This is the Life

Jaxon's 1st Birthday

2011-09-06T18:02:00.001-07:00

Can my little boy really be one already?! I remember thinking when he was first born that a year seemed so far away. Now, it has come and gone and man did it come quickly! I still feel like he can't be that old and sometimes I think of him still as a little baby but then I look at him and realize he is no longer my little baby but my zooming, babbling, laughing, happy little boy. I was so excited for his birthday and I know he won't remember it at all but it was still fun preparing and planning it, and then of course "paryting" it! :) I looked online at what other people had done and I loved the blue and orange theme so we went with that and did a "Shake Shack." We kept the party small because Jaxon tends to be timid around large groups so I didn't want him to get overwhelmed. My parents and sister were able to fly out so I am so glad that they were able to be apart of it. It was also my birthday and my sister's the following days and we always celebrate together so that is another reason why they came :). We kept the party simple and just ate, did a little trivia about Jaxon, and then watched him eat his cake and open presents! I'm no interior designer or super crafty but here are some pics from his birthday. It was a fun day and I just love my lil man to pieces!

Proud parents of the birthday boy with his birthday spread!

Burgers, carrots, fruit salad, blue and orange juice drinks, orange creamsicle smoothies, and blue raspberry and mango Italian ices.

I saw some really cute banners online but I decided to keep it simple but they were way fun and easy to make!

I was able to use a cricut machine to print all the letters which helped soo much. There is no way I would have been able to do this by hand.

I decided I wanted to attempt to do a cake for him myself and experiment with fondant! It was a lot of work and it by no means is anything spectacular but I am glad I did it and I would want to do more cake decorating so I can get a little better. My skills definitely need perfecting! The square is four layers of chocolate and white cake with buttercream and then the circle is Rainbow chip cake. Random I know, but those were the cake mixes I happened to have on hand.

I made special cupcakes for Jaxon that were egg and dairy free with dairy free buttercream frosting. I love this cake recipe and I don't think you can tell much of a difference. It is just a denser cake but the flavor is fabulous! Thank you to Milk Allergy Mom for the recipe! http://milkallergymom.blogspot.com/2008/05/dairyegg-free-cake.html

The cupcake toppers were done by Blissful Nest on etsy. The picture is a little blurry but they were so cute!

I helped him blow out his candle and then just a few days later he started blowing. It is actually pretty darn cute :).

Thanks to my fam, Lauren, and Mckell for coming and celebrating with us!

Little Moments

2011-07-28T18:36:00.001-07:00

After waking from his nap today, I was rocking with Jaxon in our chair and he was very eager to get down and play but I asked him if I could have a kiss. He sometimes responds and other times just wants down but today he quickly grabbed my cheeks and placed a big baby smooch on me. He had never grabbed my face like that before and it just melted my heart! It was such a small thing but it made my day. It's little moments like these that I cherish and make being a mom the greatest job I've ever had. I love my sweet little boy!

This is why I love Florida

2011-07-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

Ahh beach. I have to admit I feel very spoiled to only have to drive 45 minutes and be at one of most beautiful beaches ever! Powdered sugar sand, crystal clear water, and not a cloud in the sky. I feel blessed.

As you can tell by our very fair skin, we haven't been to the beach in awhile but Jaxon is starting to love it! He loves the water but hates the sand. He freaks out if it touches his toes. It is kinda nice though because all we have to do is put the beach towel down and he won't go beyond the edge of the towel. So no handfuls of sand in the mouth yet! :)

This is where we spent our Saturday, Anna Maria Island

Splashing!

Back on the Blog

2011-07-17T18:02:00.001-07:00

I am ashamed. It's been over a year and I have not touched our blog! And it's not like I haven't had anything to blog about either. One of my biggest life changing events occured! Jaxon Rey Johnson was born August 22, 2010 at 6 pounds 1 ounce. It just seems like yesterday our little guy was born and now he is almost a year! Jaxon entered our world and took over my life and my heart. I think you could say that little boy has me wrapped around his finger.

I am not even going to attempt to make up for the past year but in a nutshell: Jaxon was born and I became a full-time Mommy, Jeff now works for Ernst & Young and says he won't ever switch jobs again ha, and we are still living in Florida and loving it!

Our blog will probably become dominated by Jaxon posts but he is my life now! Motherhood is a unique experience. It is the hardest but yet most rewarding thing I have ever done. With school or a job, you get a break. Mommyhood, no breaks. It's a 24/7 job but there is no other place I rather be than at home being slobbered by, chasing after, and laughing with my little guy. He is the greatest and I can't wait to share more about him. We're back!! :)

At the hospital after Jaxon was born

My lil crazy monkey now!

New Job

2010-05-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

I am a little late on this one but Jeff has a new job! He has now been an employee of ENTRIX for about a month. They are an Environmental Consulting firm and he is now their recruiter. He first interviewed back in February but the whole thing was a very long process so we never thought much of it. They kept calling him back though and interview after interview, eventually offered him the job. It has been such a blessing though and something we really needed. This job opportunity has provided so much for us and was an answer to our prayers. He is only 5 minutes away from home now too so he can come home for lunch, which has been wonderful! His hours are also more flexible which has allowed him to start helping and coaching with one of the high school football teams in the area. Jeff is loving it! The past couple of weeks have definitely been crazy though because BP hired ENTRIX to help with the oil spill so they have needed massive amounts of people to start working immediately. Jeff has definitely been thrown into the fire but he has stepped up to the plate and is working so hard! I am so proud of him and so thankful for all that he does to provide for our little family! If you know of anyone who has marine biology experience and can go to Louisiana immediately, let us know! Jeff can give them a job! :)

Anticipation

2010-05-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

So much to come...my mind is just filled with things to come! These next few weeks are going to be pretty busy and filled with much anticipation. Let me fill you in...

Back in February we bought a townhome! It hasn't seemed real though because we still are not in the townhome. They have been in the process of building them and they are finally finished! We have our walk-through this Monday and then we close on Friday. We have loved our apartment but we are so excited to have more space and I abosuletly love the townhome! We have been spoiled having a brand new apartment and we will continue to be spoiled with a brand new townhome. I am excited to move but dreading it at the same time. Since the townhome is ours, we can do whatever we want to it so some of the things my mind has been filled with are paint colors, decorating, BABY J's room, new furniture, etc. Decorating overwhelms me at times. I want everything to look nice but don't know really what I am doing...I need my Mom haha. I am also having a hard time deciding on how to do Baby's nursery. Decisions, decisions, decisions! (Something I'm not good at haha) I should also start packing. I need to actually do and not think! The time has finally come!

A work in progress still...

The almost finished product!

10244 Red Currant Court...our soon to be called home!

The school year is also finishing up which means I almost done with work. I had told my boss that I could finish out the school year and then I would be done. This next week is my last week of teaching my Stretch-n-Grow classes and then the week after that my little cheerleaders have their pep rallies! So my mind has been filled with cheers, pink, and stars as well. I just pray the pep rallies go well and that everyone likes them! The girls are so cute and most of them are around 4 years old so I figure it's ok if they are not perfect. :) I had one girl have a breakdown last week though because they had to do their cheers in front of their class. I was so surprised she freaked out because she is one of my most outgoing and crazy girls! Hopefully she will be ok for the pep rally because she cracks me up everytime she does her cheers. I have a feeling when I am done with work, I am really going to miss these kids!

Luckily I have a vacation to fill the void though! June 9th: official last day of work, and then June 11th: fly to Utah! I have been so excited to come and visit my family and friends and have just been counting down the days. I just wish it would come already!

And of course, my mind is always thinking of this little boy growing inside of me! I got to see him this week although he was snoozing and we couldn't get him to show his face! He always seems to be sleeping when I have the ultrasounds. Otherwise he is moving like crazy and kicking all the time. I will just sit and watch my stomach move as he throws punches and kicks. I guess he needs more room haha. He weighs 1 1b. 10 oz and seems to be healthy!

Me and baby today at 24, almost 25 weeks!

Way to go Mom and Dad!

2010-04-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my parents 40th wedding anniversary!! I am so proud of my parents. When I think 40 years, all I think is wow! My parents don't seem that old to me so it seemed weird that they have been married that long already. It seems like they just had their 25th! I am so grateful for my parents though and their marriage. Sadly, it is rare now to see couples married for that long. They have been such a great example to me and I thank them for honoring their marriage and keeping it strong.

I think of all that they have accomplished in 40 years of marriage and the greatest thing of all is the family they created. It all began with one son, four daughters then grew to two son-in-laws, eight grandchildren-and one more on the way :). Our family will only continue to grow but it all started with them and I am forever thankful for them for bringing me up in a family that was surrounded by love and care. They always worked so hard and still do to make sure we had everything we needed and I have never known someone to be so devoted to their family and their spouse. Thank you Mom and Dad for loving each other and us so much! Here are to many more wonderful years of marriage! :)

My beautiful Mom and handsome Dad :)

I look at this picture and it just gives me so much joy. Love you both!

It's a BOY!!!

2010-04-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

We finally know!! We are going to have a bebecito! Everyone guessed a girl except my parents and Jeff. My first impression was a boy but then everyone around me was having girls! We will have a boy though now to balance it out. :)

I would have to say finding out the gender has been the best part of this pregnancy yet. We just went to an ultrasound center because otherwise we would have had to wait until May to find out and I did not want to wait that long! I was so eager while we were in the room waiting to see something then all of a sudden she started typing and "It's a Boy" appeared up on the screen! Jeff started celebrating and I was trying to fight back tears (not because I was sad, it's just so overwhelming!). The whole process is just so amazing and it is so neat to be able to see your baby. I had no idea what we were looking at so I was surprised when she wrote up there it was a boy. I didn't know she had found something! I know longer have to call him "it" though and now I can really start planning. We are extremely excited and can't wait to have our little boy with us.

