The Johnson Family Adventures

Family Pictures

2011-11-29T13:57:00.001-08:00

Here are some of my favorite shots from our family pictures. I LOVE THEM!!!! I'm so excited to get them printed out and put up around the house.

Recap

2011-11-28T12:56:00.001-08:00

So I have been very neglectful and still trying to figure out how to balance doing things for myself without feeling guilty about not playing with Littles 24/7. In August, we had a few of our friends come over to have a Couples Minute to Win It Night. It was so fun. The trash talk...the laughs. It was so fun!
In September, we celebrated my birthday and then went out to San Diego for our first family vacation. We went to Sea World and the pier to go check out the U.S.S. Midway. It was so nice to get away for a few days and have Cade all to ourselves.

St. Louis Zoo

2011-09-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

On our first day in St. Louis, we all headed to the St. Louis Zoo for Savannah's first official trip to one. Needless to say, it was over 100 with a humidity count that was close to the same. However, it was fun riding the train with her and watching her staring intensely at the sting rays and guinea pigs. She nodded off about an hour into the excursion but the rest of us had fun.

On to Carthage and St. Louis

2011-09-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Forgive the sideways pictures. Got a new computer and still figuring out editing, but they were too cute to not put up.

Carthage Jail

Our last day in Nauvoo was awesome. My folks and I woke up and did some sessions at the temple. It was awesome. Definitely one of the all-time special days ever. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel and loaded up the house of stuff that I brought. Ugh. Right before we left we walked the Trail of Hope, or Parley Street. It was the route that the saints took as they were leaving Nauvoo. It was such a sad thing to do, to walk where those poor people walked. They were losing their homes, their possessions, the temple and they had lost the Prophet Joseph. Yet, they were still hopeful and faithful that things were going to be alright.

After driving for a bit, we made it to Carthage. Another amazing experience to be where a prophet of God was, but under terrible circumstances that eventually ended his life. To take this journey was definitely eye-opening for sure.

1st day in Nauvoo

2011-09-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

View from right outside our hotel

Nauvoo Visitors Center

Poppa time

Listening to a presentation about the printing press

Pioneer festival

Nauvoo Pageant

Our first full day of Nauvoo was amazing. There were so many amazing presentations to see. (Plus it was a perk that I was with my familia.) We went to several homes that are still standing and saw different demonstrations. The temple was amazing. It was incredible to see something that I have heard and read about my whole life finally in person. The spirit there was so tranquil. It was an amazing experience.

First Plane Ride

2011-08-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone (including myself) assumes that Savannah's first plane ride was going to be awful. The screaming and crying (and not all from me)... the looks of annoyance from surrounding passengers... comments made from the person sitting behind. The two of us were on a journey to St. Louis and then to drive to Nauvoo. My bro and I were at the airport super early, but Savannah was amazing. She fell asleep before the plane even took off. We arrived to see some very happy-looking people. We were on our way for an adventure.

Sambo's

2011-07-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

This little slice of heaven was found in Santa Barbra. I am loving the central coast. The weather is amazing. The beach is amazing. So many mommies walk their little lovelies around on the paths. (sigh...wish it wasn't 120 right now). On our way back from San Luis Obispo, we wanted to stop for breakfast and found Sambo's. It is right next to the beach with patio-seating. The joint was packed, but we were lucky to snag a table outside. First thing, a beautiful basket of mini-muffins arrives. Who looks happy?
Cade got an amazing burrito that was the size of Texas. I did a mix-and-match. The portions were gynormous. It was hard to not stand and bounce up and down to make room for it all. It was delicious.

Me trying out red lipstick. Oh la la

Our trip was amazing, even being so teenie. The hubs and I really enjoyed ourselves. Can not wait to go back.

First Overnighter... 8 Hours Away!!!!

2011-07-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

So the hubs and I had to take an overnighter away from our sweet little Yummy. Cade had an interview that I needed to be there for as well. Ekk. Anyway, we were able to go to San Luis Obispo. (All together now- collective sigh {sigh}) It was amazing. On the way up, stopped in Santa Barbra at Brophy Brothers for some amazing fresh catch. Shrimp please!Do I look as happy as I was?

It was such an amazing scene sitting by the marina. It was beautiful. After our interview, we ran back to our hotel to make a quick change and head to the beach. We found this amazing spot thanks to some insider info ;-) Thanks Meg! And dipped our toes in the ocean, which was completely freezing, but so worth it. And through out it all I was relatively calm about leaving baby behind. Yay for me!

Mimi's Visit

2011-07-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

Out at the Cherry Festival in Cherry Valley. We <3 you Murrills!!!

My mom and brother surprised me by driving out here from Alabama end of May. It was so great. My mom stayed three weeks!!! It was awesome. She was able to see Savannah conquer so many milestones. She seemed to be waiting for a bigger audience than just Cade and I.

80's Prom

2011-07-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

Throw in some bad hair and excessive amounts of lace, hair spray, and make-up and you've got yourself an 80's prom. Some good friends of ours came over and jammed to some 80's music with us. It was a fun night!

Update on the Cuteness

2011-07-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

I have neglected the blog but for good reason. Our sweet little nugget is 6 MONTHS OLD!!!! I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. We have had our ups and downs, but it has been worth it seeing her grow so quickly and seeing what she is learning. She now knows how to use her hands and grab her toys, but I think her toes are her fave. She loves to stick those in her mouth (as seen above :-) ) She is almost able to sit up on her own and loves to talk. She has a funny sense of humor and loves snuggling now. (Yay!!!) Now that I have figured out how to upload pics to this computer I will be able to do this more often.

Blessing Day

2011-04-05T10:22:00.001-07:00

Four generations of first daughters

Her blessing day was amazing. She had four generations on both sides supporting her. It is so amazing to see how much she is loved outside of her dad and me.

My Family

2011-04-02T19:10:00.001-07:00

Poppa getting snuggles

Mimi and Poppa loving on Yummy

Great-Mawmaw Golemon

Poppa and Tio

I was so glad that my family was able to comeout to join us when Yummy was first born. My mom was able to be here for two weeks (phew). My dad, brother, and grandmother came out the weekend of her blessing. It was such a special feeling to have them here to share some time with their great-granddaughter, granddaughter, and neice. I appreciate the sacrfices that were made.

First Bath

2011-04-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

Oh can I say I have never been so nervous to bathe someone or something in my entire life. Bless her heart. Cade and I were so nervous. It didn't help that she didn't like it at all. (still doesn't actually)

She's here!!!!

2011-02-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Savannah May Johnson decided that January 21st was the day she was going to make her grand entrance. Thursday night after some serious laughs thanks to the Peteresons, "Community" and "The Office", my water broke at 11:30. However, I wasn't too sure if it had or if I had a little accident so when I woke up at 1:00 to really use the restroom and there was much more than should have been, I went to my hall bathroom debating on if I should call my doctor or not. I guess in the time I was gone, Cade had gotten up to use the restroom as well. Realizing that I was not in bed, he came looking for me and found me in my stupor. I told him that I thought my water had broken, but wasn't sure. He said he would follow my lead and went back to sleep. I made the decision and we were out the door half an hour later.

After we got to the hospital's triage around 4:00 AZ time, we got the confirmation that my water had in fact broken and that I was having contractions that I couldn't even feel. I was admitted at 7:00 AM due to there being a million people having babies that night that there wasn't a clean room for me for a while. Once in my room, they started on me at Oxytocin and found out that I was at a 4. After 2 1/2 hours, I decided to get the IV medication that would take the edge. HA! That worked a whopping 15 minutes. So at 10 I asked for an epidural. They asked Cade to leave the room and I got the good stuff. Only problem was that my left side didn't numb completely. So they rolled me onto my side to get it numb. Five minutes later, Cade came in and I felt like I had to push. My nurse came in after Cade and checked me and I was at an 8. A few minutes later, I told my nurse again that I really, really had to push. She told me it was just pressure from the baby, but I told her "uh, nuh-uh". She checked me again and Savannah was right there. She ran to get the doctor and we got down to business. I started pushing at 11 and she was born at 11:13.

It was such an amazing experience. I am so excited to start this journey with Cade and to raise this sweet daughter of God.

Bella Notte

2011-01-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

I have decided that I want to be a little more creative when I plan our date nights. Especially since Savannah is going to be here any minute, I have to change my mind set of what a date entails. So I decided that last night we would have an Italian themed date night. I made calzones for the first time with this easy recipe I found on Shine! http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/make-calzone-hearts-for-a-fun-valentines-day-family-dinner-2439922/print (if I may say so myself, they were pretty darn good) and some squash (one of Cade's faves). We lit a candle and enjoyed our candle-lit dinner. So fun!

Afterwards, Cade cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes for me. (He is so sweet! {sigh}) I made a cake for dessert thanks to the egg replacer that Adena got me. Thanks Adena :) We sat down to watch the movie Ocean's Twelve as Cade loves Ocean's movies and this particular one was in Rome, Italy. We sat together and snuggled on the couch to enjoy some yummies and laugh. So much fun!

