Our Story

I was reading my friend Kami's blog. She had been tagged by her friend to write a blog about how her and her husband met. Then, Kami challenged that whoever read her blog do the same. So here I am. I also challenge anyone who reads this blog to write their story, also. So, basically, "TAG - YOU'RE IT!!"

Our Story ...

The year was 2000. I had just ended a year-long, long-distance relationship with a boyfriend. I had actually moved down to Arizona for a while to be closer to my boyfriend and after a short two months, realized it wasn't what I wanted. I was very discouraged. Within the last two and a half years, I had had two semi-serious relationships, all which were very sweet guys, but I just had some apprehensions about it all. I was however writing to a missionary and he would be coming home in two months ... hmmm, maybe that would work out?

Meanwhile, Jeff was in a relationship. He, too, felt that it wasn't headed in the right direction and wasn't quite sure if it was a good relationship or not. He had been engaged to the girlfriend before and didn't want to waste some more time with a girl that he knew he wasn't going to marry.

It was October 27, 2000. I remember that I kept tossing and turning. Finally after about two hours of fighting with myself I got up to get on the computer. A friend had mentioned a website, LDSchat, so I decided to log on.

You guessed it! Jeff and I met online. Cyber-love, I guess. We talked for quite a while and he just kept making me laugh. The kind where it is completely quiet in a room and then all the sudden their is a burst of laughter from nowhere. I would feel so dumb, even though no one was around, I couldn't help but looking around the room just to make sure no one was watching.

We talked on the phone the next day. And made plans to meet at a location for the next day.

So we officially met each other on October 29, 2000. I couldn't help but think that he was really cute and sweet. He was quite unsure about me, because I had described myself as 5'10" and 150 lbs. He wasn't sure if that was fat or not. He tells me he was pleasantly surprised. We talked, and talked and talked. Finally, he said he needed to get home to finish a school project but we made plans for a real date for the coming weekend.

He and I went to Applebee's. We ended up running into his best friend and his girlfriend there. (Little did I know that Jeff was trying to end a relationship at this time -- so now I understand their confusion on their faces.)

On the way home we talked some more. I TOTALLY liked this guy. A LOT! I don't know what came into me -- but I said, "I like you and if we continue this, I know that I could fall in love and marry you!" (*gasp*) I thought to myself after I said that .... "what did you just do!!!! you are never going to here from this guy again."

He dropped me off at my house and he gave me a really big bear hug. We looked up at the stars and it was just SO perfect. I didn't want that night to end, so .... I invited him in for hot cocoa. He said, "sure." (yessssss)

I waited by my computer for a day or two and kept checking my email. Nothing. I knew it ... I had scared him silly. He finally wrote me saying he had been busy with school and work but that he wanted to see me again. (I, however, like to think he was breaking up with his girlfriend!)

We spent all of our free time together for the next month and a half. I swear I lived at his house and his work. I'm sure everyone was so sick of seeing me. Too bad for them.

Then on December 19, 2000. Jeff said he wanted to take me shopping for my upcoming birthday. So, we headed to Layton. We went to the mall and then he pulled into an ARI Diamonds store. My heart fluttered. He said he wanted to start looking for rings. I actually ended up finding my ring there and he just smiled and said, "ok. Now I know what you want." So, we walked back to the car and drove off. I couldn't believe it. Jeff didn't know this at the time, but I was supposed to go to the airport later that day to see my so called "missionary" come home. I had made my mind up on the way out of the store - I wouldn't be headed to the airport.

We started making plans to get married, before we were even engaged. Jeff had called the Temple and got the date reserved and we were on our way. Now all I needed was some "bling" on my finger. That came April 21, 2001. The Salt Lake Temple was reserved for the 21st of July. We had three months.... time to start working.

So atleast the temple was reserved ...

We needed to:


get some engagement pictures taken ....

send out some invitations ...

get our announcement in the newspaper ...

... and of course, be to the Salt Lake Temple on July 21, at 5:45 AM, so we could be married at 7:00 AM!

Lucky for us, we both showed up! And we will live Happily Ever After.

THE END.

What a busy day!

Mr. B had a very busy day today! Poor little guy. Most days he just stays home and gets to go outside when we go to the store or head to the library. It is a great day when there is actually something planned for him to do - like playgroup or something. Well, today wasn't our average day because we had two things scheduled for Braxton. I knew he was going to be tuckered out!

So, first things first. I am happy to tell you that Braxton attended his very first Primary Activity! It does make me a little sad to see him getting so BIG. They made their very own journal. Pretty exciting, I tell ya.

