Arizona Living

Oh, hey there, blogging world!
Did you forget about me?
Did you forget about us?
I hope not!

I never forgot about you... I know that a move or two and no internet connection has really hindered our relationship, but I promise to do better!

For now, I'm shooting for once a week posts about the crazy, everyday lives of the 3 Johnson's, and hopefully, that will keep our relationship going strong!

So, a whirlwind update will start right... about... now!

On April 22nd, we moved back home to Cedar City and lived with my parents while we figured out where we wanted to be and while Dan helped out his dad, Steve, with work as he finished out his chemotherapy for Cancer.

That went great! We loved being near both families, and we especially appreciate my family for making that sacrifice to have three added house guests for an extended stay!

We definitely made the most of our time in Cedar, even making frequent visits to St. George, spending much needed time with all our family and friends... because we also made a major family decision while there that would move our family 6 hours from home, to a whole new state!

Dan and I decided I'd put my teaching degree to use and I'd apply for elementary education jobs. I first applied in Southern Utah to stay near home, but the more we thought about it, the more we felt we needed to do something else. I joined a great website for teachers that lets you select states you'd be willing to work in and all the jobs available in those areas--I put in all states surrounding Utah and quite a few jobs came up.

We researched those places and weren't feeling good about any, until jobs came up in the small town of Parker, Arizona.

We'd never been to Parker.
It's pretty much as big as Parowan, Utah... small.
We had no idea why Parker sounded good.

But I sent in my resume, and the principal of a school in the district contacted me to set up an interview.

I interviewed over the phone and it just. felt. right.

Two days later, he offered me the position as the new third grade teacher at the school and two days after that (and much praying and discussing), I accepted!

With a job in place and a home to rent from the school district, we made plans to move to Parker, AZ!

Dan worked his booty off to get our family prepared to move and I am so grateful for him and his willingness to support me in this new venture!

On June 22nd, we packed up our Budget moving truck and our family of three, and we were on our way to our new home... having NEVER seen it before! We broke the trip into two days, and stayed one night in Las Vegas, Nevada at our friends, Dan and Amber Shoemake's (that was so fun!).

On June 23rd (my birthday!), we made our way from Vegas, down through California, and across the Colorado River into the Colorado River Indian Tribes land and outter farming communities of Parker, Arizona to our new home right down the street from my new elementary school.

The drive was desert views; barren, harsh, desolate, and Dan and I were nervous as ever as we awaited the sight of our new area, but I will never forget the beautiful views of HUGE palm trees, gorgeous green farm fields as far as the eye can see, and the refreshing, blue water of the Colorado River as we came into Parker. Wow! Our nerves were immediately calmed and we were ready for the beautiful adventure we had ahead.

Fast forward to almost a month of Arizona living and we are loving it! We have been SO blessed and I know, our prayers are being answered! THIS is where our family needs to be. So many things have fallen into place; it's insane!

♥We have been able to see so many beautiful sights all up and down the Colorado River; from Lake Havasu City down to Yuma.
♥Our only neighbors when we arrived were my principal, Brian, his wife, Heather, and their son, Tillman, and they have made us feel so welcomed!
♥Despite having to first move into the house next to the one we were really supposed to move into, and then a week later, having to move again into that house, we were blessed with a cute little 3-bedroom home to live in!
♥My classroom is HUGE and there is SO much stuff there already for me to use...I am so happy, I could cry!
♥Dan got a job with the school district at the bus garage driving school bus for the school year almost immediately, AND they offer paid training! Then today, he was offered a position in their warehouse for the hours in between bus routes, so that we can successfully navigate living 20 miles outside of town, having one car, and one spouse work in town and the other 20 miles out.
♥We found TWO wonderful babysitters for Aurora; one Monday through Friday, and one as a fill-in on the days the other can't. She will get to experience so many fun things with both and friendships have formed between us already!
♥We have been blessed to be in a small ward, where we feel like family; the ward party is tomorrow and then Sunday, we've been invited to dinner with another family in the ward!
♥Dan and I already feel so much closer to one another, as we've had to rely on each other more being away from everyone and everything we know... Our family relationship is already growing stronger and we've become better friends!
♥And although, moving is always financially stressing, we have been able to make it...

