SAMANTHA SMITH

Blog Backup

2010-12-05T14:58:00.001-08:00

I started writing a Christmas letter for the first time this year to send to all my family and friends, and after multiple edits and still not getting it under two pages I realized it was best I just update my blog so those who are interested can come enjoy my comical/amazing life as they please. I say comical because I find myself quite comical...I crack myself up constantly, also I happen upon some very comical situations quite frequently. I say amazing not because I think I am so amazing, but because I truly have the most amazing things happen to me and I am surrounded by some of the most amazing people this world holds.

Total Sam Story!

2010-10-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

When I got in my car accident 2 years ago and totaled poor Johnny I had to buy a replacement car fast. I got a beater that was running well, and didn't plan on keeping it this long. When I brought it to the mechanic over a smaller issue I asked them about some other problems I had been noticing, and half a day later they came back with a report of about $2500 worth of major issues (which I had a feeling were going on). From shot struts to warped drum brakes to some lightbulbs being out, I was not going to dump that much money into a 20 year old, 225,000 mile piece of work. I set to looking for a new car but after a couple of weeks got tired of looking at peoples "looks like new" dump cars that clearly had problems written all over them. I stopped for a few months, and then grew concerned of stranding myself somewhere in my car I started the search again. After a couple of weeks I got frustrated again, but called my dad for assistance. Within hours he e-mailed me a list of cars and the second one on the list I bought a day later. The following day I went out of down for four days, and then came home and worked from 6 AM to 7 PM, only getting home around 10. The next morning I thought I really needed to get my other car put on Craigslist, and even though I hadn't had the time to clean it out or wash or vacuum it I thought I would get those things down over the next weekend. The next night I checked my e-mail and to my surprise I had over 15 e-mails, 3 from the same guy. It was too late to call him back, so I called the next day. Long story short he came over, drove it with me, and offered me cash.

Lets look at a picture:

It was dark, so you couldn't tell the outside of the car was unwashed, but the inside was pretty bad. Between camping, hiking, and watching two little boys who are a mess, it gets pretty trashed. Add this to not having vacuumed it in a good year or so (maybe it was more recent...but not much more recent). Dust and dirt everywhere he wanted to buy it. I walked in the house with two arms full of empty water bottles that were stashed under my seats and my roommate Allison busted up. It took at least another trip like that! I had my emergency stuff in the trunk still. And I hadn't even notarized the title!

First person, 2 days after the post, 20 year old car, 225,000 miles, unnotarized title, dirty outside, messy inside...only Sam can/would sell a car like that! Haha

I love how comical my life is!

San Diego

2010-10-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

I have a pretty small family (3 kids in my fam, dad has a brother with 3 kids, mom has two brothers with 2 kids each, and a sister with 9 kids), despite our few numbers somehow we managed sprawl across the whole US...seriously we are coast to coast, top to bottom. This made getting to know my cousins more difficult, but with dedicated parents it was still possible. The cousins we were closest with were my mom's sisters kids because they lived the closest...and, well, sisters stick together more. I have many fond memories of Aunt Beth and Uncle Jeff and their children, but keeping up with them all now is a challenge. My cousin Mary and her Husband, Ehren, live in San Diego. After Mary came to Phoenix a couple of times for business I finally got my act together and took them up on their offer to go visit them.

I have always loved Mary, and it was great fun getting to laugh about times past. I had only met Ehren once before, but was impressed by how fun loving he was. We all had Columbus day off, so I took the opportunity to go over. The whole trip was a delight! I enjoyed great conversations with them, they fed me some wonderful dishes, and we had a lot of laughs together. I love watching people interact, and I was so impressed by Mary and Ehren's relationship. I appreciated the excellent example they were to me of a strong and good marriage. Mary is due in January and I kept thinking about what a lucky baby he will be because he will have wonderful parents.

On Monday we went to Lego land, the first time for all of us. You might think that these places are only fun to bring children to...but they are actually more fun if you go with friends who are still like children...we all fit the bill for this! If only we could have captured the look on Ehren's face when he saw Darth Vader made out of small legos, priceless!

I couldn't help but to kiss this Italian pizza man with a sailors tattoo on his bicep and chest hair curling out of his wife-beater.

They even had chia pets! If you have not been to Lego land this alone might make it worth going.

Lego land also has rides, we could not resist the potato sack ride, and so Ehren, their friend, and I all set out to see who was fastest.

I was determined, despite my being small, to win the race...

...and determination here pays off!

Me, Mary, and Ehren.

Me making a wish with the witch at the wishing well.

I was in a sharks mouth! (Don't worry, no sharks were harmed in this construction of the lego shark.)

Ehren and I the morning I left. I love their hats!

Classy Party

2010-10-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

I have some pretty awesome friends, it's true. They always come up with some pretty great ideas, and my old roommate, Amanda Kvavle's, idea was no exception. We had been talking about old movies and discovered we both love Doris Day. This spawned the idea to have a classy party. Plans were made, the date was set, and classiness resulted.

While the boys were off at the Priesthood session of General Conference we got all dolled up in the most hip 40's era dresses, shawls, shoes, hats, and other accessories. Down to Kiwanis Park we went with our croquette set and chilled bottles of IBC cream soda...very classy, I know.

Amanda, Allison, and I posing before the game.

(note the blue sky with a few white clouds)

Allison starting us off.

Amanda was the most classy with her white gloves.

Me being a poser as usual.

Al doing a better job at posing then me.

Al and me making a cheers for a friendly but competitive game...which I won.

Me, Amanda, and Allison looking very classy with our croquette clubs under an awesome, late season monsoon sky.

During the game an awesome storm started forming and by the end of our game the sky looked incredible!

After a very classy dinner party the boys came over to watch Glass Bottom Boat featuring Ms. Doris Day, CLASSIC and classy, making it an essential part of our evening. Amanda brought old school, individual popcorn boxes--they were sweet! Side note: if you have never added Hot Tamales to your freshly popped butter popcorn you are missing out!

I love being an Auntie!

