I’m a little sore but it was well worth it.

Four games in five hours.

That’s the grueling schedule that was put upon us in our men’s basketball league Sunday afternoon. We started at 2pm. If we won we’d play at 3pm. If we won that game we’d play at 5pm. If we won that game we’d be in the title game at 6pm.

We entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and after dropping our second round game we had to fight through the loser’s bracket, and fight we did.

We won our first two games with ease, which was expected as both teams finished near the bottom of the standings during the regular season. That set up a rematch of our second round game against the Green Team.

The Green Team had defeated us in the regular season by two points and then by one lousy point in our frustrating second round loss. They got out to a lead early and stuck with it until late in the second half when Alex’s two free throws tied the score at 38-38. After a free throw they took a one-point lead at 39-38. With 12 seconds remaining we huddled to set up a play.

I immediately jumped in with my thoughts. If we run a stack (four guys lined up and then break when the whistle blows) it might throw them off. We’re playing rec league basketball so we might throw them off. And it did.

When we lined up one of the guys from the opposing team joked, “What is this elementary school basketball? You’re running the stack!” Then he pointed to Randy and said, “You’re getting the ball aren’t you?” I joked back, “Nope, I’m getting the ball.” He answered back, “No, you’re not getting the ball he is.”

My thought when I thought about that play was that we could get it high to Alex or outside to Randy. The whistle blew, the waters parted and there I was wide open. Will, who was inbounding the ball, looked surprised. He threw me the ball, I went up for the uncontested layup and just like that we had a one-point lead with 6 seconds remaining. I sprinted down court my arms opened wide. I couldn’t believe it. And now I try to think of that moment and I can’t. I barely remember getting the shot off. I barely remember the angle it took when I shot it off the backboard and I don’t remember where anyone was when I sprinted down court. I just knew I called the perfect play and ended up making the perfect layup and achieving my “career” highlight.

I had made a 3-pointer a few years back but that was with 17 seconds remaining and was less dramatic and quickly upstaged by Mike’s big shot. This was our third game in four hours, I had played horribly in the first game and a bit better in the second, and more importantly our third against our “rival” – it felt oh so good!

By the end of our third game we were done. Randy had cramped up. James’ knees were thrashed and everyone else was slowly stiffening up. We got off to a slow start going scoreless in the first 10 minutes. We put together a nice little run where we cut their 15 point lead to about eight points but then the energy was just sucked from us and we went into halftime down 40-19.

Our halftime speech was about ending it now or battling until the end and possibly risking further injury. We voted against the injuries and decided to concede victory at the half. We weren’t upset about as we battled until the very end or at least until we were physically able to.

In other news … it has been two months since I’ve last written. I’m so lame! … We had an Enchantment Under the Sea 50’s fundraiser dance on Friday. We made $735 and had a ton of fun. Thanks to everyone that helped. … Brazil was a blast! I sometimes wish we can move there. It would be a hassle because of the house and bills. I hate bills. The vacation was fun though. We went to the beach. It was great!

Tonight is my first night of being home alone. Tuesday my folks came over, Wednesday I worked. So tonight I'm kicking it. I've got some studying for the two games I have to cover on Friday and Saturday night, I'm going to watch the UW-UCLA mens basketball game, and I'm going to relax and watch my shows, The Office, Earl and Scrubs. I love Tivo!

I hope I can just relax and kick it. I'm not so good at being lonely or just doing nothing.

Before I begin with my Day III review, let me just say that I lost last night. The TV woke me up as it was shutting off. This time I conceded victory and fell back asleep. TV 2, Kevin 2.

This morning I came into work and got a nice surprise. Lis hadn't forgotten about me after all. She had left me seven emails. I was so surprised and excited! I love those moments.

What she told me was that Lukas was having a blast with his cousins and going in the pool. Tomorrow he'll join his new buddies - they're twins and just 10 months younger than Lukas - at school for a Carnival party. Ah yes, Carnival begins next week for the Brazilians.

Lis also wrote that everyone loves Lia and her little chunky thighs. I guess she looks good in her sundresses...I want to see! Hopefully she sends pictures soon.

She didn't have too much more to say. Sounds like she's busy but I was happy that she made the time to write me and tell me that she missed me.

I’ve always been afraid of the dark. Even as I’ve gotten older I’ve continued to sprint down the hallway, flicking on the light switches as I dart by them. And now I’m left home alone for 30 days, that doesn’t make getting to sleep easy. So I use the TV as my sleeping pill. Which is how I put myself to sleep last night. Set the timer and hope that I fall asleep before it shuts off my TV. Last night I won. But then the TV turned off and I turned on. Darnit, TV 1, Kevin 0. I tied the score when I reset the timer for 30 minutes and was out 3 minutes later.

I woke up this morning with stomach problems. Ninety-percent of it was due to the half of pepperoni pizza I chased with a bowl of chocolate ice cream and 10-percent because I think I was nervous about Lis, Lukas and Lia arriving in Brazil and getting to my in-laws. I wasn’t nervous because I’m afraid she’d never comeback, like that story that was featured on Dateline recently. Similar situation, wife takes their 4-year-old son on vacation, however that lady never returned. You can read about that frustrating story here:

I think I was nervous just because I wanted everything to go smoothly for her and the kids. If you’ve been to a foreign country (NOT Canada) you know that people drive crazy. Brazil is no different. And my brother-in-law driving them home scares me. He nearly killed Josh and I three times on our way to the airport in 2006. Man, has it been that long since we last went to Brazil?!

My fears and stomach problems disappeared when Lis called me at work and I received this good news:

Update from Brazil:

Lis called at 12:11pm...they arrived at her folk's house and it doesn't sound like they miss us at all. Lukas jumped on the phone and said "Oi!" - he's already speaking Portuguese! - then said he was "going to the piscina (pool)" and yelled "Tchau!" before heading out the door. Lis said Lia was great. Didn't fuss or fight the entire flight and she received compliments from everyone on the plane. Just like her big brother...great traveler! Lukas was great as well. He fell asleep a 1/2 hour before the flight took off and woke up a 1/2 hour before they touched ground. He was all excited to watch a flick but never was able to. Oh well it was "Beverly Hills Chihauhua."

A nice Brazilian man (hopefully older and ugly) volunteered to help Lis with all her luggage so that made things easier. "It was awesome!" were her words about the flight.

Lis was picked up by Elen and Alan, transported to Eliana's house for lunch and Eliana drove them to her Mom's house where my mother-in-law has not stopped laughing from all the excitement. Seriously, I heard her in the background.

