A Bigger Plan.

          Wow everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. A lot has been happening and I really wanted to get it all done before I updated so I could just give the whole story at once! Right now, I'm laying on my bed, jacked up on pain meds, and waiting for my AMAZING Mother to graciously bring me a chocolate milkshake. Why you ask? BECAUSE I GOT MY WISDOM TEETH TAKEN OUT.

       Let's back up: Last blog post, I was freakin' out. I needed 6 cavities filled and all four wisdom teeth removed before my mission papers went in. I didn't think I had dental insurance, and I didn't think I'd be able to find anyone to take my wisdom teeth out for a reasonable price. I believe that sums up my last post pretty accurately, right? So I post a link to that blog on my facebook and you wouldn't believe it: one of my AMAZING YW leaders from when I first moved to Kentucky posts on the link: "Mark (her AMAZING husband) will do it for free."

What.

The.

HECK.

          

          Is this real life? I won't go into all the details, but through many messages and exchanging information, we found out that I do have dental insurance, that Mark couldn't take my teeth out because my teeth were too impacted, but that he knew of a couple people that he thought would be willing to help me out. Lo and Behold, Mark had a Oral Surgeon friend who was more than happy and willing to help me out. So on Wednesday, January 23rd, my wisdom teeth were removed: something I thought was going to take many many months to work out, and many many dollars to pay for. I had the work done in a matter of a couple weeks, and for as much money as my dental insurance could cover.

          Now let me just back up a while. I moved to Kentucky in 2008, when my Mom got remarried. I'd lived in Xenia, Ohio my whole life. I'd never been in a different ward, a different school, a different anything. My whole entire life was there. Moving to Kentucky was one of the worst things to happen to me in my life! It was taking me away from everything I'd ever known, including my best friend, Jared. I told myself all the time: "The Lord is putting me through this for a reason. I'm supposed to be here for some reason, I just don't know why yet." I wouldn't find out why until 5 years later. Here is my point: The Lord knew the bigger picture. He knew the I would serve a mission someday. He knew that I would need my wisdom teeth taken out. He placed me in a specific ward at a specific time so that this could happen. My Father KNEW all of this, and his hand was in my life, leading me through the whole time. I can see that now. I mean, I knew before that it was all part of a bigger plan, but now seeing that plan unravel right in front of me, being able to see the blessings forthcoming straight from Heaven, watching my life being blessed in miraculous ways because I chose to serve a mission...Now that's amazing. I can only imagine the blessings and revelations that will happen when I'm actually on my mission. 

          All in all, my wisdom teeth are out, 3 cavities have been filled, my physical stuff is taking WAY too long to process (the doctors really have no idea how to fill this paperwork out), and I have 3 more cavities to fill. These papers will be in soon and then I will know where I'm going to be serving the Lord in for the next 18 months. I just want to give the biggest thank you to Brother and Sister Mortenson, the amazing people that helped find someone to take my wisdom teeth out. They worked so hard and did everything in their power to help me out and didn't stop until my teeth were pulled. I am so so so grateful for their help, and I know that the Lord will bless them for doing so much for me. “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” I'd also like to thank my amazing Bishop, who is a dentist! He gave me my examination and is filling my cavities for me. So many people have been placed in my life to help me get on my mission. Someday, I hope to be able to help someone out as much as all these people have helped me.

          

          In other news, Jared will have been done for 5 months on the 29th, so I'll be posting my celebration of that soon! Holy moly, has it been 5 months already?? WOW. Time is FLYING by! This is awesome! Valentines Day is coming up and guess who agreed to be my valentine this year?? That's right! 

JARED DID. :D Hehe. He's great. He said he'd love a valentine package from me on one condition: "Hold off on the confetti." We'll see. ;)

Well, I'm off! Recovering from these dang wisdom teeth is rough business! I love you all very much! 

Cheers!

-Samantha J Stanley

         

P.S!
A VERY VERY big CONGRATULATIONS to my friend JESS! Her missionary Michael came home yesterday and they couldn't be happier! GET MARRIED ALREADY, SLACKER. ;)

          

           

          

It's November! November is probably my favourite month EVER. Not because my birthday is on November 15th or anything....

          Oh wait. Just kidding. IT IS. I'll be 20 years old! Oh my word of wisdom!! Also, is this not just the greatest thing in the history of EVER? It sure is to me! I'm so close to being finished with my mission papers! Holy cow! I hope to have them done by the end of the month. I'm so ready to get out there and serve the Lord with everything I have in me. :)

          In other news, school is going well, i'm working A LOT. I just got promoted, so that came with a pay raise! More mission funds! Yeah!! I got a calling in my ward: I'm a Primary Worker! I teach a class of 3 kiddos, my step-sister being one of them. I'm so excited!! :) Life is going very well for me!

          I've been thinking a lot lately though. Having Jared be on his mission has been so easy for me. I feel like every experience I've had in my life has lead up to this. The way my childhood played out, my Father passing away, me moving away from Jared, him going out to school a year before I did, all the while, us never being 'together' until this year. I just feel like I was prepared for this. It's been so....easy. I mean, of course I miss him, of course I can't wait till we both get home, but right now? I'm just living my life while he lives his and our paths will just...meet back up; simple as that. The waiting has been easy because I find joy in everything about it. I learned that from my Dads death. I learned how to think of the best memories, smile, rejoice in them, and not to think about him not being physically THERE, because he wasn't, nor was he going to be. Jared however, WILL come back, so it's exciting to think that even though I can't hug him or hold his hand now, I'll be able to again. I really think that my Father passing away was something meant to build me up for this experience in some ways. It was so easy to send him off because I had just been READY for that chapter in my life to start. I was ready, and so was he.

          I'll close by just sharing one of my favourite memories of us that I've been thinking about lately. It's nothing big, it's actually pretty simple. This summer, we were in Coronado Beach with his family, visiting some of their relatives on the way home from BYU-I. We had gone swimming in the ocean and slacklining on the beach that evening, which was super fun. :) Later that night, we had dinner at a really yummy restaurant and then we went to see fireworks at Sea World. That's the memory: fireworks at Sea World. We'd gotten out of the car, it was cold, and we were sitting on the sidewalk right along the river and the fireworks were literally directly above us. It was just such a fun moment in time that I will never forget. I was just so in love with him in that one moment for some reason.

Cheers!
-Samantha

I LOVE MY MOMMY!

OHMYGOODNESS MY MOMMY GOT ME SOME STICKERS.

I could die of happiness! (Just kidding.)

I put one on my phone like....The second I got them.

Here's the rest!!

From left to right: 

I ♥ My Missionary
Another Letter From Your Favourite Girl

Sealed At Arms Length

I'M STILL WAITING

Lengthen Your Stride

Ohmygoodness I love them!!

I think i'll write him a letter right now and put some of these friggin-cool stickers on it! 

WOOHOO!! :D

-Sam