The Skaggs

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

We took Betsy to the pumpkin patch today and she loved it. There was a petting zoo there that she loved.

She was a big fan of the hay.

She found a pumpkin just her size!

She pushed this around for quite a while

She made a new friend with dad

And introduced him to mom

We all had a great time at the pumpkin patch

The Happiest Place on Earth

2011-06-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

When I was younger I remember my first big family vacation was going to Disneyland, we rode in an airplane to get to California, went to the park for 4 days and i loved it, and thought it was a blast. Betsy is still a bit young but we took her to disneyland for part of the day, and she really enjoyed it. She was able to go on a few rides and meet Mickey Mouse. Robs mom came and met us at dinner and took Betsy home so we could go on some of the bigger rides.We all had a great time at Disneyland.

Betsy in toon town

Betsy loved the Jungle Cruise

Me and Betsy on the carousal

This is what Betsy face looked like the majority of "its a small world"

A chair just my size

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

P.S- Jennie remember when we went to Disneyland and you thought that you were too cool to dress like the rest of your sisters, yesterday I saw a family all wearing the exact same cartoon shirt, so awkward, at least our parents didn't insist on us ALL dressing alike.

Easter

2011-04-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter this year. It was Betsy's first and a special occasion.

Betsy in her Easter Dress

Funny face

Examining the contents of her basket.

Betsy loved watching her bunny sing and dance.

Happy as can be.

Whats in a name?

2011-03-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

Before Betsy was born Rob and I had two names that we agreed upon and decided that we would name her once she arrived. We didn't want to have a name picked out and her not look like that name so we waited. When she was born Rob saw her and I didnt yet cause they took her to get her to cry, so I asked Rob " well who does she look like" wanting to know out of the two names and he said, she looks just like your sister Betsy. Ever since I can remember my sister Betsy was the cutest baby I had ever seen ( sorry sister Betsy, my kid kind of wins now). And so when we were discussing a name for her, we decided that that name fit her perfectly.

Betsy with her aunt Betsy, this is the only picture I have of the two of them. Sad

While we were in Southern California, I was able to meet up with my aunt Kim, aunt Jody, and aunt Betsy, who my sister Betsy is named after.

Baby Betsy with her great aunt Betsy

Splish Splash I was takin a bath

2011-03-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

Since Betsy was born we have given her showers, Rob thought that was a bit weird at first, but I said thats what we did in my family and it lots easier. Its easier for these reasons: 1) You shower and so you might as well shower your kid with you, especially if you have two parents to hand the baby in and out of the shower. 2) Until they are old enough to play in the water, its cold just sitting in the bath 3) It saves water- all about that 4)Its much faster. She does however love playing in the water, so if she is lucky and i'm the one giving her a shower, I will shower us, and then run a bath so she gets to play in there too. She loves it. She gets to practice her swimming and play with bubbles.

Fun with bubbles

Bath time with mom is so much fun.

Are you my Mother?

2011-02-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

People often ask me who Betsy looks like. People will say that they think she looks like me, and I don't see it.

Rob says this look she gets from me.

Every once in a while I think she looks like my younger sister Betsy, when she was a baby

But most the time...She looks like her dad

Who do you think she looks like?

Betsys Latest Tricks

2011-02-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

Betsy has a few tricks that she can do and we wanted to share them with you

*She doesn't do it very often but every once in a while we can get her to laugh

*Rob was doing his P90x workout and put Betsy on her stomach so she could do her push ups as well, a few seconds later she had rolled over. She has only done it a few times though

She blows bubbles...with gum

My Dream Pet

2011-02-02T22:27:00.000-08:00

So Im not much of a pet person. I don't love them. I tolerate them and am fine with them, and every once in a while I used to get into a phase where I wanted a little dog for about a week and quickly got over it. A few weeks ago a friend of mine told me about tea cup pigs and lets just say I really want one. I think they are just the cutest little things. Perhaps when Rob and I have a house, and a backyard and about a thousand dollars laying around, maybe we will get one. I think it would be the perfect pet for Betsy.

The Longest Vacation EVER

2011-01-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

This post is a bit late...ill try to get better about updating.

We left for California on Dec. 18th so we could be at the Skaggs Family Christmas party the next day. Betsy was a great little traveler. We got into Corona at about 1am, unpacked all our stuff and set up her crib and she was out like a light.

We are so glad we were able to go to the Christmas party at the Chacones house the next day. We had a good time visiting with family and eating great food.

Christmas Eve day we went to breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Klenzing. We came back to the house and relaxed a bit, had a great dinner and opened presents from them. We all opened our new Christmas pajamas.

Christmas Day, Hanna woke us up at 7am to open presents. We got spoiled and loved all our gifts. It was so fun to have Betsy there, she slept for most of it, hopefully next Christmas she will be a bit more lively and know what is going on.

December 26th we had Betsys blessing down in Robs home ward. He loved being able to have his best guy friends, dad, brother, and grandpa in the circle with him.

Betsy wore the same dress that I wore when i was blessed.

Betsy with her new hair do

Rob lost his keys to the car the day before we were going to leave and we tore the house apart looking for them. Instead of paying 250 dollars to get a new key we decided that we would have a friend go to our apartment and mail us the key.

We ended up being in Corona for 19 days...we loved every minute of it.

