Johnson Vacation

We just got back from Texas. We had the chance to spend a week with Derek's side of the family at Holly Lake Ranch, near Tyler, Texas. We had a wonderful time, and now we're trying to catch up on sleep. :)

We flew to Dallas and rented a car to drive to the resort it was about 2 hours. The flight went well, since we didn't have a booked flight Cassidy was able to have her own seat. She enjoyed looking out the window. When she saw the big puffy clouds she would say, "oh wow"! We were able to meet Grammy, Sara, Scott and the kids at the airport since their flight came in after ours and then we carpooled together to the resort.

It was so good to reunite with the rest of the family. The kids have changed so much! The last time we got together was when Cassidy was 7 months old, for our sealing. The neat thing is that Cassidy has 3 cousins the same age as she is, we all had babies last year. And when we were together last, they were all bald, and not moving much. But on this trip we had 4 toddlers running in every direction. It was also neat to see Brynna, Amber, Grace, Michael, and Ben (the older cousins ages 4-8). They took good care of the little ones. And of course we can't forget Macey the youngest of the bunch at only 3 months old. What a cutie!

The resort that we stayed at was so pretty. We had 4 units right next to each other and each unit had a huge hot tub, so it was fun to fit all the kids in the tub for bath time and of course us adults were able to enjoy it too. :) We were in the great outdoors lots of pine and oak trees. The colors were changing, it was so beautiful! Couple of nights we watched the deer right outside our front door. We were also near a lake and had the chance to go canoeing and use paddle boats. Of course none of us swam in the lake due to the sign that read, Alligators in natural habitat. Thankfully we never came face to face with one. The kids enjoyed playing in the sand, on the playground, and of course just running all over the place.

Each night each couple took a turn with cooking dinner one night, dessert another night, and being in charge of entertainment. Derek and I brought karaoke for our entertainment night. It was so funny to watch and listen to everyone. Grammy was the best! It was a good time. Other nights through out the week we played games like Dominos, and SkipBo and watched movies, the brothers played Halo on the Xbox, the girls stayed up late talking. One day we spent the entire day in Tyler, Texas, going to the horse stables for the kids, wildlife museum, rose garden, and eating out at Texas Roadhouse.

There was a lot to do at the resort also, we had access to play put put golf, volleyball, basketball, tennis, and ping pong. It was so fun to spend time with everyone! They also had board games for the kids and would put out a puzzle for anyone to put together. Guess who sat at the table putting the puzzle together? Yup Derek, and his brothers. It made the ladies at the front desk very happy, and wanted to frame each puzzle they were able to put together. It was cute.

We had a treasure hunt one day for the kids, a sports day with teams, hikes and exploring trails around the area, and took turns for double dates out in the town or at the resort. I don't think Cassidy was ever bored! We think she enjoyed being with her cousins, Grammy,uncles, and aunts so much that she wouldn't ever want to sleep, so she wouldn't miss out on anything! She wanted to throw out naps all together. We will never forget our great week and we will always remember the times we had with everyone! We already miss being together. Thanks everyone for the good memories!

Lunch Visit

Aunt Barb came over to have lunch with Cassidy and I. It was great to be able to see her and to spend some time together. We sat around talking and eating grilled cheese and ham sandwhiches. Thanks for coming over Aunt Barb. We love you!

Halloween Fun

This year Cassidy was Minnie Mouse for Halloween. She sure made a cute mouse!

The week before Halloween, we were invited to a friend's Halloween party and all 3 of us dressed up, Derek was Zorro, I was a Renaissance princess, and of course Cassie was Minnie. We had a good time playing relay games, and bobbing for apples, with the other couples and their kids.

Then for playgroup, the day before Halloween, the kids had a Halloween party. Cassidy and I were in charge of the cake walk. I had fun decorating cupcakes for the party. At the party, Cassidy sure tried to be a big girl and follow the other kids on the cake walk. It was cute when she would suddenly stop and hold up traffic, little by little she got the hang of it. :) At the party they had a coloring table and Cassidy enjoyed coloring her pumpkin with her friend Hannah.

