Montana Johnsons

From a Distance

2011-06-06T09:40:00.008-06:00

This week over at I HEART Faces, the photo challenge is 'At a Distance' where the focus isn't necessarily on someone's face...my FAVORITE type of photography!

So here is my entry, a picture of my husband, scouting out a good fishing spot at Kintla Lake up in Glacier National Park.

As always, head on over to I Heart Faces to see all the other beautiful and creative entries.

Best Face Photo

2011-05-30T22:44:00.006-06:00

I had the privilege to photograph sweet Tivesa to celebrate her 6 month birthday! Here is my entry for the I Heart Face's contest this week!

So head on over to I Heart Faces and check out all the other entries!

Prayers

2011-03-28T20:25:00.004-06:00

My heart is heavy tonight and my spirit is restless. My dear friends Stephen and Joy Colwell are preparing to say goodbye to their baby girl Maggie, their first born child, tomorrow.
I struggle that I have no words of comfort for these beautiful people; but I am strengthened to see how many people have been touched by this mighty baby. It is beautiful to see how God answers prayers and to see the church body unite as one on behalf of Joy, Stephen and Maggie. The faith of Joy and Stephen is overpowering and has ever changed my outlook on life, prayer, and strength under fire. They have chosen to lean on God, and I am humbled by their immeasurable faith.

I ask everyone who glances at this blog, to say a special prayer on behalf of Stephen, Joy and mighty Maggie. I ask our Father to wrap his comforting arms around this family; bring them peace.

To find out more about the Colwell's journey, you can visit their website here.

Last one of the year!

2010-12-31T23:25:00.002-07:00

I hope you all have had a blessed 2010!
My 2010 was full of change and many blessings and I can't wait to see wait God has in store for Sean and I in 2011!

Wishing you all a wonderful New Years and a blessed 2011!

I Heart Faces challenge: PETS

2010-12-13T15:51:00.004-07:00

This week is Pet faces over at the I Heart Faces blog. Here is my entry for this weeks pet entry.

This past weekend my husband and I were able to escape on a little snowshoe adventure in Yellowstone and brought along our Kaine Dog. He was so happy and excited to be out in the mountains. He ran all over, usually leading the way. As usual, I was bringing up the back of the line, slowed down taking so many pictures of the area. I stood at the top of the creek bed area overlooking my husband and Kaine; you could see the light bulb click in Kaine's head when he realized I was on the hike as well. He came flying up to me as fast as his snow shoed feet could carry him. Needless to day, he was one happy and tired dog by the end of the day!

Head over to I Heart Faces to check out all the other beautiful pet entries!

HE'S BACK!!!

2010-11-22T09:33:00.002-07:00

It was a weekend of drama, but the husband finally made it home!

He left North Carolina Friday afternoon and had 2 plane changes - one in Atlanta and the other in Salt Lake City. All was going well until 8 PM-ish when I get the call: "my plane is delayed for about an hour and a half, call everyone to let them know not to be at the air port at 9:30".
Easy enough. I made a few phone calls to family and friends and told them I'd let them know when Sean was expected to arrive.
I got home from dinner and a movie with my mom only to receive the worst call of the night. "Flight is cancelled. The plane we are waiting on is stuck in Kalispell, MT with bad weather. They are putting me up in a hotel for the night and I don't know when my flight is tomorrow."
All my energy was drained by then. I had no emotional reaction because I was so excited all week, that the bad news just made me tired. I crawled into bed and passed out for the last time without a husband in my bed.
The next morning, I got a call from Sean saying he didn't know when his flight was because of bad weather and broken plane drama. About 11:20 i get a call that he is getting on a plane and will be home around 1. So I make a few calls to friends and family notifying them when to be at the air port. I do a few last minute touch-ups on the house and left at 12:20 thinking in the snow and bad roads, it'll take me 25 minutes to get to the air port leaving plenty of time for me to greet Sean at his gate. I was half way across town when I get a text from Sean - I've landed!
WHAT?!? NOOOOO!!! His plane is 15 minutes early and I'm not there yet!! Turned out that no one had made it to the air port on time to greet him getting off the plane! HAHA!
But all was well. He was down at the baggage carrousel waiting on his 2 bags when I found him. My mom actually made it to the air port before me, and was the first to greet him. A few friends joined us a few minutes later, and it was a happy Welcoming Home for Sean.
Upon walking out of the air port, he went into almost immediate system shock - it was 70 degrees the previous day in NC; Great Falls weather was 3 degrees with a 25 MPH wind. Needless to say, he was shivering instantly. But in the 2 days being home, he's slowly acclimating to the cold. Today's his 1st day of work on the flight line up at the MANG, so he should be issued cold weather gear and shouldn't be as miserable.

Life is good and I finally feel whole. 7 months without a hubby is HARD work, but having him home is the best thing in the world! Thank you all for the sweet words of encouragement and prayers. We love you all!

the last week being single!

2010-11-15T12:02:00.003-07:00

Yeah! i will have my husband back Friday night!

I'm going a little stir crazy sitting around the house waiting on friday to get here. So for a little motivation, I am making a To Do list to keep myself occupied!

Scrub the floors - I HATE this job mostly because 3 seconds after getting floors clean, I let 2 dirty dogs in the house and no one would believe I had cleaned the floors.
Mow lawn - I'm really hoping it snows today so I can skip this one
Pick up dog poop - must get done before it does snow
Straighten up the garage and shed
Wash 2 dirty, stinky dogs
Wash bed comforter because of dirty, stinky dogs sleeping on it when I am at work
De-fur furniture because said dirty dogs sleep on it when I am at work
Stock up on groceries
Get Sean's truck running and in the garage before the snow comes
Watch Harry Potter movie
Dust and vacuum whole house
Laundry
Put clean laundry away - I hate folding and hanging clothes; I'd just rather them sit in a pile on top of my dryer until I need them.
Replace furnace filter
Oil change on my truck

I am sure I will have more items to add to this list, but these are the most important ones right now.

Prayers for patience as this week slowly ticks by!

16 days and counting!!

2010-11-04T11:39:00.001-06:00

YEAH! He is almost home!
I'm a little more than excited! I'm already having troubles going to sleep every night. It feels like Christmas Eve right now!!
Say some prayers for us!

I WANTS IT!!

2010-10-30T10:12:00.002-06:00

I am looking into getting a cargo bike to become a little less gas-dependant. I want this one!

Check out Madsen Bikes by clicking on the picture!

down to a month...

2010-10-18T20:54:00.002-06:00

I got the best birthday surprise last Friday. Some back ground info for those who didn't know: Since mid September, Sean's orders were changed twice; with the latest change he was going to be in Texas until middle of November and not going to be back until December 10th.
Alright back to Friday: Sitting at my desk, before I left for lunch with my parents, my cell phone started ringing Sean's 'International Harvester' song. I was a little surprised to actually hear from the husband in the middle of the day, but I'll take every phone call I can get from him! He had graduated the day before from the 1st part of tech school, and had most of the day to hang out and out-proess.
The conversation started with the usual, Happy Birthday, I love you, how is your day conversation. Then he followed it with "well I have some bad news and some good news" Good news, I sent you some flowers for your birthday. Bad news, they have changed my orders again. '
UGH!!! I was so frustrated and immediately started wondering if I had to change my Thanksgiving plane tickets to DC and when will he actually be home. Then Sean says "looks like I am going to be back home around November 19th." My wheels immediately started turning how we were going to work out being together for Thanksgiving since I was going to be DC with his family and he was going to be home--then it hit me SEAN'S GOING TO BE HOME EARLY!!! It took a few seconds for the whole surprise orders change to set in, but once it hit me I was beaming the rest of the day!!!
I did have to cancel my plane ticket out East, but it will be worth the $100 hit to have the husband home finally!

