No Excuses-Just Lazy and ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!!

To all of you who have given up on me....I don't blame you.  There really is no good reason for not writing in the blog since Disneyland, but I think that I do have some good excuses.  Here is a list of my best excuses:
Excuse #1.  While in Disneyland we were notified that the offer we put on a home had gone through--so we moved into a new (to us) home in Springville in May.
Excuse #2.  Just when we were starting to get settled, Payton was on the computer and won a million dollars!!  That is what the link told him and in the process a killer virus was downloaded that destroyed our computer.  Our attempts to find a computer have been in vain.  And turns out the whole million dollar scheme was a scam!
Excuse #3.  Just when things were starting to settle down Payton decided to go wreck on his bike.  The handlebars hit him in the stomach and he had a hard time catching his breath.  After saying a little prayer, he decided that he needed to go to the doctor.  Turns out that he had lacerated his liver.  July 3rd is now when we celebrate Liver Day--Just like the Thompson's.  After three days at Primary Childrens he was sent home and told not to run or jump for eight weeks.  Never thought that I would tell my young son to quit running outside and to come in, sit on the couch, and watch more TV!!
Excuse #4. No computer.
Excuse #5.  The start of school.  Taylor is a sophomore at SHS, Baylee is an 8th grader at Mapleton Jr. High, Kelsea is a 5th grader at Brookside, and Payton is in the 2nd grade at Brookside.
Excuse #6.  Football.  I spent most of my Friday nights watching my Red Devils and Saturdays watching my Utes.  Looking back I could have taken a couple of weeks off in November, because the Utes seemed to, but I choose not to. 
Excuse #7.  Notre Dame.  I had the opportunity to go back to South Bend and watch the Utes play Notre Dame.  What a fantastic place.  Thanks Age, Marthea, Jeff, Jennie and Jeff Park.  It was a blast.  There was a  drunk, young, female, Notre Dame fan who asked me the same question multiple times, and my answer is still the same--"No, a Ute is not a Mormon with a lot of wives!"
Excuse #8.  In late November I hurt my hand and couldn't type.  You see I was playing football, my team was up by a point with under five seconds left.  I made one heck of an athletic play and blocked the field goal...no wait that was Brandon Burton that did that!  Had to fit that in somewhere.
Excuse #9.  The Las Vegas Bowl and Jimmer Fredette.  Both were like car wrecks for me as a Ute fan.  Both were ugly moments where I should have turned my head and looked away, but just had to sit and admire an opponent who could not be stopped.  I just can't hate Jimmer, but I sure don't like Boise.
Excuse #10.  Truth is that I have spent too much time enjoying the time I have with my kids that I have just not taken the time to share it with others.

I will try and do better.  As soon as I can I will download some pictures from the moment's I shared.  Life is not always easy, but it sure is good.  The Lord continues to bless us with more than we probably deserve.

One Day More

Spent our last full day in California today. We hit all of the rides that the kids wanted one more time and then spent some time shopping. Even had a turkey leg--it was worth it Tim. I am trying to get to sleep early so that we can leave a little early. Need to get home and put together a lesson for High Priests. The kids picked out their souvenir, and we went to dinner. The kids are now out at the pool for one last swim. Not looking forward to the long drive or the cold weather, but it will be nice to get home. Pictures to come.

Hooray for Hollywood!

Scratch one off the old bucket list. For some reason, I have always wanted to go to Hollywood. Now maybe I have already been there, but I always have wanted to take my family there. Since we decided to take a vacation from our vacation, I thought that it would be fun to take the 30 mile jaunt to Hollywood. It turned out to be a really fun day.
We went to the "Walk of Fame" located outside of the Kodak Theatre and the famous Chinese Theatre. There we met all kinds of people dressed as famous people. We had pictures taken with Snoopy, Michael Jackson, and Jack Skeleton even swept Taylor off of her feet. I looked up the exact location of Cary Grant's star and made Deborah's day. It was cool to see all of the stars and places that I have only seen on TV. But man are there some weird people in this world....
After seeing the Walk of Fame, I wanted to take the kids to get a good look at the Hollywood sign with the hopes of getting a good picture or two. After driving for what Payton thought were hours, we found ourselves at the observatory. Great view of Los Angeles, but not close to the sign. We then finally asked for directions (actually Deb did-its a guy thing) and found a good place to take a photo--right in the middle of a busy road. Item two off the bucket list.
It is hard to believe that the trip ends tomorrow. We have one more day at Disneyland and are planning to hit it hard. I really hope that the kids have had fun. This has been a great trip. We have a lot to look forward to when we get home, but I am just going to focus on tomorrow and then the long drive home. Pictures to come.....