Baby Update

2011-01-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

Just to fill everyone in, Cade and I went to doctor yesterday for our check-up. There is a little progress, but obviously not enough to put me into the hospital. Savannah and I are doing great, but Cade and I are so excited to meet her she is just taking her time to cook. We will let everybody know if anything progresses.

Pregnancy Photo Shoot

2011-01-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Cade and I decided to take a couple of pictures while I am still pregnant. I guess you could call it a maternity/paternity photo shoot. I was very happy with how they turned out.

Christmas

2011-01-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas EVE

Christmas morning

Christmas was so neat this year. We got to spend it with Cade's family. We did dinner and breakfast and all sorts of other fun things like making cookies. I am so excited for Savannah to be here next Christmas and share in some holiday fun.

Homecoming 11/13/2010

2011-01-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

Essentially this is just a belly pictures post

Baby Shower

2010-12-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

I keep trying to post more pictures, but for some reason this post is refusing. My shower was beautiful, amazing, so much fun, sweet...shall I go on. I was so appreciative of all the work that my friends and family put into making this such a memorable and gorgeous day. There were so many girls that came out to celebrate Savannah with Cade and I. She got so many adorable things. We are so grateful for those who gave some of their time to come over and those beautiful gifts that we received. We are so excited for our litttle girl to get here. I'll see if I can post some more pictures later if my computer will cooperate.

Savannah's First Halloween Costume

2010-12-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

Cade was a farmer and Savannah was a pumpkin. Hehe

Major Slacking in the Blogging Arena

2010-12-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

So sorry to have been slacking so much in the blogging arena, but I have been wrapped in everything for Savannah. Very little else has even blipped on my radar. I hope to get all caught up today though.

September: We celebrated my birthday. Cade gave me a beautiful fleur de lis necklace (My man sure knows me. :) ) I was also released from YW and called to be the Relief Society meeting coordinator. I will miss my girls so much, but am excited about this new adventure that I have embarked upon.

October: General Conference was awesome this year. I love being able to hear from the leaders of the church and receive the guidance and instruction that will help me and my family out. We also had Trunk-or-Treat with the church this year. It was so much fun. Even Savannah dressed up. I forgot to add them while I was uploading pics so I will post them next.
27 weeks
November: Lots happened in November this year. We had Savannah's shower, which was so beautilful. There were so many people that gave up their time to come celebrate. It was really appreciated. Pics coming next. November is also a busy month with Johnson festivities. We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with Cade's family, which also happened to fall on my sister-in-law's bnirthday. The following day was Cade and I's five year anniversary. It was so sweet. We went back to the San Diego temple (the temple we were sealed in) with Jill and did intiatories, endowments, and sealings. It was awesome. The day after that was Cade's b-day. Very very busy month.
31 weeks

32 weeks

December: Another busy one...Beginning of the month we went to a Super-Saturday birthing class. So much information, but so glad we went. The following weekend was a dear friend's birthday so we got to spend time with her. The next weekend we drove to Phoenix to see my family for a split-second while they waited for a lay-over on their way to Hawaii. Hence, the pics coming where I am a big sobbing mess. (Happy tears, I promise.) And then Christmas, but that is another post entirely. So there you have it.

California Vacation- Lots of Pics!!!

2010-09-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

San Fran from the bay

Alcatraz Island

My baby daddy all locked up

More pics from the bay

Monterey Aquarium

This little guy was cracking me up

17 mile drive along the coast

Hearst Castle...so gorgeous!!! Can't wait to move in

Us on our stroll in Pismo

Cade and I decided to take a little baby moon this August along the Cali coast. We had such a great time. Love the beach...(sigh)

Big News

2010-08-12T09:30:00.001-07:00

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!! We are so excited. WE can't wait to hold this beautiful little one and spoil it rotten. She is going to be here by January 23. Savannah May Johnson has already stolen our hearts.

New Decor

2010-05-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

Making a collage of family pictures. This is just the beginning.

Laundry Room

Mother's Day present

Entertainment Center

New saying in front room

I have been trying to be a little more active in the decorating department here at home. I am trying to feel more settled in. It's been fun for sure.

Crafts so I stay Off My Feet

2010-05-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

My doctors have all said for me to stay off of my feet, which if you know me, is extremely hard for me. So I pulled out my sewing machine and made these personalized burp cloths. I have seen a few and thought that they would be so cute to make. I had a lot of fun.

Interesting is the month of May

2010-05-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

Let's see...where to begin...May has been interesting to say the least. January was Cade's month of events and apparently I was lacking in my attention levels. May started off beautifully. I was able to be at my dear dear friend's sealing. It was so beautiful and the spirit was so strong. I was a big baby and cried and cried. We left them to enjoy time with their families and went out to eat with Bishop and Sandy. We had a great time with them. I have been trying to be more aware of asking if certain foods have eggs in them when we go out to eat and of course 99% of the menu with meat had eggs intermingled somehow. SO I tried some grilled shrimp instead. Well apparently that was the wrong choice because within a couple hours I had a mega case of food poisoning. It was terrible.
So I get over that within a few days. We had a great turn out for our YW hamburger/cheeseburger sale. So many people came out and supported us. It was so wonderful to see. That Sunday was Mother's Day. We were going to have family come over and do a little get together. However, when I was sitting in sacrament, my arm had started to go numb and I was having severe pains in my chest. I went home and relaxed. The family came over and we had a great time. Woke up the next morning and went to work. Half way through the morning I couldn't breathe and had a massive headache and fever. I went home and laid down thinking that it would help. I couldn't complete thoughts in my mind and knew I was in trouble. SO Cade rushed me down to Yuma where they diagnosed me with pneumonia and a 102 fever.
I was on bed rest for a week and a half when I got another phone call. According to the x-ray, my left lung was collapsing and I needed medical attention ASAP. We went to Palm Springs to the hospital where the were going to put a tube in the front of my chest to get the air out that had collected in between my lung and rib cage. However, the chest scan they had done showed that there was not only air, but fluid as well. So I had to get a tube in my back that would drain the fluid and help the air leak out. After they put the tube in, I immediately drained half a liter. I was there for five days. I have never been so happy to leave a place in my life. There is nothing like sitting and waiting to see what is wrong with you. Thankfully, every thing is supposed to be alright. Blessings blessings that there is technology out there that can detect problems like this and people who can help.

Where Does It All Go?

2010-04-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

I could have sworn that just yesterday was Valentine's Day and look...I am already a week into April. These past two months have flown by. There has been quite a few things that have been going on.

Like I said before, I have a job. It is going so well and keeping me on my toes. I have learned so much and had so many laughs with the people I work with. I am gaining new responsibilities and hopefully not messing things up too badly. It has been great gaining these new experiences.
School is still rolling. I can't wait to be finished, but I am definitely glad that I am still going.
I have started hormone therapy. Over a month ago, I took a test to see how my hormones were balanced and if there was anything wrong with my estrogen or progesterone level. Come to find out that the only thing keeping Cade and I from having a baby was my stress level. So I have to up my intake of protein and spend more time on myself. Which is going to be difficult with the things I have to juggle on a day-to-day basis. But we are both very hopeful that this will help us move forward.
I was kidnapped on Saturday by Cade. He picked me up in the morning and took me out to P. F. Chang's to eat. Afterwards, he took me to the outlets for some retail therapy. I was swept off my feet. He was so sweet and let me go wherever I wanted. It was a complete surprise. He is such an amazing husband.

So Much To Do In So Little Time

2010-02-19T15:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how quickly time has flown by. I was talking with a friend and we both had the mindframe that it was still January for sure. There has been so much that has been going on. Cade is in the process of rebuilding his shop and structures after the tornado a couple of months ago. They were so blessed to not have any of their machines completely damaged. He is still moving along in his calling. He is working so hard to make sure that he is fulfilling his position to the best of his ability.
I have a new calling. I was moved from Primary into Young Women's. It has been so wonderful. I have a great group of girls that I get to work with. They are so sweet and funny. We are actually having a pedi/pizza night as a Beehive class. Some of my kids are even bringing some friends. I thought that was so cool. They are so willing to go out and serve and be good examples to their peers. I am looking forward to the year with them.
I finished another set of classes and am moving onto the next set. It has been pretty fast, but I am so excited to be moving towards a goal that I have always wanted to achieve. I am so thrilled to think that I will have my degree soon. It is definitely a dream come true.
Another new and exciting thing is that I have a job! I know! Crazy, right? I think Cade nearly fell off his chair when I told him that I was looking at going back to work. It has been really great. I am working at a farm learning the ropes from some dear people that I absolutely adore. It isn't too strenuous-6 hours a day. But it has really been a learning experience. I am glad to be doing something else new that is teaching me things that I might not have learned. Well that's the past two months in a nut-shell. Yay for being busy and growing!

What a Crazy Week So Far

2010-01-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

Cade has strict orders to rest his injury. Mimi is making sure that happens.

