Tue Feb 28, 2012
So Katie wrote this and was going to post it on her section of the blog, but since that is only viewable on our family site (http://www.mnkjohnson.com), I'm going to post it so it's on both sites. Wow. We suck as bloggers. No wedding pictures. Limited number of house pictures. No baby pictures, granted he’s not born yet, but we have ultrasounds. A ton has happened since March 5th of last year and we’ve blogged very little of it. March 5th 2011---Wedding Day! Today I got to marry my best friend and soul mate. We met at the Wight House in Bountiful around one to take the pictures so it wouldn't be forever between the actual ceremony and the reception/dinner. Mike hadn’t seen my dress and I wanted a picture of his face when he did. It was priceless. We had fun with the pictures and the photographers. Our good friends Jason and Jenn were helping us out. I found out that Mike hadn’t eaten anything, so I asked the lady at the reception center to feed him. She forced him to eat some food they had in the kitchen. The ceremony was beautiful and simple. My dad walked me down the aisle, one of my favorite moments. He was happy to give me away; he didn’t even tell me it wasn’t too late to change my mind! The ceremony was emotional. Mike was crying, my sisters were crying, apparently several other people were crying. I just couldn’t stop smiling. I was just so incredibly happy, I knew things were just going to get better and better as time went on. I just kept thinking, I’m marrying this incredible man, who adores me. I can’t believe how lucky I am. It was a nice, calm reception with good friends and family members. We left the reception around eight p.m. in our jeans and went to the hotel. We drank sparkling apple cider, ate munchies from awesome gift baskets (thanks Kristi, Jason, and my brothers and sisters), washed the 400 pounds of hairspray out of my hair, and did some other stuff that is inappropriate for polite conversation.  The next day We washed the car and vacuumed out the dove and heart shaped confetti, which we still find pieces of occasionally (thanks Jason), and drove to St. George. We got there at about six, checked-in to the time-share condo we were staying at (courtesy of Mike’s mom), and went to find a place to get dinner. Nothing was open. So we went to the grocery store, bought some salmon and potatoes, and took them back to the condo. Mike undercooked the salmon and I undercooked the potatoes. We still ate it. Then we watched some TV and went to sleep. We didn’t manage to sleep well the entire first week of our marriage. We are both night owls with a tendency to sleep in so we’d go to sleep around 12 or 1 am but my darling husband would still wake up around 7:30 or 8. Despite the lack of sleep, our Honeymoon was wonderful. It was beautiful, and warm, and beyond relaxing. We did some shopping, some hiking, some swimming, and some more stuff that is inappropriate for polite conversation. We also watched some History Channel TV. We came home on Thursday that week to give ourselves time to a) move me in to the ‘bachelor pad’ and b) get settled before having to go back to work. We got wonderful gifts from all our friends, neighbors, and family. I attempted to write Thank You cards, couldn’t force my hands to do that much writing, and resorted to creating a generic Thank You card on the computer. I even printed them out and put them in envelopes. I never did get around to addressing them or sending them out, because I suck, and eventually I was just too embarrassed to send them because of how long it had been (six months). But you should all know, Mike and I are both incredibly grateful for every last gift and well wish. Several months later:  Our family room/dining room/kitchen.  Our back yard. August 15th, 2011 I started my new job at 3M HIS today. I feel like I’m totally out of my depth here. It’s a completely new style of writing with completely new tools (software). I do feel a little better that the writing team here has only been using this software for two years and they are still learning how to use it. It’s always scary to start a new job, especially when it’s in a new field. I miss my co-workers and friends but I am happy to not be traveling anymore. It was starting to get really hard to leave my husband in my nice warm bed at four am to make a flight. September 24th, 2011 We moved in to our new house. I’ll let you read Mike’s post about that if you’d like more details. October 6, 2011 I was a couple days late so I took a test, completely expecting the results to be negative. I’d been late a couple of other times and wasn’t really worried about it. Guess what? It was positive. You could have knocked me over with a wet noodle. We’d only gone off birth control the month before. I was expecting it to take at least three months to get pregnant. I was freaking out privately in the bedroom. I had downloaded a pregnancy app to calculate my due date, and was just looking at the screen that said “Congratulations, you’re 3 weeks pregnant!” when Mike came in. He said, “What should we use as the password for the wireless internet?” I held out my phone and said, “how about this?” His eye’s got really big and he said, “Really?” I just nodded. I thought he was going to pass out, or freak out, or something. He said, “Really?” I think he thought I was pulling his leg. I had to show him the test. Then I had to take another one (for both of us). He wasn’t unhappy, just like I wasn’t unhappy. It was just…a lot. To find out so quickly after the move and so quickly after stopping birth control. I think we were both shocked.  