Now let me tell you about how proud I am of this man. Not only did he rope up to a Red Rope in the student leadership program (very few airmen get to the Red Rope) but he graduated top of his class too! And to add to his student leadership, he organized a boot drive for the squadron. Sean's boot drive got over 500 pairs of shoes to donate to the SonShine House in Wichita Falls. And once the PR Department of the Air Force found out about his efforts phone calls were made and newspapers interviews were given. Yeah, I'm pretty proud of my guy. And on top of that, he's taken it upon himself to come up with a squadron workout regime that would keep people motivated to stay in shape. Tonight he told me about something pretty cool that happened today: Sean was having a meeting with his 2 NCO's discussing his workout program when, who of all people came walking thru his meeting but the base commander. Sean was able to give a little overview of his plan to the commander and will get a quick meeting with him sometime this week to discuss in depth his vision for the program. And the commander gave him the best compliment ever; he had mentioned that there is a program that allows Commanders to, on the spot, appoint a person to a higher rank. Unfortunately, Sean is in the guard and not active duty, but it was a fabulous compliment.
Alright enough bragging--Sean will now officially be home November 19th-ish, and I couldn't be happier! Keep him in your prayers as he leaves Sunday for his 2nd part of Tech School in NC. Yeah he will be home soon!!!!

i remember

2010-09-11T10:50:00.003-06:00

I was in my dorm room, getting ready for my 2nd class of the day. I had an early morning class and was let out extra early and had decided to take a shower and actually fix my hair for the day. I was standing in front of the little TV in my shared room, brushing the wet tangles out when a news flash broadcast that one of the towers had been hit. There was little information and much confusion as to what had happened; at the time it was kind of assumed that a plane hit it accidentally. I stood there kind of numb, but not yet realizing the significance of the 'accident'. I grabbed my books and headed over to the gym for my class. Walking down the little corridor that paralleled the teachers offices, I saw my professor, standing with his jaw dropped. I walked into his office in time to see the 2nd plane hitting the 2nd tower. It wasn't an accident, it was terrorism.
He herded us into our class room and hooked up the TV for a few minutes. One of the guys in the class started crying--he has a brother who works in one of the towers. We turn off the TV to try and lecture, but no one is really paying attention. I later learned that my classmates brother had been running late to work; he was a block away when the 1st plane hit. But other students were not as lucky. There were 8 students who lost someone they knew and loved when the towers crashed.
Class is over, and the whole school was on their way to chapel. We sat among the benches, comforting people and praying for safety and understanding. I remember walking out of the building after chapel and looking up--there was nothing in the usually busy sky. And it was eerily quiet out; not even the birds chirping their usual happy tunes.
The Pentagon got hit--I remember wondering and praying for safety of an old boyfriends father who was working at the Pentagon. He was home safe; I learned later that he had taken the day off to tile a room in their house. 7 years later, this man would be my Father-in-Law.
I remember the confusion and fear that quickly sprang up among the students and the strength and wisdom that came forth from our professors. We felt violated. Not understanding the what was going on so many miles away; wondering if a town in the middle of no where Nebraska could be next; the calming and soothing voices of professors guiding us through a situation no one had ever experienced.
I remember. And I'll never forget what happened September 11, 2001.

Whirlwind weekend!

2010-09-09T20:52:00.004-06:00

I was able to make a quick trip over the Labor Day weekend down to see my hubby. I flew into OKC to spend a little time with my sister and her family then borrowed her car to make the 2 hour drive down to Wichita Falls where Sean is currently stationed. I was so excited about seeing him, I left in the early morning and drove faster than I planned. I got there around noon and had to find a place to hang out until Sean was released from class sometime between 4 and 5--the couch in the library and I made quick friends as I caught a quick nap and read almost all of "The Hunger Games" book. (I highly recommend the series by the way).
By 4:30 Sean was released and we were finally able to see each other after 2 long months of separation!

We spent the night in WF and ate at a awesome BBQ place. The next morning we were off making the 2 hour trip back to OKC--there isn't much to do in WF, so we opted for a big city to hang out in. We met back up with my sister and headed out to the zoo. It was fun to hang out with Jourdan, Brandon and Jacob. Love my little Shark boy!
The weekend was overall good--ate good food, walked around Bricktown with Sean and overall caught up on each others lives. Life is good! Only have to make it to Nov. 22nd to see him again! Yeah!

under the belt

2010-08-24T21:50:00.005-06:00

Yup. I've got my 1st wedding under the belt. Not going to lie, I was a little nervous when I first started shooting, but having such a fun and laid back couple made the day roll along.

Look at this beautiful couple!

Check out sweet Ryan--the little guy was just having so much fun with his hat!

Love is simple and pure.

One month down...

2010-08-04T12:16:00.008-06:00

One more to go! Yep, just one more month until I get to see my boy! God has really blessed us with timing our quick visits--exactly 2 months apart so far! Over labor day weekend I will make a quick trip to OKC to stay with my lovely sister and her family, borrow their car and make the quick 2-hour trip down to Sheppard to pick up Sean. Then we travel back to OKC for the long weekend--really who would want to stay in Wichita Falls when you have the huge metropolis of OKC just 2 hours away?

In the mean time, I've been keeping busy!! Let me count the ways:

