...johansen's...

DC 2011

2011-10-08T20:22:00.007-06:00

Last week, I headed to Washington DC for a work conference. I was able to stay for the weekend and spend some time with my cousin who lives there. It was so much fun! My conference was on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

On Thursday morning, I took the metro and walked the monuments.

Washington Monument

WWII Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

Lincoln Monument

Me & Abe

Korean War Memorial

Let me just say, it is kind of awkward being alone and asking people to take your picture. One lady asked me, "So, it's just you?" Ha. (Unfortunately, Chad couldn't make the trip due to school.) Thursday night, I met my cousin for dinner in Crystal City.

After my conference ended on Friday, I met my cousin at the Air and Space Museum. We quickly walked through that and then headed home to meet Justin for dinner.

The Wright Brother's plane

Air & Space Museum

We went into Clarendon for dinner. We ate at The Burger Joint. After we went to Crumbs for a cupcake. I got a Cotton Candy cupcake and it was delicious! I wanted to get a picture, but eating it was so much better! (I need to figure out where I can get one in UT.)

On Saturday, we went to the National Archives, Natural History Museum, American History Museum, and the White House. We also walked up to China Town for lunch.

Natural History Museum

The Hope Diamond. 45 Karats of flawless, perfectly cut diamonds. It's on my Christmas list this year!

American History Museum

Dorothy's shoes in the Wizard of Oz. "There's no place like home."

The original Muppet's

The biggest Barbie House - AMAZING! I was obsessed with Barbie's when I was young. Me and my friend, Emily, played til we were in Junior High (no joke!)

The Star Spangled Banner exhibit. This had the original flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. Very cool!

Michelle Obama's Inaugural Dress.

Me, Debbie, and Nolan in front of the White House

With with Nolan

We spent Sunday at the Tidal Basin. We went to the FDR Memorial, MLK Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial. We also stopped by Iwo Jima.

This dog is part of the FDR Memorial. It is a "Wannabe Miley."

MLK Memorial

I love DC! There is so much to do and there is so much history. A huge Thank You to Debbie and Justin for letting my stay at their house on Friday and Saturday night.

They were the best hosts! It was so much fun to spend time with them and see their cute baby, Nolan! He is seriously the best baby! He would just chill while we walked around.

Anna Lee Ralph Johansen

2011-10-05T21:46:00.003-06:00

Anna Lee Ralph Johansen

1929 ~ 2011

Our beloved mother and grandmother returned home to her Heavenly Father on October 2, 2011.

Anna Lee Ralphs Johansen was born in Moore, Utah on July 16, 1929 to Mirl Ralphs and Blanch Cook Ralphs. Ann, along with her five sisters and one brother, was raised in Ferron, Utah, where she graduated from South Emery High School. She attended Carbon Junior College.

On June 15, 1949 she married her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, Kent Johansen, in the Manti Temple. They moved to Salt Lake where Kent attended pharmacy school. Ann was active in the Pharmacy Auxiliary and served on the Auxiliary Board and as President of the Utah Pharmacy Auxiliary. Ann was a member of the LDS Church and served in many capacities. She served with Kent in the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission where they touched many lives and made life long friends.

Her greatest joy was being a wife, mother and grandmother. She was an excellent cook, no one did it better. Good food was a treasure to her, and she loved being able to share it with her family and friends. She loved everything about cooking, including baking from "scratch", and preparing large family dinners. Birthday dinners at Grandma Jo's were filled with great food, love and laughter. She made every one of her children

and grandchildren feel loved and special.

Ann is survived by her six children and spouses, Rosemary (Russ) Sorensen, Richard (Paula), Kathy (Jeff) Wells, Cindy (Scott) Royall, Bruce (Leslie), and Kevin (Kaesi), 23 beautiful grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Chad's sweet, beautiful Grandma passed away on Sunday. Grandma Jo was one of a kind! She had the feistiest personality and always spoke her mind! She was the life of the party and always made sure there was enough food at these parties to feed an army! Chad's Grandma welcomed me into her family with open arms! I am so grateful to her and for the example she has set for us. I am sure she is happy to be with her sweet Kent again!

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

2011-09-19T20:22:00.002-06:00

On Saturday my parents took us to see Mary Poppins. It was so cute and so fun and the talent was awesome. Mary Poppins was so talented, I felt like I was watching Julie Andrews! I loved it!! I love when Broadway shows stop in SLC. It makes for such a fun night out.

Thanks so much, Mom and Dad!

TRI it...

2011-09-15T21:47:00.004-06:00

Chad just competed in his first Triathalon! He is amazing and he did so good. It was fun for me to watch everyone. There were some interesting competitors (aka the guy who didn't wear goggles and didn't get his hair wet and the lady who did the bike portion on the beach cruiser.) It was so fun to watch him.

Killing it on the Swim

Moving onto the bike.

Chad is an animal on a bike. So, funny story. I had walked out to the street to watch Chad come by on his bike. When I could see him coming I started cheering and started taking pictures. The lady in the green thought I was taking pictures of her...she was totally waving, posing, and smiling!

Onto the run....he had already swam and biked and he still had a smile on his face! I would have been crying.

Coming into the finish line. So, kind of funny...in the background you can see the kid in the black outfit. Once they turned the corner these people next to me started going crazy! They were yelling at the kid "Catch him! Catch him!" Well the kid was at a mad sprint!! My competitiveness kicked in and I jumped up and was yelling at Chad, "Run, Run, Run!! Don't let him catch you!" Typically I'm a pretty low key spectator, but not this time! Good thing is, Chad beat him!

I'm so proud of you Chaddy!

Play That Funky Music....

2011-09-15T21:35:00.003-06:00

Wow, I am so far behind! This summer we were lucky enough to see a few of our favorite singers in concert. We started with Katy Parry.

She was so fun and good live. She sang all of our favorite songs and we had an awesome night!

We also got to see Sugarland. I love them! We went with our friends Rachel and Matt.

They performed at Usana and it was such a fun night! It was kind of windy at first (hence the pictures) but they were amazing live and they put on the best show!!

Part of Your World

2011-08-01T22:31:00.003-06:00

We spent the 24th of July in sunny (and hot) St. George! We had so much fun hanging out with our "St. George" cousins and their kids.

Me and Miss Hallie

We shopped at the usual St. George hot spots, had lunch at the famous Tom's Deli, had our own 24th of July firework show (thanks Sheri and Dave) and tried to lay out in the extreme heat! We also went to see The Little Mermaid at Tuacahn. It was amazing! If you haven't booked your tickets, you need to do so soon! It was so good, I loved every minute of it!

Chad and I before the show started.

A huge Thank You to Sherie and Kent for letting us all crash at their place!

We loved seeing everyone!

Watching Fireworks (Thanks for the pics, Mel! I borrowed them from your blog, I hope you don't mind!)

On the way home we stopped at the Carls's Jr. in Fillmore to see Stefani and Reagan, who were visiting from Texas. It was a little ghetto but so good to see them!

California Dreams

2011-07-26T22:29:00.005-06:00

What a summer we have had! Unfortunately my blog has been pushed aside!

At the beginning of July, we spent a week in Newport Beach with Chad's entire family. Basically, we did nothing and it was perfect. I sat at the beach all day everyday and enjoyed the California sun and ocean breeze! I was able to read three books on the trip (I highly recommend the Hunger Games series and The Heart of the Matter.) Chad spent his mornings on bike rides and golfing. Other than that, we would take the Beach Cruisers to the pier and we ate amazing food pretty much non-stop! Seriously, I didn't know I could eat so much food! Some of my favorites included Maggiano's (everything about it was delicious), a Chocolate Chip Pizzookie from BJ's Pizza, and Seaside Donuts. Other highlights included fireworks on the beach on the 4th of July, an Anaheim Angels MLB game, and spending a week with Chad and his family! Here are some pictures from our trip...sorry for the overload!

Chad and me at dinner.

Part of the group - Mitch, Ryan, Nate, Blake, Sarah, Chad, Kevin, Kaesi, Emily, Jack, Austin, Leslie, Bruce.

Us at the beach.

The guys - Nate, Chad, Spencer, Blake, Ryan, Jack, Cameron, Mitch, Austin.

