The Eggleston Family

A day in the life of Connor...

2012-01-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

Every day brings new surprises, new challenges, and all kinds of adventure. This is one busy boy who LOVES to play, play, play. I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Connor helping to clean out the fridge...

That looks like a good place for our milk

Oh and there...

Doing some vacuuming!

Mama out doing some shopping...

Running around the house in a naked rampage... one of his favorite things. He must take after his dad. haha just kidding. :)

and yes...that is what you think it is... kind of embarrassing but pretty dang funny too.

Time to get some naked reading time in...

Peekaboo on mom's new dining room table chair (which already has some dings in it). But look at that smile... worth it.

Helping clean the bathroom! (well sort of helping). FYI, those are new toilet plungers and scrubbers... Well for the most part. ;)

"mom, may I say something?"

He must've gotten a hold of the camera for this picture. Not sure I could get such a great angle. :)

Kicking back, watching a movie with dad.

All in all, life wouldn't be near as fun without our little guy. We thank Heavenly Father everyday for sending us such a special little boy with enough energy to keep us both pretty darn busy. Needless to say the house is a DISASTER at the end of every day. Worth it. :) Hope to have more someday to only add to the chaos. Love you Connor!!

Christmas Party!

2011-12-17T22:49:00.000-08:00

Well... I'm impressed!

2011-12-17T22:42:00.000-08:00

Looks like we may need to get our little builder some blocks!

"I'll do it myself!"

2011-12-17T22:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, so when I found this... I realized that we may not be feeding Connor enough. He felt he needed to help himself to the applesauce.

Grateful for my FAMILY...

2011-11-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

During this Thanksgiving I couldn't help but feel extraordinarily grateful for my family. My husband is such a blessing in my life. He is such a hardworking guy who always puts the needs of our family before his own. He is such a wonderful father and husband. He loves being a dad and it shows. I absolutely adore my little man. There is never a dull moment. He is such a sweet little boy who loves to play and have fun, but also appreciates a good movie and time to wind down. My life is so full of good things, that I can't help but be overwhelmed with gratitude this Thanksgiving. I love life, and hopefully that shows too. ;)

Reflection...

2011-11-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

Warning** If you do not like hearing about spiritual matters you may not want to read this. ;)

I started cleaning a lady’s house a couple times a week in order to earn some Christmas money this year. The couple I clean for are such amazing people, spiritual giants. Not because they preach the gospel to me, but because I feel the spirit when talking to them. I can tell that they have their priorities straight, yet they both live very busy lives. As I was cleaning her home, I realized how they really are living my dream. It is a simple dream, a dream of having a comfortable home (probably paid for), it doesn’t have to be big,( although theirs is), but it is organized and clean. There really is a place for everything. One thing I love most about it is that there isn’t any clutter. You can relate clutter to many things in life, distractions, chronically negative people, or just pieces of junk mail that have failed to make it into its rightful place.

As I was deep cleaning the upstairs, I admired her kid’s bedrooms. She had two kids and both rooms had things in there that gave them each a personality and identity. I was able to learn about them just by being in their rooms. I saw her son’s missionary luggage in the closet, years after he had served a mission, their daughter’s room with awards and accomplishments on the wall, and a really fun room for the grandkids. Both these kids have a home away from home, where they get to see their old toys they had as kids. So cool. Really the main thing that I really loved about this home was the fact that I could feel the spirit so strongly while there. It is peaceful, and calm. Obviously this couple is in a different stage of life then my husband and I so I do not compare anything, that would be a large mistake… but I do see where I’d like to be when I am their age. I ask myself, what things could we be doing now, that would lead to this future? What things are we doing that are not in line with this? There were a few things that came to mind immediately…

1) A lack of scripture study and silence in our home. It is hard to find silence with a 14 month old, but I’ve really come to love the mornings. They are quiet and peaceful, or sometimes the evening when Connor is tucked away in bed. Nap time is also a great time to just sit and ponder, and maybe read a conference talk if I do not have homework I need to get done. I am still far from reading my scriptures every day, but I am making an earnest effort to actively find and enjoy the quiet time.

2) Another thing that I thought of is my relationship with Jared. Do we do things together, like we are on the same team and have a sense of humor about things? or are we being critical of the other and taking things too personally. It has been amazing because lately, with the efforts we have been making to organize and clean our home we are finding more humor in things and we are working together more than we ever have in the past. It is amazing how you try to do things in your home to bring the spirit in and it really does affect more than just your home. From cleaning this family’s home and just being there, I have learned things about myself and what I want for our family.

3) Other things I want to (or don’t want to do) is not stress if everything doesn’t have a place yet, because we are just in the starting phase to get that in motion! I’ve learned to celebrate what we are able to do. Just recently we posted 7 pieces of furniture on Craigslist, and within an hour we had all but two of the pieces sold, all in one sale. I used that money and the money I’ve been earning cleaning to buy us a new dining table. Just having this table has made a great difference. We actually all can eat around the table now for dinner, and we make an effort to not put clutter on it. It is amazing how this table has changed the spirit in our front room. We don’t have a lot, but we do the best with what we have.

4) Hard work is also something we are realizing is a necessity to get where we’d like to go. As I was doing the budget I realized that we’d be low on funds for Christmas so Jared and I brainstormed and we came up with a few things we could do… Heavenly Father has blessed us with almost all that we talked about. It is amazing. Being proactive does wonders and allows Heavenly Father a chance to bless you, in this case, US. 

5) Another thing I make sure to do is play with my little boy. I spend time with him, and this is active time, not passive time. It is not just seeing him smile that makes me happy but making him smile. I’ve learned to let go and to let my little boy live his life to the fullest even if it means I’m cleaning up a bunch more messes every day. That’s ok. I’ve also learned to remain calm even under frustrating circumstances. This has made me feel like a more relaxed mom. I believe that being relaxed is a choice.

6) And one of the main things that Jared and I are trying to do is finding the time to do family things that give us that “Aha” moment, saying to each other… This is why we are here, to make moments just like these.

Now the lady I clean for had to work a lot of the time when they weren’t making it, so she is not one of these “Mormons” who believes that a “good” mother should never have to work, but they did what they could with what they had. They worked together and they weren’t perfect. I asked her one day, how do you really know that you are on the right path? I mean, I am trying to figure out what career path to settle on for school and the one I keep going to doesn’t make a lot of sense…now that is, but I don’t know my future, and I underestimate myself. She gave me the best advice; she said to pray to know not just what career is right for you, but what is the right thing to do for your family. Then, you have to actively listen for an answer (this is when that quiet time comes in handy), and that is when you must live by faith which means maybe doing things that are a little more difficult and that may not make as much sense! I really appreciated this advice; I think it is very sound and very true. Although my goal is to be a stay at home mother, I want to be prepared for my family in case I’m called to work.

One of my all-time favorite quotes is this:

"We need to learn to set our course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship." - General Omar Bradley

I have always had issues by changing our plan when a new one sounds better (or easier), but this quote and a steadfast husband, have kept me on track.
I can honestly say that Jared and I are striving to live everyday as if it is a gift. Connor has blessed our lives so much and we still have two boys in heaven waiting for us to come home. Life really is good, I feel that. Even on the hard days. If it isn’t hard, then we aren’t doing something right. Right? ;) The trick is to expect it to be hard, and then stop reminding yourself how hard it is, and then you’ll automatically rise to the task at hand and then maybe rise a little higher, surprising even yourself. And make sure to treat yourself with the guilty pleasures you LOVE every once in a while. They should bring you back to reality. ;)

My Running Debut..

2011-11-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

This has been an interesting year so far. This is the year I made my running debut. I made the goal to finish my first half marathon which is 13.1 miles. I started training, doing 2-3 short runs during the week and then every weekend I'd up my mileage. Running has always been something I enjoyed doing so I looked forward to the challenge. Well, challenge is what I got. Two days before my half marathon I took a pretty nasty fall going full speed on the road. I went to cross and my foot caught an uneven piece of asphalt. This is what I looked like:

1.

Needless to say,I was more worried about being able to walk on my half marathon, let alone run. But after my hubby took care of me, the next day I was feeling a bit better and more optimistic. That next morning I was at the starting line rearing to go! All bandaged up of course. I think I got a lot of sympathy cheers as I was running. Well, I finished in 2:25, which for me was a great time! It was a beautiful run, but not easy. This was about the same time my sister Michele had asked if I would do the St. George Marathon with her if my little sister Heidi (who was signed up) didn't do it. After just overcoming a miscarriage I was ready to take on the world, to throw myself into something positive and productive. So I said...SURE! I'll run the marathon with you. My training then went to more intense being that I only had less than 2 weeks to be ready. I did a 17 miler 3 weeks before then tapered way down in order to not injure myself. I was nervous, being that I didn't know what I had gotten myself into. Then?? I did it! Me, Michele and my little brother all ran the marathon together, all 26.2 miles of it. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but finishing made it all worth it.

My little brother Jeff made a documentary while running which had every one of us laughing. Especially when the last video was at mile 15, and he let everyone know how bad he was already hurting and how bad his joints were, but reassured his viewers that one step at a time he'd get there, and that he did... in under 5 hours!

Ultimately, it was a lot of fun, and a lot of hard work. I'm sure there will be more marathon's in my future, but for now, I am just sticking with the 10K's. :)

Finished the Pocatello Half Marathon

Michele and me at the starting line at the St. George Marathon

Jeff and Michele on the bus ride. This was the first time ever that we heard Jeff start to get a little nervous... He didn't think the bus ride should've taken so long...

Last two pics are me finishing the St. George Marathon.Did I mention that it was 26.2 miles? haha
(And yes, I am trying not to cry in these pictures!)

Happy Anniversary Hunny! (Well, on the 23rd of Sept)

2011-10-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

JUST a bit behind with the blogging but I wanted to make sure I mentioned my Anniversary. Jared and I celebrated our 5th anniversary on Sept 23rd. It was such a fun night. Jared went to the extreme to give me a fun "date-like" date. I was skeptical but it ended up being the perfect evening.

He started with these....

Which was so very sweet!

And then we ended with this...

It was so much fun. Jared made it so special. I love my husband and I adore the family we are making. He is the love of my life and everyday I feel so grateful to be his. Here is to five wonderful years together! YAY! :) Life is sure grand.

My little boy turned one year old!!

2011-08-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

So August 11th came way to fast this year. My little precious newborn baby has turned into a full throttle one year old with all the energy and personality in the world! We had a small birthday party this year with some of our family, but later birthdays will sure to be much larger! Connor woke up from his nap, and usually he is a little cranky at first, but as soon as he saw his birthday guests he lit right up and was ready to go! First we opened presents, which he absolutly loved! Then we had Little Ceasers pizza for dinner. Next we did cake, and Connor was no shy man when it came to laying territory to his own freshly baked chocolate cake. (I'll try to post some video later). Connor loved the attention and all the love that came his way. My one goal for this day was that it would be a special day for my little man and that he would know that it was all for him. I think we accomplished that, hooray for birthday number one! I love my little man! (cake decorating by Jared:)
Here are some pictures of the events:

Here are some lovely cake pictures! (We took alot of video so the cake pictures were when he started getting a little bit tired of being covered in chocolate frosting. He kept trying to wipe it off his fingers, too cute!

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My mothers daughter...

2011-08-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found myself trying to figure out what I can do to pass the time while my husband was at work all night long. Walk with Connor, check. Laundry, check. Lunch, check. So, I went onto Netflix and saw that I could watch 4 hours worth of Gone with the Wind. I've seen it before, a long time ago, and I thought I liked it so I said, what the heck! I'll give it a try and if I get completely bored out of my mind, I'll turn it off. Well, I was glued. I thought it was a romantic, compelling story about love, and war. I never knew what she saw in Ashley though. I thought Rhett Butler had much more charm. I also thought it was a great story about not knowing your own strength until you are put to the test. I really loved this movie, which made me come to the realization that I really am my mothers daughter!

Now I only wish I had The Sound of Music or the Music Man to keep me occupied while folding laundry today. :)

A moment to ponder...

2011-08-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

These last few days it really has felt like a "bad news week". Not only with us but with family and friends. It is really discouraging to go through something difficult, when you know so many people are struggling as well. I've been trying to process some of these things in my journal, and I'd like to share with anybody who is interested my conclusion and our personal recent experience.

Jared and I were expecting another baby, and recently found out at our appointment this last week that there wasn't a heartbeat. My heart hurt yet again for another failed pregnancy, but I couldn't help that night but to get down on my knees and not only thank God for another opportunity to be pregnant, but thank him for the beautiful healthy, active boy that I have. This made four miscarriages, one premature birth with my twin boys, and then one extremely healthy, active little boy. And you know what? I feel blessed for that. I am lucky! As I wrote in my journal I anticipated my entry to be sad and contemplative, and to my surprise, I ended being filled with joy in my heart. I felt comforted that all was well! I'm learning that even though all may not SEEM right in the world around me, everything is actually still pretty dang good and is much better than earlier times! I'm grateful for my blessings, and all the amazing things and people in my life.

A great book out there is, "Who Moved my Cheese?". It is an easy read and it is about change and what we need to do to allow it to happen. Learning to adapt to new circumstances is always a challenge for me and it requires a leap of faith, but after I take that leap, things always improve and get better! Then change happens all over again! Change is one of the only things that we can count on being constant in our lives.

New challenges may arise, but I hope I can continue to take the advice from this book, and ride with the change instead of resist it, even if the change is difficult. Change has been my best friend in my life... it has been the means of my growth and progression and ultimatly, my happiness.

Hang ten!

2011-08-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Connor's favorite movie to watch lately is Surf's up. He can watch almost the whole movie, which for his age and activity level is pretty impressive. This kid is very active, but when he just wants to lay back and chill... he does just that. He can be very laid back, with alot of confidence and even some swagger! I love it! Here are some pics of his kick back style in action (if that even makes sense).

