Twenty Nine Years Ago Today

He asked...and I said, YES!

The best YES, I have ever said!

April 6, 1980, General Conference Sunday
In Between Sessions...
Cottonwood Canyon.
The rest, is history!

In The Spotlight

Spotlight....
As the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk event approaches,
my name and face have been frequenting the local media.
More than one week in a row, yours truly showed up in The Town Crier.
Recently, I made the big time....Wellington, The Magazine....two different articles in the September edition.
Feeling a little left out of the spotlight, my dear husband trumped me tonight.
He was on local TELEVISION. He was asked to offer the Invocation at The Village of Wellington Council Meeting. The meetings are televised and covered by local media.Technically, he got TV and NEWSPAPER in one shot. Total trump, dear!
As a representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he opened the Village Council Meeting with a beautiful prayer.
Way to goooooo dear!

Speaking of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer... I am having a great time working on this event! If you have one in your area....PARTICIPATE! Go here to find out the date and location of the event nearest you.

Love and Choices

"Choose The One You Love

and

Love The One You Choose."

~President Thomas S Monson~

With all my heart, I love this man!

Hands down, deciding to marry Ron continues to be the best

choice I have ever made.

(OK, being Baptized a Member of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is right up there, also!)

After all, every thing good in my life is a result of my membership

in The Church. everything!

(To paraphrase President Gordon B Hinkley)

Happy Monday!

This Is How We Started....

Honeymoon Trip August 1980

The day after we were married, we left Salt Lake

and began our Cross-Country Honeymoon Road Trip.

We drove from Salt Lake to South Florida via

Missouri, Ohio,New Jersey, and all points in between...

yes, the long way...or as we say...The Scenic Route!

When we were in New Jersey, my family took

Ron and me to New York City. Here we are on one

of the Circle Line Boat Tours around Manhattan.

We are with my sister, Jenni, and my brother, Brent.

I am so happyto have this photo of us with the

World Trade Center. The NYC Skyline will never

be the same....actually, NYC will never be the same.

Here we are parked at the banks of the Mississippi River

next the The Arch in St Louis. This picture speaks volumes.

We drove this gold van (purchased in Salt Lake instead of

renting a moving truck) and towed our little red Honda

Accord all over the United States. All of our earthly

possessions fit in the Van or the Car. They were

PACKED FULL. There was no extra room. We

had the two front seats of the van open and that was it!

This is how we started Twenty Eight Years ago....

The day we visited The Arch, the lines to go up in The Arch

were long. It was a 3-4 hour wait. Taking for granted that I had

been up in The Arch many times while I lived in Missouri, I

said to Ron, "Let's not stand in this line, we can always

come back some other time." Yeah, right! Well, years

went on and that "some other time" did not come UNTIL....

it was my turn to plan our 26th Wedding Anniversary

Surprise.... Guess where we were on August 5, 2005? Yep...

UP in The St Louis Arch.

Another Honeymoon Story is that our second night of

Marriage, we left Salt Lake in the afternoon and headed

up through Wyoming.

The Gold Van was packed full of our possessions and towing

our little car, also packed full of our possessions, almost did not make it

up and over the mountains out of the Salt Lake Valley.

(giving me further respect an admiration for the early Pioneers who

maneuvered the Rocky Mountains)

Back to the story....

We figured we would stay somewhere in Wyoming that night....

WRONG!!!! It was Rodeo Time. For THREE towns in a row,

we heard the same thing...NO ROOM AT THE INN!!!

Needless to say.... on the second night of our marriage....

we were less than pleased with this situation. Our Van

was so full, we could not even make a space to attempt

to lie down and sleep.

So we did what we had to do... We drove ALL NIGHT LONG,

hitting Denver, Colorado at morning rush hour.

We stopped early in that afternoon at a motel in

Salina, Kansas. Ahhhh!

I know ...you can hardly stand to hear of such a romantic

Honeymoon. It's true, though.

That was the beginning of an amazing Twenty Eight

year trip! It is a trip I am so thankful to be on with

my very best friend and husband, Ron!

I look at the photo of the Van and the little red Honda and think..

wow...I am not sure we could fit ONE ROOM full of our stuff in

the Van or Car now. Wow!!!! A simpler time for sure!

Celebration Times Two

August 5

Twenty Eight Years Ago Today.... I Married My Best Friend

Forty-Eight Years Ago Today... I was Born!

Yes....I got married on my 20th Birthday,

Tuesday, August 5, 1980

Marrying on my 20th Birthday ensured that I was no longer

a teenager!

This is the Engagement Photo that went in our

Wedding Invitations.

This is how I felt when I knew Ron was who I wanted to be with

forever.....
Tuesday, August 5, 1980
The LDS Salt Lake City Temple
Don't laugh..this hat was the happening Bridal Gear in the 80's.