2010-09-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

The same day that my nephew Carson was born my sister's sister-in-law had a little girl, Kaleigh Ann Kleiner. (she was born at 9PM on 09/09/09). I have the wonderful opportunity to go visit with her and her mama, Jenna, almost every week. These two little ones are the light of my life; when all else goes wrong and then I walk in their houses to see their faces light up, the world gets set right again!

Here are 9 month photos they took of the two of them. My sister and her husband were just so excited they kept him alive that long! They high-five each other all the time over keeping him alive.

Already drooling over girls...we'll have to talk about it being his cousin...

They are so cute! I hope they grow up to be the best of friends!

At 10 months old they bought him his first cowboy hat. He loves wearing it, especially when mama and daddy are wearing their cowboy hats too!

Over the summer Carson fell in love with the pool. He especially loves being thrown in the air, and Robin caught the perfect picture of me throwing him!

On their first birthdays we went shopping for their presents. My big grin is due to the fact that when both of them saw me they started reaching for me. Nothing thrills an auntie more then when the little ones she loves love her back!

Robin made giant cupcakes for each of them. Carson is protesting that it's not big enough! ;)

Kayleigh mows hers before we even lit the candle to sing!

My parents came into town to be here for Carson's first birthday. They took up to the botanical gardens, which were super cool. I tried to get a shot of Carson and my sister but he was too enthralled by the flower in his hand.

Getting a little dirt on his face while grandma sets up a garden for them.

Look at that face! I just love him!!!

For Jasons birthday I got him a new cowboy hat and Robin snapped this impromptu photo of them, I think it's my favorite shot of the two of them!

Carson from the time he could crawl moderately well learned to crawl out the dog door (they have three large dogs...hence the big doggie door). He loves being outside, so it's great that he can get out there on his own...but it cracks me up because it's so hick! I love it!

White Water Rafting Rocks!

2010-08-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

I have been making plans for almost a year to go visit my grandpa Martin (my mothers father) and my great aunt Vi in Carson City, Nevada. After two tries and having to cancel the week of each time I finally was determined to go over the summer. Turns out that my best friend, Heidi Hydrick, grew up in the same neighborhood as them and she had plans to go visit her grandparents over the summer too; so we coincided our trips. Heidi is hard core in all of her outdoor skills; one which she has been doing since she was 7 is white water rafting--one of the higher things on my bucket list. Being that the American River in California is 2 hours from Carson City, we made plans to go rafting while we were there. The trip started out pretty rough for me. I had gotten maybe an hour of sleep the night before, and so I went about my Friday business and came home a couple of hours before my flight was to depart. With my bags ready to go I thought I'd take a quick half hour nap before my friend came to pick me up for the airport. Unfortunately I was so exhausted I didn't think to set an alarm. My friend had taken a business call and lost all track of time. When he got done he rushed to my house and frantically knocked on the door. I had assumed that when he got there the knocking would wake me, but it didn't. He didn't see me through the window so he went back to his car, but thought he'd better try one more time, so came back and rang the doorbell. To this I woke up and discovered that I had half an hour until my flight departed! Completely disoriented from lack of sleep/waking up from a deep sleep I stumbled to the door with my bags and we rushed to the airport in a panic. Luckily I live close, but still I only had 15 minutes when we arrived. You want to talk about stressed! I think I am usually pretty chill, but the panic had gripped me by this point. It was the last flight that night into Reno, I had already re-scheduled this trip two times before, and Heidi and I had plans to go rafting the next morning. I skycapped my luggage and sprinted to the security check, which was unfortunately busy...at least 100 or 150 people. I stood in line, with I'm sure a wild haze in my eyes, and fanned myself with my ticket and tried to remind myself to breath so I would calm down. The woman in front of me asked if I was ok and I told her my plane was taking off in 5 minutes. She told me to cut, but I protested that there were too many people to cut. She persisted and so I started muttering my excuse and passing people, about 50 people in a lady told me to just go over to the special needs line for the flight attendants and such. I got through security, booked it across the airport and was the last one on the plane. It didn't take off for at least 10 minutes after that, but I didn't care, I was so happy to be on it. I think I nearly gave myself a heart attack!

Arriving into Reno I got my bags and went to the rental car counter to be told that there weren't in cars in for the reservation I made. Still disoriented from the lack of sleep and near heart attack panic, I looked at him blankly without knowing what to say. He looked up from his screen and asked if I would be ok with a truck. Hallelujah! That's when the whole day turned right. I LOVE trucks. And there was not a happier girl in the world. I threw my bag in the back and off I went, windows down, country turned up, off to grandpa's house with a grin pasted across my face.

The next 5 days would have been wonderful anyways, but the truck sure helped! Here is my after our rafting trip in the beauty.

I have pathetically weak arms...ok that is an exaggeration, but my legs are where I build muscle, not my tiny little arms. However, in anticipation of this trip I had been doing push-ups 6 days a week for a couple months. The following couple of photo's are of my sad attempt to row. Contrary to my previous notion, rowing is NOT easy. First off it takes coordination, which apparently I have little of. Second it takes muscles, which I already knew I have none of.

Quick stop before the big rapids.

Ok, I would like to preface this look on my face by first saying that Heidi had spent the previous hours drilling in my head how important it was that I follow her every command, and that I paddle strong because she would need my help, and that I not flench but give it my all no matter what happened. Oh, and "above all not to fall out of the boat"!

(The following photo's were taken by professional photographers stationed near the bigger rapids...we weren't planning on purchasing them until we saw how priceless they were.)

Ya...I was a little concerned at this point.

(Note: you can double click and the picture expands. Some of the looks on my face are pretty amusing.)

This is snow melt, so even though it is August that is dang cold water!

We made it through the first rapid, here comes the second one which is significantly trickier. I was feeling a little more brave here.

This is my last breath.

Yep...that's me completely submerged!

