The Bandwagon

Christmas 2008

2008-12-14T20:39:00.000-08:00

Well its happened again folks. Another year has come and gone and it is once again time for a little Christmas update from the Johnson's. What you say? You are new to this game? Well you had better do some catching up. The rest of the class is years ahead. Better check in with the ghost of Christmas blogs past (You know the one with the laptop and iphone under his cloak) and do some reminiscing (2005, 2006, 2007) before we have to go all Jacob Marley on you and send all three to your inbox at random hours of the night.

I must admit that I often put this letter/blog off most years out of sheer procrastination. By this year however I think I am really stating to enjoy the chance to look back and give thanks. Because it has been a good year to be a Johnson.

Since we last wrote at Christmas Scotty has had a number of firsts. First Christmas, first word (I say it was Dada, Erika says it was ball. I'll just have to relish in word number two- Guitar.), first steps (can we take that one back?), and first birthday, to name a few. The kid is all boy and loves him a good truck or tractor and he just may be my path to one day getting a dog. He has also taken to football, or at least pointing it out on the TV every time dad is watching. So he can either identify football on the TV or understands probability and statistics and knows chances are if the TV is on and Dads around that its football. But I don't get to take much credit for all the good things he does as I think it has something to do with that world class mother of his.

If I said Erika has taken to being a mother like a duck to water it would be a compliment to the ducks hydrophilic nature. It seems like every day there is something he has learned because she takes the time to help him understand his ever expanding world. We all knew she was a great teacher. Her class size has just shrunk. And while I know she has occasional pangs of longing for the friendships, accomplishment, and recognition (not to mention paycheck) of a high school teacher its nothing a big hug or kiss from one of her boys can't chase away. This year she has added many talents to her domestic repertoire from bread baking (my favorite) to online scrap booking (my less than favorite) and her sewing is even getting to be pretty impressive. Like I said she is taking this mom thing pretty seriously.

I continue to slave away in this Siberian salt mine of a town called San Clemente. Don't laugh life here can be challenging. Some days my five mile commute down Pacific Coast Highway is cloudy and last week I even turned the heater on for a couple of minutes. Don't even get me started on how much dew there is on my car in the morning. I love my job building a private practice as a chiropractor and while the challenges of these times are not lost on me at least the successes end in me doing what I truly love to do. It helps that I work with good people and a fine mentor in Michael Kreutz.

This year like many in the past has been one to reflect on and give thanks. I definitely have gained a new empathy for good old Bob Cratchit. While he didn't have the money or possessions of Scrooge, he found great joy in the things money does not buy, and as a result was truly happy even in the midst of various hardships. (Now I must admit, I haven't got it nearly as bad as Bob. Dr. Kreutz is no Scrooge and really I'm the one always trying to make the office colder not adding lumps of coal to the fire and Scotty is no Tiny Tim...he couldn't even pass for just plain old Tim. No He's a regular Husky Tim.) But like Mr. Cratchit this has been a year to give thanks for the simple things in life that bring us real joy.

And each year when we begin to feel so blessed that we just can't take it anymore, the holidays hit us and we are reminded that on top of it all, we have been the recipients of the greatest gift ever given to mankind in the form of a babe born in Bethlehem.

May we each take a the time to give thanks for that which brings joy into our lives, and ponder with reverence a loving Father in Heaven and the gift of His Son during this special time of year and always.

Merry Christmas From the Johnson's

Summer Vacation

2008-07-15T23:21:00.000-07:00

This blog is officially on hiatus. Check the Baby Bandwagon for Johnson family updates.

Just Another Foodie

2008-05-01T15:30:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know, there are a lot of things that make the Johnson side of the family the wacky, zany, quirky (funny those are all words I use when describing someone else who I think is weird but can't come right out and say it. Strange coincidence? I think not.) family that they are. In fact for Christmas this year Erika and I put together a children's ABC's book with just those things in mind. It was a hit with one recurring theme. More than anything else on the list. More than baseball games, guitar jam sessions, beach activities, singing, Davey Crockett, Weird Al, and Ishtar, we Johnson's love food.

Foodie is a word that has found its way into the lexicon these days and I think it fits (although Erika likes to often evoke the less endearing "Food Snob" on occasion when describing the extents we go to for a good meal). You see a foodie (as defined bywikipedia) is different from a gourmet in that "gourmets are epicures of refined taste who may or may not be professionals in the food industry, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news. Gourmets simply want to eat the best food, whereas foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food. For this reason, foodies are sometimes viewed as obsessively interested in all things culinary."

That kinda nails us. Its why Food Network gets Tivo'ed more than any other channel or Williams Sonoma is My favorite store in the mall. You want proof? Read one of my sisters blogs it won't take you long to get the picture - (Michal - Allison).

If you have checked in on this blog with any regularity you may know that tradition is important to us. As is raising up the next generation of Johnson's with an appreciation for those traditions. Scotty being our firstborn gets bombarded at times with the many loves we want to instill in him. But then there are just things that he takes to so easily we know that it was no mistake he ended up with us.

Case in point. It's about that time (according to our baby guru Dr. Sears) to start introducing Scotty to new foods. Not really for nourishment, (he still likes a good home made meal...and by home I mean Mom) but for texture and flavor introduction. The kid has been begging for whatever it is we are eating since he could see that we were eating but it was a bit of a shock at first. Here are a couple of clips of him eating his first bites of rice cereal- the look on his face is classic but don't let it fool you he wanted more. Sorry they're kinda sketchy but all I had was the cell phone.

Since then he has broadened his horizons to include a love of applesauce, avocados, sweet potatoes, small pieces of bread, nibbles of dad's ice cream (when mom's not looking), grass (only when dad's not looking- hey I'm protective of my lawn), and the most unexpected garlic.
That last one has a story and since you are still reading at this point I might as well tell it. Erika and I had gone out to dinner (a rare treat as any new parent and frugal new business owner will tell you.) thanks to a gift certificate from Erika's dad. As the meal wound down We grew tired of Scotty's begging so we started giving him little scraps (wow he sounds like a dog). A little piece of bread here, some avocado there, then I spied the left over garlic from Erika's fries (this and the onions on her sandwich might make you think we don't kiss anymore now that we are parents, but that is not true.....I just like the taste of garlic and onions. ) and thought I might play a trick on my little garbage disposal. So before Erika could veto me I slipped him a small piece. The cartoon-like take he did made me wish I had it on tape. But to our surprise after the initial shock (probably due to the fact that he had been eating bread right before) he chomped it down and begged for more. Alright, I thought. This time I will have my camera ready. Out came the cell phone and in went another slightly larger piece.....and then......nothing. He liked it? Not even a wink from the kid. Well initially I was disappointed, but deep inside I knew that this was yet another sign that this kid is going to be a Johnson through and through. In fact as I contemplate eternity in my minds eye I can seeScotty pre -mortally as he anticipated his chance to have a body and all that this earthly experience meant. And I see him looking forward to the experience of eating good food. And with that in mind looking at our family and saying "thats the one." "Thats the family I'm going to."

Welcome to the family kid......Now if he was only as excited about clearing the table.

The Baby Bandwagon

2008-04-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ok by now the regular checkers of this blog may be throughly up in arms with the lack of frequent posting. Some may even wrongfully blame me for causing such a predicament. I can only respond with the same level of frustration - maybe even more. I told you before I can't say a word around here without it being taken to extremes. But I think I may have a solution. At the risk of bruising my ego and seeing what people really come to this blog for (here's a hint, its not the witty banter. No I think there is a certain pint sized purpose driving most of the traffic to this site) I have decided to set up a blog for Erika thats all her own. Dedicated solely to the posting of gratuitous baby pictures, long winded soliloquies about child rearing, and my personal favorite bragging about the perfect weather here in San Clemente/Dana Point.

So here it is - The Baby Bandwagon (lets hope the name generates some brand loyalty)

Enjoy

(and stop harassing me about cutting you off from the constant flow of little baby cuteness)

A Red Letter Day

2008-04-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hey folks in blog-land,

I know the viewership of this blog has changed slightly since I was a regular poster here- (see the early days of this fine blog and you will see). What once was a small group of friends and family is now a network of other bloggers, still friends and family I guess but slightly more vocal. (and when I say bloggers I mean mainly moms who like to share funny stories about their kids.-not that there's anything wrong with that, I love a good story about a funny bodily function or a kid saying the darnedest thing. I especially love a story that involves both with the occasional food wild card thrown in.)

So with my aforementioned audience in mind lets get mushy.

Let me start by reminding you that us Johnsons love us some baseball. Specifically Angels baseball. So I was over joyed to find out when I met this McCall girl (who adamantly claimed to dislike football- just a sport I was playing at the time collegiately) that she was a rabid baseball fan thanks to, in large part, a dad who himself is a rabid baseball fan. But wait - there was a catch. A twist of fate Shakespeare himself would have seen too vile to subject even his immortally tragic characters to in so much as a sonnet. That's right, my Juliet was a Mariners fan. For those of you who don't know what that means you might as well just stop reading and skip to the cute picture part of this blog.....Go ahead you can still think of a witty comment with the material above or just say something like "oh he is so cute" if nothing else comes to mind.

The year was 2001 and it was smooth sailing for M's fans as their beloved team was cruising towards the most regular season wins in baseball history (leaving my Angels something like 40 games back by the end of the season-fact checkers might want to get me a real number there but just know it was thoroughly embarrassing to say the least). As the playoffs came I found myself in a dilemma. Root against the team that had made hamburger out of my Halo's or apply some of that Christ-like forgiveness I had learned as a recently returned missionary and cheer on my beloved's favorite team. I chose wisely and cheered on her Mariners and you see where that landed me. (Luckily the Yankees came to town and I didn't have to root them all the way into the world series as that may have been too much for young love to conquer.) To return the favor, my by then wife, sat by me and hooted and hollered the next season when the Angels did go all the way to win the World Series.

Why is this important? Its not to you. But its not your blog so chill.

Its important because going to baseball games with our dad (& sometimes mom) to both of us has been an important part of growing up and becoming the people we are. So when I heard that Scotty would be attending a Mariners game when he went to visit Grandma and Grandpa later this month, I knew I only had a small window to get my butt in gear. "No son of mine is going to his first baseball game without me. Mariners or otherwise." I said to Erika. And since a trip to Seattle at this point professionally is not in the cards, I got to work finding us some tickets to a game a little closer to home.

Last night was that game. Angels v Indians at the stadium in Anaheim. Now if you have read here in the past you know that I traditionally have not been a misty eyed softy, but that Scotty has at times transformed me into just that. This was one of those times. We parked in the parking lot outside and he was in a happy mood (just happy to be out of his car seat I think). We took a few pictures outside the stadium and then went in. The whole way I just watched as he Giving the evil eye to some Indian fans

looked around in amazement at all these new things to look at. It really was a proud moment. we rode the escalator up to the upper deck (the abode of the Johnson boys when we were paying for tickets.) As we stepped out of the tunnel into that wide open expanse of the field(a moment that always gives me chills) I watched as Scotty's eyes widened to take it all in. I was still in control at this point but then we made our way to our seats. Right behind home plate, a spot I distinctively remember from a game in my youth sitting next to dad (who was taking score or reading the program) with binoculars in my hand looking down at the players like Lance Parrish, Brian Downing, and our favorite Wally Joyner. I remember that even their stirrup socks had little A's on them and that we were playing Oakland that night and I hate Oakland. I remember Jose Canseco looked so big (and now I know why) and that Dave Stewart was unhittable. We lost that game but the memory is so alive still that I feel a little of each of those early games every time I am there.

I know Scotty won't remember this game. It will be years before he has any allegiance to a team. But the thought of being able to take him to a game and teach him how to eat sunflower seeds and peanuts, to point out what everyone on the field does, to explain things like the suicide squeeze and the infield fly rule here in those same seats where I learned was just too much. I found myself tearing up and hiding behind Scotty's head so Erika couldn't see me. I felt more like a dad (not just a father-you know the difference) than at any point yet.

The game was amazing. A pitchers duel until the end when there were two or three lead changes and a dramatic walk-off grand slam by the home team. I wish I could say I was there for it. Scotty started crying after the fireworks during the national anthem and we each took turns standing in the tunnel or walking around the concourse to keep him from being overwhelmed by all the sounds. We finally settled in the outfield where he was happy and we could watch what we thought was the last lead change (a home run that landed right in front of us and sent the crowd into a frenzy and Scotty into a conniption.) By then it was late and it was time for some karmic retribution. You see I also remember a game on the 4th of July when I was so scared of the fireworks display (which really is the reason you pay outrageous prices for a game on the 4th)that dad had to take me out to the van before it was over. With this in mind I thought about my little boy and new that this cry meant "take me home". I guess I am getting old, or I just love him that much, but I didn't even think twice about it. We just got our stuff and headed out. We listened in horror on the ride home as the Indians regained the lead in the top of the ninth and rejoiced only slightly when Torie Hunter hit a bases loaded slam in the bottom of the ninth to win it.....just as we pulled into our driveway.

Really made me think, as old me would be so mad to miss an experience like that. In fact some of the games I remember the best are the ones that I have been a witness to dramatic comebacks. But the dad in me was just fine with the whole thing, and just happy to be home with a smiling baby boy.

Give him some time though. He'll be the one telling me we can't go home yet because its not over.

Darn Doorbell!

2008-04-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

So I'm trying to put Scotty down for nap yesterday around 3ish (right after I burned my birthday cake by flouring the pan too much) and this is what happens:

"ding dong ding dong ding dong"
Erika: Gets excited, can it be mom's birthday package? Picks up Scotty, goes and answers the door
Standing at door is a young man, between 19 and 23 years of age
Man: "I'm here for lunch"
Erika: "What?"
Man: "I'm here for lunch"
Erika: "Is that supposed to make sense?"
Man: "It made other people laugh, I guess it didn't work on you."
Erika: "Yeah..."
Man: "I'm here from NCF, did you get our flier in your door last week?"
Erika, "No." getting more and more frustrated
Man: "Here, let me give it to you so you don't think I'm a weird, crazy, random guy" tries to hand Erika a flier through the screen door
Erika: "I already do" while closing the door

Scotty decided after this incident to not fall asleep until about 6:20. Awesome.

When will I learn?

2008-03-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Hey all Tyler here for a change,

You would think after almost six years of marriage that I would have figured out a few things. Don't get me wrong, I have learned one or two things. Seriously though, after this long we are both skilled laborers in the Button Pushers Union (Chapter 51802). But I'm not talking about anything malicious or mean- - just simple day to day stuff here.

