WHAT THE

nuggets

2011-10-28T16:16:00.004-06:00

yikes! so it's almost been a year since I've posted. maybe i'll start up again soon. But, I had a few random things I'd thought I'd post....

1. hymnals don't have pages, they have hymn numbers. This is purely the marilyn coming out in me but it never fails how much i hate hearing "our opening hymn is on page # 301"

2. i still find that a lot of folks have never realized that in most (if not all) cars, there is a small triangle next to the gas pump icon on your dashboard indicating which side of the car your gas tank is on. Even after owning my car for two years+, I still look at that arrow every time I pull into a gas station.

3. posessive vs. plural. Plural words DON'T need apostrophes. Apostrophes are used only in cases of contractions and posession. Ex: It is going to be a rainy day. It + is = It's going to be a raindy day. I could talk about the your and you're fiasco but i won't. Also, y'all is a contraction for you + all and the apostrophe belongs after the y, not after the a. There are a lot of other examples I could drone on about it but it's rather boring and whiny so I'll stop.

4. I've converted to become a Taco Time fan. Thank you Molly and thank you the Dunns. I've lived less than a mile from one for 5+ years and my first time there was earlier this year. I recommend the burrito bites or the cheddar melt w/enchilada sauce.

5. You can request a styrofoam cup for your large diet coke at McDonalds. It's the cup they usually give you if you order the sweet tea. All the Utah McDs serve their sodas (please note my proper use of their) in plastic cups, which I hated, because they sweat and get watered down too quickly. And since I like to nurse my beverages over a period of time, my d.c. now stays chilled and sweat-free.

6. I got my ipad today. white with a pink cover. i love it.

7. That is all.

earth to nancy

2010-11-04T00:51:00.001-06:00

hello friends. you'd think i've fallen off the planet but alas, here i am! here is a quick update to the last few months.... photos to come later

1. went to kalamazoo, mi to spend time with matt's family. Go Broncos!

2. I left my job after six years. it was a great gig but i needed a change

3. took golf lessons with haylie and kim

4. turned 31 on august 6th

5. girls trip to Colter Bay (in the Tetons just outside of Jackson Hole)

6. speezy and aaron got married--included a rowdy bachelorette party in park city and a beautiful wedding downtown

7. i bought a jetblue all you can jet pass. i jetted to Disneyland, Seattle, D.C., New York and the Bahamas

8. I also managed to squeeze in Arkansas and Minneapolis

9. friends trip to Bear Lake. participated in the Bear Lake Monster #5

10. i got stuck in a parking garage elevator for an hour after a job interview

11. Halloween party-I was Lucy :)

12. Cougar football is REAL rough this year

13. Baylor football is bowl-bound AND in the top 25 which hasn't happened since '93 (Dad-wish you could see this!)

14. the first official snow was last week. We're still enjoying really nice fall weather but we got a glimpse of what is to come :(

there was also a lot of standard summer activities: i played on two softball teams, campfires in the canyon, plenty of pool time, john mayer at usana, drive-in movie, raging waters, lots of time with les and matt and little m (who is soon to be a big brother!), boating, hiking and LOTS of time with the gang....

Life has been pretty good...still trying to adjust to not having dad but we're doing okay. Job search is in full swing and I can't believe Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years is just around the corner. 2011 will be here before we know it. I'll post some pics from all the haps in the next few days

oops, i did it again!

2010-06-23T11:01:00.007-06:00

remember last year when i had fomo, well i still do. i can't believe it's been a year, but last weekend was the Wasatch Back again and I couldn't say no :) It was another group of work peeps plus a few friends and we were sponsored this year by Goal O . They make products that can provide portbale power in very remote places. We had a great time and i would and probably will do it again--against my better judgement.

after my first run

the crew

hotel ragnar

coming in on my 2nd run-ready to hand off

please notice the couple making out

almost done!

safety first

ragnar part 1

ragnar part 2

Goal 0!

father's day

2010-06-21T09:36:00.005-06:00

Father's Day, as you can imagine, was a little tough this year. There's going to be a lot of firsts this coming year without Phil and it started with Father's Day. I met Matt and Les and M for a nice breakfast and then we went to visit his grave. And then we hit a bucket of balls at Bonneville. Before he died, I was able to send him a quick note of how i felt about him. I'd like to think that he already knew it, but just in case.....

Dad—I don’t think I’d ever be able to express all that you mean to me. What’s happening now is almost surreal—it’s so hard to believe your time here with us is so limited. I just want you to know how much I love you and how so much of who I am is inextricably linked to you. I’m so like you in so many ways and I’m sure in ways I don’t even know. But I do know that I know the gospel because of you. I know responsibility because of you. I know hard work and loyalty and generosity and honesty because of you. I know how to show up. You embody all the things I want my life and character to reflect. I will always cherish the time we were able to spend together: BYU football in the Relief Society room, piano and choir recitals that I’m sure were sometimes painful, road trips in the station wagon and minivans, early morning seminary, vacations, mowing lawns, Spain, BBQs in Evanston, etc… etc… Dad, I will miss you terribly and wish more than anything that you could stay, but please know that your influence and impact will still be felt long after we have lost you. And don’t worry about me. Please know that I am loved and taken care of. I will be okay. I am so proud to have you as my dad and so proud to be a Johnson. Even though I have had you in my life for 30 years, it definitely isn’t enough. Thank you for everything you have done, been, taught me and shown me throughout my life. I know I can be with you again and I love you so very much. See ya soon.

Forever your kiddo,
N

HAPPY FATHER's DAY, DAD! I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU

Phil

2010-05-26T14:37:00.012-06:00

We lost Phil two weeks ago on May 12, 2010 after a very brave 9-year battle with cancer. And we knew it would happen and we were prepared. However, there's really no amount of notice that can actually prepare you for the reality that losing him brings. I played it in my head, I imagined what it would be like when I got the phone call but it still didn't make it any easier or ease the sting of hearing, "I'm so sorry to tell you this, but your father has passed away." Through a few tender mercies, I was at home and with a best friend at my side when i received the news. And she held my hand and we cried. There really aren't words that can be said or things that can be done, but the outpouring of love and the Spirit can still be felt. I've been overwhelmed and humbled the last few weeks and am grateful to know what i know. and I'll be okay. but i miss my dad.

His obituary can be found here

i'm getting married!

2010-05-07T12:58:00.000-06:00

ok--that's not true. it's laughable actually. However--many a folk think that I am and here's why....a prank war. My friends K and J have been in an ongoing prank war. His last move was an ad he posted on KSL saying she had General Conference tickets. She was bombarded with phone calls, texts, sob stories, etc.....well played J. So in return K created some wedding announcements. J and I just happen to have a pic together where we're dressed up. Carefeul plotting, planning and deception went into pulling this off. I can not share how I was able to gain access to his phone but it had to be done. Watch out J--your family, friends and singles ward (including the bishopric) all have announcements headed their way. We realize the level of retaliation that this invites, but it was too good not to do it. Team K all the way! and no. my middle name is not Patricia. cash gifts are acceptable-i already have a toaster.

the date is hidden under the ribbon--it's May 29th!

christmas miracles

2010-05-06T22:21:00.003-06:00

do you believe in Christmas miracles? I do. It's a family joke when something goes right or is unexpected, it's a christmas miracle. A good chunk of the time, we feel a little like the Griswalds so we welcome these little miracles with open arms. Anyway, i needed a flight home a few weeks ago on very short notice. As part of my job, i coordinate a lot of travel and i happen to know that Dallas, oddly enough, is one of the most expensive markets we travel in, especially with few days notice. the pic below is a bit fuzzy (it was a screen shot) but click on it to make it bigger and you'll see my Christmas miracle.

as a small bonus miracle, i was able to get on the earlier flight for only $50

home

2010-04-27T10:22:00.008-06:00

aaaggghh--it's been so long. I have a lot to catch up on--mainly a cruise to Mexico with the ladies at the beginning of the month. I actually took only one photo so I'm waiting for the rest--hopefully i can throw some up soon. But, here's a few shots from the last few weekends at home. Melanie got baptized over the weekend and it was a nice opportunity for the whole family to get together at Mom and Dad's. Usually Texas is just hot and muggy but we were blessed with a few absolutely beautiful days. It was good to be home.

Dad's Phi Beta Kappa banquet at Baylor

Melanie-baptism and birthday!

Melanie and Allison

Grandma J and Melanie

me and Jen-my BFF growing up. She was nice to come take some family photos

M eyeing the cookie table. cookie is one of his new favorite words

The Dunn's

the girls

the whole fam

ramblings

2010-03-17T14:28:00.003-06:00

I was driving around this afternoon on some office errands and had a few really random thoughts.....

1. i don't fart. it's rare if ever. and i don't like that word. we were supposed to say toot growing up. i don't like that word either. some people don't believe me and that's ok. i know i don't. i really don't burp much either but we had corned beef this afternoon in honor of St. Patrick's Day and I've been burping it since and it's kind of gross. probably will be my first and last corned beef experience.

2. i've pulled over the car to make-out. it was me and Nate Kennedy on our way back from Sundance back when I was at BYU. i should be embarrassed. i'm not.

3. i honk. a lot. if i have to put on my brakes or i think you're being an idiot, i will honk. the space between me and the car in front is not, in any way, an invitation for you to come on over.

4. we're having a conference tomorrow and Friday for work and i had to make name tags and i asked a couple of the other gals to help clip on the lanyards and stuff the namecards, etc... one of the gals clipped the lanyards on backwards and i secretly want to go fix all of them but i realize that it's just silly and doesn't really make a difference but it still bugs me.

Sun Valley

2010-02-25T17:22:00.005-07:00

Another successful girls trip to Sun Valley. Big Surprise. It still shouldn't amaze me that a group of ten adult women can get along so well and have such a great time, but sometimes it does. For as much as we think we're normal, maybe we're not! We rolled in Friday afternoon and left Monday afternoon--in time to get home to watch the Bachelor, of course :) Here's the haps to the weekend....

*checked out Sun Valley (since the actual town of Sun Valley is so small, this was done in about 12 minutes) Technically we spent most our time in Ketchum.