1. 2 trips to Glacier National Park! The first trip was with my friend Meagan. We camped out at Apgar Village and met up with some people from Helena for a rafting trip down the Middle Fork of the Flathead. Then I took a trip to Glacier with my good friend Joleen where we camped out at St. Mary's and saw a black bear and her cub grazing along the road; We also saw many mountain goats on the trail.
2. Building bikes! I have finished my 1st bike and it is good! I try to ride it to work regularly in the afternoons. I am also working on a bike for my mom. I just can't get the rear derailleur to adjust correctly. But it is almost finished! Yeah!
3. The garden is busting out of the seams! HOLY COW I didn't know hops, spaghetti squash, zucchini and lettuce could literally take over a garden! I've also got tons of tomatoes that are not ripe yet. I just need a week or 2 of solid 85+ degrees and sun and I think I will have enough for tomato sauce! It has been a weird weather summer here in MT--right now it is 68 degrees and cloudy. Not optimal for gardening!
4. I am training for a 5k this coming Sunday; I tried to sign up for the Harvest Thunder triathlon but it was already full, so a nice 5k it is!
5. Jam time! My parents buzzed up to the Flathead area and picked almost 70lbs of cherries last week! I currently have made cherry syrup (I will have to reheat the syrup and try to make it gel up correctly) cherry raspberry jam, blueberry peach jam, and blueberry apricot jam. My neighbor down the street has blueberry plants in his greenhouse that bloom multiple times a year and had a surplus of them this year; he knocked on my door and offered me as many as I wanted. What a nice guy!
6. Photos Photos Photos! I have been blessed with 2 more family sessions in the past few weeks. And August 20th I shoot my first wedding! YEAH! I also have at least 3 families from church scheduled for fall/christmas time pictures! WOO!
7. I got attacked by a bunny rabbit. I know you are laughing right now, but a bunny rabbit really did try to kill me. About 2 weeks ago, around midnight, I heard this thumping every once in a while and assumed it was my dog dream running and kicking the bed in his sleep. Once Kaine joined me on my bed, I realized the noise was coming from outside my egress window. There was a baby bunny running laps around the window well. I went outside, in a thunder and rain storm mind you, to try and catch it. I would have waited until morning, but every time it thumped the window, the dogs would wake up and growl. So there I was, down in the window well cornering the bunny and almost had it in my hands then the unthinkable happened. It attacked! It ran up my arm and all I could see was it's teeth; I had a flash back to a movie I had seen when I was little where the rabbits grew to the size of cars and ran through a town killing everyone. Needless to say, I screamed like a little girl and jumped out of the window well as fast as I could. I ended up getting a bucket from the garage and dropped it on top of the little bunny and was able to scoop it out and release it. I think next time I will just drop Kaine dog down the hole and let him work his magic!
8. Sean and I are starting a new endeavor together--Life Group Co-Leaders. This year, Sean and I were asked to co-lead a small group every other Sunday with some good friends of ours. I know it is our goal, once Sean is back in Great Falls, to work more with the church. It hadn't crossed my mind to try and start this journey without him, but God surprised us with his perfect timing. I can't wait for our first meeting in September!
9. Work, oh work...some days I think it will be the death of me. Other days, it is quite enjoyable! My current job is about 10 months AHEAD of schedule. Yes, I said AHEAD! For a construction company that is GOOD!! For me that means this job will be over sooner than we planed for. There are always other jobs with my company I could move to, and it's possible for them to get one more contract here, but you never know! I am a little nervous to see what God has planned for me in the future, but for the time being, I am not going to worry about it and just try to go with the flow!
Alright...that is about it for now. Keep us in your prayers as you all are in mine! God bless!

He did it!!!

2010-07-08T18:59:00.007-06:00

It was a rough 8 weeks, but he survived! YEAH! He worked hard, lost 20+ lbs and even managed to graduate with honors! He is now in Wichita Falls at Sheppard AFB studying and learning his job. And the best part is, I don't have to sit around waiting for a phone call--I can call him almost any time I want! These next 5 months should be a breeze!

Here are some pictures from my trip down to San Antonio!

Look how serious they all are!

Just received his Honor Graduate Coin.

The 1st time we got to see each other.

Love my Airman!

The day has come...

2010-06-27T13:37:00.002-06:00

almost. Tuesday will be the day I head down to see the hubby! YEAH!! I can't wait!
Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging words! It has been a long 2 months, but it will be worth all the hard work, letter writing, and 5 phone calls just to see the skinny little hubby in Texas! I'll update you all on the trip when I get back on the 4th of July!
God bless!

Baby week ♥

2010-06-15T12:19:00.005-06:00

It's Baby Week at I ♥ Faces, and I was recently blessed with my first baby session just 2 weeks ago. Yeah! Here is sweet baby Coen and his beautiful mama! 2 month old babies should not have such intense eyes!!

As Always, Head over to I ♥ Faces and check out all the other beautiful babies!

Keeping busy...

2010-06-10T19:48:00.006-06:00

It's been a little over a month since I've seen the boy. And Saturday is our 2nd Anniversary! YEAH! I am a little bummed that we aren't together to celebrate it, but I will keep with our tradition and go out for sushi at our favorite little Suki Cafe. It is only 20 more days until I make the trip down to San Antonio to see him! And I am so excited I want to leave right now!! But I can't. So in the mean time, I will be keeping BUSY!!
I've been able to be behind my camera every single week since Sean has left. I've mostly been taking pictures of the garden and our trees so I can show Sean how everything has changed while he has been gone. But my favorite thing is that I've had 2 photo shoots!! Both were so much fun and both entirely different from each other. My first session was with the beautiful Benton family of 9--yes, I said 9! It is the most people I've ever shot at once and was a little challenging keeping 7 kid's attention, but it was a success!

My second session was with my good friends, the Nate and Alyssa Bosch who are just starting their family! Look at little Coen's eyes! They were so intense the whole session!

I've also been out kayaking, fishing, hiking, biking, helping friends move, and entertaining family up from Arkansas. I've got plans to go rafting on the Middle Fork of the Flathead next week with my friend Meagan, and I'm hosting a Pampered Chef party 2 weeks from now. On top of all that, I'm busy at work, running a few times a week, pulling weeds and watering the garden, and keeping up with the house chores! Man do I miss having Sean around to split the chores with!
So needless to say,I've been busy busy busy! And these next 20 days are going to fly by as I have many things planed to keep me occupied.
My biggest project has been a bike build. Sean and I found an old Raleigh M-30 frame in a dumpster the day before he left, and I have been occupying myself fixing it up and researching what parts I need to put on it to get it up and running. I am waiting on a few more parts to come in, and I will blog about the build once it's finished.
As always, keep Sean and I in your prayers as we are so far apart from each other and only have 20 more days left!!
God bless!

Half way there!

2010-06-01T10:59:00.001-06:00

Sean's made it half-way through Basic! Yeah! Only 30 more days until I get to see him and I can't wait! WOO!!
So keep us in your prayers that all things go as planned for him to graduate on time and that this month quickly passes us by! June 30th can't come quick enough!

An Idaho Skunk

2010-05-16T17:32:00.005-06:00

No, I'm not talking about the smelly little black and white skunks that like to spray you if you get too close. I'm talking about the skunk when you are left with nothing on the end of your fishing line.

I just spent 2 AWESOME days on the Clearwater River in Orofino, Idaho. AMAZING even if I didn't catch a single salmon. I was able to go on this awesome trip through my company who likes to award jobs that have had a good record of safety in a big way. This year, an all expense trip for 5 different employees on my job site to Idaho for some fun salmon fishing.

I was able to bring my good friend Amy Carter to share in this experience. We each had some good fights and lost 2 at the edge of the boat. I was a little bummed to not be able to bring home my own salmon, but it was priceless watching Amy reel in a nice 31" 16 lb. beast of a fish at the end of day 2. I think her cheeks still hurt from smiling so big!

An overall great weekend with a good friend. Everyone needs a fishing buddy, even if it ends in a skunk!

Tuesday's the day!

2010-05-03T19:49:00.002-06:00

Yep, Tuesday morning, 6:15 am, I send the boy off for 7 months. Yikes. I am a little excited and nervous and when he gets home from his last workout I will probably be a wreck! So I ask that you all say a quick prayer for the both of us. Pray that Sean has a safe travels; pray for an easy and painless 2 months of Basic for Sean; pray for his leadership opportunities during BMT; pray for my sanity and ability to adapt to living on my own for 7 months; pray for our dogs--I know, it sounds silly, but they really LOVE Sean and will miss him horribly. Finally, pray for all our military--there are so many wonderful and talented young people in our military who are giving their all, every day, for the freedom of our nation.

God bless!

