My Last Lecture?

I first saw Randy Pausch talking about his "last lecture"on Oprah in October 2007. He was such an eloquent speaker, and had such a wonderful message to share. A life changing message! An "ugly cry" message, but one that really makes you think about the tough stuff. If you haven't heard of him or about him, you need to! He was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given less than 6 months to live. On September 18, 2007, he delivered his famous speech about the lessons he had learned and about what was really important in life. He had the best attitude and sense of humor- a very inspiring guy with the kind of advice that I just wish I could tattoo on my brain and remember and LIVE every day! He passed away last Friday, but is survived by his wife and 3 kids...and his lecture, which I am sure has touched and changed countless lives.

I get really sentimental when I hear about stories like this. I guess it comes with being a parent. Death doesn't really scare me- I know that Jesus is my Savior and I will be fine- more than fine, but you know what I mean (Steve, too)...but it is so sad to think about children growing up without a parent. Or losing a spouse. Or both!

It's funny because I was originally going to do a post about something I read in "Bringing Up Boys", by James Dobson- which I recently picked up again (I never made it through the last time). It's also about what's "important". He was talking about how crazy our lives have become and he says:

When was the last time you had friends drop by unexpectedly for a visit? For many of us it's been entirely too long. There was a time when families made a regular habit of packing into the car and driving over to a friend's home for an afternoon of good conversation and a piece of banana cream pie. It was one of life's simple pleasures. I'll never forget the times as a boy when I would hear a knock on the door and scurry to see who was there. The screen would crack open a few inches and a familiar voice would echo through the house, "Is anybody home?" Mom would rush to put on a pot of coffee and for the rest of the afternoon we'd sit and talk with our friends - about nothing and about everything. ...Sadly, that kind of spontaneous camaraderie is difficult to achieve in today's fast-paced world... Thus, we go about our days, careening through life, glancing at our watches, and wondering why we don't have very many close friendships.

This is exactly how I feel, and I have even mentioned to several people how I mourn the loss of those days! I remember as a child, we lived near some very busy streets in the middle of Houston (Dairy Ashford between Westheimer and Memorial). I remember people that my parents' hadn't seen in years dropping by unannounced. It was fun! My dad would often do the same thing to others. As a kid, I thought it was exciting to see the surprise on peoples' faces when we'd ring their doorbell. The adults would sit and visit, and be amazed at "how much the kids had grown"... We didn't care if the house was a mess (although, as an adult, I see where they might have). We were "in the neighborhood" and what was important was the friendship and seeing their faces again. If they had plans, they could say so- but they never did. Even today, with my own busy schedule and CDO (OCD...but with the letters in alphabetical order like they should be!- thanks for that joke, dad!),- I would be THRILLED to see an old friend knock at my door unexpectedly! As a senior in high school, I was friends with twins who hosted a "come as you are" breakfast in honor of graduation. They literally came into my room and pulled me, and everyone else, out of bed in our jammies and took us to their house for breakfast. What a great memory! I feel like I need to do that to some people if I ever want to see them!

My parents and our neighbors were also really close. My mom and the neighbor lady would mow their yards together, and then sit on their folding chairs and talk while the kids played. They even used the same company to put in in-ground swimming pools at the same time. I'm lucky if I see some of my neighbors on their way to the mailbox. And some "friends" are so busy, that you have to schedule a time to get together with them about 2 months in advance. It's ridiculous! Even trying to arrange "play-dates" for the kids is impossible.

I know...I am old and rambling on about the "good old days." But life DID used to be much simpler...didn't it? I think it's sad that we've become too busy for each other! My schedule is crazy, too...but I can always make time for friends. Besides God, family and friends are what matters in this life. I wish more people would slow down, remember that, and do something about it!

Spaced Out!

Spaced out is what I did when I suggested we to go to Space Center Houston this weekend! Not only did we have to deal with the HEAT and CROWDS, but I also managed to totally embarrass and injure myself as well! This is going to be a long story...

Growing up in Houston, I remember visiting NASA once with my girl scout troop and I vaguely remember mission control- that's about it. Then, on Steve's first trip to Houston, we went to Space Center Houston but did not take the NASA tour. (I remember thinking that it wasn't all that exciting) Twelve years and 2 kids later, we decided we'd give it another try. My mom and sister came along, too. So...we get down there around 1:30 or so, pay our $75 (after making 2 stops to find our coupon that saved us $30!), and walk in to find a madhouse! It was packed!

