~ Happy Birthday to My Dad... Keith A. Renstrom ~

I can't believe it's March already and I haven't updated my blog for 2 months!  I don't even have a good excuse... I spend so much time on the computer looking for work, playing on facebook, and typing for my Mom, I just don't want to blog... 

Tomorrow is my Dad's 91st birthday... wow!  I remember about 16 years ago, my Dad had a massive heart attack, requiring quadruple bypass surgery.  The surgeon called us together to let us know they weren't sure he'd make it and to be prepared for the worst.  It was a difficult and emotional day, but I loved that the family was all there (after Julie flew in from Washington), praying and supporting each other as we waited.  It was a long recovery, but I'm so happy my Dad is still going strong, if a whole lot slower, 16 years later!!   My parents celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary in January and my Dad is convinced he'll make it for their Golden Anniversary in 2016 =)

We have all been blessed by our time spent with him.  He has taught us honor and integrity, honesty, the value of hard work, standing up and trying again when we fall short, humor, faith in God, and most of all, love. Love for our Mother, love for our family, love for the gospel, love for extended family and friends, love for each of us. Keith Renstrom is a great example of what a man should be... and we're all so proud to call him Dad, Father, Grandpa, Brother, Uncle, Marine, Friend.  

HAPPY Birthday Dad ~ I wish I could be there to celebrate your big day, but you are in my thoughts and heart every day.  I love you.

The Renstrom bunch in 2008

Celebrating Dad's 86th Birthday with some of the grandkids

Craig meeting my parents in April 2010

~ Finding Old Friends ~

I really do love the social networks available to us today... it's so fun to reconnect with old friends that I've lost contact with over the years!  When I log into facebook for the day and see a friend request from someone I haven't seen or talked to in 20 years, my heart lifts in a smile.  I've lost count of the many old friends I've become reacquainted with over the past couple of years.  In some cases, we've become even better friends than before...... friendships made possible by facebook!  Not to mention classmates.com, where Craig and I happened to find each other after all these years =) 

I understand the concerns of many who don't want to be involved (Julie!!) but I really believe the benefits far outweigh the negatives.  Sure you have to be smart about what you share, and set the proper security features for privacy, but being able to connect with people, near and far, staying in constant communication, knowing what challenges your friends/family are facing, sharing good times and reasons to celebrate, feeling connected to loved ones far away by sharing in their pictures ~ these are wonderful benefits available to us in today's world.  My Mom often remarks that it's her daughter living hundreds of miles away, who has the news first of what is going on locally and with family and friends.  It definitely helps me feel more connected to those I love...... especially those who are so far away.

So CHEERS to classmates, facebook, and now google+..... where I may happen to find even more old lost friends.

Staying connected with my BFF's in Chicago ~ Jen & Jules

Loved getting reacquainted with Gigi, before she was tragically taken from this life.

~ 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!!  

~ Thanksgiving 2010 ~

We celebrated Thanksgiving quietly this year.  There has been so much going on in life, it was nice to have some extended time with Craig ~ who always seems to find a way to make me smile and even laugh ~ just one of the many things I just love about this man!  

I spent the first part of the week with him in Athens, TX, where he's been working the past 8 months.  While he worked, I spent lazy days at the nearby lake, reading a good book, or visiting with family and friends on the phone.  We were lucky to have some beautiful 75 degree days while I was there and I enjoyed the warm November days ~ what a welcome change from the bitterly cold Chicago winters!!

For Thanksgiving, Craig deep fried a turkey ~ yummmmm!!  He injected it with a Cajun Butter and Lemon Butter Garlic seasoning ~ and oh my goodness, it was gooooood!!!  He also made his layered potatos that I love so much...  I just LOVE a man who can cook!!!  It was a nice, relaxing day, spent with the man I love and adore so much =)  It was a little quiet for Thanksgiving and we would have both loved to spend the day with Chad & Magan, Kovi & Jodi and all our grandkids, family and friends... we're hopeful we can make that happen next year!

Chad continues to heal from his initial surgery, while awaiting other tests and scans to determine next steps.  We appreciate everyone's love and prayers ~ please keep it up!!!  We believe in the power of prayer and it means the world to both of us!

I've also included a few favorite November pictures ~  our dogs ~ Dixie & Star ~ waiting patiently for some scraps and a stray kitten who adopted me and kept me company for the whole day. 

A beautiful sunrise on Thanksgiving morning and a perfect beautiful pink rose in our front yard.

Now I'm listening to my favorite Christmas music and thanking the Lord every day for my many blessings and all the beautiful people in my life.  I love you all =)

~ You Raise Me Up ~

Thank you ... to all my family and friends who have been so incredible and have shown so much love and support...  we appreciate all your prayers ~ I believe in the power of prayer!!  Thanks to Craig, who keeps me smiling when I'm struggling to find it within me ~ Thanks to Chad, who has such a great attitude and keeps me calm ~ Thanks to Magan, for being there for him!!  ~ Thanks to all my friends and family, your love, support, and prayers mean the world to us and we love you all so much... Each of you raise me up in your own way ~ Thank you!!!

~ Chad's Surgery ~

November is a month for giving thanks, and I am so thankful for all of God's blessings!  I'm grateful for being able to be with Chad during his surgery, for my wonderful husband's support and encouragement, for my sister Julie and all my family support and love (Renstrom's, Robertson's & Gallagher's), for the surgeon's steady hands, and for Chad coming through the surgery so well.

A couple of weeks before the wedding, we found out that Chad had a tumor on his thyroid.  He went through a series of tests, scans, biopsies, and they determined it must come out.

