Next Time I'm Sticking With My Gut

I can't believe it! My original Super Bowl prediction was RIGHT!!! Some of you may have noticed that I posted my original prediction of Giants 17 - Patriots 14 on Thursday afternoon. After a few comments by Erik and his friends saying there was no way the Patriots were only going to score 14 points, I decided to change my prediction to Giants 31 - Patriots 21 on Friday. My original prediction ended up being the exact score of Super Bowl XLII. Yesterday's game was a blast to watch, especially since it ended in the Giants favor. Next year, I'm sticking with my gut instinct (even though it'll probably be wrong).

Super Bowl Prediction

I've been informed that my inital super bowl prediction was highly unlikely and since the game hasn't started yet, I'm revising my score.

Giants 31 Patriots 21

Not that I particularly care for the New York Giants, but I really dislike the New England Patriots. What is with Bill Belichick's cut-off sweatshirt anyway?!

Tanya's Favorite NFL Teams

1. Seattle Seahawks
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. San Diego Chargers (go Eric Weddle!)
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Any team playing against the Raiders, Patriots or Cowboys

I better start researching Giant players (other than Eli Manning) before Sunday. Erik likes to quiz me sometimes. I shocked myself once. A player for the Chargers came on the TV screen a couple of months ago and he said "that's Merriman - what's his first name"? Within 10 seconds, I said "Shawne". Little did I know that I was right. Sorry Honey, but it was a complete guess.

Breakthrough!

Our little girl had a breakthrough on Tuesday. As some of you know, potty training is difficult, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Tuesday evening, Khloe walked from our living room over to her gated pen (located in the kitchen) and went pee on her pad. I was so overjoyed I couldn't contain myself. I must have given her 10 treats in 30 seconds. (Note - this picture was not taken when she was actually going to the bathroom)

Khloe's been so much fun but also a lot of work. Getting up in the middle of the night for her much needed bathroom breaks, bath-time, veterinary visits; it's all worth it though. She's even escaped from her pen a few times. It's atleast 2 1/2 feet tall, but she uses it as a ladder, tumbles over and spends all day upstairs presumably in our bedroom. It worries me that she may spend the day without food, water and toys but I think we found a solution. Last night I riggered something up using a shower curtain and zip ties so we'll see how she does. Sometimes I can be pretty handy. I'm sure we'll have many more excitements and Khloe adventures to report. Stay tuned.

Romney: Mormon and President?

By David Shurtleff (Not a Mormon)

1. When the scandal laden Olympics was embarrassing to our nation, Romney stepped in and turned it into a showcase. Yet Romney is a MORMON, and surely a MORMON cannot be President.
   
2. Romney won the governorship of Massachusetts as a REPUBLICAN, yes, in a state that gives us Senator Kennedy. He showed the ability to work with all people, of all political backgrounds. Yet Romney is a MORMON and surely a MORMON cannot be President.


3. Romney saved a state government facing fiscal disaster, bringing economic expansion and staving off unemployment, something this nation could use. Yet Romney is a MORMON, and surely a MORMON cannot be President.


4. Unlike many politicians, Romney has remained faithful to his wedding vows, keeping his commitments to his wife and blessing his children. Yet Romney is a MORMON, and surely a MORMON cannot be President.


5. The twelfth article of Romney's faith, one which he no doubt memorized as a child, affirms that it is his duty to honor, obey, and sustain the law. Yet Romney is a MORMON, and surely a MORMON cannot be President.


6. Romney's faith group is recognized and respected by governments throughout the world, it was so respected that it was miraculously allowed to build a temple in communist East Germany before the wall camedown. Yet Romney is a MORMON, and surely a MORMON cannot be President.


7. Romney's church teaches that the constitution is a divinely inspired document and that this nation was established by the God of Heaven. Such respect for our nation and its founding document can make just another politician into a statesman. Yet Romney is a MORMON, and surely a MORMON cannot be President.


8. Romney's religious organization teaches love and compassion for all human beings and provides millions of dollars in aid to many countries. It also sent thousands of volunteers to aid Katrina victims in our own country. That aid is given freely, without regard to the religious preference of the recipients. Yet Romney is a MORMON, and surely a MORMON cannot be President.

What is it about being Mormon that disqualifies Mitt Romney from being an effective president? It is true that there may be theological differences that exist between Romney and others, but he is not running for Bishop, Rabb i, Pope, Minister, Imam, or Pastor.

He is running for President.

New Drug! This is hilarious!

Playdates with Zoey

I may not officially be a mother, but sometimes I feel like I am with our new addition, Khloe. Being that Erik and I are gone all day, I worry about the amount of exercise Khloe gets. I always look forward to the days when we get to have playdates with Khloe's sister, Zoey. They have so much fun together. On Sunday, they played for almost 2 hours without stopping. For the first time we got to see the two of them cuddle with each other when they were worn out. How cute!

