God is Good to the Johnsons

Because I've had a beastly headache today, Kevin helped me out with this blog post (is that cheating?). Kevin wrote an "all-about-me" type article from Charlie's perspective. It gives a few highlights into our life with the little man. Charlie's a hoot (but can't you see where he gets it from? Just take a look at this article...). In the Life of a 5-Month-Old Gentleman My name is Charlie, I am a 5 month old dreamboat and my goal in life is to bring smiles to all those around me. My interests include round objects that I can shove into my mouth, grabbing hair and pulling it, and making high-pitched screeches and onomatopoeic  motorboat sounds  of joy. The mirror shows me a beautifully handsome young man who I’ve decided is quite a gentleman. He smiles when I smile and waves when I wave. We have become fast friends. The AM is much more fun compared to the PM. Some times I like to wake up to scream for no apparent reason, then when ...

At church today, Katherine & Easton shared their testimonies about the importance of overcoming anger and replacing it with more Godly emotion. The perfect example of thwarting anger and exhibiting love is Jesus Christ. I love Him and I love the forgiveness he freely gave to his disciples, to His captors, to those that crucified Him. I want so badly to love as He loves, forgive as He forgives, and to choose kindness as He does. I think anger is often exhibited in driving and car accidents, and since Utah Drivers get a bad rep too often, I wanted to highlight some good moments when Utah drivers chose Kindness and kicked their anger. I was 19 years old, driving my teal-green Chevy Blazer on a May morning to drop my brother off at school before heading to my undergrad job. (Here's that stunning old car... for nostalgia...) As we pulled into the offramp of the freeway, a long line of morning traffic cars waited. I braked to a stop and spilled my ice water in the process...

Today I enjoyed some quality girl time with my mother in law and sister in laws. We had a girl's day out--devouring a delicious brunch, enjoying a pedicure, and shopping. I've never been much of a shopper but these girls know how to make it fun! Their company was a delight. Once I got home, Kevin took a study break to work in the yard and I and started to put some of the shopping finds away (my kidlet under one arm while I used the other to single-handedly hang stuff up. He hates to be left alone and just wants to be where I am...kinda like his daddy) I noticed a couple shirts I hadn't worn in over a year and was likely not to wear again anytime soon. So I threw them on the bed, and before I knew it, I had a pile of clothes ready to find a new home.  Well, then I couldn't stop myself. I went through Charlie's drawer and our kitchen cupboards and our storage room and shed, too.  After putting the baby-munch to bed I zoomed over to D.I. to dona...

Do you remember their cries? The two kids who called me friend their anger their feud their fists. I was to pick a side, they said to join their tribe, they said to back their kind, they said. But I saw in both of them the memories of friends of times we made amends... But now, the glowering stares of hate unwarranted of words misread of words unsaid And I said, "may we just peace?" But anger led. They warred instead, and called me Switzerland.

It's a funny thing that I'm 25. I have a salary job, a college degree, two cars, a stunning husband, and a darling kid. By any standard of the definition "grown up" I had as a child, I've pretty much hit each aspect (except for owning a home... we'll get there). But I don't FEEL like a grown up. Two of my students started to sing the "Seagulls" Star Wars bad lip reading yesterday as we tidied up the classroom. It's a really dumb, really amazing song that if you haven't listened to, you oughta check it out at least once. Anyways, as they started to sing "someday, when you are older..." and I chimed in rather boisterously "YOU COULD GET HIT BY A BOULDER!" They looked at me with disgust and stopped singing. Their "cool" song was foiled by the fact that their teacher, an old lady, knew it. Old Lady? AM I AN OLD LADY? To my students, apparently I am! Or if not an old lady, I'm certainly a grown up...to t...

Thought 1: My old roommate, Danielle, has a passion for recycling. I'll never forget making recycling runs with her--sometimes in the middle of the pouring rain--taking a trunkful of cardboard boxes, bottles, and cans to a recycling deposit on campus. One time for "roommate Christmas" one of our other roommates (I'm pretty sure it was Rachelle...) gave her a container with the recycling symbol drawn on it to be our apartment recycle bin, and by golly she was pleased as peaches. She changed my perspective, and since then I've had a whole new love for recycling, reducing, and reusing stuffs. I've got a lot of room for improvement and a lot to learn, but there are recycling bins right next to trashcans oft times, and if we can just take the half second extra to sort out our recyclables and toss them in the blue bin, I really believe we'll make a difference in responsibly using our world's resources! Thought 2: Kevin teased me once because I almost boug...