Go Angels!

Cameron, Nate, and Chad

Us in front of Angels Stadium. It was so nice!

Us with the Ringwood's - Brooke and Jeff.

They all got the "Memo" - Nate, Leslie, Chad (We missed Sean)

Fireworks on the beach on the 4th (Baby You're a Firework!)

Happy 4th of July!!

The 2011 Newport Beach Crew.

Les and I in our 4th of July swim suits.

Chad and I at the Cheesecake Factory (The Key Lime Cheesecake did not disappoint!)

...Stay tuned for our St. George getaway and Katy Perry!

Partyin, Partyin, Yeah!!

2011-05-19T21:19:00.004-06:00

Viva Las Vegas!

We recently headed down to Vegas for a quick weekend getaway! It was much needed. Busy season for Chad had ended (and we survived) so we thought we should celebrate! We also went down for my 24th Birthday (24 sounds quite old....no offense.) What better way to party and celebrate than in Vegas? We went down on Thursday afternoon and just enjoyed ourselves until Sunday! We shopped, walked around the new City Center, ate at the Bellagio Buffet, went to the Cirque de Soleil show called Ka, laid out in the sun (it was so nice to be out of this rain!), and we tried our luck at the tables.

Us at the Bellagio Atrium

It was so nice to get away with just the two of us!

I am now 24! I am no longer in my "Early 20's!" We partied for a whole week. It was so much fun. Thank you to everyone who made my Birthday so special!

We went to dinner at Tucano's with the Johansen's

This is the best picture we got of us at the Johansen party

My family at the Smith Family party

My cousins (and Brody.)

We also celebrated Mother's Day and my Dad's Birthday on the same day. I love having my Birthday so close to my Dad's Birthday and Mother's Day. I couldn't think of better people to celebrate with!

Royal Bliss

2011-04-28T22:07:00.002-06:00

April 29, 2011

William & Kate

...I'm slightly obsessed.

Salt Lake City Half Marathon

2011-04-18T21:13:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday I ran my second half marathon - the Salt Lake Half Marathon. The race starts at the Legacy Bridge (University of Utah) then goes down to Sugar House park, it then goes through the heart of Sugar House, up to Liberty Park and over to State Street. Then it's the final stretch into Gateway! I was so happy to turn into Gateway and see Chad, my parents, and Alli!

My training this time was a lot different than the time before. With my first half, I felt like I was building up endurance for a lot of the time where as this one, I was working on my speed. I am a pretty slow runner, but my speed was better this time around (at least for training.) The last three weeks of my training I got Runners Knee. It didn't get bad until I did my 10 mile run. After that it pretty much hurt every time I tried to run. I wasn't really able to run two weeks prior to the race because I wanted my knee to be as healthy and strong as it could be.

Race day is such a fun experience. I had so much energy that morning and was just hoping my knee wouldn't hurt! Unfortunately, it hurt me from mile 1 to mile 5. After that I don't know what happened, I think I just got used to the pain. I also think I learned how to run on it, I found a consistent pace that I could run at without it hurting (if I went any faster or slower it would hurt, so weird!)

Race Stats:

132.3 Training Miles

13.1 Race Miles

2 Hours 21 Minutes

I am already looking forward to my next race (That is, once my knee heals!!)

My sister, Lindsay, also ran the Half Marathon. It was her first one and she did awesome!!!

Gaga Oh La La

2011-03-22T21:41:00.006-06:00

Lady Gaga was in Salt Lake on Saturday and I was lucky enough to go to her concert! Let me just say, it was awesome! She knows how to entertain. And, her costumes, so Gaga (she had about 20 different ones.) Some of the costumes in the crowd were as good as hers. I felt like it was Halloween in March.

Lady Gaga is really good live. She can sing, dance, and play the piano like it's no ones business. I loved her passion for her songs and music. I also loved how "real" she was on stage.

I love me some Poker Face, Telephone, Bad Romance, and don't forget...Born this Way!

Thanks Bruce and Leslie for such a fun night!!

.sarah.brooke.leslie.bruce.

We ran into Alli and Samye at the concert.

.alli.sarah.samye.brooke.

x.o.x.o

2011-02-14T22:54:00.004-07:00

I have never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day, but this year might be one of my favorites! Chad and I don't do gifts, we usually just go out to nice restaurants. This year, we didn't know what Chad's work schedule would be like so we didn't make any big plans or reservations. It was perfect though! Chad picked up Macaroni Grill on his way home from work. We enjoyed dinner, watched a movie [Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps], and ended our night watching another great episode of The Bachelor.

I came home to a bag of peanut M&M's, a small teddy bear, a red rose, and the sweetest card! Chad snuck home on his lunch break to set them all out. It was the best surprise!

Can't imagine my life without you babe!!

.I LOVE YOU.

L.O.V.E.

2011-02-13T23:09:00.002-07:00

LOVE: [luhv] noun, verb. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart

A few things I currently {LOVE}...

I {LOVE} being in {LOVE} with Chad. I {LOVE} Miley. I {LOVE} my family. I {LOVE} the Bachelor. I {LOVE} talking on the phone. I {LOVE} my friends. I {LOVE} the spring weather. I {LOVE} running in the spring weather. I {LOVE} going out to dinner. I {LOVE} Saturday afternoons. I {LOVE} Modern Family. I {LOVE} Kinect. I {LOVE} music. I {LOVE} games. I {LOVE} people watching. I {LOVE} shopping/online shopping. I {LOVE} even more when I can buy something while shopping. I {LOVE} Sunday naps. I {LOVE} a clean house. I {LOVE} Diet Coke (currently not drinking it.) I {LOVE} date nights. I {LOVE} sweets. I {LOVE} sun flower seeds (new obsession.) I {LOVE} my iPod Shuffle. I {LOVE} life!

Happy Valentine's Day!

X.O.X.O

Man's Best Friend

2011-01-30T21:39:00.004-07:00

Chad has been traveling lately....a lot! It has been hard having him gone! I am so grateful for my family and friends! I have been hanging out with them more and it has been so much fun. I have also been spending a lot of quality time with Miley!

I never knew how much I would appreciate having her around while Chad is gone. It is so nice to come home from work and have Miley waiting at the door with some toys. It is so nice to have someone to snuggle with at night. It is so nice to talk to someone (even though she doesn't respond, I am convinced she knows what I am saying or feeling!)

Pet's are a funny thing. I am so glad we got Miley...she is so much fun and she has been the best company I could ask for this past month.

Ringwood's - Est. December 28, 2010

2011-01-10T19:15:00.004-07:00

On December 28 cute Brooke got married to Jeff Ringwood.

The night before they had a wedding dinner at Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was such a special night! (I had one of the funniest things happen to me at the dinner. I kept trying to get Nate to hit his glass with a spoon so they would kiss. He wouldn't do it. So, finally after the program and stuff Nate told me to do it. So I did.....the whole place goes silent, looks at Brooke and Jeff and then looks at me. I was still hitting on my glass waiting for them to kiss. They weren't kissing.....everyone was still staring at me. I told them to kiss, they said "NO!?!?" How awkward?!? I stopped the whole dinner for nothing. Everyone kept looking at me to see my reaction. I went bright red and just started laughing so so so hard I had tears streaming down and smearing my makeup. I still don't know why they wouldn't kiss, but it has made for a Classic Sarah Story!)

Johansen Family

Nate, Chad, Sean - So Handsome!

The next day was the wedding. It was a perfect day (despite having to wake up at 5:00 to do Brooke's makeup!) They were married in the Salt Lake Temple and had a reception later that night at Pierpont Place.

Chad and Brooke

Me and Chad with the Bride and Groom

Johansen Family

Chad and {the famous} Grandma Jo

Nate, Brooke, Chad, Sean

Me and my hot husband

I am so glad we were able to be a part of everything. Congrats to Jeff and Brooke! We are so so happy for you!! PS: Sorry for the picture overload....I LOVE weddings!!!

In With the NEW!!!