On Halloween day, Cassidy and I spent the afternoon playing together at a place called Pump it Up. It's an indoor playground of inflatable slides, climbing walls, tunnels, etc. We had a ball together, Cassidy and I would go down the big slide many times and it was super fast. The best part was playing chase and we would laugh as we each took turns falling down. We practically had the place to ourselves. Cassidy probably thought her mommy was pretty silly. After spending some time there it was time to go home and take naps to get ready for the big night.

First we had Trunk or Treating at the church. What a cold night! At least it wasn't snowing. Our little mouse enjoyed holding her pumpkin all by herself and was excited to watch as candy would be dropped into her pumpkin. It was neat to see all of our nursery kids dressed up too. After Trunk or treat, we invited friends of ours, the Aragons, to come over to our neighborhood and continue the fun of trick or treating. Derek stayed home to pass out candy while Lisa and I took the girls trick or treating. We saw some cool, decorated, houses. Us moms realized trick or treating was more for us than for the girls, the girls just went along for the ride. We were having so much fun and didn't want the fun to end. Finally, we decided to call it a night and head back home to have some hot chocolate. Let's just say we had candy coming out of our ears. Mario (Lisa's hubby) joined us as soon as he got off of work.

Our week of Halloween was filled with lots of excitement, entertainment, candy, good company, and more candy. It was a great Halloween!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Derek and I enjoy the tv show "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" with Ty Pennington. It's a great show that helps families in need and that deserve a break. Ty and his crew help build a beautiful new home for families all around the country. A lot of volunteers of construction workers, painters, plumbers, etc participate. Anyone can volunteer and get involved to help carry out the big project.

Well, this time they came to Colorado Springs, and we were able to go to the site and check it out. It was neat to see everyone working so hard to build this house in one week. It's amazing how fast they build the house. I was going to volunteer, but it didn't work out. Hopefully we get another opportunity in the future. It was still neat to watch and see the house at different stages of construction. I even got a picture of Eduardo Xol - the landscaper designer. :) (He's the one that's waving, in case you were wondering)

Don't forget to smell the flowers

Cassidy is always willing to go for a ride in the car while mommy does errands around town. As we stop and get out of the car to do what we need to do, Cassidy will point at a tree and say "wow tree" and if we happen to walk by flowers she has to stop and smell the flowers. I'm so grateful for a little girl who knows what is important, and that is to take the time to appreciate all the beautiful things God has created. So thanks Sweetie for reminding mommy to slow down, look around, and smile.

Derek's Birthday

I can't believe Derek is now 33 years old! Yikes he's getting old! :)

Cassidy and I were so happy that Daddy was able to take the day off from work. Cassidy and I made breakfast and then climbed into bed with Daddy. Just the 3 of us eating in bed, a special treat. Derek was allowed to do whatever he wanted all day, and all he asked for was just to hang out and relax since he had such a busy week at work. Later that night we went out to dinner to one of his favorite restaurants, Texas Roadhouse. The food was good like always. After we got home we sang Happy Birthday and had some dessert. Derek asked for a 6 pack of IBC cream soda. Cassidy was thrilled to play with the bottles. Happy Birthday Derek, we love you!

Happy Apple Farm

Cassidy and I were invited to go with our friends, the Terry's, to the Happy Apple Farm. We piled in their car and drove together. The farm was a lot bigger than I thought. Once we arrived we jumped into the hay wagon and they dropped us off near the Apple trees and pumpkin patch. Cassidy couldn't wait to get started with picking apples. Every time I turned around she would be picking up another one. The owners of the farm were very nice and told us we could take a bite and try the delicious apples as we pick them. It was our very first experience at an Apple Farm. We had so much fun! Cassidy would follow her friend Adrianna around. They sat on pumpkins together and on a bench to look at their delicous apples. After spending some time with picking apples we walked over to where the berries were. We soon realized they weren't sweet at all, they still had another week to ripen. Oops! That's when we learned what we thought were raspberries were actually blackberries. :)








We decided to have a lunch picnic there at the farm. Cassidy ate some of her lunch and then couldn't sit still because she wanted to play some more. She's so active and loves to play outside. How can I blame her, it was a fun place to be! Then it was time to leave but we first had to buy some homemade raspberry jam from their store, for Daddy. We're so grateful to our friends who invited us, we had such a wonderful time. We'll definitely have to go back on a weekend so Daddy can come, because it was so much fun!

