In Case You Missed It.....

Check out Jacob! You're welcome.

Summertime!!!

Nothing better than staying cool in the pool!!! And this is where the kids have been for the past week. I love it when they get all tan and have those adorable tan lines. And I love that my camera takes pictures like this. This picture below is probably one of my favorite pictures of Caitlin EVER!!!

Shout Out!

I have to give a shout out to my friend Kristen Hamrick. She and I both have a desire to tackle this alien computer program known as Photoshop Elements. It may as well be in a combined language of Spanish, Finnish and Swahili because I cannot understand it AT ALL. Anyway, Kristin had signed up for an online class and invited me over to take it with her. While we were there, she taught me a few minor things to do in PS like my new header! Fun! It's obvious that she is a little bit more skilled with PS than I am, and that is very much to my benefit. So, I would like to give a giant WHOOP! WHOOP! to Kristen for teaching me her skills. Thanks Kristen! See you next week!

What Happened?

The whole experience was quite an adventure. After we were engaged, Hugh would tell the little old ladies at church that he picked me up at a bar, we dated for three weeks, and then he asked me to marry him. It was the truth. He just skipped the fact that we had been the best of friends for seven years prior. Anyway, so are you wondering what happened that made Hugh finally get his head on straight? He would tell you that he just knew that he would never find anyone that loved him or spoiled him more than me. True. But here's what REALLY happened.....

Remember that Thanksgiving night when we went to the hockey game? And he dropped me off at home and was apologizing for not being a good friend to me? Well, he was driving home...down Central Avenue (if you are from here, you know that Central Avenue from Glendale to Thomas is a pretty drive) and while he was driving, things just sort of went into slow motion. And all of these thoughts of me and of us started drifting through his mind. He said he doesn't even remember the drive.....just the thoughts. By the time he got to Thomas Road, he knew that he was in love with me and wanted to marry me. The next night was when he found me at the Arizona Center. And five days after that he told his mom his feelings. Three weeks later we were engaged. And eleven months later we were married. We'll celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary this November. We've been through a lot in our 17 years. Some good. Some bad. But, we have always managed to stay best friends.

And he still makes me laugh every day.

The Proposal

Are you kidding me? Marry me? We had officially been dating for 5 days!!!! I laugh out loud just thinking about that. And the funniest part about all of this was that I found this out FROM HIS MOTHER! I honestly didn't think that MARRIAGE was something in our future, much less our immediate future!!! Anyway, it kind of freaked me out. I was only 21 at the time, and I have never thought I would even consider getting married until at least after college. But, now with this news, I had to think......do I really want to marry Hugh? I mean, the 7 year chase was fun and all, but now things are serious. Was this what I really wanted? Uh....duh! It took me about 2 seconds on my knees to figure that one out. YES!!! So, I went about my days trying not to think about when he might propose, and just relax with the thought that Hugh was finally my dream boyfriend!!! Love letters, beautiful flowers, grand gestures of romanticism....he really poured it on. And I took in every drop of it. It was awesome!!! I finished school for the semester and came home. We spent every waking moment together. I knew that Hugh didn't have the money to buy me a ring at the time, so I was pretty sure a proposal was a little far off. But, then, Hugh was not a very patient man. On December 22, 1991, while slow dancing in my living room in front of my Christmas tree, he asked THE QUESTION. "Toni, will you marry me?" I made him ask me again. "Toni, will you marry me???" AAAAHHHHHHHH!! Of course I said YES! I ran upstairs and awoke my mom. She was a little freaked out, to say the least. But happy for us. We set the date....November 6, 1992. This was a long time to wait. Especially when you are trying to "abstain"....if you catch my drift. But, we wanted to marry in the Temple and we had to wait until I had been a member of the church for an entire year, which would be on November 3, 1992. We started planning. (I've learned so much about wedding planning, I would give anything to do it all again!!) Our colors were hunter green and gold. Totally 1992. Oh, and about the ring.....he didn't give me one when he proposed. Didn't have the money, like I said. But, on Valentine's Day, he took me out....to the Temple, in fact, to walk around the beautiful grounds there. He sat me down and gave me this box. Not a small box, but a larger one. About the size of a big envelope. In it was a small bag his mom made for me. All white. Something for my wedding day. I started inspecting it, and inside of it I found a small, white heart shaped pillow. Small, like a Christmas ornament. I pulled it out, and flipped it over. And there it was. My ring. A beautiful 1/2 carat diamond solitaire on a gold band. Perfect. I couldn't believe it. It was official. I was engaged to Hugh. That November 6, we were married for Time and All Eternity in the Mesa Arizona Temple. And the rest is history......except....what made him change his mind about me? What led him to the Arizona Center that night to find me? Hmmmmm, that's another post.

