Johnson Family Blog

It has only been 4 months...

2006-09-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

But then Misty calls me and tells me she is PG, and so, here I am again. Putting stuff in here that no one will read. But just in case, here goes.

Jacob just go done with flag football and gets his tackle football gear tomorrow morning. He can hardly wait. Brenda, he and I have joined a fantasy football league and "oh my gosh" is it fun.

Cyrus is still having trouble getting back into Redmond High School due to some grade problems. Wierd that they will hold you out until they figure out whether you have the grades to go or not?!?!?! Thats why we want him there... silly!

Mickenzie is working and loves her job at the coffee shop. She is actually paying for her own car insurance and everything. Super cool. She has some issues with being snotty but some of my friends say that ALL 16 year old girls have that problem.

Cody is a JR this year at RHS and is the starting Quarterback for the Varsity football team. We play Bend HS tonight at 7:30 under the lights. Can't wait!!! We played Grants Pass last friday night and they handed us our first loss in over a year. We just moved up to 6A conference and will be playing all of the Big Valley Salem teams. Seatbelt up and hold on!

Shane is doing great. He is a SR this year and has been working on his 67 Impala SS. It has been painted and just needs the interior done. He can't wait to graduate but balks a little when we tell him that come 18, (in 4 days), he is "outa here!" I doubt we will stick to it, but it is fun to watch his face...

John, Nikki and the grandbaby (Andre) are all doing good. Saw the baby yesterday and he is getting really big!

Brenda has just started her Real Estate License and should be done around November or December.

Life is good!

I forgot Jacob... what a loser I am!!!

2006-05-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

Jacob is awesome. He is playing little league baseball, pitching and catching. It is fun to watch the differences between him and his brothers when they were that age. He is definitely more soft and a bit more of a lover. This is fine with Brenda and I...

He has tons of friends and likes candy too much lately. Collecting tons of football cards. We were at Autzen Stadium (U of O) for Cody's football camp, and ran into Kellen Clemens (drafter #12, 2nd round, NY Jets). Kellen signed a U of O collectors football for him which we are putting in a glass and wood case. Jacob is still walking on air.

Bye for now.

CAMPING! CAMPING! CAMPING!

2006-05-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

Not much else on my mind it seems lately. The sun is out and the temp is up. Pulled the camper out a couple of weeks ago and now it is just count-down time.

The kids are great. The wife is still here. God is still (for some KNOWN reason) trucking along with me, keeping me safe and guiding me through some of the tough spots.

Took Kenzie's car from her. Go figure. The first time in almost 3 weeks I check on her and she is out running around with two kids in her car. Needless to say, you should have seen her eyes when I pulled up behind her in front of her girlfriends house. Most importantly? She was driving like a mad-woman, not signaling and speeding.

Cyrus has his first traveling baseball game this weekend in Salem. Looks like it will be just him and me going. That should be some good one-on-one.

Shane's grades suck. We have been keeping in touch with his teachers and monitoring his progress, but he just keeps struggling... And he is thinking about getting back together with the girl who dumped him not too long ago. ACK!

The grand-baby (Andre) is super. I got to see him the other day and he is just growing. What a doll. Starting to grin and chatter. Being a grandparent is the "stuff!"

Cody is doing well in baseball, although he is playing mostly JV due to his shoulder still healing/hurting. Grades are decent. Last week he let me know that he and some friends are going to go camping. Some of those friends were of the female kind. He promised that the girls were going home before too late and that he wasn't drinking. So, lo and behold, I happen to run in to him after he took the girls home (11pm ish). He was sober and happy to see me. Guess I am going to have to figure out a new way to father... this trust thing is hard for me.

My son John (AKA: Reefer J Rolla) is still smoking marijuana and writing rap songs. He and his girlfriend are living together raising Andre. She seems to be doing great. Not so sure about him. He is still not working although I think he believes the raps are working... not so sure just yet. More on that later. We haven't been talking much because he knows how I feel ( and obviously where I stand legally) about the marijuana. I just wish he would see what it is doing to him mentally. He seems to stop growing up when he "hits" the pipe. Kind of hard to watch from where I stand... We just keep praying for him and waiting for God's works. Eleventh hour?

