The Johnson Family Update » Travel

To travel or not to travel, that is the question

Maria — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:50:35 +0000

Every year around this time, I try to decide if we should head to MN for Christmas or not. A whole host of emotions run through my head and heart, because I really do enjoy being with my family, especially for the holidays. At the same time, it is expensive to travel to Minnesota as many times in a year as we do, and as much as I love traveling with The Boy, it is not relaxing. I end up getting home more tired than when I left due to running around to see everyone in a short period of time and not being able to relax on the flights.

Then again, there is something about the FREEZING cold, sipping hot chocolate, and the way the lights sparkle and reflect off of the snow while enjoying the warm home of my dad and Sheri. There’s the Christmas Eve spread at my Grandma’s house, and the spread on Christmas Day on my dad’s side of the family. Kids galore. Family. Friends. Hugs. Love.

The decision is never easy… and so here I sit, trying to decide. Again. Back and forth. To go or not to go? Different year, same situation.

And he’s off!

Maria — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:46:00 +0000

Kevin left this afternoon for Houston, and then he will take the LONG flight to Dubai where he’ll spend a couple of days waiting on his visa to be ready. I am a mix of emotions, which is about par for the course. I know he loves the game, and this is how he makes his living, but I also know that I am going to have a very sad little boy to care for while I am dealing with my own emotions.

It’ll take me a few weeks to get my groove back, so I spent today doing a few little things in order to free up some time to spend with The Boy and preparing for my own commitments.

I’ll let you all know how his trip goes.

Photo Friday:

Maria — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:44:17 +0000

I read a travel blog with a lot of tips on traveling with kids — DeliciousBaby – that has a Photo Friday. In an effort to keep posting, I am going to make Friday’s easier. Photo Friday here The Johnson Family comes! I have a ton of photos from us around the world, so it’s about time to share them more prominently!

This picture is from 2004 while we were in Turkey. Kevin had a couple of days off, so we spent one in Efes, Turkey (Ephesus) . We also made the trek to the house where Mary is said to have died.

Efes (Ephesus) Turkey 2004

Chicago 2009

Maria — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:24:37 +0000

Chicago. 2009. Oh what a trip! We had a BLAST. The Boy was totally off schedule, but did exceptionally well with it. We went to the Children’s Museum, ate, napped, ate, gathered in our room for social fun, Cruised the lake (while we ate), napped before an amazing dinner, hung out, and had an amazing brunch before leaving town. We sure ate a lot! LOL!

It was the perfect low-key, high-fun weekend to get to meet in person (I had met two prior to the weekend) the basketball wives that I lean on all season long. I hope next year more women can join us! Most of the pictures will be on The Boy’s blog.

St. Louis

Maria — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:19:36 +0000

Honestly, I did not take many pictures of St. Louis. Like none. Ha ha. I did, however, meet up with a basketball wife that I had been chatting with online for over a year! I also was able to meet her family and hold their six week old baby. OK. I also helped a bit with some breastfeeding problems she was having. It made my day!

What was I really in St. Louis for? Work. The Senior Economists were meeting there, and because our Division economist does not travel much, he asked me to attend in his stead. I’m always happy to meet up with the men (and one woman…besides me) who make up the group, so I said yes. I always learn a lot, and I have a lot of fun.

How has a month past without a post?

Maria — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:48:15 +0000

I wrote a bit about why I have not been blogging here, so I won’t rehash it all. I am going to try to catch up and backdate the posts for the past month, so if you do not use a reader, you might have to do a bit of clicking. I’ll try to do them in order, so they will show up right behind this one from oldest to newest. Be patient.

I was selected for the developmental assignment in Washington D.C. So far, I know nothing other than I need to go there… soon. I need to find a place to live (probably just a hotel) figure out when to report, how long I can stay, etc. The assignment is for “not to exceed 180 days,” but I told my new temporary boss when I applied that three months was about my maximum. It really depends on Kevin’s basketball schedule. I also know that my supervisor (current) told my new temporary supervisor that she must send me back to Tulsa, which was the same agreement as last summer. I feel a bit… like I am a bargaining piece. In other words– I can be lent out, but I must be returned. LOL!

Kevin is supportive of this move. I think we both realize that some day he will stop playing basketball, and for some undefined period of time while he transitions, I will be the breadwinner, and beyond that period of time, my job will be the foundation of our family’s income and stability. Well, as much stability as you can get on this Earth anyway. I believe, but do not know details, that he will be coming to D.C. to stay for some of the time, but I am not sure how many trips or for how long.

Kevin has his own news to report, but because he is not writing, I will spill the beans for him. He was invited to the South Korea tryout in Las Vegas in July. Yes, this creates a bit of a predicament, as both of us need to be gone at the same time, so we are exploring some options on that front. Anyway, he’ll be out there for four days or so. It is my understanding that they play games for a couple of days and have a draft on a third day. Maybe Kevin can post and correct me if I am out there.

Slowly, but surely, amidst the chaos of our life, I will catch the blog up!

Where did May go?

Maria — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:52:08 +0000

After we returned from Minnesota, we had the rest of the week (Wednesday through Saturday) to get caught up before I went to Davis, California for a week of training. I have to admit. I REALLY enjoy Davis. Everything about the town is blissful to me. While there, Kevin sent me fun pictures of The Boy, and while I had a good time, I was ready to come home around Wednesday or Thursday. Plus, while I was away, The Boy cut two of his two year molars, which was the cause of some overnight crying and a phone call to me midweek. At that point, I was ready to be home and provide him some comfort and lots of love. Kevin, of course, did a wonderful job, and I started seeing a glimpse of how hard it must be for him to be away, and he was able to see a bit of what it is like for me as well. It was the longest I had been away from The Boy in… um… well… a year? Wow. It was great for remembering just how much I prefer to travel with Kevin and The Boy.

A few cool things did happen in Davis though. The Hallmark Inn has free happy hour each evening, so we were able to sit around and chat. I was able to walk around aimlessly in beautiful weather. There was a ton of good food, and the last night most of the class went to dinner at a local bar together.

There were also a few bumps during my week (besides the middle of the night phone call), including my work credit card not working (someone forgot to check a box, fixed in one day) and United Airlines. Yes, the airline in and of itself was not very pleasant on the way back to Tulsa. Long story short, I was lied to, yelled at, and insulted by various agents of the airline. After a weather delay, I was able to get home and my luggage made it, so that was nice. Also, our lovely neighbor stayed with The Boy (sleeping), so Kevin could quickly pick me up!