josh & angelica

NINEmonths

2012-01-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

these nine months "out" have been so much more enjoyable than your first nine months "in" :) we love you to pieces, PEAnut. you and your silly open mouth, tongue out, sloppy, dribbly kisses.

EIGHTmonths

2011-12-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

peyton reese, are you kidding me with your EVERYTHING?! you are my smile trigger, my chill giver. you are the reason i stretch my face in ways i never knew i could, and make noises i never thought possible. you have brought to life a whole new part of me. and for that, I THANK YOU. and to think how much you've grown! and learned! and become, already! you are who my eyes follow--where they dart in a room. you are who my ear perks up for. i love that i can hear you through a plethora of other noises--how i feel so in touch with the pitch of your squeals and cries. i even recognize your little toots from the other room! how you crack me up, dear peyton. and have i told you how much i adore your voice?! the look on your face when you make a new sound is priceless. the way your eyes light up when your voice is louder than all the other voices in the restaurant (ah-hem...!). and did you know i've seen you struggle with what to do when your most delicious cheeks get in the way of you smiling any bigger!? but i'd never move those cheeks for anything--own those, baby girl--they are definitely your trademark. and that new little tooth of yours is starting to make a dent in the shape of your smile. so precious... i am anxious to watch you grow and change, and to love you more and more each day (although i'm not convinced that's possible, but "they" tell me it is...) but i promise to continue to cherish each day with you as you grow. baby peyton, you've thrown me for the most incredible loop. you look so sweet in pink that i'm actually liking the color myself, these days. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU DO TO ME. i love you, i cherish you, i adore you.

happy 8 months, pey pey.

love mommy, and your equally obsessed and in love daddy.

got milk?

2011-11-11T16:06:00.001-08:00

the munchkin was a cow for halloween.

we had an office party at my office where all the kids came in dressed up. such cuties!!

no trick or treating for us this year--although you can see she's already reaching for treats...

this kid cracks me up with her rolls. i just love that you can see them through her tights...

peyton's friend caden was a skunk--honestly--how cute is his costume!?

i can't believe peyton has friends already...

hope everyone had a happy and safe halloween!

Seven Months Old!!

2011-11-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

She’s SEVEN months! Can you believe it! It’s crazy how much difference a month can make. Help me stand! Feed me! Change my diaper! DON’T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE! It’s crazy how much personality this girl has and how much she shows her individuality. She’s constantly whispering, spitting, and trying to stand. Sometimes she’s trying to do all three at once! She’s pretty dang talented. I can just tell that as she get’s older, the greater my need for a shotgun is becoming. Have you seen the cuteness this girl exudes?!?!?!

And it should be noted... taking our monthly photos is becoming ever more challenging. This month's photo doesn't have a "7 month" sticker because--well, because of this...

When we took the sticker away, the blanket and crib became the distraction of the moment...

We even tried standing, in hopes that may make things easier...

...but we couldn't get a cheese out of her!

But really, isn't this the fun of it all?!?

theWEEKDAY

2011-10-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

when sunday night comes around these days, it's as if things don't stop until friday afternoon. josh and i are enjoying this season of our lives with a "new baby", (although it seems as if peyton's been around and part of our lives forever, which we just love!) but it IS different than life pre-baby. as an example, here's a typical...tuesday...

5am - gigi up to pump and get dressed
530am - gigi to the park for an early workout--it's bootcamp this month, brought to me by groupon!
645am - gigi home and in the shower
7am - josh is up and at 'em
715am - peyton's up. time to feed and play!
8am - gigi off to work, josh and p off to nana's
WORK ALL DAY AS IF FAMILY JUST DON'T EXIST :-(
5pm - josh to nana's to pick up the munchkin
530pm - gigi head's home
545pm - finally, family at last :-)
6pm - walk at the park with the munchkin and the bug
630pm - josh and gigi cook and trade off playing 1-on-1 with peyt
7pm - nom nom nom for all of us
715pm - peyt takes a 20 min snoozer while we pick up around the house and do the dishes
745pm - josh and gigi are done with the dishes, so we clean our kid in the sink, next
800pm - trade off playing with p again while we pack lunches and bottles for tomorrow

815pm - josh to the trails for an evening run
830pm - peyt's bedtime...a few books and songs, lots of kisses, and one sleepy baby

845pm - josh home from his run and back in the shower
9pm - oh, hi, husband. hi, wife. couch/snuggle date? sure, why not.
10pm - final pump sesh...for geeg, not josh...of course...
1015pm - gigi spends 10 min. getting frustrated picking clothes
1030pm - roll into bed...exhausted

and again, and again, and again, until saturday. i know this isn't unusual for parents that work full time, and we're totally good to go with all this, but i can't begin to express how much we cherish the few hours we have with peyton...

and those few precious moments spent with P around the house often look something like this...

mommy and peyton after a walk at the park

daddy snuggling with peyt on the couch

6 months old and ever so amahhhzing...

2011-10-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

our munchkin is 6 months old, and we can't believe it! we adore every inch of her 6 month old skin, love every strand of her 6 month old hair, and nuzzle every roll on her 6 month old body. seriously, can't get enough of this girl.

at 6 months old, peyton is quite the little ham. she loves to smile, and rather than chuckle or laugh, her happy default is an excited, high pitched squeal!! when left to her own devices, she rolls from one end of a room to the other. the rolling thing is great, until we're trying to change her diaper, that is...

we feel so blessed to have peyton as a part of our family. she brings an indescribable joy to our lives--a joy that is hers alone to bring--and we are thankful for that everyday.

vacationing with good friends - las vegas, nv

2011-09-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

the past four days have been pure bliss. josh, peyt, and i hit the road midday wednesday and headed vegas (because i have no clue if that's north, east, north-north east, east-north-north. whatever. it's just toward vegas.) but the best part of our trip? we didn't even go NEAR that dirty strip. we hooked a left at vegas and went toward the toll brothers community "red rock" where luxury homes lined paved streets and families did their family thing. suburbia. BLISS.

our good friends, jana and brian, were there as a perk of brian's job (every toll brother's employee gets to stay in one of their houses across the country once a year). we were so excited when they asked us if we'd join them, along with our other good friends, kym and andrew. this was our first "families vacationing together" trip, and i look forward to MANY more. we did not leave the house the entire 4 days. everything was there that we needed! our friends, the pool, food, drinks, a pool table, the tv, toys for the kids, lots of bedrooms, twice as many bathrooms. the house was beautiful (i have yet to see a toll brothers home that doesn't cause your jaw to drop) and the harrelsons did a fantastic job hosting us, even though we kept trying to get them to relax. oh, how was the weather, you ask!? ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS! i can't believe it ever went over 95 or under 75. the kids weren't too hot, but it was never too cold to take a dip in the warm pool or even the hot tub. here are a few pics of the shinanigans. enjoy!!

5 months and soaking up this world!

2011-09-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

peyton,
at 5 months old you continue to bring so much joy to our lives. you have quite the little personality--you're sweet, cuddly, happy, goofy, goofy, goofy, and constantly exploring and putting EVERYTHING in your mouth. you are easily distracted...when you're nursing and you hear june or daddy walk in, you stretch your head wayyyy back looking for them, and i get a little peek of your usually roll-covered neck. then you make noises, blow bubbles, blow air and eventually re-focus. so cute. you roll from front to back and back to front, and you twist all over, but you're not moving in any one specific direction yet. thankfully. i'm not quite ready for you to be mobile. you learned to sit up this month, and you LOVE standing on your feet when people support you up. my favorite thing you do is flash your big, gummy smile at mommy and daddy when we come get you out of your crib in the mornings. i love that you recognize us, and that you associate us with fun and happiness. because that's what we think of you, too!
we love you peyton, no doubt and never changing.
xoxo,
mommy

sittin' on up!

2011-08-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

peyton is almost 5 months old, and more fun than ever! she loves to smile and laugh (squeel, really...) and is starting to sit without help! she loves laying on her tummy playing with toys, and laying on her back chewing on toes! she has a favorite dvd already ("praise baby"--which has been a total life saver on a few occasions!) and loves when we sing songs to her and make faces her way. she watches us get ready every morning, and can't get enough of the june bug right now. it's so fun to see her take it all in! some days she likes books, some days she's over them, but we keep trying! she's starting to really like bathtime, as it's now just become another time to play, only this time, with water! needless to say, it's a somewhat messy event to get clean... here are a few pics of the growing (sitting) munchkin.

transitions

2011-08-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

it's an understatement to say things have changed for josh and i over the past few months.

no doubt has having a baby introduced a whole other level of magnificent chaos, but as if that weren't enough, our own lives have endured some big changes as well. our little baby girl is four and a half months old. for the first three months, i got to spend every hour of every day with her, as the lovely state of california funded my time with her. thank you, maternity leave! the worst part about maternity leave? it ends. i truly believe that the transition of going back to working full time has been more challenging than becoming a first time mom. having a baby and not working was CAKE. having a baby and working--now THAT's been interesting.

my three months at home were probably easier than most stay-at-home mom's job, though. i knew i'd be going back to work, so i essentially "lived it up" by doing whatever i wanted, whenever i wanted. we still ate out (so i never cooked), we still had someone come clean our house (so i never had to), and we still shopped as if we had two incomes (which we did...), so i was never challenged to be creative with our money and life as a mom was so new that i never just got bored or tired of being with peyton. my biggest worry was probably going through the mail on a daily basis. but during this time, my daughter learned to love the mall and any restaurant that someone would ooo and ahh at her. that's my girl......

going back to work wasn't over the top tough--my morning's start a little earlier since we have to get the munchkin ready and take her to grandma's, and my evenings are now devoted to preparing for the next day, but being at the office is--dare i say it--fun. the challenge in the whole transition has been that overall feeling of not getting enough of my little peyton. i get 15-30 minutes with her in the morning, then another 2-3 hours at night, of which we find a nap somewhere in there. that, compared to my 24/7 best friend from months 0-3, has been a struggle. josh assures me that she knows who i am, and that i know her better than anyone in this world, and i'm glad he does, because there are days that i'm doubtful. so, my current focus is on finding creative ways to squeeze more time in with her. the occasional work-from-home afternoon or lunch-date with peyton and my mom seem to be helping, but this is one thing that's going to take some serious getting used to. so, i struggle, but i endure. i think this is where God wants our family to be right now. and i know my mom sure likes it!!

josh, on the other hand, has had his own transition to work through. of course, daddy-dom requires more from him than owning a dog did, and he's handled it with beauty and grace (not surprised one bit...) but he's changed jobs in the middle of all this. on june 30th he had his last day at his old job, and on july 1st he started his new one. can we say BLESSED?! in this economy, we really weren't sure if petyon would be experiencing a stay-at-home-daddy lifestyle or what... (not that josh would have minded getting all that time with the little one...) his new job is going really well. but a job change is just that--a CHANGE. and with change comes stretching, growing, and a little cramping. learning a new business and a new company is exciting, but keeps him on his toes. funny enough, though, we are right back where we started. his company is moving, and my company is managing their relocation. so, low and behold, just like we met the first time, josh and i are at one enterprise in aliso viejo flirting across the conference table as we meet with numerous execs and industry vendors. I'M LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT! you can ask josh how he feels... the same, I'M SURE OF IT... right, babe? it definitely is funny, though, to see how far we've come. this time we know our flirting will get us somewhere at the end of the day ;-) after all, he IS my favorite client! and i'll venture to say i'm his favorite project manager.

peyton has her own set of changes. going from hanging with mom all day to hanging with grandma all day has been a change, but she seems to love it! she's also been going to the church nursery on sundays, and will start to be with grandma lynette and grandpa don on monday nights, as she's all too distracting for bible study with her bubble blowing and noise making cuteness. josh and i are always running around town with her on the weekends, but on the weeknights, we do a pretty good job of staying home and keeping to somewhat of a routine. i like to think she has a good balance of activity, rest, excitement, and relaxation. i also like knowing she is comfortable with all sorts of people, although i'm starting to see hints of a momma's girl here and there (which i secretly relish in... but know will be tough to manage if it becomes a habit).

so, for now, we keep chugging along. we are enjoying the heck out of our family time, and work hard while we are away from each other. and we stay nimble, because it seems like "transition" is our middle name these days. josh, gigi, and peyton transition johnson.

from the heart,

gigi

4 Months Old!

2011-08-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Four months old! Can you believe how fast time flies??? It seems like just yesterday our little girl was swaddled like a burrito and sleeping a majority of the day. Now she's up smiling, playing, rolling over and standing (with mom and dad's assistance of course.)!! Pretty soon she'll be mobile and June will have to be on the lookout for hair pulling and tail tugging.

Our little Peyton had her four month check-up today and got the A-OK from the doctors. She's 15 lbs., 24 inches tall, and all sorts of CUTE. It seems that almost everyday we notice something about her that is just like mom or dad. It is unbelievable how awesome it is to see something fairly unique about yourself show up as a trait in your child. Gigi has taken many pictures of Peyton and I sleeping next to each other in the EXACT same position. I am constantly reminded that Peyton and Gigi are linked because they both can spread their toes apart and I cannot.

This little miracle we call our daughter has taken over our lives (rightly so) and we cannot stop doting over her every spit, squeal, burp, fart, laugh, and cry. We are getting her ready as I type this to take her to her first Angels baseball game. It's not the Lakers, but I figure if she can handle baseball, she can handle the good sports easily!

Off we go!!!!

stand by to stand by.

2011-07-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

it saddens me that i haven't had enough time to post entries lately :-( life is just like that, right now. fortunately, though, life is BEYOND FULFILLING these days, so i really can't complain.

my goal is to write about a few topics i've had on my mind lately... so, here's the list, and we'll see if/when i can get around to these.

