Cute Little Daxton

My sister-in-law shared this story with my family and I thought it was definitely blog worthy, thanks Jen!
"we have a large picture of the Savior in our bedroom, and last night Daxton and I were reading his scriptures together, and I was explaining to him that Jesus died for all of us to save us from our sins - a pretty heavy concept for a kid to grasp - and I wondered if he was getting what I was saying at all. Anyway, one of the rules I make with the toy guns is that we never point them at people, only at walls and pictures, etc. So, this morning I heard Dax and Ben in the bedroom playing with Ben's new NERF gun, and I heard Ben say, "Dax, don't shoot the picture of Jesus." Dax said, "Why not Dad, he has to die for us?" It's logical....right? Funny boy."

U to the tah

Darren and I headed home to visit family and it was a crazy, busy, fun week!!

Independence Day, my cute aunt, uncle and cousins came to visit. there were tea parties

smilescorn on the cobsilly boys sisterly love"lovey"

fireworks

scared babes






and s'mores
we went to 7 Peaks one day
we rented a boat one morning (Natalie was in a photography mood and took a TON of pictures. even though there are lots here, it is only a tiny portion of the total pictures taken don't worry, if you have cheap plastic sunglasses, and mix them with old sunscreen, you get what one might call "a prank on Tiffany" my hot wakeboarder my attempt "did i get any air?" and of course, dancing other pictures from the tripthese last 2 pictures are very special to me. all 4 of my grandparents are alive and i felt honored to be in their presence at the same time.
i feel really badly because i don't have any pictures from our time in St. George. we had a blast with Darren's family, playing games, boating, tennis tournament, meeting my niece Harlee. i think i was just pictured out by the time i got there. oh, can't forget to mention, Darren ended up in the E.R. after his first run on the wakeboard with a bruised rib. he missed the rest of the nice water on the boat and his friend's green jacket tournament. my poor little D.

Fun Week, Zero Sleep

Last week was a reminder on how I can't live on 3 hours of sleep/night like I did on college; I don't like that feeling of getting older. I am still trying to catch up from the lack of shut eye I got last week.

The week started Monday night when we decided to have a Bachelorette watching party turned into Anya's baby shower. She didn't want a shower so we got together with food, gifts and the Bachelorette. That is how we got her to come over. Darren even watched it with us, something I never thought he would be caught dead doing. Good sport! (Kelly- not pictured & Greg Moody, Anya & Blake Young, me and D, Madelyn and Mike O'Farrell)
Tuesday was sewing night, where a group of girls get together and sew to their hearts content. I have been working on this diaper bag for months with long breaks in between. I finally finished it, I am obviously not in any hurry. Now it will sit in storage until I have use for it.





I then headed to the theater to meet Darren and some friends for the midnight premier of the second Transformers movie. Didn't love it, but it was entertaining. It was a long movie and caused me to go to bed at 3:30 am when I had to work the next morning. Not a good ideadon't we look tired? we should have taken the picture before the show, not at 3 in the morning
The next day was a long, very tiring day, but instead of going home to sleep, I met friends at the park for a Movie in the Park. I had a hard time staying awake, but it was too fun to pass up. The movie was "Iron Man" and Darren and Niko joined in the fun.





Thursday wasn't helpful when I had to work until 11:00 pm at an event and then I had to be to work at 7:30 am for another event on Friday morning.
I left work early to head up to girl's camp. I pretty much jumped into a canoe when I arrived to paddle around the lake with the girls. I couldn't get over the beauty of the place. It was very spiritual. At camp, there is dancing, singing, eating, playing, testimonies, and of course, no sleep. I only had one YW up there from our ward. Dana is such a doll and I just love her to pieces! Our sweet bishop came up to have a small fireside. He is so dedicated to the youth, such an amazing man!
On Saturday morning we woke up early to clean the camp and drive home. On my way I felt exhausted and wanted to sleep, but instead of napping when I got home, we got an invite to go boating. The weather was perfect, we haven't gone yet this year, so I couldn't pass it up. We took Niko along and it was awesome! We wake boarded on the Allegheny River and it was beautiful!





