Johnson Family Reunion and then some...

Last weekend was the famous Johnson Family Reunion. Jayson hadn't been able to go since 2008 (it was the last thing we did before he shipped out for training for his deployment)so we were really excited to go see the family. Jayson got off work a little bit later than we planned but I was ready to go so it wasn't going to be a problem. I met Jayson at his job and we left from there. For those who don't know, you have to travel through a canyon to get onto I-15 from Logan. The town you hit after the canyon is Brigham City and it's about 35 minutes from Logan. We were cruising along, enjoying the drive when we got down to the last hill from the canyon. Whenever I get the chance, I usually make fun of Jayson's stick shift driving skills, so when he tried putting the car into fourth gear and ground the gears a little. We were still slowing down, approaching the light at the intersection and he tried to put the car into gear again but it still wouldn't work. By now, we were stopped at the light and he looked at me, with worry on his face and said "Jenifer, the clutch won't work. It just goes straight to the floor." Keep in mind, my car is 8 months old. It's a 2010 Hyundai Elantra and we have only put 11,000 miles on it. There is absolutely NO reason why a clutch should be acting up in an eight month old car. None. By now, all the cars that were behind us have moved around to continue on their way, so I made Jayson switch me so I could get in the driver's seat to see if I could get it to work. I got into the car and Jayson wasn't kidding...the clutch went straight to the floor and stuck. Great. We coasted around the corner to get off the main road and I started to freak out. We barely had money to make it down to the family reunion so this was the last thing we needed to happen. Thankfully, once Jayson made me calm down and my rational brain kicked back in, I remembered our warranty! Now I just had to figure out how to get back to Logan. We called my mom to have her come pick us up and then called roadside assistance so they could come tow my car back to Logan. I called the dealership to get us a loaner car and got all that taken care of. Now we just had to wait. And wait. And wait some more. A little over an hour later, the tow truck and my mom got there to pick us up. We made it back to Logan at about 7:45 and got our loaner car. The second time we left Logan, it was almost 9 o'clock. It's a four hour drive. Awesome. We got down to the family cabin at a quarter to one in the morning. Jayson didn't want to wake up any of his family to find out where we were sleeping so we slept in the car. No blankets, no pillows, the moon shining bright, and dogs that looked like wolves outside. Talk about an interesting first night. I finally got sick of sleeping in the car at 6 in the morning so I made Jayson get up and come in. Here lays Jayson's dad on the couch and he says "Are you guys just getting here? I've been waiting for you all night so I could tell you where you were sleeping." Aaaah!!!! Night one, over.

The second day was actually pretty fun. I was tired most of the day but that's what happens when you are pregnant and sleep in a car. We had the annual Johnson Family Talent Show where everyone does something (the original kids (like Jayson's dad and his siblings) and their families pool together to do something), it's usually something like singing, either church songs or funny ones. Jayson's uncle Dallen and his family did a really cute thing this year "How to Create A Johnson Monster" where they took food (like spaghetti) and passed it off for body parts to all the little kids. It was really cute. Carri and her family sang a song to all the pregnant ladies, myself included, about having a second child that is better than the first, it was hilarious! Jayson's family did a church hymn that we sort of changed the way we sang it, which made it really pretty. Kim's family did a church hymn in English and then in Spanish, which was cool. Polly recited a poem for everyone. Karlene and her family did a game show that crowned Jill Queen of the Johnson Family Reunion for the rest of forever! It was a fun day. We finished off the day with a game of Survivor, which our team, the Pink team, kicked butt in! It was really fun.

The third day, Sunday, everyone was talking about going on a hike. Almost everyone was going, including two ladies with 2 month old babies and an 8 month pregnant lady so I couldn't wimp out....even though I am always short of breath, we were in 9000 feet elevation instead of the 6000 I was used to, and I had no shoes. Well, I had flip flops. My tennis shoes were back in my "real" car. But I couldn't wimp out. I have no idea how long it took us to complete the hike, all I know is I finished!! 10 mile hike, full of rocks, sagebrush and very little water but I finished! When we got home, I couldn't walk for two and a half days, my calf muscles constantly felt like I was flexing, even when I was relaxed and I had to have help to stand up from a sitting position. It was sad but I finished. That's all I care about. I finished.

About my car...they replaced the clutch and the cables but it still wasn't working so they called me to tell me that they are pulling the entire transmission out to look at the clutch assembly. Nice. Thank goodness for warranties. I have no idea when I will get my car back but at least we still have the loaner.