This year is going to be very interesting. I can tell. We have only been in 2010 for 3-4 weeks and we have had a tornado rip through our town and destroy Cade's farm and we have had a trip to the hospital. Cade dropped some mega equipment on his foot and had to free himself. He had to crank it off of his foot and drive home. Then we got to go to the hospital to get X-rays. Thankfully and luckily, the equipment fell on his foot just right to where he only had the above damage and no broken bones. He is still pretty swollen, but thankfully has listened to me and kept himself off of his feet so he can recuperate sooner.

Tornado in Blythe?!?!?

2010-01-26T14:43:00.001-08:00

This is some of the damage that was done to Cade's farm thanks to the tornado.

Thursday was probably one of the worst days that I have ever seen in Blythe. Blythe, yes poor little Blythe, had a tornado rip right through it. It had some of the worst rain storms I have ever seen here and there was damage everywhere. Hundreds of families were left without power for days. I believe that we were actually number one priority for getting the power back up and running in the nation. It was insane, but made me so grateful for us working to be more prepared in case something like this or bigger happens. Go Emergency Preparedness!

Awesome Weekend!!!

2010-01-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love when you can come away from a weekend and say "I really had an awesome weekend!". I do! And I did...this past weekend was awesome!!! :) Friday, Meg and I left for San Diego. It was so much fun...got pizza and a movie. I love just kicking back with a good pizza that I will totally regret the next morning, but it was so worth it. Saturday was the Ramirez family sealing at the San Diego temple. It was such a beautiful and sacred experience. I am so glad that I was able to go. The sealing was amazing (and it was in Cade and my's sealing room- oh the memories). I makes me so grateful for the opportunity to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and know that families can be together forever. I am grateful for my Heavenly Father for His being so compassionate and gracious and providing a way for all to return unto Him.

Sunday was amazing as usual. I love coming home from church exhausted. Primary was wonderful. Adena did such a great job with her lesson. Sunday night, Cade and I held a youth fireside at our house. It was awesome. When I was growing up, there might have been maybe 5 youth that would go, but our house was packed. It made me so happy to see all of these youth who have each other's support. The Spirit was so strong. It was an amazing experience. I love being able to serve!

My Safari

2010-01-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

This is my latest creation. I am so excited. It came out so darling. I love the zebra squares. I will have to post the headbands that I am working on in a day or two.

New Year!!! Woo Hoo!!!

2010-01-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year's! We sure did. We got to do Christmas with both families this year, which has never happened before. It was great! We went down to Queen Creek for an overnight adventure with our buddies Jake and Mel. We headed out to the Zoo Lights! It was so cool. I haven't done something like that in a long time and we went with the best couple. They are so fun and I am so glad that we have neat friends like them.

We had some great fun out in the desert for some Pre- New Year's activities. We went out and had an awesome time with the Sotos and Murrills. It was so great to do something together again. (We miss you!!!) We headed to Overton, NV to spend some time with some of Cade's friends from college and their families. They both have little ones that we hadn't seen so we were really excited to get with them and have some laughs.

It has been great fun these past few weeks. We have been super lucky to make so many memories with so many great people! We are so blessed!

Pre-Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T16:37:00.000-08:00

Mesa Temple Christmas lights My mom and dad

My parents decided to come and spend a few days with us before Christmas. It was such a whirlwind trip, but it was so much fun. We picked them up and headed out to the Mesa temple to go and check out the Christmas lights. It was so beautiful this year and much bigger than what I remember from five years ago. It is always so nice to be on the temple grounds, but to see so many people there was amazing. There were families everywhere and missionaries talking to the people there. It was such a beautiful sight. Afterwards, we headed home for some hometown fun.

Saturday, Cade took my dad and bro out riding in the ranger. They had such a great time and came back covered in dirt. My mom and I stayed back out the house for some craft time and headed to the show to see "The Princess and the Frog". It was adorable. It's based in New Orleans and Louisiana bayou so it was fun to see how accurate they got it. They were spot on! It was great. We had dinner with Cade's parents and the missionaries afterwards. It was hilarious! Sunday we all headed to church and had lunch together. My parents and bro then headed out to Palm Springs to go get some R-n-R. We followed behind them on Monday. We decided to hit the outlets and the aerial tram. It was so awesome! It was quite interesting to see my dad and brother swimming that morning then having to be bundled up due to the seven inches of snow on the ground and the snow that was still coming. It was so beautiful!

It was so much fun to have them out here. I wished they could have stayed longer, but there is always next time...

Thanksgiving

2009-12-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

Getting things ready to eat...

Dad carving the turkey. YUM!!!!

Me and my sweetie

The family

This year Cade and I went over to my parents' house for Thanksgiving. It was so nice. The weather was perfect. I didn't need anything more than maybe a sweater the entire time. Cade flew down Wednesday before Thanksgiving and was able to stay the rest of the week. What a blessing! My mom's side of the family came down for dinner as well. We haven't gotten together like that for a really long time. It was wonderful to be able to have us together. We were able to talk about so many things. It was really nice to be able to talk to my grandparents about the gospel. I don't think they realized how involved Cade and I really are with the church. It is really different comparing west coast to the south. They do not have very many members in the south so they were surprised to hear about how many temples there are and even how many people are in our ward. It is so nice to be able to share these moments with people you love. I am so grateful that I am able to have these moments.

A Couple of Projects

2009-12-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

Letters for my sister A baby blanket

I have discovered crafting and if I do say so myself, I am a little addicted. I love it so much! There are so many wonderful ideas that I finally get to work on now that I have the courage. It took a long long time, but it is finally here. I have had so much support from my mom and girlfriends. Thank goodness they have patience because I am such a perfectionist that I would talk myself out of things before I got started. I am so glad that I am over that fear now. I have so many fun things that I want to tackle all at once...now I just have to master time management.

Point Taken

2009-12-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

I did not realize that I had not blogged in forever. (Thanks for snapping me back into reality Sheena :) ) There has been some pretty neat things that have happened since my last post. For starters, I went to my first ever Time Out for Women. It was awesome. I got to go with a wonderful group of girls from church and some family. The speakers were amazing. It was your classic scenario where we are laughing our behinds off one moment and then the next there is a powerful, spiritual moment where we are all sobbing. I even won a $50 gift certificate. It was awesome. I learned so much and realized that I love the feeling of unity with so many women who are striving to become better.
I also got going with school again. I am so excited. It is completely online so I don't have to travel so many hours a week. And I think that I am doing really well. Granted it is only my first two classes, but I am having a great time.
My girlfriends, I am sure, were relieved when November 20th came around because then I would shut up about Twilight for a little while. Yes, ladies, I am a Twi-Hard! I was so excited for "New Moon" to come out, even Cade knew when it was coming out. Friday night at midnight I went out to see the first screening with two of my great girlfriends. The next day I went with a pack of Edward and Jacob hungry women for another showing. It was so much fun!!!

Obviously I am an Edward Fan!!! Is it really that hard to not see why?

It was so much fun. We went and watched the show. Then thanks to a wonderful girl (love you Tami) we were able to munch on Twilight candies and smell yummy in our Twilight lotion. We went to eat afterwards and laughed so hard we were crying. It was such a great girls trip!

Last, but certainly not least, I just got back from visiting with my family for Thanksgiving. It was so nice. Thankfully I was able to get my homework done within a reasonable timeframe and was not bogged down the entire trip. We were able to do some really neat things: visiting an old candy shop downtown (it was so cute. There was even an old soda fountain bar that they still used.), some of the best restaurants I have been to in a long time, Thanksgiving (obviously), and a Rennaissance festival. I am sad to say that I did not have my camera with me when I went, but it was super fun. I have had some wonderful things the past few months. I hopefully will be getting some pictures in that I can update with.

Birthday Pics

2009-09-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

I was so surprised. It was the coolest thing seeing all these wonderful people there.

Showing everyone how to "pinch dem tails and suck dem heads".

Cade's co-conspirators. Totally blind-sided. I had no idea.

Birthday Extravaganza- Taking Advice from Trish

2009-09-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

A wise woman once told me that I should make every birthday as special as I want it to be. So I did. Thursday night was our night for Taste-N-Trade. This time it was at my house. It was so much fun there were 12 girls that showed up with wonderful breakfast goodies. They were so sweet. Before we even got started, they sang "Happy Birthday" to me. It was so appreciated. After we had eaten and gabbed for a couple hours, the girls left. Andrea hung out and we talked for a while since we hadn't seen each other in forever when the phone rang. I assumed that it was Cade calling to see if he could come home as he had left to go to his parents' house to give us girls to some testosterone-free fun (isn't he the sweetest?!?!). It was Jess on the other end seeing if I wanted to play a game since I would be out of town on my birthday. So she came over and the three of us played the Twilight game. It was so much fun! It was a great night.

