Our Chritsmas Card

This year we had Dan's sister take our picture for our Christmas card. I love this picture. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and I very happy new year!

Some Firsts for me

Today for the first time I made deviled eggs! They turned out yummy and so cute. I was very proud of myself. I also made pot roast in my crock pot for the first time ever. I shredded the meat after it was done cooking all night and then covered it in our favorite BBQ sauce and stick it back into the crock pot to cook and stay warm til dinner time. Dan and I  watched ICE AGE 3: Dawn of the Dinos. It was way cute and fun to watch a movie with him. Also we have been devoted fans of Ice Age sense the first one came out. 

These of course are my deviled eggs! 

I also let Dan dye my hair for me, not the first time but the second time for letting him do my hair. He actually does a great job.

 

This is our babies Christmas 2009 picture oh they are just so dang cute and fun.

School is over!

I just finished this semester at SUU. I now have my AS degree. I am the first one in my family to receive a college degree of any kind. I will start at SUU again next fall. Dan is going to start school next year and he is super excited to start school. He is going to major in computer systems or something like that. He loves computers, well technology in general and he is great at fixing anything. He is very smart and I am very proud of him. He also wants to build computers. I am excited for the future and I can't wait to see what is going to happen and where we will end up. I love my Danny and I love my family.

Kayla sent pictures today from her mission she looks great and is happy. here are a few of the pictures she sent. Kayla also got the date when she will be coming home May 13th. I am so happy and excited to see her. I miss her a lot.

this is a apple pie i believe. I am guessing Kayla made it. looks good =]

Our Christmas Tree

we have two trees. the small one is our first tree we had together we used it last year and we got a big tree this year. 

Thanksgiving Vacation!

Dan and I went to Cedar City for thanksgiving. Both our families live there which was great. We got two thanksgiving dinners, they were both yummy. It was a blast seeing our families and spending time with them. We have wonderful families and we are very lucky to have them. Dan and I stayed up all night Thursday night. We went to Wal-Mart for the black Friday sale. We were waiting in line for six hours for two laptops that were on sale for a great price. It was a long night, I tired sleeping on the walmart ground, it was so cold and i couldn't sleep. It was fun and exciting staying up all night with Dan and plus we got the laptops we were waiting for.  Dan's mom also got remarried this last weekend. She got sealed for time only in the St. George Temple. It was a beautiful day. I love being at the temple and being inside is even better. The spirit is so strong and there is a overwhelming feeling of peace and comfort inside the temple you just can't feel anywhere else in this world. Over this little vacation I realized that i really do have an amazing husband. He is worthy to get me to the temple and his testimony gives mine the added strength I truly need to survive in this world. I am very grateful to him for serving a mission and for his family raising him right and to be strong in the gospel and to be a gentlemen to everyone. I love this time of year, for the smells and the joy that is all around. Also when we were in Cedar it started snowing. It was beautiful and white. I love the way the snow looks on trees. But I am also grateful that I live in California and there is no snow. I don't have to wake up early to wipe the snow off my car and shovel the drive way. And I don't have to worry about falling.  I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving.

Pictures from thanksgiving at my parents house.

My sister in law Tammy made this wedding cake for her mom. She made the flowers and everything it was beautiful and amazing. There really isn't anything that women can't do. The newlyweds are the picture at the right. This is Dan's mom and Her new husband Lorin Pickett.

The thanksgiving table at my mom's house. It was beautiful, my mom did a very good job.

 

Me and my handsome husband on the St. George Temple grounds!

My Blessings!

This year Dan and I have received many blessings and I want to take this moment and tell you what I am truly grateful for in my life!

#1 First and foremost I am grateful for my Temple Marriage to my sweet companion Daniel. Our temple marriage has sealed us together for all time and all eternity.

#2  I am grateful for my Danny, for the worthy, loving man he is. I would be nothing without him. I love him forever and I continue to grow in my love for him everyday. He is always doing something silly to make me smile and laugh. Seeing him smile makes my whole day.

#3 My Parents are the reason I am who I am today. They taught me everything I know and I love them so very much. They make me want to do better in life and I love talking to them and hearing their advise for me. Thank you mom and dad for all that you have given me and all you continue to give.