Our baby at 19 weeks old. December 27th, 2011 By this time Mike and I had gotten used to the idea of having a baby and were no longer freaking out. (Well maybe a little, it’s a big change!) Mike really wanted a girl. I really wanted a girl (they are more fun to shop for). Today we went to the doctor and found out that it’s a boy! He was not cooperative and didn’t want to move his little hand so we could see that he was a boy, but I poked him until he moved enough for the doctor to see it. Mike was still holding out hope that the official ultra-sound in two weeks would show a girl. It didn’t, he’s still a boy. February 14th, 2012 Our second Valentine’s Day together. Mike spoiled me :D He sent me beautiful tulips, a teddy bear, and chocolates at work. After work he took me to P.F. Changs for dinner. Thank goodness he made reservations weeks earlier, we were seated in less than five minutes, even though the waiting area was full (standing room only). Best Chinese food I’ve ever eaten! The lettuce wraps were wonderfully flavorful. I had the shrimp with candied walnuts for dinner; I’m salivating just thinking about how delicious it was. Then we went home, I gave him Lego Pirates of the Caribbean for the Wii, he gave me Sims3 Pets for my PC. (We are a geeky couple aren’t we?) It was a great day and a great night.  Beautiful tulips from Mike. February 16th, 2012 I’ve had a really easy pregnancy, and I know that. Both of my sisters got deathly ill and threw up a ton when they were pregnant. I was nauseous for a couple of months. I’ve been exhausted. I’ve had ‘growing pains.' But I’ve had a really easy pregnancy. Today, I couldn’t feel the baby moving, he is usually active in the morning, and I was having strange sharp pains in my lower abdomen on the right side. After five hours of random pains and no fetal movement, I called the doctor. He was delivering a baby, so his nurse told me to go to the hospital to check things out. I was pretty calm, Mike was not. We got to the hospital and about 30 to 40 seconds after they got the heart monitor on me, the baby got the hiccups. He was swimming around so much! You could hear it every time he swam past one of the monitors, it would make a funky sound. They tested me for everything. Blood was taken, I got to experience my very first catheter (shudder), and they did an ultra-sound to check the fluid levels in there. Things ended up being just fine, but it was a little scary. Today We are less than a week away from celebrating our one year anniversary. Things have calmed down a bit. I feel more confident at my job. I’m excited to meet my crazy active baby. Mike is now used to the fact that it’s a boy, and is getting excited. We are planning to move some furniture and start painting the nursery in the next couple of weeks. We bought a rocker/recliner to make feeding easier. We’ve created a great plan for the basement. We’ll be working on that a little at a time, as funds become available. We love our neighborhood. Overall, things are great. I feel like it’s the calm before the storm, but I’m ready for it. I’m excited to see what the next 365 days bring into our little family’s life. Thu Dec 01, 2011
I took some generic pictures, which you can see here: http://www.waterman981.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=54887 Well, since I first started this post the wind has finally died down. I've gone up and fixed the chimney. 2 new screws, and some waterproofing. Put the fence all back together. Wow vinyl fences are easy to repair. During the wind I roped off a bush that would have come down had I not done so. The only thing broken is our Christmas lights. A wire got pulled out, and a bulb broke. Due to the wire I'll probably have to buy a new strand. Oh well, it only cost $19. I do feel really fortunate that was our only damage. So many of our neighbors lost their shingles. I saw tons of homes where the wooden fence that was there is now missing completely. We really were blessed for this event. Mon Sep 26, 2011