Lion to Lamb. God takes this lion heart of mine--a beast, of something hard against the Godly natures of our spirit's divine potential--and thrusts me into the refining fires of life to return a lamb, more like his Perfect Son. I was always dear to the heart of the shepherd.  But with every day my heart changes from lion to lamb, he grows nearer to me, my brother, the pastor. Lion to Lamb.

It's no secret that some of the greatest from-your-gut-belly-laughs are courtesy of kids. They're natural comedians, because they see the world in a way we've forgotten. They're constantly learning, and they're constantly sharing, which makes for some great funnies. Here's a few from my students in recent months: "I feel bad for anyone named Jehosephat." "My mom made chinchiladas for dinner." "When I'm a Dad it's going to be hard, cuz my kids are gonna bug me all the time. I'm just going to go into my office." "Gas stations have all sorts of things, like awesomeness!" "Mrs. J, have you ever been dumpster diving behind Harley Davidson? There's all kinds of great stuff back there!" "I'm not gonna be a comedian. I'm just gonna be a really funny guy the rest of my life." "Once there was a super-evil-mega-villain man named Spiff." "Reading ups your socia...

In light of the recent announcements made during general conference, today at church we talked about Ministering. If you're not familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, let me explain a little bit. In my religion we believe that each one of us are children of God, and that each of us should strive to follow Jesus and be his disciples. As part of following him, each man and woman in the church have had assignments for decades to visit and teach another member of our congregation in their homes, these assignments were called "home teaching" for the men and "visiting teaching" for the women. Recently, these assignments were retired and instead we've been asked to "minister" to one another. Instead of a direct assignment to make a monthly visit and teach a lesson, we've simply been asked to love one another as Jesus would. As Erica taught at church (by the way girlfriend, you ROCKED it) about Jesus and ministering, a flood...

I wrote the following in my journal my sophomore year of college: "I'm in the park...I needed quiet time. I needed outside. And I thought of this poem. The weather now, you can't tell if it's going to be springtime or autumn. It's green right now, and who could tell? Whether winter's storm or summer's spell Is past this blooming moment's swell. The bitter air that stings in draughts A doubting brow to eyes have brought Many greener days, or dead leaves' spot? And without knowledge of the past I've no assumption how to last With future bright, or shadows cast? Lost remembrance makes me still, Freezing with the autumn chill Laughing with April's daffodils. My future holds no surer sign I mustn't wait for stars' align To seize my day and live my time. And whether sorrow's ghastly ray of burning leaves and skies of gray I'll shoulder vigor anyway! Living my own bluest skies Flying with my songbird...

Today I made shrimp tacos... which is a big deal because I am an inlander land-mammal sort of person, and I did not grow up eating seafood. And today I ALSO went to Color-Me-Mine with three of my favorite people: My husband, and our dear friends Cierra & Bryant. I'm on a kick of trying dozens of new recipes each month. It's cheaper than eating out and is a heck-of-a-lot more work, but gives me the chance to adventure with food, which I just really love. The recipe for the tacos (courtesy of the cookbook 400 Calories or Less with Our Best Bites ) called for 5 limes, which I thought was an exorbitant amount, but it paid off with the crazy rich zing flavor that made our puckillary glands water (ask my Grandma Reesa for a scientific explanation of what those are). Instead of rice I made some tropical quinoa salad, and we layered them all together into some fresh tortillas, and it was delicious. As for Color-Me-Mine, well, Kevin and I have been meaning to go for a l...

Yesterday evening I was moseying along with baby boy in a stroller, Kevin by my side, on our way to eat dinner with some friends at a nearby restaurant. While we waited to cross the crosswalk, a large city bus came whirling around the corner. The back wheels hopped the curb. The bright advertisements plastered on the side of the bus drew nearer, and as they did I yanked the stroller closer and closer to me. A raised cement flowerbed hit me from behind, and I began to fall backward as I nervously pulled at my baby boy away from the enormous sidewalk-intruder. And as I tumbled, Kevin's arms caught me while simultaneously aiding me in that anxious backward pull. The bus stormed away, we had at least a foot-wide breadth between us in the end, but that grumbling automotive beast was way too close for comfort. Two things surprised me in that moment yesterday. One: The motherly protective instinct is real. There was nothing I wasn't willing to try to get Charlie out of the way...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well, for today's post, I'm going to simply go with posting a few pictures from this week and adding a one word caption to tell you about it. Cherubic Improvising Snuggle Grateful Battlefield Together.