Blessed! We are blessed!

So that's the fast version of our lives over the last month. It's different than Utah, but we love it.

AND as of today, it's officially official... We both have Arizona driver's licenses! haha

OH! And I helped another guy rescue a scared and lost little baby boy from the middle of the street today! I was driving to the park with Aurora when I drove past a boy around Aurora's age wandering in the street in nothing but a diaper and large shoes... in 104° weather. So I continued around the block to see if I could see some family (no luck) and as I came back around to the boy, I pulled up to a man in his car who had the police on the line to report it. We talked briefly and I let the man know that I would get the boy from the street while he was on the phone with the police department, then together we waited for them to show up.

By the time the police arrived, the cute and sweaty little boy was clinging to my neck crying as I held him in my arms and wouldn't budge. The other man gave his statement and left. Then I waited with the boy and the police officer for Child Protective Services to arrive since there was no sign of his family. Luckily, I got the boy to drink some water and got him cooled off a bit in the air conditioning of my car... and then just before CPS arrived, the boy's mom came walking down the street! She thought that maybe he had followed his older brother out the door without anyone knowing... Needless to say, I held the boy (and Aurora) for about an hour before his mom came... crazy. I gave my statement and my license to the police and then I went to pick up Dan from work.

It was an eventful trip to the park!

Sunday, Monday, Yada, Yada

These last two days have been kind of great.
To the outside world, they may not look like anything spectacular or out of the ordinary... but for our little family, they've been awesome!

Yesterday, Sunday, Dan got home from work at 8:00am. Aurora and I were already up and getting ready for church. Aurora was looking beautiful in the new dress she got from her Great Grandma Rigby and her cute flower hair clip she got from her Barclay aunts and grandma. Dan came in cheerful, despite a hectic morning at work and he looked so handsome in his church attire. And I was feeling pretty! I mean, all you girls out there can probably attest that that little fact right there can be all it takes for the makings of a good day, right?

We headed to church together and made it just in time for the sacrament meeting to start. The meeting was wonderful and the speakers spoke straight to my heart. It was as if they knew what was going on in our lives at this exact time and said what we needed to hear; the talks were on finding hope through your struggles.

Now as I say that I felt those talks on that particular topic were quite touching to me, many of you might be wondering what struggles we're enduring. Honestly, not too many, but some of the people closest to us are indeed struggling and in need of hope.

As many of you who follow me on Facebook might know, Dan's dad, Steve, is battling Melanoma (skin cancer). I'll share what his mom posted on the Facebook group page we've created to clue you in on his story:

I think that his parents and the whole rest of our family are in definite need of hope while going through this scary time.

The second speaker during the meeting, spoke of his dear mother who has been battling different kinds of cancer for a total of 13 years. He told that she had been given a blessing in the beginning of it all that she would live to see her youngest son serve a mission. During the years that followed, she had to go through stage IV cancer in various forms and survive the pains of having her cancer go into remission and come back multiple times. She was given "death sentences" of a few months to live each time they found the cancer had come back. Yet, through all that, she continued to have faith that she would be able to battle the cancer and she continued to have hope that she would come out stronger. Now it has been 13 years and her youngest son is putting in his papers to serve a mission. Because she continued to have hope even through her struggles, she is still here to see the fruits of the blessing she received so long ago. There were probably many times, that it would've been easy to get discouraged and lose hope, but she didn't.

My beautiful Grandmother Dorothella Smith, battled with Breast Cancer for most of my life. She was diagnosed with it around the time I was born and then it went into remission until the last couple years of her life. My mom always tells us that one thing my grandma really believed in was the power of having a hopeful and positive attitude in light of her struggles. Cancer is brutal and it isn't for the weak; my grandma knew that what you needed most to stay strong in the fight was a positive attitude, a hopeful attitude that you could survive and come out on top.

I think that one of the reasons my grandma battled so long was because of her hopeful attitude. She didn't let the depression of her diagnosis seep in and take over her body's ability to fight, she went about each day one step at a time with brightness.

