Where have you been?

I'm so glad B did a little writing on the blog last week. San Francisco was such an AMAZING experience! And B is right, I wouldn't mind it one bit if he "happened" to apply to Google and we "happened" to move out to Mountain View, CA. But that's for another day.

You have to forgive me for not posting anything for a long time. My sister acted relieved when I told her B posted an update. Has it really been that long?

Looking through my photos, I guess it has:

Chee Chee had a birthday. Her 14th, to be exact.

(Grandpa writing his balloon wish for Chee)

(My adorable P)

(Getting ready for the balloon launch)

*Check out Carson's balloon. Awesome.*

**Check out my B. Double Awesome.**

Easter Sunday was an all-family event.

We ended up at Shaw's for Tay's birthday, but we started out in Saratoga Springs to hear B's mom speak in sacrament. She did such a good job, that my eyes started to leak. (okay, that's not hard to do) But, her sweet spirit was so radiant as she bore testimony of the Savior. As I sat on the bench listening to her, I gave a prayer of thanks to Heavenly Father for such wonderful women in my life and the wonderful grandparents my children will be blessed with.

P.S....

Speaking of wonderful women in my life...

Mother's Day 2011

I LOVE my mother-in-law. I feel very grateful for that.

She:

LOVES her family

Raised an INCREDIBLE son

(He got her patient and gentle genes. There is hope for our kids.)

Is ADORED by the little kids in Primary

And is the GREATEST Cougar fan in the world.

Could you ask for anything more?

*Plus her tulips are amazing. Just sayin'.

(I am feeling terrible because I forgot to take a pic of me and my mom on Mother's Day.

I decided to use this picture of the fam at Chee's party.)

I LOVE my mom.

She:

LOVES her family.

Raised 4 "fairly" independent and STRONG children.

(Interpret "strong" however you like: strong-headed, stubbornly strong, strong musclos...wait no not that one.)

Is a fantastic LAUGHER.

ADORES the youth she's served and they adore her.

The CRAFTIEST woman I've ever met.

Would spend hours in her garden, if life would let her.

I love you grasshopper!

*********************

In other news, I think I've kicked the "lovely" bug that's invaded my body for the past week to THE CURB.

Either antibiotics FINALLY decided to kick in, or I'm superwoman.

I'm thinking both.

Happy Friday!

The San Francisco Treat

Welcome to a special guest post by M's amazing husband! If you don't know me, you may think I'm a little arrogant for calling myself amazing, but, if you know me, you'll know why I'm amazing.

Just an amazing couple with
Alcatraz in the background.

A few months ago, I found out that my work would send me to a conference of my choice for training. The conference I really wanted to attend was the jQuery Conference in Mountain View, California. When I let M know, she asked, "Can I come with you?"


Of course I said yes! I love spending time with M, especially in cool places like the San Francisco area. What was even cooler was that I lived in Mountain View a long time ago. So we could check out a bit of my old stomping grounds and go see new and exciting things together.

Peacefully drifting sea jelly

When we walked into Salt Lake City International Airport to leave for our trip last month, we didn't have seats together. But we arrived very early and managed to get some exit row seats together for our flight to San Jose. While we waited for our flight, M picked up some magazines to read: Us Weekly, People, and Martha Stewart Living. Did I read them? You bet!


After we landed and picked up our rental car, we stopped in at an In-N-Out Burger for some lunch. In-N-Out is expanding into other states, so it's not just a California thing anymore, but I still wanted to eat there just once while in California. We were both really hungry, so our burgers and shakes tasted really good. The nice, warm, sunny weather outside also helped.


We checked into our hotel room, dropped off our stuff, and headed straight to Pier 39 in San Francisco. Our first stop on the Pier: Aquarium of the Bay. We snapped a ton of pictures of the marine life we saw at the aquarium, including the sea jelly to the right. Here are some more:

The most beautiful thing at the aquarium, looking at
some Moon Jellies.

Moon Jellies look like they are straight out of a
science-fiction movie.

Crabs don't look very happy. This crab was not
an exception.

