Fall is here

Wow, I have been so busy that I have not blogged in a few months! We have had so much going on that I could have written a book by now! Where do I start???

Derrick and I were able to make a trip back to Nashville over Labor Day weekend. It was good because we all drove to Memphis to see my grandparents. Most of the Hamblin family was there so it was so nice to see all of them and catch up with everyone! I have a wonderful family and I love spending time with them. The 4 hour drive there, and then 4 hours back, was a blast because of course I was chosen by Allison to sit in the very back with her. I had very little leg room since a 3rd row seat isn't made for comfort! It was a fun weekend and I am glad we had a chance to go home and see my family.

A couple weeks later was the UK vs MTSU football game in Lexington, KY. Derrick has a dealer who has season tickets to all the UK home games. She knows that Derrick and I are UK fans and she mentioned to Derrick that they were going to be out of town that weekend and asked if we wanted the tickets. She had 6 tickets and a parking pass. We were so excited to have tickets so we called our very best friends, Ruth and Karl Meyer, to see if they all wanted to go to the game. Of course they said yes! We met them in Lexington and spent the weekend in Lexington together. It was so much fun to get to spend time with them. I miss those girls so much!

Since then we have been busy every weekend with ALS Walks across Ohio and Indianapolis. ALS (a.k.a Lou Gehrig's Disease) is one of the main diseases that Derrick deals with in his patients. His company is a national sponsor so he has to go and set up a booth at every walk so I went with him and volunteered. It was a lot of fun but the past 3 weekends have been consumed with these walks. We finally have a weekend off but it will be spent cleaning and preparing for Derrick's family to come in town the next weekend. Most of you know that Derrick and I have been working out and working with a trainer. Well, Derrick has always wanted to run a marathon so he has been training to run the Columbus Half Marathon. He is now 2 weeks away and is doing awesome! I am so proud of him and how far he has come! He will be running on Sunday, October 19th. So, if you think about it that day- say a little prayer that he can at least finish. He doesn't care about placement or time, he just wants to finish.

Ohh, one more thing! We bought a new tree and planted it in the backyard. It is a maple tree and the leaves will be a beautiful red in the fall. I love fall and I can't wait for Halloween weekend because we are going down to Gatlinburg with my family! I am sure another blog and pictures from that will be coming soon!

Kings Island

On June 20-22 I had a good friend from TN and her boyfriend come and visit me! Crystal and Eric spent the weekend with us and we went to Kings Island while they were here. We had a blast at the park running from ride to ride and trying to fit as many rides in as possible.

We were in line for The Beast, a very popular wooden roller coaster, when the skies started getting dark and the temperature started to drop. Crystal and I were freezing and Eric was in charge of giving us weather updates from his cell phone. Derrick and I knew that there were storms coming but we were hoping they would bypass us. Well, they didn't. We had made it up to 3rd in line for the ride when they shut it down due to weather. It rained and the rides were closed for 2 hours. We stayed in line and waited it out since we were under a shelter and out of the rain. Many people decided to leave the line and try the other rides but we stayed so we wouldn't get wet. When the ride finally opened we were first in line!!
We had a great time making faces for all the camera on the rides. We did end up buying one as a memory of the long, but very fun day!

Somehow during the day Derrick had a speech problem and he referred to his "mini van" as a "vini van." So from that point on, everything we said we started it with a "V." We definitely got some good laughs out of all that madness. Even on the way home we were still starting everything with a "V" and it would take us a couple seconds to figure out what the other person was trying to say. Ohh- guess you had to be there!!! Hahaha!!!

We stayed at the park until it closed so the drive home was a long one. We were exhausted from all the walking and laughing.

Derrick and I bought passes so we have been back to Kings Island once and this past weekend we went to Cedar Point with my brother and Heather. I will get some pictures from our weekend at Cedar Point as soon as I have a chance to pull the pictures off my camera.


