Our Cruise!!

Our Cruise was absolutely amazing and so much fun! It was so nice to get away for a week and even turn off our cell phones! When we got on the boat they had lunch ready and we went and got our room all set up. One of the funnest parts of the cruise was the nice dinners! We sat at a table with a couple who was on their honeymoon and a group of four older women who were best friends out on a cruise. One of the lady's was our entertainment... well, she never shut up! and it was great haha we pretty much laughed through every dinner. Catalina Island was absolutely beautiful! I would love to go back there. When we went parasailing, you could see the whole city and it was gorgeous. We also saw dolphins on our parasailing adventure! Garrett is scared of dolphins. So he kept his feet as far away as possible, even though they were still way far down! After parasailing we just walked around and also tried their calamari at a little fish shack right off the pier.. It was hands down the best calamari I have ever tasted! We also got to try some crazy things at our dinners.. I had escargot.. and alligator and eel. All of them were good! I was the only one at my table who tried the escargot and they all watched me try it thinking I would spit it out.. but I definitely did not! I thought it was pretty delicious. Another great part of the cruise was just lounging by the pool.. We would go grab a drink and just fall asleep in a chair under the sun. They had a pizza bar that was open 24/7 so we munched on that a lot! I also loved their salad bar.. A lot to choose from. And of course the ice cream cones! Those were Gar's favorite! We took a nap almost every day which was awesome.. because we never get naps! They are unheard of! Free room service was awesome too, I will admit I ordered cheesecake a few times :) Ensenada was interesting. We walked up main street and there were tons of people selling things. I bought a pair of flip flops from a lady who was selling them for $30, but Garrett talked her down to $11! Crazy huh? We got Garrett a t-shirt and then just decided to go back to the boat. When it was time to get off the boat, we were sad. We didn't want the fun to end! We got to the airport at about 9:30 and our flight didn't leave until 4, so we were there fooorrreeeevvvverrrr. I took a nap on the uncomfortable airport chairs, and Garrett.. well I don't know what he was doing while I slept. HaHa. But it was definitely such an awesome vacation! I am so glad we saved our money and went. Here are some pictures if you haven't already seen! Love you all!!

God IS looking out for you!

There have been big changes for Garrett and I in the past few months! All for the better. I am sure some of you are wondering.. "Where does Sammy work?" All you've seen are little bits and pieces from facebook! Let me walk you through the story.I worked at Walmart as a pharmacy tech. I had no set schedule, and I would usually work the evening shift, which meant I didn't get to spend time with Garrett because our schedules collided. I was constantly down, I felt like I had no structure in my life because my schedule was all sceewompus (Is that how you spell that?:)) Anyway, I had an opportunity come available to transfer to another walmart where I could have a set schedule and work at the same time Garrett was at school and work. I was soo excited! I thought, wow this is what I have been waiting for. The transfer was approved, and I was all set to move over. Two days before I was scheduled to transfer, I got a call saying I would no longer be allowed to transfer because they hired too many people at the new store. I was so devastated and angry. I felt like I was never going to find a place where I could be happy, and I felt like I had been praying to my Heavenly Father and my prayers were not being heard. This is where the blessing comes along. I went to bed the night they told me I couldn't transfer. I was playing around on my laptop, checking ksl and craigslist for jobs. I saw a post for a medical receptionist in Orem. I thought, why not, and sent off my resume. The next morning I get a call from the family practice I had sent my resume to. They wanted me in for an interview right away, so I got dressed and went right over. I walked in, and immediately was offered the job. Now let me explain to you why I decided to take the job. First of all the schedule is magnificent! I work m-f 8:15-5. I do not have to work major holidays and we are closed on the weekends. Because of my past work experience as a pharmacy tech, he offered me a starting pay equivalent to what I made at wal-mart. I know some of you may be thinking I am silly for not using my pharmacy tech license, which leads me to tell you I will be working one saturday a month in the pharmacy (either at walmart or central utah clinic, not sure yet) to keep my tech skills up and be able to renew my license every 3 years.

I really feel like my Heavenly Father had this job planned for me. I am so grateful for prayer, and the opportunity to be PATIENT. When something great doesn't fall in to place, it's because God has something better in store for you.  I am a firm believer in that! I love my husband more then words can explain! He supports me in all that I do, and loves me all the way through it. I am so proud of him for going to school so eventually I won't have to work and can be a mommy! But, one thing at a time right? I don't think I know any person more patient and loving then Garrett. I make mistake after mistake, and he just forgets about it. He is the perfect example to me! I really, really love him!

We are getting VERY excited for our cruise coming up in May! We are ready to get away from provo and enjoy the sunshine. Other things we have been up to? Well, my parents came up a few weekends ago and we spent time with them. My dad and Garrett worked on his truck, we did insanity in our living room, which was pretty awesome! And we spent time with aunt rachel and her kids. I love when they come to visit me. I love how well my dad and Garrett get along. I think I really did marry a guy just as awesome as my dad! I am so lucky to have both of them in my life. They couldn't move back to Utah any quicker! I am looking forward to our family trip with them this summer to yellowstone!! It will be so much fun!  This past weekend we spent with Garrett's family. We watched conference, slept in, went to a delicious dinner at red lobster (I had crab legs---YUM!!!) and planned out our awesome family trip to St. George. We went on a double date with Josh and Hillary to the jazz game, and then went to ihop after! We always have the funnest time with them. We laugh until our stomachs hurt, and we have so many insiders that nobody would even get! I am lucky to have siblings so close. Anyway, I know this was a really long post. But here are some pictures. I hope all of my family and friends reading this know how much I care about each of you and that you are such a blessing in my life!