Huge thanks to everyone who was able to come out on Saturday to help us move! Last Friday night we were supposed to pick up the Budget rental truck at 5 PM. During the day they called us to say they wouldn't have it, and present us with other options. We could drive down to Provo (the closed at 5, with game traffic there was no way), or 8 AM in SLC, or 10 AM at the original Murray location. We decided on 8 AM. So rather than getting the truck we just went home. Kristi & Dana came up to spend the night, and help us pack. They were a huge help in the kitchen getting everything boxed up. Saturday morning we got up early and headed downtown to pick up the truck. We were a bit early so we went to get donuts first. We arrived at Budget of Salt Lake and were told that our truck wasn't there. We were getting seriously pissed with this company. The guy running it was checking out another customer when our 24' truck arrived. Whew! We were able to get the truck, and for all the crap they pulled we got their best discount (20%), and unlimited miles (which was good as we had further to drive now). The guy was really good to us once the truck arrived, but still overall it was a bad experience, and we'll never deal with them again. We got home and got the move going. My realtor Dave was waiting for us, and just after backing in Steve arrived. They got started with the first boxes as more people arrived. Jason first, then a truck with my in-laws... Father-in-law Wes, Uncle-in-law Kent, brother-in-law Andrew, and nephew Harrison. The loaded up the garage stuff (saws, 4-wheeler) in the trailer they brought. Everyone continued moving items out. I was running around coordinating everyone, while trying to finish up the last few things. Take all the stuff off the dresser, take apart my desk... Lots of last minute stuff. About 2 hours after we started the truck was all loaded up and it was time to head out. I drove up to the new house with Dave & Jason following behind me. Wes, Kent, Andrew, & Harrison had taken their truck and my car up already, and when we arrived they were finishing up the trailer. All that was left was the big truck. We got started unloading that. Things went quickly. Steve got up to the new house with his whole family to check it out. Eric arrived after getting off work and continued helping. My neighbor came over and helped unload. We were done unloading everything shortly after 1 pm. The pizzas arrived a few minutes later. After eating lunch, many had to return home, so we decided it was time to take the truck back. My mom followed me up to drop it off, then take me back to her house. I had inadvertently kept the keys to the van which had some glass panels and our TV's in it. So I drove it back up to our house to unload those last things. When I got there my brother-in-law Spencer and Harrison took the TV's in. I found out that Katie's mom and sister had unpacked and folded clothes, putting them in drawers for us. Before that Kristi helped unpack lots of the kitchen. Once everyone was gone we both kinda crashed. We were tired, and just laid down on the bed and watched a movie. After the movie we had a few things we needed... 4 wire dryer cable, new washing machine drain hose... so it was time for another Home Depot run. Got what we needed then went and got dinner at Wingers. We went home, and crashed again on the bed. So many people helped, that really made this move go well for us. We couldn't have done it without all of you. So again, huge thanks to Kristi & Dana, Steve, Jason, Eric, & my realtor Dave. My in-laws Wes, Laura, Andrew, Kent, Spencer, Maren, & Harrison. Sorry if I forgot anyone. And I know some of you wanted to make it, but couldn't due to work. Thanks for checking on the move when you were available! Fri Sep 16, 2011
 It's 100% official. We are homeowners. Katie & I closed on a beautiful house we found up in Kaysville yesterday, and today the sellers finished their paperwork, so we are all recorded and it's official! Yesterday after closing I suddenly felt very poor. We had been saving and saving for our down payment, and suddenly it was all gone. I complained about this feeling to my coworkers and they told me not that you get over it, but that you get used to it. Ughh..! Unfortunately we haven't gotten the keys yet, as the selling agent is booked tonight, but should get them tomorrow. The plan is to move in on the 24th, and I expect to see everyone there. We're super stoked, and hope to have you all over soon for some fun! Wed Jun 29, 2011
Why didn't anyone tell me buying a house sucks! I'm so freaking stressed out right now. Working with a lender, being told all we need is our down payment money at closing (seller is covering closing costs). Then suddenly today I get the loan application and a request to use my credit card to pay for the appraisal. Money we weren't planning on. So I talk to another lender, won't need to pay that upfront, and a lower rate. Call the first back to say we're going to go with someone else. A bit later his manager calls me back to ask why. I told him how I felt surprised by the appraisal, and worried about additional surprises. As we talk he tells me their rate was high so they could over deliver at closing with a lower rate (which the lender himself never told me), explained the appraisal situation, which I understand, but agreed to take care of it if I wanted to continue. So tonight Katie and I should have two loan applications to go over and decide which to go with. ARRRAGGUUGGGHH!!! This sucks. So frustrating, stressful, stressful, and stressful! Thu Jun 02, 2011