Derek, Erik & Erik

Last weekend, Erik and I went to The Pie because his friend Derek was in town. Derek, Erik and Erik have been friends for almost 10 years now. Currently, Derek lives in Tennessee so we always look forward to his visits.

Derek, Erik and Erik

Meet Khloe!

I can't believe it either....yes....Erik bought me a puppy! About 2 weeks ago, Erik came home one night and surprised me with an 8 week old Shorkie (shih-tzu / yorkie mix). I had no idea he was going to buy me a dog. Since we've been married I've talked about wanting a little puppy but I hadn't really mentioned anything about it recently. I guess I just realized that it would probably never happen.

Erik walked in the living room and I was laying on the couch watching TV. He put her down by my legs but I didn't notice. All of the sudden I felt something move so I looked over. I saw her little head poke out. I looked up at Erik and said, "is she mine?" He said yes and I started to cry. In case you didn't know, Erik has always been extremely against having a dog. I don't know what changed his mind, but I am so happy he did.

Erik's friend, Andrew, bought his wife (Jessica) Khloe's sister a day or two before Erik bought ours. It's so cute when they play together. We walk in a room, Khloe and Zoey smell each other, give kisses (lick their faces) and then pounce on each other. They can play for hours! I'm really happy that Khloe will be able to still know her sister.

Within a couple of days, we took Khloe over to both of our parents house. They were just as surprised as I was. Baylee, my parents dog and Muji, Erik's parents cat, were both scared of her and really expressed no interest in the new member of our family. It's okay, because I know they'll be friends eventually.

We've been working on potty-training our little girl and it's a lot of hard work. She certainly is good practice for a baby. Erik and I get up 2 or 3 times a night when she wimpers and take her into the kitchen to go to the bathroom on her pee pad. Eventually, we hope to have her litter-box trained since she will only grow to be about 5-8 pounds.

Khloe is such a joy to come home to after a long day at work. Thank you so much Honey! You are the best husband ever. We hope you enjoy the pictures of our new addition. She's such a cute little pup.

Stay Tuned.....

Stay tuned for an exciting new SUPRISE! Some of you may already know, but everyone else will have to stay tuned to see it on the blog. I know what you are all assuming.....

.....no, I am NOT pregnant.

Bonfire Video

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Another year has passed. On New Years Eve, Erik and I went with some friends out to the west desert. Normally, we don't do anything exciting because we always have to work at the laundromats being that it is the last day of the month (every month we work on the last day so we can get end of month "figures"). Andrew and Jessica invited us to hangout with them, Preston, Ledah, Annie, Johnny and all of his friends. We pulled up to our meeting spot and after a few minutes, four or five trucks had appeared; all filled will palats. One truck even had a trailer full of wood.

When we got out there, Johnny built an enormous bonfire and we sure did need it. It must have been close to 0 degrees that night. As it approached midnight, the guys would throw small propane tanks into the fire and shoot them to create huge explosions. We also lit fireworks and shot guns. I had never shot a gun before and I was pretty bad. I could barely hear anything afterwards.

Everytime we tell people about our exciting night, they talk about how scary it must have been and how there could have been a lot of injuries. For some reason, it never even crossed my mind while we were out there. Johnny and his friends had done this many times growing up and I felt pretty safe.

I had never been to a huge bonfire, shot a gun, or had a personal firework show before so it was a really exciting way to start the new year.

Ice Skating

When Liisa (my older sister) was here during Christmas we decided to take the kids ice skating. None of her kids had been ice skating before so I was pretty excited to see how well they would do. I couldn't believe it - they were amazing! Lindsay, the older one, fell a little more than Kayla did but I think they had a lot of fun. Liisa and I tried to do some spins and I fell pretty hard. My Mom caught it on camera, however the picture is a little blurry. I hope my nieces want to go next year because I had a lot of fun.

Johansen Snow Adventures

A Johansen Christmas

Here are pictures we took while hanging out at my parents house during Christmas.

Christmas Re-Cap

The rest of Christmas was spent with my family in Draper. My sisters and their families were in town from Las Vegas and Arizona. It was a lot of fun playing with all of their kids. While they were here, we played in the snow, cut out snowflakes, decorated a gingerbread house, went to visit Santa at Fashion Place Mall (had over a 2 hour wait), watched movies and just hung out as a family. For me, Christmas time with out children around isn't as fun. They get so excited for Santa to come and are so energetic. It really makes me happy to see how happy they are. Of course, there is always a lot of crying going on, but overall, it's the best time of year. Erik and I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas as well. We love you all and are so appreciative and grateful for all of our many blessings.

Oh, and my parents gave us a trip to Kauai with our family! We can't wait!!!!!