*celebrity sighting: Kenny Loggins.

*Van 1 waited for van 2 to arrive and then grabbed dinner. We went home and exchanged Valentine gifts

*Being that Valentine's Day would fall over this glorious weekend, we decided to draw names and that person would be our "valentine". You had to buy your valentine a $5 item and/or outfit from the D.I. to wear during one of our outings.

*youtube hour. we got sucked into watching youtube after youtube. but this was our fave--probably watched 20+ times....that oprah and her surprises. Hallelujah

*Saturday morning we found ourselves at the GoldMine-a thrift store--in search of one-piece snowsuits. Luckily for us, they were having a President's Day Sale and one-piece snowsuits were half-off.

*Kimi found a treasure--an owl sweater--that earned us an invitation by a visiting hockey team to their game that evening.

*lunch/affirmation--somehow we started saying why we liked or what we admired about someone and it started out as a joke but then by the end, it got kind of mushy. there were tears. love these gals.

*DI outfits on, we went to an afternoon matinee of "Valentine's Day". it was quite a site seeing us walk across the street

*dinner at Despo's--formerly Desperado's

*Sun Valley Suns vs. Missoula Cutthroats hockey game. We were the only fans for Missoula and they won

*Team dinner after the game at the Roosevelt

*stuff

*Sunday morning--a nice visit to the Sun Valley ward. I sported my new sequin heart headband courtesy of ban.do and Jenny. Thanks Jenny--i LOVE it!

*brunch

*shopping

*naps

*homemade dinner

*visit to the giant hot tub (the resort turns their swimming pool into a hottub in the winter)

*Monday--hit up the hill for some fantastic sledding

*headed home

we couldn't stop laughing during the prayer for dinner. mo snapped a pic and made it worse...

until next year, Sun Valley!

i'm still here

2010-02-10T23:27:00.011-07:00

at the request of Phil, I am updating my blog so here it is--this ones's for you, Dad!

warning: LONG POST-LOTS O PICS

It's no secret I don't really like January and February. They're dreary and cold and dark. However, this year, while still not at the top of my list, they've been pretty awesome.

here's a recap of the last month or so.....

1. work party with my friend Jared. He cleans up real nice and he was a good sport to hang with the work peeps and the crazy lady running around making sure everything was going ok... it was a smashing success. some say our best yet. we had a performing group come in that pretended to be waiters and then just jumps into this whole opera duel/perfomance thing. it was pretty good.

there's really no reason to post this pic other than i loved the big flower in my hair

2. Christmas with the Dunns--they were so great to adopt me into their family Christmas

3. NYE with the gals and fellas at K's house. mega twister and a pyramid really were the highlight of the evening. first activity of the New Year-IHOP. It's gonna be a great year.

4. Sledding—first time I’ve sledded in YEARS. It was a lot more fun than I remembered—just glad no one got hurt. That’s always a possibility with this group :) not quite sure why we wanted a jumping pic but this is as close as we could get...

1, 2, 3....

jump! Haylie misunderstood the assignment

5. Bear Lake with the gals over MLK weekend. might be one of my favorite trips to date. we ate, and slept in, put on fake tatoos, played rock band, wore one-piece snow suits, hung with Bob at Glady's place (convenience store) while we played Lotto tickets, and most importantly, participated in the Bear Lake Monster III--a challenging obstacle/relay race. Here is this year's course:
1. jump off mini-tramp--doing some sort of trick/pose in the air
2. walk sideways, with your eyes closed across the balance beam
3. fill a bucket with snow
4. search for yellow ping pong ball in baby pool full of snow
5. run around a tree
6. snow angel
7. run up the stairs to the deck, crawl in children's cardboard fort
8. with your two teammates, eat one snack bag of chocolate pretzels and drink one can of soda*
9. run off the deck and through the tunnel made of boogie boards
10. grad your sled, run up the hill
11. make a train with your 2 teammates and sled down the hill
12. jump up and throw your hands in the air.

*way harder than you think.

Also, a pirate/musketeer mask had to worn by one member of the team at all times--we rotated between the 3 of us.

We were the first team to go so we were at a bit of a disadvantage. we were so disappointed in ourselves, we did it AGAIN. and we would have had the best time on our 2nd run but our sledding went terribly awry. oh well. it just wasn't in the cards for the Dirty Girls. maybe next time at Bear Lake Monster IV.

thanks to Marilyn for my homemade mustard yellow scarf. i love it!

6. Our very own Miss American pageant (to coincide with the real Miss America pageant). There was a cookie identifying portion (we had to recognize ourself in cookie form), talent and question. Questions and talents were drawn out of a hat. When I pulled out "20 second rap about Miss America" I briefly panicked but apparently my freestyle skills are a talent untapped. i think it was that high score that won me the title.

can you tell which one i am?

my nickname was pants. i'm now known simply as Lil' P. I'm a soldier, a rider, a ghetto survivor :)

kelli just found out she took 5th runner up

the awful fake cry, i'm so humbled, thank you face

7. Molly and Kimi's birthdays: For Molly, we had a big dinner at the DODO and saw Dear John. it was okay--hated the ending. Happy Birthday Molly! and for Kimi (don't judge us) we had a funeral. When we went to St. George back in October, we went to that Mexican restaurant in Beaver that advertises with a very tall off-the freeway sign that simply reads MEXICAN FOOD. Kimi was somewhat lamenting her approaching 31st birthday and something like "I might as well be having a funeral" came out. So right then and there, her funeral was planned out on the back of a MEXICAN FOOD paper place mat. All the ladies participated and we held it in my spare bedroom which luckily for us houses an old organ. They really should take away my key to the church but 12 padded Relief Society chairs, a lace doily, and a podium really set the scene. A luncheon that even the compassionate service committee couldn't top was served and it was really just a fine afternoon. I realize this is somewhat creepy but to know us is to love us! it was done in good taste and was a joke from start to finish. We really are quite normal and a dinner at Texas Roadhouse that night (like how normal people celebrate birthdays) was in order.

molly's nickname is kitty.

molly and mo did a rendition of "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and BoyZ II Men

the eulogy

grief-stricken alli

tap tribute

the digs

the funeral director

texas roadhouse

sadly it took a funeral to get the first ever photo of all 12 of us

just a quick scan of the guest before the service started

8. Jack’s Mannequin concert. Fun and Vedera played as well. Terrible venue but excellent concert—like the other two bands. JM were awesome. Worth a parking ticket? Probably.

9. coming up? Presiden't Day weekend in Sun Valley. Hilarity and antics will undoubtedly ensue.

Phil and Marilyn are rarely surprised at my long list of activities and most of the time I'm met with a "Don't you ever stay home?" To which, my answer is yes, Dad, but as little as possible :)

the unveiling

2010-01-05T14:31:00.003-07:00

i've determined a motto for 2010....

Let it Ride

For those of you not privy to knowing me, I have a motto every year. It's supposed to serve as some sort of motivation/inspiration for the year. Now whether or not I'm actually motivated or inspired by these mottos, I can't say. But for the time being, I've got it on a post-it on the inside of my cupboard at work. i guess that's a good start....

a look back of mottos from yesteryear:
2009: Make It Mine
2008: In It to Win It
2007: Now Is the Time
2006: Stay in the Game

more new music...

2009-12-22T23:21:00.001-07:00

here's a new batch of songs i'm liking right now...again--sorry for the some of the lame videos.

i'm not a huge fan of adam lambert, however, i actually kind of like this song...

from the pulpit

2009-12-21T23:52:00.001-07:00

I had to speak on Sunday for the Christmas program so here is my little talk--i guess it kind of counts as my Christmas card too since I didn't send one--it's also a little shout out to all my friends who are such wonderful examples and who are always out and about doing good...

On that first Christmas night so many years ago, a number of people were told of the good news of the birth of a Savior. An angel visited shepherds in the field and brought "good tidings of great joy." These shepherds left their fields to go out and find the Christ child. Three wise men followed a star in the east that led them also to find Him. And they offered him gifts.

As I think about this holiday season, I stop and wonder how, in our time and in our day, do we seek after the Savior and what gifts do we offer him? We won't trek across fields nor follow a star in the east, but we each have our own journey in finding and coming to know Christ.

I think we can find Jesus in the everday, almost unconscious things we do and and also in the things we see others do and in the kindness that is shown to each and every one of us. For me, this season, I've seen many gifts offered to the Savior through service and through good company. I've seen it in delivering cookies to a handicapped friend who seemingly gets ignored at home, in crying with a friend as her parents leave on a mission, in throwing in 50 cents here and there for a bellringer at a grocery, in a ward service auction, where we auctioned off one of our own just for a little bit of extra money, in watching a holiday movie with a group of really great friends, in a parking lot attendant who let us park without a permit so we wouldn't be late and turned away for a Christmas concert, in being a Secret Santa, in giving up a really great parking space to a mom in a minivan, even if you saw the space first, in putting in an extra $10 or $20 for a family in need instead of getting that new pair of shoes, in riding in a wagon on a group date to chat and look at Christmas lights, in an anonymous Christmas card, in a ward temple trip at 7 AM the Saturday before Christmas, in singing carols at a retirement community to a grateful widow named Pearl, in spending time with friends and family, even if only through a phone call, and in a hundred different ways unique to you and me.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news to all men. And the goodness that is in our hearts, the goodness we show to others and the goodness shown to us will be how we are remembered and be evidence of how we sought after Christ and offered him our gifts. That good news heralded in so many years ago is the same good news today. "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:10-11 & 14)

May joy and peace find you this holiday season and may we all continue to be the wise men who seek after the Savior. Long after the cookies have been eaten, and the parking lots have emptied, and the carols have faded, may we continue to seek after and find the Christ child.

Merry Christmas to you and yours wherever you may be!

xoxo
NJ

this is how we do it

2009-12-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

this is how we roll in our family:

(text I received from Les last night)

Mass and Market Street Grill for the 24th. All activities optional.