M and I touched this Skate, but only with
one finger, like the lady supervising
the petting area said.

So much candy

The rest of Pier 39 was cool, too. They had lots of interesting shops, like the one pictured to the left, which was a candy shop with a ton of salt water taffy. The shop also had candy that I had only seen on my mission in British Columbia.

The Golden Gate Bridge

Pier 39 also had some great views of San Francisco Bay sights like Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. We never visited the bridge on this trip, but we also didn't do many of the things we had on our list of cool SF activities. That just means we need to go back again to see and do more.

Just chillin'

We also stopped to see the sea lions. Most of them were resting and soaking up some sun. Some were trying to get on a platform to rest, but they would always choose the platform that was already full of sea lions. Jumping on top of resting sea lions is not the best way to make friends.

Mmm, good food

The best food I had during our whole trip to California was the clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. I'm not a huge clam chowder fan, but this stuff was really good, and the bread bowls were delicious.

The G from Ghirardelli

Before calling it a day, we walked over to Ghirardelli Square. Of course, the big shop there was the Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Manufactory, which had delicious Ghirardelli chocolate. We couldn't walk in there and not purchase any. It was all gone before we returned to Utah. Chocolate that good doesn't last long.


We also checked out Kara's Cupcakes at the Square. M and I both thought they would have some delectable cupcakes. We walked in, looked at the cupcakes, and walked out. No thank you. We like our Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes better.


Whew, are you tired yet? And that was only day one. Oh, I can't forget to mention that it cost a small fortune to park in a parking garage for the whole duration of our Pier 39 and Ghirardelli outing. I was expecting that, and it was totally worth it--every last penny.

Seriously good gelato

The next two days I attended my conference for the majority of the day. The first day M walked around downtown Mountain View for a while before stopping in at place to get a manicure. She shared her plans to attend the San Jose Flea Market with the lady doing her nails. M and I found out about the flea market in one of the pamphlets in our hotel room. M was warned to be careful at the flea market, but she didn't know why. When M arrived at the flea market, she knew why. She said the vast majority of people were hispanic, so she was in the minority. She walked around and found some interesting items, but for some reason, the people with whom she talked at the market were not interested in talking with her. Maybe it was a cultural thing. She told me all about this as we ate dinner and enjoyed some gelato (at one of the best gelato shops in the world) in downtown Mountain View.

Rockin' the sweet
aquarium hat

The second day was a Sunday, so M attended church at a ward in downtown SF. She had to hunt for a parking spot on the street, trying not to freak out on the famously steep hills. After finding a spot, she then had to climb those steep hills to get to church. The people in church were probably disappointed to learn that M was not new to the ward but was just visiting. I mean, who wouldn't want someone like her?


Monday morning, M and I ate breakfast at a table next to some of the big time people from the conference that I had just attended. They included John Resig, the creator of jQuery, and Paul Irish, a Google employee who is involved with many web development projects. I have to admit, I was star-struck. It didn't even phase M, though.

Touching a sea star and other
interesting sea life

Our flight back to Utah was later in the day on Monday, so we headed back to San Fran after checking out of our hotel. At the top of our agenda was China Town. We really wanted to get some cheap Ray-Ban knockoff sunglasses for us and some people back home. It was raining when we got there, so the first thing we did was buy an umbrella. Then, we hit the shops, looking for sunglasses. Even though it was raining, it was still a little crazy. The umbrellas made it even more crazy, and people had to dodge other people's umbrellas, or, as one guy did, just hit other people's umbrellas out of the way.


One shop owner, who looked and sounded Italian, tried to get us to purchase Ray-Bans from him for $99. Okay, maybe if I were in a department store or some place more legit than China Town, I would buy Ray-Bays for $99, but not there. After we said we weren't interested, he tried to interest in lenses for the Nikon we brought along. Um, still no, dude.

More of the Ghirardelli sign. It's
pretty cool.

