With all of the hysterectomy hoopla I forgot to do my Year-in-Review for 2024. I guess I will post it here or try to sandwich it into the part of my blog where it belongs. 2024 was a good year for the Johnsons. Two engagements, a wedding, a new daughter-in-law, and some fun travel!
2024 brought us:
My Uncle Dennis passed away on New Year's Day.
Karson continued to be the light of our lives. Grandparenthood is DIVINE!
Kameron and Ailey are still in college at BYU-Idaho.
Both went back to Rexburg after Christmas not in any kind of relationships and by the end of January both of them were in relationships that they were very excited about. LOL.
Tyler is still working at Avista.
I am still a vendor at Midtown Market.
Bryn played high school basketball on the JV team.
Karson turned one!
Tyler turned 53!
The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl for the second year in a row!
Reilly, Hunter, and Karson moved to Otis Orchards...about 25 minutes away.
Kameron applied for graduation at BYU-I for his AA Degree.
Tyler had his first laser eye surgery.
Bryn ran track on her high school JV team.
Tyler's good friend from high school came to visit. He enjoyed getting to spend time with Joel.
Beverly turned 5!
Bryn participated in a 6 month practicum and worked at her elementary school in a kindergarten class AND with her own kindergarten teacher. She loved it!
I got to attend a special regional leadership meeting and an APOSTLE was there! Elder Neil L. Anderson. This was super exciting for me!
Bryn performed at an orchestra festival and their group scored high!
Bryn participated in a Spring Orchestra Concert.
Bryn was also narrator at our stake's Easter Musical Fireside.
Ailey started working for Melaleuca while going to school.
Tyler and I took a quick trip to Rexburg over Spring Break.
We met Kameron's girlfriend Erin and Ailey's boyfriend Luke. We LOVED them!
Ailey received her endowments in the Rexburg Temple. What a special and sacred experience!
Bryn turned 15!
Ailey's boyfriend Luke turned 21!
Bryn trained to be a lifeguard.
Bryn and I were at the Spokane Temple with the youth when in walked an APOSTLE...Elder Gerrit W. Gong! We got to meet him and his wife. It was a very cool and special experience never to be forgotten!
Ailey and Kameron started spring semester at BYU-I.
Ailey's boyfriend Luke left Rexburg to work summer sales in California.
Kameron met a lot of his girlfriend Erin's family and extended family.
Tyler hit a milestone at work. He is now officially a Trailblazer. He's worked at Avista for 20 years!
Tyler and I celebrated our 29th Anniversary!
We saw the Northern Lights for the first time!! THRILLING!!
Hunter turned 29!
My Aunt Bonnie came to town and it was fun to visit with her!
Tyler had laser eye surgery on his other eye.
Ailey started having some serious health issues. In addition to being pre-type 1 diabetic...we found out that she was also dangerously anemic.
Ailey's boyfriend Luke asked for our permission and blessing to marry Ailey!
At the same time Kameron was asking the same thing of Erin's parents!
Kameron and Erin got ENGAGED!!
Tyler, Bryn, and I took another quick trip to Rexburg to celebrate their engagement and to meet Erin's family who were also in town. So fun!
We all took a little side trip to Jackson, WY.
Bryn played in the end of the year Music Awards Concert.
Bryn also performed with a special youth choir celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Spokane World's Fair.
Bryn's freshman year came to an end.
I turned 52!
Ailey's health continued to deteriorate and she made the decision to move home for the rest of the summer. This was such a good decision and allowed her to be monitored and treated by her regular doctors. We were so happy to have her home!
Kameron and Erin traveled to CA to spend time with Erin's parents and to start planning their wedding!
Bryn got hired as a lifeguard. Her first job! She LOVED it!
Luke came to Spokane for a visit!
Ailey turned 20!
Bryn got called to be the 1st counselor in the older girls YW presidency.
Ailey started working at our gym again.
Luke and Kameron and Erin all came up for the 4th of July and our lake time. We had a ball with all of them here!
Ailey and Luke got ENGAGED!!
Wedding prep for Kameron and Erin was going full force!
Ailey's iron levels remained critically low and she started getting iron infusions.
I started having some postmenopausal bleeding and learned that I need to have a hysterectomy. Ugh.