Its the Happiest Place on Earth so just be quiet and enjoy it!!!

The title of this post seems to say it all. Today was another great day, but we all seem to be going to bed a little tired and a lot ornery. We woke up later than usual, and made it to Disneyland around noon. There we met up with Riley and his family. We rode Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, went through the Haunted Mansion, conquered Indiana Jones, and finished it off with a little ride to find Nemo. The only real bummer for the day was when we found out that Thunder Mountain Railroad was closed for yearly maintenance. At least we could ride the Matterhorn, but every time we went by it was broken down, so that did not happen. Riley and I decided that we would eat dinner at the ESPN Zone so that at least we could watch the Jazz game, then they lost. It was a long day and nerves were close to the surface. I think that we almost need a vacation from the vacation. Once we left the park the kids were happy though because they ended the day in the pool with their cousins. It's ironic that we spend all of this money to come to California and see Mickey, but my kids would just rather spend time with their cousins and swim. I know that I am supposed to be teaching my children, but I continue to be taught by them. They are not really concerned with things, they just love to be around people who love them. At home they are the happiest with their cousins, whether it's with Becky's kids or Keli's kids or Riley's kids. It doesn't matter so long as they get to spend time with family. My children have taught me that it's not where you are that matters, it's who you are spending your time with. I honestly believe that they would be just as happy at a motel in Provo, as long as there was a swimming pool there and cousins to play with.
The weather has been great, not too hot, but not cold enough to need a jacket. Didn't take too many pictures today, but those that I did take will be posted when I get home. Too hard to download them on my laptop. Time for bed.

California Dreaming and Screaming!!!!

I am way too tired to post, but I will try anyways. I am sorry to point out that there will not be any pictures with the original post, again too tired. We spent all day at California Adventure. All Payton has been talking about since we decided to come to Disney was that he was now tall enough to ride the California Screamer. Needless to say he was not disappointed. I think all in all he rode the thing five or six times, the last couple of times he was on the front. Crazy kid. He did seem to love it though. All of the kids had a great time. We have only been back at the hotel for 10 minutes and they are all asleep. That is a sign that we had a good day.
We spent the day with Riley and his family again. The kids had a ball pairing off and riding rides together. I think that we rode every ride that we wanted to at least once. I even rented a "Jazzy" scooter for Deb. The rest of the week she will just have to settle with the regular old wheelchair, but everyone should be able to live the good life for a day. The pictures of her driving the thing are funny. She even challenged two old ladies to a race. We then had dinner at a nice Mexican Restaurant in Downtown Disney, and then finished the night dancing to a band next to the Disneyland Hotel. It was late, we were all tired. For those of you who know me that is a deadly, and embarrassing combination. Yes I danced. I danced long, and I danced my heart out. Napoleon Dynamite has nothing on me..except a little more, well a lot more, hair. I think that I thoroughly embarrassed my kids. Unfortunately for me Taylor caught the whole thing on video. I am sure that she will attempt to give it up to the highest bidder. But it would do her well to remember who puts a roof over her head and feeds her. Maybe if I am brave I will post a little of my glorious dancing on the blog. Maybe not.
Pictures will come later...maybe even a little video. Depends on how tired I am tomorrow.

California Here We Are!!!!

Well, we made it. After a long drive that included a diet of licorice and Cheese-its, we finally made it to our hotel. See the beautiful picture taken by Taylor of the view from our balcony--not sure what the picture is supposed to show, but I included it anyway. Since it had been a good 24 hours since we had decent food, we decided that we would go and have a nice dinner. The kids picked Joe's Crab Shack. Never been there myself, but we had a lot of fun. Still not convinced that I have had decent food yet.

Since yesterday was spent mostly in the car, we decided that today we would take it easy at the beach. It was cloudy, and the breeze made it a little chilly sometimes, but that did not seem to stop the kids from enjoying the time there. Beats the heck out of spending the day in school.

