Yellowstone National Park

Glacier National Park

Relatively Unscathed....

We finally got to fly home late Monday night. Jay's car was fully intact in the long term parking lot and we had no issues getting home. Even better than that, we already had power and water at our house. Some trees in our yard took a beating and our landscaping for sure. Our friend John came over on Tuesday with a chainsaw and my friend Matt pitched in as well with cleaning up debris and limbs. Now our yard is as good as new. Grocery stores are finally getting up and running again, along with other stores and gas stations. There are still 60% of people from Houston south without power and they anticipate it will be several weeks before it is fully restored. Please keep the people of southern Texas in your prayers, some were left with nothing and it will be a long recovery.

Vacation or Evacuation???

As many of you know, Jay and I just returned late Monday night from our Vacation/Evacuation!! We headed out on September 4th for a tour of Grand Tetons (Wyoming), Yellowstone (Wyoming) and Glacier National Parks (Montana). We left on a Thursday and spent 3.5 days exploring Jackson hole and the Grand Tetons. Including a 10 mile hike (round trip) to Amphitheatre Lake. It wouldn't have been too bad, except it was 5 miles out and 3,000 feet up!! Not to mention I had already run 6 miles that morning. Needless to say I could barely move when we got back.

We took it easy the next day as we headed into Yellowstone. We toured the Old Faithful Geyser basin. We got to see Old Faithful erupt right on time....and Grotto Geyser just happened to erupt as we were hiking by as well. The area was so different from anything I have ever seen, the geothermal activity there makes you feel like you are on another plant. The Hydrogen Sulfide makes everywhere you go smell like boiled egg yolks and water rapidly boiling out of the ground is incredible. The colors of the hot springs are so vibrant.

From Yellowstone we headed to Big Sky, Montana for a night. In the winter it is a Ski Resort. In the summer they open up the trails to hikers and mountain bikers. So of course we hit the trails for a run before heading on to Glacier.

Somewhere between our time in Yellowstone and arriving in Glacier Jay and I both turned on our cell phones. We each had one message from friends back in Clute. They were calling to let us know that Hurricane Ike was headed right for us and everyone was evacuating. We immediately made sure Scout was taken care of. He had been with Julie and Chris in Clute and Julie was such a trooper, she evacuated Scout along with her three kids and her dog. They all headed to Houston to hunker down with Mike and Kelli and their kids. So three dogs, six kids and three adults. Needless to say, it was a full house. And our friend Jenny patiently took notes as I dictated the things I wanted her to take with her when she and Wes headed to Tennessee. So, with all of that taken care of I felt better....temporarily. Until I saw the weather channel and realized it was really heading RIGHT for us. So, we called our landscaper and asked him to board the house for us. He had it all done not even 3 hours after I talked to him!!

We had done all we could do, so we headed out to enjoy Glacier. The first day we did a few small hikes and took in a lot of the sites along the "Going-To-The-Sun" Road via the car. The second day we headed to the other end of the park, to an area called Many Glacier. We had heard so many stories about all the Grizzly Bears on that end of the park, I was a ball of nerves for about the first mile of the hike. But I had my "bear pepper spray" (no jokes please) and I was walking through the woods saying "Hey Bear" from time to time. Jay didn't take any bear spray, most likely because he knew he could out run me. I felt like I was fresh out of an episode of Man vs. wild. We didn't encounter any bears, but we did another 10 mile hike. However, this one was only 1200 feet up, with much easier terrain. And the views at the top...well, you just have to see the photos.

Friday we checked out of our cabin in Glacier and headed down to Missoula, MT. We were scheduled to fly out of Missoula on Saturday but we ended up hanging out there until Monday. I sat up watching Mike Siedell from the weather channel broadcast from Clute all night. I was pretty stressed. After seeing Surfside beach (8 miles from our house) under water by noon (12+ hours before Ike made landfall), I was sure we were toast. We were preparing ourselves mentally to see water in our home. But the big guy was looking out for us, the next morning Mike was still in Clute and we could tell the damage was minimal!! My prayers were answered.

Scout turns 9!!

The Birthday Boy!!

Dad...give me my burger already!!

I can always count on my mom :-)
My little buddy turned 9 on August 31st. We celebrated the same way we always do, a hamburger for the b-day boy, a new toy (a ball of course) and a treat. And of course cake and ice cream for the adults :-)


I can't believe it's been nine years. It has gone so fast. Scout's birthdays seem to mark the course of my adult life, adult life being that after college. I graduated in August, moved to WV in September and brought Scout home in October of 1999. To those of you that don't know us well, it may seem a bit silly to celebrate your dog's b-day each year. But those of you that know us and know our story know that Scout beat many odds as a young pup to even make it past his 5th birthday. Not to mention, when I was all alone in WV he was my buddy, through all the major changes in my life he has been the one constant. He loves his new daddy and is a very happy, healthy, ENERGETIC pup. All my love Scouters.


Oh...and Scout says he expects a visit from his grandpa soon, he has a brand new ball ready and waiting!

Scout's friends...Luke and Jaden come over to help celebrate with Cake, Ice Cream and lots of running.

Mom and Kristen Visit Tejas

Jay and Scout were out numbered this weekend as the ladies ruled the house. Mom and Kristen came down to spend a long weekend with us to unwind after a busy summer. We spent lots of time catching up, we did some cooking, visited with friends, spent a day in Galveston and an evening at the beach. But mostly we watched A LOT of olympics. It's been an awesome weekend and I have LOVED having them here. I only wish we could keep them here longer.