Like I know that if Klondike bars are on sale at the grocery store I had better buy a box, or if I drink out of the jug she will too. I know that calling her anal, neurotic, obsessive, fanatical, or just plain crazy only works for a day after which she begins taking them as compliments for how organized and well prepared she is. I know that birthdays are a BIG deal and that the month of March (not just the 31st) is an official Johnson family holiday. I know that certain commercials will make her cry and that I had better not watch The Daily Show or Rob & Big without her. I know that movie previews and small electric shocks make her jump and that she can't parallel park when I am watching. I know that a recipe is like a commandment (etched in stone) and that there is no such thing as too many baby clothes. I know that even though she converted to Angel fandom (a tough order for a girl from a family of rabid Mariner fans) she will never, ever, ever forgive Alex Rodriguez for breaking her heart and becoming a Yankee. (hey as much as I disagree you gotta love it that she's that passionate about baseball....thanks Greg) I know that she doesn't listen when I ask her to take fewer baby pictures, or at least delete the blurry ones, and that she could talk to Jenny on the phone while literally performing any task imaginable. I know that if there's chowder on the menu she'll have some and that odd numbers of socks make her feel like a failure. I know that cuddles and massages make her melt , and am glad that we now have a son who can do one of those things and take some pressure off of dad. I know that for some strange reason she likes to give talks in church but can't stand the taste of chocolate. I know that she can't get most places without detailed driving directions (that we go over 2-3 times) but she can remember the birthdays of nearly every member of my extended family.

I could go on...and I might another day. But let me get to the point here. So why haven't I learned that I can't give her constructive criticism without her taking it to extremes? Just slow I guess. So the other day when I mentioned that this blog was getting a little weak in the content department and that I think it would be better to do few blogs with a little more thought put into them than many blogs bragging again about how nice the weather is here. I really should have known that what I would get is a long and preachy research paper on a touchy subject. (Sorry I had to pull a Stalin on her and censure it this morning. If you want to see her blog about Vaccinations and her view maybe she'll pull a Dick Chenney and leak it to you without my knowledge. At least then I could quit my job as a CIA operative.)

So here I am back in the mix of blog writing. I hope she doesn't get too mad at me for pulling the plug on her manifesto, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Told you I haven't learned a thing.

ps- I love you honey. Happy March! In two months it will be six years and I don't know what I did without you before then.

HELP!!!

2008-03-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

I just got a phone call from the Young Women's Presidency in a Stake about 45 minutes north of us. They want me to be a speaker for their Youth Conference (next Saturday!). My topic? Dating Etiquette. I have 50 minutes (and have to present 2 times). Besides open the car door, don't honk but walk up to the house, pull out her chair, and don't text on your date, I'm out of ideas.
I spoke at their closing session last year and did a really good job (sorry-humility lacking in this sentence but it was really good) so I can't let them down this year. The pressure is on!!
HELP!
I'm also thinking about branching out and talking about assertive communication, fun date ideas, making good choices and the church's stance on dating.
I appreciate any & all feedback you can come up with.
Thanks a million :-)
(this is on my plate on top of teaching the 17 year old Sunday School class this week and the Relief Society lesson next week)

I love my life

2008-02-28T21:18:00.000-08:00

You know you live in paradise when you have to put sunscreen on your child in the month of February.

Pre-blowout. All set, in his adorable board shorts, for our play date at the beach. Sunscreened up and ready to roll.

Post blowout...in long sleeves & roasting in the 81 degree weather. I'm telling you, this kid knows the right time to take care of business.

My favorite blogs

2008-02-21T22:59:00.000-08:00

Here are 4 of my favorite posts as of late. I love reading other peoples blogs. Thanks for sharing with me!!!

And here is a fun one if you want to win $15 in Sees Candy... Anyone can do it but, Michal, I think you could win!
Here is what you have to do to win:
1. Write a post about your favorite food experience.
2. Put a link in that post to this post.
3. Leave her a comment or send her an email at (littlemissadvice at gmail dot com) with a link to your post.
4. Deadline is February 28.
5. On February 29 she will have Cookie pick her favorite post (So please keep it G-rated) and she will announce the winner on March 1st.
6. The winner will get a gift certificate to Sees Candy in the amount of $15.

I wanna tell you about my best friend...

2008-02-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

Jen came down to visit this weekend, trading in her fuzzy jackets and warm boots for t-shirts and flip flops. It was so fantastic to see her! She's a freshman at BYU right now and loving college. We talk on the phone 5-8 times a day but thats not as good as seeing each other. So, with Dad's permission, she took a road trip to visit us in Sunny So Cal.
On Saturday morning, I was throwing a baby shower and Tyler had to work so she babysat Scotty for the 2 hours we were both gone. She's been his only babysitter his entire life (I can count on 1 hand the people I would trust Scotty with) and did a great job. They enjoyed reading stories together, eating breakfast (Cowboy Coffee Cake I made for the shower), soaking in the view in our beautiful back yard, he took the bottle I'd pumped (even Tyler has a hard time getting him to take a bottle), and then he fell asleep on her shoulder. So precious!!!

She had some math homework to do so once I got home, she worked on that for a while...until Scotty came to charm her away from it :-).

We went to the Harbor and watched the sailboats go by, people watched, ate up the view, and laughed at names of boats. Scotty started fussing in his stroller so I picked him up and he fell asleep in my arms.

We went out to dinner that night with Tyler at one of our favorite restaurants, El Torito Grill. When we got home, Jen gave him a bath and did our nightly tradition of the baby massage.

On Sunday, I spoke in church so Jen watched Scotty...unfortunately he cried through my talk so Jen missed it :-( But I gave her a personal reading afterwards :-)
After Church, we took this beautiful picture of the two of them.
Sunday night, Scotty woke up at 1:30, crying, with a 101.5 degree fever. He cried until about 4:30 when he fell asleep. Monday morning, he woke up again, fussy, hot, and clearly sick.
My sweet, angel sister cleaned up my home while I held and sang to my suffering son. She unloaded & loaded the dishwasher, cleaned up the couch (Tyler had gone to sleep out there so I could bring Scotty in the bed), put all the children's books back in the bookshelf, made my bed as well as hers, and put away odds & ends that were sitting around. As I was singing to Scotty to help him calm down, I got to the primary song, "Families Can Be Together Forever." I got to the words, "...they are so good to me..." and started crying. My sweet sister is so good to me. Being around her makes me want to be a better person. She is so sweet and thoughtful and always puts others first. I am so blessed to have her not only as my sister but as my best friend.
Once she finished cleaning up things, she started harmonizing with me as I sang and that was when Scotty stopped crying. Jen has a beautiful voice and it is so fun to sing with her.
Then we went into the bedroom and she started playing the keyboard. This literally put Scotty to sleep. My poor son had been crying for 1 1/2 hours and was rocked to sleep listening to the lullaby of his Aunt playing the piano.
What a blessing for a tired mother. What a blessing for a sick son.
Jen, I love you so much. I am so lucky to have you in my life and am so glad that we are such fantastic friends. I once read this, "I loved you too much to be your friend so God let me be your sister."
I wouldn't trade you or our memories for anything. You're amazing. I hope I can be more like you.
Love you,
Erika
xxoo
want to see more pictures?

EFG&G

2008-02-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

"Especially For Grandma & Grandpa"
Aunt Jenny is in town and her digital camera can record 30 seconds of video. We took out Scotty's jumper last week and he LOVES it. Unfortunately the camera doesn't record sound too...just picture him screeching with delight :-)

The GREAT visit

2008-02-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago, Scotty's Great Grandma Joy & Great Grandpa Gil came down for a visit. They hopped on a train at 6 in the morning and arrived just in time for morning nap :-). On the way home from the train station, we stopped at the local nursery to pick up some seeds. We bought basil, cilantro, parsley, tomatoes, lettuce, a small blueberry bush & some flowers.
Great Grandma Joy loves gardening...she used to come visit us in Seattle and would spend the entire week on her knees weeding my mom's flower beds. I used to think she was crazy but now that I've grown older, I actually enjoy gardening. (if you know my dad, insert his voice here with an English accent saying, "It'll be so fun to work in the garden together." Its a long story combined with an inside joke here, sorry)

Back at home, it was time to get to work. While GG Gil & Scotty napped, Grandma & I made a compost pile and planted our seeds (indoors for now until spring) and our blueberry bush (outdoors) in the wonderful garden area Tyler made for me.
We had so much fun talking about family history (my "new" addiction). Grandma seems to remember everything and everyone so I felt like I was lapping up every word, trying to remember it and make these people she was telling me about a part of my life.
In addition to gardening, we enjoyed reading books to Scotty, cooking together, watching Gil try to figure out our 3 remote TV, taking Scotty on a walk, and visiting my dentist.
I also took her to aerobics with me. Yes, my 80 year old Grandma (in July) came to 24 Hour Fitness and participated in my gym class. All the members in my class were so impressed :-). After our cool down & stretching, they now know why I'm so flexible. Its in the genes! It helps that she taught aerobics herself until she was 75 years old.

They left the following afternoon after a delicious lunch at the Fisherman and another nice nippus.
We love you GREATs!!! Thanks for coming! You owe us at least 10 more years! Keep it up!
Love,
Erika & Scotty
xxoo

My Daddy is my favorite pal

2008-02-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

We hang out on Wednesday nights at Costco while mom is at aerobics.
On Saturday I went with him to a Save Trestles rally.
I like doing tummy time with him.

We enjoy being silly together.

I'm lucky to have such a great dad.

A Celebration of Life

2008-01-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

At 7 :00 this evening, our beloved Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley passed on. He led an exemplary life and set a wonderful example for all people.
We love him so much & are happy that he has joined his beloved companion in the courts on high.
http://lds.org/
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/
If you have time, read this blog that includes a beautiful interview about the Prophet with some of his grandchildren.

Good Addictions

2008-01-25T11:48:00.001-08:00

As I drove home from the dentist yesterday, I was thinking about things I am "addicted" to. Here is my list, in no particular order.
1. Going to the dentist.
I absolutely love getting my teeth cleaned. Honestly, its like getting a massage for me. I would go 1x a week if insurance would pay for it. It helps that I've been cavity free for the past 26 years and 10 months :-). I love that smooth, clean, fresh feeling I have each time I leave.
I also love my dentists. Dr. Davis was my childhood dentist. He came to my wedding & my brother's Eagle Court of Honor. He always had a good joke up his sleeve and his "treasure chest" was full of amazing things. I always got to pick something out after we were finished and I got a sticker for my shirt. Plus, after the 1/2 hour was over, mom would take us to Dicks for lunch.
And now I have Dr. Paniagua. He is so sweet, friendly, and always tells me what beautiful teeth I have. I love it how the dental assistants are shocked when they look in my mouth and realize I have no cavities. This last dental trip, I brought Scotty with me (Tyler & I tag-teamed it during his lunch hour), and as we left, the dentist told him, "I hope you have teeth like your mom!"
Ahhhh I LOVE the dentist.
2. Exercising
If you know me well, this one should be a no brainer. I have taught aerobics at 24 Hour Fitness since March of '06, taught aerobics at the Uptown YMCA from Jan of '04-August of '07, worked at Harbor Square Athletic Club from September of '98 until I got married in May of '02, played 3 sports in high school, and my family goes to the gym for our weekly FHE activity. I love exercising.
I taught aerobics 4x a week up until 3 weeks before Scotty was born and am now back in the saddle. Only teaching 1 night a week right now, I go to the gym from 10-11pm 3 other nights of the week. It feels so fantastic. I leave full of endorphins and feel physically as well as spiritually fed. During my nightly gym workouts, I dedicate my time to reading the Joseph Smith Manual as well as the Book of Mormon.
3. Jen
Ahhh my second to favorite addiction (Scotty is my first). My sister Jennifer & I have been best friends for quite some time now. We talk on the phone daily (if not hourly!) and "web cam" every Sunday night. Just yesterday, I called her probably 8 times and she called me at least 4.
Yes, dad, she is studying.
We have so much in common and really enjoy talking with one another. Her current plan is to serve a mission, come home, meet the man of her dreams, and move in down the street from us. That way she can watch my kids while Tyler & I go on dates and vice versa. Or, Scotty can watch all the kids and we can double. Its going to be a fantastic life.
4. Good Food
Being a Johnson (or a McCall for that matter), you can't miss out on this addiction. There is nothing like good food. The food is so good around these parts I used to take pictures of our plates every night and put together a picture menu book of deliciousness. Its a good thing I have addiction #2 or I might be as big as a house!
5. Washing Dishes
Yeah, I hear you in your head there thinking "weirdo." I love washing dishes. It is fun for me (and a good thing because somehow Tyler didn't learn how to do it growing up). If you wash dishes at my house, I've been known to pull them back out of the dishwasher and re-wash them...sorry Evan. No offense. Its just fun...and I'm the only one who can do it "right" :-). When we lived at Rhonda's for a while, she used to wash dishes at night and comment on how she enjoyed doing it because it would wash the white board marker out of her nails (she's a teacher). I specifically remember one night when we were both standing over the sink, trying to wash dishes... Looking back, it seems like our version of a power struggle :-)
6. Mailing and Receiving mail
Another one of my favorites! I just love mail. It makes you feel so special to open up that mail box and see something from someone else. I also love sending mail for that same reason- -you get to surprise someone as well as brighten their day.
I have written several missionaries and people are shocked to hear I've never missed a week. The Johnson's like to laugh because Evan & Stu got more letters from me than their entire family combined. Its fun!
7. And my favorite addiction of all time: SCOTTY!!!
I love that boy so so so so so much!!! He's adorable, sweet, cuddly, kind, funny, and so calm. The best baby ever (sorry other parents out there, your kid is #2 compared to mine). I just love him. I love playing with him, reading to him, giving him baths, singing songs, reading the scriptures (we've finished the Book of Mormon Stories, the New Testament Stories, and are 3/4 of the way through the Doctrine & Covenants Stories), doing signing time (we're learning "Baby Signs"), napping with him (Tyler says I sleep more than I did before he was born), laughing with him, nursing him, taking walks with him, and if I'm not napping with him, I'm staring at him while he sleeps. I feel so blessed to have such a sweet spirited baby.
He is also very healthy and strong. We just got back from the pediatrician and he said (as he has before), "That is the healthiest baby I have ever seen."
I truly could not be more blessed. I have a amazing husband, wonderful son, beautiful home, wonderful family, and a strong testimony.
Who could ask for more?