Brenda (AKA: the Wife) is great! She is always reading her books and lately has been running on the treadmill more. She seems to smile more lately... could be summer though. hehe

LOVE YOU!
CJ

I must have the best sister in the world...

2006-04-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

Are you kidding me? I am not sure what I did to deserve my sister Misty, but it was a big deal when I did it... In case you haven't noticed, which you may not have, (since I really don't know who "you" is! Wouldn't it be crazy if the only person who read my blog was actually my sister Misty, which means technically I am telling absolutely NOBODY but her, how great she is... wierd) Like I was saying, she has always taken care of me. She has always watched over me and prayed for me, even in the ugly years. Well, now look what she has gone and done. I have the coolest header ever. And, my blog is actually kind of fun to go to now for me.
Gosh, I am lucky! Thanks sis!
So, all is well on the home-front. I bought a suburban last week to pull our camper. My wife is preparing to get her real estate license. Kenzie and Cody have ball games tonight. We are going over Covenant marriages in our marriage class tonight. And, work is great. I had training yesterday and we shot guns all day long. I had to qaulify with the AR-15, Glock 9mm, Kel-Tek 32 cal, and shotgun. And, I got the chance to shoot an M-4, which is a fully automatic .223 cal assault type long gun. WOW. What fun that was. Makes you feel kind of powerful.
Jacob started little league baseball practice last night and loves it. Cyrus is still expelled from high school and attending a computer class to keep his credits up so that he can go into the 10th grade next year. My oldest (John) just got a part time job. And Shane is still working part time and trying to get his 67 Impala SS finished for the summer. They just got done with his metallic white with gold flake paint job (for just under 5 grand).

Life is good.
And, did I tell you how great my sister is? Thanks Mis for my header. It is beautiful.

I love you!
CJ

Kenzie's 16th birthday... ACK!

2006-04-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today is Kenzie's 16th birthday (bet you figured that out by the title... hehe)! She wants nothing, except a car, and stereo, and money. That is it though. She is riding high though and cant wait to get her drivers license. One more tool for her to be able to get away from her mommy and daddy. It is hard getting old.

Everyone is great! I have something that EVERYONE needs to hear! If you take a vacation for your wife's birthday... DONT TAKE THE TEENAGERS!!! I am not kidding at all. Just don't take them. I had planned this little coastal getaway for Brenda for her birthday. Last Wednesday she woke up, looked over at me lovingly and said (fatal words) "Let's take the whole family." What a fool I was for agreeing. I think we both had visions of the coast with the kids when the followed us around on the beach and made sand castles and drew pictures and collected agates and seashells. Not anything like what happened this week... they left us and went to the arcade... they left us and drove to town to look at "chics"... they left us and called their friends back home... they left us and went to eat. Of course, during the evening hours, they were around (for our entertainment pleasure)! They stayed up half the night playing games and being obnoxious. Now, for those of you wondering why I don't have better control of my kids, here is my theory. My kids could always be out doing "bad" or "illegal" things and it just excites me that they are with us. HOWEVER, I think God is starting to put that separation between us to prepare us for them leaving. I say "Get on with it!" ;)

LOVEYA!

"Good" morning...

2006-03-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful day today. It feels like it is 70 degrees outside. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, even the trees look a deeper shade of green today.

Well, not much new on the homefront today. A couple of weekends ago, Brenda and I (along with several other couple leaders from our church) attended a Family Life Marriage seminar in Sunriver. I can not tell you how great it was. Words just won't do it. If you have a chance... GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!!!!!!
I am going to get a little wierd on you for a sec... How is it that we go through life with our spouse and not really know anything about them? I am not talking about their favorite color or hobbies they enjoy. And I am not talking about the food they like... I am talking about knowing your spouses love languages (does your wife love "words of affirmation" or "acts of service?"), having some idea how to get your spouse to laugh until their face muscles hurt. I am talking about doing things for your spouse that they sit back and thank the good Lord above for you.

I wasn't sure that Brenda and I could do that again, but here it comes. I just pray that I am man enough to stay the course and be all that God intended for me to be.

