About Me:
Hi y'all! I was born in Louisiana. I lived there for about 8 years and then my family and I moved up to Utah. We moved all over the state before finally landing in Spanish Fork. I ended up going to 3 different high schools, one for each year! While it wasn't easy starting over every year, it did help me learn how to make friends easily.
In high school I took 3 years of french and was in the Orchestra. Also I was in a extracurricular Orchestra called The Utah Valley Youth Philharmonic. It was a really fun group, we got to play in some amazing venues (Carnegie Hall) and play some beautiful pieces. I also enjoyed being in the FFA (Future Farmers of America) and HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America). Also my senior year I was in the Miss Spanish Fork Pageant. While I didn't win :( I did learn ALOT. It really helped me learn how to be confident and to show poise and control, even when your scared to death! (Like being in a bathing suit on stage in front of everyone you know and then some!) It really was an amazing experience and I am glad I did it!
Now backtracking a little, when I was 15 I found out through interesting means that I had a brain tumor. A bunch of friends and I had gone up the canyon to rollerblade, bike and have a BBQ. On our way back out of the canyon our car ended up flipping and hitting the concrete barrier and spinning down the road about 8 times. In the process of that I hit my head on the window and my little brothers stroller hit my in the back of the head. Needless to say that was really scary. We all went to the hospital but thankfully we were all ok, just bumps and bruises. For the next couple of days I had a throbbing headache that I just could not shake.
We went in to see the doctor and she ordered a CT scan. I went and did that and they called me later to let me know that they "saw a mass". They wanted to do a MRI to get a better look at it. So I went in for one of those. We ended up meeting with a neurologist and he explained that I had a tumor on my pineal gland the size of a golf ball. Now that gland is right in the middle of your brain and unfortunately for me the two blood vessels going into your brain were wrapped around it. He explained that they could operate on it and that it would be difficult because if they nicked one of those vessels and number of things could happen. They warned me that when I came out of surgery that I might not be able to walk, talk, feed myself or do anything on my own. I was very scared.
Right before I went into surgery we had a head shaving party. A bunch of friends and family members came over and we ate and laughed and at the end my dad and uncle shaved their heads with me so that I didn't feel alone. Right after my mom shaved my head I went into the bathroom and just stared at my bald head. It really hit me then that this was happening. My dad came in and we both looked at each other with no hair and just hugged each other and cried. My uncle ended up loving having no hair so much that to this day he keeps his head shaved! Me on the other hand, I'm glad to have my hair back :)
We went to the hospital the next day and the surgery was started. It was a long process and when then got the tumor out they said that they didn't recognize the tissue and so it was sent off to the lab to be determined. They later came back and said that all was fine and it wasn't cancerous. Luckily when I came to I could talk and move my arms and legs. I also could remember everyone which I had been scared about. Recovery was slow since I couldn't move about without getting a major head rush and they were terrified I was going to get a blood clot. But thankfully I recovered with only a slight numbness in my left hand. I had my scheduled MRI's for the next 5 years and the tumor showed no signs of coming back.
Now back to the future a bit.. After I graduated high school I went straight to college. I studied photography,orchestra and criminal justice. It was so much fun and I loved those classes but I just didn't have the money at the time to stay in for more semesters. At that time was when I met Greg.
Greg and I :
Greg and I met at our Singles Ward. My friend was a little older than me and was already 18 and she wanted a "wingman" to go with her so I went with her and at a Church activity was where I saw greg for the first time. He was just so handsome, I leaned over to my friend and said "You see that guy? I'm gonna date him." Well at the activity we had to fill out a Spotlight sheet (a page where you put down all the embarrassing things about your life for them to read up in front of everyone so they can try to guess who it is). Well on that paper was my name and phone number. Guess who was in charge of spotlights? Yup, you guessed right. it was greg! So we talked after the activity for about 2 hours but didn't exchange numbers or anything.
Later on that week I get a call from greg and about 5 minutes into the conversation I asked how he had got my number and he proudly admitted that he got it from my spotlight sheet. I then proceeded to tell him that I didn't think that was how those things worked. He just laughed and we talked for about an hour and then he asked me out. When I told him where I lived so he could come pick me up we figured out that we only lived about a block and a half away from each other.
Our first date was awesome to say the least. We went up in the mountains and had a yummy dinner and sat around a fire and just talked about everything. By the end of that date we both realized that we were meant to be together and that was that. He proposed on our 6 month anniversary and we were married in the Manti Temple a year later.
Greg is my best friend. I love him with all my heart and couldn't imagine being married to anyone else. I enjoy our life together. We both enjoy camping, 4 wheeling, boating, cars and trucks (engines and restoring), shooting and our dogs Brutus and Maggie.
My hobbies are: crocheting, reading, music, movies, violin, making wedding cakes, catering, decorating and couponing. I also love horses and pretty much all animals. I had a horse a couple of years ago and I hope one day we can get one again! More than one if i'm lucky! My favorite color is pink. My favorite food is movie popcorn. I love being a stay at home wife, I know it's weird but I really enjoying keeping the house clean and doing laundry and vacuuming :)
Greg's Thought's on Laura :
Laura is a very tender hearted woman. She is so caring and sweet. She has a really good sense of humor and always has a smile for me. She will make a wonderful mother because she loves without thinking of herself. She is so good with service and helping others. She is my best friend and I don’t think I could have found a better partner to share my life with.