How Great Shall Be Your Joy

2008-01-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

I choose quality over quantity. I don't have many friends but the ones I do have I consider to be my best friends. Each best friend has a different niche in my life- -my workout best friend (Sarah), my spiritual best friend (Shauna), my daily best friend (Jen), my advice best friend (Dad), my everything best friend (Tyler), my working best friend (Liz), my talk to about Scotty Best friend (Mom), and then there's my overall best friend, Chelsea.
Chelsea and I met day one of our BYU experience in U-Hall of Deseret Towers at BYU. I was 305-U Hall and she was 321-U Hall. We clicked right off the bat. She & I each had a missionary serving in the Pacific Islands- -mine in Fiji and hers in New Zealand... (as a side note, she ended up marrying hers and I upgraded to one who was in freezing cold Chicago at the time :-).
We did mostly everything together. From each other's hair (ok, she did mine...I remember braiding hers once), to taking elevator rides at 1 in the morning, to sleeping in on Saturdays (I used to drag my mattress into her room and sleep on the floor because my roommate enjoyed getting up early Saturday mornings...crazy). We did the napster thing, Halloween thing, talk about your future thing (we named our first daughters together and put pictures of them up on Chel's mirror that we'd clipped from magazines), did silly dress ups (Chel's classic was a Hawaiian princess), had our March Birthdays , took an aerobics class together in the RB, had the same Book of Mormon Class & New Testament classes together, and dreamed of a wonderful future. It was awesome! We were & are truly "bosom buds".
Chel married Mike in June of '01 and lucky for the boys, they get along. They do the scooter thing together and talk cars, putting up with their wonderful wives silliness in the meantime. A little less than a year later, he took her away from me and moved up to Livermore, CA. :-)
We made sure to visit frequently, she even came to Provo to help me pack up my apartment before Tyler & I moved to sunny CA ourselves. (well, she did pack up my apartment...I think I may have taped a few boxes together at one point)
We visited their new home the weekend of the San Francisco Scooter Ride a few times and had a blast riding scooters around San Fran together. Chel & I were able to go to Les Mis one of those trips as well. She & Mike also come down about 1x a year because her brother lives nearby.
After Tyler & I found out we were pregnant, Chel was the first non-relative who found out. I was a little hesitant to tell her because she & Mike had been trying to get pregnant for the past 4 years with no luck. I didn't want to seem insensitive to her feelings. However, how could you not share the second most important event in your life with your best friend? She was so supportive about it, and very helpful as I made my gift registry online (she teaches at a Montessori school so is well versed in infants & young children).
We talked weekly on the phone (a regular ocurance since the move to CA) while I drove to aerobics & she home from work. I got to share my pregnancy experience with her and keep her involved in my life as well as I in hers. I was even there (on the phone) when Mike brought Ralph home, too. Their little baby :-)
After Scotty's birth, Chel was so supportive and we got back into our weekly phone call habit we've had for the past 5 years.
Having Scotty made my heart ache even more for Chel as they continued trying to conceive and I now knew how wonderful it is to have a child & what they were missing.

Chel's thing is cards. Every birthday, anniversary, and Christmas she manages to find a card funnier than the year before. So this year, I thought nothing of it when I heard a voice mail from her saying she'd found the perfect card and put it in the mail that day.
A few days later, I checked the mail and this is what I found.

I could not hold back the tears as my heart lept for joy! She was gone all day but when she got home, there were at least 7 messages from me.
Since that time, she has had an ultrasound & heard the little Barlow's heart beating.

Chelsea, I love you! Motherhood is the most wonderful thing that has happened in my life and I am so excited to see you become a mom. You're going to be great.
Erika
xxoo

A blog only a mother would appreciate

2008-01-15T15:15:00.000-08:00

So this morning, Scotty woke up unusually earlier than normal (8:20 instead of 9:15). I patted his bum, attempted to nurse him, sang a little song, and tried to show him I was still sleeping. It didn't work so finally at 8:35, I admitted defeat and we got up out of bed. As I picked him up, I felt some wetness on my hand and thought "What the heck? He's drolling already?" (drool usually doesn't make an appearance until at least 10 am). I set him down to grab the burp cloth and he reached up for his feet (his favorite toy these days).
This is what I saw:
Oh my goodness! I would have taken a picture with him in it but couldn't find the camera and he was ready for a diaper change right now.

This obviously warranted a bath and an entire outfit change. My little angel hung out so sweetly on the bed while I started the laundry load & weighed the diaper (the science teacher in me has to chart these things!)

And weighing in at a whopping 12.9 oz, we have an all time winner!
(dry diapers weigh only 1.1 oz)

When Old Ladies Flirt

2008-01-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

At the fabric store today:
Cashier: What an adorable baby!
Scotty gives her a huge smile
Erika: Thank you :-)
Cashier: Whats his name?
Erika: Scotty
Cashier: Ooh, you can beam me up anytime!

Fun Fact

2008-01-03T23:28:00.001-08:00

Exactly one year ago today, at 8:47 am, we found out that we were pregnant with Scotty!

What A Trooper

2008-01-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

Ha! I finally did it!

Last night the mullet met its doom. If you have seen Scotty in person lately you would know that the long brown hair he was born with has undergone a sort of metamorphosis since then. (I say in person because we make sure to hide it in the propaganda pictures showing Scotty as a perfect little angel with no flaws at all.) You see as good parents we make sure that he sleeps on his back (a precaution that has been determined to greatly prevent SIDS). While we have been good about making sure he gets plenty of time on his tummy to keep him from developing a nice flat spot on the back of his head, we can't keep him from rubbing a wide patch of his fine baby hair right off as he wiggles throughout the night. In effect what this has done is given him a stellar baby mullet as the hair below the bald patch stayed and is good and long. His mother, in her fear that I would give her baby his first haircut too soon has done her best to keep it smoothed flat so as not to peak my desire to rid my first born of his unwanted "hockey hair" (see also Kentucky waterfall, SFLB, business in the front party in the back, and Canadian passport). Well last night after his bath mamma got lazy and I spied it sticking out....way out. It was the

last straw and out came the clippers. Erika made sure to grab the camera lest any moment was left undocumented and I got to cuttin'. I think the result is a nice compromise (as I would have liked to use the 1/8 instead of the 3/8) but most notable was Scotty's response to dad wielding a noisy set of clippers (gotta oil those things man). As you may see he took it like a champ, which got me thinking. This kid is the ultimate trooper. His mom and dad put him through some stuff that babies don't generally find fun and he just takes it with a smile

Let me illustrate.

Well from day one the kid has had to pose for countless pictures. (often in flash and no flash versions as dad gets used to the settings on his new camera) So far he has done a good job as he doesn't appear to be faking the smiles, although I do think he was wondering what had come over his parents in a few of these.

He has also done very well with all of the parenting he has been getting. The combination of new parent with our backgrounds in the sciences has made us voracious consumers of the latest research and theories (all of which get tested out on our n of 1). The kid gets swaddled and cuddled, moby'd and read too, he's 100% breastfed and just says no to his binky (there are more but you get the idea). Sometimes it looks like he is having fun, but most of the time I think he is just humoring us while he trains us how to be his mom and dad.

Most of all he gets dragged a lot of places his parents want to go but couldn't yet conceive the idea of leaving him with someone else. By now you have seen the pictures at Angel Stadium but you didn't see the behind the scenes that show Erika's arm holding him up, or that we were really there because dad heard you could take batting practice on the field in exchange for canned food.

Or how about going to a BYU football game in San Diego. Rain in the forecast? Ah slap a beannie on him he'll be fine.

What? Uncle Kim wants us to come up for the weekend.......He does always pick the best restaurants......Scotty won't mind lets hop on a plane for a quick visit.
You may also notice that each event seems to come with its own special outfit (the airplane one above is for traveling as it is covered in planes, trains, and automobiles). His mom can't help it. So many people have been so generous that he seems to have an outfit for every occasion...and when there isn't one mom dresses him up and sits him on the bed for his photo op. Through it all he just looks back and forth from mom to dad thinking, "Well this is it, these are my parents. Complaining at this point is probably gonna be counter productive......What the? Is that a build a bear outfit they are trying to squeeze me into? "

I love that last one as its as if he is saying "why mom? why?"

And then there are times when the event is purely "clothing optional"

But its not all dress up and traveling. On occasion we like to make him the key game piece in a spirited game we Johnson's call "bombs away". I think my dad invented it as its one of those games with no real winner per-say. See if you can figure out the rules.

As you can see he is just a trooper through it all. He giggles when something amuses him and takes the rest in stride. This is a great shot as he ad his mom pose for a picture outside Rodin's "The Gates of Hell". That's right he's even happy to be with mom and dad outside the gates of hell.

He really is a good kid and we just love him so much....and I think he's having at least as much fun being our son as we have being his parents.

......well he may be kind of ticked when he sees some of the liberties we are having with him

Christmas Blog 07

2007-12-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

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

Scotty's Rite of Passage

2007-12-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

The major Rite of Passage all McCall children go through is a trip to Uncle Kim's. You get to fly on an airplane all by yourself, your siblings are totally jealous, and you get to spend a week with the coolest Uncle in the world. Your trip will include: flying on a plane, eating at some...uh...interesting restaurants, attending some type of cultural event, getting something computerishy, going to church, and enjoying special one-on-one bonding time with Uncle Kim.
For most McCall children, this trip doesn't occur until you're at least 8.
Mine did. I got to fly all by myself, eat at a few normal restaurants and some weird ones (probably my first exposure to chicken feet?), go see Phantom of the Opera in San Francisco, get an AOL screen name, enjoy being the brightest kid in primary (I knew all the songs :-), and we went camping. It was a blast. While I do remember being homesick one day, I got over it and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Every family needs an Uncle Kim. He is always there for you, gets along with kids of all ages (from the baby to the crazy teenagers), provides you with things your parents would never buy you, never misses a baptism, blessing, marriage, or mission homecoming, and comes every year for Christmas. On the whole he is a very frugal person but when it comes to his nieces & nephews, all that goes out the window.
That being said, we're starting early with the next generation of McCalls. Back in September at Scotty's blessing, he told me about a Christmas Program his stake was putting on that he had been asked to be in charge of. I expressed interest (what an honor for him to be in charge!) and he explained to me in further detail about the program.
Then, 2 weeks ago, out of the blue, I get an email, inviting Scotty, Tyler & me up for the grand event! We were thrilled and gladly accepted. So, we flew up on Friday after Tyler got off of work and came home on Monday morning.
It was incredible! Scotty had his first plane flight, ate at a fun restaurant (well, he nursed in the bathroom at least), walked around the Stanford Campus, attended the 33rd annual "Heritage of Christmas," went to church, and had some fun one-on-one time with Uncle Kim. While he didn't not get anything "computerishy," his dad sure enjoyed playing with Uncle Kim's iPhone. :-)

The Heritage of Christmas was amazing. All of Uncle Kim's hard work sure paid off. The spirit was so strong and people's hearts were definitely touched. What an incredible experience for our little family and as Tyler said, "now it feels like Christmas."
Thank you, Uncle Kim!!! We love you so so much.

We also got to visit Chelsea & Mike- -they picked us up from the airport and we spent Friday night with them because Uncle Kim couldn't pick us up until Saturday. Chel & I lived across the hall from each other at BYU our Freshman year and have been best friends ever since. Luckily, Tyler & Mike totally get along so we enjoy lots of activities together.
After picking us up, we went by the Oakland Temple to see the Christmas lights. I'd forgotten a hat for Scotty so Mike let him borrow his beanie. So cute!!! Mike also dressed up as Santa for the Primary Kids on Saturday morning so we got Scotty's first picture with Santa as well.

Guess Who Finally Loves Tummy Time!

2007-12-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

If you've guessed Scotty, you're right!

He is now "1 trimester" old :-) Yay! He was smiling so so cute 2 days ago and I tried to catch it on camera but he would only smile when my face WASN'T behind the lense. So, I held the camera where I thought it should be and got the hugest, most adorable smile...but had guessed wrong. You can still see his huge smiling eyes at least.
There are so many times I wish my eyes were cameras!

Aunt Denise got him his first Christmas present...which he loved :-)

Last night he slept from 9:30 pm to 5:46 am! Hip Hip Hurrah!

We're busy, thanks for checking up on us...

Thanks Little Bro

2007-11-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

Hey Bloggies,

I know, I know, it has been a while since I last checked in. What can I say I've been busy. It doesn't help that Erika has done such a bang up job of filling in for me. That has at least made me feel like people weren't totally out in the cold as to what is going on in Johnsonville (no not the place where the bratwursts come from- it is a reference to...oh never mind).
Well you may be asking yourself, "self, what could be so important that high and mighty, Tyler "I'm too good to write a little blog every week" Johnson decides to grace us with a blog." To which I would respond, "wow, your inner monologue is a jerk." But I digress.
Let me tell you about my little brother Evan. He came around almost exactly 2 years after me and for as long as I can remember we shared a room. Anybody who knows boys in close quarters knows that there are plenty of dust-ups and disagreements. Its all part of the natural pecking order that exists in most families....I don't know, at least in my family. Until one day you stop fighting long enough to figure out that this rag tag group you call a family is all you've got, and more so, it's all you want.
Neither of us was what you would call an angel. I remember many a wrestling/fighting match (no punching in the head though, even in thunderdome there are certain rules that are sacred). I remember the day he hit me square in the knee with a hammer (it makes me laugh remembering it because it was so out of the blue). Or there was the time we were wrestling in our room and the fan fell between us and Evan with his faster reflexes pushed it towards me all Jackie Chan like. The thing cut a huge gash under my eye and the no punching in the head rule was tested...but not broken. The funny part about it was I had to tell the story to my teammates all week while I wore a band-aid under my eye (thats right it was my senior year in high school....of course by then we were on good enough terms that it was more a funny story than something I held against him.) I remember the time he offered me a pack of garbage pail kids from a large stack he had just purchased from the ice cream man with an unknown donation from my cigar box piggy bank. I remember countless wet willies and slug-a-bugs. The best ever has to be one day surfing I remember cutting down a wave (before I knew how to turn) and seeing Evan in my path. What could I do? I still can see the look on his face as I hit him right in the ribs with the nose of my board. Classic.
ok ok you get the idea I know. Just one more story.

So dumb- I remember one time I found a pair of sweet nikes in the mervyns add (we only bought shoes on sale at big 5 or mervyns and the fact that I can still see the black 3/4 high tops with the red pipping is evidence of how bad I either wanted them, or needed them, as I was wearing through shoes at a pretty steady clip). I braved a shopping trip with my mom to three different stores (trying on polo shirt after polo shirt along the way) and could not find the shoes in my (even then) large size. After our third failure my mom (knowing a good deal when she saw one) suggested we get a pair for Evan and Stuart. This is the part I am ashamed of, and really illustrates how far we've come. I could not stand the idea that not only could I not get the shoes, but that they would be mocking me from the feet of my two YOUNGER siblings. My mom bless her, (no she's not dead) honored my wishes but added the caveat, "one day you will be just as glad when something good happens to your brothers as you would if it had happened to you. Maybe more?" As I was left to ponder that we returned home after miles of driving and looking at who knows what in various mervyns and target stores with my mom.

Years have passed but that day still looms in my mind. I thought we had reached a comfortable point where we all have learned that lesson my mom taught but Evan just does it better. Sure when he got into Columbia I was the first to smack him on the back, heck I even bought him a shirt so he could show off is new found allegiance to the blue lions. He just took it to a whole new level last night.Let me explain (note I have to write explain these days since previous attempts to insert the word esplain ala Ricky Ricardo don't make it past the censoring eyes of Erika.)