Our first family function as a couple.

The Nutcracker. I was sooooo skinny!

The night after he gave me my ring. This was at his Grandparent's house. They had been heart attacked by their grown daughters. Love it.

One of our engagement pictures.

Another engagement shot.

Our wedding day.

On our way to Happily Ever After.

Then, It Happened

It was Thanksgiving, 1991. I came home from school. I went and watched Hugh play in a Turkey Bowl. I gave him a NAU hat. He didn't say thank you. That night, we went to a hockey game. When he dropped me off at home, he apologized for not thanking me for the hat. He apologized for taking our friendship for granted. He left. The next night, November 29, 1991, I went to the Arizona Center to a going away party for my friend Cami (the Homecoming Attendant from my first post on this story!!). Now, remember, I was a Mormon at this time for about 3 weeks. And I was at a bar. Kind of funny. Anyway, while we were there, I had several people tell me that they saw Hugh there. No way! Hugh doesn't go to bars!!! But he was there. Looking for me! He found me, and offered to drive me home. My house keys were in my brother's car, and my brother was no where to be found, so I was basically locked out of my house. We walked out to the parking lot. It started to rain so Hugh put his jacket around my shoulders. He picked me up and swung me around in a very romantic sort of way. Seriously! What was up with him? He never did this sort of stuff with me because he knew any sort of affection he showed towards me I would dissect to find the hidden meaning. So, Hugh drove me to his house so I could call my mom and tell her to unlock to the door. She wasn't home. (She was still paying cards at her friend's house!!) So, I was stranded at Hugh's. Darn it! He turned on some music. He turned down the lights. He told me that he had been thinking about me a lot. Wait a minute! Hold the phone!!!! I actually got mad. I said "Hugh, you know how I feel about you. I would marry you today if you asked me to. DO NOT SCREW AROUND WITH ME!!!" And then, he did it. He kissed me. A big, romantic, feel it in your toes kiss. I couldn't believe it. I knew he cared about me too much as his friend to just kiss me just because he wanted to kiss. I almost cried. I knew this meant something. Something serious. He drove me home and asked me not to tell anyone. He wanted it to be a secret. Uh...ok..yea right! I IMMEDIATELY told my mom. And my girlfriends the next day. They were not happy because they thought I was going to get hurt. I could understand their fear, but I knew this was different. Hugh and I went out the next night, and let me tell you, I have NEVER felt butterflies like I did when he held my hand that night. It made me dizzy! We spent as much time together over those next few days as we could before I went back to school for finals. I left on a Sunday. The following Tuesday, at about 2am, my phone rang in my dorm room. It was Hugh's mom, Pam. She was crying. I thought Hugh was dead, seriously. I thought "I finally got him and now he's dead!!!". Why else would she be calling in tears? Well, she calmed down enough to tell me that she and Hugh had just had a very long conversation, and he told her that he loved me and wanted to marry me.

WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY????? MARRY ME???????????

One of our first official dates....the Phoenix Zoo.

Now What?

A week after Hugh got home, I went off to NAU. Bummer!!! I brought a shrine of pictures of him (just ask my roommate and still BFF Tracy about the pictures.....they were a little obnoxious). I called him all of the time. I came home EVERY WEEKEND. It became very apparent how I felt about him. But, unfortunately, he didn't return the feelings. It even got to the point where he flat out said to me "I don't love you. There is someone else out there for you." I was heartbroken. I mean, seriously, heartbroken. I was sick. I lost about 10 pounds in a two week period. My girlfriends had an intervention with me. They made me take down my shrine!! But my feelings didn't change. Right about the time all of this was going on, I met a girl at NAU who had just recently become a member of the Mormon Church. This girl, CJ, was amazing. We talked about what made her join the church, and not to get overly spiritual here, I felt it. I felt the Spirit. Strong. I knew I needed to take some time to seriously pray about if this feeling I was having was real. It was. I immediately asked CJ to find me some of those Mormon missionaries. She did, and I met with them on several occassions, and I made the decision to be baptized. (Side note: I can honestly say I did NOT join the church because I thought that would make Hugh love me. It was a very personal decision that I did not go into lightly. And to this day, I know it was the best decision I have ever made. ) I called Hugh. I told him I wanted to get baptized. He about fell over. He was excited for me because he could hear and feel my excitement. We told my mom, and she was so supportive. We told his parents, and they were floored! Everyone around me was very excited for me. I asked Hugh to baptize me - of course!! I was baptized on November 3, 1991. Everyone I loved was there. It was a great day. I went back to NAU a few days later. But, the night before my baptism, I found out that Hugh had started dating a very good friend of mine. (She will remain nameless because some of you may know her!!) She was my only Mormon friend while Hugh was on his mission. (I worked down the hall from her mom, which is how I met her.) Anyway, I had introduced her to Hugh when he came home (not thinking that she would EVER date MY Mormon), and he asked her out when I was at NAU. Not to bring up a lot of bad feelings I had at the time...but I made a decision after my baptism that I couldn't be friends with Hugh for a while. I was truly heartbroken at this relationship he had formed with this girl. And I knew that if I wanted to get on with my life, I would need to not have him in it for a while. Yes, well, that lasted two weeks. I came to the conclusion that I would rather have Hugh in my life as my friend than not at all. And so, back to being friends it was.