This is where I boat was turning over on it's side. You can't tell, but only my leg is in the boat at this time. Fortunately I have some wicked determination and I was not going to let that river own me so I fought for all my might and pulled myself back in. Also notice the oar lock (the metal piece that is on the black part of the oar...ya, that's important that the oar stays in there so it is useful to row with).

Notice the oarlock is farther down on the oar...this is a bad thing. Also, you can see my sweet recovery.

The oarlock is precariously at the edge of the oar. Also Heidi i starting to loose it and fall out of the boat.

No, I was not really getting hit in the back of the head. Yes, it is a very bad thing that the oar is now completely out of the oarlock!

The only thing that saves Heidi here is the other oarlock, she had a wicked bruise from it.

Here is where I start to realize that I almost died...but didn't!

It has really hit me now that...at this moment I am caught in amazement, unaware that I almost lost my captain.

I turn to tell Heidi that I didn't let the river own me, but that it almost had. (Meanwhile people on the shore are cheering for us...seriously...they thought we were goners for sure!)

Reality still seeming surreal...

Then glory begins to enter my mind...

...and pure joy follows!

Bring on this next rapid, we got this!

But the water is still very cold!

Ya, white water rafting is AWESOME! Totally a new favorite hobby!

This is what I did much of the time when it wasn't high adventure...ah...I love to eat!

Here is the part of the story I'm ashamed of. So I didn't realize how long it was going to take us, I told them I'd be back by 6PM at the latest, and didn't end up home till well after 9PM. In fact, I didn't even have cell service until 7-ish. Apparently there had been a bad storm while we were gone and Aunt Vi and grandpa were worried sick because they couldn't get ahold of me. When I got home they asked how it was, and then asked some basic questions. "What town were you in?" "I don't know...Heidi just told me what highway to take and what road to get off on." "Whose house did you go to?" My sheepish response: "Um...grandma Hydrick?" "Well we didn't know where you were, and there was a big storm and we didn't have any information on who you were with or their address or number" AH MAN! I'm a horrible granddaughter! I've been living on my own so long I didn't even think to leave that kind of information.

Then I made them pizza for dinner Sunday night, and for the first time in my life I burnt the pizza crust!!! I realized while it was in the oven that I hadn't taken into account the elevation change, so I thought 'oh well, I'll just leave it in a little longer' Ya, bad idea. I don't know if they'll ever want me back again!

Grandpa, myself, and Aunt Vi next to their awesome tree that has a face on it.

Grandpa smiling!

A couple days after the rafting trip Heidi and I went for a hike and canoeing...except we ran out of time because we goofed off too much on our hike...so canoeing never really happened. :( Anyhow, this is fresh snow melt and it is the best water I've ever had! Cold and delicious! I couldn't get enough.

Heidi and I on a mountain I forget the name of...but it's across from Lake Tahoe...and we went to tall grass lake on it, SO beautiful!

I love the month of July!

2010-07-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

July is one of my favorite months because it means picnics, bar-b-q's, fireworks, and--best of all--rodeos! For the past several years I have gone to one of my favorite towns in the whole world, ShowLow Arizona, for July celebrations. My best friend Kristi Adams lives there and her family has become a second family to me. I love going there, and I adore their house--it is absolutely picturesque looking out the kitchen window to acres and acres of cow pastures! Kristi and I have a whole day of traditions on the 4th. Often we start out by the night before sleeping on the trampoline. We wake up and get all dolled up in red, white, and blue and head out to the town parade where we join her family (who don't sleep in like us, and have a nice spot saved for us). Then we head out to the store and get some hot dogs, buns, chili, nacho cheese, and IBC creme soda in glass bottles for lunch. Driving around town with her is one of my favorite things too because it entails windows down (I love windows down while driving, and this time of year driving with windows down in Phoenix is a miserable choice!) and singing at the top of our lungs our favorite songs. We are flexible with our afternoon, but it often consists of playing with her nieces and nephews, or going down to fools hallow and swimming in the lake. Dinner is always an extended family bar-b-q, then we head out to the rodeo in Snowflake and watch the fireworks there. I love it! I love small towns, good food, great friends, and getting all dressed up to watch some crazy boys jump on bulls.

Kristi and I dressed up for the parade, standing in her back yard.

Every year I make a jello-poke cake decorated like the American flag, it's one of my favorite things to make!

This year I broke down and bought myself a pair of cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat. I've been searching for years (literally, like 6 years) for the perfect pair, and I finally found them and I LOVE them! I really dig the hat too. This is me just before the rodeo in Taylor for the 24th of July.

It was meant to be.

2010-06-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

For purposes of this post, below is a reference picture of my best friend Amanda, who is on the left.

I have multiple best friends. People say that you can't do that, but I strongly disagree. I don't think there is a limit to how much you can love someone, or how many people you can love. Also loving one friend a whole lot does not diminish your love for other friends. That being said one of my best friends is Amanda Bluth Burton. I love her a lot a lot. And out of all of my friends I honor her for being the most true friend I have ever had. We lived together for two and a half years and from the very beginning we knew we were going to get along great. She has been my friend through some really tough times for me and she has always said or done just exactly what I needed to feel better or to be cheered up. I could write a whole book of all the amazing things she has done for me, she is just incredible. Anyhow, I love her lots! We are two peas in a pod. Well, one day, about 6 months after she got married (so we didn't live together anymore...that's important to the story) we go to one of our good friends wedding receptions and upon sitting down I saw her shoes.

I find this proof that we were meant to be best friends.

The Elk Hunt

2010-04-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not a gambling woman, but here in Arizona hunting is on a lottery system. I've wanted to go deer hunting for years, but have yet to do anything about it, this year one of my resolutions was to go hunting. I got talking into going elk hunting instead of deer, and I felt confident that with beginners luck I would be selected. I put in early, and anxiously awaited the good news.