Translation:
You are invited to attend Mass with us and the Dunns (Matt's parents) and then have dinner with us at Market Street Grill on Christmas Eve. If you don't want to come to mass, you may still meet us for dinner. We would love for you to be there but if you don't want to or can't come, we don't mind and won't take it personally.

Johnsons = drama-free. I highly recommend it.

Saturday Boutique

2009-12-10T13:06:00.002-07:00

hey everyone, my good friend and her sister are hosting a boutique on Saturday in Draper. Lots of vendors, lots of cute items! check it out here www.suburbanchicboutique.blogspot.com

rise all loyal cougars

2009-12-02T11:51:00.002-07:00

just life

2009-11-19T22:51:00.002-07:00

1. my 88 year-old grandpa has an ipod
2. no matter how many times i drag the razor across my knee, i still have a few strays
3. it's disturbing to me that the parking lot of SCORZ in Lehi is full at 2 PM on a Thursday
4. i have never walked out of Target empty-handed
5. it's rare if an episode of Biggest Loser doesn't bring tears to my eyes
6. thanksgiving is less than a week away and I'm really looking forward to going home. (The stars at night are big and bright...)
7. iphones should have vocal-command texting
8. work weeks should be 4 days long
9. i'm still craving the jamba juice i dropped and didn't get to enjoy on wednesday
10. i swallowed a reese's pieces whole thinking it was an advil
11. scarves are my new favorite item. i am specifically looking for one in mustard yellow.

new music monday

2009-11-09T07:32:00.002-07:00

this is what i'm listening to on my ipod now. sorry for some of the lame videos. and stranger in moscow isn't new but it's new to me and i love it! hope you like 'em.

the music comes on about 20 seconds in

fyi

2009-11-06T00:32:00.001-07:00

people who find me attractive:
1. special needs kids-this includes mentally challenged friends and senior citizens
2. the line workers at cafe rio (various locations)

sister wives

2009-11-05T23:52:00.004-07:00

first off, how cute is little M as a lion? i missed this sweet little face when he was visiting Grandma D while Les and Matt were on a Euro cruise but so glad to have him back, especially like this...

and the big kids in arkansas--i can't believe how grown up they are! love the princesses and MIB. miss you guys!

for our halloween party at work, i was an iphone. i loved how it turned out--practically identical to my own phone. big shout out to marilyn for helping me make it. thanks mom-you're the best!

and now....the unveiling of the sister wives. during our st. george adventure, alli had the brilliant idea to be polygamists for halloween and luckily for us, the D.I. has an unlimited supply of denim jumpers and long sleeved collared-shirts. we spent halloween weekend up at a cabin with a group of friends. the boys were speechless as we filed down the stairs one by one singing a hymn. they appreciated our enthusiasm but after a while, weren't very hip to our dowdy clothes and make-upless faces. i don't think they were expecting naughty nurses and skanky cops but the celestial poof, ankle dresses and sneakers weren't scoring us any points. i mean no disrespect to the polyg community, but how awesome is this....

mo was such a good sport when she consented to be our "husband". we referred to her as moses.

i can't tell you how much i loved this. the family portrait. I was simply referred to as #8.

haylie's hair was the best

quizno's had no idea what hit them

the fellas-moses included

and now begins....the rest of the weekend. just lounging around. late night dance party. treats. friendly football game. scary story telling. movies. MJ videos. some football stunt work. ya, know...

the bucks. they lost.

the slayers. we won.

we thought we would try and make diving catches with the football.

the second night....i was a pink lady

happy halloween 2009!

fall fun

2009-11-03T00:19:00.003-07:00

i LOVE the fall. i love the cool weather, the beautiful canyons, football, hoodies, scarves, boots, pumpkins, soup, hot cocoa, etc....it's my favorite season but here in utah, usually it's the shortest. summer sometimes forgets to invite fall to the party and just lends itself directly to winter. luckily, we've had some pretty nice weather (intermittent with some lame snow) so i've tried to soak it all in. Here's a brief recap of the last month:

1. ward powder puff football. it's funny how vicious some of the relief society ladies can get on a Saturday morning on the football field. i was a proud member of the grey wuffs (ooowwwuuu). we ended up taking second place, losing in the championship round to the yellow fever. I sadly, had to miss this game, but loved every second of playing when i was there.

the grey wuffs sans a few people

team huddle

the serious pose

2. road trip to Las Vegas for the BYU-UNLV game. it was a quick trip but fun, nonetheless. night games are my favorite and a cougar victory is well worth the drive.

it's vegas-you have to

go cougs!

3. i had a softball tournament the entire weekend phil was in town. I did manage to meet him for dinner a couple nights.

m & grandpa

4. Halloween party at the retirement center

5. girls trip to St. George. loved it. Friday Night Lights. eating. dancing. eating. pool time. shopping. pedicures. eating. (P.S. you know the tall MEXICAN FOOD sign on the freeway in Beaver? I've passed it a million times and wondered who really ate there. Well, we really ate there.)

we ate at applebees in honor of the best show on television, FNL. sadly, Tim Riggins wasn't there

at Thriller at the Tuacahn Theater

6. a couple of dessert nights with our friends in Bountiful

the point is to mingle with other people but we're pretty content with just us

rockband

russ and the ladies

the hosts: jared and aaron

7. Cornbelly's with Joc, Kim and Molly. This is now our second year participating.

can't go to cornbelly's and not sit in the gian rocking chair. remember?

so long sweet summer

2009-10-27T13:41:00.002-06:00

what i've been looking at all day. boo.

action man

2009-09-30T00:03:00.002-06:00

matt's sweet Grandma sent a pacakge for M including a pair of underpants for a 4 year old. I got the biggest kick out of them and made Lesley let me put them on him. He was Action Man.

Also, M LOVES, LOVES electronics--anything with buttons, noises, lights. He always wants your blackberry, iphone, camera, etc...but computers are his favorite. Matt and I both have the same white Mac and when either of us flips it open and turns it on, M will stop, put down anything he's got and immediately come over to see what is on the screen and how many buttons he can push. It's like the on sound is a homing beacon--the mothership calling to him. :) Well, Les dug out Matt's old laptop and the kid was in heaven. We just might have the next Steve Jobs on our hands....

I could have used an action man last night. I'm sitting on the couch watching TV when something started buzzing and flying about my head. It was a hornet!! How did a hornet get in? I don't know. but i freaked. I shot off the couch running back and forth between the kitchen and living room until i could see it again convinced this thing was either on me or in my hair. i attempted to kill it a few times which only angered it, forcing me to repeat the kitchen/living room dance. i'm not sure why i thought high knees were necessary to get away but.... it finally landed on my ceiling and since my little house has ceilings made for 5 ft individuals, me and my grey wedge were victorious.

finally.......

2009-09-25T00:22:00.001-06:00

yikes--it's so easy to get behind and then get unmotivated to catch up. Nothing groundbreaking but here are the haps to rest of my summer....

*Pioneer Weekend roadtrip to Colter Bay in the Grand Tetons. Would go there again--it was amazing!
*Lagoon with Diego and the ladies. Diego is our special friend and at some point in the day, i was his "delicate princess"
*tin foil dinners (great idea Mo--haven't done those in years)
*office move
*weekend in Bear Lake
*The Fray/Jack's Manequin concert
*BYU vs. Oklahoma game in Dallas Cowboys Stadium
*Jocelyn's wedding
*mom and Emily in town for the Top of Utah Marathon: Les and Em ran it. we spent an afternoon up at Sundance before they went home--it's so pretty right now

I'm now getting excited for the fall to set in. It's my favorite season especially if we actually get one. Sometimes it seems we skip it and go directly from summer to winter. Softball season has a few weeks left and our ward powder puff league starts next Saturday. Football season is in high gear and hopefully the Cougs can prove they belong in BCS contention. I'm a loyal fan but that FSU game was embarrassing.

Colter Bay-Grand Tetons

it's a little difficult to get back in a boat without a ladder or back deck. this piece of work topped out at 7 MPH. loved it

thanks Mols and Jessie

livin' the good life

we were so proud of our fire

night boating-really all we could think about was making it to the pizza place before it closed

the water was soooo cold

this place was absolutely gorgeous-recommend it to anyone

our tent/cabin. kelli wants to spend her honeymoon there

Lagoon! Diego's special day with his special ladies

rattlesnake rapids

saloon photo-had to do it

tin foil dinners/smores-me, Haylie, Kimi

Elissa and Mo

Heather and Kimi

The Fray concert-Usana. Molly & Emily

The Fray with the ladies

M and his girlfriend B-lunch at Chuys.

greatest game of the 2009 season. whole family was there, brand new stadium--which is amazing, diet dr. pepper on tap and some cougar football--doesn't get much better

phil has turned to the juice :) just kidding. he was holding an OU's fan beer while he dug in his wallet for money.

me and phil

shout out to the Bears-go Big XII

i am BYU

team meet and greet

the screen was amazing

the Utah gang

Haka dance after the victory

Amy and Allison

Chris and Jackson

M's first cougar football game. he represented well

Amy & Emily

Melanie--it was pretty loud for the little girls

Phil and Marilyn

the whole gang--M wasn't as excited as the rest of us. needed a little nap.

me and Les

sisters by chance. friends by choice. :)

final score

we Johnson gals love our beverages and Marilyn can't resist taking a photo. this was the greatest fountain drink bar i've ever beeen to. there were color-coded lids. thanks quiktrip

the train at Kiddieland--a Waco icon.

me and M on the merry-go-round

Amy & Allison

the destination of the family outing

Grandma and Grandpa J and the grandkids

Uncle Dan's BBQ -a Johnson family favorite

you can get great BBQ and a concealed weapons permit-what's not to love?

Joc's bridal shower

the ladies and Jocelyn

me, Cameron, Kim

Joc and Mac

Top of Utah Marathon--good job Em!

just a few feet left.....

here comes Les--Mom and M aren't too far behind :)

family church at Sundance

M wanted to walk the trails

yes, please.

Sundance is absolutely gorgeous right now--go check it out/ride the chairlift.

