First Year Continued!!

So as I have been reminiscing when I write this Blog, I find myself laughing at some of the things that we did that young married couples today have missed out on. When we left each other in the mornings we usually didn't talk to each other again until we got home that evening making getting home fun and exciting now with technology couples talk and tweet and text and facebook each other all the time! I think taking some of the anticipation out of getting home! I do see the benefits of technology! I was thinking about our first Christmas, what a laugh, I was obsessed with finding a perfect tree! I think we went to 5 different tree lots when I finally found the perfect tree! Kris was such a trooper he would have found a tree at the first lot but he loved me and new how important our first Christmas was to me. Funny thing we got my perfect tree home and realized it was to tall! Oh the pain Kris started cutting off the bottom which was beautiful, by the time we got the tree up I realized that maybe I was a little to obsessed with the TREE!!! We had such a great day Kris surprised me with a puppy we named Rocky we had such a fun time,we did have quite the dispute though how to manage the families and split the time between them! WOW now that is difficult especially when you have 2 very close families.(More to come.) Enjoy the memories of those first Christmas's and all those that have followed truly they are the best presents you can get!

Always an Eagle
Dignity,Strength and Grace

The First Year

As I con tinplate the first year of marriage I remember everyone telling me it was going to be so hard, I think the only hard part for us was trying to delegate time between two families!!
Anyway Kris and I were lucky enough to move into a apartment that his Dad owned in Granger Utah. I think our rent was 100.00 per month remember this was in 1979,Kris was a student at the UofU and I was working at the SLC airport, Kris was also working for Bateman Electric his Dad's company. We found married life great! There was one problem I had to be at work at 5:00 am. So at around 8:30 pm I was exhausted Kris usually studied after I went to bed. This soon became a problem I would sometimes be in bed before Kris got home and leave before he was up that meant we would pass in the night!! We finally figured out the schedule at least for a little while. I can't remember or maybe it is selective memory(haha) but We were at my Mom and Dad's and we are all visiting when the subject came up about cooking, and I over heard my husband asking my Mom if I could anything besides spagetti and macaroni and cheese! I of course piped up with I make more than that and then my Father interjected with she can boil water laughter arose in my family!! to my defense I was very active in Highschool I spent alot of time in the dance room the gymnastic room the gym!! ( not to much time in the home economics room) so maybe I needed a little work on my cooking skills!! But no one could complain on my cleaning skills, I was raised with a Mom that taught me great cleaning skills I also even learned to iron and I mean iron everything( hand towels, pillowcases, hankies, underwear,sheets, pants shirts etc.) I am sure there are some of you that experienced the same thing. I can say that after I was married the ironing got smaller and smaller and the once a week ironing became as it was needed! ( to this day I still follow this rule). It is funny because as I grew older I always tried to improve my cooking skills, no one complained but now my children are older they continually remind me that my cooking was not good there have even been times when my children have asked who is cooking! I can honestly say that my cooking has improved. I look back and laugh to think how sweet Kris was about my cooking it wasn't very good! but he always ate what I made and always kissed me and said Thank you!! I miss those moments even now, his tender touch and his gratitude!!
Please remember that these are the things that are important in a relationship! Those little things the touch, the Thank you and the LOVE! those are the things we keep close to our HEART!

I am a very lucky women!!!

ALWAYS an EAGLE
Dignity,Strenght and Grace

The Day!

Kris and I had a short engagement May to August 17,1979 back that many years it was not uncommon to get a wedding together in that amount of time. Now days Mom's would scream if they only had that amount of time. Our Wedding day was amazing it was a perfect summer day in Utah and went off without a hitch. One of the Happiest days of my life!! As I remember that day it was truly amazing and so were some of the things that happen.
We were married in the morning had a nice luncheon and still had some time until the reception. Well we still had not moved into are apartment so we went back to my parents house and I went upstairs to change my clothes!I had just taken off my dress and my bedroom door opened I hurried and covered myself and there stood Kris he laughed so hard he was like I can look now!! It caught me so off guard it was like he had invaded my space, I was not amused. Later in are married life that was one of his favorite stories to tell.( I later found it funny). We had a fun honeymoon we spent so much time together I was in awe of how wonderful are life together was going to be. I knew the day we married that life was going to be and adventure, Ktis' middle name was adventure!!! I am so excited to share more memories with all of you so you to will know the real Kris!! My Kris.

Always an Eagle
Strength,Dignity and Grace

The Engagement

Our engagement was one of the sweetest days ever! it was not a big lavish engagement it was simple and great. It was May 1979 early in the month we were at my house Kris had come over after work we had dinner and then we were just hanging out, when suddenly Kris jumps up runs upstairs(I thought he had to go to the bathroom) he was gone for about a half hour before he came back. When he came back I was like are you okay? I noticed he had a different look on his face, he knelt down on one knee and asked me to marry him!! Of course I said yes! He had gone upstairs to ask my Mom and Dad if he could marry me. It was a huge surprise and we were very happy!! We decided to wait until the next day before we told The Bateman's.

That was a great day but what we had forgotten was that the Friday before Mother's day we both had dates and they are the kind you can't back out on!! let me explain it was April and during the time we kinda liked each other, and dating other people. Well first I should explain that I was still in HIgh School!! Anyway, it was Prom time and of course I figured I might as well except a date from someone else. Little did I know that Kris had accepted a invitation from a girl to go to Prom also. So here we are engaged and going to Prom with other people. I should explain that Kris was not in High School, his date was in High school. Okay so as Prom approached Kris and I were having mixed emotions whether or not we should go!! So anyway we decided it would not be very nice to ruin others Prom so we went with other people! oh that was not the end!! We had figured that the Prom was so big that we probably would not even see each other, but to are surprise we got there at the exact same time! the problem was was that we had not told our dates that we were engaged! I know it was probably not the right thing but we were really trying to make our dates have a good night. Sadly when we saw each other it made the rest of the night miserable for both of us!!! Should have gone with the gut and canceled the date. The next day Kris and I went and picked out my ring and never to date another person!! Oh happy day.