Unfortunately my dreams were dashed when I looked up my hunting number to see that I was not awarded a tag. In sadness I went about my life and sadly told my friends that I wouldn't be giving them elk jerky for Christmas (my idea was to give some of the meat to family and friends for Christmas presents). A few days later my dear friend Jen Wilson, who always seems to know what to do to cheer me up, stopped by my house for a surprise visit. I was in the midst of making pizza (hence the apron) and she made me close my eyes for a minute. When I opened them there was an elk (that kind of looks like a reindeer, but "ELK" is written on the bottom to avoid any confusion) on my wall and a toy gun that shoots 3 high caliber rounds. With a smile she exclaimed that now I could go hunting whenever I wanted. Could a girl ask for any better friends?

Jen and I posing...

...and then getting serious about our hunt.

Carson Jeremy Lamb

2010-04-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to nieces and nephews for years now! (That's no exaggeration either.) My sister-in-law had my first nephew on May 8, 2008, but they live in Texas and it is so hard to be the favorite auntie from a couple states away. My sister lives 20 minutes away from me and I was elated to hear the news when she got pregnant. Even more exciting was that she was having a boy also! Carson Jeremy Lamb was born 09/09/09. I anxiously waited for him and my sister to be brought to the recovery room so I could go meet him.

The first thing I thought when I saw his sweet little face was: "he's perfect". He is absolutely the cutest baby I've ever seen! (Since he was a cesarean section baby his face and head were in perfect condition.) I fell in love with the little guy immediately.

My brother-in-law, Jason, and Carson just a few hours after he was born. Jason is an amazing dad, I love watching him with his son.

Being that their last name is Lamb I spare nothing when I find something they could use that has lambs on it. This particular blanket I actually bought together with another set of lamb items before I even knew they were pregnant! Haha. My mom bought the other set that was similar. We didn't have to wait long though because we got them around Christmas and found out they were pregnant only a couple of months later.

He looked like a little Italian baby with olive colored skin and dark features, it was funny to see him next to my pale sister (haha, just kidding, you're not too pale Robin ;) ) I just think he's face is so adorable! Grandpa says I'm biased, but I don't think so....I mean look at him, who could argue!?!

Such a sweet little smile too.

When he was 2 months old my oldest nephew, Jay, came to visit. Jay was only a year and a half old and he was so funny with Carson.

Carson just a little after 6 months old, totally punched his uncle Kolby in the eye (with the help of his Tito, Kevin)

My favorite thing in this whole world is to get this little boy to smile and laugh!

My sister made his hat and pants out of an old, favorite shirt of his dads. Ya, my sis has mad skills! She didn't even use a pattern!!!

You might be questioning my auntie quality level since this post is 6 months after he was born, but I was so busy being an auntie that I just didn't have time!

My First Apple Pie

2010-03-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

I have loved cooking my whole life because I was blessed with both of my parents being excellent chef's and they took much interest in teaching their children. Somehow I made it to almost 24 without making an apple pie from scratch though. I've made many other pies, but it's been a while and it was under the tutelage of my mother. It just so happened that it was the birthday of my favorite friend from the temple on my Wednesday shift, Debbie Murset, and she loves pies. Knowing that as a mom the likelihood of her getting a birthday cake (well...pie because she likes those more) was slim to none I determined that I would make her one. Below are some pictures of my adventure.

A little boy I watch, Logan, wanted to help, so he made a pie crust out of playdough.

Ok, pie in pan: check. Apples cut in slivers (this takes forever!): check.

Lots of sugar and other yummy things: check.

Lattice work was a must, I believe it's not just about how good it tastes, but presentation is very important too. Go big or go home is my policy.

And finished product.

I put some raw sugar on the crust for presentation and taste, but I still feel the crust was too bland. Sister Murset loved it and raved about it, and so it was a success because my goal was to make her happy. Next time I will not go with Betty Crocker's pie crust, she failed me this time.

Kenneth Bernard Smith (October 16, 1917-January 16, 2010)

2010-01-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

I love my family. I don't know how I got so lucky to be blessed with them, but I did. Not only do I have an extraordinary nuclear family, but my extended family is likewise incredible. Shortly after starting college I wrote letters to my grandpa's and my father's father wrote back. For whatever reason I was impressed to call him instead of responding via post. That phone call was much longer then I anticipated it to be, and it was enlightening. I'd always liked my grandpa, but I had never known we were two peas in a pod. What followed were weekly phone calls and the blossoming of one of my sweetest friendships that we cherished. Last August we found out grandpa had an aneurysm by his heart, and in November it was discovered that it was leaking. I am grateful that we had a heads up and there was plenty of time for final words to be spoken. More then that I am grateful for the impression to write him, that he wrote me back, and for the further impression to call him so that for the years after our first phone call I could get to know him and seek his advice. Grandpa's famous words of counsel to me when I was fretting over what to do or pursue were: "Once you say 'can't' you're whipped." He was a hard worker, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He was active in many charitable causes, very involved and valuable member in the local Mason Lodge, a natural learner, and fun loving.

When he passed I was blessed to have a family who was tenderly concerned with how I was doing, and friends who dropped much to comfort me. It was noticed and much appreciated. I really struggled at his death, not for him, but for me. I know where he is, I know he is with family who love him, and I am certain he is happy. I am so grateful I know I will get to be with him when I leave this moral existence. I struggled though because I was so very sad that he is not here, right now, with me. I was deeply saddened that my future husband won't know the great man he was, and that my children won't have the chance to know him in this life. All this being said, the comfort I feel from the gospel providing answers about death, where he is now, the fact that I will be with him again, and that we will continue to have a relationship throughout eternity is precious to me.

This is four generations of the Smith family. Grandpa, Jay, my pops, and my brother Christopher.

Grandpa, grandma Julie, me, Esther (my sister-in-law), Jay, Chis, pops, and mother.

(Hey check it out! With 3 inch heels and a slight hill I am almost as tall as Esther! I'm the runt of the littler...my mother feed my brother more, so naturally I got less...stunting my growth. She always said she gave him more because he was bigger then me, "DUH, he's bigger because you feed him more!" Without heels I'm 5'3" and he is 6'3"...account for that.) (Note: I am not bitter about this, there are many things I can do on account of my size...such as I never have to duck when walking under trees, I always win at hide-n-seek because I fit in the craziest places, and I can wear any heal and still be shorter then 95% of guys--greatly increasing my dating pool.)