Jason and I will be riding 33 laps of a 3.33 mile section of the Jordan River Parkway. We will be based in Germania Park, off of 53rd South. We'd love to have you come and join us for a few laps, or more. There is a playground at Germania if your kids want to just do that. Plenty of fun opportunities. Weather will be great, so come on out! (In the event of flooding, I believe we'll move to Liberty Park. The only place it may be an issue is under 53rd South. Edit: Checked it at lunch. Looks good! River probably has to come up about 2 feet to be an issue.) Fri May 20, 2011
The government told me so! So if you need to get prepared for the coming Zombie Apocalypse, check the CDC site for some helpful preparedness tips.  Tue Apr 12, 2011
Mon Apr 11, 2011
I just signed up for a "bike race." The Fat Cyclist's 100 Miles of Nowhere. What is it? It's a bike race, kinda. It's a solo event, kinda. It's for charity, definitely. The first 100 Miles of Nowhere was the Fat Cyclist and some buddies, riding their bikes on rollers (stationary) for 100 miles. 100 miles sitting in their garages, watching movies, etc. In the two years since then more and more people have participated. Riding on their own rollers, around the block, even on an aircraft carrier. My plan. How you can help. Additional help? Fri Mar 18, 2011
Two of the first things Katie wanted to get set up were the kitchen and the bathroom. I think the bathroom is done, and the kitchen is really close. One of the biggest improvements to the kitchen was some cabinets. My co-workers gave us a generous gift card to Home Depot where the cabinets we wanted were. We picked up four pieces. Two base cabinets, a pantry, and a counter top. Check out the before and after. Before: Fri Mar 04, 2011
Wow... After months of planning and preparation, tomorrow is the day. It came up super fast, making me start to get anxious. Was I ready to leave the single life behind? I think fortunately tonight my last bit of anxiousness has gone away. We did a rehearsal, and it seemed like others were more panicked than us. We were trying to be the calm ones. It was that fear of change that made me anxious. But now I don't think the change will affect me much. Definitely not for bad, only good change. So, tomorrow is the day. I need to pack, and run back to the tux shop as my shirt is a bit small. Plenty to do tomorrow during my last hours as a bachelor. So when I post again... well I'll still be Mr. Johnson, but a different man. Hopefully we'll see you tomorrow! Tue Feb 15, 2011
 Going to the Optometrist is always fun. The thing I like about mine is he does a full eye check every year, checking the health of my eyes (Something Lens Crafters does not do). One unfortunate part of that is dilating my eyes. This results of course in increased light sensitivity and, you are unable to focus close up. So driving home I couldn't read my dash at all. I just had to wing it. At least it doesn't affect focusing at a distance. Thu Feb 03, 2011
Over the last week I've been going through my computer room, cleaning, organizing, and throwing stuff away. In total I will have taken 14 desktop PC's/cases, 4 CRT monitors, and 3 large boxes full of electronics to be recycled. Last night was the big move. Jason arrived first, and we started in the computer room. We took apart my old desk, moved it out, and vacuumed the room. Next we took apart the new corner desk. This was much more involved as due to the hutch, we had to switch things around. We almost took it completely apart, took a break to have some pizza that Katie brought over, then reassembled it in reverse order in the computer room. As we were finishing up, Eric arrived to help. We finished up that desk, and moved it into position. The major item that I needed help with was done. Next was the TV. Pulled it off the base, then removed all the components. We moved the TV stand over, and I started hooking everything back up. Steve arrived, and Jason had to leave. I went back to hooking stuff up. My current configuration is a nightmare. Once the cables were all done, we put the TV back on, and checked it out. One mix-up on cabling that was quickly straightened out, and everything was good. The final bit of moving was a shelf thing up to my moms room, the love seat down from the upstairs den, and a recliner into that den. Steve and Eric knocked them out pretty quick, and all was done! Huge thanks again to Jason, Eric, and Steve for coming over to help! Slowly but surely this is turning away from my bachelor "mancave", and into what my mother called... "The Love Grotto!" Tue Feb 01, 2011
