Vacation back East...Day 5

We woke up in Erie, PA and was excited to go to Niagara Falls and ride the Maid of the Mist. We started out, and I resumed my phone call with Expedia/Enterprise to change our drop off location to be Buffalo (because I was on hold last night for 45 minutes, and didn't get a response back after they put me on hold).

Once again, I was put on hold for a long time again, finally got through just to hear that there was going to be a drop off fee of $700...YIKES!?!?! We had originally looked at dropping it off at Boston, and it was only a $300 fee (but we didn't do it because we weren't sure about our plans due to busy airports and such). So needless to say, we for went that plan, decided to go back to Baltimore and call our boss to explain the situation...We were truly blessed to have an understanding boss and Rachel was beyond sweet to help us fix the mess.

We said goodbye to our Niagara Falls plan, and plugged in the directions to MapQuest. Just a side note, we would be lost without MapQuest, however it seems to me that they are constantly taking us away from the freeways and bringing us into the scenic route. I knew I should have bought a map...but being cheap, and each state was $5, and we would have gone through 3-4 states...we did MapQuest. But we didn't get lost, even though we were for sure that we had missed a turn here and there because the roads were endless and a little bit questionable!! LOL, but if it wasn't for MapQuest, we would have missed our experience in the Appalachian Mountains...and what fun would that be? I don't know how many of you have watched triller movies with the stars of hillbillies of the Appalachians...but we were constantly letting out nervous giggles when we felt we were lost...and the gas stations were clueless on how to get anywhere past 5 miles away and they DIDN't have maps...



But the drive was beautiful, and we enjoyed the time together...

Joe drove the WHOLE trip...what a trooper!!



Halfway through, we started getting into farms...





We got into Baltimore at 8:00, and I just HAD to see the ocean...unfortunately, it is only a Penninsula, so we couldn't see far out, but it was fun to smell salty sea air, and hear the water coming in...I LOVE WATER!! But especially the OCEAN!! It is so peaceful and just...PERFECT!! If I had my wish...we would always be near the ocean...if only it was closer to family...







We drove, and drove, and drove, and were beyond lost trying to get the the ocean and then to get back to Laurel, MD...meanwhile we ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. This is the view from the bridge, it was so pretty but sadly the picture doesn't capture it right...

Vacation back East...Day 4

Joe and I had planned to drive to New York or Boston from Niagara Falls, but when we ran into Kevin, we thoroughly enjoyed being with him. It had been a long time since we had seen him, so we decided to stay with him as long as possible. We called Rachel to see what the flights looked like, and Baltimore and Boston were full, so Buffalo was the best way to go. Perfect!! Then we decided to go with Kevin. He was going to go home to Cincinnatti, but we all decided to make a trip to Kirtland, OH.

On our drive on the freeway, we encountered ground hogs!! They were pretty big, just popping out of their holes here and there along the road. Kevin had to point them out to us, it was so fun to see them =0)

We absolutely loved our drive through Hyrum, OH. In fact...it would be hard to find a more beautiful countryside than that. I thought I got more pictures, but we did get this one of a cute Amish family...

What a nice, calm, but hardworking life the Amish must have...we felt a little envious and wished that we could be theire neighbors. We drove up to the John Johnson farm, where Emma and Joseph Smith stayed for awhile. They had experienced a lot of heartache here, a death of a baby boy, tar and feathering by mobs, but it was also a place where they received amazing testimonies and where their eyes were opened to the revelations of the Lord. This is the room where Joe (my Joe)visited in the Summer of 2008 with Kevin and his family...

It was here that Joe felt the Spirit so strongly, and Kevin invited him to act on those feelings by being baptized. I can't describe what a special experience this was for the three of us. For Kevin and Joe to remember that special moment where the miracle of conversion had taken place; and for me, to feel that love and Spirit, and to express an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my Heavenly Father allowing me to be married for Eternity to this amazing man of faith. This will always be a special place for us...

