A Tall Tale from Small People

Here is a tall tale that is actually true.

Once upon a time, Saturday the 6th; to be exact, I was awoken before dawn by a pain in my stomach and thus began the longest day I'd experienced in a very long time. After proceeding to be ill for the next many hours we were surprised with a leak coming from the floor above us through our bedroom closet. After putting buckets under the drips, Mr. Sam then rushed off to take the LSAT.

While he was gone I continued to be sick and in a lot of pain. After 7+ hours of this I called our neighbor who had also had a very long day, after waking up to his apartment flooding he then spent hours with a plumber ripping apart his bathroom, but agreed to take me to the emergency room. I left a note for Mr. Sam who was still out providing for the family by taking the hardest test of his life. And rushed away.

Shortly after arriving at the ER I was placed in a room and soon joined by my lovingly devoted husband who had just finished his test. The doctors proceeded to run tests on my blood, I had an ultrasound, was given an X-ray, and then finally at 9 that evening I was submitted to an MRI. And after a very long day, in which I wasn't even allowed to drink and was administered almost every medicine available to a woman who is 18 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with appendicitis.

I went in for surgery at midnight and then after being placed in a room for recovery for the night my parents started on their drive home to Kaysville and my husband was left to fill out paperwork and finally got into bed around 2:30; almost 24 hours after we were first awakened.

The next day I was released from the hospital and returned home feeling far less than 100%.

If you think this story is over you are far from correct. Only 3 days later we were destined to return to the emergency room because of an allergic reaction I had to something used during the proceedure. I then blistered up and a rash spread over most of my abdomen. Now a week later my rash is improving and the blisters are gone and thanks to cream and plenty of benadryll I am itching less and feeling better all the time.

Sadly, I am not the biggest sufferer in this story. My poor Sam has been taking full care of me, working, going to class, preparing for midterms, doing the laundry, dishes, and all the cooking. But I couldn't be more grateful for him.

Unfortunately there isn't a quote by Tolkien about appendicitis so I'll share one about our exciting day tomorrow...we're scheduled for our ultrasound and we'll find out what we're having! :D

"The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break." 

 

-J.R.R. Tolkien- 

Sam and Rosie sittin' in a tree; K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage then comes...

A BABY IN A BABY CARRIAGE!!!!!!!

Apologies to anyone who checks our blog (I feel really special that you do btw, very important and such) I haven't blogged in the last two months because I knew I wouldn't be able to keep any sort of important secret. Especially the secret that Mr. Hobbit and I are expecting! We couldn't be more thrilled.

For those of you in disbelieve or confusion. Yes, a baby. We are having a baby. The due date is March 12.

Yesterday at our first pre-natal appointment we had the great thrill of hearing our baby's heartbeat and knowing that indeed there really is a LITTLE HOBBIT IN MY BELLY! Mr. Sam is as giddy as could be.

There really isn't much more to say there at the moment except; did I mention we're having our first little baby? Oh, I did? Good, I was hoping I didn't forget anything.

As for the job search- I finally found one and we are both very relieved to be done with the interview process.

Mr. Sam is being the collegiate hobbit as always and is currently preparing to take the LSAT in October.

This post's quote is of encouragement for our new little Daddy to keep studying and not get discouraged.

"Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you *stand, Men of the West!"

-If you don't recognize it; you don't deserve to know who said it-

Did I mention we're having a baby?

Worked and Worked and Worked aaaand Worked

Our lives have been rolling on and on like the wagon wheels of the pioneer children; instead of walking and walking and walking aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand walking - we are WORKING!

Mr. Samwise has picked up his 3rd job with the beginning of Summer semester with the BYU OIT department and I couldn't be more grateful for everything he is doing for me and how diligent he is about providing for our family.

I had a job interview today and return tomorrow for a working interview where I will literally be in the office, learning on the job, and being put to the test. Here's to hoping it goes well.

But our jobs are not the only things we have been working at. I received my calling in our new family ward - I am the Primary Music Leader and about two weeks after I got called I was leading the kids in Sacrament Meeting for Father's Day and it was STRESSFUL! Don't get me wrong - those kids are extremely adorable and I love my calling, but it is work.

On top of it all - we wanted to finish the apartment - I wanted to decorate and Sam wanted to see the floor. So we compromised and he helped me with my projects including shelves, a table, and hanging of many items from my aprons to my mirror to my calendar. And then I followed suit when he motor boated through our back room and our apartment is so close to being done! I can't wait to post pictures and share our home.

Not everything in our lives is work however - we've had highs and we've had lows. The greatest high was when I caught my first fish and then the 3 after during an awesome FHE activity per request of Sam. The low has definitely the cold that I caught last week that has now transferred to my sweetheart.

On we go to healthier days and hopefully another job for Mrs. Rosie!

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Memorial Day Weekend was Memorial - for different reasons

Ok - hopefully the bugs have worked out. After adjusting the template and checking and rechecking the blog I realized that our last "little story" was not so little. This post should hopefully be as hobbit sized as it's authors.

This is an account of our adventures this weekend and why after a restful weekend we are so tired.

"I should think so - in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!"

The Hobbit, Chapter 1

To Begin our weekend, Sam was offered an extra 15 hours with the OIT office for Summer Semester beginning in July. And I was able to convince Mr. Sam to attend a baseball game with me.

We went to BYU's 2nd to last Home game against Gonzaga on Friday: it started moving quite quickly for a baseball game and then slowed and slowed and slowed again; by the 7th inning stretch we were losing. Disturbingly. They were 13 and we were 0. Needless to say - we left. But it was a lovely evening and we even spiced things up a bit by pretending we were on a first date; try it - it's fun to feel awkward sometimes and know that there will ALWAYS be a second date.