3 decades and counting

2009-08-06T12:47:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to me! Wow 30 years old. I had a great time doing my little "all about me" project the last 3 weeks. I totally lost steam in the middle and it almost became a thorn in my side to get it done but it was so much fun going through old pictures and remembering funny stories and seeing some old faces. I think, most of all, I realized how blessed I am and how fortunate I've been over the years. And also, I didn't do any of these things alone--I've been surrounded by wonderful people my whole life and I know not everyone can say that. I had amazing parents who took me on vacation, and sat in the audience of my plays and shows and softball games and sisters who let me tag along, and wear their clothes, and who truly became my friends when I was at BYU. And great friends, some since first grade and some since just recent--but the adventures we've had and crazy antics we come up with are uniquely us and i wouldn't have had it any other way. I also realized that I could never list all the things I've done and experiences I've had. I've had catfish on Beale Street in Memphis, I've seen the Gugenheim in Bilbao, I floated down a river through caves in Belize and saw the island of Cozumel on a scooter. I scuba dived in Honduras, saw the Capitol at night in Washington D.C, floated in a balloon above Palm Springs, ate a hot dog at Yankees Stadium, walked the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco, salsa danced in Santo Domingo, watched the Dallas Cowboys underneath Texas Stadium, saw the stage production of Lion King in London.....I don't say these things to be braggy, but i say it to remind myself how full my life is and how the mundane and the everyday and the hard stuff make getting to do all these things worth it. How in another 30 years, I can look back and say, "Nice work, Nance." I hope that I can continue to be blessed and worthy of great things to come. My life is full--it's no where near complete, but it's full. and I'm grateful. And although I want and pray for more, i have no complaints. Who knows what the next year, even decade will hold? I'm sure a lot of fun stuff and a lot of not fun stuff but I'm ready for it. Come what may and love it...

30 has been great so far. I have a new shirt, I had a cookie for breakfast, I've been wearing the official "Miss Lehi 2003" crown all day at work, had a nice lunch with a good crew from the office, almost put myself in a food coma with some chocolate cake and am looking forward to the SYTYCD finale tonight with Les (Team Jeanine!). Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it...

xoxo

i also realized i should have been in pageants. big hair, from texas, can walk in heels. i was made for it :)

free-fallin

2009-08-06T12:07:00.005-06:00

1. SKYDIVING! Surprise-I went skydiving a few weeks ago. Happy Birthday to me. My friend, Watts, convinced me to go so 4 of us went to Ogden early one Saturday morning and went skydiving. I was hooked to Spanky, who was a great instructor. I loved it and would go back and do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks Julia, Brian and Pete for being there with me for my first ever skydive. Here's to the next 30 years....

you've come a long way baby

2009-08-05T12:35:00.001-06:00

2. the EARLY years.....

Utah or Bust

2009-08-04T22:03:00.001-06:00

3. SUMMER VACATIONS: As a child, we never spent our summer vacations at the beach or at Disneyland. No, we loaded up the minivan and drove to Utah for a couple weeks. The drive was long but we broke up it with a night in New Mexico with my mom’s sister, Cecile. We’d stay with Grandma and Grandpa Tadje in Alpine when that town was barely a dot on the map. We’d spend time with cousins on both sides and it wasn’t complete until Grandpa made his ice cream cake-chocolate cake with layers of Snelgrove’s peppermint chocolate spray. We’d also spend time with G&G Johnson in Elko, NV before they moved to Evanston. Most vivid was cartwheels on the neighbor’s grass who didn’t like us and breaking my arm on a failed landing after jumping out a swing. I got a new wardrobe from Fred Meyer (none of my shirts could fit over the massive cast) which I thought was awesome. There really are too many memories to list, but I LOVED coming to Utah. Summer nights hanging out outside were my favorite.

Grandpa T LOVED fig newtons

Lake Powell

Lagoon

G&G J-Evanston

Rafting the Snake River

Lagoon

Mountainview Circle-you can barely see the front end of the station wagon in the top right corner

G&G T at the cabin. we still have that cooler.

Lake Powell

I wore this sailor outfit all the time

I think we're downtown SLC but really can't remember

the awkward years

hanging at Ernie & Sylvia's. I especially love the Coca-Cola shirt.

it's possible that this was at the 49th street galleria

kennecott copper mine--don't ask what look i'm going for here--i don't know.

Sunday best with Grandpa T. he was so handsome.

Grandma, watch me jump!

i broke my arm in Elko and got a new Popples

please note the cast size versus my leg size

catch-up

2009-08-03T23:52:00.001-06:00

warning: lots of posts.....

years gone by

2009-08-03T23:51:00.000-06:00

4. BIRTHDAYS PAST: As the day approaches to my 30th year, here's at look back at the last 4...

28-Snake Creek Grill

27-Citris Grill

26-Porcupine

you check 'em, I'm checkin' out

2009-08-03T23:50:00.001-06:00

5. JOBS: over the years, i've had a variety of employment...

14-16 years old: lawn girl in the summers. hated it. got paid pretty well. Phil once made me drag a lawnmower a few blocks away while sitting in the trunk of the car.

at BYU: Old Navy for a summer, and a year at the BYU bookstore. I worked in the "twilight zone" (following in Les's footsteps) which was a little convenience store, and also the infamous candy counter. loved that job-got to see a ton of my friends everyday. everyone passed through the bookstore. I also delivered pizza for Brick Oven. yes, I've driven the yellow truck. I wore a bowtie and hat. I don't ever want to do that again.

I spent spring semester at home in Waco. I helped my friend Jenny reset the school supply aisle in many a HEB grocery store across Central Texas. This was definitely an adventure.

I was the sample lady at Costco for two Saturdays trying to peddle a kids' protein bar. I was filling in for a friend who was out of town. I didn't care for it but I had the highest sales out of all the Costcos that sampled it.

I also worked for a telemarketing company for one week. They told me I couldn't go on vacation with my family so I quit.

all in the family

2009-08-03T23:49:00.000-06:00

6. NIECES and NEPHEWS: In May 1998 on the 1 year anniversary of graduating high school, I became an aunt. Amy and Chris had a little boy named Jackson. They were also living in Provo so it was nice to be so close and I often babysat. Over the years, they have added two more: Melanie and Allison, and Lesley and Matt introduced Murphy to the family one year ago. And I can’t forget Harris—I’m also an aunt to a 4 year old weimeraner, who is a great big “brother” to M. I absolutely adore getting to spend time with all of them. It was so fun to have Amy & Chris’s family out last month and I’m looking forward to celebrating one year with M tomorrow! PS-Melanie was featured in August’s edition of the Friend (church magazine for kids) with a painting she did of one of Mom’s orchids!

This one time at choir camp

2009-08-03T23:48:00.003-06:00

7. CHOIR: That was my gig. Choir. Started in the 6th grade and did it all through senior year. I even lettered in it—got the awesome blue leather jacket from Midway High. There were festivals and contests and talent shows, trips, etc….I even went to choir camp….twice. Marilyn was the accompanist for the high school choirs all 4 years for me so that was great having her around and my friends loved her. She was known at school at Ms. J. There was the debacle that was our sophomore trip to Dallas that was ruined by a tornado and vicious storms. I was stuck in an elevator at our hotel for a little while. They had to pry the doors open and there was about a 2 ft opening that they lifted us out through as we were between floors. Toronto my junior year and Galveston my senior year. You can only imagine the antics that went on on these trips. I ended up being a ward choir director twice at BYU and have been in a community gospel choir the last few Christmases. I love singing and wish I had more opportunities to be a part of a choir or group more often.

choir-last day senior year

6th grade concert. please don't confuse our minivan with the one to the left

Sounds of Silence

6th grade commercial for the best grocery in town-HEB. I led the group through produce. i'm furthest left.

Big River-8th grade. I got to hit the final high note by myself. i'm the last one on the second row.

before a concert

Chamber Singers '97

we thought our boys were so awesome...

told you.

A Wild Rompus

2009-08-03T23:47:00.000-06:00

8. BARNES & NOBLE: A few years back, my good friend Amylee worked at Barnes and Noble. I asked her if I could volunteer to be the story lady for storyhour that they held on Thursday nights back in the kid’s section. For some reason, they let me and I did that for almost two years. It was a blast. These kids were hilarious and we always had a great time. It usually involved a few stories and then some sort of activity or craft. A lot of the publishers would send activity kits to go along with the books so we always something cool to do. I loved reading Where the Wild Things Are. We would all wear crowns and have a Wild Rompus. My favorite kiddos were a brother and sister who always came. They were so well-behaved and loved coming. Side note: I have very small feet and can sometimes buy kids shoes. I found a super cute pair of Diesel sneakers at the Rack and wore them often. The little girl noticed the same pair of shoes at the store and begged her mom to buy them so that she could have the same shoes as the story lady. I love it! I look back and wonder why I did it—I’m really not sure what inspired me to do it, but it was great…

You Give me Fever

2009-08-03T23:46:00.001-06:00

9. GOTTA SING GOTTA DANCE: I love performing. I’m no Broadway star but I think it’s fun to be on a stage performing anything. In high school, I participated in Gotta Sing Gotta Dance (talent show) for a number of years. Some of the GSGD performances are a little embarrassing but at the time, we thought they were so great. There was Wham's Wake Me Up, Fever, I'm so Excited, FAME and Jenny, please remind me what me did sophomore year. I can't remember. There was also a senior song where we wore our college sweatshirts and sang a sappy song to a slideshow of our baby and senior pics playing on a screen. I chose “I Will Remember You” by Sarah McLachlan for us and was blubbering by the second chorus. These events are truly some of my favorite memories from high school…

Fever--aren't trench coats, hats and sunglasses clever? we took them off to reveal shiny colored dresses. oh high school.

