Team Johnson

A few pics of Molly

2011-11-13T18:39:00.002-07:00

Scowling
Wonder Woman for Halloween
As Thor
In her fabulous sunhat
With Minnie Mouse ears

2011-05-20T11:30:00.001-06:00

A boring post for a good cause

2011-05-10T08:29:00.003-06:00

Hi Everybody

We have recently found a company called Vivint many of you may have heard of . This summer they’re giving away 1.25 million dollars to fund local charities across North America and we get to decide who wins that money! This gives us the opportunity to vote for Mountainlands Community Health Center. Whoever has the most votes, wins and if we win, they will give Mountainlands $250,000! We ask each of you to vote for Mountainlands. You can do this through the internet and your Facebook page. Here are the following steps:

1. Go To www.vivint.com
2. Click on the “Vote Now” link
3. Scroll down to “Top Charities” and click on “Mountain”
4. You will have to click on “view all” at the bottom of the list of charities under “Mountain” in order to see “Mountainlands Community Health Center”
5. Scroll down to Mountainlands Community Health Center and click on that name
6. The prompt will tell you to login to Facebook, click on the “Facebook Login link”
7. Once you login, It will ask you to allow their request for permission for the Vivint Gives back Project, click on “Allow”
8. It will then ask you to click on “Like them on Facebook” Click on “Like”
9. Once you’ve liked them on Facebook, scroll down to the end of the page and click on “Endorse” on their website page.
10. Once you have endorsed them, you will have a vote in. You can go back and endorse once a day, every day until August 27, 2011
11. Repeat step 9 daily.

It is very simple and we'll be best friend forever if you can vote a ton (we probably will be anyway).

On another note, Mountainlands will be having a Chili’s Night. This will take place Wednesday, May 18, 2011 from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. Attached you’ll find a Chili’s coupon that you can print and bring to Chili’s that day. Whenever you are ready to pay and receive the check, give this coupon along with your payment to the waiter and 10% of your bill will go to Mountainlands Community Health Center. We encourage all of you that are willing and able to do this! We also invite everyone to invite family and friends and send the coupon to anyone you think would support us that day.

If you have any questions or concerns, please be sure and let me know. We hope that all of you can support us in both Vivint and Chili’s Night.

Thanks!!

2011-02-14T13:20:00.003-07:00

Hi Everyone, Molly arrived on the 6th and both her and Kassi are doing great. Since we don't currently have the internet at home, here is a brief post with a pic, and a promise of more to come.

28 Weeks

2010-11-28T15:14:00.003-07:00

I hit 28 weeks on November 23, 2010. 7 months already. Time is going by too fast.

In other news, Eric and I are buying a house in Payson! We are supposed to sign papers tomorrow and hopefully we can move on December 4th. Eric and I are really excited but I'm trying hard to not stress out. I'm sure everything will work out.

16, 20, 24

2010-10-24T20:15:00.009-06:00

Here are some small baby bump pictures. We'll start with week 16 (4 months) which really isn't much.
August 31, 2010

Next is 20 weeks (5 months)! The halfway mark and also the best day ever because we got to find out what gender the baby is.
September 28, 2010

Finally 24 weeks (6 Months). Time is going by too fast!
October 26, 2010

We're having a...

2010-09-29T20:04:00.002-06:00

We went to my ultrasound appointment yesterday, Sept. 28th. It was really cool. It was crazy to watch the baby move, to see it's bones, the heart beating out of it's chest, see a brain, toes, fingers, and lips! I loved it! When it was time to see the gender the foot was in the way. The tech had to poke a little to get the baby to move. Finally we got the shot and she showed us that what we were looking at was a baby GIRL!! I am really excited! I wanted to go buy something cute and pink right away! Everything looks good. All measurements are good and no signs of anything to be worried about. They decided my due date is February 11th. So only 4 days earlier. We got the ultrasound on DVD which is exciting. I've already watched it once. Eric is excited. He even picked out a cute pink shirt for our baby girl!

Well I'll have more posts to come with summer outings we took, birthday celebrations, and posts about how I'm not fitting in my clothes anymore. :) Thanks everyone for your support and kindness in being excited for us! We are really grateful for all of our blessings, this baby girl, our families, and friends!

June 7, 2010 The day our lives changed forever!

2010-09-25T22:22:00.007-06:00

It was a Monday and Eric stayed home from work that day because he was sick. I came home for my lunch break to see how he was doing. I decided I would take a pregnancy test because I was late, but I wasn't too late so I wasn't too worried. If Eric wasn't home I wouldn't have done it but I just happened to have one in the cupboard (I'd had a couple of scares in the past). The next thing Eric heard me say was, "Oh NO!" in a voice filled with dread, "Eric, you better come look at this!" This is what we saw.

Eric's response when he came and looked at the test, which I had placed on top of the pregnancy test instructions so he could see that + meant pregnant, was "Hmmm, huh, well..." while leaning against the washer for support. He offered to drive to the store when I went back to work to buy some more tests to make sure this one wasn't faulty. :) I took almost a 2 hour lunch that day and didn't even eat anything because my nerves were going crazy. Eric has handled it pretty well and he is really excited about it now.
Needless to say I pretty much went through four of the five stages of grief; denial, anger, depression, and acceptance. I had anxiety for the rest of the week and by Saturday had taken 4 pregnancy tests. The last test I took was digital, just to make sure. :)

Once I decided the tests weren't lying I decided to accept it and deal with it. I wasn't sick until the end of June and I started puking in the mornings. It wasn't fun and it was hard to be excited about being prego when I didn't feel well.
I was able to hide it from my co-workers until August. Except for the 2 I told and one of the guys that heard me throw up one morning before anyone else had come in. We told Eric's family when we took a trip to St. George with them. Post coming about that. We told my family at different times. I told Kristie and Kimberly when we went to Lagoon with them in June and I wasn't going on any of the roller coasters. We told my other two sisters when we were at their houses. Then on the 4th of July we finally told my mom. We were sitting at the table talking with my mom and some of my sisters. Eric made a comment to my mom and said, "Well my mom says that pregant women will always get a bed at her house." It took my mom a minute before she said, "What did you just say?!" So it was pretty funny.
My due date is February 15, 2011. We find out if baby Johnson is a boy or girl on September 28th 2010. Eric and I are really excited to find out what it is! I'm going to go buy something right after I find out. :)

Random happenings between January and May 2010

2010-09-09T19:14:00.007-06:00

Here are some pictures of things that happened between January and May.
I made my first roast in my new crock pot I got for Christmas. It took me 4.5 years to finally give it a try and it wasn't too bad. This is actually a picture of my second roast.

Self potrait of Eric and I.

I babysat my 1 year old niece Janessa and I liked this picture of her in her our love sac. She looks so tiny!

Then I babysat my other 1 year old niece, Lyla, and decided to do her hair. The poor thing.

There's her smile! It's a good thing she loves me!

The only other exciting thing that happened was in April when Eric finally got his new car. I already did a post about that.

January 2010

2010-09-09T18:53:00.006-06:00

To bring in 2010 we went to Kimberly's house for a party and sleep over. Here are some pictures of us playing games and bringing in the new year with our apple cider.

I Missed a Few Important Events

2010-08-10T21:38:00.006-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to post pictures of my awesome Halloween Costume for 2009! I also never posted about Christmas. I'm more behind than I thought. We'll just post some pictures since I can't remember too many details.
Here is my awesome costume. Thanks Hot Topic! :)

As you can see I had to make some minor adjustments to make it modest.

Here is Eric carving the pumpkin.

Christmas 2009 was spent at the Johnson's house. Eric and I spent too much money on each other. We had a great day! Eric picked out some really cute skirts and tops for me.

I picked out some awesome pajamas for Eric! He loves them.

Annual Beard Family Christmas party. It was a lot of fun!

Eric's New Car

2010-08-10T21:25:00.005-06:00

Eric finally found himself a new car. We sold his Dodge Dakota and found him a car that weekend. We got it in April. He got a 2007 Mazda3 hatchback and he is loving it! We got a good deal and have really enjoyed having it. (We did not buy it from a dealership!) Here are some pictures.

What the What.

2010-03-25T21:01:00.006-06:00

Before I start I should apologize that it has been forever and a day since we blogged, and that this will not be a fun informative blog, but a rant about bad customer service. And it contains two numbered lists. I don't care if you don't like numbered lists. It was easy to format it this way.

About a month ago I went to the Mazda dealership here in Orem and told them what I was looking for and how much I was willing to pay. I test drove a couple cars, talked about numbers, and decided that a new car would have to wait until I sell my truck on my own, because the dealership wouldn't give me much for it. I talked to the salesman and clearly conveyed what I wanted, how much I was willing to pay, and that I couldn't proceed until I sold my truck. I did tell him it was okay for him to call me and let me know if they got something in that was what I wanted and for the price I wanted. This first visit was a positive experience and I left feeling like I might give them my patronage.

Since then I have received a call from the salesman at least once a week to tell me what they've got in stock and let me know what is going on. This is totally fine, I agreed that he could call me, and I provided him with my number. So while I don't necessarily want him to call me weekly while I still haven't sold my truck, I told him he could and there is no one to blame for this but myself.

Today I got an interesting call from him. He told me that he has another customer looking for a truck such as mine and because of this he would be willing to give me more for it, and that they have some new inventory in that fits my needs, and my budget. I think this is the cat's meow because now I don't have to keep trying to sell my truck and I can get a new car. So as soon as I got off work I head down to the dealership under the impression that what he said was true.

When I got there he showed me the car that "fit" what I wanted and he took the key to my truck to figure out exactly what they would give me for it. I took the car for a drive and it definitely fit the "want" section of my criteria, and when Kassi saw it she agreed that it was really nice and that if they had good numbers for it we could get it.

So we went back to the dealership where the salesman I've now talked to on multiple occasions handed me off to another salesman to finish things up. This is still okay, I don't care who finishes things off as long as they match the numbers that I told them over a month ago, and that they had full knowledge of when they called me. The new salesman talked to me for a few minutes and then left to discuss numbers with his boss (whatever that means) and came back with the following 4 awesome sales points for the car that I had driven.