A couple hours later Braxton had another (girl) birthday party to attend! It was a gymnastics party and he was so terribly excited. For the past week that is all I heard about. I had dropped Elayna (the birthday girl's older sister) off at gymnastics once and Braxton had the hardest time leaving because he wanted to go in there! He had so much fun. It was very hot in there but that didn't stop him from acting like our typical monkey!

Primary Activity Pictures:

Braxton (center) working on his journal

June 2, 2007, first Primary Activity

Nataly's b-day party pictures:

Monkey Braxton acting like a good monkey should

dunno what these are called - but he enjoyed them

he was doing the kangaroo bounce across this tramp

Slam dunking at age three. Pretty good, eh?

he preferred the smaller tramp because there wasn't a line

on the balance beam. balancing, balancing and ...

sticking the landing!

eatin' a cupcake

remember I said it was HOT in there? Well, here is your proof, Braxton is actually drinking water!

just a spoonful of ice-cream, helps the water go down... in the most delightful way!

Jeffrey Trent Cragun

(newborn)

Jeff was born to David Rhees Cragun and Leah Fowers Cragun on August 20, 1976. He is the fourth of six children.

(around 12 months)

Jeff's mom has always said that he was the best little kid ever. He never gave her any trouble and was just the sweetest little guy. She did notice however, when he was just a small kid that as soon as he could, he would crawl over to the air vent and stick his head right over it. Now, we know that Jeff's rarely can breathe through his nose at all (even after surgeries) and therefore like to have his head near a fan. He says it makes him feel like he is getting air. So, that is probably what he was doing when he was just a little tot.

(around 2 years)

Jeff really wanted to be like Popeye. One day he asked his mom if she would open up a can of spinach for him. She did, and he proceeded to take a big swallow of it. Um, that didn't last too long. He started throwing up and decided that if that is what it took to be BIG and STRONG, he'd pass. To this day, I can't get him to try spinach. (Except, I did just bring home a pizza that had spinach on it. It's kind of like a little kid, trick 'em into eating their greens. No, I really didn't think about it until he brought it up.)

Jeff LOVED tang and jelly sandwiches. There are a ton of pictures of him at this age with big old orange stains acrossed his face from the tang and a jelly sandwich in hand. They are really cute.

(kindergarten)

(Jeff couldn't remember a story to go along with this picture, so when he remembers one, I will add it.)

(3rd/4th grade)

Jeff played basketball for a recreational team. He had to be number "23" because he was as good as Michael Jordan. His dad was the coach and his older brother, Brett, was the assistant coach.

Jeff's family has always spent a lot of time together. All of the years they were growing up they would take trips to Lake Powell and rent a house boat, go up to Pineview Dam and go boating, or go up to Bear Lake for their annual Family Vacation. He said something almost always went wrong on their trips. A boat would break down in the middle of the lake, a truck would get stuck in the sand ... you know, your regular things. Things that make those family trips memorable.

(7th grade)

Jeff painted benches at Willard Bay to get his Eagle Scout Award at the age of 14. He says that he really didn't like scouts all that much, though. I think that is funny. He has a childhood friend who loved scouts, yet he never got his Eagle. Jeff probably just thought, "the sooner I get it over with, the sooner I'll be out of scouts."

(10th grade)

Jeff's dad passed away when he was 17. As I'm sure you can guess, it was a very hard time for both Jeff and his family. At the time of Jeff's graduation, the Principal spoke briefly and said that he wanted to talk about three different students that had been great examples to the other students. Jeff ended up being one of them. The Principal stated that Jeff showed an enormous amount of strength during that hard time and that he had been a great example to both his peers and the teachers and staff during such a hard time.

(Mission picture)

Jeff was called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1994. He would be serving in the Fresno, California mission.

Right before he left (about two weeks before entering the MTC) he headed down to Salt Lake to go dancing with some friends. On the way home, some guy named Seth, said he could win Jeff in a race in his old broken down Buick. Jeff was driving a '91 Mazda RX7. Hardly anyone was on the roads because it was so early in the morning, so the race was on. They started racing at 106th South and made it to about 6th North. They were going about 115 mph in a 55 mph zone. Jeff saw flashing red and blue lights in his rear view mirror. He thought it would be a good idea to pull over so he did. So did this Seth guy. It was then he realized that there were six cop cars in pursuit of them. The next thing he knows, he has a spotlight on his car and over the loud speaker he hears, "slowly bring your hands off the steering wheel and drop your car keys out of the window and leave your hands out." Jeff does as he is told and the cops get out with all of their guns drawn and walk up to him. Some cops going running up to this Seth guys car and deal with him, too. Jeff was told that he was going to get hauled off to jail for reckless driving. Jeff says, "I can't go to jail, I am going on a mission in two weeks." I don't know how, but somehow, he got them to not handcuff him and haul him off. Meanwhile, Seth was getting handcuffed. They wrote Jeff a ticket and posted that he was traveling 98 mph in a 55 mph zone, so that he wouldn't have to go to jail. So, a nice little check was sent in the mail for $350 to pay for the ticket.

