Let It Snow...Man

Just a few pics of Chad on our front porch.

Jump On It!

Last Friday we decided to try something new, so we took Chad and our niece, Kady to "Jump On It". It's got tons of trampolines all connected together so people can attempt to jump from one trampoline to another without killing themselves. Actually, once we took off our socks we were a lot more successful in our attempts. Chad loved it and kept his balance well when there was no one else on the trampoline with him to throw off his equalibrium. And as you can see, Kady was soaring high. What a fun place!

"You Got Swatted!"

Chad's first trip to the Marriot Center was met with awe and wonder. He spent the first 30 minutes on Mary's lap just trying to figure things out. We enjoyed this, because we expected him to be all over the place. We'll, he eventually did settle in and tried to move "all over the place." The door prize was a fly swatter with the words "You got swatted!" on it. It was pretty cool to look over and see the whole student section waving fly swatters every time there was a blocked shot. Mary was just glad to finally have a fly swatter at home. Can't blame her; those flies have been around for quite some time. They're getting big. The Cougs put on a pretty good show and beat Long Beach State.

Monkey'in Around on Halloween

As you can see, our little man's animal instincts took over and his true nature came out. Yep, Chad was a monkey for Halloween. He loved being in his costume and never made a fuss or tried to take off his hood. Curious George would be proud. A few days before Halloween we had some friends over to carve pumpkins and Mary made "Ghosts in the Graveyard" pudding, which she'd been anxious to do for weeks. Mark and Mary doubled teamed the Skeleton Pirate, but Mark single-handedly took on the intricate details of the "C. Johnson" pumpkin. Oddly enough, it was the only pumpkin that was still sitting on our front porch the morning after Halloween, while all the others lie in ruins on sidewalk below.

Welcome to the Farm

On a beautiful fall afternoon, Mary decided to mix things up a bit and took Chad to the petting zoo at Thanksgiving Point. All of the animals were in pens or cages so apparently it wasn't a "petting" zoo, just a "look at me" zoo. Which is EXACTLY what Chad did. He would just STARE at the animals, completely expressionless; that is until he was free from his stroller and got to ride a pony. He loved it and even tried to ride with no hands. Mary had to hold him there the entire time.

Real Salt Lake 3 - FC Dallas 1

We got Rob tickets to see RSL in only the second game ever played in the newly constructed Rio Tinto Stadium. Definetly a beautiful venue to take in a sporting event, while the play on the field didn't disappoint either. RSL got down early, though we didn't know it until we finally got through the gates 15 minutes in. Yeah, we spent far too long waiting to get our tickets from the Will-Call window. Very frustrating. Once we got in and sat down though, it was all fun from there on out. Our seats were by the north goal and we got plenty of action. Maybe the best action came from a fan in our neighboring section. He stood up and started to holler, "WhenI say Re, you say Al. RE-Al, RE-Al!" Pretty funny, though you can't blame the guy for trying to get the fans into the game. It was definitely a fun one. I mean seriously, some games don't even have goals. We got to see three! We'd have posted more pictures, but Jen was charging 25 cents a shot.

Fall Break - Grandpa's Birthday

The beauty of Mark attending a state school is that he gets days off from school that, in all reality, he probably shouldn't get. No complaints here, just plans to make the most of the latest 4-day weekend. We spent Wednesday night and Thursday in Manti with Mark's parents and sister. Wednesday night, we went to the high school football game to cheer on the Templars. Mark took Chad down on the track upon which Mary questioned, "Are you allowed to be down here?" He replied simply, "Mark Johnson, Class of 2002." That's all he needed to say (though it was really just a funny line from a King of Queens episode.) Thursday was Chad's grandpas birthday, so we spent the day celebrating the only way we know how: Mark shingled the shed roof, Mary highlighted her hair, and Chad took a 3-hour nap. We apologize that pictures of the action have not yet been released. We do have pictures of one Elder Mike Johnson on his mission in Switzerland. Check 'em out. The birthday party was fun. Grandpa got a new gas grill and a comfy-cozy sweater (pictures also not available,...our bad.)

Jen & Meg Take State!

