Aaron is 30!

Aaron turned 30 this weekend!  I’d been planning a surprise party for his birthday for many months and was so excited on Saturday when the day finally arrived.  I just knew that Aaron was going to pick up on my antsy disposition or sudden need for the house to be spotless that day.  He didn’t even notice me stashing a rather large knife and a lighter in my purse as we walked out the door on our way to what Aaron thought was another one of Bryce’s basketball games.  There was a lot of fibbing going on but it was all for a good cause!  Of course, Aaron had insisted that he drive to the game that day so when we were about a mile away from the party venue, I started to panic because I wasn’t sure how I was going to convince him to turn into a parking lot that clearly didn’t belong to a gym.  I am not a good liar and I didn’t want to spoil the surprise so I sort of just awkwardly yelped “turn in here” as we approached the building.  Needless to say, Aaron, who was already annoyed that I made him leave the house before the UK game finished, was now very confused.  It all made sense when we walked into a room filled with family and friends that had travelled to Louisville to spend the afternoon celebrating with him.  He was genuinely surprised and I was thrilled.

Here are some pictures from the party.  I wanted to do something a little out of the box so I asked everyone to meet us at Bluegrass Indoor Karting.  It was a blast!  Thanks to everyone who came!

Aaron and Reese before the first race.

 

The Johnson family

 

The adult karts top out at 40mph. 

 

 Bryce was up first in a junior race.

 

 Aaron finishing his first race of the day.

 

 The kiddos greeting the racers as they pulled in the pit area.

 

 Several people spun out around this curve.

 

 The birthday boy.

 

Blowing out all 30 candles on the cake that Kristen made... delicious!

Our little house had never had so many people in it!

 

 Sawyer

 

 Kelsey and Tyler

Opening birthday cards.

Andy, Bryce and Tyler still trying to figure out who won the final race. Aaron and Tyler argued about who won for the rest of the night! haha.

Birthday hugs!

 

 Aaron got paddles for his new kayak!

 

 The kids were more than happy to assist with opening presents.

 

 Time to leave... Time to say goodbye : (

At least one person was looking straight at the camera and smiling!

Sawyer wasn't leaving with a sucker!

Hello 2015!

We did not ring in the new year in any sort of exciting fashion. I made pizza grill cheeses for Aaron and as payment, he had to suffer through Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. We were snoozin' when the ball dropped. 

We may not be that exciting but I am pretty excited about the coming year. I feel like it's going to be a good one. Aaron is turning 30, my sister is getting married, I'm finishing my masters degree, we are doing some work on the house, we've got a few vacations on the books and both of us are busier than ever at work.  Life is good and for whatever reason, we are blessed beyond what we deserve. 

Last week, our pastor quoted Mike Ashcraft's thoughts on New Years resolutions... "Our New Year's resolutions seldom work because they're based on the type of person we are tired of being rather than who God wants us to become. Plus, resolutions can be "broken," leaving no room for the process of growth. What if our hopes for the year ahead centered instead on who God wants us to become, and the transformation process?"

This really got me thinking and I came up with monthly challenges for Aaron and I throughout 2015.  January's is pray independently every single day. (Aaron- I know you will read this so here is your reminder.)  They say that when you do something for 30 consecutive days, it becomes a habit. Well... I don't know who "they" are but I'm hopeful that they are right. And if not.. It's about the process of becoming the people God wants us to be. 

Happy New Year!