The kids played in the huge play structure for awhile, and then we walked around the shuttle mock-up and tried to "land the shuttle" (which led to much frustration on Jared's part). They had a special Star Wars "Clone Wars" exhibit, so Jared was interested in that- and the kids got their picture taken with an imperial storm trooper- WOW! Then it was off to the tram tour of NASA. First you have to decide whether you want to see mission control, or the astronaut training center. Steve decided on the training center, and the line was also shorter (or so we thought), so we jump in the red line. The screen says "now boarding" and we're almost out the doors...oh...guess what??? There is a HUGE long line outside that snakes all around like an amusement park ride line. The expected wait is one hour. Ok. We wait. We sweat. It actually moves faster than we expected. We make it on our tram and the tour was actually pretty interesting! (The only part I really enjoyed! Besides the little show where they use a volunteer to show you about living in space.)

Did you know that they are retiring the shuttle and going back to space capsules (like on the Apollo missions)? (see pic)

They are planning more trips to the moon, and eventually to Mars! We got to see the new rovers that they hope to use on the moon (the little gold car in the picture). We stopped and paused at the Challenger memorial garden where they planted oak trees for all of the astronauts who died in the Challenger and Columbia accidents. We also got to see the largest rocket in the world! It was interesting! Steve commented that the NASA campus was very unassuming- they are definitely putting the money into the space program and not the buildings. So, the tour took about an hour, and at this point we are all hot and sweaty and dying of thirst. We squeeze back on the tram and make it back to the main building, where drinks are $3 each...of course!

Just our luck, there happens to be a traveling exhibit this summer called "DAREDEVIL ISLAND"! "Nowhere else can you swing high in the air unharnessed on a giant trapeze; test your climbing skills on a 4 story high spider web; bungee jump on bouncy trampolines; or test survival skills through a mystical maze!" Or have to wait in line for 30 minutes or more to do each one of these things! Steve gets in line with Lauren to jump on the trampoline, Jared does the spider climbing thing (which has a fairly short line), and then he and I get in line for the trapeze. (Embarrassing part coming up...)

HOW FUN! I want to do it, too! I meet the height/weight requirements, I read the instructions, I watch everyone in front of me...it looks fun! You climb up this staircase to meet a guy in an astronaut suit who helps you straddle the platform and hands you the bar. You take a little jump, swing out...whee...then drop onto an inflated mat below. I am excited. Then, a kid gets in line behind us...he is trying this for the third time. He says it is not as easy at it looks. You really have to keep your arms straight. He fell off early both times. Ok, I am a little nervous. A couple kids go up and then chicken out and come back down the steps. I will not chicken out. I am going first- before Jared. I am hoping Jared will not chicken out. It's my turn. I go up the steps and put one foot on each side of the platform (there is nothing in the middle). I grab the bar, careful to keep my arms straight, do a little jump, bring my feet together, and...SPLAT!!! FACEPLANT!! OUCH!! What happened? Where am I? Embarrassed, I peel myself off the mat. Ouch! I landed awkwardly! My left foot, my back, ow!, my head hurts... I have injured my body as well as my pride! Oh, here goes Jared. Whee! Fun! Perfect landing. I am old and ashamed. And sore, ohhhh so sore... I guess my daredevil days are over!
(click on the picture to see Jared about to fly on the trapeze)

My saving grace was that my mom didn't time the picture right, and Steve was videoing Lauren jumping on the trampoline at the same time I got up for my turn. He thought he pressed record on the camcorder, but didn't... So, although we won't get our $10,000 from AFV, I am also saved any further embarrassment and there will be no youtube posting to worry about. Ugh! Space Center Houston...as Leslie said, "I can cross that one off my bucket list!"

Rainbows and Puppy Love

I am working on a post about our weekend in Houston, but in the meantime- here are some random pictures for your enjoyment.

Ever wonder what's at the end of the rainbow? Would you believe the Golden Arches?? We saw this rainbow in Hearne on our way to Houston. It led us right to McDonald's for dinner. Wow!





Then, once we made it to my parents' house, Leslie and her dog, Izzy, were there. Bosque and Izzy were so funny together! Izzy kept getting right up in Bosque's face wanting her to play, and Bosque did NOT want to play. (Bosque is the old lady, and Izzy is the youngster!) Bosque would move to another spot and lay down, and Izzy would crawl on her belly and inch over to her again. Bosque kept her cool for the most part, and just growled a little. We had to take this picture- it looks like they are holding hands. (Left to right: Izzy, Bosque) Aww..puppy love!
Well...
puppy tolerance, anyway!