Mark's little sister Jen, and her doubles partner Meg brought the 2A State Championship back to Manti High School where it belongs. Most of the morning was spent waiting as the heavy rains forced things indoors and slowed down the flow. However, as soon as Jen and Meg hit the court, they waited for no one. Having lost a nail-biter in the Region Championship just one week ago, the duo set out to take care of some unfinished business. Mark was amazed at how good these two gals have gotten since the last time he saw them play. He found himself living vicariously, while at match point in the championship, their opponent's backhand sailed helplessly into the net. "We did it!" he was heard shouting, "We took state!" Well somebody did, and it wasn't him. Congratulations to Meg and Jen. As juniors, you bet they'll be back next year to defend their title. Photos compliments of Rob Johnson.

All I Wanna Do Is See Ya Bounce With Me

Chad has many moves, but Mark's favorite is a little thing he likes to call "bounce." Chad doesn't always do this on command, so this footage was hard to come by. Mary prefers the slow-mo version, "booouuunnnccceee." Someone has a little too much time on their hands. Ok, it's Mark.

University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

Mark's dental school tour continued with a brief stop in the Bluegrass state. Two thumbs up for enthusiasm and overall friendliness of the faculty and students at U. of L. The school is a little old, but has many positives as well, namely, the feeling of "being home." Not that Mark really was home (wearing his virtual reality headpiece,) but the city, the school, and the people felt like home. During the interview, Dr. Ralston said, "Yeah, we're just good ol' country folk." We also consider ourselves country folk, so there is an appreciation for that. Mark says it's a place that he'd be excited to move the family,...watch out.

Virgina Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

"Now boarding flight 746, service to Richmond." Oh the soothing sound of Mrs. Airport Voice. Mark boarded five airplanes in two days in his quick trip across the country and back. Thankfully, a friend provided a place to stay making everything a whole lot cheaper. VCU is known for giving its dental students a great clinical experience. You can't go wrong with that. Mark thinks the city feels a little colonial, even though it doesn't really look that way. It just feels old. The interview went well, but it is really good to be home.

Chad, The Best Of

Chad has been hinting to the fact that he doesn't get enough face time on the blog, so we've created a montage just for him. Here's the latest from the adventures of one Chad Johnson: chewing on bear, sporting his new "mob boss" sweatsuit, with a duct-taped diaper, playing football, catching a diamondbacks game, hat backwards, dippin' in the pool, camping, and of course, pushing his cousin's pink baby stroller.

BYU 59 - UCLA 0

Saturday afternoon we took our seats at LaVell Edwards Stadium with high expectations of a thriller. The clash with the Bruins lived up to the hype for,...well,...about 8 minutes. BYU established dominance early and didn't let the foot off the gas. It was fun to see the Cougars score touchdowns like they were going out of style (In fact, Jen said that Entertainment Tonight officially placed touchdowns on their "Out-of-Style List" later that evening.) I believe her. Why would she lie? We all had a lot of fun even as the suspense wore off the sun's rays seemed to intensify. Hot, very hot.

Best dialogue from the father-son combo behind us:
Father: "They can't go for it on fourth down when they're up 59-0, because there is this unwritten law in football about not rubbing it in the opponent's face."
Son: "I don't care dad! I want 'em to score!"

We were there; he really didn't care.

"There is No Arizona"

Anybody remember that Jamie O'Neal hit from the '90s? Well, we set out to prove Ms. O'Neal wrong over labor day weekend as we took a little trip down south. We spent Friday night at Dave and Areli's house in Flagstaff and then continued on to Willcox the next morning. With the BYU kickoff still a few hours away, Mark and Jeff decided to golf scramble against Uncle Bruce and his son, Weston. We soon found out that Weston is a ringer as he gave the father-son duel a one shot victory with some "9th green" magic. No hard feelings here. We then spent the afternoon watching the Cougs in their unimpressive victory over UNI. Sunday we attended the Spanish Group that Jeff leads and then spent the afternoon relaxin'. On Monday we set sail for Phoenix to meet Dave, Areli, and Crystal at the Diamondbacks game. All of us Johnsons were really excited to see "The Big Unit" Randy Johnson on the mound. We weren't the only ones as the Cardinals came out and hit 4 homeruns off him in only 4 innings. The Diamondbacks battled back with 4 homeruns of the own and won 8-6. The ultimate highlight was provided by Stephen Drew who hit for the cycle (that means he hit a single, a double, a triple, and a homerun in the same game.) It was great to see Mom and Dad Bushman and we really enjoyed the weekend. Oh and by the way Jamie, there really is a grand canyon.