As I write this, I'm not saying that just having a positive and hopeful attitude will cure cancer or solve all your problems. What I am saying is that it makes it a whole lot easier for you to see the light in the world, even when it seems at its darkest. Hope shines a light and clears your mind to help you see the good through all the bad. The talks on Sunday were a peaceful reminder for us to have hope and to not give up the fight with Steve! It was also a reminder to me that our Heavenly Father does know us each individually and he knows the desires of our hearts. What a testimony builder!

After church, Dan had to help the interior design woman finish getting the homes decorated for the Parade of Homes coming up. Because of my friend, Marissa, and her willingness to watch Aurora, I was able to help Dan. We got a lot done and it has been nice that I've been able to spend this time with him. This little side job has really been such a blessing to us. Dan was asked to help by our good friend, Shaun, and it has really helped to fill in the gaps from when Dan wasn't working. I even got to catch up a bit with Marissa when I got home. I haven't seen her in so long! We are truly blessed to have such good friends living near us.

Today brought with it 70° weather and beautiful sunshine plus two happy girls and one happy mama/babysitter. I watched Abi today and I'm happy to say that she AND Aurora are both feeling so much better after all this sickness that's been sticking around. I was lucky enough to find another high chair seat that I could use for Abi at lunch time on the St George Yard Sale page over the weekend, so we got to have both girls eat lunch at the same time, on their own. They were loving it!

We also spent some time outside today and we had a fun time following Miss Abi as she walked around the apartment complex. It only became not quite as fun when Abi decided she was too tired to walk any further and I ended up carrying both girls back to our apartment. Together they are heavy!

I also took a few pictures of the girls while we were outside; they both looked so cute! My favorite one is one I took standing on our porch looking down on them from above. I'm sad I could only get the one shot but that's about all you can do when you've got toddlers on the move!

Dan was able to work over at the parade/model home again today while I babysat and then got off early enough that we could hold Family Home Evening! We had so much fun. We got Panda Express for dinner and then couldn't help ourselves and got doughnuts from The Fractured Prune while we were over there. But, really, can you blame us? I mean, look at those things!

When we got home, we sang a hymn and said prayer before putting Aurora to bed and watching a movie. Dan fell asleep during the movie, but it's ok. After his busy weekend of working working working, he deserves an early bedtime!

Happy Monday, everyone!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

I've pretty much been obsessed with blogging lately... but not on this blog. Curses. haha

Really though, I'm sorry I've been such a slacker. I've been focusing more of my efforts on updating and playing around with the blog I've made for my sister, Collette, who just left on an LDS mission.

I'm just loving the look of her blog and I'm loving hearing from her or from my parents who hear from her... yeah, hopefully she writes to ME soon and in the mean time I'll try to breathe and remember that she is a busy busy lady in service to the Lord. (If you want to check her blog, feel free to do so! She's pretty much awesome. ----> Called to Serve: Louisiana Edition)

I'm thinking of changing the look of THIS blog soon. I've had it like this for awhile and I'm just sort of feeling a need for change. Ya know? Ahh, but what to change it to? That is the real question. Oh, I'll be thinking. No worries. In the mean time...

Lately we've been Christmas-ing it up around here! Or at least I have. And I've been forcing it on my small family. They love it. I think.

I mentioned to Dan at the beginning of December that I wanted to watch old Christmas movies so he bought me a DVD set of some classics. Basically, Aurora and I have been watching them on repeat now for the last week and a half. It's been great!

Also, I've been sipping on loads of hot cocoa. I think my favorite mix I've made so far is a cup of Stephen's white hot chocolate with added pumpkin spice seasoning. Yuuuuum.

Oh! And we put up our Christmas tree! It's so lovely! We had a good time listening to Christmas tunes and setting it all up together. AND Dan knows that I've been big on making memories and traditions this year so after it was all set up, we piled in the car and went to get eggnog and donuts. Then we watched a movie together after putting our little one to sleep. I have the best husband.

Speaking of having the best husband... that guy has been overly excited for weeks about this present he's getting me! I'm over here feeling excited about it (whatever it is) BUT also feeling a little bit like my gift for him is just not going to be as good as whatever he got me. Even though I'm sure he is going to love the small things I got him... haha I'm sure you all know the feeling.