2011-01-03T19:16:00.003-07:00

I can't believe 2010 has come and gone! It was such a good year for our little family. Here is a little recap:

New York City
Working
Chad graduating from the U with his undergrad in accounting and a minor in french (I am so proud of him! More to come.)
Bahama's cruise
Trips to St. George
My Half Marathon
Recruiting
Game Nights
Brooke's Wedding
Lake Powell Trips
Loving being dog owners
Chad's Century (100 miles on a bike)
Spending time with family and friends

We rang in 2011 with my family and some friends! It was so much fun. We had our usual homemade Clam Chowder and Pastrami Melts (to die for!) We then played games, games, and more games!!! Midnight came and went and that was it for 2010. Kind of sad. I do not like January. It's the start of a whole new year and it's kind of scary to think about!

(Top Row: Dad, Mom, Bob, Carolyn, Grandma Smith, Grandma & Grandpa Graham, Nancy, Gordon. Bottom Row: Chelsea, Stephen, Emily, Jenny, Sarah (I was apparently the only one who decided to pose!) Chad was taking the picture.

Cheer's to 2011!! I can't wait to see what's in store for us!!!

Fun with the Palmer's!

2011-01-03T19:06:00.003-07:00

Last week the Smith and Palmer families got together and did a dinner and bowling night! We had dinner at Pizza Factory (best bread sticks!) and went bowling at Fat Cats! It was such a BLAST!!! We LOVE the Palmer family!

All the girls!

(Jenny, Brinsley, Pam, Alli, Sarah, Mom, Lindsay, Nancy, Amy)

The Married People

(Greg & Pam, Chad & Sarah, Kevin & Amy)

The Singles

(Ryan, Brinsley, Jenny, Lindsay, Alli)

The Parentals

(Mom & Dad, Gordon & Nancy)

Christmas 2010

2011-01-01T23:47:00.005-07:00

I can't believe it is now a New Year and that another Christmas has past. We had such a great Christmas. It is one of my favorite holidays, I love the meaning, decorations, treats, and traditions (I could do without the cold and snow!) This year we spent Christmas Eve with the Smith family. We always have a really nice dinner and then we have a small program.

Nativity

Mom and Dad - Let It Snow

Mom and Grandma - Sleigh Ride

Santa Baby

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Opening Song

We had such a great Christmas day as well. Chad and I have our own little Christmas tradition, we sleep under our tree on Christmas Eve and watch a Christmas movie. We spent Christmas day with our families, it was so much fun! We got completely spoiled. Chad got golf clubs, a golf bag, and clothes. I got a few pairs of shoes, two coats, and tons of clothes!

We hope you had a Merry Christmas (and Happy New Year!!)

I Love AZ!

2010-12-19T11:04:00.004-07:00

We went to Phoenix Arizona over Thanksgiving break and we fell in love! What's not to love about 65 degree weather in December (when we left UT it was 5 degrees) and awesome shopping malls? I seriously loved everything about it. Our main purpose was to go to an NFL game. Chad's favorite NFL team is the San Fran 49ers. They were playing the AZ Cardinals in AZ so we decided to venture down. We spent a few days shopping (and got all of our shopping done, it was awesome!!) and then we went to the game. To make the trip even better, our team won!

Dinner

Bowling

Go 49ers!

Me and Dani Zarbock

Outside the stadium

The Monday Night Football crew

National Anthem-So cool!

Thankful

2010-12-02T22:16:00.003-07:00

I try and count my blessings everyday but I especially count them at Thanksgiving. I have so much in life to be thankful for! I have such an amazing husband, there is no one I would rather spend life and forever with! I have such a great family (in-laws included.) They are seriously the best support system for Chad and I. We are so lucky to have them in our lives. I have some of the funnest friends! I am so thankful to have such good friends who we both love. I have the best dog, Miley. I am so thankful for the freedom I enjoy everyday and to the troops who are continually fighting for me. I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the happiness and knowledge it brings to my life. I am thankful for a good job that has challenged me and helped me learn new things. I am thankful for a roof over my head and food on my table. I am thankful for traditions and the memories I have with family and friends.

We have started a new tradition at the Johansen household. This year we ran our first annual Turkey Trot 5K in Cottonwood Heights. I won't lie, when we got out of bed on Thanksgiving morning and it was 5 degrees outside, I almost bailed! I am glad I did it, I didn't feel so guilty about eating all of that Thanksgiving dinner!

KPMG

2010-12-02T22:07:00.004-07:00

Through the months of August and October Chad and I (mainly Chad though) were extremely busy with recruiting! Recruiting you might ask? Yes, recruiting for accounting internships. We seriously had dinners, events, meet the firms every night for a few weeks. I could barely keep them all straight! All of the "Networking" has paid off and Chad has landed an internship (that will hopefully lead to a full time job) at KPMG (one of the big 4 accounting firms.) The best news, he will be working in the Salt Lake Office! The internship is from January to April, right smack in the middle of busy season.

I am so so so proud of Chad and all of his hard work. He has worked so hard in school to get good grades and to get to this point. He will graduate with his undergraduate degree in Business Accounting with a minor in French in just a few short weeks! His plan after the internship is to get a Masters of Accountancy.....Class of 2012, YAY!!!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T20:20:00.006-06:00

What a CrAzY Halloween season we have had!! Take a look at our Halloween (minus my St. George getaway because I didn't take one picture!)

Halloween Half Marathon:

I have always wanted to run a half marathon but was always really flaky about training. In August I decided I WAS going to run the Halloween Half!! I got a great training schedule and actually stuck to it. It was so fun and I actually really liked it. My goal was just to finish the race (I was hoping to do it under 2:30) and I did it in 2 hours and 20 minutes!! I almost cried when I saw the finish line. I was so proud of myself, so happy to be done, and my legs hurt! Since it was the Halloween Half you had the option to dress in costume.

I decided to dress up and I was a pumpkin.

My cute cousin Chelsea came to support me

And so did my Dad (Chad and my Mom would have been there but Chad has a very important GMAT class and my Mom had a garage sale.)

Some interesting race stats:

130.7 Training Miles

13.1 Race Miles

2 hours 20 minutes

Cookies and Pumpkins:

We decorated cookies and carved pumpkins with my family.

Lindsay, Alli, Chad, and me

Love him!

Halloween Birthday Bash:

On the actual Halloween day we had my Grandparent's annual Halloween party. This year we celebrated my Grandpa's 80th birthday as well!

We dressed up as a Bunch of Grapes!

The grapes with Grandma Smith, a football player, and Snow White

With the Birthday Boy and the Hostess (with the mostess!)

The Smith Fam

The whole crazy gang!

We hope you had a Happy Halloween!!

He Liked it so he.......Put a Ring on It!

2010-10-13T21:03:00.004-06:00

Congrats to Jeff and Brooke (soon to be Ringwood!)

The Johansen family is adding a member (not a baby) and we couldn't be happier!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2010-09-29T21:43:00.003-06:00

I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to the best Mom in the world!

We had a very fun night shopping around Gardner Village. I hope you have had a great day! Love you lots!!!

Call me Martha!

2010-09-19T21:24:00.004-06:00

I have been had a bit of a Craft Bug lately. Chad is really busy at night with school, recruiting, and homework. This is what I have been doing to fill my lonely nights.

Project 1: Topiary

Project 2: Ruffle Pillow

Project 3: Witch Hat

Project 4: Wicked

It was Labor Day Weekend!

2010-09-19T21:19:00.004-06:00

I love Labor Day. I love having a day off of work, I love that every year it is so much fun! This year, we were planning on going to Starvation Lake for one last party until last minute, our plans fell through. We ended up going to Park City for the night with my family (and Samye, of course.) We did the Alpine Slide and then had dinner on Main Street! We still had such a good time! We also spent the day with Chad's family up at the cabin (I didn't get one picture up there!)

LP 2010

2010-09-19T21:09:00.002-06:00

So, back in August we went to Lake Powell with the Smith and Palmer families. I think Lake Powell is one of the greatest places ever! We had so much fun!! Some of my favorite things were the Slot Canyon tour and the "Sancho car ride," crafts, awesome food, rave night, being out on the water, and being with family and friends.

My Mom has the majority of the pictures so I am just going to post the group one for now!

