Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My goodness. I can not explain enough how much I am loving this holiday season.
And this much needed break.
We left our home in Rexburg on December 19th for Texas.. And we're still here!
I am so grateful both of our families live 45 minutes apart. Sometimes it is hard splitting time, but for the most part it's the best of both worlds. We have been so busy with family!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and were able to spend it with close friends and family! 

I was super happy with these family cards, our first ones as a married couple!
This year has been PACKED! From engagement, to wedding, to graduation, to vacations, to newlywed life.
We are looking forward to 2015!

at home with the Johnson's: bathroom style

We moved three week ago now and I'll be honest, I'm struggling decorating! Even with all of the pinterest boards I have. Our space is bigger, I have many empty walls and ideas going around like crazy in my head. I expected to move in and a week later everything be in order and decorated. I partly blame my ocd cleaning side. I felt like our new place could of been a LOT cleaner to welcome us. Isn't that annoying? The first thing I did was deep clean the bathroom! I knew I wanted it to be light blues + golds. I didn't have much trouble with finding everything for it and I'm super glad the way it turned out. So it's currently my favorite room! 

Our new bedding arrived, so our bedroom is closer to being done! When I look at the living room I'm overwhelmed. I've always wanted to do a photo gallery wall and now the wall space...scares me? Haha. Not to mention picking out curtains, rugs and decorative pillows! Oh man. I'm excited to, slowly, tackle all of this! 

our first home together

Welcome to our Home!

Okay. We really, really loved this apartment. It is tiny! (1 bed, 1 bath, 560 sq. ft.)

When Eric and I were assigned this apartment we creepily drove by to stalk it. We're weird, I know. 

We arrived at the apartment at about 10pm a week after we were married.

All we had was some bedding to sleep with ha.

It's crazy to me to think we spent the first 6 months of our marriage here. 

Sooo many funny memories + laughter fill this apartment. 

But we decided we needed something bigger + were ready for a move. 

An apartment opened up, we liked it, and we were able to get rid of our current contract from our first place. 

I'm super excited about our new place! 

We've been here almost two weeks and things are really starting to come together. 

We gained more space everywhere + a second bedroom!

A huge bonus is I can put holes in the wall-- so basically decorate now since it wasn't allowed in our first place. 

I'll share some pictures as things are completed! 

I would like to thank so many people for helping + supporting + loving Eric and I. There are too many people to name since the day we got engaged, to getting married, to now. It is an overwhelming feeling that we feel so blessed to have. THANK YOU!

california wedding

These past few weeks have been super busy! This past weekend we spent in California

I’ve never really been to California. I went with my family when I was two years old and I was scared of the ocean, so I had my own tiny pool on the beach to swim in. So none of that counts.

We flew into LAX Friday night and headed to our hotel where I met up with my friendssssss. Over a year ago all four of us were roommates. Vanessa and I decided to room together after only hanging out a few times and two random girls were assigned to our apartment-Kelly and Janessa. The four of us became best friends. Since then we are all graduated, living in 4 different states and getting together for each other’s weddings!

The whole day was beautiful. The temple sealing was perfect and the bride flawless. It made me so nostalgic thinking of my own wedding day. Does anyone want to redo their wedding day, without the crazy planning, and just relive + enjoy the day? Ah! I was so excited for Kelly! This was the first temple sealing I've had the privilege to witness. It was such a special reminder to me of the covenants I have made and the sealing power of the priesthood that was used to seal my husband and I for eternity. It’s such a happy and peaceful feeling to know that we will always be together and how much I love him more every day.

Congratulations Kelly and Paul!

(always on my tippy-toes) 

 

After the temple ceremony + taking tons of pictures we prepared for the reception. The reception was tons of fun!! I love a reception with a good DJ + lots of dancing. After the party the bride and groom were off and Janessa took us to Newport beach! I was bummed it was nighttime, but the ocean was still as powerful, even more so in the dark. We walked along the beach and let the waves chase us.

Sunday morning we packed up our bags and flew home. The trip was too short. 

I want to go back in the summer and explore those beaches.

 When we arrived back home Sunday night it was freezing, crazy wind and raining. 

Today we woke up to bad roads and 5 inches of snow. Boooooo. 

where do I see myself in 5 years?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I was asked this question about a week ago + haven't stopped thinking about it since.

Especially since I have begone working as a nurse with some elderly, interesting, great individuals. 

I like the idea of this list of goals, ideas, hopes, and dreams! 

In 5 years....

+ I'll have my bachelors degree in nursing and lots of experience, specifically in Labor and Delivery.

+ Eric will have graduated with his bachelors degree in Geology with an emphasis in Petroleum. 

+ NOT living in Rexburg ;) 

+ We will be living wherever Eric can get a great job. Preferably close to family, so either Texas or Utah.

