Guess who's coming to town?

Get out your Pink Party Dresses...

Iron those Monkey Suits...

Cause...

The Johnson's are coming to Utahrd July 22nd - 29th!

Shane & Jessie's New House

Front View

Front Door
Great Room
Master Bath

One of the 3 bedrooms

What we've been doing and family updates

We finally setup our new Printer/Copier/Scanner/Fax-Mabob this weekend! My parents gave it to us for Xmas...yeah we've been busy OK!

We selected and printed our photos to send to *Brandy, I'll be posting them on our Adoption Blog in the next day or two. We're still trying to come up with a name for it, that is self-explanatory and memorable. Feel free to give us your ideas!

As long as Jory does his part to finalize The Letter tonight, it along with our photos and Sara's reference letter will be in the mail tomorrow. WAHOO!

Last night I completed my 5th baby beanie. It's hard to make more than one a day because my hand starts to cramp up, but even doing 1 per day until November 1st gives me 169 total hats. If I can sell all 169 for $10 plus shipping, that's $1690.00. If my friends and family who know how to knit or have a loom make some and donate them to my cause, that's all the more money we can raise. You may have noticed I changed the price from $20 to $10 per hat. From what I'm hearing most people wouldn't donate $20 for a baby hat regardless of the cause. They thought we might sell more at $10. Even if you don't have a baby or know a baby, you can always donate the $10 to us and then donate the hat to a hospital, group home or shelter.

My mom did point out that now, being summer is not the right time to be marketing baby beanies, but I'm going to continue to make them and hopefully by fall when the weather starts to change, they'll become more popular. We're coming up with alternative ideas like Baby blankets: receiving/quilts/etc.. might be good summer items. Feel free to submit your ideas as well!

On to our family updates:

A little over 2 1/2 weeks ago Jory's dad went to the hospital with sevier stomach pain. They found a grapefruit size tumor on his kidney that was bleeding out. His first surgery was to stop the bleeding, in the second surgery they removed the tumor and thankfully found it wasn't cancerous. He's out of the hospital and recovery at home.

My brother Shane and his wife Jessie sold their house for the price they wanted and put in an offer on super deluxe cabin style house. The house they want is on the south side of Star Valley Ranch, 3 bed/2 bath FULLY FURNISHED! Not just furnished with all the log cabin style couches/chairs/beds/dinning set etc...but it comes with a snowmobile and snowmobile trailer...and a snow blower! SERIOUSLY! They actually found this house and one just like it for the same price, but this one is 1 sqft larger and comes fully furnished. The great room/living room has and tongue and groove cedar siding on the walls and ceiling like what he did in their current house. It has hard wood floors thru-out. The buyer already verbally told them he was going to accept their offer, if he signs the paperwork tonight they will close on both houses on June 26th. I'm super excited for them! It's about damn time good things start to happen this year! I'll post some pics of their new house tomorrow after I receive them.

I guess that's about it for now...Cheers!

Feelin' Crafty - 2 stories in 1

1st Ever Loom Knitted Baby Beanie Finished!

First pic with regular light

Second pic with extra light

I've been crocheting now for a few years, so far I only know the basic stitch and have made several scarfs and have been working on 2 blankets. I recently discovered Craftster.org and was inspired to teach myself how to knit. Several members talked a lot about Stitch and Bitch and Happy Hooker, so I put them on my Books-To-Buy List to help me learn how to read a fucking pattern and maybe make something not so square.

Jory and I had two $50 gift cards to burn, so we ventured out to Borders last Saturday. I immediately found my books and we wandered around looking for Jory's requests. I think we have the entire set of Disinfo books now...seriously! We also picked up the new Neil Young CD.

We go to the counter and hand over the gift cards and he tells us we still owe $40something. What?! Before we went into the store I asked Jory to check his wallet for a Borders GC because we get them every year from his youngest brother Casey and we don't always use them in a timely fashion. He didn't have it so I assumed the two I had were the newest ones, Of Course They Weren't. So we have a missing $50 Borders GC hiding somewhere in our house.

Sunday morning before work, I headed out to Joann's to buy some knitting supplies with two Gift Cards I got for Xmas. One I knew only had a few dollars on and the other should have been $50 that Jory's mom gave me. I buy like $54 worth of yarn and supplies and get to the register and hand over the GC's and she tells me I still owe $30something. WTF!?!?

I think our kitchen utensil thief is running down our GC balances. FUCKER!

So anyway...

I hauled all my new shit into work with me because I was PUMPED to start knitting. Everything I've read says it's sooooo much easier than crocheting. BULLSHIT! Either I'm retarded and the online How-To videos I watched were crap or well....I'm retarded. Seriously folks, I can't knit, I thought I had the cast on down, but I couldn't work out the first knit or purl. I tossed the knitting shit out of site and pulled out the new loom I bought for baby hats. I have an adult size one my mom gave me, but I was thinking maybe I could make a bunch of the baby sized ones and give one away to every person who donates $20 to our adoption fund. My first hat is almost done, I didn't work on it last night when I got home because I wasn't feeling good. Still not feeling all that swell. I'll post a picture if you promise not to laugh. Nevermind...Laugh It Up Buttercup!

Dear Readers,

Why no comments lately? I feel so lonely. Maybe I've lost my touch.