Kelsea was the most enthusiastic--braving the surf and really enjoying herself. Payton spent most of the time finding seaweed and putting it into a big pile. Have no clue why but he really enjoyed himself. Taylor chilled out on the blanket and listened to music. She is growing up too fast for my liking. Baylee spent most of her time with others--like Riley's little girl Brynlee and the other younger kids who needed someone to play with. She always seems to be looking out for everyone else. We found a lot of shells and even some live hermit crabs. Hopefully none of them made it into the van.

Deb and I just relaxed and took it all in. Deb really seems to be having a lot of fun and even braved the surf with the help of her kids. I think that I have seen her smile and heard her laugh more in the past two days than I have in a year. It was also nice to be with Riley's family and Stephanie's brother Scott and his family. The kids had a great time. We are now exhausted and ready to go to bed with dreams of Disneyland dancing in our heads.

Enjoy the pictures. Hopefully more to come.

Good...no GREAT day!!!!

Our Gang of Six

The Whole Gang--almost 50 of us!!!!

Some days are better than others, and Saturday April 17th was one of the best! It started in the morning with the annual MS Walk. The walk is organized by the State MS Organizations. We have been participants for the past three years. Our team never seems to raise the most money, but we always have a large group of family, friends, and neighbors that turn out to walk to help find a cure for MS, and help show our support for Deborah. It is the memories that are made on this walk that help get us through the hard times of the year.

We always have great support from our family and friends. All of Scott's brothers and sisters, as well as their kids were there. Deb's mom, her brother Glenn, Chris Hart, along with some neighbors and close friends came to show their support, many for the third year in a row. Each of us had a sign telling why we were walking. Mine simply said "for my wife." One of Deborah's friends husband, Kendall Redmond, added another reason why he was walking. In his words he was walking because "Life is too short to suck." I could not agree more.

Marie, Deborah, and Glenn...and Shasta

One of the neatest things about this years walk was the support that our children received from their friends. Taylor had a handful of friends walk with us, and Baylee had her friend Ashton there to lend her support.

Taylor's Gang

Baylee and Ashton

To all of you who came, we cannot thank you enough. It is your love and support that gets us through each day. We love you and look forward to seeing everyone there next year and we continue to hope and pray for a cure for this disease. If it could be cured by love, Deb would be the most healthy person on Earth. You all showed us that.

Part Two of a great day:

Future Gamer?

Payton and I went to the Red and White game at the U. I have always enjoyed the game, and really like the fact that my boy was the one pushing me to go. He was excited to be there with cousins, but was more excited to go onto the field and get some autographs and see some of the players. The highlight of the day was running into Eric Weddle. For those who know me, you know how I feel about Weddle. I think that he is a class act. Payton had him sign his football, and also had a picture taken with him. He told Eric that all he wants for Christmas is a powder blue Weddle Chargers jersey. The kid knows how to really suck up.

Payton and Eric Weddle

He was able to get all of the autographs that he wanted, including one from Shaky Smithson and Brian Johnson.

After the autograph session, Payton spent some time on the field. We played catch, and ran around. He even caught one of my passes at the goal line and ran 100 yards the other way for a TD. Payton was fascinated with the turf and the little rubber pellets that make it soft. He also thought that the whole experience was "the best day of my life....until we get to Disneyland."

Below are some pictures that I took from our experience on the field.

100 Yards is a long way to run


Thank you again to all of our family and friends. We are so blessed and are grateful for all that you do to support us.

MS Walk

Just want to let all of you know that the MS Walk is scheduled for April 17th. In the past we have had a great time at the walk, and the turn-out from family and friends has been inspiring. It really helps Deb battle this disease when she knows that there are so many people who love and support her.

For those of you who have joined us for the walk in the past, we hope you can join us again. For those who are interested in walking this year for the first time, please contact us. Our hope is that we can raise some money so that one day we can live in a world free from MS.

Happy Birthday Payton!!