At one shop, M asked the owner if she knew where we could get some Ray-Bans. She called up her friend, and directed us a few blocks down the road to a guy selling knockoffs on the sidewalk. $10 for Ray-Bans. Oh yeah, we'll take six. Of course it was cash-only, and we didn't have enough, so M hit up the ATM across the street, while I watched a person attempt to parallel park. Oh my, some people just cannot parallel park, no matter how hard they try. After our sunglass transaction was completed, we were happy to have our fake Ray-Bans (or "Fray-Bans," as I nicknamed them).


Unfortunately, we had to come back home. M really wants to go back, and so do I. In fact, she would be pretty happy if I landed a job with Google or some other Bay Area-based company so we could live there. It is a really nice place. It's also expensive. So, if I do get a job there, it would have to pay well.

M likes this

Oh, and speaking of Google, we drove by some of their buildings one night. They have some pretty cool stuff, including a gym, bowling alley, laundry room, basketball court, and electric car plug-in stations.


It was a great trip, and I got to take it with the most beautiful person and greatest friend in the world. I wish we could have done more, but there was only so much we could do in four days--two of which involved an all-day conference for me.

The woman I am. The woman I aim to be.

"I'm not good enough."

A common phrase that can run through my mind sometimes daily...or maybe a few times a day. An automatic thought that can spring up when I catch a glance of myself in the mirror, look at my dirty dishes and un-made bed, forget to call a friend, achieve code-level "disaster" with dinner, or even when I make a mistake at work. Let's not talk about reading over my "goals" for this year...because that's just depressing.

And at night, after I've had a long day, I find myself on my knees asking Heavenly Father "Did I do anything right?" I do a recap in my head of the past 24 hours and count up all the things that went "wrong" and all the times I fell short. And I come to the conclusion:

"Darn it, I'm just not good enough."

And just when I'm about to give way to discouragement and frustration, I feel the hands of a loving husband wrap tightly around mine and I look up to beautiful blue eyes and a cheesy smile. I start giggling because I can't help but feel so much love and tenderness for this person.

My mind goes through flashbacks:

*I remember looking at wedding pictures earlier that day and thinking how I would have done my hair differently and grimacing at the "thinning spot" on the side of my head, my extra chin, and the smudge of make up by my eye. Then I remember the look on my husband's face the minute he met me after our sealing ceremony and he saw me for the first time in my wedding gown. I will never forget that look.

*I remember the yoga class I went to on Wednesday. I was sweaty, smelly, and blobby. I couldn't touch my head to my toes. I couldn't hold my poses. I doubted myself on my decision to come back and "stick with it". Then I remember my friend saying to me as we walked out "You did so good Meg! I'm so proud of us for doing this." And as I walked through the door to our little one-bedroom apartment, I looked at my husband and warned him of my strong stench and sticky skin...but was pleasantly surprised with a big smooch on the lips and firm hug...regardless of sweaty, smelly, and blobby.

*I remember the dishes sitting in the sink, the laundry waiting to be done, the unorganized pile of shoes sitting next to the bathroom counter, and the mounds of papers, folders, boxes, and knick knacks that are sitting around, which I have yet to put away or throw away. I am angry and frustrated with myself, when my sweet B asks me to sit on the bed and read a couple chapters in the Book of Mormon with him and wants to do nothing but cuddle the rest of the night.

When we exchange "I love you" 's as we turn out the lights to go to bed, something inside me whispers "You're alright Megan Johnson. You're doing just fine."

***

If each woman were a magnificent painting of her life, she might find it very easy to notice the beauty in her friend's portrait and admire the way the strokes fall perfectly on the canvas and how delicately each detail is expressed and portrayed. But, when it comes to her own, it might be easy for her to pick out the little blotches in the corner, the unevenness in the paint, the skewed images, and the dull colors. And when she compares the two paintings, hers consistently falls short and is never "good enough".

Ha! Are you kidding? I specialize in this! And I would be lying if I denied that a majority of women everywhere have this same uncanny ability. As I look back on my life...through my childhood, teenage years, and even into college and adulthood, I think about how easy it has been for me to compare and contrast my life with other's. If only I had hair like that...or I could dance like her...or was as smart, funny, outgoing, spiritual, or hardworking...maybe, just maybe I would be "good enough".