Hugh and I at my baptism.

I know, I know. The hair, the dress, the glasses.

Please contain your laughter.

Coming Home

Hugh was gone for 2 years and 13 days. And I wrote him EVERYDAY. That is NOT an exageration. EVERYDAY. Sometimes it was just a short note that I would write at work and stick in the mail. Sometimes it was a goofy t-shirt I made him that said something in puffy paint. Sometimes it was cookies. A tape I recorded for him. A video I made. Just something. Anything. To make sure he didn't forget me. I was crazy obsessed. (Just ask any one of my girlfriends.) He had so many letters from me that he only brought home 2 of them. And yes, he did write me. Once he even sent me a tape that he talked to me on! And once, he sent me a bracelet that was made out of leather that had HUGO stamped in it. Man, I LOVED that bracelet. (I still have it somewhere. The tape too.) Now, as you can imagine, a lot of what Hugh wrote to me was encouraging me (as any good missionary would do) to check out this book called The Book of Mormon. Which I did because Hugh asked me to. And I even met with two missionaries that were serving here in Arizona. I even let them teach me a few things. But at the time, it wasn't for me. I thought I could learn all I need to learn about Mormons from Hugh. Anyway, skip to August 15, 1991. The day. The glorious day of Hugh's return. I had the cutest shirt, and a nifty french braid in my hair. I went to the airport. I remember being so incredibly nervous. Then I saw him. Blond hair. Big smile. Coming down the tunnel that leads to the airplanes (this was back when you could actually go to the gate.) I saw Kort RUN to him and grab on to him. He stuck like glue. It was so sweet. I stood back and watched because I didn't know what to do. Again, the missionary thing. Would he break the rules this time and hug me?? Nope. He didn't. Just a very firm handshake. A hug would have to wait until he was officially released as a missionary. That happened the next day. So, I went over to his house. And we hugged. A long best friend hug. And it was everything I wanted it to be. That night, we went out to TGI Fridays with his best friend Gordie and his wife Sylvia. It was so great to be with him. And to hear him speak fluent Spanish. Sexy!! Oh wait, I can't think like that. We were still just friends......

That night at TGI Fridays.

Sorry for the horrible quality of the picture.

Again, scanned straight from my scrapbook.

The Mission

I was raised Catholic. So, having a Mormon as my best friend/dream boyfriend introduced me to this 2 year road trip called "The Mission". WHAT?? Hugh was going to go where and for how long??? And what was I going to do without him? Well, I wasn't going to dwell on that. We had just over a year from the time we graduated until the time he was going to leave to hang out. And that we did. Hung out. Movies. Restaurants. My house. His house. Classic hanging out. And actually, one night, while watching a movie at my house, Hugh did the UNTHINKABLE! He KISSED me! WHAT THE HECK!! I was freaking out. I honestly don't even remember what made him do that. But for TWO WEEKS we were more than "friends". TWO WEEKS!! Then it ended. {{{SIGH}}} He thought we would be better off as "friends". By this time, my sincere crush had definitely turned into sincere love. But it wasn't meant to be.....then. Bad timing. So, I backed off, and went back to being his friend. I stood by as I watched this amazing transformation of a young man into a strong, dedicated young missionary. They seem to glow, you know. He got the letter one day. He called me - woke me up, actually - and told me that he had been called to serve in the Chile Santiago North Mission. And he was leaving August 2nd (1989). That gave me about two months. Two months to let him know that I was the best friend he would ever had. The day arrived that he was to leave. That dreaded day. I went to his house that morning. He had been "set apart" as a missionary the night before (which means he was "officially" a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and therefore, he was to basically stay away from the cute girls!!! I walked him to his car as he and his family were getting ready to go the airport. We stood there trying to figure out how to say good-bye. Do we shake hands? High five? Cuz technically, he wasn't supposed to hug me. But, being the rebel that he was, he did hug me. A big best friend hug. And said good-bye. Off he went. And I cried....for three days straight. What a headache I had.....