Midwestern University, Glendale AZ

"Glendale, in the Zona." That is Mark's first and last enjoyable memory of the movie "RV." On the other hand, he's pretty sure the reference was to "Scottsdale" and not "Glendale," so apparently it isn't a great memory after all. The last leg of the Johnson journey through Arizona was a stop in Glendale for Mark's first dental school interview. A little nervous, a little excited was the feeling going in, but things seemed to go pretty well. The school was very impressive and faculty really seemed to care (Mark claims he has an eye for insincerity.) Midwestern is a health science university that has been around for a while, but the dental school is brand new. Sounds exciting.

Toughest question: Other than family members or religious figures, who do you consider a hero?

Best quote: "Can we go get our nails done over there at "Quik Nails" instead of going to lunch?" - Dr. Polk, a 12-year-old in a 70-year-old body, on the bus ride to Subway for lunch. The old-tymers at Midwestern have to be among the funniest in the country.

Boyz II Men Goin' Off

Motown Philly was back again, if only for a night. Mark surprised Mary back in July with two tickets to see Boyz II Men at the Scera Outdoor Theater. Mark wasn't sure exactly what to expect; maybe some "too-old-to-dance brothers, bouncing around in some Fresh Prince of Bel-Air threads." Turns out, he couldn't have been more wrong as Shawn, Nathan, and Wanya hit the stage in smooth fashion. Mary was seen moving and shaking throughout the crowd. Mark felt like the Boyz were singing his favorite song to him personally, "Mama."

Mark thought it would be cool to set up one of those "beach/sunset/toes sticking up in the air" pictures, but with thighs instead of toes. Mary didn't think it was cool at all.


Livin' the dream.

Chad's 1st and Foremost Birthday

Our little man finally broke through on the numerical age scale. As the party got underway, his response to being confined in his highchair was less than enthusiastic. Thankfully, everyone in the room simultaneously thought to start clapping and shouting "yay." Problem solved. On-lookers were impressed at how he could contain his excitement even while staring down the face of a chocolate tiger cake. Guests included his great-grandparents Bushman, Holly and the kids, Rob, Chris and Jen, and his also "great," but just "grandparents Johnson. He received lots of presents that he may someday appreciate; we can only hope.

Mary, Jen, and Grandma Johnson pulled out all the stops with this tasty creation.

Kady knew Chad wasn't an experienced enough "present opener" to handle an event of this magnitude. She gladly pitched in her special skills.

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Johnsons

Mark and Mary spearheaded an effort to continue the one year tradition of an August Camping trip up Manti Canyon. Grandpa bought a new tent and he, Rob, and Jen wasted no time giving it its first test. Mark helped set it up and still can't believe it uses only three poles! How did it take so long to reach such heights in camping gear evolution? I can't answer that; I can only enjoy our present state. Beyond the tent, Chad enjoyed the tin-foil dinners and was very eager to get out and explore. He didn't get too far, because well, mom and dad kept picking him up. The sun eventually went down so we sat around the fire and roasted marshmallows and Starbursts (who knew). Rob showed up late, so naturally Chad stared at him until he finally fell asleep. Chris joined us in the morning for grandpa's mountain breakfast before a short stroll up to Milky Falls. The drive up to the falls was definitely more rough and rigorous that the actually hike, which says a lot about something. I think you know what that something is and what is being said about it...okay?

Nobody Derbys Like Sanpete Derbys

Daddy Johnson got Mark and Mary four tickets to Sanpete County Fair's latest version of the Demolition Derby. Mary claims to have experienced a derby at an earlier point in her life, but Mark is honestly convinced that nobody derbys like Sanpete county derbys (to derby = a real verb.) It didn't disappoint; she now agrees. The derby was high-lighted by half a dozen rollovers including one car causing a rollover, and then seconds later taking a hit and landing belly-up himself. Manti was in full representation with local boy Nick Shaw behind the wheel of his yellow #69. Nick won the finals heat convincingly, and then came back out to dominate the wipeout. His car is currently being tested for illegal substances, and rightfully so. It was like being on the playground watching the big kid with the big truck mercilessly ram the little trucks of the little kids. I think I've said enough.

The Gardens at Thanksgiving Point

Sounds like the name of a golf course or something. In fact, the golf course was right there next door and Mark longed to go and play, but even he enjoyed the stroll through The Gardens. Our friend Katie tipped us off to "$2 Tuesdays" which apparently is no secret; about 85% of Utah County mothers and their kids were there as well. For whatever reason, they opened up the entire "Gardens" rather than just the "Children's Garden," so we got the full experience. The boys even got to cool off their little toes over by Noah's Ark before Mom made them go home.