After boating we ended up at our friend's house for pizza and games. I was surprisingly full of energy and had fun. But by the time I got home, I crashed and slept like a log until 11:30 Sunday morning. I missed my meeting (how bad of a YW president am I?) oops. After church we went with our friends Jacque & Becky to watch them be baptized into their church. It was neat to see their spirituality and witness other people's testimonies of God when belonging to other faiths. Its so great that even though there are so many different churches out there, we can all find our way to God. Thanks to Jacque and Becky for sharing this with us! It was the perfect ending to my week.
Now, how do I catch up on the sleep deprivation?

Madelyn's Baby Shower

My friend Meagan and I threw Mad a baby shower. Madelyn is due in September and is so tall you can't even tell she is pregnant. Mad and I have been friends since we were babies, so it is fun to be friends even now when she has her own baby. We can't wait to meet baby girl O'Farrell.

To My Blogging Fans

I feel like with all the nice comments on my blog, you deserve a shout out. I chose my top 5 most faithful blog followers to give a special thanks. I based the 5 on how many comments they have made throughout my blogging career. Because I turn my blog into my yearly scrapbook, I want to remember my readers and comment makers. Thank you to everyone who writes on my posts, you make me feel so loved and supported.
Please don’t be offended if your picture didn’t make it, I love you and your comments all the same!! But these women have made regular remarks and for their time, they deserve this special thanks! I love ALL of you faithful & sparse blog readers!!

This is my Maga. She has always made sure I kept my blog updated with phone calls and emails. She lives for her grandchildren and their blogs and I love that she takes the time to keep updated with all our lives and keeps us posted on everyone else. She is also great at letting us know when someone else has updated their life via blogging. Love her!
This is my cousin Amy. She has 5 of the most adorable (really young) kids and still takes time to leave her thoughts on my blog every time I add a new post. She is adorable herself and I love seeing "Amy" when I open my comments link to read what new comments I received. Thanks Amy!
Another cousin Jamie... (the Johnsons sure know how to keep blogspot.com in business). We are the first set of twins born into the same extended family with different sets of parents, it could happen. She is always making me feel so good on my blog and through her blog I realize how much we are alike. Thank you J! (your new nick name, it will catch on)
Madelyn and I have been friends since birth. We somehow both ended up in Pittsburgh and our mothers couldn't be more thrilled. Anyway, we see each other often here, but she still makes her comments on my posts. I love that we can never have enough to say to each other. Even after our late night talks, we still have little opinions to share via the web. Thanks Mad!
And this is Sydney. We were friends in high school and haven't seen or talked since then. We got in touch again through blogging and she always makes comments on my blog. I think it is so sweet that even though we don't know each other as much anymore, she still found a way to communicate and often. So sweet Sydney!!

Friday Lunches

On Fridays, the wives that work at PITT get together to eat lunch and chat. We pick a different place to eat each week around campus. The number of attendees is slowly fading because of girls deciding they want to be mommies. Our numbers will soon be down to 4; two of the ladies are due right around July 4th. Last Friday was Nicole G.'s last lunch date and she chose Pamelas to say farewell. Ashley wasn't there, but she is the next one to leave us, boo! These Friday lunches are what gets me through the work week. Love them!

left to right: Becky Henry, Heather Jensen, Nicole Gneiting, your's truly, Nicole Johansen, Ashley Clark (not here)

Legally Blonde

Last week, I saw the Broadway Musical "Legally Blonde" It was on tour and stopped here in Pittsburgh. It was such a cute, fun, entertaining show. The acting (including the live dogs) and the music both got my rating of 2 thumbs up.
I had great company too. Kasey (who used to work with me) and her friend Nicole.
We started the night at the Green Mango (my favorite restaurant) before we headed to the show. It was a fun girls night out.

Penguin Pride

Moving to Pittsburgh, we never became fans of the Steelers, but the Penguins are a different story. We have gotten pretty involved and created a love relationship with Syidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin while creating a hate relationship with Mariaan Hossa. It's too bad he turned down a HUGE amount of money from the Pens to play with the Red Wings to win a Stanley Cup. He ended up with neither, poor Hossa. It was really exciting to watch the Pens win the Stanley Cup. The city went almost as crazy as when the Steelers won the Super Bowl. We have had quite an exciting year with sports which my husband could not be happier about. Did you know he eats, sleeps and drinks ALL sports? I never knew someone who was so passionate about anything until I met Darren, I think he has ESP.......N.

