The Simple Things

Early Wednesday morning as I got my bags ready to go to school, I grabbed my keys off the hook in the kitchen to rush my way to school at 6:45 a.m. and I screamed at what I saw! There on my keychain was THE BEST early birthday present Mark could have EVER gotten me! A keyless entry remote control installed in our Honda Civic!

You see, things have changed now that I have a 20 plus pound baby to lug around. No longer am I screaming at the sight of new cute Puma running shoes or a Tiffany bracelet...no, now I am screaming for joy at the simplest of things...something that makes my life 2000 times easier...something we should have just had installed when we bought the car brand new 5 years ago. But you see, we were broke college graduates with only one job, about to move across the country and start our new married lives together and at that point the couple hundred extra dollars for keyless entry just didn't seem necessary. But now it absolutely is!

Imagine me, Nolan in arms and shopping cart full of groceries, trying to bend down to get the key in the hole without the shopping cart rolling away. And then, over the years, the key has slowly started to not fit very well in the hole and you have to jiggle it and position it just right to get the lock to open. So here I am struggling with all the weight and bags and trying 15 to 20 times to get the lock to open, only to have to run around to the other side of the car to open that lock and crawl across the seat to pop the lock open from the inside! (and don't forget I still have all 20 some pounds of chubby cheeks and chunky thighs and the loaded shopping cart) So after sweat, tears, and probably a few not so pleasant words, I would be in the car and driving home. As soon as I would get home, I would burst through the doors and complain to Mark day after day about this horrible situation!

For once, I think he got the hint! And I have my most awesome birthday present. It is amazing how such a simple thing has blessed my life so incredibly much! I love you babe! And now I hope you all can understand why I have found this to be blog worthy!!

Here are a few other shots from our weekend and pre-birthday celebrations!! Thanks so much to everyone who helped make my birthday so much fun so far...and it hasn't even really come yet!!


This is a picture from a fun game our super creative Aunt Sue played to help celebrate her new sprinkler system at my birthday party at her house! Yes...we are wearing goggles!

And the winners are...gold medal: Wes, silver medal: Ernie, bronze medal: Mark! I'm so proud! Nolan even joined in on the festivities!


Payton created her own artwork for my birthday card!

Swimming at Jess' Pool! Such a handsome little dude!

My Birthday Chair...a wonderful Johnson family tradition...the family decorates a special chair for the birthday person to sit in and open up their presents. It's a different theme every year. This year, Mark decorated it in a Beverly Hills 90210 theme. I am the shows number one fan...I love the DVD's and am spending my real birthday night tomorrow watching the new series.

For my birthday celebration Mark and I went indoor skydiving! I was reluctant at first, because if you know me, you know I don't like my feet to leave the ground. I'm talking no skates, skis, nothin'! But it was a fun experience- 110 mph winds shooting out and blasting you into the air. I would never do the real thing, so this was a nice way to simulate the free fall experience, have your cheeks flap in the wind, and to see your boogers fly from your nose. Video to come!

Birthday dinner at Happa Sushi Bar

Labor Day at the cabin: Nolan's first tractor ride!