Friday came and Cade called me to see what I would want to do since we were going to be out of town on my birthday. Last year, our good friends Bryce and Trish took us out to eat and out to the Redlands temple for my birthday. I think that I want to keep that as a tradition for me. So I asked Cade to take me to a session at the temple. We barely made it, but it was such a wonderful ecperience. I love when you get that feeling of absolute peace. It is so wonderful to be away from the chaos of the world and just have complete peace of mind, body and spirit. After we had completed our session, Cade took me out to California Pizza Kitchen. Oh so yummy! I love going on dates with my sweetheart. He is so great to talk to and he spoils me rotten. "Get whatever you want" is usually what I hear. So we both got our different pies (he- a meat lovers with every animal on it one could imagine me- a BBQ Chicken Hawaiian pizza with huge-o chunks of pineapple on it). It was so delicious. A wonderful night of spiritually refilling our cups, of fabulous conversation with the man of my dreams.

Saturday was my actual birthday. Cade woke me up with a kiss and a "happy birthday". Then my phone rings. Trish and Bryce called to sing "happy birthday" to me. It was such a lovely surprise. After that, there several phone calls and text messages from family and dear friends. I was very pleased. That afternoon we headed out to Parker to help out the Crawfords and Crooks with getting things ready for the trek reunion. It was so great to be working and serving others. It was a change of pace than I am used to for my birthday. It was a lovely activity with the kids getting together with their leaders and to remember the feelings they had while we were on the trek.

Sunday was a wonderfully busy day. I had to teach sharing time, which I think went really smoothly. Then Jill asked me if I could come over to help her prepare for her activity that is being held on Wednesday. So I went over and wound up spending about 2 1/2 hours talking. It was so great. She told me that she was going to be taking Ron and Faye over to my house in like 15 mintues for cake. So I headed home and walked in the garage. I walked in the door and my sweet friends were there to surprise me. Cade had been orchestrating this surprise crawfish boil for weeks. It was such a pleasant surprise. I'm so glad that I was able to be surrounded by wonderful people on my birthday. It was really fun teaching people how to eat crawfish and seeing them succeed. Crawfish can be tricky. I am glad that we were able to share something that is so special to me and my family with those dears that are here. Thanks to all who helped make it a wonderful day.

Dream Come True

2009-08-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

We (meaning mostly I) were so excited to take a wonderful and much needed vacay to the beautiful island of Kauai. It has got to be the most beautiful places on Earth. It is still mostly untouched from tourism. There are jungles and beautiful forests with amazing beaches and views of the ocean.
We were so excited to be able to just lay out and enjoy all of our senses being engaged. It was so beautiful. I am convinced that I need a sound machine to be able to properly fall asleep now. The sound of crashing waves is the only thing that will soothe me. (Maybe if I convince myself and Cade of that we will have to get at least a time share or something there.)

This is the restaurant where we got to eat breakfast every morning. They open these floor to ceiling window panels so we can hear the ocean in the morning. What was actually pretty funny was that each morning we got one table closer to the deck until the last morning when we did eat on the deck. Oh I know you're probably tired of me saying it, but it was soooo gorgeous.

Just a quick pic after some fun in the sun.

(Disclaimer: Speedo approaching) So I did the best I could to limit the damage, but I had to show you our first speedo sighting. What is it with foreigners thinking that we all want to see their 'blessings"? I get that it is normal there but no thanks. Cade was playing in the water when I took this picture. He sees the guy and runs back laughing. He says "Tell me you got that." All I do is smile and say, "I'm so lucky I married you."

We went this amazing luau at the Hyatt down the road from our hotel. The food was delicious and the dancers were amazing. I can't imagine being able to do anything remotely as coordinated as the dancing they were doing. The girls were all so beautiful.

As we are entering the courtyard where it is being held, they were handing out Mai Thai's for the adults and fruit juice for the kids. So after we had both received out leis, we were the only two that went to get juice. It was pretty funny.

The opening ceremony- I have a video, but watch your volume. There is a brief moment where there is some interference with the microphone, but it only lasts a second. The videos are at the very end.

The microphone interruption is around 28 seconds and lasts only a second. All I have to say is if I could move my hips like these ladies, I can think of one person who would be very pleased if that were true.

I ask your forgiveness with this one as well. I am in the background gasping as if I am this poor fellow's mother and cheering him on. It's your call with the sound. Just so you know the thing lit on fire is a gigantic knife. Now how sharp it is, I don't know. It is really neat, though.

Our Zip-Lining Adventure

2009-08-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

This was the start off point. Thirteen of us rode in a cramped bus along with our instructors. They were the coolest. Their names were Lucas and Carina over at Outfitters Kauai (www.outfitterskauai.com). They were so laid-back and informative. They had these amazing stories to tell. We got strapped up here so you can imagine what the rest of the hike looked like.
Just getting started. I'm sure you ladies already figured this, but all the guys were worried that they might be smothered a little. Not to worry. Lucas led the way. I was so excited. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This was our first line. We got to ride it twice because so many people get freaked and close their eyes the first time across. It was super sweet. There was a waterfall to our right.

Picture of the waterfall and stream we passed on our first cable.

Cade analyzing the situation.

He is doing what they called an "iron cross". You walk up to the edge of the platform and turn around. You hold your arms out straight and just fall backwards without grabbing onto your tether. It was the sweetest feeling. You are literally free falling for a few seconds.

This is our second cable. We got a little bit of repelling in this one. We got to go backwards for this one. To the right (my left) is a cave behind a waterfall where a little ninja statue is hidden. To the left (my right) is a smaller waterfall and stream that feed the previous waterfall.

This is where we stopped for lunch. This group was amazing. Not only do you get to take this sick adventure, but they pack lunch for you as well. It was so great. I would highly recommend if you are Kauai to look up this company. It was amazing.

Our Zip-Lining Adventure Continued

2009-08-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

This was our third line after lunch. Yes, that is a ladder on the other plank. On this particular line, Lucas (one of our guides) told us that there was an extra special way to cross this one. A person would run off the platform and turn around as his foot was leaving. Then in the air, heave his or her body upside down and hang with no hands. What was even better was that this particular line had two cables running side by side. So of course Cade and I turned it into a competition. It was so great. Someone lost her shoe. Others shrieked the entire time. It was fantastic! Such a rush!
This bridge was used to test every one's knees shaking. It was a 120 ft. drop and was not very stable to walk across. They said that if anyone got sick, they would not be able to complete the last two lines. It was so amazing to look over the edge. There were so many beautiful plants and ferns. I just felt like I was in paradise.

This was our fourth cable. It was so amazing. This is the one that I manned up and went first on. It was so intimidating. We are start by standing on this extremely high platform and literally step off into nothing. It looked as if we were going to be clobbered by trees, but we just glided right through them.

Cade coming in. He was doing what they called "The Cannon Ball". It helps the person go super fast along the cable.

The landscape pictures are areas we hiked past and through. They are also where Jurassic Park was filmed.

This was our final cable. It was over half a mile long. It was so amazing. That little white line in the tree line is our landing deck. It was so amazing. Your body just hangs in the air as you glide across the tree tops. Looking down you can see streams and paths throughout the jungle. All sorts of plant life and rock formations. Looking around you just see the never-ending horizon. Beautiful mountains. It was so amazing. After we landed on the plank, there was a watering hole that we were able to hike to and go swimming for a while. It was so beautiful. It was nice a cool and had this beautiful stream that fed it. I was stunned.

As we were sitting on the veranda enjoying our dinner, the sun had started to set. We were able to just sit there and enjoy this beautiful jewel of a place. It was so amazing. There were surfers riding the waves. Kids laughing down by the shore. Couples strolling along the paths that wound throughout the property. It was so romantic. We finished eating and set out on the lawn to watch the sun set.

Our Last Day in Paradise

2009-08-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

This is on the beach on the property of our hotel. The building in the corner is where we ate breakfast every morning. There is nothing like eatting a meal with the ocean breeze blowing and hearing the waves crashing on the shore.

This is the view from our hotel room. It was so gorgeous. I would love waking up to this every morning.

For our last day on the beautiful island of Kauai, we did absolutely nothing but lay on the beach and play in the waves. It was so amazing. This has to be one of my most favorite trips ever (including future ones). It was so great to be able to spend such quality time together. We were able to just sit there and be with each other without any distractions. (I am so glad that both of our phones died.) It makes me so appreciative of Heavenly Father's hand in everything. Every thing was so beautiful and peaceful. I hope that some day we will be able to go back.

Girls Night

2009-08-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ruth was Julia's puppet.

Since we had 5 people, Ruth was on both teams. Such a hard worker.
(Jess, Ruth, Adena)

I love having such a wonderful group of women around me all the time. I have the best friends. Every once in a while we decide that we are going to hang together for games or something. The latest adventure was at my house. It was so much fun. We blew the dust off the Cranium box and split into teams. It was so much fun. It's so funny how the later it gets, the crazier it gets. It was so much fun. Thanks girls for coming over.

