Adjustments, Life, and Hogle Lovin'

February has been an interesting month for us. I have been preoccupied with life, as evidenced by yet another blogging hiatus. It has been an adjustment getting used to Ben being away so often. It is wonderful to see him loving his career so much, and I have no doubt that if the economy holds up, it will be a very fulfilling way for him to provide for us. The great debate for us at this point in time is whether or not the kids and I should find a way out to Detroit to live there with Ben so as to cut down on the commuting time, or if we should stay near to family where we gain the benefit of more relationships and interactions to help out and serve as a welcome distraction while Ben is gone. The verdict is up in the air at this point (ha ha, no pun intended, but that worked out quite well, didn't it?). Much of it, we suppose, will depend on whether or not the house we are living in right now sells. There have been a few offers on the house, but they have been so low it's almost an insult. Sometimes I wonder about people, and how they think they can get away with such blatant stupidity.
At the beginning of the month, I had a miscarriage at 7 weeks. I am mentioning this not to get sympathy, but only to offer my sincerest sympathies to any and every woman who has ever been burdened with the process of trying to conceive, as well as conceiving and then losing a pregnancy, or even just conceiving and then experiencing the relentless worry that accompanies a pregnancy from the moment after the initial "rush of joy" fades after reading a positive sign on the pee stick. It's such a mixed bag. God grant that every woman may experience the joy of childbirth, and God bless every woman that she may survive it. So, I think I've recovered now, and we're ready to move on.
On a lighter note, Ben was home for a few days, and with the "warmer" weather, we decided to visit Hogle Zoo. I was surprised to see all of the changes they have made there to improve the place. Four stars for sure! I only wish it was a little bit closer to us, because my kids fall asleep in the car to and from, and then they won't nap, and well, we live and die by our naps around here.
Anyway, here's to a good March with much anticipated warmer weather and daylight savings time, and green pancakes and pinches!

Family Fun at the Jim

Well, we were trying to figure out what to do tonight, and we decided to give Jungle Jim's a go. It was an experience, that's for sure. We were there for about an hour, maybe a little longer. Daxton mostly enjoyed the arcade games, and Jacy enjoyed running around licking things. Ben, being the good husband that he is, rode most of the rides with the kids, which consisted of a lot of spinning in circles, and he came home with a headache and an upset stomach. As for the pictures, this morning when I was dressing Jacy, I came up with this outfit, and after she was dressed, I realized that she looked just like some kind of a dental assistant in scrubs. It's been bugging me all day, but I couldn't muster up the energy to change her into something else. My favorite picture of the kids from this outing is the one where Jacy looks like she's imitating "Kiss." So, the verdict as to Jungle Jim's: one and a half stars out of five.

Bombardier CRJ900

I've been asked for some photos of my plane, so here are a few. It's no 747, but it's a pretty sweet ride. A BIG step up from my little four seat piston twin. It can seat up to 90 people, but because of our contract with Northwest, we have them configured to 76 (64 coach and 12 first class). It can fly up to 41,000 feet, 0.83 Mach (547 mph), and 2,104 miles. I like it.

A Monumental Johnson Occasion

Well, I don't know what happened. I took a little blogging hiatus. Ben was gone finishing up his training through Mesaba for two weeks. It was a LONG two weeks for us all. He finally came home last Friday night, and we were worried that he would have to turn right around and leave again on Monday morning, but as it turned out, he was able to stay home with us until today, which was wonderful! Today, or really tomorrow, marks a monumental event in our lives.....Ben's first flight as a first officer for Mesaba Airlines flying a CRJ900. Wow. It only took him five and one-half years. He'll be on more of a schedule now, which we are ecstatic about. It will be a four-days-on and three-days-off type schedule. So, hopefully we'll never have to go for two weeks without him ever again. Anyway, he sure is good lookin in his uniform!

Snow versus Sun

I'm Cold. I miss the Sun.

Preschool help

Hey all you blogging mom buddies,

I have a quick question. Can any of you give me recommendations on a relatively inexpensive preschool of some sort to start Daxton in? He really needs something extra, just one or two days a week for just an hour or two. I would prefer a home business-type preschool, and I've tried to get into one (thanks for the recommendations Em!), but they are all full. Your suggestions would be very much appreciated! Thanks!

Grandma

While we were in Disney World, we received word that my grandma Clark had passed away. The event was extremely bittersweet as she had suffered for a long time, and she was truly ready to leave this life. She didn't want a funeral, so on Saturday we held a memorial service at her home with close family members only. It was a wonderful gathering where we all got to remember what a remarkable woman she was in this life, and how great a legacy she left behind. I will miss her. Some adjectives that I would use to describe my grandma are: Strong, loving, protective, glamorous, intelligent, long-suffering, and level-headed. She was amazing. She will be missed. I love you Grandma.