We drove around the countryside, trying to find a Amish gift shop or a restaurant, but of course, it was Sunday...but we were able to go to the Kirtland Temple, and walk around it...

I had to go to Lake Erie...and after a little bit of detours, we finally made it!! Perfect timing for the sun to set...

However, do you think Joe would be brave enough to wade in the cold water with me? NO!! But I enjoyed myself anyways...

I love this man!! He is so good to me =0)

We stayed at Days Inn in Erie, PA.....and we were planning to go back to Niagara Falls to ride the Maid of the Mist before we flew out of Buffalo, NY. I called Expedia/Enterprise to make the arrangements...and 40 minutes later, I was still on hold!! It was late, and so I decided to hang up and try again in the morning.

Vacation back East...Day 3

We left the hotel in Auburn, NY and drove to the Peter Whitmer home. My camera batteries went dead =0( So I don't have any pictures!?! Oh well...it was a wonderful visit to stand on the same foundation when the first group of Saints met to partake of the Sacrament with the Restored Priesthood.

We then drove back to Palmyra and Kevin had brought his temple clothes and was able to do a session. Joe and I decided we wanted to walk through the Sacred Grove again, and then just relax and wait for Kevin to finish the session. We decided to drive to Niagara Falls and see one of the prettiest Wonders of the World...however the ferry Maid of the Mist was closed, along with many of the close up walkways. But we were able to walk around the sidewalks and enjoy the view.





We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Buffalo, NY and we ate at an authentic Chinese restaurant, which took us over 35 mins to get!! But it was sure good...

Vacation back East...Day 2

We left our hotel room in Bath, NY and drove towards Palmyra, NY (but really thinking that we were going to Niagara Falls). We absolutely loved the drive!! It was so green, cute red barns surrounded by farms...

It wasn't until I looked further on the directions (about 45 mins away from Palmyra) that I realized we had forgotten to update our MapQuest addresses!! LOL, we decided to keep going to Palmyra and enjoy the sites there.

We first went to the Hill Camorah, where Moroni had told Joseph Smith to go to receive the plates. It was very beautiful there. We were lucky to be there when they had the Hubble satellite pictures from the Space. The pictures were beautiful and it left us awestruck that to all of God's creations, He knew and understood each of us, and we were part of His plan. It was a profound experience...how appropriate that they were displayed at one of the places where God's plan was once again shown to man kind, after it had been lost for centuries. I love this picture because it almost looks like the Angel Moroni is speaking with Joe...

This is us on top of the Hill Cumorah looking down at the valley...



After the Hill Cumorah, we walked around the Palmyra Temple...

Then we went to the Smith Farm. We really wanted to have a special experience, and enjoy this moment, so we decided to go to the Sacred Grove first, and then take the tour. These are some pictures of our moment together there...

After we we left the Sacred Grove, we went through the tour and enjoyed hearing about the hardworking people the Smith family were, and how close they were to each other. When we were finished, we started to walk back to the car (we didn't go through the Sacred Grove, like the rest of the tour group took). As we were walking past the Smith log home, a man came up behind us and asked if we wanted our picture taken. We turned around to talk to him, and instead of a complete stranger...we saw a man that was about 6'2", blonde, and big smile across his face. It was my brother, Kevin!! What a surprise!! How in the world did he, who drove from Cincinnatti, OH to Kirtland, OH end up driving to Palmyra, NY last night at the same time that we did? We hadn't decided to go to Palmyra until last night, and even then we were "thinking" we were driving to Niagara Falls, NY.

We were delighted to see him, and felt that this was not just a coincidence. We drove up to the town and took the tour at the Grandin Bookstore, where The Book of Mormon was first published...

Vacation back East...Day 1

When we got married, Joe's cousin Sarah Scheideggar gave us quite a few Southwest Airline buddy passes. We were so excited because not only were we able to go to California for our Honeymoon, but we had some tickets left over for another trip!! So we were able to get time off of work (by the way, Joe and I work together at Vivint alarms, which has been so much fun!!).