Mini-Crawfish Boil

2009-08-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

Our Mini-Crawfish Boil Set-Up

Thanks to some major cravings and gentle prodding from my husband, I have located a website where I can finally get some decent crawfish. It has been quite the journey. Cade and I have both gone through some withdrawals after our visits with my family. Thankfully, I stumbled across this website and was so stoked! We got 10 lbs. and decided that we would test it out before we put all our cravings in one basket. So the day finally arrived that we would try out our crawfish. I put 5 lbs. in the pot and we waited patiently. The pot was a-bubblin' before you know it and we feasted on some delicious crawfish. Let's just say that we were so excited.

Cade's Latest Crawfish Attempt

The Ultimate Test

Home At Last

2009-08-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I have been on the road (or in the air) non-stop for pretty much the last month. But as of today, I am officially home for at least three months. Woo-Hoo! It has been a rough few weeks, but thanks to the man of my dreams, my family, and some wonderful friends I have been able to come home and breathe in a sigh of relief. I have a lot of catching up to do so I am going to get right down to it.

Having Left Abruptly

2009-08-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

My Mawmaw (Dot) and Pawpaw (Wendell) on their wedding day.

I know that some of you may have heard, but I had to head out of town on a family matter. My mother called me on the 28th to tell me that my dear Mawmaw Champagne had been in an accident on her farm. She was a victim to a gas explosion and had 3rd degree burns over 80% of her body. The only places she had no damage was on her back and the bottoms of her feet. I left immediately to take care of my brother while my parents went out to Augusta to be with her at the burn center she had been transferred to. The evening of the 30th my brother and I were able to speak to her. I was able to tell her how much she meant to me and how I loved her dearly. I was able to tell her some of the things that I admired most about her. My dad then called my sister and his uncle (my Mawmaw's brother-in-law whom she was very close to) for them to do the same. My dad was able to speak with her and tell her how much he loved her and say goodbye. She passed away later that evening. It was a whirlwind after that. We planned her service and went through all the details. My dad and I spoke at her funeral, as well as her pastor. It was such a lovely service. I was so glad to see all sorts of people who loved her as I did. I will miss her terribly, but I am glad that I have the knowledge that I do about what happens after we pass away. I am glad that I know that when we get her temple work done, she will have the opportunity to accept the gospel and be sealed to her husband and children for time and all eternity. I will miss her and can't wait to see her again. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for my family and Julia-thanks for taking care of Cade for me while I was gone. You are such a dear, sweet friend and I don't know what I would do without you. Trish and all my other sweethearts, thanks for keeping me and my family in your prayers and calling and checking on me. I'm so blessed to have wonderful people in my life.

Elders Quorum Activity

2009-07-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone,
With Cade just being called to Elders Quorum President Sunday, we weren't able to make fliers or anything to hand out on Sunday.
Game plan:
Friday, the 24th, at 6pm
6th Ave. Levee
Bring your own chairs.
We will be having hot dogs and hamburgers.
Please bring some sort of finger food (side dish) or some sort of easy dessert (there won't be plates for that, sorry).
Let me know if you will or will not be attending. I know it's last minute, but details were just banged out last night with the presidency.
Hope to see you there.

I'm An Aunt!!!!!!!

2009-07-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Look at how happy she is! Grandma was so excited that she is here!

Proud Grandpa!

Look at how beautiful Mommy is! Chelsea was so amazing! Devenee is gorgeous!

Nanan hogging the baby. I loved getting to finally hold her!

On July 8 at 2:02 AM Chelsea and Boris welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Devinee, into the world. She was 19 3/4 in. long weighing 7 lb. 10 oz. She is the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen. Ron, Jill, and I arrived at the hospital around 4:30 on the afternoon of the 7th. Chelsea was in such good spirits. She was laughing and chatting with everyone. Seven hours later, she started to push. We went to the waiting room as we (Ron, Jill, Peter, Rosa, and myself) waited anxiously for a scrap of news. Boris came in around 2:40 to tell us the news. We watched the video the following day. I was so proud of Chelsea. She listened to her coaching and didn't utter a word. She went through it with such grace, like she had done it a dozen times before. She was so wonderful. I'm so grateful for these little miracles. Children come into the world knowing exactly what do. It is so amazing and makes me so grateful to my Heavenly Father for his wisdom. He knows what we need. I'm grateful for the example of being a parent that He provides for each of us.

4th of July

2009-07-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

Independence Day was so much fun. We had a pretty relax day. Nothing too crazy going on. That afternoon we headed down to my girlfriend, Tanille's, house. We had a BBQ was some people from church. It was so much fun. There was this huge water slide/bouncy house for the kids, but Tanille and I decided to have a little fun of our own. Unfortunately (maybe even subconsciously) I forgot the camera at home, so there will be no photographic evidence of this event. Just kidding. It was a lot of fun. Hanging out with all sorts of lovely people. It was definitely relaxing. That night, the raceway was doing a spectacular fireworks show so we all got out our lawn chairs and watched. It was so great to hear the songs about our country and the freedom that we have. It was so fantastic! After everyone left, we stayed behind to clean up some. After that was done, we blew the slide up again and played a little while longer. Thanks to the Crawfords for a fantastic evening and being so gracious to open up your home to everyone!

Ode to the Murrills

2009-07-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

From being only an 8 minute drive on the interstate to an all day temple trip/Murrill extravaganza. June 20th was the hardest day I have had since moving to Blythe. I had just gotten back from the trek the night before, but I knew that I had something hard to do the next morning. I had to help one of my best friends move. The Murrills were moving on to their next adventure. They had their family there to help them move. They have the best family. They are always so sweet. I got up that morning trying to keep it all together. I was tearing up right as I pulled into their subdivision on saw the big trailer sitting in their driveway. I helped move a few things but they had already had everything pretty much packed up. I couldn't believe it. I thought that I would at least have an hour or so with them, but that's the way they are. If they're going to do it, they're going to do it well and quickly. It was so hard to say goodbye. We have hugs and said goodbye for like an hour. And then after they pulled away, we sat on the porch and cried and talked for another hour and a half. It was so hard. We had so many great times together: camping trips, birthday parties, girls nights, boys nights, etc. I will always cherish those memories and make many more as we travel back and forth to see each other.

Love you guys and miss you terribly. Can't wait to get together again.

Father's Day

2009-06-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

Daddy- It's been 21 years of awesomeness. You have been there loving, protecting, and supporting me all along the way. I am so lucky to have a dad like you. Thanks for all the hard work you gave and still give to provide for our family. I have learned so much from you. Thanks for all your time. You were my hero and always will be. I still miss the days of seeing you right after you get home from work and giving you a big hug. (I'm teary as I write this) I can't wait to see you again.

I love you Dad!

Pioneer Trek

2009-06-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was blessed to be asked to go on a pioneer trek for our stake. It was so amazing. This was my second time attending one. The last time, Cade and I were a "Ma and Pa". This time I was an "Aunt" with Pres. and Sis. Levie. It was so amazing. We had the best kids. (Now I'm sure that everyone is partial, but I really believe that we had the best.) We had three kids from our ward who were such good examples to our "family". We got there Monday afternoon. It was such a beautiful place. It was so great to get away from the world with all of its distractions and really focus on growing spiritually and those who went through the trek West so long ago. We were able to push a handcart. Our boys were so great. They insisted on pushing whenever they could. We had to ask to let the girls push. They were so great about helping set up everyone's tents and getting everything ready. I really appreciated it. The girls were so much fun as well. They were ready to do whatever was asked of them. Pres. and Sis. Levie were such spiritual beacons. It was a huge honor and blessing to be with them and hear the stories and lessons they gave. Everything was so well prepared, too. There was so much thought and consideration that went into it. We were so blessed to have such wonderful people plan, prepare, and be working everything behind the scenes. It was such an amazing experience. We were able to have these baby dolls that were made out of wheat. They were heavy enough to feel like a real baby. It was so neat. We couldn't put her down and had to have her with us at all times. We had to bury her on the last day of walking. It was so hard. Pres. Levie had a great lesson on the Resurrection. It was so spiritual. It made me realize again how lucky I am to have to gospel in my life and to have the knowledge that I do. To know that we can be with our families forever. To know that families who did not have the chance to be sealed together on Earth before they passed away can be sealed together. I am so grateful for the gospel and the learning and growing I have to do. I am so grateful for the pioneers who had so much faith that they were willing to walk so far to be able to practice this faith without persecution so that I might be able to today.

Mom's Trip Out

2009-06-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

She was helping me pick through my load at Halloween. She always made our costumes. She's so talented.

Isn't my mom gorgeous?!?!?!

Near the end of the softball season at the high school, my mom came out to see me for a week and a half. I was so excited. I was able to have her all to myself. (That never happens) It was pretty cool. She was able to watch me coach at a couple games: 1 away and 1 at home. After that it was time to play, we went to the Redlands temple and did a session. It was so cool to do that with her. We hadn't been able to go to the temple together since my wedding. After the temple, we went out to the Outlets. It was so much fun and so exhausting. We went out to San Diego to go to the beach, Deseret Book, and Cheeburger Cheeburger. (Now for those of you who do not know what Cheeburger is, I implore you to check it out. It is one of the best burger joints I have been to.) We were able to have some good FHE's together. It is always nice to add someone new to the mix when it's usually just two of you all the time. It was so great to just be able to kick back and watch a movie (Bride Wars) with my mom like we used to. She was able to see that my life is crazy, yet simple at time same time. And that's the way I like it. I can't wait to see her again. We were able to just be mother and daughter for a while. Instead of worrying about all other kinds of hassle, we were able to just spend time. I really miss her being around all the time.