That brings us almost up to date. The only other big thing that has happened is we FINALLY sold our truck!!! We sold it for 1800.00 which was enough for us to pay our bills, get out of the financial hole we were in and still have baby money! We bought a crib set that has a dresser, changing table, and a crib that changes into a toddler bed, day bed, and then a full size bed. We also got a stroller and car seat combo. The stroller is really cute! The handle can switch so you can make the baby look at you while you are pushing the stroller or it can look out like a traditional stroller. I love the colors, it'll work for a girl or a boy. Jayson had so much fun putting it together and he can't wait for the crib to get here so he can set that up too. We still have six months to go and Jayson is cuter than ever. He loves setting up all the baby stuff. It's great.

Anyway, that brings us to the end of July. It's August tomorrow. Another two weeks and we have our next ultrasound. I can't wait. By October, at the latest, I am hoping we will know whether it is a boy or girl. We are having a baby shower in Montana as soon as we find out the gender. Now we just gotta wait. :)

Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. And even if you aren't right now, keep your head high because it'll turn around eventually.

Where Has July Gone?

It's somewhat hard for me to believe that July is almost over. I'm pretty sure last week, it was June and I was just barely finding out I was pregnant. It's amazing how much stress can make time fly. Even with Jayson having a job now, we are still very far behind in our bills. It's somewhat of a vicious cycle...we write checks to pay our bills and our account goes into the negative. Jayson will get paid, bring our account almost up to the positive again and our next set of bills are due. We have been going like this for two months. When Jayson lost his job, we depleted what little we had in savings very quickly. Waking up to face another day of not having enough money and not being able to pay our rent or put gas in the car for the past two months has been the hardest time of my married life. Add in the fact that we are expecting a baby, and it's a complete recipe for anxiety. Surprisingly, I have done okay; just a lot of crying here and there but it hasn't affected my pregnancy any. My blood pressure is still within normal range, I'm eating pretty healthily (thanks to my mom, if it wasn't for her, Jayson and I would be starving) and my weight gain is on schedule. Unfortunately, to make matters worse, I am hardly working at all this month. The doctor I work for took a lot of July off for family vacations and things, which means I'm only getting about 7 days of work every two weeks. This definitely hasn't helped our finances at all. So, I guess, even though I am very surprised July has come and almost gone as quickly as it has, I am excited. I'm working more hours in August and my mom finally has a job, which means Jayson and I are watching my baby brother and sister and getting paid by the state to do it. It won't be a whole lot, just a couple hundred a month, but that is our car payment at least. Jayson also has an interview for a new position at work which means, if he gets it, he will actually be hired on with the company instead of through a staffing agency and it will be a pay increase. So things are finally looking up. If I can just hang out for another week, I think we will be okay. Things most certainly aren't great, by any stretch of the imagination. I wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for Jayson, my mom and other family who have helped us out this far. But things are going to be okay. Somehow, they are. Two things I have learned throughout this difficult time: be more prepared. Have more in savings, cut back on the extras all the time, not just when you can't afford them, stick very closely to a budget. The second thing I have learned: have faith that eventually, no matter what, things will always work out. Thanks to great people all over my life, there is always help when you need it. You just need to get over your pride and ask. I am determined, however, that once we can, whether it be in 6 months or 10 years, we will help out someone just because we can. I can't wait until we are able to do that. Something to look forward to. So, anyway, now that I have had my little whine fest and I feel a little bit better, I'm going to go. The Johnson Family Reunion starts tomorrow and it will be nice to spend time with Jayson's family. This will be the first time a lot of them have seen Jayson since he got home so it'll be really nice. Maybe for two/three days, I can stop worrying long enough to enjoy the last little bit of July. :)

Oh Baby!

Say Hello to Our Little Peanut!!


"Peanut" is due February 19, 2011...two days before my 21st birthday. Some birthday present, huh? :)

Great Quotes!

"When faced with a challenge, look for a way, not a way out."
---David Weatherford

"Things will happen in your life that you can't stop, but that's no reason to shut out the world. There's a purpose for the good and for the bad."
---"Crazy Pete" Sims (Walter Sparrow), Now and Then

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what is still possible for you to do."
---Pope John XXIII

"The odds are very good that worrying is a waste of time. And besides, worrying won't change what happens anyway, will it?"
---A Whisper in the Night by Judie Angell

"When you feel like nothing is there but pain and hurt and great despair, that is when we know we need to not give up, whatever it is we're going through."
---Unknown

"Anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up."
---Proverbs 12: 15


I've just been having a rough morning and needed some good thoughts to keep me going. Hope you guys enjoyed these.