A Letter to You- Part Two: Who We Are

By now, I hope you understand the experiences that lead us to this point. In this post, I was to share more about who we are but because the first letter was so long and detailed, I wanted to do this one different!

WHERE WE'RE FROM
Ben was born in Salem, Oregon and raised in Detroit, Oregon and Provo, Utah.
Amber lived in Pocatello, Idaho and later moved to Claremont, California

DATING LIFE
We met on MySpace in Nov. 2004. We quickly fell in love and were almost inseparable. Ben left for an Army training course only 2 months later. Although we were on opposite sides of the country, we continued to date and when I flew to visit him over Valentine's day, we got engaged. Ben came home only a few weeks before we got married in the Salt Lake temple. Were we a little insane? Probably. Were we very much in love? Definitely. 

OUR KIDS
Michael Logan, goes by Logan, 10 years old- named after Ben's best friend that passed away (Michael) and X-Men's Wolverine (Logan).
Roxie Rose, 8 years old, named after her great-grandmother (Rose).
James Alexander, goes by Jax, 3 years old, named after his grandfather (James) and X-Men's Havok (Alexander).

CAREERS
Ben does marketing and sales for his families construction company full-time. He has been in the Army National Guard for almost 20 years and currently serves as a Chaplain's Assistant.  He also regularly teaches Army resilience courses. He also has his own side business where he works and trains individuals and corporations in resilience skills and interpersonal techniques.
Amber runs an eBay shop from home. I love working my own hours and getting to work while my kids play next to me! 

FAMILY

Ben has 4 half siblings that live in Utah, Washington and Arizona. His father lives in Utah and his mother lives in Oregon. 

Amber has 2 siblings that are 10 and 13 years older than her. The both live in southern Utah. Her mom is in Southern Utah and her dad is in Northern Utah. 

FAVORITE FOODS
As a couple, we enjoy making queso dip and drinking sparkling cider while we watch a show at night
Ben- Pizza, Kahlua pork and rainbow rolls (Sushi). He also has an unhealthy addiction to diet coke and buffalo wings 😄
Amber- Fritos and bean/ jalapeno cheddar dip, food with cream cheese and/or jalapeno, jerky, veggies...really, almost everything although I'm not a big meat-eater 
Logan- Shrimp, sushi and whatever spicy thing he sees he father eating.
Roxie-BACON, ramen, pizza rolls and jr. bacon cheeseburgers 
Jax- Pancakes, french fries and Cheetos










FAMILY HOBBIES
Games, movie nights, Comic-Con, UFC fights, being in nature

DETAILS ABOUT US
Ben- BYU football, video games, audio books, empathetic, caring, patriotic, teaching, movies, spending 1 on 1 time with people he cares about,  "extroverted introvert"
Amber- Dodgers, hosting game nights, meeting new people, going on adventures, making amazing memories, "introverted extrovert", event/party planning
Logan- building and tinkering with things, special love for his Savior, quiet/ shy, science, playing baseball, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, BYU football with Dad, video games, Legos, cats
Roxie-entertaining people, drawing, making things, strong-willed, doing her hair, fashion, makeup, decorating, mini teenager, baking, sassy, usually outgoing, fiercely protective
Jax- trains, race cars, monster trucks, dinosaurs, playing in the water or dirt, never stops, cuddle bug, loves his people, hates goodbyes, playing video games with big brother

FAVORITE VACATIONS-
We visit Disneyland every 1-2 years and visit the small resort town Ben grew up in- Detroit Lake, Oregon, usually annually.

PETS
We have 2 dogs- Alice and Jasper, and 2 cats- Nova and Scout

FAVORITE SHOWS
As a couple- Agents of Shield, Supernatural, Grand Tour/ Top Gear, Grimm, Bob's Burgers, Castle, RWBY
Ben- Most Star Trek shows, Parks & Rec, Firefly and other nerdy stuff
Amber- Chuck, Psych, Prison Break, Vampire Diaries, Firefly, Hawaii 5-0, Jane the Virgin, Arrow, The Mindy Project
Logan- The Flash, Doctor Who
Roxie- Liv & Maddie, Jessie, Cupcake Wars
Jax- Little Einsteins, Dinotrux, Umi Zoomi, Backyardigans, Transformers 

FAVORITE MOVIES

Ben- his favorites range from Lord of the Rings, Goonies, war movies and anything will Bill Murray
Amber- Newsies, Guardians of the Galaxy, Tron, Star Wars, X-Men, classic movies (Bob Hope, Audrey Hepburn, etc)
Logan- Tron, Guardians of the Galaxy, Emperor's New Groove
Roxie- Descendants 1 & 2, Moana
Jax- Cars, Toy Story, Peter Pan