We Can Do Anything With God & Kisses

Flashback to 2006. I'm a junior high kid that rides the bus. I'm blessed with a tight-knit group of friends, and we do all the things that 2000's era tween girls do--pass notes to each other in the hallways, share ear-buds while listening to Weezer and Avril Levine on our MP3players, chomp on Orbit gum while giggling over our latest crushes, play Vampire and Kick-the-can during night games, and hot tub followed by caramel popcorn and watching Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl while fawning over Orlando Bloom. But one of the pop-culture items I DID NOT  participate in as a tween was watching & discussing the Nickelodeon hit show "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I have vivid memories of my dear friends Noelle Crandall and Shanelle Winkel geeking out over Aang, Appa, Zuko, Jet, and the rest of the gang in the show. I watched a few snippets of episodes here and there while socializing with friends, and I even attended Noelle's party for the ...

Mikayla and I live in southern Utah County, which is about an hour-long commute by bus for me to work. I take the 805 bus to the Provo Central Station, and then I take the UVX to BYU. On my way home each day when I wait for the 805 bus at the Provo Central Station, I see a guy that is always waiting at a different bus stop. He'll wait with the people and then when that particular bus comes along, he moves to another bus stop full of waiting people. He always looks a little nervous. I figured he was just one of those strangers my parents told me not to talk with when I was a little child. I typically have my big headphones on so this man has never approached me. About two months ago my wireless headphones ran out of batteries, so I was an easy target for the bus stop creeper to approach. He awkwardly stood in my proximity and then nonchalantly moved his way in. He asked me where I was headed, what I did for work, and if I liked my job. I replied to his questions and asked him the...

Back in October I wrote a post about why marriage is an investment worth spending on. One aspect of that post shared the importance of going on one-on-one overnight outings with your spouse. Getting away can be difficult--there's limited income to consider, transportation needs, taking work off, and coordinating schedules with a trustworthy child caregiver; just to name a few obstacles. Much can (and should!) be said about each of these obstacles and strategies for successfully tackling them. For today, however, I will focus on the reality of creating a relationship-building, beautiful getaway with your spouse, while keeping to a budget. Here are five affordable getaways Kevin & I have experienced and paid for for 500$ or less. Since we live in Utah and much of this blog community lives here as well, the locations are local to us. 30$ is added to each "total cost estimate" to account for paying for fuel to drive to each location (it may be more or less depending on...

In classic movies and TV shows, there is a  classic and recurring scence where the husband returns home from work, opens the door, and proudly proclaims "Honey, I'm home!" The wife then comes running and gives the husband a big hug and kiss. I love this because it shows that the husband and wife have missed each other and are happy to reunited after a long day of work at the office and at home. My family's version of this daily ritual has become known as "hug time." Hug time in our family goes a little like this. I finish up my hour and twenty minute commute with my back pack in one hand, the remains of my lunch sack in the other, and I usually have to pee. I open the door that separtates the garage and our little mud room and I almost always I hear my wife shouting, "Charlie, Daddy's home!" My little boy then squeals with joys and rushes to give me a big hug. With Charlie attached to my legs, Mikayla comes over and puts her arms around me and...

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we are called to different positions of service ranging from simpler, only-a-few-minutes-each-Sunday roles, to high intensity callings that seem to occupy a good portion of every day... or even callings that do occupy every minute of every day (missionary service).   Callings are opportunities to serve God by serving his children. It always surprises me when people say things like, “I’m ok to not have a calling right now”, or “Sorry Bishop, I don’t want that calling.” When members with firm testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ turn down opportunities to show love and devotion to our Redeemer, it just makes me wonder. One of the greatest gifts that God has given to all of us is agency. Agency to choose right or wrong, to serve a little, a lot, not at all, or to fight against the will of God. We get to choose the action but we don’t get to choose the consequence. There are a lot of good consequences t...

One truth Kevin and I have found in being happily wed is that dating and courtship isn't a means for just finding a spouse... it's a means to keeping a spouse as well! Playfulness and flirting can keep the chemistry high in your relationship, and a great way to foster that is through regular planned, paid for, and paired off dates with your sweetheart. Do you need some ideas to shake up your dating routine? Here are 10 tried and true Utah County dates Kevin and I have enjoyed during our courtship: 1) Eats & Hikes at Sundance. Ok, for reals though, Sundance Mountain Resort is most definitely rated as one of my top 5 happy places. For a lovely dine-in experience, call ahead for reservations at the Foundry Grill. If you are celebrating a special occasion, we highly recommend purchasing the 100$ dinner voucher, which allows for both you and your spouse to select an appetizer, entree, drink, soup, salad, and dessert; regardless of the menu's regular prices. We recomm...