1. He was generous enough to say that he was giving me 1500 for my trade in, and then tell me the price I could pay for the car after the trade was $472.00 higher than the car is listed at on their website. This is not the price for a similar car, but the exact same car. This salesman was so nice he basically told me I could pay extra and that he would take my trade as nothing.

2. He offered to let me pay $91 more per month than the number they already knew I would be willing to pay. This is 45% higher than what I told them. Think about that in terms of your annual income. If you got a 45% raise would you do a joyful cartwheel? I would, and I can't do cartwheels.

3. He told me I would get to make this higher payment for an entire year longer than what I had told them I was willing to pay. There is a pattern here, these first three things are not good, do you think the 4th one will be? What's left for this guy to try and gouge me on?

4. The interest rate. This is my favorite of the 4 selling points. He didn't come out and tell us what the interest rate would be. We figured it out. 9.3%. Really. It's like the punchline of the dumbest joke ever. 9.3% Pretty big of you Mazda salesman, prettttty big.

After we picked our jaws up off the floor we told him this was nowhere near what we talked about and he continued to tell us how nice the car is, and how it has new tires and how they weren't making very much money on it, and we told him it wouldn't work, got our truck key back and left.

Many readers may be thinking that all this is my fault for going there in the first place, and to that I would respond "Who asked you?" Just kidding. It is my fault for going there, giving out my phone number, and expecting them to perform one honest task. I knew what they were when I picked them up, or something like that. That being said, there are 3 things that really bother me about this experience.

1. They knew what I wanted and what I was willing to pay. If they didn't have it they shouldn't have called me and told me they did. If what I want is unrealistic for this dealership they should tell me so I can either revise my expectations or go somewhere else. They don't need to waste both their and my time.

2. Did the second salesman sabotage the deal so that the first salesman wouldn't get the commission? If guy #2 sells the same car to someone else tomorrow it helps his bank account right? Something a little fishy that the first salesman seemed to think this would work and the second guy was miles away from a viable deal.

3. I can't think of a single thing I did that made this guy think I might belong on the short bus, but he treated me like I did. Who agrees to ridiculous terms like that? Did you think I wouldn't notice that you raised the price, gave me nothing for my trade, indentured me for an additional year with a burden that is 45% higher than I agreed to and at an interest rate that is (conservatively) 3% higher than I could get by financing it somewhere else? Just because I use run-on sentences doesn't mean I can't do basic math.

Here's my final thought. What percentage of the population is both dumb enough to agree to a deal like this, and smart enough to be able to earn enough money to afford it? Apparently enough to keep this dealership in business.

Kassi says she has a Disneyland post she is working on. Thanks for reading.

Oh, and Kassi's work is having a drawing for an Ipad. To enter you have to become a fan of Fibernet on facebook and if Kassi gets enough of her friends to become fans she will get a free ipod so you should probably do that for her if you haven't already. It will make her marvellously happy.

September 2009 Best Month Ever!!

2010-01-13T20:18:00.018-07:00

September is my favorite month of the year because it is my birthday month. This year September was a lot of fun for us. We started the month off with a family camping trip to Palisades Reservoir in Manti, Utah. Every Labor Day weekend my family gets together for our annual camping trip. It has usually involved a campsite with flushing toilets and showers. That shouldn't surprise anyone that knows me well. :) Eric and I got to try out our new tent and it was nice. We also had my brother-in-law's sister drop by and take some family pictures. It is hard to get us all together so our camping trip was the only opportunity to do it. They turned out pretty good considering we were camping.
This is a picture of all my sisters. Left to right: Kristie, Kelly, Kassi, Kimberly, Katie (Kimberly and I should have switched places and then we'd be in order from oldest to youngest.)

Now for the FUN part of September (That's right, I don't find camping fun, even if there are flushing toilets and showers). Eric and I planned a long awaited trip to DISNEYLAND!!! The happiest place on earth! I have never ever in my 25 years been to Disneyland and it was on my list of "Things I want to do before I die" list. Eric was nice enough to let us go so we could be there for my 26th birthday. I tried to be as frugal as I could in the scheduling of it so I could have some money to spend on overpriced Disney souvenirs. We went to California for 5 days and spent every one of them at Disneyland. Needless to say I got to see everything there I wanted.
We flew to California on September 19th in the early AM. We flew Jet Blue and landed in Long Beach, California which happens to be where Eric's brother, Ben, is serving his mission. We did not get to see him but we waved as we drove through. Our Hotel was right across from Disneyland. It was clean and decent. We dropped our luggage off and they held it for us and we walked across the street to the happiest place on earth!
I have so many pictures I want to put up that I might have to do another post of just pictures! I found out on the last night we were there that our camera was on the lowest resolution so they look fine on a 2 inch screen but not any bigger. I was way bummed. So we ended up buying the Photo CD of all the pictures the Disneyland workers take of you on their nice cameras. It made up for our blurry pictures.
Here we are on the plane! We look tired because it was about 7:30 AM. I really liked flying Jet Blue!

I got sick at Disneyland on our first day there. I was way bummed. I didn't get any breakfast, little sleep, and it was really hot for being September. I got the worst headache and didn't even have any medicine because it was in our luggage we left at the hotel. So I found their sick room and they were nice to let me lay down. I took a nap and felt much better. We couldn't check into our hotel room at that point so that's why I couldn't go there. Eric was nice and bought me a bracelet with my name on it while I was sleeping.

September 20, 2009

September 21, 2009 Happy Birthday Kassi!

This is the morning of my birthday and I wore my Minnie Mouse t-shirt and Cruela was not going to be seen in a picture "with that Rat!" So she opened up her fur coat to cover it up. Great way to start off my birthday!

For my birthday lunch I made reservations at the Blue Bayou restaurant. I ate their famous Monte Cristo sandwich and they brought me the best free dessert I've ever had! They even lit the candle for me! Did I mention I got in to Disneyland for free on my birthday? That was their promotion for 2009. Unfortunately we came home the day before Eric's birthday so he didn't get in free.

September 22, 2009

September 23, 2009
The last couple of days we were there Halloween decorations started popping up everywhere.

There are more pictures that I want to post but I will do that later. We had a great vacation and got to see a lot of cool characters. My favorite rides were the Indiana Jones ride, which we rode a few times, and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Oh, and we ate at Denny's like, 5 times while we were there. It was just outside of Disneyland. So I got to eat french toast a lot and I loved it!

Eric's New Job

2009-09-12T21:02:00.007-06:00

Eric got a new job in August. He had an interview and it went well. They called him back an hour later and offered him the job! We are very blessed to have found a job in this economy. Eric started his job on August 10th and he is doing really well. He is doing accounting work for a health clinic. The other good news is that he is now home at nights and has Saturday's off!!! So on his first Saturday that he didn't have to work we went on an adventure to the Hogle Zoo. We haven't been there for about 4 years so it was fun to go see the animals. Our favorite animal was the baby giraff. They just had a baby elephant but it was not on display so we might have to go again so we can see it. Here are some of our pictures.

Quilting and Caulking

2009-09-12T20:38:00.006-06:00

Eric has been working on a quilt since the summer of 2008. He didn't have any homework for the summer and he was feeling the need to be creative. Video games just weren't cutting it. He had an idea of wanting to make a quilt with a five pointed star but he couldn't find a pattern. So a lady he worked with at Deseret Book named Debbie told him she would design the pattern for him on her quilting program. So she has been great to help him along the way. He worked on it for the summer, a little at Christmas break, and finally finished the queen sized quilt in July. Debbie was so proud of Eric that she machine quilted it and did the binding for him!! It is awesome and is for display only. :) I didn't help him at all except for some unpicking.

It is AMAZING and I am so proud of him. I'm just glad one of us is creative because I am not.

As for me, I decided to try something new also. On July 24, 2009 I had work off for Pioneer Day. So I decided to do some manual work with my hands like the pioneers used to and recaulk the bathtub. I watched a video online and got all the tools I needed including the As Seen On TV caulking tools. Here are some before and after pics.
Before

After

I'm really proud of myself and I didn't let Eric help me at all. It only took me 3 hours! :) The hardest part was pulling the old, moldy caulking off. It was worth it though.

Other News

2009-07-16T09:30:00.010-06:00

This past weekend was a bit crazy for us. On Saturday July 11th I was driving home from West Jordan and my car started beeping. I looked down and realized that my needle was all the way to the Hot side. Not good. So I was able to pull over on the side of the freeway and I shut off my car. I'm so grateful for cell phones. I called my dad who told me to pop the hood and see if I had any antifreeze or if I could see any broken belts. Luckily I was just out of antifreeze. So I called Eric and he wasn't having the best night at work and he couldn't leave because they were understaffed and he was the only supervisor there. So luckily my bro-in-law and sister were able to come from West Jordan to bring me some antifreeze. I made it home and didn't drive the jeep until Monday when I took it to the shop. They found the water pump was leaking pretty bad so about $500.00 later and the jeep is as good as new. Or so I hope.

On Sunday I got a new calling. The bishop called Eric and asked if we could come see him. I just got a new call in May to the compassionate service committee so I was a bit sad to be getting a new calling because I was liking the one I was in. So the bishop gave me a new call to serve as the first counselor in the primary presidency! The best part is that since we go to a student family ward that the primary consists of Nursery and Sunbeams! So I get to teach sharing time to a sunbeam class each month. It will be good practice for me because if I mess up they won't care as long as I have some fruit snacks to give them. :) It will be interesting.

Grandma Lovell

2009-07-16T09:15:00.006-06:00

On Saturday July 11th, Eric's Grandma Lovell passed away. We were sad to see her go but we are grateful she is in a better place. Here is her obituary.

