Learning To Laugh

Did you know that laughing burns calories? Let's burn a few.

What did the bee say to the sushi? What's up bee? (Wasabi)

Why was the energizer bunny arrested? He was charged with battery.

OK, enough of the cheesy jokes. I hope you at least laughed a little bit. I love to laugh and be around people who do. I wouldn't consider myself a funny person or someone who knows a lot of jokes as you can see, but I love having a great time. I think most people do and now that we know it burns calories I am sure many of us will try to laugh more often. I have an easy time laughing with friends or laughing during a funny movie but my first response to hardship isn't always to laugh. As a matter of fact, it's not even my second, third or even fourth response. I usually respond by getting upset or frustrated or even bitter. Laughing doesn't seem to make sense. 


It's just not that serious. 

My husband BJ is definitely the more outgoing, funny one out of the two of us. I am the serious, matter of fact girl that tends to take things way too seriously. When we are working on a project together I am all work and no play and when under pressure it's not easy for me to just "chillax" (combination from the words chill and relax) These past few months I have really noticed that laughing is so important, especially when faced with trials or situations that have not turned out the way we thought they would. We can't control what happens to us, but we can control our response. Most of our day to day things we face aren't life or death. They aren't going to matter a few days or even moments later, but somehow we have allowed them to become a big deal. When I gave you a sneak peek of this week's posts, God immediately gave me material to work with. In other words, He presented me with countless opportunities to respond with laughter. 


Laughter distracts us.


I've never been a fan of parents who laugh when their kids fall down in order to distract them from the pain they might be facing. But recently there have been a lot of falls, bumps and even bruises as the girls have been learning to walk. Just yesterday, Kennedi was doing her thing, and fell down. It wasn't a hard fall, but I could tell it scared her a little. She looked to me to see my reaction and instead of doing the, "oh baby, are you ok?" (in a sad tone) I just smiled and even laughed out loud a little. She sat there for a second and then laughed back. My laughter served as a distraction. A good sense of humor can get us through just about anything. I am not talking about laughing in the face of tragedy as some sort of way to avoid true feelings, but I am saying that when we choose to respond with laughter, it can serve us well. 

Laugh More. Live Longer. 

• Most laughs involve exhaling deeply and when you exhale, your blood pressure and heart rate decrease, and you then experience a calmness and sense of relief.
• You’ll be better able to bond with your spouse because those who laugh together to ease tension are much more likely to have better marriage.
• In a study reported in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, those of us who enjoy chuckling as much as 10 to 25 times a day experience fewer diseases than those who laugh less than that amount.
• A survey of close to 600 men shows that 73 percent believed that having a good sense of humor made them better on their jobs.

Believe Me.

Believe me when I say, I am still learning and will forever need to learn how to do this better. This past week it wasn't necessarily my first response to things, but it was my second. I think that counts for something, right? I can honestly say, that when I have chosen laughter, it has felt so good. Making the most of every situation is what it is all about. 








TRUTH: A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22





DARE:  Laugh more often!
     

Learning to Fall

Learning to fall is very important when learning to walk. A few weeks ago, the girls ventured into a new world. Attempting to walk. I was really excited until I realized that with this new season came a lot of falling. They would pull themselves up to a stand, reach out for a toy and boom, fall. It wasn't so fun after all. This happened for a day or so until I noticed they weren't falling quite as hard. While learning to walk, my girls had learned to fall.

Falling is inevitable.

A few weeks ago while my husband BJ was flipping through the television channels we came across competition skateboarding. I have watched the X Games a few times but I had never really paid much attention to this sport. These guys can do some serious tricks. I was amazed to see what they can do with a skateboard. They were flying, flipping, and of course falling. It was surprising to see how these guys would fall and get right back up without even hurting themselves. These guys had this falling thing down to an art. What I didn't know was that before they ever learn a skateboarding trick, they learn how to fall. Falling is inevitable, no matter how talented the athlete may be. 

Falling is a part of life . 

