A Johnson Vacation

With summertime in our midst, me back home from school, and my dad having a few days off of work, my family has been trying to come up with a good place to spend our Memorial Day weekend. With the unbelievable amount of sullen, gray days here in northern Utah, we decided upon St. George as our weekend destination since we didn't want to go far, but we were definitely in need of some sunshine.

I could probably make the drive from Ogden to St. George with my eyes closed, but this time I wasn't driving, so Preston and I stayed sane in the back seat with naps and good reading. Our family's favorite: The Hunger Games. Preston read it first, then my turn, then mom, then Larissa. Now Preston has his hands on the sequel, and so we each patiently wait to get our hands on it.

As soon as we checked into the plush Best Western, the boys couldn't wait to take advantage of the pool. Of course with beautiful weather, me, Larissa and mom weren't going to complain about that!

At one point when Joel and I got out to dry off, he turned to me and said, "Shan I'm gonna tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone okay?" Curious, I took his oath of secrecy. "I dropped Larissa's ipod in the toliet the other day," he admitted. I swallowed a laugh. What in the world do you do when your brother tells you that?? :)

It didn't take long for the family to notice the Pier 49 pizza place across the street. We always used to get this pizza when I was growing up, but when the place went out of business in Ogden a few years ago we had to give it up. Just like old times, we ordered our two favorites- spinach alfredo and barbecue pizza.

Following dinner, Preston, Larissa and I settled down for the competitive game of Phase 10. I showed them I still have it. ;)

Eating our complimentary breakfast before heading out to Zion's.

Waiting for the shuttles to come.

We may be 10 years apart, but that just makes us 10 times closer.

Eating at Pancho and Lefty's for lunch. Chips and salsa, chimichangas, and fried ice cream.

Riss did I ever tell you that once you go black you never go back??



I showed the family my favorite park on Main Street.

Right before I got sprayed in the face by the fountain. The boys thought it was hilarious that it came after me and not them.

I thought the boys would like Pirate Island, so we headed there for dinner. Once the food was gobbled up, they went straight for the arcade. Joel insisted that we evenly split the tokens dad gave us. We took turns choosing games to play, then we counted our tickets and exchanged them for pirate tatooes and pixie sticks. Of course Joel made sure our prizes were distributed fairly.

Enjoying the scenery St. George has to offer.



Soon enough our bags were packed, we were checked out of the hotel, and it was time to return home. Our trip to southern Utah had come to a close, but we weren't upset. This trip was only the beginning of many more summer adventures ahead, complete, of course, with my best friends.

Got Courage?

I'm starting to think freedom of speech is not so free.

A few weeks ago I sat down to watch the 2010 Miss USA pageant. Following the swim suit and evening gown portions was the dreaded on-stage question- a high-prssure moment where my heart starts to pound and I hold my breath until it's over. You see, I had my time competing in two low-level pageants in college, so I empathize for the contestants who perform live, for the entire country to watch.

First Miss Michigan tripped over her dress in the evening gown portion of the competition. Next for her on-stage question she talked about how birth control insurance companies should cover birth control because OB-GYNs provide it for free, and that birth control is costly. Well yes monthly pills may be costly, but you just said you could get it for free. You're not making sense, Michigan.

As she tried to make sense out of her answer, my dad compared her over-the-top slang to a Kanye West wannabe. Soon after, she inserted a quick "Hi mom!" into the microphone before the hosts could stop her. Miss USA is supposed to graceful, intelligent, dignified and charming. The judges must have seen something I didn't though, because Miss Michigan was swiftly named the next 2010 Miss USA.


"What are you going to do now that you have the title?" the emcees asked her post-crowning. "I'm going to eat a pizza!" she declared. No important business, humanitarian work or meetings to attend huh Miss Michigan?

But that's just a sidenote.

The winner, I expected, should have been Miss Oklahoma- who exercised every quality a queen should have. Her question: Does Arizona have the right to pass an anti-illegal immigration law or were they infringing on the rights of the federal government? Miss Oklahoma's conservative answer- that she is a big supporter of states' rights and so Arizona did have the right to pass the law. She said racial profiling is a concern, but that it is a very difficult topic.

Miss Oklahoma said what she believed, and stuck to it- despite boos heard from the audience. I thought she answered with an intelligent and honest response. But rumor states that her answer to the on-stage question cost her the crown.


Of course Miss USA contestants judged for their performance. Every detail adds up to whether or not they "deserve" the crown. My problem is the fact that some girls are completely honest about their beliefs (a quality I was taught to emulate as I prepared for pageants myself), and if a judge does not agree with a certain opinion, they receive a poor score, therefore crushing their chances of winning the title.