Straight from my scrapbook. Hence, the circle cut. This is the day he left. Look at my face, I was bawling. So sad.....

Just Friends

So, Hugh and I ended up in Mr. Roger's history class together sophomore year. That's where we became friends. He was a super hot hottie, and I was a semi-smart girl, so he flirted and I helped him in class. We both got our driver's licenses that year, so we would go out to lunch together (Burger King) and he would give me rides home from school. We were friends....good friends....but I secretly LOVED him. Not surprising because I was a total BOY FREAK, and liked lots of guys, but he was special because he was nice to me. He was my friend, don't forget. This friendship/secret crush lasted all throughout high school. We both dated (maybe dated is too strong of a word.....how about "kissed") lots and lots of people, and we told each other about all of them. That's how I knew Hugh was mackin' on my friends!!! (Mackin' was our term for kissing....it was the 80's you know). Hello! Total infraction of the GIRLFRIEND CODE! I knew Hugh was "involved" with a few of my closest girlfriends, and I was insanely jealous. But, I had no right to be because Hugh didn't even know I liked him "like that". Oh well. It makes for some pretty funny stories right now. Anyway, we were friends. We went to parties together, he watched me play tennis, I watched him wrestle, he watched me dance (we even danced together in our Senior Year Dance Concert....all of the hot, cool guys were our partners for one fun dance.) We went to homecoming together. We went to the Spring Luau together. We went to Graduation together, and the after parties. I knew who he dated. He knew who I dated. We were friends. But, man, did I LOVE him. Hugh Chase. My dream boyfriend. I knew graduation was going to bring some changes because his mission was looming around the corner......

Hugh had a friend of his family take his Senior Pictures at his house. He invited me over. And about sent me to the moon when he suggested that we have a picture taken TOGETHER!!!

That wasn't my crown. It was his.....Homecoming King. That's right folks.....my date was the Super Hot Hottie Homecoming King!!

The Spring Luau. And I'm touchin' his HOT BOD!! Needless to say, I was very excited to show this picture to my friends...and strangers....and anyone else who would give me the time of day.

If you would like a peek at a SUPER CLASSIC picture of Hugh and I, click here.

In the beginning.....

Hugh and I met when we were 14 years old. Freshman in high school. It was the Homecoming Game at WHS (Go Rams!!) and Hugh had just been crowned Homecoming Attendant. The girl who won with him was a very good friend of mine. I used this as my opportunity to finally meet Hugh. I went up to my friend, Cami and with utmost Freshman drama, congratulated her on her new title of Most Popular Freshman (because come on, isn't that really what Homecoming Attendant/King/Queen is all about??). I gave her a big hug and kiss on the check. Well, standing next to her was this adorable blond headed boy wearing jeans, and a plaid shirt with an argyle sweater (we still argue about that.....NO Hugh, plaid and argyle DO NOT go together). I turned to him and squeeled "Congratulations!!!" and hugged him and KISSED HIM ON THE CHEEK!! (I wasn't very shy back then.....) Whoa! He was like "Who is this girl??" Anyway, that's how we met. That was October 26, 1984. We didn't have any classes together that year, so our friendship consisted of "hi's" in the breezeways. As sophomores, we ended up with a class together, and that's really when our friendship.....and my enormous crush......started.......

Are You Following Me?

Ok, I just added that little gadget over there on the right to show my "followers". Are there any of you out there? (Besides the four who've already let me know that I'm loved.) I'm just curious. Does anyone read this stuff?

Journals

The lesson I taught to my Young Women today was on the importance of Journals. I spent most of the lesson reading the girls stories from Hugh's Great Grandfather's journal. This man has such a detailed life history that he wrote himself. It's awesome. Some great stories. Anyway, this blog has in many ways become my journal. I don't usually post anything very emotional or spiritual, but it does contain the every day goings on of The Chase Gang. I'll save the emotional and spiritual stuff for an actual handwritten journal. (Yes, I'll start that today....) But, I've also realized that I don't have my life history in any type of written form. I have lots of memories and events that I can recall in detail, but how is that going to help my grandchildren and great grandchildren when I am gone? So, I've decided to dedicate one day a week on my blog to record some sort of event in my life. I'll start tomorrow. Memory Monday. How 'bout that? They may be long and boring, and if no one reads them, I'll be fine with that. But at least this way, I'll have them in print for my posterity. So, stay tuned for tomorrow's story....the story of how Hugh and I ended up together. It's a doozy!!