This picture is from my 13 week ultrasound but it is my favorite one because you can see him so well! I love the profile shots :)

I am 18 weeks here and a few days after we found out.

I will be 20 weeks this next week and half way there! I already feel like I have been pregnant forever though and there is still so much more to come. My stomach already feels so stretched and I can't imagine that it has even more to stretch! I thought I was going to like being pregnant, but to be honest, I actually don't enjoy it very much. (I feel horrible saying that!) I just never quite feel that good and I miss being able to really move and dance and function without having to go to the bathroom every 3o minutes haha. They say the second trimester is the honeymoon stage but I am still waiting for that honeymoon to come. I am thrilled though that I am having this baby and I wouldn't change that fact! I am just trying to be as positive as possible and know that my body won't be like this forever. On a more positive note, I have been able to feel the baby's kicks for the past couple of weeks and they are getting really strong. Jeff finally was able to feel some this past week and I love that! I love this little baby even if he makes me feel sick and I can't wait to kiss his little cheeks!

Cruisin'

2010-03-07T14:29:00.001-08:00

Jeff and I had the most wonderful opportunity to go on a cruise the beginning of February. It was our Christmas/Valentine's Day present to each other and it was the best gift ever! I had never been on a cruise before so I was so excited and I am definitely a fan now! I would recommend it to anyone (unless you get horrible motion sickness). It is one of the best vacations because once you buy your ticket everything else is pretty much provided for you! I was a little nervous about going and being pregnant because I was not feeling very well but I actually felt better on the cruise! I only got sick a few times the whole trip! I was so relieved because I didn't want to ruin the whole trip with me being draped over the toilet. It was actually a great trip being pregnant though because I didn't have to worry about cleaning or cooking. It was all done for me and I loved the special treatment. :) It was an overload of food but I think Baby liked it since I didn't get sick much! The entertainment was great too and there was something different to do each night like ice skating/dancing shows, newly wed game show, comedians, karaoke...it was all fabulous!

Royal Caribbean was the cruise line and ours was a four night cruise. We left from Miami and then sailed to Cozumel, Mexico then back. Here are just a few pics!

Bon voyage! Leaving Miami

Back on land in Cozumel! We just rented a scooter for the day and drove around to see all the sights. It was so much fun!! I really liked Cozumel and I loved being around all the people and speaking Spanish. Well, Jeff did most of the talking but I was able to squeeze in a few words too! I realized how much I missed speaking Spanish! This picture just makes me laugh though.

The water in Cozumel was GORGEOUS! I think it is some of the most beautiful water I have ever seen. It was the purest blue and green and you could see right through it. It was mesmerizing!

Adios Mexico! Back on the ship and on our way back (boo).

Jeff and I on the formal night. It was fun to get dressed up and as everyone sipped their complimentary champagne we sipped our complimentary shirley temples!
It was a wonderful trip and I enjoyed dancing, dining, and just getting some good R&R with my sweetie!

Our family is growing!

2010-02-18T14:26:00.000-08:00

Once again it's been forever since I have posted anything and it's not like I haven't had anything to blog about because I do! I think most everyone knows but we have a BABY on the way!! My due date is September 7th and I will be 12 weeks on Tuesday. I am so happy and I get so excited when I think I am going to be a mommy! Sometimes I feel like I am not actually pregnant because there is no tummy yet but then I know I normally don't feel nasueas and so lethargic so something has to be going on! It is just an amazing thing a baby can develop and grow inside of you!

Jeff and I decided we were ready to start a family and Heavenly Father must have agreed because it seemed to happen the instant we made that decision haha. I wasn't expecting to get pregnant that fast and I actually thought something else was wrong me and that I wasn't pregnant! I found out the beginning of January and was so stunned when the test said PREGNANT. I secretly was hoping that it would but I didn't want to be disappointed so I kept telling myself no, you're not pregnant. I was happy to prove myself wrong!

Jeff is so excited as well and I can't wait to see him as a daddy. I know he will be a great father and I am so thankful that I have him as we embark on this new adventure in our lives. He has been working so hard for us so we can provide for this little one! He has been so supportive of me too and loving as I go through my not so wonderful days. Having a strong gag reflux himself, he has been so sweet to still come in and rub my back as I throw up or deal with me throwing up in bags as we drive in the car. He just turns his back so he can't see what comes out! I love him and appreciate him so much! Luckily I have been starting to feel a little bit better so hopefully those not so wonderful days will start to dwindle.

I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to carry this, our very own baby. I pray everyday that it will grow and be healthy and that I may be prepared to take care of this little spirit!

Whether it's a girl or a boy we will be happy! I just can't wait to hold my baby in my arms!!!

A Thankful Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Thanksgiving has passed and it is almost December! Florida has me all confused what time of the year it is because the weather doesn't change! It was rainy before Thanksgiving though which I liked because it reminded me of Thanksgiving growing up in California. It was a different Thanksgiving though because it was my first in Florida and my first away from my family. It was still a wonderful Thanksgiving though and I have gained new family and it was great to spend it with them. Jeff and I couldn't go anywhere for Thanksgiving so Jeff's parents came down to us and we celebrated together! We cooked all the food in our apartment and then we took it down to Siesta Key where we ate with our little old lady friend, Jane. She is the sweetest lady you will ever meet! Her health is not very good and she was going to be all alone and we couldn't let that be so we went to her. I had never done a Thanksgiving meal before myself but thank goodness for Jeff's mom! She is a machine and knows how to get it done! I would have been lost without her!

The table

Did you ever make these? My mom used to make these little turkeys for us so I decided to do some!

Our spread of food

The gang!

It was a great Thanksgiving and as always on Thanksgiving, you have to say what you are thankful for! There are many, many things I am thankful for but the thing that I am most grateful for this year is the ability we have to communicate and travel. Being away from family has made me realize how grateful I am for cars, planes, phones, computers, even texting! I know it may sound silly but it wasn't too long ago that I wouldn't have been able to communicate with my family the way we can today. I can hop on a plane and see my family in a day if I wanted although they live thousand miles away! Jeff's parents were able to come down here and be with us and we were able to drive to be with Jane. It truly is a blessing in my life and I am grateful people are willing to come and visit us too! :)

I also learned something else this Thanksgiving. I was missing my family terribly and wanting to cry but as we were sitting at the dinner table and Jeff was next to me with his arm around me, a wave of comfort came over me and I realized that all I need is him. Although I wished my family could have been there and wanted to be with them so bad, I was ok because he was with me. I have always known you are to "cling unto your spouse" and that all I need is him but this was a true testament of that to me and I am so thankful I have him to "cling to." He is my rock!

Well, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and I guess it's time to pull out those Christmas decorations! Happy Holidays! :)

Company!

2009-11-29T12:25:00.001-08:00

I don't know why I have the hardest time keeping up with blogging but back in October my mom and sis came to visit us here in Florida and it was so fun! It was good to have them here and for them to finally see where we are living and everything. I wish they could have stayed a little longer but we tried to squeeze in as much as we could! Here is a quick overview of what we did...

We went to a USF football game

We went to the beach. The first time we went it was a little too cold so we didn't stay very long but we went again and the weather was much better!

We took them to The Old Salty Dog of course...

We went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. There were no lines so we were able to cover most of the rides and I was so proud of my mom. She went on every ride despite the outcome of her hairdo haha. I love her.

Some of my favorite pics :)

We ate tons! We tried some new restaurants and some Jeff and I had been to already. My mom loves key lime pie so we tried many different kinds of key lime pie, humongous cookies from Universal, multiple desserts from Berns Steakhouse dessert room (which were actually a disapointment), and fried chicken and pies from Yoder's (another restaurant from Man vs Food). My family has an incredible ability to eat haha and this doesn't even cover half of what we ate.

Dinner at one restaurant...

on to dessert at the next!

The time went all too quickly though and I had to say good-bye. It was so hard for me! It was almost harder saying good-bye then than when we moved! After I dropped them off at the airport, I literally cried all the way home. I felt like a part of me had been taken away and I haven't felt like that in a long time or not since Jeff and I had gone through our break-ups. I think I felt so sad because I have everything here in Florida I want except my family. It is easier for me to leave Utah because I am going back to Jeff but this time they were leaving me! To help ease my pain, Jeff told me to plan a trip home so I bought a ticket after they left and I'm going back in January! I wish Florida wasn't so far from them but I am thankful that they were able to come and that I was able to spend the time that I did with them! I love my family!

The Old Salty Dog

2009-11-02T19:04:00.001-08:00

Jeff and I have been very busy exploring Florida and we have loved pretty much every spot we have gone! Recently, with the help of Man vs. Food, we found another great place! I don't know if you have ever watched Man vs. Food before but it's a show on the Travel Channel and we just randomly started watching it and love it. The host travels to places all over the country to try foods that have become "famous" in their area and also competes in different food challenges. It's crazy some of the things he eats. I don't know how he does it! Anyways, he went to Sarasota, Florida to try a few restaurants there and that is how we discovered the "salty dog." The salty dog can be found at the Old Salty Dog restaurant and it is a beer battered hot dog. Those of you who know Jeff know that he loves his hot dog so this added a whole new element to it! Sarasota is one of our favorite beach spots so after a great day at the beach, we headed to try this famous salty dog. I wasn't quite sure about it but it was actually pretty good! I have to admit though it's not the salty dog that will bring me back to this restaurant. It's a waterfront, literally on the water restaurant and the view is amazing! Florida has all these little restaurants on the water and I love them. It is the most relaxing thing to just sit and enjoy the beach while you eat. Yes, I am spoiled but very grateful to live in such a beautiful place!