Sometimes I swear he just looks at me like, "Chill out mamma! It's all good!" :)

Our little explorer!

2011-08-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Lately Connor has become extremely curious about everything. We look away for one minute and he is over here or there doing some new crazy, funny thing. We love this age. It never gets boring.

You can probably guess what happened after this picture...

As you can see... never a dull moment with our little buddy and we wouldn't have it any other way! We love him!

Here are some more pictures only because I adore this little boy!!!

2011-06-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Make sure to scroll down and check out all my new posts... I think there is like four of them following this one! I will try to update more often!

Visiting his twin brothers and family on Memorial day...

2011-06-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

OUCH! Connor's first shiner!

2011-06-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Connor lost his footing next to the shelf and got his first shiner! He was a tough guy and only cried a minute or two! It looked pretty bad, but we have to admit... he was so dang cute...

I happen to adore this first picture... he looks just like his daddy.

Our birthday party!! June 2011

2011-06-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

So, my birthday is on the 25th and Jared's is on the 27th so this year we did a combined Birthday bash and invited friends and family. We had a great time and was able to visit with alot of our loved ones. I ran a 5 miler race the morning of and then spent the day swimming and BBQ'ing. It was tons of fun! Here are some pics of the action!

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Post and pic overload! Prepare to be overloaded!!

2011-06-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it has been awhile so I guess it is time for some updates! We are still doing great, here in Idaho. Jared is preparing to apply to the Occupational Therapy program and I am taking care of our little guy who is 10 months now! We are enjoying making small updates to our home and hanging out with friends and family. Here are some recent pics of the little guy.
ENJOY!

Connor updates!

2011-01-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

Will write more later!!

Getting it together this year!

2011-01-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

So this year I'm doing something called, "GETTING IT TOGETHER"! I've never been good at sending people Christmas cards, Birthday cards, or even Thank you cards! How bad is that? Anyone that would care for either of these things please leave your address/phone number/email/birthdays either as a comment here or my email which is shani.marie@hotmail.com. I got a new address book and I am hell bent on being a better friend, and/or family member. Hopefully this will pay off and I can do a better job staying in touch with those I love.

Thanks in advance!

I've been "domesticated" official housewife!

2011-01-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

OK, so for those who know me, know that I am not much of a cook. I had never really done it before, or wanted to do it. BUT, after four years of marriage, I am finally in the mood to cook! I'm disapointed I didn't remember to take pictures of all my delicacy's, but that is something that must be remedied! So here are some pics of my recipes that are online. So far I've cooked:

Taco Casserole:

Cinnamon Pancakes (with cinnamon syrup)

Not pictured:
Homemade Blueberry muffins
Veggie Chicken Pizza with homemade pesto sauce
Chicken Enchiladas
Homemade Spaghetti

We got this fantastic cookbook called "Cooking with Flavor". Jared got me a Spice Rack for Christmas so it has been pretty fun! Not so good for my weight loss goals, but fun nonetheless.

I think having a kid really gets yourself into the "domestic" mode, because I can honestly say, I've never really been like this before!

GET BETTER SOON!

2011-01-11T22:40:00.000-08:00

So, my cute little Connor has got this nasty cough. It really is pretty sad. To make matters worse I think he is teething too, so he has uped his game in regards to getting us to do whatever he wants. And yes we have been suckers. Rules for Connor's parents:
1. No sitting down... EVER.
2. No trying to feed me if your sitting down.
3. No bedtime...EVER.
4. Please rock me, while standing, holding me, patting my bum, while feeding me.
5. Do not let me fall asleep by myself in my crib.

Well, it's been challenging but with a cute little guy like this, how could we refuse? haha. It hasn't been that bad, but after doing some traveling his schedule has taken a beating. Now, LUCKILY we are back on track. and we are all now getting some sleep. He has actually been quite the trooper through all this. And he is going to bed without too many problems now. Still it is so sad to hear his cough all through the night. Won't it just go away? We love our little boy, GET BETTER SOON!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! Hope the new year is treating everyone fantastic! We are doing great. Connor is growing like you wouldn't believe and Jared and I are staying busy. At Connor's last appointment (4 month) he was weighing in at 19lbs and 27 inches. 100% for everything! Crazy! It's like his parents are tall or something...hummm. ;) Jared is currently working at Lowes and going back to school to take some pre-req's for the Occupational Therapy Program here at ISU. I currently am going back to school as well taking online courses at Utah State University in Family Life Studies. We are all doing really well and have adjusted to having a baby so easily. We love Connor, and we are so grateful to have him in our family. Here are some pics to update ya'll.

Went to Soda Springs to look at the Geyser. Pretty fun day. But as you can see here...cold!! It was Connor's first real outing being that here in Pocatello it is pretty chilly.

Thanksgiving at G'pa Chris and G'ma Cindy's house! This is the 4 generation photo we were so blessed to be able to have. Jared's Grandpa who had his 91st birthday the day before this, passed away the day after Thanksgiving. It was a sad event that took place but also a joyous one being that he was reunited with his sweetheart. You will be missed G'pa E!

Here is our little stud muffin in his church clothes taking a Sunday Snooze. It still amazes me how much alike Connor is to his daddy. Adorable!

Here is Connor in some Christmas P.J.'s. He is such a happy boy and great baby. So much fun! I'll post some more Christmas photos. G'ma gave him some Christmas jammies he could wear on Christmas Eve just like all his other cousins. How fun!

Here I am admiring my little boy while he is asleep. He is always surprising me how cute he can be.

We had an awesome Christmas. We got alot of fun movies: How to Train your Dragon, A-team, The Other Guys, Dispecable Me, Inception, and Shrek. We are constantly quoting The Other Guys. Pretty funny stuff. We were able to go to Burley on Christmas Day and to see my fam in St. George on New Years! My mom got us a way cute high chair. I have to say that this Christmas was considerably different. I really felt the spirit of it's true meaning. It was great! I also spent the whole day Christmas Eve making pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies, fudge walnut brownie holiday cookies and rice crispee treats. I made my first Christmas dinner (pics will soon follow) and got the house clean and ready. It was so much fun and special. We finally took down the Christmas Decor. Its funny how much fun it is putting it up, and how good it feels to take it down! I am definatly ready for the New Year. Last year was a great one for us because Connor has graced us with his presence. I know for many it was a tough one. I hope that this next year we can all find a reason to celebrate, a reason to laugh, an opportunity to serve, and an option to always look at the positive! Heres to the New Year!!

Jared and I are adjusting well to parenthood not to say it is easy. But like everyone else says, it is So worth it. We can't wait to add to our family again. Jared is such a good daddy. Connor loves playing with him and it is fun to watch. I feel so blessed to have two great boys in my life. Jared and I have both learned what content communicating really means, haha, and are having fun making all sorts of mistakes already. I will post more soon regards to details but this is just a general update. We love all our friends and family and we truly do miss our Texas Friends! Stay posted and we will try to update more often!

Our little guy is not so little anymore!

2010-11-03T19:39:00.001-07:00

Its amazing how quickly time flies. Connor is growing and is no stranger to his food. He loves to eat. He loves to smile. He loves to play. We are currently trying to get a sleeping routine down, so he has a routine. Not an easy task, but so far he is doing very well! He has slept eight hours at a time a couple of times now, but typically gets up still one time each night. He is such a good boy. We love being parents. Here are some pictures that many have been asking me for. Enjoy!

Love this smile!

Hanging out with Dad

Snoozing... Dad sure has interesting soothing methods :)

Sure love this guy. Whats not to love?

This dude is strong!

Ready for church

Cutie!

Momma's boy

Just like Dad!

Happy 4th Anniversary to my Sweetheart! (yesterday that is :)

2010-09-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

I know, its cliche to say..but I feel I have the best husband ever. Jared, I am SO blessed to have found you! Its amazing how quickly time flies. With every up and down in our lives our love has only grown stronger. Only eight dates in eight days is when we were engaged to be married. Now that must be love. People doubted us, but its amazing how right we were. These four years have been full of life, and that I cherish. We have had sorrow, tears, and humilty, yet much joy, laughter, and love. It is so worth it. I love our family. I love you! Happy Anniversary!

Let us introduce you to Connor Tate Eggleston

2010-08-20T13:54:00.001-07:00

There comes a time in life for sadness, and a time in life for joy. When sadness is experienced in life, it makes those moments of joy exceed anything you could've imagined. Joy is the essence of happiness, and happiness is the only feeling that can describe Jared and I at this time in our lives. After three miscarriages and losing our twin boys, we have the privilege of announcing the birth of Connor Tate Eggleston. He is a beautiful healthy boy, and we are already so in love with him.

CONNOR TATE EGGLESTON
August 11th 2010
1:51pm
7lbs 9oz
20 3/4inc

Here are a bunch of pictures from the hospital and from this last week!

More to come soon!

Summertime is near!

2010-06-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

These last few months when we've been so awfully quiet, we have been quite busy! If your interested in knowing what we've been up to take a look at 3-4 of the below postings to be updated. I couldn't update it all but what you will see is how we are doing great and we've truly been blessed by friends and family. It's amazing what that kind of support can do! After getting frustrated about not being able to get a good job being preggo and all, I was hired at a bank as a teller. (An On-call position, which is perfect for me right now). I am really excited because I am so into the financial stuff right now. Jared has been working his tail off! The pregnancy is going really good, and this little boy is growing fast already. I am getting some really good care which is a relief! Its a great start into this 2010 summer! Party on! Now, I just want to put on my flip flops and head for the pool... and enjoy these summer days. We will keep you posted...

Home Sweet Home...

2010-06-10T17:46:00.001-07:00

Awhile ago we bought a lot of paint for our house and just now are getting to doing it. We painted our downstairs family room, our baby room and just recently, our living room. We picked some bold colors but they are turning out great! Here is a picture of the color in the baby room, and the color in the front room. We are far from finished, but we are still saving some money to make some more repairs!

Our baby's room (still needs alot of work, but it is much better!)

Our upstairs living area

We are loving seeing our house transform into a home. It feels better every day, with every small repair we make. Jared, who is currently working full time at Lowes, part time at Bajio, and doing lawn maintenence on the side... it's amazing he finds the time to do such projects. Once again, I'm amazed at my husbands work ethic. It's pretty fantastic! More pictures to come for sure!

A very "muddy" Sunday... Another day's work!

2010-06-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday night when Jared came home from work he noticed some water flooding our yard. He called the city water guy at midnight, (right when the guy was scheduled to get off work) and he came to check it out. Turns out there was a leak in our main water line. YIKES! Jared, being as cool headed and calm as he was, was very positive (although inside was wanting to cry!). He didn't want me to worry, so he played it off like it wasn't a big deal. He did mention that we were the ones that were needing to repair it not the city, and that he'd take care of it the next day. Well, after a few phone calls, his brother Jeff came down with his family. Later his Aunt Anne and cousin Todd came to help out. Turned out in one day, they dug a six foot deep, 25 foot long, and 3 foot wide hole in our front yard. It was unbelievable. They worked ALL day long. Here are some pictures of their hard work...

They dug all day, repaired the pipe, then buried it back up. Jared was actually showered and in bed by 12:30AM. We couldn't believe it. It seemed like an impossible job, but with the support of family and friends we made it happen... we were SOO blessed! There was so much hard work going on, but everybody had such positive attitudes. It was very inspiring to me. Maybe the Christmas lights helped. :) (Jared still hasn't taken them down, so that was thier light at night). Thank you Dad & Cindy, Jeff, Melanee, Zaylie, Anne, Todd, Dan, and Jason for making it possible. We didn't have water all night and all day Sunday, but Sunday night we were basking in it!! There is something tremendous about the spirit of hard work. We were truly supported. Jared's family is amazing. I have to say how much I love my husband. He has such a positive attitude especially when times get tough. He always can make me feel better about a situation, and he is such a hard worker. Amazing! It was definitely a "muddy" Sunday, but it did not lack in spirit. :)

Financial Peace University

2010-06-10T17:05:00.001-07:00

When people we haven't seen for a bit ask us what we've been up to, one of the main things we can answer with is doing the Financial Peace University classes with Dave Ramsey. For 13 weeks, every wednesday night we went and participated in the Dave Ramsey classes. Dave Ramsey is the author of the Money Makeover book. We heard about him in Texas, and his program happened to find us at the perfect time in our lives! When we were ready to turn our financial situation around!

I've been really into finances lately. In my English 102 class I wrote a 9 page paper discussing the bankruptcy rate in Utah, and how they have implemented financial literacy credits for the requirements of graduation for high school students. I loved writing this paper, mainly because the topic is so real and important to me. Turned out I actually got a 98 on the paper, so that made it all the more worth while!

We have been soaking up every piece of information and have step by step tried to apply these principles. It is not easy though! Changing spending habits is no easy task, and really learning to budget! All I can say though, this program has already made a huge impact in our lives, answering so many questions that have been lingering in us for quite some time. We are still at the very beginning but you must start somewhere! We recently shut off our cell phones, as well as our satalite, just to cut down on some expences. It actually feels pretty good to simplify.

We owe alot of our gratitude to Becky and Nicole who put on the classes as volunteers every week and have helped us every step of the way and who continue to be a strong support. Thank you! We have alot of faith in the future now, where before it was mostly fear of the unknown. So, we are happy to say that at least we are on our way to Financial Peace (as well as back to the stone ages), but happy and that is what counts!

OK! So, it's been awhile...

2010-06-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

Well we are still up and kicking! Things are going well for us and we are pleased to say that we couldn't feel more blessed in our lives. We have our little boy on his way, and we anticipate his arrival this August. We are currently redecorating our home which has been alot of hard work (poor Jared;) but is all worth it. It is really starting to look awesome! The baby room got painted and looks way cute. I will update with some photos very soon. Things have not been easy but we seem to be getting by with the support of family and friends! Thank you! We love you! Now, I have alot to update, so bear with me. :)

OH yes...

