And Who Said Cheerleading Wasn't A Sport?!

A New Blog

So since I'm planning a wedding and getting ready to start a new life with Danny- I figured it was time for a new blog!! I've started a blog that will track our adventures of planning a wedding and then as we start our new life together! Hope you all will enjoy it! :) The new blog is: http://dannyandsamantha.blogspot.com/

I'M GETTING MARRIED!!

This picture was taken right before Danny proposed!! I had NO idea!!

Right after Danny asked me to marry him!! (The story will come after the pictures!)

A man and his fishing pole! Where my ring was!

Me and my best catch yet! This is right after we told my family what had happened!

THE RING!!!
(The diamond is my great-grandmas!)

Ok...so the story goes like this:
Danny and I like to fish, so we were once again fishing! (We did A LOT of it while he was here!) I must admit that I was VERY reluctant to go this time...but little did I know what was awaiting me on this trip! We drove around for about an hour trying to find this other pond that we wanted to try. Finally we made it...but not with much daylight left! We got right to fishing, caught a couple trees, and a few fish...then it was the big moment....

Throughout the night Danny had been tying on different lures for me to try, and this time he asked me to come over and see the lure he was tying on, and asked me if I thought it would be good. I just looked over my shoulder and said, "Yeah babe it looks great!" and just kept fishing. He asked me to come over there to look at it. So I reeled my line in and walked over there, we talked about the spinner bait he had in his hands and decided it would be good. I started to walk away, and he then asked, "What about this one?" I looked down to see a RING tied to the end of the fishing line!!! The first word out of my mouth was, "really?!" haha

We both hugged each other for a long time, shared some tears, laughs, and more tears! It felt so surreal, I had to keep looking at my ring to remind me that this had just happened! We came home to the family sitting in the living room, and shared the good news- everyone could not be happier! I then learned that Danny hadn't slept all night because he was afraid of missing my Dad in the morning. Danny got up to catch my Dad before he went to work, so he could ask my Dad for his permission. I had no idea all the "behind the scenes" things that went on, that I was COMPLETELY oblivious to!

I'm so lucky to have such an amazing man in my life! We're excited to start a life together, and can't wait to be married in the temple forever. I've been so blessed to have Danny as my best friend, and I couldn't ask for more. We're separated for the next 6 months, due to school, but we can't wait to be married to start a new adventure!! Danny is by far my best "catch" yet!! ;)

The Reason

I know that everything happens for a REASON...at least that's what I always thought. But do you ever wonder why some thing happen? Do you ever experience something and wonder...Wow what is the lesson in this one? What could or is going to come from this? It's interesting the life experiences that we have, the things that shake us, the things that break us, the things that strengthen us, the things that make us smile uncontrollably, the things that make us want to hide....I could go on forever- but each and every day we all experience these emotions- some stronger than others. Some days are just days that are meant to be absolutely amazing, launch you up to Cloud 9 (maybe even higher.) Then there are those days that send you into your lowest of lows, where nothing seems to be pointing up- even when you try to climb back up, something brings you down...

Those days are my days to realize THE REASON behind everything. THE REASON we have a Savior, THE REASON our Heavenly Father knows us each by name, THE REASON we are granted another breath. It's our duty to remember our Heavenly Father and our Savior and realize that everything does happen for a REASON and that we need to be grateful for these experiences. When I reach that point, the point of total and completely exhaustion, where I feel like I can't fight the day- I remember my Savior. I remember that He is THE REASON I do everything that I do. He is THE REASON I have hope. As we stumble and fall, and we soar and grow- we owe it all to our Savior and His love.

L-O-V-E

Yesterday my roommates were talking about those 3 little words that seem to mean so much more than their size! As they were talking about the words "I Love You" I got to thinking about what those words mean to me, and how I know that I'm in love! How I can tell the difference of being IN love and Loving someone. This is what I came up with!