Due to booked flights and bad weather, we made last minute decisions...needless to say we changed our minds every day of the trip. But that is what was the funnest part. We decided to fly into Balitmore, MD and then go where ever we wanted to go from there. It was kind of fun, scary but fun to not have a set plan...We stayed in Laurel, MD at the Garden Inn, just a half an hour north of Washington D.C

The first day we decided to see Washington D.C.... I had forgotten how long the Mall was...it seemed to go on forever!! We got off the subway and went to the Smithsonian of Natural History...










We didn't make it to the Capitol buiding, but we saw it from a distance...


I asked Joe what he REALLY wanted to see and he picked the Washington Monument...



This is the park that we went through to make it to the Lincoln Memorial...





The Lincoln Memorial...






Inside the Lincoln Memorial...





By the time we made it to the Lincoln Memorial the Jefferson Memorial we were too exhausted to go to the Jefferson Memorial. But here it is from a distance...



We went to walk by the White House...



While we were walking back to the subway, I kept asking people if they knew where the Ford Theatre was....nobody knew!! I was very disappointed...however, we were walking to the subway and there was a sign pointing towards it. Here is a beautiful Catholic Church that we passed on our journey...



But sadly we were 30 mins. short of making it ontime to have a tour for the Ford Theatre. :0( Oh well...




Afer the long day of touring, we decided to drive to Niagara Falls, NY. So we left Baltimore and started our drive at 7:00 in the evening...we drove through Maryland and Pennsylvania. We loved the city of Harrisburg, PA, it was very pretty with the Susquehannah River running through it. We were planning on staying in a hotel at Williamsport, PA. Joe, being the Baseball lover that he is, immediately recognized the town when we drove in. It is the place where the Little League World Series are held. It was a fun little bonus for us. However, when we got there, all of the hotels were booked up because of some oil spill in the region...even the hotels in the nearby towns were booked. LOL, it was very late, but we decided to keep driving until we could find a place...at 2:30 in the morning, after sweet talking the lady to giving us a nice discout, we were able to sleep for a few hours at a Super 8 Motel in Bath, NY...boy, what a relief!!

Easter at the Johnson's

Just because I LOVE to make things, and had a few days off between work and school, I worked on a few projects...and bless Joe for putting up with me!!

E-A-S-T-E-R blocks that flip over and say S-P-R-I-N-G...

My spring wreath...

And a plaque that I put together from vellum stickers Kevin and Rachel gave to me a few years ago...

We were planning on driving home to visit my parents in Idaho, but last minute changes took place and we stayed in Utah for Easter.

This is one of our favorite times of the year. It is so exciting to see the green come out of the ground, flowers springing up, and trees covered in blossoms and green buds...Isn't it exciting!! It was a beautiful Easter. We are both so grateful for the testimonies that we have, for the experiences that have lead us to where we are today, and for a loving and forgiving Heavenly Father that has always been there for us. Through this last year, we have both seen miracles and blessings that have left us with the knowledge that He is fully aware of our needs, our desires, and our weaknesses. Truly, each one of us are precious before Him. So precious that He was willing to share and give His precious gift, His Son Jesus Christ, to teach us how to live so that we can return to live with Them again. Christ sacrifice His life so that we will not only live again, but we can also overcome spiritual death if we choose to by repenting and changing our hearts...This time of year also reminds us of the First Vision that Joseph Smith had of the Father and the Son. What a tremendous blessing to know that Joseph had the faith and a pure heart to receive a special witness to share with each of us that God lives, He speaks to us by answering our prayers, and has prophets to teach us the things that we need to hear today along with the scriptures. We are truly grateful =0)

Although we had no little kids in our home, we decided to paint Easter eggs anyway...I guess after all we are always kids at heart. And we were rewarded for it, because that Easter morning we had a visit of from the Easter Bunny who left treats for us.....

Our Easter baskets...

