Achievement Unlocked! 6 months completed!

I've SERIOUSLY been slacking; and for that, I apologize. 

I need to get better at this blogging thing. For reals.

Anyway, this post is going to be about Elder Sellers being gone for 6 months!

           On February 28th, (since there was no February 29th), I celebrated this huge milestone by making homemade BBQ Chicken pizza! Wow. 6 months? 1/4 of his mission? I only have to do that 3 more times? 18 more fast Sundays? 3 more general conferences?

Oh yeah.

I got this.

Are you kidding me?

Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.

I honestly can't believe he's been gone for nearly 7 months. You guys, he's growing so much. He really is. Elder Sellers is currently in Las Vegas! He's training a new greenie, Elder Colton.

 Jared says Elder Colton is 18 years old and very excited to do missionary work. Jareds love for the Gospel and the happiness it brings to people grows every single day. He's becoming the man God needs him to be and it's such a privilege and honour to be apart of this experience, to watch him grow and to grow with him as well. It's a blessing to be waiting for him. 

As I prepare to serve my own mission, I can't help but think about how hard Jared works, how much he gives, and how much he learns. I begin to have an overwhelming sense of pride for him. He loves the Lord and the work that he's been asked to do, and I can't wait to serve the Lord with all my heart, might, and mind, just like my missionary. I can't wait to grow as much as he does, to have the spirit working miracles through me 24/7 as I serve my Heavenly Father.

I can't begin to express how happy I am every day as I wait for this boy, everyone. I've been blessed so far during this wait in that it has been so easy. I haven't once been sad, haven't cried, haven't felt alone. I was actually telling my Mom the other day how funny everything is: In my emails with Jared, we're still the same, still sharing the same little concerns and thoughts we normally would. Last week, he discussed with me his desire to purchase a rice cooker, and what he was going to start cooking for his lunches. 

I couldn't help but laugh. It was just so....us. 

I love him so much.

I love him more than I love Taco Bell.

That is all.

Until next time, everyone! 

(Which hopefully won't be too long)

-Samantha J Stanley

My Valentine. ♥

Lemme just share a kinda long but sweet story: 
          So Jared took me on my very first date ever the day I turned 16 in 2008. We walked to Goodwill, then walked across the street to Milano's where we ate a BBQ chicken pizza. So throughout our whole relationship, we've always just had this thing for BBQ chicken pizza. Fast forward to last year out at school, it was our first Valentines Day ACTUALLY being a couple, so he planned big. We got done with classes, he walked me home and told me to get ready for our date, and he'd pick me up later. So he picks me up, gives me a bouquet of flowers made from my favourite candy, and we walk over to his house, (approximately a 1:35 walk) and he says we're going to make some bread, so we get the dough ready and then we have to wait for it to rise. So he says that while it's rising, we're gonna go somewhere, but first, we need to take all of his loose change to the store to get some cash for it. 

          So we leave the dough to rise and walk to the store and get some cash for all his change, which turned out to be about $30! We took bets on how much it was gonna be, and we weren't even close. x] So after that, we walk across town to the D.I and shopped around but didn't buy anything. We left and went back to his house where he starts getting stuff out to make our dinner. When we took the dough out though, he gets our pizza pan out and starts putting it in that. "Wait, I thought we were making bread.?" SURPRISE. We were making pizza! So we start to make this pizza and I'm noticing...wait...This is a BBQ Chicken pizza! It wasn't the best, but we made it together and it tasted really great. :) Then we snuggled on the couch and just talked. 

"You know what this was, right?" 

"Yeah, our Valentines Day date."

"No Sam, think about it."

"....Hmmm...I got nothin'. What was it?"

"It was us going on our first date again."

At that point, I just started crying and smiling and kissing him. How sweet is that?? It was a new spin on our very first date. ♥

Fast forward a year to NOW. I emailed him last week, asking him, "If I were to have a pizza delivered to you on Valentines Day, what would you want on it?"

He just now answered me and said, "If you sent me a pizza on Valentine's Day, I would just want on old favorite, BBQ Chicken Pizza. :)"

Hole. E. Crap. 

My heart just melted. That's all he had to say. By saying that he just wanted 'an old favourite' he's saying, "I'm thinking of the past 6 years, I'm thinking of our dates, and I'm thinking of you" in the cutest most romantic way. For me personally, at least. 

I love him. I love him I love him I love him.  

I'm sending his Valentine Package today and I hope it gets there on V-Day! I put so much in there that I hope he enjoys. ♥

Anyway, there's my love-rant. I LOVE LOVE LOOOOOVE that boy so much. Bless his sweet little heart. ♥

-CHEERS! ♥