Oh well. It just feels good to give! And it really is the thought that counts. Right? We have been gathering gifts for family and friends for quite some time now and we are definitely getting anxious to give! There is something about making someone else happy, that makes you happy. And that is better than any gift we could receive ourselves.

I just love the feeling that the Christmas season brings to everyone. I'm sure that I'm turning into that person who could play Christmas music all year round.

... Oh don't worry. I won't though.

OR WILL I?? hahaha just kidding. But really. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!

Choices

Today, I'm thankful for promptings. That being said, I wish I followed them all the time. haha

I just need to learn that when I do, good things happen. Always.

Prompting #1: (the one I did follow!)

Wednesday night, Collette and her boyfriend, Kurtis, came down to St. George and Dan and I met them over at the temple to do some sealings for family names that my Grandpa found.
It was wonderful!

When we were leaving the temple, I had a prompting to put some names on the prayer role so they could be prayed for by many members of the church in the temple.
I had no idea why I needed to write their names down but did anyway.

The very next day, I was reminded why as it was the anniversary of the death of their young son. Obviously, they were being watched over and the Lord knew they needed that extra strength that day.

I'm SO glad I followed that prompting!

Prompting #2: (the one I didn't follow and now regret..)

Last night, Dan called me from work and said that his brothers had invited him to Cedar to do a "guy's night" for his birthday next week since they wouldn't see him. He asked if I'd like to come so I could visit his family and mine.

I had been feeling so exhausted all day and was still in my pajamas when he called (at 5pm...haha) and Aurora was being tired and grumpy and I just wasn't feeling up to it
SO
I told him he could just go up alone since it'd just be for a few hours that night and then he was coming back to St. George to work on a truck with our friend, Shaun, all day today.

He said that would be fine, so we hung up and I packed him a bag so he could come home, grab it, and be on his way.

While I was packing, I had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to just quit being lazy and go with him! I debated it and even got out a suitcase to pack Aurora and myself some things we'd need.
But then I talked myself out of it again and then Aurora started crying and that sealed the deal.
I wasn't going.

When Dan got home to get his stuff, I started crying and said that I just felt like I needed to go and didn't know why, but that I just really needed to stay home. He asked if he needed to stay with me and told me it was my decision.
I still decided to stay home but prayed that everything would be alright since I was feeling so weird.

Well, I soon found out why I should've gone.
My night was horrible. Horrible and boring.

Aurora was sleeping,
I was alone,
my house was messy and stinky,
my "relaxing" bath was cold,
I couldn't fall asleep until around 3am,
everything on tv was a re-run,
and I had no brain energy to read my book I'd planned on reading.

The only good thing was that I created a blog for my sister's mission! (check it out ----> HERE)

THEN this morning, I asked Dan when he was coming back and come to find out, Shaun is sick so Dan doesn't need to be back to work on the truck AND it's one of his rare days off...
SO if I'd have gone with him, we could've spent the day in Cedar visiting some family AND his parents would've taken us out to dinner for Dan's birthday.

CURSES!

And, just my luck... I'm feeling completely great today.

So, although it wasn't anything life changing that I was being prompted to do, not following it has caused me to really miss out.

I miss my hubby.

Guess I'll clean my stinky, messy house now.

Pretty Darn Great

9 Things that made the last 2 days of our lives pretty darn great:

1--I started out my Sunday morning with a 1.5 mile walk from my house all the way to the cemetery. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the smells of summer/spring are in the air and I just loved it!

2--I went to church with my family yesterday because Erin was giving a talk in Sacrament Meeting on gratitude. She did great! I ended up staying for the whole meeting and I went to Sunday School and Relief Society with Collette since both our parents are in the nursery. I was so SO glad I went with her. In RS they covered a talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks called "The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood" from the April 2014 priesthood session. It's a great talk that helps us as men AND women to understand the priesthood a bit more. Needless to say, this talk was exactly what I needed. The topic has been on my mind lately and I was blessed to have the confirmation that my Heavenly Father knows me and knows what my needs are by having me be in that specific meeting to hear that specific talk at that time. Then I got to share what I had learned with Dan and we ended up having a good discussion about it. The gospel is so true!

