Current Favorite Memes #9

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What is Giving You Peace?

One of the podcasts that I listen to posed this question: What is giving you peace? They were referring to this time of COVID-19 and quarantine. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Here is what I have come up with in no particular order:

Tyler
My kids
Anything that gives me a sense of accomplishment
Being productive
Extra sleep
Reading
Podcasts
Being outdoors
Long daily walks
Gardening
Flowers
Water in all of its forms: lakes, rivers, water falls, creeks, ponds
Boating
Biking
Paddleboarding
Floating on the lake on my pink floatie
Psalms
Documenting the dull details of quarantine on my blog
My morning routine: prayer, scriptures, journaling, goal tracking
Paula Deen cooking videos
Date Nights
Buddy reads with Rebecca
Home Church
Texting with family and friends
FaceTiming with family and friends
Family dinners
Porch visits with friends
Memes
Family video chats with Kam
Family Scripture Study
Sunsets
Laughing
Game Nights
Listening to Taps on the Dock
Hummingbirds at my feeder
Lounging on the deck
Patio Lights
Emails and DM's from Kam
Looking at the stars
Beverly
Painting
Being creative
Blogging
This particular group text thread: Kirk, Meki, Me, and Tyler
God
Faith
Scriptures
Comfort Food
Exploring
Going for drives
Organizing
Exercise
Chatty phone calls
Working on my booth space
Dejunking
Crossing things off my to-do list
Completing projects
Audiobooks
Church Bells
Parks

Email from Elder Johnson #4

Group Text:

Cactus Man!

Whatsss upppp! Another week down and I'm feeling good tbh. How are things? Good? Gooood that's how I like it. Soooooo yeah to be fair this week was pretty mellow so not action packed but nonetheless here I am writing an email about it. 

Minnesota...has great lighting storms like the best I've ever seen. I'm literally a kid on Christmas when it comes to thunder and lighting. Seriously the coolest thing ever. I love it😂 they happen like once a week, it seems like, so it makes for a good time. 

The work's been good I'd say! Nothing too crazy but we have a guy who's just on the edge of getting baptized so hopefully he takes that leap of faith. We did some Facebook work and had quite a few dinners with some awesome members who are seriously very generous to us. We are always walkin away with loads of leftovers. We also had lots of service work this week which leads me to cactus man...

Now cactus man is a guy who has missionaries come over and help him out in his yard. So we, along with, the elders in Eagan (Minnesota) went over there. Lil backstory of cactus man. None of us know his actual name... He goes by cactus man and asks us to refer to him as such. When he left a message for the Eagan elders he said, "Hey, this is cactus man..." Sooooo usually he has the missionaries pull cactus plants out of his front lawn area and put them into pots. His front lawn is allllllllll cacti...I wish I had a picture of it. But instead of picking cacti he had us mow the lawn and do some other yard work so that was pretty exciting.

Anywayyy imma wrap up this email, you guys are the best and I miss you all a ton! Take it easy and don't get the rona. 

Love y'all 

-Elder J

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 151-155

Day 151: 8-11-20 (Tuesday)

Primary business started EARLY! I had a lot to do with several kids with upcoming baptisms and a couple of new families in the ward. It felt good to actually have something to do as far as my calling is concerned. It is so strange not having a million things to do church-wise and...not going to lie...sometimes it is kind of nice.

We had a very interested prospective buyer for the Sandpoint house. That was super exciting but then it fell through. Our realtor urged us to lower the price which we did. Hopefully that works. It is a cute house with a lot going for it but it is also a bit quirky with an open floor plan and many North Idahoans don't love an open floor plan.

Kirk and Meki told us that they can't come up for their 2nd week at the lake. It would have started next week. We were super disappointed. Kirk's work is too busy so he gave his week to me. That was very sweet but I was really hoping that we would get another quick visit with them this summer.

Today had a rather blah and disappointing vibe. We also found out that our school district decided to delay the start of school for an extra two weeks. We don't start real time distance learning until Sept.14th!

