The busy life...

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!

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!!

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

God Bless!

no tourists here!

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'

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!

HOLY CARP!!

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!