2010-03-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

and for those who may not have heard, we found out our baby is going to be another boy! We are really excited. We can't wait! My sister had four boys right off the bat and my brother has two. Boys seem to be the dominate ones in our family! Jared has 5 brothers, 4 step brothers and one sister! So I guess Boys rule! ;)

More to come...

2010-03-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we are really behind on posting. We actually have had some things go on, so I have no real excuses. I will be posting our Disneyland trip soon with pictures and all and more news on our little one on his way. Stay tuned....

Day of Accountability...

2010-03-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jared and I visited our "Day of Accountability". It wasn't church, nor a church interview, we went to visit our dentist. As we were driving to meet our fate, the words "Day of Accountability" rang to be the best description of the event because to this day I have never been able to lie to my dentist. That is not without trying. The conversation usually goes something like this... Dentist- So, you been taking care of your teeth? My reply... "Of course". One look in my mouth... Dentist replies... "Uh..huh". Next question..."So, how is your flossing going?" My reply... "Flossing? Oh fantastic! Twice a day!" Dentist reply while looking in my mouth "Hummm...I see..." Next question, "So still brushing three times a day?" Oh yes doctor! Silence...... THEN to make matters worse they do the count down, ya know, when they tell the other person which teeth need work and which level they are on. Mine usually sounds like this..."2,2,2,2,2,3,3,2,2,2,4,4,4,3,3,2,2,2,2,2,2,4,4,3,3,4,4,4,3,2,2,2. Then as he goes through my teeth again it sounds like this... 12,13,14,15,17,18,19,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,30,31,32
YIKES! So much for lying to the dentist. They know ALL. But they always send you away with a new toothbrush, floss, and toothpaste assuming that we must have just ran out...

Well... I guess the word is out...

2010-02-24T16:46:00.001-08:00

Jared and I are expecting... Again!!! ;) This will be our 5th pregnancy, and so far so good. After losing the twins, and shortly miscarring after that (on my birthday might I add for the pity effect;) we have been nervous to keep trying, but our faith has not been spoiled. We found out Christmas Eve we were expecting and it was a very nice christmas gift. The first trimester was nerve racking, but after the doctor found I had homozygous MTFHR mutations (which to my understanding means my enzymes meant to break down folic acid are not working properly) I've been taking an extra 4mg of folate to help with this problem prior to conception. So, things seem to be going along nicely. We found a nice doctor in Idaho Falls, who scheduled me with a perintologist right away, so I'll be working with both doctors throughout. The Perintologist comes in from UofU of SLC UT and is there one day a week. So I feel fortunate to have the double coverage.

I am a little over 14 weeks along, and due August 22nd.Here is a picture of the latest ultrasound. They got a picture of him sucking his thumb, so cute. And NO we do not know yet if it is a boy or girl, but we call him a him just because it feels more natural to us.

This last year we lost Jareds brother Joshua, and my Grandma Betty and that was really hard on us, but we feel that it is because of those two that we have this little one on the way to us today. When living directly beside my G'ma in her duplex she brought us a fertility god to hang on the wall. We apparantly needed all the help we could get. (thanks G'ma) Josh was always rooting for us to have a baby. He was always caring, compassionate and ultimately such a good brother. We miss him dearly. But we feel they are up there in heaven making things happen for us now. Joshua always seemed to know we were pregnant before we did!! Funny!!

As for Jared and I, Jasmine and Giselle, we are still doing good in Pocatello Idaho. Jared is working at Lowe's and I am going to school. Our plans for the future are still a mystery to us, so I guess we'll have to just see what happens! We love you all and will do better in keeping in contact...or so I say. ;)

NCIS

2010-01-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

Anybody seen the show NCIS? I have never been an avid watcher, but early saturday morning as I saw my hubby off to work I started watching it. They were having an all day marathon of NCIS. I thought I'd watch one or two. Well, one episode turned to two episodes, and two turned to three episodes and so forth. I started to get a little hooked. Ok, the problem was I still had things I needed to do that day. So, during commercials, I got ready for the day (which includes hair, makeup, clothing... Did two loads of laundry and saw them to the end, believe it or not, by folding and putting away, ran to the store, returned a Redbox (all which I swear I was being followed, pursued, consipired against as every turn could've been my last), Un-decorated the christmas tree, made myself a full lunch, actually drank enough water for the day (which I rarely do), and STILL did not miss ONE episode of NCIS. The marathon ended around midnight. I watched them ALL, and still it was one of my more productive days. Kudos to me. ;)

The twelve days of christmas...

2009-12-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

On the first day of Christmas, (14th)
my true love sent to me
Chance to sell our Big T.V.

On the second day of Christmas, (15th)
my true love sent to me
two chihuahua sweaters,
And a chance to sell our Big T.V.

On the third day of Christmas, (16th)
my true love sent to me
Three lifethreatening experiences on I15,
Two chihuahua sweaters,
And a chance to sell our big T.V.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four rooms not carpeted,
Three lifethreatening experiences on I15,
Two chihuahua sweaters,
And a chance to sell our big T.V.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
ALL MY MOVIES,
Four rooms not carpeted,
Three lifethreatening experiences on I15,
Two chihuahua sweaters,
And a chance to sell our big T.V.

About that time to give thanks...and am I thankful? Hell yes I am. More than you know.

2009-11-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

Jared and I are very thankful for many things. Since that time of "giving thanks" is nearing us, I'd like to thank some people and friends who have really helped us through tough times. After losing our twins last November, losing Jareds dear brother in July, and my grandma in September, we have really been humbled, pondering upon our many blessings and relying soley upon our faith. We have many to thank. We are very blessed, and I won't be able to list everyone & everything here, for that very reason.

I know it is less personal pubicly thanking everyone but realisitically, I doubt I will be getting cards out on time. (These are not in any specific order)

My mom! Mom, thanks for getting on a plane and flying to Texas immediately last year, on November 2nd, after receiving my most frantic call about our twins, Cameron & Carter not going to be able to survive. Thanks for being there for the birth. Your presence made one of the worst days ever...bearable. Thank you for being by myside in such a critical time.

Joni & Kevin! Thank you guys for also being by my bedside and making me laugh in the hospital. Thank you for your support & for your love. Thank you for the silly card, and Joni for the information that brought peace to my despairing heart. You guys are awesome friends and we miss you.

Irving ward! Thank you for all the love and support through that trying time. We love and miss you all!

Cameron & Carter- Thanks for choosing us as your family. We miss you both, and have thought about you often this time of year. Thank you for sharing those last few kicks which communicated to us so many things. We love you.

Chris & Cindy- Thank you both for all the love and support after that trying time. We love you so much, and you have helped us out time and time again in more ways than one. Thank you. We love you.

Michele (my big sis) - Thank you for being such an awesome sister to me. Your love and support has meant so much. Last year on November 2nd, I feel like I got to know you even more. Thank you for your support on that most trying day, and your support day in and day after. I really look up to you. I love you!

Giselle (our chihuahua)- Thanks Giselle for being the perfect dog at the perfect time. I love our dogs! (That includes you Jasmine)

Josh- Josh, Thank you for being such an amazing brother to Jared. He looks up to you on so many levels and he misses you like crazy. Also thanks for always being there when we needed someone. Especially coming all the way out to Dallas Texas to help us move home. Thank you for that time we got to spend with you. We all miss you. We know you are in a better place now. We love you! Can you put in a good word for us who are still down here? :)

Lece- We love you Lece & are so grateful to have you as a sister in law. Thank you for being who you are. You are a beautiful lady. We love you.

Justin, Jim, Jeff, & Jason- Thanks for being such an awesome support to Jared and I. Jared loves you guys so much, and he looks up to each one of his brothers. You guys have really stood together through tough times. I am moved by your loyalty and friendship to one another.

Susan, Toshia, Amber, & Melanie- Thank you for all your support and love. You guys rock. I love my sister in laws. I look up to each one of you in so many ways. I feel I am in the presence of those who truly care when I'm around you. Thank you!

Rest of our families- (I could name you all one by one, but if I did that I know I'd leave somone out and it WOULD NOT BE INTENTIONAL!) Thanks for your examples and the lives you lead. Your families are adorable, and we love and miss you all. Of course we are now closer to home so we can see you more often! Yay!

The Gospel! We would not have be here if the gospel was not true. Eternal perspective is all we have, and we are so grateful to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It has brought light and knowledge to our lives which would've otherwise been filled with despair and uncertainty.

My Grandma! Grandma, I miss you! Thank you for always calling us and checking in with us to see how we were although you were always in so much pain. Thanks for letting us live in your home, and thanks for ordering pizza while we all watched the Jazz game. Thank you for writing me on my mission. Thank you for your unconditional love and support. I am so sad I can't call you and tell you these things myself, but I know you are up there somewhere trying to keep us out of trouble. Thank you for that too ;).

Dad & Cristina- Thanks for letting us stay with you guys (again) ...for the third time... when we needed a place to stay. We love it at your house and we love those two babies! I already miss them! I'm glad we are closer to you, and we look forward to the holidays! Thank you for all your love and support. It's meant the world to us.

I AM THANKFUL that Jared and I have decided to come home into our own house and live in Pocatello. I do not know what the future holds or what we'll end up doing, but it just feels good to be home. I love Pocatello and I always have.

So, as for an update, Jared and I are moving back to Pocatello. Our tenants move out on the 13th, so we get to move in this weekend! We are really excited about that. I am thinking of slowely working my way towards a nursing degree (get pre-reqs done anyway) and working. Jared got a job at Lowes, and he has already started. We will get a discount which is nice because we want to re-model our home! That'll be way fun. I hope to start clogging here, and maybe teach some classes. I miss dancing, and I'm glad we are back here so I can make something happen with that. We have had a rough time with the pregnancy deal. We've had four pregnancies, with three miscarriages and of course, our twins. We still look forward to having kids, and we are not giving up. Our dream is not only to have our own children but to adopt. We believe in adoption more than ever, and look forward to giving that a shot. Otherwise we are doing great. Our dogs are keeping us company. I'll post some pictures of our home on here. "Life is good, life is great, life is wonderful..." (Thats for all the What about Bob fans out there...don't you feel like that sometimes!)

We will do better with the updates. Just for remembrance of this time last year, I've decided to post the poem I wrote around this same time last year, after losing our twins. Love you all! Thanks for not giving up on us!

Cameron Jack & Carter Todd Eggleston
Called to Serve
Life is full of daunting tasks,
Some great, some small, it’s true
But nothing hurts quite as bad,
As the thought of losing you.
Your father and I awaited,
For the day you’d finally come,
We’d dream of things you’d say and do
Our plans were filled with fun.
Time was all you needed,
To be with us today
But heavenly father had other plans
And had you come his way.
The moment that we heard the news
Of the decision we’d have to make,
Our spirits died within ourselves,
like it was all a big mistake.
It broke our hearts to feel you kick,
Inside my womb that day.
Or watch your little beating hearts,
As we knew you’d pass away.
Your father held me as we cried,
Our tears so close in heart,
He reassured me that after this life,
That we’d never be apart.
As I sat there in the room,
I imagined your sweet faces,
Two little boys were in my mind,
There with me in their graces.
Then another thought came to mind
A thought that made me cry
A picture of two boys with tags
Placed on their shirts nay high…
Then in my heart I thought I heard you whisper in my ear
“Mom, we are right with you now,
There is no need to fear,
Father has a calling for us,
A calling that is true,
To preach the gospel to all who’ll hear
And build the kingdom anew.
Another calling he’s asked of us
A calling we hold dear,
It’s to watch over you and dad
And help you make it here.
Mom, if only you could see it,
The beauty of this place,
In the presence of our lord,
Surrounded by his grace.
The heartache you feel right now
Would only be a dream,
The reality of eternity
Would consume your entire being.
Fear not dear mom & dad,
For we are never far away
But in your hearts and in your lives
Is where we’ll always stay”
So as I sit here staring up at the sky so blue
I see my angels going along teaching in pairs of two.
This is the lords’ work,
So let’s do it with a smile…
And wait for that glorious day
When all is made worth while.
So in my heart and in my soul my savior hears my plea,
Take care of those two boys oh please, take care of them for me.
And with this pain inside my heart, I kneel beside my bed,
And pray with all my mind and might,
And this is what I said…
It hurts, my father, please help me to see the light above…
And let me feel the presence of the saviors lasting love…
I do not know the answers, but my time to work has come…
Not my will oh lord, my god, but thy will shall be done.

Weekend at Bryce Canyon!

2009-09-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we had a family get-2-gether in Bryce Canyon. We signed up to run the Rim Run which is five miles. It was such a blast. I ran with Heather and we made it under an hour! It was such a thrill. We all had so much fun and got to hang out with all of our cousins which we haven't really seen in years. We used to go every year when we were kids as a family tradition! It was fun to do it again! Also we got to ride horses, go to a rodeo and swim! It was a blast! Sorry to see it end. Here are some pics. My little brother posed in some of them. Enjoy!

Danny!

Cason!

My new Cowboy Shirt! It says "Free your Spirit" Yeehaw!

My Cowboy Boots!

Danny's Cowboy Pose!

Surprise Birthday Party for my dad

2009-09-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

Jared, Cristina and I planned a surprise party for my dad. It worked out great. Everyone was able to make it. It was so much fun. We played alot of Guitar Hero and hung out all night long! And my dad was shocked so that made it pretty cool. Here are some pictures. Enjoy. Jared is a pro on the BBQ Me, getting ready for a party! Guitar Hero! Matthew! Madison!
Happy Birthday Dad!

Good Day/ Bad Day...

2009-09-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

GOOD DAY... Selling a $4500.00 Diamond Ring at work!

BAD DAY.... Wearing two different color shoes. ;(

Yes, I really did that.