Lukas is all pumped to see his cousins, Edu and Leo. I'll try to talk with them on Saturday via MSN Messenger.

Just thought I would give you an update. So glad that everyone was great on the plane. I was worried that Lia would fuss and be a disturbance. She'll probably just do that when Dad flies back with them.

I have this feeling that I'll be lonely for the next 30 days. I've tried to get people together for an Oscar Party on Sunday, no one is interested. I'll probably spend Saturday watching high school basketball until I work until 8pm. Might as well, nothing better to do. I can hangout, watch basketball from 2pm to 8pm then work. Friday night I'm going to visit my friend Ian and possibly watch a flick at his house. Other than that not much is going on. Nobody loves me. Hehe! 

Thirty days! That’s how long I will be alone without my family. They left this morning at 9:15am and will arrive in Brazil around 3:30am my time! I leave for Brazil on March 19. In the meantime I’ll be eating a lot of junk food, staying up late binge drinking and watching a lot of dirty movies. Okay, so that’s what I would like to do but instead I’m working the next two Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm.

Since I have exactly 30 days of freedom I thought it would be fun for me to take this time to try and keep up on my blog. I haven’t written for awhile so what I’ll do is write about my 30 days this way Lis can keep tabs on me.

I’ll recap the pre-departure stuff and then leave you alone for day so you can soak in my sorrows.

We woke up at 5am ended up leaving at 6am and made it to the airport by 7am. Nice work!

Ticketing was a piece of cake! It took a little time for them to scan all the passports in but there were no problems. I asked if I could have a pass that would allow me to bust through security and go to the gate with them. I figured I would hear a “nope”, instead the guy looked at Lis with her two bags wrapped around each arm, the baby hanging from her chest in the Baby Bjorn and the stroller with the toddler and gave me a “that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Security was fun. It’s always a blast when you have two kids. Lukas take off your shoes. Lukas walk through the gigantic magnetic scanner. Lukas put your shoes back on. Fun stuff. He did get a little sticker that says he’s a TSA Junior Agent from the Port of Seattle.

The next hour or so I got to spend some time with the kids before they left. Lukas and I walked up and down the escalator walkway. We used the bathroom, stretched before the long plane ride and eventually I watched them leave me.

I thought I would be sad, and I was, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Lia doesn’t know what’s going on. Lis is too busy trying to get everyone and everything together and Lukas, he was pumped for the plane ride. He always travels well. From when he was a baby going on his first couple of plane rides to road trips he’s always a good traveler. He was excited to get on the plane, was goofy when I left and is probably either taking a nap or enjoying playing with his toys.

I look forward to the first phone call from them letting me know how everything went.

Meanwhile, I’ve got a day of work followed by a night of going to bed at a decent time after a night of American Idol and ice cream!

UPDATED: 2:40PM
Lis called. They made it! Lia was great! Lukas was awesome until the plane landed and came to a complete stop. That's when his motion sickness came into effect and he barfed on the chair he had been sitting on. Lis said he ate quite a bit before that. If any of you have gone on a road trip with Lukas you know that he often does this and when he does he blows. Lis said he was like a fountain, spewing about seven times. Meanwhile the people she sat nearby were very helpful. They held and played with her. Then the stewardness took her while Lis helped clean up. Nice...so far American Airlines has made us happy.
 
Lukas wanted to talk with me. And he didn't stop talking. He explained how the whole airplane thing works. You get one plane and end up at one "station". Then you change and go to another "station" and that's when you're in Brazil. I think he thought he was one plane ride and then he was in paradise. Not so fast buddy! Then he talked to me about how they throw stuff around and he's hoping the cars that he brought and the cars he bought at Target don't get ruined because the guys are just throwing things. Then he let me talk to Fantino (his lil' elephant) and finally gabbed on about how others are talking on the phone and going from place-to-place. It was amusing. "Okay, I'm going to hang up now...bye. (pause) Bye. Click."
 
And that was that.

Super Bowl XLIII (43) is two days gone and like last year’s Super Bowl (XLII) people are already dubbing it the best Super Bowl ever. I was one of those people that proclaimed last year’s Super Bowl in which the New York Giants upset the previously undefeated New England Patriots, as the greatest Super Bowl of my generation.

This year’s Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals unfortunately would fall to No. 3 on my list. Behind last year’s Giants-Patriots game and the Rams-Titans game in 2000 that ended with the Titans losing on the 1-yard line.

Once again Hotel Johnson hosted its annual Super Bowl Party complete with Super Bowl Party Pool. This was our sixth Super Bowl party and once again we had a good-size crowd. Twenty-three people came over to share snacks, drinks and hang out and watch football.

Fellow Goonie, Ryan ended up as the pool champion getting nine out of a possible 25 points and winning $21. Ryan’s nine points were one behind the all-time champion of 10 that my Dad scored in 2004.

Though we weren’t as fortunate as the people in Tucson who saw porn after Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald scored on a 63-yard TD reception, we did have some highlights.

Third Dimension: I was wise enough to snag about 30 3D classes from Fred Meyer a week before the game so we all had 3D glasses ready for the 3D commercials that weren’t so good. At least I was a good host and had props ready for everyone.

Big Dog, Good Food: The Big Dog and his family came over for his first Hotel Johnson Super Bowl party. It’s a good thing they did as both dishes they brought were a hit. First there was the shredded beef and rolls that everyone loved. Then there was some sort of garlic/cheese dip that was delicious, especially on top of the bread they brought.

Tadow!: My favorite one-word phrase from the mid-90’s made a return thanks to MC Hammer and his gold-cashing commercial with Ed McMahon. Yah, we all shouted it for a few minutes before it quickly went back into the vault. Tadow!

The Urban Dictionary says that Tadow! was started by Garrett Morris’s character Ta Dow, who was a pimp and ended every sentence by shouting his name “Ta Dow!”

Halftime football: This was the first time we played some two-hand touch football during one of our Super Bowl parties. It was actually fun. We played on my parent’s narrow street that was lined with cars, thus giving us yard markers. My team of Chris, Nick, Erik, and then Ryan defeated the Big Dog’s team of Randy, Stephanie, Jake and Mike. Lukas was the permanent ball boy and he had a great time playing football with the big people. We were all winded after 10 minutes of playing ball but he was begging us to come play some more. I had a TD catch from Chris and an interception for a TD that ended the game – whoohoo!