I have something to say about the annoying little "good enough" phrase. It's SO OVERRATED! I have fought it all my life and it's just plain exhausting. I am a woman, and just that fact alone holds so much power, strength, and possibility. I am a wife, which is a role I cherish so, SO deeply. I plan on being a mother, which is another role I admire and look to with the utmost respect. I am a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a sister, and a friend. I am a returned missionary, a college graduate, a state worker, and an American. I am a slow runner, a yoga newbie, and a chocolate lover who is trying to up her intake of carrots and broccoli. I am a VERY amateur photographer, who loves to write and loves a good movie. I am a brown-eyed, brown-haired, size 10 shoed human being who is trying her hand at cooking and crafts...and is actually enjoying it!

I am a child of God. And that is absolutely good enough. :)

Brandon Johnson, the stud.

1. He stays up until 11 pm (on a work night) at my parents house as I snuggle and sob over old and dying family dog...only to find out the next day that Yoda (old and dying family dog) is running around, happy as a clown and execution has been stayed.

2. He will join in on ridiculous Shaw family traditions, like birthday balloon wishes and other crazy expressions of celebration. And I think he kind of likes it.

Dad's 50th Birthday: 1/9/2011

(p.s. I don't know what Park and Whit are doing.

I think he's doing what he does best: being gross.

And I think she's doing what she does best: threatening to punch him.)

3. He'll wear tight and uncomfortable khaki pants to a wedding reception of someone he doesn't know. And he'll do it with a smile.

(He'll even wear his BYU polo in support of yesterday's game...although his beloved Aggies lost. Such a trooper.)

4. He would do almost ANYTHING for these two. Even driving them to the store so they could pick up m&m's, chocolate milk, and potato chips. (He'll even pay for the m&m's if you ask nicely.)

5. He loves, loves, LOVES me. To the moon, is what he says.

I mean, any guy willing to sit down on a weekend night and watch "Emma" with his lovely wife is bound to be pretty much the "Stud of all Studs".

I love you B! Love, your Mrs. Johnson.

Don't "sweat" the small stuff...unless it's Bikram Yoga, then sweat til' you drop dead. Like me.

Friday found me at Bikram Yoga studio in Sugar House. A friend (mind you, a VERY in shape and athletic friend) invited me to "try" it out. It wasn't until about 1 day before our exercise date that I decided I should look it up and get an idea of what I was getting myself into. As I read aloud to Brandon what this entailed, his eyebrows continued to raise higher and higher.

1. Heated room

2. 26 poses

3. 90 minutes

couldn't be that bad.

I even woke up at 7 am Friday morning (which I try hard to NOT to do, usually) to shower, shave my legs and armpits, and comb my hair just right. I ran to Target and picked up a mat, drove to Sugar House, and pulled into the parking lot exactly 15 minutes before class started so I could register. I paid my money and listened to the instructor intently discuss things like "nausea" and "fainting", "keeping your eyes open", and "not talking when you get into the room". Yeah, yeah, I got this.

As I followed my friend into the room WHAM!!!! ... it hit me. Hard. The extreme heat, the sweaty body smell, and the all the people lying on the ground, apparently relaxed, with their eyes closed...looking as if this were just another day in paradise. Of course, there's no talking, so I decide to "follow the crowd" and unfold my mat and towel on the floor...and lay down with my eyes closed and arms sprawled to my side, trying to convince myself that I'm a total "natural".

As I lay there, tiny drops of sweat start to trickle down my forehead. Then the instructor enters, advising us to "Come alive!" I follow the others and get up on my feet, awkwardly clasping my hands together and lifting them under my chin...at least I think that's what I'm supposed to do...as we breath in through our noses and loudly out through our mouths.

As we do these "breathing exercises", the instructor comments "Looking good, Megan." Now, you know she probably had to get this comment out at the very first, because I KNOW she KNEW there was no way that comment would hold any sort of sincerity or legitimacy at the end of these painful 90 minutes...with me on the ground, literally sucking air.

