We thought we'd kick off our blog by sharing a little bit about us and how our family came to be. If you're not really interested then you can just skip down and look at the pictures :)
Part 1: Jake
Jacob Nephi Harris was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and lived in Salt Lake or Sandy for about thirteen years. He was a pretty cute little kid (although he admits he wasn't as cute as Dalyn is). His favorite thing to do growing up was to play soccer. He played for about 8 years. Then his family moved all over... Texas, Iowa, New Mexico, and then to Littleton, Colorado. He attended two different Middle Schools and four different High Schools. (Quite an adventure.) He played football and basketball in High School, was a member of National Honors Society and a number of other things. He was also very good at art. (In fact, one of his pen and ink abstract artwork masterpieces was in a regional art show and is hanging in our dining room right now.) He is the fourth of eight children, six of which are sisters, which may contribute to a unique set of skills. Even though he may not love to do it, he is a fabulous cook. He is one of those people that can make a wonderful creation out of seemingly nothing. He attended BYU, then served a two year LDS mission in Caracas Venezuela (4th most dangerous city in the world) and then went back to BYU where he earned his Bachelors degree. He later earned his Masters degree from Adams State and is currently working on his PhD at Utah State.
Part 2: Tasha
Tasha Lee Hilton was born in Sheridan, Montana and grew up living in the same town (Dillon), even in the same house (where the good parents still live to this day) for all of her school years. (Meanwhile Jake was well on his way to living in what is now 31 places- so she's a little behind in the count!!) Tasha is the second of five children and was the only girl among four brothers. Almost inevitably she grew up enjoying sports, games and anything active or competetive. In High School she played basketball, volleyball, and tennis and then at college she played almost every kind of intramural sport imaginable (including co-ed inner tube water polo). She loves to learn about anything and everything and would love to take college classes forever. She also enjoys public speaking or teaching in any capacity. She attended Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) and then went on to BYU. She served an 18 month LDS mission in Uruguay and then went back to BYU where she earned her Bachelors degree.
Part 3: How Our Paths Crossed
Now that we've got us in the same country, state and university the "us" part can begin...
When I got home from my mission and was trying to find a place to live I decided to go to a place called the Colony. I didn't have anyone to room with and I had heard that place was cool so I decided to go for it. I went to the manager to find out my apartment number and she gave it to me so I went to meet my new roommates. When I walked in the door I just had the worst feeling and knew that I wasn't supposed to live there. So I went back and asked if there was a different apartment I could live in. She gave me another number and I went in and had the same feeling. Feeling a little embarassed I went and asked for a list of all of my options. I went in a couple more apartments and didn't feel good until I walked in the right one. When I walked into that apartment I was greeted by some friendly people and I just had such a good feeling come over me and I knew this was where I was supposed to live. I ended up having two Venezuelan roommates that I got to be good friends with because I spoke Spanish and they were friends with Jake (because he spoke Spanish and had served his mission in Venezuela.) So I first got to meet and hang out with Jake through them. He was also in my ward and lived right down the street from me in the Colony. Looking back I know that I was guided to live in that right apartment so that I could be their roommate and meet Jake. Little did I know I wasn't just being guided to the right apartment I was being guided to the right man. It's amazing how the Lord will guide us if we will just listen.
Part 4: Our Dating Adventure
All great stories have a beginning ... So there are various accounts and opinions as to the first time we actually met but basically how we got to know each other is what is important. I mentioned previously that Jake and I met through my roomates so I knew who he was at this point and he had been to my apartment, mostly just to chill with my roomies but we had talked a little bit and I felt like there could be something there (and he was just really cute!!). I don't want anyone to think I was a boy chaser! :) So, I will just say I was led by the spirit one fine sunny morning when I decided to go down to his apartment to see if he was there. So for those of you who know me, you know that I put on my cutest outfit, lots of makeup and went down to get me a man! JUST KIDDING! I put on these old basketball shorts that I think were actually my brother's and an old baggy t-shirt (the art of seduction never really caught on with me til after I was married!) but it didn't matter because apparently Jake was sick of the fake, too much make-up, prissy girls and was ready for my more subtle approach. As I walked towards his apartment I saw him out playing basketball. I couldn't help but catchmyself with a big smile on my face as I got nearer and he saw me too. I went over and talked to him and we ended up playing basketball. From that time on I pretty much knew he was going to be mine, it was only a matter of time! Why you ask, because here was this cute boy who I was already beginning to have a major crush on playing basketball like I had never seen before. Remember that I grew up with all boys- how could I resist someday bringing home a boy that had such wicked sweet skills!! Jake was seriously amazing. He played me "streetball" style with all these trick moves and was just incredible- yes, funny the things we are attracted too! But it only got better from there. After we played I was just going to go home but didn't really want to leave, I started to go and just then Jake asked if I wanted to come back over for lunch- I was sooo excited! (but I played it cool - like yeah, that would be fun) But it gets even better. Really I would have been happy to just hang out and get to know him better, maybe eat a peanut butter sandwhich or something but no, I came back a half hour later (this time in cuter clothes) to a gourmet meal that was delicious! That's when I knew this really was love :)
Jake and I started hanging out a lot...playing basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, ping pong, hiking, and long, fun conversations while looking at the stars. And of course, he made me really yummy food and he made me laugh (what more can a girl ask for!).