1) transitions for the johnson fam - josh's job, my job, peyton's day job of entertaining family...
2) the effects of baby on marriage - yes...we are indeed learning what "it's not just the two of us anymore" means. ALL GOOD STUFF, but learning TONS.
3) picture of the munchkin - been meaning to post a few of p's photos from our photographer friends dani and kristy, even though some are from months ago :-(
4) a day in the life - because our schedule these days is just plain ridiculous.
5) lessons from our church small group - valued and precious monday nights

6) on life as a dad - (i'm not writing this one... trying to convince josh to pull his weight on this little gem of ours...!)

i love and appreciate that we have readers/followers, and as much as i want you to read my upcoming entries, i must state that my true objective is to write stuff i can someday print and look back on. in other words, if you don't care to tune in for a while, no skin off my back :-)

look for peyton's 4 month photo next thursday! she's all cheeks, as usual :8) and until our next blog, follow our short-n-sweets on twitter! click here to follow josh, and click here to follow me!

see you soon!

our happy girl - three months old

2011-07-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

while you were out celebrating the 4th of july, we were out celebrating peyton's three month birthday! funny enough, this celebration looks a lot like a 4th of july celebration--a day at the pool with friends and neighbors, some grub on the BBQ, and a few chilled beverages, but we were really celebrating little p! :-) thanks, harrelson fam, for joining in the fun ;-)

peyton reese--you are the most amazing little baby girl a mom and dad could ever ask for. this month, you mastered "tummy time", became an expert babbler, found your hands and permanently attached them to the inside of your mouth, and figured out that if you smile at someone, they can't help but smile and laugh back!! you took your first trip to seattle for uncle kyle and aunt susanna's wedding, and were such a trooper on the plane and at all the activities we threw at you during the weekend. you are sleeping through the night (hitting an 8 and a half hour record last night!) and you are in love with sophie the giraffe, your taggie blankie, and anything that plays music or has lights! but mostly, you continue to be a total pleasure, and the most wonderful addition to our lives. thanks for being you!! we love you, sweet p!

father's day 2011

2011-06-23T15:46:00.001-07:00

father's day this year began with peyton and i giving daddy our cards. what a sweet morning it was. (if you look closely you can see her surprise "i love daddy" outfit. the bigger surprise was the subsequent blowout that was the cause for an outfit change...DURING CHURCH. yeah.)

then we went to church where we enjoyed pastor jp's talk about what it means to be a godly father. after church we headed over to josh's parents' house where we celebrated....

...DADDY!!

...GRANDPA JORGE!

...GRANDPA DON!

...and UNCLE MARK!

it was a great day, as is any day spent with family! HAPPY FIRST FATHER'S DAY TO MY JOSH!!

i'm going to be a HCTTFOHTBMOLWMNLWPIOWNSMFBGDAOHWH

2011-06-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

for two and a half months, i've had the most wonderful pleasure of caring for my baby girl. i've had the opportunity to experience life as a SAHM. for those of you that don't follow mommy blogs and websites, that stands for Stay At Home Mommy. this new language is taking time to learn, but i'll get there, i'm sure.

i go back to work in two weeks. i go from being a SAHM to being a Head-Case Trying To Figure Out How To Balance My Old Life With My New Life While Pretending I'm Okay With Not Seeing My Favorite Baby Girl During All Of Her Waking Hours. or, as a blogger may put it, a HCTTFOHTBMOLWMNLWPIOWNSMFBGDAOHWH.

no, i'm not struggling with this one bit. why do you ask?

i will say, however, i am VERY fortunate to be going back to a job that i love, a boss that appreciates me, coworkers that make the day a joy, projects that intrigue and challenge me, and clients that...well, let's just say "keep things interesting".... many moms are not so fortunate when faced with the dreadful moment of returning to the work place. with all that great stuff, though, my only question is "why can't peyton come with me?!" she'd be great! i'd put her to work--answering phones, some light filing... maybe making a schedule or a budget for me when i'm in a bind. i think people would appreciate her presence in my meetings. i mean, the coo-ing and the "talking" is getting SO CUTE. i could watch her grow up and teach her plenty of things. she could nap under my desk. heck, i do--why should i not share the space?! i could make sure she goes outside a few times a day, let her scoot around the halls of the office... but mostly, i'd be able to be her main influence, and she'd have no doubt who her mommy is.

because that's what scares me most. what if little P forgets me? if i leave when she wakes up, and get home when she goes to sleep, all i become is the occasional nighttime feeder, and that awful lady that's always changing her clothes when she's half asleep in the morning or mostly asleep at night. everyday for the past 11 weeks i've gotten to stare into this little girls eyes whenever i want and whisper to her how much mommy loves her, and how great mommy thinks she is. and she stares back with a look that says, "yay!" and a little cracked smile. gosh, i love her.

but, i have to go back to work. we knew that before we began the journey that resulted in a wonderful little miracle we call peyton. so, i will. however, there are terms:

- nana and i will both be installing webcams so i can talk to my baby from work every now and then.

- nana has promised that she and peyt will visit me at work for lunch occasionally.

- i am reserving the right to wake my sleeping child at the most unfair times so i can remind her who loves her

- peyton and josh are my first priority, no matter what, so work just better darn fit into that.

- i'm will not work on the weekends. sorry, clients--weekends are for my family.

- i WILL be taking vacations this year. YAY!

- i am reserving the right to add to my terms list whenever i please.

okay, i'm off to publish these so someone else besides me believes they are valid...

i'll be blogging more about the "great going-back-to-work dilemma". more to follow at 11.

thursday night dinners

2011-06-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

my mom loves all three of her kids, but any chance she gets to see her big-hearted son, she'll take. so much so, that for the last couple of years, she's offered to cook for rolland every thursday night just so he'll come over to flash those pearly whites her way, stuff his belly, rattle off some facts about his latest dj gig, deny that the last girl she saw him hanging out with was his girlfriend, share his itinerary for his next spontaneous trip across the country, and then leave with that sweet "thanks for dinner, mom--mmmmuahhh--love you--bye" salute a few hours later. she digs it.

well, recently, my older sister, kat, and i decided that thursday night dinner should not be exclusive to rolly. it's just not fair--mom's cooking is THAT good and should be shared. after crashing the party over and over, we now refer to this ritual as "thursday night dinners".

mom was out of town last week visiting her family in puerto rico, so, i decided i would host. rolly was out of town, too, so the taskdidn't seem overly daunting as it wasn't going to be a full house. i'm not great cook, but josh fired up the grill and we served a fairly satisfying meal. we topped it off with root-beer floats, OF COURSE, because what is a meal after 6pm without a root beer float to follow? (hint: something along the lines of "not a meal".)

it's been decided by the council (family) that we will now rotate family dinner nights around the different houses. because how else will we get my brother to swing by?!

kat played with peyton...

i drank some wine...

josh barbecued outside...

dad did a little jiggy... (???)

peyton eventually fell asleep...

and for some reason, everyone thought it was worthy of staring...

here's to more thursday night dinners!

a summer weekend

2011-06-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

josh, peyton, june, and i spent saturday afternoon roaming the peninsula at balboa. i just treasure the time the four of us get to spend together.

on sunday, we went swimming at my sister's pool, and again, got to enjoy the amazing weather! we are really loving all these summer activities.

look who won't stop growing! - two months

2011-06-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

little peyton is two months old! obviously, growing is her strong suit right now... (shhhh, don't tell her i chose the pic of her with the muffin top... it's just those rolls are TO DIE FOR!) my favorite, though, has the be the toes. she maneuvers those things like her momma does... extra hands that come in "handy" more often than you'd think :-) i'll be teaching her exactly how to master the use of her toes before too long.

peyton's having no trouble smiling these days!! she's quite the cheeser! she loves when you look at her and talk to her--we have conversations all the time. she really likes sitting up these days. if she's awake, she wants to be a part of it all and see what's going on. yikes, i wonder if she'll have the fear of missing out that i do!

this little girl is such a joy. i can't remember life before peyton--she's our world! yes, we are still having the occasional date night, and continue to work on our marriage everyday... sheesh, people...! she's just our most fun toy right now :-)

love you, sweet p! (p.s. hope your first cold goes away fast... it's brutal watching you struggle to breathe through your nose :-/)

memorial day 2011

2011-05-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

as in what seems to be tradition now, josh and i hosted a casual memorial day bbq at our community pool. this is becoming one of my favorite holidays--good friends, yummy treats, and great sun!

little p chillin' with grandpa

jimmy and larae hanging out poolside

auntie jess taking peyton for a dip

family time in the water!

angelo and vanessa being sweet together ;-)

yup! we sure did bust out a round or 5 of penny can!

little "hailey boo" having a ball!

uncle josh...being "fun" uncle josh to little man joel.

girl time! :-)

thanks to everyone who made it out for the afternoon. as usual, hoping to make summer barbecues a more typical activity! as always, the more the merrier! :-) join us next time!

my playtime...

2011-05-25T19:56:00.001-07:00

have you HEARD the opinions people have about breastfeeding? four words. OH. MY. GOSH. PEOPLE.

since i've become a parent, i've begun to have exposure to the world's thoughts on "everything parenting". a big topic of discussion is breastfeeding. i won't go into the details, you can google it for yourself and get an abundance of differing opinions. me, personally? i thank the Lord every day that i'm physically able to breastfeed my daughter. it's not easy, and it's not for everyone, but peyton seems to like it, i love the benefits of it, and daddy loves the money it saves us!! so for now, baby gets teet :-)

now for the contraversial part. yes, i nurse in public places. i try to consider others--for example, i do my best to not nurse over someone's dinner at a restaurant (although, family has had the unfortunate chance to experience this), or hold off a while if there is a more well-suited place to do it, like a "family's room" or "mother's room", but i'm not afraid. it's not because i can't pump. it's not because i don't have bottles of milk at home.

it's because when i'm done, i can turn my hooter-hider around and play superhero for a few minutes while someone else burps my child.

on parenting

2011-05-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

last week, on one of our morning walks, i made the decision to go ahead and push it a little harder, as my 6-week-post-partum date was approaching. (for those of you unfamiliar with what that date signifies--it's the goal date for which "all normal activities may resume". that's right--ALL NORMAL ACTIVITIES! get your mind out of the gutter--i'm just excited to work out again!!) therefore, that morning walk eventually turned into a morning jog. yay!!

it was quite the sight, really. peyton was in the jogger, june was on her "short leash" (yes, kind of like the short bus, but without all the window licking), and i was "jogging" as if i'd never run a step in my life. we started with a super slow pace, because i didn't want to overdo anything, ya know, in case i accidentally broke a sweat or something strange like that... and within a tenth of a mile june shot me a look that seemed to say, 'i thought we were done with this nonsense of running at an uncomfortably slow pace when you got yourself knocked up, mom!' i tried to ignore it and keep going, but another tenth of a mile later she flat out STOPS. she does this lately, thinking she's the one who decides where and when our walks are over, and i like to think i can pep talk her out of it. but this time, i couldn't. nothing i said got her to move.

"june, you LOVE being outside. what's going on?"

"june, don't'ya wanna get rid of all this pent up energy you have?"

"june, see this tummy? mommy NEEDS to run. seriously."

"june, there's a bunny farm at the end of the trail."

nothing was working. so, i did what any good dog owner would do. i thought real hard, identified her biggest insecurity, and capitalized on it. she hates to be left alone, so i dropped the leash and ran away from her, leaving her and her attitude behind.

she followed me.

i won! but the bigger victory was that i picked up yet another valuable lesson in parenting. because dog ownership is how i acquire all my parenting skills.

one month old today!

2011-05-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

*peyton reese*

you are the most wonderful and amazing gift your dad and i have ever been blessed with! thank you for bringing so much JOY and LOVE to our lives. we a.d.o.r.e you, you know, and we relish in every moment we get to $pend with you (or...$pend bragging about you...)! every glance, movement, sound, facial expression, and touch of yours is priceless and will becherished by the two of us. (oh, and we know june cherishes them, too...!)

happy ONE MONTH birthday to you, our beautiful baby girl!!

all our love and more,

mommy and daddy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*cutest backside ever*

*sleepy, but not sleeping. shocking...*

*mommy loves this cuddler*

*junie keeps an eye on you*

*what are you looking for, peyt?*

*no, really, what's in there?!?!?*

*you and daddy love "after work" time!*

*mmmm, kisses for the baby girl!*

happy easter!

2011-04-24T22:04:00.001-07:00

...with love,

peyton reese

mommy and daddy love

2011-04-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

these sweet moments with baby are worth every sleepless night...

peyton's first two weeks :-)

2011-04-20T14:01:00.001-07:00

lots of people have been asking for more pictures of peyton to be posted. so, in an effort to please all you demanding folks... here you go!

thankful for an iPhone

2011-04-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

because how else would i capture these unplanned precious moments...!?

welcoming peyton reese johnson!

2011-04-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

on april fourth, two thousand eleven, josh and i were blessed with our precious little miracle, peyton reese.

the day was nothing less than thrilling. it was long, and yes, parts of it were painful and uncomfortable, but i wouldn't trade any of it, as we got to meet our beautiful baby girl when all was said and done.

this was our day, in bulletpoints.
* admitted to the hospital for an induction early in the morning
* managed about 2 hours of contractions without an epidural, then "gave in"... (best decision of my life, btw...)
* had about a thousand and seven visitors (which we LOVED, although entertaining was not easy for me, but everyone seemed to entertain each other quite well!!)
* ate ice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
* the nurses must've liked me because they snuck me a blue popsicle. HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY :-)
* watched josh tweet every hour
* made "progress", then didn't make "progress", then made LOTS of "progress" and all of the sudden it was TIME TO PUSH!
* pushed for about an hour
* drove our anxious family and friends nuts as they waited outside for the "big news"
* at 9:50pm, josh grinned and said "IT'S A GIRL!!!" (which we totally weren't expecting...but what an amazing surprise, and just about the greatest thing everrrr!)
* at 9:51pm, fell in love like never before... my heart just hurt.

peyton reese, at 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and 20 and a half inches, was immediately cared for by the NICU team as she was born with meconium in her lungs. as they worked to stimulate her and suction her lungs, we waited a very long, and very quiet 20 minutes before getting to meet her, hold her, and be assured she was okay. it was tough, but josh and the doctors were all handling things so well and so calmly that i had no choice but to stay calm and trust that everything would be alright. and our strong little girl was a total trooper and made it through okay. thank the Lord!