Shaping up

2010-04-19T08:23:00.002-06:00

It's time to Shape Up! Well at least for Sean. As I write this, he has just 15 days left before he heads off to BMT. And the reality I think just hit him last night--he is not in the shape he thinks he is. There is a little weight for him to lose, which he will drop in about 10 minutes--seriously, why can't a woman drop weight by just thinking about it? But the rest of his fitness is struggling. We ran a little over a mile last night--him jogging behind me while the dogs and I ran ahead. When we got back to the house, he was huffing and puffing and said "my legs feel really good. The bike polo is helping me with that, but the rest of my body does NOT feel good at all."
It took all my will power to not start an argument with the 'I told you so' statement and ended up giving him the 'I told you so' face without repercussion from it.
Sean is a master procrastinator for sure! He has known for at least 6 months now, that he needs to get into shape for BMT mostly so he doesn't look or feel like the '28 year old man' around all the 18-19-20-year-olds he will be training with. He was serious at first--going to the gym a few times a week to begin with, but when he realized how much time he had until May 4th, he put it off. He has now waited until the last 2 weeks before he leaves to try and get into shape. We have hit panic mode for sure!
Last night, we made a promise to run every day until he leaves. Hopefully this will help him not only lose some weight, but get his lungs and legs into shape. It is also helping me to commit to my promise to myself to continue training for a marathon at the end of the summer. My first 3 Mile race is this Sunday--the annual Great Falls Ice Breaker. Hopefully it will be as nice and warm as this past weekend!! So keep Sean and I both in your prayers over the next 2 weeks. We definitely need them!

Get out while you can

2010-03-25T14:16:00.003-06:00

It seems recently that there has been a HUGE push for people to pay more attention to their families diet. With the increase of obesity, it is understandable. While some reports point to diet others point to lack of exercise. Personally, I believe it is a combination of poor diet and over-stimulation from our culture. So many people, myself included, have become over-stimulated by all the new toys technology and entertainment is bringing us, that we overlook our personal health.
iPods, Facebook, WI-FI, Twitter, Cellphone apps. and of Reality Shows have drawn us indoors, and made us lazy people. How disgusting is it when a woman's greatest ambition in life is to set a Guiness Book Record for weighing 1000 pounds. And how much more disgusting is it that people are supporting her in this endeavor by sending her food and McDonald coupons!
I am appalled by how we have allowed our culture, or lack of culture for that matter, to direct our lives.
Well it's not for me anymore!
After a little consideration, I've come up with a list of things I am going to do, starting today, to change my unhealthy lifestyle!
1. Give up my web-surfing for a month. While I'd like to give up all computer contact, my work relies on a computer, so I must sit in front of it for at least 9 hours a day, but I don't have to allow the easy internet access to consume me. I will give it up at home with the exception of looking up new recipes to try.
2. I LOVE to garden, so this year I am going to dedicate some of my hard work to Plant a Row for the Hungry--while some people are so self-absorbed with becoming famous (the previously mentioned 1000 lb. woman, or the whole cast of 'The Hills') there are some people who are truly struggling in life. Plant a Row for Hunger is a nation-wide program dedicated to growing fresh produce for those who can't afford good healthy food--homeless, jobless, shut-ins, and the every day family just struggling to make ends meet. I'm planting 2 of everything this year, with all produce from 1 plant going to the Food Bank or the Mission. And the overflow once my pantry is filled will go to Meals-on Wheels.
3. I am running a marathon. I've been saying 'I will train for one this year' for the past 3 years! I get out and run for a few days at a time, but it's easy to make up an excuse and allow technology to distract me, and I fall away from my goal. Well not any more! It is on paper now, and I will do it.
4. I LOVE photography and have been playing around with it for a while, but haven't had the courage to step out and pursue it. I would love for it to be a full time-endeavor, but right now I know that is not realistic. So my goal is to get out and shoot at least once a week--faces, places, beings and things. I'm going to take some classes to hone my skills. And if anyone reading this wants a free photo session with me, I'd be glad to pull out my camera to shoot your beautiful face and family! I think I will look into selling my scenery pictures as well.
5. The Great Outdoors is calling me. And I am answering. Every week for the next year, I will spend at least 1 day out in God's good creation--and I don't mean working in the garden or the yard. But out of town, on the river, in the mountains, on a trail away from the constant buzz of every day life. I am going to get out while I still can!
6. Bible and study--I think in the past 6 months, the only time I've opened up my bible is at church on Sundays and Wednesdays. I MUST change that. I need to fall deeper in love with God and his word as I think all Christians should.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg! I am sure there will be many more ideas to add to this list in the future. I encourage anyone reading this to come up with a simple list for you and your family to start your healthy living today.

How do you give?

2010-03-19T15:35:00.002-06:00

I just read this article in the Washington Post about a man in the D.C. area who has made the decision, after he was laid off from his job, to give $10 to a random person he runs into each day. I'm not going to lie, I'm deeply moved by his simple action.

You can read his Year of Giving blog here.

I hope this simple idea moves you as it did me to find a way to give back to the people around you.

Love it!

2010-03-05T18:11:00.003-07:00

Can I just say, I LOVE shopping at the commissary! It will beat Walmart's prices any day, there are grocery baggers and checkers that are happy to be working and it is never crowded! I love it!

I also LOVE overhearing Sean disciplining my dog for chewing up her harness while we were gone by yelling at her to "go your kennel because you're grounded!" Hilarious!! I think he is ready for a kid.

busy busy busy

2010-02-26T18:07:00.007-07:00

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I updated this thing! I check it almost every day to read other blogs, but I never feel inspired to write. So here I am, updating the 7 people following this blog as to what has been going on these last 2 months. So here goes!

At the end of December, Sean and I went to D.C. to visit his parents for Christmas and New Years. It was so much fun as I have never been in a 'BIG' city outside Seattle, Denver, or Salt Lake. It was a fun new experience, but I was very glad to be home in Montana snowshoeing the day after we got back.

January was pretty blah--some REALLY cold weather and lots of snow. Sean installed a barrel stove in the garage and is slowly making it his man den/work shop. He's making a fly tying station at our friend's wood shop, and has also set up a reloading bench as he has found a new passion for guns and ammunition. And because of his new passion, I was able to shoot my first pistol ever! AND I LOVE IT!

February has been really busy for the both of us: my job is keeping me running all day long as does Sean's. On the 1st of March, my company is bidding a new job out on the base. Pray that we win it as I would like to have a local job for as long as possible! Sean is enjoying Student Flight up at the MANG once a month, but is really looking forward to Basic and Tech School in May. We've also been busy around the house. We are installing a 'new' dishwasher this weekend as well as finish building a little pantry in the laundry room. As much as I love this little house, there really is no where to store things. My current 'pantry' is a small cabinet about 10"x 2' with 3 little shelves. Can't buy in bulk because there is no room to store it. Buy the end of this weekend, i will have a 7' x 6' pantry to store all the garden goodies I plan on canning this summer as well as other items we like to buy in bulk.

Enjoy some of these pictures of our adventures. I pray that you all are well and that God is blessing you daily!

7th Place!!

2009-12-19T11:53:00.003-07:00

I scared Sean with my excitement this morning!

I had my first placement in the I ♥ Faces contest! Stop by and check out all the other winners at this link.

I ♥ Faces Pet Week

2009-12-14T09:03:00.006-07:00

Man It's been a while since I have entered in an I ♥ Faces Competition!
This week is a 'Pets Only' week.

Here is my entry. I took this picture one morning as I was on my way up to the ski hill and saw these horses with frost on them from the cold Montana morning. The sun coming up over the mountain behind this horse was just perfect!

Now head over to I ♥ Faces and check out all the other entries.

Merry Christmas to all!