In Loving Memory...Joshua Dale Eggleston

2009-07-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 18th Jared and I went out to Logan to check it out. Jared then wanted to show me Bear Lake. Jared has a brother who is two years older than him named Josh. He was the Chief Deputy in Lincoln County IDAHO. As we came upon Bear Lake, Jaxi, Josh's 8 year old calls us and tells us she is worried for her daddy. They were on their way to Wal-mart when they came upon Josh's patrol car all banged up on the side of the road. After that Jared called Lece, Josh's wife, to find out that Josh had an accident and was pronounced dead at the scene. As many of you know, Jared and I just recently moved back to Utah. Josh was the one who volunteered to come help us drive back. He brought his daughter Jaxi. Jared was able to spend a couple days in the Uhaul with his brother. We feel so grateful for that. We know god's hands are in all things. We miss you Josh! This will undoubtedly leave a big hole in the lives of many. The funeral service was incredible! He received the highest honors including at least a mile long procession, 21 gun salute, the honor guard at their best, and the american flag posted everywhere, including one in the exact spot where he passed on, one hanging from a fire engine ladder towards the high school where his funeral was held, and one hanging in front of the cemetary. One of the most touching things was seeing all the residents of the cities out on the side lines watching the procession with their hands on their hearts. What an experience. What a tragedy.

I've attached the article in the paper & some photos about his funeral. We love and miss you all, but it has been quite the week.

Nearly 1,000 bid farewell to Lincoln County officer
By John Plestina and Laurie Welch
Times-News writer
Lincoln County Says Goodbye

Date: Jul. 24th, 2009

Magic Valley community says goodbye to Lincoln County Sheriff Chief Deputy Josh Eggleston.
DIETRICH - Lincoln County extolled a fallen officer as an exemplary peace officer, father and role model as nearly 1,000 people bid farewell Friday to Chief Deputy Josh Eggleston.

Eggleston, 35, an eight-year veteran of the sheriff's department, died July 18 after a tire blowout caused him to lose control of the Ford Expedition sheriff's cruiser he was driving on Idaho Highway 24, six miles from the Dietrich High School gymnasium where LDS services were conducted Friday.

More than 300 law enforcement officers wearing black mourning bands across their badges attended the funeral from every part of Idaho, several Western states and as far away as Southern California.

Lincoln County Sheriff Kevin Ellis eulogized his chief deputy as a man who always put his wife and children first.

"Today we say goodbye to a comrade, a friend, a brother who for the most important thing to him was to be home with his family," he said. "I know that Josh was greeted by his mother and his stepson."

Ellis told of donations to the Eggleston family from the Idaho Peace Officers Memorial Fund, the Taser Foundation and Taser International, and presented the donations to Eggleston's wife, Charlece.

Jared Eggleston described a life-changing incident that led his older brother to enroll in a law enforcement program at the College of Southern Idaho and pursue a career as a peace officer. In the late 1990s, Eggleston's 2-year-old stepson drowned in an accident, in spite of Eggleston's efforts to perform CPR and save him.

"This experience crushed him and changed him forever," Jared Eggleston said.

Following training at CSI, Josh Eggleston began his law enforcement career in 1999 at the Mini-Cassia Criminal Justice Center and joined the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office two years later.

"Josh loved his job as a police officer," his brother said, adding that most of all he loved his family and cared about his stepchildren as much as his biological children.

"It was very important to Josh that his children knew how much he loved them," Jared Eggleston said.

LDS Bishop Jess Southwick told how much he appreciated all the good things Eggleston did.

"Charlece, I want you to know he's in a good place now," he said to Eggleston's wife.

All of the speakers talked about how Eggleston remained close to his Christian beliefs and the Mormon faith.

A procession of more than 100 police vehicles from across the West followed the hearse carrying Eggleston's remains through Shoshone and Dietrich to the school.

Following the service, the procession continued to Pleasant View Cemetery in Burley for the interment.

Mini-Cassia residents lined the narrow roadway leading to Pleasant View as the hearse arrived, flanked by the blue uniforms of Eggleston's brethren.

Retired Boise City Police Officer Dan Grothaus played the bagpipe and was followed by several police honor guards that led the procession to the gravesite.

As the pallbearers retrieved the casket from the hearse, Eggleston's small son ran out to greet them and was gathered into the arms of Eggleston's brother Jim Eggleston.

"This is a hard day," said Amber Eggleston.

A bugler honored the fallen officer by playing taps from a nearby hillside, and riflemen presented their arms for a 21-gun salute. Eggleston's children watched solemnly as the American flag draping their father's casket was folded and presented to their mother.

Mourners filed by the casket to place flowers on top and say a final farewell to a fallen friend.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eggleston Update

2009-07-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've been getting into trouble recently about not updating our blog. They say that people actually care about what we are up to! Crazy! Jared & I are too busy getting mad at other people who don't update their blogs. We are such hypocrites! ;)

So, we actually didn't go to St. George. We ended up in Lehi, UT. My dad was thrilled to have us move in his house. (again). We are currently looking for work, and looking at the programs at ISU. Jared is most likely going to pursue Occupational Therapy. We are thinking of moving into our house we own in Pocatello Idaho in December, but we'll see how things turn out. We are keeping our options somewhat open at this point. As some of you know, we were pregnant once again on our way back, and unfortunatly to say, we did lose the pregnancy on Yes...no kidding, my birthday and on Jared's Birthday! (25th & 27th) Yippeee...ok not. I officially made the rest of the month JUNE my birthday being the circumstances what they were. But we are staying optimistic. This is our 4th pregnancy, 5th baby, so we know there must be some love coming our way soon enough.

For right now, we get to hang out with two cute babies all day long! Matthew & Madison! They are officially my half brother & sister! They are about 9 months old (twins) and a blast to hang with. Way fun.

MADISON

MATTHEW

... And of course you can't forget our chihuahua's. They are doing very well considering the big move and all! We are very impressed. So there you have it, we are alive and well. We miss our friends in Texas, so we hope to keep in touch with you all! KEEP US POSTED!

Why Hello Sunny St. George!!!

2009-05-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

So, I've been accused of many things, and being a poor blogger is definatly one of them. For this, I apologize. It is true. Whenever I think of blogging I realize that I really do not have anything clever to say, so... I don't say anything. Life is crazy as always. Life is taking us in so many directions right now I can barely keep my head on straight. One direction it is taking us is back home. Everybody pretty much knows now that we are packing up and leaving Texas. Jared is leaving Chiropractic school. Why?? So many people may be asking themselves, and somedays I have a hard time answering that very question. I could list all of the reasons why, but when all is said and done, this is why...in words better than my own L. Tom Perry said it beautifully:

"In our search to obtain relief from the stresses of life, may we earnestly seek ways to simplify our lives."
Those of us who have been around a while—and Elder Wirthlin and I have been around for a long time—have recognized certain patterns in life’s test. There are cycles of good and bad times, ups and downs, periods of joy and sadness, and times of plenty as well as scarcity. When our lives turn in an unanticipated and undesirable direction, sometimes we experience stress and anxiety. One of the challenges of this mortal experience is to not allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us—to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic. Perhaps when difficulties and challenges strike, we should have these hopeful words of Robert Browning etched in our minds: “The best is yet to be” We can’t predict all the struggles and storms in life, not even the ones just around the next corner, but as persons of faith and hope, we know beyond the shadow of any doubt that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and the best is yet to come...
In our search to obtain relief from the stresses of life, may we earnestly seek ways to simplify our lives. May we comply with the inspired counsel and direction the Lord has given us in the great plan of happiness. May we be worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost and follow the guidance of the Spirit as we navigate this mortal journey. May we prepare ourselves to accomplish the ultimate purpose of this mortal test—to return and live with our Heavenly Father—is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

So, basically, it's to simplify our lives. Too much going on. I for one have unbelieveably stressed out. Jared is always cool as a cucumber. Time to take a step back and re-evaluate. So the plan is, we move to St. George for awhile. Then eventually move into our home which we have in Pocatello, ID. Jared may pursue a health program at ISU. We'll see. Maybe back to Chiro school, (at another school, not parker) who knows! We are walking by faith on this on. It's not easy for us, but I am so grateful for my husband who is a rock. I feel so blessed in my life for all of our experiences and we will miss texas SOOO much. It is so bitter sweet! We know that coming out here WAS the right thing for us, and now it's time to focus on our simplifying our lives. Texas has a very special place in our hearts. So no matter what we go through anywhere else...We always have Texas.
We check out June 22nd.

Hello again...Hello... I just called to let you know....I could not sleep a wink tonight...and I know it's late...to call and say ...hello....

2009-04-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

Who can name that tune from the title? If you can, then you have officially proved yourself to me.

Just an update...It's been awhile. I'm horrible at this.

So this is me...I really haven't changed much

And here is Jared. Still a hottie. What can I say.

Besides work & school all we've been up to is this...

And also this...

So you can see that life for us has been pretty uneventful. We've kept up on American Idol and we definatly have our favorites. We also seem to enjoy celebrity apprentice. I don't know what it is, but there is something funny about everyone being best friends then turning around and stabbing eachother in the back, it cracks me up. Jared and I have been doing a DETOX. We did pretty good the first two weeks, but lately we've cheated a bit. It's a first 11 days only fruits, veggies, brown rice, & lentils diet. We also have these fruit protein shakes which I actually really love. I've dropped some weight and my skin looks better but other then that, haven't noticed a huge difference yet. I've been really stressed out lately with a number of things, but life goes on! Recently I was called to be the Young Womens President. Yeah, that was a surprise. I am really excited though. It makes perfect since being that I am the perfect example of what "not to do" so hopefully I can do some good just telling the girls true stories about my life. :) That should scare them off.

Jasmine is finally learning to potty train. (yes we do not have any kids so you will hear about our dogs). We are finally weening her off peeing in the kennell which just goes to show how backwords this dog is. Sweet dog, but she's unpredictable. Giselle is always defending her turf, and being annoyed by Jasmine. It's pretty funny actually. They are cool pups. They make us laugh everyday.

Here you can see where Giselle goes pee. One pad, easy. Never any accidents. Clean pup.
Then there is Jasmine...

She needs a little bit more work...but she's getting there. We love her anyways.

So as you can see Jared & I are still kickin & screamin. We are still in love. Hasn't worn off yet. ;) We are looking forward to baseball games, and the swimming pools. Last night we had an incredible thunderstorm. That was pretty cool. I'm currently looking forward to my next adventure. I'm getting pretty ansy. One of my best friends Lori may come to visit so that'll be cool. We skydived together, and Next I think we'll take up surfing lessons. THAT'll be interesting. hahaha. Peace out!

Our gettaway

2009-03-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago Jared and I felt the urge to get out of town. We found this way cute bed and breakfast in fort worth called the Lockehart bed & breakfast. It was this super old mansion that the lady and her husband basically redid. It was gorgeous. Our room was called together forever. This lady thought of everything. Hot chocolate at night, hersheys kisses, gingerbread cookies, and a heart shaped tub. gotta love it. Jared and I loved it there. It was so relaxing. Just what the doctor ordered. They brought breakfast up to our room the next morning (at the time of our choosing) and we enjoyed a full course meal. (see pictures below). Her grandson, Charlie stopped in to say hello multiple times which made our day. He just entered our room as he pleased. He played the guitar for us. brought us more waters. Charlie is four and down syndrome. Simply adorable. He definatly stole our hearts. The lady in charge was so welcoming. She makes you feel like family. Quite a beautiful place. It made me want to get into decorating pretty bad. What a big yet awesome project. If I had a million dollars, I'd do exactly what they did. Way worth it. Awesome weekend.

Charlie--- he was a little camera shy.

http://www.lockheartgables.com/

COME WHAT MAY...

2009-02-17T19:19:00.001-08:00

THE EGGLESTONS ON VALENTINES DAY

Love you Jared. Thanks for all the things you do for me. You rock my world!
Here's a little flash from the past of our last 2 1/2 years in love...

Marley and Me

2009-01-10T22:00:00.000-08:00

Recently Jared & I went to the movie Marley and me and am currently reading the book by John Grogan. I didn't expect this movie to touch me like it did. I fell in love with Marely along with the movie, as silly as that sounds. Lately I have a new found love for these sweet creatures called dogs. Although they can bring massive headaches, stinky carpets, and sleepless nights, they also have this innate ability to love unconditionally. It doesn't matter what you look like, what kind of car you drive, or what your popularity level is, they love you! It's a simple love that touches deep. Out of nowhere, I'm finding a desire to learn more about these special animals, and am wanting to do what I can to love them back. Life is meaningless without the love we all crave. Amazingly enough, the love and acceptance I've needed has come from a dog who weighs no more than 5 pounds, who thinks she's about 105lbs. Our little chihuahua has brought laughs, love, and comfort to our household. I have even considered going to dog training lessons so we can learn more about our cute little dog. I have a new love and respect towards dogs and I hope to have many more in the future to raise and to love. Go see the movie, it's a good one. ;)

What Jeff Foxworthy had to say about Idahoans

2009-01-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

Those who are from Idaho, or know someone from Idaho, you may enjoy these. They are soo true.

1. If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Idaho.

2. If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Idaho.

3. If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Idaho.

4. If 'vacation' means going anywhere south of Salt Lake City for the weekend, you live in Idaho.

5. If you measure distance in hours, you live in Idaho.

6. If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Idaho.

7. If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' and back again in the same day, you live in Idaho.

8. If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both unlocked, you live in Idaho.

9. If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Idaho.

10. If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snow suit, you live in Idaho.

11. If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph --you're going 80, and everyone is still passing you, you live in Idaho.

12. If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Idaho.

13. If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Idaho.

14. If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly' you live in Idaho.

15. If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your IDAHO friends, you live in Idaho.

Chillaxin...