Hakuna Matata

2010-08-29T20:12:00.003-06:00

My Dad took us to Lion King this weekend! Sadly, he had to go to California for meetings so he wasn't even able to go (You were very missed Dad.) Lion King was really good and we all enjoyed it. The costumes and set are amazing and so unique!!

Thanks Dad for such a fun night, I wish you could have enjoyed it with us!

Happy Birthday Sean!!!

2010-08-29T20:09:00.003-06:00

I am behind {once again.}

On Friday was Sean's 23rd Birthday!

We hope you had a great day! Happy Birthday, Sean!!

Who Needs Betty Crocker?

2010-08-25T21:52:00.004-06:00

When you have a Cuisinart Bread Maker!!! Tonight I made homemade (Yes, homemade) Cinnamon Swirl Bread!!!

We got this bread maker when we got married and we just started to use it. It seriously is the best thing! All you have to do is add the ingredients and it does the rest for you (including the mixing and kneading and rising oh, and it bakes too.)

2 Years

2010-08-15T11:59:00.003-06:00

Today is our two year anniversary! I cannot believe we have been married for two years!! Being married to Chad is so perfect! We have so much fun together! I love him more every year!

To celebrate, we went and got massages and then we went to Melting Pot for dinner.

Thanks for making me so happy, I love you forever!! Happy two years!!!

Demolition Derby

2010-08-15T11:46:00.003-06:00

On Friday night, we went to the Salt Lake County Fair with our friends Rachel and Matt for the Demolition Derby. I didn't even know there was a Salt Lake County Fair, I thought it was just part of the State Fair.

We hadn't been to a Demolition Derby before and it was really funny! First off, there was some of the best people watching (I was too scared to take pictures of some of the white trash people that were there!)

Second, it's hilarious to see crappy cars/trucks playing bumper cars.

Third, when the cars burst into flames (luckily no one was injured!)

24th of July

2010-08-15T11:34:00.003-06:00

For the 24th of July we went back up to Starvation Lake for camping and boating with the Buma's. It was a rough start getting there, but once we were there it was a great time!

My sister Alli and I were sitting at the table just chatting and Chad (so calmly) says "You guys might want to get up, there is a snake under the table." We just looked at him because we thought he was kidding (such a jokester.) He was serious though, we looked under the table and sure enough, there was 3-foot snake slithering around!! I freaked out!! How sketchy is that? I started to cry and was standing on the top of the table and of course, Lindsay just picks it up! We are so opposite!

Bahama...Come on Pretty Mama

2010-07-25T19:58:00.007-06:00

Last month we went on a Bahama Cruise with the Johansen family. We had so much fun. We took the red-eye from SLC to Fort Lauderdale and got there on Monday morning just to get on the ship. When we arrived in Fort Lauderdale we need to get to Miami. We were debating on whether we should take a cab or take the Tri-Train. We decided on the Tri-Train. It was quite the experience....first off, we were all tired because we didn't sleep well on the plane (I need my sleep!), second it was about 1,000 degrees outside, lastly we had all of our baggage. We had to take a shuttle from the airport to the Tri-Train, the Tri-Train to the Metro, the Metro to a cab, and a cab to the Port of Miami. It was quite the adventure!

Once we made it to the ship, it was smooth sailing!! We were on the Norwegian Cruise Line SKY. It was so much fun!

Our first day we were on the Grand Bahama Island. It's not what I was expecting at all. It was really industrial looking but once we got to the beach it was so beautiful! The water was so warm and so pretty blue!

Chad.Sarah.Brooke.Nate (We missed Sean)

Day two we were on Nassau. This was my favorite day! We got a day pass to Atlantis Resort. It was so cool! They had a huge aquarium, a water park with sweet slides, and a mile long lazy river (my favorite thing!)

This is Chad going down (what I thought was) the scariest slide.

It takes you straight down into shark infested waters (yes I went-proof below.)

Day three we were on Stirrup Cay (the cruise private island.) They had a really nice beach so we just beached it all day. So pretty and relaxing!!

Dinner

Johansen Family---Thanks for such a fun trip Bruce and Leslie!

We had such a great trip!!

Oh La La...

2010-07-14T19:53:00.004-06:00

I LOVE Red Velvet Cupcakes. Red Velvet anything really! (Recommendation: Red Velvet Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory....You won't be disappointed!) My Mom's friend sent me an awesome recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes and I couldn't resist sharing!!

1 pkg German chocolate cake mix with pudding in the mix

1 c sour cream

1/2 c water

1/4 c vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Line 24 muffin cup pan with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The oven rack should be in the center position.

2. Place the cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, food coloring, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more., scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups., filling each liner two thirds of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.

3. Bake until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 20-25 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottom of the pan using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

4. Prepare the frosting

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (used white chocolate chips)

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temp

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

Melt the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave for 1 minutes. Stir until it is smooth. (if you need to, heat for another minute). Let cool.

Mix the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer. add the melted chocolate and blend just until combined, 30 seconds. Add vanilla and 2 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar, blend on low speed for 30 more seconds. Add more sugar as needed to make the frosting spreadable. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more.

5. Spread a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake until smooth.

It's Independence Day

2010-07-07T19:08:00.003-06:00

I LOVE holidays and the 4th of July didn't disappoint!! We went up to Starvation Lake for camping and boating with both of our families. We are so lucky that not only we got along with each others families but that our families get a long so great. It makes it a lot easier for us and it is so much fun! While at Starvation we did plenty of tubing, the brave ones got in the cold water to Wakeboard, ate lots of good food, and played games (I LOVE games!) It was such a good time!!

We missed Sean and Alli!

The In-Laws-Bruce and Leslie

Mom and Me. We are so brave-NO HANDS!

I am so grateful for my freedom and to live in such a beautiful country!!

I'm Like A Bird, I Wanna Fly Away

2010-06-28T21:11:00.003-06:00

Well not really!

Anyways, in order to spice the blog up a bit, you are getting (hold on to your seats) two posts in less than 24 hours! WOW!

As I mentioned in the last post, Miley LOVES to be outside. She will play in the backyard (and pay the occasional visit to the Peterson's while she's up there) for hours!! Yesterday while I was getting ready for church I could hear her scratching at something outside. I blew it off thinking she was just playing. She kept scratching and scratching so I decided to see what she was scratching at. She was scratching at this little pot we have in the corner by the stairs. I knew there had to be something behind the pot and I was too scared to find out by myself so I had Chad move the pot.

When he moved the pot, he found a baby bird that looked dead. I don't do well with foreign/wild animals (dead or alive.) We decided we had to throw it away because it was dead and we didn't want Miley to eat it. Chad grabbed a h u g e wad of paper towels and grabbed the bird. When he did, the bird moved! It as still alive, just really injured. It couldn't fly! What were we supposed to do now? We couldn't throw it away because it was living and it couldn't make it out of our backyard on it's own because it was injured and Miley would try and get it (so gross, I know.)

Chad put on long dish washing gloves and got the dust pan. It was quite the task to move this little bird without injuring it more! The bird kept trying to fly away and I thought it was going to fly either in our house or right at Chad's face. As sad as it was for the bird, I was laughing so hard watching Chad save the bird!!

I am happy to report, everyone made it out alive and as far as we know, the bird recovered!

Poor Miley...

2010-06-27T22:23:00.003-06:00

Miley had a little incident. About a week ago we were up at Chad's family's cabin. Miley was loving it! She loved the great outdoors; she was running all around the place like she owned it. She was chasing birds, deer, squirrels, you name it!! She came in after running around and she had hundreds of little burrs stuck in her hair. We tried to just pull them out but they were stuck in her hair pretty good! We ended up having to cut them out (it was the saddest thing.) The top of her head has bald spots now, so much for growing her hair out for a little pony tail!

Please, don't mind me....We were lounging around all morning and I was still in jammies and glasses.....SCARY, I know!

That's not all though...the day after we got back from the cabin was also the day we were leaving for our cruise (more on that later.) My family was going to watch Miley so we needed to make sure she was in good shape (My Mom isn't a dog person at all and she thinks Miley is out of control crazy so it was already a stretch for her to say yes to tending her.) We got back from church on Sunday and noticed Miley was limping around. She had two things stuck in her paws. And I mean stuck! They were burrowed in between the paw pads. We tried to get them out but she was not having it. I ended up taking her to the Pet ER and they were able to cut them out. That crazy dog!