My Halloween at Devil's Chasm

2009-10-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

Arizona has some awesome hikes, and Devil's Chasm--in the Tonto National Forrest, part of Cherry Creek--I have heard is a really neat one. In addition to being a beautiful and somewhat challenging hike, it holds a sweet cave, as well as cliff-dwelling ruins from the Salado Indians that is estimated to be 700 to 800 years old. My bishop, some friends, and I planned this trip over labor day, and I have been looking forward to going ever since! I know there are a lot of pictures here...and I tried to limit myself, but I just love all these pictures!

My friend Heidi took this picture the night before, and I am amazed at the stunning shot she got of the stars. (You have to double click to really see how amazing it is.)

This is our group before we departed on our adventure: (front to back, left to right) Zack, Cimarron, Heidi, Bishop Nicholls, (on the rock) Marisa, me, Charlotte, & Justin. Yes...it was cold, mid-40's out when we started.

I love this picture of us!

So fun to hike up!

I must admit, Arizona has some really pretty scenery when you look for it.

Look closely, to the top left is 'an indian chief' with folded arms (2nd pillar rock on the left hand side), and the cliff-dwelling is nearly centered (just a little lower then the top half).

I love our faces in this one: Justin trying to explain the indian chief rock...Charlotte gets it, Zack is starting to, I'm completely lost (classic Sam face), and Heidi just doesn't care!

Pretty sweet, huh, just tucked in there.

The ruin is made out of stones and caliche, and you can still see the fingerprints in the caliche from when they pressed it in, this was a really clear shot (it might be helpful to double click it so you can see the picture bigger), SO COOL!

Another great shot of the fingerprints in the caliche, with Heidi's fingers helping illustrate.

In it's hay-day, it was 3-stories high, it's amazing it had preserved so well.

There were several rooms you could go through, and but if you're not skinny, you're not getting in! (There were several metate's, and a significant amount of broken pottery in the rooms.)

What a perfect picture of an old metate, with a breathtaking scene just out the doorway.

Who say's Arizona doesn't have fall? Look at those gorgeous colored leaves!

A doorway even I could hit my head on! I rarely have to stoop.

Look mom, no hands! Not exactly the place where I'd be thrilled to have my kids playing.

Us eating lunch on the edge of a cliff...the back patio if you will.

There were lots of fallen trees, and I was just in the mood to climb on them.

I even got Marisa into it.

Bishop, Marisa, and I all bush-whacked it a long way, till we made it to a dry river bed, and followed that to the end of the chasm, and this is it. Zack and Cimmaron eventually made their way back too.

You see Marisa...but where am I? I'm there...look closely in the dark...kinda creepy...kinda awesome, and if nothing else, totally hilarious! (You'll have to double-click to see it.)

Eyes still glowing, I submerge from the dark shadows...

Everyone likes to pick on Sam because her short little legs just don't reach most of the time! :(

Pretty colored leaf instead of a flower, working with what I've got.

As I crawled across a fallen tree a few feet, Marisa suggested I be a sloth and I immediately complied, Bishop got there just in time to capture the moment!

This is the scenery we hiked along, isn't it beautiful!

After this intense dirt hill we literally CRAWLED up, we got to the cave, and in one part we found some bones...creepy...looked like part of a femur.

Not my most brilliant of moves, I was a little nervous here since it was about a 15-foot drop, and we had no rope should I have fallen. But the thrill of cave exploration excited me to do it!

There was asbestus in the cave, and I just wanted to blow my nose before a picture was taken...Bishop wasn't honoring this request, and I was showing my displeasure of this fact on my face! (Marisa was smart enough to turn around).

See, I'm perfectly happy to smile if I could just have a moment.

Someone left a rope at this spot, which proved to be very helpful.

Yes, that is sheer panic on my face because I had lost all friction, and was sliding down a steep rock, mere feet from a 5 foot drop! (Which unfortunately you barely miss the edge of in the bottom of the photo, so you can't tell what a dramatic moment this was!)

All in a day of fun! I love our unofficial hiking club!

But let us not forget my favorite part of hikes, Bishop and Justin skipping and singing 'Skip to My Lou', this makes any day cheerful!

My little get away!

2009-05-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

I have a dear friend, Allison Richardson, who was one of my best friends in high school has been bugging me since last summer to go to Hawaii with her. Given that tickets were so cheap this summer I just couldn't resist, and I invited my roommate, and best friend, Amanda Bluth to come as well. Having decided it is always more fun to just disappear and have people find out later that you were at a wicked cool place, we didn't tell a soul. Below are some of my favorite pictures from the secret extravaganza!

The day we got there we were walking down bikini beach, and i found this old school hut...I love that Amanda is in the background staring at the beach (it wasn't even planned, but it's perfect)!

The Hawaii Temple is currently under major renovations, but it was still beautiful to walk on the grounds.

You might think that your eyes are bigger then out stomaches...

...but we did finish it! (Though I'm not sure that was the most brilliant thing we've ever done.)

We were walking by this park and kept hearing a rooster, and for our lives could not see it...look closely...top third of the photo, and just right of the middle of the photo...maybe even double click this so you can better see that there is a rooster over 20 feet up in a tree! Who knew they flew?

We really loved this statue at the Polynesian Cultural Center...no more explanation needed...

Be the statue...how'd we do?

I don't think we were trespassing here...there was no tape blocking it off! ;)

Prepping to go snorkeling, I love it!

Shark's Cove, sweet place for snorkeling...don't climb on the large coral rocks at the edge of cove...waves come, coral cuts...blood, pain...ouch! (bad, bad, bad idea!)

I love how touristy she looks! Don't you?

Just resting from a long day of beach hopping, enjoying a good acai bowl! YUM!

The next three photos are on Sunset beach at sunset...i think this one is so perfect!

Yes...I know my leg is not straight, that's why it's so funny!