Florence Lovell "Beautiful Homemaker" Florence Lindsay Lovell passed away Saturday, July 11, 2009, in Taylorsville, Utah. Born in Taylorsville to Edgar Bennion and Ada Viola Freebairn Lindsay January 2, 1919. She attended Granite High School, USU, and BYU, where she met the man of her dreams, Ray Lovell, a genuine, red-haired country boy from Ririe, Idaho. He won the heart of this city belle with his zest for life, work ethic, and love of the Lord. Determined to graduate from BYU, Florence and friend, Marne Tuttle packed babies, bottles, and art brushes in their buggies, painting "as long as the babies would last!" After graduating Florence and Ray settled in Springville, Utah where they raised their family and she put her energies into helping their children compose their own canvases, providing a colorful palette of faith, work, education, music, scouting, sports, and travel. She treasured being with her sister, Marian Jansson's family, the Lovell clan, and Springville friends. Visiting family sites in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales was a dream come true for this historian. Florence and Ray were honored to serve at the LDS Provo Temple and as missionaries in the Ohio Cleveland Mission. A faithful example, she has blessed us with her selflessness, wit, and unwavering love of things that matter most. Survived by children, Byron (Cynthia), Richard, Joan (Randy) Shaw, Joyce Kormylo, Keith (Gini), Ann Johnson; and daughter-in-law, Lois. Preceded by husband, Ray; parents; sister, Marian; son, David; grandson, Keyton Lovell; daughter-in-law, Sarah; and sons-in-law, John Kormylo and Jeff Johnson. Friends and family may attend a viewing Friday, July 17, 6:00-8:00 p.m., at the Taylorsville 9th & 19th Ward building, 2030 W. Chateau Ave. (5225 S.), or Saturday, July 18, 10-10:45 a.m., at the Hobble Creek First Ward building, 650 E. 500 S., Springville, where funeral services will be held Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Interment at Springville Evergreen Cemetery.

Summer Adventures 2009

2009-07-10T21:45:00.010-06:00

In June we had a few fun adventures. Eric got his diploma from UVU so he is really, officially, graduated! See how excited he is holding the envelope?

Luckily I got him to smile for this picture.

Eric and I went on a date to a place called Color Me Mine. We picked out a piece of pottery to paint and then they fire it up for you and you pick it up later. The picture didn't turn out too great but the pieces did. I made a gravy boat and Eric painted the vase. It is currently on our kitchen counter holding my spatula's and pancake turners! It's awesome!

Eric's little sister Ashlee has turned in her mission papers and received her mission call to Tulsa, Oklahoma. We are very excited for her! She decided to go to the Manti temple to receive her endowments. On June 19th we went down to Manti Utah to watch the Manti pageant. The weather was good and the pageant was fun. We drove back to Ephraim and stayed the night at the one and only hotel. The next morning we woke up to go to the Manti Temple with Ashlee for the endowment session at 9:30 am. Eric's mom and Ashlee left early because they had to be there by 8:00. So Eric and I left the hotel at about 8:45 and I thought we would be there in plenty of time. We jumped in the Jeep and started to pull out of the parking lot. Eric stopped the Jeep and I looked at him and said, "I think we have a flat tire." Eric checked and sure enough, the front driver side tire was completely flat. So we backed up and got out to change it. Luckily a nice man came out and helped Eric change the tire. I was useless. So I grabbed the camera and took some action shots. Eric was loving me for that. We couldn't get our jack from the jeep to go up high enough so luckily the guy from IFA let us borrow an industrial sized jack. It worked great!

We arrived at the temple at 9:30 but luckily they had waited for us and let us change. I felt so special as I made my grand entrance into the room while everyone stared at me and thought, "So this is who we were waiting for?" I'm sure they were all in a forgiving mood while in the temple. ;) The session was great and we took some pictures of the family outside of the temple.
Here is a picture I took of Eric when he wasn't paying attention. I love you!

Family photo shot. Left to right, Grandpa Johnson, Kassi, Eric, Ann, Ashlee, Uncle Tim Johnson.

Eric and Kassi

June 24th was our 4 year wedding anniversary! The good news is we are still madly in love and are enjoying the time we get to spend together! I won some tickets from my work to go watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen! Romantic huh? We made it just in time to the show and after it was over we ate at Chili's. We had a fun time. We started a tradition on our first anniversary to get our picture taken at those photo booths you find at the mall. So before we went home we stopped and got our pictures taken. They were ok but we were not impressed. I am going to scan them in and post them later.

For July 4th Eric and I went to Delta. Friday night, July 3rd, my family got together and we had an outdoor movie! It was a lot of fun. Rob brought his projector and screen and we watched Bedtime Stories in the dark. We even had a concessions stand where everyone contributed something and then every family got a bag of pennies to spend at the concessions. It was a lot of fun to spend our money. We even had some neighbors come over for a bit. Here are some fun pictures.
Getting ready to watch the movie.

My nieces and nephews waiting for the movie to start.

My nephew Mitch holding his little sister Janessa who is about 9 months old in this picture.

My nephew Robbie and my sister Kristie at the concessions stand.

On July 4th we heard the cannons early in the morning. Then we went to the parade. I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures. So there are only two of us at the parade. I helped the nephews and nieces get candy and we had a great time. We had a delicious lunch at my mom's and then Carter got to open his presents because his birthday is on the 4th. Eric was lucky enough to stay down in Delta with us and so we went to the Demolition Derby. Eric and I ended up leaving early and taking a couple of my nephews home. I was disappointed with the derby this year. Not enough crashing in my opinion. Last year's was way better. Here are some pictures.
This is my niece Lyla in her 4th of July outfit. Super cute. She is 11 months old in this picture.

Eric and I at the parade.

On July 8th Eric and I went to Lagoon with his mom and Ashlee. We had a great time and wore ourselves out. My favorite rides are the water rides. I didn't take our camera with us because I didn't want it to get stolen so I don't have any pictures of Lagoon.
That's all of our fun adventures so far. We have Ashlee's sacrament program on the 19th. Then Eric's mom will be dropping Ashlee off at the MTC curb on July 22nd. They no longer do the video you just pull up to the curb, hand them their luggage, and give them a hug. Hopefully I'll have some kind of pictures from that weekend and I'll be able to make another post.

Kelly Clarkson Concert 2009!

2009-06-15T08:34:00.004-06:00

Not Much has been going on since Eric has graduated. We have been able to spend more time together which has been great, but has resulted in my house not getting cleaned as often. Who wants to clean when you can hang out with your husband? Obviously not me. :)
On June 11, 2009 Eric and I went with our good friends Tasha and Roger Rappleye to watch Kelly Clarkson at the UVU Brent Brown ball field!

Eric wasn't too sure if he would enjoy a Kelly Clarkson concert but he was really nice to go with me. He listened to me sing along with Kelly to her songs while we sat in the rain. Kelly was a lot of fun to watch and sing to. While she was singing an awesome rainbow came up in the sky. It was really cool. Here are some pictures of our fun night.
Thanks to Tasha for providing the pictures since we forgot our camera.

We sat in the chairs of the ball field because we didn't want to sit on the wet grass.

Thanks Tasha and Roger for inviting us, standing in line for an hour, waiting two more hours for Kelly to finally get up on stage, then singing with me to her songs! It was a lot of fun!

Eric's Graduation!

2009-05-10T19:52:00.004-06:00

Eric graduated from Utah Valley University on May 1st, 2009. He graduated from the Woodbury School of Business with his Bachelor Degree in Accounting. Eric has done so awesome in school. He graduated with a 3.98 cumulative GPA! He received an academic achievement award for having such a high GPA. I am very proud of him and his hard work. Here are some pictures of graduation.

Ashlee, Ann, Eric, Kassi

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson with Eric and Kassi.

Now that he has graduated we have some more time to spend together and we have had a lot of fun. We have been more lazy than we should and enjoyed hanging out together. Now Eric is concentrating on finding a new job in accounting. So if you know of anything let us know.

2009 In Pictures

2009-05-10T18:16:00.012-06:00

Here is a look at what has been going on in the past 4 months. For New Years Eve we went to my sister Kristie's house for a party to bring in the new year. It consisted of eating way too much awesome junk food, gaming, and Rock Band! Here are some pictures of my family rocking out and the boys playing War Craft!

In January I made a new years resolution (it was halfway through the month but at least I did it) to start cooking homemade meals on a regular basis, not just for special occasions. :) It has gone well and I've been doing pretty good. Eric hasn't had to eat out as much and the meals I've made have turned out very tasty. I also decided to make sugar cookies for Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day, and even Easter. They were delicious and they looked good too. Here is a picture of my cookies.

We started February off with a super bowl party at Kristie's house.

Next we celebrated Valentines Day. Eric gave me Dance Dance Revolution! It is the first time I've ever played it and I finally have a game I can beat Eric at! (Big Cheesy Grin on my face) Unfortunately I'm still on the Beginner level.

In March my cousins had a girl get together where we learned a little more about our digital cameras and how to take better pictures. I'm still working on it. Here are some pictures I took of Kimberly and my mom.

In April I made very cute Easter cookies. The shapes are an egg, chick, rabbit, and a tulip. I was worn out by the time it came to frosting them so I didn't take the time to color the frosting.

Then I got my hair cut. I went in for a trim and ended up chopping it off.

Then Eric and I babysat my nephews for a weekend and we made another fun trip to Chuck-E-Cheese! Dallin likes to pick the olives off of the pizza. We had a great time.
Dallin 3 years old

Carter 6 years old

A fun Game

2009-04-14T16:17:00.000-06:00

Online Game: Ninja Glove

Your mission is to complete 21 minigames in the fastest possible time in order to earn your finger-ninja rank. If you score high enough, you will earn the ultimate rank of the Ninja Glove.