My Minute in Manhattan

Have you ever needed to get out of your daily routine and just get away to spend a little time on you for you? Last week I felt this urge of needing spontaneity and getting away. On Tuesday I got a hold of a friend in Brooklyn. On Wednesday I finalized my plans to stay at her apartment. On Thursday I thought about what I wanted to do while I was there, And Friday I was driving to New York City. It was the best, most rejuvenating trip that I was in desperate need of.
I got to New York Friday night and met up with Laura (who lives in Brooklyn, who was the one that lived with my sister in China) and her friend for dinner. Saturday morning we went to brunch and then I went off on my own to see the city and fall in love with it all over again. I started in China town: a new, fake purse will cheer up anyone's day. I then went to central park for my favorite; hot dogs and people watching. After that I stopped at the temple for a quick session and my spirits were about to burst. For the rest of the evening, I went to Soho for a bite at a cafe where I could sit outside, on a corner and again, people watch. I was floating on a cloud with joy as I sat there and ate my delicious sandwich and chocolate, banana shake while watching people and pondering my own thoughts. I spent a chunk of my night sitting there before I went to Times Square. Every tourist in New York decided to go to Times Square that same night I think and it was so busy I only lasted about a half hour. By the end of the night, I was exhausted and went back to Brooklyn to fall asleep to the LOUD music from the party next door. I woke up early Sunday morning to get home. I was in such a hurry to get back to teach my YW lesson that I got a lovely speeding ticket, yuck! It was a 6 hour drive each way which wasn't bad and I know I will go back to my sanctuary soon. Best ME trip ever!

I think the whole city of New York was in China town on Saturday. Yes, this is a self portrait, remember, I was alone
hot Dog + Central Park + beautiful Day = perfection







there is nothing like a beautiful temple in the middle of a crazy city on a perfect spring day
me and Laura on the subway playing with the camera. She is the professional photographer yet I was the one trying to get a shot.
notice the cute hats I found in China Town
I thoroughly enjoyed my company at dinner (pulled pork panini and a milk shake)



I again tried to take a self picture of yours truly in front of all the lights and people at Times Square and a cute old man witnessed my failed attempts and kindly offered to take the picture for me
I HEART NEW YORK!!

Watch out Tiger Woods

Darren made it into the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. I am glad this appearance in the paper didn't have to do with streaking on the golf course, but actually accomplishing something to be proud of.

For Documental Purposes

Darren got his first Hole-in-One today and it was on a Par 4! He compares himself to Happy Gilmore.
June 5, 2009 at Schenley Park
witness: Dave Pringle

He also got in his first scooter accident three days earlier. He turned too quickly on a wet road and the scooter decided to slide out from under him smashing his arm and leg and scraping him and his scrubs up a little bit. He was wearing his helmet and both he and the scooter are doing fine.
June 2, 2009

View from my Classroom

This is what I see when I look out the classroom door. I love that I have something to look at during my 3 hour class. I will be more than happy when this linguistics class ends and I am that much closer to getting my ASL certificate

Some interesting facts about the Cathedral of Learning: it is the tallest educational building in the Western Hemisphere and the second tallest university building in the world. The first class was held in the building in 1931.

Canine Idol, here comes The singing Niko

babies everywhere!

I don't know why I forgot about posting this, but it was taken at my friend Nicole's baby shower. There are so many people having babies out here that it is hard to keep track of all the parties, deliveries and so on. There are very few of us left without little ones and I wonder if I will ever join the baby clan??

FREE Lettuce Wraps!

Click on the picture to get to the website

to Detroit and back

We headed to Detroit for Memorial Day weekend to see Ben, Jen and the kids. I couldn't believe how big they have gotten and I was reminded of how much I love my niece and nephew! We got there Friday night and were greeted with big hugs. On Saturday we ventured to a park with a lake for some row boat fun. Daxton was so proud to row the oar all by himself. He even got the concept of lifting it out of the water, putting it back in and pulling. He is a smart kid! After playing at the park, we went to a farm to see and pet some animals. Jacy LOVED the animals and made sure to tell us what they all said. Dax and I loved the pigs the most and I wanted to take one home, Swine Flu, Shmine Flue...






