Roosevelt Ramp

Last night I spoke to Relief Society sisters from the Roosevelt, UT stake. We drove 174 miles (one way) through many canyons, across bridges and rivers, past lakes, and through deserts. We went through a box of granola bars, a package of Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers, two liters of water and 4 CDs...

and it was all worth it when I saw THIS:


Yes, you are looking at the first ever custom-built stage, complete with code-meeting ramp. The wood was freshly cut and it smelled like, well, freshly cut wood. The freshly-cut wood smell of awesomeness.

I was able to be close to the sisters and still high enough so that I could see them all. I wish I could have packed it into my car and driven it the 174 miles home with me.

San Mateo

I spoke in San Mateo, CA last weekend for a couple of Tongan singles wards. It was awesome. We flew in Friday and saw some sights and went to China town to get some Chinese candy for my seminary class (which took FOREVER to find!).

On Saturday we went to Muir Woods National Monument and saw some baby redwood trees. Enormous. Seriously huge. I even rolled inside one with a hollowed out trunk. It was crazy.

We were going to pay the $5 to get in, but as Whit handed the lady our money, I saw a wheelchair symbol next to the words “Interagency Pass – Free.” As I sat in my wheelchair, barely able to see over the counter, I spoke with the lady. Our conversation went like this:

Me: What’s an “Interagency Pass”
Lady (leaning over the counter to look down to me): If you have a permanent disability, then you and whoever is in your car can get into national parks for free.
Me: I have one of those.
Lady (looking skeptical): Is it permanent?

And we got in free!

We also went to the Oakland Temple. There was a huge parking lot and it was FULL - even though it was raining. I asked a temple worker inside if it was always so busy and she said that this was a slow day. She blamed it on the rain.

On Sunday we went to a dinner with some leaders from the Tongan ward. It was decorated so beautifully! The table was round and had a beautiful skirt on it and the plates were blue and green and yellow and all mixed and matched. We were served Tongan foods that I’ve never even heard of and I loved every bite. We had: Egg Potato salad (sounds normal, but very different), spinach and meat stuff that was super good, sweet potatoes (my mouth is watering when I think of them), some steaks, a chicken and rice noodle mixture with vegetables, some red punch, and some official Tongan drink that had coconut milk with apple shreds, peaches, and coconut flakes (freshly grated).

I was so full!

Whit and I were sitting up on the stand, but before we spoke, the two wards each sang a song. The first ward sang “Come Thou Fount” and the second ward sang “I Believe in Christ” – my favorite! Their music was so beautiful; I really haven’t ever heard a choir sing like that before. After our talks there was a dessert table with all kinds of treats – I had pineapple pie. And pictures!

Truck Look

I have that "truck" look. You know that feeling when you're hanging onto the back of a moving pick-up truck and you step down every fifteen feet or so, so it kind of feels like you're flying? And you've got to hang on because, well, you've just got to.

I think everyone feels like that every once in a while. Like when life keeps moving so quickly and no matter how bad you want to slow down, things just keep coming up and the truck keeps a steady speed of much-too-fast, so you hang on tighter and do what you've got to do, stepping down every fifteen feet or so.

My truck has been driving fast this whole month of March. By the end of this month, I'll have spoken 14 times in three states and taught 11 seminary classes. I just have a few talks left, a plane ride, and a couple classes and then - on to APRIL!

My best moments in March so far are as follows:

1. Making 500 elementary school kids be dead silent.
   
2. Getting a great note right after a talk. Now we're email buddies.
3. Getting a hand-made card from some YW in WY (ha! YW is WY backwards!).
   
4. Having a YM hug me three times with tears.
   
5. Having a lady hug me so tight after a talk that I couldn't breathe.

Things like this make hanging onto the back of the truck worth it :)

It's super late, but I had to post this picture to show everyone this super cute apron! I spoke for the wonderful youth of a stake in Bountiful and this was a gift they gave me. It is awesome because it has no strings, so nothing gets wrapped in my wheels! I've wanted one like this for a long, long time!

When life gets hard...

Holy cow! It is finally here!

http://deseretbook.com/When-Life-Gets-Hard-Meg-Johnson/i/5061075

The publisher called last Fall and wanted to publish a fireside and now it's out and real! I am excited because being in a wheelchair is kind of like swallowing a giant pill, but when I can share my experiences with others and help them in their own lives, it makes it all 'go down' easier. Now I can reach more people!

Birthday

Happy birthday to me! Even though I have several assumed teenage children and a 30-something year-old daughter (and 4 assumed grandkids), I have only turned 29.

At school yesterday, my students came early and decorated the classroom with "Happy Birthday Sister Johnson" on the board. Best. Ever.


They even brought little hats, which, of course, we wore through the lesson. I brought an object lesson with paper airplanes, which made for the funnest birthday activity (which happens to also teach a gospel principle), so all in all, it rocked.

Some like it hot

If you break your neck, you can't control your internal temperature. It just is. If it's hot, I'll get hot. If it's cold, I'll get cold. And once I'm one way, it takes forever to warm up or cool off. It's been almost 7 years, and it's gotten considerably better. The first summer was the worse by far - my mom would drive me to doctors visits and such in the car and I'd have the heat turned up FULL BLAST. In the SUMMER. Every so often, she'd softly ask if she could just crack the window just a tiny bit. I'd cry.

My poor mom.

And now, it's 'my poor husband.' Though it's nothing like it was, I still need extreme temperatures to help me regulate my body. I usually ride around in a pretty warm car in the winter, which doesn't sound so bad, but Whit usually sweats before we reach our destination.

So we were riding home from my in-laws house Sunday night and we had two of my husband's nieces with us - Vivian and Naomi. They were being super cute and Naomi was asking Whit questions like, What is your favorite color? Favorite tree? Favorite animal? Then she asks, "Where is the hottest place you've ever been?"

This little 7-year-old has moved around the country quite a bit and so after Whit answered "Brazil," he asked her the same question, to which she replied: This car.

My poor nieces.