What we're up to these days

2010-12-17T23:28:00.000-08:00

I know that it has been forever since I have updated this thing, and I always say that I am going to get better at it, but never do. Instead of going back and trying to write everything that has happened since I last blogged. I decided that I would just write about the most important and exciting thing, and then hopefully I will do better from now on.

Betsy Lee Skaggs was born on October 21st at 3:11 Am. She is the greatest baby and we are so happy to have her in our home. She is a great sleeper and is over all a happy baby. She already has her dad and I wrapped around her little finger.

I love her little grin!

Betsy is looking under the tree for presents

Sitting on Santas lap

I will try and do better about writting on here and keeping everyone up to date with what we are up to.

Eastern Hopes and Baby Faces

2010-08-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since I've posted on our blog. After my last post remembering my uncle Jim its now several weeks of posting updates about my dad's recovery on his blog I suppose this one has fallen between the cracks a bit... also, while my wife absolutely loves investigating numerous blogs of our friends daily, she still hasn't quite made a habit of adding anything to our own. I'll try to do better and write more regularly.

I had a very special experience yesterday while visiting the Fan Family. As some of you know I've been asked by the missionaries in our ward to help teach the discussions to a Chinese family from Shanghai who have been very receptive so far to the gospel teachings and enjoy coming to church. In preparation for yesterday's discussion the elders did a companionship exchange so that Elder Li, from Sichuan, China could teach with us (this was a great relief as the Fans speak no English and I have been doing all the teaching during discussions and translating at church up till this point). I was absolutely blown away by Elder Li. His mother had heard about the church from her boss in China who was a member and later she and her family took a visit to Hong Kong to get baptized. They joined the branch in their hometown and Elder Li reports that their are currently 20 missionaries out serving from that branch.

Having lived in the mainland and felt the religious intolerance of communist China first-hand my hopes for growth in the church there had dwindled

a bit. They kept us wound up so tight so that we couldn't tell people what we believed in if they asked. Yet, despite all that Elder Li was as mighty of a missionary as I have ever seen. He had a firm testimony and his teaching ability was off the charts. He knew perfectly how to teach the Fans regarding their concerns and invited them boldly. The Fan family has a tough road ahead of them, because there is no Chinese branch here and they speak virtually NO english, so they really do not have a strong foundation to enter the church, but they are very willing. We promised the Fans that if they continued to learn, to pray, to read the scriptures, and come to church when they can that the Lord will provide a way for them to enter his church. Whether that means their language improves or a branch opens here in Sacramento, I don't know, but I am amazed at their faith. Also, the example that this young elder has shown to me, through all he has overcome to become such a great servant of the Lord, has truly inspired me. It has raised my hopes and given me cause to pray for the gospel to be opened and spread throughout China and to the Chinese people I have come to love and respect.

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Jacque and I are still eagerly awaiting the arrival of our little baby girl. Jacque had another ultrasound appointment recently and the

baby kept pouting her lips together, Jacque said the technician kept commenting on how big her lips looked. In this picture you can see her pouting and her nose is scrunched up a bit, Jacque is afraid the baby won't have her treasured "Allen-Slope Nose" which all the kids in her family get from her mom's side. They love their little turned up pixie noses and she's afraid my big, round, dip-down Skaggs nose has overcome and passed down to our first born. Whether that is the case or the babies nose is just pushed flat in this picture we'll just have to wait and see. Either way know she'll be so cute.

We've come to like our ward here and have attended baseball games, joined in a barbeque, and enjoyed dinner together with a few of our member friends. There is a lot of good things about Sacramento and it is a good place to live, but we still miss the company of our family and friends on a regular basis very much. We love you all.

Remembering Uncle Jim (Posted by Rob)

2010-06-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

This week the Skaggs Family suffered a devastating loss as our beloved Uncle Jim has passed away. Jim was the heart of our family and was the very definition of what it meant to be a Skaggs. I will forever hold the fondest memories of my uncle and his attitude towards life will continue to be an example to me, and which attitude I can only hope to emulate in my own life.

Our family events revolved around Uncle Jim, his sharp wit and deep sense of humor brought life to every gathering. Jim was sarcastic, but never critical. He was passionate, but never crude or demeaning. He had an affectionate way of impersonating people and seemed to reserve a nickname for every one of his nieces and nephews. I loved the way Uncle Jim told a story, he was animated and his facial gestures spoke almost as much the words themselves did. His accounts usually involved Jim’s patented deep and almost guttural growl-voice which he reserved for impersonating older family members whom he held in the highest respect for.

Jim was always prepared with his camera at family functions and his organization and desire to take pictures has preserved a lifetime of cherished memories. Jim understood the priorities of life, the top of his list: Family. Jim established his home only a few blocks away from his parents and through the years he and his family have been a great convenience, comfort, and blessing to my grandparents. Jim has also been an example of righteous and unselfish living through his abundant service in the church. He devoted himself to many callings of high responsibility including Bishop and a Mission Presidency.

One of my closest friends married a wonderful girl that we both went to high school with and who converted to the gospel before they were wed and sealed in the temple. I had the pleasure of meeting the missionaries who taught my friend’s wife and they served in the Anaheim Mission under President Skaggs. When they learned my last name and my relation to their President Skaggs they could not contain the mountain of compliments, admiration, and sentiment they held for him.

