Christmas 2009

We had such a fun time in Midway with my family this year! I was really sad I didn't get down to St. George to see the Hatch family.

On Christmas Eve, Santa (aka Robbie) came to make sure Daxton and Jacy were in Midway this year to bring their presents to this house instead of their Detroit house. Dax loved it, Jacy wasn't too sure.

A tradition at the Johnson home is opening one present on Christmas Eve and it is usually matching PJs. My mom made all the pants and had the shirts made for us. They say "I woke up this morning, I was so glad." It's a quote from a family favorite movie (Best in Show). We also took a family picture for late Christmas cards.

Christmas morning.

Grammy and Grandpa joined us. It was so wonderful to have the whole Johnson clan together!

Other fun happenings during the holidays.

The deer were walking around the house, amazing! Bill, Andrea, Jake, Abby and Sophie came up for a visit and to do some sledding. Liz and Robbie's dog, Max, loved to chase the sled as it went down the hill. He turned into a snowball.

Other events to remember.

Darren and I celebrated our anniversary on the 29th.

Ben, Jenny and I got food poisoning and poor pregnant Jenny went into labor because she was so dehydrated. We both headed to the hospital to get an IV. Everything is fine with her and the baby. I was so impressed with her and how she handled it all. I thought I was dying, but she had that plus regular contractions. She is an amazing person!!

5 years ago today

I love Darren so much and have loved this crazy adventure we have shared. I can't wait for the next 5... 10... 15... 20... 25... 50 years!!

For My Maga

Years ago my grandma came to Pittsburgh. It was before I was born and before the city was what it is today. She loves to talk about the "sky scraper" in the middle of campus. The Cathedral of Learning is one of Pittsburgh's signature buildings that has been here for almost a hundred years. It has been a topic of our conversations since I moved here. So here is a picture Maga of the beautiful building. If I haven't said it enough, I love Pittsburgh!! and Maga, I love you too!

Steel State of Mind

How can you not love the Burgh?

Hello, Goodbye

We had a bitter sweet party on Saturday night (of course including white elephant gifts) to welcome home the Moodys and to say farewell to the O'Farrells. Greg, Kelly and Ryan were in Finland for 4 months and we are thrilled to have them back in the Burgh. Mike, Madelyn, and Marina will be leaving us to live in Philadelphia after Christmas. I am so sad about them having to go away. Madelyn and I have been lifelong friends and will continue to be just that. I have loved being here with them. They got us on our feet when we first moved here and let us in on all the tricks and how to survive in this city. They have amazing attitudes about life and are so much fun to be around. There is never a dull moment or a night we are together without laughter. We love you guys and we'll miss you!!

Pittsbugh Language

I was showing a co-worker (born and raised in Pittsburgh) the pictures from the party and she said, "Did yinz all guys have a good time?"

Ugly Sweaters

We went to an Ugly Sweater party last weekend and it was hilarious! Darren dressed up like Cousin Eddie with a mock turtleneck and everything. I found my beauty at the good old Goodwill (similar to Utah's DI). The winner for funniest sweater was the "Jesus, The light of my life" sweater and the ugly prize went to the lovely, bright sweater in the back, middle of the group. Thanks for such a fun night Jensens!

Thanksgiving in Detroit

Darren and I had a great Thanksgiving with Ben, Jen, Dax and Jacy. Thanksgiving is meant to be spent with family, so we headed to Detroit to do just that. Those of you who know Jenny, know what an amazing cook she is, so we really benefited from driving 4 hours for her yummy food! She didn't disappoint. Dax and Jacy are getting so big and it was fun to be with them too. Thanks for having us!

Dax had an obsession with my slippers, it was adorable!

Daxton found my camera and figured out how to take pictures. He is a little photographer in the making. Jacy was taking a nap and missed out on the fun.

DC temple trip

We took a little road trip to DC for my Young Woman to do baptisms for the dead. She just came into the Young Women program last week and I was more than thrilled to get her. We had a great time in DC! I had Ethiopian food for the first time, which was surprisingly really good. We also went to the Smithsonian and checked out the Natural History museum before we headed back home. It was a great experience and I am so happy to have a such an awesome girl in Young Womens!

the famous song

I like to make brownies,
They are a good treat.
I put them in a bag,
For others to eat.

Bag of Brownies (Snap, Snap, Snap)
Bag of Brownies (Snap, Snap, Snap)

Mason is the biggest fan,
He eats more and more.
Soon they are gone,
so we run to the store.

Bag of Brownies (Snap, Snap, Snap)
Bag of Brownies (Snap, Snap, Snap)

When you give a bag of brownies,
What do you get?
A Pound in return,
So cherish it.

