hApPy BiRtHdAy ShAd!

Happy Birthday to my loving, caring, giving, sweet, handsome, wonderful husband! It's Shad's 25th birthday today and I want him to know how incredibly thankful I am to call him my own! We've now been married about a year and three months, and it has gone by so fast-time flies when you're having fun! :) I love Shad so much and appreciate all the wonderful things he does for me and I love that he still puts butterflies in my stomach and makes my heart flutter!

Last Hoorah

Well my last semester on campus at BYU (technically) ended two weeks ago, so I had a small break before cosmetology school starts on the 24th. I was dying to get out of town so what did we do but go to St. George (mom and dad very conveniently have a condo there we get to use, and we love anything free!). We spent Tuesday-Sunday in St. George soaking up sun, and did a fun day in Vegas on Saturday.Mom bought us tickets to see Mystere. Thank you sooo much mom we loved it! It was so funky/crazy/funny/cool. Very good.


I loved seeing the lions at MGM grand. There was this mama who was being very playful with the crowd and the papa just slept on top of this glass tunnel the whole time we were there. I couldn't believe how huge they were and we were right next to them (minus the glass)!

We went to the Silverton in Vegas to see this life-sized fish tank. I was apprehensive at what we would find, but it was really cool. And not only did they have this huge fish tank, but they had a HUGE sporting goods store with several other fish tanks and ponds. It also had every animal I can think of stuffed and placed in very realistic habitat situations, yikes! It was cool to see though, and Shad enjoyed the shooting game they had :).

After the scuba diver talked to the crowd all about the different fish, we were entertained by a mermaid-she was too funny.

Having fun doing silly jumps into the pool.

So to add some interest to our vacation, I planned a little hike, but I didn't plan well enough... We drove over to Snow Canyon National Park, but when we got there we realized we didn't have enough cash to park. We were already late as it was because we couldn't get ourselves out of bed (I hoped that if we went early enough it wouldn't be too hot yet, so much for that..). So we set off on an almost hour long trip around the city trying ATM's (we could remember any of our pin numbers!) and gas stations, before we finally found six dollars to park! It was close to eleven when we started our hike and around 100 degrees, hot! We had a fun adventure anyway, and we got to finish it off with In'n'Out yum :)

On the way to the pool, where we went basically everyday. We're used to having more sun than we got this summer, so we soaked up all we could get on this trip!

I'm excited and nervous for my first day of hair school tomorrow, wish me luck! And be prepared to be hounded about coming to have your hair done by me often in the near future!

-TWILIGHT-

Ok, I'm going to join the club and post my obsession over the Twilight Saga. However, I would like to defend myself and claim to be a true 'Twi-Hard' only because I read the books before the movies came out, and therefore I know why Edward should be the more desirable choice (despite Robert Pattinson's basic lack of good looks and personality)! :) I went to see Eclipse last Wednesday, and of course LOVED it. And so I went again two days later, and I'm still ready for more! You can't see it well in this picture, but Haven and I even made 'Twi-Hard' shirts for our Eclipse girls night out.

So of course when the topic of Twilight comes up, the debate between Jacob and Edward shortly follows. I wouldn't say that I pick a side because they both have desirable qualities. Not to mention they are entirely fictional characters. However, I do love the devotion, undying love, and sweet comments from Edward. And it is pretty cool that if you become like him you get to be extremely perfectly beautiful, fast, strong, and basically invincible.

But Jacob is just so cute and friendly, much like a little puppy (irony? yes) plus have you seen his abs? Yum.

I just feel lucky that I have my own 'Edward'.

And my own 'Jacob'. :)

So for now, I'll just stick with him ;). Still though, I'd like to get my hands on a copy of Eclipse as soon as it comes out!

A New Outlook

Most of you who follow our blog already know of the circumstance my family has been faced with recently, but I want to write about it anyway for journaling purposes and general info. My young, wonderful, beautiful, amazing mom had a stroke on June 2nd. She had been having strange pains in her back and head for several days, and even had them checked out at the hospital to no avail several days before having her stroke early Wednesday morning. She had a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which means there was bleeding in her head between her skull and her brain. The bleeding was in the cerebellum, the lower back area of the brain that affects balance and coordination. When she was brought into the hospital they did a CT scan on her to find the source of the problem, then rushed her into immediate surgery where they put a drain in the back of her head to relieve the pressure. She then was placed in the ICU for almost two weeks. In the ICU she remained largely unconscious and hooked up to a ventilator to help her breathe and a feeding tube to keep her nourished. In only a few days she was able to respond to our touch and voice by wiggling fingers and toes, and then later by winking, raising eyebrows, and opening her eyes a little. Finally she began to wake up enough so they removed all her tubes and needles and let her out of the ICU. She is now in the rehab unit working on regaining control of her body. Her memory and mental capacity seem to be completely intact. Most times she outsmarts her nurses and doctors about what medicines and type of care she needs :). She is definitely sad to be in this condition in the hospital, and misses her "grandbabies" very much, but she has made amazing progress over the last four weeks and we are very hopeful she will have a complete recovery. Her current challenges include regaining balance, waiting for her brain to recover so that hopefully her eyes won't see double anymore, overcoming nausea, and getting strength back in her body so that she can walk and be mobile again.