Front of the restaurant

The Salty Dog (this is from the second time we went...we forgot to take a pic of it the first time!)

Isn't the water just amazing

Ahh...I love it

Stretch-n-Grow!

2009-09-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

We stretch, stretch, and grow!

It's good for us we know.

We exercise, and eats what wise.

We stretch, stretch, and grow!

This is what I start most of my days out with now. I have started my new job as a children's fitness instructor! I am all done with training so I have the classes all to myself and wow it is exhausting haha. The classes are only 30 minutes long but kids tire you out! I wanted a job where I wasn't sitting and I could be more active and I got what I wished for haha. After this last week though, I have a much greater respect for teachers. I only work part time, and I am drained. I don't know how they do it all day! I am sure I will adjust to it, and hopefully my voice will adjust as well. It has been fun though and the kids are way cute. I basically do little activities with them to get them moving and we teach them about their bodies and being healthy. It really is a great program and I think it is good for kids to learn these things at a young age. I also teach cheer classes and get to add a little dance in there too, which I am excited about.

Overall, the job is going well except these little germ monsters have already managed to get me sick! I have tried to be careful because they all always have runny noses, or searching for treasures in their noses haha but I still got sick. I am hoping it goes away soon but it looks like I am going to have to get my first flu shot this year or maybe I will just wear a gas mask to work. :)

CTR 5

2009-09-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

We got our callings a couple of weeks ago and yep, we are in Primary! In our ward in Provo, we were teaching the 10-11 year olds but we've jumped a few years back and we are teaching the 5 year olds now! Today was our first day teaching and I am excited about our new class of about 9 kids. It was funny today though seeing the difference between teaching the older and younger kids. We asked the kids to tell us their favorite candy bar and favorite thing to do and then we told them ours. Jeff was having them guess what his favorite thing to do and this is how the dialogue went:

Jeff: Ok, what do you think my favorite thing to do is?

Kid 1: Hide and go seek!

J: No...

Kid 2: Spies!

J: No...

Kid 3: Leap frog!

J: No, that is fun though. Sometimes I play that with her (meaning me haha)

Kid 4: Man hunter!

J: No, but I hunt her!

Haha finally, I acted out throwing a football and they guessed it but I was just laughing as they were guessing and Jeff was going along with them that he actually liked to do those things too. It was so cute and I am sure it is just the beginning of more cute things to come! After church we were just laughing though thinking the kids are probably going to go home and tell their parents, our teachers like to play leap frog! Haha, gotta love them kids.

Life in Florida

2009-09-06T13:55:00.001-07:00

Well, once again it's been awhile since I have posted anything and I wish I had a good excuse but in all honesty, I don't. I definitely have had plenty of time and plenty to blog about but I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it! This is what we have been doing lately though and I will try to be better!

During the week, I am usually just doing whatever to keep myself busy but the weekends usually consist of either the beach, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, or exploring other parts of Florida. There is just so much to do and every weekend we could do something new if we wanted. It's been hot though so if water isn't some how involved I die! I am actually excited for winter and I think that's a first for me!

We also went to Utah in August for Jeff's family reunion and it was really good to see his family. I also got to spend some time with my family and celebrate me and Tamree's birthdays as we always do! It was a good little trip and I am glad that we were able to go!

When I got back, Jeff took me out for my birthday and we went parasailing! It was amazing and so much fun! It was over Brandenton Beach, which is a beautiful area. We were so high up and I was a little nervous haha but I just couldn't think of everything that could go wrong. I would definitely do it again though! Jeff is saying we should now go skydiving but I think I might need to muster up some courage for that one! After we went parasailing, we spent the rest of the day on the beach and then went to a restaurant, The Sandbar, that is right on the beach. We were able to watch the sunset and had a great night. My actual birthday was the next day on Sunday and some new friends in our ward were so sweet and invited us over for dinner and made me cake! Overall, it was a great birthday and I can't believe I'm 23 now! I'm getting old! :)

Flyin!

The boat was very far away!

Taking a dip!

40 hours and 2300 miles later...

2009-08-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 3rd we began our journey to Florida! Start: Provo, Utah

Our last picture before we hit the road!

We drove through Wyoming,

Colorado, where the rain hit and didn't stop until we arrived in Florida,
found a road named after us :), and drove through Nebraska,

then made it to Kansas where we spent the night in Junction City.

We were up the next morning and on our way to Missouri and saw the Arch in St. Louis

After that we drove through Illinios, Kentucky and then Tennessee, which I thought was beautiful and I loved their accents!

After Tennessee came Georgia and their peaches!

And then finally.....FLORIDA!!!!!!! Finish: We actually arrived in Tampa around 8pm Sunday night. Jeff knows the mission president in Tampa, Pres Colton, and they were nice enough to let us stay with them for the night! We were exhausted and very ready to be done driving. We were thankful though that we were able to arrive safely in Florida and had no problems along the way. The drive really wasn't all that bad except for rain, and the last day I was very antsy and ready to be out of that truck! Jeff was amazing though and drove the whole time...he is a machine! :)

Monday we began the apartment search. We had been looking online before we moved and had two places picked out that we wanted to see and hopefully like one of the them. We immediately fell in love with the second apartments we looked at. They are brand new and just built in February. They are 100% smoke free and considered a "green" community. We were excited that we found ones we liked and we're thinking we could just move in haha but it was much more complicated. We had to do background checks, credit checks, set-up utilities and all this stuff but finally Tuesday afternoon we were able to move in. I was just praying that we would be able to because Jeff had to go to work on Wednesday and we wanted to get somewhat settled in before Wednesday. It all worked out and I was able to work on unpacking while he went to work. The website for the apartments is http://www.circleatcrosstown.com if you want to check them out but here are just a few pics off the website.

This is the pool and there is a gym and the front office in the buildingThis is off the website but this is the lay-out of our kitchen. I love it!

We got a two bedroom apartment so if you are ever in Tampa and need a place to stay let us know! We are pretty much all settled in now and I love our new little apartment! :)

Farewell

2009-08-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

It has been over a month and I have much to make up for! I think I have been putting off blogging because there is so much to catch up on. It's time to get started though so I'll just do some quick updates over the next few days of what has been going on the past month of our life. I will start with our good bye party!

We had family pictures and then afterwards my family gave us a going away party. We went to The Pie for pizza which was perfect for a large group of people. I have never seen such big pizzas before! My family was really sweet though and they did a lot for us before we left. We were given gifts and cards but most importantly were all the words that were expressed. It made us feel very much loved! Sometimes I think we take for granted being so close to family and friends and when we take a step back from that we realize how much love is truly there and the difference family can make. My sister, Candice, made us an album where everyone in the family wrote notes to us and it is something I will treasure forever! It is a great keepsake and I am so thankful for it. We thought that night was going to be goodbye but everyone ended up coming and helping us pack up the truck the night before we moved! We truly appreciated everyone's help and they made the process so much easier. Here are just a few pictures of our last days in Provo.

Ryan, Justin, Jeff, Dallin, Me and Tyler after pics

My parents

They gave us some gifts for our future new home!

The boys playing around our house for the last time!

Our sturdy Budget truck! It was great except for a little small leak in the trailer that with all the rain some of the stuff got wet. No damage was done though so it was ok!

Just about all packed up!

All hitched-up and ready to go for early the next morning!

Primary days

2009-06-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well, the good-byes have begun! Last Sunday was our last day at church so we had a little good bye party with our class. We have been teaching the the 10-11 year old class in Primary and what an adventure it has been! We have loved teaching these kids and we are really going to miss them! I feel bad that we have to leave but I am thankful for the opportunity that me and Jeff have had to teach together and to get to know these wonderful kids! I am going to miss Jonas' "inter-galactic" stories of what he did during the week, Bryce's crazy pudding eating, Nancy's incredible intelligence, Nikki's hugs and dancing, and seeing Haley at all of Jeff's games and her sweet smile.

I had let them make pudding one lesson and they loved it so I decided to do it again for our party and I have never seen anyone eat so much pudding! Bryce loved it....I will just let the pictures do the talking.

Our little class

Jonas, Bryce, Nancy, and Haley. We were missing Nikki but we love these kids and won't forget them!

One Year baby!

2009-06-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Jeff and I celebrated our 1 Year Anniversary! It is crazy to think that it has already been a year! Time has gone by so fast but when I think about our wedding, I feel like it was so long ago. The past year has been absolutely wonderful though and I am excited for what all the many more years have to bring! We had a great day on Friday and here is a little recap of what we did.

I had a little lunch ready for Jeff when he got home from work in the afternoon and then we went and got massages. It was so nice and relaxing! The cake on the platter is the top of our cake from our wedding...I was impressed. It still tasted really good!

After our massages, we headed up to Park City for a little fun.

We were going to do the Alpine Slide but it was all stormy so they were closed down. We ended up going up where they do the Olmypic jumps and we discovered they had a zip line and it was open! They have a smaller and a larger one and we did the EXTREME one haha. It was so fun!!! This is us going up on the ski lift. You go up basically to the top of the mountain and then zip line all the way down. It was an amazing view!