There is so much to admire about Uncle Jim; his powerful relationship with his wife and children and the love and respect you can see they hold for him, his devotion and service to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and his general attitude, sense of humor, and respect towards others. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

Lots of things to report!

2010-04-29T17:56:00.001-07:00

So I know that I say that I will get better and better about writting on here, and that I can't use the excuse that I have been busy...but we really have been. I will try to catch you up on the latest.

- We moved back to the states at the beginning of April because Rob got a job offer in Sacramento. He is working for a company that manufactures door parts from China. He has been there for a week now and really likes it. Sacramento is a great place for us. We like it here and feel like its perfect for us. We are so glad to be back in the states

-After being in Corona for about two weeks, and then moving all our stuff up to Sacramento, We are finally all settled into our apt here.. We like it alot. Its a two bedroom one bath apt, and its in a great location. I know that these aren't the greatest pictures, but it gives you a general idea.

- Living Room

So I have no idea why it won't let me add any other pictures to this blog so for right now, our living room is all you are seeing.

-We are pregnant. I am due in October and will find out at the end of May what I am having. I have had a great pregnancy. Haven't felt sick at all, and feel very lucky that I have had such an easy time with being pregnant.

Whats in a Name

2010-01-27T03:52:00.000-08:00

A few day ago I was leaving work with three new girls who will be working with me, Hana, Candy, and Apple, and I had a conversation that went like this:

Hana: Jacque did you know you have a boys name

Me: Not really

Hana: Well it is, its totally a boys name, Jackie Chan is a boy

Me: Jack is a boys name, and Jacque is a girls name, usually short for Jacqueline

Hana: But isn't your name just Jacque

Me: Yes it is, but Jacque is also a girls name

Hana: I don't think so, its a boys name, just thought I would tell you

End of conversation

As I was walking away I thought: Your telling me that I have a boys name, when your two friends chose the names Candy and Apple. Yeah I'm glad we don't pick our own names and I'll take my "boys" name anyday!

What a busy two months its been!

2010-01-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

Rob and I have been very busy lately, and haven't done a very good job with the blogging. Ill try to catch you up to date with what we have been up to and any big/ important events.

Halloween- Rob and I along with the other teachers went to a club called Vox for Halloween. Rob and I at the last minute threw together some outfits and both went as Kobe. It was fun, and we had a good time.

In early November I interviewed and got offered a job at a place called Gymboree, its an American based company that does play classes for kids ages 1 month to 36 months. I also teach a couple of English classes to three year olds there as well. I work alot, but really enjoy it and am glad that i found something to do to keep me busy.

Since I took over this new job, Rob took over my old tutoring job. The kids and parents love him, and he enjoys doing that. He teaches two hours on Saturday mornings and its nice to have the extra money.

The girls in Robs " Kiddie Class"

The boys in Robs " Kiddie Class"

Thanksgiving this year was very different, but we had fun. We went and had dinner on the 25th floor of the Ramada Inn, it was really nice. It wasn't traditional food, but it was really good.

Rob and us at Thanksgiving Dinner

Liz and us with a Chocolate fountain! Very Fancy

Lots of SeaFood!

Holidays this year were really different, we had a good Christmas Eve, we went to a nice Chinese restaurant that was really good. The food was great,and it was fun to be with everyone.

Me as Mrs. Clause for a Christmas party at work...

All our gifts for our Secret Santa Gift Exchange

It has been a good couple of months. WE miss all of you and hope you are doing well.

From East to West...Home is Best

2009-10-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

Rob and I love China. Its a great place to be, and I haven't missed home much at all. However last weekend we went to some plays that the post graduate students were putting on. One of the plays was the Wizard of Oz, and having never seen that movie before I really enjoyed the play. They put their own words, and change some parts of the play, and it was fun to watch. At the very end Dorthy said something that made me tear up, as she was trying to get back home, she said "From East to West, Home is Best. I had to agree with her. People ask us all the time where we are from, and get so excited when we say America. The translation for America here is beautiful country, and they think that everything about America is so great. Even after living in Utah for a year, Rob still claims So. Cal as home and I still claim Boise.

Huntington Beach ,California

Boise, Idaho

As much as we love it here. We both agree...that From East to West...Home is Best!

A Chinese Fashion Show

2009-10-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Last night Rob and I along with the other foreign teachers were invited to a fashion show that was here at the University that Rob teaches at. One of the big majors here is Textiles, so they have a huge fashion program. The outfits were all pretty out there, there was one, that I really wanted and would have worn. It was fun to be able to go, and see the different designs that the students created. Here are some of my favorites.

Puzzle Piece Outfit

Business/ Party Outfit

Trying to keep warm Outfit

Lampshade Outfit- We joked that it looked like there were two girls in this one. Doesn't she look about ten feet tall

The dress on the left is the one I really wanted. Me and one of the other foreign teachers are going to go there in a few days and see if they can make it for us.