The only other highlight was when Mike and Ryan found my “Love-Making Mix” on my iTunes. So I got ribbed for a bit for having “Bump and Grind” and Ryan’s personal favorite “Take My Breath Away” all on one playlist. Uhh…it’s Lis’s list. That’s it!

Other than that it was a good party that was made better because of a great game and yummy snacks.

You can check out photos here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=62846&id=508473921

Now it’s time to focus on the next couple of weeks when I’ll become a bachelor for 30 days. Lis and the kiddos leave for Brazil on February 17.

Thirty days of bachelorhood! Thirty days! That’s a long time! For most married men this would seem like a vacation. And I have to admit I sometimes feel that way.

I look forward to sleeping in on a Saturday without having Lukas stand in front of me at 7:15am telling me he’s hungry. I look forward to being able to sit down and watch the TV without having to worry about being interrupted by Lukas getting up four or five times from 8:30 – 9:30pm and Lis having to get up to feed Lia. I look forward to maybe having a Guy’s Night with Josh and possibly going partying. I look forward to living off Little Caesar’s Pizza for a couple of days. I look forward to having the house to myself. I look forward to chilling out on a Friday night, playing Nintendo games until the wee mornings and then being able to sleep until at least 10am.

In reality none of that will happen. I’ll get up early on a Saturday to a cold and empty house. I’ll work the newspaper job every night and will be so worn out come weekend time that I won’t feel like doing anything. After all it is the high school winter sports postseason, which means I’ll be extremely busy. That’s part of the reason I okay’d Lis and the kids to go at this time because I wouldn’t see them anyway.

Though I would like to be alone I’ll probably be going to my parent’s house for dinner and asking people to hang out every night that I may not work. I’ve never been good at being alone.

And I’m sure it won’t feel like a vacation because I’ll miss my family a ton and will be jealous that they are enjoying the sunshine and her family will be oohing and ahhing over my kids!

Oh well, just 45 days until it’s my turn to head to Brazil!

I’m already slacking on my goals!

I’ve already had a couple of blown ups with Lukas. I haven’t started to drop any weight, though I’ve been playing basketball on Saturday and Sunday and walked during my lunch break yesterday. And I haven’t written anything in this blog - minus the complaining about the weather!

My creative juices have not been flowing. I can tell because I had no motivation to work on the ACS Relay for Life slideshow despite volunteering my services. People told me it turned out good; I wasn’t impressed by it. You can view it for yourself below:

Note: If the video is not here then I’m in the process of downloading it onto YouTube.

When the creative juices are not flowing then I don’t feel like sitting down and taking the time to write. I’ve got ideas…my Top Five crushes (both woman and man), my Top Five female TV/Movie characters, a list of the top 10 road trip movies of all-time and much, much more! But I don’t feel like it or haven’t been in the mood at the right time.

The RFL Kickoff was last night. I showed up late because of traffic issues. I stumbled through my dialogue. I’m supposed to help recruit teams so I spent part of my workday writing the wrong script. I didn’t find this out until two minutes before I got on stage. By then I was all flustered. And for some reason when I step on stage I’m suddenly nervous and can’t say the right things. That bothers me.

I have lofty goals for the 2009 version of Team Force. For the past two years we’ve been the Team Spirit champions. That just means on the day of the event we bring the fun. We participate in all the activities and we have a good time and bring a lot of energy. However, what Team Force has been lacking is the strength in raising money.

Don’t get me wrong we always do a swell job at it. We raised over $5000 last year, which was more than double what we had raised in prior years (actually the prior three years combined). Now I’m getting greedy for a good cause.

I don’t want to be known as the fun team. I want to be known as the team that not only brings it on the day of the Relay but also in fundraising.

This year the RFL theme is Back to the Future. So, much like we did with our hugely popular 80’s party, I’m throwing an Enchantment Under the Sea Dance. Thanks to Carrie at the Antheia Ballroom for giving us a place to party.

I also want to have a Back to the Future movie night with Back to the Future trivia, costume contest, popcorn and more. I’m going to look at doing it at my church.

Then we have our car wash and bake sale, plus we’re looking at a dinner night at a local restaurant and some party nights at local pubs or bars. Oh yah, we’re going big.

All that means is that I’m going to need lots of help. Help in getting things organized and help in raising money. Oh, so glad you asked…you can help by donating here:

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/kdaddy

In the meantime I will keep you posted by trying to post more things here. Also, if anyone has a question, comment or an idea for anything then please let me know!

We’ve had one of our worst winters for snow that I can remember. In our backyard we had about 15-17 inches of snow. Then came the wind that blew the snow into snow dunes. We didn’t see our sidewalks for over three weeks.

Then came the rain and warmer weather.

And if you’re not familiar with Mother Nature, if it pours down rain and heats up after a ton of snow then the snow melts and becomes more water which rushes into the rivers and causes the rivers to rise which causes the water to cover roadways which causes the Department of Transportation and State Patrol to close roads which causes frustrations to those of us that live in Floodville, USA.

Check out the following for how fun the flooding has been:

http://www.heraldnet.com/

http://www.king5.com/ - one of the guys that I had breakfast with was interviewed, though he didn't make the final clip. The back of me did. You can find me midway through the clip on their homepage. 

My drive time usually takes about 55 minutes. Here is what they looked like the last couple of days:

Wednesday AM – 1 hour, 20 minutes

Wednesday PM – 1 hour, 35 minutes

Thursday AM (left early) – 1 hour, 35 minutes

Thursday PM (had to drive to a boys basketball game in Snohomish about 20 miles away and usually a ½ hour drive) – 1 hour, 48 minutes

Friday AM (went to breakfast in Snohomish, normally 20 minutes to Snohomish) – 35 minutes, plus another hour to get to work, total drive time – 1 hour, 35 minutes.

At least tonight I have to sit around for 2-1/2 hours until I work my second job so I don’t have to worry about fighting traffic. I am off work at 6pm and have to be at work at 8:30pm. Just enough time in between jobs where it’s not really worth it to make the trek home because then I would have to turn around and go back to work. As you can see it’s kind of frustrating. That’s why I’m planning to do what I wrote in my Five Goals for 2009.

That’s it for now. Be on the look out for my Top Five Crushes entry coming soon!

Now that I got my Year in Review out of the way it’s time for my Five Goals for 2009.

In 2007 I went a remarkable 4-for-5 on my goals, nailing everything but the loss of weight.

In 2008 I went 1-for-5 nailing only my wife, accomplishing the goal of knocking her up.

Much like rollover minutes are carried over to your next month, most of those four goals that are still outstanding will be carried over to 2009.