We survived! This is at the bottom and the top was where you can barely see those little house things. (I don't know what they are called haha.) It was so fun though and I would definitely do it again! I'm glad the slides were closed down because this was totally worth spending the little extra money and we wouldn't have discovered them!

After the exhilirating ride, we were ready for some dinner! We went to Ruth's Chris and got some very yummy steak. I had never been there before but it was probably the best steak I have ever had. We headed back home after dinner and finished the night off with a movie!

Thanks sweetie for a wonderful day and I love you so much! :)

Strawberries n' cream and other sweet things

2009-06-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was quite busy and we had some exciting events so I thought I would do a little blogging plus I have nothing to do at work! Friday was our date night and word to the wise, DO NOT go see Year One! It was the worst movie ever! I really mean it too, I think it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen haha. Jeff and I ended up leaving it early so save yourself some money and see a different movie.

Saturday was our eventful day though and it started out with a birthday celebration at Tucanos for my nephews. Conner is my brother's son and he is here visiting for a month so we did a belated 13th birthday celebration for him and then Dallin had his 14th birthday last Thursday. I can't believe how old they are getting! They are just growing up so fast and they are such mature, awesome boys! Dallin just got his braces off on his birthday so he is looking much older and then everytime we see Conner he is like a foot taller! He is taller than me and is about to pass Tamree up and he is only 13! These kids are amazing though and I am so proud of them!

Gettin the birthday song from Tucanos

Conner and Dallin

Next we rushed off to a baptism for one of Jeff's teammates, Matt Mason. Jeff spoke and it was just so neat to see all these big burly men become emotional haha. The baptism was very special though and we are so happy and proud of Matt for the decision that he made to get baptized. He is a great guy and has a great heart. He is the one with the mohawk. :) I know Jeff will miss these guys a lot when we move!

After the baptism we met up with my family again at the Strawberry Days rodeo in Pleasant Grove. I had never been to that rodeo before but it was a lot of fun! We of course tried their famous strawberries n' cream, which was very yummy, and tried to not get too muddy! It had poured earlier so the ground was super muddy.

My niece was so cute. She was riding her own "horse" and had her lasso going too haha. She loved it!

We headed back home afterwards to hang out with some friends who were staying with us and Tod and Lauren. Sam, Ashley and Parker, we loved having you and our house feels so empty with you all gone! Now there are just boxes everywhere haha. The moving process has begun!

We finished the weekend off on Sunday with my fam to celebrate Father's Day. I am so thankful for my great father and all the other men who are fathers in my life! They are amazing priestholders and I don't know what I would do without them! I can't wait too for when my sweetie is a Daddy! I know Jeff will make a great father but we plan to enjoy Florida a bit before any kiddos come along. :)

I hope all you fathers had a great Father's Day and a great weekend!

The Sunshine State=Future Home

2009-06-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

On July 3rd we will be begin our trek back to the sunny state of Florida! It is actually happening and I can’t believe it. We decided back in January that we wanted to move and met with the boss there in Tampa (Jeff is just transferring with his company) and even looked at some housing while we were there on vacation with Jeff’s family. We really liked the boss and he liked Jeff and said that he would love to have him there in the office so we decided to keep in touch and we would figure out a time to move. His company though hit a hard spot with the economy so we put the idea aside thinking it might not be the best idea to move right now with the economy so unstable. Jeff was disappointed and was thinking that we would be stuck in Utah forever! Then about a month or so ago his boss in Tampa called him up and asked if we were still coming and that he is ready for us! We were very surprised to get the call from him but we took that as a good sign and made the decision to go for it! We were thinking maybe September or even a little later but then he called him up and said they wanted him to start the beginning of July! I am actually glad though that they want him to come earlier because now that I know we are going for sure, I hate waiting! I want to just go right now! We have slowly begun the packing process and our plan is to ship the Cadillac and then tow the Honda behind the moving van. We will be staying with a family friend when we get there and hopefully find an apartment soon to move into! We are very excited and ready for adventure but the hardest thing will be of course to leave family and friends. All of my family is here so I will be sad to leave them and I know it will be an adjustment for me but as long as I have Jeff I know I will be ok! We can’t wait to get out of Utah and have no snow and to blaze our own trail!! Sun, beaches, palm trees, Universal Studios…sigh. Can’t wait!

The city of Tampa

Hopefully we don't get one of these knocking at our door but Jeff loves alligators. This actually happened in Florida too!

There will probably be a lot more beach pictures in the near future :)

The Case of the Missing iPod Touch

2009-06-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was a very weird day for me. I was just out of it! My day started that way when on my way to work, I almost ran a red light because it just didn’t occur to me to break although I was staring at the light! The day just didn’t seem to get better.

On my way home from work, I stopped at Costco to get a few things. We have an iPod touch and I have fallen in love with that thing! I use it all the time and take it every where I go. I have an app on it that is a grocery list so I had it out with me while I was at Costco. I checked out and remembered I sat it there on the counter thing while I paid and even thought, “Someone could just come by and swipe it so easily.” That was it though and then I was on my way.

After I got home, I put the groceries away and then decided to check my email on the touch. I went to my purse where it normally is, and it wasn’t there. I checked in the bag where I put some of the groceries and it wasn’t there. Panic started to set in. I kept telling myself that I picked it up! I didn’t leave it! At least I didn’t remember leaving it on the counter but I couldn’t think of what else could have happened to it. I called Costco and headed back but no luck. They didn’t have anything and the guy that checked me out was gone. I retraced my steps and there was just no iPod anywhere to be found. I wanted to cry. I was so frustrated because I hate losing things and normally I don’t do things like that. All night, all I could think about was the touch and trying to figure out how I could have lost it. I even looked to see if I put it away with the groceries. Jeff kept telling me it would turn up and I just hoped and prayed he was right!

Well, last night I pulled out the plastic container of spinach that I had gotten from Costco and on top of that container, yes, was the iPod touch. I just said to Jeff, “Look!” I was so excited but I couldn’t believe I had stuck it in the fridge with the spinach! When I checked to see if I put it away with the groceries the night before, I had forgotten about the spinach. It was a very cold iPod but it seems to still be working ok so I am just so relieved. I still can’t believe I did that and I think that is the most absent-minded thing I have ever done! Oh, it just makes me laugh.

Going, going, back, back to Cali

2009-06-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I decided to take a little trip back to Danville and it felt so good to be back there! Jeff had an away game so I thought it would be a good time to get away plus I am so glad I did it because who knows when I will be able to visit again with us moving to Florida. (Yes, that is for sure now and I will blog about that next!) I stayed with my bestie since Kindergarten, Britta, and we covered a lot of ground! I made a list of everything I wanted to see and do while I was there and we accomplished it all. We went from San Francisco to Santa Cruz and everything in between! Here is a little summary of our adventures!

Thursday
My Dad picked me up early that morning from the airport and I hung out at his apartment for a bit while he worked and then he took me to lunch at Esin Restaurant and Café in Danville. It is a place my Mom discovered and it is wonderful! It was good to spend some time with my Dad and I always enjoy his company. After lunch he took me to Britta’s and we made our plans for the week!

Friday
Britt had to work during the day so I slept in, went to the gym, and walked around Blackhawk Plaza. They have some good new shops! Britta subs at Charlotte Wood (our old middle school) so I went and visited her there and got to see some people I haven’t seen in a very long time! We went to In-N-Out that night for dinner (one of the “must-do’s) and then went to a circus in Dublin. I have never been to a circus before but that one was very interesting. I will leave it at that. It was fun though and it was good to see some old friends from high school.

Carson and Barnes Circus!

Yes, that is a real albino python snake. It smelled so bad and kept getting tighter and tighter!

Saturday
I met up with an old dance friend, Whitney, in the morning then me and Britta got some Domenico’s, best sandwiches ever, and went to Santa Cruz. It was the best weather I have ever had there! I even ended up getting my legs fried although I wasn’t even in a bathing suit! We spent the whole day there then came back and went to dinner with some friends and then we had to hit up some Fenton’s! Fenton’s is the best ice cream parlor ever and it was a hot spot for my family. We had been going there for years before we moved so it was another “must-do.”

Sunny skys in Santa Cruz...a rarity

Me and Britt

Our devoured ice cream

Sunday
We headed to San Francisco! Of course, on the way there and on the way back we ran into some quite interesting people. It made me realize how sheltered I am in Utah. You just don’t see random schizophrenic, or drunk people taking public transportation or walking around haha. It was another beautiful day in SF but quite windy. We were barely able to walk it was so windy and we walked a lot! I think we walked about half the city, or at least that’s what it seemed like. We ate in Little Italy, at a place called Steps of Rome. We have been going there since high school and the waiters are all Italian and you can’t understand a single word they say! After dinner, we walked back down to Union Square and introduced Allie to dessert from the Cheesecake Factory. At that point, we were all very tired and headed home but it was a very fulfilling day!

Strolling through the city

Dinner at Steps of Rome

Monday
My last day in Cali! We spent the afternoon in Walnut Creek before my flight and walked around all the shops. I was so tempted to buy something and that is the only thing I wish I did more of…shopping! Oh well, it’s just so much money! I will survive.

