The story you are about to read had to be destined to happen.
Although when Heather Foster and Neil Beigler were 8 and 11 years old, they had no idea what might happen a decade later.
“My dad’s little sister married his mom’s little brother,” Heather said. “We were the junior attendants.”
Walking down the aisle then didn’t faze the two youngsters.
“I was 8,” Heather said. “I kind of thought boys were gross still. I thought he was cute as far as ‘older men,’ but he was 11. We didn’t talk to each other at the wedding. We literally just walked down the aisle.
“I kind of thought he was not someone I would like.”
“I don’t really remember it well,” Neil said. “I just thought I was funny because I was wearing sunglasses at the end of the wedding.”
A decade passed before Neil and Heather really talked to each other again.
“I think I saw him play a soccer game once. He lived in Peoria. I lived around here,” Heather said.
But then when Heather was 20, right after Neil had graduated from college, the aunt and uncle who asked them to be in the wedding, set them up on a blind date.
“They’d teased us about each other for a long time,” Heather said. “They just thought we’d be cute together.”
On Jan. 2, 1998, Neil took Heather out on their first date.
“We went to eat and were going to see Titanic but she’d already seen it, so we went to Amistad; not quite as romantic,” Neil said. “She was cute, smart and funny.”
At the time, Heather attended Cedarville University in Ohio and Neil was a nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria. Spending a lot of time on the phone, the two quickly clicked, and Neil asked Heather to go to snowboarding in Wisconsin with some friends.
“It’s kind of not him,” Heather said. “He’s pretty quiet and not impulsive at all.”
After sliding and falling down the hills, Heather ended up pretty bruised. It was Neil’s tenderness that caught her attention. But she liked how he took care of her when she got bruised while skiing.
Two-and-half months later, the couple was engaged. Heather moved back to Illinois to finish her degree at Illinois State University while Neil continued to work in Peoria.
“We’re totally different,” she said. “We did our premarital counseling and they told us we probably shouldn’t get married. Because not only are we different, but we’re like extreme different. But it just works.
“He was confident, he was smart and he didn’t let me just walk on him. I have a big personality. He was bold enough to push back and it was good.”
A year from their first date, on Jan., 2, 1999, Neil and Heather were married.
At 21 and 24, the couple had to learn to share a space together, to become responsible, to pay the bills and support each other.
Once Heather graduated, Neil decided to study anesthesiology, so Heather took a job at State Farm. Once Neil finished, Heather went back to school.
“We were super broke,” Heather said. “But it was great. I look back on it and it was awesome. Those are the fondest memories.”
As Neil completed his residency at Carle, the plan was to move south to raise their family. Pregnant with their first child, Nyah, the Bieglers decided to plant roots in Mahomet so that they could be close to family.
Three children later, they are still live in Mahomet.
But their lives are full of adventure.
They encourage their kids to participate in sports, to play, to be goofy and to be hard working.
The Beiglers also enjoy building memories around March Madness.
“We will watch four days straight of NCAA basketball tournament with a picnic of junk food or watch our kids playing ball,” Neil said. “It’s fun with her.”
As strict, but fun parents, the Bieglers face each moment as a team.
“I think we are able to talk about everything and support one another. We’ve gone through a lot and having three kids isn’t easy, but we’re together,” Neil said.
Although proclaimed ‘opposites,’ the Bieglers know that nothing, not even kids, can come between them.
Heather loves how Neil plays with, cares for and coaches their children.
“I’ve seen him pray for our kids and build them up. He’s a really great dad,” she said. “He spends so much time coaching them and working with them.”
She also feels freedom to just be who she is around Neil.
“He doesn’t expect me to be perfect or to fit a mold,” she said.
And Neil loves how Heather takes care of making sure the entire family works.
“Heather is really fun to be with even though I never know what she is going to do,” he said. “She is great with organizing all the kids activities. I have a busy job, am in school and coach soccer. She handles everything else.”
“You just pick up the slack, and wherever that person’s at, you just bridge the gap,” Heather said.
“He’s my best friend. I’m it for him. He’s just always there, and I don’t question that.” Heather said. “We pray for each other and try to build each other up. We are the other person’s best teammate.”