2009-12-08T14:24:00.002-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Good Homemade Bread

2009-10-11T10:38:00.004-06:00

I have been venturing out recently trying my hand in baking breads. Store bought bread has become kind of expensive recently considering how little bread we actually eat in the week--half of it would go to waste before the two of us could finish it. So 2 weeks ago, I decided to make my own bread. I can use a little bit at a time and freeze the rest.

I tried my friend Lora's Whole Wheat Bread recipe, but had a little trouble with the yeast rising. Since I was out of honey and didn't want to make a run to the store just for honey to start over the liquid portion of the recipe again, I went ahead and mixed the ingredients together getting one heavy loaf of bread instead of the 2 I should have had. It didn't make good for sandwiches as 2 bites would make you feel like you at a brick; we used it for breakfast toast, broiling it with a little butter and brown sugar. YUMMMM!!!

Today, I found a Whole Wheat Beer Bread recipe online
I was searching for a recipe that didn't require yeast--one less thing for me to screw up. We had a bottle of leftover beer from the guys who poured out patio slab a few months ago. I combined all the dry ingredients, stirred in one bottle of beer, and now my home smells of yummy bread cooking in the oven. It smells DELISH! And Sean approved of the little snip of dough he stole before I could get it into the oven.
Yeah for bread!!!

Barefoot is better!

2009-09-16T10:27:00.006-06:00

After posting a picture on my facebook account of my new Vibram Five Finger Shoes, I thought I'd give a little more explanation to the "what are those things on your feet?" statements I've been getting.

Over a month ago, Sean was working a city Triathlon as part of his Guard Drill weekend when he noticed a guy wearing these toe shoes while completing the running section of the triathlon. He came home and tried to explain what he saw to me--we immediately got online looking for information. We had no luck--just weren't Googling the correct terms. The next day our friend Nate sent me a link to the Vibram shoes and thus began our journey towards barefoot sports.

Remember when you were a little kid, running all over the place during the summer with no shoes on? I was one of those kids. And the more information I found about the Five Finger shoes, the more I knew these were the right shoe for me.

God made us perfect and in his own image; Man has screwed up the body with the shoes we have created. Now don't get me wrong--I LOVE shoes--but the reality is, out of the 15 or so pairs I own, I only wear 2-3 on a regular basis. Through Sean's and my investigation into barefoot sports, we have run into TONS of evidence that shows the shoes we put on our feet every day actually cause us quite a bit of harm. Our foot was engineered to hold out body in a certain posture, muscles were used for balance, and your gait falls perfectly because of the foot construction. Shoes put your foot in an unnatural position, causing all sorts of aliments--many times leg, knee, hip, and pack pain can all be traced back to your feet.

This barefoot shoe is a revolutionary, back-to-basics design based on the simple principle that being barefoot is the healthiest way for you and your feet to be! It gives you protection without harming God's perfect creation.

(Image copied from Vibram Five Finger web site)

I must say, I've noticed a BIG difference in my feet; once working past the few days of my feet being sore during and after wearing Five Finger Shoes, I have noticed less back pain, straighter posture and less leg pain during and after major physical activities. If you want more information on these shoes check out Vibram's website at www.vibramfivefingers.com

Summer Fun and Garden Goodies!

2009-08-08T13:17:00.003-06:00

It's been a busy and quick summer! Can you believe it's August and school starts in 3 weeks?!? Sean and I have been SUPER busy. Between working in the garden, a trip to Idaho, hiking, biking and camping, finally pouring the patio, MANG, and our jobs, we've had little time to just sit around and do nothing. And it doesn't look like our Fall will slow down either--Sean will be taking an EMT class at the C.O.T. and refereeing high school football. I have had a small promotion at work to Assistant Project Manager which means I'm really have my hands in everything but the actual construction of the homes we are building. I am also toying with taking some online management classes. BUSY!
So here is a picture update of all we've done this summer! Enjoy!

Pictures of our trips. Finally!

2009-06-12T18:44:00.000-06:00

A little catch up work to do!

2009-06-09T14:42:00.003-06:00

I left you all with our upcoming trip to Michigan back in May and have been horribly busy and not able to update this blog since then. And to top it off, the few minutes I get to try and upload pictures to this blog and Facebook, my computer freezes during the process and the last hour's work of editing pictures is lost. Needless to say, I quit and haven't touched the blog in over a month!!

So here is the much needed update, and hopefully pictures to follow when I get home.
Michigan was a blast! We celebrated Teresa's graduation from MSU; Sean was able to enlist in the Air National Guard and his dad was able to swear him in; we FINALLY met the cutest niece ever as well as one of Sean's Aunts and her daughter; we also met Megan's husband and made it back home in 2 days! What a whirl wind trip!
As far as other news, we are almost ready to pour our patio--this has almost been a 3 month endeavor! Dig a hole, bad weather for a week, compact dirt, bad weather for a week, get advice how to form it, bad weather, get gravel down, bad weather...You get the idea. We are SO close! Now it is just a matter of timing our schedules with one of my co-workers to finish the concrete...we are shooting for the week of the 22nd -26th! Hopefully the stars will align and the '2-weekend' project will be done!
The garden is growing! I spotted my first little tomatoes today, and will have some peppers to follow if the cold night temperatures don't get them first! It has been in the low 30's the past 4 nights, and I have been covering all my little plants with anything I could find--old bed sheets, tyvek, buckets, and seedling pots. At lunch I was finally able to take everything off, and it looks like everything made it through the frost and rain!
The best news for Sean and me will actually happen this Friday, as we celebrate our 1st Anniversary! YEAH!! They say the 1st year is the hardest as you adjust to the married life, but I can happily say, this was the easiest year of my life!! Never have I been more happy to argue with Sean and know at the end of the day, we love each other more than before the fight began! Each day gets easier and easier as I fall more in love with my best friend.
Some other little updates: we are involved in Marriage Mentor group where a 'Young married' couple meets with a 'more experienced married' couple once a month. We have taken a few short hikes up into the Sluice Boxes. Sean plays ping-pong with my cute old grandpa and some of his friends once a week. We took a long kayak trip over Memorial Day with some good friends of ours. My work is CRAZY busy with one job really starting to roll and a second one coming to an end. We are both exercising like mad-dogs as Sean is getting prepared for basic, and I have plans to run a half-marathon in September.
So that about sums up the last month of our crazy life in Montana! Hopefully I can get some pictures up to document this long post! Until then, God bless!

Look out Michigan...

2009-05-06T09:36:00.003-06:00

Yep, it's time for another Johnson vacation! This time, it should be a little more safe than our river float 2 weeks ago! It will be a whirlwind of a trip, but we will have much fun!
We will be heading out to the great state of Michigan to celebrate with my mother-in-love as she graduates with a degree in Nutrition. We are also going to cram in Sean's swearing in to the Air National Guard! It's a double blessing because my father-in-love, as an officer in the Air Force, will be able to oversee Sean's commitment! YEAH!

Many pictures of these great events to come!!
GIGATTAATTGIG

Kids say the funniest things...

2009-05-01T12:36:00.004-06:00

Sean and I have been blessed to live in a really great neighborhood. People from all life styles live there--lawyers, counselors, car sales men, retirees, high schoolers and ankle biters.
Yesterday, I was blessed by some of the younger neighbors knocking on my door. The 2 younger girls had found a dog wandering the street, and they thought she might be mine. We chatted a bit and decided to phone animal control to pick up the dog. The girls wanted to sit on my deck keeping the stray dog company as we waited for animal control, and I happily enjoyed the chatty girls' company.
The previous 3 days had delivered over 2' of good snowmen snow, and earlier in the afternoon, as I waited for Sean to get home from work, I made 2 miniature snowmen and sat them on the BBQ and a pot on my deck. The girls noticed the snowmen as we sat there chatting. This is the conversation that followed.