Day 152: 8-12-20 (Wednesday)

Today is a cool and cloudy day. It is nice. Tyler and I had a good walk and I was able to process a lot of feelings about things. Tyler is a good listener and has good advice which is very helpful. Then we both came home and worked all day. I finished up a big project for my booth. Things are continuing to sell rapidly which is a huge blessing!

Tyler took the girls out for a few hours this evening. Tyler and Bryn flew their drones at the middle school and then Tyler let Ailey practice driving. We miss Kam and his *chore* of taking Ailey driving! Ha Ha!

We had three showings on the Sandpoint house in a 24 hour period so that is good. My sister and her family are moving out of the house at the end of August and into a rental in Sandpoint. It would be nice to sell the place by that time.

Day 153: 8-13-20 (Thursday)

Ailey got her school schedule for what her real time distance learning will look like. She will have an A/B schedule. Three classes one day and three more classes the next day. She also got her distance learning Seminary schedule too. One day personal study...the next day a Zoom class...then personal study...then Zoom etc. At least it won't start at 6am. She is happy about that!

Tyler's mom and step-dad are coming for a visit the first week of September. They feel like they can travel now. It will be good to see them and to have a bit more family support.

We are thinking of buying a Peleton. Kirk and Meki got one and love it! Paul and Whitney just ordered one. Since we obviously won't be heading back to the gym anytime soon we need to come up with another plan. We are paying our monthly gym fees for nothing. The gym is open but super restricted and it's hard to feel like it is a *safe* COVID -free environment. The governor just made gym rules and restrictions even more strict this last week. The new guidelines just make it harder to go to the gym not safer. So Peleton here we come! It will be fun to be able to connect as a group for challenges and things with Kirk, Meki, Paul, and Whitney.

Ailey and Bryn came with me to do some birthday drop-offs for Primary and then Tyler and I drove to Coeur d' Alene for vendor night at the store. I did a big rearrange and brought in another big piece of furniture. I was at the store for about an hour and a half. I am loving my booth. I can't believe the good sales I have had every day. Why didn't I do this years ago?! Tyler and I grabbed some Greek take-out and ate it lakeside. It was a beautiful peachy pink night. Am I the only one who thinks that sunsets have been extra pretty since quarantine?

We had several more showings at the Sandpoint house today and while I was working on my booth our realtor texted us to say that someone was making an offer that night! They did and it was a pretty good one. That was exciting and hopefully some momentum on the estate will lessen some of the stress.

Day 154: 8-14-20 (Friday)

Today we had more showings at the Sandpoint house and got another offer. Two offers! I guess dropping the price did the trick. I spent most of the day going back and forth with our realtor and siblings. It was exhausting. But we accepted one offer so we are under contract now. So that is good news.

Tyler and I decided to go to Coeur d' Alene for our date night. We wanted to check out Hayden Lake. We stopped off at Midtown Market and I dropped off two freshly painted coffee tables for my booth. We grabbed Noodle Express take-out and then headed to Hayden Lake. We had the BEST time!! I can't believe that we haven't ever been on this lake. It was really pretty and much larger than I expected. I think this lake will be where we go for our next boating day. We also found out that you can rent Bing Crosby's house on the lake. How fun would Christmas be at Bing Crosby's lake house?!

We ran into a trio of sister missionaries while we were checking things out. It was fun to talk to them. We told them about Kam and they said that they would pray for him. Good. We will take all the prayers! We told them that we were out on a date night and they suggested a place for dessert that is owned by their stake president... Birdie's Pie Shop. That was already on our list of places to go so we went and tried it out.

Tyler got the key lime pie (delicious) I got the the pecan pie (not delicious) but I am a pecan pie snob and I think that mine is the best pecan pie ever so I will have to give them another chance. Plus that key lime pie was pretty fantastic!

Right after we were walking away from the sister missionaries we got a FB message from Kam. There was a crazy storm going on in his area and he was sending us some really cool lightening pictures.

The Midwest does have some incredible storms!

