I’m not one to set New Year’s Resolutions, mostly because they last just a week or so before I’ve broken them, but this year I did set aside some goals that I hope to accomplish by the end of the year. I’m sure you’re all dying to read what they are so I’ll get right to it. I know I’m a month late but better late than never, right?

Here is a list of five goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year. Please note that they are not in any order.

Goal No. 1 - How Bout a Raise!

I’ve worked 3-plus years for the newspaper and have yet to see an increase in my pay. I’m not ashamed to say it; I get paid crap (like $9 an hour crap!). I’d get paid more money if I delivered the paper or sold the paper, but instead I write for it - part-time - so I get paid crap. Have I mentioned that already? Another problem with the paper is that I’ve worked here for 3-plus years and have yet to get any type of review. So my goal for the New Year was to demand a raise and review. Have I done that yet? Didn’t need to. A week into the year they mentioned a review and a week later I got my review. That usually means you’re headed for a pay increase ($9.05 here I come!) and just today I got an email from my editor that I got a pay increase. Whohoo! 6-percent! More exciting is that I accomplished one of my goals already!

Goal No. 2 - Agent Double-Oh Seven

Another work-related goal. It’s been a couple of years (like almost three) since I failed my agent’s test and I think it’s finally time for me to get serious and get my license. Part of the reason I failed three years ago was that I didn’t know if this was the direction I wanted to be headed in. I had just started a new job at a local newspaper, I thought maybe that was were I was headed, but three years later I figure I’ve got a decent thing here at the insurance business and really I don’t feel like trying to find something else at this point in my life. I get to go home for lunch to see Lis and Lukas. I have banker hours and a 5-10 minute commute. And there is that slight chance that I’ll have the opportunity to own the agency someday. So I figured it’s time to step up and accomplish something for once in my life. I have already talked it over with the Boss Lady and I hope to return to the week long classes in March and pass my test by April. Wish me luck!

Goal No. 3 - Buying a Home/Condo/Something!

We hate renting! Seriously, who enjoys it? Giving money to someone else and not having anything to show for it after years and years. That’s all it is. So one of my goals was to try and find a way to own our own place, whether it be the condo/townhouse that we currently live in or a small home that Lukas can grow up in, I want something I can call my own. I want to be able to walk into Home Depot and find stuff for my house and I want to not feel bad when Lukas or I ding up the wall. Financially we’re strapped but if we could find a way to get something with a small amount down that’d be great, the problem is the prices of property around here. A 3-bedroom, 2-bath condo is selling for $350,000 down the street from us. One of the condos in our neighborhood is selling for $209,000. It’s outrageous! How are we supposed to buy anything with these prices? How can anyone afford anything with these prices? If we can’t afford anything now we’re just going to have to wait until Lis gets back to work, which is in a few years when Lukas starts school. No Lisy, I don’t have a problem with you staying home and being with Lukas. It saves us money and is better for us all. As long as you continue to do a good job training my son to be a Jedi Knight. Okay, maybe not a Jedi but to be a good little man. So far you’ve done outstanding work.

Goal No. 4 - Keeping My Weight Down

Oh, everyone’s favorite New Year’s Resolution. I guess I shouldn’t write "keeping" since my weight isn’t down, but I’m hoping to get it down and keep it there. No, I’m not trying any new or scientific diet. I’m just strictly trying to eat healthier, eat less (no more seconds!), drink more water, not eat after 8pm and try to exercise whenever possible, which is tough, what with working long days and living in a cold and rainy climate.

Lis has started cooking healthier, I’ve tried to keep my portions down and already I’m starting to feel better. Lis has already lost five pounds, which she’s very proud of. Five more and I get to see her naked...just teasing...it’s 10 more. We are starting to go for walks whenever I don’t have to work or it’s not raining and I’ve begun playing basketball again - if that’s what you want to call it. Some of the Goonies (Aaron, Mike, Josh and me) are playing in a church rec league. We’ve lost both of our games by a combined eight points. I played horribly on Sunday scoring two points on a lucky tip-in. I think I missed all of my other six or so shots. But the point of it is to hang out with the guys and get some exercise. I’d like to lose 15 pounds or so. Right now I’m anywhere between 225-230 depending on how many glasses of milk I drank. I’d like to get to about 215 or less, mostly I want to lose my gut and get to where I’m not winded after running up and down the court for three straight minutes.

Goal No. 5 – Church, Church and more Church

My fifth goal is to go to church on a regular basis, keep on going to church and get more active with our church. Lis, Lukas and I have been very good with this so far this year. We haven’t missed a service this year and have gone to church for a little more than two months in a row. It makes it easier that Lukas enjoys it. Well enjoys hanging out in the nursery. He’ll walk straight in the nursery and will say "Bye Mama. Bye Daddy," before we even leave the room. The music at church has improved which makes church a little more fun and upbeat and we’re starting to get to know our church family better. Lis has made food for a family at church that has a daughter battling leukemia, I went to Bible study and hope to continue going, and we plan on going to the church campout this summer. It makes me feel good going to church all the time.