Monica, Me, and Britt

I love California so much and still consider it my home! Thanks again to Britt for letting me stay with her and I love her to pieces! My battery died on my camera too so she took all the pics for me. Hopefully I can make it back to Cali soon but if not, I guess Florida is the next best thing! :)

Thunder vs The Knights

2009-06-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

I haven’t blogged in awhile about Jeff’s games but he just had a game Saturday night and it was awesome! It was so intense! They won but it came down to the wire and the final score was 70-69. They were tied at the end of the game so they went into over time and Ogden scored but missed the kick, which was unbelievable because their kicker is amazing! It was up to us to score and make the extra point to win the game and they did it! I have to say, I think it was a miracle that they won haha. The crowd was going crazy though and they had a great turnout. Jeff had a touchdown and some great catches. Some of my nephews were able to come to the game too, which was so fun because they have never been able to see Jeff play before. They loved the game and were great fans cheering in the stands. They won some Thunder gear too and were able to get some autographs after the game. Tyler is determined to come to the next game and compete in one of the contests, or at least the running one he says haha. After the great game, we topped the night off with some yummy custard from Coney’s! Those boys sure can eat haha. Jeff only has one more home game left and its June 27th and after that they should be in the play-offs. We will see if they can pull off making it to the championship!

Tyler, Dallin and Ryan

In Memory

2009-05-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

Today my parents are going to visit the graves of my Grandpa and Grandma Allen for Memorial Day weekend. Jeff and I were not able to go today but I have been thinking so much about my Grandma Allen that I thought I would write a little bit about her.

She passed away when I was 17 years old and I never knew my Grandpa Allen because he died right before I was born. My Grandma spent those 17 years all alone. Growing up, I was able to spend a lot of time with my Grandma. She was always there for anything big or small, and many times she would watch me while my parents went out. I grew to love my Grandma more and more over the years. When I was little, I always thought she was stern. She would make me eat all my food, told me not to cry when I broke my wrist haha, and was always making sure I stayed out of trouble. My Grandma was one tough cookie! She was married when she was 16 and my Grandpa was ten years older than her. She wasn’t able to finish school but went to work in a butcher’s shop to help provide for her small family. She didn’t let anyone push her around and she was the one in charge! I will never forget the one piece of advice she would always give me everytime she came over, “Chelsie, you get your education and work hard in school.” Oh, and as I got older she started to add in, “And stay away from those boys!” I always told her, “Yes, Grandma, I will,” although I wasn’t quite sure about the part with the boys. Her advice really sunk in though and I found myself working hard in school and pushing myself to make her proud.

I always admired the strength of my Grandma. Although my Grandma was often lonely without her companion, you never saw her in a moment of weakness. She pushed on with her life and devoted herself to serving in the church. She became a temple worker in the Oakland temple and spent her days there, serving and helping others. Work was a part of her and she had to constantly be doing something. When she would come over for dinner, she had to help someway but felt she couldn’t cook anymore so she was always at the sink washing the dishes. We could never pull her away.

My Grandma would also always tell me, “I hope I can see what you become.” I would have loved to have my Grandma there at my high school graduation, at my college graduation, and most importantly my wedding. The thing is I know she was there. She may not have been there in person, I may have not been able to see her but I could feel her there. One of the most profound things I remember from when Jeff and I were married was feeling the presence of my Grandpa and Grandma Allen. I am so happy they are together once again and I know we will be together one day. My Grandma still pushes me to be a better, stronger person and her example lives on in my life and in my memories. I love her so very much!

Just a thought for today

2009-05-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

A Message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Blue Lemon

2009-05-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Last week my mom was nice enough to come down and stay with me while Jeff was away in New Mexico for his game. If you know my family, we love our food and love trying new and different restaurants. On vacations, my mom would research all the different restaurants in the area and we would go try the ones she picked out. Needless to say, I have learned to do the same so I am always looking for new places to try for when she comes down. I was reading in a magazine about this restaurant called Blue Lemon Bistro and Restaurant in Highland and it sounded pretty good so we decided to give it a shot! We were not disappointed! The food was all very yummy and they have a very different selection of food. Their motto is “pure clean food with a twist” and they tout their food on its freshness and quality of ingredients. We tried the Vegetable Lasagna and the Pineapple Barbecue Brisket Sandwich with the sweet potato fries. Both were excellent and the sandwich was very messy but all the better! If you love vegetables, you will love the lasagna and they’re alfredo sauce was very good too. I think my most favorite was the Butternut Squash soup though. It was sooo good and I think it may be the best Butternut Squash soup I’ve ever had. My only negative comments are that the food was not very warm, except for the soup. The fries were a little on the cool side and would have been much better hot. Their desserts were also not that impressive. It’s pretty hard to beat Magelby’s chocolate cake! Overall though, it was delish and I would definitely recommend it. Just writing about it is making me want to go back! You can check them out at http://www.bluelemonutah.com/.

Pineapple Barbecue Brisket

Vegetable Lasagna

Sweet Potato Fries

You can look at more pics of menu items on their website too!

Mexico Bound!

2009-05-13T22:03:00.001-07:00

Francewa/Elder Johnson officially left for Mexico this past Monday and Jeff was there with a surprise visit to send him off! The swine flu and a visa was no longer stopping him from heading out so EARLY Monday morning he was on his way to the airport...and so was Jeff. Jeff woke up at 2:15 in the morning to make sure he was there when Francewa arrived so here is the "documentary" of his surprise. I am glad that he was able to see Francewa and he was able to spend a good hour with him before he left. Thank you Jeff for your sacrifice of sleep so we could all see him one last time before he left! :)

MoM

2009-05-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

In honor of Mother’s Day this past Sunday, I thought I would just write a little about my mother and how grateful I am for her. I know everyone says their mother is the best mother in the world but I am just going to have to make a claim that I think my mom is pretty darn close. I have never seen a mother who cares so much about her family. My mother is completely and utterly devoted to her family, and that includes all members, not just her children. Now that she is here in Utah, I have been able to witness the sweet way she cares for her own parents. She loves spending time with them and doing things for them and they just eat it up! Her role as a mother has taken on new boundaries as she is now the grandmother of nine very busy grandchildren! Her role as my mother over the years has even changed and takes on different shapes as I grow and begin new stages of my life. She no longer feeds me, dresses me, does my hair, drives me around town, or tells me whether or not I can go out at night but she still loves me, cares for me, supports me, advises me, and is a best friend to me. Those are things I cherish and so thankful for because I know they will never change and that I can always count on her. My mother is my best friend and an angel in my life. I think of her and I literally see a halo around her head. She just has a special glow and anyone who comes in contact with her can see it. There are so many qualities that I admire about my mom. She is so patient! I hardly have seen my mom lose her temper. It takes A LOT to make her mad or at least to show it. She never has used harsh words with me and has hardly ever yelled. I hope I can be as patient with my children as she has been with all of us. My mother has great strength and a great testimony. These are qualities that I have come to admire and respect my mom for even more over the years. As a mother, you deal with a lot of stress. I have seen my mom take upon this stress but she never gives up. She takes it on with a quiet strength. She never loses an ounce of love but rather gains in tons. My mother never asks for much, and as usual all she wanted for Mother’s Day was for all her children to be together. (She did however let me get her a red purse :)) I could go on for days about my mother but you can’t mention my mom without mentioning Betty Crocker or Martha Stewart! As we always say, she blows Martha Stewart out of the water! She is an amazing cook, decorator, home-maker and we wish everyone could partake of her great talents. My mother is too humble though and avoids any recognition. One day though you may see her great recipes in a cookbook or maybe even a store! I hope I can be half the person my mother is and I am so thankful for the great example she is to me. I love you Mom!

My mom and her sweet mother

Cooking of course :)

All us crazy kids with Mom's classic "funny pose"

I have to say too I am grateful for all the other wonderful mothers in my life. I have great examples of mothers in sisters, grandmas, and in-laws! I feel so blessed and thankful I will have such amazing people to look to when I have children!

Un Perro??

2009-04-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

So lately I have been thinking I want to get a puppy! I had started looking at dogs awhile ago then stopped because we just figured it would be too hard to get one right now but that desire is starting to come back! I just go back and forth so much because people say they are so much work…you have to potty train them, find sitters when you go on vacation, and that they are just like a kid! But look at those as pictures, how you could not want a cute little puppy? I started thinking about getting one again when I had to stay by myself while Jeff was gone for his away game. I am such a pansy and don't like being by myself! It would just be nice to have one to keep my company when he is gone but then there are the times I am going to want to go too. Another factor is that both Jeff and I work so I worry about it being by itself while we are gone. We have plenty of space for it though and a yard so I am not worried about that. There are pros and cons but any advice???

They are just so darn cute!

Thunder @ Ogden

2009-04-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Jeff had his game against Ogden and they got another win under their belt! The final score was 57-41 and I was very happy to see them win. Jeff had a good game and his ribs are feeling a little better so that is good. They played at the Golden Spike Arena which was like out in the boonies! The place looked like a big huge barn and Jeff said their lockers were out by horse stables haha. The worst part though was that that under the turf was dirt! The field was so uneven I don’t know how they played on it without tripping all the time. Jeff said he was glad they only have to play them there just one more time and I could see why! I am glad that he has an “away” team that he plays though that is close enough so I can go to the games. I think me, my mom, and sisters were some of the only ones cheering for the Thunder but that was ok! Their fans were quite loud so they probably didn’t even hear us but we were trying to show our support! They had cow bells and horns that they sold to their fans and I was thinking Jeff’s team should do that at their games. By the end of the game though I think I had heard enough bells and horns that I changed my mind about that idea.