I am a huge Simpsons fan. That is an understatement. I love a good episode of the Simpsons almost as much as a Mom/Alli/Michal home cooked meal (ask those who know, that's a lot). So when Evan, now located in beautiful New York City for grad school got wind that the company he works for was holding a special screening of the Simpsons Movie 3000 miles away in Hollywood that night (after punching a wall or some other form of release I am sure) what did he do? He called his big bro in southern cal. What's the big deal you say? That movie has been out since July. Its coming out on DVD any day. Well in DVD's the commentary is recorded. But at this screening there was a commentary following the movie by a virtual who's who of the Simpsons. The voice talent of Nancy Cartright (Bart, Ralph, Nelson, among others), Yeaderly Smith (Lisa), and Harry Shearer (Lenny, Mr Burns, Ned Flanders, to name a few- in addition to being the Bass player for Spinal Tap), then there was one of the lead animators ....cant remember his name, I'll look him up on IMBD and get back. Then the big two. James L Brooks (co-creator) and Matt Groening (Creator and original artist). They sat in a row and answered questions for and joked around for a small group of adoring fans and when it was over everyone just got up to leave (so Hollywood, so unimpressed by fame). Well I wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by. Now I don't get star struck. I had seen stars at other screenings Evan had gotten me into. Seriously I could see Brad and Angelina walking down the street towards me and not say a word, just give em their space. But these guys matter to me. So I slid past a couple of bad security guards to tell them what I thought of their work. It was all fun and then I got to talk to Matt Groening. What a legend. I was reduced to mumbling something inaudible and shoving a copy of daily variety with a picture of the Simpson family on it in front of him to sign. He was such a nice guy. He stood there and talked to me and a small group while he not only signed my magazine but drew me a picture of Homer saying my name. I thanked him again and his response was something like, " No problem, I made these guys, I really like to draw them."

Sorry the quality is bad. Time for a new cell phone

I was on cloud nine-hundred. On the way out I spied a leftover movie poster on an easel and grabbed it for my kid brother who had made this night possible.

Thanks again little bro..........I may not bring up the garbage pale kid thing for another six months..........maybe.

Attachment Style Parenting

2007-11-09T15:30:00.000-08:00

There is a fantastic book called The Baby Book written by Dr William Sears and his wife, Martha Sears (an RN). They have 8 children, he is a pediatrician and she has worked in L&D, is a certified childbirth educator & a breastfeeding consultant. If anyone knows what they are talking about when it comes to children, it is this family. Their book has been called "the baby bible of the post Dr. Spock generation."
I love reading their book (and used their "The Birth Book" as I prepared for labor & delivery with Scotty) because they are proponents of the parenting style they dub "attachment parenting." They have set up the "7 baby B's of attachment parenting" with the goal to:

* know your child
* help your child feel right
* enjoy parenting

1. Birth Bonding-connect with your baby early
* I missed out on the immediate birth bonding with Scotty because he was taken to the NICU but I feel the second I could, I was able to create a strong bond with him. After I fed him each time, I would hold him close to my chest and do skin-on-skin kangaroo care. It is there he would fall asleep before we put him back into the incubator and anxiously awaited the next feeding, 3 hours later
* "The early weeks and months are a sensitive period when mother & baby need to be together and this early closeness allows the natural attachment-promoting behaviors of a baby and the intuitive biological caregiving of a mother to unfold."
2. Belief in your baby's cries-read and respond to your baby's cues
* Every time Scotty cries, if I am not holding him already, I pick him up. As I respond to him and become more aware of his cues, I am able to anticipate his needs before it reaches full on crying. Especially this week, we are at a point where he makes a certain noise, I know what it means, and am able to respond to it before it turns into an out of control cry.
* "Pick up your baby when he cries. As simple as this sounds, there are many parents who have been told to let their babies cry it out, for the reason that they must not reward "bad" behavior. But newborns don't misbehave; they just communicate the only way nature allows them to. Imagine how you would feel if you were completely uncoordinated - unable to do anything for yourself - and your cries for help went unheeded."
* "Meeting your baby's needs in the early months means solid communication patterns will develop."
* "If nothing else, consider responding to your baby's needs an investment in the future; you'll be glad for good communication when he gets older and his problems are bigger than being fed or getting off to sleep."
3. Breastfeed your baby
* I absolutely love feeding Scotty. We go into the 2nd room, sit in the rocking chair together, pull up the boppy and have the Baby Mozart CD grandma bought us playing in the background. I avoid all distractions (phone, TV, books etc) and enjoy this special time I have with my son. I look at his adorable face and am in awe every time at how perfect he is, how beautiful and sweet, and ponder on the Plan of Salvation and this gift that Heavenly Father has given to me.
* "The benefits of breastfeeding in enhancing baby's health and development are enormous, but what is not fully appreciated are the magnificent effects of breastfeeding on the mother. Here's whats in it for you: Every time your baby feeds, hormones (prolactin & oxytocin) enter your system. These mothering hormones help form the chemical basis for what is called mother's intuition."
* "New studies show that breastfed babies turn out to be smarter children"
4. Babywearing-carry your baby a lot
* This is my absolutely FAVORITE "b" of attachment parenting. I love wearing Scotty. He is what has been dubbed a "sling baby." I carry him around with me all day in what is called a moby wrap. I bought it at the LA baby convention back in April the week after we found out he was going to be a boy. After we purchased it, I had dreams for the next month about wearing him all day. He does everything with me and is close to me at all times. We do the dishes together, vacuum, write thank you notes & letters, blog (yup, I'm wearing him right now), check email, make dinner, take out the trash...everything. I LOVE having him close to me and I think that is the way it should be. How impersonal it is to leave a baby lying in a crib all day to stare at the ceiling and not be a part of the adult world?
* "As we were doing our parenting-style research, we attended an international parenting conference where we noticed that mothers in other cultures wear their babies in slinglike carriers as part of their native dress. Impressed by how content the babies were and how attentive their mothers were, we asked these mothers why they carried their babies. They volunteered two simple but profound reasons: Its good for the baby, and it makes life easier for the mother."
* "Good things happen to carried babies and their parents. Most noticeably, carried babies cry less, as if they forget to fuss. Besides being happier, carried babies develop better, possibly because the energy they would have wasted on crying is diverted into growth. Also, a baby learns much in the arms of a busy parent.
5. Bedding close to baby
* The first week, Scotty was in the NICU but would fall asleep on my chest every time before we left. The next week, he slept in his bassinet next to our bed. The following week, I didn't burp him well enough so he kept grunting in his sleep. Each noise he made, I would jump up and check on him, getting NO sleep until the following feeding. So, I picked him up and into bed with us he came. It was incredible! He slept much better! 4 hours before the next feeding! He didn't get back in the bassinet again...until 2 days ago when my arm fell asleep from his heavy head sleeping on it :-( To my sadness, we decided it was best for him to sleep back in the bassinet so he & I could get a better rest. But, after his 6:30 feeding, he's back in bed with us and will sleep until 9:30 or 10 and wakes up as happy as ever, cooing and smiling and charming us to tears.
* "Wherever you and your baby sleep best is the right arrangement for you, and it is a very personal decision."
* "Sleeping with your baby makes nighttime parenting easier and enhances the development of your baby."
6. Balance & boundaries
* This one focuses on mother burnout- -to be appropriately responsive to your baby, knowing when to say yes and when to say no, and also having the wisdom to say yes to your own needs. Basically, when mom & dad are doing well, baby will also do well. A baby needs a happy, rested mother.
* I cherish the time when I can shower and Scotty can happily play with his daddy...it leaves both of us refreshed and relaxed and happy to be together.
7. Beware of baby trainers
* I don't take any advice from others too seriously. This is my time to be a mother and other peoples opinions don't matter to me. For example, some people have pushed the "cry it out" method on Tyler & me. That just doesn't work with our style of parenting. If you're a die-hard cry it out-er, that is fine, it just isn't our cup of tea. Other things we have heard is "get him on a schedule," "don't pick him up so much, you're spoiling him" We'll politely listen to ideas and suggestions & discuss it together later on, but if it doesn't work with our style of parenting, we're not changing.
* "If carried to the extreme, baby training is a lose-lose situation: baby loses trust in the signal value of his cues, and parents lose trust in their ability read and respond to baby's cues. As a result, a distance can develop between baby and parent, which is just the opposite of the closeness that develops with attachment parenting.

I love this book, I love the research they have done and the experience they have. I love it that their "attachment style parenting" matches the nurturing nature that Tyler & I feel works best for our son. And the most exciting thing of it all is that Dr. Sears has his family's pediatric practice IN San Clemente and Scotty is going there on Monday for his 2 month well-child visit!
I am thrilled that the author of the book I feel best represents our parenting style will be our son's doctor.
If you too are an attachment style parent, check out their website at www.AskDrSears.com
If you like the moby wrap I use to carry Scotty around in, check out www.mobywrap.com
The Sears Family Library has other books as well including: The Pregnancy Book, The Breastfeeding Book, The Fussy Baby Book, The Discipline Book, The Family Nutrition Book, The Attachment Parenting Book, The A.D.D. Book, and The Successful Child

Why Halloween is Anticlimactic

2007-10-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

So 2 nights ago, Tyler told me that I had better take over the blog. He is so busy with marketing his new job and our little Scotty that unfortunately blogging has taken a back seat... So I will try to do my best (and if I fail miserably, maybe that will be incentive for Tyler to take back over :-)

On my mind lately has been Halloween. Every year it has been anticlimactic for me since I was a little girl. The major problem is its got this huge hype; schools have their carnivals, we have trunk or treating at church, and everyone talks about their awesome costume weeks (if not months!) in advance. My family even used to drive to another neighborhood who had better costumes than our street so we could see how people were dressed up. Then, you get back home, tired, exhausted, and dump out your plastic pumpkin...and find chocolate. Tons of it.

I hate chocolate. It tastes gross to me and has ever since I can remember. It doesn't even look tempting. Well, once I looked at something chocolate and wished I liked it because it looked good, but that is it. It was probably something my sister-in-law Michal made. Her food always looks good.
So anyway, my sister & I would sit on the floor of my room, trading chocolate for dots. I like dots. But no one really ever hands out dots. I would trade like 6 chocolates for one of my sister's dots (no coincidence that she is an econ minor at BYU). I would try to trade with my brother but he wasn't interested. It was HIS candy. No trades allowed.
I hate halloween. Again, anticlimactic. Just like prom. We spent all this money on a limo (I paid because my date didn't go to my HS), ate at a fancy restaurant, and then left for the dance. It was on the pier and the limo driver drove the wrong way around the water. We got "lost" for 1 1/2 hours. By the time we found the dance, we stood in line for pictures for 45 minutes, got to dance 4 songs, and it was over. Awesome, huh :-(
So anyway, back to the present. Now that I have a child, Halloween has a whole new meaning. Everyone is asking what Scotty will be... Why do I have to decide? Can't we skip it this year? Back when we were at BYU, our friend dressed up her adorable son as a ghost, with a "BOO" shirt and she put flour all over his face so it was white. This year, one of my great friends is dressing up her daughter (2 weeks older than Scotty) in a Halloween sleeper that she got at Target. It's black with ghosts on it. Another good friend is dressing up her daughter (about 8 weeks older than Scotty) up as tinker bell that she got from her sister's build a bear...she fits into a build a bear outfit! Great idea!

So, I got a build a bear as a baby shower gift, it was a football player! I run and get it out of the garage as Tyler undresses Scotty. We're both excited! Maybe there will be a Halloween this year! As soon as its off the bear and in Tyler's hands, we realize there is no way this will fit over our Son's 15 3/4 inch head. We try anyway... Yeah, no luck (and a very mad Scotty now)
The pants fit at least. Next option is cutting the jersey and adding velcro? Or (Tyler's eyes light up) I could sew a BYU jersey and put SCOTTY on the back!
All of a sudden this is getting far too involved.
Plus, my mother-in-law has my sewing machine because she's making a cowboy shirt for my nephew...who has probably known what he's going to be since Spring.

So anyway, don't come trick-or-treating to our place, because we're boycotting.

Ok, while browsing through our pictures for this, I found some and thought I'd do an addendum to this blog...

Other Halloween ideas:

The emperor from Star Wars

Goliath

Buddah

The 4th Tenor

Tyler says that last one will need some make-up and a prop
Hows this

And to finish it off, a wonderful family who doesn't need costumes (we took these on Saturday at a portrait studio Tyler's classmate owns in Dana Point)

Scotty's first smile

2007-10-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Erika here, my 2nd post since we've started this thing. I'm still a rookie. Just had to brag about my angel baby. He had his first real smile (not just gas or those adorable smiles they do as they're falling asleep) on October 4th and I finally was able to catch it on camera October 12th. Its the tail end of the smile-imagine it cheek to cheek, mouth open, with a small dimple on the left hand side. I love how even his eyes smile. He is adorable. If you're not a parent yet, I highly recommend it.

Way down on my to do list

2007-10-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry blog readers and groupies of the bandwagon.....bloggies as I will forever now call you.

Keeping this thing up to date right now has just got to take a back seat to so much else.

I here-by promise that when things get settled here and we get into a routine that this site will be full of clever observation after clever observation, and mindless rants to your hearts content.

Until then feed your insatiable need for all things Johnson with some super cute updates to the baby picture bank....enjoy, I know this is really why most of you check this nowadays anyway.

if you didnt figure it out and click the picture just click here.

Crazy!

2007-09-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys no blog this week yet. The crazyness has not yet subsided as we had a wedding and a baby blessing and tomorrow are moving.

If you are really jones-in for some Tyler Check out the website I have been building (in my free time- ha ha) for my the office. www.ChiropracticCenterOnline.com . Still needs a ton of work. Or just click on the photos link and check out the latest up dates.

Tyler

The Big Three.....Four?

2007-09-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well as I languish here in a cold dark place where the BYU game is not being broadcast I figured I should update the blog.

Let me explain the title of this weeks blog. First-no we are not pregnant again and expecting our fourth......well just let me explain.

Its been an exciting week. As you can see from the previous weeks blog Scotty came home last Saturday and our lives will never be the same. He is a total champ and after a rough first night home where he woke up every 2 hours he got right into a 3-4 hour rhythm. He also has waisted no time baptizing me into fatherhood. You know you aren't really a dad until you have been unwontedly covered in the baby "big three". Namely: number 1, number 2, and spit up. Lets just say you can officially call me dad. Number one being the most sly as he found a way to get my lap soaked without getting his footie pajamas wet at all. (this so baffled me I, for a moment, thought that maybe it was me who had had the accident.) He continues to grow and is now tipping the scales at 9lbs 8oz (although that was on Thursday and Wed night he weighed 9-5 so who knows?). He spends most of his time eating, sleeping, playing patty cake with mom, and breaking down game film on the Tivo with dad......"Hey son is that your left hand you are favoring as you suck your fingers? Well, ok, you can bat and throw lefty....but you are writing with you right. "

So child birthin' out of the way it was time to get on to the next step starting my new job down in San Clemente. That means that starting Monday I got to make the trek down the 5 every morning and evening so I could begin to set up shop at my new location (1401 N El Camino Real Suite 103 if you are in the neighborhood). One day back in that "orange crush" traffic and I knew my mission was to find us a place to live near-by and fast. So everyday at lunch (after a quick stop at Pedro's Tacos) I was on the hunt for a proper domicile. It was tough as anyone who has tried to bargain hunt for apartments after a one week lay-off knows nothing that was there before is there anymore. Thank heavens for craigslist and the pennysaver. After missing out on our first apartment of our dreams just a few blocks from the office we knew we had to be serious about finding a place. I tracked down several that were up to par and we settled on one in Dana Point (about a seven minute drive to the office). I was a bit scared as there were at least 4 other people who wanted the same place and showed up at the same time to look at it, but our prayers were answered and we got it and will move in October 1st.