Let’s review my 2008 Goals shall we?

Having Another Rugrat – Check! I had accomplished this goal even before I wrote my goal but not knowing that I had accomplished the goal. Follow me? Anyway, in September Princess Lia was born and I had accomplished Goal No. 1.

Practicing the Two P’s - I wanted to practice Patience and being Positive. Last year was not a good year to try to accomplish those goals as I struggled for months with both of my jobs and the growing annoyance and independence of one Lukas Johnson.

Take a Vacation – Okay, make it 2-for-5. Lis, Lukas and I did take a drive down to California where we spent a few days hanging out with my brother, visiting with my buddy Dennis and his family and then going to Disneyland. It was a road trip, it was enjoyable, but it didn’t feel like a vacation. When I returned I took the next couple of days off to hang out. Still we took a break from work.

Settling On One Job – Let’s see, as I write this I’m sitting at the Herald waiting for the phone to ring. It’s 8:50pm and I got off of my day job about 3 hours ago. I’d say – NO!

Lose Weight – When I weighed in last year I was at 220-pounds. When I weigh in this year I tip the scale at 225. NO!

You can carry over the Two P’s, Settling on One Job and Lose Weight goals to 2009 because those are three things I need to accomplish. Here are my Five Goals for 2009:

Positive Patience – I failed badly at this in ‘08. I had moments of greatness but would follow them up with a breakdown. Not since before I was married have I had a year of temper tantrums like I did in 2008. I thank, as mentioned above, the growing independence of Lukas and his willingness to NOT listen to a word we say along with the great amount of stress and pressure I was feeling from work. This year I need to realize that I have a 4-year-old turning 5 and that he doesn’t quite comprehend things as much as I should. I need to realize that maybe it’s time to get some help for my temper issues now that they’ve resurfaced thanks to my mini-me. I’m hoping this job and accomplishing Goal No. 2 will aid in all this as I think the more I’m away from the house the bigger toll it takes on mine and Lukas’s relationship. That’s not good - family or a hobby job that pays $100 a week?

It’s Time to Call it Quits – It’s been five-plus years. I’ve moved up from $9.06 to $9.80-something. More importantly I’ve accomplished a lifelong goal of writing about sports. I’ve even gone farther than I imagined when I started this job in late-2003. I get my name in the paper on a weekly basis (go to www.heraldnet.com and type in ‘Kevin Johnson’ in the search field). I’ve written feature stories. I wrote a story that landed on the front page of the paper. Not the sports section the entire paper. I’ve done everything I can, except working full-time or designing papers, which was never on my must-do list. I’ve made good friendships. I’ve learned a lot about my writing and the profession without even taking more than three classes post-high school. But now my passion and the time it takes for me to do my hobby have taken a toll on my family life. Lis and I have determined that the extra cash is not worth the stress and toll it takes on me and my family. There were days in November that I didn’t even see my family. I was so busy it didn’t matter if they were home or not. Lis plans on going to Brazil in February for six weeks, when the high school basketball postseason heats up. My goal is to finish up the winter sports season, put in my two weeks notice then head to Brazil for two weeks of vacation. It will be hard. I will miss the people I work with. I’m now the longest tenured part-timer on the staff. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing.

Drop some Pounds – As you can see I moved up a weight class this year. Most of that has been poured on in the past month where I gave a “I Don’t Give A Darn” attitude and just ate my way to five more pounds. The weather is cold, I get home late, I like to snack, so! So…that needs to end fast. So far the first three goals all have to deal with Goal No. 2. If I am not away from home as much I have more time to exercise or at least walk to the park with Lukas and start him on his jump shot. I need to work on watching what I eat and need to work on getting some exercise or it isn’t going to matter how much time I have off work if my health isn’t good enough to keep me around a long time. My goal is to drop close to 30 pounds and to hover around 200. My Body Mass Index thingy says I should weight 185. Ha! Let’s just try to get to 200 first!

Work Hard – I went from feeling underpaid to feeling overpaid. I got a raise when I changed jobs. I got benefits. The bosses let me leave early. The bosses gave me a bonus. It’s time to earn their trust and money by working hard. That means writing policies. That means working harder. Again, Goal No. 2 can help with this. The less I’m working two jobs, the more sleep I can get.

Write Something – I tried to think of a goal that would be fun to accomplish but also challenging. For years and years and years I’ve wanted to write a script. Randy and I have come up with ideas for movies and I started then stopped writing them down. If I get rid of the second job I’d have a bit more time for that. I have also thought about putting this journal into a book format and telling our story that way. Though these goals are a long shot I think it’d be fun to at least get halfway through a book. We’ll aim for that goal.

Of course there are other goals…continue to love my life, my wife and my family. I want to continue to raise more money for the ACS Relay for Life. I want to become more involved, which I have becoming a Committee member. I’d like to look into going back to school but again I don’t want the timeframe to screw us up. I’d like to write more in my blog. I have a few entry ideas that I would like to write (all-time crushes, top road trip movies) and look forward to continuing to do that. I look forward to starting up basketball again and I look forward to another fun year with the church family. Here’s looking towards 2009! 

It’s that annual cliché, “Wow the year has just flown by!” And honestly this year has.

I spent the majority of the year stressed from being underpaid and overworked at one of my jobs. So when it came time to write my annual 2008 Year in Review the first thing – after the obvious pick of my daughter being born in September – that popped into my mind was how I was stressed and frustrated for most of the year.

It’s always fun doing these little reviews because it lets me remember the things that I did the past 365 days. Unfortunately I’ve written less and less in this blog and will have to use my memory more to remember the highlights and lowlights of 2008. Other than the highlight of my daughter being born I think I’ll be finding out that there weren't many highlights and/or lowlights of the past year. That leaves 2009 with a lot of promise.

By the way, 2009 has started off well. They just announced the 2008 NFL MVP and the winner is one Peyton Manning. Atta boy!

Oh, and if you want to read my previous Years in Review here they are:

2007 Year in Review: Year of Friendships

2006 Year in Review: Three Weddings and a Funeral

2005 Year in Review: Goodbye 2005! Hello ’06!

Unlike last season when I named my top 10 highlights I'll just be doing my top 5. Before I begin with the countdown let’s start with moments that didn’t quite crack the Top 5.