I don't like to lose. I don't like to fail. I don't like to fall. I don't really know anyone who says they do. I used to see failure as a weakness. Over the past few years, and especially over the past 6 months, I have seen that falling is inevitable. It would be great to avoid it completely but because falling is a part of life, we must learn how to fall. "Failure handled improperly can be devastating, but failure handled right is the best thing that could happen to us. Failures teach us the most valuable lessons." (Wild Goose Chase) It is only when we are faced with hardship that we grow and become stronger. I was talking with someone the other day and she and I were catching up. We knew we didn't have too much time to talk so we were giving each other the highlighted moments that have happened over the past few months. Of course, I told her about all the great things that have happened and were happening in my life. As I walked away from the conversation, I almost felt guilty for not highlighting the low, not so exiting moments. I guess I have come to a place in my life where I am not afraid to speak about the tough times. It's almost as if I am proud of them. It has been the tough moments that have taught me about my character, my relationship with God, my role as a wife and a mom. I have seen miracles happen because I have been a candidate for a miracle. Failure has relieved me of the pressure to "always seem like I have it all together." and just be honest with myself and others. Failing over and over again has kept me from taking the credit for the great things/moments that have come my way. I have learned to not take myself so seriously, to relax and understand that it's ok to fall as long as I get back up and try again.


Falling hurts and it's not always fun. I am not sure the areas in your life you feel like you have failed. If you have fallen, get back up. If you are afraid to fall, take the risk anyways. What I love about the skateboarders is that even though they fall more times then they land the perfect jump, they still try and try again. They see beyond the fall and so should you. My girls haven't stopped trying to walk. I think to date they have a combined total of 10 steps they have successfully taken, but it hasn't stopped them from trying. We are all born with a fighting instinct. Unfortunately this world we live in and "uneducated" people (that's what I will call them today) have convinced us to stop trying. But I am here to encourage you, to DARE you to keep trying.




TRUTH: For a righteous man may fall seven times, And rise again-Proverbs 24:16 NKJ




DARE: Fall and then get back up.

My Babies Can Read

Every morning, my girls watch a segment from the instructional DVD set, "My Baby Can Read." So far, it seems to be working. Well, at least for me anyways. Did you know there are two kinds of elephants? African elephants and Asian elephants? Or did you know how to correctly spell "hippopotamus" before I typed it for you? Come on, tell the truth. Hippopotamus is a really hard word to spell. I still don't really understand why it is one of the first words they teach babies on this DVD. But what do I know anyways?

There is a lot that I don't know.

There is one thing that I do know and that is that I don't know much at all. That used to be really hard to admit. I have always been the person that "knew it all." Or at least I pretended to be. This Blog has really challenged me to be honest with God, myself and all of you about this very thing. How freeing it has been. You understand what it means when I say, "this inspired a BLOG post, right?" What that really means is either, "I have realized a weakness inside myself, I have had a bad moment or that I have been faced with a difficult situation. I have learned something new. So what does that say about me posting 2-3 times per week these days? (Haha)

A Peek at this Week's Posts.

So this week's posts will be all about what I am currently learning.
Learning to Fall.
Learning to Laugh.
Learning to Bake Pumpkin Bread.



TRUTH: 

"Babies love to learn new things, 

because of the joy that learning brings. 

Learning is so much fun, 

I hope I'm learning when I'm a hundred and one."-My Baby Can Read DVD

DARE: Don't stop learning, even when you're a hundred and one.

Pumpkin Patch

Since BJ had this past Monday off from work we decided to take the girls to the pumpkin patch. I had been looking forward to the girls' first pumpkin patch experience all week long. We got up early like we normally do, made breakfast, got the girls dressed and we were off! I didn't even need a cup of coffee to wake me up, I was so excited. The girls looked super cute in their skinny jeans and over sized hair bows. This day was going to be perfect! So I thought.

This is what I had in mind.

We didn't plan to just go to any ole' pumpkin patch. We found a cute little farm about 25 miles away. Which in LA means it's going to take you awhile to get there. This farm has a Harvest Festival where they serve homemade lemonade, churros, fresh fruits, delicious food and more. They have a petting zoo, merry go round, and even a trian. This place has the works. I looked online to make sure that the "Harvest Festival" was going on throughout the week. According to the online information, it was. I knew this day was going to be perfect. We charged our camera the night before so would be ready to capture all the priceless moments at the pumpkin patch. I imagined us strolling through the farm, drinking our lemonade and spending the afternoon together. We would buy a basket of fresh fruit and let the girls eat from it.

This is what actually happened.

We got the girls out of the car and into their stroller. I pulled out the Flip Camera and began to record this wonderful day we were going to have. As we walked up to the Farm we noticed something. There wasn't anyone there. We knew it would be a lot less crowded on a Monday morning, but this place was pretty desolate. We weren't too concerned and continued on. It was already a pretty warm day in southern California and we were ready for a fresh cup of iced lemonade. We followed the signs to the lemonade stand and realized that it was closed. So we decided we would grab a bottled water and a churro. That stand was closed too. The whole place was closed down, Except for a small stand selling bottled water and miniature cans of soda. Not my idea of an amazing experience at the farm.