It was a quiet week at the office as I need to do some marketing to let people know I am there. But I was able to accomplish my primary goal this week. Get an apartment and teach Scotty how to look off a safety to open up your throwing lanes.

So the title? Well as I was explaining the many wonderful goings on in my life to one of Dr. Kreutz' patients she remarked with, "wow, 3 of the "major life changes" in one week! You're not getting married too are you?" (she said jokingly as she knew I was married). No but on Saturday, the day before Scotty's baby blessing in church, and two days before we move sixty miles away, Erika's Grandma is.

It's gonna be a hectic one folks. If I survive its gonna be one heck of a blog.

Scotty's Home!

2007-09-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today was a red letter day. After spending 5 days in the neonatal intensive care unit to clear fluid from his lungs and be sure there were no lasting effects from his birth we finally brought home our little boy today. Words cannot describe how good it feels to have him sleep on my chest or watch his two grandma's gush over him.
He is healthy and strong, cute as a button, and so sweet it makes my teeth hurt. Fittingly he (through his mom) was treated to a favorite birthday meal around here, his dad's famous sweet crepes. I can feel the "crash" coming as I feeling so high on endorphins right now that I don't notice how little sleep I have gotten in the last week.

Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers on our behalf.

Erika, Tyler, and Scotty

( I decided I liked the "Y" after I walked out to the car and caught a glimpse of the trunk decal I have stuck to it. It was like, "Oh yeah. I like the Y way better.")

Amendment: - Funny thing said while preparing dinner (Mongolian BBQ at Mom's). "Hey honey do you think this piece of beef looks like Indiana?????? (looking heavenward) Nice try, but bacon trumps stir fry." (It did by the way look like Indiana.....but thats not that hard.

Great Scott!

2007-09-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Short on time here as I have made a quick run home to get some clean socks and eat something other than Erika's table scraps (I won't let her give me whole pieces of food from her plate......even I draw the line at stealing food from a new mom.) I wanted to put up a quick post about the birth of our first.

Born at 2:41am on September 11th we took one look at this 8lb 12oz 21inch long kid and knew that he was a Scott, and like his dad, grandpa, great grandpa, and even great great grandpa his first name will be Raymon (no "d" people....its a family thing). I'll tell you Kent came in a close second and will be heavily considered should we have another boy, but when it came down to it he just felt like a Scott/Scottie......maybe even a Scotty? I don't know about that "Y" yet. We'll see.

When he was born the nurses were a little concerned about his labored breathing and so he was admitted to the NICU. After a night in there he was much much better but a fear of infection is keeping him there until a blood culture comes back.(even though he is acting like a perfectly healthy baby)...So we make regular tips in to give him the basics. You know,feed him, hold him, kiss him, discuss the subtle nuances of the west coast offense and the tampa 2. "Son, son, listen to me between sucks there. Now you can almost always tell where the zone blitz is coming from by watching the safeties and the stance of the off side defensive end....."

We have had nothing but the best of support from friends and family and look forward to being able to thank each of you individually once things settle down a little here.

Its Official

2007-09-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

That little piece of bacon was right....Bet you thought you were finally gonna get a name? No Erika is still very much pregnant and we are still not leaking baby boy Johnson's name. But the bacon was right! This week I officially took a job with a chiropractor in San Clemente. I won't be starting until after the baby comes, (so who knows....June at this rate) but it is nice to have the things you have been praying for work out. It really is a blessing.

The doctors name is Michael Kreutz and he has been practicing in San Clemente for the last 25 years. He has a great office on the north end of town right on El Camino Real (for those of you familiar with SC). For those of you who know it real well, its about 3 blocks north of Pedro's Tacos and right next to T. Patterson surfboards. I have always loved San Clemente. Ever since that first spring break surf trip to Doheny I have been in love with that area, but it has always seemed just a little out of reach. Driving around this week looking at apartments (we will rent until we have some money saved and the market stabilizes) we kept looking at each other saying "we are going to live here!" One of the things I love about it, and most beach cities is it definitely has a small town vibe. Its one of the things I always loved about Whittier. Whittier for a town of 90K located 20 minutes from downtown (in good traffic) still had a small town feel. Especially uptown where the age of the city gave the buildings a little more character. It is something I have looked for in every town I have considered as my new home town. I have to say some places pull it off better than others.

The office is also a huge plus. I have been looking for a doctor who I could learn the ropes from, but also be given the freedom to practice in a way that was uniquely my own. Dr. Kreutz so far seems just that. He uses the Gonstead technique, (the chiropractic technique I have worked long and hard to try to learn) has years of experience, a large office that will afford me room to work without stepping all over each other, and he has the laid back demeanor of someone who has been living in San Clemente for the last 25 years.

We are both so excited about the big changes coming up in our lives and incredibly aware of how much The Lord is blessing us with in what seems like one lump sum.....kinda like the windows of heaven have been opened......Now lets see we are gonna have to make some room here in order to receive it.....Gotta go. Next post - Baby Johnson

Have you clicked on the photos link on the right side of this page it is full of pictures of your favorite Johnsons......I mean other than Michal.....but I guess she's not really a Johnson anymore.

Another Week of Waitng

2007-08-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

Sup Peeps?- Nah too ghetto speak- gonna loose my over 29 demographic

My Fellow Americans.........Uh probably not a good idea right now if I want more than 20% of you to like this.

INHABITANTS OF THE INTERNET, LOOK ON MY BLOG AND DESPAIR!- Yeah thats only slightly less overlord-ish than that last one.

Wow I am really having trouble getting this thing started this week. You see what I go through in order to bring you the pure comedic genius that this blog has been at times. I've gotta say I'm just not feeling it today. But there are goings on that must be idly written down so strangers and friends may know the inner workings of my brain. (Seriously, one of these days they are gonna invent a program that can psychologically profile you based on your blog entries and I am gonna have to change all my passwords and pin numbers)

As the title of this weeks entry states our first born still resides at 1 Erika Place (population 2) . Like I said in the last update we had gotten a little gun shy about venturing far from home after our doctor told us that this baby was ready to come and that at any minute we could be neck deep in amniotic fluid.......Well maybe he wasn't that graphic but we got the picture. But a week later when nothing had changed we were ready to get out of the house. Luckily as a birthday present my mom had booked us a room at The Pacific Inn down in Seal Beach that just happens to be managed by an old family friend. We headed off for a night away that was still close enough that we didn't worry. The hotel was great. Newly remodeled and close to the ocean. We walked around the neighborhood and looked around in the shops, but didn't get in the water (man if 21 year old Tyler read that last sentence he'd of punched me right in the gut.....shoot 28 year old Tyler isn't proud of it, but thats life). In addition, my mom had also booked through the hotel a sunset gondola ride for us that evening. We got there right at dusk and were surprised to see a real live italian gondola complete with stripped shirted singing oarsman. It was about as perfect as a gondola ride could be. and definentley something I would recommend if you are visiting Huntington/Seal Beach.
Here are a couple of snapshots from the voyage.

We had a great time and woke the next morning feeling like we had actually had a mini-babymoon.

We had breakfast at this cool Irish place down the street that morning. The only reason I mention it is what happened at the end of breakfast. Now I am not one to ask for signs. I also am pretty skeptical of virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwiches and Jesus tortillas. Some of you may know that we have been trying to decide if Indiana really is where we should spend my first year in practice or if we should look around a little closer to home. Well when i looked down on my plate at the end of breakfast there was one tiny thing left on my plate...... A sign from the heavens (not really, I just kind of laughed at it when I saw it).

Now I dont know about you, but that looks like a piece of bacon in the shape of the great state of California. Coincidence? Well probably. I mean who really believes in these things? But as we had already kind of made up our minds that way we adopted it as the end all factor. (man looking at that plate is making me hungry)

We pretty much laid low the rest of the week. I went and interviewed a few doctors down south (my dream practice site is in Carlsbad) and we caught up with our Tivo. This week I think we have tried to make a better effort at not letting the baby tie us down too much. So on Saturday after I spent a day working with a doctor down in San Diego we went to the Angel game.

We had a good time with some members of our ward and Troy Glaus (one of my favorite Angels of all time) even had a huge night, unfortunately he now plays for the Blue Jays........yeah. Well they pulled it together today and got the win, but they have a huge series in Seattle against the rival Mariners. And we all know that an Angel loss to the Mariners is a sure fire way to get a phone call from the in-laws "just to chat". Actually things have been pretty cordial this season on the baseball front (past years have involved some trash talk- maybe that was brother-in-law Steve's doing). I have had a lot of fun fashioning "faint praise" for the boys in blue in what seems like a weekly email exchange with Erika's dad. Usually something like, "Boy the way you guys are playing we'll never catch you, hopefully they can keep it up."- Translation, "I hope all of your pitchers break their arms and you manager comes down with disintery." To which I respond. Well thats what you've gotta do when you are in first place (always a great comeback when you can use it) but you know sometimes its easier to chase than to lead.- Translation, "We're in first and its staying that way. Good luck in the wild card race.....but not too much luck.

Shoot, all in all its exciting times here at Casa de Johnson. Lots of new stuff coming our way. Be sure there will be a blog here soon detailing both my new job and our new addition. Until then, Keep watching the ski's. (I've just been informed that that should read Skies. Wow that makes so much more sense)

Been a while

2007-08-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

WOW Have I procrastinated!

Ok so a little time has passed since my last post. Its not like I have had a lot to do either. Well there were those two weeks I spent in La Porte. I guess I could start there.

July 21st I got on a plane in LA (leaving an 8 months pregnant Erika behind along with a few tears) and headed to Indiana via Chicago for Dr. Gurrola's biggest 2 weeks of the year. As it was my plan at the time to go to work for the good doctor in October (more on that later) I knew I needed to be there to aid in patient recruitment, and to learn from him how it is he can live in such a financially depressed area and still get people to pay good money for his services.

Lets just say it was educational on many levels. Monday morning I was up early to go apartment shopping before the fair opened at 11am. (Oh did I mention that the first 6 days were spent in a booth at the La Porte County Fair?) I didn't have much luck with apartments as most of the places around town were either set apart for low income, the elderly, or people who feel they can survive in dingy smoky (heck) holes. Housing is a different world out there from the southern California market. Because homes are so cheap (a mortgage in most cases with no money down being less than rent) most people just buy. In our situation we worry about being able to unload a property in a years time when we plan on leaving. (I know most people laugh and say we will end up living out there, but those people obviously didn't get our last Christmas card or know of my dogged determination to live within a bike ride of the beach.) So it was with some frustration that I came home with only a few leads in the way of housing. All that however was swept quickly from my mind as the clock struck 11 and we got to work.

Now if you are like me and when I say this I mean you are about as unfamiliar with country living as you are with say Quantum or String Theory. (You know you heard about it, maybe seen it on TV, but you don't quite understand it and defiantly couldn't describe it to someone) Then you will understand my re-baptism into the world of the mid west. Granted I understand that the county fair is an anomaly where every crazed goof ball and half wit in a hundred mile radius shows up to mix and mingle with the regular folk. The scary thing is, that much like serial killers they blend in so well it may be 30 seconds into you spiel attempting to explain the inner workings of their spine before you tag them as such. From there its just a matter of how much of this do I need to repeat? On the most part however people were very friendly and excited to have someone tell them that they didn't have to go on living every day in pain. (one of my favorite parts of this job) That being said it was a tough week.

We worked from 11am to 10 or 10:30 pm (Dr Gurrola, Myself and two or three members of his office staff) doing spinal screening after spinal screening in a shirt and tie in an aluminum building with no A/C in the middle of an Indiana summer. But with all the sweat there was a reward (and I don't mean a mountain of fair food). I learned a lot about what it takes to be successful. You need to be able to talk to people on their level without distorting the truth, you need to show you really care about accomplishing the goal of the service you are providing, and most importantly I think, at times you need to drop your pride, roll up your sleeves, and go to work.
So many times people fail in chiropractic because they refuse to go out and talk to people about it. No matter how main stream we think we are, we are not at the point where Medical Doctors are where they can just hang a shingle, sign up with an HMO and have a steady flow of patients. In so many cases there are people out there who are prime candidates to be helped by chiropractic care that just don't view it as an option for one reason or another. Maybe its that very missionary spirit that has drawn me to it? Regardless I learned a great deal in those 6 days at the fair, and not just that if you eat elephant ears for breakfast lunch and dinner you may not wake up the next morning or that deep fried vegetables are not a push in the health department. There was so much more that was blog-able there from the tractor parades to the game of roulette they played with a live mouse, but it will have to wait for another day.

All in all we signed up 190 people for a new patient visit, and I got to process them all the next week. Needless to say I am surprised I don't glow in the dark or whistle when I walk from all the x rays i took. If you didn't catch that number it was 190! If he retains as many of those as regular patients as he has in the past few years that's about 100 new patients coming in from 1 hard week of work. But enough about that. After the two weeks was up I bid Indiana goodbye and flew home to the arms of my eagerly waiting wife. We were both glad to see each other and decided that we should never do that again. I will try to throw in a few pictures I took with my camera phone. Just know that there is so much more I would love to show you and so many wonderful mullets that went unphotographed because I don't cameras for eyes. Indiana was a great learning experience. I don't quite know if two people will fit in Dr. Gurrola's office, but it is still an option. Lots and lots of prayers to come on that subject.

So since then (Erika finished summer school two days before i got back) we have been laying low. As inexperienced parents we thought we might get a couple of days down in San Diego or something before the baby came, but in our last visit to the doctor we were informed that the large parasitic growth Erika had been carrying around for the last 8 1/2 months could come tearing out of her belly at any moment, and with that thought we decided to conserve our energy and not get too far from the hospital. This has given us ample time to pour through baby/ parenting/ birthing books and thoroughly destroy any confidence we had in raising a productive member of society (let alone one who makes enough money and still loves us enough to take care of us in our old age....you know like 45!)

Well that sort of does the job of catching up.........promise to be more vigilant in the future

"And always, always love you, Whittier High"

2007-08-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

Well, since this is called "E & T's Universe" I thought it was about time I contribute :-). I'm not nearly as clever or funny as Tyler but some recent events in my life are worth sharing...sorry if its not as entertaining as my husband's entries. (hey! don't stop reading now, at least give me a chance!)

For starters, yesterday was my last day of work at Whittier High School. I have been there since August of 2004 and as I walked out out the doors of the Science building, I couldn't help but feel like I was leaving home. I have had so many wonderful memories, experiences, co-workers and students over the last 3 years that leaving seems bitter sweet.
I love teaching and have had so much fun working with the high schoolers at Whittier. I taught them that "Biology Is Life" and told them that I would feel like a success if they walked out of my room at the end of the school year loving science. I feel I have succeeded in many cases.
I decided to become a teacher after my freshman year at BYU where I had an incredible teacher, Professor Booth, for Biology 100. I walked away not only loving science but wanting to be a teacher so that I could share my love with others. 4 years and several thousand dollars of my Dad's hard earned money later, I walked out of BYU with a degree in Microbiology & a Teaching Credential.
Whittier High has been my one and only full time teaching job (I student taught at Provo High and long term subbed at Montebello High and Dexter Middle School when we first arrived in Whittier) and I am so thankful for the things I learned and the person I became while there. I will miss my "kids," the amazing staff and administration, and the surge of joy I feel as I teach and watch a kids eyes light up in what I call the "ah ha" moment; when they finally get it.
One student told me I was leaving the best job in the world for a better one. And that is how I feel. I could only leave teaching for the real best job in the world, being a mom. 4 weeks to go!
Here are some pictures of the room I called home for the last 3 years. I was the adviser of the "Urban Art Club" so the president and some of his buddies painted my back wall.