As we were getting out of the car after arriving at home a giant shooting star blazed right over our heads and our house. It was so beautiful. After that we hung out on our deck for awhile to see if we would see any more. It's the time of the perseid meteor showers. Not a bad date night at all. I have to say that I think our date nights have been more fun after COVID. It's gotten us out of our dinner and movie rut. We definitely have had to be more creative.

Day 155: 8-15-20 (Saturday)

Nothing too exciting today. It's been your basic COVID-19 quarantine Saturday. It is still weird that we don't have kids in 50 million sports/activities on Saturdays anymore. I also realized that I have barely taken any pictures this week. Oh well. We went to the park and the grocery store. I did a Primary porch visit to a family who is taking the discussions and the nine year old is getting baptized. We all just worked on projects around the house and yard. We also started cleaning and organizing the garage. Good times. LOL.

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 146-150

Day 146: 8-6-20 (Thursday)

Today was move-in day at the store. Tyler and the girls were such great helpers. We were able to unload pretty quickly. They were able to drive back home so that I could set up my booth and Tyler could get back to work. I worked all day setting up my booth. It was fun to see my friend Megan and later in the day I got to see my friend Tiffany who is also a vendor there. Tyler came back that evening to help me with the trailer.

It felt weird...but nice... to think that all I have to do is set-up the booth and leave! The store employees take care of everything else. Vendor nights are on Thursdays to restock booths although you can come in any time to add new items. The thought of NOT having to tear down the booth in two days is heaven! It was a busy but good day and it felt great to be back at it!

Here are a few pictures of my booth that Megan posted online:

Day 147: 8-7-20 (Friday)

Today is both Kirk and Kirin's birthdays! I wish that we were in Utah helping them celebrate. I slept in this morning after my long day yesterday and it felt great! Tyler and the girls made a big batch of raspberry freezer jam with all the raspberries from the lake. So good!

Today was sunny but cooler. I'm glad. Tyler and I had an awesome date night. We decided to drive up and check out another part of the Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes. This part of the trail starts almost in Kellogg, Idaho. My friend Rebecca told me that this is where she used to get on to ride the trail. Tyler and I thought it sounded like a fun date night to explore that area. The Bull Run area is really pretty and I think the girls will like biking up there. This part of the trail doesn't go by Lake Coeur d' Alene but you are by the river that feeds into it and you ride past several smaller "chain" lakes. Maybe we will do this ride next weekend.

We found a fun drive in for dinner called The Humdinger. We had cheeseburgers, fried mushrooms, and shakes. Not a bad date night at all! I also found out that I sold a bunch of items in my booth on my very first day! That was exciting and encouraging!

Day 148: 8-8-20 (Saturday)

Today Tyler and I ran some errands and then I spent the rest of the day painting furniture and working on projects. Kam sent me a great talk to listen to which I enjoyed! He is sending us such great and uplifting things. It has been fun! I sold a bunch more items in my booth and covered my monthly booth fee. It felt great to have done that by Day #2.

My awesomely supportive friends texted me this today! Shannon and Mary are the BEST!

Ailey went on her first date! She went out with Preston and they joined a larger group of their friends. She wore a mask and brought plenty of hand sanitizer. They ended up bowling and then playing night games at her friend Savannah's house as a group. She said she wasn't the only one wearing a mask the whole time. I guess we don't have to worry about a good night kiss!! Ha ha! Life is weird... right?

She refused to take any kind of date picture. I don't blame her. Lol. But she did allow me to take a picture of HER prior to being picked up. This is her pose du jour.

Day 149: 8-9-20 (Sunday)

We went back to church for the first time in 5 months! Well a few of us did. Tyler had home church. He's going to give it another couple of weeks before he goes back. It's good that he did because one lady in our ward coughed and practically hacked up a lung the entire meeting. Hello?!