I love Ron with all of my heart. He is my best friend and truly

the best thing that has ever happened to me. We were

reminiscing about the past 28 years and considering what we

thought the next 28 would be like. I know one thing for sure...

28 years ago, I knew my life with Ron would be happy.

What I did not know is that it would be AMAZING and the very

best days of my life.

Our Reception was held at The Lion House in Salt Lake City.

In my Bridal Album, is the Lion House Rental Receipt.

It cost $300.00 to rent the entire first floor and the

outside garden....See, dad it wasn't that bad!

The ZCMI receipt for my Dress, Hat, Shoes, Dress Bag,

and Slip totalled.... $237.00.

I have always loved this photo of my little sister, Jenni,

and I at my Reception. She was almost 9 years old, the same

age as my little Megan is right now. At this point, Jenni

had finally accepted that Ron was the most wonderful

thing to ever happen to our family.

This is my parents, siblings, and Ron. Welcome to the Hoglund

Clan, Ron! I am sure you have wondered over the past 28 years

what you signed up for with all of us!

The day after our wedding, we packed up and headed to Florida

where Ron had a job teaching Science at Boca Raton High School.

We drove all across the United States. We stopped in Missouri

(where I lived most of my teen years), Ohio (where Ron's family is

from) and New Jersey (where my parents lived at the time)

An Open House was held in our honor while we were in

New Jersey and then another Open House was held

when we arrived in Florida

(where we have been for the past 28 years)

Living in Florida is the longest I have ever lived any one

place in my entire life!

I am so happy I live here with Ron!!!!

I love you Ron!

Happy Anniversary!

Blast From The Past

Every Picture Tells A Story

Take A Trip With Me Down Memory Lane

April 22, 1984

At our house in Greenacres, FL

I am in the middle of sorting and scanning photos for Jeffrey and Alison's Wedding.

I came across this photo taken by my Grandma Inez.

She wrote this on the back....

Easter Sunday, April 22, 1984

Bishop Ron, Shauna, and La Dene.

This was the day Ron was Sustained as a Bishop of the West Palm Beach 1st Ward.

It was a Singles Ward that covered the West Palm Beach Stake Boundary.

I was Relief Society President at this time (ignore the hair..it was growing out of an experimental perm) and at this point knew a release was in the near future.

My Grandpa Nash and his wife, Grandma Inez were here visiting from Utah for this weekend.

When my parents found out that Ron was being sustained as Bishop this day, my mom flew down from New Jersey. Looking back, it is amazing she got a last minute flight to Florida from New Jersey on Easter Weekend.

This day was the beginning of many of the choicest experiences we have ever had as a family. The bonds we formed and the service opportunities will bless us eternally.

Ron Is Melting!!!!

Ron's 90-Day Challenge

Ron weighed in this morning....He is down 30 pounds!!!!

When I weighed in last week, I said, the only thing that would make me happier than winning the

90-Day Challenge is to have my husband win it!!!!!

In Ron's words...."I am half way to my goal"

Winning is not just the weight loss numbers, it is the fat loss percentage and the essay we had to write and submit at weigh in. Next Wednesday, we will hear who the winners are.

Photo taken from on top of the LDS Conference Center after Saturday Morning General Conference Session. As far as Salt Lake City goes...this was a sunny day!

Now, this is not the greatest photo of us as our bodies are melting.

I look pregnant (Im not) and you cannot tell that Ron's clothes are hanging on him. He has NO REAR-END, a much smaller tummy, and his legs are looking like shaply bird legs.

When you ask a stranger to take a photo...you get what you get.

Twenty Seven Years Later.....

The Salt Lake LDS Temple

Ron and Shauna....Then.....And....Now

Twenty Seven Years Ago, I Stood on these stairs with Ron, my husband of just a few minutes. We were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. Then...I loved him with all my heart..I had no idea how that love would continue to grow...

Here we are 27 years later (I know, we look so thin and young). I am still in love with this incredible man. The love grows and grows each day. I could not have seen some of the roads we would travel, yet I am so thankful we have traveled them together.
Below...Then...here we are after climbing in to the little cubby at the top of the stairs outside the Salt Lake LDS Temple. This is one of those famous poses for a bride and groom who marry in this temple. It is not easy make the steep step up in to this area. After watching brides in full dresses with trains and high heels take the giant step up for this photo, I must say, I hold my breath. As of yet, I have not seen one trip or fall.

Now.... It was easier is pants and these shoes to take the giant step up to this area, however, I am definitely not the agile 20 year old I was that day.

Yes, I will say it for you.... We look so good...so young and thin without a care in the world...not!

Twenty Seven Years FULL of joy and wonderful memories.