Last year Miss California Carrie Prejean lost the crown from her answer to a gay marriage question. Because she believes that marriage should only be legal for a man and a woman, judge (and flamin' gay) Perez Hilton, gave her a zero for her answer, therefore costing her the title. Why should a judge be able to flunk a contestant for her personal beliefs? Yes she is Miss California, and I understand how her answer looks coming from a state that had passed Proposition 8 mere 5 months prior to the night of the pageant. But that's not what Miss California believes.

In a competition that judges each girl on her individuality, why is an individual answer punished?

As I stood on stage in my own beauty pageant a year ago, I was asked the same question as Miss California. Among my many peers in attendance was also my roommate- who happened to be lesbian. In that moment I was scared to speak my beliefs and I considered giving the answer I figured they wanted to hear. But instead I took a breath and expressed my beliefs. I did not win the title of Miss Dixie that night, and I doubt it had anything to do with the answer to my question. But it was difficult to do even in an amature competition with little viewers, and I wonder if I could still stand for what I believe in when I know my answer could very much hurt my future.


As I watched Prejean on TV in the comfort of my home, my roommates and friends piped in to ridicule her answer. Even then with few people to stand up to, I was embarrassed to admit that I felt the same way. For that I greatly admired Miss California's courage. I hoped that she would win the crown- to show young girls all over America that it is important to stand up for what you believe in.

I feel for those women- those girls who spoke their heart, and now have to live with the consequences of their answer. I wonder how it would feel to work so hard perfecting your speech, your body, your knowledge, your mannerisms for years, and then watch it all fall apart before your eyes. Not because of a mistake or a flaw in your performance, but because someone didn't agree with your opinion.

These instances show that standing up for your beliefs and disagreeing with the crowd will make you less than popular. In fact many times you will stand alone as you face ridicule from those in a large and spacious building. They will taunt you and laugh at you for your actions.

But we must not heed them.

THE GAME OF LIFE...

From my first job delivering newspapers to my most recent job at a well-known restaurant, I've been involved in the biggest partnership in business- the desperate game of cat and mouse between employee and employer.

This game is a popular one among Americans. Unlike Milton Bradley, this game is crucial for survival and necessary for life. Players always begin the game with a goal in mind. They play to guarantee material happiness. They play to provide a stable future. Sometimes they play for personal benefit. Other times they play for the gain of a spouse.

Many times they play out of love for a child. Or two. Or three.

The game isn't always laughs and giggles. Sometimes we're good at it and we move smoothly around the board with few obstacles. Other times we run into barriers and hurdles that impede our success. At one point or another we decide we're sick of the game and desire to play a new, more profitable game.

Some are lucky. Some are not.

Games have rules, and consequences are distributed upon departure. Sometimes it's best to begin a new game. Other times the longer you play the better you do.
The property may have been purchased and the funds might look healthy, but in the roll of the dice it could all disappear.

As with any game, you can either be a winner of a loser. Participation in the game may be the difference between staying or going, renting or buying, having and wanting, paying or borrowing, and in some cases- eating or starving.

While I am a hard-worker, I've never favored the game. I'm sick of applications, interviews and phone calls. I figure if they need me, they'll find me.

But the game doesn't work like that.

Players are required to speak the language of persuasion- to convince employers that the business would benefit only with their assistance. You must practice a sturdy amount of arrogance and persistence, only to sit back and wait for them to find the time to unload the burden from your desperately waiting shoulders.

The game can be frustrating, intimidating, exasperating, maddening, testing, nerve-wracking, threatening and despairing. But it can also be a nourishing, rewarding, pleasing, satisfying, heartwarming, sustaining, gratifying and fulfilling.

While your time in the game can be disparaging, it can also be a blessing.
That's what it's all about.

It's the game of life...

What's the expiration date on love?

It seems I got more than I bargained for from the latest chick flick at the Megaplex.

I expected yet another overly-sappy, half-baked, flimsy romance about finding true love with the closest arrogant phony nearby. Of course, Hollywood did not disappoint. However, my $8 ticket wasn’t entirely hopeless. To its credit, the film’s twisted turn on romance was certainly thought-provoking.

Letters to Juliet is the story of a young girl headed to Verona for a pre-honeymoon with her fiancé. Through a string of miraculous events, Sophie convinces Claire- a 60-something woman from England, that time does not dissipate the power of true love. Armed with this conviction, the two women set out to find Victor Bartollini- a stunning man that stole Claire’s heart in Verona nearly 50 years ago. The moral of the story: don’t let a good man out of your life because you might realize you love him…half a century later.

This notion made me consider the Romeos in my own life. What happens if you let a good man walk out of your life? Do you rush after him in a flurry of apologies and offer him your cooking condolences? Do you send a hound of scouts off to monitor his greasy moves? Or do you start the stopwatch and put your feet up- waiting for him to wander back.

