Some Excitement...

Since I seem to only update on special occasions these days... Here are the latest happenings.

{I am 30}

and

-Matt HAD a car w/ 12,000 miles
- Matt was driving --- Alone
-Matt got in an accident
-Matt was not at fault
-Matt was not hurt
-Matt has no car

The Big 3-0

Happy Birthday Matt!

Funeral - Louise Johnson

We had a nice time in Illinois at Matt's mothers funeral. It was a great tribute to her and lots of memories were shared, it's hard not to take a ride down memory lane...

This is probably the last picture of Matt with both
his parents. April 2006 - BYU Graduation


Matt's mom was known for her large well planned out garden
When we were out there in May we took a picture of the plot
of where she spent many hours -- Matt tells me this is a "scaled" back
version. It once was much larger


Matt was able to visit his mom quite a bit in the
last year but this was the last picture of them together
May 2009

It was a really quick trip since the funeral was on Saturday in Illinois and the Burial was Monday morning at the Santaquin Cemetery in Utah. Matt's parents are great people and it's comforting to know that they are together again.

At the viewing

The note book in front is years of history about her garden...

where things were planted, how many of each
plant was planted, how much was sowed etc.

A closer look



At the burial

Louise Johnson

Louise Elizabeth Carbine Johnson Louise Elizabeth Carbine Johnson,
our beloved mother, sister, and grandmother, passed away Dec. 29,
2009, in Naperville, from pulmonary hypertension. While we will
miss her wise and constant guidance, we know Louise had a joyful
reunion with her eternal companion, Kim, who was anxiously
awaiting her arrival. Louise was born Dec. 6, 1943, in Salt Lake City,
Utah. She was the second of three children born to Leland and Melva
Carbine. Louise lived on Chadwick Street in Sugar House and attended
Highland Park Elementary School and graduated from Highland High
School. She attended the University of Utah for two years and then
worked full time at First Security Bank where she met her husband.
Louise married Delbert Kim Johnson for time and all eternity on Sept.
6, 1968, in the Salt Lake temple. Louise found her true calling in life
as a wife and mother. Together with Kim, they were blessed with eight
children. Louise devoted all of her time and energy to raising her
children. She made individual time for each child: attending sporting
events, lending her talents to help with their homework, and spending
time talking to and counseling with her children. Even as adults, each
of her children counts her as one of their best friends. Her greatest joy
was spending time with her posterity. Her children and grandchildren
all "rise up and call her blessed." Louise loved to grow things and
maintained a very extensive garden. She spent significant time
growing fruits and vegetables that she canned or froze for her family.
Her salsa will be missed by many. She even loved the satisfaction of
pulling weeds. Louise loved playing the piano, watching old movies
and crossword puzzles. Louise is known and loved by many for her
even temper, good nature, and wisdom. She chose to live a simple life
but enriched the lives of everyone who knew her. A faithful member
of the LDS Church, Louise served in many different positions. She
loved to serve others and teach children about the Gospel. Louise is
survived by her eight children, Jeffrey L. Johnson (Lisa) of Pleasant
Grove, Utah, Joshua D. Johnson (Katy) of Yakima, Wash., Sara L.
Smith (Kurt) of Nashville, Tenn., Jessica J. Child (Andrew) of
Naperville, Adam K. Johnson (Nikki) of Round Lake Beach,
Matthew H. Johnson (Sharon) of Provo, Utah, Katie C. Earp
(Ryan) of Tucson, Ariz., and Elizabeth W. Earp (Daniel) of Kyle,
Texas. She is also survived by her 23 grandchildren: Maren, Talia,
Miles, Grant Johnson, Emma, Timothy, Savannah, Caroline Johnson,
Sean, Trevor, Leia, Myla Smith, Tyler, Rachel, Tanner, Anna, Ellie
and Claire Child, Dallin, Caleb, and Natalie Johnson, Marissa and
Devon Earp. She is also survived by siblings, Rita Ann Best of
Harrisonburg, Va. and Daniel Carbine of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Louise was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Kim; and her
parents, Leland D. Carbine and Melva W. Hudson Carbine.
Funeral services will be Saturday, Jan. 2, at 11 a.m. at the Naperville
LDS Meetinghouse, 1411 95th Street, Naperville, IL 60564.
A viewing will be held Friday, Jan. 1, from 4 to 7 p.m. at
Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home, 44 S. Mill St., Naperville,
IL 60540, and Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church.
Graveside services will be held Jan. 4, at 11 a.m. in Santaquin, Utah.