Amanda and I in slow-motion, battling to the death...

Dole Pineapple Plantation...red pineapples! I learned so many things in hawaii that I'd never before conceived in my simple mind!

Hitchhiking...it's a beautiful thing! We did it quite a lot...(don't talk to my mom about it, she was NOT happy about this)...it was perfectly safe, we were traveling by 3! (Plus I'm a black belt in karate...ok, so I'm not...but I'm a fighter if situation should require such!)

I love what a small world this world of ours is! The second day we were there I look over, and see Cody Easterbrook (a good high school friend of Allison's older sister and my older sister)! We ran into him throughout the whole week, and hung out some...here we turned him into a mermaid...an obese mermaid, haha.

I don't know why, but I felt a burning desire while I was there to play Moglie's girlfriend (ya know, the JungleBook?) and so I practiced balancing many different things on my head...not bad, eh?

I just felt like going around and kissing all sorts of men there too...I think this is such a classic, college vacation picture.

This was a real man, dressed entirely in newspaper...I couldn't resist, when he looked down I ran up, kissed him on the check, and then ran off.

The last couple of days we stayed with a family Allison is good friends with, and they live on a Marine base, super sweet place! We went for a leisurely stroll, and I hid in the bush and felt like Jane of Tarzan!

Don't you love our floppy hats?!? SO CUTE!

This should be a greeting card...

It started raining, and Amanda and I danced in it...so tender, I know!

Eating the rain with my best friend...does life get better then this? I submit that it does not!

Memorial Day we went boogie boarding on one of the Marine private beaches, and this huge cargo plane comes in to land at the airstrip right there! SO COOL!

That's all folks! Hope you enjoyed my photo's, I certainly enjoyed the vacation, it was in the top 5 of fav trips!

It's My Birthday!

2009-04-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

Yep, I turned 23 and my dear roomie Amanda Bluth took me out for breakfast, YUM!

Turns out I have lots of people who love me, contrary to popular belief...I know that there isn't anyone else in this photo with me...but they were at the party I promise...

(and yes, that is a burning napkin wrapped around a caprisun straw...we're poor college students, what do you want!

Last stop was my ex-roommate, Ashley's, wedding and reception...busy day, but it was great. :)

Owning the Grand Canyon

2009-04-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Last June I was invited to hike the Grand Canyon with some friends. Though it was only a couple of days away, and I hadn't been hiking in a couple of months, I decided to go. I had lived in Arizona for almost 4 years by that point, but never made it to the Grand Canyon. It was really cold camping the night before, and I was woefully unprepared for this, so here I am sporting a borrowed sweater and a hat from Russia (it was so warm!)

The next morning I was very excited to start this adventure...I had no idea what I was in for! We started down the South Rim (Bright Angel Trail) to the Colorado River, about 8 miles down.

Here's me at the Colorado River, it was so very hot, but the river was unbelievably cold! I faithfully stayed on this rock, icing my feet in the river.

Being an inexperienced Grand Canyon hiker, not only did I not have enough space for water, but I also didn't know where the water points were. I thought there would be a place to refill my few bottles at the river, but there was not. Having run out of water, I baked in the sun at the river, only getting more dehydrated. I didn't tell my group because I didn't want to take their limited water supply, but it became very apparent as we started our ascent. The boys took my backpack to ease my burden, and they had me drink their water and Gatorade. There were many stops, but few places to hide in the shade.

Here is a small sample of the switchbacks that were our pathway.

About 2 or 3 miles up, I discovered a river, of blessed blessed river. I climbed down the treacherous path to it, and laid myself across it as I gladly gulped its cool water.

Indian Gardens is a beautiful, shady spot where benches, bathrooms, and most importantly, water spigots are available to weary hikers, such as myself. My main goal was to rehydrate myself.

After resting at the Indian Gardens for a small period of time and rehydrating myself, I was ready to go! Curtis teased me to get a head start since I was going so slow...and that was a bad idea for me. I have issues with backing down to challenges, so I was determined to show him! I set a swift pace for my final 4.5 miles to the top. Lance is a beast though, so naturally he caught up to me, but on his way to catch up he snapped this shot. (P.S. Curtis didn't come close to catching up, or even matching my pace!)

We did a little reenactment of my most dramatic fall...I'm not a clumsy person (my sister fills that role) but for some reason on the way down I fell or slipped over 15 times in the first 4.5 miles. I recognize we were running and so a wrong step on a loose rock, or loose gravel played a big factor...but really? That is a bit excessive! This spot was the location of a dramatic fall where I'm not really sure what happened, nothing was impeding my way, but I simply just found myself flat on my back, like so:

Oh so weary, oh so tired...

The last miles up was brutal for me, Lance offered me a piggyback ride, but I have too much pride, so instead he held my hand and pulled me up the giant steps...

...until we made it to the TOP!

With all the painful limping that ensued from my last hike, I was determined to take this trip more seriously! I started training a month before with hiking mountains around the Phoenix area, doing bleachers, lunges, and running exercises. This time is legit! For the camp out I bought some super cool little disposable toothbrushes! I am a fan of the new 'whisps'.

Boys brushing vs. girls brushing... (mine is the one on the left)

Me curled up in my sleeping bag near the fire:

Breakfast...penguins!

Starting our extraveganza I pose as the little actress I am...yes, it was that cold to necessitate the wearing of a sweater, but no, I am not really fatigued...yet.

Look at how amazing God is with his art work! (look closely, this is a compilation of 3 different mountains!)

Oh the beautiful Colorado River that runs through the Canyon.

We hike down nearly eight miles, over half of that we run, and I can think of nothing grander then to take off my shoes and relax on the beach...and Lance wants me to hike back to where he stopped to take pictures! Not happy...and I let him know such:

The previously mentioned beach:

I know this looks bad...and yes, it's true I'm sleeping...BUT all that food was placed around me! I was framed I tell ya, FRAMED!

See...here I am eating healthy:

I miss-stepped and nearly drown in the Colorado River! I pulled myself out using my big, strong muscles...so it was all good.