Bag of Brownies!!!!!

Written by: Tiffany, Kim, and Amber

Thanks Amber for not shredding our fame!

band days

Yep, I was in a band. We had sweatshirts made so it must have been legit. Our best concert was on a bed in Kim's room, though some might just call it a rehearsal. Our name, "Bag of Brownies." We wanted to go along with the food theme like the bands Meatloaf, Bread, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Cranberries. As you guessed there is quite a story behind how our band evolved; involving late night study session and brownie dough. Kim and I played the guitar and Kim and Amber sang. Sometimes I chimed in, but I didn't want my beautiful voice overpowering their voices, so I usually didn't use the vocal chords. My guitar talent is where it was at. One beginning Guitar class at Dixie State College and I am a pro. Our band wrote one whole song that some might put in the category of R & B or Heavy Metal. Long live "Bag of Brownies"!!

Thanks Kim, for the reminder of the good ol' days!

Did I mention

my friend named one of her headbands after me? I am so flattered! It is a featured item on Etsy.com. If you want your head to look like mine, you better get one!click on the picture to get to the site

Hockey for Halloween

Darren surprised me with what became the funnest Halloween ever! He got tickets to the Penguins game. Hockey is by far the most fun sports event to attend live. He some how got great seats and we were right in the action. It scared me everytime they slammed up against the wall, but it was also my favorite part. Thanks hon, I had a BLAST!

Best Halloween costumes go to Dax and Jacy (pilot and flight attendant) and my Dad (old, creepy guy)

today, i feel like this

true colors

When I was making my post yesterday, I was so disappointed with the lack of picture of Pittsburgh in the fall on google.com (we all know that I am a photo thief) that I decided to document my beautiful drive home from work. The picture in the middle is my favorite little tree at the entry to our townhouses and the one to the right of it is what I see when I walk out my front door. Love fall colors!
What would we do without camera phones?

Fall Festivities

Two must do activities in the fall are
#1 Attending a football game.
Even though we were at a Pitt game, I could feel the Steeler's Pride lingering because we were at Heinz Field. It was a perfect football day, a little cloudy and chilly enough for a sweatshirt. Go Pitt!

#2 Carving pumpkins.
I don't remember the last time I convinced Darren to do this with me, but I am glad he was a good sport because I had so much fun. Anya and Blake know how to throw a party, always complete with food and decorations and tons of sugar. Thanks guys!
The little tyke in the picture with me is Marina (Mike and Mad's adorable baby) I have known Mad since we were this age which makes it even more fun to see her being a perfect little mommy.

These are the 3 adorable girls that were born within a couple weeks of each other and it's so fun to compare and watch them grow. I have a love hate relationship with the fall. I LOVE the beauiful colors, I don't love knowing winter is around the corner and the air is cooler. But of course, nothing could be better than the fall in Pittsburgh! My favorite are the red trees.

Chocolate Lover's Paradise

Hershey is the perfect girly get-a-way; rejuvenating, beautiful, fun and most importantly, delicious!

We started at Chocolate World where we ate ourselves sick and purchased more chocolate than I could have imagined possible. The girls: top right picture

McCall, Jill, April, Kelly, Me, Helena

The weather was cold and wet and when we made it to Hershey Park, the majority of the rides were closed, still they were charging full price to get in. We found a loophole, the "shopping pass." They let you into the park for 45 minutes after you give them your credit card number and if you don't come back out within that time, they charge you full price. So, we ran in, ran to the open rides, of course no lines and ran out. FREE!!! We got pretty wet while we were there, but it was worth it!!

After warming up in the hotel's hot tub and eating a yummy dinner, we did all the girly things you can think of, including chocolate face masks. Some of the folk weren't so sure about them.

The next day, we headed to the amazing Hotel Hershey for a day at the spa. I treated myself to the chocolate pedicure and it was heaven. In the spa, we all wore robes and drank hot chocolate and sat in relaxing rooms and I loved every minute of it. To quote April, "Oh, ya"

After the spa, we found a cafe with chocolate taste testing. It was fun to try these chocolates from around the world. It was surprising that they all weren't absolutely to die for.

This trip, we could all agree was not long enough. I want to live in Hershey. I am sure they need dentists because of all the distributed sugar. Just an idea.

Side note: we saw this house in Hershey and someone said it looked like a chocolate/vanilla swirl house. How appropriate for the land of chocolate.

there has never been

a movie that has made me feel the way this movie did; inspired and full of love. it has definately made it to my top ten list, "El Tigre y la Nieve". if you loved "Life is Beautiful" you will love this one too!