Bryn went to Girls Camp. She was a 4th year. She had a great time!
We got into pickleball!
Kameron and Erin came back to town for Kam's best friend's wedding. Erin got to meet all of Kam's best friends from here. We had so much fun with Erin!
It was the Summer Olympics. They were held in Paris.
There was an assassination attempt on Trump.
Joe Biden dropped out of the Presidential race and Kamala Harris is the nominee.
Kameron graduated from BYU-Idaho with his AA degree!!
Kameron came home for a quick visit and to get some medical tests done.
Kameron changed his mind about becoming a pilot and wants to do Emergency Management instead.
Ailey and I did all the temple work for my step-mother Gayle.
I got my first colonoscopy. Oh joy. Thankfully all was well.
We all traveled to San Francisco (along with Kirk and his family) for Kameron and Erin's wedding!! We had THE BEST TIME!!
Erin turned 22!
KAMERON AND ERIN GOT MARRIED!! One of the best days of my life!
Their wedding at the Oakland, CA Temple and their reception were both AMAZING!!
Kameron and Erin went on their honeymoon. A cruise to the Bahamas!
Kameron and Erin moved to Utah.
Bryn started her junior year of high school.
Bryn played on the high school volleyball team.
Bryn joined FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) at school.
Tyler, Ailey, and I traveled to Rexburg to take Ailey back to college.
Luke is back in Rexburg going to BYU-I.
Tyler and I drove to Utah to see Kameron and Erin after we dropped off Ailey. So fun!
Kameron started working as a rental coordinator at a trailer dealership while he gets residency in Utah.
Erin is still going to BYU-I but online and working from home as customer service agent for a mortgage company.
Ailey started a new job in Rexburg as a prescription insurance specialist.
Bryn was elected to the Sophomore Class Student Council!
Tyler's mom and sister moved from Utah to Silverton, OR. Absolutely shocking but we are happy to have them closer.
Reilly started taking boxing classes downtown at a real boxing gym and LOVED it!
Bryn went to Homecoming with friends.
President Nelson announced in October General Conference that a temple will be built in in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho!! So exciting!
We saw the Northern Lights again!! We could see them even clearer with our natural eyes. Miraculous!
Our Presidency got released after 4 1/2 years of serving in the Stake Primary Presidency.
Tyler and I took a trip to Silverton, OR to visit his mom and sister in their new town and help get them settled. We LOVED Silverton!!
We visited with my cousin Wendy and her family while we were there.
Bryn played in her Fall Orchestra Concert.
Tyler and I attended the Spokane is Reading event and got to listen to the author Debra Magpie Earling speak.
We had a fun Halloween and got to hang out with Karson. He was a cute Minion! Grandkids are fun!
Reilly turned 28!
Kameron turned 24!
Kameron got called to be the YM's Secretary in his ward.
Erin got called to be the ward choir pianist.
I got called to be an advisor in the YW. It's fun. I'm over the youngest girls what used to be the Beehives. I love it. It's fun to be with Bryn too.
Donald Trump got elected President of the United States for the second time. JD Vance is the Vice President.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Lake Coeur d' Alene.
Ailey, Luke, Kameron, and Erin spent Thanksgiving Day with their in-law families and then went to Kirk's the day after Thanksgiving.
Kameron and Erin got their first dog. A golden retriever named Dwight. He is darling! Our first grand dog!
Wedding Plans for Ailey and Luke started full force!
Bryn played in the orchestra at the Winter Concert.
I prepped for my upcoming hysterectomy.
All the kids came home for Christmas and New Years!
Our first Christmas with Erin!
We had a great holiday season with all of our family together!!
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While 2024 started out on a bit of a sad note with the loss of a once beloved and now estranged (his choice) uncle to cancer... I was glad that he was no longer suffering. I feel for his family. He was the glue of their family like my mom was for our family and now he is gone too. Thankfully the rest of the year was full of some very HIGH HIGHS! Two engagements and a wedding! New family members! It is all so exciting! Tyler and I are thrilled with the amazing people that our children have chosen to spend their lives with. Cutie Pie Karson continues to thrill and delight! He is a joy! Grandparenthood continues to be the most splendid gift.
What I learned in 2024?
