Year One Anniversary Pictures

Personally, I don't think the only formal photos you should take as a couple are your engagement and wedding photos. I was looking forward to taking pictures with Eric for like a month! We had the excuse to be affectionate- holding hands, kisses on the forehead, hugging-because there was a camera on us to document it! A few days before our anniversary a friend snapped some pictures for us and it was so fun to be able to laugh with one another, talk about the past year in between camera clicks and look into each others eyes and smile. During this day I felt like it was our anniversary, then it was nice to remember there was still more to come and celebrate. It was part of our little way to celebrate being married for the past year. Plus, these are for our posterity :)

Anniversary Weekend

Today is our wedding anniversary. Mostly yesterday, we celebrated being married for One Year. (six years being together). I can talk on and on about how fast the time has gone by or about the different memories we've made. 

I really am just so happy and grateful this man picked me. We have a been on a wonderful roller coaster this past year and when I stop to really think about it, there is no one else that I would rather be with, experiencing life and growing with one another. That's when in that moment I feel this immense amount of love for my husband and the life we have with one another. The first year was simply the best because I married my best friend; a man who is gentle, loving, understanding, kind and hilarious! He has kept me smiling and laughing. I look forward to this coming year and what ever it brings!

Yesterday we packed a lunch and drove to some hot springs to enjoy and relax- which was so nice! 

This was the only picture of the hot springs I took... because I feel awkward taking pictures of a bunch of people in pools wearing bathing suits. This one was mostly empty because it was HOT! I couldn't stand to be in it more than two minutes, and then I was only dipping my feet in it. 

We came home and cleaned up nice and headed to dinner! 

We went to a place that we've been hearing a ton about the past few months. Basically that it's pricy, but worth it because 'all you can eat steak'! We didn't call ahead or think about making a reservation, so that resulted in our 40 minute wait. That place is packed! We sat and chatted and drooled thinking about the delicious food. Once we were seated the rolls just kept coming, we ordered an appetizer (hello, super hungry) that was something else amazing and the dinner was so worth the wait because it was delicious. Eric had the all you can steak with a loaded bake potato and house salad. Technically you aren't aloud to share the steak... But he would cut a piece and slip it onto my plate- it was fantastic. I had a combo of chicken and steak fajitas, with black beans, spanish rice and all the great toppings. Eric finished his first steak and they brought out a second (which was considerably smaller that his first in the picture below). The second one was even better. It was so tender and juicy. Have I made you super hungry or what?? Bottom line... It was good! Check out Stockman's Restaurant in Idaho Falls.

ten months.

Oh how the time has flown by. Everyone is aware of time passing differently. I think it depends on the stage of life you are currently in and also the different milestones or bumps in the road life places in front of us. My awareness of time passing was based on my college semesters, in chunks of 3 months. "Wow, a semester now gone and over." After 3 semesters, with a few weeks of breaks, a year was already gone. 

I counted down years, months, weeks, days... until Eric would be home from serving a service mission for the LDS church. Then two years has passed and he was home, right back where it felt like he had never left.

Finishing up high school.. moving to college.. finishing college.. It all seemed that time passed by in an "appropriate" amount (or sometimes it felt too slow). 

But when I got married, this all changed, I feel like.

Really? Just this time last year I was planning a wedding in 78 days? Then the BIG day already came and went... almost a year ago?

I didn't plan on posting about this. (Maybe the monthly anniversary post will stop when we've been married a year ha) But I am just surprised how quickly it's going by and how much FUN it has been filled with. I love the quote, "What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven't happened yet." 

I'm kind of thinking I'm weird for feeling like this now, only after 10 months. I'll be freaked out/amazed when it's 10 years and it goes by faster with every family addition.

But for now, it's been the BEST 10 months and better than I could of ever imagined.
I love our life we are building together as best friends, as husband and wife.

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!

I'm still here!

And as happy as ever! These past couple of months have been a whirl-wind. Soon after getting married we moved into our first apartment and started into a routine. This semester flew by for me going to school/ working part-time and Eric working full-time. It finally comes to a close this week for me! On Friday I am done with test, classes, clinical, projects... done with my ASN Nursing Degree! I can't wait to see all of our family for graduation next week!

