left the house without a jacket. Sam happened to be speaking in church that day so he was sitting easily in view. In a test of Sam's gentlemanliness (yeah, I just made up a word) I tried to look cold. He passed the test and offered me his jacket. What can I say, I can be a bit manipulative (more on that later), but only with the best intentions.

That night, I was at my grandpa's house for dinner. I sent out one of those lame mass texts wishing everyone a happy Labor Day (or is it Memorial Day? I can never keep those straight) weekend. Sam was (very intentionally) included in the list. After a couple of texts back and forth, we made plans to hang out the next day. Sam had never texted before, and didn't have texting in his plan, but he decided texting me was worth a few extra bucks on his cell phone bill.

When I got home from my grandpa's I was ready to call it a night and hopped in the shower. When I got out, Sam called me to solidify our plans for the next day. While we were talking, my phone kept shutting off (coincidence? I think not!) Seeing as we lived next door to each other, we decided I should just go over to his house to continue talking. I quickly shed my high maintenance status when I went over in jammies with wet hair and no makeup. We played WWF Smackdown with some of his roommates. When it started getting late, Sam, being the gentleman that he is, decided to walk me the whole 20 feet to my apartment. But, instead of going inside right away, we sat outside talking for a couple more hours.

That night, I was more confused than ever. I prayed to ask Heavenly Father if this was a relationship I should continue to pursue. The next morning, I received an e-mail with the answer to my prayer (No, it wasn't an e-mail from heaven, but wouldn't that be nice?) I felt free to see where this budding romance would lead.

Sam called me that morning to inform me that he was sick. Staying up late talking in the cold did him in (the illness resulted in a high fever and a round of antibiotics). Our plans changed from rock climbing to a trip to Home Depot to buy soil and pots for some tomato plants Sam got from a guy at work. We planted the tomatoes and decided to make it a competition to see whose plant would produce better. Unfortunately, we weren't very good gardeners and our plants went swiftly the way of all the earth.



After that, we spent time together everyday. We would go on walks, study together or just spend time talking. We were both quite smitten, but neither of us was very sure of what the other was feeling and neither of us wanted to initiate "that" conversation.

A week after our first date, I had to go to an overnight retreat for my job as a counselor for the BYU Sports and Dance camps. Unlike most of my coworkers, I didn't know any of the other counselors so I spent the majority of the night hanging out by myself. I wanted to call Sam but I couldn't get cell phone service in the Canyon. As the night progressed, I started to meet and talk to some of the other counselors. I gained a better perspective on my feelings for Sam as some of the guys starting acting flirtatious. After just a week of hanging out with Sam, I wasn't even really flattered by the flirtation. I just wanted to get home and hang out with Sam.

I arrived home early the next morning and texted Sam. He invited me over for breakfast. Breakfast turned into rock climbing up Provo Canyon and rock climbing turned into dinner and a hike up Y mountain. It was a really fun day, but by the time it came to an end, I was really frustrated that Sam hadn't kissed me yet! I mean, come on, what was he waiting for?



Sam says he didn't want to kiss me until he knew it was right, which I can appreciate, but I was fairly certain he has passed up on many "right" moments. I mean, what could be better than a romantic sunset on the Y? When the "right" moment finally came, it was perfect, but you'll have to wait in suspense until next Sunday to read about that...

Flashback Sunday: Our First Date

At the beginning of the year, the members of our church congregation were given a few challenges to work on/goals to accomplish during 2011. One of the goals was to write five years (any five) of personal history. Since Sam and I started dating five years ago (at the end of May), we thought that would be a good place to start our history. And, since our blog is our family journal, we thought we'd document our history here. With that said, we are pleased to introduce Flashback Sundays. Every Sunday (ok, so probably not every Sunday, but we'll do our best) we will post a story from the past five years and our life together before this blog began (I know, it's hard to believe we existed before Internet documentation). Without further adieu, I bring you, Our First Date...

Sam and his roommates planned a group date--a bonfire up the canyon. It was mandatory that all of the roommates attend. Though I wasn't his first phone call, Sam got the guts to call me--"Philip's sister, the one with the missionary." Upon seeing a Utah number on my caller id, I promptly pressed ignore. If it was important, whoever it was would leave a message. I was curious when no message was left, so I looked through our ward phone directory to see if there was a match. The number was listed under Sam's picture who I hadn't exchanged more than about five words with. Needless to say, when the number appeared on my caller id again a few days later, I answered. Sam informed me that he and his roommates were having a bonfire and asked if I wanted to go with him. I surprised both of us by quickly responding, "yes." Sam came to pick me up (a long walk next door) and brought me back to his apartment where everyone was meeting. His friends were immediately skeptical of me. I was, apparently, overdressed for a bonfire. But hey, a date is a date and I hadn't been on one for quite some time so I was going to dress to impress.

After everyone arrived, we loaded into a few cars to head up the canyon. Our first attempt at a location failed. All of the fire pits were taken. So, after some time at a playground, we loaded back up and went further up the canyon. We found a spot and unloaded the gear. Once the fire was ablaze, we all sat around talking and roasting marshmallows. I (admittedly) talked Sam's ear off. He still teases me about it! I was so comfortable talking to him and it was nice to feel that way.

It started getting pretty late, so we decided to call it a night and head home. As we were walking back to our car, some sprinklers came on and totally blasted us in the face. There's nothing like cold water to the face to add some excitement to the night. It was hilarious.

When I got home, Philip was furious with me. He had been trying to contact me for the past couple of hours, but I had left my phone in the car. He didn't expect me to be gone so long and I didn't think to check in--seeing as he's not my dad.

Obviously, the night was a success. Sam looked past what his friends saw as "high maintenance" and despite my rambling (seriously, I didn't shut up!) decided I was pretty great (can't blame him!) And the rest, as they say, is history...

Here we are sitting by the bonfire. So young and soon-to-be in love.

Three Wonderful Years

Three years ago today, I married the most wonderful man in the whole world.



Choosing to marry Sam in the temple was the best decision I've ever made.



I know I will be with him forever!