The story you are about to hear had to be destined to happen.
Although when Heather Foster and Neil Beigler were 8 and 11 years old, they had no idea what might happen a decade later.
“My dad’s little sister married his mom’s little brother,” Heather said. “We were the junior attendants.”
Walking down the aisle then didn’t phase the two youngsters.
“I was 8,” Heather said. I kind of thought boys were gross still. I thought he was cute as far as ‘older men,’ but he was 11. We didn’t talk to each other at the wedding. We literally just walked down the aisle.
“I kind of thought he was not someone I would like.”
“I don’t really remember it well,” Neil said. “I just thought I was funny bc I was wearing sunglasses at the end of the wedding.”
A decade passed before Neil and Heather really talked to each other again.
“I think I saw him play a soccer game once. He lived in Peoria. I lived around here,” Heather said.
But then when Heather was 20, right after Neil had graduated from college, the aunt and uncle who asked them to be in the wedding set them up on a blind date.
“They’d teased us about each other for a long time,” Heather said. “They just thought we’d be cute together.”
On January 2, 1998, Neil took Heather out on their first date.
“We went to eat and were going to see Titanic but she’d already seen it so we went to Amistad; not quite as romantic,” Neil said. “She was cute, smart and funny.”
At the time, Heather lived attended Cedarville University in Ohio and Neil was a nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria. Spending a lot of time on the phone, the two quickly clicked, and Neil asked Heather to go to snowboarding in Wisconsin with some friends.
“It’s kind of not him,” Heather said. “He’s pretty quiet and not impulsive at all.”
After sliding and falling down the hills, Heather ended up pretty bruised. It was Neil’s tenderness that caught her attention. But she liked how he took care of her when she got bruised while skiing.
Two-and-half months later, the couple was engaged. Heather moved back to Illinois to finish her degree at Illinois State University while Neil continued to work in Peoria.
“We’re totally different. We did our premarital counseling and they told us we probably shouldn’t get married. Because not only are we different, but we’re like extreme different. But it just works.
“He was confident, he was smart and he didn’t let me just walk on him. I have a big personality. He was bold enough to push back and it was good.”
A year from their first date, on January, 2, 1999, Neil and Heather were married.
At 21 and 24, the couple had to learn to share a space together, to become responsible, to pay the bills and support each other.
Once Heather graduated, Neil decided to study anesthesiology, so Heather took a job at State Farm. Once Neil finished, Heather went back to school.
“We were super broke,” Heather said. “But it was great. I look back on it and it was awesome. Those are the fondest memories.”
As Neil completed his residency at Carle, the plan was to move south to raise their family. Pregnant with their first child, Nyah, the Bieglers decided to plant roots in Mahomet so that they could be close to family.
Three children later, they are still live in Mahomet.
But their lives are full of adventure.
They encourage their kids to participate in sports, to play, to be goofy and to be hard working.
The Beiglers also enjoy building memories around March Madness.
“We will watch four days straight of NCAA basketball tournament with a picnic of junk food or watch our kids playing ball,” Neil said. “It’s fun with her.”
As strict, but fun parents, the Bieglers face each moment as a team.
“I think we are able to talk about everything and support one another. We’ve gone through a lot and having three kids isn’t easy, but we’re together,” Neil said.
Although proclaimed “opposites,” the Bieglers know that nothing, not even kids can come between them.
Heather loves how Neil plays with, cares for and coaches their children.
“I’ve seen him pray for our kids and build them up. He’s a really great dad. He spends so much time coaching them and working with them.”
She also feels freedom to just be who she is around Neil.
“He doesn’t expect me to be perfect or to fit a mold,” she said.
And Neil loves how Heather takes care of the making sure the entire family works.
“Heather is really fun to be with even though I never know what she is going to do,” he said. “She is great with organizing all the kids activities. I have a busy job, am in school and coach soccer, she handles everything else.”
“You just pick up the slack, and wherever that person’s at, you just bridge the gap,” Heather said.
“He’s my best friend. I’m it for him. He’s just always there, and I don’t question that.” Heather said. “We pray for each other and try to build each other up. We the other person’s best teammate.”