Derrick and I sneaking a quick picture before the ride took off!

Derrick and I with Little Bill in the kiddie area. That is where you found the good food!

Eric and Derrick with their huge ice cream cones. Those came from the kiddie area!!
All 4 of us in from of the Eiffel Tower
All 4 of us again in the roller coaster car getting ready to take off!
Me and Crystal with our nice hair-dos after riding the Firehawk
Derrick and I by the entrance

Fun and busy weekends!

The past few weekends have been quite an exciting time in the Johnson house!

May 29-June 2 our wonderful friends the Meyers came up from Tennessee to visit. On Saturday we went to the new Zoombezi Bay water park and the zoo. We were all so excited about the water park and when we got there we found out that all the slides were closed because of the storm that came through on Friday night. It threw a lot of the new landscaping mulch and debris on the slides and in the filters. So, we spent the afternoon in the kiddie area, which wasn't too terrible. I enjoy the smaller water slides anyway. Shortly after we got there they opened the wave pool so we enjoyed relaxing in the warm water there.

The new water park is a part of the zoo so if you buy tickets to the water park we found out that you were able to get in the zoo for free. So we took advantage of that and walked around the zoo. It was a beautiful afternoon and there was lots of shade trees on the path. The most exciting part of the day was when we were in the Gorilla exhibit. People were taking pictures and pointing at the gorillas. Well, one big gorilla apparently didn't like it and Karly was standing right by the glass, with all of us behind her, and this big gorilla came running down towards Karly and jumped up and growled and pounded his fists on the glass. Everyone in the room jumped and screamed. I think poor Karly was frozen for a minute or two. We all laughed and got out of there quick!

We weren't quite sure when the zoo was supposed to close so we just kept walking around and pretty much waiting for someone to tell us that we needed to go home. The nice part was that since the gates were closed to anyone coming in, there weren't any crowds anymore. We were able to walk around and see the animals without fighting the crowds at each exhibit. The downfall was that since the zoo was closed, some of the animals had already gone inside- maybe for dinner.

Sunday morning Derrick and Karl took the girls golfing while Ruth and I went shopping. It was a nice afternoon and I enjoyed spending time with Ruth. I miss those days. :( We met up with the rest of the gang for dinner and heard all sorts of stories about their golf outing. It was quite an adventure for them. Ruth and I had a calm afternoon shopping, but anytime you put Derrick and Karl together something crazy is bound to happen!!

We had a great weekend with them and we were sad to see them leave. Check out Ruth's blog for some pictures. You can find her link on my homepage.

This past weekend (Father's Day weekend) my mom, dad, and niece came up to visit. I just adore Allison and I love it anytime she comes to see me. She thinks I have the coolest house ever, but it is only because i have a bubble gum machine!

Mom and dad got here on Thursday night. I was off on Friday so we all went to lunch and then I brought them by the bank to introduce them and show them where I work. Everyone thought Allison was so cute (that is because she looks like ME). Of course, Allison thought my bank was better than Grandmommas but that is because we have cookies and a play area and mom's bank doesn't have cookies and toys! After lunch we went to the big mall and shopped until dinner time.

Saturday I had to work until noon but when I got home everyone was ready to go. We loaded in the van and drove down to Cincinnati and went to the new IKEA and went shopping. We spent a good 3 hours in IKEA! Mom and I both got a couple of good things. We stopped by the new outlet mall on the way home and did a quick shop (since we only had about an hour there). Then we finally decided to stop shopping and eat dinner! It was a long day.

Sunday was Father's day and we all had every intention of getting up and going to church- well, at least I did until the alarm went off! We slept in and got up late. Mom and I got ready and took Allison out shopping while the boys stayed at home and watched the race and worked on my closet. Ohh, I forgot to mention that my fabulous husband and wonderful father worked all weekend at adding a second row of shelves in my closet. They took off the existing row and moved it up and put a second row under it. It is wonderful!!!

