Friday, August 29, 2008

Our Big Day

Our rainy day!


The happy couple with Shane's first love...Moby!

My Hubby & Me

Honeymoon at Disneyland!

I think this was our 2nd Christmas together


Engagement photo

The day that Shane asked my dad for my hand!!!

5 Years Baby!!!

Today marks 5 years of marital bliss for Shane & me!!! Sometimes I feel like we've been together so much longer than that, but then there are also times when I think, gosh, that's kind of a long time!

I've been thinking a lot about this anniversary post. I want to share our story mostly for me. During our courtship, I was terrible at writing things down in my journal so it's not really documented very well. Here it goes!

Shane and I grew up in the same ward at church. We knew each other's families but never really knew each other. There is a three year age difference which prevented us from ever going to school together. So, Shane got home from his mission during the end of my senior year of high school. Not too long after Shane got home, he went to "Jive Night" at the high school with Jason Lloyd...to support Carrie, of course! During the concert I vividly remember spotting Shane in the audience. He was fairly close to the stage, dead center. I couldn't help but feel like he was staring at me the whole time...kind of a weird feeling. Anyway, that night I made a comment to my mom that I had seen Shane Tucker at the concert and thought that maybe he couldn't take his eyes off of me! Little did I know that my suspicions would later be confirmed.

Right after graduation, Shane asked me out. I was getting ready to head off to college, was a little attached to someone else, which resulted in me turning him down. He went to Boise State...I went to BYU-Idaho. The next time I saw him was one weekend in Twin. He brought home a little lady friend to meet his family. They got engaged not too long after that. I remember thinking that they were a cute couple and felt happy for him. I can't believe I was rooting for another woman to take my future husband! Luckily for me, the marriage never happened.

Alright, so two years from the first time that Shane asked me out, he made a second attempt. We were both home for Christmas and ran into each other at church. Our first date was with a few other couples...Jason & Carrie, Kyle & Cara included. We played the game of Cranium and let me tell you, Shane and I did not do too hot. In fact, we lost terribly. We also were pretty cynical and sarcastic to one another. Definetely not a typical way to behave on a first date. After that, I honestly didn't think he would ever call me again...but he did...the very next day! We headed to Pomerelle for a day of snowboarding and had a total blast together.

We both went back to our separate schools and I wasn't sure what would come of everything. Shane was SO persistent. He called me and emailed me EVERYDAY...I'm not exagerating. I couldn't believe it. This might sound weird but he won me over with his emails. He is such a good writer...so charasmatic and witty. I would just read them over and over again...printed them off to read to my mom & roommates. We talked every night and got to know each other really well. We started meeting in Twin over the weekends to spend time together. I was still stunned that I was spending so much time with Shane Tucker. My dad was his scout leader when Shane was like twelve. How could I be falling for Shane Tucker?!??

After awhile, I started freaking out a little. We were planning on going to Moab with his family, some friends, and some of my own family. I started thinking that maybe I didn't want to go and was questioning the relationship. I remember talking to my Dad about it. Being the wise father that he is, he gave me this advise. He told me not to bail out on Moab. He thought that I should go and that doing so would hopefully give me more clarity regarding my feelings for Shane. I did just that. It ended up being a huge turning point in the relationship. After that, I was feeling pretty certain that Shane was the person I wanted to be with. We had a few more bumps before we were engaged but nothing too tragic! We had a really smooth, quick engagement. It poored rain on our wedding day...as some of you might remember!:) My hair looked pretty sad by the end of the day. Who plans for rain in August??? We now know better.

So, here's to my sweet hubby. I never would have thought in a million years that I would marry Shane Tucker. My parents were surprised as most of our friends. But he honestly is the best match for me. I freaked out a little right at the beginning but it was about his height of all things! I'm a short person and I never had to worry about being taller than my date. Shane forced me to go searching for flat shoes like I never have before!!! I got over it and think that he is the cutest person ever! I'm a little worried that our boys might suffer in the height department. If so, they will have a dad that can help them wear it with confidence & style!!

Shane won me over with his quick sense of humor and charmed me with his words. He loves me better than anyone else could. Everyone experiences ups and downs in a marriage but for the most part, our relationship is pretty easy. Amazingly, 5 years and lots of strech marks later, he still thinks I'm hot!!! He works everyday to make me happy and for that I am SO grateful. Thank you for being persistant...for not giving up. You are my best friend, my favorite person. Love you Shane.

I will be posting some pictures of our years together soon...hopefully by tomorrow. I know all of you are dying to see them, right?!??

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Jam Packed!!!

Natalie and I ran some errands with all the kiddos. Needless to say, we were quite the sight! We made some good use of our space!!! What you can't see is Dillon and Lauren in the seat behind the babies!



Lindsay gets a shower!!!

