Seasons Greetings

Our Ice Story

The Johnson family survived Icemageddon 2013 or Iceappocolypse or Cleon or whatever they landed on as the official name. In fact it didn't really phase us all that much. Justin worked from home for two days, but life pretty much went on as normal for us. I did get driven to work by one of our police officers on Friday morning, which I guess is not-so-normal. We shut down the city for the first time ever, but a few of us went in when we learned we had some homes without power. Luckily, it didn't end up being a city-wide outage and I was home by noon.

 

 

We had plans to go to Waco on Saturday for the last Baylor game of the season and the last game to ever be played at Floyd Casey Stadium. It was a sell-out game and one that we could have made a hefty profit on had we decided earlier not to go. That wasn't an option for me, even before we knew the weather was going to be terrible. Anyway, we made the trek, (which was admittedly a little scary), but definitely something I am glad that we did. Did I mention that Baylor won the Big XII for the first time ever? Yah, that happened and we were there to witness it. And we sat through frozen fog to do it. That was awful, but worth it. Kind of.

Our church canceled all services on Sunday, so we called our good friends (and former roommates), picked them up and had breakfast at our neighborhood greasy spoon. We also had them over for dinner on Monday night since our Sunday school class Christmas party was postponed due to the roads. We are hosting that party tonight, but still enjoyed the benefits of living in the same neighborhood as sweet friends on ice days. It really was an unprecedented December storm, but somehow us Johnson's didn't really let it get to us. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, but even a few white weekends this winter will do. Preferably snow and not ice.

Alive and Well

Helloooo. Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?!

I have neglected my little corner of the blogosphere far longer than I ever intended. At first I was just sad and uninspired. And then I had an issue with my iPad. And then, well, it just felt like it had been too long. Perhaps it has been too long, but I missed chronicling our life and having a space to call my own. So, I'm back. And I'm alive and well and happier than ever.

For starters, we FOUND A HOUSE. And not just any house, but a house that we love and that perfectly blends both of our styles. Not a simple or common thing by the way. The story of how we ended up in our house is a story that deserves it's own post. It's a story that very clearly demonstrates the Lord's provision over our lives and how he IS inside of every detail. Don't get me wrong, I miss our sweet, cozy little first house - and probably always will, but to feel confident in following God's plan and not our own is powerful. And a wonderful feeling. I'll definitely blog that story and do a little online home tour. We've had a lot of fun making the house ours.

Aside from the house, we've been busy as usual.

We went to Mexico to celebrate our one year anniversary. One year!

 

Less than 24 hours after we returned home from Mexico, I was back at the airport on my way to Phoenix. It was a crazy week for sure, but I was honored to be asked to speak at a national conference for government marketing professionals.

 

 

We've been doing lots of tailgating in Waco. Lots.

Oh, and my Bears beat OU again. That was fun. And totally worth driving back on a Thursday night and not getting home until 1:30 a.m.

All in all, we are alive and well and very, very thankful. To our family and friends, thank you for loving us through a very difficult time. We are so grateful for your prayers. Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Home

I haven't posted in a while because life as I know it has been turned completely upside down. And I never saw it coming.

Justin and I were out running errands the Saturday before Father's Day. I asked him to drive through this neighborhood that I've always loved. The last "new" neighborhood in our town. I prefer old homes, but Justin definitely prefers new construction. We saw a brand-new home with a for sale sign in the yard. I called the builder, who answered, and gave me the code to go see the house. She also added that the price was negotiable. We both loved the house and over dinner that night decided we were ready to sell our home. My first house that I've always been so proud of. We met with a realtor (who we love by the way) a couple of days later and less than 24 hours after our house went on the market we had a full price offer. We even celebrated that fact. The celebration did not last long. By the following Monday we were made aware that "negotiable" didn't really mean that. Not in our minds anyway. We looked at a few homes and realized we weren't in fact ready to leave. No big deal we thought. Surely they'll back out during the option period after we decline to make any repairs or give any allowance to do so. Surely. Or maybe our house won't appraise. Somethings gotta give.

Of course they proceeded every step of the way. Reality began to sink in over time, but it was not until we were informed that they were not negotiating the close date (which they had asked us to do) out "of spite" for us, that things really began to unravel emotionally for me. Our buyers were very upset that we did not make any repairs, so they chose to "punish" us. To essentially kick us out of our own home. The house that I've called home for 6.5 years. The house that I brought sweet Avery home to only days after moving in. The house that I've hosted countless showers, dinner parties and family holidays. The house that watched Justin and I's relationship bloom. The house we came back to after our honeymoon and made our home instead of my home. Our house on Trailwood Drive has quite literally sheltered me from so many things over the last six years. It's been my refuge and now I'm losing that. Losing something I've taken so much pride in calling my own. I'm just simply heartbroken.