Far Out in the Far East

2009-10-08T00:37:00.000-07:00

This last week has been the Chinese National Holiday, which is also a paid holiday for teachers and a nice break for Jacque and me. We spent an entire day exploring the ancient city of Chu at Mo Hill and saw a lot of ancient temples, city walls, statues, and artifacts that were very interesting. Also during the past few days we’ve explored areas of Wuhan that we’ve never been before both on the western and eastern sides of the Yangzi River. We’ve found some interesting markets and shopping malls, but mainly we’ve discovered that shopping in Wuhan (at least at shopping malls) is similar to the food selection in Wuhan in that it’s lacking variety. Its mainly noodles and rice. There are thousands of little privately owned shops all selling the same dainty, overpriced, pastel-colored stuff. Maybe I’m a little short sided because I’m a man but it seems like every store just has the same thing as its neighbor, namely clothes, shoes, and eyewear…that’s it. If you need electronics, art, books, furniture, novelties, antiques, etc. then you must find some special ‘district’ in which all they sell are those things. The night markets are a lot of fun however, passing street vendors and they’re multiple (fake) wares adds a little bit of spice to what I consider to be relatively bland shopping experience in the enormous shopping malls.

During our explorations Jacque and I have stumbled upon a few markets that sell imported American products. These establishments have come to allow us to enjoy the simple pleasures that we often take for granted in the states. For example, the other day Jacque and I ordered two pizzas from the Papa Johns we found in our city and had it delivered to our apartment. We ordered one Hawaiian style and one BBQ Chicken. We later discovered that we had to pay for the delivery boy’s taxi fare to and from our place which didn’t make us happy but a few minutes into our delicious, cheesy pizza melted our anger away. Also, near the large pedestrian mall just a few blocks from our home is a Dairy Queen…its outstanding. I swear the vanilla is the best I’ve ever had (imagine an Oreo blizzard made from Haagen-Dazs ice cream) so rich and so good. It’s even a treat to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the Chinese people haven’t even heard of such a thing and rarely eat sandwiches anyway so when I found some quality Jiffy Peanut Butter and some strawberry jelly I went to town.

These are just the simple American pleasures we enjoy, don’t get me wrong we have discovered some excellent food selections near our place that we enjoy on a regular basis. There’s an establishment in the backstreet which makes mainly noodles that is run by a Chinese family who believes in Islam. They have pictures of teary Muslim children hanging on the shop walls looking up to heaven with Mecca in the background. Naturally we’ve dubbed this establishment “The Muslim Noodle Shop”. There are also various restaurants we dine at with our fellow American teachers where we can all sit down, order various vegetables (bok choi, eggplant, carrots, potatoes, bamboo), meats (duck, chicken, beef, fish) , and tofu (gross) which we eat together at a round-robin style table. There are also several juice stands and street vendors that we eat at regularly (ask me about a Chinese Taco sometime).

Work is going very well and as expected I am enjoying teaching very much. I feel that I have a good connection with my students which makes their learning fun but also allows me to push them. Last week I assigned the students in my freshman class to prepare a dialogue with a classmate and then come perform that dialogue in front of the class and one student in particular (who I’d previously named William) refused to come up. I told him repeatedly in English and Chinese to come to the front but he just shook his head and sat there with his arms folded like a 3 year old. I threatened to give him a “zero” if he did not at least give it a try and he still refused. I was about to give up and just let him fail when the class began pounding their desks and yelling “Will-um…Will-um…Will-um!!” to which he finally stood up and came to the front and read his part of the dialogue. He didn’t do so bad either, he wasn’t William Shakespeare by any means, but he did OK and got full credit for trying. The post-grad students are all great, they perform superbly and do as they’re told. These freshman kids though…sometimes I feel like I have to kick them in the face to get them to do anything. I enjoy my students though and we get along well, most of them have never had a foreign teacher before, and none of them have had one that speaks Chinese. I allow them to ask a question in Chinese if they absolutely do not know how to ask it in English and then I teach them how to ask that question in English so they can do it next time. I only speak Chinese to my students outside of class or if they are having a particularly hard time understanding an assignment. I also put the fear into them that if they are saying something bad about me I’ll understand them. I’m known for giving “fist-bumps” as the students enter or leave the classroom. At first they didn’t understand it at all and they thought I wanted to hit them or something so they’d back away or duck down as I went in to “bump” them. Now most of them get it and I get fist-bumps by students who aren’t even in my classes when I walk around campus. Preparation for each class does not take up a lot of my time, the classes are pretty basic and based on oral English so the most important thing is giving the students a chance to speak to me and have me correct them when they say something wrong. Nothing too strenuous, life in China is good.

Jac and Rob's Excellent Adventure (posted by Rob)

2009-09-06T01:51:00.000-07:00

Well we've finally found a way to access our blog and Facebook, it can sometimes be a long, slow, tedious project but it beats being completely in the Dark Ages. We are so glad that we've been able to talk to so many of our friends and family via email, Skype, and now Facebook. Please continue to keep us posted on everything you're doing and if you can reach us by Skype, it has become our favorite means of communication. Its a very quick and easy setup and even if you don't have a webcam it is still an excellent free service that lets us talk with you. Our Skype Name is robandjacskaggs so feel free to look us up anytime.

This first week in China has been great. Jacque and I have made a lot of friends with the fellow English teachers and even a few helpful students. We've spent the first few days getting everything situated, going to orientation meetings, and sightseeing around Wuhan. I won't begin teaching until Tuesday and I've already got a few ideas about how to make my classes effective and entertaining. I now know which classes I'll be teaching and where they are located, I'll be teaching a few post-graduate classes upper level English and one Freshman English class which will be in the Economics and Management Department. It was a little strange when I learned that I would be selecting the reading material for this class and one professor took me to the public bookstore and told me to pick out a book I'd like and he'd arrange to have all the students buy their own copy... a little different from our style in the U.S.A. but I found a good one which should help the students focus on oral business English. With the 'Where' and 'What' all covered I'm left thinking about the 'How' which seems to be left largely go my discretion, I thought I'd be a little more nervous about starting classes but I feel confident that things will go smoothly and it will be... interesting.