I know I'm in love when:

• Everything I do, I do with him in mind.
• I can't wait to see him each and every day.
• I hate saying good bye at the end of each night.
• I wonder how his day is.
• I worry about him.
• I want to be the best I possibly can for him.
• Every time I see him, I smile.
• When I have a bad day, all I want is to see him to brighten my day.
• I can go to him with tear filled eyes, left-over make up and PJ's and he still thinks I look beautiful.
• When I've had a bad day, he brings me my favorite Mint Oreos so we can make our own Milkshake/Blizzards! :)
• He introduces me to the smallest place to eat...but the absolute best!! :) (aka Chiz's)
• He can't wait until I cook for him again.
• Our schedules are COMPLETE opposites...and he still makes time to see me, no matter how tired he is!
• I can fall asleep while he's driving and not worry!
• He shares all his music with me! lol
• He can make me melt with his baby blues, and amazing voice!
• He laughs at my "stage fright"
• He calls me in the morning to wake me up!
• His interests become mine!
• His tardiness makes me laugh!

This list could obviously go on forever, but I don't have the space, or the time- If it wasn't obvious yet- I've found someone so incredible that makes me smile every single day! He's everything I could have ever wanted! We'll see what happens! But as for now-

To Be Continued...

ONE WORD:

ONE word and ONE word only answers:

1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
2. Your significant other? Fishing
3. Your hair? Blonde
4. Your mother? Amazing
5. Your father? Patient
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Weird
8. Your favorite drink? Dr. Pepper
9. Your dream/goal? Mother
10. What room you are in? Office
11. Your hobby? Music
12. Your fear? I.V.
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Kids
14. Where were you last night? Umm...
15. Muffins? Bannana
16. Wish list item? Sparkles
17. Where you grew up? Virginia
18. Last thing you did? Worked
19. What are you wearing? Skirt
20. Your TV? Off
21. Your pets? None
22. Friends? Incredible
23. Your life? Amazing
24. Your mood? Good
25. Missing some one? Family
26. Car? Camry
27. Something you're not wearing? Make-up (Ahh!)
28. Your favorite store? AE
29. Your favorite color? Green
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Heartache
32. Who will resend this? Unknown
33. One place that I go to over and over? School
34. One person who emails me regularly? Brooke
35. My favorite place to eat? Italian
36. Why you participated in this survey? Bored
37. What are you doing tonight? Date!

You're a 90's kid if:

Wow...this is PERFECT!! Everything describes me perfectly...except I'd have to add- BIG bangs, and elastic leggings in neon colors, and a shirt tucked in with a belt.