2009-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Jared and I decided we wanted to get out of town. We went to Waco which is about an hour and a half away. We walked around the park and enjoyed the perfect cool breeze. I'm learning that it is up to us to stop life when things are moving to quickly. It's true that finding joy in simple things is the answer. As Jared and I walked across the bridge I realized that these are the moments that make life worth while. These moments when we step out of life, and enjoy the simplicity of the bridge's shadow across the water. Or enjoy watching the ducks float about. Joy is not something that just happens but something we must seek. It's about lowering our expectations, and realizing that life is whats happening right now. We must cherish the moments we are alive.

Here are some photos from our excursion.

"If I stare at the lock really hard, it will burst into flames and melt"

2008-12-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

This movie was hilarious. Jared and I loved it. It proves to be at the same quality level as The Incredibles. We were laughing through the whole movie, and it actually made us choke up a few times... (Yes, that includes Jared.) It is a must see. We will definatly own this flick when it comes out. Go see it, you won't regret it. Of course, those who know me know that I LOVE disney movies. Jared was surprised how much he enjoyed it. He loved it.

We give it two thumbs up, and 5 stars! Pretty fun. Hope you like it too.

Family night with the Egglestons

2008-11-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

Jared used to do the funnest family night with his mom when he was a kid. They would find christmas ornaments, glue, and glitter and decorate them. So, that is what we did and had such a fun time. We laughed while we did our best to decorate. Here are the how to's for those who are interested. Great family fun.

First lay out some paper

Supplies: You need paper, elmers glue, glitter, and plain multi-colored christmas balls. Make sure you have sheets of paper loose under you so you can dump the glitter back in the container. We got four different colors of glitter from a scrapbook store here in Irving called Googly eyes & Craft Supplies (for our fellow texans).

And then you go to town! Make sure the glue isn't too thick or else it'll drip. Decorate the christmas ball and then put the glitter on! Alot will come out so make sure you pour it back in the tube. Then hang them to dry. You can do multicolored and let the first color dry then add on some decors. It's fun.

JARED

SHANNON

CAMERON

CARTER

GISELLE

DAD

MOM

FOREVER FAMILY

Another new addition...

2008-11-26T12:22:00.001-08:00

Meet the new addition to our family...giselle. She is a little chihuahua who we love. We've always wanted a dog, and we thought that this was a good opportunity to go for it, so Jared bought her for us. We never thought we'd be into chihuahua's but this little girl stole our hearts, and continues to do so. She is a cuddler, so we finally had to kick her out of our bed being that she would want to be right up inbetween us...which wouldn't be to bad but Jared and I are cuddlers as well, so it was getting old, plus her waking us up in the morning wasn't working either. She is a sweetheart, but faster than you can imagine. She zips through our house like you wouldn't believe. She is constantly making us laugh. She always likes to be near us, and is currently lying right on my arms getting cozy making it hard for me to type. We love her and we are happy to add her to our family. Welcome Giselle!

Called to Serve...

2008-11-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

Life is full of daunting tasks,
Some great, some small, it’s true
But nothing hurts quite as bad,
As the thought of losing you.
Your father and I awaited,
For the day you’d finally come,
We’d dream of things you’d say and do
Our plans were filled with fun.
Time was all you needed,
To be with us today
But heavenly father had other plans
And had you come his way.
The moment that we heard the news
Of the decision we’d have to make,
Our spirits died within ourselves,
like it was all a big mistake.
It broke our hearts to feel you kick,
Inside my womb that day.
Or watch your little beating hearts,
As we knew you’d pass away.
Your father held me as we cried,
Our tears so close in heart,
He reassured me that after this life,
That we’d never be apart.
As I sat there in the room,
I imagined your sweet faces,
Two little boys were in my mind,
There with me in their graces.
Then another thought came to mind
A thought that made me cry,
A picture of two boys with tags
Placed on their shirts nay high…
Then in my heart I thought I heard you whisper in my ear
“Mom, we are right with you now,
There is no need to fear.
Father has a calling for us,
A calling that is true,
To preach the gospel to all who’ll hear
And build the kingdom anew.
Another calling he’s asked of us
A calling we hold dear,
It’s to watch over you and dad
And help you make it here.
Mom, if only you could see it,
The beauty of this place,
In the presence of our lord,
Surrounded by his grace.
The heartache you feel right now
Would only be a dream,
The reality of eternity
Would consume your entire being.
Fear not dear mom & dad,
For we are never far away,
But in your hearts and in your lives
Is where we’ll always stay”
So as I sit here staring up at the sky so blue
I see my angels going along teaching in pairs of two.
This is the lords’ work,
So let’s do it with a smile…
And wait for that glorious day
When all is made worth while.
So in my heart and in my soul my savior hears my plea,
Take care of those two boys oh please, take care of them for me.
And with this pain inside my heart, I kneel beside my bed,
And pray with all my mind and might,
And this is what I said…
It hurts, my father, please help me to see the light above…
And let me feel the presence of the saviors lasting love…
I do not know the answers, but my time to work has come…
Not my will oh lord, my god, but thy will shall be done.
Cameron Jack & Carter Todd Eggleston...Our angels.
We love you boys...
with love,
Mom

New Beginnings

2008-11-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

There comes a time in life when something happens that changes everything. Changes the way you think, the way you act, the things you do, the things you say... there comes a time in life when you contemplate your beliefs, and you are tested. A time when your life's momentum screams to a sudden hault, and life before you know it... is over. When that something happens you have a decision to make... whether it be a decision of faith or hope, or a decision of bitterness or despair. It is a decision that will decide your fate. Most of us fear the day when something happens. We fear because we don't believe we can persevere. But then...something happens... and instead of losing yourself to despair, doubt, and uncertainty... you feel life breathed into you...you feel peace, you feel calm, and you even feel a smile... the unexpected emotions are startling... your faith...un-nerving. How could I feel this way, when something happens? The answer is simple, and so often over looked... the answer is eternal. When something happens I pray we can all see that "something" in gods eyes... I hope that something will strengthen you, and make you a little better than you were the day before. There comes a time in life when something happens that changes everything... All I have to say is...let it.

Jared and I had "something happen" over this past week or so, two somethings actually. We had two beautful angels born into our family. Cameron Jack & Carter Todd Eggleston. They have changed everything for us. We feel so blessed that they chose to come to our family. Cameron and Carter were born November 2nd, 2008. Carter 5 minutes behind Cameron. They were not quite big enough to make it, but they were two beautiful, perfect little babies. They are buried together in Burley Idaho. We feel so blessed for the gospel of Jesus Christ that enables us to be a family forever. These are "New Beginnings" for us, new beginnings that we owe to our "two little somethings", Thank you Cameron and Carter. You will always be a part of us, and we can't wait for the day when we will get our chance to hug you and embrace you. We love you, and will for all eternity.

"The RACE is on, and here comes "baby A" in the back stretch..."

2008-10-24T08:38:00.001-07:00

So I went to the ultrasound the other day and both babies are doing great! They are suppose to be 16 weeks and 2 days (On Wednesday), and the first one WAS right where it needed to be, but she laughed because the second one (yes, there are two of them...SO wierd:) had a growth spurt and was 17 weeks and 1 day. How funny is that. Last time they were measured they were only one day apart, so I guess the race is on! My babies are already competitive! So, we found out the sexes of both babies. Actually the tech found out pretty darn fast. She wrote it down in the envelope with the ultrasound pics, so Jared and I could open them together being that Jared wasn't able to be there. So I went to Jared's school and we did! We found out we have two baby boys coming our way! (hence probably why the tech knew so quickly..:) haha. How fun!! We are so excited. Now we are thinking on names so if anybody has any good ideas, send 'em our way... fortunatly we do have some time. The babies are as healthy as ever and the tech said they both look to be in great shape. How exciting. Anyway, here are their tickers... they are both hurrying along to see who can make it first. I moved "baby B's" due date up a week being that he is already a week ahead, but let's see what "baby A" can do. haha. The doc suspects both these babies are coming in March so we'll see.
The RACE IS ON!
BABY A

BABY B

These tickers will also be found at the bottom of our blog page.

Tagged by Julie

2008-10-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm getting behind on my tags so I better play some make up.

8 T.V. Shows I watch...ed

1. Everybody Loves Raymond
2. King of Queens
3. True Hollywood story (depending on who it was on)
4. Law & Order
5. Cash Cab (with Jared, he loves it)
6. Myth busters (again with Jared)
7. Wheel of fortune
8. A Haunting (I'd usually watch it for a little bit then get freaked out)
Of course, we don't watch ANY TV anymore since we got rid of it. It's been good. :)
OH yeah, I also LOVE watching a good UTAH JAZZ game. Yes, I said the JAZZ!

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Cafe Rio
2. Outback Steak House
3. On the Border
4. Denny's (I love going there for breakfast, and Ohh so many memories :)
5. Jimmy Johns
6. Jamba Juice (does that count as a restaurant? hehe)
7. Wendy's (when I'm not pregnant. I can't stomach it now...wierd..)
8. Pasta Factory (In Utah)
(these aren't in any kind of order...just what came to my mind first)

8 Things That Happened Yesterday

1. Did my psychology homework
2. Took a psychology quiz got 19/25 Bummer! I'm a bit of a perfectionist.
3. Went to Parker College to be adjusted (got adjusted)
4. Went to the grocery store, bought potatos...
5. Put potatoes in the oven (for dinner)Forgot everything else and left the rest for Jared to do. ;)
6. Had family home evening with my hubby
7. Helped Jared study for his classes
8. Took a bath

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. Being HOME, wherever that'll be.
2. Both of us getting through school alive
3. The twins turning 6 months (notice I didn't say when they are born...haha)
4. Christmas time, I love everything about it
5. Learning to play the piano (buying a piano!)
6. Seeing our neices and nephews again, oh and our families of course. :)
7. A great movie (in a nice theatre, ya know, where the seats rock and everything? With an ICEE in hand.)
8. Relaxation... I actually miss the snow in Idaho... I look forward to going back sometime.
9. When Jared comes home everyday... that is always my favorite!

8 Things On My Wish List

1. Having 2 horses(yes, only 2. not 1, not 3, but 2. And of course I'll take riding lessons, as well as the kids)
2. Building our own home with a wrap around porch, with a big yard.
3. Taking our kids to Disneyland (every year)Or somewhere really cool..nahh We'll go to Disneyland.
4. Starting my own business again, working from home
5. Paying off our debts
6. Growing old with my husband :)
7. Having a swing on our porch (of the house we just built)
8. Jared helping many people through chiropractic care and doing very well (I know he will... He LOVES it already. This is definatly the right career choice for him.)
9. Adding one again, SORRY! I know I'm cheating. I want my very own studio where I can teach dance, and entertain guests. Not HUGE, but a decent size stage where families and friends can gather and have talent shows, karaoke, skits, and get together for special events etc..(good thing my husband is an Idaho boy who can build things... :)

8 People I Am Tagging

1. Michele
2. Sara
3. Heather
4. Annie
5. Jana
6. Anuhea
7. Jill
8. Cristina

I vote for Neil!

2008-10-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, so a few months back we heard NEIL DIAMOND was coming to Dallas. So, of course, we bought tickets immediately. We are HUGE Diamond fans. I blame my dad of course, being that he has been singing Neil Diamond songs since I was young. And Jared, well, it happened to be fate that he was a fan because that was a major PLUS sign when I met him. Hence we are married today. haha. So I was a little worried about whether or not his concert would not live up to my exptectations, being that they were HIGH. And sure enough, it was the greatest concert ever. It was my third concert, and Jared's first. He was amazing. People are saying, "OHH but he is so OLD", but he came out on stage, guitar in hand, jamming just like he did before! He looked young, alive, and full of energy and his voice was great. Needless to say, we loved it. As he came out, I can honestly say that I started to get choked up! Yeah, how dorky is that. I blame it on the pregnancy for sure! He put on quite the show. I swear in another life I was one of his girl back up singers. That is only my DREAMJOB! Jam on stage with Neil with a tamberine in hand singing, "ale..ale...ale..ale...ALE...!" Yup. I told Jared if I wasn't a member of the church, I'd be on tour with him right now! haha. So a cool thing was after Neil visited the Galveston area he found out about 300 houses that got washed away in the hurricane. He was told the families are now living in TENTS waiting for the government to help them. He decided they'd be waiting too long. He then went on to say that he was going to have 300 houses built for them by Christmas. He said that any merchandise of his that we buy, all the proceeds would ALL go directly to the project. Then he said that him and the band would double whatever the audience brought to the table. THAT must've been alot of money because the lines were so long. BUT we are glad to say now that I'm sporting a T-shirt that says "NEIL DIAMOND ROCKS" on the front, while Jared is sporting one with Neil in his famous jazz singer poze on the back of his shirt! Yeah, it's pretty cool. So anyhow, we are glad to share this halloween with our buddy Neil. He wanted to wish you all a happy Halloween. We told him that we would definately give a shot out!

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Sometimes you just gotta laugh....

2008-10-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

A little political humor...

This Halloween is going to suck this year!

DID you KNOW???

Dracula... Hero? or a sick deluted murderer? Ever wonder where the Dracula hoopla came about? Well, I always have taken an interest in this legend being that I lived in Romania (his birthplace, and home) for 1 yr 1/2 (serving a mission). Have you ever asked yourself, who is Dracula? Well, if you have a moment to read... a long moment...here is the TRUE story of the famous Count Dracula...
(if your anything like me, who scans only for new pictures, then I understand...this is a long one, but it truly is interesting!)

Vlad Tepes was born in December 1431, in the fortress of Sighisoara, Romania. Vlad's father, governor of Transylvania, had been inducted into the Order of the Dragon about one year before. The order — which could be compared to the Knights of the Hospital of St. John or even to the Teutonic Order of Knights — was a semi-military and religious society, originally created in 1387 by the Holy Roman Emperor and his second wife, Barbara Cilli. The main goal of such a secret fraternal order of knights was mainly to protect the interests of Christianity and to crusade against the Turks. The boyars of Romania associated the dragon with the Devil and decided to call Vlad's father "Dracul" — which in Romanian language, means "Devil"; "Dracula" is a diminutive, which means "the son of the Devil."