Shout-Outs

2010-06-20T09:55:00.003-06:00

Once again, I'm feeling guilty and I'm behind! I missed my Mother-in-Law's Birthday! Her birthday was on Thursday! We celebrated at the cabin, let me just say, Miley LOVED it up there. She would chase the animals all around the cabin. She had hundreds of little stickers/burrs all matted in her head. We had to cut them out and now she is semi bald. It was so sad!

Happy Birthday Les, we love you lots!!

Also a BIG Happy Father's Day to my Dad, Paul and my Father-in-Law, Bruce! We are so lucky to have them in our life. They do so much for us! We are so blessed.

(Since my Dad reads this, Happy Father's Day, Dad!

I love you more than you know!)

She BANGS! She BANGS!

2010-06-09T17:43:00.003-06:00

I got BANGS!!

I was in need of a change and I love them!! Just in time for summer!

Race for the Cure

2010-05-17T22:56:00.003-06:00

On May 8, my Parents and I participated in the Race for the Cure 5K. I haven't ever been much of a runner, in fact, it has always been on my list of things I don't enjoy. When I was a cheerleader at BHS, running was a punishment.

I signed up for the race the week before the race. I hadn't ran a mile in probably 3 years (no exaggeration.) I was really nervous! My goal the week of the race was to start with 1 mile (on Monday), 1.5 miles (on Tuesday), and so on...I would have been ready to run 3 miles on Saturday. Well, the week came, and it was hard stuff running!

Race day came, and along with 17,000 other participants we Raced for a Cure. I finished the race and I am so happy to say, I RAN all 3.whatever miles in about 35 minutes (all you runners out there, don't judge!) My parents crossed the finish line shortly after! I was so happy to see Chad and my sister Alli at the finish line to cheer us on (Lindsay was at work.) I told them it was one of my biggest accomplishments in life!

I now enjoy running and hope to do more 5K's, eventually 10K's, and maybe, maybe even a half marathon!!!

It was so great to see all of the support this race got. It seems that everyone knows someone who has been affected by Breast Cancer. My Aunt, Linda, had Breast Cancer a few years ago and we are all so grateful she survived and is doing great! We are already planning on Racing for the Cure next year....See you there!!!

Welcome to the Real World

2010-05-17T22:43:00.002-06:00

As a child I was so anxious to grow up. I wanted to get mail like my parents, I wanted to cook and clean like my parents, I wanted to be done with school, I wanted to have a house, I wanted to have kids, I wanted to go to work at 8 and come home at 5, I wanted to use my "Plastic" (aka, Credit Card) like my Mom did at the mall.

I wanted to grow up too fast!

Well, I now get mail and all it is is bills and junk mail. I don't know how to cook and cleaning is a never ending process. I am done with school and I (kind of) miss it. I still don't have a house, but I can only imagine all of the chores and money that come with it. I don't have kids and don't want them for a long time (we love kids, but for now, we love having time with just us.) I have a full time job that I love (and am so grateful for), but it's hard working full time Monday-Friday. I have a Credit Card that I don't like to use because that means it will be paid sooner than later!

Growing up is hard stuff!

Welcome to the Real World Sarah...Enjoy your stay!!!

Guilty Conscience

2010-05-09T22:54:00.003-06:00

For the last few months I have been debating on whether or not to blog about Birthdays and other special holidays. I decided not to post Birthdays and now I feel guilty! I have to back track a bit because I don't want these days to go un-noticed (I have missed over half of the birthdays in our families, we are all spring babies I guess!)

One Year Older and Wiser too.....Happy Birthday, to you.....

{Lindsay-April 1}

.....and You.....

{Alli-April 17}

.....and You.....

{Dad-May 6}

.....and You.....

{Brooke-May 7}

I hope you had fabulous Birthdays! Love you lots!!!

Also, Happy Mother's Day to Leslie and Diane! I don't know what we would do without these amazing women in our lives. They are such good examples to me! I love you both and am so grateful for you!!

Week 4

2010-05-02T22:22:00.002-06:00

We're moving right along to week 4 (Week 3 was about as good as week 2.)

This week, I am not doing P90, but will be running until my legs can't run anymore. I signed up for a 5K last week (Before yesterday, I hadn't run a mile in I don't know how long!) I have never liked running, but when I saw that Race for the Cure was coming, I had to sign up because it's for such a good cause!

Wish me Luck!!

Week 3

2010-04-26T20:30:00.002-06:00

Let me just say, Week 2 didn't go as well as Week 1. I missed three days, but have really good excuses for all of them. Wednesday, I had to go to the mall, Friday I had to take my car to be fixed (I hate car problems!), and Saturday, I wanted to support Chad in his bike race (He did great by the way.)

I do one more repeat of the last 2 weeks (I am ready for a change!)

Monday: Core Synergistics

Tuesday: Cardio

Wednesday: Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

Thursday: Yoga

Friday: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

Saturday: Kenpo

Hopefully it goes better than last week.....

SNUGGIE with Me!

2010-04-19T21:15:00.003-06:00

It's true, Miley is the proud owner of a Pink Snuggie!

Week 2

2010-04-18T21:07:00.003-06:00

Well, I survived week 1 of P90. It was killer and I am so sore, but I survived and didn't miss a day. As part of this whole thing, I am limiting myself to 1 can of Diet Coke per day. For those who know me know I am a Diet Coke ADDICT! I have been having my daily dose during lunch because I need a pick-me-up at work. It's been hard to drink just water with my dinner.

I was so good during the week to have only healthy snacks if any and to limit my portions. However, when the weekend came around things changed a bit. It was my sisters Birthday and we had 3 parties all involving mass amounts of food! Hopefully I can control myself a bit better next weekend.

This weeks schedule is the same as last (I repeat it three times.)

Monday: Core Synergistics

Tuesday: Cardio

Wednesday: Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

(Let me just say Ab Ripper is the hardest fifteen minutes of my life)

Thursday: Yoga (I have been substituting Bikram Yoga)

Friday: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

Saturday: Kenpo

BRING IT!

I Love a Challenge

2010-04-11T21:15:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow I am starting P90X. I will be doing the 90 day Lean workout. I am really nervous and really excited! I am taking before and after pictures (and if the results are what I want, maybe....just maybe I will post them). In order to help me follow through with my commitment, I will be updating my blog about my progress.

Start Date: April 12

Finish Date: July 3

Wish me Luck!!!

My workouts are Monday-Saturday and will vary depending on the day/week.

WEEK ONE

Monday: Core Synergistics

Tuesday: Cardio

Wednesday: Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

Thursday: Yoga

Friday: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

Saturday: Kenpo

BRING IT ON!!!

Let's Hear it for NEW YORK

2010-04-01T20:09:00.007-06:00

We just spent a few incredible days in New York! Seriously, what a fun city. We had such a good time and were just becoming good at the Metro when we had to leave. Take a look at what we did...

Times Square

Times Square is hopping! It was such a fun place to be.

Canal Street/Lunch in Little Italy

I got suckered into buying 3 purses on Canal St (my goal was one!) We enjoyed lunch on the patio at an awesome Italian restaurant.

Statue of Liberty

Small world, so we were on Liberty Island and we ran into my cousins and aunt! (Totally not planned!) What are the chances?

Ground Zero

(Such a bust, if you go to NYC anytime soon, I recommend not going there. They are building at Ground Zero and you can't see anything at all, they don't even have a museum or memorial)

Late Show with David Letterman

Such a fun experience. You should try to get tickets if you are ever in the area. When we got there we were informed that we had been moved to the "Preferred List." Because of that, we were on the 2nd row and on the TV!

Stardust Diner

(The funnest dinner I have ever had! Definitely recommend it!)

Stardust Diner was so much fun! I didn't want to leave because I was having such a good time, so we had to order dessert! All of the waiters/waitresses are trying to get on Broadway so they sing and dance throughout the whole diner!

Mamma Mia

A DREAM come true! I loved Mamma Mia. The music was so much fun and we were dancing in the aisles by the end of the show!

