who knew?

Who knew that McDonalds was not open on thanksgiving! I stopped at McD's this morning to grab Abbie an egg McMuffin for breakfast. I pulled up to the drive-thru window and the automated voice welcomed me, told me about the McCafe Latte's, and said to place my order... so i did,expecting that a real person would then respond to my order. 30 seconds went by, then a minute, then two, then three... after several attempts to get someones attention at the board, I decided to drive to the first pick-up window. Oh, by the way... by now 4 cars had pulled in the drive-thru behind me. Nobody at the first window... nobody at the second window. pulled around the size, noticed the lobby was a dark. Huh... i guess McDonald's is closed on Thanksgiving... but the automated machine still takes your order :-)

Julie's Obituary

CDAPress.com
Local and National News - Kootenai County, Idaho
Monday, Nov 23, 2009 - 04:20:41 pm PST
Julia 'Julie' Ann Johnson
Julie was born in Oregon City, Ore., on Jan. 6, 1952, to a musical family and learned to sing before she was a year old. Being the oldest of the seven siblings that followed, they formed their own choir at home. Her parents, Ron and Gloria Camp, needed a piano player to accompany their ensemble, so they sacrificed to ensure Julie had lessons.
Julie soon became a pianist at Calvary Mennonite, a church founded by her great uncle. She also sang in choirs and played in bands throughout her school career. Not only did Julie play the role of a big sister, but she found a niche in ministering to children at church and on mission trips with her youth group. God had gifted Julie with a passion for music and a deep love for kids. So, majoring in music education was a perfect fit for her.
In 1970, Julie graduated from North Marion High School in Aurora, Ore. She went on to college at Oregon College of Education in Monmouth, Ore., where she received her degree in music education. Julie met Greg Johnson during her senior year in college. She led him into a personal relationship with the Lord. Their wedding, July 20, 1975, was a celebration of music and a commitment to live out their faith in the Lord together. They continued to serve the Lord's extended family in a variety of roles for the past three and half decades. They lived in Oregon from 1975-1983 and in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, from 1983 to present.
Julie has passed on her passion for family, music, love of kids and faith in the Lord to each of her children. Emily is both raising her kids and working with little ones at school. Jake is following in his mom's footsteps and is studying to become a music teacher. And Betsy enjoys being a Mother and is passing on her musical gifts to her boys. Julie seemed to always have enough energy to balance both family and school. Julie has not only taught music to generations of kids through the years, but she always created a caring environment where kids experienced joy. She taught music in the Coeur d'Alene School District for 23 years, most recently at Fernan Elementary.
Julie went to be with the Lord on Nov. 22, 2009, after a year and half struggle with cancer. Julie loved God and people unconditionally all through her life.
Julie's "Celebration of Life" service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, at Real Life Ministries (No. 2) in Post Falls. Family will be greeting visitors at the visitation from 4-6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d'Alene.
Visit Julie's memorial and sign the online guest registry at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.

Julie singing to Zoë

Aunt Julie, My Mom (Janice) , My Daughter Zoë and Me (Abbie)

My Dear Aunt Julie

Thank you for your prayers and love. My Aunt Julie went to be with Jesus early this morning. Please pray for my family. For strength, peace and encouragement. We will miss her terribly.

4 and a 1/2

Paul and I have been married 4 and a 1/2 years today. Thank you Paul for being such a wonderful husband and my best friend. I love you! ~Abbie

Please Pray for my Aunt Julie and Her Family

Please pray for my Aunt Julie and her family. Click here to get to their blog. My mom is there right now. This is very hard for all of us.

Lyrics for JJ Heller's Song, Your Hands

JJ Heller - Your Hands
From the album Painted Red

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn't there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That you would take my pain away
You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crooked lie Oh Lord, before these feet of mine,Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

When you walked upon the earth
You healed the broken, lost and hurt
I know you hate to see me cry
One day you will set all things right
Yeah, one day you will set all things right

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

Your hands that shaped the world
Are holding me
They hold me still

Please Pray for my Aunt

Well, we recieved sad news last night. My Aunt Julie is not going to continue chemo. They are calling in hospice. Please pray for my Aunt and her family that God will encourage them, give them peace and that the Lord will use her life completely for His glory. I also ask that you pray for my mom to find a way to be with her. She is looking for a plane ticket to go be with her sister but they are super expensive. Pray we can get her to my aunt. Thank you for your prayers.