Sunday night we took mom and dad to dinner (late Mother's day dinner). After dinner we drove around Pickerington and showed them the first house we were going to buy and then showed them a little more of the city we live in. Then we went to get ice cream! Ahh- that was my favorite part.

Mom and dad got up on Monday and headed home. Mom told me that she and Allison had quite the time getting ready to leave because Allison didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay in Ohio and be Aunt Becca and Uncle Derrick's little girl!

So, now that you think it is over.....it isn't! We have more friends coming this weekend- which i am so excited about! It is a girl that I worked with at Pinnacle. We are planning on going to Kings Island this weekend and I can't wait. Then on July 4th weekend, my brother and a friend are coming up and we are planning on driving up north and going to Cedar Point with them. So, the Johnson house is never quiet!!! :) Just think of what it will be like when we add kids to the mix!

New car tags!

So, I guess I am on my way to officially becoming an Ohioan! I had to go the other day and get Ohio tags for my car. It was hard enough taking the one Tennessee one off to replace it with 2 ohio tags. I now have to have one in the front of my car and on the back. I think it is tacky but who asked me!! Now if I ever move back to Tennessee I will have to holes in the front of my car. I thought it was an emotional, yet funny, day so I had to share the pictures with you guys.



P.S. I still have my Tennessee driver's license!

Day off

After a busy weekend in Tennessee and a crazy week at work, I finally have a day off. It has been nice to far. I got to sleep in and now I am catching up on all my shows that I have missed during the week. I will have to start cleaning soon becuase we have friends coming over for dinner tomorrow night.

The past couple of weeks has been rough for me and in turn it makes it rough for Derrick too. I love my job at the bank but I am not close to anyone that I work with and it makes the job really stink. I have had many days that I just come home either upset or just angry. That isn't good becuase then Derrick usually has to hear about it and that just builds tension between us.

My personality is the type where I want to make everyone happy and I want everyone to like me. Up here in Ohio that is rare. Most of the time they just keep it to themselves or they only talk to a select few people. Sometimes I feel like I am in high school again and that there are different cliques at work. I don't have time for all that. Please pray that God will give me strength to deal with everyone at work, or he will lead me in another direction- what ever he has planned I will do.

On a good note.....I thought I better quit being so depressing. My parents are always so encouraing and they are good about bringing out the positive in things. So, I have been thinking about all the positive things that this move has done for Derrick and me.
1. It has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and experience a whole new world outside of Rutherford county. I had only visited Ohio a couple of times in my life before moving here.
2. We have a beautiful house that God has provided for us.
3. Derrick has a great job that he loves and he is good at what he does.
4. We have been able to meet new friends in Ohio and they are all very sweet and we are lucky to have met them all.
5. I have learned a lot since being at my new job. My old bank had all the departments to do everything and since this bank is so small we have to do it all ourselves and it is neat to learn.
6. We are only an hour from Kings Island!! :)
7. God has lead us to an amazing church that is about the same size as FBC, Smyrna but we are able to experience it as a new couple instead of one that has been there for years and that is very different.
8. We had the joy of experiencing apartment life, with a dog
9. Since we have so many cool things near us, it give my family and friends a great vacation spot
10. It has made me appreciate, and miss, all my friends and family back home, but when I am able to spend time with them it means more to me now since I know it is only for a short time.

Well, I guess I better get up and start cleaning before I fall asleep on the couch!

Working Out!

Derrick and I have recently hired a personal trainer at a local gym here in Pickerington, the city we live in. Her name is Kelly and she is the daughter of a lady that works with me at the bank. We finally realized that we were not happy with the way we have lived the past couple of years and it was time to do something about it.

We met with Kelly and she educated us on how many calories we should be eating in a day. I had no idea how many calories were in the everyday foods that we would eat. It was so common for me or Derrick to grab a burger for lunch and not think twice about it. When Kelly talked to us about our eating habits, it really opened our eyes to what we put in our body. So, for the past 6 weeks Derrick and I have been eating better and working out 3-4 times a week.

