A Year In Review

Well, it's that time - the time to review the year. In order to save some cash, I didn't do a Christmas card this year, so this is the first time I'm really sitting back and thinking about the year.

And, honestly, when I look back, I keep thinking, "This was a tough year." Don't get me wrong, it was a also a great year, but I would be lying if I said it was rainbows and unicorns - and I love unicorns. But it really was a hard year, with lots of lessons learned.

So what did we learn?

Well, I personally learned (and am still learning) a lot about contentment, as you can read about here. This was our toughest year financially. No family "vacation" was taken, there was the start of paying for my grad school, there were more major unexpected financial burdens than usual, and a large portion of the year was spent on "extreme budget lockdown." But I learned that all of our needs are met. And I've learned to live on less. And I think that will be invaluable in the future. Our victory in this area came from me completely paying off my undergraduate student loans. And hopefully, this year, we will make some major headway on Mark's loan. (-:

I learned that going to school full time and working full time is really hard, and also really rewarding. I love  both of these things, but sometimes it seems as though there just aren't enough hours in the day. Sometimes I feel like I get up (late), go to work, drive home, do homework, go to bed (late) and start all over again. Sometimes I think my poor husband is getting the raw end of the deal. But then I think about how during football season this whole entire fall he got to watch every game to his heart's content while I worked on sermon outlines, and then I don't feel so bad. (-:

I learned that I'm not as cut out for foreign missions as other people are. I want to share the Gospel, but maybe not perhaps in places where there are tarantulas in my shower and you have to pour water in a toilet to get it to flush - that is, unless I know without a doubt the Lord is calling me to that. (-: But I also saw the hospitality and generosity of people who were incredibly poor, and was reminded not to take anything for granted.

I am still learning about friendships. I reconciled with someone from years ago, and understand even more fully how important it is to be open and honest with those you love before it gets to the point of no return. I learned the incredible value of seeking to be objective. I've learned lots in this area, but not without some wounds that are still hemorrhaging.

I've learned about family. Family is not defined by blood - but by love and support. And as I sit looking at my family and thinking about the obstacles we've overcome in a year, and the encouragement, love and support we've given, I'm overwhelmed. And I all-too-clearly know that some people won't understand it and they don't have to. But I know I'm blessed.

We learned through some home-improvement projects gone bad that gender roles really don't do anything but cause problems. And that whatever the problem is, we can either fix it together, or play to each other's strengths. (-:

So it's been a tough year. But it's also been a great year. We got our sweet puppy Boo in January and he is such a blessing. I successfully maintained my gym membership for a year and can say I am much more fit today than I was a year ago. Mark learned a lot in his new job and I love him more today than I did a year ago. It's so nice to be married to your best friend. Seriously. Karlie had a great first semester at OBU and got a 4.0! We are so proud of her. I finished my first semester of grad school with a 3.33 and am 20% finished!

The good, bad, and the ugly, that was our 2011.

How was yours?

Happy New Year from the Johnson Family!

~Kathryn

Your Questions Answered and A Video

Hi, everyone! We are going to try to wrap up the question/answer segment. Also, we have arrived in Branson, MO, for some vacation time! Yay! At the bottom of this there is a video (that may as well just be audio because you can't see anything) of a little of our road trip. Enjoy!

I want to know some OSU stuff....like what you love about it, favorite OSU memory, etc!!! GO POKES!!!

Me: Well, neither of us went to OSU. Shocking? I will let Mark tell about his love for OSU, but I will say that he knows more about that school and loves it more than many people I know that graduated from there. Also, he is considering a master's degree from OSU. I started liking OSU because I was dating a boy who was really obsessed with the school, had season football tickets, and knew everything about it. So, I decided that if I was going to date that boy, I should like his school. He just happened to be Mark.

Mark: Our favorite OSU memory together was the 2007 OSU/Texas Tech football game. It was an offensive shoot-out that came down to the final possessions and the Cowboys prevailed 49-45. However, what more people remember from that day is not the game, but the post game press conference, which can be seen here.