Some of that yummy food!
From the beginning sparks flew and there was a lot of chemistry between us. We had a few random funny moments, most of which came about because I was fresh off my mission and still getting acclimated to life again- like the time I tried to make Jake have a planning meeting with me after our first date, or when I made a big deal about telling him I wasn't ready for committment even though he had never asked, he had never so much as kissed me on the cheek, you know, normal stuff like that :) ...
The turning point for us was when we took a road trip to his house in Colorado with friends towards the end of the summer and went to Six Flags. We finally kissed for the first time during that trip and yes, the rumors are true I did kiss him first but he had been teasing me all week, getting real close like he was going to kiss me and then never doing it, he was just toying with me. I couldn't take it anymore so I took matters into my own hands- Girl Power!! ...
In between summer semester and fall semester he took a road trip to Montana to see me. I made sure to give him a taste of montana AND a big dose of family time! With my family we went four-wheeling, water skiing, hiking, camping, and to a family reunion (where Jake got the hot seat from my great-aunts and grandmas and impressed all the guys with his madd basketball skills). We played games non-stop and played every sport we could think of. I'm still not sure how we packed a month's worth of playing into such a short period of time but we managed to go non-stop for 10 days and do everything. The family reunion was particularly interesting because Jake was already there in Montana so he sort of had to just come with us, he had no idea it was part of the montana experience. Poor guy! But really it just made me want him to be there at our next family reunion :)
Four Wheeling in Montana
Overlooking a beautiful lake
Dirty faces after four wheeling
Back at BYU we began our courtship in more earnest- Jake found that he no longer wanted to spend time with other girls and I barely paid any attention to other boys. I had a great system worked out where whenever Jake was at my apartment I would feed him peanut butter and jelly on a tortilla and when we were at his apartment we would eat steak, enchiladas, empanadas, lasagna, etc. Somehow we ended up at his apartment more and more as time went by.
We went to a BYU Homecoming Dance together at the Capital
We had fun picnic dinners together, we volunteered at an Elementary school helping kids read together, played frisbee golf, had a blast at dances on campus, (Jake & his sisters are dancing fools, they have all the moves!! I had no idea I was dating a dancer but boy was I impressed!) :)
Eventually it got to the point where we both felt like this was it. We fell in love and knew we were going to get married. We even took a Marriage Enhancement class together at BYU. We went to a few different temples together...Manti, Provo, & Idaho Falls.
At the Manti temple
Part 5: The Engagement Story
It was actually Jake's birthday, March 29, and we played sand volleyball with friends and I had made him a birthday dessert (Oreo Cream Pie). Afterwards he asked if we could go on a little drive. So we took a little drive down memory lane and stopped at various places that we had had fun dates. We laughed and reminisced on our dates there. One place we stopped was an Elementary school basketball court, where we had played, so we got out and Jake turned on some music from his car and we danced there. It was so fun. We ended up back at the colony at the basketball court right by where his apartment was. (Remember this basketball court was where sparks first flew between us...I had gone down to find him and I was wearing my hair up, my baggy basketball shorts and a t-shirt (he says I looked so cute) and I found him playing basketball. So we played a little one-on-one and I was quite impressed with his street ball skills. We played, laughed, talked and flirted. It was always a fun memory for both of us) So we decided to reinact that moment. (Never did it even cross my mind that he was proposing.) I went down the sidewalk and turned around and came walking down it. We talked and laughed and before I knew it he had whipped out a dozen roses out of no where to give me. I was so surprised and so happy. Then a few minutes later he had me turn around to see my beautiful ring sparkling in the moonlight. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I jumped on his lap and said yes and kissed him and was overflowing with indescribable happiness!
Here are a couple of our engagement pics...
Some bridal pics as well...
Part 6: Our Wedding Day
We got married on Friday May 7, 2004 in the Mount Timpanogas Temple in American Fork, Utah. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the whole day was just perfect. The temple was beautiful, the ceremony was very special, and it was so fun to have so many family and friends there. We had a reception that evening at the Bungalow reception center. It was mainly an outdoor reception and the flowers, plants and little waterfall were beautiful. More friends and family than we ever could have imagined came to support us and it was so fun to see everyone. Our wedding day was so perfect that I didn't want it to ever end.