Next Saturday they play Ogden again but it is a home game and it is going to be College Night! Students get in half price so if you have a student ID come and even if you don’t, you should still come! :) They are going to be doing school spirit competitions such as a BYU vs. UVU tug-o-war and other fun stuff. They are also giving out free XZude to the first 500 fans. If you have finals going on, it will be a nice break from studying!

Hope to see you all there!

Golden Spike Arena

They wore white unis this time. It threw me off at the beginning haha because they have always worn black!

Thunder vs. New Mexico

2009-04-08T15:06:00.001-07:00

Jeff has played New Mexico now two times so I thought I would give a little update on the past two games.

Monday, March 30th they played them at home to have their first victory! The final score was 55-34 and they had another great game. Their defense looked a lot better and Jeff had four catches for 20 yards. Not as much action as last week but I think it was a bit of blessing because he had hurt his ribs and they were pretty sore. The less impact the better!

The second game was this past Monday and this time it was away at New Mexico. They left very early Sunday morning to only have an extended bus ride that put them in a little later than expected. Their bus broke down 90 miles outside of New Mexico and so they had to wait a couple of hours for another bus to come. This is the second time this has happened to Jeff so he thinks he is cursed! I would not want to be on a bus full of frustrated football players haha. Hopefully this is the one and only bus malfunction for the season though! I was unable to go to the game but Jeff said they did not look good at all. They were however, able to pull off a win in the last six seconds of the game with Jeff scoring the winning touchdown! The final score was 58-54 so it definitely was a close call. They turned on the heat to score 28 points in the final quarter. Jeff had a total of four catches for 68 yards and three touchdowns. They were his first touchdowns for the season so I am sad that I missed them! He will just have to do it again :). His ribs are still sore and thank goodness for adrenaline because he does not feel a thing during his games! Too bad adrenaline is only short lived though. I wish it cured them permanently!

His next game is this Saturday in Ogden and I am predicting another win! The Ogden team has a few players from his team last year so it should make for an interesting game!

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter!

Thunder vs. Wyoming

2009-03-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

Wyoming-62. Thunder-34. As you can see the results weren’t the best but that didn’t change the fact that the game was amazing and so much fun! It would have been nice if they could have won their first game but Wyoming is one of the best teams and they have been playing together for many years so they had a few advantages. Once the Thunder gets a few more games under their belt, I think they will be a much greater threat. I think they will be able to dominate the other teams too or at least I hope! Jeff of course had an amazing game and failed to disappoint. He had 16 catches for 141 yards! I think he set a new all time record for himself and is off to a great start! An article was published about him today on their website and the link to that is http://www.utahvalleythunder.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=2. It talks about his history and breaking his leg and his determination to get back in the game. Oh, and his height. He is the shortest one on the team but that doesn’t stop him! To quote him, “My whole life (my height) has always been a factor on the football field,” he said. “I use that as fuel as well when people tell me I am too short to play receiver. I thrive on proving people wrong and that gives me an extra boost.” That statement is very true and shows Jeff’s great determination.

Jeff’s next game is this coming Monday and I encourage all who can to go to the game! They really are fun and they make it entertaining for the crowd. Since it’s indoors they can do special lighting, and if a ball goes into the stands you can keep it. It’s also a smaller field so you are much closer and feel more involved. I love college games but I have to admit, I thought this was more fun! Maybe it’s because my love is on the team haha but they really are great games! Hopefully they dominate on Monday!

Signing autographs for kids after the game. The kids in the other picture above our from our Primary.

March is for Birthdays!

2009-03-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

This month we have had many birthdays to celebrate! Jeff’s grandma had her birthday this month along with my Grandpa, my brother Sean, and Jeff’s brother, Jordan. We are very thankful for these people in our lives and love them all!

Nana with all her grandkids in Disneyland.

Nana had her 83rd birthday this year and she is, I think, the most stylish grandma I know! She is the sweetest thing and just amazes me. She does not seem her age at all! As Jeff’s mom said, her energy is legend. She is a joy to be around and I feel blessed to have her in my life.

My Grandpa had his 84th birthday and he is still going strong as well. He might not be able to play tag with me and my sister like he used to but he still gets out and tends to his farm and takes care of his sweet little wife. He always makes me laugh and is the most down to earth person you will ever meet. He is the only Grandpa I have known and I could not have asked for a better one!

My big bro had his birthday earlier this month and we all went out to Tucanos for dinner and I paid him a little visit while he was at work too. He is the most genuine, giving, devoted person and I am thankful I have him close by now.

I come from a family of mostly girls so when I married Jeff, I gained many more brothers! We celebrated Jojo’s birthday just this last weekend and enjoyed the warm sunshine with a game of softball and then of course, dinner at Outback. We came back to our house and watched a little Nacho after too. I am thankful to have him as a brother now too and we love having him and Nikki around!

Happy Birthday to anyone else I missed!!!

Thunder Alley

2009-03-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

Last night Jeff's team had a promotional event at the Fat Cats bowling alley in Provo with free bowling, contests, prizes, photos, autographs, etc. It was fun to go and meet a lot of the players on his team, and their mascot, which is supposed to be a cat but looks like a gremlin to me haha. I have to say though that this team is so much more organized than last year's and they treat their players so much better! The advertising is 100% better too since last year they did not even have any. You can see ads now on billboards, UVU's board, and even on buses haha. I do have to do a little marketing of my own though too....his first game is this Monday March 23rd at 7pm!! They will be playing at the McKay Events Center at Utah Valley University. If you live near by you should come! They are really fun, fast-paced games and they have special Family Home Evening rates. Jeff has two sort of hurt ankles now but hopefully he will be ok to go on Monday. We will let you know how it goes! Go THUNDER!

These pics were taken with my phone so sorry if they are not very clear.

The canopy by the entrance into Costa Vida.

JoJo getting ready to do the dance competiton.

Some of the players and fans.

Adios Elder Johnson!

2009-03-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

Today, Jeff’s little brother Justin, or now Elder Johnson, went into the MTC! It is crazy to think we won’t see him now for two years and all that could happen during that time. Justin is also the last of six kids in his family to serve a mission. I think that is really neat to have every single one of your kids serve a mission. We are way excited for him though and I know he will be a great missionary. He is going to the Cuernavaca, Mexico mission, which is almost Jeff’s exact mission. It is pretty funny because Justin is like Jeff’s “mini-me” and he happened to get the same call too! He flew in yesterday so we got to spend one last night with him before he left. We made sure he had his Costa Vida and caffeine-free Mountain Dew haha and Jeff gave him all the info possible that he could on Mexico. We spent much time listening to songs such as “el gato volador” (the flying cat), and “la vaca” (the cow), and many other great hits from Jeff’s mission :). It was funny to hear all of Jeff’s stories and I am sure Justin will come back with many of his own!

We figured Christ was a good background for the pic. :) Jeff took Jojo to the MTC and now

Jojo will take Justin! Love the smiles haha.

All of us at 1:30 am

We will miss you and wish you the best of luck Francewa!

Grateful

2009-02-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very different and difficult day for Jeff at work. His company had sent out an email saying they were laying off ten percent of their employees and five people from his office ended up losing their jobs yesterday. Luckily, Jeff was not one of those employees. My heart goes out to all those people who did lose their jobs and I can’t imagine what that was like for them because many of them have families to support. Then this morning at work, a lady came in and I don’t mean this in a bad way- it was simply an observation but she had very nice clothes and the biggest, most humongous ring I have ever seen! Who thought I would see the biggest ring ever here in Provo haha but anyways I know they are very well to do because her husband is very successful. It just made me think how some people have all the money in the world and then there are those who struggle just to put food on the table everyday. I wish there was more I could do to help others but I am just so thankful that Jeff does have a job and for how hard he works everyday. I feel so blessed and thank God everyday for both of our jobs! We pray for those who have lost their jobs too and I hope that another door will open up for them. When I say I don’t want to go to work, Jeff tells me, “at least you have a job to go to.” It is very true so I am grateful I do have a job to go to everyday!

Don't Forget to Pray!

2009-02-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

My dad sent me an email the other day with this picture and I thought it was pretty cute. If only we were all so sincere in our prayers! That dog is a good example haha.

It also came with this caption:

'Dear Lord: Thank you for bringing me to Timmy's house and not to Michael Vick's -- AMEN!'

CHEESECAKE

2009-02-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

I have much time on the computer while I am at work but most of that time is not doing work. It is doing whatever I want to keep me entertained. (I have a very low key receptionist job and I just mainly need to answer the phone so don’t worry, I’m not slacking on my work duties.) Being on the Internet so much though, I have joined many clubs, and receive emails from different organizations, restaurants, airlines, etc. I have also entered many contests, of which none I have won, but that’s ok maybe one of these days I will. I think I have found my most favorite one yet though! The Cheesecake Factory is having this contest where you can create your own cheesecake and then they will pick and have people vote for their favorite ones. You can create up to five different ones so all morning at work I have been creating cheesecakes! I love it haha. I love food and The Cheesecake Factory so I have been quite entertained so far at work. Will this be the contest I win? Probably not, but might as well try! If you have some free time on your hands or in front of the computer a lot like me, here is the website so you can start creating!

https://promos.thecheesecakefactory.com/

This is one of my favorites...Chocolate Tuxedo Cream

Yum!