WHAM-wake me up before you go go

my solo--nice shot up my dress...

there was never a reason not to make t-shirts with puff paint

FAME-I'm gonna live forever

me & Theise

closing night speech

I'm so Excited

One More Round Girls

I'm so Excited

Seniors 97

The Fire Within

2009-08-03T23:45:00.002-06:00

10: SALT LAKE OLYMPICS: I remember being at EFY in Colorado the summer of 1996 when Salt Lake City learned they would be hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics. Fast forward to my junior year at BYU. Lesley was working for SLOC in their volunteer department and wanted to set me up to be a volunteer for when the games were here. She then moved to the transportation department (it was there that she met Matt) and actually helped me get a job with that department. I ended up being an athlete transportation coordinator at the E-Center during the games and then being the motorpool coordinator at the E-Center for the Paralympics. What an awesome time to be here in Salt Lake. The games were a smashing success and I loved every minute of it. A year before the games started, they had a uniform unveiling ceremony at the Gallivan Center and I got to be one of the models for the green uniform. I pushed Thurl Bailey across the stage in a bobsled and remember something along the lines of posing with a flag. It was a lot of fun and if any of you were volunteers for the games, I am in your training manual. Page 261. Aside from working, I was able to attend a number of hockey and sledge hockey games, the aerials at Deer Valley, the closing ceremonies and the dress rehearsal to the opening ceremonies. I ended up working for a firm that had strong ties to the games and was involved in helping to plan the SLOC reunions held in 2005 and 2007. I hate to be cheesy, but it was truly a once in a lifetime experience and am happy to say I was a part of it….

there's no place like home....coming

2009-08-03T23:44:00.003-06:00

11. HOMECOMING and PROM: not too much to say here—just a standard rite of passage in high school. LOVED my prom dress-I’ve always had an affinity with navy blue.

P and that rhymes with T and that stands for Trouble

2009-08-03T23:43:00.001-06:00

12. MUSIC MAN and CINDERELLA: I love being on stage so it was a lot of fun to do productions of Cinderella and Music Man. I was part of the Del Sarte Ladies in Music Man and had a total blast playing Cinderella in the school play.

i was about to fall down the stairs...

just pay shipping and handling

2009-08-03T23:42:00.002-06:00

13. WATCHES: I had a watch collection. I was featured in the MHS newspaper. Pretty sweet. Most were cartoon characters and a lot came from cereal box offers...

you're going where?

2009-08-03T23:41:00.002-06:00

14. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Sophomore year at BYU, I decided to go on a study abroad to the Dominican Republic. I lived in Santiago for four months and attended PUCMM (pontificia universidad catolico del madre y maestre) (we pronounced it poo-ka-my-may) We travelled the entire country top to bottom, east to west--even going to Haiti and spending a weekend in Puerto Rico. It was hard--a lot of the conveniences I'm accustomed to were not there, it was hot and buggy, but I LOVED it. I had some crazy adventures and looking back probably was a little naive and stupid. Marilyn admits she wouldn't have let me go now looking back. The program only lasted another year or two and I have to believe, we might have been part of the reason that led to its demise. oops. I would totally advocate every college student to go on a study abroad--it was an awesome experience.

finished my last term paper

Dulce and Chachi (my "parents")

Sammy Sosa received an honorary degree from the university I went to

standard highway travel. there's a mini truck under there somewhere

hands down the worst picture of me ever taken

the crew

carnival

i'm the girl who appears to be 400 lbs in the middle

local flavor

conchos--public transportation

please note the Jesus decal on the headlight. it was pretty impressive at night and pointed at a wall

Single and Mormon

2009-08-03T23:40:00.002-06:00

15. GROUP VACATIONS: Mormons are crazy. Single mormons are even crazier. But, we sure know how to have a good time. There are always various single mormon activities all across the nation: most common are the cruises and the annual descent on Duck Beach, North Carolina. I've done both two times and loved it all. I really can't stomach the large gatherings much anymore but at the time, i thought it was great...

Caribbean Cruise 2004

Duck Beach 2004

Carribean Cruise 2006

Duck Beach 2007

Viva Espana

2009-08-03T23:39:00.001-06:00

16. SPAIN: Six years ago I went with Phil and Marilyn to Spain. Phil is a professor of Spanish and had taken students to Spain every other summer as long as I could remember, so I finally asked if I could join him. It’s sad to me that I can’t remember specifics of the places we went or cities we visited but I do remember going to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the Prado in Madrid, and a weekend we spent on the North coast. I also went to the Phantom of the Opera and the Madrid Real soccer team won La Liga while we were there shutting down the city for an entire night of festivities. It was miserably hot and I made Phil take me to the mall to buy a fan. I was staying with a lady down the hall from where he and my mom were staying. Marilyn and I had quite a few adventures and overall it was a great time. I’m so glad I got to go and see an amazingly beautiful country and spend time with P&M.

swing, batter batter

2009-07-29T22:18:00.000-06:00

17. SOFTBALL: Marilyn put me in tee-ball at a local family center when i was 5. i played in jeans and keds which i thought was fine at the time but now i realize all the other girls had white baseball pants and baseball belts and baseball socks and cleats. I'd like to blame my slightly above mediocre softball performance of today to lack of gear when i was younger :) I remember picking flowers in the outfield with Meg Harris (like any 5 year old girl could really hit it to the outfield) and also running to first base, my helmet falling off, going back to get the helmet, and then running to base and still was safe! After t-ball, i played a few years in little league-VFW the first year and Flicks (local video store) the next year. I can't remember if Flicks was my last year playing but it might have been. I've always really enjoyed playing and being a part of a team, but I never really became a star player. At BYU, I played a few intramural years, then a few church leagues and a city league the last 3 years. I'm most comfortable with catcher but like 2nd base as well. We all know I'm a little accident prone so I included some pics of softball injuries. 3rd Base (my current team) had a double-header last night and I meant to get a team photo but I'll get it next week and post it then.

i still stand like this when i bat

i'm second from the left, back row with the ill-fitted hat that appears to be bigger than everyone else's.

look for the blue glove--i wanted one to match my jersey :)

biggest bruise i ever had--took one in the leg running from left field to catch a ball

took one to the face covering second base on a wicked hop. the right side of my face appeared to be falling off for a few weeks

i loved being in the grocery and getting those sympathetic looks from the ladies that said "you can leave him--let me help you"

my birthday was a few days after the incident. my birthday card was a signed softball from my friends accompanied with black and blue balloons

3rd Base-Season 2

more late-night antics

2009-07-29T00:21:00.001-06:00

18. PRANK WAR
When I was living in the Brick House at BYU, we became really good friends with a group of boys across the street at the Elms. They had a foos ball table and we decided we wanted it. So we stole it, thus ensuing a short-lived prank war. Getting the foos ball table out of their apartment was a festivus miracle in and of itself. Earlier in the day, we had stopped by and casually unlocked the sliding glass door that went onto the 3rd floor balcony of their apartment. We went back at 3 AM and Amylee skillfully scaled the wall, climbed over the balcony and unlocked the front door for the rest of us. We shut the door between the living room and the hallway to the bedrooms and luckily the air conditioning was on providing a little bit of a noise shield. We were armed with the necessary tools to dissemble the table and it probably took us a good ten minutes to do it. With 6 boys in that apartment, i don't know how one of them didn't wake up. It was extremely heavy but the 3 of us managed to get it down 3 flights of stairs and across the street. Apparently, someone across the hall saw us taking it down the stairs and didn't think to alert them or question us. We managed to keep it hidden and keep mum about it for a week. It was our greatest heist ever. They retaliated with a wall of popcorn falling into our front door and stealing our family photos from the mantle. We then broke into their house again, turning everything in the living room upside down. They had a mural of magazine pages from sports illustrated and espn and we even turned every single page upside down. It kind of fizzled after that, but I'd like to think that the girls won. We totally won.

i love basketball. take it to the hoop for 2 points baby

2009-07-28T21:52:00.003-06:00

the title should be read to the tune of "i love rock and roll" by joan jett.
19. BASKETBALL
it was freshman year. I was waiting for marilyn to come pick me up after school and was talking to some girls who were headed to the freshman boy's basketball game later that evening. It was an away game and I can't even remember where it was--maybe Marlin? Anyway, after i got in the car, Kylie chased me down and invited me to go with them. And this was the beginning of our little basketball fan club. We LOVED these boys. I think each of us had a crush on someone different. But we were the best cheerleaders ever. We went to every game--home and away. We even put an ad in the basketball program--there were several poses to choose from :) The parents loved us and even bought us t-shirts. I remember one game, I was dared $20 to run down on the floor and take a shot while the teams were warming up after halftime. Of course I did it and then felt utterly stupid after the ref had to stop the game after he spotted something on the floor. Oh, it was my earring and I had to sheepishly ask for it back after the game. I also recall singing at the top of our lungs "Sign" by Ace of Base and "One Last Cry" by Brian McKnight. We were such silly girls. Sophomore and junior year, we weren't as dedicated but we picked back up senior year. To Adam, Brent, Charlie, Nolan, Derek, Jim, Greg & Cory--it's great to be an MHS panther!

if you're wondering why there are no picture of the actual basketball team, it's because there are none. I don't think we ever took one photo with the team or any member of the team thereof.

hot cross buns

2009-07-27T20:15:00.000-06:00

20. Cello and Piano. what do you do with a 3 year old? you put them in cello lessons! Mom put me in cello lessons at a Suzuki String School at Baylor when I was 3 and I did that for 3 years. I remember performing at the elementary school Christmas program even before I was even in elementary school in what i thought was the prettiest little frilly dress. Luckily, Marilyn still has it. I also loved the white, heart-shaped wood stopper that Phil made for me to use with my miniature cello (even at a quarter size, the thing was still bigger than me). And then I took piano lessons from 6-17. 11 years of piano lessons can churn out exceptional pianists, but sadly, I am not one of them :) I play okay--most of the hymns but I definitely don't feel comortable sight-reading or being an accompanist. Music was an integral part of the Johnson household. You can see the two pianos and organ in the below picture. We also housed a large xylophone for a few months. I wish I had more piano pics--I participated in a number of contests as well as ensembles. I remember getting to wear an off-the-shoulder red saloon-girl dress one year and thinking it was the greatest thing ever! I took a state theory test every year and I had the most wonderful piano teacher ever. Dr. Ruth Pitts--a very petite woman who had severely deformed hands: 3 fingers on one hand and 2 on the other. She was a pretty unlikely candidate for a degree in piano pedagogy (real fancy word for education or method) but a gem nonetheless and a beautiful pianist. I always hated the phrase "you'll thank me for this one day" but it could not ring more true. Although, I'm not execeptionally gifted, I love that I can play the piano and love that I played the cello. Thanks Mom for making me stick with it.