• You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
• You remember reading “Goosebumps”
• You know the profound meaning of “Wax on, wax off”
• You took plastic cartoon lunch boxes to school.
• HELLO….HOT WHEELS!!!!!
• You remember the craze, then the banning of slap bracelets and slam books.
• You still get the urge to say “NOT” after (almost) every sentence…Not…
• Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? was both a game and a TV game show.
• You knew that Kimberly, the pink ranger, and Tommy, the green Ranger were meant to be together.
• You remember when super nintendos became popular.
• You remember watching home alone 1, 2 , and 3……..and tried to pull the pranks on “intruders”
• “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”
• You remember boom boxes vs. cd players
• You remember New Kids on The Block when they were cool
• You knew all the characters names and their life stories on “Saved By The Bell”
• You played and/or collected “Pogs”
• You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet or Nano and brought it everywhere
• You watched the original Care Bears, My Little Pony, and Ninja Turtles
• Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys were the best mystery books
• Yikes pencils and erasers were the stuff!
• All your school supplies were “Lisa Frank" brand.(pencils.notebooks.binders.etc.)
• You made paper scrunchies to see who you’d end up marrying
• You remember when the new Beanie Babies were always sold out.
• You used to wear those stick on earrings, not only on your ears, but at the corners of your eyes.
• You’ve gotten creeped out by “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”
• You know the Macarena by heart.
• “Talk to the hand” … enough said
• You thought Brain would finally take over the world
• You always said, “Then why don’t you marry it!”
• You remember when everyone went slinky crazy.
• You remember when razor scooters were cool.
• When we were younger:
• Before the MySpace frenzy…
• Before the Internet & text messaging…
• Before Sidekicks & iPods…
• Before PlayStation2 or X-BOX…
• …Back when you put off the 5 hours of homework you had every night.
• When light up sneakers were cool.
• When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.
• When gas was $0.95 a gallon & Caller ID was a new thing.
• When we recorded stuff on VCRs & paid $3.50 for a movie.
• When we called the radio station to request songs to hear off our walkmans.
• When the Chicago Bulls were the best team ever.
• Tag.
• Get Over Here!!!! means something to you.
• Hide-n-Go Seek at dusk.
• Red Light, Green Light.
• Heads Up 7 Up.
• Playing Kickball & Dodgeball until your porch light came on.
• Hopskotch.
• Tree Houses.
• Hula Hoops.
• Captain Planet.
• Running through the sprinklers.
• That “Little Mermaid”
• Crying when Mufasa died in the Lion King.
• Happy Meals where you chose a Barbie or a Hot Wheels car.
• Getting the privilege to sit in the front seat of the car.
• Drinking Sqeeze It “Squeeze The Fun Out Of It”
• Or what about:
• Hey Arnold.
• Rugrats.
• The Secret World of Alex Mac.
• Rocco’s Modern Life.
• Are You Afraid of the Dark?
• Doug.
• Magic School Bus.
• Aladdin.
• Pinky and the Brain
• Sailor Moon.
• Blossom.
• Beavis & Butt-Head
• Wishbone.
• Bill Nye the Science Guy
• MR RODGERS!!!!
• Where everyone wanted to be in love after watching The Wonder Years.
• Under the Umbrella Tree
• PEE-WEE!!!
• The Big Comfy Couch
• Kool-Aid was the drink of choice.
• Class field trips.
• When Christmas was the most exciting time of year.
• When $5 seemed like a million, & another dollar a miracle.
• When you begged to go to McDonalds for dinner everyday.
• When Toys R Us overuled the mall.
• Go back to the time when:
• Decisions were made by going ‘eeny-meeny-miney-moe’.
• Money issues were handled by whoever was banker in ‘Monopoly.’
• Being old referred to anyone over 20.
• A chance to skate as a couple at the local roller rink was like winning the lottery.
• When Ninja Turtles ruled the world.
• When Aladdin was new, before the trilogy was complete.
• Before we realized all this would eventually disappear
• Who would have thought you’d miss the 90’s so much?

Firsts

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Alex

2. FIRST date?
Joey

3. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
Sometimes, we're still good friends.

4. What was your FIRST job?
Besides the normal babysitting gig...ELECTRIC BEACH TANNING SALON! :)

5. What was your FIRST car?
1980 Mitsubishi- Nickname: "Soda Can!"

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
Danny

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
Elise, who is crashing on my floor! Didn't want to wake her!

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. McGuire! (Her first name was Babe...pretty sweet huh?!)

9. Who was your FIRST Kiss?
Joey

10. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
CALIFORNIA!! :)

11. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk?
Danny Baumgardner, and no we don't still talk- but I did talk to him at his High School Graduation! (He went to the same high school as John!)

12. Where was your FIRST sleepover?
My house. But away from my house- Dana Coomb's house in Leesburg!

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Elise- I did end up waking her up! Oops! :)

14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Looked at my alarm and said, "Morning?! Already?!" Just kidding...I took a shower!

15. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
John Michael Montgomery- a surprise from my parents. (I even got a shirt too! lol)

16. FIRST piercing?
My ears

17. FIRST foreign country you've been to?
Uhh...San Bernardino Ghetto?! JK...Never been to a different country!

18. FIRST movie you remember seeing?
E.T. - And I think I'm still scarred from this!

19. When was your FIRST detention?
I was a Senior in high school! Just a week before Graduation...hey you gotta get it in before you graduate! :)

20. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
California- but that I remember...Virginia

21. Who was your FIRST roommate?
Lindsay and Jenny! Amazing girls! :)

22. What happened the FIRST time you were pulled over driving? Did you get a ticket?
I've never been pulled over... (knock on wood!!)

Birthday Suprises! :)

So this weekend was my birthday...and it was absolutely amazing! I've never been able to be surprised! No one has ever been able to "pull a fast one" on me. But this weekend was FULL of surprises!