Cool frog I found in the cavity of a rock!

Me leaving the beach and starting our way back up...this time I was equipped with plenty of water and was in no danger of dehydration!

I had to throw this one up to show that the way up really is UP, not the easy trail the previous picture shows it to be.

Last year I said I would not do it again in June, and I must say that mid-April was an excellent choice! Lows in the 40's and highs in the 70's, with cloud cover, and windy...couldn't be more perfect...and look at that landscape!

I encountered many dangers during the trip...but this was a close call! A rock slide pinned me down, but thanks again to my big, strong muscles, I got myself out!

The last 1.5 miles I started to sweat! EW!! But hey, it looks like a smiley face:

The scenery is great and all....but...are we there yet?

There is no acting here my friends...this is the real deal, I am tuckered out after nearly 16 miles of hiking! (P.S. that sign is a warning of extreme exhaustion which admonishes that you don't go to the river and back in one day. Top to bottom took 10 hours, 6 1/2 of which was actual hiking time...what now sign, what now!?!?!?)

CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!

Moral of the story: I'm pretty proud of myself for doing the Grand Canyon twice within a year! Also, it was a good call to bring a Camelpack to avoid the travails of dehydration!

When Jobs Collide

2009-03-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

So today I was just doing my job...ya know, safely bringing the hope for our future to school, when....(I shut my eyes in anticipation for this)

I picked up Logan! (one of the little boys I watch for my other job)

And I brought him safely to school...THE END.

Where's Sam?

2009-02-07T23:03:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know, I just got back from being in London for a week. Don't be alarmed as if you should have know, because I didn't tell anyone. I had 'use or lose' tickets, so I booked the flight the week before I left, and just took off without telling people... you know how I thrive off the element of surprise. What's more surprising then calling me and "...what? Sam's in the UK?!?!?" I left a clever little voice mail about being out of the country, and I wrote and illustrated a little book for my roommates entitled "Where's Sam?" and left it for them to find so they wouldn't freak out when I didn't come home for a week. SO... you might ask "what does/should one do by themselves in London for a week at the beginning of February?"... well since you asked...

A. I don't recommend going by yourself and staying in a hostel if you are a small woman because they are super sketchy. Here was my bed for the first two nights, I slept with my back pack at my feet because there were 14 other beds in the room, and my company was... 'lacking' to put it nicely.

B. I do recommend walking through parks... these geese are HUGE!

C. I walked a lot because all transportation was down due to 'heavy' snowfall (maybe 10-15 inches)... in their defense it hadn't snowed there in 20 years...but really...no transportation? Anyhow, all the snow on the bikes had accumulated for no more then a couple of hours.

D. Do take a picture next to cool, old school telephone booths... it just seemed like the right thing to do.

E. Do wander about London so you are pleasantly surprised when you stumble across famous buildings... such as Big Ben.

F. DON'T go in February... it's very cold... also don't choose the one week it snows because this is the sign you will encounter at most every building of interest:

Apparently when it snows in London the whole town goes on vacation... which doesn't work so well because you can't go see anything because those people are on vacation too...

G. Do go visit John Wesley's chapel and home... AMAZING!

(Don't fall down the stairs in his house and take out the chinese woman in front of you... the bruise on your bum will last for weeks... and really hurts when you sit... 10 hour flight home really sucks even more...)

H. DO take the tube, and read the signs while you walk to, or wait for the train... they are super funny. Here are two of my absolute favorites:

(the line of interest is the forth one down, but if you can't read more then the top two, the next two lines say: "Certain is the sun rising. Not so certain is that it will shine. For all of life's certainties there are still plenty of uncertainties. We won't even talk about the state of the economy or whether Obama is really up to the job." ... so... people in England do have brains enough to know the man is incompetent... I smiled a little brighter after seeing that one!)

...now for my favorite one... both favs, but this one is more fav...

I don't know... just made me laugh super hard every time I saw it.

Paint ball anyone?

2009-01-18T18:43:00.000-08:00

I went paint balling for the first time yesterday. The guys I drive school buses with invited me. I was the only girl and they told me I couldn't cry. We talked a lot of smack this past week about lighting each other up. They held to their word...I half way did...not really. But I did do ok for being a girl and it being my first time. Below are some pictures of my battle wounds...

So here is the worst one...shrapnel and all...hit right above my sweater, and put several little holes in my shirt...not ganna lie, I almost cried...almost...

Here is featured 2 of the multiple leg shots that have that turned to quite large bruises, luckily they can be covered in church with a long skirt and tall boots!

hhmmm....how do you explain this one to bishop?

The Sad Goodbye

2009-01-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

So I have been an animal lover my whole life and as long as I can recall I have had multiple pets. This trend got a little tricky when I moved away to college, but I have managed to keep a tradition that started in high school of getting fowl for Easter. You might wonder what good is a duck? But I can't tell you...you simply must own one for yourself to understand the feelings of little ducklings waddling after you in a straight line. I must say that when I have pet ducks there is joy in my heart and in my life.

They were born in April of 2008 and in the picture below are only a few days old. We called the lot of the "Los Diablos" because we bought them from a feed store with the address of 666. The yellow one was my roommate Ashley's duck, she named him Hugo. The multi-colored duck was mine, and I named him Paco. And the black duck was Amanda's, he was a surprise for her so we called him "El Negro" until we gave him to Amanda and she named him Carlton.

Paco sitting on my shoulder...he loved to do that.

All grown...this was the day I gave them to a petting zoo, they're now 9 months old. Paco no longer fits on my shoulder...Hugo is really a girl, she is now white and layed eggs every other day for the past several months. Carlton didn't change colors, but we thought he was retarded the way he stood and walked...we called him a "cruck" because he looks like a crow/duck...turns out he's a different breed of duck called a "running duck".

Goodbye my dears...