(they even put me on the brochure)

so i can't count

2009-07-23T16:38:00.008-06:00

well it turns out that when i started this whole project there were actually 24 days until my birthday, not 22. eventually i'll go back through and renumber the other 3.

21. SNEAKING OUT
Dear Mom and Dad, I used to sneak out of the house. I’d come home, park the car, close the garage, say goodnight and then walk right out the front or sliding glass door. You might have known this but just in case you didn’t…..

1. to shoe polish cars—we had already graduated but it was the night before the senior class (the year below us) was to start their senior year. We didn’t care for many of the girls in that class so we decided to go shoe polish their cars. What we didn’t know is that they had already done so but all cute-like and in school colors. I hate that we were so mean, but we blacked out every single one of their windows. this took most of the night and i think in all there were about 12-14 cars. I know that was super awful but we thought we were so cool at the time. Ugh-I even feel guilty as I type this out….

nothing celebrates criminal activity more than a photo op at the port-a-potty

a line from "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"

2. to take out Megan’s mom’s convertible in the middle of a unseasonably cold December. We ended up busting the convertible top—the back window shattered halfway putting the top down. I had to lay across it driving home just so that Megan could see. Again, not one of our finest moments. If I remember correctly, there was some prank calling on my mom’s brick of a cell phone to a party down the street.

4 of the scariest, white, middle-class, teenage girls you'll ever find :)

there are no words

3. to help Jenny with her paper route—due to the greatness that was IM in it’s early days, Jenny, Jerod, Boyd and I decided to go help Jen with her paper route at 3 AM. Hilarious. We also saw a domestic dispute at the IHOP. We decided a meal was in order after we were done.

yes, mom. that was your car

waco tribune, anyone?

4. after graduation—there was another poor soul we didn’t care for and we decided to toilet paper her house (side note: Marilyn worked for Kimberly Clark—a company that makes paper products such as Kleenex, Cottonelle, Kotex, etc…so we had ample supply of that kind of stuff) why were we so mean??

the finest that the class of '97 had to offer

those are exactly what you think they are

5. to go to Good Morning America in Austin—I still remember Jenny tapping on the sliding glass door in the middle of the night—scared me half to death. She wanted to know if I wanted to come with her and Boyd to the taping of GMA at the University of Texas campus. I thought sure, why not. I left a note on the kitchen table that said “spent the night at Jenny’s” so marilyn wouldn’t worry when I was nowhere to be found. It was a torrential downpour the whole way there. Boyd’s winsdshield wiper was busted but due to a paperclip and some dental floss, we were able to fix it. Must have been all those years I watched MacGyver. Thank you Richard Dean Anderson

6. there were a few others—we pushed dad’s car (we called it the velveteen rabbit. It was a silver Chrysler 5th avenue that had red velvet interior) out the driveway, pushed it down the street and started it so that my parents didn’t hear it to go pick up the video at Julie’s house of our senior party earlier that day. (shout out to Jen who sent me these pics after I posted. so glad you had these--didn't even remember that they existed :)

We were kind of mean but at least I wasn’t drinking, doing drugs or getting pregnant. It could have been worse. I turned out just fine.

Love, nancy

wait for it

2009-07-21T15:21:00.001-06:00

posts are coming....i promise...

we leave Jesus on the sidelines

2009-07-16T18:30:00.001-06:00

20. TEAM SONIC
I love being on a team or part of a group and one of my all-time favorites is Team Sonic--My BYU intramural football team for two years. Attaining a BYU champ intramural t-shirt is kind of a big deal and our second year, we could taste it we were so close. but to no avail. we were defeated in the semi-finals. Team Sonic-ladies was created after our good friends Team Sonic-boys wanted to have a girls team and two of their best, Spencer and Garrett, became our loyal coaches. They were awesome and spent so much time with us running drills and learning plays. Our book consisted of sunny side up, gangsta left and the statue of liberty and all sorts of great plays. We were a good team--strong in both our running and passing game :) Football is probably one of my favorite sports still to play. I got to play with some of my dearest friends/roommates and Les even joined the team our second year as a QB. Some of my fondest memories were on those fields...a few are:
1. Katie's pants falling to her ankles as she ran to the endzone. she didn't stop and got us 6 points
2. Gina's "we'll never figure out how she managed to catch that" winning touchdown sending us to the quarter-finals
3. my only physical altercation with a girl (long story but my roommate snottily says to the girl "What would Jesus do?" to which her equally snotty response was "This is football-we leave Jesus on the sidelines")
4. catching an interception
5. playing in the snow, rain, mud, etc...

Here's a few pics--the scanner is not that great so the pics aren't that great...

Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat.

2009-07-15T19:20:00.000-06:00

21. RAGNAR RELAY-Wasatch Back
This too occurred because of my fomo and inability to say no. I agreed to run a race with 11 of my co-workers. I'm not a runner and really don't even like to run but i just couldn't pass it up. and it's not a normal race. It's an all day and all night and all day again affair run relay style. You have 12 runners, 2 vans, 36 legs. Each runner runs 3 legs, varying in length and difficulty. For example, I was runner 12 so I ran legs 12 (3.1 miles uphill), 24 (5.1 miles slightly uphill), and 36 (5.2 miles mostly downhill). I hung out in a van with 5 other peeps for about 30 hours. Crazy, huh? I loved every second of it and would do it again no question.

Everyone gets really into it and you have team names and themes and some wear costumes and you decorate your vans, etc... We came up with a play on words for what our firm does and we were the LEVERAGED SELL-OUTS. We thought we were so clever until it dawned on us that no one else would get it. Next year we'll be something more universal like "Queens of Sole" or "Running on Empty". Anyway, our theme was money and we all had bling dollar sign chains and we put fake money all over the van. The race was long and difficult, but I finished. we all finished. I wasn't "that girl". Well, kind of. I was the slowest but I crossed the finish line and that is all that mattered.

decorating the van

hanging out in the van

$17 well spent

(the disney fan/spray bottle came in handy but the foam blades didn't last too long)

home

my first run. i'm about 14 seconds in and i remember wanting to be done

halfway there...

finally...the hand-off

middle of the night

chasing down Josh with water. it was so dark i didn't know it was him until he ran by

what was left of our antenna mascot

i was trying to motivate wendi through dance. aren't i graceful?

the finish line!

yeah, we're done!

The Leveraged Sell-Outs

it's all about me

2009-07-14T12:47:00.003-06:00

i had this idea to do "30 days until 30" and highlight some activity or event in my life over the last 30 years everyday until my birthday..to show some of my finest and not so fine moments. I kind of forgot about it and sadly, i don't even have 30 days left. So now, it's "22 days until 30". not quite so poetic but oh well. so here goes....22 days and counting

22. CANYONEERING:

my good friend David B Haynie invited me a number of years back to go canyoneering. Seeing that I can't say no and that I have FOMO (fear of missing out), I agreed to go and had no idea what I was getting into. But I loved it and hated it at the same time. The rappeling was awesome and sidling in between really narrow slots and scurrying over and under big boulders was a blast. Really the only downside to these activities for me is the heat. I'm not a delicate flower but I'm pretty sensitive to the heat and immediately turn into miss grouchy pants. But, for the most part, i loved these DBH adventures and if i ever get invited back (this is doubtful), I would go in a heartbeat. Some of the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen and it was so cool being so far down in theses canyons--places not many have seen. In my canyoneering career, I have done Pine Creek (still my favorite), somewhere in the San Rafael Swell (I always forget the name of the canyon), Birch Hollow, Orderville, the Narrows, Echo and Neon.

Neon was a disaster--I was "that girl" which i hate being. It was miserably hot and i was dehydrated and hadn't eaten anything rendering me pretty useless. I struggled the entire day and eventually had to break off from the group on our hike out. We were extremely lost and had already added multiple hours to the already long day. The sun had gone down, it was getting really dark and we had no clue where we were. Being that I was so slow, Dave and I actually managed to get ourselves out of the canyon easier and faster than the other group who was well ahead of us and on a dangerous and steep part of the canyon wall. This was the end to my canyoneering career and probably the reason I won't get invited back.....

Or it could be the time i broke my ankle midway through Echo Canyon, or it could be when i ended up in the ER with a kidney stone after Pine Creek or it could have been when I froze on a very steep face in San Rafael and couldn't move forcing David to have to scoot out to come get me, risking both our lives. or it could be the time Adam dropped me (still have the scar on my leg). Whatever the reason, it probably is a good thing for me to stay out of slot canyons :)

slot canyon in Neon

Echo

Pine Creek

Pine Creek

Neon

Cathderal at Neon

awesome

2009-07-12T17:04:00.001-06:00

this kid waltzed into cafe rio last week lugging this bad larry......God bless the land of excess!

all i'm hearing is a lot of can'ts

2009-07-06T21:03:00.000-06:00

i had a very painful conversation with Delta this morning and really wasn't getting the help or service i thought appropriate for the situation. I think i'm a pretty reasonable person but I expect good customer service. I also expect people to use common sense and simple courtesy even when "policy" says otherwise. I don't think i've ever been downright rude or ugly but I can get pretty pointed and tough on these phone calls. and more times than not, I've gotten my issue resolved the way i think it should be. and even today, i won. it took 45 minutes, 4 agents and two supervisors, but I won. In my time, I've written a number of strongly-worded letters, and asked to "speak to a supervisor" many, many a time. Even if the situation doesn't get resolved, it somehow makes me feel better. After my phone call with Delta, i had the thought that i've probably been that call that "has been recorded for traning purposes" and actually then been used for training purposes. I'm that girl. I'm the girl that companies teach their customer service agents how to diffuse. so, it's quite possible, that somewhere along the line you've received better customer service because of me. you're welcome.

tell 'em that it's human nature

2009-07-05T22:32:00.002-06:00

why, why? does he do me that way? there's really not a whole lot i can say that hasn't been said about MJ but he truly was an amazing talent and perfomer. the one and only king of pop. Beyond the scandal, the mystery and the bizarre behavior, MJ was a global phenomenon. He was an icon, a trailblazer, a creator, an innovator and the world will not see the likes of him again--truly what legends are made of. I will always be a fan.

disneyland 1, disneyworld 0

2009-06-17T20:47:00.002-06:00

**i've had this post on hold since June 1st waiting for some palm springs pics but i just don't have them yet so i'll post those pics later...**

42% of the month of May was spend outside of Utah. It just so happened that 3 of my trips fell one right after the other. I started out in Palm Springs, CA with 5 of my girlfriends. It basically was sleep in, lay out, eat, lay out, get Golden Spoon, shower, eat, go to bed. Repeat. We did manage to work out once or twice, go to the Living Desert Zoo and sneak in a hot air balloon ride. It was a great time with great gals.