See these flowers? Yep. You  might have noticed there's some awfully large red rocks around them. Last summer when we moved in to this little gig there was just a bunch of weeds, so we tried to be landscape savvy and make a beautiful little arrangement of red rocks. Our neighbors generously gave us some pavers sand to fill in the cracks. Little did we know that some stubborn little bulbs were underneath thinking "OH YEAH?! Wait until spring and WE'LL SHOW YOU!" So these flowers kind of remind me of my husband.... Lemme explain. I've learned a lot of things in my marriage (we're coming up on 3 years next month, woot woot!). But one thing I've for sure learned is that there's nothing Kevin can't do if he just puts his mind to it. Take the rainbow roses for example (WOW. Another flower mention. I promise this blog is going places people, hang tight. Additionally, you might want to take a look back at a post from 2016, "The Parable of the...

I've had some reservations about how to express myself in this post, but I'm just gonna go for it! I never in my life planned to be a "working mom" (that phrase makes me smirk a little because it's like saying a word twice, in a sense. Moms are ALWAYS working, its just the nature of us, we are constantly doing what we can to be there for our littles and it's exhausting). But for all intents and purposes, you know what "working mom" means in this post. Those with workplaces, jobs, you know. Just like your life goes, my life hasn't gone exactly according to the plans I made. My lovely friend Katelyn and I have chatted a few times about how her five-year plan for the next stage of her life always gets scrambled by a loving God. That's how it's gone for me, too. But the changes are part of what makes life so beautiful. I don't intend to be a working mom forever, and there's more than one reason why I'm a working professional...

Today is a WRITING FLASHBACK sort of post. I wanted to share two poems I wrote during high school, both were published through Creative Communications Inc.  The first poem, Horse and Rider,  received high merit and was published my 9th grade year. The second poem, Inside a Book,  was a top 10 poem and was published my 11th grade year.  HORSE AND RIDER My hands firmly grip the reins, Wind racing wildly through my curls My eyes gaze upon a stunning horizon Orange Sky melting into emerald majestic mountains A sturdy Buckskin gallops beneath me, Hooves pounding the ground with a Thump, Thump, Thump The familiar, thrilling sound echoing in my ears Black mane is flailing in the air, and tail as well The delight of the ride enthralls me thoroughly As we--my horse and I--canter into the distance. But greater still than the like of this adventure, Is the love of the creature beneath me To be able to cooperate with such an intelligent being ...

Haiku poems are a very short form of Japanese poetry. They are three lines long, the first line is 5 syllables, the second line is 7 syllables, and the third line is 5 syllables. One of my favorite things to do with my students is to write haiku poems that describe something, and ask them to guess what it describes--I try to make it a sort of three-line mystery or riddle.  I only share my riddle haikus three or four times a year with my students, but I get a kick out of seeing their little eyes light up and their hands shoot up in the air when they think they've solved it. Here's just short sample of haikus I've written, see if you can figure them out! (Answers are included at the bottom). Gray on my inside all yellow on my outside I tell your stories I just want a sock Try to save the chosen one Sometimes pillow-clad Flamingoes and shrimp Lollipops, gum, erasers My embarrassed face Answers: a pencil Dobby  the color pin...

POWELL (For Uncle Kevin. Who else?) I've been daydreaming about Powell today. Maybe cuz of all the snow... but I really miss the place. I miss... Cramming into mini vans, shoulder to shoulder with cousins and brothers and aunts and uncles and grandma and mom and trekking southeast across Utah, passing signs for places like Nephi and Salina and Panguitch. The sight of gray-green water stretched out under Castlerock as we pull into Wahweap bay. The captain, my bachelor great-uncle, with his crazy gray Harper hair. He's welcoming us onto Señor Corona, his blonde EJP puppy by his side. The first plunge into the water. If I'm feeling brave, it's after a launch off the upper deck of the house boat. But I always arrive in the cool lake water long after Jordan and Josh and Devin and Tanner and Austin and Tyler and Corey, who dove in the minute we got here. The roar of music mixed with engine mixed with the crashing of the waves. Uncle Kevin,...

I've been reading a book called The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox, one of my most beloved college professors. (Tangent: In case you didn't know, Brad Wilcox was an elementary school teacher long before he was a best-selling author and renown education week favorite at BYU. He's a pretty rad guy with lots of talents and I want to be like him when I grow up). Anyways, as I've been reading this book I came across a question that a young missionary posed to brother Wilcox years ago. I hadn't quite put this question into words myself, but when I read the words I felt this aching feeling in my chest that told me "hey self, you resonate with this." The question was something like this: "Why did Jesus have to atone and die? Why didn't Heavenly Father just do it if he's a loving God?" followed up by "Why do awful things happen in the world, especially to good people?" I remember being surrounded by a group of child...