Erica comes home

2009-01-04T21:03:00.000-08:00

My roommate Erica went home to Washington for Christmas and we made it a family event picking her up. Of course you can't just pick up your roommate in normal attire after she's been gone for weeks! So naturally an ugly Christmas sweater, a tux with girls sunglasses, and a fancy dress with an masquerade mask is the obvious selection! If only you could have seen the looks we were given....choice....simply choice....

From left to right: me, Jaron Bluth, Erica DeLeon, and Amanda Bluth

Christmas Eve and Day with Jay

2008-12-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

This little guy was my favorite Christmas present! They just don't come much cuter then my 7 month old nephew!

Jay and I Christmas Eve playing with my new computer.

Jay is so excited about the bear that Auntie Sam, Aunt Robin, and Uncle Jason got for him to cherish as his favorite childhood stuffed animal.

He's also quite excited about tissue paper.

Jay and I with his bear, and the blanket Robin and I made for him.

Christmas Preparations

2008-12-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas I went to Germany with my dad and got a lot of sweet wood Christmas ornaments from there. Roommate Erica strung popcorn strings to wrap the tree with, Jaron helped and 2 or 3 days later he was eating the popcorn off the tree! Amanda hung the lights, and I hung the ornaments. It's way sweet!

Lazy Time in Puerto Penasco

2008-11-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

I love Mexico! Especially visiting Abuelita, Fabiola, and their family! They live in Puerto Penasco, and my last visit was for a beautiful 4 days! Yes, I skipped school and work, but it was so worth it to relax and visit. I'll be honest, I slept a lot! BUT we did go to the beach, eat lots of delicious food, practiced our spanish (though I did terrible), of course we went shopping, watched a few street soccer games (they were intense), and played games & chilled with the family we stayed with!

ya...I didn't pose for this one...it's the real deal

Sunday dinner on the grill.

Sterling helping me read the BOM in spanish...man...when did we get those double chins? We need to lay off the helado y tortillas if you know what I mean!

Playing bingo with Fabi and Abuelita.

Halloween

2008-10-31T23:23:00.000-07:00

You should know Halloween is one of my favorite holidays...free candy...genius! I normally go all out...sadly this year I failed. I regressed in my costume creativity due to lack of time. I ended up reusing a dress up outfit I had on hand from an tim-tam camo-slamo night a few years ago. Though I was a failure, making up my costume just minutes before I walked out the door, my friends did not drop the ball like me! Here are the boys I work with (Jason is 6 and was Batman; Logan is 4 and was Spiderman). We went to my Stakes trunk-or-treat, they loved it...I must admit I enjoyed it too...the free goodies didn't hurt one bit! The twins featured are my friends Brandon (a.k.a. Tom) and Brad, who always win first place at any party they gallivant to. If you have seen Monte Python and the Holy Grail, then you will recognize them, classic!

Jason, Me, and Logan

Brad Burnham, me (I know, the camo throws you off), and Tom (a.k.a. Brandon). I love these boys!

Jay Visits Arizona

2008-10-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Here he is again, the star and reason for my blog! Now Jay is just over 5 months old. My brother and his wife brought him to visit us out here in AZ. He is the happiest little guy, and loves to laugh! Here are some contagious smiling pictures of him!

Jenna's Wedding

2008-10-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

On October 3rd, 2008 at 4:30PM my little sister(...err..my brother-in-laws little sister...but I love her like my own!), Jenna Lamb, took the plunge and tied the knot with Curt Kliener.

Jenna trying on things for her big night.

Jenna and me at her wedding (I was hoping if I closed my eyes, when I opened them I would wake up from the dream! Just kidding Curt, I love ya!)

Kolby (my little brother...same story as Jenna, just a boy) and me were doing the tango and I made him put a rose in his mouth.

Haha, oh, to top it all off here's my sister,Robin, drinking out of the chocolate fountain with Missy, her step-mother-in-law.(...if you were a guest to the wedding reception and ate out of that fountain don't worry, they did it right before clean up!)

Johnny's Obituary

2008-09-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

So apparently someone forgot to send a memo to a lady about yielding before turning left, and she thought it would be nice to turn about a yard or 2 in front of me when I was going around 35-40MPH. Here are the funeral pictures of my dear Johnny who was such a trooper these past 4 years for me. Also, one of the little boys I watch snapped a picture of me while I was at my tri-weekly visit to the chiropractor, it makes me laugh...sometimes...

Sprucedale kitchenhelp on YouTube...sketchy...

2008-08-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

I worked at a ranch this summer and for girls night out we went and saw Mama Mia. That inspired 2 of the other kitchen help, my boss, and me to sing 'Super Troopers' for our weekly skit night. We put the costumes together, memorized words, and made up our own choreography in only a few hours...so you should be impressed! Wondering about my sweet hairdo? 2 words: water bottle!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

Jessica, Isabel, Aleesa, Amber, Me, and Avery

Visit to the East Coast

2008-07-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

My cousin Debbie was doing an internship in Boston over the summer, so I decided to go visit her. My roommates wanted to come too, and the weekend trip to Boston turned into a week long extravaganza to New York City and Boston. New York City was fun; we hit up all the historic sites, ate hot dogs from street vendors, and of course went to a Broadway show. My roommate Ashley couldn't make it, so I printed 3 different faces of her and stole one of her favorite dresses so she could be in all of our pictures. Boston was awesome! I haven't seen Debbie in years, and Phillip is going to school at the University of Boston so it was so much fun seeing them again! Our hotel was right next to the harbor where the Boston Tea Party took place, which was convenient when we dressed up like Indians (with what we had in the hotel room) and reenacted the event.

Me, Ashley (in spirit...and face and dress), Amanda, and Erica

Me and Erica pretending to be colonists dressed as Indians, throwing tea in the Boston Harbor.

Posing seriously for picture after the deed was done: Erica, Amanda, and Me.

YEAH! Me and my cousins Debbie and Philip!

Hora por una Siesta

2008-05-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

This little guy is the reason I started my blog. My first nephew, Jay Leslie Smith, was born on the 8th of May, 2008 at 11:30AM. Isn't he SO CUTE! He sleeps a lot...