Now, we'll talk about the mission --

One day while Jeff and his companion were out tracting on their bikes, it started to rain. They were stopped at a red light on the side of the road. They decided it would be a really good idea to start racing cars as soon the light turned green. The light turned green and they were off! Jeff had a great lead when a car decided to turn right in front of him into a gas station. Jeff slammed on his brakes and broadsided the car with his right arm. He fell down to the ground and the car proceeded to continue on driving right over his arm. The car never stopped or got out to see if he was ok. Jeff doesn't even think they knew they ran over him. I'm sure they noticed him slamming into the side, though. A nurse who was at the gas station ran over to see if Jeff was ok. She examined him and said that he looked ok and would probably be alright.

Now you know a little bit more about my hubby, Jeff!

Maria VeLoy Perry (MVP) Cragun

(Maria and her Mom)

Maria was born to Bruce McKay Perry and VeLoy Whiting Perry on December 21, 1981. She was the last child in her family of three older sisters. Her father named her. He chose Maria for a couple different reasons. First, his mom's name was Mary - and Maria is another form, obviously. And second, it was also near Christmastime - a good reason to be named Mary. Her middle name, VeLoy, is her mother's name. We don't know where her mom's parents came up with it ... but it suits Maria well. She seems to be most like her mom out of her sisters.

(about two weeks old)

By the time she came around her mom had pretty much given up on having a little girl that wanted to run and play sports. VeLoy had grown up on a farm. Running, riding horses and playing softball was what she loved to do. So at 36 (almost 37) when she had Maria, she had decided she really wouldn't even bring it up. Can you guess who was her tomboy daughter? You guessed it. The one named after her.

(around 16 months)

Maria grew up in a little town in Utah called Willard. It was/is beautiful there. The prettiest thing is the Mountains. They are so gorgeous. Then, there is Willard Bay right there to go boating. A good place for a kid to grow up.

(22 months)

Maria's mom was a working mom. She doesn't remember much of Annette (her oldest sister) when she was young. But she does remember having Debbie (her second oldest sister) coming home from High School and taking care of her until their Mom came home. Debbie would cook and clean up for her. Maria has a memory of Debbie sitting on the bed talking to her while she sat on the floor. She doesn't really remember what they talked about - but just that she loved being around her older sister.

(5 years old)

Maria was a little pesterer. Malinda (the third child), was the one who got to see it the most. For some reason, Maria thought she was invincible and could do anything. Like, let's say, beat up on her older sister. So, she would bug and bug and bug Malinda until Malinda had had it and would go chasing after Maria, sit on her, and punch her in the arm with her "bony" knuckles. Malinda wasn't a fighter. She would usually just punch once. But she got so good at it, that she could "target" Maria's bone in her arm and hit it everytime. Maria would go off bawling and then about five minutes later come back to "win" this time. It was no surprise that in about five minutes, Maria would be off bawling again holding her hand on her dead-arm.

(3rd grade)

When Maria was about seven, her parents divorced. It was hard on her because she was the youngest and wanted a "male" role-model in her life. She remembers talking to her first grade teacher, Ms. Reese about her parents splitting up. She would stay in to talk during recess instead of going out to play.

(6th grade)

Maria loved to run! She was ALWAYS outside and ALWAYS running. She had a group of friends at Willard Elementary that would get together and play rugby. I don't think they really knew the rules, but they tried. It was so much fun. They (Maria and her friends) would tackle the guys. At first, the boys weren't expecting it, but they quickly learned, they were serious girls with a mission.

One time in fifth grade, there was a boy named Darwin (who was in sixth grade) who had a crush on Maria. He wrote her a note saying she was the "cutest gril" (couldn't spell) he'd ever seen. She decided she'd play a trick on him. She asked her teacher, Mr. Baird (who had Darwin as a student the year before) if he could run fast. Mr. Baird, said "no." So, one day after Darwin had bugged Maria about being his girlfriend she said, "ok, Darwin - I will be your girlfriend if you can outrun me." All of his friends said "you could beat a girl." So, the race was on. Needless to say, in the end, I was laughing with my friends and "single." While Darwin was getting made fun of by his friends because he had "lost to a girl ... and single."

