Our First Dust Storm

On July 5th we were treated with our first dust storm.  This first picture was our first image as we walked out of the front door.  The dust was so thick that it looked like smoke coming from a massive fire in our neighborhood.

This is what we saw when we looked to the east.

This is what we saw when we looked to the west.

It was about 7:20 pm, so as you can see from this picture, the sun was still up and it would be for awhile longer.

This picture was taken in our backyard about 10 minutes after the first pictures that are shown above.  I took several pictures, but this was the only one that turned out OK.  It got pretty dark fairly quickly.

13 Years!

I know that I've said this before, but it's as true today as it was the last time I said, marrying Janna was the best decision that I've ever made.  EVER.  Happy Anniversary to the woman who makes my life full.  I love you Janna.

July 4th, 2011

 So a few months ago Janna asked me to make her mint flavored brownies.  I don't know why she asked me to do it, I'm no chef by any means.  I mean I can boil water without burning it, and I've been known to be able to make hard boiled eggs too, but that's not saying much.  Being the spectacular husband I am, I jumped right on her request.  Okay, so she had to wait a few months, at least I remembered.  Right?  Oh well.  In case you're wondering, they actually turned out really well, AND I made them from scratch.  So take that all of you doubters out there!

We spent the day swimming, and then had a delicious dinner consisting of BBQ pork ribs, hot doges, corn on the cob, jello, green salad, pasta salad, totally awesome brownies, and apple pie with ice cream.  After all of that it was out to the front yard to light our fireworks.

 Anna's first flower.  A classic firework.  So simple, so cool.

This was probably the first Fourth of July fireworks display that Anna has actually enjoyed.  She was never able to get comfortable with the bigger displays that we used to watch when we lived in New York.

Rusty Retired

When we left Buffalo, New York for the last time, Janna and I journeyed across the country in our 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera.  When we originally purchased it, it had only 64,000 miles on it.  The interior was immaculate.  As for the exterior, it had a ton of rust, most of which you can't truly appreciate from these pictures.

Shortly after arriving in Arizona, we noticed that when we drove it for longer than 15 minutes, smoke would come out from under the hood.  Since I am no mechanic we decided that we probably ought to have a professional look at it.

After seeing what the bill looked like, we decided that we would be better off to just get rid of it, so Janna donated it to the American Diabetes Association.

Trusty Rusty off to help a good cause.

Trip to Utah

The third part of our trip included a few days with family in Utah.  As much as any other reason, being able to visit family in Utah a little more often is what lead us to our current home in Arizona.  The first two pictures were taken at Cabela's, which is where we went with my Mom for my birthday.  I had never been to Cabela's so I have to admit, I  was impressed with the what the store had to offer.

This is a picture of Alyssa and Ambrey in front of one of the displays.  There's just something about animals with sharp teeth and fangs that fascinates Ambrey.

These pictures were taken at Janna's Grandparents house.  We were there to celebrate her Grandpa Johnson's birthday.  Grandpa Johnson is picture above in this photo.  To his left in order is Janna's Farmor (Danish for father's-mother), Grandma Johnson, and Scott's wife Candace.

Another picture of Farmor, Grandma Johnson, and Candace.

For my birthday Janna got me a new shirt and a new hat.  The hat has given me another excuse so that I don't have to do anything with my hair.  As for the shirt, I'm still hopelessly addicted to the Utah Jazz.  Unfortunately it doesn't look like they're going to be very good anytime soon, so I guess that I shouldn't be too bummed that the NBA is experiencing another lockout.

This is always the best part of traveling when we are on the road.

When we were at the beach we found a coconut washed up on the shore.  Ambrey wanted to bring it with us, so when we returned home we decided that we would buy one at the store, thinking that at least we would have one that would taste well enough for the kids to try.  Well one of them did taste really good, it just wasn't the store bought one.

Disneyland

Part two of our vacation at the end of February was spent at Disneyland.

The night before visiting Disneyland we took the girls to Downtown Disney District. We walked around and looked at the shops, and got the girls the little souvenir that you see them wearing on their heads.

Janna taking Anna on the Astro Orbitor.

Alyssa and Ambrey getting themselves ready for the astro orbitor.

The last ride of the day was "It's a Small World." Sadly, Anna really liked this ride so I guess that we'll have to ride it again when we go next time. I also have video of Janna and the girls riding in the tea cups, but for some reason blogger isn't letting me load it.

Before leaving Alyssa, Ambrey, and Anna were able to meet Minnie Mouse and get their picture with her. Anna was a little apprehensive about this at first, but eventually she warmed up to the idea.

The family in front of Mickey Mouse and Disney's train station.

Now here is a scary thought, Ambrey on the road.

Huntington Beach

So it has been a long, long time since we last posted anything. Sorry. Over the next few posts we will be updating you on what we have done since we left Buffalo. There will probably be no rhyme or reason to what we post until we are caught up to what we are doing now.

At the end of February we took our family to the beach for the first time. The girls loved the ocean. It was probably about 65-70 degrees, but they felt a lot colder after they got drenched.

We only spent about an hour at the beach because of the weather, but the kids had a ton of fun playing in the water and collecting shells.

Anna spent about half of the time that we were there running out to the water, and then running away from the surf as it came in.

We also went to Disneyland on this trip, and to be honest, I think that the girls actually preferred the beach.

Ransom

Let this serve as evidence that we do not cave to ransom threats!Ha ha, now who's laughing? A real post is soon to follow.

For those who were concerned about the ransom outcome, the blanket was returned to its rightful owner.