Florida/Disney Trip

2009-01-28T15:11:00.000-08:00

Our week to escape the cold…except we hit the only week it was cold in Florida. Of course, it was still warmer than what it was in Utah so we were still able to get out of the frigid winter weather.
It was a pretty crazy trip and we covered a lot of ground while we were there but it was so much fun! It was a family vacation with all the Johnsons and it was so great to be able to spend time with all of them since it is something that we don’t get to do too often living in Utah. That might change though because a move is in the works! While we were in Florida, we used the opportunity to check out some places to live in the Tampa area. Jeff loves Florida and has been planning for awhile to move there but I kind of messed up those plans when I popped back into the picture :). Now that we are married though, we are ready to venture out! I wouldn’t mind getting out of the cold weather for awhile either. Plus some of the beaches in Florida are amazing! It has always been my dream to live by the beach so it looks like that dream might come true!

To summarize up our week though here are some of the things we did….
Fly into Tampa and stay with Grandmom (she has the coolest house right on the bay), drive to Orlando and go through the temple with Justin, go to Hollywood Studios, drive back down to Siesta Key and go to the beach, drive back to Orlando and go to Islands of Adventure, go to Disney World, drive back to Tampa to look at houses, drive back to Orlando and hit Downtown Disney.

As you can see, we were all over the place but there is just so much to do there! It definitely would be a change from Utah but we are ready for that so in six months…Florida here we come!! We miss everyone though already and hope we can do another trip soon!

I think that is pretty convincing right there to want to move :)

Musica

2008-12-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

I saw on some people's blogs how they have music playing and I was like I want that! So I created my own little playlist and I am really excited because I love the first song on there. I just love Chris Brown haha and his music but I really like this song! Now I can hear it everytime I log on. :) The list is mainly songs though that Jeff and I have listened to together over the years and that is why there is a lot of Rascal Flatts. Rascal Flatts goes back to the very beginning of Us. Anyways, I love music so much and these are some songs that bring back happy memories for me!

A lil Christmas Fun

2008-12-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we decided to make a Christmas video so we got our entourage together and went to work! Our inspiration was Jason and Cali's video (which we absolutely loved and is Jeff's bro's fam) so we thought, hey we should do one in response! The Mexican theme is also in honor of Francewa who got his mission call to Cuernavaca, Mexico which is pretty much the same mission as Jeff. Anyways, Merry Christmas from our family to yours and hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v21q--_Pbvo

This one is for Jeff…hence the football background

2008-12-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

I would just like to take the opportunity to tell him CONGRATS on making the Utah Valley Thunder Indoor Football team!! Woo!! The contract is signed and he officially is a professional football player now. The tryout was last Saturday and I think he is still sore haha but I am so happy and excited for him! It is the same league that he played in with the Saints but it will be a completely different team, coach, and owner. I am especially excited though because the team is based out of Orem instead of Salt Lake and I can finally go to the away games since we are married! They will practice in Provo and then play at UVU so it will be much better than before when he had to stay up in Salt Lake after work for practice. I think the season doesn't actually start until March but we are super excited! He loves the game so much so I am happy that he gets to play a little bit longer. There is nothing better than doing what you love and getting paid to do it too so I say he is pretty blessed. Congrats again sweetie and you deserve it!!

Here is the link to the team’s website: www.utahvalleythunder.com/

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T15:46:00.000-08:00

One more day till Turkey day! Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I have been sitting here at work thinking about what I am grateful for. I don’t know about you, but a typical question from my Dad, once we all finally sit down to eat after hours of cooking is, “So what are you thankful for?” I thought I would start thinking now so I am prepared when the question comes tomorrow. :)

Here is a list of some of the things I am thankful for:

My Heavenly Father and brother, Jesus Christ

My membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

My hubby and our eternal marriage

Jeff’s optimism and fun personality

Second and even third chances (Thank you Jeff for being patient with me)

My family, immediate and extended

Good friends

The scriptures

The Prophet and those who lead our church

My freedom and my agency

Good health

The ability to run, walk, DANCE- (if you ever get the chance, look up the story of Adam Bender. It’s very inspiring!)

Music

The education I have been able to receive

The sun!!

Beaches and warm weather

The employment that both me and Jeff have

The house we have to live in

Water

Food- especially chocolate

Funny people who make me laugh

Phones

The Caddy- I know that sounds materialistic but I just love that car! :)

Pictures

Those who have encouraged and supported me to help me get to where I am today

And that it is almost 5 and I am leaving work! I am going to have to stop here but I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and cherish every moment and the people you are with!

The Holidays are coming

2008-11-17T14:04:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe how fast time is flying and that the holidays are almost here! It feels like it was just barely Halloween and now it is going to be Thanksgiving next week. I do have to admit though I love that there is no snow yet. The longer it takes to get here the better otherwise I will be on lock down since our car is worthless in the snow. The only good thing about the snow is that it usually means the holiday season is here! I am extra excited for this holiday season though because it will be the first one that I actually get to be with Jeff and we are not on two different sides of the country. I also have a house that I get to decorate, which I can’t wait to do! In my house growing up, the holidays were a pretty big deal. My mom just goes all out with decorations, food, and food haha. Those of you who know my mom know she is an AMAZING cook. So I have some pretty big shoes to fill and I need to get my practice in! Before, I would always help her cook for the holidays but now that I am married, I have told her I want to bring something for Thanksgiving…like make it all on my own and not have her there to basically do it and I help where needed. She always has to do everything and it is so hard because our family just keeps getting bigger so I want to at least to cover one of the menu items. I have been trying to think though what to bring so I thought I would see if there are any ideas out there or what your favorite dishes/desserts are for the holidays? I would love any input!

Officially The Worst Blogger Ever!

2008-11-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok so I will accept the award of Worst Blogger Ever! It has been over 6 months and we have not even looked at our blog. Horrible, I know. So due to much prodding, thank you Amy V. , I am going to vow to be much better. So the construction begins! First of all, it no longer will be Jeff and Chelsie Allen for I officially am a Johnson now! Our last post was announcing we are engaged and now I very happily can say we are married!! Now it’s been almost five months since that happened but I figured I would still announce it because I like saying it. Life has been wonderful since then, well it was good before too but it’s been even better! We have stayed pretty busy and there never seems to be a dull moment.

For a quick little update, we went to the Florida Keys for our honeymoon then had a reception in DC and then a month later had another reception in Cali so the wedding stuff lasted a long time for us but it all was so much fun. Each reception was so different and everything I could have ever dreamed of and more. They are some of the happiest moments of my life and I am so grateful for the work everyone put in for me and Jeff. Now I can celebrate everyday that I am married to an amazing man who I grow to love even more every single day. I am so grateful, very grateful for all that he brings to my life and I know it would not be the same without him. I love you sweetie!

After all the wedding stuff, we began regular life of work and work pretty much. We are both done with school and I just took the GRE so it has been nice to get a break from all of that. We have still managed to fit in quite a few trips and many other fun things. Football is included in there of course, and I have actually managed to squeeze some dance in there which I have missed so much. As my mom says though, “You are always doing fun things. You will have a very exciting life.” I can thank Jeff for that one. He is so creative and always wanting to do something and I love it! For example, for Halloween we had a Haunted House in our backyard for the kids in our ward and neighborhood. We were worried that not many would come but we actually ended up needing more help! It lasted for about 2 hours and we had probably over a hundred people come. It is probably the only time I will ever laugh at someone screaming but it was all very entertaining. Jeff is already planning and scheming for the next one. In fact, we might have a “Nightmare before Christmas” but we will keep you posted. Here are some pics though, Jeff popping out of the leaves and me with my niece and nephew. My cute nephew was the only one we made cry. He was doing great till at the end Tod jumped out with a mask and he instantly started balling. He was ok though so it was all good.

Well, that’s it for now but you WILL hear more from us. I promise :)

Soon to be Mrs. Jefferson Johnson!!

2008-04-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I figured that it was about time I start contributing to this blog and what better opportunity then to make the big announcement that yes WE ARE ENGAGED!!! I think most of you already know but it finally happened and I’ve been a very happy girl since then.

It all began on Thursday when he told me that he lost his keys to Chichi (his Dodge Neon) but I didn’t think much of it and figured they would show up soon. Well, they didn’t turn up and very early Saturday morning (1:45 am to be exact) my roommate came in and said Jeff was trying to get a hold of me. I had just barely fallen asleep and my phone was on silent so I had no idea he had been calling. I called him back right away and when he answered he sounded kind of panicked and was like “hey, you know how I lost my keys?” He then began to tell me that when he had gotten home the police were there and that someone had stolen Chichi and that they found it on BYU campus! He asked if I would come pick him up because he didn’t have spares for Chichi. I told him of course and that I’d hurry. So I just threw on sweats and a sweatshirt, no make-up, and kept asking my roommate “is something going on?” She of course told me no but I didn’t know quite what to think. I kept telling myself not to get my hopes up, but secretly I was hoping he had something up his sleeve.
I got to where he said Chichi was on campus but I didn’t see anyone so I called his phone but there was no answer so I called again and no answer…so then I started to panic! All these thoughts started running through my head and I began to think he was serious and that he was maybe off chasing after the guy who stole his car! I was trying to figure out what I was going to do when I got closer to Chichi and saw red stuff all around the car and got even more scared but then realized they were rose petals and on his window he had written READ with an arrow pointing to the back. On the back, there was a card he had written for me and at that point I just started crying. I reached the end of the card and it said “Meet me where I first asked for your number” (which was near the Humanities building for those of you familiar with BYU campus). Still crying, I ran to the spot, and there he was waiting. He came over and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I could hardly get anything out but of course I said yes! By that point, my crying had turned into laughing and I couldn’t believe everything that had just happened. BYU definitely will hold a special place in my heart now.