3--Dan came to pick me up at my parents' house after church on Sunday and my mom and Erin were kind enough to watch Aurora for a little while so I could go with Dan over to his family's house to spend some time for Ryan's birthday. That was lots of fun! Cody, Jeremy, and Cody's friend, Carter Brown, were playing the guitar for us; we spent sometime outside flying a huge foam airplane, riding the mini-motorcycle around the yard, and swinging on the tire swing; we had a yummy frenchtoast dinner and lemon bars for birthday dessert; and just spent time as a family. I left around dark because they were about to start a fire in the backyard and I needed to get back to Aurora. Dan stayed for a bit longer and then I picked him up and we headed home. I missed him while he was having his brothers weekend activities so I was glad to have him home!

4--Our whole fam slept in this morning because Dan had the day off. Aurora slept in until 1pm! And even then we had to wake her up! haha That girl!

5--The rest of today was spent with my family to celebrate Memorial Day. Dan and I ran over to check the car wash (Sparkles) for our Uncle Trav while he's gone and then it was on to my family's house. We had the most delicious barbecue in the backyard complete with marinated steaks, dutch-oven potatoes, watermelon, and a summery salad then a jello-poke cake for dessert! It was hot hot hot outside so we mostly hung out under the canopies and laughed and talked until it was decided that we'd better go swimming...

6--Dan, Erin, Cole, Mom, Dad, and I took Aurora up to the Aquatic Center for her first ever swimming trip tonight! She loved it! The water was the perfect temperature and I'm pretty sure she could've just stayed in there for days. She cried when we left haha It was so fun to see how she reacted and it was great that my dad and mom were able to take some pictures for us! First time! Hello! Pictures were a must!

7--After swimming, we all met up at the cemetery to visit my Grandma Dorothella's grave. Alex and Becca met us over there too and my dad played the bagpipes for my grandma. It was such a beautiful moment to hear my dad playing them for her just as the sun was beginning to go down and everyone around was placing flowers for loved ones gone on.

8--To finish out the night, we headed back over to my parents' to play a little game of horseshoes. It was nice to just sit out in the backyard and enjoy everyone's company. And the weather was perfect! We even played fetch with Bec and Alex's dog, Tech! It was fun ...The only thing that made it not so nice was when a stray horseshoe bounced up off the cement behind the pits and smacked Becca straight in the face! Oweee! That poor girl! We'll be moving observation locations for next time... haha

9--When we got home, we all took showers to remove the remaining chlorine and then I fed Aurora while Dan played with my paints I'd left on the counter. When I walked by a couple of hours later, I noticed he had used his artistic skills to paint the ant bait I had on the counter. haha It's actually pretty good! Who knew ant bait could look so pretty!?

Taking Stock

I should be sleeping. It's 4:10am. Buuuut... Aurora woke up to eat a little 3am snack and, so, here I sit.

I got distracted with some blog-stalking on my phone while feeding her and found this fun post from The Day Book and decided to join in on my own.

Plus, also, add in some photos from our day yesterday. We had a beautiful Sunday filled with church meetings complete with messages I know were meant for me specifically; an afternoon of marathon-Dominos-playing (Mexican Train style) with Dan's family and a little bit of book reading with two beautiful girlies sitting on my lap (Aurora and Harlie); an evening of seminary graduation for my sister Collette (still can't believe she's almost done with high school!); and a fun night full of giggles with my two favorites, Dan and Aurora.