We then headed back to the house and had a Mario war while the kids took naps. After we ordered pizza and headed to a beautiful park across the street from their house for a walk and baseball. On Sunday we went to church and then Jenny made us some yummy Reuben sandwiches and we played games before we headed home. Did I mention Jacy LOVED Darren. It was so cute I could cry. She would just crawl up on him and lay on his lap. On our way home, we witnessed a man hit a deer and pulled over to make sure he was okay. He was fine, the deer wasn't and his car was un-drivable. It turned out he was headed to Pittsburgh so we gave him a ride and he told us all about his life as a chef and shared some cookies and Jewish bread that was turned in to the best french toast the next morning. Our last adventure was on Memorial Day when we took advantage of the weather to go for a scooter ride and play tennis. On our way home the scooter died and we walked home for 2.5 miles with all our gear, including helmets. I know we looked awesome! It was quite the weekend and full of good times! I sure love that I have family close enough to visit, thanks Ben and Jenny for everything,we love you guys! Here is the video of Dax rowing the boat.

Camping Weekend

Last Weekend Darren, Niko and I met some friends for a little camping trip.
The first night started with tin foil dinners and banana boats, yum and yum!
Then we played a little Gestures, the sign game and the name game. The boys were the champions and proud of it.
The whole crew
The next day we headed to the lake for fun in the sun with swimming, ultimate frisbee and food.
Of course there are a lot of pictures of Niko because he is my baby. He had two friends there to play with and they had a ball!Niko and Bazil having a staring contestNiko protecting his watermelon from Bazil and Chewy. He didn't eat it, he just didn't want anyone else to have itNo pets were allowed at the lake/park, so we had to tie them upIt didn't last long and we let them play and swim with us (a picture of Niko swimming, soon to come) Becky was the dog sitter while the rest of us played ultimate frisbeeHe would dry off after swimming and then I just took him into the lake again, well dragged him through the beach and sand is really what happened. He wasn't a huge fan of the cold water and I can't blame him, but I was desperate to see his swimming ability, he did an excelent job!He was pooped by the end of the day and snuggled up to me for warmth
We had great weather exept for the second night when it poured on us at dinner time. We went under the tarp and played games until it passed so we could make s'mores. Suprisinly the fire held out through all the rain. Camping was so much fun! Nothing beats food, friends, and getting dirty.

Wonderful Wedding

Congratulations to Matt and Kelly
Who got married April 25th on this boat...
...and looked so beautiful and happy...
...and invited the coolest people...
Thanks for having such a perfect wedding and letting us be a part of it; the ceremony, the food, the company, the dancing and the amazing view of the city. Weddings don't get better than this!!

Niagara Falls, Canada

Darren and I took a long weekend and headed up to Niagara Falls. We got a great deal on a hotel, which ended in partying neighbors and a pet mouse. Other than that, we had a great time! We spent a lot of time on this street that was obsessed with wax museums, haunted houses and miniature golfing. We skipped the museums and haunted houses, but went golfing and spent a while in an arcade. On Saturday we took the Maid of the Mist boat tour to get wet under the falls. We did a lot of walking afterword to get the best views and pictures of Niagara Falls. The times that we weren't at the falls, we found yummy restaurants. We ended up at two Italian places (Darren loves his gnocchis) and a great Indian eatery while we were in Canada. We also found some outlets and did a little shopping. I was appalled with the taxes, so we won't be shopping in Canada again anytime soon, especially because there is no tax on clothes in Pittsburgh. Overall we had a fabulous time and can't wait for our next adventure!

Entering the Canadian border, I got so excited when I saw the signThe "fun" street and my cute DarrenOn the Maid of the MistI loved the rainbows






I could stare at the falls all day, amazing!

My Basketball Star

Darren is too humble to admit that he is a great basketball player, so I am here to do the bragging. His favorite season of the year is basketball season. He not only watches it religiously, but he also gets involved with whatever team he can be a part of to play. This year he was on our ward team who was undefeated and won the championship. He also played on two intramural teams, but because of the rules he had to choose one to play with in the playoffs. Out of 130 teams that started, this team was also undefeated and won the championship. I am proud of my little basketball star and love watching him play!!

The T-shirts Mike insisted on creating to show off how good the 7th Ward is at basketball.
(Thanks Mike)
The intramural champions
(GOOD JOB team dental students!)