Jacque is doing exceptionally well adapting to life here. I had braced myself for her to undergo much more of a culture shock then she has. She has no problem walking out through the market place on her own and taking care of everyday needs using basic communicative skills. Jacque loves the children. Everywhere she goes she is mentioning how cute the babies and toddlers are and she's learned how to say hi to them and tell their parents how cute they are. People stare at us just about everywhere we go, its something that you come to accept. Its actually pretty funny and Jac and I have a fun time with it as we walk around. I am really glad we've made so many friends here so soon, the other teachers are a lot of fun and we enjoy their company. (I sent an email out to some friends telling more about them and if you'd like to read it just let me know.) Everyone here is very friendly and honest, we feel very safe. In fact, the other day we went out to the street market to find lettuce for our turtle...Franklin. We found some and the street vendor asked for "5" but didn't say a denomination, i figured it was 5 yuan (about 70 cents) which still seemed a little steep but we handed him 5 yuan anyway. This old, skinny, poor market salesman shook his head and explained it was only 5 jiao (a jiao is 1/10th of a yuan) and took that instead. He could have easily taken my 5 yuan and I would've walked away not knowing much of a difference... 70 cents wouldn't hurt me too much, but even the poor street vendor had the honesty to correct me. That is how much of our experience here has been so far.

Yesterday Jacque and I visited the Yellow Crane Tower, one of the four greatest pagodas in China. It was massive and a real site to see. We had a great time and took lots of pictures (I'll try to add some here but getting through the block isn't easy. If I fail check out my Facebook or ask for an email and I'll send you some). We also walked around the most famous backstreets in Wuhan and took a ferry across the Yangzi River to see the sights there. There were lots of public events; rows and rows of men playing Chinese Chess, people singing and dancing, and even teams of people swimming across the Yangzi itself. We had a good time seeing everything we did and we were pretty tired afterwards.

This morning we attended church via our telephone with the branch in Beijing. This was the absolute first time that they've done a teleconferenced session of Sacrament Meeting and it was a huge blessing. The familiarity of the spirit was felt even though we were sitting alone on our bedside listening to the phone. We sang, and heared prayers, and heard testimonies during fast and testimony meeting and I felt the spirit there just as much as I have in any chapel building. It truly was a great blessing, there was period where we didn't know if we'd be able to attend any kind of church during our stay here and so this will be a wonderful experience for us.

I've taken several pictures and made a few short videos and I'll do my best to post some of them here on the blog. If I can't, again check Facebook or email us and I'll try to send you what I have.

We're thinking and praying for you.

On the Edge of Adventure (posted by Rob)

2009-08-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

Only five more days now. This next Saturday Jacque and I will be boarding a plane to start our adventure in China. It seems a little surreal now, after repeating our plans numerous times to everyone we meet, explaining the details has made our trip seem more like a story we tell rather than real life, but its getting more and more real everyday.

We are so grateful to our friends and family members for thinking of us during this time before we go. We had such a fun time at the bonfire/variety show that Scott hosted and invited all our friends to. We had such a nice evening at Matt and Betsy's house the weekend before we left Provo as we chatted with friends and shared a delicious meal Betsy had prepared. Grandpa and Grandma Klinzing were gracious enough to let us stay two nights at their home in St. George and we enjoyed their company before heading back down to Corona and its been so fun being home with the family this past week and have enjoyed sharing the home-cooked meals and laughter together. If anything this short time has only left Jacque and I with a heightened sensation of just how lucky we are to have such great friends and family in our lives. We want to thank all of you for the time and concern you've put into our departure and we want you to know that we love you and we will miss you all very deeply.

One thing I've learned in particular while preparing for this trip is Jacque's ability to plan ahead. She took our moving out of Provo into consideration months in advance and due to her diligence we were able to clean out our apartment and fit all of our final belongings into our two little cars for the final trip home. I can't help but think that if was up to me, I would have put it off a little too long and ended up giving appliances and furniture away to anyone who would take them, its due to her planning that we were able to move/sell all of our things in time.

Jacque and I are very excited about beginning our new life in China. Jacque has a great attitude about the move and is ready for anything. Everyone tells me that they wonder if Jacque will encounter a great deal of culture shock and all I have to say in reply is "I'm sure we BOTH will." Although I've lived abroad in Asia before I have never lived in Communist mainland China, I've never lived abroad as a married man, and I've never worked for a living abroad either. There will be new, wonderful, and terrifying varieties of life for both of us I'm sure. However, whatever befalls us we are ready and look forward to the challenge. I can only hope that we will be able to continue posting here at blogspot.com, I'm not exactly sure about the country's policy on censuring this site, but I hope we will be able to keep you all posted. I'm sure we'll find a way.

Again, thank you all for your love and concern and we look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

We love you all.