Then came Orlando with the family. Les has been working on her company's convention for the last few years and it finally went down the first part of May in Orlando and she decided to make it a familiy vaca as well. We stayed at the lovely Gaylord Palms resort and had a great room. Phil, Marilyn, Emily, me, Les, Matt, M, John and Linda (matt's parents) were all there. The boys golfed a lot and the ladies watched the kid. We went to the Kennedy Space Center and saw the shuttle out on the launch pad the day before it launched. (we caught a few seconds of it the next day in the sky--if you blinked you missed it). We attempted Disneyworld (a first for all the Johnsons) but it was so unbearably hot (96 degrees)that the happiest place on earth quickly became the most miserable place on earth. But not before we managed to ride Splash Mountain and the Thunder Mountain Railroad, essential for a first time goer.

i caught phil catching up with the latest US

Kennedy Space Center-Cape Canaveral

future NASA employees

it was 96 degrees and we were done but had to do one more family photo

i love this. little m and p

the whole gang at Disneyworld

m's red face--he was a little tomato by mid-afternoon

splash mountain!

pool time at the hotel

Then round 2 with Disney (PS In all my 29 and 1/2 years, I have NEVER been to either Disneyworld or Disneyland but in a matter of just 2 weeks, i went coast to coast and managed to hit them both) I headed out to California with my friends Jenny and Holly to celebrate Jen's 30th birthday. Jenny and Holly were my closest friends growing up in Texas and two of the few I still keep in touch with. We went and saw Dirty Dancing the Musical and it was awesome. Followed the movie almost to a T-costumes, lines, story, etc... Everyone cheered for "Nobody puts Baby in a Corner". It was great. Disneyland was fantastic and we couldn't get enough-spent nearly 17 hours there over a couple of days. Since the weather was downright pleasant, it was hard to stay away and for a few brief moments, it truly was the happiest place on earth. Space Mountain is officially my favorite ride. (we had the camera on day 1 and didn't take any pics, then day 2, the camera's battery was dead--such a rookie mistake. we went back on day 2 for the fireworks and few last rides and finally had a working camera)

i couldn't help myself--me and the giant N in CALIFORNIA

the goal was to make a ridiculous face when the camera went off. i won.

best. ride. ever.

the tea cups--the pic looks like how you feel when it's over

Cinderella's castle before the fireworks

no words needed

i first saw the movie with jenny when we were 11. 19 years later and we still love it :)

this random dive we ate at before the show-it was excellent

jenny being sly with the camera

happy 30th birhday jen! we sure love ya

I'm headed to Lake Powell this weekend and after that, I should be done for a while. pfew. I'm not complaining about fun trips but for an old lady like me, a weekend at home sounds pretty nice....

P.S-Lake Powell has now come and gone and is a story for another day. Coming up: what i think about the Bachelorette and the Wasatch Back Relay (I am seriously out of my mind)

what you've all been waiting for

2009-05-19T18:21:00.000-06:00

the season premiere of.......GIRLS ON TAP!

After 6 weeks of intense tap training with Babs and a few extra mid-week rehearsals, we unveiled our skills at none other than...the singles ward talent show. Adorned with fishnets, legwarmers, boas and a singularly bejeweled iron-on tee, we tapped out to "Fever". Why you ask? Because chicks were born to give you fever, be it farenheit or centigrade---we give you fever.

GOT = Elli, N, Kelli, Erin, Melinda, Kristen, Mols, Kristy, Jayna, Brooke

these gals are so much fun and i can't begin to explain how much i've enjoyed our tap lessons and getting to know each other. we have such a great time together. this is the best dance troop i've ever belonged to :) Please enjoy the video below. Still coming are accounts of Palm Springs, Orlando and my quips on the new season of the bachelorette...

easter memories from 204

2009-04-23T18:33:00.002-06:00

I have always loved Easter. It's just a nice , simple spring-time holiday that includes a good meal, some great candy, a few Easter prizes and usually a very nice Christ-centered service at Church. Growing up I always got a new dress and some white ruffly socks and probably a new hairbow and i loved searching the house for my easter basket. Mom tried to be creative with the hiding spots but with 4 girls, good spots were usually few and far between. the dryer was a good one though--that took a few minutes to find it in there. I remember such easter prizes as sweettarts, the Footloose soundtrack, plastic eggs with money and jelly beans, etc.. etc... This year was not that different. After years of going without a new Easter dress, I finally decided to get one. Unbenounced to me, Les went to great effort to get a new dress too. I even wore a headband with a flower--i guess it's just a more updated hairbow. my dress had ruffles too so even 20+ years doesn't make that big of a difference in Easter-wear :) When i got to Easter dinner, I made Les put her dress back on so we could take the obligatory photo--thanks Matt for being the patient photographer. Les even suprised me with a few treats too--The Twilight movie, a cupcake holder and some candy--even plastic eggs with jelly-bellys. some things never change. Here are a few gems from Easter pasts... P.S. Happy Birthday Marilyn--we love you! 61 today!

not from the past, but this is what i drove behind on my way to church

circa 1988? please note the white ruffly socks with sandals, bangs and bow. unclear on why we thought being draped across the couch was an appropriate easter pose.

texas bluebonnets in the spring--lookin' good, phil

i wish this had scanned better because there are so many great things to note here:

1. emily's shoes are actually penny loafers with heels that actually had pennies in them

2. she's also sporting her young woman's necklace

3. les is sporting an "add-a-bead" necklace that we all thought were so great

4. les and amy have on dark nude hose with what I can only assume are white shoes

5. i'm not sure what my hairstyle of the day was

6. where's marilyn? behind the camera of course. we sadly have very few pics of mom in the early days

7. mom made me and lesley's dresses--i LOVED getting new dresses made by mom and i very much remember this one. i thought it was so great to pick out my own material

8. none of us have our eyes open. none.

me and les-spring '83 (yes, it's terry cloth)

mom's prized crepe myrtles--the backdrop of many a Johnson photo

me and les-easter 2009

people: they're the worst

2009-04-22T12:37:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to post about an Easter of yester-year but have forgotten the pics everyday for a week. I'll bring them tomorrow before it gets too out of season but until then, I'll leave you with one of my favorite Seinfeld exchanges that probably resonates in my head at least 3 times a day when having to deal with the annoyances of the general public.

Elaine: I will never understand people.
Jerry: they're the worst.

10 reasons why i LOVE tap class

2009-04-09T08:35:00.001-06:00

1. Barb, the dance teacher, is 80 years old
2. She has fantastic legs for being 80 years old--still wears leotards
3. She's been teaching in her basement studio since 1955
4. I don't believe the basement studio has been updated since 1955
5. A number of mid-70s to mid-80s arts and crafts/chotchkies are hanging on the peg board wall
6. The music for our dances are spun on a record player (DJ Barb in the house!) **
7. The awesomely amazing girls who are in the class with me
8. My $20 ebay Capezio tap shoes
9. It's $7 a lesson
10. We've named ourselves GIRLS ON TAP (there are plans for t-shirts and track suits)

**I didn't have the privilege of knowing Gene--the live piano accompanist. She has passed on but I'm sure would have been a great addition to GIRLS ON TAP**

tappity, tap, tap

2009-04-03T16:17:00.003-06:00

who's taking a saturday tap class starting tomorrow? I am. pretty cool, you say? yeah, i think so too.

New Moon

2009-04-02T20:13:00.000-06:00

Mols emailed over a picture of the trailer poster for the New Moon movie coming out in November. I'm a big fan of the Twilight books and have read them all and I enjoyed the first movie....etc....etc....It's not that I've forgotten about the whole series but just haven't given it a whole lot of thought...until today. I totally got the vampire bite after seeing the pic and kind of got excited and was instantly scouring the interweb for any info, pics about the new movie...she also sent over a pic with the boys they cast as the wolf pack--i think they look perfect for the part. Here's the IMDB link to the cast list. Dakota Fanning as Jane?? very interesting. There's a new director to the 2nd movie and I've got high hopes for it. Only 230 days to go....

is that johnny knoxville?

2009-03-31T17:22:00.004-06:00

we watched dancing with the stars last night and steve-o is a contestant so his friend johnny knoxville was in the audience for support and the camera showed him for a few seconds and it reminded me of the time i was new york with jenny and holly in may of 2005. We had just walked through central park and were heading somewhere. we noticed a really pretty wedding party exiting this great builidng just across from the park and jenny snapped a couple of pics--we loved the dresses and flowers. it was only when we were flipping through the pics later that night at the hotel when we noticed johnny knoxville just walking down the street. get out of the way johnny--you're blocking our view...

Meet Minnie!