Church was significantly shortened and strange. We had to use hand sanitizer before entering the building. We sat in family groups every other bench. It was very weird not to sit in our regular bench and we had to sit on the back row of the overflow. (Yes, we are THOSE people who have a regular bench. Annoying, I know!) There was no singing. Instead the bishopric blasted the Tabernacle Choir singing each song. It helped with the awkwardness of not singing but those songs are LONG. It was also semi-comical seeing everyone in masks. Everyone looked like some kind of flock of bizarre exotic birds. I had to laugh. Am I the only one who looks around at the people in masks and laughs at how ridiculous it/life/masks are? For the Sacrament, the priests did not use gloves (Kam's ward does) but they made a big show of using hand sanitizer and rubbing their hands vigorously for all the ward to see. LOL. Then the deacons passed the sacrament. Each deacon had two trays in their hands. The bread was torn and each individual piece was put in a little sacrament cup. Another deacon trailed along behind with a basket/garbage for the cup. They did the same with the water. It was interesting. There were two talks...one youth and one adult. My friend Annie and her daughter spoke and it was nice. The Tabernacle Choir blasted once more, we prayed, and we were done. About 50 minutes total and yet it felt like a full day!

The girls and I came home and we did the Come Follow Me lesson with Tyler. We listened to the awesome talk that Kam sent. It broke down the apostasy and how it all intertwined with history. So good! It was a nice relaxing family day! And... I sold more things in my booth! No, I am not going to document this every day but the first week... yes!


Day 150: 8-10-20 (Monday)

Today was crazy chaos but fun crazy chaos!! Tyler and I went walking earlier today and while we were at the park I got a text that my big hutch sold! My largest and most expensive piece of furniture! Exciting!! We hurried home so that I could grab another larger piece out of the storage unit to take to the store. Then I painted and worked on more projects.

Today was Kam's P-Day so we had some funny emails from him. He is meeting all kinds of interesting characters and doing a lot of service work. All of that is so good for him! He and his companions (their trio) are teaching lessons and there is a guy who is *this close* to baptism which is both exciting and frustrating. I thought Kam might just email us very short and precise emails but I was wrong! They are thoroughly entertaining! Especially his emails to just our family. Tyler and I were cracking up!

After Tyler was done with work we headed to Coeur d' Alene to check out my booth. No need! One of the glories of being in a store is that when a large item sells they will clear it, pull it out, and then  rearrange. Tyler and I walked into the store just before closing to see what the booth situation was and I was DELIGHTED to see that not only had the furniture been rearranged but the booth had been fluffed and revamped where needed and it looked LOVELY! That might be worth the 15% commission. That and the email that I get every day telling me what I sold that day. Very nice. We were able to just turn around and leave. I'll come back on Thursday night during vendor hours with another big furniture piece and will rearrange things then.

One thing that is helping me get back into reading during quarantine has been doing some buddy reads with my friend Rebecca. She moved to Wisconsin two years ago. She is a lot of fun and an avid reader! We recommend books to each other all the time and discuss them but since quarantine we have started reading the same book at the same time. We have now done two buddy reads: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. I LOVED IT. 5 Stars for me! She HATED it! That was crazy because normally we have similar taste in books. We just finished our 2nd buddy read book: The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. We were in agreement on that one! Review to come. Our 3rd buddy read will be American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins.

We got to video chat with Kam last night. It is so great to see him and hear all about the mission in more depth. It helps to feel connected to him and he stays connected with all of us. He is enjoying the mission, the people, and the work. He works hard and says he falls asleep exhausted every night. He said that the days and weeks go by really fast. He's learning a lot and building his confidence. He says that his testimony has grown by leaps and bounds. It is great to hear all of the details. He's doing good and is being well-fed! He has barely spent any money on groceries at all. Meanwhile his companions from online MTC, who are also serving in his mission but not his area, are poor and starving. LOL. They are learning how to budget and make *meals* with very few ingredients. Meanwhile Kam and his companions are eating like kings! They are always stuffed and they can barely finish their leftovers before another meal comes their way. Even today on their P-day they were playing sports at the park with a bunch of other missionaries and several ladies who were at the park had pizza delivered to their big group! Enjoy it while it lasts kiddo!

FYI--he never takes pictures. If he does it is of the sunset or an amazing SuperTarget that he went into. Ugh. Hopefully some of his companions will take some pictures and tag him in them.

