Christmas Blog 07

Friends and family, Welcome to another installment of......

The Johnson Family

Christmas Letter

That's right months of anticipation can now be put to rest as it is finally time to give you our seasons greetings. You may notice we are doing things a little differently this year. Most noticeably this years letter is in blog form and not paper. I guess Al Gore and his scissor lift got to us and we are making every effort to conserve........I'm sorry you can probably see right through that attempt at environmentalism. Truth is in this ever evolving technological world we have gotten lazy. I have to level with you, right now I have every light on in the house, the thermostat cranked up, the windows open, both cars are idling in the driveway for no good reason, Erika is chopping down a coastal redwood (with an old two-stroke chainsaw no less), and Scotty is tormenting an endangered spotted owl ("stop endangering yourself")...Better go pick up some carbon off sets at the local yuppie specialty store (in my Volvo, while wearing Birkenstocks, and kicking around a hacky sack.) Don't worry I will bring my own re-usable grocery bags.

Defiling mother earth aside, its been a banner year around the Johnson house. Most notably the addition of a new member of Team Johnson. But lets not get ahead of ourselves there has been plenty to report on.

As I finished up the last bit of my schooling Erika continued to teach biology at Whittier High. This year she took on the challenge of teaching the AP curriculum in biology and those of you who know her, know that she doesn't do things halfway. So instead of teaching one section of this college level class to a select few hand picked from among the dross (hey its Whittier High, as an alum I can call the student body dross, I was one of them) she decided to teach 4 of the 6 sections she was primarily responsible for filling. Add to that being pregnant for the second half of the school year and you can see why I don't mess with her. Anyone with that kind of energy and determination (let alone the skills in hand-to-hand combat necessary to teach high school) is not someone you want to bring up the mystery scratch on the car door with unless you are ready for a butt kicking. They are already sorely missing her as she received a promotion to motherhood in September.

Speaking of motherhood (I know its getting ahead of myself in terms of timeline) we were joined by a baby boy this September and our lives will never be the same. I have a hard time thinking about funny things to say because he is so precious to us. Lets just say that Erika doesn't complain that she never sees me cry anymore. He has made me into a total softy and Erika into an insatiable baby talker (ok so I could think of one funny thing.) The kid hasn't missed many meals (wonder who he gets that from?) and as a result was big enough last week to throw my back out with one impromptu wiggle. Luckily I know a good chiropractor.

I finally graduated from LACC in April and after a short stint as a substitute teacher while I waited on my license, I started practicing in San Clemente. It was a windy road that got me to practicing in the city of my dreams, but you can read about it in another blog. It is a great opportunity and it gives me the chance to work with Dr. Michael Kreutz, who is a truly gifted clinician and above all an ethical, honest, and humble man. The perfect man to have as a mentor in this crucial stage in my career.

Practicing in San Clemente meant leaving Whittier again, which we did in October. It was tough this time as its probably for the last time. We have made so many good friends there and I am so glad Erika got to live in my home town for a few years because it is not a place that charms you right off the bat but takes time to grow on you.

It has been a year full of great adventures and good times which you can catch up on by perusing this blog for a little while. We have so been so richly blessed and have much to be thankful for. We look forward to treating Scotty to his first Christmas and to seeing almost all of our family. I hope this Christmas finds you well and the spirit of the season fills you up with love and joy. Because that spirit that makes us a little more loving, a little more tolerant, a little more caring, and a little more giving is the spirit of the one who's birthday it is we are celebrating.

May the spirit of Christ lift you up and encircle you with a knowledge of his love for you, and may you find time in what can be a frantic and overly busy time of year, to ponder the greatness of his gift to each of us.

Merry Christmas

From the Johnsons

Didn't get a Christmas card from us the last two years? Want to catch up on what you've been missing? Click here to read our letter from the last two Christmas'

Chirstmas '06

Christmas '05