How I reacted.

Let's just come back another day! This is a waste of time! Yes, those were my exact words to my husband. I was so upset. This whole day I had planned was ruined. Yes, ruined. Nothing was turning out the way I had imagined it would. There was no petting zoo, kids had to be at least 2 years old to ride the train, and there wasn't anything to eat except some old kettle corm popcorn they had bagged up to sell. We started making our way to the car and as we were loading the girls back into their car seats my husband BJ said something that put me in my place.

It's what you make of it.

"This moment right now, this experience, is what you decide to make of it. Just because it hasn't worked out perfectly doesn't mean this day can't be perfect." Wow! This couldn't be more true. Why did this day have to be counted as a wash? Why had I allowed a few things that didn't go my way effect my attitude?  My girls unfortunately aren't going to remember their first pumpkin patch experience except for the pictures we take and the stories we tell. I didn't want the stories I would eventually share to be of how mommy was so dissapointed we decided to leave. Instead I wanted the story to be of a perfect day we spent at the pumpkin patch. Ok, maybe more like an hour we spent at the pumpkin patch. But you get what I'm saying. It really wasn't about the lemonade or the petting zoo. It was about the memories we made together. And that's exactly what we did. We bought a bottled water and took the girls around the farm taking pictures. It turned out to be so much fun!

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

How many times do we miss the sweetest, most memorable moments because we are too busy being upset? There will always be things that don't turn out the way we imagined or planned for, but it is what we do with those moments that count. It's an attitude shift. You have heard the saying, "when you are given lemons make lemonade." I wish someone would have given me lemons that day, because I sure would have made us all lemonade. As cliche as it is, it's great advice. I need to not take things so seriously. I've found that it is ok to expect great things but not to plan out every last detail. Whether I go on a date with my husband or take my kids to the pumpkin patch. A perfect experience is what I determine is perfect.


Are you like me? Have you put too much expectation on an experience, a friend, or a spouse? Or maybe you haven't expected too much, but what you are experiencing it is hard to see the glass half full? I know I have spent too many days seeing things from the wrong perspective. I have allowed what didn't happen or hasn't happened effect what could have happened. If you forget to pay the light bill and they turn off the power on your anniversary, instead of making one another feel guilty, light a few candles and make it romantic (true story). If you realize you spent more than you should have and you have a few days before pay day, instead of getting frustrated, find creative dishes you can make using only the ingredients and food you have in your house (another true story). When you can't find the cable to upload your "pumpkin patch" experience to your computer so you can add it to your BLOG, instead of not posting the BLOG, post it without pictures and re-post it with pictures the next day (another true story, just happened right now).



TRUTH: " People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can't find them, make them." - George Bernard Shaw


DARE: See life from a cup half full perspective and treat yourself to some freshly squeezed lemonade.

SECOND CHANCE MOM

Hey friends!

I am so very excited about today's post. I have had the amazing opportunity to be a guest blogger on "People of The Second Chance website." Click on the link below and go check it out! Would love to read your responses on the POTSC website.




SECOND CHANCE MOM

Out of Reach

Never mind "Keeping up with the Kardashians", life is extremely busy just keeping up with the Johnson girls. We are 9 1/2 months old and we spend our days crawling, standing, attempting to walk, playing with Daddy's iPad and currently chewing on our doggie's bone. We are everywhere and in everything! Life has gone to another level. It is so much fun seeing life through their eyes and as exhausting as it can be, I truly love this season of being a mommy.

Kennedi and Brooklyn are their daddy's girls. They love iPads, iPhones, lap tops and anything media. The other day as we were playing, Kennedi noticed mommy's lap top which was of course a whole lot more exciting then her pretend cell phone. (yes they know the difference) As she reached for it, I moved it just slightly out of reach. For the next few minutes I watched as she tried everything in her power to get to my lap top. I attempted to distract her with something else and before I knew it, she had moved on and was unpacking her diaper bag.


For your protection.

A moment like this happens just about every five minutes, whether I am drying their wet hands from splashing in the dog's water bowl, pulling them out from the cupboards or moving things out of their reach.  I am not trying to be a mean mommy to my love bugs when I do, but in actuality I am being a good one. Kennedi wasn't reaching for my lap top in hopes to send out a few e mails and post a few status updates. She wanted to take my lap top and put it in her mouth. I move things out of reach not to punish them but to protect them.