We teach the 4 year olds in primary. We have loved it, but at times are beyond frustrated on how chaotic our class can be at times. LOL, I don't know if it was the extra sugar, the excitement of Easter, or spring fever, but my oh my they were out of control!! So we took them for a walk around the church, hoping to burn some energy while pointing out God's creations and how Spring signifies the Resurrection and Life of our Savior and His promise to each of us....Good idea, right? Or so we thought...the kids were running around out of control...oh well, I guess we have to learn things sooner or later. Too funny!! I don't know if Heavenly Father is working on us with patience or the appreciation of birth control ;0) If any of you have fun reverent teaching ideas...we would LOVE to hear about them!! We have played games, watched an animated film, taken a walk, all to try to make it exciting and different for the kids, but it just doesn't entice them to be a little quieter...We want to bribe them with treats, however we have a kid whose mom does not want her kids getting any food in class...oh, she has made it known by having the primary president announce it in class every sunday since we taught...sooo.....once again, any tidbits of brilliant insight would be muchly appreciated!!

I am Graduated!!

After what seems like forever, I have finally graduated from the Associate's Radiology Program at Weber State University (5 semesters in the program and 3 semesters of taking prerequisites). Yeah!! I have loved the program. It has been a wonderful experience for me, and I am beyond grateful for it. I enjoy the patient interaction, but I also enjoy the lack of drama in the patient interaction as well. We work with the patient, ranging for 5 minutes for a simple chest x-ray, to a couple of hours doing a small bowel follow through study. But my favorite part is working in the OR and seeing the surgeries and visualizing what is taking place....I love the human body!! It is so wonderful.

I have taken pictures with my phone of my coworkers....I decided to add them here for memories.

This is Ward Ireland, one of the RRT's that taught us...(so I guess I was obsessed with us sleeping...it seems to be the highlight of our day!! If we are so lucky that is...)

Deb Rodabough, who was the head tech over the general radiology...

Lizette Chapple, a student a year ahead of me. It was a Sunday, very slow, and we both kicked back and relaxed...

Natalie Harris Jensen, in the OR get up. She was a student the same year as me. She got engaged a couple of weeks after me, and then got married in August. It was fun planning our receptions at the same time...

Audra Mosher, another student the same year as me. They got a hold of my phone and added gadgets onto the photo. Funny, but I wish I actually had a good picture. She is in the Ultrasound program with me as well. She was one of my favorites... Sadie Elder, another student the same year as me. There was a total of four of us. We were all very close and it was one of the funnest experiences of my life.

I can't believe I don't have a picture of Sue Guinn!! She was over the students, and my absolute favorite tech to work with. She taught be so many good things and I wish that I had a picture of her. She created our wedding slide show for the reception. She even made Joe and I an embroidered picture of our names and wedding date. Such a sweet heart!!

There were others. I wish that I had more pictures....

A brief update...

Wow!! Has the last few months flown by like crazy since we have been married!! And although I am excited as my graduation gets closer, I still wish that time would slow down, and at times just pause for awhile ;0)

Life is great at the Johnson's!! I finished the semester the beginning of December and Joe finished a couple of weeks after that. SO we have ThOrOuGhLy enjoyed having the majority of the evenings together =0)

A new semester has begun, and I am beyond excited to be done with Radiology!! Oh my goodness...it seemed like an endless journey!! I have applied for Echocardiology and Ultrasound Bachelor Specialty programs in Weber, so I am just waiting to find out in April. Joe is taking classes online and working full time at Vivint (formerly known as APX Alarms) and working superly hard as an inventory clerk.

We went to the Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game...we wish they would have won, but it was still a fun game to see. We went there last year when we were dating, and enjoyed it so much we had to do it again.

We just got called as the CTR 4 class teachers....we are beyond excited!! We both were talking about how fun it would be to have a calling together. Joe has never experience the magic of primary, so it will be way fun and new. We are already planning on buying a songbook so we can start memorizing the songs. So, hopefully a few months from now, we will have the same attitude.

We love you all!! And wish you the very best!!