First, I’m sorry to say that Randy and Nayheli’s news of a baby did not crack the top 5. It was No. 6 but since I couldn’t come up with 10 I ended at No. 5 and moved them to honorable mention. It’s an odd situation that immediately followed some great news (No. 3 on my list). It came as a total shock. They are not married. They moved up here three weeks ago and don’t seem comfortable. Plus, the baby isn’t born and she hasn’t started showing so it doesn’t quite feel “real” yet. I am happy for them. My brother sounds excited to have a kid and he seems to be trying hard to figure out what he needs to do. Next year I’m sure the baby will crack the Top 5.

Also not making the Top 5 was the great time we had with our church family this year. We spent our entire summer doing things with our church. We flew kites, we camped out, we played volleyball, we went to small group, we had a great time and it was definitely a highlight to remember for 2008.

Other miscellanous moments of 2008:

We’ll start with sports…

We had our annual Super Bowl party. Alexandre and Lis, the two people that know the least about the sport, won our party pool and this remarkable play occurred. Almost a year later and I still can’t believe it happened.

Michael Phelps dominated the Olympics and caused Lis, me and the rest of the world to become more interested in the sport of swimming. I don’t know which race was more intense the 4x100 come-from-behind relay win or the 100-fly, but I’ll pick the relay.

I jumped on the Tampa Bay Rays bandwagon and they went to the World Series! I also digged that the Celtics won the title, but didn’t dig that they defeated LeBron and the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Finally, Tiger Woods is amazing. He won the US Open in “overtime” with a fractured tibula and a torn knee. Amazing!

Koby went to Westminster and my parents tagged along with him checking out New York City for the first time in their lives!

The family and I made two trips to California. One for fun, the second for my Great Aunt and Uncle’s 50^th Anniversary party.

In not-so-fun news, I spent the entire year complaining about work. I was underpaid, overworked, threatened by the boss that he was going to close the office and worried about money. Every month he told us he may close the office. Every month he changed the way I was paid. Salary? Hourly? Commission? The stress made me sick six out of the first eight months of the year. Work was causing me to hurt my family and my relationships. If you want you can read three of the negative entries here, here and here. I finally made a change (See below: No. 4) and it allowed me to enjoy the end of the year.

All that stressed also stopped me from blogging. I wrote one entry in May, June, July and November and in January the only entries I wrote were my Year in Review and my Goals. I hope to stop that trend this year!

I’m also sad to say that though last year was the Year of Friendships, this year our friendships seemed to dwindle. Our friends Alexandre and Jackie were there for us through everything and hopefully they’ll calm their talk of moving to California by sticking around.

That same stress may have caused a horrible basketball season in which our team sucked and I ended up yelling at a couple of my teammates. Thus playing a part in the dwindling friendships – I think.

We closed the year learning about the death of Uncle Frank. He had been in and out of the hospital multiple times throughout the year. We were sorry to hear about his death.

And now to the Top 5:

No. 5 – Goal! Goal!

Knowing Lukas needed some outside companionship with other kids, we signed him up for soccer with the YMCA. Knowing I didn’t need to take on anything else, I foolishly agreed to coach his soccer team. The season was frustrating at times but my No. 5 highlight came a day after my birthday when Lukas gave me a present of his own. 

We’ll quote my October 6 entry since it’s easier for me to copy and paste rather than re-type:

“The weather played havoc for a bit, lots of rain, lots of wind and a bunch of wet 3- and 4-year-olds. The field was muddy, I was dreading the game when midway through the first half Lukas showed me that he truly is half-Brazilian by getting the ball midfield then dribbling up an open field and shooting the ball into the net for his first real goal of his career. I say real  because he scored one in the first game but it was kind of an “oops the ball is at the end of my foot and right in front of the net so I guess I'll punch it in” type of goal.

Saturday's goal was nothing of the sort. It was a “run after the ball, get the ball in the open field continue dribbling it then shooting it hard into the netting” type of goal. One that makes his coach and Dad very proud! He stepped up as not just his parents were watching. No! Both of his uncles (and their women), his Grandparents (the first time Papi had been to a game) and his great-uncle were all watching!

The goal also boosted his confidence as Lukas, usually one to want to take a break, fussed when he actually was told to take a break. He'd comeback later in the half by getting a pass from a teammate, which is a rarity at this age but will be noted at practice, and taking another solid shot at the goal. Again, his coach/Dad and family was proud.

It got better later in the game when Lukas, who was being pushed down and bullied constantly by another kid, did not back down, protecting his female teammate, who was pushed down by said-opponent, by pushing the bully down after his teammate had fallen. The two went toe-to-toe later in the game and I had to break it up, though it was kind of a funny confrontation. I was again proud that Lukas was not afraid of this bigger kid.

After the game my weekend was made! I had doubted coaching these kids and had a rough first few weeks but after this game I felt good. The kids - the six that remained from the 10 that opened the season - were looking like a team. They were playing together, they were having fun together, they were becoming pals and it was a joy to watch. I even was complimented by a grandma of a teammate.”

No. 4 – A New Beginning!

As mentioned above I dreaded my first eight months of the year. I was stressed at work and it was taking a toll on my family. I decided to move on and put out resumes all over the place. The lowly-economy didn’t help as I was turned down twice and not replied to about 20 more times. I finally got a call from an insurance office in North Seattle. The drive to work would be an hour but the pay was considerably higher, they offered benefits and cushy hours. After thinking about it hard we decided it was for the best if I moved on. I did and I’ve been happy since. I got a $50 gift card for Thanksgiving and a bonus for Christmas. The owners are flexible with scheduling and my co-workers have been great thus far! It’s a nice change and a positive change. Lis and I couldn’t be happier. It’s nice that we don’t have to fret over money. Sure we’re not rolling in the dough but we also don’t have to worry about not being able to pay our mortgage or if my paycheck is going to be lower this month than last.

No. 3 – I Hear Wedding Bells!

Erik had been extremely unsuccessful when it came to long-term relationships and just decent relationships at that. I don’t believe it was Erik but the type of girls he chose. So when he showed up to our 80’s party flashing his new girlfriend in her small, tight green shorts I immediately thought, “Here we go again.”

Thankfully my thoughts changed as we grew to know Stephanie or Snef’nie as Lukas calls her. She enjoys the family. She gets along with the family and seems to fit – if you’ve seen our videos and read my stories you know that’s not easy and the more and more I see that I begin to realize that I really hit the jackpot with Lis.

The biggest thing is she loves and adores my brother. I hate to rag on the past but Erik was engaged for about 10 days in 2007. It was, and I’m sure he’ll agree, one of the dumbest thoughts of his life. The girl was foul-mouthed. The girl didn’t enjoy being with the family. The girl was like his other girlfriends. But not this one. Stephanie doesn’t take Erik for granted. She calls him cute and sexy and all those adjectives you don’t want to hear your brother called. Gross! Lukas loves her too, which is important to me!