All I have to say though is that I’m the luckiest girl and I couldn’t ask for anything more! I can’t wait to marry the man I love and be with my best friend for the rest of my life. The big day is June 26th and we all hope you will be able to share in our special day!

New Mexico Game

2008-04-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

As I sit here writing this Blog (weird word) it hurts to get up because we had our second game of the season last night and all I do is run and get hit for 2 ½ hours so as you can imagine im pretty sore today. At the old age of 27 my body cant take as much of a beating as I used to and growing up with 4 brothers probably cut a few days off of my recovery time. Some already know that on Friday night Chelsie and I got engaged and ill let her elaborate on the whole “how did he do it?” but yesterday we played New Mexico who I really wasn’t all that impressed with. On the first play of the game we had a play call just for me and I ended up scoring my 2nd TD of the season. We jumped ahead of them by 15 in the first half but in the second half we had 4 people get hurt so they chipped away and ended up taking the lead with about 2 min. left in the game. We got the ball back and got a couple penalties to start the drive so it was very frustrating. It was third down and we only had a minute left in the game and I told my coach to run the same play that we ran the first play of the game which I scored on. At this point I was exhausted and really only had 1 more play in me so I made sure that I got open. We were about 35 yards out from the end zone and Wissler (our QB) put a ball in the corner of the end zone and I snagged it for the go ahead touchdown. I looked up at the clock and there were about 50 seconds left which is a lot of time to score since the field in arena football is substantially shorter. Since our defense is very sketchy we actually ended up giving the game away with 8 seconds to go on a 4th down play. I was fired up. It would have been nice to be the hero of the game but oh well. I think im going to start playing defense because our team needs help. New Mexico wasn’t that good and im pretty sure in a couple weeks we will beat them down there in New Mexico. That was our last home game for 3 weeks and we will be traveling to Wyoming, Arizona and New Mexico. So far it has been a great experience to play in these games against some pretty good competition.

Easter/Wizards Game

2008-04-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

So Chelsie and I got to spend Easter with her family up in Syracuse which was so fun! She has all of her immediate family here in Utah so they all came over with the nieces and nephews (reminds me of our family). Chels and I hid 100 eggs for the kids which honestly was VERY hard because they live in a new development which has very few surroundings so we had to get creative and hide them in the grass!! haha. Overall it was a great time to be with her family and its nice to have a place to go during the holidays. Chelsie gave me a picture for Easter that was very sweet of her.

So yesterday Chels and I went to the Wizards and Jazz game...........not good!! We didnt have Gil or Caron Butler so as expected we got CRUSHED! It was close for the first 4 min. of the game but unfortunately for the Wiz games arent 4 min. long. We didnt stay for the whole game but we got some pretty good pictures out of it :)

My first Pro Game

2008-04-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well i have to be honest and say that last week I was VERY nervous for our first game with the Utah Saints. We played against the Wyoming Calvary who won their division last year so as expected we got crushed. I wont even mention the final score but it was our first game ever as a franchise and they have been around for over 6 years but in reality we just didn't play well at all.....obviously. You cant really win with 8 fumbles and when we actually held onto the ball we would score! I had my first touchdown of the year on like a 4 yard slant and JoJo said I had about 8 catches but I really cant remember because I got my bell rung on a post across the middle. I got fired up when I got rocked so the rest of the game I was playing with a chip on my shoulder and it didn't help that we were down by like 40pts. It was a very fun game and a special one because Dad hasn't seen me play football in probably 9 years and him and Justin flew out to watch my first game. Its fun playing in front of your friends but there is something special about playing in front of your parents. Mom couldn't make it out to the game because she was helping Kim with her new born baby boy and she was definitely missed. We play New Mexico this weekend and from what I hear they aren't too good so Im confident that we will come out with a W.

My "Right Arm"

2008-03-02T22:42:00.000-08:00

Chelsie Allen. The other day she was talking to her mom and they were talking about plans for Sean’s (her brother) birthday today. Her mom asked if Chelsie had invited me to come with her and she replied as if her mom was crazy for asking that question. Her mom then responded with a comment saying that she was basically "my right arm". I’ve had some time to think about that statement and there couldn’t be a more true statement, she IS my right arm. A blog "in the life of Jeff " wouldn’t be complete without including "my right arm". She is absolutely wonderful. We have been dating on and off for about 3 years now and our 3 year "anniversary" from our first date was on Feb. 12th (2 days before VDay) but since we have been on and off for so long we couldn’t remember the day exactly. It took me about an hour to actually figure out on what day we had our first date and I remembered that I went to a jazz game 2 days prior so I went back and looked at their 2005 schedule and figured it out. I was leaving to go home on the 14th so I told her that I wanted to do something on Tuesday (the 12th) and she didnt really know why that date was significant just yet. She asked me what we were doing and I told her that we were going to eat and that was all. I decided that it would be kinda neat if we went on the same exact date as our first date since it had been 3 years to the day. Our first date was at Outback Steakhouse and then we went and watched the movie Hitch. The night went like this.....I told her I would pick her up at 7 and call her when I was there. I had Jojo pick her up while I was waiting at Outback so I called her and told her to come down. Waiting on the front seat of my car was a letter, the movie Hitch and a teddy bear holding a gift which was a heart necklace with our initials engraved in it. Jojo had her read the letter while he was driving her to dinner and the letter explained how 3 years ago to the day was our first date and that I was waiting for her at Outback to repeat that night. She got to Outback (which for me seemed to take forever) and the smile on her face gave me chills inside. After dinner we went back and watched Hitch to finish off a memorable night. I couldnt ask for a better "right arm" and I feel very blessed to have such an amazing girl in my life.

Nashville

2008-03-02T22:05:00.000-08:00

For some reason people on the east coast like to call Nashville "Nashvegas" and while I was there I didn’t see any resemblance, in fact when we went downtown to the Wild Horse Saloon we went by the Tennessee titans stadium and got to a road that had nothing but bars on it so in a visual sense it was nothing like Las Vegas. Maybe the saying "what happens vegas stays in vegas" is a little motto they have down there but who knows. In case you were wondering why I was in Nashville we has a national work meeting at the Gaylord resort which was basically a city indoors. It had rivers, waterfalls, restaurants, shops, pools, and anything you could imagine indoors while it was a cool 40 degrees outside. A large part of the time we were in meetings but we were able to enjoy the amenities during the night. It was fun to get to know people in my office on a more personal level and very entertaining to see them drink. Our last night in Nashville was a very memorable one……we were in meetings all day and once we were done with the meetings we got on a bus that took us to the Wild Horse Saloon which is a huge place where some country bands like Lonestar got noticed and then made it big. We got to the Wild Horse and had the top level reserved for all of the Aerotek employees with free drinks and food. Ill leave it up to your imagination on how crazy it got when the average Aerotek employee is in his/her mid twenties! The poor girl at the bar looked like she was gonna go crazy. I stayed up there for a bit and played some darts and then it was on to the dance floor with some people from my office. Its amazing how people in Nashville live and breath country music. Ive never seen so many good country dancers in my life so I pretended to act as if I knew what I was doing but on the other hand my buddy Nate dawg had no shame! He is a skinny guy with glasses who looks like he is still 16 but has no shame whatsoever. You cant not love Nate dawg. We were all supposed to leave at 11pm so we could get up in time for our 6am flight back to Salt Lake but we ended up leaving there at 1am so some people decided to stay up all night and keep drinking and then go straight to the airport. The ride back to the hotel was hilarious but the experience in the airport was even funnier. One guy got to the check-in desk and asked the lady if she thought he was cute. Another guy was walking down the security check-in line singing at the top of his lungs. We sat down by our gate and Scott sat down by Wendy while she was asleep and kept trying to fee her a bagel and saying "Eat! Eat! Wendy you need to eat!" Chris saw that Scott was bugging so he smacked the bagel out of his hand, took a piece of bagel, dipped it in cream cheese and smeared it all over Scotts face! Scott was too drunk and tired to even care so for about 30 min. he had cream cheese all over his face. I think the funniest story of the trip home was when we got on the plane everyone sat in their seat and passed out. Well, we were sitting at the gate for about a half hour and they came over the loud speaker and said that there was a leak in the engine and we had to get off the plane so they could fix it. We started to get off and people started waking up and Corey woke up and asked if we were already there so if you know me that is a prime spot to start messing with someone. I told him that we had landed and asked him if he remembers any of the flight, obviously he said no so I continued to play it off until we walked out of the ramp and he said that this looks like Nashville…..he then had a puzzled look on his face and realized that we hadn’t left yet. So the trip to Nashville was all in all a good trip and I wouldn’t mind visiting "Nashvegas" again.

Cheez-Its!

2008-02-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

Today I wrote a letter to The Kellogg company stating how much I love Cheez-Its. They could possibly be the greatest snack ever made and I told whoever I sent the letter to that I needed to have a Cheez-It T-shirt. Over the past year or so Cheez-Its have become my favorite snack and the best kind are the reduced fat Cheez-Its (not because I'm on a diet) they just taste better and have more of a crunch to them. I'm thinking of writing a letter to all of my favorite snack, food and drink companies to see which ones actually respond to me and fulfill my request of a T-shirt. Why I came up with this I don't exactly know but its fun so ill keep you posted on how my other ventures go! Eat Cheez-Its

Official Blogger

2008-02-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

Well since im not good at keeping a journal and i sit in front of a computer all day I figure ill do the whole blog thing which is a sad replacement but hey, its better than nothin! Hopefully I can keep up!