In the winter of 1436-1437, Dracul became prince of Wallachia (one of the three Romanian provinces) and took up residence at the palace of Tirgoviste, the princely capital. Vlad followed his father and lived six years at the princely court. In 1442, in order to keep the Turks at bay, Dracul sent his son Vlad and his younger brother Radu, to Istanbul, as hostages of the Sultan Murad II. Vlad was held in there until 1448. This Turkish captivity surely played an important role in Dracula's upbringing; it must be at this period that he adopted a very pessimistic view of life and learned the Turkish method of impalement on stakes. The Turks set Vlad free after informing him of his father's assassination in 1447. He also learned about his older brother's death and how he had been tortured and buried alive by the boyars of Tirgoviste.

When he was 17 years old, Vlad Tepes (Dracula), supported by a force of Turkish cavalry and a contingent of troops lent to him by pasha Mustafa Hassan, made his first major move toward seizing the Wallachian throne. Vlad became the ruler of Wallachia in July of 1456. During his six-year reign he committed many cruelties, and hence established his controversial reputation.

His first major act of revenge was aimed at the boyars of Tirgoviste for for not being loyal to his father. On Easter Sunday of what we believe to be 1459, he arrested all the boyar families who had participated at the princely feast. He impaled the older ones on stakes while forcing the others to march from the capital to the town of Poenari. This fifty-mile trek was quite grueling and no one was permitted to rest until they reached destination. Dracula then ordered boyars to build him a fortress on the ruins of an older outpost overlooking the Arges River. Many died in the process, and Dracula therefore succeeded in creating a new nobility and obtaining a fortress for future emergencies. What is left today of the building is identified as Poenari Fortress (Cetatea Poenari).

Vlad Tepes adopted the method of impaling criminals and enemies and raising them aloft in the town square for all to see. Almost any crime, from lying and stealing to killing, could be punished by impalement. Being so confident in the effectiveness of his law, Dracula placed a golden cup on display in the central square of Tirgoviste. The cup could be used by thirsty travelers, but had to remain on the square. According to the available historic sources, it was never stolen and remained entirely unmolested throughout Vlad's reign. Crime and corruption ceased; commerce and culture thrived, and many Romanians to this day view Vlad Tepes as a hero for his fierce insistence on honesty and order.

In the beginning of 1462, Vlad launched a campaign against the Turks along the Danube River. It was quite risky, the military force of Sultan Mehmed II being by far more powerful than the Wallachian army. However, during the winter of 1462, Vlad was very successful and managed to gain several victories. To punish Dracula, the Sultan decided to launch a full-scale invasion of Wallachia. His other goal was to transform this land into a Turkish province. He entered Wallachia with an army three times larger than Dracula's. Finding himself without allies, and forced to retreat towards Tirgoviste, Vlad burned his own villages and poisoned the wells along the way, so that the Turkish army would find nothing to eat or drink. Moreover, when the Sultan, exhausted, finally reached the capital city, he was confronted by a most gruesome sight: hundreds of stakes held the remaining carcasses of Turkish captives, a horror scene which was ultimately nicknamed the "Forest of the Impaled". This terror tactic deliberately stage-managed by Dracula was definitely successful; the scene had a strong effect on Mehmed's most stout-hearted officers, and the Sultan, tired and hungry, decided to withdraw (it is worth mentioning that even Victor Hugo, in his Legende des Siecles, recalls this particular incident). Nevertheless, following his retreat from Wallachian territory, Mehmed encouraged and supported Vlad's younger brother Radu to take the Wallachian throne. At the head of a Turkish army and joined by Vlad's detractors, Radu pursued his brother to Poenari Castle on the Arges river. According to the legend, this is when Dracula's wife, in order to escape capture, committed suicide by hurling herself from the upper battlements, her body falling down the precipice into the river below — a scene exploited by Francis Ford Coppola's production. Vlad, who was definitely not the kind of man to kill himself, managed to escape the siege of his fortress by using a secret passage into the mountain. He was however, assassinated toward the end of December 1476.

So there you have it! What do you think of Dracula now??? ;)

What we do when nobody is looking...

2008-10-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

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Who'd thought that Jared could dance like that?? Those Eggleston Boys..whewww!!!! Look out! Maybe next you'll see us on America's got talent. I think we got a shot.

It's already been two years???

2008-09-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

Our Wedding Day

So, it's our Anniversary... yesterday. Number 2 to be exact. Not very long but long enough to have moved 6 times, within 3 different states, change careers twice, start school...again, change schools again, pregnant 3 times, having 2 dogs, burying one in our back yard, flying cross country six times between the both of us, driving cross country..twice, visiting disneyland.. twice,
survived one severe thunderstorm, went through four job changes, had a six flags season pass, been to four Texas Ranger games and have printed so many mapquests that we individually have did away with a whole forest of trees. But we almost know our way around most of Dallas, Arlington, Grand Prairie, and Irving! Crazy how time flies when your having fun! (phewww!!)

So being the broke college students that we are, we were trying to make our anniversary unique, and cheap... ;) But to our rescue a friend of ours called us with 4 tickets to the Rangers game, free parking pass, and a 15 dollar food voucher! Sweet! We called some other friends of ours to see if they wanted to join us and there we went off to the ball game! It was alot of fun, the weather was perfect, we all sang "take me out to the ball game" and enjoyed watching the rangers beat the Oakland A's...again. Close game but we still came out on top! So... Happy Anniversary to us, and I have a feeling that ALOT will be happening with us this next year too so stay tuned...

Double Trouble...

2008-09-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the news is out. Jared and I are expecting. This time, we had the opportunity to go to the ultrasound and hear the heartbeat for the first time. We've had two miscarriages so far (that we know of) and we've never made it passed the 7th week so we were pretty happy. This pregnancy was very unexpected being that I got pregnant right after my miscarriage. So, when I continued to get a positive pregnancy test I was getting more and more frustrated believing that this miscarriage was never going to end. So, it was a surprise to find out that it was actually a new pregnancy! We made it to the ultrasound and we were worried about finding a heartbeat at all, although everything seemed to be ok. The ultrasound tech started doing what she does, and then just started chuckling to herself talking about how the doctor was going to be mad. Jared and I didn't think it was funny, and we kept asking her why?? Then she showed us... she kept pointing at the smudgy images. I kept looking but I didn't know what I was looking for! Then she says, LOOK!! ONE and TWO!!!!!! You can only imagine the shock we both experienced. We both started to freak out naturally. We are carrying twins. 2 babies. dos. double dirty diapers, double crying, double feeding, double, double, double. Of course we were happy too but mostly shocked. I'm not one to posting everything online, and I'm sure everybody will just love looking inside my uterus, as wierd as that is, but I did take a few pictures of the ultrasound for the family (since I can't get my darn scanner to work), so they are the best pictures right now, and the babies aren't much to look at yet, but you can imagine our amazement. By the way, we are a little over 9 weeks along, BOTH have strong heartbeats, and are a little over an inch. Due date is April 6th, 2009.

Photos that make you go... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

2008-09-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

Mason is very proud at how good of a helper he is! He is so cute.

Cason riding fourwheelers. This is the only kid I know that can fall asleep ANYWHERE, even riding full speed on a fourwheeler!
Kyle, Cody, and Cason. Cousins!

Cody flashing his winner smile!

Is this not GQ? Cason knows how to work the camera...

Oops, bloody nose! Taylor posing for the camera.

Baby Kate educating Jared on some very important issues...

Here is Mason after he just told everyone that he NEVER goes to sleep, and that he can stay up FOREVER! My sister says after he wakes up, he denies ever going to sleep, and gets very very mad. Priceless.

Baby Kate!

Go USA!

2008-08-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

ok, so my secret shame is my dream of becoming an olympic figure skater. I practice in my front room when nobody is home. I have to be careful though or else I hit my head on the fan. Maybe someday I can make my dream a reality. Jared could be my partner and throw me all around. Yeah, I could see that happening. ;)

Olympics have been fun! Sad to see them go.

OK, so after the gymnastics were over, the rythmic gymnastics really wasn't holding my attention. Then we got to the big final basketball game USA versus SPAIN. Of course it started at 1:30 am our time, but did that stop us? Oh no. We are basketball fans. We stayed up and watched USA dominate. It was alot of fun, and worth only the 4 1/2 hours of sleep we got. It was such an intense, close game but that made it all the more fun. ;) It's all about the U.S.A. Did anyone else stay up to enjoy the game? Just curious... ;)

USA GOLD
SPAIN SILVER
ARGENTINA BRONZE

All Blogged out!

2008-08-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Some of you guys are amazing. You have a gift of talking about nothing! I don't have that gift. The pressure of blogging sometimes can be so overwhelming! Jared will need to start posting so once again there can be some creativity involved. Nothing really new ever really happens! We did go see Kung Fu Panda and we actually really liked it. Usually if it isn't Disney we worry a bit, (if anyone saw the BEE movie you'll know what we are talking about)but it had a story, it was funny, and Jack Black did a pretty decent job! We liked it, and it will probably make our collection some day. So for the lack of creative literary treats, we'll have to start talking about things I like to talk about, like movies, basketball games and Everybody Loves Raymond. We are always up for a good movie so if anyone sees one, let us know.We're also always up for a debate so bring it on! ;)

Tillamook CHEESE!

2008-08-19T11:44:00.001-07:00

So, we took the drive to Tillamook Cheese factory, where, yes, once again, we forgot our camera, but we visited the cows, saw how cheese was made, and got samples of our own. It was actually alot of fun! A few fun facts about Tillamook Cheese directly from the website! (www.tillamookcheese.com):
Servings of Dairy
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) food guide pyramid (http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/index.html) recommends that people consume three servings of low-fat dairy products per day.

Adults
Current research indicates that consuming three daily servings of low-fat dairy products, like milk, cheese or yogurt, can better help adults lose weight than just cutting calories.

Kids
Dairy products are an essential part of a child’s diet. Children that consume dairy products as part of a balanced diet will build strong bones and healthy teeth. Paired with regular physical activity, dairy can also help kids maintain a healthy body fat percentage.

For more information on the benefits of consuming three servings of dairy per day, visit the 3-A-Day site: http://www.3aday.org/3aDay/

OREGON trip

2008-08-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

These last few weeks we had the opportunity to drive to my dads hometown and one of the most beautiful places. My dad has alot of family there that we took the time to go and see. It is a beautiful place, and we lucked out with some great weather. It was quite an adventure. We first went down to a place called Sea side Oregon where we walked along side the ocean. They were having sand volleyball tournements on the beach so it was pretty busy, but still not near as busy as the beaches in California being that the weather is not tanning weather to say the least. We forgot our camera so we missed out on those pictures. The Ocean was really pretty, and big. We were able to stop in Portland and have dinner and lunch with Gary & Suzie, (Aunt and Uncle), and also Scott & Kathy. It was fun to catch up! Here are really the only shots of Oregon that we got, mind they are from the car on our way home. ;)

I"VE BEEN TAGGED!

2008-07-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Where were you 10 years ago?
Well, I guess I outta be honest, right? I was 17 years old, living in St. George Utah. This time period was apart of my "former" life. hehe. I moved out of my dads house and went to go stay with the Winkler Family. Justin was my best friend and his family was very accepting and offered me a place to stay, so I lived with them! I was still a confused child, drinking on a regular basis, contemplating a disastrous move to Las Vegas with two guys,(I told you it was my former life hehe), I was trying to find happiness, but didn't know where to look, I was not going to church, I worked two jobs, and continued to try to heal myself and find what it was that was missing in my life, and to regain the love (which I though I'd lost) from my family. Who'd knew I was really seeking the love of the gospel all along, and once that was aligned at age 20, I did a 360 and the rest took care of itself. ;)
You asked! haha

Five things on today's to-do list?
1. Do my library research for school, document everything.
2. Read a play, and then write a synopsys paper.
3. Go to the library and return the books I checked out.
4. Daily work out, (clogging and stretching)
5. Get something ready for dinner, and make banana bread. This is usually the most stressful occasion of any day! :)

A snack I enjoy: Tortilla chips & popcorn. I love to eat tortilla chips without salsa sometimes. Also I came to find out that M&M's aren't just good with popcorn, but with tortilla chips as well! Who knew?

Things I would do if I were a millionaire: I would pay off all our debt, buy old mustangs so Jared could fix them up. I'd want to take my family and travel the world and experience all types of things and live in different cultures! Buy horses, take riding lessons, and have a large piece of land with my dream country home! I too, would love to buy a cabin in the mountains (with four wheelers, canoes and experience the outdoors), and a beach house on the beach where there'd be a balcony where I could watch the listen to the waves at night. I'd also want to visit all the big cities in the states and take all the girls in my fam shopping.I'd probably be out of money by then wouldn't I. hahaha.

Places I have lived: St. George, Ivins, Santa Clara, Washington, Green Valley Utah, Pocatello Idaho, Dallas Texas, Romania, Portland Oregon... I think that is all.

Well since Paula tagged me, I'd like to tag: Michele, Heather, Jill, Sara

Clogging Workshop

2008-07-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so many some of you know that I am a clogger. (Get the image of square dancers out of your head, or wooden shoes), clogging is actually a pretty cool thing. My older sister and I started when we were just kids. We took lessons for years. We've traveled to different places, competed, and have had alot of fun! Clogging is the reason I've come to love Disneyland like I do. Back then we used to compete on the championship level. Well, lets just say it's been over 10 years since I've taken any kind of a clogging lesson. I've been in touch with some clogging teachers hoping to pick it back up. I got word of a clogging workshop in Waco, Texas. I was contemplating going when I realized I didn't even have my clogging shoes. Even if I could get shoes I knew that it takes at least a week before you get the taps put on them so I wouldn't even have them ready before the workshop. But I went anyway to look and I found my shoe, in my size, with taps already on them. Wow! Right? At that point I had to get them. I talked to Jared about the workshop and even though he was working all night, he still wanted to come with me. So, we drove to Waco and I registered.