Zoë's 6 month check up

Well, Zoë's checkup went well. She is healthy but sore from her shots. She has grown 4 inches and weighs 13 lbs. 3 oz. Way to go Zoë!!

Zoë's First Halloween

Here are a few pics of Zoë on her first Halloween. No trick or treating because we were in MN, but if was a fun day!

14 year perfect streak gone in a split second...UGH!!

Yes, my pride is shattered and laying in peices around my feet. Truth: I am a very good driver. Also true: I have been driving for 14 years with no accidents that were my fault. Truth of Murphy's Law: on your crumbiest day, lowest emotionally, depressed already... something bad will happen. And yes folks, it has finally found me. I am tainted with the red paint of our car mixed with the taupe of my parents car. Yes, you heard that right... I rammed into my parents' car. How awful!! Here is the play by play-
Mom comes over and we are excited to go to Maddie's violin concert. Next we bundle everyone up in the car, including Zoë. Ready to roll... true story: I told my mom, "boy I am feeling depressed today." and I look into the rearview mirrior and instead of seeing my parents' car I see the sweet little face of Zoë. And WHAMMO!! I smacked right into the side of their car. Yes folks, yes, I am blamming the whole thing on my daughter who is just too darn cute she caused me to get into an accident. I've been driving almost 15 years and she has only been around 6 months. :) Right? OK, OK...totally my fault... I burst into tears... and went to the concert with bright red puffy eyes...life is crazy and I am glad it was just the car that was hurt and not anyone else.

UP

Please go rent the movie "UP" it is very worth the money. I would recommend buying it. :)

Someone do something about that baby!

Thank you Maddie for the beautiful violin solo! I loved coming and listening to you play. Gorgeous music!! Zoë went too along with grandma Janice. Zoë loves music so she listened very well and would jump on our legs and smile. Finally she just had to sing so I had to walk with her in the hall so we wouldn't disturb anyone around us. :) I am so glad that I was able to go. Love you Maddie!! Great Job!!

So I Think

So I think Zoë may be teething. I am not sure though. She is now 6 months old and today she has been extra cranky and very tired...sleeping all the time. She has also been eating differently than usual. I guess we will see. She has a 6 month check up on Thursday. I am interested in knowing how much she weighs and how she is growing etc.

Happy Half Birthday Zoë!!

Zoë is 6 months old today!! Wow!! Thank you Lord for our precious baby girl! We are so very blessed!!

Zoë and the Art

Zoë went to her first Art museum this Thursday. I was so blessed to have my friend Jessica with me. She helped me A LOT with Zoë. All went well during the time. Zoë did try to sneak in a few squeals in the areas that had good accustics that could carry her joy to all areas of the museum. Needless to say Jessica and I hurried Zoë through many different exhibits to keep her happy. :-) It was very fun! Thanks Jessica!! Jessica also had Paul and I over for a wonderful dinner Wednesday night. She and her husband Peter had us over, Jamie (Jessica's sister), Jason Bolt a freind of ours and Micheal Tong and his family who Paul knows from college and works with Jessica and her husband. What a small world it is!! The evening was awesome and how great to catch up with friends! Although I had a fantastic time it is sooooooo nice to home in our own bed. :-)

One More Sleep

Well one more sleep and we will be on our way home. Please pray that Zoë is able to sleep on the plane. She has begun squealing again at the top of her lungs... we have a hard time in Caribou Coffee. :-) I am going to explore downtown today. I will be going to the Minnesota Art Museum and the Midtown Exchange which is a global market... I am excited. I am also going to try to make it to eat street and try some new food. :-)