I admit I have stubbornly done the later. But he must have a bad sense of direction, because he wandered the wrong way. Romeo wandered off and got married, but when we run into each other on campus, butterflies still flutter around my stomach.

Just like Claire in Letters to Juliet, I was left wondering: what is loves’ expiration date? Do those first feelings of love ever fade?

Recently Romeo #2 returned home from Spain and showed up at my house. Upon hearing his voice from the back room my brain instantly recognized the sound, despite two years of absence. Those feelings of adoration come creeping back, and it seems he never left.

Although I do not regret my decision to let certain Romeos go, it seems time does nothing to erase significant feelings.

Like I said, Letters to Juliet gave me more than I bargained for.

25 Simple Goals for Summer 2010

Goals are usually asssociated with AA meetings, or the bringing in of a new year. But with another beautiful summer spread beneath our feet, I have decided to make some fresh goals for the short span of exciting months ahead.

Summer has always been a magical time for me. It's a dazzling time of year when your freedom is returned and you have an endless array of possibilities to pursue. As I navigate through the next few months of sunny days, pleasant evenings and wild adventures, the following goals will serve as my guide.

1. Watch the 4th of July fireworks over the Statue of Liberty...IN PERSON.
2. Stop feeling bad about buying expensive makeup and skin-care. Your face is your most important asset!
3. Learn how to re-cover furniture from the all-knowing herself: my mom.

4. Eat my first philly cheese steak...in Philadelphia!
5. Treat myself to a pedicure. Who couldn't use one of those?
6. Read the Book of Mormon.

7. Work two jobs, and live to tell about it.
8. Go green...by driving my scooter instead of my car. ;)
9. Buy clothes that make me look professional. No more t-shirt and flip-flop business.

10. Take my siblings on individual outings. Joel wants to be my friend, and that won't last for long.
11. Take every service opportunity that comes my way. Especially focused on my grandma.
12. Put a significant amount of money in savings. Caution- expensive future ahead!!
13. Go boating. Maybe try waterskiing. If I'm feeling adventurous.

14. Purchase a pair of B-A nude pumps.
15. Study the April conference talks.
16. Take Preston and Joel to the nearby water parks. I'd probably enjoy it more than them.
17. Eat plenty of strawberries, hamburgers, watermelon and corn on the cob.

18. Show Chris all the good things Northern Utah has to offer.
19. Do 5 things I never thought I'd do.
20. Go to Central Park, in NYC!
21. Read, read, read. The classics, gospel doctrine, self-help, financial mumbo-jumbo...

22. Somehow pay Jace back for all that he's done for me.
23. Go mini-golfing, bowling, and possibly give volleyball another shot.
24. Work on my blog!

25. ENJOY MY SUMMER BACK AT HOME. :)

The pen has effectively learned to extract the breathings of my heart...

I guess you could say the pen and I have gotten to know each other.

We were first introduced almost 17 years ago when my tiny, untrained fingers attempted to scratch out the seven letters of my name. From there I scribbled out the childhood adventures I lived, in college-ruled notebooks and fairy-covered diaries. We became better acquainted throughout my school years when I entered a writing contest in kindegarten. The rewards and recognition for my work was exciting, so I continued to compete with the pen as my weapon, clear into my high school years.



Soon my curiosity stumbled across an offered journalism class at Ogden High, which would later launch me into my current pursuit of a communication degree. The experience I gained from working as an editor of "The Perspective," (OHS' student newspaper)prepared me for a scholarship at Dixie State College as news editor of "The Dixie Sun." With my pen poised and ready, I survived two years of interviewing, revising, writing and reviewing. I quickly found a passion for writing food reviews, and I worked religiously as a weekly columnist for the Sun.



Now, with two years of higher education behind me and two years left to complete, I reflect on the time the pen and I have spent together over the years. My shelves are filled with numerous stories, each of them self-written. My laptop is crammed with saved documents, and a stack of newspapers, each issue including my work, clutters the DSC newsroom. For me writing is not just a hobby, but rather a lifestyle. It has brought peace, happiness and purpose to my life. It has given me an identity- a reason. To me the printed word will always defeat spoken expression.



This summer, during the transition of my sophomore and junior years in college, I will compile personal memories for a ward writing class that my mom and I attend together. I will probably pick up a journal and attempt to catch up on the years I have failed to record. But overall, this summer I will try my hand at blogging. It's strange and unfamiliar to feel the absence of deadlines and pressure, and instead have a few months to write at my convenience on whatever topic blows my way.



For some time the pen and I will be seperated as I type away my summer. But we'll always reunite, just like old times.