Beach Time! Time for vacation!

I see other people's blogs and I keep thinking 'I could do that!' but I just keep on not doing it. I've found that it's hard for me to do things. haha

I took a month of work to come down to Cape San Blas Florida for a month to spend with my mom and other friends and family down south. It's been really wonderful to take the time off work and relax and just spend relaxing time with family.

 

I've been going a little crazy with the pictures but that's what you're supposed to do on vacation right?
I haven't had a REAL vacation since high school... well, I guess I did get some vacations in college too.. but it was harder with having a job and all that stuff. So I've been saving my hours and I took a whole month! It's been so incredibly wonderful. I'll post more soon. I've seen some really fun animal life here that I'd love to share. The internet here isn't always working so hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures. These were the ones I've managed to pull off facebook.

I've been doing more than relaxing however. I've been working out! Yes sir Yes ma'am! I've been doing Shaun T's Focus T25 workout. I'd been debating whether or not to get it just because of the price but I decided to just go for it. And I'm glad I did. I love it! For only 25 minutes you get a great workout. I can't find any excuse not to work out for 25 minutes a day and I feel like I still get my butt kicked so I don't feel like I wasted my time. I did Insanity and TapOut and I've done a few of Shaun's Assylum workouts that my friend has. Insanity is my favorite besides T25. It's just SO long!

My problem has been that I work out and eat really well for awhile but then I start slacking and for some reason I just give up and go back to eating poorly again. Every time I feel like this time I'm gonna do better but it never sticks. I hope that this time it does. I hope that with T25 I can stick it out and keep going til I get back this annoying phase I'm in and over the hump.

There are a lot of things I want to share on here. I'm still learning a lot about healthy eating and living and what our bodies need and crave in order to thrive. It's something I'm working on organizing. I have a lot of things floating around in my head but I seem to have a problem putting them down on paper or onto a computer screen.

Here's a lovely kale smoothie pic on the balcony at the beach :)

EAT MORE KALE!

cheers!

Jeffrey & Shawnee got married!

My brother just got married to a wonderful girl! It was a simple & beautiful ceremony with just family and a few friends. Our pastor Bill married them. We spent the day together, getting to know each other's families. It was nice that everyone got along well, she has a very nice and down to earth family.

Shawnee & Jeffrey have moved away from Montana to live in Alabama so that they can go to school. My brother has to go there to get the degree he wants; marine biology, so that he can play with algae. :) 

It sucks that they've moved away but I'm happy for them. They're gonna have fun living closer to the beach for a time and then they'll have to move back to the mountains eventually because I don't think they can stay away for too long!

Here are some pictures I took from the wedding day.

this way to plunge!

getting ready

getting ready

smooch!

JUST MARRIED!!!

Making it official

Both families combined

CONGRATULATIONS 

JEFFREY & SHAWNEE ZABOLOTNEY

I love you

Merry Christmas! thoughts and thanks

Merry Christmas everyone! I just finished a long day of work and am feeling a bit sentimental and it's been a few weeks so I thought I'd get on here and write a few words.

I want to talk about some things that I'm Thankful for.

Family. I have a wonderful family. I really enjoy the time that is spent with them. All families have their own special quirks. One of my family's quirks is that we are often very quiet and first glance... but just like my own personality, once you get behind the curtain you find that we're all pretty rowdy and some of us have big mouths :) I won't say who ... It seems to me that every member of my family is on the whole very kind and loving. I've been surrounded by this my whole life and it's been a big influence on my life; the loving nature of my family.

I'm Thankful for the aunt Julie and my grandma Gladys. Both have passed away. How is it that we often seem to lose the best of us so early? Both were incredible strong women and I am better for having them in my life, let alone my family. They were such great examples for what a life of giving should look like. I hope I can be more like them. They are dearly missed.

I am grateful for my job. I can finally say that. I can finally settle down and enjoy my work; knowing that I don't have plans for leaving in a year or so. That's been my life for the past 4-5 years... take the job but know you're leaving. Now I plan to stay. Sure I may not stay here forever, but it also might be forever! I work at a Youth Home and believe in the work there. I enjoy it immensely. The kids are a lot of fun; at times very tiring and mentally exhausting, but enjoyable. In the end they are all just kids who are having troubles at home. Some of the don't have homes or a family. I know that in the overall scheme of their lives I am not making a difference, but if I can give them some enjoyable days and help teach some lessons then I will be happy. I just want to spread some love...

