03 Dec 2023 Couple of the Month: Jeremy and Emily Walter
THEIR STORY
We met on the steps of First United Methodist Church the weekend I moved to Conway as a freshman at UCA in the fall of 1999. We became friends and stayed best friends for months, but eventually, it developed into more. He proposed to me in April of 2001 at the River Market stage one night. We were walking along, and he wanted to do it with the Little Rock skyline in the background because he knows how much I love architecture, and he also wanted the railroad bridge in the background because he loves trains. We dated/were engaged throughout college and were married on Jan. 4, 2003. We absolutely love to travel together. With our jobs, we don’t get away much, so when we do, we make it count. We both love history and tend to migrate to historic places on vacation and fill our days taking tours of houses and war sites or taking train rides.
HIS STORY:
hometown: I have lived in Conway my entire life.
Education: I graduated from Conway High in 1999 and have business and graphic design degrees from UACCM.
Place of employment: Realtor® with RE/MAX Elite, and I am the assistant brewmaster at the Rogue Roundabout in Downtown Conway.
Community/church activities:
I serve as vice chair of the board at Mount Eagle Retreat Center, a United Methodist church camp in the North Central Ozarks, and I volunteer as a driver for Conway FUMC Food Pantry.
Hobbies/special interests: My hobbies include anything outdoors! Let me go smallmouth bass creek fishing in a canoe and I’m happy for hours! I enjoy exploring waterfalls and new trails, and Emily and I love visiting lesser-known historic destinations here in Arkansas.
When did you add the projector and radio station to your decorations?
I added the projector to our holiday decorations in 2021. It’s the same technology Disney uses on their castle, and it became affordable. I thought, “Why not give people something different; something they may have never seen before?”
What was your favorite reaction from children over the years?
It’s hard to see kids smiling while they watch from their car, but you can HEAR them smile when we are sitting inside and hear that audible giggle and laugh and “ooh” and “ahh” coming from the street! That’s why we do it!
HER STORY:
hometown: I am originally from Jonesboro (Craighead County).
Children: We have one daughter, Victoria, who is in college, and Sven, our 9-year-old Shih Tzu.
Education: I graduated from Jonesboro High School in 1999. I also earned a bachelor’s of science degree in interior design from UCA in 2003.
Work: I am an Executive Broker/Realtor® at RE/MAX Elite.
Community activities: Interim chair for the City of Conway Historic District Commission, vice chair of Conway Symphony Orchestra, co-chair of Toadsuck Nation Leads Group through the Conway Chamber of Commerce.
church: Trustees chair for Conway First United Methodist Church, historian for Conway First United Methodist Church, trustee to the Arkansas United Methodist Conference.
Hobbies/special interests: When I get a spare minute, I love going to shows at Robinson, Reynolds, etc. or quick trips to discover new towns in Arkansas.
Why do you two go “all out” with your holiday decorations?
I’ve always loved the holidays. All holidays, Fourth of July, birthdays, etc. I love the creativity of decorating for the holidays. But I ESPECIALLY love Halloween and Christmas. Those were my two favorite holidays growing up and still are to this day. I have fond memories of my childhood holidays, and I wanted to keep that feeling alive when we raised our daughter.
You decorate your yard and home at Halloween and Christmas for passersby to enjoy. What is your favorite part of the displays?
People always drive by and tell us they love our sunroom displays. But when we started the projector show, it took it to a whole new level. There was this expected bonus with just the absolute joy that it brought to people. I mean, you put something like this together and work hard for it, hoping a few people stop and see it. But we have hundreds of people each season come by. It doesn’t matter the age group, people love sitting there, watching our holiday shows. So the projector would have to be my favorite part as well.
When Jeremy first told me what he wanted to do, I thought he was nuts. He showed me videos and explained how it would work, but I couldn’t wrap my head around how we would do it, having no background in it. Although I did agree our house would be a perfect backdrop for it. Jeremy worked so hard pulling it all together and planning it out. He even incorporated most of my favorite holiday movies into the shows for me and, of course, threw some of his favorites in there as well.
I’ve seen the show so many times, but I love it every single time I watch it. But if I had to pick a certain scene for the show, hands down Harry Potter scenes win my favorite every time. Who doesn’t want to see their favorite movie on a three-story tall house?