Whew... anyway, we had a great time. The speakers were fun to listen to. One of the bigger topics over the weekend was calling men to be just that... MEN. It was amazing to hear (and actually picture in my mind) where the men in our society are failing. It sounds tough the hear, but it wasn't. It was true. It is probably one of the biggest issues in failing marriages all around us. I could talk forever about it, but won't. If you are interested, read "Tender Warrior." An amazing book written by Stu Weber.

Saturday night was date night, so we barbequed for the other couples and spent the rest of the night just being together and talking about faith and where He has our churches ministries headed.

The kids are healthy! The checking account is still in the positive. My wife (allegedly) still loves me. Did I mention the sun is shining?

God bless you and yours!
CJ

Oops. Been busy I guess.

2006-03-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it's official... I am not good at keeping my blog updated. Things are fine. Kenzie will be 16 in less then a month. She just had surgery today and all went well. Cody is in rehab for his shoulder. Cyrus got into a HUGE fight last week, got arrested and then expelled from school. Jacob scored 28 points in his basketball game on Saturday. Shane's girlfriend of almost 2 years, broke up with him for another boy, and now is calling and asking him back. John seems to be having troubles finding a job, and his son (my grandson) are at least healthy. Finally, Brenda has been having wierd (irregular) heart beats (I wonder why...;) and has been wearing a wierd EKG Bra type thingy.

Otherwise, we are completely BORED!

Oh, I know. Brenda and I just moved up ranks in our churches Marriage Ministries. We get a key to the church... yippeee... right? I mean that has got to mean something, doesn't it? I have always dreamed of working at church. Well, anyway, I am excited about the change. Probably just means more responsibility.

Finally, Brenda and I are going to a "Weekend to Remember" in Sunriver. Our church paid for us to go and so it will be a mini vacation that we probably otherwise could not afford. Can't wait!!! It is going to be a ball!

Love you all!
CJ

Well, would you lookie there...

2006-01-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

What a BEAUTIFUL day today... It is probably 50+ degrees outside right now. The sun is shining, it smells like Spring already. ACK! It can't be Spring yet! I haven't had a chance to enjoy any real snow yet.

So, my wife sneaks me out of the house last Saturday and takes me to Bend where we proceed to stay the night, go to a movie, and to dinner. WOW! What a great time we had. We sat around in a little motel and played Canasta. The greatest part of it all, is that we had two movie passes and a gift certificate to Anthony's Restaurant, so we barely spent any money.

The down fall is that we picked the wrong movie to go to. We went to the "Ringer" and it was terrible. A couple of parts were (kinda) funny, but the rest was rotten. The movie basically makes fun of children with disabilities. About 10 minutes into it, I realized what a bad choice we had made, and 1 minute after that I realized that my Dad would never watched a movie like it. He would have been FURIOUS!!!

Anywho... Other than that, what a weekend. Hope all is great with ya'll!

Love your muffin!
CJ

Here (hopefully) are the pics...

2006-01-12T14:38:00.000-08:00

This picture is Christmas this year. The little guy is Andre... the gal in front is Andre's mother (and John's girlfriend) Nichole. Doesnt Andre look just like his Grandpa?

Above is Kenz and Brenda this November. Aren't they cute?

To the left is Shane this year. He looks eye-to-eye now with me... which means he has reached the 6'2" mark. He will be 18 in September.

Below and to the left is a picture of all of the boys this Christmas with their cashiers check for an Xbox 360 from Grandma... Just in case you need it, Cyrus is the one in the gray and black jacket, then it goes John, Cody, then Shane. Jake is the small guy in there.

This is a shot of Cyrus, Jacob and Cody at our friends house. We had a big game of Canasta...

Well, that is it for now. I will get some more pics on for you soon. Bye for now.

I am blogging today...

2006-01-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

Just thought you might like to know that I have plans to blog today. I guess that technically, I am blogging right now. I am trying to get my pic's from the camera to here without my popup blocking them.

See you soon (hopefully).

CJ

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2006-01-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

Kenzie and her girlfriend Hailey

2005-12-23T01:40:00.000-08:00

A pic of Kenz and her girlfriend. I am having trouble with room on my computer to download my pic's from the camera. Kenz is on the right. The dork in the back to the right is Ian, Cyrus's best friend.

