I feel like things slowly started to feel a bit more normal this month. Still sometimes sad but normalcy is returning little by little. Perhaps it is that my focus is now more on Kameron's health rather than on missing my mom. My concern for Kam took basically all of my focus this month. There were also good things that happened and things to celebrate and I feel that a month that is focused on gratitude was nice and much needed.
In the good news department:
Bryn ran for office at school and was elected as the Student Body Vice-President aka ASB Vice-President. This was exciting! She had to write a speech and give it to the students of her school. She was super nervous about this but she did such a great job! All of our kids have been ASB representatives for their grades but she is the first Johnson to run for office. We are so proud of her hard work and dedication. We celebrated at Baskin Robbins!
Miss Beverly continues to think that she is human and got a new puffy vest that she loves to wear:
What dog sits like this? Just listening to the conversations around her. She cracks me up!
We bought a nicer car for the kids. Our old blue Honda that Kameron drives was on its last leg and we were planning on him driving it until either it dropped or he left for his mission. LOL. Ailey doesn't turn 16 until summer and so we thought that we would buy a new kids car then. Since plans have changed and Kam will be in town longer than anticipated and working two jobs we thought it would be a good time to upgrade. He was pretty stoked about the Camry!
So was Ailey!!
We got Better Than School Pictures and family pictures taken. My friend Amy is so kind to do this!! The day of our photo shoot it was pouring rain and super cold. I really hope they turn out okay. Fingers crossed. We got our pictures taken on Reilly's 23rd (What?!) Birthday!! In between the kids getting their pictures taken we took a few pictures with the birthday girl.
This year has been one of growth for the three of us. We are in a better place than we were last year at this time. It's hard to let go when kids grow up and want to live their lives in ways that are *different* than what we expected. Not bad...just different. Letting go of our expectations and embracing and appreciating all of the good and wonderful things has been key this year...and therapy! No joke. We are all a work in progress but we love one another and our relationships have improved so much this year. Reilly is an amazing young woman and we are super proud of her and all that she has accomplished. We love you Rei-Pie!!
One week later Kameron turned 19!!
These kids have grown up too darn fast! When I started this blog Kameron was 4!! This young man continues to amaze and impress us with his steadfastness, calm, and maturity. His ability to take disappointment in stride and to go forward with a positive attitude is much to be admired. We love you so much Kamers!!
Kameron's birthday is on Veteran's Day. Every year for the past four years we have attended a Veteran's Day Concert. Kameron performed in it the last four years but this year we went just because we wanted to. We love it! A side note...Abbey was playing and had a speaking part... but we would have gone regardless. This is a concert put on soley to thank the veterans in our community. It is patriotic and touching and I love it. I love the feeling that I have when I am there. I am always moved to tears multiple times during the concert and this year was no different. This year I started weeping during the national anthem. I love that our children go to this concert and are reminded that freedom isn't free. I love the veterans that stand (many struggling up from wheelchairs and walkers) as the music from their branch of the armed forces is played and their flag is carried in. I love the history that is shared. I love all the times that God is mentioned. This year a speaker gave the history of the writing of the Star Spangled Banner and all of the historic backstory ...again tears. This concert is a gift to our community. I love being reminded of what our country stands for and how it was founded and continues to be defended. This is good stuff and Tyler and I want our children steeped in love and gratitude.
Abbey giving her recitation. She did a great job!
Watching Kameron sit and chat with Abbey's parents before the concert was a delight on its own. ;)
That weekend we also had a double birthday party for Reilly and Kameron. They picked an interesting menu this year... all kinds of chips and dips...sparkling juices (Reilly's choice) and Spindrifts (Kam's favorite) to drink...and pecan and cherry pies for dessert. They also wanted to have a game night. Done. It was a lot of fun!!
We got a couple of new games for the occasion. We got Pictionary Air, Jimmy Fallon's Best Friends game, and the Awkward Family Photos game. Pictionary Air was meh, Awkward Family Photos was fun, but the Best Friends game was hands down the most hilarious!
We were NOT best friends! Someone *ahem* Tyler...had trouble with this game!
I can't get the most hilarious video of Hunter and Kam to load. Annoying.
I decorated for Thanksgiving and felt that it was nice to have a month focused on gratitude. It helped to keep my priorities, thoughts, and intentions where they needed to be.
Kameron had another cardiology appointment. He had to do a bunch of testing and run on the treadmill. He also received this new attachment...
He had to wear this heart monitor for two weeks. It was pretty slick though. He was given a smart phone that it communicated with and would send data to a group that constantly monitored his heart and would call him if they got worrisome data (which they didn't). He could keep track whenever he felt like he was having tachycardia. It was much better than the old monitors that they used to use but he was definitely glad to turn it back in at the end of the two weeks.