And one other random thing. We have a crape myrtle in front of our house that is rather odd. It has mostly white blooms, with one bright pink branch in the front. What's up with that? Maybe it's supposed to be all pink and our soil is not acidic enough or something. Or, maybe it's just some sort of Jay Leno tree with one random splotch of color in it. I don't know!

Where does the time go?

So, my friend Stephanie told me that I needed to get on Facebook...goodbye entire day! How does time move so fast when you are on the computer? It's been fun connecting with some old friends, though! Speaking of time flying- I feel like the summer is whizzing by. Lauren has dance camp next week, then Jared has sports camp the following week, and before you know it...school will start! The school supplies are already out in all the stores. I'm sure Christmas stuff will be out in September! We have packed a lot of swimming/trips/camps/activites/playdates in this summer...but I think that just makes it go by so much faster! We're planning on going to Katy this weekend since my sister Leslie is coming home and Steve hasn't been to my parents' house since Christmas! (So hard to believe!) We're talking about going to the Houston zoo, or NASA, or something we haven't done in awhile... Even if we do nothing, it's a change of scenery!

What else is happening? Well, today I signed Jared up for flag football, and Lauren is going to try soccer. (I know...I only have myself to blame for the craziness!) Oh yeah- my sister Laura is moving into her new house today! Happy moving day, Laura! Call me when it's party time!

One last funny thing to share before I go waste more time on Facebook (thanks, Steph!). The other day we were heading home from somewhere and Lauren kept telling us that she wanted "paper cuts" when we got home. Don't worry...we didn't give them to her! It turned out that she really wanted "apricots"- I had bought some dried apricots at HEB and she really likes them, I guess she just misunderstood what they were called! We told her it's a good thing you don't always get what you ask for!

Happy Birthday, Steve!!!

(updated with more pictures)
At Lauren's suggestion/request...a football cake. Happy 36th, baby! We love you!

Steve suggested we go bowling to celebrate his special day. (We never go bowling!) So, we did! Steve bowled a 36! What are the odds? Just kidding!! Everyone did well... Bumpers? What bumpers?

Fourth Fun?

Phew! A fun-filled, work-filled weekend for the Johnson family finally comes to an end! Friday morning was our neighborhood 4th of July parade and party. I knew this neighborhood had a lot of kids, but I had no idea how many!! Have I mentioned I love our new home?!
For the parade, we marched around the block behind the fire truck. Then we visited while the kids had a blast going down the waterslide and playing with friends. We enjoyed some BBQ sand-wiches, water-melon, desserts, sno-cones, and the kids even got tattoos! Fun, but definitely hot! Then, we packed up the car and U-haul trailer with our old kitchen table, and headed to Dallas to help Laura with her new house. My mom and dad were there, and we removed wall-paper, primed, and painted aaallllll weekend. Steve fixed up the yard and deep cleaned. (We were camping out there with our folding chairs and air mattresses since Laura hasn't moved in yet.) We finished up Monday evening and got back to Waco around 11:15p.m. last night. Sore and tired, but we got a lot accomplished, and Laura's house is looking good! We re-painted a total of 6 rooms, plus the pantry. Check out the before and after of the upstairs bathroom! Now for some new carpet, and viola...a flipped house! Seems like we just did this not too long ago?? Oh yeah, we did-
at our house! No one else is allowed to move for awhile!!
(Unless it is my parents moving to Waco...then I'll be happy to help them fix it up!)

Friends and Funnies

Friends:

We are so happy to have our good friends visiting from Washing-ton State! We've missed them. Carri and I used to teach together, then we lived a street over from them, and our oldest had grown up together- until they moved a couple years ago. Jared and Lauren have missed Ashlyn and are having a great time playing with her! I took them swimming at the Y today, and they had a blast. Mr. Ben is the sweetest, funniest, Christian guy you could ever meet. He is a hoot! So...we're glad they drove over 2,000 miles in their pretty motor home to come see us!

I can't wait until we can make a trip up there to see them. I hear it is gorgeous up there!

Funny:

For some reason Jared was asking about birthmarks the other day and we told him that Lauren had one when she was born. It is a red mark between her eyes that some people call an "angel kiss". Well, this morning Jared had a bruise on his forehead right between his eyes. I touched it and asked him what happened. He says, "I don't know. I guess we should call it a devil kiss." (Pretty clever and witty, huh?)