The Best Christmas Present Ever

I've always had good Christmases. I was very fortunate to grow up with parents who were able to make Christmas wonderful each year. We never went lacking. But this year.....this year was especially wonderful. Two days before Christmas, we had an ultrasound which showed us that we were having a little girl! At first I was a little shocked and scared. For whatever reason, I thought it was a boy and all the pictures that had been streaming through my head of a little baby were all of a baby boy. But now that I know it's a girl and it's had a few days to sink in, I am SO excited. And I just can't wait to meet her. I'm ready for her to be here NOW. But patience....is a virtue. Here are some Christmas pics. We got about 6 inches of snow in little Washington. Enjoy.

I'm not an anxious person...

I'm really not. Although it seriously runs in my family. However, I'm finding it hard not to be anxious about EVERYTHING having to do with this baby. Is it a boy or girl? What will we name it? How will we prepare the house? What do we need to buy? And when do you start doing that?

We had a doctor's appointment this week and they wanted to hear the heartbeat. A nurse came in with the doppler thing and clearly stated that she was no expert at this and may need to get someone else to help her. Ummm...ok? So she starts moving the thing around on my belly and nothing is coming up except my own heartbeat. She asked if we knew what we were having yet. We said no. She said, "well little girls like to hide from this". I'm just going to chalk that up to the fact that she clearly sucks at her job and did indeed have to get someone else to find the heartbeat. Just another thought to run through my mind for the next month before we actually get to find out the sex.

I hate that I can't feel the baby move yet. I read somewhere that some people can feel the baby this early, but usually not first time mothers. However, I also read that if you hold a flashlight up to your belly, the baby will run away from the light. I think I might try this and see if I can feel any "flutters". Has anyone else tried this before? Probably not because it sounds kind of ridiculous, but I'm not above that. Okay maybe I am above that.

Exciting News in the Johnson Household

Well, things have been awfully busy around here. Tom has been busy getting another year of Young Life rolling. And while I have been helping him with that, I've mainly been busy growing a baby in my belly. WHAT??! Yes. You heard right. Tom and I are expecting our first bundle of joy in May. We have already had several high school students offer to babysit, to which I have quickly replied, "not a chance". Well maybe one of MY girls could do it, but definitely not one of Tom's boys. Am I being protective already? Anyway, we are definitely excited, but I don't think it has really sunk in yet. I have been reading some books, magazines, etc. which have been mostly helpful, but I have read several things which made me think "WHY WOULD YOU TELL ANYBODY THAT?" On one hand I want to be prepared, but on the other I don't want fear and anxiety to rule my pregnancy. I do wish somebody had warned me about the *aahhemm* "internal" ultrasound. For those of you who had children awhile ago, they may not have had this lovely technology around then, but for you newer moms: shame on you for not warning every fertile woman about this! HOWEVER, it did allow us to hear the baby's heartbeat at only 8 weeks, which was pretty incredible. Needless to say, I am a busy lady working 40+ hours a week, being a Young Life & Young Lives leader, committee member, and sane person in Washington. I'm going to try my best to keep up the blog during this exciting time though. Here is a pic of a cute little sign my co-workers posted on my office door after I told them the news.

Finding humor in hard places.

I went back to work full time in August. This time around I am doing foster care and adoptions. It is super busy all the time. On my second day back I already had 15 children on my caseload. Ahhh!! The thing that makes this job bearable is the great group of people that I work with. We always help each other out and vent in our offices about the ridiculous situations we deal with. In a job where you hear about horrific things on a daily basis, you have to find some time to laugh. Here are two little gems from last week: A father told his social worker that he had a medical condition which made marijuana stay in his system longer than 30 days. Yeah....I'm gonna need a doctor's note on that one. A little girl was surprised at the diversity in her new school. She said "I don't know if I should call them, the people with dark skin, or black people". Her therapist suggested, "Why don't you just call them by their names?".....Good call.

Summer Recap

What a summer it has been. I have been all over this stinkin' country! It started with our YL assignment in Colorado. Here is a pic of me at the top of the hike. We trekked 5 miles up to 12,000 feet. It was by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But the view....indescribable. A picture just doesn't do it justice.

After we got back from Colorado, we were home for about a month before we headed to Windy Gap with our high school friends from Washington. Here is a pic of me and my cabin on 80's night.


