Epic Road Trip Day 2

After I posted our first day of traveling, we got pulled over by a policeman. It was about 1:30 in the morning and we were a couple of blocks from our hotel in Cortez, CO. Our trailer lights weren't working and we didn't have a licence plate attached to our trailer. So, we stopped at Walmart and resolved both of these issues before hitting the road again. Parl was resourceful and used Mighty Putty to fix our lights and tire hub which one of our kids sat on. Grrrr.

Not a bad driving day...only 6 hrs. It was awesome to be in Utah again.

Time flies when your having fun!

So we did our Epic Road Trip. It was amazing! We were so busy, we didn't take the time to blog, so now we get the joy (ugh) of blogging about it now. We have one week until we move into our new home, so we will try to finish up our summer trip blogging this week. Ha! Good intentions!

We've got 3 laptops going and Ari is playing "Pride and Prejudice" while we blog. Let's get to it!

Texas Training

There has been a few people i've come across (Utahns) who have asked me to come out with a guide persay of what they need to learn if they ever came to Texas. I have decided at this time to give you this guide...

First of all when I was first moving here I wanted to prepare so i began my preparation by reading

great great book for bbq beginners. I learned so much about meats and sauces and my knowledge became very useful. After reading i went on to read

I became somewhat of a grilling pro from reading this and I wanted to study this some more so....





anyways those are my thoughts on becoming a texan....i hope it's helpful



The mad grilling bbq fool Ari

Epic Road Trip Day 25 Niagara Falls

Visited on July 18, 2013
Yep. In New York. We went there.

When you drive up into their huge parking lot, you don't intentionally look for mist, but, when you hop out of the car, there it is! Tons AND tons of mist. And it got me excited..!

Turns out Niagara Falls is two parts, Horseshoe falls, and America falls. Horseshoe falls is bigger and I think it would be more exhilarating to look at, but since the water falls at such a great distance, the mist covers half of it. ):

Anyway once we had our fill of staring at it we visited the gift shop and added to our collection of snow globes and flattened pennies. We also had a thirty minute debate if we should go down on the boat tour to see the falls up close. Eden, Ari, Miah and I ended up going, and it was a blast!!!!!!!

Miah took off her poncho half way through for some odd reason, and was not a good idea because that was definitely not mist, it was a full blown Texas rain storm! (Which is all the more exciting!)

Well Niagara Falls would have been one of my favorite places if the hard rock waiters would have come a lot faster instead of sticking us with some of the worst music videos I have ever seen.(I'm kidding......about the first part)

Thank you for visiting this blog post. (Even though I know you didn't want to read a full blown paragraph about Niagara Falls :)

This post was done by: Ella Johnson.
Assistance: nothing but my amazing mind.
We hope you enjoyed this really long post and visit again. :)

Wyoming Day 2

We have been driving in Wyoming for 2 days now! It was been very exciting and well...very barren, but beautiful at the same time. Even though there are about 10 people in this state i must admit i quite love it and the gorgeous sunsets. Ari, Ella, and Eden have been taking some great pictures in the car. Dad's post will be up tomorrow about Sixth Crossing and the pioneers sacrifice, a very good and sacred part of Wyoming :)

Im tired! Over and out

-Houston

Driving day 2

O hello friends and peace be with you.... We have indeed had quite the drive! A couple of hours after the vomiting attack given by Brig (aka super gross person who doesn't regulate what he eats) I suddenly woke up in the most akward of positions which was my legs cross legged up against the window and my head hanging off the seat where I should have been sitting. When I came to which with a quick brain like mine takes about 00000.1 seconds my sister in the front seat gives me the glare of all death. My immediate reaction...take a chill pill lady. Right as I came up with this most clever remark I hear a terrible mind crushing ear piercing sound.......which was none other than a police siren. Now I have never been inside a car that was pulled over by the police and I wasn't a out to start so I hopped out of that car and ran the rest of the 400 miles to Utah! Hahahahahah.....kidding anyways apparently our trailer was missing a license plate and the lights weren't working. Long story short we did NOT get a ticket ( which is good because that would have been shameful) and the officer left us alone... BUT right before leaving he felt it necessary to mention that even though it was late we should all remain buckled. Now let me say this loud and clear I WAS BUCKLED!!!! It may have looked differently bur it is possible to be upside down and buckled. Anyways back to what's not important we went to a hotel that had stone stairs which I face planted into because I thought a gunman was going to shoot me in the back and I accidentally over thought the whole thing and fell on my face! We slept in then got in the car and drove to Utah and came to my dear aunt and uncles house and went to Utah famous cafe rio and then I read some fireman romance and then we went to sleep. The End

