~ Wrapping up 2010 ~

What a crazy year this has been!!  I have celebrated the highest of highs this year ~ marrying my best friend and sweetheart ~ and struggled with the lowest of lows ~ dealing with Chad's illness ~ but we are full of hope for the future and know 2011 will be a great year!!  

I was minding my own business ~ content, but freezing in Chicago.  I had no intention of falling in love and making any big changes to my life... and along comes Craig Gallagher ~ who shakes up my world completely!!

A view of Chicago

We met when we were 10 years old ~ at the Scera Pool and even then he caught my eye =) When we finally went to the same school ~ Lincoln Jr High ~ I knew he was the one I wanted!  I guess he felt the same way and we followed each other around for a couple years, meeting up at the ball park, the swimming pool, even the mall, but I was extremely shy and he gave up on me (I know your Mama taught you that the BEST things are worth fighting for!!!) And yes, that was me who wrote "Love Ya" on his yearbook picture!  =) So we went our separate ways through high school, although he stayed on my radar!  Still, he didn't have to wait til we're almost 50 years old to make his move on me ~ all I can say is... it's about damn time baby!!!

I started 2010 in Texas, as I spent the holidays (Christmas 2009 & New Years 2010) with Craig ~ and we started talking about getting married =)  Craig flew to Chicago for his birthday in late January ~ and we talked more about getting married... I flew to Utah in February to visit my family ~ and Craig convinced me to go meet my future Mother-in-law and sisters-in-law while I was there ~ on my own, I might add ~ and he still owes me for that one!! =)  

Meeting my future in-laws ~ Feb 2010

We planned a joint trip the end of April ~ to meet each other's families and had a wonderful, but quick trip!  We had a big Gallagher family party, where I felt welcomed and loved right away. It just felt we had all been family for years already!  We had a huge Renstrom family party, where Craig fit right into the rowdy Renstrom bunch and everyone loved him from the first meeting ~ it just felt as if our two families were one already ~ we just needed to get them altogether in one spot!  Craig made his proposal official at Bridal Veil Falls ~ and we started planning a wedding =)

More of the in-laws ~ May 2010

Craig meeting my Mom & Dad ~ May 2010

Craig meeting Chad & Magan ~ May 2010

Craig flew back to Houston and I flew back to Chicago and started packing up my place ~ and planned my move for the end of May.  What a big job that was!!  I left Chicago on May 28th and met Craig in Little Rock Arkansas for the drive through Texas ~ we arrived in Baytown on May 30th.  It took some time getting used to my new home ~ the heat, humidity, the bugs! But I was here with Craig and that's all that really mattered.  He started working out of town, leaving for the week and coming home on Friday through Sunday ~ we decided it was a good transition for us both, but we are so ready now for the job in Athens to finish up so we can be together all week!!

Leaving Chicago IL 

Almost home to Houston

Summer passed as I unpacked, organized the house, got familiar with my surroundings and new home, and planned our September wedding!  We spent two weeks in Utah for the wedding and honeymoon ~ and finally got our entire family (we missed a few) together for the occasion!  We enjoyed visiting family as much as we could during our time there ~ I fell in love with all the grandkids and can't wait to see them again =)

Eleven of our 12 Grandkids =)

November came and it took me to Las Vegas to be with Chad for his thyroid surgery... the rest of November  was not productive for me at all while I struggled with the bad news we had received and researched everything I could about thyroid cancer.  I thank God every day for Craig, Chad, my family and friends who have shown such love and support and helped me cope the past 6 weeks!!!

Chad & Magan ~ Check out his incision!

During December, I prepared the house for Christmas, looked for work, went on interviews, with hope that one will offer me a job ~ It looks like I'll be heading back to Las Vegas in January or February to be with Chad, but in the meantime, Craig and I are loving life, enjoying being with each other, and teasing each other about all sorts of things.  We definitely know how to have some fun!  Money was tight this year, but there was enough love in this house that we could forget about that stress for the moment.  We enjoyed our first full Christmas season together!

Our first Christmas 2010

We look forward to celebrating the end of this amazing and incredible year ~ and welcoming in 2011 with hope for the future, love in our hearts, love for everyone in our lives, and prayers for good health and happiness to everyone. We truly love each and every one of you!!  