We pulled into Washington at 3:30am from Windy Gap. We had 1 day to get some laundry done and then we hit the road again. This time, Tom and I were driving 2 minivans filled with leaders, teen moms, and babies. Lake Champion was our destination for YoungLives camp. During the week, Tom and I were able to visit some of his family in Massachusetts also. Here is a pic of the two of us at a Baltimore Orioles game on the way up to camp, and one of all the strollers parked outside of a cabin at camp




We returned from YoungLives camp at midnight and then left at 10am the next morning to head to Topsail Beach for a much needed VACATION. It was awesome.


Now it's back to the grindstone.

Glamour Shots

These pics are courtesy of our good friend Lindsay Hancock. She did a little photo session with Tom and I on the banquet night at Windy Gap last week. Check out her other stuff... LMHphotography

Backtrack to Bachelorette Weekend!

My best friend got married in April on the beach, which was beautiful. Of course I don't really have any pictures from that. BUT I DO have pictures from the bachelorette party!! We rented a cabin in Weaverville, but spent a lot of time in Asheville. It was a blast! On Friday night, we had a lingerie shower for the bride, played some games, then made smores over a campfire outside. On Saturday, we walked into downtown Weaverville for lunch and just hung out at the house. Then late afternoon we headed into Asheville for a wine/beer tasting which was so much fun!! After that it was off to dinner and then out on the town! We ended up going to the gay club because all the locals said that was the best place to dance. And if the bride wants to dance, then WE SHALL DANCE. Here are some pics. Enjoy!

I'm The Luckiest

We arrived at Young Life's Frontier Ranch in Buena Vista, Colorado about a week ago for our 3 1/2 week assignment. I've never been further west than Nashville, TN so this has been a monumental trip for me. To say that this place is incredible would be a huge understatement. It's impossible to see this view and not praise the Lord for magnificent beauty. A picture just doesn't do it justice. On top of the physical beauty, there is nothing better than being surrounded by people who are loving each other like Jesus loves each of us. Every time new campers step off the bus to a glorious welcome of cheering and screaming, it makes me cry; just in anticipation of the gracious God that they will encounter while they're here. I'm hoping to get some better pictures up soon, but for now, check out my friend Leslie's blog who is also here on assignment:

http://ashevillesloan.blogspot.com/

She posted a video of the flash mob dance that took place last night at club. I'm going to try and video it from the back of the room next week to get a better view, but it was AWESOME. I am so thankful that my husband works for Young Life and I get to do things this.

For the Animal Lovers

WHAT PETS WRITE IN THEIR DIARIES


Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......


8:00 am - Dog food! My favourite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favourite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favourite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favourite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favourite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favourite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favourite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favourite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favourite thing!
8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the humans! My favourite thing!
11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favourite thing!


Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary...


Day 983 of my captivity...

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. FOOLS.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now......... .

My, My Heart like a Kick Drum

About 6 months ago, we decided to cut off our cable & DVR services (I know, crazy right?). I felt like we were watching too much TV and Tom felt like we were spending too much money. But of course, we couldn't live completely without TV, I mean let's not be ridiculous here. So we bought one of those converter box thing-a-ma-jigs and mounted an antenna on our chimney. Now we get about 10 channels (all of the basics) for FREE. We also convinced our friends Cameron & Megan to do it, but they live in a much bigger city and get tons more channels than we do. Anyway, we also decided to get Netflix. IT IS AWESOME. Seriously, I highly recommend it. We started out just getting 1 movie at time for like $9 a month. When you send it back in the mail, you literally get the next movie on your list within 2 days. Incredible, right? So then we upgraded to get 2 movies at a time for $14 a month. Still totally worth it.

This past week, we got Duplicity and Precious in the mail. We watched Duplicity together and I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. Decent, but not great. Last night, I decided to watch Precious by myself (Tom wasn't interested). It was very good. I would say 4 out of 5 stars. Not spectacular, not as great as I thought it would be, but still really good. It's always a little bit weird for me to watch movies like that because I hear those stories every day at my job. The real stories, from real people who are living through unfathomable things. Several people warned me that the movie was really "heavy". I cried once during the whole movie. It was when Precious was having a breakdown, crying and saying that love hasn't done anything for her except beat her, rape her, and tell her she's worthless. That's heavy.

It bothers me a little that I didn't cry more. Although, it made me more angry than sad. The brokenness of the world we live in is just completely angering. I've often worried that my job would eventually harden my heart. When you see crappy things enough, they become ordinary and not as shocking. I don't want to lose my compassion and empathy. I think those are 2 of the most precious gifts that God gave me. I believe that's part of the reason that the Lord led me into the field of social work. But if my heart becomes hardened...I'll no longer be able to do the job well that God called me to. Here's the trailer for the movie. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Dog Bios

My name is Griswald. My family and friends call me Grizz for short. I enjoy sniffing and licking people's ears. I also enjoy laundry. My best friend is my brother Red. We can play pretty rough but somehow, he's the only one who ends up with cuts and scabs on him. As much as we fight though, I love to snuggle up with him when I'm tired. My love language is grunting. I also snore a lot.



