Earth to Erin...

Wow. I know my life has been way too busy when I have ignored my one true love – blogging. I’ve received more than 1 email asking if ‘I was alive’, if ‘everything was alright?’, and people telling me they were ‘genuinely worried’. After the last ‘had I fallen off the face of the earth?’ email, I thought I should take the time, however precious, and reassure the world I am indeed still kicking. I'm alive, Doug's alive, and although I have been absent in the online world, I have every intention of making a strong comeback. I am going to spend the next few nights to catch up on my world in the past 5 months, so stay tuned :)

Volleyball

I have been on a volleyball hiatus for about 6 years now. Other than a few pepper sessions with Brittany, my run-ins with a volleyball have been...well, non-existent. Until now. Within a time span of about 2 days I was invited to play on an SF city league team (with my old coach Amber Newell and friend Brittany Bushman) and ref for Salem recreation (with Angela Spainhower, wait - married name is Johnson). I was embarrassed with myself at how nervous I was to play again (especially after hearing 'oh, you're on the A team - that's the best one' when signing up at the rec office)! Little scenes ran through my mind about my inability to even pass a ball and being publicly humiliated. Of course, it wasn't as bad as I had envisioned and our practice games went alright! I guess you can say it's like riding a bike - once you've learned the skills, it all comes back to you when you pick up a ball. It really was fun, and I figure at this point, the only way to go is up! Then last night were the first games for which I officiated for Salem city. I got a brand new footstool and my very own whistle! Now, that's official. The competition in Salem is nothing like in Spanish - I believe there are only 6 teams in Salem, and many of them have never played any formal volleyball, unlike Spanish where everyone played and are still in rather tip-top shape. I took Landon with me to watch the games (he LOVES any sport) and he ended up being my score keeper. I told him he now has a full-time position for the next few months! It ended up being a ton of fun and it reminded me of how much I really do miss playing. For anyone who wants some good entertainment, we play Wednesday nights at the high school!

Halloween 2008

This year, since my Johnson family Halloween party was held on my birthday, Doug felt an obligation to please me and actually agreed to dress up! Last year my debating abilities only got me as far as wearing orange and camo and dressing up as hunters (and to do even this much, I had to agree to let him carry a gun!) He was such a good sport this time around to dress up as GhostBusters with me! I had so much fun getting these costumes together and I think they turned out really good, but you be the judge. Diane was such a good host and had tons of activities planned which included a pumpkin race, piniata for the kids, cake walk, toilet-paper mummy making, and pumpkin carving. Everyone who came this year dressed up and had great costumes!
The night of Halloween wasn't exactly Halloween-y for me, but still a ton of fun. My sister and mom came over for a night of games. This way we were able to be home for our neighborhood trick-or-treaters and got to see all of the cute little costumes. My favorite was when our niece, Ileigh, came over. She was the cutest little butterfly! She is such a doll and we love having her over at our house. Happy Halloween!

My BIRTHDAY Weekend!

This year I celebrated my birthday in style! Turning 24 (is it just me, or does 24 sound old?) was a weekend of fun! I was able to take off a bit early from work on Friday and head to Park City with my husband. The entire night (I think it was like 5 hours straight) was spent shopping at the outlets. Like every shopping trip up there, Doug managed to out-shop me! We both bought LOADS of clothes for mere pocket change. Ok, that's a lie, but it was really cheap since we hit great sales. Sounds weird, I know, but he is my best shopping buddy! After unloading our loot at our hotel room, we headed off to find a good place to eat. However, I think we missed some memo that told us that Park City at night is DULL!! It was only 9:00, but we could not find a decent restaurant that was open! We really thought someone forgot to let us in on the secret that if you walked down Main Street after dark you will be shot or something! There was no one around for miles and we felt like we were walking through a ghost town. What kind of tourist city closes down shop so early? I just don't get it. However, we finally found a restaurant that was open, called Bandits Grill and Bar. We were literally the only couple in the whole place. It really was kind of eerie. BUT...it turned out to be an awesome dinner with a great waitress. Just give Doug an all-you-can eat plate of ribs and he's good to go! After the long day of shopping and the long night of walking around trying to find an open restaurant, we were dead and headed back to our hotel. What is it about staying in a hotel that is so fun? I don't know either, but I love it. After sleeping in (which is my favorite thing in the world) we headed home via the Salt Lake route. We stopped in Sandy to eat my favorite avocado turkey sandwich and cauliflower soup at Zupa's. It's the girliest place ever, but since it was my birthday Doug ate with a smile and didn't complain! We arrived home to what was supposed to be a surprise party - however, we arrived about 30 seconds before my family and about 5 minutes before Doug's. They never said they were a punctual family! Although I think it bothered Doug, I didn't care in the slightest and was so glad everyone came over for my birthday. We had eggnog and every kind of pumpkin pie, treat, and ice cream since it's my favorite. I got to open an armful of presents which included a massage/spa treatment from my sweet husband, memory chip for my phone to play music and store pics, Cranium Turbo, Cullen sweatpants (for all of you non-Twilight fans, Edward Cullen is the name of the main vampire), hot cocoa maker & cocoa mix, and a movie. I have the best families who made my birthday a hit!

Landon's Visit

It is time for a LONG overdue blog entry.

Because of this...

we got this...

That's right - we got Landon for the weekend while my mom and dad were vacationing in New York! Can't say that it's an even trade (hehe!) but we had a great time with Landon at our house. Thanks to my Grandpa Al and Susan, he was able to stay with them for 2 nights during the week while I had to work. Then he bunked with us Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. His stay was filled with Brick Oven, Parkers Drive Inn (AF), and pizza. Saturday was the most eventful day. Jill, Doug, Kensie, Brooklyn, Mackenzie, and myself went to watch Landon's horseback riding lesson in Highland. I have been to some of his horseshows recently, but not to a lesson for years and I was so impressed! He walks in and knows JUST what to do - he went right along with his business, preparing the horse by brushing his hair, cleaning his hooves, and putting his saddle on. Seriously, this kid is a pro! It was amazing to see him during his lesson too; he understood every command and executed like a professional jockey! He really did an awesome job and everyone was so proud of him (including himself who LOVED having everyone there watching him!)

I had to point out this picture; it's my favorite! Isn't this the cutest?

Following the lesson Jill and Doug had to run to his cousin Lindsey's house in Lehi to install some cabinets. Meanwhile, the rest of us stopped to grab a bite to eat in American Fork at Parker's Drive Inn (the north Utah county equivalent to Glades). I just had to post this picture of Brooklyn. It's almost creepy now how she is eating like an adult! It's just so weird to see a 1-year-old picking up a hamburger and going to town on it! And I caught an unfortunate side of her in this picture and I think it's just hilarious. Doesn't she look possessed or something? We all got a good kick out of it.

Back at the homestead (after waiting for the two installers for what seemed like an eternity) we had ourselves a little Halloween extravaganza! We made a pumpkin roll, played games, carved pumpkins, ate pizza, and watched Hocus Pocus (which I could argue is the best family-friendly Halloween movie out there). We had so much fun!










Sunday was the day that I missed my parents the most. Since we have been married we have never cooked Sunday dinner. We go to my parent's every single week and let my dad do the cooking. And honestly, it's been even longer ago than that. Since we started dating Doug has come over and eaten dinner with my family on Sunday. I'm talking 5 years that we haven't eaten anywhere else! So, it was a bit strange going to church, then coming home and making dinner at our house. Allison joined us for dinner after getting home the night before at 12:30am from her trip to Washington DC. She went with her friend Janna and had the best time! Yes, in case you didn't notice - we were the only ones this week who weren't on vacation!