P.S. if a police officer happens I read this just pretend like you didn't just read this post and remember that I always buckle .

P.P.S. if cafe rio is not "just a Utah thing" I don't really care... Take your statistics elsewhere.., thanks 

This post was brought to you none other then by Ari Johnson you should feel privileged to have read this post as she is so busy she didn't have time to even sign her name. 

This post was also brought to you by Oreos this is not a paid advertisement but it should be because Ari likes them!

And for your own personal enjoyment here is a picture of Ari eating grapefruit.... Your so very welcome 

As you can see Ari loVE car rides ...motion sickness and everything baby!

Epic Road Trip 2013

I think we might be crazy, but we've planned a summer of camping and travel. Parl is between jobs (officially starting Oct 1) and we are between houses, so why not take advantage of the situation and spend the summer traveling the country? 

At least it sounded like a great idea last month...before we started packing. 

Our plans: 

Spend some time in UT with family and friends. 

Glenn Beck's "Man in the Moon" event

6th Crossing and Martins Cove

Mt Rushmore

Winter Quarters

Independence

Nauvoo

Kirtland

Niagara Falls

Palmyra

Sharon, VT

New England States

Salem, Boston, Plymouth 

Gettysburg, Hershey, Valley Forge, Philadelphia 

Washington DC

Mt Vernon, Monticello, Jamestown, Williamsburg

North Carolina, South Carolina, Savanah, GA, Atlanta, GA

Memphis, TN, Little Rock, AR (Parl's Mission)

Houston, San Antonio, Austin, TX

Back to Utah to move into a home!

So, that's the plan.  Ten weeks of traveling. We'll see how things go. We're excited to travel!

Epic Road Trip Day 1

Last night was another late night (3am) and the day started early (6:30). Sleep was scant and restless. Parl hardly slept at all from aches and pains. I slept right on the carpet with my arms tucked into my sleeves. At least I removed my shoes before nodding off. 

After a quick shower and final vacuum, we said a prayer of gratitude and protection, and drove away. What a relief, to be done packing, loading, and cleaning! 

First up, breakfast at Del Taco with our good friends, the Irvings. 

Second, lighten the load in the trailer by leaving behind some food storage we couldn't put on the moving trucks. (We'll have to retrieve this at the end of the summer. Food storage...a blessing and a curse!)

Third, head towards Utah. 

It's been a long day in the car. Junk food, veggie Subway sandwiches, and chocolate pomegranates. 

Lots of napping, Kid History, and some reading. 

Parl is on a roll and is driving through Albuquerque on to Cortez, CO. And just when things are settling down...

Brig pukes!  Serves me right. Too much junk food. :(

Moving again...

We just finished 3 1/2 weeks of misery.  Thank goodness for friends and helpers. Our diet is shot, we are sleep deprived, we have many new aches and pains, and the littles are a bit crazy from having their life turned upside down. On the upside, we are taking a 10 week vacation. It's church history and US history for the entire summer! Now that we are on the road and all our stuff is loaded, we are excited to travel. We are headed to UT for now. Wish we never had to move again!

Mormon Stuff

This is too funny...had to post it :)

http://dashmandy.blogspot.com/2013/01/snark-and-testimony.html


-Houston

To be a Texan.......

