Daniel's baptism

On December 5th, Daniel turned 8 years old. It was finally his turn to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to make promises to live how Christ would have him live. We are so proud of Danny! He is an energetic, loving young boy who truly desires to do what is right. The baptism took place at the Payson West Stake Center and was performed by Jeff. I am extremely grateful that Jeff is worthy to have the priesthood (God's authority/power given to man on the earth to act in His name). I am thankful that Jeff is able to perform these ordinances and to bless our family. During the baptism, I was asked to speak on the gift of the Holy Ghost. I felt honored and privileged that Danny would ask me to do so...and to speak on such an important topic. I am grateful for the Holy Ghost's guidance and comfort in my life. Without him, I would not be where I am at today. I pray that Daniel (and all the kids) will continue to make good choices so that they can have the companionship of the Holy Ghost to lead and guide them during their lives. After the baptism, everyone who was invited made their way to our church building for soup, salad, and rolls. It was a great day for an amazing young boy!

Holidays

 

Our engagement took us right through the busy holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Also during that time, I sold my house, moved all my stuff to Utah, had Daniel's baptism and quit my job. Needless to say, I was glad that we'd decided not to put our wedding on top of all of that. Still, it made the time fly by as we were able to celebrate these fun holidays with our families.

My parents were luckily able to drive up to Utah to spend Thanksgiving. However, since my little sister, Krystle, had to work on Thanksgiving, Jeff and I celebrated Thanksgiving day with the Southwicks. Jeff's brother, Stan, and his family drove down from Idaho to be with us. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins. We then celebrated Thanksgiving with the Shumways on Saturday. It was a fun-filled weekend with family and food!

 

Jeff and I - our first Thanksgiving together.

 

The Southwick kiddos: Carson, Grant, Travis, Dallin, Macy, Bennett, Laurin, Daniel and Amber.

Jeff, the boys and I at the Shumway Thanksgiving.

Since my house sold earlier than expected, Jeff flew down the week before Christmas, helped me finish packing up, loaded a Uhaul and drove it back to Utah. However, before he left, we were able to have a mini-Christmas celebration with my family.

Opening gifts at my parents' house.

Tyler and Kate opening presents from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Alisha.

Jeff drove the Uhaul back to Utah on December 21st while I flew up later that evening after I finished my last day of work. I have truly enjoyed the career and educational opportunities I've been blessed with. I enjoyed working as a mental health counselor for children and families in Arizona, but I'm also looking forward to my new "job" responsibilities helping Jeff raise the children, run the household, and help with the business.

In any case, once all my stuff (and myself) made it to Utah there were only a couple days remaining before Christmas. I busied myself with unpacking what items I could and to prepare for my first Southwick Christmas. On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed spending the day playing games with the kids and just hanging out together. That evening we had a "Bethlehem dinner" of pita bread, humus, dried fruits, cheese, grape juice, etc. We then spent the evening commemorating the true reason for the season, Christ's birth. It has always been a Shumway tradition to light luminaries on Christmas Eve. This tradition goes back to the 1600/1700s when Spanish priests used to light luminaries to mark the way to the churches for mass on Christmas Eve. The lights were to welcome, not only the patrons of the churches, but especially the Christ-child. We have carried on the tradition in my family as a way to remind us that Christ is the Light of the World and to show Him the way into our home. Jeff and I decided to carry on this tradition with our little family...of course it was done on a much larger scale since our house/property is bigger than my parents'. Still, we all had fun and the end result was gorgeous. It is a tradition I am going to continue to look forward to.

 

 

After lighting our luminaries, Jeff's father provided a family home evening lesson on giving gifts to Christ. The kids were then off to bed and Jeff and I spent the rest of the evening making sure Santa got everything under the tree. The next morning we enjoyed watching the kids open their gifts after which we broke in Jeff's new waffle maker (a gift I gave him) to start another Christmas tradition - waffles. It was truly one of the best Christmases I've had. I enjoyed being with Jeff and the kids. I am looking forward to many more holidays with everyone. 