Hey Mis, cant I download pics to this directly from my camera without downloading on to the computer?

Anyway, love ya!

Your brutha

Hey Mis... Picked up a Canon PowerShot A520

2005-12-21T00:39:00.000-08:00

Ain't that sweet? I gave my wife a new digital Canon PowerShot A520 camera for Christmas. I am just learning how to work it, but man it is great. We took a trip to Belknap Springs Resort over the weekend and got some shots from there. I will add a few here, but look at my earlier blog for more.

Yes Misty, I copied you. We have been wanting to get one, just hadn't taken the steps. Now I can put some shots on of the kids. I will do that soon.

Life has been great. The Lord has really taken care of us this Christmas. We are very thankful for all that he has blessed us with.

Did Cami get my comments on her blog about the "Chronicles?"

We love you guys.

... How in the heck did I get the same shot twice??? I am not very good at this.

Loveya,

Trip to Belknap Springs Resort 12/18 - 12/20

2005-12-21T00:16:00.000-08:00

This place is GREAT! We went here for our friends "40"th Bday...
This picture was taken in the "secret garden" on Monday. Left to right is Brady, his wife Tammy, Brenda and I. This was the first time I had used the timer preset setting on our new Canon digital Powershot camera. I could not figure how to make it go, then when I did, I almost fell on the ice trying to get in position... We had a blast.
Here is the view from our room. Out the window to the left (not scene here) you could see for about a 1/4 mile straight down the river.
Jan 1, is diet time, right?
Brenda had a great time. I gave her the new camera as a gift when we got here. It was great because half way to the resort, she remembered that she had forgot our old camera. Isn't she lovely.

Misty, I will get more pic's of the family shortly and get them on here.

Merry Christmas

CJ

2005-12-12T15:04:00.000-08:00

Redmond High Panthers Football, 2005.

#9 Cody Johnson, QB - Junior Varsity

I love you Mis...

2005-12-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

Whoops, again

2005-12-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

Do NOT hit the enter button to get from the title window to the actual post. What a moron!

I am sorry that I am not the blogger that my sister is. Wow. She doesn't leave much to be desired. It is just like the old days. She was always better at things then me (at least that is what she used to always say).

Not much is new in Central Oregon. Getting ready for Christmas and all that goes with it. We have about 6 inches of snow left from the last week or so. We have had a couple of nights that netted us a good 8-10 inches. I LOVE SNOW!

The kids are doing well. Kenzie is sicker then a dog. Cody is too. He is going to the Dr this evening to get his chest checked. Funny how males are so much bigger babies then females. In all aspects too. I hate to be the guy who blows it for the rest, but I am a baby and DARN proud of it. Hit me in the head with a hammer? I am fine. Sore throat, congestion and headache? LOOK OUT EMERGENCY ROOM! Throw in vomiting and put me to sleep! I ain't kidding. Just give me a shot in the stomach and call it good.

OK. Not sure how that happened, but anyway. I hope all of you have a great Christmas and Holiday season!

His and yours!

CJ

I suck at Blogging!

2005-12-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

The baby is a boy... Ooops

2005-11-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry bout that... Can't believe I threw "2" gender neutral names out there, and did not clarify the sex of the baby. Luuuuhuuuuuzuuhuurrrrr.

So, things are great right now. The grand child is awesome, and it is almost Thanksgiving.

We are spending Saturday with some friends from Church, and kicking off our Home Groups. I am really excited about the home groups. I can't wait to see what great things they bring. We are going to get the families involved once a month.

Tata

CJ

The baby has arrived!!

2005-11-14T14:50:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 10th, 2005 at 11:30 pm. 7lbs 1oz, 19 inches long. Dark hair and looks exactly like Dad. Andre Nova Johnson.

You know, I don't feel any different really, then before Andre arrived. I kind of thought I might look at some things differently, but I don't! I don't really look any different, no more gray hairs. Which reminds me... I am started to HAVE to shave my ears. That is SICK! And I mean sick like gross, not sick like awesome, like the kids talk today.