Before Jared and I left that morning, he noticed I was wearing levis. He asked me if maybe I should wear something more athletic and I said, oh no..."I always used to wear levis to class." I remembered that as I started my first advanced class and my pants started to fall down. Luckily he told me to bring a belt. I kept having to pull them up. After the first class I was totally worn out, covered in sweat might I add. I hadn't taken a class for such a long time, and the advanced steps were definitely hard! It was fun though. The next class was "advanced challenge". Yikes. I went to that and I could do most the steps but got exhausted and had to sit. Jared wouldn't even touch me because I was dripping with sweat. There were alot of young girls out there not even breaking a sweat but out there having a good time. I hate them. ;) So, later that afternoon I went and learned a fun intermediate dance and nailed it. It was fun. Then it was back to advanced. We did a dance to the song paralyzer by fingereleven. It was hard but amazingly enough I could do it. Although I needed more time to practice each step, I could at least do them all. It was alot of fun. We called it quits after that. I did 5 hours of clogging in one day. I never thought once of the consequences of my actions. Let's just say yesterday I could walk. Today, I can't even move my legs. Poor Jared has been my personal slave helping me up out of the bed. Poor thing. Clogging is fun now! I can't wait to get up and practice what I've learned, that is if I can remember it.

The pictures aren't the greatest and my camera died so unfortunatly I don't have alot to show for it but a body that hurts like the dickens. It was worth it though. Once I'm up to health and after I've mastered the dance, I'll post a few steps on here so you all know what I'm talking about. ;)

What do you remember?

2008-07-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

I stole this off everyone else's blog.

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. I can't wait to see what people remember.

Ok, friends... especially back in St.George, and everywhere else, that know me really well...keep it "G" rated you hear? this is a family blog! haha... Anuhea???? That means you! I can't blow my blog cover! haha just kidding.
And feel free to post away about Jared as well! He reads this blog all the time.

Digital Scrapbooking

2008-07-17T20:50:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I've had some time on my hands lately and started looking into the digital scrapbooking stuff. I have to admit, from someone like me who is far from being scrapbooking savy, and far from being a patient person (and I'm not kidding, I'll skip the rest of my chapter of a book just because I want to know whats going to happen in the next), found it actually to be alot of fun! Of course, I'm not sure what to scrapbook. It gets a little tiring looking at photos and saying, ok... Here is me. Here is me & Jared. Here is Jared. Here is me teasing Jared...Oh, here is Jared teasing me... and here we are eating...I think you get the idea. If you come visit my blog and all you see is scrapbook pages with our faces plastered all over them, you'll know that I'm a die hard, and I just don't care.

4th of July!

2008-07-17T20:02:00.002-07:00

Ok, so we are a little behind on our posts, so here is a few fun pictures of our fourth of July at the Huff's. We had a good time barbecuing, slip n' slidin, games, and a little dance dance revolution. We all had a real good time dancing, and we are all still waiting for when Eddie decides to take his act on the road! It was a blast. Happy fourth of July!

Happy Birthday to us!!

2008-06-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

This past week we celebrated birthdays! Mine was the 25th of June and Jared's on the 27th. I turned 27, and Jared 32! (who knew?!?) So Jared took me out to dinner...
while we bbq'd hamburgers for his! We had alot of fun. We just figure the whole week was our birthdays which gave us excuses to do whatever we wanted. These our the gifts Jared surprised me with! And I mean really surprised me. (in a very good way!)

I'm one of those childish people who love to open a present on their birthday so planning on nothing, Jared surprised me with something. Gotta love him. I was thrilled.
For his birthday I decided to surprise him with inviting some friends of ours over (i'll leave names out to avoid any embarrassement haha) but we misscommunicated on the date so we sat there waiting for almost an hour realizing that maybe we ought to give them a call. Sorry Jared!! So, we postponed his birthday dinner for another night! We had balloons and birthday cake and snuggled up together and watched a movie. It was a great day. I cleaned and organized the house as much as I could for him being that he said he'd get mad if I bought him anything. All our parents sent us a little something so we were thrilled. Thank goodness for parents sometimes!;) Here is Jared looking shnazy on his birthday He hates it when I make him poze for pictures. :) He looks good though!

Our new home, (for the next three years anyhow)

2008-06-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we had our sights set on moving into this 2 bedroom apartment! We had already paid our deposit and everything and we were reeling to go, but one sunday morning I just had a feeling we should keep looking so we could stay in our ward. Well that day at church, I had a sister come up to me and ask why we were moving out of the ward and that we should talk to this family who were looking to rent there house. So I told Jared about it and it turns out that the father of this family had already approached him about it! He didn't even know we were looking to move, and they hadn't totally decided what they wanted to do yet either, but it turns out we looked at the house, and made the deal. Almost as if it were meant to be. It's alot bigger than what we were planning on. So for the two of us, we have ourselves all the space we could ever need. So here are some new pics. It's an older home, but very comfy and cozy inside. I've never been a nap taker, but in this house, it's so easy.
Our new home (for now)

Our bedroom

The office (still a mess, but is very spacy)

The living room (you'll have to imagine it decorated, we just moved in)

The Kitchen

The Dining room

The Family Room (the movie room) ;) The family who owns it used this room for their bedroom being an addition to the house, but we decided to make it a movie room. We feel it was a great idea. It's cozy.

Our Yard

We love the yard, although we have to get in the groove of "yard work" whatever that means. We love to bbq. It's something we are going to really get used to doing often. Also, some day when we don't feel so utterly broke, I want to get one of those big inflatable swimming pools! No better way than to swim in your back yard!

Moving! Again!

2008-06-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so as the Egglestons it would not make since for us to stay in one place for to long, so here we are moving from our one bedroom one bath apartment into a three bedroom house. It is not near as difficult as the last move being that we had alot of help!We got everything out and everything cleaned in no time at all. Setting up at the new place was not easy!

Braves VS. Rangers

2008-06-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

The ULTIMATE RIVALRY. (sp??)

Ok, So Jared and I went to another baseball game last night and it was ALOT of fun. Jared is a Atlanta Braves fan, and I, (since living in Texas) am a Rangers Fan. So as we were each sporting our favorite teams ball cap, we enjoyed a foot long hot dog, and Jared managed to keep cool as he watched his precious braves take a beating. Ok, so it ended up being a pretty close game. My favorite thing about the ball park is definatly the atmosphere. If you spill your soda all over the guy to your right, it's all good, no biggie! He's chill! He's probably waisted anyway. I love dancing to the loud music over the speakers, and of course the hopes of catching a fly ball. I love watching the fans, and I hope to someday be able to lay a big one on Jared on the kissing cam. That oughta embarress him. haha The weather was perfect. My sister Heidi didn't make it to town, so in her place we invited a friends brother who was in town. This guy was hilarious and a TON of fun! You can't help but smile at the ball park.

Here are some photos. We were about 10 feet away from the Rangers pitching ground where they practice throwing their pitches. It was awesome, although it was hard to get them to stand still. This is Wright, he was a closing pitcher, he throws over 90 miles per hour. Dang.

This guy is talented...I mean seriously. Thats awesome.(down below)

I have some live video feed that I'm still trying to figure out how to post. I think it might be to large to work on here! Bummer! It's awesome!

What Disney Princess are you? I'm Esmerelda! Go figure.

2008-06-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

You Are Esmerelda!

Mysterious and passionate. You are a survivor. Even though life has swung you some difficult situations you have a strong intuition that gets you through. Also, you have the capacity to sympathize and relate to a variety of different people.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Kate, Cason and Taylor!

2008-06-10T19:43:00.001-07:00

Kate Elizabeth. Isn't she adorable??

Cason & Taylor. Cousins showin' love

Five of the reasons I want to be a mom!

2008-06-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

Kyle, Taylor, Mason, Kate, Cason.
My nephews and nieces. It was SO much fun hanging with the kids. I loved it. I was SO bummed when I got home and realized that I didn't get any pictures of Cason or Kate!!! So, I'm going to have to request them, so I can add them, they are ADORABLE! We also have some ADORABLE Neices and Nephews in Idaho, and Utah whom we need pictures of!! But for now this'll have to do. Aren't they cute??? Theres alot more coming, where that came from..CONGRATS Heather, Anuhea and Dad & Cristina (twins!)

Kyle (and taylor)

Mason...

Taylor...

Trip to St. George for sister Heidi's Graduation!

2008-06-04T15:54:00.001-07:00

This..is Heidi. She is 18 years old and has just graduated highschool. People say we look alike, except I have dark hair and olive skin, and her well...she's lighter I guess. I like to call her my sequil. Any old boyfriends who didn't get me, are now pursuing her. haha, jk. She will be visiting this month so we are excited! She'll kill me for putting this picture of her on here. hehe.

The girls all took a trip to vegas the Saturday after the graduation and had alot of fun. It was a needed trip for me. Heidi did some gambling (we tried to stop her, she was addicted.) haha jk. We ate at P.F. Changs. My older sister Michele navigated the car in Vegas,on the Vegas strip,amazingly enough, and me, my mom and sister in law Heather just enjoyed the ride. We all went shopping and spent some deserved money on us. It was alot of fun, we laughed alot and got a little crazy, but sssshhhhhhh...don't tell the husbands..hehe just kidding.

Six Flags!

2008-06-04T15:43:00.001-07:00

Meeting Daffy.

So maybe everything really IS bigger in Texas!?! Un-believable.

Screamin good time!!

2008-06-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

OK, so Jared and I went to Six Flags. It was alot of fun! The rides seemed alot more intense than disneyland, but NOOO...as we were approaching the TITAN, Jared went on and on telling me how he looked up the roller coasters and on the thrill scale the Titan was #10, and California Screamin from disneyland (which isn't that scary) was a #5!! SO, yes, we got in line and we went on the titan. NOW you can study the pictures I've posted... and you can imagine the kind words racing through my mind about Jared's "statistics" or "thrill scale" as he would say...

There they are...

AND..............

Their GONE!

I've never cussed so much in my life. haha. Just kidding. I was rather shocked, after it shoots you straight down you go underground into this tunnel, where you can't even see the tracks! It takes you up like 25 stories where you look around and you really are terrified! Then it leans you all the way on one side where you feel you are for sure falling out of that baby. Unbelievable. Jared had this look of surprise on this face. He WAS scared, and Jared doesn't GET scared! After we were walking away completely in shock of the intensity of that thing, Jared says to me.. "actually, now that I think about it.... Maybe it was California Screamin at #10 on the thrill scale, and the TITAN was the #5! I could've killed him. But nonetheless, we did have a "screamin" good time.

Back to school! Need a career! But which one?

2008-06-04T15:17:00.001-07:00

OK. So, I am getting ready to go back to college and I am excited about it. BUT, I have NO IDEA what I want to do! I've heard there are some great technical programs out there, but I don't really know much about them! I just need to get some sort of certificate or degree so I can feel able to get a better job! After our second confirmed miscarriage, I've decided that it's time I take action and get busy doing something productive to help me feel like I'm progressing! SO, I'm letting all of YOU tell me what you think I should be! I took a personality quiz and I'm posting the results. You don't have to go by whats listed only, for those of you who know me, I NEED YOUR IDEAS. If you need more information then ASK!! Ok?? So this will be fun. I think.

Career Inventory Test Results

Extroversion	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Emotional Stability	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	33%
Orderliness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	60%
Altruism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	73%
Inquisitiveness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	33%

You are a Supporter, possible professions include - nurse, social worker, caterer, flight attendant, bookkeeper, medical/dental assistant, exercise physiologist, elementary school teacher, minister/priest/rabbi, retail owner, officer manager, telemarketer, counselor, special education teacher, merchandise planner, credit counselor, athletic coach, insurance agent, sales representative, massage therapist, medical secretary, child care provider, bilingual education teacher, professional volunteer.

Take Free Career Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

"There are two kinds of people in this world...those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't...

2008-05-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

...I love him. hahaha.
Jared and I have tickets to see Neil this October. Neil and I go a ways back, all the way back to my youth. He used to sing me to sleep, and calm me down with his sweet voice in the midst of one of my tantrums. His voice became apart of who I am, and I have vowed to see him as often as I can, for the rest of my existence. To Neil.
(Ok, so the voice was my dad's voice singing Neil Diamond songs to me, so thats what ruined me and molded me into the Neil finatic that I am. Jared likes him too! Why else do you think I married him?)

Home Improvement

2008-05-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Jared and I flew down to Pocatello to do some minor (hehe) home improvements to our house we have on the market! It's not easy living in texas, while trying to sell a home in Idaho, believe me! but, we took a week, worked 14 hours for 5 full days, and this was our end result. We were BEAT! We worked really hard, and I loved seeing my goodlookin, hard workin husband at play. It actually was alot of fun! Enjoy.

Our house,(after the paint job;) 105,000 5 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1500sqf. Any takers? :)

My hot hubbie in action

Me, trying to stay positive..."Am I smiling?" haha, I was exhausted.

We painted the stairs (because they looked really bad)

After shots of the living area (you should've seen this before!)

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After: (just showing the new linolium, our original shot didn't turn out)

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Go Rangers!

2008-04-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

So Jared and I finally made it out to our fist ranger game, and let me tell you, we had a blast. Between the kids in thier baseball outfits awing at the players, the guy selling the peanuts yelling at the top of his lungs,the fresh oven roasted hotdogs, to even the drunk guy behind us slurring all his words...we loved it. It was my very first game and I was truly convinced that it was the funnest professional sporting event to attend. Jared had his mitt ready although we never had the opportunity to catch a fly ball, although it did make it onto my list of many things I want to conquer in this lifetime. With my luck I'd end up just like that Drew Barrymore in Fever Pitch (a movie that we love) It was so cold we ended up needing to buy a rangers blanket. After spending the afternoon at six flags, we found ourselves right at home in the 3rd row at the ballpark. Go Rangers! Maybe next time!! ;)

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2008-03-22T20:44:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity

2008-03-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

Hummm... meanest thing I've ever done as a child...Well, I don't know if this was the meanest, but it has to be up there somewhere!