Saturday we attended our niece's baptism and it was beautiful. Yes, I cried - I always cry. Afterwards we got barbeque - courtesy of her parents - and when I say barbeque I mean A LOT of food! Hobbits like food. Especially hobbits in college.

You would think this brings us to Sunday - but hold your horses there is one last little story to share from Saturday - Mr. Sam received a call that evening from a bishopric member about meeting with us to extend a calling for me. Since Samwise works on Sunday mornings for BYU running the IT office for church meetings in the Wilkinson Center, he was unable to come with me the next morning to our interview so the caller told me my calling. I am to be the Primary Music Leader!

(I am extra excited because not only do we have the cutest little kids ever but I love music and my mom has this same calling at this very time!)

Sunday - we visited graves with members of Sam's family in honor of the coming Memorial Day and was otherwise uneventful.

Now comes the uncomfortable things - the reason we hobbits rarely have use for adventures. Yesterday I was scheduled to begin the lemonade diet, the "Master Cleanse", it was way too icky and I realized that it wasn't me to do something like that - again; HOBBITS LIKE FOOD! I like my dinner.

Secondly - Mr. Sam twisted funny getting out of bed and threw out his back - unable to move for most the day and unable to sleep most the following night. He is however feeling significantly better this morning and able to move on his own and resting on the couch. Rosie's orders. 

I know this post was supposed to be "little" but clearly I am no good at that and will need to continue working on that but at least it's a LITTLE shorter than the last "little story"

As you see - Hobbits are plain, quiet folk. We like our dinner. And just like Bilbo these hobbits take far too many adventures.

A Work in Progress

Well, it's official. Our family has joined the world of blogging. With the page under construction - let's be honest, I just don't know what I'm doing or the first thing about setting up a blog - we hope you'll forgive us for being well...a work in progress. I hope you'll also forgive me, as I am a work in progress myself - being an Emily Dickinson fan I use weird punctuation and A LOT of it. Deal with it. In the words of a wise and very cute old man, "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you." Pres. Uchtdorf.
Now a little about us.

This is Mr. Sam and I (Mrs. Rosie) during our engagement photo shoot by my talented Bro-in-law. I know we look like models but let's be honest here - we usually look like this. And this is on our good days.

Now back to our story. Mr. Sam and I met in our singles ward at BYU in Happy Valley last summer at a Harry Potter party (only the magic didn't begin there). It actually began when we were both called to be co-chairs of the Day of Service committee by our bishop who shortly after was released and being lost in the shuffle we were never sustained, set apart, or given an assignment; therefore - we never met up or did our duty. While we may be sinners for not fulfilling our calling our gracious Heavenly Father still found it in himself to get us together (in all reality we had no choice in the matter).


In the weeks following our oh-so-romantic meeting that went as so:
"oh hey, yeah you're my co-chair"
"oh yeah, hey we should talk and do that activity."
"yeah..."
(I know - we are chick-flick material.)

Mr. Sam and his chipper roommate were made my home teachers (for those of you who are not member of the LDS community, home teachers are assigned families or individuals to look out for and take care of, their job is to make sure that your temporal, spiritual, emotional welfare is taken care of. Being away at college I especially grew to love the support of home teachers because sometime you just need a big brother or fatherly influence in your life for hugs or to talk to or to give you unbiased advice and opinions. But more than that they teach you valuable lessons that you may not realize you needed). I digress.

Let's review shall we? First, Mr. Sam and I were called to be co-chairs and failed to even talk to each other let alone fall in love. Secondly, he became my home teacher to care for and love - this time IT WORKED! We became friends. Granted we weren't best friends, we didn't hang out every day and text each other random jokes we heard or really have much interest in doing so, but this was a step. A very important step.

For those of you who have been in a singles ward or are members of the LDS faith you will understand what I mean when I say I married my brother - thaaaat's right folks! As fall semester approached we were placed in the same Family Home Evening group. I know; it's a good thing he's so cute or I may have been annoyed to be thrown together so much.

Luckily all of these encounters gave me an opportunity to get to know Mr. Sam and the sweet spirit that he is so a few weeks later when my life felt like it was going to explode from the differing problems with roommates and boys being dumb I had a place I felt safe to go for a smile, a hug, and especially a laugh (his apartment is FUNNY). Later that night I received a text that changed my life, "You are special and deserve to be treated that way."

From that point forward I thought he was SOO cute and SOO sweet! So using my womanly wiles and the mad skills with which I am endowed I had his apartment (I didn't want to be obvious - but if you read my text messages, I WAS) over for dinner, I made them muffins, cookies, brownies, and basically every other baked good you can imagine.

After a long pursuit, which ended with me looking for a way to procrastinate (ignore) my reading assignment for the next day we went for a walk in the rain during which we held hands for the first time. The next day we went on our first date to the Creamery on 9th and got ice cream.

Again, listen to Pres. Uchtdorf's license plate - The day after our first date (Oct 5th, 2011) we defined the relationship and began dating. I know, that was fast, but after a month of baking I felt entitled to ask the question, "what are we?" Thankfully he liked me as much as I like him. And things snowballed from there.

Nearly 4 months later, Mr. Sam made a proposal and 3 months later we were married on April 28th, 2012.

Being newly married is wonderful but it also means that basically everything in our lives as a couple is a work in progress from unpacking to organizing to cleaning the apartment to learning how to sleep with someone else in the bed or remembering to do our scripture study at night or learning how to work around two different work schedules with one car. We're working on it.

We're also working on ourselves, trying to be the best that we can be and sometimes just trying to get by, we individually are all works of progress and we're getting better inch by pinch.

Feel free to take the journey with us,

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." 

Book 1, Chapter 3, Lord of the Rings