I WANT SO BADLY TO SHARE THE FEELINGS I FELT ON THAT DAY, BUT I CAN'T PUT THEM INTO WORDS. of course, seeing our baby girl for the very first time was the most amazing experience ever, but it was also SO MUCH MORE than that. i want nothing bad to happen to her, ever. i don't even like hearing her cry, struggle or fuss, not even for a minute. i want her to be more than happy and joyful every second of every day. and i want her to know how much she is loved by her parents, and by all the wonderful people in our lives. i am beginning to understand the love of a parent, and it truly is indescribable and like no other love...

josh and i are thrilled to have baby girl peyton in our lives. forgive us if we can't express our love for her in our blog. but know that we are spending every minute showing our love to our baby girl. and we hope our friends and family get tons of opportunities to love her, too!

our first family photos

2011-04-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

when peyton was 6 days old, we spent the day with josh's family and had his sister, jacqui, snap a few shots of the three of us. we are so thrilled to be a family of three.

let me tell you... this little girl is our world...

Riiing!!! Riiing!!!

2011-04-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

My phone rings the other day and this is the conversation that takes place...

-------

Josh: Hey dad!

Dad: Hi Son.

Josh: How are you?

Dad: Good, thanks. You?

Josh: I'm good. What's up?

Dad: Hey, let's go ahead and clear the air here. You know I love you, right?

Josh: Yes, of course...

Dad: And Gigi knows I love her, right?

Josh: Yes... (Where is this going???)

Dad: Alright, now that we are clear on that, you should know that I'm not calling for you anymore. How's my GRANDDAUGHTER!?!?! Hahahaha

--------

Gotta love my dad!!! Seriously... it says so in the Bible.

c-town

2011-04-18T17:49:00.001-07:00

we've waited weeks and weeks and weeks for our favorite show "cougar town" to come back on the air. and tonight... it's back!! we'll be cracking open a bottle of wine tonight at 9:30 to celebrate the return...!

What A Glorious Day!

2011-04-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

All I can say is WOW! Words cannot express the joy a baby brings. After a long 15 hour day in the hospital little Peyton Reese Johnson was born. At 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 20.5 inches long, she had all the doctors, and especially Mom and Dad, saying, "She's BEAUTIFUL!!" Announcing her to a group of people waiting not-so-patiently in the hall, was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am so glad we were able to share the day with so many wonderful friends and family. Thank you to everyone who was here in the hospital, sharing their encouragement on Facebook and Twitter, and sending up prayers on our behalf. We wouldn't have wanted the day to go any other way.

And now for the part everyone wants to see. Let me introduce you all to Peyton Reese Johnson!

on the impending arrival of baby j

2011-04-03T22:14:00.001-07:00

fortunately or otherwise, our next few blog posts will likely be centered around little baby j, filled with tons of pics and silly stories about the joys and struggles of being new parents. and i hope you all enjoy the photos and videos as much as we enjoy the moments. i'm sure many of you will be a part of those exciting times.

however, in these last moments before we meet baby j, i thought i'd take some time to "journal" how i'm feeling.

it's 10:15pm on the evening before we head to the hospital to be induced. baby j decided to stay past curfew (3/27/11) snug in it's home, and we finally were forced to schedule our little one's arrival. for tomorrow. april 4, 2011. but is that really all that shocking that we'll have a "scheduled baby"? as a project manager, i'll say having this event "scheduled" has been somewhat nice. it's given me extra time with the love of my life, and even a little extra time to put real thought into what goes into the hospital bag (or the "go-bag" as josh and i call it... too many episodes of "criminal minds"...).

a lot of people have asked if i'm excited, and i feel bad that my excitement isn't plastered all over my face, and that people are forced to ask. but, as you can tell, the excitement is coupled with all these other feelings, and together they must manifest as a face of utter confusion. YES, i'm excited. YES, i'm nervous. YES, i have no idea what to expect. YES, i'm relying heavily on my husband to be there for me every step of the way. and YES, i'm praying my heart out.

as much as i look forward to this next (long) season of our lives, i already know i'll miss the life josh and i have built as husband and wife. thankfully, i've spent the past few weeks reflecting on just how wonderful our two years of marriage have been. i'm happy to bring our baby into this family we've built--i just pray that we've created a foundation solid enough for him/her to thrive upon. i am looking forward to having my heart grow big enough to love our baby AND my husband (and our dog, of course...) but i will always be thankful for our years together as a couple. i love my man to pieces...!

my first substantial few hours of contractions began early this afternoon. i know they were the first few, but they were already painful. its is a feeling i've never experienced before, and one that scares me as i think about a day full of paints that get stronger and closer together. and, as if that's not a scary enough thought in and of itself, there's also the pushing to look forward to... HOWEVER, i'm not the first person that will do this. and the reward we get in the end will be worth every wince and groan. God has been my source of trust and strength and will continue to be throughout the big day. i already know i have a lot of people praying for baby j and i, and for josh, too. and i'll continue to ask for prayer for the doctors and nurses, and all those who have a hand in bringing our child into this world.

i picture seeing our baby's face and little body tomorrow, and it's an overwhelming thought. who has been kicking me all this time? who's the night owl that doesn't let me sleep!? and who will be the most amazing little gift we get to hold on to for years to come...? will he look like daddy? will she look like mommy? how can we immediately begin to show him/her how much we love him/her? tears of joy will be flowing, and i can't wait to share the joy with my husband, my family, and my friends.

it's going to be a while before we do this pregnancy thing again. so as i sit here and write, occasionally interrupted by a strong stretch from baby j, i'm doing my best to remember this feeling. not to mention... remember this silence :-) for tomorrow, we'll be given an amazing little gift, our life's purpose will change, and our world will never be the same. and for that, i am beyond thankful to Him who gives life.

Psalm 139: 13-18
13.for you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14.i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, i know that full well.
15.my frame was not hidden from you when i was made in the secret place. when i was woven together in the depths of the early,
16.your eyes saw my unformed body. all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17.how precious to me are your thought, o God! how vast is the sum of them!
18.were i to count them, they would outnumber the grainse of sand. when i awake, i am still with you.

(i apologize that this post is somewhat "blabberish"... i just had a lot of feelings that i wanted to share, and keep for myself, as well, and as my mind is all over the place tonight, so is my blogpost. thanks for understanding...!)

The baby is coming! The baby is coming!

2011-03-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

Baby J is due in 4 days. FOUR DAYS!!!! Lately the baby has been moving like crazy. I've spent hours holding Gigi's stomach feeling the baby's movement. A few times I thought for sure it was trying to figure out an escape route. It is seriously the most excited I have ever been. The anticipation of his or her arrival is killing me. I cannot wait to see it, let alone hold it! While I know it will turn my world on it's head, I am looking forward to it more every day.

Okay, enough of the doting dad going on about how excited he is, let's get on with the fun stuff. There are only a few days left to submit your guess for the baby pool! While some of you have submitted your guess, there are still quite a few of you who haven't. Let's get those guesses in people!!! You don't want to miss out on ~~changing the first diaper~~ the prize we have for the winner! If you need a refresher on the rules, click here for the orignal post.

Since we can't tell everyone everything all of the time, if you are wanting up to the minute updates you can follow one or both of us on Twitter. Click here for Gigi's page and click here for Josh's page. If you aren't so curious about our mostly meaningless ramblings, just keep checking back here and we'll keep posting pictures and sharing what we can!

the time change

2011-03-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

our "nightly walks" are no longer in the dark. now that the sun is still out after work, we're back at the park for our family time :-)

2011-03-08T15:33:00.001-08:00

i had the most wonderful honor of throwing my beautiful friend, alyssa, her first bridal shower this past weekend! from what i hear, she really enjoyed herself. (YAY!/phew...) but who wouldn't when surrounded by friends and family that adore you and can't wait to see you jump in with both feet to a blessed marriage?!

the setting was intimate, the food was scrumptious, the decor was bright and uplifting, the presents were plentiful, and the chilled mimosas kept flowing! not to mention, you're always ensured a blast when you cram 15 crazy women into a small room :-)

here's the beautiful bride-to-be, alyssa!

the girls seemed to thoroughly enjoy the breakfast spread...

alyssa got lots of great gifts!

and what's a shower without the cheesy games?!

thanks to all the guests that came...

ALYSSA,

WE ARE ALL SO VERY EXCITED FOR YOU AND YOUR BIG DAY!!

WE LOVE YOU TO PIECES--ALWAYS!!

rounding third...!

2011-03-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

i absolutely cannot BELIEVE that we are just a mere 3 weeks away from welcoming baby j into the world. we are excited, to say the least, but still have lots to do before baby comes! keeps it interesting, in my opinion.

i have felt surprisingly good this last trimester. i know the next 3 weeks really have the ability to change my mind about how well these last few months have gone, but i really feel like i can handle another 3 or 4 weeks of this thing called pregnancy (which is good, because from what i hear, first time moms usually deliver up to a week late)! although not as active as i'd like to be, josh, june and i still manage to squeeze in a 30 minute walk 4 or 5 times a week, and i'm not scared of stairs or long walks through parking lots and malls. i see joggers taking advantage of this great weather lately, and it makes me miss working out, but i'll have no excuses to not want to work out after baby comes, since it's been so long since i've had a good, sweaty workout!

sleeping is a bit harder these days--the bathroom calls my name a few times per night, and my mind races with predictions of what life-after-baby will be like. i DO miss sleeping on my back and stomach, but i've never been more thankful to have a tempurpedic bed than i've been these last few months. that bed makes sleeping feel like a 7 hour trip to the clouds and back. (have i mentioned i'd recommend this bed to ANYONE? that's right, even YOU. no, i'm not getting paid--i just really believe that bed is the best one ever made... i'll probably send this post to tempurpedic soon, though, just to see if i can get a little dough of out it...... hey, anything helps, right?)

i'm still not a huge fan of this pregnancy thing--i'd prefer to be more mobile, active, and fit in my normal clothes, but i must say, feeling baby j all day long is pretty dang incredible. this little one has a mind of it's own. between the punches, kicks, hiccups, rolls, turns, stretches, and nap times, i already feel like i'm getting to know the munchkin's habits and schedule. and it's sweeeeet. i am beyond excited to meet baby soon--to see if we've got a little boy or a little girl joining our family, to see who he/she looks like, to wrap my hands around it's little body, and to cuddle with the bundle of joy for hours on end. i'm already falling in love with him/her, but am greatly anticipating getting to know every little thing about this baby. not to mention, i think seeing baby j with his/her dad is going to be incredible. josh is already so great with babies and kids, but when he gets to hold, love, and cuddle his own, i'll just get to watch and relish in the beauty of it all.

overall, this third trimester has brought incredible experiences with it. i'm ready for it to come to a close, mostly so we can begin life together as a family, with everyone OUTSIDE the womb... (my womb, to be exact.........)

thanks for following the quirky little stories of my pregnancy. hopefully the next pregnancy post will be about being done with it, and welcoming baby j into our lives.

belly: revealed (big time!)

2011-02-16T11:13:00.000-08:00

a lovely friend of mine, the talented mr. kevin kach, graciously spent his saturday morning snapping away at my belly, my baby's-daddy, and me. 7 1/2 months of baking a kiddo, and this is what we have to show for it!

i absolutely ADORE every single one of these photos. they were taken at a trail and stream behind our house that josh, june and i walk all the time. i cannot wait for baby j to join us on these walks in just a couple months...!

kevin, you rock, buddy.

thanks a million, from the bottom of my heart...

now we've just got that one, classic photo left to take. shhhhh!

oh, and i mustn't forget to thank kevin's lovely assistant, and one of my all-time besties, "auntie dani". LOVED that you were able to join us and help kev, and i think these pics are of us are priceless!!

Oh, June....

2011-02-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

Hi!! I'm ready for our date. Do you like my hat???

i woke up this morning...

2011-02-14T13:13:00.000-08:00

to find this hanging in the bathroom doorway...

so, of course, i detoured. on the computer, i found this...

i yanked off the post-it, shook the mouse, and found this...

there's nothing like a valentine's day morning scavenger hunt
to start off my day!!

i just adore the
thought and creativity
put into this little gem.

thank you, sweetie, for loving me the way you do.
...xoxo...

a mental breakdown or two, just in time for baby...