Griffin & Zoey Sitting in a Tree....

Yes, these two have become quite fond of each other. I wouldn't say that they are a "couple" yet, but they sure are flirting. Actually, we are going to be "taking care" of each of them as to not have little Griffins and Zoeys running around. (Not that I wouldn't mind that....how cute!!) They really are getting along great. They spend most of their time chasing after each other. And when they aren't doing that, they are off exploring the backyard. I have found them more than once cuddled up together in one of their many beds. It's so cute, and honestly, one of the best decisions we have ever made. Griffin really needed a playmate and Zoey fits in perfectly. I'm so in love with both of them.

My Little Stud

And the princess (she's wearing a Build -A-Bear Jacket in this picture....courtesy of Caitlin & Courtney)

Sharing the cage.

Sharing the bed

It Doesn't Get Better Than This

This was my favorite dance from last season's SYTYCD. It was the Samba with Katee & Joshua. Joshua went on to win the competition. He was my favorite from Day 1!! Tonight's show did NOT disappoint! I'm so excited that the season has started. And even more excited that they announced a FALL season of SYTYCD! Woo hoo! Doesn't take much to make me happy. Watch and enjoy! That Joshua is DELICIOUS!!!

Fast forward until about 2:30......you can skip all of the intro.....

Need I Say More?

My favorite part of summer.

OH. MY. GOSH!

Oh, that smile melts my heart....

Have you ever wanted to do something really, really bad?? Like, you would move heaven and earth do to it? Like, it makes you well up with tears just thinking about it? Well, that's how I feel when I think about meeting Andre Agassi. No lie. I've LOVED him since 1986 when he burst onto the tennis scene with that long, flowing hair, those acid wash shorts he wore over neon orange or green bike shorts, and the most awesome tennis skills known to man. In high school up until I married Hugh, I had a SHRINE of him plastered on my bedroom wall. I had a LIFESIZE CARDBOARD CUT OUT of him in my BEDROOM!!! (That was a birthday gift from my most awesome brother, Scott!!) Well, I was just notified that he....ANDRE AGASSI....will be in Surprise, Arizona playing in the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championship. (Several other "old school" players will be playing....but none of them matter to me.) Here's my point: I WILL buy tickets...the best I can purchase....to watch the event. And I want to say this.....I WILL MEET HIM. I don't know HOW, but SOMEONE has to know SOMEONE who can help me make this dream come true!!! I figure if I say it...it will come true....you know, "The Secret" style. So, if any of you know anyone who knows someone who can help me with this, let me know. I will be your slave forever.

Classic Andre.....check out them buns!!!!

When he retired after losing in the 3rd round at the US Open...September 3, 2006. I cried and cried and cried as he cried and cried and cried. He received an eight minute standing ovation. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.

I used to have this poster hanging in my room.

This is my room. Do you see the poster? Top left. See the custom made collage? Framed GQ cover?? The life size cardboard cut out was to the left of this....I couldn't find a picture of it. :(

This is the closest I've ever gotten to him. This was in Scottsdale in the 90's. He played John McEnroe.

See my shirt???

By the way, not only is he an amazing tennis player....the greatest male player EVER in my opinion, but he is also one of the most charitable people around. He started the Andre Agassi Foundation which is dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk children through its support of recreational and educational programs. Awesome! His foundation puts on this huge gala every year, and a few years ago Ellen DeGeneres was going to attend at his request. I wrote to her EVERY DAY for a month BEGGING her to take me. No luck. :( But I feel as though my luck is about to change!!!

Cupcakes

I've become obsessed with cupcakes. (Not hard for me because I have an obsessive personality.) Have you ever been to the blog Bakerella??? OH. MY. GOSH. I've seen ever page of this blog. This woman is so dang creative. I mean really.....who can come up with this?

And how yummy do these look??

And she makes all of these ADORABLE cupcake pops!! She even taught Martha Stewart how to make them!!!

And who wouldn't want these at Christmas??

Her blog is full of awesome baking ideas. Courtney and I going to make either this....

...or this.....

For the Girls' Camp Fundraising Dinner and Dessert Auction

Really, how could you resist these cuties?

Do you notice the sandy beach in the back??? And look at the little bears actually swimming in the "ocean". These have been requested by Courtney for her next birthday party. So dang cute.

Seriously, go visit Bakerella. You may need a glass of cold milk to go with it.