My name is Red. Sometimes my family calls me Redman. I have a little brother named Grizz who is my best friend. I like to bite his face and sometimes he sits on mine. I just recently learned that I could jump up on the kitchen counters and have tasty snacks. I also enjoy eating rawhide bones and taking my mom for a walk. My love language is whining.

Sweet Girl

This is so cute and precious. It will make your heart smile. Watch it. NOW.

For some reason, it's not letting me post the link, so you'll have to copy and paste it. :(


http://www.wimp.com/calmcall/

Spectacular! Spectacular! No words in the vernacular!

Notice anything SPECTACULAR in this picture?



That's right folks, after 18 months in this house, we finally joined the 21st century and got a DISHWASHER. It is glorious. I don't even know what else to say. I feel like I have my life back (or atleast a few hours a week). This 1920's bungalow has never had a dishwasher, so it took us awhile to find someone who would install it. We also got a garbage disposal installed. One check off the list of 5 million things we need to do to this house.

OR*GA*NI*ZA*TION

So the closet in our bathroom has pretty much been a disaster since we moved in. All of our medicines, lotions, etc. have just been thrown in together in a big bin. We could never find anything that we needed when we needed it. So on Thursday I ventured out to the big city of Greenville (stop laughing) and headed straight to Bed Bath & Beyond. I got a gift card to the store for Christmas, so I thought I'd try there first, hoping to find some organizational tools. After a lot of sorting, looking at expiration dates, and bit of forceful "encouragement" from my husband to throw some of my bath and body works collection away, this is what we came up with. The labels are courtesy of my husband.

Just Goofing Around

I was just sitting on the floor playing with the dogs the other day and tried to snap some pictures of us. It didn't work out too well...

The Love Doctor

More than likely you've heard of the book, The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I have heard people talk about this for years, but never looked into it until last night. I read the first couple of chapters, but was so anxious to find out what mine and Tom's love languages were, that I skipped to the questionnaire in the back. It's basically telling you how you like to be loved and what you respond to the best. The 5 languages are: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

Surprise surprise, Tom and I are complete opposites.

My number 1 love language is Words of Affirmation, followed closely by Quality Time and Physical Touch.
Tom had a tie for his number 1 love language with Receiving Gifts and Acts of Service, followed by Physical Touch.

If you haven't read the book, I would recommend it. Usually you try to love somebody in the same way that you like to be loved, but that's not necessarily how they want to be loved. It's interesting stuff, and it could really improve your relationships. Looks like I need to buy my husband more presents...

Here is a pic of Tom and I from this weekend. We were invited to a fundraiser Valentine's dinner put on by a church youth group. It was pretty good. Here we are on the "Streets of Italy"...

Yeah we like to cuddle. So what?

There will be many more of these to come.

In My Next 10 Years

With the new year now in full swing, I've thought a lot about this past decade. I heard people on the news saying that these past 10 years had been extremely difficult. For me, probably some of the most significant moments of my life took place in this last decade. From 2000-2010, I:

graduated high school
got my first job
lost 2 friends to car accidents
went to 3 colleges
graduated college
got married
became an aunt (twice!)
bought my first house
got my first dog
lost my first dog
moved twice
started a program for teens with disabilities
got hit by a drunk driver
worked in what will probably be the hardest job of my life
bought my first car
and many others...

We'll see how these next 10 years pan out. I think they're gonna be great. And I'm really pumped for the adventure of it all.

Joy

We have always wanted to have 2 dogs. After Clive died, we were even more convinced that we needed 2...just in case something happens to one of them. And also, it's nice for a dog to always have someone to play with. Our thought was that they would wear each other out all day and then crash. So in December, we added another pup to our family. Grizz. I wasn't too keen on the name at first, but when Tom said it could short for Griswald, I was sold. We also like to call him Grizzly Bear...you'll understand when you see the pictures. About 10 minutes after bringing Grizz home and introducing him to Red, Tom said, "I immediately regret this decision". It was CRAZINESS. Things are getting better now, but having 2 puppies is quite a handful. They can get in to some trouble, and there is a lot of yelling...but they can also be really sweet and are of course the cutest little guys in the world. More than anything though, they bring joy to my life.