~ Life in Texas ~

After a rough summer ~ trying to get used to the heat, humidity, and BUGS, I'm finally starting to enjoy life in Texas!  I first arrived in Texas on May 30th, 2010, after a long hot drive with my car's air conditioning out!  It was hot and uncomfortable, although it was a beautiful drive!  I didn't expect it to be so green and lush, but as I found out, East Texas is beautiful.  I drove from Chicago to Little Rock, where Craig met me for the drive across Texas.  In spite of the hot car, we had a lot of fun beginning our new life together!

Drive from Chicago to Houston May 2010

Almost home!

The summer temps were in the low 100's with nearly 100 % humidity... all I did was sweat!  I can't believe how Craig can work outdoors in the heat all week AND on the weekends... I preferred to stay in the house as much as possible!  I started getting up early to catch the sunrise and enjoy the cooler temps, because I knew I'd be inside most of the day.  I was wondering if I'd survive Texas!  The bright spot was the beautiful sunrises and sunsets that Craig & I enjoyed together ~ we love experiencing the beauty of nature together and the Texas sunsets are amazing!!

Sunrise over the water September 2010

Sunrise September 2010

Sunset at Kemah - August 2010

By the time we got back from our wedding / honeymoon in Utah at the end of September, the temps had dropped to the low-mid 80's and I am LOVING life here now!!  The mornings and evenings are a little cool, but daytime is so nice ~ and I'm so excited to not be dreading the COLD BITTER CHICAGO winters!!!  Craig keeps telling me I need to look on Houston summers as "our winter" when we're not outdoors as much.  I've decided 3 months of "our winter" beats the 6 months of freezing cold Chicago winters!

LIFE IS GOOD for Craig & Leslie in Texas =)

~ The Honeymoon ~

~ September 19-25, 2010 ~

We decided to spend our Honeymoon in Utah, since we both love the mountains and landscape so much and just don't get enough time there! Besides that, it would give us a chance to have more time with family... something we definitely don't get enough of!

My sister Julie and her husband Steve gifted us with several days at their condo at the Zermatt Resort in Midway. It was absolutely beautiful.... and so relaxing! Even though we both thought we knew where we were going, we got a little lost on our way there and had to stop and ask for directions... but to give Craig some credit, he was okay with asking for directions! =)

~Zermatt Resort ~ Midway Utah ~

~ The accommodations were lush and relaxing...as you can see from Craig enjoying the master suite! ~

~ And the views from the windows and our patio were beautiful ~

During our time at the Zermatt, we took a lot of drives through the canyons, enjoying the scenery in Provo Canyon & Bridal Veil Falls, the Heber/Midway Valley, Park City, Sundance, the Alpine Loop, American Fork Canyon... we just couldn't get enough of the beauty of Utah in the fall. What a perfect time to get married in Utah ~ it was absolutely beautiful!!

~ A few of our favorite pics from Provo River & Bridal Veil Falls ~

~ Heber & Midway Valley ~

~ Park City ~

~ Sundance ~

~ Alpine Loop ~

~ American Fork Canyon ~

~ Just some pics of the two of us having fun ~

When we came back from Zermatt, we spent more time with family.  One night we went to Kovi & Jodi's house for dinner.  Craig cooked some of his yummy hamburgers and potato wedges and I had fun playing with my new grandkids =)  I'm in love.... they are so beautiful and sweet... Little 4 year old Bryton hardly left my side and wrapped his arms around my neck to say "I love you Grandma"  it just melted my heart!! ~ I haven't won over baby Coleson yet... he's a little cautious around me, but I'll win him over eventually!  I can't wait to visit them again and hope to move home to Utah where we can spend time with them on a regular basis!   What a great job Kovi & Jodi have done with their sweet family!  I'm more impressed by them every day.

We also spent more time with our parents and our siblings and their families.... but didn't get nearly enough time with everyone!  Time came to an end way too soon and we miss them all very much.  We love all of you and appreciate all you've done for us!!  We'll be back ~ you can count on it!!!!

~ Our Wedding Day ~

Craig Robert Gallagher & Leslie Dawn
"Renstrom" Robertson Gallagher

September 18th, 2010

To use my sister Julie's words... "it was a magical day!" God truly blessed us with a most perfect wedding day, filled with blue skies and sunshine, love and laughter, and best of all, shared by family and friends ~ we couldn't have asked for anything more!