We saw this a few days ago:

Kam confirmed that it is legit. He said that they have all been asked to follow these guidelines. Hard to believe but there are missionaries serving in downtown in Minneapolis. Terrifying.

Current Favorite Memes #8

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Email from Elder Johnson #3

Group Email:

Stay on Target...Stay on Target

What's up good people? Man this week has flown by fast! How are you guys? I miss y'all big time. Feel free to email me back at times. I do enjoy hearing from you too:) Anywayyy this last week has been pretty good I'd say, lots of good things fell into place. 

I had my first zone conference this week and really got to get to know my mission president more. It was a very cool experience I had a lot of feelings i had been having and questions that I had come across answered through out the conference. It was insane to have just constant answers to everything I had been feeling or thinking being thrown at me😂 God works in mysterious ways! Haha. The main focus was the line, "Stay on target...Stay on target" from Star Wars. Just remembering why we are here and although we have all these distractions going on in the world around us we have to stay on target and we will be blessed for the work we are doing.

We also met Shermicia! She was a referral sent to us from some Salt Lake sisters. She had requested a Book of Mormon and a Bible in big print. So we called her set up a time and we met her and holy fetch she was so excited to see us. She said that she had been praying for someone to reach out and give her the word of God and then we called her just a few minutes after that. We set up times to come visit her twice a week and she wants us to teach her sister, and her grandkids and on top of all that she wants to come to church so we got a big W! She's so awesome and is the most eager person to learn and grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ that all 3 of us have ever seen. It's pretty dang exciting.

Also, at zone conference I finally met Elder Gunnell and Elder Robison in the flesh for a few brief moments. Which was pretty flippin exciting, if I do say so myself, cause we missed each other at the airport by like 10 minutes. So we finally crossed paths. Good times for the red tie gang! 

Anyway sorry for the long email but I'm having a great time in the great state of Minnesota, where they say the mosquito is the true state bird. Boy were they not lying😂 Yikesss! Last I counted I have 10 on just one of my legs but it's all good right? It's alllll gooood pain (or I guess in this case itchiness) It is temporary but the work goes on forever. Take it easy my peeps, be safe, don't get the Rona, and know that I love ya. 

Till next time,

-Elder Johnson

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 141-145

Day 141: 8-1-20 (Saturday)

Picture of "Harold" courtesy of Shey

Today started off okay. We did some work at the property. It was cooler and overcast. Tyler and I picked a bunch of raspberries. The raspberries from my grandma's berry patch are THE BEST.

Around 1:30 pm I got a HORRIBLE migraine out of the blue. Usually I can feel them coming on and then I will take something to stop the migraine from becoming full blown. I missed the window and ended up lying down and feeling nauseous in a darkened room the entire day and on into the evening. It was a complete waste of a day. I think I need to up my migraine prescription. I used to be able to take one or two doses and my migraine would be gone. The last few times I have to take the max dosage and I still will have a migraine. Ugh...I started feeling better later in the evening.



Tyler and I were able to enjoy a little evening dock time. We listened to taps and watched the moon rise.

Day 142: 8-2-20 (Sunday)

Today was the last day of our week at the lake. We deep cleaned and did yard work. The day was nice and sunny. It was not as brutally hot as the previous few days. It was only 90 degrees and there was a refreshing breeze. We finished our work and enjoyed the water.

We spotted some little tiny creatures in the water. The girls were quick to try to catch some and attempt to classify them via the internet. Were they tadpoles? Baby fish? It was cute to see them enjoying a little science lesson and having so much fun doing it!

Conclusion: baby sunfish

We went into town and got take out for dinner so that we didn't have to cook. We pulled the boat out at 8 pm and then loaded up and headed home. The day ended up being pretty relaxing and enjoyable. I'll tell you what though... it felt good to be home!