Part 7: Our HoneymoonWe'll start by showing you some pictures of where we got to spend the our honeymoon week...
After we were married we moved into our own cute little one bedroom apartment at Union Square in Provo. (Two weeks before we got married Jake graduated from BYU with his Bachelors in Marriage, Family & Human Development.) He continued to work at the Daily Herald Newspaper and I continued to work at the MTC teaching Spanish, as a Wellness Educator Intern at UVSC and finished up school.
Since we talked so much about it, I might as well keep the theme alive. It was almost two years before I finally gave in and starting cooking dinners for us. (Jake's note: and that lasted about two whole weeks before I took over again :) Jake was so use to cooking we never even discussed it, he just did it. It also worked out great for him to cook because his schedule was not near as crazy as mine and he's a better cook. (I miss those days!!) (And yes, I really do cook now... well, most of the time) I graduated in December with my Bachelors in Health and Wellness.
We loved being in our own little apartment. We thought it was the coolest thing in the world to be together so much! We watched movies, ate cute little candle light dinners, went on walks, played tennis a lot, rode our bikes... It was like one long date!
Part 9: Life after BYU
After BYU we managed to continue the Harris tradition of moving around. We had a very brief stint in Greeley, CO where I worked in a neighboring city, Fort Collins as a spanish medical interpreter for a psychiatrist and an assistant on their integrated primary & mental health care team. I became a sophisticated business woman there (at least for my job interview :) (And yes my hair was dark brown. If you haven't noticed already from the pictures, I like the color of my hair to be ever changing.)
It was there that we found out we were pregnant and we were so excited!
Showing off my pregnant belly at 8 months along
Part 10: The Joys of Higher Education & Parenthood
We then went to Alamosa where Jake started his Masters in Counseling and where we had our cute little baby boy, Dalyn Jacob Harris. He was born December 29, 2005. (We have loved being parents with all the joys and challenges that come along with it.)
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I went to work as a manager for head start and Jake worked on his masters online at night and took care of (or should I say "played with") Dalyn during the day. I hated leaving Dalyn. Jake says I must have said that at least twice a day but we were able to make and save a lot of money this way and we really felt like it was the right choice to make! We were only there for one year before moving on again. All in all, it worked out quite well and we gained a lot from the experience!
Jake was never fond of cleaning, but he found a way...
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And we met some fun friends
As we researched graduate schools that offered PhDs we found the perfect fit in Utah State. We knew we shouldn't get our hopes up too much and should consider other options and back up plans, especially since it is very difficult to get accepted into Utah State's doctoral program but as the time for applications came and went we just couldn't bring ourselves to apply anywhere else- no backup plan, no choice B, it was Utah State or go back to the drawing board. Luckily, it never came to that because Jake was not only accepted into their doctoral program, he was awarded a fellowship and assistantship- a remarkable blessing indeed!
So we packed it on up and made the treck from La Junta, Colorado to Logan, Utah. We live in a cute townhouse style apartment with a fun little playground, tons of grass, and a basketball court, which Dalyn loved during the summer. Our only complaint is that they actually have winter here. We quite enjoyed our sunny La Junta winter where it was often in the 50s during the winter months.
So this is where our life has brought us to and we are very happy to be here! As you can see it has been quite the adventure! Now that we've caught you up on what you may (or may not) have missed, we'll post more regularly and keep you up to date on the comings and goings in our lives!! Hope you enjoy!
Dal loved playing with the dogs...especially Zeby because she is pretty old so she was content to lie there while Dalyn pet her and talked to her.
I think Dal was trying to show Kitty some cool kind of swan dive thing.
Dalyn enjoying the wide open spaces of Montana.
A cute big hug!
I have been tending a little boy named Manuel 2-3 days per week. He is 3 years old and only speaks Spanish (so I have been able to practice up on my Spanish). It's funny though because he speaks to Dalyn in Spanish and Dalyn speaks to him in English and they have started mimicking each other. Dalyn will say some Spanish words and him some English. They have some moments of playing cute together... and other moments that I like to call "Toddler Wars" that drive me crazy. All in all it's been pretty fun.
After spending Christmas with family we returned to our home in La Junta, CO and found that three feet of snow had fallen. Our neighbor helped us dig a path to our door and it was about a month before we got our other car out and longer than that before we had mail delivered again.
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A year later we were on the road again to yet another small Colorado town- La Junta! We had quite an interesting time in La Junta. Jake was able to work on his Masters degree from home and from traveling back to Alamosa, sometimes for weeks at a time. Most the time however he was home taking a rare opportunity to get in some good daddy- son time with Dalyn. 