Below are some photos from our adventures and also a video of Scout's trip to the beach. When we first moved down here he wouldn't have anything to do with the water, he was used to creeks where the water didn't move. He was never sure what to do with the whole wave concept. But as soon as he saw his friend Ollie bounding through the waves you could almost hear him thinking, "maybe that wouldn't be so bad", and now you can't get him to stop!! Hope you enjoy watching as much as we did.

Scout's Play Date at the Beach

Ocean Star Oil Rig in Galveston

Happy Anniversary Baby...

I can without a doubt say that August 11, 2007 was the happiest, most amazing day of my life. Those of you that know me, know that I am in no way a girly girl. I have always been most comfortable in a pair of jeans and an NC State sweatshirt. But on my wedding day, I truly felt like a princess and it was the most amazing feeling, I loved the dress, the make-up, the jewlrey, every tiny bit of girly glam...I loved it all. Everyone kept remarking how calm I seemed all day, but why wouldn't I be? I was about to embark upon my fairy tale, my hapily every after. Everything about that day was all I had ever dreamed and so, so much more. The way Jay looked at me, my dance with my dad, all the friends and family that gathered to show us your love...I wish I could have frozen time that one evening and live it over and over again.

Flash forward one year. The party is long over, but I am still living my happily ever after. The lord truly blessed me when he brought Jay into my life. He is without a doubt the most amazing man I have ever met and I am the luckiest girl in the world that he picked me to be his wife. I guess most people would agree he has to be pretty darn special to put up with me everyday :-) So here is to you Jay, my husband and my best friend. I can't wait to see what new journeys our 2nd year has in store. All my love....Mrs. Johns

1 Year Of Bliss...

To celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary Jay and I decided to use one of our Friday's off and take a long weekend to get out of Clute for a while. So we headed to San Antonio and the Riverwalk for a few days.

For those of you that have never been there, the Riverwalk is basically an area in downtown San Antonio where they diverted the San Antonio River. It basically forms a U, branching off of the main river and joining up with it again downstream. The Riverwalk is lined with places to eat, shop and to just sight see. It's a really neat place to just relax and enjoy some good food.

Of course the Riverwalk isn't the only attraction in San Antonio. There is also The Alamo. Those of you not familiar with Texas history have certainly at least heard the phrase, "Remember the Alamo".

A VERY large Cactus inside the Alamo.

For those of you that are interested, here is a little history on the Alamo...

San Antonio and the Alamo played a critical role in the Texas Revolution. In December 1835, Ben Milam led Texian and Tejano volunteers against Mexican troops quartered in the city. After five days of house-to-house fighting, they forced General Marín Perfecto de Cós and his soldiers to surrender. The victorious volunteers then occupied the Alamo — already fortified prior to the battle by Cós' men — and strengthened its defenses.

On February 23, 1836, the arrival of General Antonio López de Santa Anna's army outside San Antonio nearly caught them by surprise. Undaunted, the Texians and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo together. The defenders held out for 13 days against Santa Anna's army. William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo sent forth couriers carrying pleas for help to communities in Texas. On the eighth day of the siege, a band of 32 volunteers from Gonzales arrived, bringing the number of defenders to nearly two hundred. Legend holds that with the possibility of additional help fading, Colonel Travis drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stay and fight to step over — all except one did. As the defenders saw it, the Alamo was the key to the defense of Texas, and they were ready to give their lives rather than surrender their position to General Santa Anna. Among the Alamo's garrison were Jim Bowie, renowned knife fighter, and David Crockett, famed frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee.

The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, 1836, as columns of Mexican soldiers emerged from the predawn darkness and headed for the Alamo's walls. Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks. Regrouping, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. Once inside, they turned a captured cannon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. By sunrise, the battle had ended and Santa Anna entered the Alamo compound to survey the scene of his victory.

The Alamo....

A stop for a snack on the Riverwalk to cool off...it was over 100 degrees as we were walking around touring the Alamo.
Dinner at Las Carinas, a historic hotel on the Riverwalk. It was a very nice atmosphere, but the food was highly disappointing...
Awwwh....the happy couple!
Day 2. We headed outside of the city for a run on the Hike-Bike Trail which connected the historic Spanish Missions. We took time to sight see at one of the missions as we cooled off after our run. It was still really hot in San Antonio, but the humidity was much milder, so the run wasn't too bad.
Lunch at Budro's on the Riverwalk after cleaning up. Now this is food I would HIGHLY recommend if you are ever in the area. We had Guacamole for 2 and it was awesome!


A look at Jay's new running hat. Lungs and legs, looks a lot like my hubby come to think of it!


One of the River boats used for tours on the river, the Miss Laura :-) Four Laura Bush though, not Laura Johns....

A view of the riverwalk from our table at lunch, there was a breeze today so it was not too bad for a summer day in Texas.

A more remote part of the riverwalk. Jay and I discovered this when we were walking around on Saturday afternoon and returned there for a run on Sunday morning. It didn't go quite as far as we thought, but it still made for a good run.

OK...one of my favorite parts of the whole trip...a candy covered apple. They basically take a healthy apple, roll it in caramel, nuts, toffee and chocolate...yum!!!