Girl 1: Looking at the snow men, "Do you have kids?"
Me: "no, just 2 dogs."
Girl 2: "Then why do you have snowmen?"
Girl 1: "And why are they so small? Did you have a little kid make them for you?"

I giggled to myself. I guess only kids are allowed to make snowmen, and only little kids can make small snowmen on this block!
Hope you all have a blessed weekend!

Smith River Float April 2009

2009-04-30T13:27:00.002-06:00

Here are a few pictures of the float trip Sean and I took last week. We started out the day with 70+ degrees, 2 kayaks, 2 drift boats and 6 Smith River newbies! 9 miles down the river and Sean dumping his kayak twice, we were at our 1st camp for the night. We woke up to about 20 degrees and snow slowly falling. We all dug in and paddled as fast as we could to get to the next camp site 21 miles down stream. Sean and I made it in a little over 4 hours. Only once did we have any trouble due to the gusting winds. No matter how hard i paddled to go right, the wind was determined to push me left and we were forced to pull our kayaks a few hundred yards until the river turned and the wind was at our backs. I wish I had more pictures of the canyon cliffs on this day, but it was snowing, foggy, and the wind was blowing so hard, we could barely take our eyes off the river! It didn't help that the cold temperatures zapped the life out of my batteries! We got to camp 4 hours before the other 4 guys and got a roaring fire going! We were the little beacon on the hill for our drift boat buddies! Day 3 was 180 degree difference to day 2! 50+ degrees and no snow! We took our time fishing and floating the next 15 miles. As Sean and I pulled into our final camp, we could hear turkeys all over the place, but they managed to evade my camera! The last 14 miles of our float was marvelous! It was the final mile that almost did Sean and I in! There is a major split in the river 1.5 miles from our take out; the left side was very low and we would have to drag our boats; the right side was full of streamers and sweepers (our naive-ness lead us to choose the right side). About 400 yards down the right side, multiple trees were down in the river and there was a huge gravel deposit right in the middle. Sean was forced to go further right than he wanted and got slapped in the face by a branch and turned broad side to a huge downed tree. The undertow was so great, it sucked his kayak out from under him leaving him hanging on to the huge tree. I managed to pull out upstream from him and run over and help him off the tree. His kayak was about half a mile down river from us by then. I jumped in my kayak and Sean was picked up by some rafters behind us. I paddled my heart out trying to catch up with his kayak. It finally got lodged at a corner of the river on a tree branch. As I pulled up to it, I was trying to maneuver around when my paddle caught on a branch below me and flipped me--I was held under for a second by the cooler Sean had just placed at my feet--once I was able to free my foot, I popped up, and held on to my kayak as the current took us around the corner. I was able to pull up on a rocky beach next to another rafter that just had the same experience while trying to free Sean's kayak! What an adventure!! We were truly blessed the whole trip, but God was really looking out for us on mile 59! We were also very blessed by 3 other raft parties on the river helping us out. Which is amazing by itself as we only saw 1 other party on the river the whole time we were out there! Needless to say, we had quite an experience and adventure! I highly recommend this float trip to anyone! Just make sure to watch out for streamers and sweepers! They will get you every time!

We're Baaaack!

2009-04-25T21:14:00.001-06:00

Yep! We made it back safe and sound! The Smith River Float was AMAZING. The whole story and pictures are to come!

God is Good!!!

Time for a float...

2009-04-21T22:18:00.002-06:00

And a vacation! Sean and I are taking a few days off to float the Smith River! WOO! It is a challenge to get a permit to float the Smith, and we were able to get a 5 day trip the first time we applied!! We leave tomorrow with 4 friends on an adventure down the most beautiful river in Montana!

Wish us luck and pray for good weather! It is predicted to be snowy and rainy most of the week. Ugh!

Pictures of our adventure to come!

I ♥ Faces Pouting

2009-03-30T11:38:00.009-06:00

Here is my entry for I ♥ Faces Pouting.

Little Sara was such a ham when her family asked me to follow her around and take pictures. She climbed up into her grandma's lap and had had enough of my camera clicks.

And here is my Pet Entry.

My husband and I saw this little bambi laying down in the grass, hiding while we were out hiking last spring. He sure tried to make himself as flat as possible!

Going Green at home and at work

2009-03-28T09:08:00.004-06:00

As part of Sean's and my Simplicity and Frugality life style, we have made the effort to 'Go Green' in as many ways as possible. For example, we recently added on a carport to extend the protection for our vehicles as our one-car garage barely fit one of our big vehicles in it. It was added on late January, and so far it has been a blessing for us, and our neighbor. It has and will block out that HOT afternoon sun, keeping our home cooler in the afternoon, keeping the AC from running less (of course in MT, we have yet to really see this as we just had 3" of snow drop on us this past week, but this summer, it will pay off!). It has also blessed our neighbor as she had the bright idea to extend the roof line a few more inches to let all the rain and snow melt fall onto her side of the property line, thus watering her beautiful trees for free!

As we are getting close to gardening seasons, we have tried to figure out ways to cut down on our watering bill. I know--plants need water to grow--but our pocketbook doesn't have to suffer from it! We have set up 2 of our drain spouts to let the snow and rain gather in big 75 gallon containers. It will be a little more work to transfer the water back and forth instead of just turning on the spigot, but it will be much more rewarding knowing we are using the resources that God has freely given us! Our next goal: solar panels!

Sean's motivation to be frugal and Green around the house has inspired me to take this lifestyle to work. I work for a construction company--currently I manage 2 projects on the Air Force base, where we are building new homes for our military. The first Green move I am making is to ride my bike the 3 miles to work as soon as the temps warm up :). One of my two dogs also makes this 6-mile round trip with me daily! It's an easy way of saving on gas and getting my daily exercise in!

The second way I'm bringing the Greenness to work is by recycling! It is the easiest Green move a company can make! As part of our contract, we demolish the existing homes. That means there is TONS of debris making it's way to the landfill daily. Not very green. But I have been able to set up agreements between my company and small local companies or individuals which has led to these people coming into the homes prior to demolition and salvaging as much as possible out of them. The wood flooring, copper piping, the furnace and AC units, all the kitchen appliances, water heaters, cabinets, doors, windows and garage doors are all being taken out of these units and given or donated where they are needed.

In the offices, I've set up different bins for the different products that we trash daily--plastics and paper. There is even one little bucket for produce (our breakfast and lunch waste) that makes it's way into my compost pile at home weekly. I've also convinced my company to spend a little more on special recycle bins for the scrap wood and scrap metal we produce while building the new homes. When these bins fill up, they go to a recycle center instead of the landfill. A definite Green plus here!

God is Good All the Time...