To be a Texan... You must have a pair of cowgirl boots. There is no other option!!! So because I live in Texas and its my birthday, I thought, I gotta get myself a pair of boots! So we drove down to Justin TX (the capital of boots) and after trying on about 50 I bought myself the most pointy pair of shoes I have ever owned...not sure what I think of them yet but at least I can say I'm a Texan ;)

I also got the cutest back pack, leather bag and a pair of the gray converse I've been dreaming about for weeks (thanks mom!)

I also got a new phone but then I dropped it on the cement after having it about an hour it shattered the screen...... I don't really want to talk about it -_-
Ari has been in mourning for a few hours now :(


We went two one of two mints on the united states in Fort Worth TX supper fun field trip+German chocolate cake=awesome 17th birthday!!!

-Houston


Over and out

7 Things

I (miah) found this amazing article this morning!!! IT REALLY WORKS...you should try it ;)

7 Things You Can Do to Feel Better Instantly
By Abigail Christens
Everybody's looking for a quick fix. Whether it's to lose weight or achieve their dreams, people are searching for the magic pill or perfect practice to make their lives "better." There's a tendency to believe that what we want is outside of who are already are. You want world peace? Ask how at peace are you with yourself, your body, and your life. You want to lose 30 pounds? Ask how much extra “baggage” are you carrying emotionally. It’s not that we’re hypocrites, most of the time we’re just not aware of the inner turmoil we have going on. You have to dive deep to find the answers you’re looking for.

All that being said, there are things you can do right NOW that will help you feel better instantly. Keep in mind that you have to do these things consistently to see and feel real change in your life.

1. Breathe more deeply. I find this is especially useful when I’m eating, since it allows me to feel how full I’m getting and actually enjoy my meal. Breathe deep into your belly, feeling your diaphragm expand. Breathing lowers your stress levels, rids your body of up to 70% of toxins, increases your energy, improves your digestive, immune, nervous and cardiovascular systems, relieves pain and helps you let go of tension. Here is one simple deep breathing technique you can try: breathe in through your nose for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, and slowly exhale for 5 seconds through your nose. Repeat 5 times.

2. Drink water as soon as you wake up (well, drink more water in general). It helps you wake up and gets your digestive system moving (nothing starts the day off right quite like a great bowel movement). I drink around 3 to 4 cups first thing. I find that keeping water right next to my bed helps me to keep this habit up. Your body needs water, especially after seven to nine hours of not drinking any.

3. Add spinach to your smoothies. Spinach, kale, chard, chlorella tablets... whatever. Just add something green. Greens help to increase your energy, alkalize your body, provide a dose of antioxidants and phytonutrients, and generally just make you feel amazeballs. Plus, you can hardly taste them in a smoothie. If you’re really worried about your smoothie tasting too green (as if there was such a thing), start with spinach and work your way up.

4. Go outside. Coming from a mainly self-employed bloggerista, trust me when I say going outside for some fresh air makes a huge difference in your overall state. I work from home (or next door to home in a coffee shop) and I know how easy it is to forget there even is an “outside.” I’m sure everyone working in an office can relate. We can live without water for weeks and without food for months - oxygen is the most important nutrient we need. In efforts to save on fuel costs, we insulate offices and buildings that cut off our fresh oxygen supply. Even if it’s just for 5 minutes, go outside and get some fresh air. Practice deep breathing (see point #1) and notice how much more calm and happy you feel.

5. Throw on your favorite song. I told you guys about how music keeps me in flow. Listening to music releases endorphins and makes you happy. Seriously it’s that simple. An epic track can change everything.

6. Put your fork down between bites. It can be tempting to shovel food into your mouth sometimes, such as when you’re eating a delicious meal or eating at your desk. Enjoying food is one of the simple pleasures us humans take for granted. Unlike the little lovepuff wonderdog I live with, I get to actually enjoy each morsel I put in my mouth instead of inhaling it. You also give your body time to recognize when it’s getting full. As you eat, your stomach expands. This expansion helps to tell the brain when it’s getting full and to stop eating. This technique also helps to balance your weight and allows you to get to know your body.