When Erik says he was going to propose to his girlfriend my only complaint was that I had to work late that night and wouldn’t be there when they walked into the club after announcing their engagement (the first “engagement” I had too many complaints to name). I was proud of my brother, happy for the two of them and excited to watch their relationship blossom. Like the birth of Randy’s child, I’m sure Erik and Snef’nie’s wedding will be one of my highlights for 2009.

No. 2 – Can I Get a What! What!

Officially my new favorite day of the year – the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Monroe. For the fourth straight year we participated in the Relay. For the fourth straight year I had more fun than I had in previous years. Team Force dominated the Team Spirit competition! We became the team that everyone wanted to hang out by and be on. Seriously I’m getting requests to join our team because we know how to “kick it”. Randy and Michelle rocked karaoke. Alexandre and Jackie rocked the talent contest. Randy was the usual star in Mr. Relay and Dennis, Wes, Erik, Randy and I rocked the house as the Backstreet Boys. Though we all lost to little kids (you’ll always lose to kids or dogs) we all performed well and had a great time. You can see all of the Team Force 2008 videos here. The Backstreet video is below.

Not only did we repeat as Team Spirit champions, we also rocked in donations. I think we finished sixth in donations raising a Team Force record $4749.56. Dennis, a first-time team member and cancer survivor, raised an amazing $1285. We threw a very rad 80’s party. Had a successful car wash and another money-making bake sale.

I’ve joined the Committee this year and am helping with Team Recruitment and Entertainment. Already people have mentioned how the Big Dog and myself really add to the excitement of the Relay. That makes me feel good and I enjoy participating and hanging out with my Relay Family. Seriously, great event to be a part of!

No. 1 – An Angel is Born

Though I battled with putting the Relay No. 1 I had to go with the birth of my daughter. Hehe! What did you expect to be No. 1?!

When we first found out Lis was pregnant we had mixed-emotions. We wanted to have another kid but also didn’t know if we wanted to because we were struggling with Lukas. Plus that whole cancer thing loomed over us. Five months after Lukas was born Lis was diagnosed with leukemia. Though we didn’t straight out say it, the thought of the pregnancy triggering the cancer again loomed in the back of our minds.

That, plus dealing with the stress of work, didn’t give me the same effect on this pregnancy as it did for Lukas’s. The pregnancy flew by and with a month remaining it hit me. I was going to have a baby girl any day now.

I wasn’t sure how I felt until the minute Lis went into labor. The labor was harder than Lukas’s. I joke that because of Lis’s new blood (all the transfusions) she’s a different person and know longer tough. She snaps back, “You wouldn’t even make it the first minute of labor.” Okay, she’s right.

She wasn't able to have Lukas naturally so Lis was going to try this time around to have Lia naturally. And I was going to try to make it through it.

I did better than I expected. I watched the head slowly come out. I pulled Lis’s knee back (though she doesn’t remember me there) and grabbed her shoulder as she pushed. I watched as the doctor gave Lia a mohawk while she was crowning (thus giving me the team name of Crowning Mohawks for my fantasy basketball season). I watched as he squeezed her through … well you know where. I clipped the cord. I shed more tears than I had when Lukas was born. I was amazed at how healthy both Lis and Lia were.

Three months later I’m still amazed at how strong Lia is. Though it’s been tough with Lukas, he’s still dealing with jealousy and attention issues, it’s nice having a full family. And there is no better sight in the world than watching her face light up when she watches big brother. Not only is that my favorite moment of 2008 but of ever.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the first day of winter, though winter officially started sometime last week when the temperature dropped to the teens and the snow graced our presence mid-week.

It’s been awhile since I’ve last graced your presence with some nonsense, so since I’m stuck in the house with no exciting football to watch – though it’s amusing watching the Seahawks and Jets commit turnover-after-turnover – I decided to sit down and write you about the weather that’s taken over our life.

The freezing temperatures weren’t so bad. Roads were a little icy but once I got to the “major arterials” as the newscasters call them, the commute to work wasn’t that bad. Then Wednesday happened.

The weather-people had predicted a snow blast. We got five inches in our neck of the woods so knowing that it was going to snow more I decided to play hooky from work. My bad! We got our five inches, nobody else south or west of us got anything and the people at work figured I was being a weinie. I admit. I wussed out. It made me feel better when it began snowing at 5pm that night and was flurrying at 6pm when I would’ve began my commute home.

The next morning we woke up to nearly a foot of snow. I had a valid reason to miss work as it snowed all day long. Lukas and I played in the snow - see uber-dorky video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JN-svHXxgE - and we took a long walk around town. I was sore.

Friday I returned to work and Saturday we spent the morning sitting in traffic and battling the stores trying to finish up what little Christmas shopping we needed to accomplish.

Saturday night the fun began.

The weather-people again predicted snow and winds up to 60mph. We hung out at my parent’s house waiting for the wind to it. It hit, the snow began and we decided to stay at my folk’s house. Then the storm named Lukas began. Needing attention from everyone, and not getting it from everyone (Grandparents, parents, Uncle, Auntie) he began throwing a fit. We dealt with that for a bit, went to dinner and everything was fine. Then the second wave of the storm hit. I had to do the embarrassing thing that all parents hate. Carry their uncontrollable kid out of the restaurant while everyone stares and judges. I told him some choice words that I can’t repeat but are bad enough that…nevermind. I don’t do well with temper-tantrums. He knows that and that’s why he insists on doing them.

We came home I wanted to leave. Lia was upset. We had left her with Randy and Nayheli and the minute we walked through the door she was pissed. She didn’t calm down until hours later. Meanwhile I’m still fuming. My dad talked me into going for a drive with him. I told him he’d better be hitting me across the head with a shovel because that’s the only reason I’d go. He didn’t instead buying me a couple of V&C’s (Vodka/Cranberry), it sounds more manly if I say V&C.

After an hour of hanging out at a near empty bar with the mini-blizzard outside of us we headed home. Lis insisted we go as Lia was out of her element, so it was then that I drove in the worst conditions I have ever driven in. Snow came from all directions. The wind blew hard from all directions. Visibility was about 50-feet. The snow on the windshield began to freeze. Lis and I put our noses to the windshield trying to figure out where the lines on the road began. Lukas and Lia were sound asleep. We drove 20mph on the freeway and the 7 mile drive took us close to 30 minutes. When we pulled in the driveway we grabbed the kids and made a mad dash to the front door. Thankfully we had power.

