The Johnson Family 2015

Good grief!! You guys make our 2015 look very boring….  But you asked so I shall update you anyway.  I’m so sorry this is so late!!  We actually just had our most exciting adventure of 2015 in December.   James and I spent the majority of the year in Anchorage, AK.  But at the beginning of December we started our cross-country drive to Augusta, GA.  James is switching jobs in the Army and so he had to return to Augusta for more training.  We should be here for about 8 months and then there is a chance that we will move to Okinawa, Japan.   

In February, James and I celebrated our 4^th wedding anniversary at a ski resort in Alyeska, AK.  This was very fun.  James loves to snowboard and I love to go to hotel spas.  We did a little of both. 

Every March Alaska celebrates the Iditarod.  Every year they celebrate the start of the Iditarod with the Running of the Reindeer down a main street in downtown Anchorage.   Unfortunately, last winter had a record low of snow and then had to bring some in for the celebration.  We still had a lot of fun.  Reindeer are actually a lot smaller than you would expect. 

In April we went to an Army Ball with James’ Unit.  They’re kind of like prom….  But at least I got to get my hair professionally done this year!! 

   James and I have been working on our gardening skills over the last few years.  This summer we invested in a green house.  Last year we were disappointed in how poorly our peppers turned out in Alaska. Overall, our garden did better this year but our jalapenos still didn’t turn out… 

 

We were very blessed that James wasn’t deployed during 2015.  He did have to go to Australia for the army in July, but luckily that was only for a month.   James was a little upset because it was winter in Australia and he was missing another amazing summer in Alaska.  This is him on the beach!

 

In August, my good friend from High School, Geri, came to visit us and we went up to Denali.  We actually stayed in Talketna, a couple hours outside of the park….  While we were in Talketna we went Zip-Lining.  It was very scary but we did have some very good views of the mountain.  Denali (used to be named Mount McKinley) is the tallest mountain in North America.  This last summer President Obama officially changed the name to Mount Denali. 

 

Mount Denali is that peak to the left of the tree.

 

 

Once we found out about going to Georgia and possibly Japan we decided we really needed to try to see more of Alaska before we had to left.  One weekend we went to Whiter to see some glaciers.

 

 

 

In September my dad had a little health issue so I got to fly to Madison, WI and stay with my parents for a couple of days.  It wasn’t the greatest reason to have to visit but it was still very nice to see them.

 

 

Here's a photo from our back deck of a beautiful Alaskan sunset!!

 

 

Here is a picture from the hospital where I worked.  I worked at the Alaska Native Medical Center as a nurse.  I was working intermittent on the cardiac/med surg floor until March when I started a new job as a full-time Discharge Care Coordinating Nurse.  This was a neat experience and I will miss that job a lot!

In November we had Thanksgiving; here’s a picture of James craving the turkey I prepared!  Then the movers came the following Monday.  Black Friday was also my last day of work. 

Then on December 9^th we started our road trip to Augusta.  We had a lot of fun but the trip was LONG!!!  We arrived into Augusta on the 24^th, just in time to spend Christmas in a hotel….  Here are some pictures of beautiful Alaska and Canada.  While we were in Canada we went to the Edmonton Mall which is the largest mall in North America! 

Our dogs Izzy and Gus in the car.

(Gus is pouting because I wouldn’t let him sit in the front with me)

We got to see some friends along the way and we stopped to stay with James’ dad and step mother, in Missouri, for a little, as well.  Here is a picture of James, his dad and Izzy at` James’ dad’s home in Branson West, MO.

 

Now we are in Augusta, GA.  We really enjoyed our time in Alaska but we are looking forward to what 2016 brings!!  We hope you all had a wonderful holiday and happy 2016!!!

Love,

The Johnsons

A Very Mendy 2015 

Happy Holidays everyone!  This year was very busy for the Mendy family.  Here's a brief update of what we've been up to:

I graduated with my doctorate in physical therapy in June, took/passed my boards in July, and started working in August as a full time physical therapist with ATI Physical Therapy in Madison Heights, MI (finally a pay check!).  I work primarily with general orthopedic patients (joint replacements, fractures, generalized musculoskeletal pain, etc.).   I really love what I do and I look forward to growing in my career.

Scott had a nice work transition as well when he took a job working in advertising with Fiat Chrysler in Auburn Hills, MI which started in May.  He handles most of the RAM trunk commercials, news segments, and sponsorships you see on TV and he's really proud of the work he's done so far.  P.S. if anyone is interested in buying/leasing a new Chrysler vehicle let us know!  Scott can get you a really good discount!

Other than work stuff, we moved to Michigan!  We're renting a house in Royal Oak and learning how to be suburbanites again.  So far we really like it here and we've made a few new friends in the neighborhood who have made the move from Chicago a lot easier for us to handle.  Plus, we still have some good friends from college who live around here and we've enjoyed being able to spend more time with them.  It's definitely different from Chicago and we miss the city dearly but all in all things have gone really well so far.

We also managed to fit in a few trips this year to visit with friends/family and also just to see some new sights.  It was great to see the Hoene family, Currey family, and my parents for a long weekend this summer in Monona, WI.  Aubrey is getting so big!  Becky already posted pictures from that visit so I'll leave it at that.  

Scott and I also took a trip to Asheville, NC as a celebration for graduating/passing boards prior to starting work.  Asheville is amazingly beautiful and has a really great restaurant/bar scene.  If you haven't been and you love hiking/rafting/general outdoorsy beauty you have to go!

I guess that's all the updates I have for now.  I hope everyone had a wonderfully relaxing and blessed holiday season.  All the best to you and yours in 2016.

Here are some pics from 2015:

Asheville

Royal Oak House

Graduation!