Love you mom.

Disney Vacation '09

2009-06-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

My Viking brother

I got to meet Sleeping Beauty. Now how cool is that?

My mom and me in "Germany".

Waiting in line for "Test Track"

"The Tower of Terror" is the coolest ride around.

My Mawmaw Champagne with Pluto

Spring Break '09

2009-06-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

My mom and dad heading to the monorail for a day of fun.

Dad trying to wake me and my sister, Leigh, on our first morning. I was resistant.

Me, my brother Steven, and my sister planning what we were going to be doing.

Mawmaw was taking the picture. The fam taking a boat cruise in the lagoon.

My handsome Dad and my beautiful Mom.

My mom and dad called me up on April Fool's Day to see if I would be willing to house-sit for them while they went on vacation to Disney World. I obviously agreed seeing as I wouldn't want some random person to watch my house for over a week. My dad starts to giggle and as he's handing the phone to my mom says that he can't go through with it. My mom tells me that if I am going to go that far to watch their house, I might as well go with them. I was totally shocked. They had already called Cade to see if it would be alright and the sweet man that he is said "of course". So I left on the night of the 11th because my grandmother was going to be going with us and my siblings didn't know. After a horrid night of stand-by's and broken planes, I finally made it in at 3AM. I know. I looked like I had been hit by a bus, it reversed, and went again. But we had to leave by 3:30 to get to Orlando in enough time to enjoy the day. So I ran in the house, nearly giving my grandmother a heart attack, took a shower, and we headed off. It was such an amazing trip. We hadn't all taken a family vacation in a very long time. It was so much fun. We were able to take it slow because we were going to be there for 8 days. It was amazing. The food was so so good. The rides were awesome. I couldn't believe that I had been there only 4 months earlier with Cade. I had so much fun. Cade doesn't understand, but I grew up on Disney. I watched all the VHS over and over. I watched the Disney channel religously when I was younger. We went together 2 when I was growing up. It has a lot of sentimental memories for us. We were able to make it back 10 years later. It was an absolutely wonderful adventure to have with them.

I will post more pics next.

Busiest Month So Far....

2009-04-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

Just getting finished making my first snow angel in Park City

Driving back to Salt Lake

Provo ( Missinary Mall...I thought I was going to pee my pants laughing)

Joseph Smith Memorial Building

St. George Temple

This month has been awesome!! First weekend in April, Cade and I went up to Utah for General Conference. It was so cool. I have never been there before and it was absolutely beautiful. We stopped in St. George to see Cade's old stomping grounds and see the St. George temple. Amazing! We got to Utah late Thursday night and planned to do sight-seeing for the next two days. We woke up Friday morning to snow. AHHH! I was so excited. I have only seen snow twice in my life and it wasn't even cold enough for it to stay on the ground for more than an hour. I was so excited. We toured Temple Square all day and did a session at the Salt Lake Temple. So awesome! Live sessions rock! We woke up Saturday to even more snow and headed to the morning session of conference. I was expecting all sorts of protesters and was bracing myself for the worse. But when we rounded the corner, there was like 5. I guess they were waiting for Sunday. We saw a few people from our ward and our old stake president from Phoenix. After that we headed to Provo and Park City. There was even more snow there. We drove through BYU and saw the temple and MTC. I felt like a total tourist, snapping pictures of everything. Cade was laughing at me. We left Sunday morning. It was a blast! It was so crazy seeing all sorts of billboards for church sites and advertisements. It was a really neat thing for me.

God Has a Sense of Humor!

2009-03-18T08:26:00.001-07:00

On Monday, I was planning on going out of town for a while with a girlfriend. She had to get a few things done before we left so we pushed the time back half an hour. So I decided that I would get a load of laundry done since I was going to deep, deep clean my house this week. Before I know it I see water all over the floor. My washer decided that it wasn't going to start agitating. It was just going to keep running and running until I noticed it. (Apparently it felt a little neglected.) For those of you who have been to my house, you'll be able to understand how much water. It flooded my washroom and started down the hall. It flooded my hall bathroom, part of my office, to the opposite wall in my living room and kitchen, and started making its way to my bedroom. I was shocked. So I call Tanille to let her know that I might be a little late and what does she do. In a matter of minutes she is at my door with multiple towels and a vacuum. "Where do you want me?" she asks. Oh she was my heaven sent angel that day. Without a moment to lose, we get Kenz watching a movie and coloring while Tanille holds that baby while vacuuming as I come up behind her with towels. Thank heavens for wonderful friends. My house was dry in a matter of hours and she even offered to help me clean my floors. The whole time being nothing but positive. (Tanille-I love you girl!) All I could do was laugh to myself. Apparently I was supposed to do my deep deep cleaning that day because my washer has been working fine ever since without a hitch. And my floors got a pretty good pre-soak before I started cleaning them.

Holy Cow! I'm old!

2009-02-25T11:40:00.001-08:00

I never thought that I would be aware of the fact that I am gradually growing older than the missionaries. But it has finally hit me. I'm getting older. And it occured when I got my latest job...I'm coaching high school softball. I know. Me. The kid in every room. The baby out of every person we hang out with. I am imparting wisdom to kids. It is weird, but it is so much fun. I am coaching JV. They are so sweet. I can't wait to see how this season goes.

Early Valentine's Day

2009-02-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

I just thought that I would let the world know one more time how sweet my husband is. He has been telling me for the past few weeks that I can't make any plans for the Saturday before Valentines Day because we are doing our thing then because of Stake Conference on the 14th. I was excited until he made me promise that I wouldn't get him anything because what we were going to be doing was going to be for the both of us. So we wake up early Saturday and we head west. Ok towards Palm Springs, I'm thinking. He doesn't give me any clues at all. We cruise down this street in downtown Palm Springs and stop next to this hearing aid store. He tells me see I told you that there are two parts: first we are going to get our hearing tested and then get a tour of the possibilities for hearing enhancements (if any of you know Cade used to sell hearing aids so for a split second I thought that he was serious). But right next door is Revive! a spa. He booked us a couple massage and facials. How sweet! I was totally shocked. You can ask Trish, I had no idea and was being a stinker about it. He probably would enjoy very little about this trip, but he knew how much I would love it. I thought that it was very sweet of him to make the plans and keep them a secret. What a romantic! I love him so much!

Nursery

2009-01-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, I am part of the Primary Presidency. I am over the Nursery and I am so thankful for this calling. It has really opened my eyes. There are so many people who have horror stories about it or have heard these stories. I have never had the opportunity to serve in Nursery, but it is definitely not what I was thinking it would be. There is a new Nursery Manual out that is amazing. I love it. It is so simple for the little ones to follow. They are so amazing.

Now that things are settling down in the big Primary I am able to focus on the Nursery. I've been trying to get walls decorated and schedules out. I hope that it all will work out. There is an article about the new manual in February's Ensign. So glad that it is in there so more parents can get the word about the manual and what it's all about.

Animal Kingdom

2009-01-05T12:01:00.001-08:00

Our last day we went to the Animal Kingdom. Granted it was like a glorified zoo, but it was unbelievable. Each area was fashioned like that area of the world. There were exhibits and vendors that sold food from that area of the world. It was really neat. Unfortuantely we weren't able to stay very long because we had an 8 hour drive ahead of us to get back to my parents' house. It was a fabulous vacation and I was so glad that I was able to share it with Cade. It's one thing that I have wanted to do with him since we got together. Now I can check something off of my list.

Epcot

2009-01-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

The next day we went to Epcot. We spent a lot of the day in the World Showcase. It was so much fun. It was like traveling the world in a few hours. There were little shows in each different country with different restaurants and shops. We got to eat at this nice sushi house in "Japan". I ate sushi that I absolutely loved and I used chopsticks the whole way through. (Secret high-five to myself!) The video below is Cade trying to use chopsticks and getting a big hunk of wasabi on his sushi. It was hilarious to watch. You can actually see when the wasabi kicks in. Guess when.

That night my parents got us tickets to the Cirque du Soleil show. It was an amazing experience. The discipline and control those people had over their bodies was definitely humbling for me. They were amazing artists. It was such a wonderful time.