The Proposal

After the first official meeting, Jeff knew he no longer wanted to be separated from me. The wheels started turning and plans were calculated. He found a diamond and consulted a custom jeweler to create the perfect ring. I made it very clear that Jeff could not ask for my hand without first asking my father for permission. Jeff agreed to come to Arizona in September to ask...but I assumed it was only to ask my dad for permission. Little did I know that Jeff had already contacted my dad (thanks to Aunt Barb who gave Jeff his phone number) and the question he was determined to ask was to me...not my dad. (As a side note, after asking for my father's blessing, Dad quickly asked if Jeff liked waffles...he is quick to get to the more important priorities...food.) The morning of the day that Jeff was scheduled to fly in, I was busy preparing for his arrival. I knew Jeff would be coming in the afternoon and I wanted to have everything perfect. I had just finished cleaning the bathroom when the doorbell rang. Initially, I just brushed it off and continued with my chores, but curiosity got the best of me. I ran downstairs and looked through the peephole. No one was there. I thought perhaps someone had left something so I opened the door. There, on bended knee, was a man wearing an army green military backpack. I was dumbfounded as I tried to figure out why a homeless veteran would be begging for money door to door. In an instant, Jeff looked up. "Alisha Laynette Shumway, will you marry me?", Jeff inquired as he produced a beautiful diamond ring. Still dumbfounded, I questioned what he was doing there before the shock wore off and I gladly and excitedly told him yes....the best three letter word I've ever uttered.

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Our Courtship

Jeff and I met after Jeff received a persistent string of text messages from my aunt, Barbara Tarwater, in June 2012. She had contacted Jeff and informed him (rather boldly I might include) that he deserved me and I deserved him. Jeff was a bit reluctant to contact me but felt it was a safe decision since I lived in another state. Little did he know that in a matter of months we would be engaged...then married. Jeff and I started our courtship by exchaning emails, then text messages, then phone calls. In July 2012, Jeff convinced me to fly to Utah to meet him. I did not go unprepared. I carried with me a list of pros and cons regarding a relationship with him. I had never imagined seriously dating a man who was divorced or who had four children; however, after that weekend together, I knew he was the one for me. Jeff was (and is) my prince charming. From day one, he has been patient, understanding, complimentary, kind, genuine, loving, etc. I had waited all my life to find someone like him...even if I didn't expect he would come with the package he did. Yet, he is worth it all. Plus, I feel extremely blessed to have the opportunity to help parent his four amazing children. From day one, they have opened their hearts and their home to me. It is a privilege to know, love, care for, and live with these incredible individuals. In any case, here are a few pictures from our courtship:

 

Jeff took me to eat at The Roof restaurant at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City on our first date (as seen in the top picture). Temple Square and City Creek Center (the bottom picture in the fountain at City Creek) became a traditional date night spot on the days I would fly in to visit Jeff in Utah.

During that first weekend, we spent a lot of time in Payson/Santaquin Canyon as we discussed the logistics of whether or not to continue our relationship. It was at this lookout point that I realized I loved Jeff...despite all the "cons" that may have been involved in a relationship with him. I haven't looked back since that day...and I continue to look forward to many more days/months/years with him.

 

 

As you can imagine our courtship took place in two different states: Arizona and Utah. Above are a few photos from our activities in Utah. In the top photo, we are at Park City. We enjoyed the Alpine Slide and Coaster with the kids. The next two photos are from when we took the boys to go pick out pumpkins with my brothers, their wives, and my niece, Kaia.

These are a few images of the dates we enjoyed in Arizona. Jeff and I went to a Diamondbacks baseball game as well as a ASU football game. In Decemeber, Jeff brought the kids down (minus Laurin who had school obligations). We went to a local community theater's production of a Christmas Carol then out hiking in the great AZ desert with my nephew, Tyler, and niece, Kate.

For some, our courtship may have been too quick...but for Jeff and I it was just perfect. From the beginning, we were open and honest with each other. We were quick to ascertain whether or not we were compatible and if we wanted to make things work. Jeff has been the blessing I've prayed for my entire adult life. I couldn't have asked for a better match.