SURPRISE #1: Saturday night Danny and I went out to dinner, and then decided that we were going to watch a movie after dinner. He had me pick a few from his house, and then we headed over to my apartment. We got to my apartment and made brownies and then decided to start the movie. Ok, a little bit about me and Danny- we're THE most easy going people, and have the tendency to let that affect our decision making! :) lol- So basically neither one of us ever make a decision! Well...Danny had me pick the movie, so I figured oh alright, we'll pick one together! (So a little background- I'd been trying to get Danny to watch Moulin Rouge for WEEKS!) So I started naming off the movies so he could help me pick one out...then Moulin Rouge was stuck right there in the middle of the stack!! :) I don't know how he got it in there, but he had gone and gotten the movie for me, even though I know it was tourture for him! :) It was the first surprise anyone has ever been able to pull off for me, and it was the sweetest thing! Thank you Danny!!

SURPRISE #2: Sunday was my actual birthday, and it actually was just a normal Sunday most of the day. I got up and went to my early morning meetings, went to the rest of church, then came home and took a nap. Then Danny came and picked me up to go check his work schedule. Then he told me that Josh, Danny's best friend, wanted us to come over for a bit. I had told danny that we were having a "sweet swap" at my house at 8 so I needed to be home for that. We were at Josh and Sharlee's until about 8:15, when Danny said- "Oh I forgot about your sweet swap we better go." I thought, well ok. haha So we're walking up, and the house is dark- and I thought...hmmm maybe I thought it was at our house, but it's really not. I walked in to an apartment full of about 30 people...and walked RIGHT BACK OUT! They were singing Happy Birthday, how embarrassing! :) Danny pushed me back into the apartment, I blew out my candles, and then enjoyed the night with friends! :) My amazing roommate Stephanie had planned this whole thing! Getting everyone there, getting me out of the house, and the treats! :) She's amazing! :)

How to say I love you

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATHY!

We were VERY sneaky....spent Monday night decorating for a fun filled day! :)
P.S. After a lecture from Kathy about not drawing attention to her birthday! hehehe

Pretty good eh?!

So Kendra, Kathy's daughter hired a boy to come sing happy birthday to Kathy...she was absolutely mortified!! :) (MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!)

Thank Goodness for the Weekend!

Getting Ready for the party. The weekend came JUST in time!! :)

Us girls on our way out. Anastasia, Marissa, Me, and Steph

After the party...looking good eh?

The next morning (or afternoon! hehe) And yes we did go to Horkley's like this!! :)

So we decided we needed to take a break from homework for a bit, and watched a movie in my room! :)

So after a week full of classes, homework, meetings, work, etc...it was definitely time for the weekend!! More to come!!

Crazy Week

So the past couple of days have been so busy, but now...ITS THE WEEKEND!! :) I've learned to enjoy the weekends VERY much!! :) This week was amazing on so many different levels...first- I got to meet/talk to/shake hands with Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve! He is a very gentle, loving, and sweet man, with quite the sense of humor. Elder Christofferson was our devotional speaker her on campus on Tuesday, so I got to meet with him in the office when he came in with President and Sister Clark (I love my job! So many perks!! It's the one thing that makes staying in college bareable!)

Also this week I had 2 dear friends help me out greatly! I had driven to campus at 8am for classes, and then went straight to work, without moving my car. When I got out to my car at 5pm...I WAS FROZEN OUT!! :( Very dissappointing I might add- seeing as I had to be somewhere by 5...I was already late! Well luckily a girl that lives in my building passed by right at that moment, so she gave me a ride home, thank goodness because I was in a skirt and heels! My roommate then took me back to my car with a lighter to try and warm the lock and key...but no luck- so she then took me to Wal Mart to get de-icer for locks...a niffty little tube that sticks in your lock! At this point I was still running late...and getting frustrated!! We got the de-icer and that didn't work! As soon as I started my breakdown...Ryley pulled up! (The one that always seems to bail me out!!) He got me in my car, and then we realized that my battery was dead...so...back to Wal Mart! We picked up some jumper cables, and vola' my car started!! Thank goodness for Ryley and his manly skills!! haha A lesson or two well learned that day- service and don't let your car sit too long in -35 degree weather!!