So anyway, Brenda and I went with a couple from our Church to Belknap Springs Resort. We rented a two bed room suite and had a spectacular time. This resort even has a big screen TV so we did not miss the Ducks football game on Saturday night.

Gotta go.

Grandpa

Babies En Route

2005-11-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

Everything changes soon! Brenda and I are going to go from parents, to grandparents. ACK!!
Nichole is in the hospital having contractions and they decided that she won't leave until the baby is out! She is only a week overdue, but he is a biggie.

I don't want to sound like one of those freaky grandparents, but I am sure he will be the greatest thing ever. For those of you who do not have any idea what I am talking about, 9 months ago my oldest son's girlfriend... I just realized I don't know how to say it without sounding bad, but she got pregnant (I am sure with a little help from my son). For those of cringing right now, I know it sounds bad, but I love my kid and even though he may not be making the best decisions, we are supporting them until they do. He has always fought God, and my theory is that if he is fighting God, he believes in him. It is a long story.

So, she is getting ready to pop and Brenda is down there right now keeping me posted. I guess it would be appropriate to ask for prayer and God's blessing on them. Thanks!

I will keep ya'll (ain't that the way you talk down in Georgia?) posted.

God bless you and yours!
CJ

Apologies

2005-11-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

My apologies for not blogging lately. You know what they say...
I actually couldn't think of what they say, so, sorry about that. I think my problem is that I just sit and type and forget to link my brain to my mouth (or actually, my fingers).
Anyway, the couple of weeks have just FLOWN by! The kids are healthy, the wife is happy (I hope), and God is good to me. WHATS LEFT?

A couple of weekends ago, my "super good" child (Cody 16) decided to go to a party. It has been nothing short of chaos since then. My semi-good daughter (Kenzie 15) has been having trouble with her time management skills. She is constantly on the go. She doesn't stop to do anything but find somewhere else to go. I love her, but HOLY COW she is really testing us. The almost oldest (Shane 17) has decided to stop using his brain altogether and has started walking into walls again. I am not kidding, the blood just stopped going to his brain. Cyrus (14) had broken his hand during football practice a month or so ag0, and just got his cast off. He is going out for basketball today and is very excited.

The little guy (Jacob 8), decided to ask a girl in his class to be his girlfriend. He was comletely beside himself while typing out the letter, you know the one... Will you go with me? Yes No Maybe. For real. So he goes and gives it to the girl (Emma) finally after a week of talking about it. What happens you ask? The teacher gets wind of it and holds a class meeting to explain to all of the kids how it is against school policy for them to be bf/gf. Then, to top it off, a guy I work with comes to me today and asks if I have a boy in the 3rd grade named Jacob. So, ofcourse, I lie and say no. He figures it out and tells me he has a daughter in the 3rd grade named Emma. And that she just got done being asked by a boy named Jacob Johnson if she would be his girlfriend. God bless my kids!

I will try and type more later. Cyrus just called and I have to sign some papers for basketball tryouts.

God Bless you and yours,

CJ

Missing my gal

2005-10-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Didn't see this coming... I am actually missing my wife! And no, not just because I am being the single Dad trying to keep ALL of the kids in line. I really just plain miss her. I miss the way she makes sure that my day is going good. I miss it when she tells me how much she loves me and thanks me for being "her man!" I guess I really do need her, sheesh.

Today started out a little funny as I had to get the Jake-man ready and off to Grandma's house so that she could get him to school. Work has been good so far today. Lots of little things to do.

You know, it just occurred to me. Blogging could become very addicting. I am glad I only look at one other blog, my sister, Misty's. She tried this audio blog today. Sis, if you are listening. Don't ever do that again. Audio blogging blows!

Hope you all have a great day. Not sure who "you all" are since no one actually reads my blogs just yet.