Taking Stock//
Making: a memory in blog form with this quicky-spur-of-the-moment-late-night-feeding post
Cooking: nothing. Sadly. I'm hungry...
Drinking: water water water
Reading: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. Young Adult Fiction is always, always the best!
Wanting: a trip to the swimming pool this week
Looking: at a computer screen when I should be sleeping
Playing: 2048. Completely addicting
Wasting: sleep
Wishing: for a pre-summer, summer vacation
Enjoying: my family
Waiting: for morning to come ONLY so that I can start a load of laundry. I'd do it now but our neighbor upstairs doesn't really appreciate our washer running all night... how rude of her. Late nights/middle of the nights are my get-crap-done time haha
Liking: the silly antics of my hubby and the way he makes me laugh ♥ 
Wondering: when we should start our garden
Loving: that Aurora now blows spit bubbles/buzzes her lips together. It's, basically, the cutest thing ever
Hoping: we all get to sleep in 
Marveling: at all the wonderful things & people I'm surrounded by
Needing: a smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Smelling: absolutely nothing.
Wearing: black leggings. I need more of these things!
Following: my late night decisions
Noticing: that the ants who still live in my kitchen, never seem to sleep... or leave my house...
Knowing: that I'm in charge of my own happiness
Thinking: about what adventures will be had tomorrow. Dan's got a day off work!
Feeling: peaceful
Bookmarking: 30 day work out challenges (one day I'll get around to finishing the one I'm currently on haha) and DIY home decor ideas
Opening: my fridge. Always with the same results of nothing good inside. Sad.
Giggling: when I hear Aurora laugh. It is dang cute! You can't help but laugh with her!

Activities

Today was day #2 of my spur of the moment decision to join one of my instagram buds in a 30 Day Get Fit Challenge. 

It. Has. Been. Rough.

haha Buuuut, I guess "getting fit" shouldn't be easy, right?

I will say, though, that trying to "get fit" when you have a fussy 4 month old who got shots today and you babysit your VERY active niece and nephew for a few hours is not the best plan. I basically felt like every move I made was going to make my legs fall off my body! Squats and lunges make your legs BURN the next day! Which, in turn, makes it hard to chase kids around and standing-bounce your sad little baby after her doctor's appointment. 

I'm hoping it gets better. haha

For my own record, I'm going to list out each day's challenge activities. If you'd like to join in, feel free!

Day #1:

30 jumping jacks

30 crunches

10 sit ups

1 minute wall sit

10 lunges, each leg

47 squats

10 push-ups

25 knee highs

30 butt kicks

Day #2: (BY FAR an easier workout than day one... go figure)

10 jumping jacks

10 deep lunges, each leg

45 squats

20 sit ups

15 crunches

2 mile speed walk (*I substituted with a 30 minute walk around my neighborhood pushing Aurora in the stroller)

In addition to getting my body fit, I've decided to do a little work on strengthening my testimony and knowledge of the gospel. I take 20 minutes a day to myself (usually when Aurora is napping and Dan is working) to study The Book of Mormon and utilize the Preach My Gospel manual and then I read a little bit about the teachings of the prophet, Joseph Smith, in the Teachings of Presidents of the Church book. How awesome it has been to be reminded of the principles of the restoration of the gospel on this earth and to learn things and see things that I may have overlooked in the past. I'm glad we have prophets on the earth today to lead us and guide us in what the Lord would have us do. It's definitely uplifting to be reminded of the basic things of the gospel.

In other news, my sweet Dan did a little clean up on the fallen trees outside our house today. He cut down two huge trees and then trimmed up a few others AND cleared the rest of the ones that fell in the way of the driveway (ours and the neighbor's). Luckily, Jeremy was off work to help him because at one point they had to attach a rope to the car and to the tree so that they could use the car to make sure the huge tree fell the way they wanted. Yeah. I usually just watch and keep my fingers crossed that Dan doesn't have anything horrid happen to him. He loves running the chainsaw, though! Boys! haha

While they did that, Kaela and I took the kids on a walk around the neighborhood. It was crazy to see how many trees were down. The city is in need of a major spring cleaning! 

Oh! Guess what?? Guess what?? The doctor said that my baby is ready to add RICE CEREAL to her diet! And then in a few weeks we can add orange veggies!! I was excited but at the same time I'm over here thinking, "Where did the time go? My baby is getting so big!" I'm glad Dan was off work today because we both got a chance to try feeding the cereal to her. She seemed to like it, but at first her face was hilarious! It was like, "What is this stuff?" haha We'll keep trying.

Tonight we watched The Walking Dead and I snapped a few pictures of my unsuspecting hubby. Isn't he good looking? Yup. I kinda like him. Oh, and my beautiful napper! I like her, too! ♥♥♥