2009-03-16T12:16:00.000-06:00

i love her! obviously, i would have rathered kept murray and never been in an accident, but this turned out pretty good. she's identical in every way except the color which i'm told is glacier pearl. who thinks up this stuff?

no news is good news...but this is definitely bad news

2009-03-09T22:05:00.008-06:00

so i realize i've been a blog slacker lately-i've even had stuff to blog about. i mean i haven't even ranted about the bachelor outcome or told you how much i love anoop on american idol. i'll eventually get to all of it but for now, i have to share some really sad news...murray didn't make it. marilyn and i were unfortunately in a pretty bad car accident over the weekend and while both of us are okay, my murray wasn't so lucky. he was a great car and will be missed but he served me well and, most likely, saved both mom and me from serious injury and for that, i thank him. In all seriousness, we were all very blessed to have walked out of the hospital that night. I truly believe we were being watched over and tender mercies can still be found even in the midst of chaos and confusion. And, as cliche as it sounds, seatbelts and airbags save lives so please buckle up...everytime. i could write paragraphs about the whole ordeal but i'll spare you the details. it was awful and scary and i'd like not to do it ever again.

RIP Murray. December 26, 2008- March 7, 2009.

murray before

murray after

let's talk TV

2009-02-18T18:12:00.007-07:00

i might as well change my blog title to "on the couch with fancy nancy: tales from the TV" because i pretty much reside there. sad. so sad. oh well, where to begin?...oh, i know...

1. the Bach--wth? I think i was as surprised as anyone to see Jillian go. I thought she was solid. way cute girl, down to earth, we all thought it was kind of cute how she said a-gain (Oh Canada!), the matching plaid flannel shirts in the heli, the CUTEST green and navy dress..come on, Jase. oh well, your loss. I kind of want her to be the next Bachelorette. but next time, let's nix the inappropriate hot tub make out scene. kind of grody. Molly is not my favorite but apparently there's something there. It's not that I don't like her, I just don't love her. And I still like my Texas gal, Melissa, but it's apparent she is so very young and enough with the not meeting the parents conversation. get. over. it. there's still plenty of time to meet the folks. our favorite part of the show is how all the girls would spill their hearts and profess their undying love and devotion and all he could do is stare at them for a moment and then just go in for the kiss. hilarious. every time. I'm discovering more and more factions who are as into the bachelor as we are. and the speculation of the "after the rose" special that is "so dramatic and emotionally difficult, we decided that out of respect to the parties involved, to keep the taping of tonight’s show as intimate as possible" is OOC (out of control). is someone prego? did someone die? does he bring jill back? we're all dying and the thought of waiting the next two weeks to find out is just too much!!! for an in depth and funny recap go here http://www.ihategreenbeans.com/

2. The Biggest Loser--it was a decent episode but not as gripping as in weeks past. However, i love Tara and her drive. She's vomiting as she runs and she doesn't stop. She did fall apart a little later but overall she has pushed really hard and doesn't make excuses or whine. Ron is just a gem and it makes me sad how emotionally he wants it so bad but his body is just a train wreck...and props to all the teams who tried to help him up and down the hill. Filipe and Sione better step it up or they're going to get close to the yellow line. There were still tears--not as much as usual, but the show still gets me everytime. next week looks to be dramatic and so much so, it needs TWO episodes. the teams get a shakedown and bob loses it.

3. American Idol--total disappointment. i expect big things from the top contestants. expectations not met. first girl was a hot mess--fantastic elvis song but she ruined it and her outfit was a disaster. first guy is good--great voice but kind of boring and shy. LOVE anoop. he is such a geek but is very endearing. i also love the texas drill guy but i don't see him going very far. Danny rocked it at the end and should totally move to the next round. the rest of the girls were ho-hum and casey carlson needs to bring it down a notch. the head nods and facial moves are frightening. M and I rewinded several times to make sure we saw it right. we had to pause we were giggling so much. and the poor girl who did the taylor swift song. one of my colleagues compared her performance to a beehive/miamaid midweek talent show with an outfit from 1987. enough said. tatiana is crazy and needs to go. she wasn't as bad as I thought she would be but she's done. randy knows about four phrases (check it out, that was hot, hey dog, just wasn't good for me), i love the new judge cara and paula can go away. i find her critique painful and can't bear to listen. bless the dvr fast forward button. simon can be a jerk, but dude is spot on. contestants, if you can get past the tears and the daggars in your heart, you'd hear some words of wisdom.

can anybody find me somebody to love?

2009-02-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

happy valentine's day! and thanks to my dear friend jenny for creating this great card. (the majority of my creativity is stolen from her) i love you all. xoxo

tagged

2009-02-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

i've been tagged a number of times on facebook and various emails so here it is: 25 randoms about yours truly...

1. i've never been to disneyland or disneyworld (the latter will be remedied in may!)

2. i was cinderella in the school play my junior year

3. i can write backwards

4. i backed out of my garage without putting the garage door up

5. i was the story lady at barnes and noble during storytime for kids

6. i've had catfish on beale street in memphis

7. i lived in the dominican republic

8. i grew up on Texas Ave.

9. i know ridiculous amounts of useless and mostly pop culture knowledge

10. i was a model for the salt lake olympic volunteer uniform

11. i won $50 in a hula hoop contest

12. i broke my ankle in a slot canyon and had to repel/hike out on it for 4 hours

13. i've lost my blackberry twice at deer valley

14. i once took a softball to the face leaving me with a great shiner for a month

15. i've always wanted to be a dancer

16. i've never been to red lobster

17. i've never seen the movies gone with the wind or it's a wonderful life

18. i don't like drinking water through a straw

19. i cuddle to my left

20. fall is my favorite season

21. i had season tickets to byu football for seven years

22. i prefer crown burger to any other burger joint in utah

23. i had perfect attendance to early morning seminary for 4 years

24. i got stuck in an elevator during a Texas tornado

25. i once sat in the trunk of my car holidng onto the lawn mower while my dad drove me to Mrs. Potter's house to mow her lawn. (i mowed lawns in high school and hated it)

i love tv

2009-02-11T01:04:00.000-07:00

tuesday nights are just a big cry fest at my house. I have tears streaming down my face everytime i watch the biggest loser: tara running back down the hill to help dan climb up, blaine going home to see his new baby girl, ron pleading for his son mike, filipe and blaine letting mandi win a challenge (gotta give a shout out to the mos for being such good guys!) kristin gaining two pounds and being devastated, etc..etc...i feel like the biggest geek but I've recently learned i'm not the only one--you all cry and you know it :)

january and february are just so blah and unevenful--i watch a lot of tv these days...as for the bach, was it any suprise that naomi got booted? no, i didn't think so. The dove funeral and reincarnation schpeel would have sent me over the edge. I think Melissa and Jill are definitely the front runners and I would be happy with either. My guess is that Molly's the next to go... (although i LOVED her golf outfit--how cute was the skort and argyle sweater? yes, i said skort) and who isn't excited about next week-the return of Deanna? Is she there to win him back or just give him advice?? dun, dun, dun. that's the big debate among our group. and lucky ladies get to go to New Zealand--that is definitely on my list of places i woud love to go.

I do have a small life outside of television--i went iceskating last week (living up to my namesake, i tried to get fancy but my darn hips are just too big-i got stuck and we fell over) and molly and jocelyn both celebrated birthdays-holla! (it was the big 3-0 for J) We also saw the "He's Just Not That Into You" movie and thought it was pretty funny--loved Ginnifer Goodwin's character-she's a gem. I'm meeting up with some old BYU roommates tonight for Cafe Rio Wednesday and then an evening with American Idol and Top Chef...pretty good wednesday night...

we'll share fries

2009-02-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

the bachelor definitely didn't disappoint this week. i think last week was one of the finest episodes ever but this week was okay too. with all the crazy hot messes gone, it's getting pretty serious now and there really isn't anyone to make fun of anymore. i think we were all a little relieved and sad to see Stephanie go--by far one of the classiest, most poised ladies ever on the show. She was a little eccentric and always over-accesorized but never once did she say an ugly thing toward or about anyone else. She was the most level-headed and composed when she didn't get a rose and wasn't even near an emotional breakdown in the limo. She is one classy lady. We all love her but we all knew in our hearts that she is not the one for Jason. I hope she will find a Southern oil tycoon who appreciates her sequin tops, her 4 inch blush streek up to her temples and her feather/fur vests. She deserves a good one.

I think Melissa is my favorite. I loved her when she was on CMT's Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and I love her now. She is young but i do think she is sincere. i also love that to her, stretchy pants = size 2 booty shorts. to me, stretchy pants = stretchy pants. anyway--i like molly and jill more each week and naomi is great--she's just not for jason. especially with the gangsta hood over her head during the campfire at rei. i'm pretty sure she'll get voted off next. definitely looking forward to hometown dates next week...there have been previews of crazy grannies, dead dove funerals and missing parents...this is truly gripping television...

after the fellas left last night (yes, we've managed to wrangle a few boys to watch with us) we just started chatting and the convo quickly turned to ridiculous date stories. We all laughed so hard until we cried. And then we really did want to cry--these really are our choices? These things couldn't have been made up...a few highlights:

1. a typed form letter from a 60 year old requesting the "pleasure of you company at 5:00 PM"

2. guy wanted to go to subway to use his gift card--turns out it wasn't a gift card, was a points card. didn't have enough points to cover his foot long and her six inch. she bought her own sandwich

3. guy needed to come up to her apt to wash toothpaste off his face--his sister told him to put toothpaste on his zits. he didn't have the where-with-all to wash it off before he picked her up

4. picked her up in a pt-cruiser with custom two-toned purple flames streaking down the sides

5. asked if he could take a 20-minute power nap in the middle of the date back at home while she waited on the couch

6. at the end of the date-gave her a green and red jewel. he said he was going to take a walk around the block and when he got back, she was to have put out the green or red jewel to indicate if she would like another date or not

7. i had a date to crown burger. he wanted to order for me. i said i'll take a jr. cheeseburger and fries. he looked at me and said, "we'll share fries and you'll have water"

8. took her to barnes and noble to look at books. his favorite books were in the sci-fi and foreign language section. he proceeded to tell her that he didn't know any foreign language but would often read an f.l book cover to cover and make up the story in his head.

9. guy told her to wear pink so he didn't have to pay for her entrance to an event that was supporting breast cancer awareness

10. guy had all his credit cards declined at the restaurant. after she paid for it, they were in the car and he called his dad to yell at him and ask him why there was no money in his account.

yep, these are our choices. awesome.