2009-03-26T10:01:00.005-06:00

My heart breaks as I write this. For many of you YC people, your lives may have been touched greatly by one man--Kimball Matkins. I know my life was dramatically changed because of Kimball's involvement.
Kimball Matkins passed away last night from his long fight against ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).
I was privileged to meet Kimball in 2001 and work with him for 2 years in the admission's office recruiting high school kids to come to York College. We took many long road trips together; we experienced rolling a school van on slick roads outside Billings, skiing accidents, and long delirious laughter as we drove the many miles between York and our surrounding states; we shared our life's stories and challenged each other daily to show how God blessed us each day.
As a sophomore in college and not knowing which way my life path was going, Kimball took me under his wing and showed me how to truly follow God and live my life to the fullest. He was a father figure and someone I could seek advice from. Kimball was a man of God.
While many of us left here on Earth mourn over the loss of a good friend, we can be confident that Heaven is rejoicing.
...All the Time, God is Good.

Week 11 I ♥ Faces Entry

2009-03-23T14:24:00.010-06:00

This is my first attempt at an I ♥ Faces entry. Yikes, this is exciting! So drop by their blog and check out all the other beautiful entries!

This is my beautiful friend Katie! This picture was taken on a cloudy day at Yellowstone Bible Camp last summer.

Look what's popping up...

2009-03-18T17:04:00.005-06:00

It is officially spring time in MT. As part of Sean's and my "Simplicity and Frugality" lifestyle, we have made it a goal to plant a garden and try to live off the 'land'. Here are just a few pictures of our plants and seed packets of what we will be planting as soon as Mother Nature agrees to keep temps above freezing at night!

Here is a picture of all our seeds: pumpkins, melons, corn, carrots, lettuce, and peas. We will also be trying our luck with some hops rhizomes. Sorry no pictures of them, they have to stay in the fridge for now! We will also be getting some tomato plants from my wonderful friend Amy. She is kind of a gardening nut--and is starting to specialize in heirloom plants! I can't wait for warm juicy tomatoes right off the vine!

We will have blueberry and blackberry bushes! Oh I hope they are fruitful! I would love to make my own jam!

My beautiful Dahlias! Ok, this is just a picture on the root packet I purchased from one of the local garden center; but I will be planting them and one day this summer, this is what will be popping up!

Here are the little sprouts of basil and oregano! I also have cilantro and chives starting to sprout!

And my little pride--the pepper plants! Beautiful Serrano and Tuscan Sun Sweet Peppers!!

The herbs and peppers are sitting in our guest bedroom/hobby room in the only window in our home that faces the sun during the day. It is so fun to watch the soil and look for a change. And then, you walk in after a warm afternoon, and there is a little sprout peaking through the soil--a few days later, it's a centimeter tall--and almost 2 months later, you have a 3" tall plant with leaves that reach to the heavens.

Oh I can't wait until I can put these little guys in the soil and see them take off!

Please pray!

2009-03-18T10:58:00.002-06:00

Every Tuesday night, a few of the young professionals from my church get together for a bible study, food and fellowship. It is one of the few times in the week that I am blessed to be surrounded by Christians, my age, who have the same spiritual drive as I do.
Last night was amazing! There is a young Air Force Couple who have been coming off and on to church, but have been very devoted to coming to the bible study on Tuesdays. Sunny grew up Baptist, but really doesn't know much about living like a Christian. His wife Branda never really had exposure to a church or the bible while growing up--she comes to church/study because Sunny comes to church.
Last night was so amazing because after people started going their own ways, Sunny pulled aside a couple of us and started asking some really good questions--what do i have to do to be a member? When do you do baptisms? Can Branda and I be baptized at different times? I was baptized when i was little--is that ok? Some really good questions for 2 people who are looking and seeking out answers!
So pray for Sunny and Branda as they continue their search for Jesus; pray for open hearts and ears. And pray for those of us who will be starting a new studying with them, that they can give them the answers and information they need as they seek out Jesus.

No cable here...

2009-03-12T08:23:00.003-06:00

I must say, I revel in the fact that we don't have cable. Talking with friends and co-workers, the conversation usually goes like this: "Sam, did you see last nights episode of ____?" and i almost always say, "No, I don't have cable" to which I get some of the best facial reactions. It's one of the few highlights in my work day. You want to really shock someone--tell them you don't have cable.
Now, I watch TV-I have 3 channels--ABC, CBS and the CW--only because we got a digital converter so we wouldn't be totally out of the bubble with what is going on in the world. I watch LOST, and before we go about our nightly life Sean and I watch both the national and local news, and sometimes catch a CSI or Criminal Minds episode--but it's a personal choice to not spend out money on cable.
Sean and I made a dedication when we got married, not just to love each other until death do us part, but to also live our life with Simplicity and Frugality--we actually have it engraved on our wedding rings. It's a reminder to us that we don't have to have the flashy new stuff, or to try and one-up the neighbor with a new toy. It's a reminder to live life without the distractions that the world throws at us. It is a reminder that we can entertain ourselves without having to pay for it--we walk the dogs, root around in our garden, we take day trips to the river and mountains. But the biggest thing we've done with out spare times is read our bible and attend a bible study with friends. As we fall more in love with our life style of simplicity and frugality, we have fallen more in love with God, and that makes me proud to say, I DON'T HAVE CABLE.

The busy life...

2009-02-27T09:54:00.002-07:00

It has been a quick 2 months to start off 2009 with. I hope it slows down a bit so i can remember what actually happens this year!

Sean and I have been keeping our feet running these past 2 months. There have been 2 major changes we made: 1) we built a carport onto our house to a) help block out the sun in the afternoon and b) cover more of our driveway so we can have 2 vehicle protected from the weather.2) we traded in my Xterra for a little Ford Ranger! It wasn't a necessary move for us, but financially it saved us big bucks and it keeps the dogs from stinking up a vehicle!

Both of us have also had some major changes with our jobs. I have moved into an assistant Project Manager position with my company as we have started a second job on the Air Force Base. It has been crazy with the office move and having to sort thru and organize paperwork for 2 jobs, but I have quickly fallen into a routine that is working for me. I just hope my superintendent can keep up! On a side note, my SI's wife has been very sick off and on for these past 2 years. Currently she is in the hospital for a foot injury/surgery/recovery. Her constant health up's and down's are really starting to wear on my boss Jimmy. So if you guys could keep Jimmy and Hayden in your prayers, and my sanity, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Sean has decided to join the Montana Air National Guard (MANG). He has been very stressed out recently with this decision; is it the right thing to do? Is it the right time to do it? Will the MANG accept him in? More than anything, Sean wants a job and career where he can work with people who have a purpose, are driven, organized and take pride in their work. The 2 current jobs he has (UPS and Chili's) are all about making the cooperate guy big bucks. One of his supervisors at UPS actually scolded Sean because he was too efficient at his job! Seriously.
Sean and I have come to the conclusion that him joining the MANG is a good move for both of us. At first it will only by one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year, but it will allow him to leave UPS and have a normal routine. No more waking up at 3AM and to bed by 7PM. There is a full-time officer position open in Bio-engineering. Our hope and prayers is that Sean will quickly qualify for it and become a full-time employee.
But one of the biggest motivations for Sean to take this new career path is working with the church. His current schedule doesn't allow for him to be as active with our church family as he would like. He gets to attend Sunday morning worship and occasionally Small groups Sunday night, but that is the extent of his church activities. There is so much more he wants to be involved in and many people's lives he wants to be involved in, but the current 2-job situation doesn't allow for it.
So that is the update with the Montana Johnson's. Hopefully as my job settles down, I can be more consistent with updating our lives on this blog. Pray for us as we transition into the MANG and that Sean gets the officer position. Pray that we can touch the lives of the people around us and that when they see us in our daily lives, they see Jesus walking next to us.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T07:24:00.006-07:00

It has been a quick December and I hope and pray that as the New Year approaches, you've been greatly blessed by our God and Father.
Travel safe this holiday season!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

God Bless,
Sammie and Sean

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-26T12:46:00.003-07:00

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving, safe travels, and a blessed weekend!

