Christmas in Mexico

This year we decided to head South for Christmas. Knowing that this particularly holiday would be especially hard without Mom, we thought a fun, activity-filled tropical vacation was in order. So we planned a trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico where we could blissfully ignore all of the holiday traditions and memories that might have caused sadness rather then joy on this happiness of holidays. Well, after a few mishaps along the way (lost passports, wrong names on tickets, 3-hour plane delays) our plan worked. We had a great Christmas in Playa full of fun, laughter and new memories. We snorkeled, swam, canoed, zip-lined, biked, rappelled, cave dived, played beach volleyball, hiked and climbed to the top of an ancient Mayan pyramid at Coba. (We're pictured above at the top of the pyramid.)

As you can see, we were more "active" then a normal beach vacation and spent a lot of time hiking around and exploring the beautiful sites. This is a view from the cliffs of Tulum, another Mayan village we explored. We did spend a day lounging by one of the two huge pools with poolside food and drinks service. Below is a picture of the Sarver Boys horsing around in the pool.

We stayed at the beautiful new Hacienda Tres Rios along the Riviera Maya. The resort was less than a month old, and was built on the site of a nature preserve, so there was lush vegitation, natural pools called cenotes, bike trails, animal watching and of course, there was lots of eating at our luxurious "all inclusive" resort. After all that eating, we had to enjoy some time in the sun (with suncsreen, of course!).

Overall, we had a great time goofing off with one another and celebrating Christmas. We hope to revive many of our family traditions next year...Mom's Swedish cookies and meatballs, a special Christmas breakfast with sausage and gravy, homemade apple sauce and eggs, a night around the tree with crackers and cheese and sparkling wine, sharing our favorite holiday memories. (Boy, it seems like a lot of our traditions revolve around FOOD!) While we missed Mom dearly, and her seat at the table was noticeably empty, we were grateful for the time time together and for the many blessings God has given us. Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

The First Thanksgiving

Last week we celebrated the first Thanksgiving without Mom. The Longhorn and Aggie wings of the Johnson family met in Austin for the annual Thanksgiving football match. We enjoyed the cool weather, TONS of bbq at the Salt Lick, and of course THE game. (49-9, Texas won)

As I sat around with my family thinking of all that I'm grateful for...good health, a job that I love, amazing friends and family, a free and democratic country and above all, my Heavenly father, I couldn't help but think of Mom. My heart still aches when I think about life without her. Not an hour goes by that I don't think about her. She loved the holidays. She relished any chance to celebrate, decorate, cook and most of all, spent time with her family. Even if we didn't always share Thansksgiving Day together, we were always celebrating together in spirit. This year, though most of the family was actually together in person, Mom was noticeably absent...but her spirit lives on in all of us.

This year, the thing I'm most grateful for is my Mother. The blessing of her in my life as a teacher, mentor and friend, is above all that I could have ever hoped for. I'm grateful that God gave her to me for 32 years, and I'm grateful for the impact she had in my life and the lives of countless others.