2011-01-31T10:09:00.000-08:00

my, oh my... have we been on a little roller coaster or what?

i don't know if it's the ticking time bomb in my belly, the time of the year that brings with it all the leftover holidays, or the many changes looming ahead, but i must say josh and i are more thankful than ever to be tag-teaming life these days. this past week brought a culmination of events that, while individually assessed, seem like pancakes, but when taken together and under consideration of "ahhhhhhhhhhhh! there's a baby on the way, too??!! are you kidding me?!?!?!", we were knocked off our feet nice and hard. go ahead, take a moment to picture josh and i with our hands in the air running circles around the living room, heads bouncing back and forth between our arms like macaulley caulkin in home alone (1, 2, OR 3)... yup, fun stuff.

this may come as a shock to you, but i enjoy feeling like i have a certain sense of control in my life. whoa, i know, right?

i manage projects for a living. schedule, budget, process--all these those things are important to me, and somewhat define what it means to feel like i have things "under control". therefore, when i'm presented with unexpected budget busts (i.e. potentially having to spend thousands of dollars on a plumbing disaster...), unexpected schedule adjustments (i.e. not REALLY knowing when baby j will arrive...early? late? on time?), or an out-of-whack process (i.e. where do we put all this new stuff that we have absolutely no space for?!), i often begin to--what do you call it--stress out. i don't mean to, and i KNOW it's not good for baby j, but sometimes i can't help it. that being said, i had a fantastically cliche pregnant-woman-breakdown driving to a client's office last thursday, in which i was forced to speed-dial the husband, as i knew he was one of the few that could really understand what i was going through. amidst my tears and frustrations, he was able to calm me down enough so i could show up to my meeting free of blood shot eyes. (thanks, again, honey...)

josh, although not as ~~uptight~~ detail oriented as me, still likes to have a handle on those everyday life things. (thankfully so, too, because if not, i don't think we'd be married.) but, in knowing how stressed out i've been with work, he's taken the reigns on everything house-related...including managing the 4 different repairmen that continue to show up for our bathroom, the crazy HOA office that is entirely unresponsive, the uverse installation guy who had to reinstall his original installation, the remodeler that's throwing new ceiling lights in for us, and the folks coming to pick up craigslist items as we try to make room for baby. on top of that, he works during the day, has school at night, and tries to stay sane with the occassional visit to the rockcliming gym. oh, and his love for cuddling takes up some of his free time, as well, especially since our cuddle time lately includes a love-kick from our little one... so when he hit a wall on an unusually tough assignment sunday night and was up until 3:30am, he was not a happy camper the next day. but josh came to me that night looking for a little pep-talk from me (probably in return for his on thursday), and although there wasn't much i could do to physically (or educationally) help, i was able to just be there for him, tell him i loved him, and encourage him a little bit.

thankfully some of the stressors have subsided as this week has progressed, but there's no denying that an overwhelming sense of "can this nonsense be over yet and can we just have our baby now???" has made itself known. OF COURSE baby j will make our lives more busy, our daily activities more challenging, and our ability to jump back on our feet a little more difficult, but he/she will also bring incredible joy, excitement, and fulfillment to our lives, and for that, we cannot wait! the recent curve balls thrown our way are wonderfully frustrating examples of God's little life lessons, but they are helping us prepare for the insanity we will soon experience. so with that said, we'll continue to take 'em, one by one, and do our best to knock 'em out of the park.

what're those johnson's up to?!

2011-01-06T19:19:00.000-08:00

wow. disappointment has set in as to how far behind we've fallen on blogging. i miss it!!

"we're busy" would be an understatement. regardless, here's a little update for those of you far away that may not know the latest happenings in the johnson family.

#1 - we're doing good! we're healthy, we're happy, and we have lots to look forward to... well--one thing specifically... baby j is on schedule to arrive 3/27/11. just a few more months!

#2 - the holidays came and went, and as usual, reminded me of how great some time off to spend with family and friends can be! we celebrated thankgiving with the johnson and seuc family together (although, mom spent thanksgiving with her family in puerto rico, and we missed her terribly...). we spent christmas eve with the seuc's doing dinner, church, and presents (santa comes early to the seuc house every year...) and spent christmas day with the johnson's doing breakfast, gifts, laker game watching, hanging out, and dinner. it was REALLY fun to have our 14-month old nephew joel around this year, especially because he was much more active than a bag of potatoes this year! new year's eve was spent with our close friends jana, brian, nicole, and baby hunter, and we spent new year's day watching comedian jo koy at the improv with our friends craig and zsa.

#3 - josh has had a 3 week break from school, and he's loved every minute of it!! 1 of those weeks were combined with time off work between the holidays, so he's really had it nice these past few weeks. he's slowly but surely getting back into climbing, visiting the gym here and there and trying not to forget how to do the dance. i know he's super excited to show baby j how to climb...!

#4 - work is all consuming for me these days. it's stressful, to say the least, but i feel like i only have a few more months to make work a priority before baby j comes, so i might as well! after long hours at the office, and a few extra hours of work at home, i'm left with little time for much else. josh, june, and i squeeze a nightly walk into the just-before-bed-routine, and i do my best to leave the weekends for time to focus on baby (okay....shopping), spend with freinds and family, and mentally rest.

#5 - what's next? well, josh's birthday is right around the corner....! our anniversary follows shortly after, in mid february, and i'll likely have a little baby shower or something in the next few weeks. i'm hoping to make it to our company trip to vegas this year, but that's just 3 weeks before my due date, so it'll be quite the adventure! baby j is looking healthy, according to doc, and i continue to pray for a fairly comfortable 3rd trimester.

we'll try to get back into the swing of blogging. we got a new camera for christmas, so hopefully sharing photos will become a more regular thing for us.

oh, btw, a 28.5 week belly pic just landed on the blog. click on the "that belly" tab to see it!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2010-12-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

For a while now, Gigi and I have been trying to figure out how to get away. Every weekend we think about turning off cell phones, piling into the car and driving away for a couple of days. We talk about it every week it seems, then the weekend comes and goes and we haven’t gone farther than Irvine. When Thanksgiving came and we had an extra day we decided that we weren’t going to go anywhere. We would just stay home, but we would do something fun to make it an a-typical weekend. We decided we would go to Disneyland! Lately Gigi had been telling me how “magical” Disneyland had sounded so it was a perfect thing to do. A good friend of ours (Hi Jim!) works for the park and graciously took time on his day off to lend a hand with the admission costs and warned us that the day after the holiday would likely be CROWDED. We were up to the challenge though and braved our way into California Adventure.

Gigi and I have always had different thoughts about Disneyland. She goes for the roller coasters (of which Disneyland has few of), and I go for the experience the park has to offer. This trip I was determined to show her the experience side of things. Especially since she is pregnant and there really aren’t too many rides we could even go on. We had about an hour before our dinner reservations so we took a little stroll through the Bugs Life area of California Adventure. I mentioned to Gigi that I loved the details like that the building that housed the restrooms was made to look like an upside down box of tissues and the signs for the rides were discarded plastic spoons. She gave me a weird look and said, “I don’t get it.” I gave her a weird look back and said, “Honey we are bugs in a bug world.” She looked around a bit and as she did her eyes got bigger and bigger, then her smile got bigger and bigger. “OH MY GOSH! You’re right!” Her eyes had been opened and from that point in the night she started realizing that Disneyland wasn’t all about the rides.

Thanks to our friend Jim, I know my way around the parks pretty well, and I dragged Gigi all over the park that night. Much to our surprise the park was EMPTY. The longest wait we had was for the Toy Story ride and that was only about 45 min. The rest of the rides we went on, we practically walked right to the front of the line. One of our favorite areas was in California Adventure. It had a netted suspension bridge, a rock-climbing wall, tire swing races (we didn’t do that, but it looked like a TON of fun), and a nature trail. We will definitely have to go back there when we are a bit more free to behave a little more recklessly.

As the night progressed, we realized exactly why the parks were empty; it was about 40 degrees out! Luckily, we dressed warm, but we never imagined it would get that cold. By 11 pm we were cold to the bone and ready to head home. As we walked back to the car we talked about how much fun the whole night was and how much we want to go back… soon! I had so much fun showing Gigi all the little things that make Disneyland fun for me and she had a ton of fun enjoying the park in a whole new way. Together we just enjoyed a night of goofing off together getting away from the same old thing. It was a much needed and much loved night out.

rounding second

2010-12-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Everyone and Their Mothers said it best. "you'll feel great during your second trimester." months ago, that was all i could think of, and even hope for. and i am BEYOND thankful that They were right!

month 6 is soon approaching (christmas day = 2/3 of this crazy journey down, 1/3 to go!). the past few months really have been much more pleasant than the first. for example, food tastes good again, sleeping seems to only be necessary at night, and nausea only makes itself known when i regretfully skip a meal. as a matter of fact, i feel so good so often, that a whole week will go by without me even noticing. so although i'm not constantly reminded that i'm pregnant because i'm feeling so good, the definition of the "second trimester" seems to be that OTHER people are realizing and being constantly reminded that i'm pregnant. i can no longer hide it...

josh and i will be walking the dog together, and a neighbor will come up and say, "oh, wow, when are you expecting?!" i have yet to respond with the awkward line of, "me? expecting? expecting what? do i look pregnant??? oh my goshhhhh, i look pregnant!! i'm not pregnant....!! (LONG PAUSE) just kidding, due in march!" i just can't get myself to take it there. but everytime we walk away from that person, josh shakes his head in disappointment and says, "bold. so bold. just TOO SOON, in my opinion." i often think he says that just to make me feel better (i'm definitely becoming self concious about my growing self...) but he seriously thinks people should NOT be guessing...in the mere case they are just way wrong. it's humorous to me, especially because it really gets him going sometimes.... hehe

the pants no longer zip. my regular tops are...phasing out. jackets don't button. and. AND. i bought a new bra today. :-/

i can ONLY IMAGINE what the next 3 months have in store for me.

They say it will be uncomfortable. They say i won't be able to see my toes. They say i won't want to walk anywhere or do anything. They say getting off the couch will be hard. They say i'll start waddling soon. and you know what? i don't doubt Them. They've been right so far.

so i'll raise my sparkling water glass to a solid 2nd trimester down, and do my best to welcome the upcoming third "semester", as my mom would call it--until it finally clicks and she decides to correct herself--with open arms.

oh, and baby j says hello from the depths of my tummy!! see, he/she is waving at you! :-)

--YUP, STILL NOT FINDING OUT THE SEX. RELAX, YA'LL. WE'LL KNOW SOON ENOUGH!--

(21 week ultrasound)

pages

2010-11-21T22:43:00.000-08:00

hey ya'll (3) dedicated followers.

so i have lots of people asking where the belly pics are. i know it's practically rocket science, but there are tabs at the top of our blog leading you to different blog pages of ours labeled "meet the johnsons" and "that belly...". has anyone noticed these?? if not, this is where you can gather background on our little, but growing fam, as well as track the progress of my ever-expanding belly!! so far we've got photos from 15 weeks and 19 weeks, and you can expect more in the next week or so, as we approach 23. no, there's no rhyme or reason to when we update--it's more just laziness on my part to get in front of the point'n'shoot lens... i'll get better as progress starts showing more... promise.

anyway, be sure to keep checking the "pages" for updates as the johnson family continues to evolve :-)

it's that time of year!

2010-11-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

l-l-laker season!!

twice a week we come home from work, speed dial the pizza guy, throw our feet up, and enjoy a nonstop blur of purple and yellow for a good straight three hours. oh, a small amount of our weekend is consumed with similar activities too, thanks to sunday games...

this is becoming a familiar view :-)

bless you!

2010-10-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

my dad can stop traffic with his sneezes. in addition to being able to spread my toes like a gecko, his sneezes are yet another lovely trait i was blessed to have had passed down to me... thanks, dad :-)

growing up, there wasn't a sneeze in the house that wasn't immediately followed by a "God bless you!", "salut!", "ay, ay, ay...!", "bless you", or "geeeeeeez loiuse, are you okay?!". i guess one could say sneezes were an attention grabber, as well as an opportunity for someone to tell you they heard ya, were worried about ya, or just plain impressed! in any case, it seemed normal to me to hear a reaction to my sneeze, and i'd always follow with a, "thank ya!"

then i got married. and just like that, my sneezes went unnoticed. and let me tell you, people don't not-notice my sneezes. that'd be like not noticing an elephant stepped on your toe. but i would sneeze, and nothing would happen. hmmm. finally, (about a year later) i brought it up to josh. "babe, how come you never say 'bless you' when i sneeze? i always say it to you, and you sneeze three times in a row!" babe replied, "i dunno. i figured you knew i knew you sneezed. it's not exactly the silent, honey. i'm just not a 'bless you' kind of guy. why do you care so much?" aw bummer. "i dunno, i guess i just see it as a sign of...showing someone you care. so... sometimes it just feels like you don't care that my head almost exploded into a million pieces right in front of your eyes!" (i know, a bit dramatic, but what else is new?) poor josh is just blown away by this time. i can see it on his face. "seriously, honey?? um, okay..... would you LIKE me to say 'bless you' to you EVERY time you sneeze??" okay, that was plain sarcasm, and he expects me to say noooooooo, it's just.... so i say, "yes, please" with a sh*t-eatin grin on my face :-D "thanks, honey!".

i thought he'd push back, maybe say i was ridiculous, maybe continue with a more detailed explanation of why it wasn't important to say it every time someone sneezed, including me, and why i should just knowwww that he hears me and OF COURSE wants me to be BLESSED every time. but no, he just smiled, chuckled, nodded, and said, "alright, babe."

fast forward a few months and josh has NEVER failed to say 'bless you' after i sneeze. and i'm not kidding, i sneeze more now that i'm pregnant, so i'm rather impressed. he yells "bless you!" it from inside the shower. he'll pat my leg and say "bless you" when i accidentally sneeze in his ear while we're cuddling on the couch. a few weeks ago, i sneezed at 5am because i was super hungry (don't ask--different story, different day...) and i hear a half-asleep "blssyu" come from my right (your left). like, seriously!? you freaking ROCK, honey.

so, not only is every "bless you" followed by my "thank ya", but every "bless you" reminds me of how this guy DOES NOT STOP trying at our marriage. it may be a small gesture, but it's beautiful, and it only encourages me to try just as hard at the big things in our marriage, as well as the little things, every single day.

...josh is out of town this weekend. when i sneezed about 20 minutes ago, the silence was painful. i was reminded of him (yet again, for the 67th time this weekend) and just had to share my newfound appreciation of him and his sweet, sweet commitment.

yup, i'm gonna go there.