#4 My Family! I love my brothers and my sisters, even the ones I got from marriages in the family. I am grateful for all of them and for the fun times we always had. I grew up in a big family and I am grateful for that and for always having someone to play with, my house was never boring growing up. 

#5 The Gospel! I belong to the true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! I love this gospel and my life would be very different if it wasn't for the knowledge and truth that I have.

# 6My Brother Matt and all the men and women serving in armed services around the world. Thank you for serving our Nation!

# 7 My Missionary Sister Kayla. She is serving her mission in Germany. I miss her a ton and I love her even more. She is my twin and my other half. I am proud of her and her willingness to serve the Lord. Thank you Kayla!

# 8 I am grateful for our puppies. They were a joy in my life and I would be very bored at home if it wasn't for them entertaining me with the silly things they do.

# 9 I am grateful for our working car. 
#10 I am grateful for technology, I would be extremely bored at home if I did not have the internet. Plus I am taking online classes.
#11 I am grateful for the chance I have to gain an Education and to prepare myself for the future.
#12 I am grateful for Dan's job and for his willingness to work hard and long hours to provide for us.
#13 I am grateful for very little thing  I have from the food on my table to the clothes on my back. We live in a very abundant world and we need to give thanks for all that we have.
#14 I am also grateful for Dan's and mine house. We have a great home and it protects us from the elements outside.

Have a great Thanksgiving and I hope you are surrounded by the ones you love this holiday season.

Introduction to our life

My name is Amber Shoemake and my Husband is Daniel Shoemake. I decided that since I have nothing really better to do with my time I would a blog page about my happy married life. We have been married for one year and two weeks now. This year flew by and I have realized that the older I get the faster fast passes you by. I need to start cherishing every moment I have.
We live in Newberry Springs, CA. It is the armpit of California as my husband likes to call it. If you know where Barstow, CA is then you pretty much knew where I live. Newberry is actually 20 minutes before you reach Barstow. We moved here in May from Cedar City, Utah. My Danny lost his job working as a electrician in Cedar City in January and his brother offered him a job working with him. That is what brought us to Newberry Springs. Dan works as a Tow Operator and also does repairs on the big semi trucks.
I am working as a Instructional Aide for the School district out here. I am also attending SUU, doing online classes.
We have two dogs Maggie, who is a American Eskimo and Tessa, who is a Miniature Schnauzer. They are both full of energy and I really need to walk them more. Tessa is differently Dan's baby. She worships him and will follow him anywhere. It is kinda cute but also can be extremely annoying. Also she hates going outside when I tell my dogs to go outside Tessa runs right for our bedroom and hides under our bed. Maggie is my dog, she is all white and loves everyone and also is super excited to see anyone and will jump all over you. =] She just likes to show her love for you.
Dan is the youngest in his family. He has a older brother, Steve and a older sister, Tammy. Dan's dad died last year one month before he was to come home from his mission. It was really hard on Dan but he was really strong and faithful and stayed on his mission to finish serving the Lord. His dad would have been very proud of him for staying. His mom lives in cedar with Tammy and Steve lives across the street from us with his wife and five kids.
Dan and I met in high school when I was a 16, through some friends we had in common. He is two years older than me. We started out as great friends and we were hanging out a lot. I don't know when we officially started dating we never said we were boyfriend and girlfriend. But we probably started getting serious about six months before he was to leave on his mission. His dad was amazing and loved me a lot and wanted us together. I even went on a family vacation with Dan and his parents it was a blast expect I was way sick the entire time. We went to California to Knots Berry Farm and the San Diego Zoo.
Dan left on his mission in June of 2006. He went to Spain. I know awesome! I was really jealous. We are planning on going back someday. Last year when Dan got home. I knew the first time i saw him that we were going to get married. On August 1, 2008, Dan asked me the greatest question of my life. He asked me to marry him on the side of the road in his suit. It was way cute. Three months later we were married in the St. George Temple on November 15, 2008. It was the greatest day of my life, the only thing that was wrong was that my twin Kayla, my sister, was not there. She left a month before to serve the Lord on a mission in Germany.
That is just a little about our history together.