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

Me: Hmm... Well, I have maybe two places. Or three. I'd really like to go Hawaii, because it's so beautiful, and people speak English. So that's a plus. Other than that, I would like to go to Paris and London probably. Apparently Mark agrees. I just asked him. That's handy.

Fav activity to do with hubby?

Me: That's a really tough question. There are a lot of things I love to do. But, I think it I HAD to pick one, I would probably say just talking. Like in the car or at a coffee shop or at a camp out. We have a lot of fun talking to each other and Mark always makes me think of things from a different angle. We have a lot of fun talking, planning, and making each other laugh. Hopefully that doesn't sound too cheesey, but it's true.

Mark: Relax together while I read and Kathryn blogs. And getting Italian cream sodas from Rocket Brothers Coffee.

Favorite gift you ever received? :)

Me: Hmm.... one that really sticks out is a keyboard my dad got me when I was really little and had just started piano lessons. I remember going to the store to pick it out and they were "sold out" of the one I wanted, but on Christmas, it was mysteriously at my house. I remember feeling really special when I saw the keyboard. Even though I was really young, that is still a really strong memory for me. Other than that, anything Mark gets me. (-:

If you both had a month off of work, and all expenses paid, where would you take a vacation to and what would you do while you are there?

Me: Somewhere with a beach and the ocean. I LOVE the ocean. And I would probably lay on the beach five days of the seven and then the other two days we would dress up and go out to eat and do fun things. (-: And repeat that for a month. Mark concurs.
 
How does your hubby feel about your blogging and blog friends?

Me: He is very supportive. He reads all the posts, and lets me know if there is one he especially likes. I bounce a lot of ideas off of him. As far as my blog friends go, he is kind of friends with them through me. Occassionally I will be sitting on the couch reading a blog of someone going through a really hard time, and I feel especially burdened and I just start crying. And so then he reads the blog, too. I feel like I have a connection with a lot of bloggers, even if I haven't met them. I pray for them, and enjoy reading their blogs, getting their comments on mine, and even meeting some of them. So Mark has to hear about them as well.

Mark: I think it is one of the most constructive habits Kathryn could have because it chronicles our lives. I encourage her because I enjoy reading books while she types.
 
What makes you really angry? And can you get over it easily and move on?

Me: I guess the thing that makes me really angry is rude people. I don't get angry very often, but when people are rude for no reason it really fires me up. Life is too short for people to be rude. And yes, I usually get over it pretty quickly. Rude people shouldn't be able to ruin my day. (-:
 
What's your fave meal? Fave food?
 
Me: I pretty much like anything. There are very few things I don't eat. That being said, I love... hmm... so many things are going through my head. I used to always say Chinese was my favorite, and I still really love it, but don't eat it nearly as often. I love Mexican food as well, Chipotle is a favorite. I love meatloaf, chicken pot pie, stir fry, soups of many kinds, wings, really good sandwiches, ice cream, lots of stuff.
Mark: Right now, it's probably pizza. If it's at home, it's the tomato basil pizza Kathryn makes. If I'm eating out, it's Sam and Ellas.

What was the "I'm in love" moment for each of you?
 
Me: This is really hard. I can't say that I have a definining moment, but I do remember us riding in the car together and driving home from somewhere and just talking. I remember the highway and I remember Mark being more open than usual and I remember being to really be able to see his heart. And I remember that being a really special moment.

Mark: For me, it was when I visited her in Washington, D.C. We were not dating at the time and it was then that I realized just how much I really had missed her. And the time that we had when I visited her was very memorable and special. Going home from that trip was definitely bittersweet. As soon as she came home from that semester, I put the full court press on, but that still took several months. And we've been together ever since.

Okay so this video is basically a dark blob, and then my nose. Because apparently my nose was the only thing big and bright enough to show up in the video. So, call me Rudolph. And PS, in case you can't tell, Mark is sick. Poor guy.

 
~Kathryn (and Mark)

Your Questions, Our Answers

A few posts ago, we asked for your questions. And then we asked again because, well, we didn't get many. Ha. So, now we have a lot, too many for one post, so I will answer some of them today. If you don't see yours, take heart, because you will see it in the future. (-:


Can you tell us more about how you guys are eliminating debt/saving for your first home?
 