2010-10-09T08:10:00.001-07:00

i've got the holidays on my mind. i just went for a morning walk and i could see my breath. the grass was frosty white with morning dew, and i was truly cold for about 3 minutes. i welcomed it gladly. not to mention, i've utterly enjoyed this past week of rain and thunderstorms. i got to wear a coat this week.

for josh and i, the holiday season is LONG. always pleasant, but LONG. it starts with the publication of the google docs christmas list. josh's sister, jacqui, never fails to have the template posted by late september, in giddy anticipation of her own mid-october birthday. she's like a loaded gun, cocked and ready to fire HOLIDAY everywhere. low and behold, this year's christmas list was posted in late august. soooo, i've been preparing myself for months already.

we're not huge on halloween, mostly because i'm never creative enough to come up with a good halloween costume, so i always feel lame with my last-minute creation and am ready to go home as soon as we leave the house. but i will say i've enjoyed seeing the pumpkin patches pop up in mall parking lots and strawberry farms. i might buy one this year. a pumpkin, not a parking lot. but i highly doubt we'll carve it. you know what halloween is really great for?? the reece's. yup, reece's figures out a new way to pair peanut butter and chocolate just about every october. and i dig it! so as halloween comes and goes, i'll be more sad to see the creative minds at reece's exhaust their newest heavenly combination than i will to see the 3-foot-6 costumed trick or treaters retire.

thanksgiving will be PURE BLISS this year. not only does it go down in the books as my "favorite holiday", but i truly believe my appetite will be ready for what my eyes choose by then. two dinners in one night usually scares me. this year, though.....BRING IT ON. i love thanksgiving because it's like christmas in the sense that it's cozy and all about family, family, family, but it carries less stress and fewer expectations than christmas strictly because of the no-gifts policy. oh, not to mention, the food comas are incredible!!!

after thanksgiving comes christmas and new years, and that usually wraps it up. but NOOOOO, the johnsons don't stop there. mid january we hit josh's birthday, mid february is valentine's day, late february is our anniversary, and this year, the excitement of the holidays will stretch out to late march, when we welcome baby j. so our holiday season goes from september through march. yup, 7 months of "the holidays".

and i can't wait!! let's do this.

rounding first

2010-09-17T03:31:00.000-07:00

when i was a baby, i got my ears pierced. i don't remember the event. when i got older, however, i chose to get them pierced again. 2 minutes after the intense pain and suffering (!!!!!!), i found myself purposely sprawled out across the cold tile floor of the mall, doing everything in my power to not pass out. yes, i made a scene. shocking, i know. i simply couldn't fathom the fact that there were two foreign pieces of metal embedded in my skin, and they weren't coming out anytime soon. i absolutely loathe the thought of metal, or any foreign object, just hanging out in or under my skin. needles, for example, are a no-no.

fast forward to a few months ago --> WHAT? there's a small person inside of me?!?

i was strangely okay with it. i didn't have to find cold tile. i didn't have to throw my head between my knees, or lay down with my toes in the air. i didn't even need OJ or a Capri Sun. as a matter of fact, it all seemed extremely surreal. so i handled it like a big girl, because, heck, in a few short months, i'll be a mom, so i gosh-darn better grow up.

days ago we got to see this:

and yes, we are very much appreciative of his/her sense of humor already. really, baby j? pulling the "i'm trapped in a glass box of emotion" stunt already? love it, sweet one!!! gosh, you're cute! (i could see how your crazy face bones may freak a few people out, but we love you tons, regardless!)

i still haven't freaked out :-)

him/her. he/she. it's only twelve weeks, so don't spend your time trying to figure out if you can "see anything". that stuff won't show up for another month or so. and even then, we don't plan to find out, so don't bank on seeing any pics that may hint at it, because we don't even want them in our possession. and seriously, what fun would voting be if you got to find out the sex of the baby way in advance?! I KNOW! yes, the baby pool is still open for business, and will remain so until we arbitrarily decide to close it. because i said so. (HA! GOOD AT THAT ALREADY!)

disclaimer: this whole waiting-to-find-out-the-sex-of-the-baby thing was my idea, and josh isn't totally sold. YET. i mean, he's up for it, but i can't help thinking it's mostly because he feels bad for me and the cruddy morning sickness i've been experiencing, so he's happy to go along with anything that will lift my spirits and perhaps make me feel a bit better. i told him if he really couldn't wait, and just HAD to know, i'd be up for it. we'll all just have to see how this plays out... thanks for coming along for the ride.

bottom line, i coming to a close on trimester number 1. i'l be 13 weeks on sunday, and as much as i told myself i'd try not to count the weeks, its proven difficult, as i'm given some sort of reminder i'm pregnant just about 17 times a day. so for now, it's one day at a time.

for those of you wondering, no, i haven't found myself making kissy faces with the toilet. but morning sickness has most definitely made itself known. i've been nauseous for almost 6 full weeks now, and have finally figured out how to spell "nausea" on my own. bye-bye spellcheck. i got you now, word! (doesn't looking at the word make you just wanna spew?!)

i'm ALWAYS hungry, but rarely in the mood to eat. i never thought forcing food down would be so un-fun. i'm typically the last to turn down food, let alone sweets, restaurant food, or even fast food, but my limited pallet has me choosing cream of wheat and peanut butter toast these days. i'm turning into a total water drinker (it's about freaking time, gigi) and i do heart pickles :-) other than that, the occasional yogurtland finds itself on my mind during the closest thing i can consider a "craving".

i'm looking forward to the 2nd trimester, which is when Everyone And Their Mothers start to say you feel better. okay, i'm PRAYING i feel better. there's room on this bandwagon--jump on! i could use the extra prayers. thanks :-)

Dentists Suck - A dog's tale

2010-09-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

For a while now we've known June has had a broken tooth. It never really seemed to bother her so we always forgot to do anything about it. Recently though we could tell that it was hurting her. She would eat her food in small portions over the course of the night and she was just all around lethargic, like something was bothering her. So today we took her to the doggie dentist. It was most definitely her tooth that was bothering her. Once the dentist cleaned off all the plaque he found a small hole in her tooth that was slowly bleeding. (Awful dog parents, aren't we?)

Anyway, we were presented with a few options. The first one was totally gangster. A root canal with a metal cap. It would be like she had a Terminator tooth. How cool is that?! The downside is that if she chews anything too hard (again) she could break off the WHOLE tooth! Then we would have no choice but to do a quick tooth extraction.

The second option was a complete tooth extraction. The downside to that is that it would be very painful for her and it would increase the risk of her chipping the tooth on the opposite side because she cant chew without a tooth on the other side. Ugh.

Ultimately we decided to go with the root canal option minus the terminator like cap. The doc said she should be fine like that but we would have to watch what she chews on in the future. I think we can do that! So we went ahead with the procedure.... today.

I brought her home about an hour after all the drilling had stopped and she was still a bit groggy. It was pretty funny to watch her walk home like a drunk guy on the way home from the bar. Once we got inside the house I got to watch her lie down and try as hard as she could to stay awake. She would just lie there with her head up and then her eyes would slowly close and her head would slowly lower until it was just about on her bed and then BAM! she would open her eyes and sit up. Hilarious to watch!

I noticed, though, that her face was a bit swollen from the procedure and she couldn't keep her whole tongue in her mouth. While she was fighting sleep with everything she had, the tip of her tongue was peeking out. Soooo I did the only thing I could do, I took a picture!

This picture really epitomizes what she must have been feeling. And it makes me laugh out loud. I hope she feels better tomorrow.

We love you June!

hello again

2010-08-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

WOW!! i am STOKED about the awesome response to/on our blog since the big announcement. ya'll are suckers for a new baby, sheesh...

i desperately need to take this time to post a big T.H.A.N.K. Y.O.U. to my baby's-daddy for keeping our little blogger world up to date with our big news and all that comes with it. he's been the only one posting new blogs in the past month, while i'm off somewhere "laying down/not feeling well/wussing out". four posts in 15 days?! daaaaannnng, babe!! you rock.

oh, and thank you for the little pea that's making me so sick. i love you.

when i first started this blog, i asked the man if he'd "partake". i knew my intent was to share our week to week engagement excitement/struggles, but i presumed his involvement would be... sparse. much to my surprise, his first blog was awesome! and they continue to be (you have the right to your own opinion). i mean, i know my husband is witty and funny, but his writing was clever and refreshing, and i loved it. as we continued to contribute to the new blog, i found one of us would write a blog then run and tell the other person, "read my blog, read my blog, babe! didja read it?! huh?? huh??? reeeeeeeeaaaaaad ittttttttt....!!!!" it was FUN. a lot of our posts were about marraige and relationships, and it was always interesting to read where the other's head was at that time.

well, here we are, 7 months away from adding a little one to this crazy little family of ours. recently, we've become beyond excited about our blog and enjoy looking back at all the time and energy we've spent making it an interactive public journal. we promise in advance that not all the future posts will be about the baby--but we can't deny it's a big part of of our lives. (okay, today it's the size of a green olive, so it's not THAT big a part yet, but you get my drift.) we can't wait to share with all you (5) devoted readers how this journey will continue. most of all, though, i can't wait to print our blog into a book or three (blog2print.com) and show baby johnson who his/her parents were before he/she came into the world.

oh my gosh. does this mean MY parents were around before I came??? oh, heck no way...

(oh, and for those of you looking for a picture of how happy the new dad was after he found out, say no more....!)

the shirt says, "i'm new here". hehe, chuckle chuckle.

No Diving Allowed

2010-08-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

The funny thing about announcing that we are having a baby is that practically everyone seems to have a prediction about what the gender is. We have heard quite a few predictions for a girl and quite a few for a boy. Since those are the only two realistic options, I think the bases are pretty well covered. It seems, though, that most of the predictions seem to lean in a certain direction (we’re not telling which yet) so we decided to have a little fun with it and start a pool! Since most people seem to have a prediction, we thought it would be fun to see who is the most accurate!

To make it a bit more challenging than just predicting gender, we thought it would be fun to add a few more categories to see just exactly how good you really are. Just post a comment here and let us know your prediction for: gender, length, weight, and birth date.

Here is how it will work:

Each category is worth up to 5 points

Points are deducted for incorrect guesses as follows:

Minus 5 points for incorrect gender

Minus 1 point for each inch below or above actual length

Minus 1 point for each ounce under or over actual weight

Minus 1 point for each day before or after actual birth date

The winner will get ~~to change the first diaper~~ something fun after the baby is born!

___________________________

Example:

Your guess = Boy, 20”, 7 lbs, & 3/22/11

Actual baby = Girl, 19”, 7lbs, & 3/24/11

Your score = 0 pts for gender, 4 pts for length, 5 pts for weight, & 3 pts for date

___________________________

The person with the most points at the end of the game is the winner! In the event of a tie, the point will go to the person who first made the correct prediction. Don’t be afraid to put your two cents in if we have never met. The game is open to anyone who reads our blog (and so is the prize!)

Alright folks, start guessing!!

*UPDATE*

To give everyone a starting point, the technical due-date is March 27, 2011.

I am geek. Hear me roar!

2010-08-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

Geek. It’s not a word I liked when I was younger. As a kid it definitely had a negative connotation and didn’t put you in the cool crowd at school. Oh how times have changed since then! Nowadays geek is cool. Geek is something to be proud of. Lego’s, Mythbusters, and video games…OH MY!

When I met my wife I had to release my geeky-ness in small amounts. It started small with an insanely overgrown music collection. Then it moved on to animated movies, tons of pop-culture references, and my collection of old-school video game consoles I have kept since I was a kid. Over the years of knowing each other she has come to see exactly how much of a geek I ~~can be~~ am and has even slowly started becoming one herself (although she won’t readily admit it). She craves watching The Big Bang Theory (we sing along to the song every week!) and has come to appreciate my The Nightmare Before Christmas decorations.

When we discussed having kids before we were pregnant I would always tell her that our kids will grow up with a geek for a dad. Our kids will most definitely be schooled in the ways of the Atari 2600, classic cartoons, and knowing who The Goonies are. Now that we have a child on the way, she actually encourages my geek to shine. From her encouragement of me buying baby clothes with geeky sayings on them, to the creation of our announcement video she is embracing my geeky side and actually joining in on the fun. It’s pretty awesome. SHE is pretty awesome.

A while back I stumbled on a blog called GeekDad. It has become one of my favorite blogs to read and pull ideas from for when my kid(s) are ready to join the Geek Nation. (I just made that term up. I have no idea if it really exists.) They review, keep track of, and keep me in the loop of all things geeky that kids are sure to love (and learn from!). Yesterday we decided to send them a link to our announcement video to show them how geeky we can be. Much to our amazement they LOVED it! So much so they decided to feature it on their blog this morning! We officially have geek cred and I am wearing it like a badge of honor. Jump on over and check it out!

Thank you!

2010-08-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

So apparently we should announce that we are pregnant more often! In the last few days we have had more traffic than ever on our blog. Thank you to the few people who have commented here. We were beginning to wonder if anyone was actually reading this thing! It’s one thing to get Facebook comments, text messages, and emails, but it feels really good to see people comment on our blog. We get all warm and fuzzy inside then we curl up on the floor with a blanket and fall asleep with a smile on our faces. True story.