I was probably about 8 or 9 years old. (I could be way off there) and I was living in Santa Clara Utah. I had alot of friends in the neighborhood. I mean ALOT. I'm really not kidding, stop looking shocked! Anyway, I went to one of my particular friends house almost every day after school to play. And it was almost as if we had a daily routine down. I loved it. I went over to her house, we played whatever I wanted to play, (my little ponies usually) and when she started throwing a stink about playing barbies, I would threaten to go home. She would then start begging and pleading for me not to go. Then I would demand my way. When she didn't comply I would go home leaving her in tears as she cried for me to come back from her porch. For some reason, her crying was satisfying. Sick, I know! So this happened almost every day. One day this routine was carrying on just as usual, but something changed... when I threatened to go home, she didn't cry...she just said, "well go then". I was shocked. She must've been coached by someone. So I kept saying, "I'm REALLY going to leave!" Then she replied, "Just leave then." Man, I was stumped. So as I walked away instead of her chasing me out onto the porch in tears she slammed the door!! Now, she had gone TO FAR. So as I looked around I thought, how can I get back at her? then thats when I saw...the bike. The cute purple bike with the cute fringe on the ends of the handle bars; the perfect little cute basket sitting there... So, I did what ANY normal angry girl did...I stole it!! I rode it home gleefully. Then as I got home, I wondered where to put it. In front of my house my yard was a hill that was filled with weeds and sticker bushes. It is dead center IN FRONT of the house. Then I thought, "that is perfect!" I climbed up on the top of the hill where I laid her bike down right in the middle of the sticker bushes. It hurt on the way up but it was worth it. As I walked down the hill, I felt this feeling of contentment, like NOW things were good. I didn't think twice about the consequences of this action. It was great, I walked into the house, feeling really good actually! I could now go on with life! Later the evening I remember sitting downstairs when I heard the door bell. "Shannon!" I heard my moms voice yelling from the top of the stairs, all of a sudden a sheer feeling of terror whooshed through my entire body. I desperately looked for a place to hide...Ahh HAH!! My bed! Under my bed! So, there I laid, under my bed, lifeless, with my heart beating 100 miles per minute, hoping that nobody would find me there...but sure enough, they found me...and THAT was the LAST time I ever stole someones bike. Moral of the story? When stealing someone elses bike, DON'T put it right in front of your house, on top of a hill full of sticker bushes. They will find it there!! Put it in your next door neighbors garage...then your off the hook!! AHH to be 9 again!!

If anyone else wants to share their mean kid stories, please do, We'd love to hear. Jared will have to give his in his own words. Peace!

2008-03-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

So looks like we are going to be Ranger fans! Today I bought about 20 games worth of tickets to surprise Jared. He doesn't know about it yet, but he will soon enough!! (Don't let this fool ya, we really are broke, a lady went around selling promo tickets for the starting season, it was only 40 bucks for some free tickets and alot of buy one get one free kind of stuff, so yeah, we are poor, in case you were wondering.;) I'm planning on some good blog posts coming up so stay tuned!!

GO RANGERS!!!

Just a post to say...well, nothing!!

2008-03-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

As my sister would always say... make sure you post something new often so when people look at your blog they can know what is going on in your life. Well, I continually tell her that nothing really new IS going on in our lives! We work, Jared studies, we sleep, jared studies, and we try to find room to play. That's about it! So this is my blog post about "nothing"! What I really need to do is just write a huge post that directs everyone to my sisters (Michele and Josh's blog)if they want to see some real activity going on! I swear hers is MUCH more entertaining! But those who are dear and loyal friends still will check and read ours I'm sure, and we thank you for that loyalty, (but really, after your done, check out Michele's blog. They Just went to cancun!);)

We are doing really good. today in Dallas there was a flood watch. Yesterday there was a fire watch. The day before that it was a snow, ice, blizzard watch where the whole city shut down, (and we are not kidding) and the day before that we went swimming and got a sun burn. Humm, go figure! Thats Dallas for ya. We'll keep ya posted! Stay tuned!!

OK. JOB UPDATE

2008-02-28T20:12:00.000-08:00

So, I turned down the Crete Carrier job the other day. Franklin Covey offered me the Customer Service Manager position. 13 dollars an hour with commission off the whole store. I'll take it. Sweet!

100 Interesting things about me....humm...

2008-02-22T08:49:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine mentioned a challenge she took on, about listing 100 things about herself. I decided I'd do 10. But as I got going things just kept coming to me. It was easier than I thought and kind of fun! So... here you are, 100 interesting things about me!

1. I love Disneyland. I mean, I REALLY love it.
2. I'm afraid of the sight of blood, yet I want to be a nurse.
3. I love skydiving, but scared to bungee jump.
4. I want to be in a play.
5. I like watching the celebrity apprentice and sex in the city.
6. I'm crazy. I love to do things that will shock people.
7. I want to have a multi-ethnic family (we'll adopt ;)
8. I want to visit Africa
9. I love new pajamas
10. Favorite actors: Will Smith, Kevin James, Steve Carrel, shia la beouf, Harrison Ford. Favorite actresses: Tea Leoni, Catherine Zeta Jones, Meryl Streep.
11. TV shows that make me laugh out loud: Everybody loves Raymond, Fresh Prince of bel air, King of Queens, Wings.
12. I want to go eat buffalo wings in buffalo new york.
13. Places I would like to live: New York, California (near Disneyland), Oregon or Massachusetts.
14. I cry easily in movies.
15. My favorite comedian is Bill Cosby
16. I'm horrible at keeping in touch with my friends
17. I made a bet with Jared that I wouldn't dye or highlight my hair for 4 years.
18. I want to live outside the lines (the ones we limit ourselves with)
19. I love the gospel more than anything.
20. The gospel literally saved my life.
21. I started drinking alcohol at age 16, quit when I was 20. It took a week.
22. I have strong passions and opinions but I'm open to hear others.
23. I want to run for public office someday.
24. I love public speaking, Love it.
25. I love to entertain, to be the center of attention.
26. I love to make people laugh.
27. I love people who are open minded and accepting.
28. I want to have my own dance studio and teach clogging for free to kids that can't afford it.
29. I want to own horses.
30. I have a "permanent" nickname
31. Gypsy girl has been my nickname since I was little, and I served my mission with the gypsies in Romania.
32. I'd love to learn to fly a helicopter.
33. I have more than one best friend.
34. I love metro-plex driving with a lot of fast highways.
35. Traffic doesn't bother me.
36. I admire my brothers and sisters in so many ways...including my brothers & sisters in law.
37. I've never been in the hospital for my own health.
38. I don't cook.
39. I have a hard time taking naps.
40. I'm allergic to cats, and I hate it. I like cats.
41. I hate arrogant people.
42. I'm uncomfortable in big groups, I prefer one on one interaction.
43. I'm an introvert. I like to keep to myself and have privacy, yet I love people.
44. I love thrill rides. Roller coasters are the best.
45. I've worked as a troubled youth counselor before.
46. I am very sensitive.
47. I have had some amazing member missionary moments that I'll never forget.
48. I quit going to clubs by the time I was 21. (yeah, I know. horrible.)
47. I've had a "real" fake I.D. before.
48. I've witnessed huge miracles in my life.
49. I have faith in people.
50. I believe in living your dreams, and preparing for the future.
51. I love disney movies.
52. I'd like to be like Belle on beauty and the beast.
53. People tell me I look like Maggie Gyllenhall, and loralai on Gilmore girls.
54. If I didn't worry about money, I would travel the world and spend time with people less fortunate than myself.
55. Sometimes I don't take care of myself like I should.
56. I eat to live, instead of living to eat.
57. I hate being bored, but sometimes I love doing nothing.
58. I think that amid all the bad in this world, that there is more good.
59. I am self critical and rarely give myself enough credit.
60. I love to get dressed up.
61. I love surprises.
62. I love movies. Good movies. I hate waisting my money and time on a movie that sucks.
63. I love watching some scary movies, and I hate that about myself.
64. I refuse to watch a movie with gore. I hate it.
65. I love spending alot of time with my husband. He is my medication for a hard day or a headache. He calms many storms for me. He's amazing.
66. I love my family. I always want everyone to be happy.
67. I don't always agree with peoples choices, but I respect them.
68. I refuse to hold onto anger or bitterness. I don't have that kind of energy to spare!
69. I absolutley love My Little Pony. Thats all I played with when I was younger. Now, I collect them. ;) (hope you enjoy them too!hehe)
70. I don't mind being poor.
71. I have alot of compassion for people, especially when they make poor choices and have to live out the consequences.
72. I want to be a mother more than anything.
73. I love watching basketball. I miss John Stockton.
74. I love my dad for introducing Neil Diamond into my life. I love Neil.
75. I married my dream guy.
76. I would love to be able to sing beautifully.
77. I gave up everything for the gospel, only to gain everything in return.
78. I don't have regrets. Just experiences, and I cherish them.
79. I'm not ashamed, I'm blessed.
80. I married for love.
81. I dated my husband only 8 days (8 dates) before he proposed and I said yes.
82. I love organizing huge projects and being in charge of big events
83. Patience is one of the hardest virtues for me.
84. I hate anything that is vulgar or crude.
85. Have I mentioned that I love Disneyland?
86. I believe in goals.
87. I believe that people are generally good.
88. I love my step families and consider them to be my brothers and sisters, and family.
89. I hate condescending attitudes.
90. I love telling people off, if it is deserving. (adrenaline rush!)
91. I expect alot from people, and often I am disapointed.
92. I hate setting limits. I want to have it all, and live it all.
93. I didn't like living in Utah, there were to many mormons. :)Yes, and I am one.
94. I don't open up to people very easily, but I love learning about them.
95. I take accountability for my actions, but will not take responsibility for others.
96. I love listening to music load in my car. It helps to relieve stress.
97. I want to have a really big family.
98. I don't believe changing for other people, although I still may do it sometimes.
99. I get to be gently tickled every night just like when I was a little girl. It still puts me to sleep. Thanks Jared ;)
100. I believe in happy endings. Although everything seems wrong or difficult in the middle, I do believe that everything will end up being ok. We just need to "Keep Moving Forward" Quote from, Meet the Robinsons. ;)

And I'm done. Boy do I love days off.

Valentines Day

2008-02-19T18:21:00.001-08:00

Jared surprised me with these beautiful roses and a CLEAN HOUSE on valentines day. He gave me his gift (The movie: Family Man) the night before, so I thought gifts were over! After working a 12 hour day, I sure was grateful. What a hunk. :)

2008-02-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

Jared got a B on his Chemistry Test!! Woo Hoo!!! I know that may not seem worthy of a blog post, but we were happy!! That makes two B's in chemistry so far. Sweet!

At Least we are eating ;)

Job Changes....Again.

2008-02-19T17:35:00.000-08:00

So, I'm making another job change. Yup, this will make it my 5th job since I've moved here to Dallas Texas back in Sept of '06. So lets see...
1. Commercial service building, where I worked one and a half weeks.
2. Cell net, making outbound calls all day to promote samsung products...lasted one week.
3. Kay Jewelers, being the more fun job out of these, I still lasted almost four months being that it started to take over my life.
4. Franklin Covey, a nice job, with sundays off, with a great assistant manager running the show... Would've stayed here but 9 dollas an hour just isn't payin the bills!!

SO, last but not least, My new Job... Crete Carrier!!

Ok, so it's nothing fantastic, but it is a M-F 8-5 job, getting paid 12 dollars an hour aside from nine...so I'm happy. And I'm going to stick with it..NO MATTER WHAT!!!

Updates!!

2008-01-31T19:28:00.001-08:00

Ok, so no pictures yet, but this is what is new. Jared has started school and is very busy. I took on another job, so have been working at Kay Jewelers and Franklin Covey. Franklin Covey has sundays off so I recently switched over. So valentines day will be my last day at Kay Jewelers. I can't wait for that because then I'll get my days off back and no more 12 hour days!! Things are good. We are moving forward. I know all these updates are boring... we'll get some new pictures on here soon enough.

2008-01-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

So, last weekend we wanted to do something different, so we looked online and found a huge country hangout called Billy Bob's Texas! It has Rodeo grounds, and huge hangout area with arcade games, pool tables, and then a nice size dance floor with a live band and... of course country dancing!! So, we looked at the prices. Turns out that Mark Chesnutt is from this part of Texas and so he starts and ends every year with a concert at Billy Bobs Texas. Turns out, there is also a huge main stage with tons of seating around it. We got tickets for only 16 dollars each and we were right in the front. It was an awesome concert, and alot of fun!! I didn't bring the camera in unfortunatly, so this is the only picture I can get for now. We'll try to take more pictures when we actually get a day off!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2008 Here we come!!

2008-01-11T20:19:00.001-08:00

Ok, so after a great vacation in st.george, (too great, it was soo hard coming back) we are back to the grind here in Dallas, Texas. Jared starts school on Monday, and I am taking on two jobs to pay the bills! Ahhh the life. We definitly do not know what is to come, but we are excited for the unknown!! (Terrified actually) 2008 is going to officially be our "party" year...(yeah right, but saying this makes us feel better) Ya'll know what that means... hahaha. See that texas slir?? Thats right, this Texas air is definitly getting to me.

Billy Joel Concert!!

2007-12-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

So, we went to the Billy Joel Concert...and... let's just say, the truck is fine, the policeman was nice, and billy joel was awesome. Let's just leave it at that. ;)

New Hair!

2007-12-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

So I got my hair done. No more roots. It turned out alot more red than anticipated but I really like it! You will all have to tell me what you think!