There you have it, an insight into the life and goals of Mr. Kevin. I don’t think any of the goals are unreasonable or unreachable. Like I mentioned above, I’ve already gotten one goal out of the way. I’m sure others will pop up along with way, but for now those are the five I’m concentrating on. Of course there are always the goals I have of being a better husband and father. And there’s the goal of trying to raise a good chunk of money for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, which I’ll be posting a blog entry about soon. And the goal of continuing to write in this blog … gotta please my fans too! Hehe!

Thought I would just leave a quick update on what’s new with us and with my blog. I got a comment by Liz (not my Lis) on Tuesday congratulating me on being featured by MSN on What’s Your Story? Unfortunately, I didn’t notice it until today so I didn’t get a chance to welcome any new visitors and spice up my blog a bit.

It’s been kind of frustrating because as most of you know I continue to have problems with my blog. If you have the old version of Internet Explorer then my site boots you out. I’ve tried to fix some things but nothing seems to work. If you have IE 7.0 then the site works fine (so I’ve heard). So I apologize for those of you that can’t access my blog. I’m thinking of starting all over, but I’ve put a lot of hard work into this one site. If anyone can help me fix this problem please let me know. It’d be greatly appreciated. Oh and it seems to be just on my home page. Things that make you go hmmm…

Anyway, since I’ve sort of determined it’s not the photos or the Windows Media Player I have added those items back on. I figured I have to show off the cute snow photos we took, plus I wanted to put one of Lukas’ favorite songs on here. It’s Rascal Flatt’s cover of "Life is a Highway" from the "Cars" soundtrack. He calls it McQueen’s Dance (see video on left) for Lightning McQueen. He doesn’t say song he calls it dance…so there’s Uncle’s Dance (for some reason "White and Nerdy" is Uncle Randy’s song), there’s the Bola Dance (song they play at most sporting events), and others like the Star Wars Dance, Curious George Dance and so on.

For those that are just visiting then please drop me a line and tell me what you think. If you’re curious as to how Lis is doing, she’s doing great. That’s why I continue to write about the NFL and weather. Things are kind of dull right now, which is actually nice.

The snow that the weathermen predicted finally arrived. Sure it was a day late, but luckily (for me) it happened before I headed to my night job. Unlucky for the hundreds of people stranded on the freeways in the middle of a snowstorm. It took my Dad two hours to get home from a normally 20 minute commute. He wasn’t too happy about that.

While he was grunting and groaning and I’m sure mumbling obscenities, Lis, Lukas, Erik and I were playing football in the snow. You can check out the full version of our playtime here. Or click here for Lukas, Erik and my slow-motion highlight reel.

I wasn’t able to make it to the paper gig so I invited Erik over for some fun in the snow. We tossed the pigskin around, got snow all over us and threw snowballs at each other. It’s fun being kids again.

I know I complained about the snow in my last entry. Mostly because I was at work at the time and was afraid to drive the 20-mile commute home in what I thought was going to be snow. Instead it was just gusts of wind and a dry commute. You see, I love the snow when I don’t have to drive a long distance in it. I get giddy, like a little kid wanting to play outside. It’s fun!

I guess that’s all the news I have to report! I don’t have to work tonight either (school closures) so I get to relax and watch our favorite sitcoms tonight. That’s right, NBC’s Must-See Thursday’s are back with Earl, the Office (my personal favorite) and Scrubs (was my personal fave until everyone got knocked up).

Speaking of TV shows my brother is currently filming on the set of "Crossing Jordan", another one of mine and Lisy’s favorites. He plays a Boston PD officer. Here is a picture of Sgt. Johnson in uniform.

Could this be? Two blog entries in one week?!? From Kevin? Never! It’s been forever since he’s last written two in one week, though the sports blog was kinda boring I guess it still counts. Wow, what could be brewing in that tiny brain of his.

I’ll tell you what it is…this friggin’ winter weather. Another storm is coming. Gusts of wind up to 60 mph, followed by rain coming from all sorts of directions, freezing temperatures and then snow. Whoohoo! And I get to drive home in it at 11:30pm. By the time I get home (if I make it home) you’ll have to pry my hands off the steering wheel because I’d be holding onto it for dear life. I’m sorry, I’m a wuss (sadly many of you already know that), I hate driving in the snow and rain especially on the highways we have around here. Two-lane roads that are known for their large amount of fatalities. Yah, I’m scared alright!

This is the fourth "storm" we’ve had this winter. It all started in the beginning of November with a great deal of rain which caused the rivers to rise….and rise…and rise. The rising rivers caused flood which caused this insurance guy a great deal of stress.

Then there was the snow, which was actually nice because I just had to drive two miles in it. But after the snow came roads sheeted in ice. Not fun.

Then came the wind. We had one big windstorm then we had another huge windstorm that knocked out power for days, for some people. I had to drive home in the 65-mph windstorm, white-knuckling it the whole time, while our little Tracker seemed to lift off the ground every couple of minutes.

And now this…rain, wind, snow and sleet. I think its time for us to become snowbirds and take a couple months off and head to Brazil.