+ We will have made the transition from apartment living/renting to hopefully owning a home.

+ We will be a mother and father and possibly expecting our second child.

+ [hopefully] We will be driving two different cars than what we are now. Ha!

+ We definitely want to start traveling together soon. 

+ I also see myself striving to be a better person, greater friend and a strong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

It's little nerve racking thinking about the next 5 years, but oh so exciting. At the same time I know it'll fly by!

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The past couple of weeks have been crazy!

First, I did start a job! + school part time to receive my bachelors in nursing. 

Second, Eric started school full time + working part time at the same great job on campus. 

Third, we are starting our fifth week of the semester.

Fourth, I turned 22. Where Eric spoiled me all day. 

Fifth, we traveled to Utah for some family time + general conference.

Sixth, Eric is currently in the grand canyon studying rocks. 

These 4 days will be the longest we spend apart, not cool. (during our 6-month anniversary and his birthday booo) 

Seventh, in three weeks we are moving! ----> It just kind of happened! I wasn't expecting the move in the middle of the semester but we are moving to a bigger apartment! (hello washer and dryer, dish tv and internet included)
Eighth, my brother in law received a mission call to the Everett, Washington mission!
Which is ironically funny.. This is the day we found out we got the new apartment.. It's called Everett! haha

Some very random pictures: 

Eric attempted in making his first cake ever for me + frosting it, not too bad! It sure was delicious.

We also have carried on the tradition of breakfast in bed on your birthday. (I'll spare that picture) 

And I got a little shopping spree to Forever21. He knows me so well. 

This is how we get ready together. We are quit the weird couple.

Baby snuggles are the BEST!

A picture just because he is incredibly handsome and tomorrow we have been married 6 months! 

remembering apartment 1303

This past week was move in day for BYU-Idaho.

Rexburg grew by 20,000 people. 

I'm not so excited about the amount of traffic.

But a start of a new semester also means that my sister is back!

We had a couple of people stay with us before they could move in to their apartment.

I'm glad those single friends don't think its weird to stay with their married friends, ha.

 I helped those friends move into their apartment in the old complex I lived in.

I lived there for almost two years before I was married.
As we were moving them in, I walked by my old apartment and paused.
From standing outside you could hear laughter.
I have no idea who lives there now.
We're all graduated/married and have moved.
But there are so. many. memories.
We were so silly and had so much fun. every day.
So many late nights staying up, talking, and drinking Mountain Dew.
In this apartment I made some of my best friends!

I also came home to this apartment after Eric and I got engaged.

 We cuddled every night on the couch together

or practiced making our first meals together in this kitchen. 

 and said goodnight to each other at the door when he walked home to his apartment. 

Ohhh apartment 1303, sometimes I miss you and the memories you hold. 

When you walk by your old apartment, you just have to take a picture!

Now some pictures for the memories: 

Birthday parties/trips to the lake/sunday church/pranks

We all four will be at Kelly's wedding (far right) in November!

I'm too excited.

fall time is also apple picking time

Eric came home from work way excited about 'the most delicious apple he's ever tasted'.

So it was off to the apple orchards to find this apple tree...
and taste every apple from over the 100 different apple trees!
This orchard is about a mile away from us and I've never been to it! I'd say it's a hidden secret of Rexburg.
I couldn't believe first, how beautiful it was and second, that there are actually that many different types of apples! And each apple we pulled off a tree and tasted was different!
Pulling fruit off a tree to eat makes me nervous so I always made Eric take the first bite, ha.
The apples that we picked to bring home are more of a light pink and called 'irish peach'.
Now I really just want to have an apple tree to pick in my backyard.
I don't know what it was about it, but it made me feel like it's really fall!

5 years ago today

September 9, 2009

Eric and I have a lot of 'little' dates that we could call for celebration.

Today is one that we choose to always remember. 

Five years ago today Eric asked me to be his girlfriend.

I was so giddy.

I had been hoping he would ask for months!

About two weeks after we had our first kiss.

I was crazy about him!

We were only 16.

Now I'm married to the boy I've wanted to marry since I was 16!

And in just three days we'll celebrate 5 months of marriage.

And in celebration, I updated the tab "Our Story"

Check it out to read about us from the age of 2 years old to now!

labor day weekend was already a week ago?

I feel like we were just packing our bags and headed to Utah! 

This week flew by way to fast, which only means school is starting up again very, very soon.

 We really love leaving our tiny apartment to go visit Eric's sister and her cute family in Utah.
Probably because Utah is covered by so many familiar faces! Family, friends and Eric served a mission for our church in Utah. We visit old wards he served in and word just spreads that Elder Johnson is there and everyone comes to us to visit. I know I married an amazing man- hints why I married him ;)- but it is so wonderful to hear other people talk about the love he shared and the great man they see him as.