Weekend in Utah

We took a road trip to Utah as a family a couple of weekends ago, to be a part of Kaley's special day, her wedding. Uncle Lowell (Derek's dad's brother) and Aunt Sharon opened their home to us for a place to stay in Springville Utah. The wedding was in Payson, so not that far at all. It was so nice to visit with family and to see them again, since it's been awhile. It couldn't have worked out any better! They have a beautiful home in the foothills of the mountains. Some of Derek's cousins and their children were also living there or near by so we had the chance to hang out with them too. Patty and son Matt, Katie and son Avery, and Randy.

All of them sure spoiled Cassie with lots of attention. Cassidy enjoyed all the attention with no trouble and was happy about her new Cabbage Patch doll from Uncle Lowell and Aunt Sharon. It was fun to watch Cassie take care of her baby like a little mommy feeding her with the bottle. It was also sweet to watch Cassidy grab the hands of the other kids, Avery and Matt and lead them to play. One time she even grabbed a book, sat next to them and started reading to them in her own little voice. She also enjoyed playing with their cat, Cinnamon. The time we did get to spend together in between the wedding plans we appreciated. We're so grateful to be blessed with such a loving family.

On Saturday morning we met Kaley and her mom, Peggy, for breakfast at IHOP. It was nice to spend some time with them before the wedding later that afternoon. We had a chance to just talk and enjoy each other's company. Then, as we dropped them off at Kaley's apartments we exchanged phone numbers so we could get directions to the house where the wedding was going to be later that day. We were supposed to meet them early for pictures at 3pm and the wedding would start at 5pm. But first the plan was to take Cassie back to Uncle Lowell's house to take a nap so she wouldn't be so tired.

Well, just an hour before pictures the unthinkable happened. I dropped my cell phone as I was walking to the car to get something and my phone busted to the point of not being able to use it anymore. But we still hadn't gotten the directions to the wedding. So Derek quickly drove to Kaley's apartments to see if he could catch Kaley before they left to the house. Of course our luck, they already left and Derek left a note on her door just in case. He even talked with the apartment manager to see if we could get Kaley's phone number from him. But no luck.

Meanwhile, Cassie is just fighting a nap and didn't sleep at all. Derek called to the house on his way back from Kaley's apartment to see if I could find any Sprint stores to see if they could transfer Kaley's number to his cell phone. So Uncle Lowell helped me to find Sprint stores. The mistake was not giving Peggy Derek's cell phone number too. We were able to find a store and they said they might be able to help us. We got dressed for the wedding, and headed to the mall to the Sprint store. Of course by this time we already missed pictures, and there was only an hour left until the wedding would start. Luckily, there was enough juice in my phone that they were able to transfer my phone book of numbers to Derek's phone. But when I tried to get a hold of Kaley, I just got her voicemail beacuase, of course, she's getting married in less than an hour! But then we remembered Kaley saying at breakfast, her phone was about to die and sure she hasn't had time to recharge it.

The Sprint store was not able to transfer Peggy's cell number because it wasn't logged in the phone book, it was just set as an incoming call and Sprint couldn't access those numbers. So I left a message just in case on Kaley's phone. Derek and I decided to drive to Payson anyways since that's where the wedding was taking place. Okay, so everyone told me Payson is such a dinky town and there is nothing there. So maybe, just maybe, we could have some luck and find the house on our own. Now it's 1/2 hour before the wedding, we're so bummed and asked ourselves why is this happening???? Derek spotted some little girls walking up the street in pretty dresses and thought maybe they're going to the wedding so we should ask them. But what went through my head was those girls are doing what little girls do best, playing dress-up. But we were desperate and I let Derek talk to them. When Derek asked them if they're going to a wedding, one of the cute little girls says, No! We're having a Parade. How sweet! But another dead end.