I flew into Las Vegas on November 4th to be here for the surgery the next day. After a rough night and little sleep, we made our way to Summerlin Hospital to check in.  The wait was hard on Chad... he was hungry and thirsty after a night of fasting.  They finally took him in for prep and we spoke with the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and the nurse.  It was good to meet them all and ask some questions beforehand.  

The surgeon anticipated 2 hours in surgery, so by 3, I was a little concerned.  The next hour was hell for me and I'm so thankful for Craig & Julie, who did their best to keep me calm!!  Finally, the doctor came for me after 4 hours and 20 minutes ~ Chad was doing well... and was in recovery.

The tumor was the largest mass he'd seen... growing on his thyroid, nerves, and vocal cords.  It was crushing his trachial tube... and they found a second, smaller growth on the other side.  They removed  a large part of his thyroid.   There was also a possibility that his voice could change due to the tumor  being on his vocal cords. They decided to keep him in the ICU for a day or two to monitor his condition and recovery. 

It was so good to finally be able to see him and talk to him ~ although it was hard to see him with tubes and an oxygen mask and the bandages around his neck.  I stayed by his side til they kicked me out... and I was actually thankful he was in the ICU because I knew he'd be monitored constantly during the night.

His night in the ICU was uneventful and he looked good the next morning! =)  After checking his incision, they decided he could go home that day!  They removed the drain from his neck along with the bandages and we got our first look at his incision.... wow!!  It was truly frightening to see... about 4 inches across his neck, staples, puffy, swollen... it looked like a Frankenstein scar across his neck!  We know it will heal and fade in time and will someday just be a memory... and thanks to some of Chad's friends, decided it would make for a great "story" about a fight with a ninja warrior =)  

Chad is getting stronger every day... and today we're venturing out to another doctor's appointment (this one for his back injury!).  His voice seems to be just fine... and we don't hear any difference, so that makes me smile too.  We see his surgeon on November 11th to find out the results and remove his staples.   Prayers continue for the prognosis to be good...  and I thank God every day for the beautiful and amazing son that I've been blessed with, my sweet, wonderful husband, who would give the shirt off his back, who has been my rock throughout, my entire family... and Chad's friends who showed so much love and support.  I love you all.

~ 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!

~ The Week Before the Wedding ~

I arrived in Utah on Friday, September 10th... without Craig. I stayed with my sister Julie and her beautiful family in Alpine. There was a lot to do before the wedding, and it gave me a chance to visit with my family, sisters, and friends prior to the big day. Julie & Steve let us borrow their Lexus 430 for the duration of our stay... what a fun car!!

Leslie in the Lexus 430

In leiu of a bridal shower, we had a girls dinner out, with the Renstrom's and Gallagher's. On Saturday, September 11th, we met at Brick Oven in Provo and had so much fun just visiting and laughing. The Gallagher's shared some stories about Craig... and of course, some stories were shared about me too. We had fun! It was nice for the girls to get to know each other a little before the wedding. In attendance: Joan, Lori & Sarah, Jodi & Kailee, Julie & Ashley, Carrie, Jerusha, Melanie, Tiaura, Launa, and Jody.

On Wednesday, September 15th, Carrie & Marisa, Julie & Ashley, Mom, and I met at the local nail salon to have manicures and pedicures for the wedding. They did a great job on my french mani/pedi and I'm glad to know my hands and feet will look good that day. It's always nice to get a little pampering too!

I picked Craig up from the airport later that night.. =) It had been 10 days since I had seen him and we were very happy to finally see each other... We are just 3 days away from the big day!!

On Thursday, September 16th, we headed over to the Utah County building in Provo to get our marriage license... I asked Craig if he had cold feet and he said "no, my feet are sweating... let's go!" He always knows how to make me laugh... that is one of the big things I love about him!

Just about to get our marriage license

On Friday, we took a drive up the canyon to revisit the proposal spot... Bridal Veil Falls. We both LOVE the mountains and canyons and miss seeing the beautiful sights of Utah, plus it was a nice way to relax and just enjoy each other before the stress of the wedding day. We took a lot of pictures and laughed and played.. we're both very excited about tomorrow and neither one of us has cold feet or nerves. I guess that's another way to know it's just right... it's meant to be... and we're finally together like we should have been so many years ago =)

My BEST friend and sweetie... Craig in Provo Canyon

Home in Utah Valley

Bridal Veil Falls - where he proposed "officially" =)

Pretending like we're scared!! lol

After our trip up the canyon, we head home to get ready for our pictures with Jodi. Once we were both all dressed up in our wedding dress and tuxedo, it felt so real to both of us! We first went over to a park near the American Fork Temple and took some outdoor pics. I had flies and mosquitos galore trapped up inside of the tulle of my dress, but Jodi said she could edit that out... lol. The bugs always seem to find me wherever I'm at!!! We headed next to the old Lehi Train Station and took some pics there.. I can't wait to see them all... I'm sure they will be amazing and we both appreciate Jodi sooooo much for being our photographer!

Our first pic - taken by Jodi 9/17/10

After pictures, we headed over to Kovi & Jodi's house to visit with the kids and take Kovi & Jodi to dinner. Kailee called me Grandma for the first time, which took me by surprise, but oh, how I loved it!! I love how this family has totally embraced me and made me feel so welcome and a part of their lives already. Bryton seemed to take a liking to me as well, showing me various pictures around the house and staying by my side throughout the visit. I love this family already!!!

After a nice dinner with Kovi & Jodi at Costa Vida (yum!!) I headed back to Julie's house for a visit with Chad and a good night's sleep... although, Chad and I talked into the night and I didn't get to bed until about 1:30 am. I guess I was just so happy to see my Chad... and was just too excited for the next day to get much sleep. When I wake, I marry my best friend... and the love of my life!!! Life is GREAT =)