The movers are coming next week. We are fortunate enough to have generous friends who have opened up there home to us. We're storing most of our things in a POD until we have a permanent home. We're looking. Obsessively looking, but we have no idea when our new home will pop up. What I do know are these things:

• God's got his hands all over this. The sermon last week could not have been more direct to Justin and I. "You have faith like Abraham when you are willing to leave when God calls you, live where God leads you and long for what God promises you." That was at the bottom of our sermon notes last Sunday. Doesn't get more convicting than that.
• We have so many people who love us. Who have offered boxes, packing help, dinner and even cupcakes ;)
• Justin and I have each other (and little Avery) to lean on. We're in this together and even though this is by far the toughest thing we've endured in our eleven months of marriage, it's making us stronger as a couple. Without question.
• No home on this earth is a permanent home. For anyone. We take comfort in that.

So thank you for praying for us. For loving us through this. We need it and are so grateful.

Coincidence?

One of my closest college friends is getting married this weekend. We're the last two to get married out of our little circle of friends and I like to think I had a little something to do with the blessed event that's happening this weekend. The bride-to-be did catch the bouquet at my wedding, much to the delight of her then new boyfriend I'm sure. Rumor has it Anthony knew Laura (who we affectionately call Furr) was *the one* from their first date. That first date also happened to be just a few weeks before our wedding. So, is it a coincidence that she caught the bouquet? I think not.

All kidding aside, I am thrilled for my dear friend. She is marrying the one that God intended for her and I know how precious that is. God is faithful and his plans are so much greater than anything we could hope for or imagine. I am so excited to witness such a happy day tomorrow! And, for the record, I think I should clarify that I don't really think I had a thing to do with their marriage. I just think it makes for a nice story ;)

P.S. The groomsman that caught the garter recently got engaged. And I love that too ;)

Goodbye Caldwell

My parents closed on their house today. Their house on Caldwell Creek Drive. They bought the house when I was a senior at Baylor, so I didn't grow up there, but I did make some wonderful memories in that house. I lived there for nine months after college, spent the last nine Christmases there, house-sat a time or two, did most of my wedding projects there and packed up my parent's car for the long haul to Salado for my wedding weekend right there in the circular drive. Lots of sweet memories.

dad packing his truck before the wedding weekend

I hope the next family has just as many great times in their new home. I also hope some of those moments are featured in a reality show. I won't name names, but the new owner has been on a few reality shows and was even a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, so another reality show is not out of the question. It would just be funny to see the house on television. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, happy closing day mom and dad!

For those curious, mom and dad aren't really going anywhere. They are building in North Richland Hills.

Fur for Furr!

Last Saturday I celebrated my last single college girlfriend's upcoming wedding with a fur themed bachelorette party. I know, sounds a little strange, especially given the fact that it's summer. Well, her last name (for two more weeks anyway) is Furr, and we just couldn't resist the play on words. We decked out in our finest fur for our favorite bachelorette and headed to West 7th for a little fun. We may or may not have gotten a few stares walking around town in our accessories. We did have the best time celebrating our girl, and I can't wait for her lake-front wedding in two short weeks!

Happy Birthday Keira!

The little girl who made me an aunt is four today. Four! As they say, it's so hard to believe she is four and yet, I can't really remember what it was like without her in our family. Being her aunt is one of my favorite roles and I'm fairly certain her Uncle Justin feels the same way. We love you big girl!

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

Justin grilled burgers last night (for the first time in our marriage) and I was craving a summery fruit salad to go with it. Cue pinterest search. I found this perfect little salad that was super easy to throw together and so perfect that even my meat and potatoes loving hubby went back for seconds. The oh so simple dressing is what puts it over the top. And the best part, it doesn't involve excess sugar. Here's the recipe. If you can call it a recipe ;)

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

Yield: enough for a crowd

1 pt. container strawberries
1 pt. container blueberries
1  bunch (about 1 1/2 lbs.) seedless grapes (green, red or a mixture of both)
1/4 cup honey (I substitute agave nectar)
juice from 2 limes (about 2-3 tablespoons)

Rinse strawberries, blueberries and grapes.  

Gently pat dry the fruit.  Hull strawberries, then cut each in half; if large, cut into quarters.

Remove stems from blueberries, if any.

Remove grapes from stems.

Gently combine  all three in a large bowl or aluminum tray.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together honey and lime juice.  Pour over fruit.  

Recipe source here

Time well spent

I recently had the chance to take a day off and spend part of it with my nieces. As I mentioned on instagram, it wasn't my most relaxing vacation day ever, but it was definitely time well spent. These girls are both such a mess, but they have my heart.

My mom

My mom is: strong-willed, beautiful, thoughtful, intelligent, kind, always right ;), driven, compassionate, highly educated, passionate (specifically when it comes to sports), generous and God-fearing. Among a million other things. And she's my mine. I'm so thankful she's my mom.

I hope you had the best Mother's Day mom! We are so grateful we got to be with you for a little bit! I love you. Always.