Wall Street/Financial District

Enough said

Today Show

We went to the Today Show the one morning it was raining, kind of a bummer. They didn't really come outside because of the rain, but we could still see them interviewing Janet Jackson!

Brooklyn Bridge

We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at night (sketchy!) Once we got to the bridge, it wasn't scary but walking from the Subway to the bridge was a little sketch! It had some amazing views of the city!

Empire State Building

We didn't go to the top so we just took a picture.

Central Park

I love Central Park! It's so peaceful and beautiful!

We had an awesome time in New York!

Girls Night Out

2010-03-29T22:15:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday my Mom, Lindsay, Alli, and I went to see Legally Blonde on Broadway! It was so cute and I thought it was really good. The music is so catchy and Woods {comma} Elle was hilarious!

Girls nights are the best and we all loved Legally Blonde!

Thanks Dad for providing such a fun night!

{Project} Get Your Socks On!

2010-03-25T21:08:00.005-06:00

My cousin Natalie passed away about 6 and a half years ago. She passed away from a heredity disease known as Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). My aunt {Sherie} and her 2 sisters {Melanie and Stefanie} have created an amazing blog to remember her legacy. You can check it out here.

March is National DVT awareness month. Natalie's life could have been saved had she been wearing a pair of compression socks. In order to promote DVT awareness, my aunt started a small project....{Project} Get Your Socks On! I am so grateful Natalie is a part of my life and I am so glad I was able to GET MY SOCKS ON!!!

.Remembering Natalie.

Going GREEN

2010-03-18T00:02:00.003-06:00

We are going GREEN at the Johansen household!

We hope you had a Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

PS: We had such a fun night at the Jazz game with the Zarbock's! We had awesome seats (4th row to be exact). Thanks so much-we love you guys!

4 More Days

2010-03-14T15:15:00.003-06:00

Until Chad and I will be enjoying the sights and sounds of NEW YORK CITY!! Chad and I haven't been on a vacation with just the two of us since our honeymoon. We LOVE vacationing with our families but we are excited to spend some time with just us two. I have been to NYC twice and Chad has been once (just for a day). I know the big things there are to do, but if you know of any good restaurants, hot spots, ways to get (decent priced) Wicked tickets.....Please let us know! We already have Mamma Mia tickets (Seriously, cannot wait to see it!!), but if you have a show you love there, please recommend it!

Kent Leon Johansen

2010-03-13T09:15:00.003-07:00

Kent Johansen 1927 ~ 2010 Our beloved husband, father, and grandfather returned home to his Heavenly Father, March 11, 2010. Kent Leon Johansen was born March 29, 1927 in Mount Pleasant, Utah to Peter Eugene Johansen and Myrle Betty Beckstrom. He was raised in Castle Dale, Utah where he grew up in the farming and livestock environment, which he loved. He joined the Navy during World War II where he served as a medical corpsman. He really loved his country. On June 15, 1949 he married his high school sweetheart, Anna Lee Ralphs, in the Manti Temple. In June of 1950 he graduated from the University of Utah College of Pharmacy as part of its first graduating class and worked as a registered pharmacist for the next 44 years in various capacities throughout the state of Utah. He served as president of the Hospital Pharmacy Association, was on the Utah Pharmacy Board and the U of U Alumni Board. He volunteered at the Fourth Street Clinic for the homeless for over seven years. He was an active member of the LDS church and served in many areas of responsibility including Bishop at the Utah State Prison. One of his favorite callings was that of Scout Master. He loved working with the youth. He loved his Heavenly Father and taught his family to love and serve the Lord. Kent and Ann were called on a mission to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where they loved serving the Lord together. They were best friends and truly shared a storybook marriage. Kent was a devoted family man who always put his family first, they were the love of his life. He was an amazing example to everyone around him but most of all, a kind and honest man. He will be greatly missed. Kent is survived by his wife Ann and their six children and spouses, Rosemary (Russ) Sorensen, Richard (Paula), Kathy (Jeff) Wells, Cindy (Scott) Royall, Bruce (Leslie) and Kevin (Kaesi), 23 beautiful grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Chad's sweet Grandpa passed away on Thursday night. Grandpa Jo was such an amazing man and a great example to Chad. His love of life was shown the way he lived it to the fullest. He was so supportive of each and every one of his kids and grandkids.

Grandpa Jo had always been in such great health, however, last year he started to have complications. The last year has been really hard for him and the family as we have had to watch him struggle. His heath got really bad this past week. We were able to go over on Tuesday night and be with him. It was so great to be able to talk to him about life, his love for Ann and his family, and we can't forget, the Utah Jazz! I am so grateful I was able to know Grandpa Jo and have him be a part of my life. What an honor it is for me to be able to sing at his funeral. We Love you Grandpa Jo!!

Dear American Idol...

2010-02-24T19:31:00.003-07:00

I have been a fan of your since Season 1! Anyone else remember Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini? Anyways, every season I have a few favorites and I even vote for them at the end of each show.

My love for Idol started to dwindle last season. They brought on a new judge, Kara DioGuardi. I do not like her and I think she is so annoying! All I can say is thank goodness for DVR so I can fast forward through her annoying voice.

Idol this season just isn't what it used to be. I know that Paula Abdul was crazy and had her days, but she was an original on the show! I am so sad she is gone! Seriously, what does Ellen know about singing? NOTHING!!!

BRING PAULA BACK!! I miss her stupid and cheesy comments. I miss judging her crazy hair and mis-matched outfits. I miss wondering how much she had had to drink before the show!

P.S.-Is it just me, or are there more hippies than ever this season? Not that that's a bad thing, just noticed.

P.P.S.-Is it just me, or is talent seriously lacking this season?!?

I hope I can make it through this season, we will see!!

Happy Happy Birthday!

2010-02-19T19:23:00.003-07:00

Today I would like to wish the sweetest man ever a Happy Birthday!

is my best friend. He is so handsome, nice, smart, fun, and perfect!

Happy 25th Birthday Chad! I love you bigger than the whole world!

XOXO-Sarah & Miley

Go Ahead, Admit It....

2010-01-24T15:07:00.005-07:00

My Blog SUCKS Lately!

I can handle the truth. I haven't had a good update for ages. I have nothing to blog about and to be completely honest I have no desire to blog, but nevertheless, here we go. Where do I even start?

We had the perfect Christmas. We got to spend it with both of our families which was so great. Chad got new skis and I got tons of clothes!

.our little family.

During the break, our families got together for a dinner and bowling night. It was so much fun! We really do have the best families. I impressed everyone with my bowling skills. Just kidding, I am a terrible bowler.

.brooke, nate, lindsay, sean, alli, chad, sarah.

We spent New Years up in Island Park (Idaho) with some friends. It was so much fun to get away for a weekend. It was so beautiful up there. We played games, rented snowmobiles, and ate tons of candy and junk food!

.snowmobiling.

.the whole gang.

.me and chad.

Miley is getting so big! We just love her. She is so much fun and is always running around getting into things.

.miley.

.me and miley sleeping.

.chad and miley with the snowman.

.me and miley.

.chad and miley.

I am expecting comments people. I updated, now it's your turn to comment!

Lovin It

2010-01-03T22:53:00.003-07:00

Please notice and loathe my new blog header made by the one and only....Josie!! Thanks Jos!! I love it!!!!

New Chapter

2009-12-09T22:35:00.002-07:00

For the past three years, I have worked at Zions Bank. I have been at the same branch, I knew what I was doing (I practically ran the branch! jk), and I knew most of the clients that came in.

After graduation in August, I have been vigorously looking for a new job. A job where I could use my college education. I had interview after interview and I had a few offers, but none that I felt extremely good or comfortable about.

Today was my first day of a new job. I started my first "Real Job" at Bonneville Mortgage Company/Bonneville Multifamily Capital. I will be doing a little of it all: HR, Marketing, Accounting, Loan Analyst, Underwriter. It is such a great opportunity and such a great company. When I was driving to work, I was so excited and nervous. Everyone I work with is so nice and so willing to help me learn the ropes of the company.

I am so excited for this new adventure and challenge in my life. I have a lot to learn and I am so excited about this great opportunity. I am happy to say I survived my first day and am very excited to go back to work tomorrow!!!