Magic Kingdom

2008-12-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

Cinderella's Castle
Cade and I waiting to get on Splash Mountain
Cinderella's fountain
One of the shows I caught that day. (Cade sat on a bench behind a tree)
The king and queen of Disney World

The second day we went to Magic Kingdom. Ladies, I have to put the good word in for my husband. He let me do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted the whole trip. I am so lucky. We woke up and headed out the door. We did all sorts of things: Pirates of the Carribean, the Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, and the Haunted Mansion to name a few. It was so much fun. To be a little sappy, I almost started crying twice. Some people might not get it, but Disney was such a huge thing to me growing up. I still love all my Disney movies. It was such an overwhelming feeling to be back at this place that meant soo much to me when I was younger and to be able to share it with Cade was awesome.
(Just to let everyone know I have like 300 pictures so this is just the tip of the tip of the iceberg)

Christmas Holidays

2008-12-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

Disney's Hollywood Studios
The Sci-Fi Diner that we ate dinner at for the first night.
The Indiana Jones Stunt Show
The Hollywood Tower of Terror
The Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster

For those of you who don't know, Cade and I headed out to Alabama for the holidays. We spent the past few days at Disney World. The first night we got there we decided to go to one of the smaller parks in Disney World, Hollywood Studios. It's supposed to resemble a Hollywood backlot with all sorts of old shops and restaurants of old Hollywood. Super cool. We went to the Sci-Fi diner which has all these old convertibles turned into booths to eat at. There is a huge movie screen to help it look like an old drive-up movie theater. Super awesome and super good food. After letting it settle for a bit, we decided to hit the rides. We did the Tower of Terrror (my personal favorite). You are supposed to have gotten trapped in the twilight zone. They bring you up so many stories and let the elevator free-fall over and over and over. The rides are never the same. Super awesome. Then we hit up the Rockin' rollercoaster. It was an awesome indoor coaster with Aerosmith blaring the whole time. Super sweet. After doing a few other rides and catching a show, we decided to pack it up after driving there for 8 hours that morning. Needless to say, we were toast.

1st Christmas Tree

2008-12-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

Our First Casualty

Cade decorating the tree.

The Friday after Thanksgiving Cade finally caved and said that we could buy our first Christmas tree ever and it was a real one. Oh, it was so lovely! My house smelled of pine every day. In the mornings getting ready to go running was my favorite time. Oh, I love Christmas trees. We had very few ornaments which was fine. We have decided to start the tradition that every year we would go together and get a new ornament for the two of us. Anyway as you can see in the picture above, Cade was putting these glass balls on the tree. What I didn't know was that instead of putting the ribbon on the branch, he was putting the plastic ring from the ring on it. So when I went to go cut the tag off of one, it made a free fall to our tile. It was a joint-effort. It's all good though. Makes a good story for our first tree.

San Diego

2008-12-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

Pictures of the front of the San Diego temple

Cade had an alfalfa symposium in San Diego for a few days in the beginning of December. I didn't know that they had things such as farmers conferences, but I guess you learn something new everyday. I got to sit in the hotel room or go across the street to the mall/movie theater (yes I saw Twilight again). It was really good for Cade, though. He learned a lot about his field, which was the purpose of going in the first place. We got to have lunch with Crooks one day (love you Crooks),too. On the last day, we went to the San Diego temple to do a morning session and wound up being able to do sealings as well in the room we were sealed in. We haven't been able to go to do a session since we were sealed. It was awesome. Such a wonderful experience. I am so blessed to have the gospel in my life and be worthy to do the work in the temples and have a husband who can go and do the work with me.

Catching up

2008-12-19T11:58:00.000-08:00

So I have totally slacked with blogging these past few weeks. There has just been so much that has happened in such a short amount of time that I haven't had time to get on here and update. Sorry blog universe. Anyway I'm at my parents' house right now and taking responsibility for my lack of action.

I did my first Thanksgiving this year. I know...Shocker I didn't poison anyone. It was actually pretty well done if I may say so myself. We just had Cade's family over. It was nice to have everyone come over and just talk for a few hours and enjoy each other's company. A good thing was that I didn't stress at all, which is a first. I did cook way too much food.

Twilight times 3

2008-12-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

I totally went and saw Twilight for the third time (not embarrassed either to admit it) with Ruth last night. Thanks Ruth for indulging me and going. It was super awesome. (I slept with my pin on last night. J/K)

TWILIGHT!!!!!

Cade's Birthday Party

2008-11-29T12:39:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much Trish and Julia and Clara for helping get things ready. You're some of the best besties that a girl could ask for.

I got masks and beads for everyone. It was super fun trying to convince the boys to put the masks on.

King Cade gets some beads for being the birthday boy. He worked for them, but wouldn't let me put the picture online.

"Blow out your candles."

I threw a small surprise party for Cade's birthday on the 22nd. (A. I was impressed that I didn't go to pieces from stress and hiding various decorations for over a month. B. I was happy that Cade wasn't ticked because he hates big surprises.) I had to order all this stuff like the king cake online and was freaking out that he would figure it out. (Surprisingly he didn't.) The night before we had the ward campout and the king cake was supposed to arrive. It hadn't before we left so we just headed out with me trying to figure out ways to make the king cake seem like something for Thanksgiving or something. We get back and I saw it sitting on the front porch. I freaked! But Cade had left the garage open so he went that way and scooped up the cake and threw it in the laundry room before he got inside. The next day Trish and I had coordinated for Bryce and Chris to take Cade to the 007 show. They headed out and we headed to the house to get things ready. Oh I couldn't have done it without your help, just to let you know. We got everything ready just as they were coming in the door. It was so fun to be able to kick back with good friends and good food.

Laissez les bon temps roulez!

For all of my Cajun challenged friends, "Let the good times roll!"

Ruth's B-Day

2008-11-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

So I finally sat down to upload the pics that have been sitting in my camera. Woo Hoo! On November 18, a few of the girls got together and we celebrated Ruth's 27th birthday. Pizza, cake, and estrogen...what an awesome combination! Hope you had a good time Ruth!

New Moon

2008-11-28T07:26:00.000-08:00

I did it again. I picked up New Moon, the next book in the Twilight series, and finished it last night. I'm so sleep deprived, but it's totally worth it. I finished Twilight on Tuesday and Cade took me to Palm Desert to go see the movie. So can not wait to see it again. It is totally awesome and I am completely hooked. Totally loving it! I'm picking up Eclipse as we speak and I can not wait!

I love Twilight!!!!!

Twilight

2008-11-26T10:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, so nobody laugh at me. I just picked up Twilight yesterday and finished. Oh my goodness! What an awesome read. I was totally hooked and found myself giggling like a little girl. ("Oh, he's totally into her!" Dumb stuff like that.) It was totally awesome though. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.

Busy Busy Busy

2008-11-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

Things have been so hectic around the Johnson household lately so I must apologize to my blog for being neglectful (Sorry blog). Like I last wrote, we moved into a new house a few weeks ago. I have successfully conquered the clutter-bug. The dust is settling and I especially am able to enjoy a nice clean house. We had a birthday party for a very special 1yr.old a few days later. So much fun. She was dressed so adorable and it's all thanks to her fabulous momma. (Love you Julia) The next night was trunk-or-treat. So much fun! I had never been to one before. I thought it was fabulous. And my amzing husband was working on the bowling booth for 3/4 of the night because I couldn't keep my big mouth shut. Oh well...another reason to love him. All the while, he's been working on Prop 8 (almost spelled poop) stuff for a few months. We had stake conference in Havasu on Saturday and telecast on Sunday. Then Trish and I had a wonderful (relaxed) shopping trip out in Palm Desert and Indio. (WinCo. WinCo.) Never going grocery shopping with a man again. We rushed back and watched the election. Stayed up super late trying to figure out if 8 had passed or not (and thankfully it did). Then getting back into routine at church for Primary. We also went camping for the first time in Blythe. That was awesome! (Thanks everyone and thank you Cookie for butt-coals.) Now I have homework I am still working on, I have to teach sharing time (woo hoo!), and prepare for Thanksgiving.
Granted I do not have children so I don't know how busy it can get, but I do have the luxury of saying that I'm not bored. Isn't it wonderful to be busy and feel as if you are completing tasks and taking care of business. ( Trish- I'm flashing to "I work hard for the money. So hard for the money.") Unfortunately I have no pictures so this probably won't be read because it is so long and non-colorful, but I needed to catch up.
Hope everyone is doing well.

Sugar Cookies

2008-10-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

The beginning The middle

and the End!

Ok I have officially been domesticated. I made sugar cookies from scratch this weekend. I know, I know...I hear the gasps of shock. I decided that I wanted to try this since my mom makes sugar cookies every Christmas, I thought that it would be fun. So I dug out my cookie cutters and got to work. It was so much fun and so easy. If I can do it, anyone can. I even made the icing from scratch. Not to sound braggy, but this is huge for me...just ask my husband.

Look out Martha Stewart, Erica Johnson is in town!

Moved In

2008-10-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

So much stuff!! AHHH! We hadn't moved in our big furniture until the next day, so Cade is improvising.

Huge, ripped muscles for such an occasion!

(Huge Sigh of Relief!!!) It's official. We have moved into our permanent residence. FINALLY!!! WOOOHOOO!!!! It has been such a roller-coaster, but we have finally moved into a house where we won't live for just a year and then move out. It's so nice. It is such a lovely home and I am so blessed to be able to be here. Thanks to Bryce and Trish for helping us out! Really appreciate it. You guys are the best! Once the house is cleaned up and things are where they are supposed to be I will put more pics up, but these are some from moving in.