We meet with Kelly a couple times a week and the other times we will just go on our own and do cardio. The times that we meet with Kelly with a one-on-one session (well, I guess one-on-two since Derrick and I go together) she works us until we can barely walk. She definitely pushes me harder than I would ever push myself. Most of you know that I hate to sweat and when we work out we sweat like crazy!!

As much as I like to be lazy, I have enjoyed exercising and spending the time with Derrick! He has been amazing and so encouraging since we started working out. I have the best husband in the world! There was one week that I only lost 1 pound, to his 6 pounds, and he turned it around and found the positive to me losing 1 pound versus gaining. When we workout there are plenty of times that I just want to lay on the floor and quit. Derrick is always there for me and will come over and help me out and encourage me to keep going. I know that having him there with me is what keeps me from not falling over and just giving up!! Every time I finish a tough exercise he is always there to give me a high five or a hug and tell me I did a great job.

I love being with him and I wouldn't want to spend this time with anyone else! Who knew that a new hobby that my husband and I would pick up would be exercising together. He is working his way up to run a 5K and maybe if he is lucky, I will be able to eventually do those things with him. So far Derrick has lost 21 pounds and I am up to 12 pounds.

P.S. I finally worked my way up to bench pressing more than just the bar!!

Allison's Birthday and Easter

Derrick and I made our way back to Tennessee on Easter weekend to spend Easter with the family and also to celebrate Allison's birthday. It was a short trip for us but we managed to spend every moment to see family and friends. We love going back to Tennessee but every time we go back it makes us miss it that much more.
Saturday morning I got up and ran a few errands in Murfreesboro trying to get all kinds of fun stuff for Allison's party. Derrick got up and went and played golf with Karl. That afternoon we had family and friends come over to mom and dad's house and we had a party for Allison. It was great to see all the cousins and to spend time with some of my closest friends at the same time. Of course, Allison loved all the attention and presents.
Me and Allison
Uncle Derrick and Allison
Cake Time!
Family enjoying the cake and ice cream
Jason and Chris
The best kind of gift!!
Grandmomma and Allison
Jason and Whitney
Kristy and Cason
Shandy, Me, and Shelley- best friends!
Some of the cousins!

Derrick and I were able to eat dinner with mom and dad before we had to run out and meet our old small group at Toots. I had almost forgot how much I enjoy being around our old small group. When we lived in Tennessee they were a second family to me and Derrick and I loved having them around. They are a wonderful group and we still keep in contact with them and their families.

Sunday morning we all went to church together for Easter. Rachel's husband, Dan, was able to come in town for the weekend so it was nice to have everyone together- minus Matthew. He was in Colorado skiing with a friend. As soon as we got home we had an Easter egg hunt for Allsion. Mom and I had a good time hiding eggs for Allison. I think we all got a good laugh at Allison running around the yard, like a crazy girl, trying to find all the eggs.
Mom hiding eggs
Shhh- don't tell her where I put them!
Dan, Rachel, and Allison
Allison trying to get all the eggs
She ran right by my secret place- we had to call her to come back and get these eggs!
I am pretty sure that Derrick put that one way up there!
She was having so much fun
I think mom went a little overboard with eggs for one litle girl!!!

Shortly after we ate lunch Derrick and I had to make our long trip back to Ohio. The drive was long and I toko a few naps during the trip abck. When I finally woke up Derrick and I talked about our visit back home. We were glad to see Dan made it back for the weekend and we were glad that we all had a good weekend together. I wish Matthew could have been home and enjoyed the weekend with all of us.

Ohh- did I forget to mention that we were able to visit Max at Rachel's house?? She has given him a new nickname of Dugger! He likes to bury things and unbury things and Rachel doesn't think it is too funny!