I could go through my body's reaction to each of the 26 poses, but I think I'll save you the gruesome details. Let's just say, it wasn't pretty and I definitely wasn't pretty. About 15 minutes before the class ended, I'm laying on my mat like a limp noodle, sopping wet, and pleading in my head "Cooooommme ooooooon clooooock....cooomme ooooon cloooooooock!!" I couldn't even think in a straight line. I was pathetic.

After the class ended I "jumped" up and wobbled outside. When I sat down on the bench in the lobby area, my friend came "bounding" out, along with the instructor. They so graciously asked "How do you feel?" How do I explain to them, like the ever-hilarious Brian Regan, that "Everything on my inside wants to be on my outside." without feeling like a total wuss and a "Debbie Downer" to their excitement and love for this intensely insane workout? So, I just nod, quickly changing the subject to my friend's super-human ability to make this ragged exercise look easy and her natural athleticism. Hoping I have avoided the one question I didn't want to answer, I grab my bag, slip on my flip flops, and pull out my keys just as I hear "So, we'll see you again?" Looking back at the instructor and my friend, I hear "You can't give up after one try. It'll only get better."

And just like the the sissy I am...I simply say "Yeah, I guess I could give it another try..."

My body had a few words about that...all. the. way. home.

IN OTHER NEWS:

BYU vs. Wofford

Thursday, March 17th 2011

I'll be there. Will you?

Babysitting 101

What makes a good babysitter?

1. Coco Dyno-Bites for dinner (even 2 bowls if you like)

2. Your very own bowl of movie theater popcorn

3. While you play Xbox with the video game king of the world

4. Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, straight out of the oven

5. Waiting for you after a good round of "Halo" (which you sneakily convinced clueless couple was 'okay' with your parents to play)

6.Robot Unicorn Attack on IMac after Megan decides "Halo" probably isn't 'okay' with your parents to play.

7. Happy Parents pick you up after a few hours of kid-free playtime :)

...and another one bites the dust. Eat that Nanny McPhee.

In other news: I want to be here.

Scratch that. I want to be HERE.

yummy.

Happy 1 Month Brandon Johnson

I know everyone already knows how awesome Megan and Brandon Johnson are, so it's no surprise we planned it "perfectly" to have our 1 month anniversary fall on the world's sexiest holiday....which would be February 14th.

I don't know why having a Valentine of my own made this celebration so much more exciting, but I was SO giddy to spend "lover's day" with my sweet companion....especially with my bright red toenails.

Which reminds me: Last weekend was one of many milestones, which included B getting his first pedicure. He surprised me when I told him I needed to get a pedi BAD due to bad foot genes passed down by my lovely mother, who's heels have this remarkable ability to dry, crack, and bleed. Unfortunately, my heels carry this same extraordinary quality. Anyway, B totally threw me off when he said "Okay. Can I come with you?" HA! Absolutely, my sweet and adorable husband. Some highlights of this experience:

1. B not understanding anything little vietnamese lady was saying to him.

2. B not knowing why vietnamese lady was holding a bucket of purple hot stuff (also known as wax) and encouraging him to step into it.

3. B totally reading "US Weekly" and commenting on Martha Stewart's love of Eminem like it was yesterday's gossip.

4. B almost falling out of his chair as he looks over and sees lady grating my heels with what seems to look like an actual cheese grater. He just laughed nervously as bits of skin flew everywhere.

5. Other manly man comes in and sits down next to B for a pedi as well. Manly man asks B for a US Weekly magazine. When B asks which one, manly man responds "Doesn't matter. It's all garbage." B thinks this is hilarious. :)

(Maui, Hawaii. I want to be there right now.)

I love my husband. I love Valentines' Day.

*I also love Cajun Chicken Pasta, which is what we ate for Vday dinner. Interested? Let me know and I'll share the recipe...you'll feel like you've died and gone to heaven. (Which I feel like every day with Brandon Johnson. Just had to add my cheese.)