Thank you for allowing me to complain and wish my luck (or for no snow) on my drive home this evening.

It was a wild weekend for the Wild Cards. The NFL playoffs opened up this past weekend with the Wild Card weekend and boy was it wild.

Here is a look at all four games with the wild moment of each game:

Nothing this weekend was wilder than the way the Seattle Seahawks were able to pull out a victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Wild Moment of the Game: There are actually two to choose from but I’ll pick the one that had the bigger impact of the game. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo botching the hold for a 19-yard field goal attempt that would’ve given the Cowboys the lead and pretty much the game. Romo couldn’t get the hold down then sprinted toward the end zone before Jordan Babineaux made a diving save of the Hawks season.

Runner-up: Seahawks rookie cornerback Kelly Jennings forced a fumble from Cowboys receiver Terry Glenn at the 2-yard line. Originally called a touchdown after five Seahawks tried to recover the fumble in the end zone, the play was reversed and called a safety because linebacker Lofa Tatupa’s right foot stepped out of bounds.

It was a crazy finish to a wild game. I’m a strong believer in thinking wins like these help lead you to championships. Time and time again teams have proven this to be true. Whether it be an odd bounce on a routine groundball out, a fan interfering with a fly ball, or a game-saving tackle by your quarterback you have to have games like these to get you to the next step. The next couple of weeks will tell us if the Seahawks are a team of destiny. Right now I’m beginning to believe. Prediction: Seahawks 21, Bears 17

All week long everyone talked about how Larry Johnson and the Chiefs were going to run all over the Colts. Johnson’s final line: 13 carries for 32 yards. His longest run of the night? Six yards.

While the Colts defense did a good job of stopping the run, the Chiefs offense did a better job of stopping themselves.

Kansas City didn’t get a first down until 3 minutes remained in the third quarter and the Chiefs finished with 7 first downs and 126 yards of total offense. Compare that to Colts running back Joseph Addai and his 148 yards of total offense (122 rushing, 26 receiving) and it’s going to be a long day.

Wild Moment of the Game: After Ty Law picked off Peyton Manning and ran it back 43 yards to the Colts 9 yard line, the Chiefs messed up three chances to push the ball into the end zone. Larry Johnson had two rushes getting the ball down to the 2-yard line and then on 3rd-and-2 Trent Green either slipped or his foot was stepped on causing a 4th-and-2. So out came the field goal unit for a 23-yard attempt by Lawrence Tynes. Tynes shanks the ball and it hits the left upright. No good! Colts regain possession and retain the lead at 6-0.

The Colts will play the Ravens in Baltimore this weekend. I still believe in the Colts and think if the defense plays like it did Saturday then they’ll contain the Baltimore offense. Colts 13, Ravens 6.

One Good Field Goal Kicker – Eagles 23, Giants 20

There was at least one good field goal made this weekend. That game off the foot of Philadelphia Eagles kicker David Akers. Akers hit a clutch 38-yard field goal as time expired advancing the Eagles over the Giants.

This came after the Giants had drove 80 yards in seven minutes and overcame a second and 30. The Eagles then went 46 yards in five minutes setting up Akers game winner.

I was rooting for the Giants because I had wanted to see Tiki Barber’s career last a bit longer. Instead the Eagles get a match up with my pick for NFC champion the New Orleans Saints. Saints 35, Eagles 21.

Tom Brady again proved why he’s the best in the business when it comes to the postseason. Brady threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots turned a 23-16 game into a blowout.

The best team in the postseason this century, the Patriots now travel to San Diego to face my pick for Super Bowl champ, the Chargers. My pick: Chargers 30, Patriots 14.

Throughout the year Josh and I make our picks using the point spread from the newspaper. We bet a whopping $1 a week and at the end of the year the loser pays up. Thanks to my 3-1 week (darn you Jets for not covering) I’m up 5-4! Whoohoo!

Okay, sorry for boring you all with my football talk. Have a great week!

It was a busy year for the Johnson’s. Other than attending three weddings and one very depressing funeral, I watched Lukas grow about as much as Lisy’s hair. She entered 2006 with peach fuzz and left it with a mop on her head. Lukas meanwhile grew from being a clumsy walking baby to a quick moving toddler. We took a couple of trips to SoCal, I sucked badly at all three of my fantasy football pay leagues (Lis cringes), and we had another horrible April.

Though I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions there are some things that I will continue to look forward to this year. I’ll continue to watch Lisy’s hair grow (it’s my way of basing how well her health is) and her health to progressively get better. I will watch as my son gets bigger, becomes more of a pain in the butt, learns how to speak more words in Portugu-glish, and love him more and more. I hope to continue to go to church week-after-week (we ended 2006 by attending church five weeks in a row and seven of the last eight weeks of the year, yes I keep stats on everything) and become a bigger part of the church family. And lastly, I hope for the entire family to get through the month of April without any news of cancer (Lis in 2005) or deaths (UJ in 2006).

With all that said, here is a mini-highlight reel of 2006 for the Johnson’s (I do hope to finish a photo slideshow to accompany this).

First we’ll start with the highlights:

Force Does Good