All hail to you, Alma Mater, true We are proud to fight to uphold the Red and White All hail to you, Alma Mater, true For our Whittier High We'll do or die And always, always, love you, Whittier High.

Over the past 3 years I have taught 5 Integrated Science Classes, 8 Biology Classes, and 4 AP Biology Classes, as well as 6 Summer School "Science" classes (both Integrated & Biology kids together). I have had over 730 "kids," watched my first one from his entire family to ever graduate walk across the stage and receive his diploma, been called "Biology Mom," been the Biology Course Lead, won the Teacher of the Month from the Whittier Rotary Club, won the Rising Star Award, been honored at a luncheon, presented at 3 conferences on common assessments, and hosted 2 Parent Nights focusing on the Science Department. I have also created & developed power points and notepackets for every single student in my class, which, my 3rd year teaching was adopted by the entire department and published at Kinkos and this upcoming year will also be used by Pioneer High as well as some classes at Santa Fe High (both in our district).
While this seems like a long list of accomplishments, I still feel like I am walking away with the greater prize. I have learned so much from my kids and will always hold a special place in my heart for them.
At the end of each school year, I read each of my classes my favorite children's book, The Kissing Hand. The gist of the story is whenever Chester (main character) feels lonely at school, all he has to do is press his hand to his cheek to feel the warmth of his mother's kiss. I told my classes that no matter where they went in life, they would always have a special place in my heart and as they went on to accomplish amazing things they could always remember there is someone who is out there, rooting for them, hoping they will make the best decisions, and if they ever felt alone they could remember that Mrs. Johnson loves them.
While I did not personally graduate from Whittier, the last 2 lines of the Alma Mater will forever be imprinted in my heart, "...and always, always love you, Whittier High."

While I'm writing, I thought I might as well do the pregnancy update for you as well. Things are going great, he kicks frequently (so much fun!) and we have 4 weeks to go. I am feeling great, still teaching aerobics 4x a week, and Tyler & I try to walk together every day as well. He is currently "sunny side up" which I am hoping changes so I don't have back labor... We've enlisted the services of a Doula (amazing!) named Hillary who I think is going to help make our birth process smooth and enjoyable. We are working together on a birth plan and she currently has me listening to hypnobirthing CDs every day. I plan on doing this "all natural" as they say. I think it is a wonderful, intimate experience and I don't want to be "out of it" because of drugs/other interventions.

Tyler & I are so excited for the arrival of our first child and this new stage in our lives.

Here are some pictures of me throughout the pregnancy: We found out on January 3, 2007 at 8:57 am. After that picture it is weeks 16, 21, 24, 30, 33 & 35.

Here are some reasons I love being pregnant, in no particular order:
1. I LOVE feeling him kick. This is quite possibly the coolest sensation I have ever felt in my life. I love lying on the bed watching my stomach roll and sway like the middle of the ocean where the waves never crest but there are huge swells. It reminds me that there really is life inside of me...crazy!
2. I feel great. Again, I'm teaching aerobics 4x a week, am healthy, have gained about 20 lbs, and only threw up about 4 times total. My favorite comments to me have been, "Wow! You're all baby!" and "You can't even tell you're pregnant from the back."
3. People want to help you...even if you don't need it. I am not one for taking advantage of people (I'm a pretty independent person) but it sure has been nice having doors opened for me, students asking if they can buy me something ("you must be craving something?"), Tyler bringing me water while I'm lounging on the couch, and strangers asking if they can carry something out to the car for me (seriously).
4. People say the funniest things to you. This one is on the pro as well as con list I'd say...sometimes they make me laugh, other times I roll my eyes and walk away quickly. The funny/weird one from yesterday was (again, complete stranger), "big breakfast today, huh?"
5. I don't have to suck in any more. Boys, you might not know what I'm talking about but girls, this one will hit home. From the minute you find out you're pregnant, it is ok to have your belly hang out. Even if you were never big to start with, you no longer have to worry after a big meal to remember to flex your abs (aka suck it in) so your shirt doesn't look too tight. You can let it all hang out...and look beautiful! This one is kind of selfish and conceited...but hey, its true!
6. I'm going to be a mom. From the time I was little, I would fantasize about they day I could hold my own child in my arms, sing to him, rock him to sleep, and play sock puppets and prepare talent shows for when dad would get home from work. Enjoy those funny things that kids say, change diapers, make dinner, breast feed, sing more songs, teach them the gospel, prepare them for a mission and a temple marriage. I am SO excited to become a mom I can hardly stand it. Heavenly Father has trusted us to raise one of his own children and I want to do the best job possible. I know times will be hard, stressful, challenging, and difficult but Tyler & I can do it, and we are so excited. I can hardly wait for my little bundle of joy to arrive. 4 more weeks!!! YAY!
So, like I mentioned earlier, I am leaving the best job (teaching) for the better job (being a mom). Hip hip hurray!

A day and a night in Inianapolis.....

2007-07-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

.....and what seems like 3 days on a plane.

Hey blog readers. Just got back from a quick jaunt out to middle America where I had the distinct privilege of appearing before the State Board of Chiropractic. Indiana is one of the last states to require a personal appearance before they will license (even a student with as impeccable a record as mine). Really, it was just a glorified chance to stroke the ego's of a panel of appointed officials who have little power outside that small conference room once a month. I also had to take an examination on the laws that govern chiropractic in the state, a fact that probably made a personal appearance necessary in the old west, but not in this age of computers and testing centers. All of it was fine and I imagine I wouldn't be complaining about it if it wasn't for the great distances I had to travel on a Southwest airplane.

I stayed with Drew and Jamia Hoffman (one of my classmates from SCU) while there in town and got the grand tour of the city from Drew before and after our meeting, and I have to say I was quite impressed with Indy. Downtown was nothing crazy special. State capitol, various monuments, stadiums, and malls. But it was very clean all around. The most impressive part was driving around Carmel, a suburb north of downtown where Drew lives and practices. I have been a lot of places and few have impressed me as much as Carmel did. Beautiful wide streets lined by large professional buildings and incredible neighborhoods tucked in behind them. And I mean incredible. He took me to what in California would be a gated community (no gates...yet) where a number of the Colts players lived. This was like the Beverly Hills of Indianapolis. Huge, new, gorgeous homes in a planned community with local shops as well as close by major shopping. Then of course he hits me with the bomb shell...what these homes are selling for. I about cried when I realized that for the cost of a 3-4 bedroom condo in southern cal, I could have a palace on a huge piece of land in one of the best school districts in the country (yeah, did I mention the high school looks like a college and the academics and athletics are nationally renowned, a fact I knew before coming thanks to Sports Illustrated and Newsweek).......kinda tough to swallow. It didn't help that it was an uncharacteristically pleasant 75 degrees and the sky was littered with big puffy clouds. I couldn't even play the weather card. It gets worse.
After our tour and lunch (at a very nice very reasonably priced restaurant in walking distance from his condo- also very very nice and a mortgage of about 2/3 of what he was paying in rent while in school) we went to visit his practice. Now granted he is not opening up his own place just yet, the doctors he works for have been in town for years. But I noticed something. the entire time I was there i didn't see a single chiropractic office stuffed into a mini-mall. They were all housed in what I would describe as large professional buildings (probably with entire floors dedicated to their practice). Premier Sports Chiropractic was no exception and my jaw was getting sore from all the dropping it had done to this point in the day. It was the kind of space that would keep you up nights worrying about how you were going to pay for it all in SoCal. That was the final straw, I was officially twiterpatted (go watch Bambi, you'll figure it out) with Carmel. And with that it was back to the A, B, & C boarding lines for my two legged return flight.

Flying Southwest can be a challenge sometimes. Flying in general can bring out some of our worst character traits. When it includes multiple stops and boardings you can end up sitting next to a strange microcosm of airplane society. This trip alone had me next to "Overly Affectionate Couple", "Parents with Wiggly Baby", "Loud Foreign Language Conversation", "Laptop Consumed Window Seater" (you know working on their laptop the whole flight and every time you try to sneak a peak out the window they think you are looking at their work), "Bad B.O. Guy", "Too many carry-ons Lady", and of course "Over the Shoulder Movie Watcher". They all got me on my very best behavior. I have seen enough general conference talks to know that if you do something bad on a plane it is going to end up as a negative example in some general authorities talk on....really anything. I think its the only place they get their material. (Sorry Non-Mormons that last joke is gonna be confusing. But if you want to be able to get it I know a couple of guys you can talk to :-)
All of that in mind I had to dig deep on my last leg (God was testing me I think) when I sat next to "Overweight-Night reading-Blue Haired-Loud Talking-Armrest Hog". I mean this lady would not give an inch. I was consigned to leaning into the aisle where the fight attendants kept hitting me as they walked by (they probably have a blog complaining about "Huge-Aisle Blocking-Whole Can of Soda Guy", but who cares, I caught both of them turning off their cell phones 3/4 of the way through the flight).
By the time I landed I was glad to be home and left with a lot to think about..........Indiana is tempting. But California will always be home.

Rites of Summer

2007-07-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Today is the Fourth of July and besides being Independence day today is the day that in my book you can really call it summer. That being said this is far and away my favorite time of year. The days are long (not quite Seattle long but we get some sun here too), the breeze is still cool, and the sun has made June gloom a distant memory.

Erika on her parents deck late June 9:35 pm

Even as an adult with a job (sort of) and years removed from the days of a three month break from worries it still makes me feel good to know that on the 4th you have your whole summer ahead of you, and with that time you have the chance to get done all those things that make it a season you can look back on with satisfaction. Even here in Southern California where many could argue (and win) that we live in a state of perpetual summer (maybe thats why we like it here smart guy?) there is something about the season itself that makes you do things distinctly summer-y.

So what are the rites of summer? What are those things you just absolutely have to do before labor day weekend and football season? I don't know what they are for you but if I were to make a list I would have to say:
-Get in the water. I don't care if you live hundreds of miles from the nearest water source, find some. There is no more important item on this list than this one. I say the larger the body of water the better with two exceptions. Lets just say it takes a good day at the beach to beat a good sprinkler or slip-n-slide. As much as I hate La Serna High School (and believe me that hatred runs deep) I can still smell, with fondness, the cold shaded concrete outside the pool as my siblings and I marched from the parking lot to swimming lessons every morning. (Who knows it may be that one thing that has kept me from firebombing the whole place all these years)

-Get a sunburn. I'm not just talking the bridge of your nose or the tops of your ears. I mean a real sunburn. One that even 40+ sunblock couldn't stop. I'm talkin' the tops of your feet, the back of your neck, shoulders, and back so burnt that sleep is just a little uncomfortable for a few days. Then sit back and slather it with cold aloe vera (I keep it in the fridge during the summer) and remember how much fun it was getting that burn with every abbreviated movement.
-Go to a ballgame. Once again like my theory on bodies of water I would recommend the bigger the better with an exception. If you or your child are actually suiting up then the reverse rule applies and backyard games become the #1 choice. That said, its the summer people! Even if your city (or State for some backwards burgs in this country) doesn't have a major league team, take a trip to the big one at least once. (Hey go during a day game and knock out two of the items on this list so far.) Nothing says summer like a bunch of dudes absolutely abusing a pair of long pants and a button up shirt. Extra experience points for eating sunflower seeds or peanuts with no hands, heckling at least one opposing player, or throwing back a home run hit by the other team. And of course remember that winning is great but loosing builds character (not to mention gets you better seats next time when Joe season ticket holder in seat 1a gives up on the team early).

-Go somewhere just because its air conditioned. This one remains a popular choice in my family as my childhood home (in Whittier where my mom still lives) never had more than a window unit that was only turned on in the most repressing summer heat waves. This choice is also probably the main reason any of us got new clothes since the idea of taking 6 kids to the mall otherwise was a laughable option. (It also makes me shiver as a future parent.)
Malls are great, the library is good....but you have to be quiet (a little too much like school for me), but the best place to go for air conditioning is also the next item on the list.
-Go to a summer blockbuster. Save the corny art house flicks for the colder months when I feel like being introspective. In the summer time you must see at least one movie with no other redeeming quality than the fact that there were lots of things that blew up. Here are some tips on picking just the right one. Ask yourself, does it involve, a. a post apocalyptic world, b. a natural disaster of epic proportions, c. a movie preview where the only dialog is shouted, or d. (a sure fire sign) a battle of sorts against insurmountable odds in which the entire human race could be wiped out? This summer I think the hands down winner looks like Transformers based on the above criteria. But who knows the summer is young and there are so many things that need to be blown to smithereens which takes us to.......
-One word, Fireworks. It's sad that in this day and age I have to explain this one but the Simpsons said it best when they said, "What better way to show your love for your country than by blowing up a small chunk of it." See a professional show, light a cherry bomb in a dumpster, write your name with a sparkler. If it's illegal where you live go somewhere where its not. (maybe on the way home from the baseball game where you got sunburned?) Remember negative experience points for watching a fireworks show on TV....thats just ludicrous.
and Finally (at least for now cuz I gots stuff to do)
-Eat like its summer. Barbecuing is a given. I have lately grown bored with burgers and am currently working on the best slow cooked "bar-b-que" I can come up with here in California. Tried a number of things to this point, made some headway, but its a far cry from the guys who inspire me on the food network. Aside from the grill however there is plenty of summer food you need to consume on a regular basis. If you haven't held a quartered watermelon rind in your hands with a face covered in pink juice hurry....there is still time before September. Grab some potato salad, a bratwurst, and a cactus cooler on your way. And of course, don't forget that summer is the best time to visit those intrepid entrepreneurs in stalker vans...the ice cream man. Have a 7up squeeze pop, a strawberry shortcake bar, a choco-taco, or one of those pink foot pops with the bubble gum inside and you will never want those leaves to change colors again.

I guess thats what makes summer so great and the fourth weekend so exciting. There is so much to do, and so much time left that you could actually conceive doing it all.

And if you plan on doing it all try bringing along the family....cause they're outa school too and its just more fun with them around.

did I miss one you just have to add? leave a comment and tell me why.

TWIW

2007-06-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

Thats "This Week in Whittier" for all you non baseball fans out there who didn't get the connection to one of my favorite shows as a kid (TWIB or This Week in Baseball). Back when we didn't have cable and therefore no Sportscenter (or a time I like to call the dark ages) Saturdays were a time for sugared cereal, cartoons, and TWIB. TWIW was the best I could come up with, as This week in Johnsons doesn't really ring, and as fitting as it may be This week in Tyler abbreviates in an unflattering manner. The great thing about TWIB was that it was on every week. Spring training to the world series and everything in between. Even during the "dog days" of the summer when you thought nothing spectacular happened there were highlights to be aired, bloopers to laugh at, and of course some rookie getting a cream pie in the face. So you could say it is motivation for me to sit down and recall whats new in a week I would call uneventful on the surface.

