Our soon to be NEW HOUSE!!!

We've been married almost one year and I can hardly believe it! The whole time we have unfortunately been having to make two house payments, and Sam has sacrificed so much in driving so far to work. Well, things are changing... YAY! Sam sold his house in Moroni, and we should be selling my townhouse in Orem shortly, and we found our dreamhouse! Well, at least the dreamhouse that we can afford :) We decided Santaquin would be a good compromise for both of us, kinda in the middle for both of our jobs and both our family and friends. It is on the east benches of Santaquin right off the Canyon Rd so we have a beautiful view of the mountains and outdoor life for Sam, and also not too far from "the big city" for me. In the pictures there are still a million weeds, and we will have to put in a yard, and the city needs to put in a sidewalk, but it gives you an idea. I will post more pictures after we move in and get it decorated. Hopefully by the middle of July we will be all settled in... YAY :)

Vegas Baby!!!

For Memorial weekend Sam and I decided to go to Vegas. My friend Brittney and her husband Brady and their kids were heading down there and wanted us to come. It was a last minute quick trip, but we had a blast! Exactly 1 year ago on this same weekend we got engaged in Vegas, so it was fun going back to celebrate. I can't believe it has been a year since Sam proposed! Time goes by so fast, but it also just feels like we've known each other and been together forever. I'm so grateful for Sam, the love of my life! I decide to post a picture of when we got engaged (on the gondola ride at the Venetian) since I didn't have a blog then, and also a pic of us on the bigshot at the top of the Stratosphere. That ride was SO scary! But I loved it! Brittney about had a heart attack, but we made her ride it anyway. She was screaming the whole time holding on to her step-son's chair! I was screaming the whole time too :) One of the pics is the view at the top of the stratosphere. It was so pretty, you could see forever.

Great Idea!

The weather is finally starting to get warm and I am SO excited! The weekends lately have all seemed to be cold and I hadn't had a chance to be out enjoying the sun until today. It's not quite warm enough to go swimming yet, but I really wanted to get rid of my sickly looking white winter skin. Sam had the great idea to go get some rafts and lay in the hot tub! It was perfect! We had a such a fun, relaxing time in our backyard today :) I can't wait for boating weather!! YAY!!!

Sam's Dreams Come True!

Ever since Sam sold his 4-wheeler last year he has been wanting a Rhino SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Bad! So I bought him this Rhino for Christmas, thinking finally his dreams would come true ;) I guess it wasn't quite the Rhino he had in mind. It held him over for a while... but only a while :)

Rhino, Rhino, and more Rhino

After many months of looking on KSL every day, several times a day, Sam finally found the Rhino he wanted and we could afford. So this weekend we drove to Preston Idaho to pick up Sam's baby! I can't even expain how excited he was! Just like a little kid at Christmas! Now all we need is the house I want on the hills of Santaquin so he can ride it out of our backyard!

Remembering my hero...

Tomorrow it will be 2 years since my dad passed away. He truly was and is my hero. He taught everyone by his example how to live a great life. Time has gone so fast. It's strange, the day is still so vivid in my mind. I remember every detail..what I was wearing, what I felt like, how he looked (which was so peaceful, like he was sleeping and would soon wake up)and even though it seems like it was yesterday, it also seems like it was forever ago.

I am so lucky to have had the chance to spend 32 years with the most amazing man I've ever known as my father. He was so kind, caring, patient, generous, giving, and full of unconditional love. He was firm when he needed to be, but we all knew inside he was a big teddy bear. I had so much respect for this man as I was growing up(and still do)that I was never afraid of the punishment I would receive if I did something wrong, I was more hurt by the feeling that I had let him down.

My dad was never concerned for himself but always put others first. Our love for each other was more important to him than any suffering that he had to go through. He never complained. Just like his amazing sister who suffered with cancer for 13 or 14 years and never complained once but just kept serving others. We would ask my dad how he was doing, and through his scratchy, weak voice, that he could barely speak with, as he was in pain holding his head would say "I'm doing great".

I am so proud to be the daughter of this amazing man. I miss him with all of my heart and wish I didn't have to live the rest of my life without him, but I know that he is and will always be there for me. I hope that I can make him proud and carry on the amazing legacy that he has left for us to folllow. I love you dad!

Photos of a great man

As you can see from the photos my dad loved life. he loved to be with his family and his grandchildren, and his grandghildren love him soooooooooooo much! He was always so willing to join in on any activity with the family, whether it be fishing, or riding tubes in the lazy river, he loved having fun with his kids and grandkids. Even Sienna (Devan and Becky's dog) loved grandpa! Sienna knew grandpa was the only one that would let her get away with laying on the sofa :) Shad's son Brenan had a special bond with grandpa and had him baptise him in the river. This man was deeply loved by all!