Day 143: 8-3-20 (Monday)

I got the best night sleep that I have had in a LONG TIME. It felt good to be back home and in our own bed. As you know... I enjoy Mondays. They are productive and I love that...AND... now they are also Kameron's P-Day and since we get to talk to him so they are my very favorite day of the week!! Kam sent out his group email earlier in the morning and it was fun to read. Tyler and I went walking at 10:30 am and it felt great to be back in the swing of things.

When we got home the school district sent out the sad news that the kids won't be going back to school in the fall. They will start the year doing "real time" distance learning. This was not good news for the Johnson girls. Both girls were in tears. I teared up too. I am so sick of this COVID-19 business that I could SCREAM!

I get that things are a bit more normal for other families but they certainly aren't for mine and I am SO SICK of being in quarantine. I feel like we are the only family still doing this sometimes. But Tyler isn't back at work, we aren't back at church (although we are supposed to go back 2x a month starting on Sunday), the kids can't go to school, we aren't seeing friends socially...we have only hung out with our kids (and Abbey and Hunter)... my brother's family...and very few other people. It's lonely and boring and hard.

On a positive note...we talked to Kameron tonight and it did my heart good to see his face! It sounds like things are still going okay. It's hard to be the inexperienced one. He wants so much to do a good job.

Day 144: 8-4-20 (Tuesday)

Today we moved Kam's old bed into Ailey's room. I repainted it so that it would match her room. Today the girls and I went shopping to find some new bedding to give her room a little update. We found some really cute bedding and pillows on sale! Score! While we were out shopping Bryn saw her best friend, Audrey, so that was really fun for her! She also saw another friend and was able to chat for a bit. She is such a social butterfly and deeply misses her friends. Thank goodness for FaceTime and Marco Polo. We also did a bunch of yard work. That felt great! Anything that gives me a sense of accomplishment helps during these weird and frustrating days. We also washed and deep cleaned the boat!

And in some super exciting news... Ailey got asked out on her first date! COVID has really messed up all of the fun things about turning 16! She still hasn't taken Drivers Ed. She hasn't been able to date or hang out with friends. Tyler and I talked it over...heard what the plans were for the group date...and decided to let her go. She was THRILLED! It is really hard balancing physical health vs mental health in this COVID-19 world. I second guess every decision we make to venture out into the world. But Tyler was adamant that she should be able to go if she takes the necessary precautions and he is the one whose health we are protecting.

Day 145: 8-5-20 (Wednesday)

Today we walked early because it is so hot! We also had to walk to process the news that Tyler got from his boss this morning. She told their department that they are going to continue working from home until JANUARY. He enjoys working from home especially now that he has a better office set up but even he was taken aback at how long he will be out of the office. Processing what the rest of the year will most likely look like is surreal, frustrating, and kind of defeating.

Thank goodness this afternoon I got some GREAT NEWS! Since there are literally no vintage markets or antiques shows in the foreseeable future and my business has ground to a screeching halt...I talked to my friend Megan who has a SUPER CUTE vintage store in Coeur d' Alene called Midtown Home and Vintage Market. My mom was a vendor there when she passed away. Megan called me today with all of the details for me to move into my booth space at the store! I move in tomorrow! I am so excited. Tyler and I spent the evening at the storage unit loading up merchandise to take tomorrow. I am so grateful that Kam and Tyler loaded the trailer with my heavy furniture pieces right before Kam left for Minnesota. I am excited to be busier and doing things that I enjoy. I hope it helps and quells the constant sense of frustration that I feel.

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 136-140 (I got out of order!!)

Day 136: 7-27-20 (Monday)

Tyler and I worked all morning cleaning out crap from the property. My sister ordered a giant dumpster and there is so much *stuff* to throw away. I come from a large family of hoaders and pack rats. I have no idea why my great-grandpa, grandparents, and apparently my mother saved so many empty boxes and packing peanuts. The older generation never threw away any empty containers or cans or jars. There is so much actual garbage. It is mind boggling. Once it got too hot we stopped working and enjoyed the water. It is supposed to be in the 100s all week.