A few things

TGIF friends! We've had a great week and are gearing up for a little mini road trip to the thriving metropolis of Wichita Falls, TX. Yup. We're going to see my cousin graduate from college! So hard to believe. Time flies as they say. Anyway, here are a couple of miscellaneous things going on in the Johnson household lately.

First, I have to brag on Justin. He sent me a box of chocolate covered strawberries from Avery for Mother's Day. Really? He continues to surprise in the sweetest ways.

He may be sweet, but he's also handy. We're currently in the middle of a little kitchen remodel. I wanted to hire it out, but Justin insisted on doing it himself and he's doing a great job. We'll (and be we I mean HE) finish up the back splash this weekend and start painting next weekend. I am NOT looking forward to painting over our red kitchen. Not because I'm going to miss the color, but simply because it's going to be a bear to cover. I am excited to see the final product. Here's the progression so far:

Looking good, huh? I'm so thankful that I married handy. It's a bonus that he's also sweet and thoughtful. And cute. Oh so cute.

Mondays

Mondays have never been my favorite day of the week, but yesterday was made a lot more fun by meeting some of my Fort Worth favorites for a little dinner on the patio. Turns out Monday is the best day to go to Blue Mesa when the weather is nice. We had no wait, perfect weather and only had to dodge a few birds ;) Thankful for sweet friends and catching up on an otherwise ordinary Monday evening.

Eight Months

Today marks eight months of marriage for me and that cute husband of mine. Eight! Time is flying by and I'm not really sure how I feel about that. I am loving this newlywed phase we're in and want to savor it for as long as possible. Speaking of which, how long do we get to call ourselves newlyweds? For a year? Two years? Five years?! Or will we still be calling ourselves newlyweds on our golden anniversary? I guess it doesn't really matter as long as that's how we feel. And for now, we definitely still feel like newlyweds. Happy eight months indeed.

Niece Night

Justin was out of town last Saturday night so I invited my three (almost four!) year old niece to spend the night. I picked her up late Saturday morning for a special "girl's lunch" at McKinley's in Fort Worth. We shopped for a few upcoming showers and then headed across the parking lot to my cousin's baby shower at Blue Mesa. (Told ya it was a girl's weekend)! After the shower Keira and I shopped a bit and then headed home for some serious girl time. In other words, we painted nails, ordered a pizza and baked cookies. All at her request by the way. This aunt will pretty much say yes to anything her nieces ask. Almost. Keira did so well and I'm pretty sure she had just as much fun as I did. Almost ;)

San Antonio Escape

Justin and I escaped to San Antonio last weekend and had the best time. Our main objective was meeting little Noah Edwards, newborn son of two of our dearest friends. We wasted no time getting to Kate and Jared's house and drove straight there once we crossed into San Antonio. Noah is even sweeter in person than he is in the photos I've been getting. Seriously adorable. We enjoyed a nice visit with Kate and Jared and each took a turn snuggling with Noah. It's safe to say we're both pretty smitten.

uncle justin meets noah!

noah aaron

After a few hours of good baby cuddling we headed to the Riverwalk to check into our hotel. I was particularly excited about the hotel because I had booked the historic St. Anthony. I probably shouldn't have been so excited. The lobby was breathtaking, but that's about where it ended. The room was clean and all, but our view of an air shaft and a bunch of air conditioners definitely wasn't. Clean I mean. The original tile in the bathroom was neat, along with our own personal doorbell and vintage peephole on the door, but definitely not what I had in mind. Especially for the price. Oh well. Live it learn it.

gorgeous turn-of-the-century lobby

our vintage doorbell and peephole

None of that really mattered once we met up with our friends on the Riverwalk later that night. The weather was pretty perfect and the company was even better. It was certainly a quick weekend trip, but well worth it.

Hello, April

Hello, April. So crazy weird that you are already here. I hate that I've been one of those bloggers lately. I attribute my lack of posting to my crazy work schedule as of late, which has involved at least two night meetings each week since Christmas. I'm happy to report that I'm down to one meeting every other week, so life is returning to normal. And don't get me wrong, I still love my job, I've just missed seeeing that cute new husband of mine for more than a few minutes a day.

Speaking of which, we celebrated seven months of marital bliss yesterday. And by celebrate I mean we ate a lot of Easter candy. And by we I mean I. No surprise there. Anyway, I'm here and life is relatively normal and great. We're looking forward to this weekend where we'll get to see my ever-so-talented dad perform in a church play and meet a sweet newborn of some very dear friends of ours. We've been waiting to meet Noah for a long time and we can hardly wait! Until then, here's a photo of our first married Easter.

It was a sweet, sweet day spent worshipping our risen Savior with family. Unfortunately the evening did not end so well after my beloved Lady Bears got robbed of a three-peat appearance in the elite eight. I can't really talk about it. Here's hoping our men can pull out a win in the final four of the NIT. Happy April friends and Sic 'Em Bears!