Play This Free Game Now

Mario Kart Love Song

2009-03-02T16:10:00.004-07:00

Ok, so this is a sad excuse for an update with real news, but the wonderful Dave Stanworth put this up on his website (which is not G rated or even PG, consider yourself warned), and I thought it was worth repeating, we have no real news. I only have 8 more weeks of school, which is a great thing. This has been a hard semester, and even if graduation weren't the light at the end of this tunnel I'd be very excited for the end of April. We had the annual banquet at work which was surprisingly good for unexpected reasons. Last year was difficult for most retailers and DB was no exception. My boss talked about the refining process and how hard things make us stronger, which I knew but its good to be reminded. She specifically used the phrase "ease does not call forth greatness" which struck a chord in me. I've been thinking about what she said a lot since then and it has definitely helped me refocus and appreciate the experiences I am having right now. 3 out of 4 of my classes require a lot of me while the 4th just requires me to show up. Comparing this to the Frosted Mini Wheats commercial goes something like this, "The kid in me loves the lack of homework, or effort required while the adult in me is frustrated that I'm learning nothing and wasting my time." So the moral of the story is that I complain a lot about how hard my classes are but if they were easy I would learn nothing and probably complain even more. Anyhow, I better go get some homework done.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-29T17:58:00.001-07:00

Eric and I had a great Christmas. We had purchased our gifts to ourselves in November and instead of saving them for Christmas morning we decided to get some good use out of them! We got a new kitchen table and it is awesome. We got too good of a deal to pass up.It is all wood and no particle board which means it is really heavy and I can't lift it. It also came with a leaf that expands the table to fit 8 people. I don't know that it would fit in our kitchen with the leaf in it but at least we have options.
Our other present was Guitar Hero World Tour! Eric just couldn't wait until Christmas to try it out. Merry Christmas Eric!
Here are some pictures of us Rocking!
Kassi at the drums.
Ready to Rock your socks off!!!
We have had a lot of fun with these gifts. Family parties have been much more entertaining.
For Christmas Eve we spent the night in Delta at my parent's house. We had a great time watching everyone open presents. After spending the morning at my house we drove over to Eric's house to open some presents. I got a new apron Eric's mom made for me. Now I can finally cook! Which I might add I have been cooking meals for 3 weeks in January! It must be a magic apron. :)
Kassi and Ashlee modeling our new aprons.
Here is a cute picture of Eric.
One of my presents was a new trendy outfit that I had purchased for myself. So here I am wearing my new trendy outfit holding the baby tutu I made all by myself for my niece Lyla. (Eric isn't a big fan of my trendy outfit. He is still nice to let me wear it though.)
Around 4:00 my family had our Christmas party. We opened presents, ate good food, and had a great time. Here are some cute pictures of our party.
This is my nephew Jaxton being cute.
Here are all of my nephews and nieces opening presents.
Here is Eric trying on his new hat he got from Katie and Brad.
Here is a picture of Eric and I holding my niece Lyla.
Here is a picture of Lyla modeling the tutu I made for her. I think it looks great on her!
Christmas was a lot of fun and it was so nice to have a couple of days off of work.

High School Tag

2009-01-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

1. Did you date someone in high school? No
2. What kind of car did you drive? Old Blue, then Gretta.
3. Did you pass your driver's license test the first time? Yes
4. Were you a party animal? Nope
5. Were you considered a flirt? No
6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? No
7. Were you a nerd? No
8. Were you on any varsity teams? I played Volleyball in 9th & 10th grade. Played Basketball in 9th-11th grade. So technically no.
9. Did you ever get suspended or expelled? No
11. Who were your favorite teachers? Ummm, Mr. Fowles (math teacher)
12. Where did you sit at lunch? By my friends.
13. School mascot: Rabbits
14. School colors: Red and White
15. Did you go to homecoming and who with? I think I went my senior year. If I'm thinking of the right dance I went with Mike Evans. It was fun.
16. If you could go back and do it again, would you? No, college was much more fun.
17. What do you remember most about graduation? I was sad Eric didn't hang out with me after wards.
18. Where did you go on Senior Skip Day? Lagoon with the rest of the seniors
19. Were you in any clubs? FBLA
20. Have you gained weight since then? No I actually lost some weight.
21. Who was your prom date? Aaron Dent
22. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? Maybe if we have one.
23. Did you have a job while in high school? I worked at Lotsa Motsa Pizza my senior year. It was a lot of fun and that is where Eric and I became good friends.
24. Worst class? Physiology
25. Favorite class? Algebra
I tag any of my friends who want to do this.

The Sled

2008-12-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my sled I made. (See post below)

Almost Christmas

2008-12-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

It is snowing outside and very cold. Christmas is in less than a week and I can't wait to have two days away from work! Thanksgiving break was good. We were able to go with Eric's cousins for Thanksgiving Day and then I shopped til I dropped on Black Friday with my sisters. Friday night Eric and I went to a Jazz basketball game with his family and that was really fun. Eric and I have not been to a Jazz game for a long time. We put up our Christmas tree Thanksgiving weekend and it looks great. I'm a big fan of fake Christmas trees. Nothing else too exciting has happened. I have some pictures from my niece's baby blessing and from Eric's family Christmas Party but I haven't had a chance to load them onto the computer. So maybe over the break I'll get a chance.

I decided I'd blog about some Christmas traditions that I've started because I have time and I've enjoyed reading other peoples traditions. Every year I insist on breaking out my old "Christmas with the Chipmunks" tape cassette! I remember getting it when I was young and I would listen to it all the way through. It was one of my favorites. Well my mom found it and gave it to me a few years ago and I was so excited she found it! Could you believe she was going to throw it away? :) The first Christmas after we were married I told Eric I needed a CD player with a cassette deck in it so I could put in the Chipmunks. (Did I mention he isn't the biggest fan of the Chipmunks?) He came through for me! I drag out our blue CD/cassette tape player every Christmas season to make sure the Chipmunks get some air time! Eric can't stand to listen to it so I try hard to only put it in when he isn't home. It brings back memories.

Another tradition that Eric and I have started is to play Christmas movies while we put up our tree and decorate. We usually watch A Christmas Story and The Muppet Christmas Carol. I really enjoy the Muppet Christmas Carol. I like to sing to the songs, the Muppets are cute, and I love the story. Another movie I try to watch is Elf because it makes me laugh.

And last but not least, Eric and I have tried to collect some fun ornaments since we've been married. We now have Batman, Belle, Jack Skellington (from "The Nightmare Before Christmas") tree ornaments to name a few. And every year I put up this sled that I made out of tongue depressors (aka big pop sickle sticks) in second grade. Complete with glitter. It is beautiful and I had a lot of skill for a second grader. I might have to take a picture and include in this blog so you can appreciate how hard I worked. My mom was going to throw that away too. So I rescued it and now it gets to hang on our tree. :) Eric is so lucky.

Well that is all I can think of for now. Eric is finally done with school for the semester and he only has one more until he is done with his Bachelors degree in Accounting! He can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. So for now he is working a lot over the crazy, busy, Holiday season. I am looking forward to spending Christmas day with him since that's about all we'll have together. Well I hope everyone has a Very Merry Christmas!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

I am finally posting our costume pictures from Halloween. We had a great day. I was Bat Girl and Eric was Iron Man! I dressed up for work and at times you could find me running past cubicles with my cape flying behind me. It was pretty fun. I made the kids who came to work say trick or treat before I would give them any candy. Eric and I went trick or treating to Roger and Tasha's house. They almost didn't recognize us! ;)

Witches Night Out!

2008-10-28T09:37:00.000-06:00

This Saturday I went up to West Jordan to babysit my cute little niece Lyla. We both lived through the poopy diaper experience! Here is a cute picture of her. She is such a good baby, she makes it look easy to have kids.At 7:00 Kimberly and I left the kids with my parents and went with a bunch of ladies from her ward to go to Gardner Village for Witches Night Out! This fun event started with us all dressing like witches and meeting for dessert at Village Inn. Here is a picture of our group.
As you can see, some of the ladies really take it seriously! They were really funny and we had a lot of fun with them. After dessert we went to Gardner Village and walked around the shops and ended up dancing with a bunch of other witches while the DJ played Thriller! It was so funny and there were some people there with really awesome costumes. Here is a guy dressed as some creature out of a Lord of the Rings books, at least I think that is what he was. But he was awesome and danced to the music. It was a lot of fun. Thanks Kimberly and ward ladies for letting me come have a girls night out!

Baby Janessa is here!

2008-10-20T08:22:00.000-06:00

This last Saturday, October 18th, Janessa Linda Mechling was born! My sister was in labor for about 12 hours but finally the baby came out. She was 8lbs. 9oz. and 20.5 inches long! Sounds big but when I held her she was so tiny. Hooray for little nieces and nephews. They are all growing and are cute kids. We almost want to have one. Almost. :)

Disclaimer

2008-10-17T12:05:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I should have read through my Manic Monday post before I posted it. It came out sounding like I was complaining and sad about the whole mess. (Ok, I kinda was but all of you know that I love to complain. I think it's one of my talents) ;) But just so you all know, I realize it wasn't that bad of a day and it could have been worse. This week has gone better and every thing is good. Thanks everyone for putting up with me!

Eric and Kassi's Manic Monday

2008-10-17T08:45:00.000-06:00

This Monday was not the best Monday we've had. Eric was lucky enough to have a coupon for a discounted dental exam, x-rays, and cleaning at the Mall Dental Group. So I scheduled us both appointments. Too good of a deal to pass up! Eric's appointment was at 9:00 am. He called me at 8:45 telling me the truck kept quitting on him. He was sitting in a church parking lot trying to scrape the snow off his windshield from the previous day and trying to get the truck going. Fortunately, we were able to get the truck to the shop and he still made it to his appointment. My appointment was at 10 so I showed up just as Eric was finishing. I want to congratulate him on making it into the Cavity Free Club! His name was entered in a drawing for dinner and a movie so I hope he wins. Unfortunately, the very young dentist who looked at my X-Rays thinks I have two cavities. Probably one for sure but the second one he thinks is a cavity. He wasn't sounding too sure so I'm not very confident in his dentist ability. I don't think he had been out of dental school very long. I'm sure he learned a lot but I do not want him practicing on me. So thank you, very young dentist, for telling me that you THINK I have two cavities. Now I can't be in the Cavity Free Club! They were so kind to give me a print out of my quote for my upcoming dental work, which was $236.00! Yeah, not too excited. Needless to say I did not schedule a follow-up appointment. Instead, I talked Eric into buying me a cinnamon roll from Maverik! Mmmmm. Later that day we got a call from the mechanic letting us know it was going to cost us $230.00 to fix the truck. Eric and I were depressed after finding out about all of these extra things we needed to spend money on. Not to mention the fact that we had to register our Jeep this month which was going to cost us more money. (Luckily it passed inspection so we won't have to put any extra money into it.) So much for my dream trip to Disney Land.
Did I mention that in Church on Sunday our sacrament meeting and priesthood/relief society lessons were all about trials and how good they are for us. Thanks church for jinxing us. I sat through those lessons with an "I hate trials because they are hard" look on my face. Oh and I was grumpy cuz I get paid crap at my job.
On a happier, non complaining note, today is payday and it is Friday which means I get to sleep in tomorrow!

