You talk. They ticket!

So, apparently there is a new law in Dallas that you can't talk on your hand held cell phone while driving in a school zone! I learned of this new law this morning when a cop walked up to my car (yes, walked) while I was stopped at a stop light, knocked on my window, and gave me a ticket for it. (Cody was out of town, so I was calling him to wake him up this morning. Of course, that makes this his fault, not mine! :) haha..) 

This is not a moving/traffic violation so I don't have to worry about doing defensive driving, or it going on my insurance. But... I did look up the ticket and it is a $200 fine!! So, check your local ISD and watch out for those school zones.

Oh... by that way! The school zone that I got a ticket in, did not have one of these signs telling you cell phones are prohibited.  (As my mom would say, that's totally bogus!)

Oh Happy Day!

For those of you who don't know... I have been wanting a dresser for about a year and a half now. (We have NO 'draw' storage in our condo, so it makes it very difficult trying to keep our laundry from getting wrinkled and to keep it organized.) I have been persistently telling Cody what an important item of furniture it is, and how we HAVE to get one! 

He has persistently disagreed with me, and said there are other items that we need that take precedence. AKA a big screen HDTV for our bed room. You may ask... without a dresser where did you put this big screen TV of yours? Well... I came home form work several months ago, and Cody surprised me with his idea of a necessity item (which I must say I have really enjoyed the TV). He set it up all himself. He took our outdoor patio table (yes, outdoor) and put that in our bedroom as a TV stand! Ladies, I know cringe!... but he was so excited about the deal he had gotten, so I just decided 'pick your battles...'

Needless to say, last weekend was a triumphant weekend for me. We went furniture shopping!! YAY!! I was so proud of Cody... (when this guy caves, he caves...) Not only did we buy our desperately needed dresser, we bought 2 night stands and a mattress! :)

When Cody was moving from Indianapolis to Dallas, he was 'homeless' for a few months, while he was going through the process of looking for and buying our condo. So he had his furniture in one of those movable PODS. I guess when the movers packed his mattress in the POD, they folded/bent it to make it fit. (I say all this... to explain our need for a new mattress.) Since, the mattress was stored bent, it dips in our bed. Thus, causing you not to be able to sleep as late as you would like on Saturdays, b/c your back is so stiff you have to get up. For those of you who might not know... I love to sleep! So, when Cody decided it was time for a new mattress as well, it was like Christmas all over again!

Due to all his football injuries and how big he is he really needs a strong/durable bed. So we got ourselves a Tempur-pedic bed. Last night was our first night to sleep on it and it was really nice. It's a totally different feel, since it's not a pillow top. But, very comfortable all the same!

(P.S. The pictures above are the commercial pictures of the dresser and nightstand. Not of our bedroom. The actual pieces we have are stained a little darker than the one's pictured above.) 

WARNING: Ice Storm for DFW area

Man! was it cold here. Yesterday there was talk all day of an ice storm hitting us late Tuesday night, and early Wednesday morning. I thought everyone was over-reacting (as usual) about the severity of the storm. I was wrong! This ice storm that blew in last night, and this was one for the books. There was a 1/4 inch of straight ice covering all the roads this morning. 650 schools and businesses were closed or delayed this morning. My office was 'officially' open, but no one was required to come in. However, if you do decide to come it you will recieve a comp. day to add to your vacation. I had Cody (he has 4 wheel drive) drive me in around 9:30. The roads were still really slick, but begining to melt. In Texas form, all the ice should be melted off by this afternoon for a safe commute home.  

Lee and Sally are having a Girl!

For all of you who haven't heard, Sally and Lee are having a little girl! We are very excited for them as I'm sure all of you are too. The next item of business is for us to annoy them with name suggestions. Some that I know have been suggested are Leeah, Sallee, and Leesa. I'm sure if we put our heads together we can come up with some good ones. Congratulations Armstrongs! We can't wait to meet our new little neice in June.

Kim's Birthday

Kim's birthday is Sunday, Jan. 25th. Happy Birthday, Kim! I wish I had been that cute when I was her age! Love, Nana 1

Joel and Shari's Anniversary!

Today is Joel and Shari's wedding anniversary!Congratulations to one of the cutest couples I know! Both of you are very dear to my heart and I'm very proud of you. Love you, Mom

Gracie is God's Girl!!!

Dear family...we wanted to share with you some incredible news....our Gracie girl made the most important decision she'll ever make in her life....she asked the Lord to be her personal Lord and Savior and was saved last night!!!!! Wahoo....the heavens are rejoicing and so are her mom and dad!!!! God is good & we love you all!!!

At the Movies....

Cody and I have been on a movie kick lately. We have been to several movies over the past few weeks, and have enjoyed each of them. I am posting to encourage everyone to go see these movies, while they are still out. You will not be disappointed! 

Marley and Me- This movie about a man who "grows up" along side his dog, Marley. It's sweet, funny, realistic, and sad all in one. (Nana take a tissue to this one.) I think everyone who sees this movie will find a character they can relate to in the film. 

I give it 5 paws! (haha..)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- This movie is about a child, Benjamin, who is born as an old man—tiny but suffering all the infirmities of an 80 year old- who lives his life in reverse, becoming younger with each passing year. Benjamin is the most innocent, likeable, and humble character I have ever seen. I fell in love with him, and I know you will too.