Today is Kam's Pday. We had two funny emails from him and got to video chat with him! It was so good to see his face and to hear his voice. Sounds like things are going well and that he is enjoying his area and his companions. He is in Oakdale, MN. His area includes the temple. He is in a trio companionship with two Elders that he enjoys. One is from Utah. It is hilarious to hear about "Utah Mormons" and to hear his bafflement about the things they do and say. They are a different breed. He really had no idea! LOL. He is staying busy and teaching people. They do a lot of service work and try to exercise each day. Their ward feeds them well! The members provide dinners to them most every night. He is learning a lot and growing a lot. I am so glad that we get to have these weekly video chats!! What a gift!

It's a very weird feeling to be down to only two kids in the house. Johnsons Party of Four is going to take some getting used to.

Day 137: 7-28-20 (Tuesday)

Today was another hot one. It was in the 100s. Tyler and I continued to work and get rid of garbage and junk at the lake property. Not a good day with sibling interactions once again; just when I think things cannot get any worse they amp up ten times as bad. I turned off my phone and headed out to enjoy the beauty of the lake and the lovely water.

It worked! We enjoyed the day as a family!

It was such a pretty night when the sun started to go down behind the cliff wall. The light was gorgeous!

We did another lovely sunset boat cruise on the lake and played games. Tyler taught us all to play Yahtzee. I used to know how to play. It seemed sort of familiar! The girls had fun learning a new game!

And apparently eating chocolate! Ha ha!

Day 138: 7-29-20 (Wednesday)

Today was yet another hot 100 degree day! We have had to use two umbrellas on the dock all week.  We boated most of the day and did a bunch of wakeboarding.

This is prime time out at the lake and it is super busy with boats everywhere like this fishing boat that was coming right at Bryn! Good grief! We did some paddleboarding when the sun started to go down and the lake quieted a bit.

We also attempted to cut Beverly's Freddy Kruger claws via a way the girls saw on YouTube:

Yes, that is Bryn with her head wrapped in Saran Wrap with peanut butter on her head hoping it would keep Beverly occupied and licking away while her nails got trimmed.

It worked for like 1 minute and then Bev was over it and we had to do it the usual way which she hates! Every night we go out onto the dock at 9 pm (sunset) and listen to someone on the lake play taps. It's beautiful and we love it. Sometimes someone else on the lake will play the bagpipes...like tonight...even better! Then we came in a played more Yahtzee!

Day 139: 7-30-20 (Thursday)

Today was weirdly quiet on the lake but I'm not complaining. It was perfect to wakeboard without dodging boats. Reilly and Hunter came out and we had so much fun! It is weird to be a small group out at the lake. I had high hopes for sharing our lake time with friends and cousins. COVID has really messed that up. But nights like this with just our family are also awesome!

Hunter in his now infamous *lake attire*. LOL!

Ailey showing off her color coordinated bathing beauty attire!!

We boated, wakeboarded, and tubed for hours!! Those Johnson girls are some hard core tubers!! The three of them in one tube was HYSTERICAL! Reilly and Bryn demanded a wild ride and Ailey was holding on for dear life! Tyler and I laughed our heads off!



We stayed out so late on the water that Tyler had to turn the boat lights on and by the time we docked it was dark and around 9:30 pm. We realized that we never even stopped to eat dinner so we did what my mom and grandma always did on nights like this... We made hot buttered cheerios and chocolate malted milk shakes. This was also the go-to for game nights and movie nights. Hunter had these delicacies for the very first time and he enjoyed them!! Hot buttered Cheerios sound weird but they are delicious. My great-grandpa started doing this... you melt butter in a frying pan and cook the Cheerios in butter until they are crisp and browned. Then you salt them and serve. They are so good! Our family would rather eat them than popcorn.



Day 140: 7-31-20 (Friday)

Another super hot 100 plus degree day! It definitely was the right week to be at the lake! We have been downing these popsicles like crazy! They are the Monster Pops Sours Blue Raspberry Lemonade. We highly recommend!! Reilly and Hunter came out again. We had swimming competitions, dinner, and then a fun game night. We played the infamous Quelf.

I have so many funny memories of my mom playing this game. We laughed all night! Another fun night with the kids!