I can't believe that my boy is now 7 years old. Here are 7 things that I love about Payton:

1. His tender heart

2. His high pitched voice--reminds me of his Uncle Riley at his age

3. The fact that he always waits for me to tuck him in at night

4. The fact that he loves that his middle name is Scott

5. How much he enjoys life--he hardly ever sits still

6. He reminds me that I need to be a good example because he repeats everything I say and do

7. He knows every word to "Utah Man"

Happy Birthday Payton

Summer of Fun

As you can see from Taylor's excitement, we had a great time as a family this Summer. I would have to say that this has been the best Summer of my life, and it's because I spent most of it with my wife and kids.

Even though the summer was great, I admit that I am now sick and tired of the hot weather. Anyone who knows me, knows that this is my favorite time of year. I love the start of school, football season, and the normal reprieve that we get this time of year from the hot weather. But for some reason it is still too hot. I guess mother nature is just making up for the wet June that we had.

We did have a lot of fun as a family this Summer. I wish my kids would stay the way that they are right now forever. No diapers to change, but no one old enough to drive yet. Simply perfect. One of the favorite outings of the summer was our hike to Bridal Veil Falls. I hate to admit it, but it was the first time that I had ever hiked to the falls. I guess that may be one of the reasons that I have a weight problem. Even though it was a first, it definetly won't be the last. The kids had fun and Deb and I enjoyed the cool mist from the falls. Great time.

On July 25th, Grandma and Grandpa Johnson rented the large pavilion at Deer Creek. We spent the day boating, eating (again part of my weight problem), and enjoying each others company. The kids played in the sand and swam in the lake. The water was warm and the weather was perfect. Taylor spent most of the day with the boy who is the love of her life, her cousin Jackson. By the end of the day we were all tired, but no one wanted to go home. Can't wait to do it again next year. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa J!!!

Hope you enjoy the pictures. Now will someone please turn off the heat!!

Johnson Family "Pool Party"

HI. Its Taylor, -Again!!!- Oh yeah. I'm doing another post!!!
This year we didn't go to our usual place for a family get-together, Our wonderful Grandparents/Great-Grandparents rented out the big pavilion at Deer Creek. It was amazing!! The water was beautifully warm, and the sun was good. (A little too good.) I don't think not wearing sunblock was smart for any of us. It was amazing. We used Grandpa's boat, and were pulled on a tube. Me and my mom were about to fall off... too much weight on the back for the tube to handle. She was screaming, "GO TO THE FRONT!!!! GO TO THE FRONT!!!" and I was trying my hardest to move up front. After a great lunch, i slept by Cayson and Parker and slept through the rest of the day. I missed Stacy riding the tube and falling off. which sounded like something i'd like to watch.
I went in the car to get something, and realized that we didn't use the camera. So I snapped lots of last-minute photos. I wish I'dve gone into a photography class... Its really a lot of fun.

Well i Think i covered most of it.
Till Next Time!!!

The Great Western Adventure!! Good Ride Cowboys!!!

Hey everyone! Its Taylor doing this post, and i think that i will do alright. Lets see...

Last week we went to Birdseye and rode horses. Me and Baylee got to ride first, and we took over an hour with Weston out in the sagebrush on the hunting grounds. After, we dismounted (got off for all you non-horsey-people) and ate some yummy pizza and brownies made by Richard's wife, Melanie.

We even got my mom to ride the Beautiful mule, Action -The one with HUGE ears-. When she swung around to try to get on, she almost flew off in the other direction. Richard had to catch her by her leg and pull her back on.

(The Sorrel/Chestnut -reddish orange- is Peaches, and the Bay-dark brown with black- is Stormy, and as you know, the bay one -with the long ears- is Action)

My mom teased my dad so much that he couldn't ride a horse, that he eventually gave up and mounted Action and walked her around the long pen.
To add to the fun, we put the horses in the round pen and Richard gathered up some cows and had all the little kids chasing them trying to touch one. If i can get this video thing to work, you will see Payton's sprint isn't even close to that cow's trot.

Meanwhile, me and Baylee and Kelsea were on the beautiful horses in the round pen. and again, if i can't get the video to work, i'm going to scream. ha-ha. Well whenever Action sped up, if you can view the video, then you can see that i sped her up and the others followed.

well we all got really tired, and it was really fun. my dad said it was like disneyland to us kids. only less expensive. :) Ha-Ha. well, that's all for this post.