Mon Jan 24, 2011
In hindsight... we definitely should have just gone to Vegas. Saturday we both got so burned out. We started out going to the reception center in Bountiful at 10 AM. Told them our colors, picked a menu on the fly as we totally spaced coming up with one, and made all the other final decisions regarding them. 1 hour and I was burnt out. After finishing that up with our mothers, we all went to Cafe Rio for lunch. It was there that my mom said the most unexpected thing. She said that the basement is currently the bachelor pad, and will soon become the "love grotto". Katie and I were not expecting that. So now we're going to get a sign or cross stitch made that says that. After lunch, we parted with our mothers, and stopped off at Costco to check on the time to print all our invitations, then we drove down to Provo to pick up the RAW engagement pictures. Katie ran and got them while I was chatting with Tony. We stopped at her sister's house on the way back up and dropped off music for her husband to make a playlist for the reception. We were pretty beat by this time, so we just went back to my place. I looked over the RAW's, and found that we only got one disc of them. The disc with the pictures we are planning to use wasn't there, instead it was a mislabeled Windows 7 disc. I was mad. So much run around with the photographer. I slammed my fist against my desk in frustration. Katie went and sat down on the couch. After slamming the desk, I took a few breaths, and got up to check on Katie. It was the first time she had seen me mad, and it scared her a bit. I comforted her, made sure she knew I was absolutely not mad at her, just frustrated with the photographer. All the stress from wedding stuff had been building and building all day, and it had gotten to both of us. We decided it was time to eat, and relax for the rest of the night. While she ate some left over Olive Garden, I emailed our photographer, and politely explained the situation. I set up an FTP site for them, and asked if they would upload the two photos we needed. Within a few hours they replied, and did get the photos uploaded. It was such a relief to get them, as we need to send out our invitations this next Saturday. Katie and I relaxed for the rest of the night, which was nice. We should have just gone to Vegas. Tue Jan 11, 2011
Best of luck to Tony & Chelsey in their lawsuit. Hopefully you can get it resolved satisfactorily, so that you aren't worried about the future. Sending good vibes! Edit: 2nd article posted. Mon Jan 03, 2011
Yesterday I was tagged in 4 photos on Facebook. I wanted to check them out, as some people post stupid stuff. Everything looked fine, so no worries. Now I don't use Facebook. I don't like Facebook. I had considered it a necessary evil to have an account. So since I was there I figured I better change my "relationship status". I then kept getting email after email from Facebook on the change. Each time I felt dirtier and dirtier. My dislike for Facebook has turned from dislike to hate. So I just deleted my account. So I guess it doesn't delete for 2 weeks, so if you think you can change my mind, go for it. Wed Dec 29, 2010
Yesterday Katie and I met with our photographer and got our Engagement pictures done. We took them at Wheeler Farm. They should be cool, I'm excited to see them. Sun Dec 05, 2010
Mon Nov 22, 2010
Saturday morning the power went out. When it went out, it looks like it took the furnace out with it. The house didn't get too cold until Saturday night, so I started investigating exactly what is wrong. The furnace uses an electric heating element to light the gas. That element isn't working. I don't know if it's the element itself, or the switch that turns it on, but that's where the fault lies. So Sunday I left the furnace on (I had already turned the gas off) to circulate the air around the house, hoping to keep it warmer. It was 62 degrees in the morning. It stayed there pretty much all day, and I went up to Katie's house for dinner that night, so I didn't get too cold. When I got home I piled the blankets on my bed, and slept nice and warmly. This morning I woke up early for work, so I had a bit of time. I manually lit the furnace, and warmed the house up for the first time in days. When I left I turned the gas back off, leaving the fan going. Tonight I'll do the same. |
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11:18:00 am, by 
(especially you neighborino Matt!) During this week before we move we want to do some painting. All the walls/ceilings/trim is the same color. We're going to keep it simple though and paint the ceilings & trim white. Just that little bit should make it even brighter and feel larger.
Pledge what you like, 25¢, 50¢, $1. I won't ask you to donate more than 100 miles worth. As I type that out, I definitely think I'll do it. Watch for a link to pledge/donate!
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