Happy Happy Happy Day.

I just want to announce that I am done with student teaching!!!! Woo hoo for me! I could not be happier. After many tired days, tears, feelings of insanity, I am finally done. Even though I had a rough start I can honestly say that I still want to be a teacher and that I enjoyed having students. They really are the best part. Now I just hope that I can find a teaching job close by. This means that I am pretty much done with school! Happy 2nd degree to me!

I must say, life is pretty good right now. Sam and I had a wonderful weekend that started off with a free showing of the play South Pacific. The play was good, but I was so tired and had a headache the whole time that I didn't enjoy it as much as I could. Plus it was just pretty long.... Then on Saturday we made a delicious breakfast and headed to Salt Lake to see our friends Torrie and Matt finish the Salt Lake Marathon! They were so awesome. We barely saw them finish and actually had to run a few blocks ourselves to see them cross the finish line. I think it is so amazing that they did that together and I could not be prouder of them. Will Sam and I ever run a marathon together? Probably not, but maybe a half marathon.

As we were walking back to the car we took a little stroll in temple square because the flowers were so amazing! I just kept saying that to Sam, "these are amazing" and "this is so pretty!" And they really were. It was a beautiful day. Later we did a ton of wedding errands and then had a little dinner with the family. We met some of my family at a park and had a little mini game of frisbee. On Sunday we had a lovely time at church and then went out to see this little house that Sam's brother might buy. It was just a wonderful, warm, fun, and enjoyable weekend.

Here are some pictures in no particular order:

Finally, I have made an observation. Wedding planning is not as stressful as everyone makes it out to be. Maybe Sam is just so amazing and never complains about wedding stuff. And I have super helpful parents and future in-laws and siblings. Maybe it will get crazier, but so far everything has worked out, and I am actually enjoying it :)

Yes, it is true. I am engaged.

So here is the story of how Sam and I are finally engaged. If you ever wanted to know all about how Sam and I met and all the great things about him, well you have come to the right place because that is what I am about to tell you.

Sam and I met in the least likely of all places, a singles ward. I had been forced to move from my beloved Lakeside singles ward to a new one where I knew almost no one. A few bitter weeks went by as I sat alone in church until a handsome stranger caught my eye. He was unnaturally tall so that was really probably why, but as I saw him walk passed my I did think to myself, "he is probably one of the best looking boys in this ward, maybe life here won't be so bad after all." Well to my surprise that handsome stranger showed up to my regular Monday night frisbee games, and then again the next week. Finally after a few weeks of me noticing him, but never actually speaking to him he and his friend Ben finally introduced themselves to me at frisbee. And that is how it all began. Ben was a mutual friend of Sam's and my friend Becky. Becky and I schemed a little to find ways to get Ben to invite Sam to various events including a big BBQ I was throwing just before the 4th of July. Well Sam did come to my BBQ (he chose mine over another girl's) and that is what really started it all. After that we became real life friends.

Well after about a month of friendship and me guessing whether or not he would ever be more than a friend he finally asked me on a date. I had actually asked him on a date a few weeks earlier. He had said yes, and then couldn't because he got sick. I questioned whether or not he was lying just to get out of the date, but he really was sick, and we stayed friends. Sam took me to see an outdoor movie at the Capital, a very romantic choice for a first date. However, the date was not romantic, in fact it was border line awkward. But it was still fun. It did leave me wondering if there was any romance at all between us though. I thought maybe we were just destined to be friends. But then one Tuesday night after institute Sam and I decided to set up his hammock (he slept in a hammock his whole mission) at Rocket Park. I thought maybe he would hold my hand or something, but he just went for it and kissed me right then and there. His reasoning was that if he was going to sit in a hammock with a girl he was going to kiss her. Well I did not object. After that things moved pretty fast and we have been together ever since.

So when it came time to propose what did Sam do? Well on a Tuesday night he took my to Rocket Park and proposed to me in a hammock exactly 8 months since the first time we sat in a hammock. It was perfect. Sam is the man of my dreams. It was easy to fall in love with him because we fit together so well. He is so kind, gentle, sincere, smart, funny, nerdy, hardworking, talented, helpful, and loving. I can't wait for June 23 when we get to start the rest of our lives together! So let this be a lesson to you. Don't sit with a hammock with just anyone, because you may end of marrying, which in my case was the best decision of my life.

The Ring (It was a little too small)