TTYN

I've Been Tagged!

2008-10-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Easter 2007 My senior prom. (this is his "priesthood project" for those of you who know the story.)

Our wedding day. I love him soooo much!

I've been tagged!

1. Where did we meet? We met in Mesa, AZ. My gf sister was having a baby over Thanksgiving break of my senior year in high school. She didn't want to be by herself, so I tagged along and happened to meet a handsome RM.

2. How long did we date? We got married on the 1 year anniversary of our first date in AZ.

3. How long have you been married? 3 years on November 26

4. What does he do that surprises you? I love it when he does little things to help me around the house. He also sneaks kisses that are unexpected, like when I'm doing the dishes or something.

5. What is your favorite feature of his? His laugh. It's loud and hearty and completely genuine.

6. What is your favorite quality of his? My favorite quality is that he is such a hard worker. Whatever he is asked to do, he will give it 200%. He wants to do the best he can at everything that is given to him. He works hard at being a good husband and priesthood holder. He is also working at preparing to be a father someday.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? He usually calls me "babe". (And no I don't oink in return)

8. What is his favorite color? Red

9. What is his favorite food? I think anything Mexican, but whenever I cook some Cajun I think that takes 1st.

10. What is his favorite sport? His favorite sport is football. He's a huge A.S.U. Sundevils fan, even through the hard times (like this year).

11. When and where was your first kiss? Our first kiss was on our first date (scandalous I know). He had just dropped me off and I had to let my gf's aunt and uncle know I was home. I came back to tell him thanks for a great night and he laid one on me. (whatever he says I was the kiss-ee not the kisser, but it was well-received).

12. Favorite thing to do as a couple? I would say we don't just have one thing, but we like to hang out together (either by ourselves or with friends) and laughing is another fave.

13. Does he have a hidden talent? I'd say his hidden talent would have to be making me laugh when I want to be mad at him.

14. How old is he? 26, but he's turning 27 on November 27. (It's his golden birthday)

15. Who said "I love you" first. He did.

16. What is his favorite type of music? I would say that he is in a transition phase right now. We both used to really like hip-hop,but we have always liked rock and alternative (old and new). We also dig country.

17. What do you admire most about him? Everything. He tries so hard to make life so easy and comfortable for me. It's such a blessing. And he loves me so much and would do whatever he could to make me happy.

18. Do you think he will read this? No. The only things that he looks at on the Internet is e-mail and ESPN, which gives me free rein to gush over him as much as I please.

I tag Ruthanne P. Have fun!

Primary Program

2008-10-19T15:24:00.001-07:00

We had our Primary Program today during sacrament. It was so adorable. It was obvious that the kids worked on their parts. They weren't nervous about going up to the microphone at all. It was such a wonderful experience, but I am definitely relieved that it is over. Thanks to all the parents and teachers who helped us out. We really appreciate it.

My Birthday!!!

2008-09-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks for spending my b-day with me!!!

Redlands Temple. So gorgeous!!! I am officially 21. WOO- HOO!!! Goodbye childhood...Hello adulthood!!! I am officially out of the child years. It was such an awesome night. We caravaned with two of our really good friends out to Redlands. I had never been out to that part of Cali before and it was so nice. The weather was amazing. I picked out this British restaurant that I was excited to try. Unfortunately when we got there, we were bombarded by cigarette smoke. So no thanks! We went to another place to eat and got birthday brownie sundaes (which were so darn good that I think my waist expanded on the way to the car) and then went to do a session at the temple. Is there any other way to have a wonderful 21st birthday? To be with the man of your dreams, great friends, and have a completely spiritual experience. It was so much fun. Thanks again to Trish and Bryce for coming out to celebrate. Love you guys!

Ward Luau

2008-08-30T09:17:00.001-07:00

Last night was so much fun. Our ward threw an authentic luau thanks to the Kuamoo family and Elder Hew Lien. It was amazing. There was tons of people there and delicious food. I even learned how to make an authentic Hawaiian dish. It was delicious. They did pig and even made some poi for everyone to try. Cade and I were asked to join a group who were performing a handgame. Cade and I are on the far side in the white t-shirt and I'm in the pink dress next to him. (I posted a video. Thanks to my mother-in-law for the camera work.)

After that was done Brother Kuamoo sang a few songs and played his ukulele.

Sister Kuamoo and Elder Hew Lien did a Hawaiian dance for us telling the story of a ranch on one of the islands.

It was such an amazing night. There was so much conversation and fun going on that the time flew by. Thanks to all those who helped and participated. I will never forget it.

Girls' Game Night

2008-08-01T12:48:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to thank those ladies who came over last night. Though we didn't get to the games, it was a blast hanging out with you and getting to know you better. Have a great day!

Elders Quorum Party

2008-07-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last night was a party for the Elders Quorum Party. It was so much fun. There were hotdogs and hamburgers. (Oh yes, and delicious cake...Thanks Sis. Presley.) It was out by the river which was totally perfect. It wasn't too hot or uncomfortable and the water was just gorgeous. There were a couple families who brought out their boats and jet skis and let people ride with them, which was so sweet. We had a tug-of-war contest (Cade and my's team went undefeated thanks to my hulk-like strength) and a pie eating contest which was brilliant. They put a piece of bubble-gum in this huge pile of whipped cream and we had to root around, find it, and blow a bubble first to win. It was delicious and messy, but a fun experience with some of the Primary kids and a few other ladies. I accidentally spit half of my gum out so I had lagged behind, but it was so fun to see everyone getting into it. All in all, it was a fantastic night to kick back with friends and enjoy the river.

Happy Holiday!

2008-07-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has a safe holiday and a wonderful time. Hopefully, it's cooler where you are than here. As of right now, it's 107. Have fun! Happy 4th of July!

Xanadu

2008-06-21T10:11:00.001-07:00

I watched Xanadu for kicks yesterday and if I may say so, for the sake of mankind, please don't watch it. If any of you reading this likes it, I am terribly sorry if I offend, but that was one of the craziest 80's movies I have ever seen. I thought this might be fun...Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly is such a hunk....no problem. Oh my! Big hair, bad clothes, neon lights, Oh my! Big hair, bad clothes, neon lights, Oh my! It was tragic. I felt as if I needed to click my heels together three times to get back to reality. But my day was recovered when we were able to hang out with a few friends last night. Thank goodness! That was a close one.

Keli Tagged Me

2008-06-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

Favorite person (outside family) Does my dog count?
Favorite food? Give it to me Cajun style
Quirks: I hate when people aren't honest. If I have something in my teeth, just tell me.
How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? Awesomely loud, loving, neat freak, honest, loyal, swell
Any regrets in life? Not being able to be closer to my family
Favorite Charity/Cause? Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Favorite Blog recently? I love Keli's
Something you can’t get enough of? Ice Cream (Darn you, Breyers) and being with my hubby. He's such a hunk!
Worst job you’ve ever had? Working at Subway with the worst bipolar boss I've ever seen
What job would you pay NOT to have? Subway service provider
If you could be a fly on the wall, where? Well I would have to take a time machine back a few years when Brad Pitt wasn't so ragged looking
Favorite Bible verse right now? Matthew 18:4
Guilty Pleasure? Shopping
Got any confessions? Nope
If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it? Definitely clothes with accessories
Favorite thing about your house? The living room
Least favorite thing about your house? One small bathroom
One thing you are bad at? Working out everyday
One thing you’re good at? Reading
If you could change something about your circumstances, what? No Debt.
Who would you like to meet someday? Pres. Monsen
What makes you feel sexy? an awesome pair of high heels.
Who is your real life hero? Cade
When are you most relaxed? laying in bed with Cade at the end of the day and talking til we fall asleep
What stresses you out? When there is not enough time in the day to get everything done.
What can you not live without? My Family
Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists? that's so weird

I now tag Megan!

Graduation

2008-06-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I walked on May 9th. It was so awesome. My family flew in to see me and spend the weekend. Cade's parents, aunt and uncle came, also. I was so thankful to have them there. It was wonderful to have that kind of support on a day that was so important to me. Chels couldn't make it, but she had to work. Poor thing is always working so hard. She is so amazing. After my ceremony, my family came out to Blythe to spend an extremely short visit with Cade and I. Sunday morning I left with them to spend a few weeks at home to help them pack up for their move and see my sister graduate on May 22nd. She did so awesome. It was so crazy to go back home. It was bitter sweet. I was so stoked about seeing my family and going home, but it'll be the last time in a long time. :( Oh well. They are building this amazing house in Alabama that I am so excited to see. It's supposed to be done in September. WOO HOO!!

It's Official

2008-06-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Now hearing about this awesome way of communicating with those you love through a blog, I have decided that its time to get caught up with technology. I am officially starting this to help Cade and I keep up with our friends and family. We love you guys!