I continue to work as a substitute teacher while I wait on my Chiropractic lisence. But that subjects really been overdone. On the days I don't have jobs I try to get to the beach while it is still in my back yard and not halfway across the country. I got the bright idea that i wanted to surf Malibu a couple more times before leaving and it had been a while. (What this really means is I had forgotten why it had been a while). I went by myself Friday afternoon as my workaholic brother was too big a wuss to fake a mid-day flu bug on a pristine late spring SoCal day. "We have a deadline", "My co-workers are depending on me", "I am a total hack slave to the man", "Blah blah blah I suck" is all I heard. There's really only one possible response to such brotherly insubordination, the "you used to be cool" text message. Doesn't work on Evan as well as it would work on me (he was and always will be the responsible one) but at least he really knows what he is saying no to. Its not just a beautiful day surfing a famous point break (more on that later) he is saying no to his carefree youth......and that stings.....I know.

Malibu is Malibu. There's no changing it. She is so enticing. While I haven't really traveled the globe in search of the perfect wave I have never seen a more consistent wave than Malibu. Every set like the last and almost every right can take you all the way from Point Mugu to Santa Monica (at least is seems that way). There is just one caveat, you must first sell your surfing soul. To surf Malibu for any period of time you must become the biggest snake in the world. Let me esplain. Its the utter machine-like consistency that does her in. One long wave that will extend all the way around the point is just that.....ONE WAVE. Add three dozen guys who ditched work early (like real men Evan!) and you have yourself a free-for-all. Takes some getting used to and after a few hours in the water I had not had my fill, but my arms were doing something Evan couldn't....punching out at 5.

Lucky for me Erika was out of town (for her sisters graduation) and Evan was house sitting on the westside. So we tried it again Saturday morning. Problem with Saturdays in Malibu is that quaint pod of three dozen becomes 5 real fast. I left with my fill of Malibu, even if I didn't get my fill of waves. All was not lost however as there was one shinning star. I was introduced to Pinkberry and in doing so Evan redeemed himself.

With Erika still gone until Sunday and my body on strike after two straight days of surfing (who do you think you are Mark Spitz?) I was ready for one of mine and Erika's guilty pleasures. We have a great bed. It is by far the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on for more than one night (that title goes to Grandma Johnson's feather bed). Any night sleep is generally good on that bed. But the guilty aspect of this occasional pleasure is that if you think you sleep well with two in this bed sleeping on it alone is like what I imagine some people pay large sums of money to the Columbians for. Really the only way to describe it is narcotic.

Erika arrived home safely Sunday night and we both got to go back to work trying not to inflict bodily harm on the swarms of high schoolers we are in charge of refereeing.

I am still getting the hang of my favorite new toy. The Nikon camera I bought as a combined graduation present from both parents. Its a lot of fun and its an easy way to feel like you have some artistic talent. I think I will add a couple of shots I've taken in the last week. Here is one of my friend Dave (lives down the hall and has been #1 homey since high school) I admit this one has been tinkered with a little on the computer, but still fun to do.

This one is my latest attempt at a blur shot. the trick is to lengthen the shutter speed and then pan the camera to follow the subject . Kinda cool as the goal is to get your subject to come out clear and the background blurred. Evan taught me this a while back....see I told you he used to be cool.
Removed Per Request

That's pretty much it for TWIW. Aside from our ongoing feud with UPS (Long story short we have a pending insurance claim from Christmas and when its time for a delivery they only come when no one is home and won't leave things at the door no matter how many different tactics we try.) things are pretty boring here in Whittier.
Now go put your empty cereal bowl in the sink, put your blanket back on your bed, and get started on your chores because TWIW is over.

No real subject

2007-06-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

Nothing huge to report on todays blog, but it has been a while since I checked in so I should update you on the latest goings on here in Johnsonville. As stated in the previous blog i have been working as a substitute teacher in the local school district. While it has kept me busy and supplied me with a paycheck it has also kept me pretty bored. Hence the lapse in blogging. I mean how many times can you say it feels weird to be the man. Plus I think I could get in trouble if I wrote down what I'd like to do to some of these punk kids. If nothing else it has given me a new view on education. As someone who has been in voluntary (and expensive) higher education for the last few years it is very strange to see kids who really just don't care. I guess I didn't see it that much when I was in high school either as I chose to take honors and AP classes for the very purpose of being around others who cared about their education. Its really quite amazing to see these kids who at times it seems have to actively try to not do their work. Its amazing.....and not in a good way. I get up in the beginning of class and in so many words announce that their teacher has left them a disturbingly easy assignment that he or she will be using as a guide to who behaved and who did not. And that all they need do is finish the assignment (which in many cases involves scribbling a few notes down on a movie) and not light the classroom on fire. The resistance to this is baffling. The funny part in this all is how little the kids think that you are on to. How often they think they are gonna put one past the substitute.What, was I born yesterday? Anyhow, its a mess and it is with great hesitation that I say that it is much more prevalent at my alma matter than at the hated rival a few miles away(it doesn't help that this is also the school my father-in-law attended and a school I have held a general feeling of contempt towards for much of my young life)......I feel like such a sell out but the truth hurts sometimes.

Erika continues to be showered with awards and baby clothes. The first at a banquet held to honor district employees who have displayed excellence where she received the "rising star" award as a great educator with under 5 years in the district. She really is that good and in light of my previous comments I should say that in a previous awards banquet her principal said that when he observed her class room that one of the things he noticed was that kids looked like they were excited about the class and therefore actively engaged in learning. The baby clothes have started to roll in as her co-workers threw her a shower this week. It is staggering the things a kid "absolutely needs" these days to survive. While I guarantee my parents didn't have a lot of the things that babies are just expected to have now (and they turned out ok) who's to say that they wouldn't have become super human had they had some of these essential baby life support items.

On the baby front we think we have settled on a name......and no we're not telling. Not even family. Not even close family........Especially not close family. We did attend our first child birth class at the hospital last night. The most exciting part for me was that it was held in the spine center conference room/library and so on breaks I could wander around and see what the spine surgeons were reading up on. My favorite had to be a book called pathology of idiopathic scoliosis. Get out the dictionary you will laugh at that one. The class was a little basic but first time around I guess we gotta hit em all. I did draw some world class doodles and learned that in a couple of weeks our son will learn how to cry....just great not even out yet and already he's taking after his mother.

Elsewhere in our lives we decided to go beach camping over Memorial day weekend and got the full San Onofre camping experience. If you have never been there you drive down just past the huge nuclear reactors (featured in the Naked Gun) to your site 50 feet from the hourly amtrak commuter train and on a bluff where you can't even see the water. Oh and our site. I wish I had had the sense of humor at the time to take a picture. It was hardly big enough to put up our four man tent. Surf was fun though, and we packed it up early so we could catch the Angels getting crushed by the Mariners (also the team of my in-laws) on Monday night. It was really all down hill after the fly-over. If you have never been at an event deemed important enough by the powers that be to have a real fly-over you haven't experienced one of the absolute thrills of a lifetime. They are especially good at the Big A.

Other than that its pretty boring around here. Just day to day stuff. Work, Church, fighting over who's turn it is or who's job it is to make the bed. (my stance is for a rotation of responsibility and Erika's is that the last one out has earned the job......guess who's always the last one out?) Its a fight very rarely won as it usually ends up as the job of the first one who wants to go to sleep......but I'll claim that as a moral victory, hey you gotta get em where you can.

One of Those Days

2007-05-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Throughout your life there are days that stick out. I'm not talking about birthdays and anniversaries, but days that are different because of some surreal experience. Today was one of those days. It wasnt like I had some mind blowing epiphany or had my paradigm shifted. No it was much much weirder.
But first a little background.
LACC (Thats Los Angeles College of Chiropractic) has this assigning way of delaying licensure after your graduation that makes it difficult to make money as a chiropractor until oh say August. If you as me its a total racket since this means that if you want to practice in the interim you must enroll in the schools extern program. Now that little number is gonna set you back about 600 bucks a semester and you are limited to working under another licensed doctor until you have one of your own. Because of this little loop hole doctor feel like they can get away with hiring you on for what accounts for slave labor knowing that you are starved for cash flow and those student loans aren't paying themselves. Now here is the thing that irks me silly. All it would take to change this would be for the school to allow students who qualify to take the last part of national boards one cycle sooner. This equates to them allowing you to take a test during your final semester once all your course work is long over instead of one month post grad. Other schools do it....we don't. They just won't sign the forms until its too late to apply for the test pre grad. Total racket.
So I have this way of quiet rebellion when I feel like I am being cheated. So I refuse to play their little game. This leads us to my surreal moment of the day. For you see I have set about seeking out alternative employment. So last week I found myself in the district office at the Whittier Union High School District where they have seen me fit to become a substitute teacher. (Not a bad gig in So Cal as it pays pretty good and has flexible work days for things like studying for my board exams!) So sure enough this week rolls around and where do I find myself assigned but good old Whittier High School herself......My Alma Mater. (cue the organ cords here- dun dut duuuuhhhhh)
Talk about crazy feelings. Walking through the halls with a lesson plan at my side and a mean teacher scowl on my face I became "The Man". And not in the cool way like when people say "you da man!" but in the lame way like what Zach De la Roca is always singing about raging against. In a way a little piece of me died today and you know what....I think I can live with that. I beats the alternative.....selling crack (mind you I never would have been a mean crack dealer. More like a nice crack dealer, you know like "hey, you want some crack?") But I digress. It was strange being on the other side today. Its a funny place eating lunch in your room with other teachers all calling each other by their first names and complaining about standardized testing. But I guess thats what I have to deal with now that I am graduate.......What a Racket

Because Erika is too Humble

2007-04-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

OK blog readers its time for a break from the constant ME talking about ME that has become the norm here on E&T's Universe. I am forced to do this as Erika hasn't made any attempts at writing herself, and as stated in the title she probably wouldn't tell you all the cool stuff anyway.
If you have read either of the posted Christmas letters from years past you know that Erika is a superstar. This year has been no relief from her constant out-doing me in every possible way. At 20 weeks pregnant she continues to teach an aerobics class 4 times a week (a class that I am told kicks the butt of any and all takers). And let me remind you that thats no small potatoes child she's got in there. That is a Johnson male (I was a college offensive linemen, my brothers are all over six feet tall). But wait there's more. She's a top notch youth adviser in her church calling , and last but not least she is a wiz of a high school biology teacher to boot. It is that last calling that allows me to brag today as the day before I was to graduate from grad school she was already collecting professional accolades.
If you didn't cheat and look at the picture below Erika was honored in the community as the Teacher of the Month. No small feat as she has some stiff competition and the award is only handed out to 5 teachers every year.
My thoughts were, "well its about time!" For all the work she puts in its nice to have a luncheon in your honor once in a while (especially for me as this means a good meal that I had nothing to do with earning). If you didn't know it Erika this year has taken on the task of reviving the AP biology course at Whittier High. Not that big a deal you say? Well factor in that she teaches 4 periods of AP and one regular Bio and you see how gifted she is.
Now it is apparent that I am proud of her accomplishments as I am gushing here. but let me just add one more thing. The greatest compliment she was paid at lunch on Friday was her principle (a solid guy who has done great things at Whittier) stating to the crowd that if he were put to the charge of starting a school from scratch and he could take one teacher with him, it would be her. He also said many other great things about her and we are all very proud of her accomplishments,
and she would never tell you about any of them.............. no matter how many times she reminds me.

Graduation Whirlwind

2007-04-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

It was a cold fall day back 1984. Can you believe the BYU Cougars football team was on a championship tear that would end with a national championship and I walked with my brother and sisters to my first day of kindergarten at Lydia Jackson Elementary. There have been precious few breaks along the way since then. (if you call two years away from school serving a church mission to South Chicago a break you deserve to reproduce that feat and then come talk to me.)

Well folks out there in blog-land, Saturday April 14th 2007 that journey came to an end. Now I am not saying that there wont be countless post-grad classes and seminars, (why even now I am enrolled in a hundred hour course to become a certified Chiropractic Sports Physician) but on Saturday my days as a full time student came to close, and class is in session for the school of hard knocks.

It was an interesting weekend, highlighted by official functions like graduation rehearsal, signing all the right school forms and of course registering my prints with the FBI- good thing I was careful about what I touched as a rambunctious youth. There were also more lighthearted events like families getting together and eating too much food and getting a little brave with a roving mariachi group.......Lets just say that during the course of one meal I got to see my mother-in-law don a large sombrero and Erika's uncle give a rousing solo ( in perfect Spanish) to the sound of a fiddle a guitar and one of those huge acoustic basses. There was also what I will be referring to forever as the Chiro-prom. With the accumulated class fund a select few of my classmates went about organizing a dinner on the rear deck of the Queen Mary. It was good to see all my classmates......even if it meant seeing them in that light one more time. There was some great food and the obligatory slide show that to my surprise was missing all of the graduation classics.......You know them, heck you are probably humming one right now just thinking about it. But alas no "I will remember you" or that green day song that always get played. Not even a cameo from Boyz II Men or even that freakin vitamin C travesty that everyone loves. No, at least at the time the slide show was being produced cooler heads prevailed. I got a couple of class awards that highlighted my leaning towards some of the more classical tenents of chiropractic. (namely most likely to have a large picture or bust of BJ Palmer in my office, and Most likely to take a teaching job at Sherman Straight College of Chiropractic) Both were good hearted jabs but I would put the well rounded nature of my own educational experience up against any of theirs.....well except Mellisa. That girl is a genius.

The actual ceremony of graduation was in classic form far too long while seated in the auditorium and over far too soon once I was holding my diploma and saying goodbye to my classmates.
In all seriousness I will miss this tight knit group of people who formed a large dysfunctional family for 3 years. Not just because I worry about who will understand my weird sense of humor (Erika has been tired of it for years now so she's out) but there is something about going through something as difficult as the last three years have been with a relatively small group of people that forever binds them together. I am sure there is some sort of name for it in the annals of psychology somewhere............shoot, I bet Melissa knows. Maybe I'll call her.

And the winner is?