7. Smile more!! The simple act of smiling, even if you’re not in a particularly good mood, makes your brain THINK you’re in a good mood, and releases happy endorphins. Let’s say that smiling just because is like eating more vegetables. It’s good for you, so you should probably do more of it. Step up your happiness-intake by smiling at strangers, laughing more, or performing random acts of awesomeness. There’s no losing in this situation.

There you have it folks. Change your life in seven simple steps. Instantly.

Have a fantastic Wednesday!

Cinnamon Rolls

We like cinnamon rolls, we make them, we eat them, we study them, I wake up at 4 am ever Friday for them, we find ourselves dreaming about giant ones (ask Firbie for that crazy story (; ). As you can tell Cinnamon rolls are a big part of our life right now! Because of our business (Yummies) we make 8 dozen cinnamon rolls every Friday morning! I wake up and start them (while Firbie sleeps because she stays up ever night until 12ish reading) then I take a shower, and then mix them and add the yeast, and while it's rising we go to seminary, come home and roll them out and put them into pans let them rise again. And finally cook them. While they cook Ari makes the frosting (salted caramel cream cheese) and we Finnish around 9 am! I think we've made around 100 dozen cinnamon rolls and it never gets old! I love it so much!!!

Les Miserables

So my family has become obsessed with Les Mis...I know crazy right??? Who would have thought a homeschool family would like one of the greatest classics of all time right when the movie came out!

But let's be serious here... Les Miserables is an incredible story! It's all about building character, love, the power of forgiveness, faith, charity, but most importantly it's about realizing who we are and the divine roll and purpose we have here on earth.

We (mom, dad, me and Firbie) have seen the movie once. I cried a lot, I think mom did too, and I know my dad did ;) I think this story has the power to change lives and completely change your perspective on life. I really can't say enough good things about it! We are going to go see the movie again tonight :) can't wait.

Ari is reading the book right now and loving it! She comes to me with a profound quote or line almost every day she reads it...so I bought one for myself! This isn't a book you can just read though, to get the most out of it I mark it and write in the margins and reread the best parts. You have to make the book yours. Sometimes I feel like I know the characters better than I know the people around me. I always write things in the book, traits that I want to have, and ones that I don't. I write feelings and impressions. It's really an amazing experience! Ari and I have really made our books...well...ours! They've become like journals. Now my mom wants to read it so we bought her a copy too! And then I bought one for people to borrow :) I guess you could say we're Les Miserables freaks ;)

Math and Yawning

So right about this time of day I am ether supposed to be doing my Algebra or eating lunch...so i have decided to eat lunch (Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes, YUM!!!) and blog about it!
So let me tell you about my Saxon. I love Algebra and my parents tell me i'm pretty good at it...but...I have to teach myself most of the time and lets just say that's were the yawning comes in. This topic doesn't bore me its not even that hard but for some reason when 11 o'clock rolls around and the time comes to pull out my Algebra I commence yawning uncontrollably! I'm being totally serious right. I yawn so much I usually end up falling asleep.

Let me give you this article on yawning because I have done the research on this very strange issue of mine. I have read tons of articles and tried to find the reason behind my controversy.

Everybody yawns — from unborn babies to the oldest great-grandparent. Animals do it, too. But why, exactly, do people and animals yawn? No one knows for sure. But there are many theories (ideas) about why people yawn.
One is that when we are bored or tired, we just don't breathe as deeply as we usually do. As this theory goes, our bodies take in less oxygen because our breathing has slowed. Therefore, yawning helps us bring more oxygen into the blood and move more carbon dioxide out of the blood.
Yawning, then, would be an involuntary reflex (something we can't really control) to help us control our oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Sounds good, but other studies have shown that breathing more oxygen does not decrease yawning. Likewise, breathing more carbon dioxide does not increase yawning.
Another theory is that yawning stretches the lungs and lung tissue. Stretching and yawning may be a way to flex muscles and joints, increase heart rate, and feel more awake.
Other people believe that yawning is a protective reflex to redistribute the oil-like substance called surfactant (say: sur-fak-tint) that helps keep lungs lubricated inside and keeps them from collapsing. So, if we didn't yawn, according to this theory, taking a deep breath would become harder and harder — and that would not be good!
But there is one idea about yawning that everyone knows to be true. It seems contagious. If you yawn in class (or home-school!), you'll probably notice a few other people will yawn, too. Even thinking about yawning can get you yawning. How many times have you yawned while reading this article? We hope not many!