I never really cared for sourdough bread growing up. On the rare occasion that I was offered a slice, I ate it and then thought, “it’s just funny shaped and has a funny taste.” I was not impressed. When it comes to bread I am a grandma sycamore white bread kind of guy. I like bread that doesn’t fall apart and has some substance. My mother used to make homemade bread with a bread maker for Sunday dinners and that bread was good, like really good. I’m not sure when Mikayla first started talking about a desire to make sourdough, but it must have been about two years ago. The first thing I can remember is when we took a trip to Sundance. She saw a book in the shops that was a recipe book/travel journal. She told me that this would make a good Christmas present in the future (Mikayla no longer gives me subtle hints, she straight up tells me what she wants, it makes life so much simpler, I highly recommend this method) and so I looked it up on Amazon and bought it for half the p...

Mikayla and I made a goal when we got married, to go on a date every week. Some weeks have been better than others. Some times we go out to dinner and do something fun and other times we just pop some popcorn and watch a movie. Funny enough, it’s not what we actually do, but rather the vocal declaration that we are on a date that matters. Mikayla has reminded me of this many times, I’m still not perfect at it but I am trying. Mikayla likes it when I have some kind of plan a day or two before the date. My personality can lean towards the “Lets do whatever you want” mentality because I just want Mikayla to be happy. However, what really makes her happy is when I make her feel special by having a plan and carrying it out. So here are two tips for my fellow guys that want to please their wife with a date (but really just want to do what ever your wife wants): Tip #1. Write down options on pieces of paper and let her choose. For example: On three pieces of paper, write the nam...

Ryan Eggett, a gentleman in Utah County known for his leadership of notable local choirs, once gave a speech to a group of young married couples. His topic was maintaining a strong marriage, and Kevin and I were in attendance. He shared heaps of helpful information, but one statement he made is emblazoned in my memory. He said this: "Is there anything better I could be spending my money on than my marriage?" Ryan used this statement as a response to others who criticized how he spent his money. He explained that he and his wife go on quarterly overnight outings to nice hotels in their home area. Once a year they take a weeklong trip to a destination vacation. They go out to lunch at least once weekly and out on an evening date once weekly. Every single night they pick a movie and a delicious dessert to eat together while they watch. And The Eggetts are crazy about each other. They have six children and have been married over 20 years. Now, not all of us have a bud...

I don't care. One of the many reasons that I married Mikayla is because she has an opinion (that she likes sharing a lot). She loves sharing her experiences of her mission and her testimony of the gospel. She is happy to tell you what she thinks about almost every topic. She does this in a respectful and pleasant way. It is never condescending or rude. Mikayla always knows what she wants. When it is date night she knows exactly where she wants to go out to eat or exactly what movie she wants to watch. She is always in the middle of a book and will happily tell you her opinion about it if you ask. She participates in a book club where they get together and chat about how much they liked or didn't like the book of the month. I love that Mikayla has an opinion on everything. It makes it really simple for gift giving because all I have to do is ask her what she would like for the upcoming holiday, and without a doubt, she has a few items ready to spout off. The same thing goes ...

The old adage "opposites attract" has always made me squirm. Up until recently I thought it bothered me because spouses have to have something in common in order to get married, right? And hopefully they have more than one something in common.  But recently I realized that perhaps that phrase peeves me so ardently because every single person is unique... in other words, all of us are inherently opposite in one way or another. So every couple that ever finds one another has at least one or more difference to work through in their relationship. One of the all-time heroes of my life is a religious leader in my faith, Henry B. Eyring. He shares a story about his parents and their own differences. He also shares some insight into how the Holy Ghost, or the spiritual influence of God in our lives, can help us sort through those differences. He shares:  "It is only with the companionship of the Holy Ghost that we can hope to be equally yoked in a marriage free from disc...