Then Derek had a great idea and told me to change my voice message on my cell phone saying, if you need to get a hold of us, please call Derek's cell phone number. (Some of you have heard this message since :) ) Thankfully, I have a smart husband, and just minutes after my voicemail message was changed, Peggy (Kaley's mom) calls Derek's cell phone, we were all celebrating! We got the directions and were on our way to the wedding. As we followed the directions Derek and I came to the conclusion there was no way we were going to find it on our own. Wow! We weren't even close, even though we put in good effort. :) Needless to say, it was quite dramatic, adventurous, nerve racking, and all of the above. But on a positive note, Cassidy was able to get a power nap. Phew! It all worked out in the end, and all along part of us knew it would. :)

It was so special to see Clint and Kaley get married. They are so happy, and so in love. Their back-yard wedding ceremony was just beautiful! We had the privledge to meet many relatives of both the bride and groom and enjoyed visiting with them. We felt like we fit right in, like we were part of the family. Everyone was so nice!! Cassidy had fun playing with the other children and wasn't shy to use her charm. She looked so adorable in her dress that Kaley picked out to match with the rest of the children: Abby, Shelby, and Ella. We're so happy for Kaley and Clint - they both are so fortunate to have each other. We're so proud of them and happy that their dreams are coming true. And looking forward to hearing the news of them being sealed for time and all eternity!

The weekend was so wonderful! We couldn't miss a special weekend! Thank you, Kaley for inviting us to be a part of your happiness. We thank Heavenly Father each day for bringing you into our lives.

A Total Money Make-over

Well, we've joined the Dave Ramsey bandwagon. For those who don't know, Dave Ramsey has a daily radio show and has authored several books on how to establish financial peace and wealth by eliminating debt and credit. Derek first began listening to him at work and then bought his audio-book "Total Money Makeover". The more we learned, we realized that Dave's financial plan of action is very similar to the Church's guidelines for years: Live within your means and avoid debt. Dave also teaches people to avoid the dangers of credit cards, car loans and leases, and home loans.

Here are the "baby steps" from the book:
1. Create $1000 Emergency Fund
2. Pay off all debts except house from smallest balance to largest
3. Create fully-funded Emergency Fund of 3-6 months of living expenses
4. Invest 15% into Retirement
5. Start a college fund
6. Pay off that mortgage
7. Build wealth to where your money works harder than you do.
8. Invest, Have fun, and give like never before

We have completed steps 1-4 so far. Thankfully, Derek's dad taught him how to spend money wisely from childhood and thus we have avoided most debts. When we started this program, we still had a $5000 student loan that we were paying each month , 8 years after graduating from college. We realized it was time to take money out of savings and get rid of that nagging payment that probably would have lasted another 4 years. Now, we can get serious about paying off our home mortgage. We figured that if we really pinch for the next few years, we can pay off our motgage in 6-7 years. That would be SO cool!! The LDS church has been teaching us to do this for years. So, we are excited that we are finally starting to make some progress.

Another aspect that Dave Ramsey's books focus on is preparing for emergencies, including death. Mostly it was things we already knew but keep neglecting. We knew we needed a will. We knew we needed more life insurance. Now, we are starting to do something about it.

Finally, this book also helped us to finally look at our monthly spending habits. We are not big spenders, but we do have our weaknesses such as eating out. Wow, we loved to eat out. It is also surprising how much vacations add up to each year, even when staying with family (granted rising gas prices sure don't help). We are now trying to commit to a written budget, even when unexpected financial challenges come up.

We feel strongly that these steps will help us to strengthen our marriage and family. We have common goals to work toward, and we are learning self control. Wish us luck!

Colorado Balloon Festival

This weekend on Saturday morning, all 3 of us got up very early and drove to Memorial Park for the Hot Air Balloon Festival. It was so neat to see so many balloons at once! We walked around and watched as each balloon was getting ready for take off. We saw all kinds, many different colors, some animal characters, and many different designs. Cassidy was in awe and happy to see so many balloons. She would point to them all and as each one took a turn for lift off she would wave good-bye and blow kisses. It was so cute! There were around 90 balloons! Some of them even touched down at the lake. That was pretty cool. We'll have to go every year now, and make this a fun family tradition.