So there you go! I have no idea why I yawn...I just do. My sisters think I have Narcolepsy and I thought I did to for a little while because my grandma Shirley had it. But i'm still not so sure, I think its probably because I get up at 4am almost every morning (that's for another post some other time).

So what does she do then? You might ask. She has to do Algebra 1! My parents tell me every day they could get arrested if I don't! So let me tell you, I EAT...a lot! How am I not obese? (although I could loose a few pounds) I eat vegetables, a ton of vegetables! I have to keep my mouth busy and I can't chew gum because I have braces (yes I know you can chew gum with braces, I just choose not to!). Yesterday I had 4 sticks of celery  1 whole bell pepper, a had full of unsalted sunflower seeds, and some dried cranberries. I didn't quite get through the whole lesson in Math but I did most of it! And it gave me some extra energy. But I still need to find a way to stop this yawning!

I think i'll go practice piano ;)

-Houston 

Snow on Christmas!

Here in Texas it doesn't snow very often. The days before Christmas were warm and breezy and we had no expectation of seeing snow this year...for the first time in our lives. We were slightly disappointed but had finally come to terms with the idea. 

Christmas was great! We stayed at home 

This is us on Christmas Eve in our Jamies from Mom and Dad

This is the letter Firbie wrote to Santa...

Oh the presents!!! When you have 9 people living in a house and everyone is trying to be good and give something to everybody and the older ones are trying to teach the younger ones what the Christmas spirit is, there is a lot of presents. From mom and dad we each got a new outfit, a book, some big item (Firbie got a Bow and Arrows...i'm extremely jealous!), some socks, and some other stuff I cant remember.

The kids drew names out of a hat in September!!! I had Seth, I gave him two Nerf guns. Firbie had Indy, She gave her the pair of boots in the picture above. Ella had ME, she gave me an orange vest that I adore and a white shirt. Eden had Ari, she gave her the superman shirt that shes been asking for for months! Seth had Ella, he gave her a jean skirt. Indy had Eden, she gave her a remote control whale that was named Orcky!

Ok now I think it's about time to tell you that...It snowed on Christmas day!!! It was a miracle, nobody was expecting it, but it actually snowed! We went a little crazy :)

This is the hat Seth got for Christmas

Ari went outside bare foot :P crazy girl!

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!

Aren't we just adorable?!

Oh, and I forgot to mention every year for Christmas we used to get an ornament for Christmas from our Grandparents, but...because we moved we don't get them anymore so Santa gave us one instead! This one is mine! Its pure gorgeousness...thanks Santa!

I decided to join Ari on the bare feet...its just so much more fun!

Merry Christmas (7:00 AM) its a little early for me. Especially because Firbie kept me up WAY to late trying to (don't tell the little's!) convince Seth and Indy that Santa is real. Ari and Ella would go outside, start ringing bells, then I would open the window and exclaim "Hurry come over here!!! Do you hear that? Its Santa flying over the world! Can you here them?" They totally fell for it! But I was sleepy. 

We had an awesome Christmas dinner, hopefully a new tradition that we call a shepherds dinner.

Earlier in the week Ari and I spent 6 hours making oil lamps for the whole family (the center of the picture above). For dinner we put a slice of ham, chunks of cheese, grapes, pittas, and Eden set up a bowl of wine (grape juice) with a pitcher to drink out of. We ate dinner while dad read "The other Wise Man" by Henry Van Dyke

Mom's I-phone

Our back yard covered in snow

Firbie with fake candles in her eyes (don't ask, I have no idea) and her superman shirt from Edna

Two AWESOME oil lamps

And that is what I call a Johnson-Texas-Snowy-Freaking Awesome-Christmas!!!

I have to go practice piano and write a book report so I'm out!

-Houston