God Bless!

no tourists here!

2008-10-27T14:52:00.009-06:00

One of the best blessing of being in Montana is being so close to God's true beauty! The weekend after my birthday, Sean surprised me with a trip to Glacier Park. One of the best things about October is that the tourists are all gone and you pretty much have the whole park to yourself.
We first stopped in Apgar and checked out Lake MacDonald. There was a great Park Ranger we talked to for a while and were able to let our dogs Kintla and Kaine explore the area. At this location we saw 4 people--during tourist season, we probably would have seen 1000+!!!
After our informative talk with the Park Ranger, we drove all the way to Kintla Lake, a place neither of us had visited before. If you don't know where that is, we were the farthest West you can drive to in the park--about 8 miles from the Canadian Boarder.

Pulling into the campground, there was 1 other tent, and no one in sight! We had the place to ourselves until early evening. Three trucks pulled into the other camp site and 8 young people from Kalispell joined us. They played the Guitar for most of the night and by the time Sean and I went to bed, half of them left.
Sean and I explored the area with the dogs and tried our luck with fly fishing. Sean and i woke to frost on our tent and two very happy dogs waiting to be let loose to chase the squirrels that had taunted them all night!

We stopped in Polebridge, MT on our way home the next morning. It is right outside the park and we talked with some of the locals; there are about 30-40 people living there year round. The bakery had the most delicious scones you will EVER taste. There is also a 'tripod' pup that stands his ground at the Mercantile. Very sweet dog and has a very sad story.

The best part of the weekend was experiencing a new part of the park together. The west side of the park really is more beautiful than the East. The second best part was showing Sean that there are parts of the park that do not have paved roads and tourists. He was a little bitter the first time I took him to Glacier--we did the tourist thing and showed him all the highlights of the park--this time I was able to show him how secluded and rough the park can really be!

before you 'VOTE '08'

2008-09-22T14:53:00.002-06:00

Many people our age are actually getting interested in politics which is wonderful! I can't say I've been more proud of people my age getting involved in their future than when I hear them discussing politics and who they believe will make the best president for the next 4 years.
However i get ANGRY when i hear some of the uneducated people speak out based on all the hullabaloo being thrown out by our two lovely Presidential candidates, their running mates, and their campaign people.
Before you decide on which candidate to pick--whether you support the 'rockstar-statused' senator without 'any true executive experience' or the 'pruned' war-veteran who always has an 'Ace up his sleeve'--one needs to check the facts. Don't be naive and believe everything you hear on TV and radio.
Be responsible--check the facts at www.FactCheck.org
Compair the two candidate's tax plans, their standing on the war, abortion, marriage, the economy, energy plans, etc. Then, once you've educated yourself, make your voice heard! Get out and VOTE America!

Beautiful Montana!

2008-08-22T15:09:00.001-06:00

HOLY CARP!!

2008-08-22T14:39:00.003-06:00

One of our favorite summer past times is carp shooting! Yep--we shoot carp with a bow. My dad is an addict, and it quickly rubbed off on Sean when he moved up to Montana.

There are many lakes and rivers within 30 minutes of great falls. When we are bored, we pack up our waders, bow and camera and we are off for a fun day of shooting carp!

The one Sean is holding to the picture at the right is the first one he ever shot--a 35 and a half pound MONSTER!! (This fish is actually from last year's season--my camera has pretty much died, and I haven't been able to get the most recent pictures downloaded.)

As soon as I am able, I will post more pictures of our summer carp shooting adventures!

Love you all!

just to catch you up...

2008-08-12T15:28:00.002-06:00

well it has been a quick 2 months since Sean and i got married and it doesn't seem to be slowing down!!
we have been greatly blessed in these 2 months--great friends and family, and advancing in both our jobs. God is Good!!
I recently received notice that my company won the bid on the next phase of building on Malmstrom AFB. good news for me--my job here in great falls will continue for at least another 5 years before i have to decide to stay with Garco Construction and move, or stay in Great Falls and find another job! That decision will be tough, but is now further off than Sean and I expected! God is Good!!
Sean has been making quite an impression on his customers and co-workers at both UPS and Chili's--many of them becoming resources we can use as we get ready to build a deck, carport and landscape our backyard. God is Good!!
we have had one minor set back--Kaine still likes to jump the fence--even after electrifying it! the little guy just doesn't want to be left in the backyard when we go next door to visit with our neighbors. He is VERY social dog and always wants to be where the party is. At least our dog Kintla hasn't figured out how to go over the 6' fence yet!
we have been able to hike, camp or kayak most weekends this summer. we love the Sluice Boxes, and were lucky to bring our good friends Doug and Kym with us for an over-night hike into the Sluice Boxes. exposing people to new adventures is one of my favorite activities, and we are blessed to have Doug and Kym who will go anywhere at the drop of a hat with us.
our neighbors and their close friends have also been a huge blessing in our lives! we are planning a weekend get away to Bozeman with Geoff and Trish and Kris and Rachel to catch a Bobcat game over Labor Day weekend. Then Sean and I will be heading up to Glacier Park the next weekend to do a little kayaking and hiking before the snow sets in.
It has been a blurry summer, and a quick 2 months of marriage, but it has also been full of many blessings! God is Good!!

MOTORCYCLE!

2008-07-08T15:22:00.004-06:00

We bought a bike!
'07 Yamaha V-Star 650cc
Black with shadow striping!

We got married!

2008-06-16T15:34:00.000-06:00

Well well...we are finally Mr. and Mrs. Johnson!

And boy did it take some work! The day before the wedding, June 11th, we woke up to 6 inches of snow! Crazy weather only happens in MT during the summer! Then to add to the stress of the day, my new parents-in-laws calls Sean and me up about 8:30 PM to tell us all flights out of Minneapolis are canceled for the next 2 days. They have bought tickets into Seattle and will get into Great Falls around 3PM on the day of our wedding. No problem! 3 phone calls later to all of the attendees, and our preacher, and we are set for an afternoon wedding!

June 12th, we wake up to wonderful rain! A little inconvenient; we are having an outdoor wedding. So Sean and I meet up for breakfast and decide to go on with it at Giant Springs no matter what. We change the location only a little bit--we moved down to a little cove protected by beautiful trees and rocks--no wind, and very little rain. We then went out and bought red umbrellas for our family.

By 3:45, Harvey and Teresa were on the ground, and both our families scrambled to get ready and get down to Giant Springs.

By 4:45, we were happily married and running back to our new home to set up for a block BBQ with our friends and families. The sun finally poked thru the clouds and we partied into the evening with all those we love so dearly! We couldn't have asked for a better day!

new beginnings!

2008-06-06T22:47:00.000-06:00

well folks, this is my first blog ever! Yikes!

so to get this started, i will update you all with the best news ever--SEAN AND I ARE GETTING MARRIED!! June 12th, just 6 days away! so when i have a chance to get back to my computer, i will officially be a Johnson!

Well i think that will be all for now! I know this is short and sweet, but in a few days i will get you all a great update with pictures and all the funny stories that always happen on a wedding day! Love you all and God bless!