Another Fun Day

Yes, I ventured by myself into the deep depths of downtown Minneapolis. I am so glad that I did because I regained some of my "Big City" confidence. I went to a MOMS meeting with Sara Garrison. It was so kind of her to invite me. I really enjoyed being the outsider this time. So often I know everyone so it is good for me not to. Zoë screamed most of the time so I was in the back. She was not crying...just a joyful squeal to the Lord I guess. :-) The speaker was wonderful and very encouraging to all of us moms. (We are not insane as we sometimes think we are!) After the morning I had lunch with Mitch and Sara and their daughters...WONDERFUL!! What a great family! I am blessed to call them my friends. I decided after lunch to venture to downtown St.Paul here is the sequence of what happened next:...found it...had fun walking and shopping.... decided to leave before rush hour... followed the GPS... almost go up a one way street... miss the turn off... U turn...on the right street....oh no! ....new intersection... on wrong on ramp... on a new highway...where am I???...off an exit ... on again...wrong highway...drive a long way and then back track....continue doing this three more times in the middle of nowhere...yell at the GPS... Zoë sleeping.....FINALLY!!back at Bethel frazzled but proud I made it!!

Are You Ready for This?

Well, what a better way to say thank you for having us over for dinner by having your child poop everywhere. Yes folks, it has happened again... the magic and mysterious poop climbed out of Zoë last night right in the middle of dinner. Shirley Roehl, bless her heart, was chatting with me during dinner at their house when I heard these words: Abbie, I think Zoë is turning green. Hmmmm, I thought, I wonder if that green bean I just gave her fell onto her shirt...I WISH!! There was poop everywhere, all the way up to her neck. It was crazy, and she was happy as a clam...Paul had to help me strip her down and give her a bath right then and there in the Roehl's bathtub. I am so thankful I had an extra pair of clothes too. (Note to self for future...maybe pack TWO extra pairs of clothes!!) We returned home exhausted...whew!! Who knew having one child would be so adventurous?? Once again... this is a shout out for cloth diapers...has not happened once with the cloth...only disposable!

Beautiful Day

Today is a gorgeous fall day. Zoë and I are hanging out at a Caribou Coffee while Paul is in class. We will be going to the Como Conservatory today. Hopefully we will find it OK. Zoë is starting to scream right now and I am feeling bad because the guy beside me looks as if he is writing a paper... Zoë... Zoë ...Zoë. :-) I just need to distract her with the seat belt in her car seat and she should be good.

OK...I have a big prayer request today. My Aunt Julie goes in for an MRI today to see if the cancer has blocked off the lung please pray 1st that the Lord will heal her completely and 2nd that her lung is not blocked up so that she can stay home and not have to travel to Seattle again. Thank you for your prayers!!

-Abbie

Fun Weekend

The weekend went fast but it was so much fun! Paul and I had the pleasure of visiting my Aunt Winona and Uncle Wayne's house for two days. They are so much fun and full of hospitality. They let us stay at their house and we were able to the Mall of America with them then they treated us to dinner that night, THANK YOU Wayne and Winona! We really didn't spend much time there...just looked in at the baby stores. :) Paul and I went to an IKEA the night before and we LOVED it!!! IKEA is huge but so much fun to walk through. We bought a few fun/cheap things for Zoë's room. If you have never gone to one be sure that you do someday...very cool. hmmmm....what else.

Today, (Sunday) we were able to have the chance to go to John Piper's church (Bethlehem Baptist) it was great. You know, the church surprised me. It was very simple and to the point. It really was not showy at all. I liked the church and the sermon was about Jesus feeding the 5,000 (John 6) and how God created things in our life to point to Him. (go with me here, I am not good at explaining things) for example...we are hungry... we need to be filled... we eat bread and are satisfied... we are thirsty....we need to have our thirst quenched...we drink fresh water and we have the feeling of being satisfied. Piper's point was that these human things help point us towards what it is that we have in Chist... Bread of Life.... Living Water... Christ uses the human needs to point to the spiritual. I hope you followed the gist of the thought. Of course there was way more to it. :-) Paul and I then joined Mitch and Sara for lunch and we went over and watched a football game with them AND had dinner. THANK YOU Mitch and Sara for puting up with is. We love speding time with you and your beautiful and fun filled girls.

Right now I am typing away while Zoë is sleeping at a Caribou Coffee. (white chocolate mocha anyone? YUM!) I am going to try and venture out tomorrow and visit a conservatory with Zoë I am hoping we make it there in one piece.

One last thought... a 5 1/2 month old dressed as a giraffe walking around with her mom and dad at the Mall of America... SO CUTE!! :-)