~2012~

2012

The year that flew by with a wink of the eye.

Seriously, I feel like yesterday was January and that this year didn't even happen.

But it did happen. And a lot happened in that year. So this is my recap. 

January: January came and we went to Jamestown for a day trip and learned that Disney got Pocahontas all wrong, and I'm glad I never lived in a place like Jamestown. We also went to Williamsburg while down there and it became one of my favorite places to go because of the cute little stores there. We also took a trip to San Antonio, Texas to see my family for a weekend. It was our niece Pepper's 2nd birthday so we had a fun time doing her party and also being with family. We didn't stay long, but it was so nice to see everyone. January went by fast because I was working a lot and so was Jake. 

February: Jake had to work on Valentines day so we did Valentines the weekend after the 14th. Jake planned out the whole day and we started by going on Segway where I crashed and got 3 bruises. Then we went to the movie "This Means War", and then dinner at Olive Garden, and we finished the night bowling at the base bowling alley. Best Valentines ever! Jake gave me a locket that has our wedding day on it. I love it so much. In February we had a lot of fun. We went on lots of walks by the Potomac because it was so warm outside. But again, I worked a lot and so did Jake so it went by with a blink. 

March: We celebrated our 2 year anniversary this month because Jake was gone on our anniversary in June for a deployment. We were going to go to Atlantic City in New Jersey for the weekend, but Jake had tried out for a SWAT team and severely injured his back so we had to stay home. Instead we went to a nice dinner, exchanged gifts, and went to Georgetown for some shopping. I gave Jake a Kindle, and he gave me a Kinect for our Xbox. I love it so much! Jake's back hurt him for the rest of the month. We had to go in to the doctor for it because he couldn't even walk. It wasn't fun, but I'm glad we were able to get some help. On the positive note! We found out we were being re-stationed to Germany in December after Jake got home from his deployment. 

April: We went home in April for 2 weeks so Jake could see family and friends before his deployment. We did fun things like bowling, laser tag, shooting, and a bunch of other stuff. It was a well needed trip considering Jake hadn't been home since May of 2011. 

May: We got home from Utah at the end of April and turned around the next weekend and took a surprise random trip to Florida so we could see Wizarding World of Harry Potter. That was the best trip we could have taken right before his deployment. It was a mini honeymoon and we had a blast. We flew in one morning, went to the park, woke up and went to the park again, then flew out that night. I will always remember those 2 days. When we got back my mom was waiting for us to help up pack up our belongings since I was moving home for the summer while Jake was away and we weren't keeping our place. The very next week after we packed everything up we thought we had 11 days left, but Jake's supervisor called and said pack up, you are leaving tomorrow. So we stayed up all night packing his bags, and Jake left the following day around 3:00 PM. I went and got ice cream and cried, and my friend brought over more ice cream and cried with me. My mom flew in 5 days later to help me finish out processing out of my house and then we were off and traveling across the country to Utah. 

June: June was crazy. The house was full of people and it was awesome. My birthday came and I turned 22. I wanted Jake to be there so bad, but he had arranged to give me a gift. It's the necklace from Lord of the Rings that Arwen wears. I have always wanted one and it is so beautiful. I also started selling Paparazzi so I had lots of parties and boutiques. My anniversary came on the 26th and I talked to Jake all day basically. Luckily during the deployment I was able to talk to Jake practically every day. 

July: 4th of July was way fun because all of my family except Jake and my brother were there. We went to the parade in Tooele to watch Sophia, and then we went into Salt Lake to Spiderman, and then we went to Olive Garden and fireworks at Sugar House. Danielle and I also did a boutique in July that was way fun and really bonding. I sold more Paparazzi and stayed busy so the time would go by fast. 

August: Not much happened in August. It went by really fast. I had a lot of parties, and I helped my mom out with the house a lot. I'm glad it went by fast considering not much happened. 

September: I went to San Francisco for my first time in September and LOVED it. I could live there if it wasn't for the politics there. It's amazing though, and so beautiful. I loved being there with my mom and dad, and bonded with them so much. We had a blast and I was able to goof around and be the kid again. I don't know if I would have liked it there as much if it wasn't for my mom and dad. After San Francisco, I had to have a mouth surgery where they cut into my gums and sewed me back up. My face was swollen for about 2 weeks and I couldn't even talk for days. It was horrible. During my recovery I went and visited my Grandma for a week. After I got home from visiting with her, it was Sophia's birthday party and Danielle threw a party that was Brave themed, I made a cake that ended up falling apart by the time the party started....I need to work on my cake making skills. 

October: This month was packed full of Haunted Houses, Parties, and so much fun! I went to about 4 different Haunted Houses with friends, had a Pinterest Party with my closest girlfriends, had Paparazzi Parties, went to Odyssey thriller, and then went to California and was on The Price is Right that is airing on January 4th with my mom and sister. We also went to Disneyland for a day and it was so much fun being there with Danielle, my mom, my dad, and Sophia. We had a blast and it will be a memory we talk about for many years. We also went to Witches Night Out and my mom even won something! On Halloween I dressed up like a witch and handed candy out to kids. I love being an adult. It's so much fun. No sarcasm either. 

November: It was finally here! I got all packed and ready! Did some photo shoots. a Paparazzi Party, and said goodbye to all my friends. I left on November 19th for DC to pick Jake up. He flew in on the 21st and the reunion was epic, and Thanksgiving was on the 22nd where we ate at the chow hall. I went to the Breaking Dawn premier with Danielle and had a blast with her. And then went to Breaking Dawn again when Jake got home. We pushed hard to be able to come home for Christmas and push our date to be in Germany back so we didn't have to rush and we finally got it approved at the last second. 

December: We got the date pushed back to go to Germany so we were able to relax a little this month and have a lot of fun. We went to The National Mall and took pictures, we went to Fort Washington and learned about how it was defended, we went to Gettysburg and had an amazing time there learning about the civil war and what an impact Gettysburg made, and we ate some good food there as well. We went to the Washington DC temple for the temple lights, and we went shopping at Old Town Alexandria. On the 15th we flew home and spent an amazing Christmas vacation with our family. We had game nights, Jake went coyote hunting with his brother, we went shopping, we went to temple square with my family, we went to The Hobbit (which we went to the premier right before we went to Utah as well), we went to Les Miserables (AMAZING), we took family photos, I got sick with the flu :(, Jake got his back fixed by Buhler, we went to a family party in Idaho, we played played played. It was so much fun being in Utah and we are so happy we were able to go. We flew home on the 27th and got into our hotel and situated on the 28th. Jake went back to work today, the 29th and has to work until New Years. It's a great ending to a great year. 

I'm thankful that Jake was safe on his deployment and the only injury he got was from a locker that sliced his finger, I'm thankful for the time I had with my family and the bond we made over the summer. I am going to miss them so much. I am thankful that I am still close to all my friends and that they support me and my life so much, they each have a special place in my heart. I'm thankful for the time I got to see my grandma on the many occasions this summer. I am thankful that we are moving to Germany and having another adventure. I'm thankful for my life, and this year and what it has done for me and who I am today. A lot happens in a year, and I am thankful for the year I have had. 

I'm ready for 2013 and I'm ready to see what next year brings and the adventures we conquer together!