Quirks Tag

2008-10-10T08:36:00.000-06:00

Tell 6 UNSPECTACULAR Quirks about yourself and tag 6 fellow bloggers. Here we go...

Rules: link the person who tagged you. Mention these rules on your blog.

1. I HATE bee's, hornets, wasps, any flying bug that can sting me. I usually freak out when they are flying around. Eric keeps telling me to hold still but it is really hard. I haven't ever been stung either so I am afraid I'll start swelling up and then what am I going to do? (I hate spiders and any kind of bug!)

2. I hate not having my bed made. There are some mornings that I will be running late and I will stop and make the bed before I leave for work, making myself even more late. If Eric is still in it when I leave then I will make it when I come home if he hasn't done it. He knows it drives me nuts so tries to help out.

3. I love aerobics. It is the one and only hobby I have. I even go to the aerobics classes that make me look like a fool because it is fun and I don't end up leaving after 5 minutes. I need a teacher to motivate me to work out longer than 5 minutes, to make me lift weights, do squats, lunges, crunches, you know, the not so fun stuff! I've even tried to recruit some friends and I only have one (Shout-out to Emily!) who will still come with me once in a while.

4. I actually enjoy doing the dishes (for the most part). I find it satisfying to have a sink full and then to have it empty. It makes me feel like I accomplished something.

5. I hate calling people. I will e-mail and text if I can before I will call. And if I end up calling them I usually hope I get their voice mail so I don't have to talk to them. I don't mind calling family or close friends but anything that has to do with church, work, or the maintenance man, I dread it!

6. I have to brush and floss my teeth before I go to bed, no matter how late it is. It could be 3 in the morning and I will stay up to brush and floss. I think it stems from when I had braces back in the day.

I tag Tasha, Emily, Kaime, whoever wants to!
Thanks Hannah!

You have been tagged!

2008-10-03T09:12:00.000-06:00

The rules: You can only put one word answers. Good luck.

1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
2. Your significant other? Eric
3. Your hair? Short
4. Your mother? Caring
5. Your father? Dedicated
6. Your favorite thing? Chocolate
7. Your dream last night? Reunion
8 Your favorite drink? Chocolate Milk (I know, two words. Oh well)
9. Your dream/goal? Disneyland
10. The room you’re in? Office
11. Your hobby? Aerobics
12. Your fear? Spiders
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
14. What you’re not? Dieter
15. Muffins? Sure
16. One of your wish list items? Vacation
17. Where you grew up? Delta
18. The last thing you did? Phone
19. What are you wearing? Jeans
20. Favorite gadget? IPod
21. Your pets? None!
22. Your computer? working
23.Your mood? Good
24. Missing someone? Eric
25.Your car? Gas Hog
26. Something you’re not wearing? Earrings
27. Favorite store? Target
28. Like someone? Eric
29. Your favorite color? Red
30. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday (Reno 911 cracks me up)
31. Last time you cried? Dumb Question

Okay, if you haven't done this tag yet, then I tag you!

The Angels are singing Hallelujah! (And so is my boss)

2008-09-25T10:59:00.000-06:00

I know, three blogs in one week! It's very unlike us but it has been very eventful and exciting. This blog is about my job. I have been working at the same place for 4 years (almost 4.5) and one of my responsibilities is to reconcile our checking account each month. Well, I have no degree in accounting and not much background in in it either so I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing with it. It was hard getting help because my boss is the only one who can help me and he is always super busy, not to mention the fact that I am a professional procrastinator! Sad but true. It came time for my 4 year review and raise and I still had not done any reconciliations. So it was finally time to learn how to do it and get them done. I have been working for about 5 months to catch up on them and now I am a professional reconciliator (that is not a real word but it is now ;) ) of checking accounts! Two and a half years of procrastination has certainly taught me a lesson. I learned why it is a bad idea to procrastinate and what the consequences are as I have been working to get them done. I am proud to announce that today I completed my last reconciliation and I am up to date. So I will only have to do them on a monthly basis now!! I have worked really hard and have even come in at night to try to catch up on them. My boss is just as excited because now we can do the important stuff like file our taxes, run reports for profit sharing, see how much money we really have in the bank account etc. you know, stuff like that. :)

Here is a picture of me holding all of the months of reconciliations I have had to do and complete. It was heavy!Now that I am done I am letting Eric take me to lunch and I'll be asking about my raise! Hallelujah, Hallelujah! I never thought I'd see this day and I'm glad it is finally here.

Happy Birthday Eric!

2008-09-22T10:22:00.001-06:00

Today is a very special Day (September 24). It is Eric's 25th Birthday. He was so nice to put up a post about me with embarrassing pictures so I wanted to do the same but unfortunately I don't have access to any embarrassing pictures of him. So I'll just post some of our party we had this last Saturday. We had a BBQ with our family and we even got to open some presents. We had a pinata which was lots of fun. We let my nephews take some whacks at it. There is a nice picture of me modeling the pinata blindfold! Sexy I know. After the bursting of the pinata we had cake and ice cream. Eric has so many talents! A bunch of you probably didn't know that Eric has a creative side to him. Not only is he a good writer but he also makes an awesome SUPERMAN Cake!!! Yes, he baked and frosted it all by himself! It was delicious! I was so proud of him and am so grateful to have such a wonderful guy all to myself. Eric is talented, hard working, and very witty! He makes me laugh all the time and we have a lot of fun together. I love you Eric and I hope you have a great Birthday!!
Here are some other pics of me opening my presents on my birthday. He did a really good job on buying me presents. He gave me a paper shredder (this was on my list) , some awesome socks to keep my feet warm for the cold winter that is coming, and a new necklace. He also gave me a gift card so I can go pick out some shoes.
Okay, so I can't get these pictures to go in the order I want them to so you'll just have to scroll down and enjoy them all. I wish I knew how to do a slide show. Oh well.

What a great Wife! (A tribute with Pictures)

2008-09-22T09:11:00.000-06:00

So yesterday was my dear wife's 25th birthday, and in commemoration of this historic event I thought I'd share a few thoughts on why Kassi is so great, and if I can figure out how, I'll add some pictures too.

This one is Kassi's first birthday. Even though in this picture she looks more scared than anything else she really does love spending time with friends and family, which is great and definitely one of the things I love about her. We had a birthday party on Saturday, and had people from her and my family show up, it was great. We are both really blessed to have fun and supportive families that we enjoy doing stuff with. We got some great pics from this year's party that I think Kassi will add later (probably at the same time she takes down some of the ones I'm about to put up because she doesn't want them publicly displayed.)

Here is Kassi goofing around, which is something she still enjoys doing. She is pretty lighthearted, and she can almost always whip out something funny to lighten the mood, or pull me out of a stress-induced funk. I love that she doesn't take herself too seriously, and that she knows how to make me laugh, and help me out when I am down. Apparently she is also a Kix kid.

This one is Kassi wearing a hat that I sent her when I was on my mission. I'm pretty sure that is the only time she has worn it, but she pretended to like it long enough that to make me happy. She has done this with a few presents I've given her which is pretty ok with me. She's also let me know on a couple occasions that there are some gifts she would not like, such as nintendo games or new tennis rackets with handles that are too big for her hand but mysteriously just right for mine. Kassi is pretty good to let me know what she wants for birthdays and such, and she is really easy to shop for once. I know I can't go wrong if I just look for something she'll enjoy rather than stuff that's secretly for me. That might seem like an odd thing to love about a person, but it makes my life easier when I know what to get her, or that she'll be happy with my efforts as long as they are sincere

This one I added because I thought she looked really good. I think it's the first time I saw her with short hair, and she looks great, doesn't she? Really she's done a few different things with her hair and appearance since I've known her, and it just keeps getting better, and just like her looks get better, she gets better too. We've known each other for about 7 years now and been married for just over 3, and I love the person she is, and the little changes that have come into her personality. We have a great time together, and I love that I get the prospect of spending more time with her throughout our lives. I love you Kassi.

This one just made me laugh, and it wouldn't surprise me if it somehow disappears shortly after it gets posted.

No news is good news

2008-09-08T14:29:00.001-06:00

So life has returned to the drudgery that I call school. Weekdays are now spent reading, reading, reading, doing assignments, and not giving work as much attention as during the blessed summer months. Weekends are spent procrastinating, feeling guilty for not studying, doing a little sewing if I can, and spending much needed time relaxing with Kassi and our families. Seriously, I kind of like school, and am enjoying most of my classes, but all the stress that's associated with it is not my idea of fun. We did go camping since we last updated, and it was fun, but the wind blew the entire time and it was really stormy the last night. We had a great time playing ladder golf with Kassi's siblings evven though we lost the tournament again for anyone who's keeping track, we played some card games, and showed off our complete lack of cooking skills by ruining pancakes (yes we can't cook the simplest of breakfast foods). Next year we are not signing up for breakfast. We came back with a disappointing lack of pictures or else I'd share some with you. Camping with Kassi's family is always a highlight of our year but we need to go more often on our own so we can get some practice in. Anyhow, I better pay some more attention to my professor so I can learn how to manage risk, and make good choices.