Just Trying to Keep Our Eyes on the Ball

I just love that picture. It was taken after the U's Spring Game, but more about that later. I hope that everyone has not given up on me and my quest to keep this blog updated. I would make up some excuse as to why it has been so long between posts, like the fact that Taylor is always on the computer, or that life has been really busy, or that I spend all of my time on Facebook (I have never been on Facebook), or some other excuse that would explain my absence from the blogging world. But the fact is that simply I have dropped the ball, and for that I apologize. I don't know who I am actually apologizing to, but I really am sorry.

Now comes the part where I try and fit almost seven months worth of news into one post. Here goes nothing. By the way I just noticed that the U button on my keyboard is sticking.....Taylor!!!!

In March we celebrated Baylee's Birthday. Instead of having a friend party she decided that she wanted to "sluff" school and go to breakfast and to a movie with her Mom and Grandma. I don't officially condone the sluffing of school, but she did have a great time.

In April we looked forward to the start of Spring and again participated in the MS walk in Provo. It was a great day, and the rain even held out until we finished. I am not sure of the total number of people that walked in our group, but I think that it was around 50. We are so grateful for all of the family and friends that came out to support Deborah in her fight. We feel your love and prayers, and are grateful for all of you. I can't find the pictures that were taken on that day, but I do know that Deb posted them on her facebook page.

Johnson Tire celebrated it's 85th anniversary in April. All of us received red shirts that we wore to the big party. It's amazing that a family business has lasted that long without all of us killing each other. The kids had fun eating hot dogs and playing in the tires.

We celebrated Easter as a family, and Grandma Chris had her traditional egg hunt with her favorite people on earth (notice that I am not in the picture).

The Spring game for the University of Utah was also in April. I took the kids, at least the three that like me, and we went to the game. It was a lot of fun. The kids enjoyed being with a lot of their cousins, and they liked meeting the players on the field after the game. All of the players were so nice. The kids stood in line for autographs, and talked with the players. I think that their favorites were meeting Coach Whit and Robert Johnson.

Payton thinks that we may be related to Robert, but I am not so sure.

Look at the picture below and you make the decision.

In May we all got ready for school to get out. The kids all did well and made it on to the next grade. Baylee and Taylor will both be with me at Mapleton Jr. next year. Baylee is excited, and I think that Taylor is just trying to tolerate it for one more year until she is officially in high school. That is scary.

By the end of the month of May and the beginning of June we were heavily involved in activities. Payton played tee-ball, and Kelsea decided to try softball this year. Baylee and Taylor kept busy watching kids and getting ready for Girls Camp, which they seemed to enjoy.

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson were the Grand Marshall's of the Art City Days Parade.

They insisted on ditching the traditional convertible for a fire truck that they could share with their great grandchildren.

The roses in our yard started to bloom, and Taylor took some really cool pictures. Payton did not want his picture taken with stupid flowers, so she was kind and took one of him under the neighbors tree.

June seemed to fly by like it usually does. We took a few trips to see my mom at Shadow Mountain (no pictures, forgot the camera). Payton has decided that when he grows up he wants to teach school so that he can work there. We also took a trip one evening to the Manti Pageant. It was a late night, but a lot of fun (can't take pictures if you don't have a camera). It was nice to spend an evening with the family talking about spiritual things. We need to do that more.

Now it is July. Softball and tee-ball are over (thank heavens). It finally stopped raining, but has turned hot, and our little house does not have central air. We spend most evenings out in the yard enjoying the shade of Grandpa Earl's (our neighbor) tree while watching his flowers bloom. We enjoy our ward, and the kids have made some good friends.

All in all, we feel blessed. We have a roof over our heads, and I am pretty sure that no one has ever gone to bed hungry unless they chose to. Deborah has started going to another doctor who has changed her medication, and she seems to be doing better. It is nice to see her enjoying life again.

Well, I think that is about it. It is 1:15am, and I am ready to go to sleep. I don't know how Danielle Thompson does it. I will try and do a little better at keeping things current, but I am not making any promises. One thing that I will promise is that I am going to do all I can to make some memories with my family in the month of Summer that we have left. I will keep you posted....maybe.