I have to admit, I wanted to sleep in, knowing it was going to be a full and busy day, but I guess I was just too excited to sleep because I was awake at 5:30 am... just wanting to talk to Craig =) My morning was fairly leisurely ~ I talked to a few people on the phone, packed my bags for the honeymoon, took a shower, and visited with family. Unbelievably, there was no nervous energy... just excitement and happiness!

Craig met my family at the church to assist with the setup of tables and chairs. A huge THANKS to all my family who helped with this task! I love you all! Afterwards, he had a visit from Danny Lowe, his old friend from school and they got a chance to visit for a brief time before he had to head over to the church.

And Chad ran to pick up my flowers for the bouquet... thanks Chad =)

I got to the church about 3:30 to meet with our Cake baker, Julie Arrowsmith Stenquist... and the cake was stunning!! She did such a great job in copying my dream cake... thank you Julie!

I thought I'd have time to fix up my hair before pictures, but before I knew it, we were ready to start in with the wedding party pics... so I've had better hair days... but once I put on my dress, my shoes, my jewelry, I felt so beautiful and ready to marry my best friend, the hair just didn't matter anymore.

We went outdoors for the pics and the few I've seen so far turned out beautifully.. I can't wait to see the rest! We should have some really great family pictures. We sure love Jodi and are so grateful for her time and energy and this gift of memories for us...

Our Bridal Party included my two best friends, my sisters ~ Julie & Launa ~ and Craig's son, Kovi and best friend, Ronnie, served as his Best Men.

Our beautiful and talented granddaughter, Kailee, sang "A Moment Like This" just moments before the ceremony. She had both Craig & I in tears, along with many in the crowd. We've had soooo many compliments about her performance, and it just made the day so special! I found out later that she had not performed in public or with a microphone before, and I was just so impressed with her poise and her delivery. She was a little pro.. and I can't wait to see what she accomplishes with her vocal talent! This will be a very cherished memory of our wedding day!

We had a couple of other special performances as well. Melanie sang "Love Me Tender" for our first dance, Greg sang "Crazy Love" for Craig's dedication song to me, and Launa sang "You've Got A Way" for my dedication song to Craig. All the performances were simply beautiful and made the day so special and so personal. The DJ music was a wedding gift from my old high school best friend and her husband ~ Sherry & Scott Harward ~ it was perfect!  It was fun to hear them sing together again and the music was so professional!! Thank you to all our family members and friends who contributed such beautiful memories of our day!

I danced with 3 of the men in my life... but missed a special dance with my son, Chad, as he was suffering some pain from a recent work injury! Some of my favorite pics are below... one each with my sisters Julie & Launa, and one with my new grandson Bryton!

Craig & I both agree that the best part of the entire night was seeing family and old friends there.... to share this day with all our family members was so important to both of us and there were some very touching moments for each of us throughout the evening.  Chad & Kovi toasted us ~ and I was so touched by each of them.  Chad just has a way of making people laugh and being so sweet at the same time ~ he thanked me for being such a wonderful Mom and had me choked up with happy tears =) Kovi welcomed me into the family and their entire family has been so loving already!


My son Chad came in from Las Vegas, my brother Matt also came in from Las Vegas, one of my Dad's, Gary Robertson & his wife Carol, came in from Mesa AZ, along with all our local family members.  We had surprise visits from my cousin Barbara & Glenn Pfalmer, all the way from Nevada City California ~ and Craig's next door neighbor from childhood, Darren Patten, in from Mesquite Nevada ~ along with old friends we haven't seen for a long time ~ Danny Lowe (who is actually mentioned by name in my teenage journal!! lol), Wayne & Stacy Zakotnik, Robyn Baughman, Sherry Harward, the Christiansens, Elaine & Vennessa Wilcox, Steve Fanelli and his mother Dora, Teresa Severe.. just to name a few.  We greatly missed several family members who were unable to be there... and a special thank you goes to my Mom & Dad, Keith & Jody Renstrom, for all their hard work and contributions to the day!  We appreciated everyone who came and shared this day with us... our day was simply perfect!

After all the excitement and the visiting with family and friends ~ Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher left the church to head to the Zermatt Resort in Midway for our Honeymoon!