A letter to my customer

2008-08-14T09:23:00.001-06:00

Dear Sir,
No we will not replace the cds that you left in your car and they melted. Don't lie to me and say they "wore out" I wasn't born yesterday and I know what happens to cds if you leave them out in the sun for so long that the foil disappears and the case is discolored. I don't care if you think a manager at another store would let you return the cds, I don't think they would, and if they do it is only a testament to the fact that other managers are too scared or dumb to call you on your lies and I'm decently appalled that you don't find what you are trying to do very unethical. I agree it sucks that you ruined your cds, but you did it. Not Me. Didn't your parents teach you to take care of your possessions? If you dropped a book in the bathtub would you expect us to replace that? Yes you can take my name and complain about me all you want. If the people you are complaining to have any sense (which I have faith they do) they'll agree with me and send you packing. Maybe they'll be less polite than I was and call you on your lies or maybe they'll try some tactic that is beyond my capability to devise and get you to see the error of your ways. Don't try and make me feel guilty or incompetent for doing my job. Nobody should have to pay the price for your dumb mistakes but you.

Losing my patience with dishonest people,
Eric

New Niece

2008-08-06T09:04:00.000-06:00

No, this is not my child. No, we are not getting baby hungry. Now that I have answered the thoughts going through your head I can tell you who this cute baby is. She is my brand new niece and her name is Lyla. My sister had her on July 30th. She is such a cutie! I just wanted to post some cute pictures of her since I have them handy. It is so exciting to have a new baby in the family because I can hold them and hand them back over when they cry or need a diaper changed. It is fun being an aunt!I love her striped PJ's.
Look, I even got Eric to hold her!

One Crazy Summer! (Crazy Fun Summer!)

2008-07-26T20:53:00.000-06:00

Here is an update on Team Johnson from June 27th through July 26th. In June Eric and I went down to St. George with the Johnson's. We went down on Friday the 27th and shopped and swam. On Saturday the 28th we went to Tuacahn to watch Les Miserables. It was so Awesome! I have never seen that play before but I know some of the music so I was able to sing along with some of the songs. Eric really liked it too, except for the parts I was quietly singing in his ear. : ) Here is a picture of Eric and I in front of the stair fountain. For those of you who have never been to Tuacahn here is a picture of the stage. It is an outdoor theater that is in the desert and it is surrounded by really high cliffs so it blocks the sun and it is gorgeous. If you have never been I recommend it.
Eric had a present for me back at our hotel. He gave me a very cute Bell figurine. The story behind this is that 3 years ago we came to St. George on our honeymoon and watched Beauty and the Beast at Tuacahn. (I sang along to all the songs that time!) Eric is so thoughtful and very sweet to remember how much fun we had that night. It was especially funny because Mrs. Potts fell over on her way off the stage and she couldn't get up because her costume was big and round, a pot actually. Thanks Eric, I love it!
Next we move on to the 4th of July. Everyone has already posted about that but here is a picture of my family waiting for the parade to start. I left Eric in Orem to work while I came home and had a great time. I helped gather candy with the kids!We also celebrated Carter's 6th birthday with an Incredible Hulk cake and presents. He is so lucky to have been born on the 4th! There is always a huge celebration going on.Let's not forget about the famous 4th of July Demolition Derby! I haven't been for a few years and I had so much fun! There were quite a few cars that tipped over. I even got the dirt sprayed on me.Our next event was the Lovell Family Reunion in Idaho on the 17-19th of July. I've never been to Idaho or this reunion so I wasn't sure what to expect. We went up on Thursday and spent the night at this Ranch. It was a big house with lots of rooms and lots of fun activities. Here is a picture of the slide that Eric went down. Pretty intense. Luckily he didn't face plant at the bottom. On Friday the 18th we had the opportunity to go river rafting on the Snake River. We drove over the border to Wyoming and Eric's awesome second cousin or something like that took us down the river. Here we are on the drive to the river.I was nervous for the river run but after our guides gave us some good tips on how to stay in the boat I felt a little better. And I originally thought I was going to be the "River Princess" which means I could sit in the middle of the boat and not paddle and it also means lower chances of falling out. But our boat was small and I ended up being the River Cinderella! I ended up paddling and bailing the water out of the bottom of the boat. So much for River Princess!
The run we went on was called The Hoback and it was 8.5 miles long. The biggest Rapid we went through was called Lunch Counter and it was a category 4! Eric was a lead paddler so he was in the very front. He got a lot of water splashed on him. I also got soaking and the water was FREEZING! My feet were numb and red by the time it was over. Here is a picture of us going through lunch counter. (Sorry for the quality. It was the best I could do.) Eric is the one right in the front in the white shirt.I didn't fall out but the boat tipped a bit and I fell towards Becca. So much for paddling. (I'm on the back left hand side of the boat. By left hand I mean if you were sitting in the boat I would be on the left.)It was awesome and I'm so glad I went! At the reunion I played PIG with Eric and Mike. I won them both!! It was pretty good. Then Eric and I played a few games of Pool with Mike and Becca. We were all pretty good so Eric and I won a couple times and Becca and Mike won too. It was really fun and I like to win. Thanks Becca and Mike for some good games!
Here are some more pics from our ride home. We stopped in Idaho Falls and took some pics.That is all for our summer trips. We are out of money and can't afford gas anymore so it's my goal to cut back on driving. Carpooling anyone?

"A Flavor Odyssey" or "My Mantivities"

2008-07-04T23:47:00.000-06:00

So we barbecue now. A while ago we borrowed one of those little tabletop barbecues from Kassi's sister, and I quickly learned that meat is better when it's cooked with flames. It's probably a guy thing. After I fixed a couple meals on that, my uncle gave me a full size grill when he got a new one. I'll admit the new grill is pretty old, and if it were a gift it would be a crappy one, but it's perfect for a hand-me-down. It was pretty dirty though, so I spent the last couple of weeks deep cleaning it, and then I decided to sand the wooden parts and refinish them (another manly activity). So I did that, and it was a bit more of a chore than I expected, and yes I did do a lot of sanding in the apartment. Cuz I'm a guy. Then I vacuumed and wished I hadn't sanded in the apartment. Now it looks pretty good though, and today being the 4th of July it was definitely a great day for the initiatory flame kissed goodness. I did a turkey roast, and it turned out marvelously. I'd have taken some photos if not for the fact that Kassi has the camera in Delta (and I wouldn't want anyone to feel bad for missing out on my perfectly prepared poultry).

Other than the cuisine capers, we have been really busy. Last week we went to St. George with my fam, and got to hang out and relax. It was awesome. We spent all day Friday going wherever the wind blew us, then on Saturday we did more of the same, and followed that with Les Mis at Tuacahn. This week Kassi went down to Delta for the parade and the derby while I worked, and then bbq'd with my mom and sister. We are going to Scipio for a baby blessing on and a good time will be had by all.

Jordin Sparks Concert

2008-06-26T15:41:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. Two posts in one day!! It's pretty exciting. I guess that's what happens when I get to do fun stuff and I have the camera with me. Well last night Jordin Sparks was in town and putting on a concert! Since my office is doing some work for the facility that was hosting her concert, we got free tickets!! I was even lucky enough to get some pretty good seats. So I called Eric and told him the exciting news.
Kassi on her cell: "Eric, guess what? I just got two tickets to go watch Jordin Sparks tonight and you don't even have to work so you can come with me!!! Isn't that cool?"
Eric: "Oh yeah. Sounds like a lot of fun..." I can just picture him rolling his eyes.
Kassi: "Well if you don't want to go with me I could call Emily and see if she would like to have a girls night. Should I do that?"
Eric: "Well, that might be a good idea because while I love to spend time with you, I don't think I would enjoy the concert as much as Emily would."
Kassi: "Ok, well I'll call her but if she can't go then you can be my back-up."
Lucky for Eric, Emily canceled her enrichment plans to go with me to Jordin Sparks. Here are some pics of the fun night. (Please forgive me for the way I look. I had just got out of the gym.)
Emily and I waiting in line
Let us not forget that the opening act was a group of four girls called "4 Real." This group has 4 beautiful, skinny, girls with good voices who are all from Utah. Complete with 13 and 14 year olds! (The two 17ish aged boys behind me were a little disappointed to find out that two of the girls were so young but they got over it fast.) They sung a few songs and had some awesome dance moves that the boys behind me also thought were pretty good. For their finale they brought out the one and only (drum roll please) Alex Boye! Yes, the crowd went wild! He even broke out some dance moves. I'm sure you feel bad you missed that. : )Jordin finally came out and the crowd screamed and yelled with glee. Before the end of the concert there was quite the group of little fans ranging from age 6 or so all the way up to adults gathering around the sides of the stage. Pretty exciting stuff.Please notice the lady on the bottom right corner of this picture (above). She was turned around for most of the night looking for someone. They never came. I got sick of her doing it and thought about taking her picture but I held back. I was lucky enough to catch her in this photo though.
And last but not least, my very own picture with Jordin Sparks...I even took Emily's picture with Jordin too. It was a very good show and I really like Jordin. She is very talented and put on a great show! Thanks to my company for giving me the opportunity to have such a fun time!