It's a long movie (a little over 2 1/2 hours), but just like Benjamin Button not a minute is wasted.  

Slumdog Millionaire-  (Winner of the Golden Globes- Best Motion Picture-Drama) This movie is about a street kid (slumdog), Jamal, who becomes a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire in India. During his appearance on the show, he earns more money than anyone expects of him. The police are alerted to investigate how an uneducated street kid could know so many answers. During the interrogation, Jamal tells (through flashbacks) of how he knew the answers to each of the questions.

Who wants to see this movie?... Final Answer: You do! If this movie is showing in a theater near you, please go see it!! 

Nick and Rosie

Captain Underpants

We have SuperNana in the family and now we have Captain Underpants. How can anyone say we live a dull and boring life. Thanks for keeping our lives entertaining.

Shoot-out Behind the Jones/Johnston Home

As Tara would say, "We almost got killed Tuesday night"! But as Mary Helen would say, "At least we didn't die"! So here is what happened...we went to bed Tuesday evening thinking it would be like any other...little did we know, it could have been our last! Around 2:30 a.m. I awoke to a loud POP! Buddy lifted his head at the same time and said "Woof", and then went back to sleep. The other dogs and Jerry didn't hear a thing. Jerry was probably dreaming that he was still watching TruTV, so the gunshot didn't phase him. I woke him up and asked him if he heard that loud pop, and he said he didn't hear anything. I was lying in bed trying to figure out what it was when my cell phone rang. It was Mother from the other side of the house asking me if we heard the loud noise. I told her Jerry would get up and check around. My fearless husband got up and took the baseball out of his nightstand drawer...yes, I said baseball, not baseball bat. We do not have any guns, and our only protection is a baseball and Jerry's aim! Anyway, after he was gone for a couple of minutes, I started to take Buddy and go look with him. You would think a dog like Buddy would put a scare into anyone. But I didn't for fear that I would be knocked dead from a baseball hitting me in the forehead! In a few minutes, he came back and said everything looked quiet. We got back in bed, but I couldn't sleep so I was just lying there. About 10 minutes later I heard a man yell right outside our window. He was asking someone if he was okay, and the other man yelled back that he was hurt. I looked out the shutters and could see them in the driveway! Then I saw a car pull up in front of the house, but I couldn't tell if it was a police car or not. I told Jerry there were men in the driveway, and he got his baseball again and told me to call 911. I reported everything to the dispatcher, and she said they would send police out and for me to stay on the line with her. In a few minutes, I walked into the den and saw Jerry talking to a policeman on the front porch. Jerry still had on his underwear! I just wish he would have slipped on some jeans! The policeman told us that the house behind us on the corner had a break-in and the resident was chasing the perpetrator. He was surprised when I told him that I heard what sounded like a gunshot. The resident didn't tell him that part. The policeman told us that when he drove up, the resident was coming out of our backyard and was bleeding and wet. He had been chasing the other man in the creek. I still haven't figured out how he got into our backyard. I don't see any way he could have scaled the concrete retaining wall. I think he came up somewhere else and entered our back yard through the front! And why?? An ambulance came and picked him up and took him to the hospital. The police found out that several gunshots had been exchanged, and they started looking for the gun. The resident told him that he had dropped his in the creek (I don't believe him)! They were in our backyard with flashlights looking in the pool, in the bathhouse, in trash cans, around the trees, and anywhere else he could have stashed his gun! There were several police in the yard behind us where it happened and two police in ours. I finally got back in bed and tried to go back to sleep but at 4:30 a.m. I heard voices again in our backyard. I looked out the window and saw the policemen (with a dog this time) still searching in our yard. They never found anything but were still out here the next morning. I talked to one of them then, and he told me they had a history with these people. They think it is drug-related, and the resident doesn't cooperate with them after it happens. They really think he knows who the perpetrator is, but he acted like he couldn't give them a description because he had on a ski mask. A similar break-in happened at that same house in June! The police did not catch the perpetrator and never found a gun! We are still in danger!! I asked Jerry the next day what he would have done if there had been two men, and he said "Well, I had a golf ball in my other hand"! Somehow, that just doesn't give me the security I need. So Taylor...where can I get that mace??
By the way, the next morning was my first morning back at work and SuperNana that I am, I pulled myself out of bed and made it into the office. I may not have been 100% that day, but boy, did I have a story to tell!

Christmas 2008 - part 3 again

Hope this works

Christmas 2008 - part 3

This is the last posting I promise!

Christmas 2008 - part 2

You all asked for it...you got it. I don't know how to edit, so what you see is what you get. Click on the title to see the second album

Christmas 2006

Okay here it goes...I hope this works.
Click on the title to see the pictures

Christmas break

Happy New Year!!!! Attached is a "2 week sample" of what the Florida Johnson's have been up to this Christmas break. From endless hours of making mud pies in the driveway with neighborhood kids, watching lots of football on TV, going to Disney/Animal Kingdom, making cookies, gingerbread men & houses, going to the FSU bowl game in Orlando....we've had tons of fun and are pooped!!!!

We'd love to see some pix and hear about the Thankmas gift exchange...what the best gifts were and who cheated, etc....:)

Lots of love, hugs & muddy kisses from us to you...may the New Year bring you peace, health and many blessings!!!:)
Shari