I am grateful for good friends and coworkers. I have a pretty interesting array of coworkers. I have a few jobs; both of which employ relief staff so there's quite a large pool of people. It's been pretty neat getting to know everyone over the past year. I am lucky to work with awesome people; all of whom want to help make lives better. As for my friends... I don't see enough of them as I would like. It's hard this time in our lives. We're all so busy and I live an hour from Missoula where several of them live; so it's hard to get together for a coffee or lunch or something. It really only happens when I drive to zootown... But it's still nice to have good friends that make an effort :)

Lastly listed but certainly not least is my relationship with Jesus and my church. He has been big in my life lately and I know that He has helped me with some pretty big issues. I was baptized November 26, 2011. My church family has been very special. They've taken me in and helped me feel welcome. Of course they know my whole family and that helps, but they are welcoming me as an individual and not as a Johnson. I look forward to being more involved and helping out a lot more this next year. We have a new pastor and I just think he's the bee's knees. Him and his family are pretty great. He likes to talk about all the things that I like to talk about and learn about when it comes to God and religion. It's gonna be a good year.

Thanks for reading & Merry Christmas!

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

Matthew 18:20 

NPR's Anatomy of a Tantrum

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.
Friedrich Nietzsche

This is interesting.

It seems that people have said this before... that when a child is having a tantrum the best thing to do is to leave them alone. But now scientists have been researching the sounds a child makes when they're having a tantrum. They say that all tantrums follow the same pattern and caution parents against falling into the "anger trap". This includes asking questions during a tantrum; it prolongs it and therefore you have to deal with the tantrum longer.

NPR has a video, audio and written version of this story. If you are curious or have young children I highly suggest checking it out.

I go to school the youth to learn the future.
Robert Frost

I've also been watching a PESI training on dealing with tantrums and out of control behaviors in youth by Dr. Nancy S. Buck. It's very interesting. She says that the best part of the training is the beginning and I have to agree because that first part is the part that's stuck with me the most. She refers to Bruce Lipton's description of a cell and that a cell can either be open to change, or closed in protection. It's the same with a child....

A YOUTH CAN EITHER BE OPEN TO CHANGE OR CLOSED IN PROTECTION.

While googling Dr. Buck I came across a few of her websites: Peaceful Parenting ... and here's another!
Again, if you're a parent or work with youth I suggest checking her out.

_____________________________________________

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. ( 1 Timothy 4:12 )

my beautiful grandmother

1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹⁴ For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵ According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

This is my grandpa and grandma, Melvin and Gladys Johnson. Married 58 years. They are the most beautiful couple I've ever known and such an inspiration in so many ways. They were always so involved in the church but were never in-your-face about it. It was in the way they lived their lives. My grandmother died Wednesday the day before Thanksgiving, this 2010. As of today it was just a week ago. We are all still reeling from this incredible loss. She was an amazing woman. Really amazing. I can still hear her voice and keep thinking she's gonna walk into the room. I miss her so much. She has been such an important part of my life for so long I never imagined not having her around. I can only imagine how my grandfather is feeling. But at least we all have each other and we will take care of each other and God will help us through this. I love you grandma. You are an inspiration.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder 

You get your fill to eat 

But always keep that hunger 

May you never take one single breath for granted 

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed 

I hope you still feel small 

When you stand by the ocean 

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens 

Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance 

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance 

I hope you dance 

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance 

Never settle for the path of least resistance 

Living might mean taking chances 

But they're worth taking 

Lovin' might be a mistake 

But it's worth making 

Don't let some hell bent heart 

Leave you bitter 

When you come close to selling out 

Reconsider 

Give the heavens above 

More than just a passing glance 

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance 

I hope you dance 

(Time is a real and constant motion always) 

(Rolling us along) 

(Tell me who 

Wants to look back on their youth and wonder) 

(Where those years have gone) 

I hope you still feel small 

When you stand by the ocean 

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens 

Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance 

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance 

Dance 

I hope you dance