So after a week of classes, work, and back-to-back meetings: ITS TIME FOR THE WEEKEND! Although homework still continues into the weeked...that means more time for fun! Parties, maybe some ice fishing, and just relaxing- oh and the dreaded laundry I've been putting off for 2 weeks...yikes my mom would be proud! haha

Growing Up

It's amazing how our Heavenly Father finds ways to teach us! I know that Heavenly Father puts people in our lives for specific reasons and for certain times. I've been so blessed in my life to have shared wonderful experiences with so many wonderful people. Right now my family and my friends are my support and my strength. The know exactly how to pick me up when I'm having a bad day, or they know how to just let loose and have fun. It's definitely a strength and a wonderful blessing to have such amazing people in my life! :)

Every day we wake up and each of us girls text each other and say..."Today is going to be a great day! :)" and the strange thing is...they actually are GREAT days!! It seems as though whenever I post something sad...strangely and like clock work within the next day or two- my life turns completely around. It just goes to prove that life is unpredictable...and that's the greatest part! So to update on what's going on in my life:

1. I'm SO happy! Life is so amazing
2. I've started my Guitars Unplugged job and I'm so excited.
3. I work everyday with amazing people that uplift me!
4. My EFY interview is coming up in a few months and...wow I'm excited!
5. Each weekend brings a new adventure...and it's AMAZING! :)
6. School is going great- even though it's so busy!
7. I wear heels and a skirt everyday and feel SO grown up! LOVE IT!
8. I have amazing roommates that are so fun.
9. My resume' is sent out to a couple places all over the country for an internship this summer.
10. Life is a blessing, and one that I plan to take in each and every day!

Oh I'm so grateful for the amazing opportunity that I have to go to school up here in Idaho. I've learned SO much, and grown so much as a person. Each day brings a new experience, and experience brings eagerness! I love the process of growing up, finding out who I am and who I want to be. I have so much ahead of me, and I can't wait to continue on this journey we call life! Every time I get my missionary letter (don't freak out he's just a friend! lol) at the end of our letters we tell each other to smile- so that's my goal in life- to SMILE always! So remember to SMILE! :)

Happily Ever After

I've struggled a lot lately. It seems like everyone is getting married and having babies and enjoying the bumps in their happily ever after...one question....Where is mine? We're taught that God will grant you all the righteous disires of your heart- so what am I doing wrong? I think that the desires to get married in the temple and have a family are good desires, I don't understand why it's been so hard. This trial has been on going for about 2 years and every once in a while I see a glimmer of hope, I get my hopes up...and then I fall again, get my heartbroken and I'm back to step one! Last week on "The Bachelor" a girl that had been kicked off said, "It's hard to feel good enough when so many guys seem to say you're not." It seems to be a vicious cycle that never ends.

Ever since I was a little girl all I've wanted is to get married in the temple and have my own family. I know that I'm only 20, but watching all of my friends get married one by one, and watching them all start their families makes me want that. I've been trying so hard to just live my life, and take what comes, but each day is a new day and some days are better than others...I just hope that I get my happily ever after sometime soon. I have so much love that I want to give someone, and so much that I want to do in my life with someone right by my side. I don't live under a rock, so I know that it won't be perfect all the time, and that yeah life presents challenges- but that's the beauty of having someone to share those challenges with, you don't have to face them on your own!
This blog has definitely become my outlet and a place for me to write some of my deepest feelings, even though it's for all of you to read- hmm...funny how that works!

It's ok to....

I was getting my hair done the other day and while reading a magazine, came across a page that was something that explains me EXACTLY! It was actually kind of scary! This is what it said:

Hey It's OK to...

...Want to get married super-duper bad.
... To discover all your new music courtesy of The Hills.
... To secretly hope that your exes consider you the one that got away.
... To find the word panties totally creepy.
... To take a quick YouTube break at work. A sneezing Panda can really clear the head.
... To buy it without trying it on, especially if you're wearing more layers than a piece of baklava.
... To wish you came equipped with guy GPS. (Turn left at the next man to avoid heartbreak. Recalculating.)