Back to Cali

2009-12-07T20:24:00.005-07:00

This year we went to California for Thanksgiving. It was such a fun trip and the weather was perfect (One day I might more to Cali, I can do 70 degrees in November!) We left on Wednesday night and stayed the night in St. George with the Danjanovichs. We made it to Cali on Thurs afternoon and got ready to feast. We went to Knotts Berry Farm for Thanksgiving dinner. Let me just say, it was an interesting group, the food was good though. On Friday we went to Disneyland/California Adventure/Downtown Disney. My family LOVES Disneyland! Chad hadn't been with my family before so it was quite the experience for him. It was so much fun and so cute decorated for Christmas. On Saturday, we went to Sea World and spent the day with Shamu and friends. It was such a fun trip!

We have so much to be thankful for. We are thankful for our families, friends, testimonies, jobs, health, memories, traditions, and home (just to name a few). We truly are so blessed.

Happy Birthday Bruce!!!

2009-12-05T23:34:00.003-07:00

Today is my Father-in-Law's 51st Birthday. We just want to wish Bruce a very Happy Birthday. We hope you have had a great day.

Thanks for all you do for us.

We love you, Happy Birthday!!

From All of Us....To YOU!!!

2009-12-02T23:21:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Yvonne Mourot Van Ness

2009-11-21T01:03:00.002-07:00

1922 ~ 2009 Yvonne Mourot was born to Eduard Mourot and Narcisse Tognazzoni on Valentine's Day February 14, 1922 in a French Colony in Oran, Algeria along the Mediterranean Coast. November 19 she passed away peacefully at home after a 10 year struggle with dementia. Mom was born a free spirit gifted in creativity and music. She came to America after marrying Sherman Henry Van Ness in 1945 and had three children. She had a passion for knitting, cooking, gardening, home decorating, and raising her children and grandchildren with all these talents. She may be gone but her love and talents will always be with us. She is survived by her sister Alice Chaillou, sons Michael, Randy (Margaret), and daughter Leslie (Bruce Johansen) along with nine grandchildren and five great ones. She is preceded in death by her husband Sherman, sisters Odette and Janine.

Chad's Grandma passed away on November 19. Yvonne was always so much fun! She was the life of the party. We all enjoyed laughing at her stories. We will miss her stories of France, chocolate, Coca-Cola, and raising her grandchildren. We love you Yvonne!!

She's Just Being MILEY!

2009-11-15T21:52:00.003-07:00

Introducing...

...MILEY...

Chad and I decided a few weeks ago that we wanted to get a dog. Chad has been gone a lot lately with school and work and it will only get worse. I was lonely being home alone.

Miley is a Silky Terrier and is 6 weeks old! We have a lot of training to do! She is so cute and we are just loving her!

Dear Chad,

2009-11-12T18:22:00.002-07:00

You amaze me! Thank you so much for all you do for me. Thanks for all your hard work! I know you are stressed and busy, but you always make sure you have time for me. I love it! Thanks for eating my dinner meals, even when they aren't so good, or repeat meals. Thanks for helping me around the house, one of my favorite things is walking in from work to a clean kitchen. Thank you for always caring about me. I know that sometimes you don't like to hear my work stories or drama, but you always listen. I am so proud of you! Good luck these last few weeks of school. Your hard work this semester will pay off! Thank you for always loving me! I am so glad you picked me!

I love you forever.

XOXO, Sar

This is HALLOWEEN!!!

2009-10-29T13:53:00.005-06:00

Our Haunted House

Halloween Party

Pumpkin Carving

Happy Halloween!!

We hope its Spook-tacular!!

Who Am I Sir?

2009-10-18T22:39:00.004-06:00

Utah Man am I!!!

We just got back from the Utah vs. UNLV game in Vegas. It gave us a good excuse to get away and enjoy the company of friends!! Our seats were amazing....3rd row to be exact!! We yelled the entire game, I felt like the players could actually hear us!!

(Side Note: My sister text me and said, "We just saw you on TV! Quit biting your nails! So, apparently during my 15 seconds of fame, I was biting my nails, my worst habit ever!!)

We had so much fun in Vegas just shopping around, enjoying too much food at the Buffets, hanging with our friends, the Zarbocks, enjoying the Ute's win, and going to Pirate's Cove (a whole other post.)

Happy Birthday Nate!!!

2009-10-15T09:25:00.003-06:00

Today is my Brother-in-Law, Nate's Birthday. He is the big {1-7}. Nate is always so fun to be around, and he's pretty gangsta!!

You are the best and we hope you have the best day!

Happy Birthday Nate...We Love You!!!

We Did The Monster Mash!!!

2009-10-12T15:08:00.003-06:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Falling for FALL

2009-10-04T19:34:00.004-06:00

For conference weekend, my family ventured up to Park City. The drive up was amazing and so beautiful.....the leaves were all shades of red, yellow, and orange. We had so much fun shopping, eating, playing games, and enjoying conference.

Krumpets and Tea

2009-10-04T19:27:00.003-06:00

My Mom, sisters, and I went downtown to a Krumpets and Tea Party at The Grand America. They do tea parties on Saturday afternoons. It was the perfect excuse for us to dress up, hit the town, enjoy pastries and hot chocolate, and have a Girls Day Out!! I love spending time with my Mom and sisters!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2009-09-29T07:14:00.004-06:00

{50} never looked so good!!

Over the Hill, once again!!

We hope you have an amazing day!!

Thanks for all you do for us....We Love you Lots!!

Let the Good Times ROLL!!!

2009-09-28T20:07:00.003-06:00

Everyone needs people like this in their lives!!!

Clark (aka Sasquatch), me, Alli (aka Hunner)

VOTE...VOTE...VOTE...

2009-09-25T23:16:00.002-06:00

My Dad took this amazing picture at Lake Powell.

He submitted it into a photo contest through Picture Line and you can vote for it here.

VOTE FOR PAUL SMITH!!!

Best of luck, Dad!

College Grad

2009-09-01T22:04:00.003-06:00

Look what came via Express Priority-United States Postal Service! My diploma!!

After 4 long, hard, stressful years I get a flimsy piece of paper stating I am a college grad (It's not even on card stock people!!!) Regardless, I was so excited to see it in the mail!!

Cabin Fever

2009-09-01T21:58:00.003-06:00

We recently spent a lazy Sunday afternoon/evening at the cabin. We had so much fun!! We rode around on the 4 wheelers, enjoyed walks in the cooler air, played games, and ate way too much good food! We are so glad we were able to escape the hot summer heat for one day and enjoy the cool mountain air!!

I'm not quite sure why we are glowing in this picture!!

Dear Lizzy...

2009-08-29T16:41:00.004-06:00

There are many words people use to describe themselves; giving, loving, nice, kind, etc. One of the words I can now use to describe myself is SPASTIC!!! This video was filmed in Lake Powell, and I had no idea anyone was filming this! So, my sister Lindsay had caught a little lizard (we are clearly very opposite when it comes to wild animals.) People were putting it on there noses and taking pictures. I was a little skeptical about putting a wild animal on my nose, I thought it would crawl on my face or in my mouth. However, after seeing how the harmless lizard just sat on every ones nose for a pictures, I thought I would give it a try (after a little convincing). Of course something would go wrong!! The lizard sat on my nose for like 5 seconds and then it fell (It hadn't done that to anyone else!) It landed on my swim suit and crawled into.....well, you'll see and get the picture!

I went back for round 2 and got my picture with the lizard!!!

Happy Birthday Sean!!!

2009-08-27T08:22:00.003-06:00

Welcome to the wonderful age of {22}. One year older and wiser! You're catching up to me with the older part!

(He's single ladies!)

You are such a fun brother-in-law/brother, we think you're the best!

Have a very Happy Birthday...We love you, Sean!!