One year!

Well, one year has come and gone! We celebrated our anniversary on February 14th. It was a fantastic day! The start of the week was rough. Garrett came home from school very very sick, he had a fever that got to 105 at one point. I was up with him through the night, checking his temperature every few hours and giving him tylenol and ibuprofen to ease the pain. It was the first time I had seen him very very sick since we had been married. It was scary, but good for me to be able to grow closer to him by caring for him and making sure he got through the sickness. And of course, since I was caring for him, I caught the sickness too! You really feel like you are on your deathbed. I am grateful we got prescribed tamiflu... It gives you nausea but man does it work miracles! Garrett's fever finally broke the night before our anniversary. At one point while he was sick we had some guys from the ward stop by and give him a blessing. That is always comforting to me, even if it doesn't help right away.

ANYWAYS, We were able to celebrate our anniversary feeling much better! We went to the Hale Center theater for the production of Les Mis. It was absolutely amazing! The music was flawless, and since the theater is in a round arena you are able to sit closer and really see the characters faces. I was so happy we decided to go! After the show, we went by the hampton inn downtown salt lake city to drop off our stuff as we were going to be sleeping there. We had the jetted tub suite. It was a really nice room! After that we headed off to dinner at the melting pot. My sweet husband had arranged for there to be sparkling juice and three roses set up at our table just for me. I felt extremely spoiled! The food was absolutely amazing! My favorite part was the lobster tail. You cook all your own food in a pot of delicious broth. We were stuffed by the time we had finished! The meal was quite expensive, well, really expensive. But luckily we were given gift cards from my parents and Gar's parents to help cover the costs. It was definitely worth it though! The next morning we got to sleep in and relax, we had continental breakfast and enjoyed our morning. Overall it was an awesome getaway! Here are the pictures!

As I look back on our first year of being married, I see how much we have each grown individually as well as a couple. I fell in love with Garrett, on our very first date. People say we moved too fast, but I disagree! I loved him from day one, without a doubt in my mind. I did go in to marriage thinking it was going to be a breeze though, and that I was wrong about. We have had disagreements, like all couples, and I have had quite a few meltdowns! But what I am grateful for is being able to learn from these experiences and handle the next disagreement better. I Thank my Heavenly Father every day for giving me such a patient husband. I know that the Savior knew I needed a man like him! I am very blessed, more blessed then I deserve. But I cannot wait to have a family with Garrett, and I can't wait to grow old with him, and watch our children grow and be able to be an example to them. Thanks for reading. love you all!

Happy Holidays!!!!

We had a fabulous Christmas and New Year. We spent time with family and had a really good time! My family came to Utah on Christmas Eve and we were able to spend Christmas morning with them. We got some great gifts from them! I got a Kitchen Aid, a Chi straightener, and Garrett got a drill, gift cards, and moneyy!! We are excited to use our pfchangs gift card we got in our stocking :) Thanks mom and dad!! 
On Christmas Eve we went to the Kundis family dinner and gift exchange! We had our traditional German dinner, with sausages, cabbage, potatoes, and my personal favorite, the brussell sprouts! Mommy Chris, you rocked that dinner! thanks so much! We opened our presents from Gar's mom and dad on Christmas Eve. We got great gifts! a griddle, clothes, a jar of money, a picture for our apartment, and more! It was a fun night. On Christmas day we spent time with my Grandma Needles, my cousins, aunts, and uncles. We did our "favorite things" gift exchange and shared our favorite recipes. Grandma made a delicious dinner and Aunt Deb made her famous "grasshopper ice cream" It was DELISH! 

We did other fun things over the holidays as well. We went to city creek with  my family and took the front runner. I'd never taken the front runner, so it was quite the experience. Garrett loved it, he felt like he was back on his mission in Sweden because he took buses and trains almost every day. We celebrated our nephew Landon's 3rd birthday... He sang what does the fox say and was very excited to open all his presents! He likes dump trucks, power rangers, and making me laugh :) He is just growing too quick! 
On new years eve we had a really fun time at Aunt Karen and Uncle Chris' house! We had a "pajama party." Played games, eating Chinese food, watched the ball drop, and crashed on their couch. :) It was a great way to ring in the new year! My new years resolution isn't to necessarily "lose weight".. but more importantly live a healthier lifestyle by exercising and watching what I eat. You could say my body has changed since I graduated high school. My confidence has taken quite the turn once I realized I put on weight I can't eat anything I want anymore. Instead of dwelling on how I used to be, i'm just trying to accept my body as it is but more importantly take care of it by exercising and eating good foods! 

We are loving our new apartment! It is cozy and cute. It is teaching us a little bit about how to manage our money since our rent went up :) Our favorite thing to do is watch our favorite shows and movies and enjoy our big kitchen! 

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. I feel Christ's love especially during this time as I realize how blessed I am with the wonderful family i've been given. Thanks to all my friends and family for your never ending love and compassion! I hope you all remember Garrett and I love you dearly!

DIY

I love him.

Front ruunner... Josh! hahaha

DIY

The most delicious hot holiday drink, all the way from Sweden. It was a hit at Chrsitmas Eve dinner!

KItchen aid! I love it!

Love my treadmill 

Our first Christmas tree

"Santa" sent us the 12 days of Christmas, It came from Meridian, /Idaho :)

I love my sister! So glad she came down to spend time with me.

Our living room in our new apartment :)