  
This answer will be kinda long. Well, first of all, let me say it depends on the day you ask me. Some days I'm very optimistic about saving for a home and some days I feel like we will never get there. Many people have asked us if we are Dave Ramsey followers because of our blog title. Our blog title is not because of Dave Ramsey, but we are in fact, lovers of Dave's basic principles.


One of Dave's principles is the "debt snowball". You basically work from the smallest debt to the largest, paying them off in that order. Once you pay off a debt, you apply that money toward the next one, so your snowball gets bigger the more you pay off. 


So, we currently have zero credit cards, have one car payment we will pay off next month, and then have a couple of pretty hefty student loans. Once we pay off the car we will be putting our money toward saving for a house. We are hoping to save like crazy for three years or so and then have a large enough down payment that we can lower the monthly payments significantly. We live pretty cheaply, and we both work two jobs for the time being. This has allowed us to pay down debt pretty quickly.


We have had some requests for a post about our Dave Ramsey story, so we will be doing a post on that in the near future.


Do you want kids/if so how many/do you have names picked out?


We definitely want kids!  But not today! (-: In a few years we plan on starting that endeavor. We want 3-4 little ones, and have thought about names, but don't have any really set in stone yet. We like family names, so we have thought about using my grandfather's name, and my brother's name, which is Harrison. We also like Caroline. Those are a couple. Our minds will likely change though in the next few years. (-:


If you could live anywhere where would it be?


Well, we really love where we are living right now. It has a little of everything and is close to family. The Tulsa area is great, I only wish it would grow an ocean. 


What do you do for a living? It sounds like such a great job!!

 


Well, thanks. I do think my job is great. I work for a church in the Worship Ministry. I assist our minister of worship. So basically, I get music together for all the musicians, band, orchestra, choir, singers, etc. I also put together the bulletin each week and print 1500 of them, and I am the wedding scheduler at the church. Then I fill in the gap with whatever other office things need to be done.


Do you guys do devotions and/or pray together? Can you recommend some good readings for time with your spouse?


Well, yes we do. It's something I really love about our relationship. We pray together very often (not like 24/7 or anything, but relatively frequently). Anytime one of us has something that is a burden, we talk about it and we pray. It really brings peace in so many situations. We pray in the car, before we go to sleep, and sometimes even on the phone. Mark praying for me has been a huge blessing.


As far as devotions, this is something we have recently tried to incorporate. We haven't been great at it in the past, but we did start a couple weeks ago, and used a book called Devotional Classics. We didn't really know what the best way to do a devotional together would be, so we gave the that book a shot, and we both really liked it. It had a scripture reference and then a very thought provoking devotional. Mark read it aloud and then we discussed it. Although, some of the questions we didn't love, so we just talked about it how we wanted to. I definitely want to continue doing it. I was very personally convicted, and it's really neat to share and discuss those feelings with your best friend and be encouraged. But, it's hard to do - you have to really make it a priority - you know, turn off the TV and what not. So hopefully, we can keep doing it. (-:


Any time one of us reads something and really learns something, we discuss it, too, but that isn't as frequent or as organized, but perhaps just by reading a book together that is not a "devotional book" could be another way to do a devotion.


Last question for today is...


What are some of your fav places to shop? 


Hmm... well, I enjoy shopping, and Mark doesn't. At all. So his favorite place to shop would probably be Amazon.com if I had to guess. (-: My favorite places are many. For clothes, I really love White House/Black Market, The Limited, and Eddie Bauer. Unfortunately, I am really cheap, and so I don't often get to buy things from those places. I shop at Plato's closet a lot, which is a resale shop that has great bargains. I love J. Crew, but don't love their prices, so I just go on there, look around, and leave. I love boutiques and finding unique things. I really love Amazon.com, because they are the best price around and super fast shipping. 


Whew! I guess that's all the questions I can handle for one day. More to come. (-:


Happy Monday!


~Kathryn