Rob and Jacque

Onward and Upward (posted by Rob)

2009-04-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

I made it! You know that feeling you get while your in school that tells you this scholastic train ride is never going to end and you can never quite catch a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel? A feeling that no matter how many classes you sit through, tests you sweat through, and semesters you manage to survive, it still feels like graduation is never gonna happen? I know that feeling and now I know what it is like to make it through... it feels wonderful.

Now that we've completed the "Collegiate Undergrad" chapter of life Jacque and I are looking forward to some exciting new opportunities and adventures ahead. Earlier this last semester Jac and I toyed with the idea of spending some time teaching English overseas and we explored some organizations that facilitated doing so. About a month ago, we got a return notification from the Wuhan University of Science and Engineering in China who seemed impressed with my background and after an interview process invited me to come teach in their Foreign Language department. The school provides housing, utilities, and a considerable amount of paid time off to allow for travel. We'd be there for about ten months. Jac and I are really excited about this venture and feel that its coming at a time in our life where we can take time out to explore, see a distant part of the world, and make some really great memories. I don't foresee this expedition in China to yield anything as far as a major career boost, as of now we're just going for the experience of it, but if anything does materialize while we're there we definitely won't be opposed to looking into it.

Aside from teaching at Wuhan University of Science and Engineering (or WUSE) there is also a possibility that I could be taking up a government job as an opportunity has just arisen recently in that field as well. Needless to say, Jacque and I look to the future with much anticipation and are excited about several big events coming up in the next few months including: Betsy (Jacque's younger sister) and Matt's wedding, Donovon's (my younger brother) homecoming from the Peoria, IL Mission, and Nathan's (my youngest brother) departure to the Oaxaca, Mexico Mission. So Jacker and I.... we're just happy, smilin', and looking onward and upward towards the future.

Spring Training and the ACM's (posted by Rob)

2009-04-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

BYU doesn't have a spring break, but by golly we took one anyway. Jacque and I hit the road with the rest of the gang to go see spring training in Tempe/Phoenix Arizona. We all piled up into James' 4Runner (including someone in the very back laying on a homemade bed consisting of luggage, blankets, and pillows) and headed out. We stayed at the very nice Xona Resort and when we weren't out on the town spent a good amount of time just relaxing poolside. Watching the game, exploring the shopping centers there, and going out to eat was a blast but most of all it was nice to just hang out with our friends under the warm Arizona sun.

While we were checking in to our room at the Xona, Jacque got a call from a radio station she'd called into just a few days before. The radio host announced that she'd won two all expense paid tickets to stay at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to attend the Academy of Country Music Awards. We thought this was amazing because we'd just won tickets to take a vacation while on vacation! The ACM's were a lot of fun and we got to see a lot of Country Stars up close and even took pictures with the Zac Brown Band. The MGM was amazing and our room was very nice. I joked with Jacque that I never win things like this on my own and she said the same so we decided that it's the combination of the two of us that makes us lucky (kinda how two negatives make a postive.) I started to doubt this for awhile but as we were heading to our seats in the nosebleed section of the award show a woman pulled us aside and said "You two look like a fun young couple... would you like to stand near the stage?" Of course, we said yes and we spent the rest of the show standing basically on top of a side stage where many artists performed throughout the night and we were in a great spot to see the main center stage. During the trip we saw Reba McIntyre, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Zac Brown, Kelly Pickler, George Strait, Julianne Hough, LeAnne Rimes, and a lot of other country stars. We had a blast!

Birthdays

2009-03-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

Rob had his 25th birthday on March 6th. Went out to dinner with friends, and then back to our apartment for cake and ice cream

I had my 23rd birthday on March 8th. We went out to my aunts house for dinner and cake. Then we went home and Rob had bought me a season of Friends. It was a great birthday

Highlights of our Holidays

2009-02-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

So this blog is very over due. We had a great Christmas and New Years in Boise. We spent the holidays with my family, and had a super time.

Top Highlights of this vacation included

Rob Building his first snowman. Since he grew up in So. Cal Rob had never built a snowman before. When there was enough snow on the ground, we went out and built one. He loved it.

Seeing my neice and nephew with Santa...they weren't scared at all, were so excited when Santa stopped by on Christmas eve.

Spending time with family, and friends.

It was a great Christmas

A Christmas to Remember...

2008-12-22T12:53:00.000-08:00

This Christmas Rob and I are headed to Boise to spend it with my family. We are so very excited and hope that the roads and weather will be nice to us. Last Christmas I flew to California to spend Christmas with Rob and his family. Not everyone has heard that story so I will retell it for those of you who haven't.

I left Boise at about 4:30 pm on Christmas Day, had a lay over in Oakland, and then caught another flight to Ontario. Rob told me that he had made reservations for dinner, so I shouldn't worry about eating anything. He picked me up from the airport and we went to his house to open presents with his family. I'm starving by this time, but figure Rob made reservations so I'll be a good sport and wait to eat. We went to this restaurant, The Mission Inn in Riverside, and inform them that we have made reservations. Its about 9:30 at this time, and we stood by the hostess podium for 15 minutes before being seated... even though we were the only people waiting and the restaurant looked almost empty. After we were finally seated, another 15 minutes had passed and still no one had even asked us what we wanted to drink. We were both initially not impressed with the service. Then, on top of this, we overheard a gentlemen sitting across from us tell his server that he owns several restaurants himself and has never had worse service. That was the last straw for us and so we decide we did not want to eat there. We left The Mission Inn with hopes that there would be somewhere else open. WRONG. It was Christmas day, and nothing was open.