We all snuggled into our room and fell asleep. The wind continued all night and is currently blowing the snow every which way. The snow that had already accumulated looked like sand dunes. I took the kids for a drive while Lis showered and barely made it out of the driveway. I got stuck, moved back, moved forward, spun my wheels before finally creeping over the mound that was in front of the driveway. I guess that’s why people shovel their driveways and sidewalks.

The nice part is we live in a small town and can drive around without having to worry about traffic. Josh and his brother stopped by on their quads and on Friday they came by to give Lukas a ride on his quad and the sled that it was towing.

There’s your update. Enjoy the pictures of the weather here:

https://cid-62abe84e064c4374.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Winter%20Wonderland

Thank you to those of you that continue to check up on my blog and comment on it. It gives me reason to continue writing, so here I am writing.

There has been valid reason for me to not write as much. Most of that has to do with my work schedule and lack of family time. Today will be the third day that I’ve NOT seen my family. Okay, so I see them at night while they are sleeping and I do get to talk to Lis while she tries to fall asleep - one of the perks of sharing the same bed – but other than that I really haven’t been able to spend time with them. That’s why I was ecstatic when my Mom sent me an email asking if I’d like to have lunch with my family today. I now have something to look forward to!

As much as I enjoy my second job (writing for the paper), I think it’s really starting to again take a toll on me and now it seems to be affecting Lukas. He’s different when I’m around, often whiny and feeling down. This morning he woke up early and walked up to me to give me a hug while I was eating my breakfast. He didn’t say anything other than the quick “Boo!” he says in the morning hoping to startle me. He gave me a hug then stopped looking at me. He often asks me, “Why do you have to work at the dark time?” or “Why do you have to go to work today? I don’t want you to go to work. Stay here.” Yah, it makes me feel depressed.

He must have made a pact with his sister because she woke up right before I was headed out the door. I held her for a minute or two but she refused to look at me. She did smile when I was talking to her but she didn’t want to glance at me. Little terds!

Lis doesn’t tell me if my being gone bothers her, though she’s really excited to go to Brazil and I think the secondary reason – primary being her wanting to visit her family - is that she’ll have something to do, people to hang out with and places to go. It’s winter, it’s cold, it’s rainy, we have only one car and often she can’t even borrow the car because I work an hour away and often immediately after work.

I think the reason I’m feeling more down and out this morning is because of the season. I’d love to sit down and watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas with Lukas but instead I have to put it on while I shower and change and let him watch it so he can let Lis and Lia sleep a bit more. I want to put up our Christmas tree and decorations but have had to continue to put it off because of my schedule. Even on nights that I don’t work I get home at 7pm, we eat and then it’s off to bed for Lukas. 

The new job has been good, for the most part. I don’t enjoy the insurance business and sometimes wish I would’ve held out for something different, or tried for different things. It does pay a lot better, gives me benefits and I do have less stress so I am happy that I moved on from my old job. It’s just hard when I have to work one job and go immediately to the next. I am usually up at 7am and don’t get home until midnight. I end up spending 16 hours away from the house.

Okay, so the plus side is that I do get some extra income that allows us a little cushion in the pocket book. But really it’s not a lot. I make about $400 a month at the paper. I worry that one day I’ll look back, see my kids grown and realize that I spent about 156 days a year (3 days a week/52 weeks in a year) or about 43-percent of the year – their life – away from them. Just for a couple of bucks.

Sorry, I’m just complaining but you asked to hear from me (Shelly commented on December 9: “we would love to hear from you again!!”)

Oh, about the new job. The lame part of it is that it’s extremely slow. Part of that is the economy and part of it is that I’m the new guy, don’t have a steady client base and am just writing the new business, or rewrites. I’m used to doing everything, having stacks of files on my desk with too much to do. Now I put files on my desk to make it look like I have things to do. I often dread going to work because I’m going to have to fake it for about six hours.

More nonsense…what a dreadful fantasy football season I had! Five weeks ago I was having my best season ever. I had a winning record and my winning percentage was way over .500. Flash to now, I’ve had my worst season ever finishing with a losing record for the first time (I compile all the leagues I play in to see how well I did). I did make the playoffs in my only pay league only to watch my team drop like a bungee jumper with no cord … guess he wouldn’t be bungee jumper then but whatever … I lost in the first round – again – and won’t play for money!

Finally, I need to mention that I was sad to hear the news of the passing of my great-Uncle Frank. He's been mentioned in blogs past. We recently went to his and my Aunt Jo's 50th wedding anniversary in Sacramento. He's had health problems in the past and on Sunday morning he passed way. I want to pray for my Aunt Jo and our family during this time. Uncle Frank was always fun to talk with and will be best remembered by my brother's and I as the guy who's motor home we wanted to hang out in when they visited because he made the best drink concotions. We'll miss you Uncle Feller (as Lukas calls him).

And after writing about Uncle Feller and thinking about what I wrote prior to that I realize how silly it is to complain about work and life. At least I'm healthy (I hope) and living and have a loving family. It always bothers me to think about how unhappy I am with time and work despite vowing that I would change when Lis was diagnosed with cancer.

I guess that’s it for now. Hopefully I can write a bit more before Christmas, if not Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or whatever it is you like to say during these times!

Wednesday afternoon update: Lis, Lukas, Lia and my Mom came out to visit me for lunch on Wednesday. It didn’t end well. Most of the problem was with me. We were at Mickey D’s. Lis was sitting at one table, Lukas at the other. I asked Lukas to come over. He refused. I told him to get over to the table we were at so other people can sit down. He refused. I told him with a different tone. He began crying and came over, hands in the mouth, slobbering. I was done. He ended up sitting at the other table with my Mom and I ended up having a grumpy lunch. Then I asked if he wanted to come into the office. He wanted to but when he came in, he just wanted to hide behind my legs and not say anything to anyone else, like a 2-year-old. Lis believes it’s an attention problem. I’m not giving him enough attention so the only way to get attention from me is by ticking me off. He didn’t want to apologize to me nor did he want to say it was nice to see me, though he told Lis both of those things.

I hope you’re ready for the most random entry I’ve had in a long, long time! I’m currently at work and every time I get a tiny break I jot down nonsense. And here it is…today’s nonsense and a recap on what’s going on in the life of a Johnson.