Anniversary Adventures

2008-06-26T15:18:00.000-06:00

For our anniversary we started it off with some presents! Eric got a memory foam pillow that goes between your legs so your knees don't hit. I'm so good at picking out presents!
Then we headed to Olive Garden for some dinner. It was delicious and not busy so we didn't have to wait and our food came so fast we were done in about 35 minutes!
After Dinner we went Bowling! I won the first game with a score of 124 which is pretty good for me. Eric won the second game though. Nice Shoes!! Check out my form. I'm pretty much a professional and all. : )After Bowling I was tired and hot and so Eric bought me a Slurpee from 7-11. Not your ordinary slurpee, but I got one in a HULK Cup!!! Yes it was very exciting. We also found this big HULK hand that holds your drinks. Here is Eric modeling it.This is how you would use it...Well that was pretty much all we did. We stopped at the mall and I found me some black pants on sale that I got to buy. We had a great night together and I love Eric Very, Very, Very Much!!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-06-24T08:53:00.000-06:00

Well we haven't posted forever, again. Eric and I have had a busy June. We sent his little brother off to the MTC on June 11th. (Pictures coming soon.) He is in the MTC and doing pretty good. Seeing Ben go on a mission has brought a lot of memories back to me. It reminds me of when I sent Eric off. Luckily for me I never went to the MTC which was a very good thing I didn't. I just remember the farewell, how sad I was when he was in the MTC, and how excited I was the first time I got a letter from him. Who knew it would end with us getting married! Which brings me to today... Eric and I have been married for 3 years! I think my family is in shock that Eric has put up with me so long. : ) It is crazy to think it has been so long but I have nothing bad to say about the past 3 years. They have been great! Eric is awesome, patient, smart, hard working, patient, good looking, kind, and pretty funny when he wants to be. Did I mention patient? Oh, looks like I did about three times. That is how good he is to put up with me. One of my favorite memories of the past 3 years was when Eric won a trip to Hawaii from the Radio Station! Yes he is lucky. We went for only 3 days, definitely not long enough, and crammed a lot of activities in. I wish I had my pictures with me and I would post some. I'll have to add them later.
One of the things Eric has learned about me is when I am starting to get grumpy and ornery it either means he needs to feed me or I need sleep. Since he has figured this out it has been easier for him to put up with me. In honor of our anniversary, we are both working, plan on eating dinner at the Olive Garden, and then hopefully we'll do some kind of fun activity. This is what happens the longer you are married. The first year is so exciting that you take a whole day off of work and plan something fun. The second year is exciting and you take a half day off of work to do something fun. The third year you are still excited that you've made it this long and take off an hour early to go to dinner. I guess that's what happens the longer you've been married.
Well I am going to wrap this up by giving a shout out to my wonderful husband Eric. Thanks for being so patient and kind to me. Thanks for loving me even though I am weird. I love you so much and I have loved these past 3 years we've had together. Oh wait, I've loved the past 6 years we've known each other. They have been great. You are awesome and such a hard worker. You motivate me and help me be a good person.
P.S. I LOVE YOU!!

Build-A-Bear

2008-05-28T18:05:00.000-06:00

For Memorial Day Eric and I had the pleasure of accompanying my two nieces and nephew to Build-a-Bear. Another place in Utah county where all your wildest dreams of stuffed animals come true! They had each received a gift certificate for their birthdays. When we walked in Dani, the 3 year old, picked up an un-stuffed bear and says "Oh, I LOVE this one!" (She didn't end up with that one though.) She was so excited. They each picked out a stuffed animal.
Jacee, age 9, picked out a baby cheetah.

Colton, age 5, picked out a turtle. The shell has a zipper so its a backpack and the shell comes off too.

Dani, age 3, picked out a black puppy. In this picture the dog just got stuffed and she has his heart in her hand. She is rubbing it to warm it up so he'll never be cold, rubbed it on her tummy so he'd never go hungry, kissed it so he'd always be loved, and then she put it inside him. How exciting huh?

The next step was to bathe the animals...

It was finally time to pick an outfit and accessories for each animal. Unfortunately I was so intent on helping them dress the animals I forgot to take pictures. But I did get one of Colton with his finished product. Bat Turtle! was his name.

Jacee's cheetah had a pink dress with pink flip flop shoes. Dani had a fairy costume with pink sketcher shoes and a leash. They had a lot of fun and got the animal registerd so if it ever gets lost hopefully someone will turn it in. Thanks for letting Eric and I come to share in the funness at Build-A-Bear!

For the Family

2008-05-25T18:40:00.000-06:00

For all of the family who reads this blog here is an update on Ben. I'm sure you've all heard he has received his mission call to the California Long Beach mission. Spanish Speaking. His farewell speech will be held in Delta on June 8, 2008 at 12:30. There will be a luncheon following the meeting at the Delta Recreation office. (Where Eric had his Homecoming luncheon.) You are all invited to come! Good luck Ben! We are happy for the good choices you are making and your good example to all of us.

Updates

2008-05-25T17:37:00.001-06:00

Well it has been a while since we've posted and that means it is time to update. My Jeep got fixed and has a brand new back door. It looks as good as new. We are glad we didn't have to pay for it because it cost $2400.oo to fix! Thank goodness the guy who hit me is insured.

As far as my Administrative Professional's Day present goes I still haven't received anything. However, I did get a coupon to go to my bosses office to claim my $10.00 Costco card. I've just been busy and a little nervous to go claim it because I know he'll ask me about it and I'm a chicken. I'm better at telling people how I feel through e-mail rather than face to face.

Among other news I cut and highlighted my hair for the summer. I finally cut some bangs so I can be cool like all the other girls I know. It has actually been a good change for me so that is good. I decided to go with blond highlights which is something I've never done. It has only been about two weeks and it is starting to grow out already! Guess that's why I never did it in the first place. So if you see me walking around with my highlights grown out don't worry, I'm fully aware but too cheap to go fix it. Here are some pics of the new do.

Ok so you can't tell that I have highlights in this picture but hopefully you can tell in some of the other pics that are posted.

For the past couple of weeks we've been able to spend the weekends with family. Eric and I have a goal to be the favorite Uncle and Aunt to my sister's kids. We had a sleepover with Carter and Dallin and we did the funnest thing for a kid in Utah County! We took them to Chuck-E-Cheese! We had some tokens left over from last time and some new coupons so we hopped in the Jeep and went. Carter was awesome at Ski Ball!

Dallin found a Simpsons coin game where he put in a coin and tickets would come out! He thought it was the coolest thing. He couldn't even see the top of the game but he was really good at it anyways. Dallin was also a fan of the Olives on the pizza. He kept picking them off and eating them. It was so cute.

By the time we had used all of our tokens we had a ton of tickets. We even had enough to buy a huge bouncy ball. We had our picture taken with it. It is sideways because I'm too lazy to try to rotate it. Sorry.
Last weekend I went down to Delta for a girls weekend. My sister Kelly had her fourth kid on May 2, 2008. His name is Jaxton and I finally got to hold him. He was so little and cute. He sticks his tongue out just like his mom used to.

Well I guess that is all for now. I'll try to be better about updating this more regularly.

Dress the Part/Cosmetic Damage

2008-05-03T19:40:00.000-06:00

I decided that everyone that's trying to rip you off should dress like a scumball. Thursday at work an older guy came in and ripped us off, and I should have caught on to what he was doing soon enough to stop him but I didn't because he was a nice looking older guy. It made me lose more faith in people, and decide that if people are willing to rip off a church-owned bookstore they must be pretty big creeps. Friday was a day of definite highs and lows for the Johnsons. Kassi had a long day at work while I had a short day at work followed by incredible tennis fun (even though I lost because I have retained no skill over the 7 years since I began playing). When Kassi got home we went to Wendy's for a light meal because we were planning on having friends over later for games, chatter, and other various merriment. We saw a 14ish looking kid at Wendy's order a large frosty, and they gave him a small so he went back and complained. Once the employees figured out what he wanted (he kept asking for a 20 oz. and they kept asking if that was small medium or large but he couldn't understand what they were asking) they gave him a medium and told him that a medium and the small he got originally added up to more than a large. I thought this was a great solution but he apparently was still confused because he went back and complained again, even though his friends tried to help him understand that he was better off. It was pretty dang funny to watch the wheels grind to a halt in his head while he tried to comprehend that 12oz+14oz is better than 20oz. After that we went home and started cleaning for company. Then the fateful phone call came. Kassi's sister called to enlist help watching her two boys because she's feeling pretty sick. Kassi was sad to cancel on our friends but wanted to help so she went up to help, and got rear-ended in her pretty little Jeep. Tears flowed but everyone is ok, and our car only got a dent that should be pretty easily remedied. The other driver is insured so hopefully (everyone cross your fingers for us) we will only be inconvenienced to get it fixed and not take a financial hit.

Administrative Professionals Day-Forgotten

2008-04-30T09:51:00.001-06:00

Administrative Professionals Day (aka Secretary's Day) was April 23. I consider myself an administrative professional and so I was expecting to get something nice from my Boss' that would let me know how much they appreciate me. Well I've been at my job for 4 years now and the past two I made sure it was well known around the office that it was AP Day and I needed some appreciation. Usually I send out a staff e-mail, put it on our employee calender, and announce it to everyone as I walk through the office. But this year I decided to be low key about it. On Wednesday the 23rd, I said to my boss, "FYI, yesterday was my 4 year anniversary (he clapped for me), I need to have my review or else we could skip that and just give me a raise, (I'm being funny but mostly serious at this point) , and third, today is Administrative Professionals Day!" He said, "Oh, is that what used to be known as Secretary's Day?" I told him yes. So he leaves the office and I'm all excited because I think he ran to Costco to go pick out a present or something. He came back but didn't have any presents. Needless to say, he forgot. I think he forgot one minute after I told him. This is why I've made such a big deal about it in the past because he forgets. Well I wasn't going to worry too much about it but then I keep reading on other people's blogs about what they got and how much they are appreciated. Then one of my friends got a paid day off, balloons, and a gift certificate to the Pizza Factory! Well at my work we have a monthly competition and you submit any ideas you may have. If the boss thinks you have a great one you win a $10.00 gift card to Costco. And if you have the best idea you get a gift card to a restaurant. So today is the last day of April. Time to submit any ideas I have. Here is my idea I submitted via e-mail.

I want to remind management that they forgot Administrative Professionals Day (aka Secretary's Day). It was April 23. I will take a portion of the blame because normally I send out a staff e-mail reminding everyone about it, put it on the intranet calender, and announce it to everyone the day of, etc. However, this year I decided to not be so annoying about it and I only mentioned it to my boss once. So anyways, for my April Awesome Idea I want to suggest that management give out a late gift to the ladies in the office who do so much for everyone. They may seem like small, medial tasks but someone has to do them. I don't want to sound ungrateful, it is just hard to watch everyone receive prizes for goals and fun competitions for their hard work while customer service doesn't get much recognition.
For example, it's like when I spend a Saturday cleaning my house. It's my responsibility and I'm fine with that. I just love to receive the recognition that I did it and I did a good job. So when my husband comes home I say, "Wow, don't we have such a clean kitchen?" And he knows he needs to say, "Yes, it looks great! You did such a good job and I appreciate it." My point is, we are female, we just want a little recognition and appreciation once in a while. (Don't worry, I'm not bitter about this at all.) :-D
Thank you.