Running is also how Maria, broke her front right tooth. She was racing her friend Kasey. Whoever touched the flagpole first, won. Kasey wanted a head start. They took off and Maria was running towards the flagpole. She didn't take into account that there was snow and ice on the ground and slid right into the pole with her face. She didn't start bawling OR looking for her tooth until she had declared, "I won!

Maria also had the opportunity to go the 1994 World Cup in San Jose, California. Her team ended up taking fourth place out of about 70 teams. Pretty good for a team that had only been together about six months before. They might have had the opportunity to take third place, but the game was on a Sunday and the team "opted" to not play. So, they just forfeited and took fourth instead. They did however get the "sportsmanship" award out of all of the 70 teams.

(10th grade)

Maria's mom got re-married to her step-dad, Greg, when Maria was 14. Maria had prayed about her mom finding someone. She just didn't take into account that it had just been her and her mom for quite a while. I guess you could say that Maria was VERY jealous that she had to share her mom. It took a few years, but now Greg considered "dad" by Maria and very grateful to have him in her life.

(Senior year)

Maria played High School soccer as a freshmen. She was one of the first of four players (all her age) who had "lettered" their freshmen year. It was also that year that Maria started having really bad back problems. She went to the doctor and found out that she had a back disease called, Scheuermann's Disease. Basically, the upper posterior corner of every single vertebrae in her back has cracked off. It leads to your muscles spasming to try and work extra hard for the support in your back that isn't there. (Maria has since had a baby and says that sometimes those spasms feel just as strong as labor contractions - only in your back.) The doctor told Maria it probably wasn't the best idea to continue soccer. When her senior year came around her old teammates said, "you have to come play!" She was a little rusty and wasn't too sure. Finally, the coach had heard that she wasn't going to try out so he called her and said, "Maria, you have a sure spot on the team. Just show up! I can't put you on the team if you don't even try out." So, she did. She became one of the two team captains and led the team to their first ever state-playoffs.

Braxton Jeffrey Cragun

(Braxton's Birth announcement/picture behind announcement)

Everyone, I would like you to meet Braxton. Braxton, I would like you to meet everyone. Now that I have introduced all of you, I will tell you a bit about this special litte guy!


Mr. B, was born in September of 2003. We hadn't planned on having a child so soon (we had only been married a little over two years when he was born), but as soon as I heard that little guy cry I wouldn't have had it any other way.

A few days after he was born, we had to take him to Primary Children's to make sure one of his hip sockets had fully formed around his femur. Fortunately, it had and we didn't have to worry about that. (Now, we just know that Braxton is extremely double-jointed)

Braxton also had colic from about the age of 2 weeks to around 4 months. We also noticed that he seemed to sound very congested all of the time. He had laryngo/trachea malasia - which was something we were told he would outgrow. That condition however, did cause him to be hospitalized when he was three months old because he was having a very hard time breathing on his own.



He was such a happy baby! He had a squeeky laugh. He would laugh, and laugh and then ... squeek at the end. It sounded like a little rubber toy. It was so adorable. Everyone said that he looked like Jeff. (Not what I wanted to hear.) It wasn't a bad thing - I just wanted to hear that he looked like his mommy, too. But, to this day ... I think I've heard maybe twice from strangers that he looks like me.

Little did Braxton know at the age of about 9 months that he was headed on a very long journey! We were moving to Toledo, Ohio for graduate school. It was about a 28 hour drive with all the stops. We decided that it would be hard, but better, to get it over with as soon as possible. So, we made it a two day trip. Our little guy finally had had it about a 1/2 an hour before we made it to Toledo. Really, no joke, he only cried about two times that whole entire trip.





Braxton has celebrated all of his birthdays here in Toledo. A few months after he had turned one, I decided that I would like for him to learn sign language. It took about four or five months, but he started using it. His first sign was "more." We were visiting Utah for Spring Break and his signed "more" because he wanted more food. I was so excited!




Braxton was around 20 months of age (about two months older than the picture above) when he started recognizing letters in the alphabet. I made some homemade flashcards for him and he had all of the uppercase alphabet memorized in about a week.



It didn't take us long to realize that Braxton LOVES to learn. He soon could recognize upper and lowercase alphabet, numbers, and even cars. We'd drive by cars and he would say, "that's like aunt Brittnie's car" or "that is Grandma and Grandpa's car." and it was. He has a wonderful memory and can't wait to go to school. All of this was shortly after he turned two. He may look like his daddy - but he's got his mommy's knack for memorizing things!

He now knows so many things: the colors of the rainbow, his primary colors, his vowels, the names of the planets (in order), he can read about 40 words (that includes his colors), he knows what plants need to grow ... it is just a never-ending story with him.

I am so happy to be this little guys Mom. I look forward to everyday because I just can't wait to see what he is going to surprise me with next.