I'm a lot like my daughters. There are things that I want so desperately but God has moved them just slightly out of reach for my protection. Not because He is a mean God and doesn't want me to have certain things, but it's because He loves me and knows that I don't quite know what to do with them yet. Maybe for you it is a husband or a wife you are believing God to bring you. You know that he or she is out there but right now God has moved that relationship out of reach. Maybe it's a promotion at your job that you want desperately but for some reason it just hasn't landed in your hands quite yet. Whatever "it" might be, God has strategically placed "it" just outside your reach for a reason. Not to punish you but to protect you.


When my girls understand that cell phones are for talking and bones are for dogs I will no longer have to keep those things out of their reach. But until then this place is baby proof.




TRUTH: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11


DARE: Trust God when He moves something out of reach. 

 

Drawing the Line

These past 10 days have been nothing short of crazy, funny and frustrating at times. I think just about every day I experienced something "BLOG worthy." So let me fill you in on my life for the past week and half.

Here goes CRAZY.
BJ, Kennedi, Brooklyn, our dog Graham and myself moved out of a two bedroom loft and into a one bedroom apartment. Good thing we don't have a pet fish because it would have had a permanent residence in the bathroom toilet.


Here goes FUNNY.
We were eating lunch after church last Sunday and we smelled something. The question wasn't if what we smelled was a poopy diaper, but was which baby was responsible. So I did what every mom has done and I did the good ole "diaper check." If you're a mom, you know what I'm talking about. As I pulled the diaper away to take a peak, I realized that the poop I smelled was at the top of her diaper and now was on my hand. Yep, I had lots of baby poop on my hand! I started cracking up. I went to the bathroom with baby in hand and my best friend Alyssa followed closely behind with the diaper bag. As I was washing my hands I asked, "Is this tweetable?" Her response, "It is now."

Here goes FRUSTRATING.
These past few weeks have been challenging in every way you can imagine. We have been confused, unsure and just plain ole frustrated as we have been trying to navigate through this thing called life. As most of you know my life has involved a lot of risk. BJ and I have packed up our things several times and moved to where God has asked us to go. Some moves were 3,000 miles in distance and this past trek across America, we brought along our twin baby girls. I have DARED many of you to take leaps of faith, to trust God with the impossible and to see Him fulfill His promises. I have seen God perform miracle after miracle in my life and in your life so why have these past few weeks been so challenging?

I decided to draw the line. 

"God, I have done what you have asked me to do. I have sacrificed. I have been obedient. What else do you expect from me? I'm drawing the line." These were my exact words to God a week ago as I sat on the stairs of my half empty apartment. In that moment, what God was asking me to do, I wasn't willing to. What he was asking me to sacrifice, I wasn't willing to sacrifice. I was drawing the line. Even more so, I was thinking about quitting this whole thing and began entertaining ideas of a normal life. Shouldn't we be settled into a nice little home with a white picket fence, drive two cars and a have a pet gold fish by now? Maybe we should. But is that what I really want? Is normal what I really dream of having? There is a great scene in the movie "Soul Surfer" where Bethany's mom makes a statement to her that hasn't left me.

"Normal is so overrated."
 

I don't want normal. But sometimes my current situation or the obstacle I am facing makes normal seem more exciting than it really is. BJ and I have been on a long journey just like you and we have dreams inside of us that we can not wait to see come to pass, but the journey to getting there is going to cost us everything. On the other side of the place we draw the line is often the place where God leads us to. It is in that place He hides himself and in that place we find His blessings. I was talking to one of my dear friends just this week and we were filling each other in on the latest and the greatest and even the not so greatest. She told me, "Sarah if you had normal you would hate it." I believe her. Nothing about my life has been normal and I pray that it never does. I pray yours never does either. 

It takes courage.

When we say no to a normal life we embrace a courageous life. It will take courage to face adversity head on and dare to believe that what God has placed in your heart will happen. It will take courage to stand against the "dream haters" (the people who think you are absolutely irresponsible and crazy) and not see your situation from their perspective but instead see it from His perspective. It will take courage when you feel like you have nothing left to give, nothing left to do and just stand. 

What miracle have you been tempted to quit believing for? What dream have you considered giving up on? Where are you drawing the line?

TRUTH: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9(NLT)

DARE: Erase the line you have drawn in the sand. Forget normal. Take on courage.