During my week stay in Twin, we were able to throw a baby shower for my sister Lindsay. It went pretty well, despite the crazy winds...typical for Twin Falls, right?!?? She got some super cute things...makes me really want to have a baby girl! SO fun. She is due in about 3 weeks and is SO ready! I was feeling bad for her...those last few weeks are just miserable. Thanks to all that helped. I really appreciate it.






Family Time

We took some time while we were all together to get some pictures at the temple. It's hard to get a picture with everyone looking stellar but we managed to get a few semi-good ones. We took them mostly for Luke. We are definitely missing him.











Tuesday, August 26, 2008

August = Craziness

This month has just been out-of-control busy! I am feeling greatly in need of some down time but life just doesn't slow down. We have traveled almost every weekend of the month and with two little babies, it hasn't been super fun. The month started with the roomie reunion, which was a blast. We left the very next day for Park City. We had a pretty relaxing time and are so glad we were able to get away...just some extra travel but we happily paid the price!

Our Park City week ended with Shane's 10-year class reunion. I wasn't really sure what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised. It was really fun!!! I think it is always interesting to see what people are up to. We went to a family picnic and then went to the Vineyards in Buhl that night without kids. It was fun to have some time to visit with some of Shane's old buddies. It was also a treat to spend the weekend with our good friends, the Welches. They came for the reunion and we got to spend some extra time with them. I am missing them a lot. They lived right around the corner, and it was just so easy to hang out with them. So it was nice to spend the weekend with them. It also made me kind of excited for my own class renunion just a few years down the road. Everyone needs to go! With everyone there, it could be so much fun!

The very next weekend, my brother Aaron and his cute family came to visit. They blessed their little Wesley and spent the following week in Twin. I stayed the week in Twin to spend time with them. It was so great to all be together but crazy at the same time. We got to see a lot of family but it is just hard being away from our own place for that long. The babes were definitely feeling it too. They get cranky and tired and don't seem to get the real, good sleep that they need. I guess it is to be expected. You just have to pay for it when you get back into your normal life.

Our weekend ended with the dedication of the Twin Falls Temple. I'm so grateful that we had the blessing of witnessing that great event. We got to see the Youth Celebration, which was way cool and then were able to be in the temple during one of the dedication sessions. The spirit was so strong and witnessed to me the truthfulness of this, the Lord's work. I'm just grateful that I got to witness a small part of it all. The temple is amazingly beautiful. I'm not sure when I'll get used to seeing it in Twin Falls...SO cool!

So, we finally got back to Boise for good on Sunday only to have another thing take us out of our home. Last night there was a huge fire that broke out in our neighborhood...okay so not just in the neighborhood but like 2 blocks away from us. We were evacuated out of our home around 7:30pm. Shane started gathering things that he thought me might need and then asked me what I thought was important enough to take with us. I haven't ever been in this situation before so I just started panicing. We grabbed our box of financial info. and our photo albums, loaded up the boys and left. The smoke was so thick that you could barely even see what was in front of you. We called up our friends Kyle and Cara and asked if we could crash at their house. We are happy today to still have our home. We stayed the night at the Schnoor's house. They were awesome for letting us stay and being so hospitable. In the end, 10 homes were completely destroyed and 9 others were severly damaged...19 homes total that were touch by this fire. We so far know of 4 families in our ward that have lost their homes. I am still in shock and can't seem to wrap my brain around the thought of losing everything. Needless to say, it quickly puts everything into perspective. I am grateful for my little family and grateful that our home is still standing. It might have a little smoke damage but nothing that can't be taken care of easily. I am also grateful for great friends who help when we are away from family. We have certainly been blessed.

I am looking forward to the month of September! As of right now, I don't think we have anything planned! It should give us some quality time at home! Don't get me wrong, it's fun to get away and spend time with family. Love it! Sometimes, it just helps you to appreciate all that you have under your own roof. September here we come!!!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Just Chillin'





Saturday, August 16, 2008

Long Over Due!

I have been needing to post this super fun weekend for some time now. We were able to get together with my old roommates the other weekend and it was a BLAST!!! It has been almost 6 years since we've all been together. I lucked out big time with roommates. I had such a fun college experience and it is mostly because of these girls. Our little reunion was planned like a year in advance to make sure we could all be there. SO worth it. We have 10 kids between us all...crazy! Four toddlers and six babies. The babies were all born within 6 months of eachother so that was kind of fun. I only wish we could get together more often. These girls are so great and I'm so grateful for their friendship. I dug up some old pictures, which are followed by some of the reunion pics. It is taking forever to post these so there are just a few. GOOD TIMES!!!













Sunday, August 10, 2008

Ride em cowboy!!


Grandpa introduced Cade to the family dog, Addie (I hope I spelled her name right). Cade seemed to like her and enjoyed pulling her fur.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Summer Fun

Shane was able to go wakeboarding the other weekend with some of our friends. He was able to get some good footage so I couldn't resist showing off some of my hubby's skills!!! One of these days he'll be able to give the boys some lessons!