"Dear Mr. President"...Pink & the Indigo Girls

As promised, we bought her album and I've been listening to this song everyday. You can also check out a live performance on YouTube. Jory posted the link to her song back on April 12...but for those of you who don't read his blog (Shame on you) I wanted to post it for you. Listen to it, share it and speak up.

PINK
"Dear Mr. President"
(feat. Indigo Girls)

Dear Mr. President
Come take a walk with me
Let's pretend we're just two people andYou're not better than me
I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly
What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep
What do you feel when you look in the mirror
Are you proud

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why

Dear Mr. President
Were you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy

How can you say
No child is left behind
We're not dumb and we're not blind
They're all sitting in your cells
While you pave the road to hell

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye

Let me tell you bout hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you bout hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you bout hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
You don't know nothing bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
Oh

How do you sleep at night
How do you walk with your head held high
Dear Mr. President
You'd never take a walk with me
Would you


Lyrics found here

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Moab Photos Finally Posted!

Moab photos have been published on my photoblog. I will add some of my favorites here later, must sleep now. Ok, I'll add one now....Ok so I added a few.

100 Degrees

Cute Panda Pic Found Here

We hit 100 degrees today at 2:12 PM at Sky Harbor Airport. This is the first 100 degree reading at the airport in 2006. We average 89 days above 100 degrees per year in the valley. The average date for the first 100 degree date is May 13. So, we are 2 days ahead of the average date.

Moab pictures will be posted tonight...I promise!

Off we go to Moab....

Joey Johnson Photography 2006

Thought I'd leave you with one of my lastest photos from what I think I'll call my "Motion Collection". Click on it for a larger view.

Brain Goo

I'm struggling to write our letter to Brandy*. The idea of the letter seems easy and obvious, but you try and write a letter convincing someone to give you her baby. It's the first impression she's going to have of us and it could make or break the deal. What do I put in, what do I leave out? How much detail do you give her? How do you convey your dreams and wishes in a letter without coming off like you're begging? I've looked at "Dear Birthmother" letters online to get a basic outline to assist me in getting the letter started. It seemed to help until my perfectionism took over and now I have 3 different versions of almost every paragraph.

While trying to write "the letter of our lives", I'm also in and out of the doctor's office it seems once a week. I went in today for an ultrasound and apparently my bladder wasn't full enough, even though I drank a liter of water 30 minutes before my appointment. He said I need to drink 32 oz of water and hold it for an hour before. Yet again, I'm half naked and had an internal and standard ultrasound for no reason. New orders are to have sex for the next 3 days and go to some other place on May 17 or 18th for another ultrasound. Why do I have to go somewhere else you ask? I don't know, good question. All the more people to see me naked, I guess. I just do what I'm told. And the shot of HCG he was going to give me doesn't cost $500 like the pharmacist said, it's $40 at this other place so I'll be going there when I start my next period. And back to Dr. SeeMeNakedEveryVisit on May 23rd.

We're also getting ready for our Moab trip this Thursday. Which in itself is always a chore to get everything ready but this time it’s worse. It seems both Jory and I have fallen accidentally into an all out strike of not wanting to clean our house. I think we were overloaded with being each others nurses and having to do everything our selves. Now we’ve just stopped doing everything all together. I can’t even describe how gross our house makes me feel right now. And cleaning it up now wouldn’t be that big of a deal except I need to go grocery shopping and pick up cleaning gear in order to get most of it started. Can’t do any laundry without detergent and dryer sheets, dishes can’t be done without soap. We haven’t been grocery shopping for over a month now, which means yes, we’ve been eating out almost everyday, which is unnecessary spending.

Ever since I changed to a later shift, it seems as though I have less time outside of work to get shit done. I used to be able to run to Albertson’s after work and pick up a few items here and there that we needed, but they close at 11 PM now, so that doesn’t work. I need a swift kick in the ass, I’m swearing on my tan left arm, not to be confused with my very white right arm (story for another time) that I WILL GO GROCERY SHOPPING AFTER WORK TONIGHT! NO EXCUSES. I’ve totally said this before, like every night for the past 3 weeks, it’s pitiful.

I HAVE to shop tonight, because tomorrow night I will have to do all our laundry, while picking up and cleaning the living room, dinning room and our bedroom. Can’t forget to give Mazzy and Jerry baths, but first clean out Jerry’s Cage-O-Poop. *Note to self, do load of towels first…to have something to dry said pets off with. Wednesday I’m working 12-9 PM so I’ll be off early, pack the car and off to bed so we can get up at the butt crack of dawn to make the 9 hour drive and arrive before sundown to setup the tent.

While I’m spewing…Let’s not forget to mention how I had to work 6 days last week, technically I worked one job for 6 days and a 2nd job for 2 days, so that means I haven’t had a day off in 11 days! The 2nd job wasn’t as bad as a real job. Jory and I offered to install ceiling fans in my boss’ house last Friday and Saturday. It wasn’t a tough job, but it took up half a day Friday before I went to my real job and all day Saturday, my only day off for the week. She offered to pay us $200, but I like her and that’s just highway robbery, so we accepted $100. Of course we didn’t expect it to take us more than a couple hours, but we had serious drama with the first fan. Good news though…the fans still work, they haven’t fallen on anybody's head and she’s enjoying the extra breeze.

Sorry for the brain vomit. There’s just so much going on right now, which magically leads us back to The Letter I’m struggling to write. Do you understand now why I’m having such a hard time? Too much Brain Goo oozing around clogging my cells.