2007-04-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

So its update time for the blog. We went to the doctor on Tuesday afternoon and got what I hope is our only ultrasound. i wont go into detail about my ideas about bombarding a tiny growing thing with high energy sound waves 4-5 times during a pregnancy but we can leave it at the fact that i caved and we got it done. Erika has to know. I personally wouldn't mind waiting. A friend of ours who waited described it as the last real surprise in life. Whatever. There are more important things to fight about...like names. But before you can really fight over a good name you ought to narrow it down by 50%. (Side note. If this is anyone from Erika's family who hasn't been informed in person or over the phone stop now or she's gonna be kinda ticked) .....Ok now that they are gone we can get down to business.
First I've got to say I think its so funny how whenever somebody asks if we are having a boy or a girl they act like if its a boy I win and if its a girl Erika wins. For the record in my opinion having a girl first makes so much more sense. Of course both our families had girls first so we are biased, but hear me out. Girls grow up quicker. In my experience they take on a second mother roll fairly early in life. Now that could be more nurture than nature as my mom wasn't one to coddle her girls too much. A fact she will relay sheepishly in an instance at the grocery store when my oldest sister couldn't have been more than 3. My mom was tending to my second sister for some reason and walked up ahead of the cart. When she realized that the cart wasn't moving with her she turned to my oldest sister and said, (mind you 3 at the time) "well, come on." I don't know why I love that story so much. I can't decide whether its because of how much it embarrasses my mom to think about it, or the mental picture of my three year old big sister trying to push a shopping cart, or if its the fact that thats just how its always been with my sisters. All that said girls are just more responsible. And that means one very important thing they babysit at an earlier age......nuff said.
With my opinion out there I must say however I was still convinced we were having a boy. Really it was one simple reason that lead to my conclusion. Erika has cried less since she has been pregnant. Its like the waterworks just shut off. I am not complaining, but this was the girl who cried during aflac commercials! You know the annoying ones with the duck running around screeching Aflac all the time. I thought this was a sure fire sign it was a boy.
So have I stalled enough. do you want to know what it is? If you are a McCall and you are still reading you are in huge trouble!
So here it is the only piece of important information in this whole thing. With an updated due date of September 1st we will be welcoming a new baby boy into our family. We are both incredibly excited, and look forward to using all the parenting tips we have learned from our favorite family counselor Caesar Milan..............(aka the dog whisperer)

Why Indiana You Ask?

2007-04-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

Let me just say I love Indiana. There are some people there that are my favorite in the world. But there is nothing like thinking about the prospect of living somewhere other than Southern California to get you thinking about how great it is here.
We had an eventful trip. We spent the first two days with Dr Timothy Gurrola and his family in La Porte Indiana and the rest running around downtown Chicago like a couple of tourists. La Porte is a small town about an hour and a half drive east of Chicago. It was my 1st area on my church mission to South Chicago 8 years ago. It was then that I first met Dr Gurrola and chiropractic. Dr G was a local member of the LDS church and as a service to the missionaries he would adjust them for free. At first I was hesitant. Really I just didn't have an opinion either way. My missionary companion would get adjusted and I would study in the waiting room. The thing about being a missionary for any good length of time is you will find yourself walking an awful lot. Now do this with a shoulder bag or heavy scriptures in one hand and you get pain all over, but especially the back. As a long time athlete my mindset was that this constant pain was just a part of life and something that you dealt with because everybody dealt with it. One day it became too much and i decided to join Elder Cooper in the treatment room. I liked what he did from the get go. Though I didn't know it at the time Dr Gurrola practiced a technique called Gonstead that tries to be very precise in its delivery of an adjustment. Long story short I noticed an instant change in my pain and gradually I saw that my overall health change for the better.
I was in the general area off and on for around 13 of my 23 months in Chicagoland and by the end had decided that this was for me. My first day back at BYU I told the counselors I needed the classes that would get me into chiropractic school.
Its been over 6 years since then and the more I experience the more I have come to realize how talented Dr Gurrola is. I want the skills he possesses and that means putting off becoming my own boss just a little while longer and living in the harsh weather of the mid-west, then thats what we are willing to do (I acknowledge how lucky I am that Erika supports me in this and is willing to go as well.)
So that's why Indiana. That's the reason we will leave the promised land of California......... for a little while at least.

La Porte in the early spring of '99

Update from Indiana

2007-04-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos

Don't let the subject get you all excited, we still live in Southern California. Let me esplain.
Since we sent out a huge stack of graduation anouncements a couple days ago with the address to this blog I figure I had better do some updating. So whats going on in Johnsonville? Have you read the last two years christmas cards (below) yet? I'll wait.........ok all caught up? Good. So as you know graduation is coming and the security of saying that I am still in school is slipping away. Eventually I am going to have to face reality and find a job. So we are in good old La Porte Indiana this week talking to an incredible doctor named Gurrola about a possible one year stint in his office soaking up information. Its a great oputunity for us (and it would have to be to pry us from our comfy 80 degree winters) that will probably begin in the late summer or early fall.
So other big news? um lets see.......the angels look like they have a solid squad put together........uh........the lakers, hey they could make a run......HA! the dodgers look bad, thats always a plus.....Oh yeah there is one other small piece of news. That is...Erika's Pregnant! You heard it hear people we are only months away from the day you feared for so long. I will finally have a subject for all my hair brained schemes. Hope the kid has moxie, he/she is gonna need it. The due date is September 4th as of now. We are going in next week for an ultrasound that will hopefully allow me to stop refering to it as "it" or "him or her". I will try to update this as soon as we know. We are still unsure if we want "it" (see how anoying that is) to be a hoosier or a .....what do they call Californians, I mean to their faces? Anyhow changing doctors mid pregnancy is a bigger deal than we thought so we are exploring more options.

I am sure there is so much more going on in our lives but at the moment they seem clouded by these three coming events. So feel free to check back periodicly and see whats new. I'll try and keep this thing updated.
feel free to drop us a line
ty.johnson71@gmail.com for yours truely
erikalouraine@gmail.com for my better half
erika.tyler.johnson@gmail.com for both of us

Difficulty with "the juices"

2007-03-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

So since I started this thing my mind has been awash with ideas (most of them brilliant at the time) for subjects of blogging merriment. My problem is I am surrounded by things that just kill the "creative juices". I admit that on the most part they are all associated with my own weakness, or lets call it complete lack of will power in some way or another. Talk radio is a huge culprit. That stuff just rots my brain. I can't count how many times I have had an infant idea bouncing around up there on a drive somewhere (most recently this has meant the 45 minute one to and from United Chiropractic in Ontario for my internship) only to have it squashed by my inability to; first write it down, as any attempt would require I set down my.....insert driving distraction here......you know breakfast, cell phone, razor, i pod, any combination of any and all.....wow its a wonder I haven't died out there and done you all a favor and taken out that lady who keeps braking for no reason with me-now where was I. Oh yes, like I want to write it down when its not even partially formed.( you all caught up here? I know its a poorly punctuated rant, just read back a little I'll wait.) Last I know we were talking about writing things down...ya good...ok
Secondly I have to blame my inability to change the station once even one word has been uttered due to the trance-like state I get from a good article on NPR. But its not just the monotone that gets me. It's how easy it is to listen to. I think a lot of times its the newness. If you spend any amount of time in your car here in LA you have heard all the music your radio station has to offer and so its a welcome escape........but a juice killer. Especially if it was musical inspiration that you were working on. Talk radio is music inspiration kryptonite. If my mind trying to compose lyrics and melody were Wonder Woman, then talk radio is holding me by the wrists (look it up, it was her weakness). It doesn't help any that I have only taken up song writing on a dare from a fellow amateur musician and that I stink at writing songs that don't end up sounding like lifehouse, creed, or some terrible country music song (and by this I mean all country music) where there is no mystery or interpretation of the deep or profound lyrics. I mean would you really rather learn about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald or hear your love compared to a powder keg thats puttin' off sparks? (note: After writing this I can't believe in one run on paragraph I let on to what a big Wonder Woman and Bonnie Tyler fan I am). Now I may be setting the bar a little high but can I help it if i don't want the things that come out of my mouth to be total garbage?
Ok but we are straying from the subject here people lets focus......what was I talking about? oh yeah juice killers. TV is the obvious next choice, but not all TV. Reality TV is definitely a juice killer. Which is one reason I don't watch any reality TV that involves an island, a millionaire, a bachelor, a house, fat people loosing weight,the making of any band (no matter who's putting it together), getting fired, eating horse rectum or anything that had to be pickled to be edible, or voting from the audience. This covers the ones i won't touch with a ten foot pole (if you can gain inspiration from that drivel called Idol you are a better man than me.) But I have my own addictions, (overhaulin, dirty jobs, Two-a-days) and much like talk radio I find myself wrapped in their warm thoughtless embrace.
I really don't know how to end this, I had a really great idea brewing but the one thing in this world that is both limitless inspiration and juice killer in one just walked into the bedroom and announced it was time to go to sleep.

Gotta go. Just got a great idea for a song. All I need is a word that rhyms with orange....where's a rhyming dictionary when you need one?

So I guess I'm a blogger?

2007-03-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Its a scary scary world people. And it just got a little scarier. That's right after holding out with a resolve that would make the Amish proud I am throwing my hat into the ring of bloggers. They say regular people do it these days. They say its not just for conspiracy theorists and dungeon masters anymore. But that can't keep me from feeling a little geeky.

It scares me a little that I will be bearing my vast shortcomings in the spelling and grammar department to the world and my in-laws, but with so much coming up in our lives and the idea of loosing my best captive audience ever (you poor members of the SCU Class of 07) I figured I needed an outlet for that energy before I started chatting up Jay-dubs or taking in stray cats.

It's likely that I will write most of this after Erika has gone to bed so expect plenty of material based on sportscenter, seinfeld reruns, and my super sweet sixteen (a show that in my opinion proves the terrorists are winning). But I watch too much TV these days and rarely find anything outside my TiVo rotation that I really enjoy watching or talking about.

I imagine I will let Erika contribute since her name got top billing (she's the E in E&T ). But you should be able to tell the difference as her posts will reflect her sweet disposition and become instantly more popular than anything I can come up with. Just one of the things you deal with when you marry above yourself.

We are stepping into a scary new realm people........Can you handle it?

Christmas Letter 06

2007-03-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you who missed them, here is a quick catch up on our lives over the last few years in the form of our Christmas letters.

Merry Christmas

From The Johnsons

Dearest Friends and Family,

It’s that special time of year again. You know what I’m talking about. When the weather dips into the 60’s between 80 degree visits from my favorite Santa (Hint, its not Claus, its Ana. Sorry big guy.) Time to wake your wetsuit from its long summers nap for an early morning session. It’s that time of year when the good folks at Disneyland commemorate the miracle of Christ’s birth with their own miracle, nightly snow flurries on Main Street. Its time for high school marching bands, classic cars, and B list celebrities to converge on Hollywood for the worst 3 hours of television this side of an MLS soccer game. That’s right folks it’s the Christmas season in Southern California, and I love it!

For years I have heard every excuse in the book from all you season loving freaks and I just don’t buy it. To me nothing says Christmas like a long strand of colorful lights hung with care on the nearest palm tree or boat down at the marina. Oh, then there’s my favorite part of a SoCal Christmas…being able to feel my fingers and toes when I venture outdoors.

For all of you who received our Christmas letter last year (and with this, a second Johnson family Christmas letter in hand you can now consider yourself a seasoned veteran) you may recall my hypothesis that no one really reads these things past the first paragraph. So to you who have made it this far I say you must truly be a good friend because even I am having a hard time reading this garbage. That being said it has been a wonderful year to be alive and to be a Johnson.

We started the New Year with a new address, moving from the cozy confines of Uptown Whittier to far off East Whittier. This move effectively flipped our commute times as I am now 3 minutes from school and Erika 12. Erika continues to wow and amaze the people she works with, with her fire for teaching. Even more impressive than that is the fact that she continually impresses me with the depth of her commitment to her kids at school. She of course has many other talents to speak of, foremost being the ability to keep me in line (which really is a full time job). She continues to teach aerobics four times a week and is mothering a family of orphaned baby meerkats. (Ok maybe not that last one, but she could if she needed to).

This year found us in a new church setting, meeting with the people of east Whittier in the Santa Gertrudes Ward of the LDS church. We have had the opportunity to stay young at heart through our service in teaching the three and four year-olds in Sunday school, and most recently the teenage boys and girls through another calling. Serving in the church is such a blessing that requires great humility, because if you don’t have it those two groups will teach it to you.

I continue to advance in my schooling as a Doctor of Chiropractic. This past year has been the beginning of the pay-off for the hours of hard work in the classroom, as most of my learning has been of the hands-on variety. I have been lucky to be surrounded with great mentors along the way who have each lead me to greater and greater heights in this profession that I love. The culminating event in this chapter of my life will finally take place in April when I graduate with honors from LACC.

May this Christmas season find you happy and well, and may the warmth in your hearts from family and friends make this Christmas a SoCal Christmas wherever you are.

Christmas Letter 05

2007-03-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas

From The Johnsons

Dear Friends and Family

Alright let me level with you, I’m in over my head here. I week ago I promised Erika that I would write this Christmas letter. “How hard could it be?” I haughtily exclaimed. I mean, I must have read hundreds of those things and they’re all the same. Right? You make your sappy intro, fill the middle with stuff that makes your friends wish they had it as together as you do, while at the same time making the subjects of the letter look like some sort of Super-Family (capitalized to show that we’re not just talking about some cool family but a family sooo cool that they have received a proper noun and a hyphen in their honor). Finally you finish off with a capitalized Merry Christmas From the (fill in family name here) and you are golden. “Walk in the park”, I continue to say as Erika prods me for the finished product in the loving way only a wife can. So I’m under the gun here for one huge reason…….For all the hundreds of lengthy Christmas letters I have seen, (each with their very own be-sweatered family picture with poinsettia borders) I can’t think of a single one I have read the entire way through…..OH!! I mean except yours of course. I do however have one thing going for me. That is the fact that most of you have probably grown tired of reading this already. That is if you didn’t just give this letter one look and say, “Single spaced! Who does this guy think he is Victor Hugo!” and then toss aside the letter in your attempt to find space on the fridge for our smiling mugs.

All of that said I ought to get down to business if only to inform you who are still reading why you even liked us in the first place. It has been a good year here in Whittier California (a great place to live, and even better place to grow up, if I do say so myself). I mean what more can you ask for? Sunny year round, the ocean nearby, and the Angels and Trojans are dominating (don’t ask about the Lakers, it’s a rebuilding year).

Erika continues to wow and impress her peers in the science department over at my Alma Mater, Whittier High School (Go Cardinals!). I must say she is very good at what she does and loves going to work almost as much as she loves sleeping in on Saturdays. When she’s not in school she finds time to teach step aerobics 3 times a week at the local YMCA. Teaching really is her true calling. A fact made clear when she was called to be the Gospel Doctrine teacher in church earlier this year. I am not at all surprised when people from church and school come up to me and praise her for what a great job she does. I mean I knew she was a genius…..she married me right?

I continue to plug away on the mountain climb that is my educational career. The good news is that the peak is in sight and Erika makes a good Sherpa. I will be finishing up my degree in April of ’07 (at which time you will all be forced to call me Doctor) and I start clinical rotations this January. I love Chiropractic and can’t wait to get my hands on some people other than my classmates for a change. This summer I got my first taste of national boards and the wonderful long hours of stress and studying in preparation. Luckily all the late nights at the library paid off and I passed part one (parts 2-5 still to come) in September and I was back to my old self. It’s a nice break to be able to go surfing once or twice a week, and I always have my scooter rides to keep me sane.

Though it all we’ve had a great time living the past year and hope that this Christmas is indicative of the fun to be had in the year to come. We love you all and of course… MERRY CHISTMAS from Erika and Tyler Johnson