Anyway, thank you all for your support and well wishes over the last couple of days. We are pretty dang excited about having a little one on the way! And we are really excited to be able to share the news with all of you in such a fun way too! The video was a lot of fun to make and see come to fruition (with ~~a little~~ a lot of help of our friend Justin!). It will be just a few quick months before March rolls around and we are looking forward to every minute of it.

preparing for anything

2010-08-05T14:29:00.001-07:00

turn up the volume, folks. it's a VIDEO and it has SOUND.

a special thanks to justin jones aka The Digital J for his help in turning our idea into reality. (the idea of the VIDEO, not the OTHER idea... that credit belongs to josh and i--oh, what trouble we get into when left to our own devices! KIDDING. we couldn't be more blessed, thankful, and excited!)

a little daydreaming never hurt anyone

2010-08-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

i'm aching for a roadtrip. all i want to do is pack a small bag, a big cooler, grab the dog's leash and a few cans of her food, follow the husband to the car, dog in tow, and hit the open road while it's still dark.

the first thing i'd do is fall asleep :-) what? it's still dark. and once the sun would come up i'd wake back up. no big deal. i'd take over for driver josh, who's probably dead tired by that time because 'morning's just aren't his thing'.

june would be zonked in the back for hours. as a matter of fact, she'd probably go a good 8 hours before needing ANYTHING. she'd just sleep--happy as a clam. a dog clam. she loves that gosh darn car.

we'd get hungry and start scavenging through the cooler for some yummy food, only to find that we didn't pack anything that sounded good. we'd pass a jack in the box and start our week of back-to-back-heart-attack-food-consumption with a breakfast jack or a sausage bisquit, probably wrapped in bacon--because everything tastes better wrapped in bacon. the food in our cooler would inevitibly go bad before we ever got near it. i mean, who really wants an apple when you're driving by a krispy kreme?

regardless of where we were going, we'd find ourselves in nature sometime around noon. whether it's a stumbled-upon national park or a spontaneous walk on the beach, the car's a/c would eventually get to us, and we'd need a fresh air break. and whether she knew it or not, june would need some exercise by now. josh would be scared to let her off a leash, so i'd cleverly pull out her 25 footer so she could run and play and still be "nearby". are we overprotective? maybe. but do you know how badly i'd feel if we LOST her 7 hours from home? no chances.

what's that, in-n-out? you want us to swing by since we're still in california and may not be for much longer? ohhhh. okay, sure. why not? (another step closer to a heart-attack, but honestly, not much different than a typical sunday...)

we'd be back on the road with full bellies, ready to laugh and play and joke with each other as we make our way to that evening's destination. by this time, josh would have picked an album to listen to, i would have picked four of them, and it'd finally be his turn to pick again. good thing he's so easy-going on the music scale when it comes to long road trips. on these trips, he's good to go with "anything, babe" :-)

after a few moving-car landscape photoshoots and 20 minutes of jittery, nonsense video camera footage, i'd go back to sleep. what? it's been a long day!

we'd probably find our first hotel sometime around 7, just in time to unload the car, rile up the dog, and go get dinner. i know--we've barely had anything to eat ALL DAY, so we're obviously starved.

get some rest, because tomorrow we're doing it all over again.

Good Friends, Good Music, Good Times

2010-07-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a good one. We were able to catch up with friends, see one of our favorite bands preform and eat ourselves silly at the Orange County Fair; yeah, it was pretty awesome!

On Saturday night we put June in the car, drove down to the Irvine Spectrum and met up with our friends Jim, Kevin, and Gigi's sister Kat to listen to one of our favorite bands, PawnShop Kings, perform. As always they put on a great show and since it was Kevin's first show, they found themselves a new fan.

and we got ice cream too....

On Sunday we went to the early church service and then met up with our friends Brian and Jana and their son Hunter to go to the fair. None of us are really all that excited about the rides so we just walked around, looked at the exhibits, ate ourselves silly, went to the pig races, played with Hunter, and just all around had a good time.

Jana braved the newest fair food - the Crispy Cream Chicken Sandwich

and Brian had to have the giant turkey leg.

Hunter wasn't totally sure at first.

But he quickly warmed up to the idea.

Gigi got caught up in the excitement and had to have some meat on a stick.

Then it was off to the pig races!

Rounding out the day with good times, carnival games and good friends

And now for obligatory "cute kid in hat that's too big" pictures...

Thank you everyone for such a great weekend! Let's do it again soon!!!

oh my gosh, are you okay?

2010-07-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

we bought a small portion of a cow at costco last week. last night was going to be THE NIGHT we threw that sucker on the grill, however, i was well aware we'd likely cook it, eat a tiny peice of it, refrigerate it, and find it again, covered in not-cow-but-rather-fungus-of-some-sort about 3 weeks later.

no, that has never happened before.

i called my mom and sister to see if they wanted to help us put a bigger dent in it. granted, it was 6:15 and dinner would be ready by 7, but i thought i'd throw it out there. mom picked up the phone and told me she was about to start a mentor class at church, and couldn't make it. bummer, but fully expected. all good. mom asks me how things are going, then immediately tunes out as i start to respond, only to say to the woman in the background, "oh, we're starting?--baby, i gotta go. okay? okay. bye. bye. bye." -click- "um, okay. bye, mom."

instead of cow, we cooked chicken (in corona and lime) and macaroni and cheese (homemade, whaaaaaat!). it was DE-LICOUS.

mom calls me back at 9. "sweetie? hi. are, are, are you okay?" i answer that i'm fine, and ask her why. "i was just wondering if you'd eaten." BLESS HER HEART. um, yes, i'd eaten. i know i'm only a few years out of the house, and i know i call her now more often that i ever did in college, but she seemingly thought i might have panicked SO MUCH when she hung up on me that i just COULD NOT POSSIBLY EAT DINNER THAT NIGHT, and that she should check on me. :-) uhm, no, not the case, in fact, i married a man that has made me well aware he needs to eat. often. and not even being hung up on by my mom would stop us from dinner.

she always tells me i'll forever be her baby girl. she reminds me by caring so much. even when its so funny that it's cute. (love you, momma. xoxo)

self image

2010-07-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

josh often talks (in a girl voice, mind you) FOR june. i especially like it because i feel like i really have another girl in the house that understands me. because there are days that josh obviously doesn't. i won't go there, though. that type of day hasn't happened since, well, yesterday.

josh: you got a little scared trying to squeeze between the chair and the fake plant, didn't ya, june?

june: yeah, dad, i thought i was too faaaaat.

josh: you're not fat, june, you're just big boned.

seriously, honey, you're gonna give her a complex. sheesh.

HGTV Ruined My Life

2010-07-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

My wife is addicted to ALL of the shows on HGTV; every single one of them. After getting married, my DVR went from being filled with shows like Rescue Me, LOST, Fringe, and the occasional sports documentary or History Channel special I found interesting, to being filled with shows like House Hunters, Color Splash, My First Place, and the latest, Design Star. Each of the HGTV shows is a variation of either buying a new house or condo, or renovating a current space. Luckily, my wife is extremely settled in our place and never wants to move or change a thing about the way our house looks. (Insert THICK sarcasm here.)

Probably at least once a week I hear about how we need to paint the walls, rearrange furniture, or tear down a wall in our two bedroom condo to open the kitchen to the living room. Most of the time we go for a long walk with June and talk about all the reason we should or shouldn’t do any of these things and by the time we are back home (plus or minus an evening of me pushing the sofa to various areas of our 15 foot living room) we realize that we have things pretty well figured out and changes aren’t necessary right now. We should probably just wait until we purchase our next home and then we can do all the things we’ve wanted to do to a house.

Yesterday we hung out with my folks for the afternoon. We went with them to their new house and gave them our input on some of the decisions they are making in their new house. Then Gigi and I walked through a few of the model homes and talked about what we want in our next place and then we went to Room and Board in Costa Mesa to look at a few of the furniture pieces they were planning on putting in their house. It’s official; my life has turned into every show on HGTV.

After we got home last night we kept looking at the Room and Board catalog dreaming of stuff we could do to our house. Then we watched not one, but two episodes of Design Star. The final words my wife said to me before she turned over and went to sleep were, “I think we should use the Rothko painting in the dining room as inspiration for the rest of that space.” I am pretty sure that I had dreams of designing houses last night. This morning I can’t stop thinking of different ideas that we can do to our living room/dining room areas. Crap, I’m getting into this. Luckily there will probably be a few new tools involved.

It’s a good thing we both like DIY projects and enjoy spending time together, otherwise this could get ugly. Thank you HGTV for making me constantly insecure about the way my house looks and giving me a man-crush on David Bromstad, you have officially ruined my life.

Freedom: A Short Story

2010-07-08T23:40:00.000-07:00

It’s dark out. Without even opening my eyes I can tell that much. Any other day the darkness would be unwelcome. Not today. Today it means freedom. I slowly crawl from the dark and narrow space I’ve been confined to for the last 8 or so hours and begin preparing myself for what lies ahead. I know today won’t be easy. I managed to sleep most of the night despite the cold air and the lack of proper sleeping arrangements. I rub my eyes and try to take in my surroundings. As far as I can see, in all directions: dirt, cacti, mountains and a seemingly endless sky. The thought runs through my mind briefly, “I wonder if anyone could hear me scream right now?” I tell myself not to think about such things and begin to prepare for the day. The sun will be up shortly; I need to get going. I clean up my temporary home and begin walking. “Keep moving,” I tell myself. “It won’t be long now. Just keep walking.”

This is my third day out here and I’m tired. For the first two days it was pretty easy to keep going. Now, after two cooler than normal nights and warmer than normal days, my body is bruised, my hands and feet hurt, I long for shower and an indoor place to sleep and am getting wicked hungry. I keep telling myself I can endure another day of this; another week if I had to. I was quick to leave where I came from and didn’t bring much with me. I knew I would meet up with someone in a day or two. I was sure of it. I was able to grab a few things before I left. My inventory consists of an extra pair of shoes that are too small (but have been a Godsend many times), a large piece of covered foam I’ve been able to wear as a backpack while I walk and sleep on at night, a small bag with a drawstring that carries a toothbrush, a bottle of water, a few strips of beef jerky, a light jacket to protect me from the wind during the day and to use as a small blanket to keep me covered at night. I knew when I left I would need to travel lightly or I would never make it.

The sun starts spilling over the mountain to my left. As desolate as this place is, and as tired as I am, I can’t help but notice its beauty. I have never seen such colors before. The light dances across the desert and all at once this barren field comes alive with beauty. Each of the last two mornings has amazed me with the spectacular spectacle of the sunrise. Its beauty has made this trek a little more bearable. I stop and stare at the ever changing landscape as the morning light hits my face. The warmth is welcomed for the moment. It won’t be long before I will want to escape from it.

“Just keep walking. It can’t be much farther.” I have to keep motivated or I’ll never make it. I just need to reach that large rock on the horizon and I can rest for a while. It seems like a million miles away. I take a sip of the water I have left. It feels like silk against my dry lips. I’ve rationed what I have left to get me as far as I can go. It would be deadly to drink it all now. I’ll save what’s left of the jerky until I can rest. I tuck the water between my foam pad backpack and my neck. It’s still cold from last night and acts as a great cooling system for my body. I daydream of sitting on the beach with an ice cold beer for a moment. I can almost taste it. “The rock is getting closer, don’t lose your pace now.” I come back to reality and concentrate on my walking. The rock that seemed so large from so far away is becoming more monstrous the closer I get. It looks as if God was playing Jenga and didn’t clean up after it toppled. The rocks seemed precariously perched, yet incredibly stable. I’ve seen others like it on my two day trek, but this one seems particularly terrific. There is a large middle section that is perfectly stacked; one on top of the other. All around are piles of rocks that lean against and support this enormous tower. I hope I can find a small place to sit and rest for a while.

The sun has been up for an hour or so now; the warmth I once welcomed, I now wish would go away. The rock I’ve been admiring is now about 100 steps away. I can’t wait to find a nice cold rock to lie on and get out of this sun for a bit. I walk around the base of the tower and find a small alcove where the sun hasn’t yet touched. As I crawl down into it I find an empty beer bottle. “At least someone else has been here before.” Yesterday I found a Wheat Thins box; it has been a great motivator. I lay as far down into the alcove as I can and lay the foam pad along the ledge above me to keep the sun out as it moves across the sky. “I’ve made it.” I take a bite of the jerky and take another sip of water and close my eyes to rest.

I awake sometime later to the sound of footsteps on the loose gravel outside. I don’t want to make a noise. They sound like they are getting closer, or maybe it’s just my imagination. I see a shadow from around the edges of the pad, but the sun is still pretty low and I can’t make out what it is, but it IS getting closer. Two days across this desert without seeing anything else alive so I am just hoping it’s friendly… and scared to death it’s not. The footsteps stop right on the other side of my foam shield. Then… a knock, and a voice, “Dude, are you in there?” I throw the pad to the side and crawl out. “Holy shit, dude! You scared the crap outta me! Thank God you made it. I was worried I was going to be out here forever on my own!” My climbing partner showed up right on time. We arranged to meet here three days ago but without a watch I didn’t know what time to expect him. We walk together to his truck and I suck down what feels like a gallon of water. He had been there for a while already. “I saw you sleeping about 30 minutes ago and by the dirt on your face I could tell you needed a good nap, so I let you sleep. I’ve got the ropes and gear ready to go. Drink up and grab a donut on the front seat. Just let me know when you are ready to climb this beast.” He knows exactly what I want after two days hiking through the desert. I devour the donut and drink a ton of water he brought for me and I feel like a hundred bucks all over again. He tosses me a hat and a pair of sunglasses; I give him a brief nod, slip on my climbing shoes and my chalk bag and let him know I’m ready. We walk together to the base of the large rock that had been my destination during my trip, rope connected between us and protective gear strewn about. I watch as he starts climbing up this amazing rock formation and can’t help but smile and think to myself, “There is no place I would rather be than right here, in the middle of nowhere.”

camouflaged.