Thankful

Today I just want to say that I am so grateful for the time I spent with Kris! And how lucky I am to have 3 beautiful children and 4 grandchildren. I feel very blessed to have been married to a man that had a amazing spirit and unconditional love! Thank you all for your kindness and love my family and I are very grateful for all of you.

Always an Eagle
Dignity,Strength,Grace

The Call!

It was May 1979, Kris and I had been dating for about 3 weeks. We had some great dates but there was a couple of times when are dates ran a little late! Well it was one of those long date nights we had gone out, had great fun bowling (we loved to bowl). it was not to late when we returned to my house, so we decided to watch a movie, seems okay but we were 18 and 19 years old! Yes we were young, but when you find that right person age does not matter. Any way back to the story, We had been watching the movie and cuddling on the couch, and sometime during the movie ( must have not been a very exciting movie) because sleep over came both of us. My parents thought that Kris had gone home earlier so what a surprise to them when the phone rang at 2:30 am. You know that when that phone rings at that time of the morning the worst things run through your mind! And my parents are no different but to there surprise it was a sweet voice on the other end wondering if her son was still there. My mom explained that she thought Kris had left earlier that evening but told Mom Bateman that she would check. Much to her surprise she found Kris and I sound asleep! She flipped on all the lights which immediately woke us both! Mom explained that Mom Bateman had called and was extremely worried about where Kris was. So as fast as we could we said our good nights( which took at least 10 minutes ha ha) It was a good night! So the next day we are at The Bateman's and we were called into the living room there sat Lynn and Diane Kris'Parents all the sudden Kris whispers in my ear that we are going to have the talk!! Now everyone in the Bateman family gets the talk. Needless to say I was half way to the door before Kris grabbed my hand and in the living room we went(so scary). After that little incident we had a curfew!! Which we broke a couple of times, but we called to let the parents know. This is just part of our courtship it was so fun .
I know that most of you had experienced something close to this, I founded it amusing that later in life I had the same experience with my own children. Somethings never change!

Always an Eagle
Dignity,Strength,Grace

The Hook Up

So Have you ever been on a blind date? some of us older people remember those dates. It was March 1979 and my Mom was working at a local bank, well at the same bank there was a lovely young women working there named Kim. Well my Mom and Kim put there heads together and decided that they would become matchmakers!! So as you can imagine my Mom and Kim were so excited about the hook up! I can honestly say I was not that excited about the date. Kris called and we made a date! the day came and I was waiting in my living room and up my drive way comes this BABY BLUE cadillac, all I could think was what did my mom talk me into really a baby blue Cadillac. Kris came to my door and I thought okay not bad, he was pretty cute! there he was tall blue eyed and a Afro! Yes a Afro perfectly round with not one hair out of place. I new he had curly hair but WOW that was some big hair!!! So of course we left and as we were driving he explained that we were going to double date with a friend of his and his girlfriend, well immediately I was light okay so they all know each other went to school together even grew up around each other, what had I gotten my self into. After everyone was in the car It was decided that we would go to a movie(thank goodness not to much conversation) well we arrived at the theaters and the only tickets left were for the movie Norma Ray, with Sally Fields, not exactly a date movie! after the movie we went to dinner and the conversation was luckily centered around the movie. After dropping of the other couple we drove to my house we talked for a while in the car he walked me to my door kissed me on the cheek and said he would call. Not to sure I would go out with him again, and not to sure he would even call, it had seemed that we just did not connect. Much to my surprise he called and we went on a second date this time much more fun more laughter, so maybe there was something to this. Then the problem I was dating someone else! but every time Kris called I would go out with him. Then the uLtimate oh no, I thought It would be nice if I made him and Easter basket and take it to him, much to my surprise he seemed anxious and a little nervous, after about an hour I left and went on my way wondering the whole time what was going on. Much to my surprise that later I found out that he was on his way to a date with someone else. (the nerve, ha,ha,) I was thinking at that time why do we keep dating it was obvious that we were not to sure about where this was going. But for some reason neither of us were willing to give up. Thankfully we continued are dating gave up other relationships and focused on us.

As I write today with three of my four grandchildren here, I watch as each one of them has a little bit of there Papa Kris in them. I have laughed and cried as I write this today the memories are precious and the life eternal.

Always an Eagle
Dignity Strength and Grace

Just to Begin

Hi Everyone some of you know Me, and know my story. But if you don't I will give you a short overview. In 1979 I married a wonderful man, he had a amazing gift of giving, he work with the youth in our church as the Scout Master for 10 years he gave young men the opportunity to improve them selves. He coined a phrase Always an Eagle to help young men to accomplish goals that would help them become strong men. In the process he became a example to both young men and young women. Unfortunatly in 1989 he was killed in an electrical accident, leaving behind my self and 3 young children. He has left a amazing legacy, that today lives on. I am hoping with this blog to share some of his own words and stories of our life together. I hope that you will find this blog positive and enlightening.First thing I want to share is Kris'love for family, he was taught from a young age that family comes first and that know matter what if a family member was in need that was his priority! He learned about the importance of family by the great example of his parents, to this day his Dad still puts family first and would do anything for any of them. I am greatful for that example. This may seem a little boring but I want you to know him like I did. He made a great contribution to society and I only hope that when I pass I will have been as amazing! I will end each blog with the phrase Always an Eagle! Which for me means to reach your highest potential with strength and dignity.