Wow six months can really fly by when you're having fun. I have been hesitant to blog again because there is so so much that has happened since I last blogged. I'll try to give you the big and important details and leave the specifics to any questions you may want to ask! Here is a quick rundown of what the past six months have included (proposal story at end):
- Vacation to Oregon! I toured Portland by some of its finest inhabitants: my aunt and uncle. Next up was the Oregon coast with my wonderful family for my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary. It was refreshing to get away from the Utah heat and to see that grand Pacific Ocean. We had a wonderful time playing and relaxing (okay, okay....after I got used to not working I had fun!).
- Vacation to Spokane! A week of seeing my family was just what the doctor ordered after a summer of working 60 hour workweeks.
- Back to Provo for my last year of class. After getting settled into my new apartment and starting another semester of school I realized that this is where I belong for the time being. Although Provo may not be on the top 10 places to visit in the world, it's home...for now. Fall semester was a lot of school, work, school, work, school, work...you get the picture. (For those of you wondering when I'm ever going to mention the love of my life, just keep reading.)
- I taught for a month in a wonderful second grade class. Not only were those kids adorable, but they taught me life lessons I will never forget. Turns out I can teach! And I LOVE it...the late hours, crying children, all of it. You want to know why? Because I can really make a difference.
- After a long battle with finals, I came out conqueror with a 4.0 semester. Hooray! I hopped on a plane to Spokane and enjoyed a two week break from school and work as I celebrated the holidays with my family.
- Back to Provo yet again to finish my last semester of class in college. Where did all the time go?! Now it's Friday and I've finished my last first week of class (for my student life) and I can honestly say this will be the busiest semester of my entire life. But I'm going to make it with flying colors. I know that with the help of Christ I can do hard things. And on a more personal note, this guy cheering me on goes a long way :)
- Okay so now for the moment you all may be waiting for....how in the world I ever got so lucky to be engaged to Sam Mineer. Let me tell you. Well, let me tell you my version...I'm sure he would have a slightly different story :) We met in January of 2012 while working at the BYU Bowling and Games Center. We went on a few dates in February and March, but I was stubborn and did not want to accept that someone as wonderful as Sam wanted to be with plain old me! I had other things happening in my life that hindered me from jumping into Sam's arms, such as waiting to see how a previous relationship would turn out. I can tell you from personal experience that Sam is the most dedicated, persistent and gentlemanly guy that I have ever known! Although we had our fair share of late night walks discussing dating (or lack of my willingness to date), Sam never once quit being my friend or spoke an ill word about me. Turns out that between semesters we both moved to the same apartment complex, landing us as across the street neighbors and putting us in the same ward at church. What could have been an awkward situation turned out to be the biggest blessing in my life. We continued with our own lives, determined to stay friends (after all, we saw each other every single day at either work or church). I went on working my 60 hour workweeks, finding out that my previous relationship was simply not meant to be, and rediscovering myself. Sam was also pressing forward with work, school and a relationship of his own with someone else. Funny how life works out...the week that I discovered my previous relationship was over was the same week Sam started dating someone else. I think it's fair to say that I spent quite a bit of time kicking myself over and over for not dating Sam while I had the chance. However, "distance makes the heart grow fonder," and over time I began to see so many reasons why Sam was the perfect person for me. Just one simple problem: He was still dating someone else. So all of this happened from about January to July 2012. I went on vacation in early August and realized that my heart really belonged to Sam this whole time (just a little slow on the uptake, I know!). Sam picked me up from the airport, and using the advice my wise parents gave me, I apologized for not being a better friend over the past months. He was gracious and accepted my apology. I also explained that if there was ever a time in the future when we both weren't dating anyone else that maybe we should give it just one more shot and try dating. He helped me pick up all of my belongings and move into my new apartment in the blistering August heat. Just a few short days later, I heard from Sam that he and his girlfriend had mutually broken up. All I could do was feel so incredibly lucky that Sam was now back on the market ;) We decided to "meet other people" for time being. After about a week and a half of spending every single second of our free time together, on September 9th we decided it was time for us to see each other exclusively. The next four months were the happiest I have ever been in my entire life. I was extremely motivated to finish homework and work assignments so that Sam and I could make dinner and enjoy spending time together in the evenings before he left for work. Although we were busy, we always found time to slip secret love notes into each other's backpacks or leave surprises for one another at work. Sam is the world's greatest cook, listener, baby-sitter, smiler, friend and so much more. Over Christmas break he met my family and he got along with everyone (as expected). Sam is studying civil engineering, and my dad is a civil engineer--I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship for them! Okay, sorry this is getting lengthy. We'll get to the proposal story:
- We've been discussing potential wedding plans for a couple of weeks now, and we looked at rings last Saturday. I was 100% convinced that we were not going to get engaged until like February or even March due to our busy schedules with school and trying to get the rings, etc. So Wednesday, January 9th (4 months since we started dating exclusively and exactly 1 year since we started working together) Sam invited me over to his apartment for dinner. He cooked a delicious meal, and we looked at a slideshow of pictures from all periods of his life as we ate. Hindsight being 20/20, I should have realized how fast he finished eating and that one by one all of his roommates left. But I was completely, blissfully oblivious! We planned just to relax and perhaps watch a movie to celebrate our 4 months. Sam mentioned he wanted to show me some pictures from over Christmas break, and I agreed to see them...he has an amazing family and I always like to look at pictures. So we sat on the couch, and we began flipping through pictures. Looking back, it was probably torturous for him as I stopped the slideshow countless times to ask for explanations for the pictures! We got to pictures of him and his family using sparklers on New Years Eve. I saw that some of the pictures were taken with a long exposure, meaning there was enough time to spell out words before the picture was taken...anyways they say a picture is worth a thousand words, and here is the picture that stopped me in my tracks:
- Even at this point, I thought it was a sweet picture, but still did not connect what was happening. He said, "Hold on I need to go get something." He returned with a letter he had written me and a nice square little box. He read the letter and then said, "Well, there's only one question to ask: Will you marry me for time and all eternity?" I think I said yes about 15 times or more. And I guess you could say the rest is history :)
- Here are some pictures of us:
Well there's only one question left to ask...is this much happiness even legal?