2010-07-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

last october, josh and i took a week off and drove to colorado to visit our friends, kristy and jj, and their lovely kids, braylon and jaxten. since then, the two of them have been blessed with another little one--a precious girl this time--taytum faith. how old are they, you ask? well, 5 months, 19 months, and 3 years. yes, three kids under three. all at once.

i've known kristy since our early days of high school. she was that total hot surfer girl that all the boys went crazy over. don't get me wrong, she's not the girl other girls often despise--she didn't MAKE the boys go crazy--they just did. it was natural! as a matter of fact, you couldn't help but love how much she DIDN'T care that her hair was knotty and full of sand and that she hadn't showered in a day or 3, because it was funny and light hearted, and so is she. but messy hair or not, this girl is drop dead gorgeous.

some 3 years after high school, this wacky, life-loving friend of mine, kristy, stumbled upon a 6'7" basketball player. now, when i say basketball player, i mean, basketball player. yes, he walked and talked like kobe. yes, he wore gym clothes and carried a basketball under his arm all the time. and yes, he loved every minute of simply being a "basketball player". rightfully so--he was good--really good. and in the midst of his international career, he invited his girlfriend, kristy, to join him for a few weeks in italy. kristy, the biggest home-body i've ever met and the first one to get homesick on our weekend getaways to vegas, nervously accepted. a few months later, she accepted an offer to join him for a few months in mexico. the homesick issue dissipated quickly--she thought the world of this stud, and nothing else mattered.

the phone rang one day while kristy was in mexico. "UHM, HI GEEG, SO...JJ AND I JUST GOT MARRIED!!!" "oh my crapness, kristy, i talked to you 3 days ago and didn't even know you guys were engaged!!!" "yeah, i just found out last night, myself. isn't it amazing?" "why, yes, of course. wow. i mean, WOWWW. that's...great. yes, that's GREAT!!!..." i called our other close friends immediately after hanging up. "guys, this is great, right? shoot. i'm not sure. that was....FAST. hmmm. okay, we're all okay with this. he's a good guy... we can support this, for sure." when jj and kristy returned, we welcomed them, excited about their new venture, but already praying hard that she'd/they'd made a smart decision.

then they got pregnant. and sure enough, 9 months later, a baby came. imagine that!!

then they got pregnant. again. and sure enough, as if it were natural, 9 months later, another baby came... i'm seeing a trend here.

with 2 kids under 2, and a 3 year old marriage, and two young adults that were still learning new things about themselves and each other on a daily basis, kristy and jj pressed on. an international basketball career ended sometime during that time, and jj, at a fork-in-the-road-moment of his life, decided to join the army.

i don't know anyone in the army. i know i drive past camp pendelton every so often hopeful i won't accidentally get run over by a rogue humvee, but that's about as close as i've come to armed forces in my life. oh yeah, i went to an airshow at edwards air force base once. i was 10. so, i hear the news, and of course, i call up my close friends. "guys, is this okay? i mean, i'm scared for them. jj's going to have to wear green and brown camo EVERYDAY. like, is he gonna be okay with that? and you know, what if he gets deployed? can jj and kristy handle this? and the kids???" i couldn't tell kristy how nervous i was. she was in the midst of mentally preparing herself for these next few years of uncertainty, and spiritually preparing herself to support her husband in his every need as they decided to take their family down this unexplored path. but jj had made this decision with a clear head. he needed to support his family, and he wanted to do so in the most honorable way he could think of.

last july, jj and kristy moved to fountain, colorado, just outside fort carson, where jj had been stationed. 5 months ago, baby taytum turned the sola family into a five-some, and 3 months ago jj, dressed in his finest camo and boots that were bigger than his smallest child, waved goodbye to his family as he left for a 13 month deployment to iraq. can you imagine? thankfully, a beautiful little invention called skype allows jj to see his kids grow up on the other side of the computer, but it's obviously not the same. 13 months. the sola's just take it one day at a time. and time will pass. and they'll be together again soon.

i now know someone in the army. i know someone brave. i know someone selfless. i know someone honorable, someone strong. and i know someone who is and continues to grow into a strong man of God. i am beyond words when i try to describe how much he and his sacrifices impress me.

i'm equally impressed by my crazy, funny, loving, sweet friend kristy, as she gives her three kids all her love and attention day after day, and as she remains the strong and loyal rock that jj yearns to come home to.

kristy spent the early part of summer here in orange county, and just this week, started the same trek josh and i did last october to return home to colorado with her three kids. they get to see jj for 2 weeks in another 3 or 4 months, as he takes his leave.

this family has been on my mind and in my prayers for weeks now, as my heart is humbled by their story, their hard times, their good times, their strengthand faith found in the Lord, and their beautiful attitudes of gratitude. may they know we love and admire them. and when i say we, i mean more than just josh and i.

jj, thank you for your service and your sacrifice. kristy, thank you for your friendship. bray, jaxy, and tater tot, thank you for the simply joys you bring to all of us. go solafamfam!!

and how's this for old school?

problem solving

2010-07-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

a: do you have a funny taste in your mouth today? from the juice or the pizza last night?

j: no

a: oh. yeah, me neither......

j: what kind of taste?

a: i can't tell. not iron, like when i eat cinnamon toast crunch. more like... aluminum... i think...

j: weird. did you eat a tin can?

a: oh crap, i totally did

j: well there's your problem

a: thanks

a saturday spent in the laundry room...

2010-07-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

i. am. an. hgtv. junkie.

i've never tried my hand at design, nor do i have the creativity to pursue anything as artistic as design, but, i did have a large empty laundry room screaming for a little love and attention. this past weekend, i rallied up two of my (sweet, sweet) girlfriends and we managed to squeeze the three of us into a little 7x7 room, along with rollers, brushes, paint trays, ladders, and a washer and dryer.

after a coat of paint, and mini shopping spree at tjmaxx homegoods, i now have a cozy lil' spot in my house to clean clothes. i had a great time with my laundry room make-over and my husband is stoked because he'll have clean drawers-in-his-drawers more often... ;-)

nicole and kym workin' hard--thanks girls!

before and after: the shelf area

before and after: the bare left wall

the finished product. so cozy!

snappy snappy

2010-07-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

it's been a while since we've thrown some photos up on the blog, so here are a few snapshots from the surprise birthday cruise josh planned for me. we had a beautiful night--enjoy the pics!

a lost art

2010-07-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

my birthday fell on father's day this year. ahem, correction--father's day fell on my birthday this year, thank you very much! in an effort to celebrate the grand feat of having raised my brother, sister and i for the past 25+ years, i made a concious decision to focus sunday's celebrations on my dad. after all, he IS the most incredible dad in the world, and i love the gosh darn heck out of him...

here's to you, dad...! nmw...

josh, being the ever-so-loving-and-thoughtful-guy-of-a-husband he is, thought it was important we still celebrate my birthday. i didn't push back. shocking--i know. fast forward to the following saturday, a 20-minute westward drive with a quick stop for fancy food-to-go, we pulled into newport harbor where we found a duffy boat waiting for us. yup, for US. josh and me. i didn't know you didn't need a captian on those things! better for us--it was PRIVATE. wink wink.

anywho, josh had planned the boat, the dinner, and obviously the drink selection, because he pulled 2 bottles of my favorite cabernet out of his backpack, along with (plastic) wine glasses and a bottle opener. because that's how we roll :-) i was SO IMPRESSED by his thoughtfulness, and i absolutely adored the surprise factor of it all, but it was what he popped into the cd player on the boat that really stole my heart. leave it up to josh, he made me a MIX TAPE for my birthday boat ride. I LOVE HIM!! :-)

josh is album centric. if you know him at all, or have done a decent job of keeping up with his blog posts, you'll know he is not a "shuffle songs" kind of guy. no way. because that entirely negates any effort put forth by an artist to consciously arrange their music as they wanted it to be heard--as a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. therefore, i can only imagine what a struggle it must have been for him to put multiple songs and artists on one disc, visciously tearing them away from the cozy, assigned spots on thier respective albums. it must have been heart wrenching.

unless.................. unless this was josh's way of creating his own album. and btw, whether it's true or not, this is the story i'm going with. because it's my birthday. and i can.

josh has a library of over 85 days worth of music. 85 DAYS OF MUSIC. we could be stranded on an island together for 2 full months plus a february, eating maggots and drinking salt water, and as long as we had his ipod (and a charger... oh, and speakers, too...) we'd be able to dance to a different song the whole time we were there. it's almost stupid...but it's mostly cute. :-) it also comes in handy when i'm ready for an ipod mix change. i just love that he sat down and intentionally pulled 16 different songs from 16 different albums and 16 different artists and placed them all side by side onto one, single cd. these were 16 carefully chosen songs that made him think of us as a couple, as a family, and as two crazies that love to have a good time. he thought about what songs we'd enjoy on a birthday boat ride at sunset down newport harbor over dinner and drinks, on a night full of cuddling and day dreaming :-) this mix tape was a piece of art--it was wonderful, and it melted my heart. i (un)secretly hope for another one someday (honey...) ;-)

here are a few of my favorite lyrics from the disc, for your artful reading pleasure.

...sailing around the world, please know that i'm yours to keep, my beautiful girl...

...but there ain't nobody that can sing like me, ain't nobody that can sing like me, way over yonder in the minor key....

...that i am, i am, i am the luckiest...

...i wonder everyday as i look upon your face, everything you gave and nothing you would take...

...and then when we get to the ocean, we're gonna take a boat to the end of the world...

...you and me together, we can do anything, baby, you and me together, yes, yes...

...watchin' the fire as we grow...

...ahhhuhh, ahhhuh, ahhhhhuhh...

...happy birthday, beautiful...

look for some of the birthday mix songs on our blog playlist, soon!

a cup o' tea

2010-06-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

ugh. i'm thirsty. hungry, too? no, not hungry, just thirsty.

mmmmmm. tea sounds good.

pour water, crack open the micro, slam door, hit 9-0-start. and wait.

i wonder if josh would want tea. eh, he's doing homework. he won't even know i'm having tea. and he can make some when he's done.

UMMMM. HELLO, GIGI! I KNOW IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND ALL, BUT THIS PRINCESS/ME/ME/ME ATTITUDE WILL GET YOU NOWHERE. i cannot believe i rationalized this move in my head. shocked and saddened at the same time, i walked to the office and offered my husband some tea, to which he graciously accepted. "with a tiny bit of sugar, please, honey! oh, and babe? thanks so much!!"

90 seconds later it was HIS tea that was coming out of the microwave, and not mine. i dropped his bag in, added some sugar, popped another water mug in the microwave, hit 9-0-start, and walked his tea over to the office. my hot water came out 90 seconds later. i LOVE mint tea. yummmm :-)

one of the first dates josh took me on was to a favorite pizza joint of his. he ordered for us, and after we each poured our own sodas, he grabbed a straw, unwrapped it, and stuffed it in my soda. WHAT? uhm, okay, i guess i'll unwrap a straw and stick it in YOUR soda....

WOW. this "thinking of the other person first" thing is kind of cool. :-)

when josh and i got married 16 months ago (no i'm not counting, it's simple arithmetic. february plus four equals june, plus two days, and that year thats gone by, and you're at 16 months, or one year and one third. okay, i'm counting...) it was easy and exciting to offer him a cup of tea on a sunday evening. it was a cakewalk to put him first. we were MARRIED, and that's what married people do. i told myself i'd ALWAYS think of josh first.

when i popped MY tea in the microwave, i justified why i didn't need to put josh first.

and that was so not cool.

it's not always easy, and it's not always natural, but as a wife, a lover, a caretaker, i have to continue to think of my husband first. a year after the wedding. ten years after the wedding. 50 years after the wedding. selflessness and consideration--two healthy qualities that help ensure we're not hurting each other. because on a daily basis, the things i do need to HELP my husband, and not HURT or HINDER him. even if it's as simple as making sure he's set with a sunday "prevening" cup of tea. :-)

reaching out.

2010-06-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

it's no mystery, but im a fan of the "occassional" (ahem) social media.

some people get it, some people don't. lucky for me, mylack of being passionate for any one thing in particular allows me to not feel the need to constantly explain why facebook, twitter, blogging, google-reading, site surfing, etc. make me feel more connected to this world. there are debates on the pros and cons of social media just about everywhere you look. but can i tell you something? my aunt and i get to keep up on facebook multiple times a day. my cousins and i keep each other updated as to when we'll be in town looking for a visit, and my grandma updates her status with the crazyness of retired life!! not to mention, reunions are planned, big game scores are updated by the minute, and earthquake magnitudes are posted. this stuff is helpful.

obviously this stuff can be distracting, but what about all those people that show up at my office door when i'm trying to develop a budget!?!?!

so i'll leave you with the latest tid bit of helpfulness i've experienced on the wonderful world of facebook. and to the husband--i hope one or all of these helps your head.

I Can't Wait To Get Off Work...

2010-06-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

Each day this week, this song has helped get me through the day. It's such a nice feeling to come home to the one I love more than anything.

oh my, layover!

2010-06-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

takeaways from my latest attempt to fly...

1) burbank airport, contrary to popular (/my) belief, is NOT the same distance from orange county as long beach airport. idoit points: 3
2) it does not take 3+ hours to get from OC to burbank. it takes 2. idiot points: 1
3) a 7 person flight does not stop the ticketing counter from boarding in zones. idiot points: 0
4) san fransisco in the summer is moody like a teenage girl. one hour, foggy, the next hour, twice as foggy, the next hour, clear. idiot points: 1
5) "redeyes" are not meant to have connections at various airports throughout the night. idiot points: 3
6) in today's economy, not every freezing cold plane has blankets onboard. idiot points: 2
7) 90 minute customer service lines CAN be followed by 60 minute customer service phone calls. idiot points: 1
8) tea does not have as much caffiene as coffee. idiot points: 1
9) there's no one to chat on the phone with at 3:35am. idiot points: 1
10) when a pilot offers to drop you back off at the gate and stay in town, rather than start your trip, there are times when it'd be smarter to take him up on his offer rather than "just see" how things turn out. idiot points: 7 (that's a biggie, i know!)

it was a rough 20 hours, and in the end, i got nowhere. that's right, nowhere. i can't say i didn't learn anything though! in some states, i'd get college credits for the amount of lessons learned in such a short period of time...

PXX2AMFCSJYY

Step Right Up

2010-06-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

I have a rather vast and diverse music collection. But there is one particular artist that has more tracks in the collection than any other. I have practically everything he has ever recorded and I can honestly say there isn’t anything I don’t like.