This is a win-win situation. By submitting this idea, not only do I have the chance to win a gift certificate for the great idea, I also could get a late present for AP Day! Yes, this could be good.

Daft Punk - Harder Bodies Faster Stronger

2008-04-19T20:47:00.002-06:00

The weekend (a story with pictures)

2008-04-19T20:20:00.001-06:00

To start out the story of our week, Kassi lucked out and got an early (very early) anniversary present. I bought her an ipod because it was on a great sale, but the return period was pretty short so i gave it to her early in case she didn't like it. Sometimes I can't figure out what she wants, so I figured it was better safe than sorry for this one. Then I finished with class on Thursday and if it weren't for the looming finals of destruction we'd be ecstatic.

On Friday night we went to a dinner for some honor society and I got to hang out with my two favorite ladies. Friday was great.

Then on Saturday instead of studying we have family birthday parties this weekend. So we're off to Delta, on Saturday for Ben's big 19, and then to Scipio for Jacee's number 9. So today after spending time with my fam, we are all caught up (which included Becca sharing the above gold nugget of entertainment, which I'm not tech-savvy or patient enough to put in this post), we are just hanging out and enjoying focusing on everything but finals.

Girls Night

2008-04-17T08:18:00.000-06:00

Tuesday April 15th I had a girls night with my old roommates! Kimmie, Felicia, and Delys all came over and we had a great time. We had pizza and then we turned on the karaoke machine. Felicia and I started the night off with some Oops! I Did It Again. You can't sing karaoke without some Brittney Spears! I have a video of that but I'm a bit embarrassed so I won't be posting that.I have found that between the four of us we have some really good dance moves! We even pretended to line dance. (I say pretend because I've done it before but it has been a really long time so I had to pull out some old moves that I remembered. For example, the grapevine. Classic move!) : )

We ended the night with some Guitar Hero. Kimmie and I are better at Rocking than at singing. I think next time we'll leave the singing to Felicia and Delys.

ABC Tag

2008-04-11T09:43:00.000-06:00

ABC's "getting to know you" TAG ABC's of you. Each player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

A- Attached or single: Attached and love it!

B- Best Friend: Eric S. Johnson

C-Cake or Pie: Cake - Chocolate or peanut butter pie.

D-Day: Saturdays for sure!!! I either end up cleaning or shopping!

E- Essential Item: Toilet Paper, girlie items, toothbrush/toothpaste. I love indoor plumbing!

F- Favorite Color: Red

G-Gummi Bears or Worms: I like the worms.

H-Home town: Born and raised in Delta, Utah

I- Indulgences: Chocolate Chip cookie dough, ice cream, oh and don't forget Subway cookies. Those are the best!

J- January or July?: DEFINITELY July!! The 4th is one of my favorite holidays

K-Kids: If you know me well you know I'm not having any kids. ;)

L-Life is incomplete without: Eric and family

M- Marriage Date: June 24, 2005

N- Number of Siblings: 4 sisters. Yes we have 5 girls in my family total. When we get together we love to sit around and talk and all of our husbands get bored. :)

O- Oranges or Apples: I'm a big fan of Gala Apples. Like they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I eat one almost every day.

P- Phobias or Fears: Spiders, Snakes, bugs, anything I'd encounter while camping :)

Q- Quote(s): You Rock! That is what Guitar Hero says to me every time I play it :)

R- Reason To Smile: Eric's jokes are usually funny.

S- Season: I love summer because its warm and I don't have to wear 5 layers and sit in front of my little space heater while I watch TV

T- Tag Three: Kaime, Erica, & Tasha.

U- Unknown Fact About Me: I am good at Step aerobics.

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Well I hate steak (I know, it is weird) so some people would say I'm vegetarian. I like to think of myself as a carbinarian. Because my diet consists mostly of Carbs! But I do eat chicken and sometimes a hamburger. Meat just grosses me out. I don't eat Pork either. If you invite me over for dinner and you are having any kind of pork, don't be offended when I don't eat it. I could go on and on about this but I'll stop here.

W- Worst Habit: Saying rude stuff to people

X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I've never had an ultrasound so I'll have to say X-ray

Y-Your favorite food: If it is a carb, there is a good chance I'll like it. French Toast, cheese pizza in ranch, chicken enchilada casserole, rice chex cereal with sugar on top. Oh also the Wisconsin Cauliflower soup from Zupas! I'm a pretty picky eater.

Z: Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Funny Blogs

2008-04-10T15:50:00.000-06:00

Well I try to be funny like my friends are on their blogs but I'm not so talented in that area. So if you really need a good laugh and my blog isn't doing much for you, don't worry. Go down to my "People we know" list and click on Hillary Van Akin. She is so funny I am always laughing. How do I know her you ask? Well I work with her husband. He also has a blog and I haven't read it but I hear it is also very funny. If you are a guy, you will want to read Peter's blog. If you are a girl, click on Hillary's blog. Very funny stuff.

Easter Bunny

2008-04-07T08:44:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of Eric's family with the Easter Bunny! We are only missing Becca's husband Mike. I don't think he was too sad he missed taking his picture with the Easter Bunny!

Easter

2008-03-24T13:41:00.000-06:00

So Easter was great for us this year. I had to work until about 10 on Saturday night so we missed out on 10 cent hot dogs in Delta, but we drove home that night and got to be there when Ben opened his mission call. He is going to the California Long Beach mission, and he will be speaking spanish, and he leaves on June 11, I think. We're all pretty excited that he is going stateside (I think Mom is the most excited) and that he's learning a language. We're also excited that two years from now it will be pretty convenient to go pick him up (assuming he wants us to).Mostly we're excited that he's excited. After visiting with my fam until pretty late we went to the Beard's and partook in the egg hunt and the basket pilfering and whatnot. Our nephews and nieces on Kassi's side are cute enough that they remind me of the words of King Agrippa (obscure bible reference) when he said something to the effect of "almost thou persuadest me to be a christian." The cuteness almost persuadest me to be a parent. One of these days it'll happen. So we spent all day sunday with our families and then came home to a clean apartment becuase Kassi was great and cleaned it on Saturday while I was at work. the end

Guitar Hero!

2008-03-19T15:54:00.001-06:00

Eric and I now have two guitars for our Wii! So now we can play together and we don't have to take turns. These pictures are of us Rocking! Ok so I'm only on medium and I don't know if I'll ever make it to hard but you never know.

Squats

2008-03-18T09:03:00.000-06:00

So I like to go to the gym and go to the classes. It is good because it makes me feel good about myself. Even though all I had to eat all day was sugar and an apple, I go to the gym and I like to think it evens itself out. Ok maybe not but I like to think that. Well lately I've been going to the "Pump" class. This class is so intense I barely make it through. (Yeah it has been a few weeks since I've been.) In Pump class they make you do lots of hard, strenuous moves and they expect you to use heavy weights. I go to class, get my stuff out, grab 5 pound weights because the 3 pounds are gone, and finish off by grabbing a bar. No I don't put weights on the end of my bar, have you seen me? They are lucky I even grab a bar! So the teacher always starts out with Squats. They are supposed to be good for you and work your butt and legs. I'm just trying to not collapse after the third squat. When you do a squat it is important that you have good form. So I've really been trying to get good form so I do them properly so that hopefully it will do me some good. I'm proud to say that I think I have a pretty good squat. I can't do as many as the teacher or squat quite as low but I think my form has improved. So lately I've been thinking, "Squats have to be good for something other than exercising. There has to be a good way for me to put this new skill to use and use it in daily life." So I was at work and I bent over to put some water in my bottle from the Mt. Olympus Water Cooler. These water coolers are annoyingly small. Or maybe I'm a bit tall. If I bend over properly to push the spout handle for the water to come out, my butt sticks out for all to see and my hair hangs in my face preventing me from seeing how full my bottle is. (I've been known to spill the water) If I don't bend over properly my back hurts and I look really hunchbacked. So the other day I decided to put my new skill of squatting to use. I did a squat (legs wide, not the chair kind) and sat there in good form to fill my water bottle. People, my legs were burning! But hey, I found a new use for the squat that can be used outside of the gym. Then a week later I was being the good housekeeper that I am and cleaning my bathroom. I was cleaning the walls of the shower/bathtub and I get tired from bending over to go up and down the wall. Again I was bending improperly. So I decided to use the Squat to improve my bathroom cleaning experience. Guess what? Yes, it worked. Not only was I cleaning my bathroom, but I was getting in a very good workout as well. I went up and down in squats while my arm was outstretched with a scrubber in my hand. I was very tired and sweating but I think if I keep this up I will eventually have strong legs! (and a clean bathroom!)

Well the point of this blog is to let the few people who read it know that the squats the teachers make you do in class every week are not completely pointless. They can be very useful in daily life.

Positive things I have found about squats:
1. I sit at a desk all day so being able to squat while filling my water bottle has really improved my blood circulation!
2. Squats may be painful and tiring and make your legs burn, but on the bright side, you won't have to worry about pulling a muscle in your back from bending over improperly anymore!

I'm not down with the sickness

2008-03-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

So I got sick this week, and it was bad enough that I went to a doctor for the first time in about five years. All he did was lecture me because I didn't get a flu shot. It was almost as lame as the sickness itself. For two days now all I've been good for is laying around and doing some pathetic moaning when I try and move. Poor Kassi has to listen to me, but she's been great to run errands and stuff like that. Other than feeling like an achy old man things are going good. Next week we are going to St. George for spring break, and the new Smash Brothers comes out on Monday so that's what I'll be doing for most of the break. Anyhow, those are all my thoughts for the day.

My first blog

2008-03-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

So we decided it's time for the Johnsons to jump on the bandwagon and get a blog. We got married in June of 05 and have been living in Orem since then while I go to school and Kassi works full time to pay the bills. We don't have any kids yet, and none on the way. We're pretty sure if we had any now we'd accidentally drop them or leave them at the grocery store or something. We're not real outdoorsy people so lately we've been playing a lot of games at home with friends, and probably too much guitar hero on our own. We also spend a lot of time fantasizing about what we'll be doing after I finish one more year of school and graduate next spring.