God will give us beauty for ashes. When my extended family imploded and everyone and everything that I thought I knew and counted on were gone it was hard. Now I see our family growing and expanding and becoming the most beautiful thing in the world. The family that Tyler and I are building is now taking on a life of its own and at a marvelous pace. I don't long or mourn or even miss what was because what is now is so incredibly exciting and thrilling and toxic free!
What do I want more of in 2025?
More people joining this family...through marriage (Luke) and possibly more grandchildren. I want this family growing and thriving. Everyone healthy and well...physically, mentally, spiritually. I want more joy and laughter and love and fun and travel. I want Ailey and Luke's wedding and reception to go well and be another incredibly special day for all of us!
What do I want to look differently in 2025?
Not much. This has been a great year! I would like less health issues for Tyler and Ailey and everyone. I'd love to lose some of this menopausal weight. I'd love the figure out what I want to do for a living in addition to my Sisters Creed business. I'd like to set aside more time for friends. I'd like some good momentum on the big goals that Tyler and I have set and are working towards.
What will I remember about 2024?
That it was another year for the record books! Two of our kids got ENGAGED to wonderful people and our first child got MARRIED!! What an incredible experience!!
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2024 Goal Review
This year I accomplished 73% of the goals that I set which is down 1% from 2023. But 73% is still a respectable percentage! Big exciting family events occurred. Dreaded medical procedures were finally done. A lot of travel occurred and our kids did great things! Tyler and I got released after years in stake callings and are happy to be back in our home ward and going to church with Bryn. We have good relationships with all of our children (and in-law kids) and adore our grandson. We enjoy where we live and the people who surround us. We've gotten to spend time with my brother and his family and Tyler's mom and sister. I think we've done great this year!
Books
I had a much better reading year than last year. It's hard to believe but last year I was still coming out my pandemic funk. This year I found some fun books and regained my reading momentum. I hope it lasts!
Favorite Books of 2024
1.) The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Series by Beth Brower
2.) The Inheritance Game Series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
3.) A Court of Thorn and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas
4.) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
5.) My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand
I'm a series girl and when I find a good absorbing series I am in reading heaven! The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series is HANDS DOWN my favorite series and the seven best books that I read in 2024. The Inheritance Game series kept me entertained and turning the pages during the winter. The ACOTR series I read because Reilly was into them and it was fun to read them alongside her. Then All the Light We Cannot See is a stunningly beautiful book and My Name is Barbra was an immersive experience as I listened to the audiobook that is narrated by her and included snippets of her exquisite voice singing many of her famous songs. It also made me feel close to my mom who was a big Barbra fan.
Worst Books of 2024
1.) Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
I DO NOT get the hype. This book was so incredibly boring.
2.) The Librarian of Crooked Lane by C.J. Archer
This was a book club pick that was a stinker. I didn't like it at all.
3.) Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
This book was so boring and unengaging. I hated it and also don't get the hype on this one.
Book Stats
I read 53 books in 2024.
Fiction: 44
Nonfiction: 9
Classics: 4
YA: 8
Middle Grade: 2
Memoir: 6
Buddy Reads with Tyler: 8
Book Club Books: 11
I didn't read nearly as much nonfiction this year and I read a lot more YA.
Favorite Social Media Follows
1.) Moseh: Mo News
2.) The Food Nanny
3.) Tried and True Moms
4.) My Kids
5.) Laura Tremaine: Ten Things to Tell You
Favorite Apps
1.) TikTok
2.) Instagram
3.) Goodreads
4.) BeReal
5.) Spotify
Favorite Podcasts
1.) Currently Reading (Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb)
2.) Ten Things to Tell You (Laura Tremaine)
3.) Smartless (Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes)
4.) Happier (Gretchen Ruben and Liz Craft)
5.) Church History Matters (Scott Woodward and Casey Griffiths)
Favorite Activities of 2024
1.) Kameron and Erin's Wedding!!!!
2.) Kameron & Erin's Engagement and Ailey and Luke's Engagement!
3.) Trip to San Francisco with our family and Kirk's family!
4.) Hayden Lake with all of the kids and their new significant others!
5.) The trip Tyler and I took to Silverton, Oregon.
6.) All of the kids home for Christmas!
And that's a wrap for 2024!
(Now to insert this into the blog where it goes chronologically.)
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