Meanwhile this semester we've been making time for lots of fun. Idaho is a funny place. It's only beautiful for about 3 months out of the semester. If you've ever visited, you understand. We've had lots of bike rides, hikes and this past Saturday I had a first. I went white water rafting for the first time! I was probably the most nervous. Eric has been a ton on the Colorado River. But man, after a few miles on the river I was in a happy place.

We drove 3 hours to the Salmon River. That's the first thing I loved. Getting so far away from Rexburg and just forgetting about school work the whole day. I enjoyed just being in the moment all day. Our raft guide let us know when it was a safe to jump out and swim. Floating on my back, looking up at the blue sky, as the Salmon River flows through the mountains covered in pine trees, with a smile on my face, it was magical. And the sunburn is completely worth it!

We also enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July! Idaho Falls has the 2nd best firework show in the nation. And it didn't disappoint!

LOTS is planned for the month of August! Including my NCLEX test (boards for nursing license) and a vacation I have been

looking forward to forever now. 

Hiking + Snow Cones + More Ramblings

Going hiking and randomly stopping for snow cones have been our favorite things to do lately! 

My current favorite snow snowcone: Gummy Worms. A mix of Green Apple + Blue Raspberry

We finished ALL of the seasons of The Walking Dead.

I thought I was one to never watch that show. Then I was hooked.

Labor and Delivery nurses is where it's at.

I'm loving my preceptorship. 

even if it's the night shift.

We only wait for the movies to get to the cheap theater.

So we just saw 'The Other Woman'.

We laughed out loud the entire time 

and then thought "this is pretty inappropriate" haha

Inside jokes are our favorite thing.

We didn't realize we had so many until my little sister came over for dinner

and we laughed 95% of the time and she didn't get it.

If you aren't a fan of Jimmy Fallon something is wrong.

Have you seen his hashtag videos? If not, google it!

Anyways, E is hilarious at doing them in the most perfect moments of our day.

#sneakinin

#donedidit

There we go with our inside jokes again :) 

I finally ordered wedding pictures. 

That was a hard decision to choose which to print and not all 500.

Speaking of weddings...

What is the acceptable time to wait until you should probably start Thank You cards?

Eric banged up his finger pretty bad at work.

We didn't have any band-aides. I realized we didn't have any type of first aide kits.

Good thing I'm a nurse right? Ha!

We cooked our first meal in our crock pot.

It was delicccccccous! 

I'm almost done decorating our apartment. 

We aren't allowed to put holes in the wall.

Except I put two. oops :)

You know how everyone one else in the world is enjoying Summer besides BYU-Idaho?

Well my sweet summer is 6 weeks away!

That means graduation is in..... 34 days! 

We're hangin' in there!

Recipes for a Happy Marriage

I believe most people, including me, let there crafty side come out when they start planning and decorating for a wedding. When I started planning my wedding back in January I had so many ideas flying left and right. 

I knew I wanted to do something a little bit more than just having our reception guest sign a "guestbook". I wanted a place for people to leave date ideas, advice and jokes. 

That's when I thought of "Recipes for a Happy Marriage". I ordered this plain, wooden brown recipe box from etsy. I went to the local craft store and I bought some white sharpie paint pens. I first sketched, very lightly, with a pencil of a design. Then traced back over the pencil with the white sharpie pen! 

For someone who isn't very crafty, I love how this box turned out! It took a lot of patience, ha, but so worth it! Some wise people let us in on the recipes to a Happy Marriage and some Secrets of being Happy. The box now sits in my kitchen, holding the advice and love everyone at our wedding reception shared with us + my cooking recipes! 

I will soon be sharing one of my favorite cooking recipes from my recipe box: 

Baked Creamy Chicken Burritos! 

Thanks for reading! 

Johnson Forever

We were married 4.12.14
And it was one of the happiest days.
The first day of starting our lives together!
It was all amazing, more than I could of imagined.
I've been going through lots of emotions
and thinking of different words of how to express the day.
I will have to be back soon to break it all down, but for now
I love being married to this man!
It's true, and might sounds a little cliche, when people say marriage is the best!