A Time to be Thankful...

For the CoUgArS!

BYU/Utah game




BYU/Air force Game

Cold Weather

I hate the cold and I wish I were here

Free Fabric... Just a few Hours left

Click on the image below to enter
You have til midnight tonight
Enter.Win.Get Free Fabric

{Bora Bora}

{Fact} I am a lazy blogger
{Fact} We had fun
{Fact} Paris Hilton was staying at the same resort and we walked right past her
{Fact} We want to go back soon
{Fact} Coca Cola light is not the real thing

Click here to see more pictures...that's all people really want to see anyway right?

Is Summer Over?

Wow! Where does the time go. How come summertime goes so fast but the winter months seem to drag on forever? We have been busy this summer and I have been horrible at updating. We have been playing a lot and I don't know if I will ever get around to updating everything we did but I will update on our most recent adventure. ~Bora Bora~ It was really a vacation of a lifetime and hopefully we will visit again soon :) I am uploading pictures and will post some as soon as I feel like it...so I guess it might be a while. lol

Welcome Home Ken!

This post is a little late, but this is just a little taste of what we have been up to lately.

On July 8 Elder Gardner returned from the Dublin, Ireland Mission. It's a lot more fun to see your brothers come home then to see them leave.

We had to get him a few things to help him adjust to the world again :)

If you want to see what else we have been up to you can click here and here

A week from today...

This guy will be home

I can't beleive it's been 2 years!

4 years and counting...

Happy Anniversary to us!

Chicago

***update***
I failed to mention we were able see Matt's brother Adam and his wife Nikki and kids while were there too. I didn't get any pictures but their kids are sure cute :)

We went out to Illinois a couple weeks ago to visit some of Matt's family. Here are some highlights from our trip.

We rode the train downtown one day and went to Millennium Park and a Cubs game.

Pictures at Millennium Park

Waterfall


The famous Bean

The Bean...I think every tourist has to do this :)


The Gardens

Pictures at Wrigley Field






Matt's house he grew up in





Louise, Matt and me


Matt and Matt's Mom

We had a great time and we are glad Louise is feeling a little better :)
Thanks to Matt's sister Jessica and her husband Andrew for letting us hang out at their house and feeding us.

The Sproutz Store Giveaway

Hey! We are are doing another GIVEAWAY on The Sproutz Store Blog. It is a quilt pattern of your choice from the very talented Carly of Quiltville. My favorite patterns are Funky Windows and Bouquet of Patchwork. The giveaway ends tomorrow, so hurry and enter before you forget.

hApPy BiRtHdAy MoM





You are the BEST!

Look how CuTe!!!

My talented sister made this awesome folded wallet that I absolutely love. It's for all those extra meal cards, points cards etc. that every store seems to have these days! You can check out the tutorial here. We are also doing a giveaway on our Sproutz blog so hop on over and enter to win! Click HERE to enter or click on my Sproutz button on the sidebar. Good Luck!

I just had to post...

I know I am so behind on my posts, and I am not attempting to catch up now. I was going through some old pictures and found this picture. It's one of my favorites.

A Sixth Sense

I believe everyone is born with a sixth sense. Growing up my dad always seemed to know when the air conditioning was on, even if it wasn't "running" at the time. My brother seems to always know when the Jazz are going to win by his "good" feelings. And my sister has always had a strange but useful sense of sniffing out a good deal from anywhere. Well, she has finally started a "simply saving" blog to share all her great information. Even though she lives in Colorado she still shares some awesome deals that apply in Utah. A few of my favorite things on her blog are

1- A Costco price list -- Although some of the prices are a little different in Utah it has been so helpful when trying to compare prices

2- How to navigate Walgreens. I don't think I have ever stepped foot in a Walgreens but Lisa has shown me a different way. You can get name brand products for nearly free (Colgate toothpaste for .24!)

3- Tips and tricks for meal planning and building up your food storage.

These are just a few of the great things on her blog. Check it out HERE

tRuE lOvE!!!

Avacado Egg Rolls from Chessecake Factory

+


Watching the Jazz beat the Lakers from the 12th row

=

tRuE lOvE!!

Happy Valentines Day!

For Your Pleasure

I had another follow up appointment today. I thought I would share the details...eNjOy!!

Which leg is mine? The skinny hairy one or the fat smooth one?

...oh wait they are both mine!!!








I decided to go with Black this time