Tour of Utah

2009-08-19T08:12:00.004-06:00

To say that Chad is in love with cycling is an understatement! He lives and breathes it. Let me say, he is loving the Tour of Utah that is in town. Last night, went up to the Capitol building to watch the time trials. It was actually pretty fun and Chad was in heaven! I was just there for the men with shaved legs and spandex!!! (just kidding)

Happy Anniversary

2009-08-16T14:27:00.003-06:00

{1 Year}

Yesterday we celebrated our 1 year anniversary! I can't believe we have been married for 1 year, time is going by so fast! We had such a fun anniversary. We spent the days leading up to our anniversary in Lake Powell (pictures to come.) After a 6 hour drive home, we headed up to Snowbird to spend the night at the Cliff Lodge. We ate dinner at a good Mexican restaurant, relaxed in the hot tubs, ate a Sunday good brunch, and took a Tram ride to the top of the mountain.

We have had such a fun year and are excited to see what year 2 has in store for us!

I love you Chad!!!

C.A.L.I.F.O.R.N.I.A

2009-07-31T22:01:00.003-06:00

We went to Newport Beach with the Johansen's. We had so much fun! I love sitting on the beach with my toes in the sand and a good book to read (I definitely recommend "Love the one You're With".) Some of the highlights of the trip were going to the beach everyday, beach cruiser bike rides to the piers, walking the piers, shopping, a Dodgers baseball game (my first Major League Baseball game), lounging around, spending a very fun and hot day at Magic Mountain, and eating way too much food at some of our favorite restaurants. We had so much fun spending time with Chad's family.

Family Pictures

LA Dodgers Game!!!

No Shoes...No Shirt...No Problem

2009-07-31T21:45:00.004-06:00

I love concerts and Kenny Chesney did not disappoint. I had seen Kenny before like 3 years ago and I loved it so much, I went back for round 2! The only disappointing part of the night was, that Sugarland was supposed to open, but Jennifer Nettles (the lead singer) was having vocal problems. Sugarland didn't open, but, Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert both did and they started the show with a bang. Then Kenny came on and he was the hit of the show! When we first got there, we had kind of crappy seats so we decided to sneak to the front. This task was not easy because they were checking every ones ticket. We did make it to the front and we finally made it to good seats after some seat surfing. By the end of the night, we were practically front row! I do have a rebellious side! Kenny sang all of my favorite songs, and for being 40 years old, he still knows how to swing those hips, wear tight jeans and a cut-off shirt, and he looks sexy in a cowboy hat (even better in a University of Utah hat which someone gave him.)

Moving On

2009-07-31T21:41:00.001-06:00

Chad and I moved! We moved from our little Stonehedge Apartment to our friends, the Peterson's, basement apartment. I do not like moving, but I will say, this move went really smooth thanks to our awesome families! Everyone was so willing to help...Thanks Smith's and Johansen's, we really appreciate all of your help! We are loving the new area and our new place! I will post pictures when I get everything settled! If you would like our new address, please email me at sarah.johansen@gmail.com.

Proud to be an American!!!

2009-07-05T15:23:00.004-06:00

I love holidays! I love the decorations, the traditions, and being with family and friends, and the 4th of July is no different! This year, we went swimming at Chad's aunts house and then to my parents for a BBQ, homemade ice cream and a giant cupcake I made using my new "Great Cupcake Pan". It turned out so cute and it was a hit!! We then went and watched fireworks. I am so grateful for the freedoms that I enjoy, and to live in such a beautiful country! I hope you had a Happy 4th of July!!!

My Best Friend's Wedding

2009-06-29T16:55:00.005-06:00

{Part 2}

On June 19, 2009, my Best Friend Emily got married to Tad Cannon. I have known Emily for about 18 years and I have never seen her so happy. I remember when Tad took Emily to her first prom, my whole family walked across the street to see the happy couple in their prom get-up, and now 8 years later we were all there for the wedding. This wedding was a long time in the making, and it totally paid off!! Everything was so beautiful and so perfect and Emily looked gorgeous!! I am so glad I was able to be a part of their ceremony and wedding, it was so much fun!!! Congrats Cannon's...We Love You Guys!!!

Fiesta!!!

2009-06-23T08:36:00.003-06:00

We just got back from such a fun vacation to Cancun. We went with my family and we had such a good time!! We ate too much good food, avoided the swine flu, drank too many fancy drinks (virgin of course), went on a Cancun jungle tour, explored the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, went to the Isla Mejures (Island of the Women), snorkeled with about 100,000 fish (no joke), bartered in the flee markets, and went on a zip line tour of Cancun. We had the time of our lives and made lasting memories! Thanks Mom and Dad!!! (The picture collage didn't turn out how I wanted, but it will have to do this time.)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Fathers Day!!

2009-06-21T09:09:00.004-06:00

I am a Daddy's girl! I always have been and always will be! I have the best Dad in the world!! My Dad is selfless, giving, caring, funny, and loving. He is so willing to sacrifice for all of us. Every Monday morning he gets on a plane to travel to Alabama to work until Thursday night. He is gone a lot, but he makes sure he makes his time at home extra special for all of us. My Dad cares about all of us girls. I admire the way he treats my Mom and my Grandma, he is always so loving! I am so grateful for my Dad and all he does for me! I love you Dad, Happy Fathers Day!! P.S. He leaves the best blog comments!!

I have also been blessed with the best Father-in-Law. Bruce has many of the same characteristics my own Dad has. He has welcomed me into his family with open arms and I am so happy to be a part of his family too. Every time I am with Bruce I am laughing, I think he is so funny!! Bruce and I share our love for sugar and dessert foods. He makes some of the best desserts (and meals). Chad and Bruce are a lot alike, and I am so grateful that Bruce raised Chad to be the person he is. Happy Fathers Day Bruce, We love you!!!

Life's Little Moments

2009-06-18T22:22:00.003-06:00

.::The Best Things In Life Aren't Things::.

Tonight, was one of my Best Friends Wedding Dinner. The wedding dinner made me think a lot about my life. I am so grateful for my life and everything I have. One of the toasts really made me think about the important things in my life and it put my life into perspective. Sometimes I get so caught up in gossip, fashion, work, etc. that I forget about the important things. None of those things matter, and none of those things I can rely on. However, my family and friends are always there for me, no matter what! I know that I will always have a shoulder to cry on, a person to vent to, and family and friends who love me; and for that, I am grateful!!!

Happy Birthday Leslie!

2009-06-17T07:59:00.003-06:00

I can't let this day go by without wishing my Mother-in-Law a Happy Birthday!!! Leslie is 50 today!

I hope you have a very Happy 50th Birthday Les!! Thanks for all you do for us!! We love you lots and think you are the best!!!

Coming Soon....

2009-06-15T22:09:00.003-06:00

Cancun pics!!!

We got back on Saturday night and the vacation is for sure over!! We're back to reality and back to life in the fast lane!! I will post pics from our amazing vacation soon!!!

Congrats Lindsay!!

2009-06-04T19:33:00.003-06:00

My sister Lindsay is now a High School graduate! She graduated from Brighton High School today! I can't believe she is old enough to be graduating. I am so proud of her. She has had quite the High School experience and she (and my parents) survived!!!

I love you Linds! I can't wait to see what your future holds!

11.20.09---New Moon

2009-06-01T11:07:00.002-06:00

(I stole this from my cousin, Stef's blog. Thanks Stef!!)

It's coming!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon!!!

This clip is amazing, (and in HD) I can't wait to see it! Let me just say, I had chills when I watched it. I almost cried when Edward left Bella, Jacob is dead sexy, and I wish it were coming out today!!!

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer in HD

Punk'd

2009-05-20T15:24:00.002-06:00

Where's Ashton? I have been Punk'd.....

So, today, I went online to make sure everything with my graduation was 100% complete and done! I thought for sure it would be because I met with my counselor right before signing up for my last and final semester.

It was then that I was Punk'd!!! Ashton might as well have been sitting right next to me in my apartment!

My transcripts showed that I was 3 credits short! I started to freak out, there was no way! I called my counselor, and yes, it's true.....She had overlooked something and I am still missing one class! I am so mad and angry (I was so mad that I told Chad I was considering becoming a BYU fan.) What kind of counselor overlooks something like that? The day I graduated, my brain went into auto-pilot, I thought I didn't ever had to attend the U ever again, boy was I mistakin'! I've got to dust off the old backpack, hit the books again, and head back up to campus to still be a student.