I’m yellow and Mikayla is blue. There’s a personality test that puts people into 4 groups represented by color: Red, Yellow, Blue, and White. Mikayla and I have taken this test several times and our colors have changed a little over time but for the most part Mikayla is a blue, and I am a yellow. Blue personality types are known for being very organized and always having a plan, while yellows are very much shoot from the hip kind of people. Mikayla likes to have a plan a month in advance, and I’m OK with deciding on something in the moment. Mikayla has helped me become more organized and prepared, while I have helped her realize that when plans fall through we can still have a good time with the brand new plan that we just came up with.             There are good and bad qualities of all the four color types (and therefore, all personalities) and it is up to each spouse to identify the positives instead of the negati...

Something you should know about Kevin: he is thrifty in SO many ways, and he's also extremely driven when it comes to teaching himself new skills. One of his latest ventures in this regard has been cutting hair, namely his and Charlie's. And, might I say, he does a pretty good job. The only catch? I'm required to assist in trimming the back of Kevin's head, the spots where he can't see. This last Wednesday was haircut day, and when it came to my portion of trimming Kevin's mane,  I was so afraid of messing it up that I was all-engrossed and unaware of anything else. And Kevin was captive to my watchful eye and the buzzers. At the same time, less than 15 feet away, our Charlie discovered a small bottle of baby powder. And then that toddler boy discovered how beautifully that powder looked upon his navy bedclothes. His inner artist went wild. Our attention was averted from him for a grand total of three minutes, and in that time, nearly the entire bottle was...

On Friday, September 13th, at 6:51pm, the newest member of the Johnson Family was born: McKay Stephen Johnson. Mikayla and I couldn't be happier. I'll let Mikayla tell the story of the details of the birth in a future post, but today I want to talk about a comment Mikayla has repeatedly made to me today: "Thank you for taking paternity leave." My thought was, "Yes! Of course I did. Who wouldn't? It just makes sense. I'm the dad! It's as much my responsibility to help out as much as it is Mikayla's responsibility." But really, that's how everything should be. Everything should be fifty-fifty. Or rather, one-hundred-one-hundred. We should each be giving our all in everything we do to make our relationship and family the best it can be. I don't believe we should have separate roles where it's just my job to do the dishes and Mikayla's job to always make the dinner. If Mikayla's not feeling up for making dinner, I step in,...

September 9th, 2014. Dark brown hair, freckles, a mischievous grin. I'll never forget seeing him there that day, through the glass door of the University Advisement Center & Academic Support Office, as I stepped on up for a job interview. A clear thought flooded my mind, "he's going to fall in love with me someday."  I was hired on the spot. I'm pretty sure the UAC/ASO was just desperate for a warm body capable of answering phone calls and scheduling appointments during their breakneck schedule those first few weeks of the school year, but nonetheless, I'll be forever grateful they gave me a chance. The most we said to each other was "nice to meet you" and we shook hands. As I walked away, mostly I felt grateful for a job--but I also felt tremendously awkward for that thought, "he's going to fall in love with me someday..." How egocentric of me! I'd never thought that about anyone before.  That night, Kevin wrote in ...

I’m going to start things off by saying that I’m not much of a writer. Mikayla has a way with words that I will probably never amount to, but I’m going to give this blogging thing a go.  When Mikayla and I were engaged we decided to never get in an argument, and to this day we haven't. We have never yelled at one another, so that’s a win. But we have had our fair share of miscommunications. The first of these happened a few weeks into officially being husband and wife. In college, I wasn’t much of a cook. When I wasn’t feeling up for hotdogs, cereal, mac and cheese, or ramen noodles (75% of my college student diet) I’d try something from the family cook book my mother made for me. Ofttimes it would taste funny, so I’d just throw some Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce on it...and that would solve the problem.  It just became a habit. When I’d set the table, BBQ sauce was always there, too.             Because Mikay...

I wish I had a perfect way to start this. Anyone that knows me well knows how much I love words, and I particularly LOVE catchy titles. But alas, after much thought and deliberation...today's post, the first of it's kind on this spanking-new blog, is pretty simple and straightforward. Here's the who, what, why and how of this blog to give you an idea of what we're all about in this new writing venture. WHO: My husband, Kevin Johnson, & I met in early September 2014 during our undergraduate studies ( the details of this sappy but delicious story are forthcoming ). We were "official" at the end of October, engaged at the end of January, and married at the end of May. We've been married for 4 years now. We are the delighted parents of two precious little boys. I practiced as an Elementary School Teacher for two years, but currently stay home full time with our kidlets. I still love teaching and plan to return to practice in later years. Kevin is a...