Playing at the aquarium! Aren't penguins the cutest?

While we were in Utah Eric made it very well known that he was going to go shopping for my birthday [september 25] present. Whatever it is, he's really excited about it and it's killing me! And he's doing everything to cover his tracks so I can't find out. He even shipped it to the neighbors house so I would never see it with him/in our home. Our birthday's are 18 days apart, so I'm a little older ha, and I need to start thinking about what to get him! I have a few ideas....

Our nieces Kamryn and Madison are the absolute cutest! Eric plays with them the whole time we are there, his facial expressions and noises he makes to get baby Madison to smile and giggle are. the. sweetest! If he loves playing with them this much, I just can't wait to see him with our own children one day!
It's going to melt my heart for sure.

Doesn't he just look good holding a baby? ;)
[sorry for the blurry iphone pic]

While visiting Utah I got to meet up with some sweet friends I have missed! So much fun! I was really blessed with the girls I lived with and became such good friends with in college.
From my first semester to now and we're all graduated and living life!

It started to make me feel a little nostalgic. When I was first married I was worried about 'losing' friends. My single friends got new roommates, met more and more people and I was lucky enough to land the GREATEST roommate ever, my husband. We have been on an amazing adventure the past 4.5 months of our marriage. After we had been dating for 5 years there was still so much to learn about one another and memories to make! I feel like old roommates and friends just thought we were too busy for them and had 'moved on' to married life. But the truth is I need my girls! And just them- not 10 other people I don't know at a party. While I was in Utah a single friend brought up the subject and said she knows that it's the friends 'who forget about their married friends'. Which surprised me, because most other single people say it's the complete opposite.
Question: Does anyone else feel like this?
What are some things you found that help make a balance?

documenting august

Time just flew by this summer + especially august.

 I didn't document any of it! So be ready for a catch up!

For a week Eric and I were so lucky to spend a week at Snowbird. A summer resort tucked away in Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah. Eric's family has a timeshare and they have a huge family reunion every other summer. This was an off summer so we got it all to ourselves. But I am sooo looking forward to going back next summer!

I couldn't get over the view we woke up to every morning. The beautiful mountains right there and that fresh mountain air. Now I'm just making myself miss it... until next time Snowbird!

[This heated pool + hot tub + the steam room]

[Reading Elizabeth Smart's story.. It's a tear jerker. A woman of so much courage and faith during her hard trial.]

[Homemade spaghetti and garlic bread on our balcony]

We spent a day at Lagoon. My first time and it was so much fun playing with Eric! We only got one picture together this day while we were taking a relaxing ferris wheel ride. 

We also spent a day doing the activities at Snowbird. We did the mountain coaster and Alpine Slide over and over again! 

We also did the longest, hardest hike I've ever done. We hiked to the top of Hidden Peak in just under 3 hours. I was pretty proud of myself when we made it to the top. The beginning of a hike is always the hardest. I was having to get in the right mindset. After about 30 minutes in I was loving it. The hike was beautiful + we never really came across anyone. Then we got to our last trail, The Ridge. Hike the ridge of mountain, so basically hiking straight up, so we can get to the peak. That was the hardest part! I was exhausted haha but it was actually really fun. 

[See the ridge on the right? yeah that's what I'm talking about.]

Had to pick up this magnet for a little souvenir :)

Other random things happening: 

Someone left a microwave by our apartment complex mailboxes with a a 'free' sign. So I took it, tested it for a couple of days and sold it for $40. #winning

We got a comforter set from BBB in April when we got married and I really loved it. By now it started to not look as nice, really not the best quality and then... it ripped... and again... and then it had three rips in it! After writing an angry online review and finding out it's happened to other people who spent 150$ on it, I called BBB customer service to complain. The conversation lasted maybe a full minute? The nice lady [I felt bad for being so angry] told me to return it and pick out another or take in store credit. Was it really that simple? haha So we have a new set that is so much better! I find myself walking into the bedroom randomly just to look!

 Eric and I took the Idaho driving test to be become citizens of Idaho... We both failed. Yes, laugh. But Idaho has weird driving laws. I was happy I got to keep my TEXAS driving license for a little longer though. Since then I've retaken it, passed, and sadly gave up that Texas license. 

I used to be intimidated by cookbooks...and just flat out cooking. Now I would be so lost without them! I enjoy cooking so much.

[Chicken Parmesan and fresh green beans]

And I am super into meal planning. It makes it so much easier to cook and go to the grocery store in a busy schedule! I also feel like meal planning is a plus because we are eating healthier and eating out less.

August was SO much fun. Minus all of the studying for the NCLEX. [see previous post]
But now it's time to start gearing up for another semester of school!