We did get some very good news from all of the tests that Kameron had done. We found out that his particular situation... with his heart and extra electrical current and where it goes in his heart...isn't life threatening. I literally sobbed reading the results. He still needs to have the ablation on December 9th because his tachycardia is pretty regular and it should help with that. But I will take any kind of good news and this was fantastic news!
In other good news...we got this letter sent to us from Bryn's teacher:
That is always nice!!
This letter is from the teacher that is team teaching with our beloved Mrs. A this year while she fights her cancer battle and has all of her treatments. Both are great teachers. Mrs. Mai came out of retirement to help Mrs. A this year. They are good friends. Coincidentally, while we were waiting in the waiting room for Kameron to do all of his cardiac testing we saw Mrs. A who was there for testing too. She wanted to know why we were there and somehow it was very comforting to have Kameron and his favorite teacher there and being tested together. Ailey's teacher who is battling cancer (and is a friend of ours ) is having a rough time right now. This has been a hard year for many people that we love.
A few things that made us laugh and lightened the mood this month:
Bev and her Christmas stocking cap!!
Ailey chopping onions in her swim goggles!!
Bryn had Pajama Day at school!
Tyler and I got to have a lunch date with our boy!
Tyler and Bryn went on a Daddy/Daughter Date to our high school's production of A Sound of Music. Bryn had such a great time! Several of her friends were cast as Von Trapp children and a bunch of kids from our ward and stake were in it.
Then she got to go again the next week with a bunch of her friends from Activity Days and my awesome friend Mary!
Tyler and I took a little day trip to Rockford WA to my friend Teresa's beautiful store Hurd's Merchantile for her Holiday Open House.
Teresa's store is so beautiful and I love that we have this holiday tradition of going there every year!
This picture is from several years ago when I went with my mom. Tyler has come with me several times too. It was really good to see Teresa. She was also friends with my mom and it was my first time seeing her since my mom passed away. She handled things so great! Sometimes you just don't want to discuss it, you know. She just came up and hugged me long and hard and with teary eyes said... "We don't need to discuss it. I know... and you know... and I love you." That was exactly the perfect response that I needed that day. Teresa is a beautiful soul and I love her dearly and treasure her friendship.
This was the perfect place to start feeling the Christmas spirit! I found some great new Christmas decorations for our house and we found some beautiful ornaments for the kids. Teresa pumped us full of hot chocolate and caramels and refused to let us pay for most of what we were buying... "For your mom..." and we hugged and hugged and it was a good day and a good visit. Tyler and I kept up the Christmas shopping momentum and also went to my friend Celeste's darling store Lucky Vintage and then to Rejuvenations too. We found some great things and it was a fun and festive day!
Reilly went on her first business trip to a convention in Seattle. She had a fun time and it was pretty eye opening in many ways. It's interesting to watch her grow and learn in different areas of her life.
My first counselor in our Primary Presidency got called to be in the Stake RS Presidency and with all of the changes in YM we had about 10 callings that needed to be switched up in Primary which was a bit daunting. I think we have it all sorted out now...mostly. I had several home visits which I enjoy. I love visiting my primary kids at home and seeing them in their natural environment. LOL.
This month book club was at my friend Shaelynn's house and we read this book:
This was my first time back at book club in months. I only teared up once...progress. I feel like I am emerging back into my life again. It has been really nice. I have enjoyed being social this month and seeing friends and doing things that feel *normal* again.
One night before Thanksgiving Tyler and I ran out to the lake to drop off a bunch of things that we would need for Thanksgiving weekend. You cannot believe how beautiful it was! The sky was the most gorgeous pink color and the water was like pink glass.
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It didn't last long. Maybe ten minutes but boy was it breathtaking. I have only seen it look like that once before. It was around New Years several years ago and we were at the lake with my mom. The sky and the ice were totally pink. When I saw the pink sky and water it felt like a hug from my mom. This was something special that we had shared that wasn't common knowledge.
Pink ice from 2013
On a less delightful note... 4 days before Thanksgiving Ailey came down with Influenza B! Ugh...are you kidding me?! This was after getting the flu vaccine in September. Once again...Influenza B apparently wasn't in the vaccine mix for 2019. Remember last spring when Tyler, Bryn, Kameron, and I all got Influenza B despite having gotten our flu shots last year too. When I took her into the doctor we were told that they were having patient after patient come in with it. Swell. Luckily with only missing two days of school, getting lots of rest, and staying hydrated; she was feeling better by Thanksgiving and no one else got it!
My siblings and I drew for holidays at the lake and then started a rotation. I got Thanksgiving. I didn't want it. The first major holiday without my mom, one that was often associated with her, and having it at her house just sounded like a recipe for depression. I fretted and worried and dreaded it but then the pink night happened and some how my feelings changed. Pink night out at the lake made me feel like Thanksgiving would be okay and it was.