I told Rob that I'd be fine with Mac N' Cheese to tide me over (his mom always has Mac N' Cheese). So we just went home. But I was wrong again. No Mac N' Cheese. We had sandwiches and salad instead and I told Rob well we can at least open our presents to each other, but Rob tells me we have to wait. We have to wait and decorate our little tree. This whole time I'm complaining about being hungry and kinda being a brat. After everyone else had gone to bed we started decorating our tree and Rob handed me ornaments and explained why he picked each one. He had a baseball from us going to Angels games. A star from the Hollywood walk of fame. Disney ornaments from us going to Disneyland, and so on. When it came time to put something on the top of the tree Rob mentioned that usually the object at the top has deep meaning, whether it was an angel or a shining star. Then he got down on one knee and said, "But this star doesn't go on top of the tree it goes on your hand closest to your heart." Then he asked me to marry him. It was so cute, and it made me feel bad that i had been such a brat all evening. It was amazing, and definitely a Christmas to Remember.

I was tagged...

2008-12-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

Meagan tagged me... we have know eachother since the third grade. So here goes...

8 Favorite T.V. Shows--

1. Friends

2. One Tree Hill

3. Jon and Kate

4. The Office
5.The Pretender

6. The O.C

7. Arthur- as in the Aardvark

8. Hannah Montana

8 Favorite Restaurants--

1. Bardanay

2. Red Robin

3. Olive Garden

4. P.F. Changs

5. Noodles and Co.

6. Magraths

7. The Elephant Bar

8. Taco Bell

8 Things to Look Forward To--

1. Going to Boise for Christmas

2. Going to So. Cal in Jan.

3. Rob graduating from college

4. Seeing my niece and nephew

5. One Tree Hill to start again

6. Meeting Robs brother who gets home in May

7. Rob getting a job, and us moving somewhere

8. Summer and the warm weather...i'm tired of being cold

8 Things I LOVE about winter--

1. The snow

2. Christmas

3. Spending time with family

4. Getting to wear hoodies

5. Drinking hot chocolate

6. Macys thanksgiving day parade

7. Getting to wear beanies all day long

8. Watching Christmas movies

8 Things on my wishlist--

1. A puppy...this changes on a regular basis. Sometimes i really want one. other times i don't

2. A mazda 3

3. A chi hair straightener

4. New perfume"

5.A new camera

6. ?

7.?

8.?

Now i tag these people:

I wanna tag these great 8:

1. Carolyn Baggett

2. Michelle Johnston

3. Leanna Escobar

4. Aric Johnstone

5. Brittney

6. ?

7. ?

8. Thats all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-12-03T17:44:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving Rob and I headed to St. George to spend it with his family and his grandparents. It was great and we had a wonderful time. I braved the lines and millions of other people who went out early for "Black Friday". I had never gone before and it was very fun, and I got some wonderful deals. WE went and saw the movie Australia and it was wonderful. Saturday we went bowling, and then went to dinner I was a little worried that I would really miss my family, and being with them on Thanksgiving,but I had a great time, and am so glad that I love Robs family so much and have so much fun with them. We had a great Thanksgiving and were so glad we were able to spend it with his family. Every year in my journal i write the things that i either found out i was grateful for that year or that happened that year. I will share a few with you..
* Getting married. I am so grateful to be married to my best friend
* Living in a college town where everyone around us is the same age
* Jon and Kate plus 8- I love this show
* Noodles and Co- One of the greatest places to eat
* My pass to Disneyland- Robs parents got these for us, and we love it
* Living close to my little sister, and getting to see her so often
*Skinny jeans/ Flat shoes- Im probably a little behind on the times, but I love both these trends
I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and is as excited about Christmas as I am

Rise and Shout the Cougars are out

2008-11-23T16:04:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago Rob and I went to the BYU football game. The weather was great, and the game was wonderful. BYU played San Diego State, and beat them 27-3. I took all my favorite candy in my purse and they made me throw it away. I was very upset, but was quickly happy when I say that they had Dippen Dots. All in all it was a great time.

It was a bit sunny, but so fun!

Rob and James enjoying the game

You can just call us Betty Crocker!

2008-11-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

Ever since I was little I remember always having homemade cookies. They would just always just appear in the cookie jar. And it wasn't just the boring chocolate chip cookies, my mom would make the best cookies ever, so we always got home made cookies in our lunches. Around a holiday that was coming up she would make sugar cookies and let us help decorate them. My little sister asked me if I wanted to come help her make and decorate sugar cookies for Halloween. We made tons and tons of cookies, and then frosted and sprinkled them. Her friends and roomates would ask us what we were making them for. As if we needed an excuse. It was lots of fun.

Betsy decorating cookies!

Me holding up my cookies!

The finished product

Our Halloween

2008-11-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

Our Halloween this year was very low key. The Monday before Halloween we carved pumpkins and they turned out very well. Halloween night we helped out with a trunk or treat our ward was doing and then we went bowling with some friends. I got the high score. All in all it was a great Halloween.

Harper Turned 1!

2008-11-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

My niece Harper turned one a few weeks ago and when I was home I was able to be there for her birthday party. She is such a doll. She is so much fun, and her and her brother Dawson have such a good time together. They are so funny to watch.