Scott

M.S. Walk -ONE STEP AT A TIME

I have the best family. They have been so supportive of me and my family. In Feb of '08 I was diagnosed with M.S. Shortly after that, I learned of the M.S. walk in Provo. I called Scott's family and my family and friends to see if they would help raise money and join us on the 3 mile walk. Most of Scott's brothers and sisters brought their families to walk. His mom and my mom were also there to support us. One of my childhood friends that I hadn't seen or talked to since high school came with her daugher and dog. Many other family members who could not make it made donations to the MS foundation. It was a great day, and it showed me that I am not alone in my struggle. It meant so much to me. I tear up every time I think about it. We had so much fun, and we all agreed to try and make it an annual event. My brother in law Riley was all pumped up about getting matching shirts next time we walked.

Well, that time has come. The walk this year is April 25th, in Provo. If anyone is interested in walking with us ( its only 3 miles, very easy walk ) you can go to my web page and sign up, we would love to have anyone who can come. My web page is http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/deborah.fisk.johnson the password is deborahjohnson. I again want to thank my family and friends who came to walk with me and who support me every day. I love you all, I couldn't ask for a better family. Love Deborah. :)

I've Been Tagged

Here is my (Scott) Top 5 Addictions:

5. 24--I love that show. I have to admit that a whole year off made me a little worried, but I am glad that Jack Bauer is back making sure that I am safe. He is one bad dude.

4. The Office--"That's what she said". This show really makes me laugh. I start laughing when they show Dwight in the intro and I don't stop until the show is over.

3. Chili-Cheese Nachos from 7-11. I know it sounds gross, but there is really nothing better after midnight than stale nachos with chili, nacho cheese, and jalapeno peppers. I always pay for it the next morning, but I always seem to go back for more.

2. Utah Football--At the risk of making half of my family mad. I hope that I am not one of those "rub it in your face" fans, but I have watched the Byu game and the Sugar Bowl at least 20 times each. Every time I watch it the Utes win and I am happy. I don't think that being a Ute fan will keep me out of heaven, will it?

1. Diet Coke--I only need it to make my headaches go away. Being a Ute fan may not keep me out of heaven, but this little, okay big, vice just might. My goal during the year was to drink less diet Coke this year than I did last year. So far no good. Sometimes when I feel guilty about all of the diet Coke that I drink I will repent and have a diet Pepsi. Hey, I am a work in progress.

I am not sure how this stupid Tag thing works, but I now tag Tim Thompson, Kyle Johnson, Kalli, Todd Jackson, and Marthea Jackson. If you have already been tagged just relax and have a nice cold diet beverage for me.

Merry Christmas--Our Grateful List

First of all I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season. We just returned home from my sisters house and the annual Christmas Eve dinner. Pictures will come later. In an effort to try and get a little of the Christmas Spirit into our home, I asked each family member to share with each other what they were most grateful for. Here is the answers they gave: (In exact words)

Taylor: Um, I think it would be that my family talks to me about a lot of stuff and they reassure me about a lot of stuff too. I say "stuff" a lot.

Baylee: Our family, this house, and all of our great neighbors.

Kelsea: I am thankful for my parents, and everyone who loves me.

Payton: I am thankful for everyone that loves me and supports me.

Deborah: My family

Scott: I am just thankful that I am surrounded by people that I love

Merry Christmas and Go Utes!!!!!!!

Long Time Coming

I know, I know. Quit your complaining and belly-aching. I have not updated the blog for a while...a long while. I would promise to do better, but we all know that would be a promise broken eventually. Besides, no one leaves messages for me so how do I know that people actually read the blog in the first place?

Life has been hectic since soccer season ended. Here is a list of some of the events along with some pictures that have happened over the time since I last posted:

1. Deer Hunt with the cousins--no the guns aren't loaded...I think

2. A few days and glorioUs nights spent at Utah football games

3. Family Halloween parties--Sorry Kyle but I had to post the picture of your girl

4. The big move from the house on Eldorado Drive

5. The renting of a house about 1/3 the size of our old one

6. Hanging up the Christmas lights and putting up the tree

Life has been hectic. It has been hard to sell a home that we built and thought we would spend the rest of our lives in. Saying goodbye to the friends that we made and to neighbors that we love was difficult. But what we have realized is that the things that matter most in life are still with us. Those things are our Faith and our Family. Our new neighborhood is fantastic. Our home, although small, is comfortable. And we have some of the nicest neighbors that you could ask for. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for all that we have been blessed with.