CYA
CJ

October 15th, 2005

2005-10-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Well howdy! Nice to see you again.
I would like to introduce myself a little more formally this time. I am 36 years old and have a beautiful wife, Brenda. We have a mixed family of 8. I brought 3 boys into the relationship (14,16, and 18 now), and she brought a boy and a girl (15 yof, 17 yob) in. About 8 years ago, we had a boy, so that rounds off to 6 kids. We have been married for over 10 years and so have been together for most of their lives.
Like I said previously, we enjoy most outdoor activities and we travel within Oregon to all of our kids' school sports.
Brenda is still in Texas and called me this morning to tell me she was a little "under the weather." I told her I had heard that there was a flu epidemic in the San Antonio area, especially found in the local lounges and late in the evening or early morning. She said that was probably what she had since she was in the lounges during those times. Guess she should have got the flu shot this year...
The kids are great. School is going well this year for them. All C's and up is the rumor. Keeping our fingers crossed as last week was mid-term and we should see some paper to back the rumor up.
One of our boys,Cody(16), has been playing football with the same kids for three years and have not lost a (conference) game in that time. The only game we have lost is a non-conference game against Tualitan earlier this year. Their approximate record is 25-0. Cody is the starting QB and Friday night threw only his second interception in over 18 games and 30+ TD's. The parents are starting to get really freaky and travel to all of the away games. We tape them and last week got a semi-professional photographer to get some pictures of the boys. A lot of fun though.
Cyrus(14) is playing Frosh football and they are having a good season. He is starting at LB and playing well.
Shane(17) is playing JV Soccer and they are still undefeated this year. He is really playing well.
Mickenzie(15) chose to not play volleyball this year. She is looking forward to softball like usual though.
John(18) graduated from High School last year and he just got his first apartment and is working online for a company with Ebay.
Brenda's and my little guy (Jacob, 8) is doing great in school. He is a top reader and loves to play football and basketball. He is growing like a weed and never stops eating. Ugh!
All in all, things are good here. I am glad to be in Oregon and not Texas where that flu epidemic has broken out. I feel terribly bad for my wife.
Today, we are going to clean the house and do some laundry. I will then be taking Kenz to Bend to look at dresses as she is being escorted to the Sisters High School Homecoming dance by a Junior boy, also Jake.
She sure is growing up. Barely has time for her "old-man."
Friday, she and I took her mother's bright yellow Chevy Monte Carlo SS in to Texaco to get the oild changed. The guy at the counter was staring at the car and said "Nice car man!" I promptly told him that it belonged to my wife and the only reason I got to take it was to get the oil changed. As we prepared to drive the car out of the bay, he leans down and looks at my 15 yo daughter who is sitting in the seat next to me and says "nice car Ma'am." I respond "this is my daughter." He apologizes and walks away. As I am sitting there thinking about how young I must look, my daughter gets this disgusting look on her face and screeches "Gross!"
Thanks honey!
Until next time.
CYA
CJ

So Starts Another Blog - October 13th, 2005

2005-10-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I hope this new chapter in my life is as exciting as the last...
I believe that most people start off by talking about who they (and their family members) are, but I don't think I will. Not just yet at least.
These blogs are pretty neat! It's kind of like a reality tv show, only without the tv, the actors, all of the equipment, and the show. But otherwise, it is exactly the same.
My family really enjoys the outdoors and anything that happens there. I should say that most of my family does. Some of my family is less then excited about the idea of staying in places where wild animals stay. I can't say that I blame them, I just don't take them when I go.
Let's see, what to talk about. My sister, Misty, got me going on this blog thing. I think my wife is going to like it. She flew to Texas yesterday and does not know that I am doing this. I feel like I am secretly visiting one of those chat rooms that everyone knows deep down inside you should not visit! Only I am the only one here, and no one is chatting with anyone else. Oh, and this is a blog, and not a chat room. So...
In my next blog, I will talk more about my family and our interests. The idea is that this blog will provide a place for my extended family members to go to catch an update on just exactly how the Johnson Family is doing. Should be cool. I am very excited.
Well, until next time. It has been fun talking with you. This is kind of like a newspaper clipping written by an editor, except it's not in a paper, and I am not an editor, AND it would actually be more like an autobiography... Wierd!
CYA

PS: My sister rocks. I really think she is the best. And I am not just saying that because I know for a fact that she is going to get on this and read it. She is great! I love her. Oh, and my wife, Brenda. I love her a lot too. She rocks as far as wives go. I mean it! She is great. They both are great ladies! No but seriously. They are.