The last four weeks have been kind of long and not so easy for my family and I. Our dad had a brain injury five years ago, so we have experienced this to some degree before, but we are definitely all shaken. We have all relearned the importance of family and the fragility of life. I know that my testimony has grown, and I have grown and matured personally. I am so thankful for a loving, caring husband to turn to in difficult as well as triumphant times. I'm also thankful for the sacrifices and dedication of my brothers. Thanks to all of my family and friends who have been there with prayers and support. I can truly say that I am so blessed to have wonderful people in my life. I'm also very blessed to have the gospel in my life and I know that the Lord has been in this completely. I want to caution everyone to remember how fragile life can be, and remember to be thankful for all the little things. I'm sorry for the giant novel, but I want to remember the impact of this process, and I wanted to be able to share it with others!

Four week anniversary mom, keep working hard! We love you so much!

It's been awhile! I'm still going full-time at BYU this summer, just trying to get finished quick, and the work sure piles up quickly in the spring and summer terms! I've already had 3 tests, 5 quizzes, 2 research papers, 1 project, and several assignments in my three weeks of school. But the good news is... terms are only half the time of semesters, so I'm already half done with the first! Hooray! Well after last semester ended, we headed to LA for a Royal Caribbean cruise down the Mexican coast. We went with sister- and brother-in-law Haven and Joe and had a really nice break! I can safely say that we didn't do much more than eating, relaxing, and enjoying the free entertainment! I haven't had time to post this because the day after we got back I got swept up in a whirlwind of school. Anyways, here are a few pictures of our vacation.

Shad and I at Cabo San Lucas. We took a taxi boat out to Lover's Beach. Our favorite spot of the trip.

The beach at Mazatlan. We got it in our heads to dig a hole, then Shad decided to sit in it!

Haven and I in Mazatlan, doing the typical "jump on the beach" picture :)

Shad and Joe just couldn't resist doing the same. A woman walked by saying they should be on "Dancing with the Stars," haha

Sunset one night, on the top deck.

One night before dinner.

In Puerto Vallarta these guys would build ELABORATE sand castles, this was the craziest. This is all made of sand!!

Shad spent some time trying to catch crabs in Puerto Vallarta, it was overcast so not the perfect day for beach lounging.

The boardwalk in Puerto Vallarta, very cool we liked it a lot.

I'm thankful to have had this experience! We really want to take advantage of these opportunities before we have little guys running around needing to be watched! (please note that won't be happening soon). We're hoping for a great summer-if that sun would just come out for a minute-looking forward to time with family and a few more trips!

Well I told Shad I'm sick of this crazy Spring weather, it's giving me whiplash! So we decided to go down to St. George and soak up some sun this last weekend. I was so happy at how warm it really was! Sunday, after a leisurely morning walk, we spent the whole day at the pool workin on our tans (well I did, while Shad tried to fix the pool vac). I was so happy for the break from school, which I thought about none whatsoever! I can also say I thoroughly enjoyed our day of shopping on Saturday (this really was a trip for me :))I talked Shad into taking me out to Benja, a new Thai and Sushi place in St. George. He isn't a huge fan of Thai or Sushi so I'm glad he loves me so much and took me there anyway! :)

Drinking his favorite Vanilla Dr. Pepper. I was so happy the weather was warm enough to lay by the pool! It was the perfect temperature, I was in heaven!

We had a really great weekend and we're so thankful for my family who let us use the condo! We're excited to be going down to Blanding for Easter next weekend to spend time with Shad's family, and for our upcoming cruise at the end of this month, what a great way to end another stressful semester!

Happy Birthday Brooke!

I dedicate this post to Brooke, my beautiful, smart, cute, flawless, caring, amazing .... wife! HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY YOUNGIN!!!

Love you! -Shad :)Thanks everyone for birthday wishes. I'm especially thankful for my adorable homemade card from Brek, Cool Christian and Wild Man Mason!! -the new and so much older ;) Brooke

A Baby Shower

This weekend Shad and I headed up to Ogden to help my mom throw my cousin Shanna a baby shower. She is going to be having her first baby, a boy, in April and we are so excited for her! Shad and I had a really good time. Friday we got to go bowling with my best friend Jaclyn and her husband Kris, it was good to see her after so long! Saturday, the shower that was scheduled to go from 11:30-1:30 lasted basically all day. Not that I can complain! It was so nice to see family members and friends that I haven't seen in a long time, and everyone seemed quite interested in my new hair piece company, which was really great! Anyways, here are some photos of our fun shower. Oh! and special thanks to Amanda for helping me make the diaper cake! It was a big hit!

Christmas Break

Well, as usual, I got very few photos of our last event, but I guess that means we were too busy having fun? :) December was very busy. I wrapped up the semester and finished all my finals, and can say I am very proud of my grades! (not that last semester was all that difficult). After finals (the 18th) Shad and I drove up to Ogden to spend time with my family and opened our Christmas presents from them early, partly so they could see and partly because we just couldn't wait! That Sunday, we drove down to Blanding and surprised Shad's family by showing up earlier than planned. We stayed in Blanding all that week through Christmas baking, eating, playing in the snow, and following up on all the Webb and Johnson traditions-caroling, candy dipping, and a Johnson Christmas Eve party. The day after Christmas we drove over to St. George--a longer drive than you'd think from Blanding--to meet up with my family again at their condo and hang out for a few days. We headed to Vegas one day and put in a full 9 hours of shopping. We spent New Years Eve with Shad's brother Cody, his Amanda, her friend Leah, and Leah's boyfriend/Webb family photographer/Shad's old mission buddy, Brandon Burk. The very next morning, we headed to my sister's house bright and early to babysit so she and her husband could go to Cabo for a week. We babysat from Friday morning til Sunday night, and I love love love those little boys, but I am announcing that if I ever have children, it will not be for a long long time yet. ANYWAY, here are the few photos we took for Christmas.