Harper in her birthday outfit!

Harper's cake...fancy!

Harper finished her cake in three handfuls/ bites

thats why we call her the little Harpoon!

Trip to Boise!

2008-11-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago I went home to Boise for the weekend. Rob was supposed to come and at the last minute found out he had a group project for a class that he couldn't miss, so I went by myself. It was a great weekend. I hung out with family and friends, babysat my niece and nephew, went out to lunch with friends, and visited my old work. I love being home with family and spending time with them. On the way back I stopped in Twin Falls to see my best friend Cortney and her husband and her new baby Tegan. It was a great weekend, and I wish Rob could have come. I love Boise, and to me it will always be home!

Trip to Park City!

2008-11-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

Rob and I and Carolyn and Charlie went up to park city for the day, and had alot of fun. We walked around all the shops, ate lunch, played tether ball, and went to the outlet malls. Park City is a quiet little town, and it was so fun to spend the day up there.

Rob and Charlie posing with a statue

Back in the day i was awesome at tether ball,

not so much anymore

Pumpkin tie dye shirts

2008-10-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

I saw this cute project in Family fun, and decided that i wanted to try it and thought it would be great to do it for Family home evening. We had our friends Andrew and Amy, and Charlie and Carolyn over to do it with us. It went really well, and was alot of fun.

Robs mission reunion!

2008-10-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Rob and I went to his misison reunion. It was fun to meet his mission president and talk with some of his companions. Rob served in the Taiwan, Tapei mission from April 03- April 05. He speaks Mandarin Chinese, and loved his mission

Rob and I with Cabella, his companion's little girl. She was so adorable!

Our first place!

2008-10-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Rob and I live in a small one bedroom apartment here in Provo, and we love it. Its little but we managed to fit all our stuff in here and it looks very cute. Its close to campus, so Rob can walk there. Its a fun little place, and great for our first apartment.

My favorite little boy turns 2!

2008-10-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

My nephew Dawson turns two today, and i am sad i couldn't go home to celebrate his birthday, but wanted everyone to know i was thinking about him. He is the cutest little boy i know, and has the most fun little personality. He is so excited about everything, and makes you feel like the most important person, and is so happy to see you. Happy Birthday Dawson. We love you little man!

Living in the college scene!

2008-10-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

Right after we got married, Rob and i moved to Provo so he could go to school for the summer semester and get some a semsester sooner. It has been fun living in a college town where everyone is close to the same age and doing the same things in life. There is always something going on, and a fun activity to get involved it. We love it here!

How we met!

2008-10-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

Our meeting was totally by chance, or fate as some would call it. I lost my job in Boise and my friend Carolyn invited me to come live with her family in California for the summer. I decided that this would be a great opportunity for me and so I packed up and my mom drove me down there, and that was that.
Rob was planning on staying in Provo for the summer but decided that he would go home to California and sell pest control.
Carolyn and I were going to hang out with the "bug boys" as we referred to them. Rob was one of them and I had seen a picture of him before and and thought Rob was so handsome and had the nicest teeth. We went over to Rob's house and I remember meeting his mom and my first words to the woman who would become my mother-in-law were, "I'm here to flirt with your son with the nice teeth." If i would have known that she would later become my mother-in-law, I would have probably considered saying something a little more classy.
We found out where the boys were and went over there. We hung out there for a bit talking and playing some games with everyone I remember telling Carolyn on the way out that Rob ignored me the whole time. I would later find out that it wasn't ignoring, he was trying to think of a way to ask me out.
We started dating shortly thereafter. And hung out almost every night.
Rob went back to BYU for the fall semester and I went back to Boise. We endured the long distance dating and got engaged Christmas of 2007.
We got married June 7th in the San Diego Temple.

Lets start at the very beginning!

2008-10-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

Getting to know us.

Facts:

Full Name: Robert William Skaggs

Birthday: March 6th 1984

Hometown: Corona. Ca

Has two younger brothers and one younger sister

Attends BYU

Served a mission to Taiwan, Taipei

Interests and hobbies:

Spending time with family and friends

Watching sports

Writing poetry

Reading

Talking to people in Chinese

Celebrity look alike

My family always jokes around with Rob and says that he looks like the Pinocchio from Shrek. But he has also been told that he looks like Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Elijiah Wood (Frodo).

Favorite things:

Restaurant: Rob is the least pickiest eater, he will be able to find something anywhere we go. He does however love Shoots here in Provo.

Fast food: Rob really likes Miguel Jr.

Drink: Water, how boring.

Unique things about Rob:

He is so funny and usually can turn any situation into a joke.

He will just sit down and listen to people and make up funny "bits" about the conversation

Full Name: Jacque Rae Conklin Skaggs:

Hometown: Boise, Idaho

Has two older sister and one younger sister

Interests and hobbies:

Scrap-booking

Baking- not cooking, but baking treats

Watching shows!

Celebrity look alike:

I have never thought i have looked like any celebrity, but occasionally get that i look like Sandra Bullock, or Selma Blair.

Favorite Things:

Restaurant: Bardanay

Fast Food: Taco Bell

Drink: Dr. Pepper, vanilla bean frappicianos, carmel steamers, Fierce brand Gatorade...anything but water really.

Unique things about me:

I clogged for 7 years and loved it, but won't show anyone anymore

I have been to South Africa with my family on vacation