Do you ever feel like you’re cheating on your spouse? I’ve been guilty of that late. The other day I ate out for lunch and didn’t tell her about it. She later found out after checking our bank account. I couldn’t explain it. I felt totally guilty. She was upset at me. She made me lunch but the temptation of a greasy burger caused me to leave the office, drive the guilt-ridden 2.5 miles and then sit in the cozy restaurant, reading the day’s news and chomping down the fries that will be stuck in my belly for months and months. She eventually forgave me but still I was in trouble and I knew it.

The new job has been good. I get paid $500 more a month. I get benefits. I get Saturdays off. It’s been good, especially since people everywhere else are losing their jobs. I’ve gotten a pay raise and all I have to do is drive 50 minutes longer. Really not a big deal, except when the brakes on my car are going out. Screeech!

Lia is doing great! The first month is over so Lis and I are able to relax a bit more and worry a bit less. We still run into her room when we can’t hear her breathing through the baby monitor but so far, so good. She has been getting up only once a night (Lukas was up every 2-3 hours), she’s growing (she was at 100-percent in weight and 95-percent in height – Lukas never reached 100-percent for anything) and she’s smiling! That’s the best part. If you make funny faces or noises she’ll usually smile at you. She loves her big brother, always smiling at him or trying to talk to him with her baby noises. She doesn’t cry that much instead yelling at us, which is amusing. She doesn’t like the prickliness of my goatee she’ll just scream at me. She doesn’t like that you’re not right there when she wants to, she won’t cry, she’ll just scream at you – quick yaps.

I know every parent says their child is the best and they’ve had the best experience but seriously, we have! Lukas never cried (until he was 2-1/2) when he was a baby. He was always smiling, always making people laugh, and was easy to take in public without worrying about a fit. Lia has been the same, though she does tend to make more grunting noises during the Pastor’s sermon, or let out the occasionally gas when the congregation is in prayer. Both kids have been great, choosing to smile more often than crying. This allows me to pick on them more, which may explain why Lukas decided to start to cry more often when he turned 2-1/2.

Lis and I are doing well. We’ve been snuggling, which for married people – Erik/Stephanie take notes – means that you’re lying next to each other rather than facing the wall with your backs to each other. “We always snuggle,” you say! Wait for five years down the road, two kids and a bout of cancer later and tell me that you’re still snuggling. It also doesn’t help that I snore and drool and one night when we were first married I had a dream that I wanted to hurt Erik so I grabbed, pinched and twisted Lis’s skin in my sleep. She woke up screaming, I apologized and quickly fell back asleep. That will keep you from snuggling for awhile.

Oh…and though I’m getting paid a little more than I have in the past that means that crap has to hit the fan. Brakes on the car going bad. Check! Heater in the house goes out. Check! Garage door no longer opens, leaving the car out in the cold overnight. Check! Argh! What is up with that?!

I’m really looking forward to the holidays – even Thanksgiving! I don’t know if it’s because I have less stress in my life (again, thanks new job) or just that the family is growing, but I’m really looking forward to it. Oh about that “family growing” thing.

On Nov. 8 Erik proposed to his girlfriend Stephanie. They have dated for six months. He proposed along the water in Kirkland and afterwards had a get together at the Shark’s Club just feet away. I met them there, hung out with them and celebrated with everyone! It was a good time. I had to be the lone Johnson representative because my parent’s were in Oregon for a…you guessed it – dog show! Randy was in California and Lis isn’t allowed to enter a bar with a 4-year-old and a newborn.

Weeks later Randy tried to steal Erik’s thunder by telling us that he knocked up his girlfriend and that the two (now three) of them are headed back home in mid-December – to stay. Though I’m not all “Whoohoo!” about the news I was still glad to hear that they were going to come up, live here and that Randy was thinking with a level head. He knows he needs to move back so that he has a decent paying job and because the cost of living up here is way cheaper than what he’s paying right now.

Which reminds me, for any of you that are going to watch “Twilight” this weekend or in the future, Randy’s roommate/buddy Kellan(Lutz) plays Emmett Cullen. I’m not about bragging if I know so-and-so the movie star. We joke about it every now and then when someone brings up the flick, for instance this weekend someone brought up the movie. I think it’s a neat little bit of info to say that we hung out with him on our anniversary because we did he joined my brother, Lis and I on our trip to the comedy club. Lis then likes to say, “Yah, and he’s kissed me.” Before adding, “…on the cheek.” 

Anyway, back to the family, it’s growing fast. Erik is getting hitched, Randy’s having a kid, we just had a baby girl, within a year the entire family would have gained four new members.

Oh yah, and Erik and Stephanie are thinking of having Randy and I DJ their wedding. The pressure is on! We did my Grandparent’s 50th anniversary party mostly to good reviews. We followed it up with struggling through a retirement party, though I think it was more the guests than us. But a wedding?! The pressure is really on. Oh well, a couple sips of the bubbly and Randy and I will be on a roll possibly getting my third career started.

I’m excited for the Christmas season. We always have so much fun stuff going on. We do our annual trip to Seattle for the Christmas season. Christmas Eve is our Pizza Pajama Party and our White Elephant gift exchange. Christmas is our Secret Santa and well…Christmas! Plus there is the church’s White Elephant gift exchange, Erik’s Wine/Cocktail dress-up birthday party on Nov. 29, and our annual New Year’s Eve Casino Night. Should be good times all around!

This is the first week in months where I’ve been able to go home every night. I’m pumped! I’ve been covering a lot of games. I’ll probably have to work this Saturday but at least its not the weekday and right after work. Since I don’t have to work we’re having a Movie Night tonight, watching Wall-E at my parent’s house and eating pizza. I’m excited! Erik and Snef’nie are coming over. It’ll be a good time.

My fantasy football teams are doing well. I’m in only one pay league this year and I’m currently sitting in third place. If I can climb to No. 2 then I’ll be guaranteed money. I don’t think that’s going to happen and right now I’m worried that I might be upset in the first round. Things aren’t looking good, though on paper they do. We’ll see what happens in the upcoming weeks. Would love to snag $225 right before New Years.

Finally, Lis and I are planning our next trip to Brazil. Looks like the wife and kids are going to leave me a bachelor for four weeks and then I’ll fly down to meet her for another two. The first week of bachelorhood is always fun. I can stay up late, play Madden, eat pizza, maybe go out with Josh one night. After that it’s hiding underneath my covers, leaving the TV on while I fall asleep and trying to work both jobs more and more. Anyone want to hang out? Hehe!

Whoa…I’ve read your eyes out so I’ll go. Thanks for reading!

PS

Photos are coming soon!