Ever since I purchased my first album by this artist I have been a huge fan of his music. He is probably the only artist I have ever said I HAVE to see in concert one day. I have told Gigi that if he ever comes even somewhat close to where we are, we will do whatever we need to to attend the show. It has become a life goal.

For those who don't already know who I am talking about, allow me to introduce you to Tom Waits. The video below is what sealed my desire to see him in concert.

Recently, one of the Tom Waits fan blogs I follow (I know, I'm ~~awesome~~ a huge nerd), posted a concert he performed in France back in 1980 and I just had to share. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A Couple That Sweats Together, Stays Together

2010-06-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

Those that know Gigi and I know that we like to stay active, maintain a practically full calendar at all times, and do what we can to stay in shape. Whether it's climbing, running or walking with June, hiking (on occasion) or just doing something outside, we do what we can to enjoy the outdoors and maintain an active lifestyle.

About 55 days ago I told Gigi that I was thinking of doing P90X (those of you who don't know what that is can go here to see for yourself). Her first reaction was, "I'll do it with you!" That quickly turned into, "Six days a week for 90 days!... and a diet program too! Heck no way!" slowly evolving into, "Okay. I'll do it with you, but only if you do all the research and just tell me what to do."

I quickly took that deal.

I looked through all the material and started talking to Gigi to get her prepped for what we were about to do. The more I read about the program, the more intimidated I became. Six days a week was a huge commitment for two people who love to max our schedules out. But if we wanted to actually get into the shape we had been wanting to it was going to take something a bit more drastic than walking the dog a long distance and going to Bishop every six weeks. So I shoved my intimidation aside, put on my brave face and we jumped in with both feet.

First step, fit test. Boy was that an eye opener. I couldn't reach my toes, could barely do a wall squat for a minute, and was up around 30% body fat!!! What the hell?!? I used to be athletic!!

Next step, Day 1... and a severe ass-kicking from a damned DVD! The first workout I thought I was gonna cry like a little girl and then pass out dead. I knew someone would find Gigi standing over my body laughing and she would go to jail and June would be an orphan. Okay, that maybe a little bit of an exaggeration, but I did think I was gonna pass out. Luckily I was able to take a break and watch Gigi handle things like a champ. I eventually jumped back in just in time to get my ass kicked again by "340 core slash ab exercises" known as Ab Ripper X. By the end of the whole thing I was flipping off the computer and cursing the trainer's name. But I was still committed to it and determined to see the results the program is designed to give.

After a week I was exhausted. God I hope this is working!

After two weeks I was so sore I wasn't sure I could feel anything else but pain. Seriously, all I feel is sore. This had better be working.

After three weeks my body wanted to give up. It is so much easier to be fat and lazy. I think I lost 2 pounds. Seriously?!? I can barely move any more and I've only lost 2 pounds!!!

Week four was a rest week and we sure did need it. We were exhausted and in desperate need of rest. We did our workouts (even while on vacation!) and began to feel a bit better and ready for phase 2. But something happened. We started to look and feel better. Not just a little better, but a lot better. We noticed we were both able to go for a 2 mile run and talk the whole way. That was new. We noticed that even though we were tired, we still had more energy than we did a few weeks prior. Okay sign us up for phase 2.

After the first week we were tired again. Psh... bring it on!

After the second week our bodies were sore. A minor set back. I can't wait for week 3!

Now, here we are ending the third week of phase 2 and we are constantly saying to each other, "Holy crap you look great!!" We can see big results in each other and now we still have enough energy after our workouts to go on a mile or two walk with June each night! Last night we both, for the first time in the workout, were able to keep up with the trainer and do every move of the Ab Ripper X workout!

We are right at halfway through the 90 days we set out to complete seven weeks ago. It's had it's up's and down's but we are having a blast every day. I know that I have totally enjoyed getting into shape, working my ass off and having my wife doing the same thing right by my side. It has been so exciting to watch her push her limits, and be there to motivate her while she is right there doing the same for me.

I love you babe! I'll be home soon to do yoga with you!

ahhh....

2010-05-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

with summer right around the corner, you'll find me doing a lot of this:

although, unlike june, i'll probably take my collar and leash off. i'm not a fan of neck tans.

tuesday afternoon chit chat

2010-05-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

a: i think i'm gonna bring my computer home tonight and do some work. do you have homework to work on?

j: i do. i have some work i can do too :)

a: well, between workout, dinner, dry cleaning, walks with june, and grocery shopping, i'm kind of changing my mind.

j: i thought you might.

a: what?! how did you know?

j: i knew you'd start to think about all that we need to do tonight and give up on the work part. ;) i know you.

a: aaaarrrrrrrgggg. you stink. but i love you. lots.

j: you have to. i have the paper that says so.

a: i know. damn paperwork.

j: i know.

a fresh papercut :-/

2010-05-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

i have a friend--correction: HAD a friend--who at one point was VERY close. we shared our hearts, our dreams, our similarities, and our differences, heck, we even shared our wedding days with each other...

then something happened. and my reaction to that something wasn't--well, it wasn't "right" according to her. and looking back, i admit, it probably didn't qualify as the world's best reaction a friend could have. but in her mind, i'd wronged her--BIG TIME. and now? well, now, we're no longer friends.

after a truly heartfelt apology , based on what i realized she perceived as wrong on my part, we have yet to rebuild our relationship. it breaks my heart over and over.

this was a while ago. you'd think i'd be "over it" by now. but i'm not. not even close :-( and honestly, i won't be surprised if this one hangs around with me for a lifetime.

the loss of a freindship is one of the hardest, most impactful losses one can face, in my opinion. it's almost like a break-up, where you just hit rewind in your memory bank over and over, trying to figure out what went wrong; trying to figure out what you could have done differently. and everytime the memory bank's rerun comes to an end, it stings like a fresh papercut all over again.

i don't wish to be a lousy friend--not to anyone. i've specifically asked close friends of mine to tell me what i can do to be a better friend to them. and i'll continue to ask... because friends don't just come knocking on your door--they take work, and they're not worth losing over a misunderstanding. and losing a good friend can leave an everlasting hole in your hearth. not fun. not fun at all.

just sayin...

it's thursday...

2010-04-15T11:16:00.001-07:00

i know i should be working, but i've got june on my mind, instead!

i'm mostly thinking about how badly she needs a bath...

every 6 weeks

2010-04-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

this past weekend, josh, june, and i met our friends craig and zsa up in bishop, ca for some classic bouldering. it was nice to see bishop only 6 weeks after the last time we saw it! if we had a bishop trip every 6 weeks, i may be okay with that!! as a matter of fact, i think we're headed up there again on memorial day weekend. how about that's 6 weeks from now!!

check out that landscape!

josh is stoked to be outside climbing again! and if you sneak a peek behind him, a little set of lovebirds are cuddling............ ;-)

craig and zsa hanging out :-)

june was so excited to be outside. she'd go explore by herself for 10 minutes or so, then check back in like a good little puppy. we thought we lost her at one point--that was scary. but nope, she was right around the corner! phew!

uhm, hello, cows. i wanted to touch one, but thought i might die.

craig working on mandala (i think that's what this was called)... this sucker's "heinous" (a word i've noticed climbers use ALL THE TIME...!)

josh on a traverse on the headbanger boulder. this boulder was SHARP.

josh working on soulslinger at the buttermilks. this is also the boulder where june got bit by a red ant. i wanted to cry watching her in so much pain, but i sucked it up. barely.

zsa working on soulslinger. this chick is a kickass climber, btw. and she's fun :-)

don't know what this route was called. i just know i worked on it for a while...

...and it finally went!!

sushi bro.

2010-04-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

rolly's 32nd birthday found its way into 2010 last week :-) happy birthday bro!!!!

to celebrate, mom and dad thought rolly's favorite food would work to satisfy his birthday cravings. SUSHI!! however, in an effort to be creative and fun (good job, guys) we didn't GO to sushi, instead sushi came to us. the parentals worked and worked to prep all the fixins needed for a make-your-own-sushi party. (can i really get away calling them "fixins" when it is the farthest thing possible from hick food?? how about "supplies"? or "suprise!" my seuc cousins may get that reference... anywho...)

with seaweed, rice, halibut, tuna, tuna tar-tare, crab, salmon, eel, avocado, cream cheese, cucumber, mushrooms, and those little orange eggs on the menu, we went to town mashing, rolling, stomping, cutting, and eating our freshly made hand rolls. no, it wasn't the most classy effort i've ever seen, it was more... functional. how do i get all this stuff in my mouth at once? (...that's a great segway to a "that's what she said" joke, btw. ya know, just in case you needed some help catching that one...) some rolls were small, some rolls were large. some looked like burritos (dad...) and some looked like small baseballs... in any case, they all tasted DELICIOUS!! and, to ensure authenticity, a few sake swigs and sapporro gulps were fully welcomed...!

rolly's ready...

so is dad...

they're tired from eating...

yummmmmmmy!

i love those orange eggy things...

josh ate potstickers... "i don't like the texture of sushi..."

cheers, kat and rolly!

happy birthday to my rolly poly! i hope you had fun celebrating all weekend long! and thanks to mom and dad for all your hard work!

...lovers of starbucks

2010-04-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

the entirely-too-computer-saavy-husband o' mine follows a ton of blogs, and one of his favorites, "deal news", has posted an awesome deal about free starbucks.

on thursday, april 15th, (yes, that's tax day, my friends), you can receive a free mug o' joe at starbucks, just by bringing in your own travel mug. if you don't believe me, you can click here for the proof.

just thought my fellow coffee lovers would want to know this big, big news :-) that, and i'm such a sucker for free stuff.

happy caffiening!!

favorite places: park bench cafe

2010-04-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

it's not often that we get to enjoy the little gem in huntington beach called central park, as it's a good 35 minutes from home, and we don't spend all that much time in that area to begin with. every so often, though, we make it a point to grab the dog's leash, jump in the car, and head up the freeway to get a bite at one of our favorite places: park bench cafe.

this fully outdoor breakfast and lunch restaurant not only allows dogs, they actually encourage 4-legged friends to join for a treat of their own. the puppy menu ranges from hot dogs and ice cream scoops to kibble and dog bones. june's treat today--just a simple peanut butter dog-shaped treat. she decapitated it, ate the head, and left the rest of the treat for her furry squirrel friends that would clean up behind her.

i know what you're thinking--if they serve dog food, i'm sure the people food can't be that good. WRONG. it's definitely a greasy spoon type of restaurant, and a "white plate/cheap silverware" type of place, but the grub is good!!

today's trip was not quite as planned as usual--we happened to be in fountain valley running errands, and we happened to have the june bug with us because the weather was cool enough to leave her in the car for 20 minutes at a time. realizing we were just 10 minutes from park bench cafe, we headed up for lunch and a walk. june loved this afternoon, and so did we. the weather was gorgeous and the flowers were blooming--i'll take this weekend afternoon any day!

to do -- ta da!

2010-03-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

the recent warm weather and late sunsets have really proven themselves to act as a magnet to our little family of 3, when 7pm rolls around. sunset walks are coming back into the picture, and oh how i love them!

aside from allowing june to alleviate some pent up energy, our little evening walks have become yet another great enviroment for solid conversation. last night's conversation somehow shifted to a topic of our daily to do lists, and how we both work so differently.

josh seems to have a "rule of 7". his past research (of course he has researched this...) has shown him that people should focus their efforts on completing seven realistic tasks in one day. if more are completed, great, if not, no worries, you hit your lucky #7. at work, he has a "master to-do list" with mini lists of 7 that help him prioritize his daily activities.

i, on the other hand, have ONE list. this list has it all... until it's full, that is. at that point, i start another list, transferring unfinished items to the new list, adding to it, and abandoning the old list. i revisit my list at least 15 times in a day, and if things become higher priority, they get an extra touch of color as a reminder.

as we discussed the different ways we manage ourselves and our to-do's on a daily basis, we were reminded that, although we work really well together, we work very differently than one another. josh feels overwhelmed when faced with a long to do list, i feel comfortable that i've captured everything i need to get done on a peice of paper! if i gave my list to josh, he'd probably be so confused. if he gave his list to me, i'd feel like i was missing things.

i'm POSITIVE this plays out in our marraige. one fundamental difference we found on day 6 of marraige was this:

josh: "i cannot clean this house until i relax!"
gigi: "i cannot relax until i clean this house!"

i won't go into how many times this has happened in the past year--i'll leave that up to your imagination... the good news, though, is that we both want the same things: a clean house and time to relax. therefore, we find ourselves working toward the same goal in two different ways.

so, as is the case with both the lists and the cleaning/relaxing styles, we continue to find ourselves wanting the same things, getting the same things done, but always bringing another approach to the table. and i LOVE it! it keeps things interesting and challenging, makes for some great debating, and keeps us focused on our goals. not to mention, in the end, we've both gotten what we wanted, because we wanted the same things to begin with.

...phew!...

Two down, two to go...

2010-03-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

The last couple of years have been busy to say the least. I have been engaged and married, moved into a new house with my wife, become a landlord, and recently celebrated a 1 year marriage anniversary! On top of all of that, I went back to school to finally get my bachelors degree. It was a decision I knew would be full of long hours and hard work, but would be an important step to take for the future. What I didn't realize at the time was what I would learn from going back to school. Of course there are all the things I have learned from the classes at school, but that isn't what I am referring to. What I am talking about is what life has taught me just by going back to school.

School has taught me that no matter how difficult things get to manage my wife is always by my side to help encourage and support me. After all, she was a major factor in me going back to school in the first place. School has never been a priority in my life and through her love and encouragement it has become something that I am proud of doing. There are always the days where neither one of us want me to disappear into the office to do schoolwork, but over the last two years it has become a little easier to deal with knowing that I am just that much closer to reaching the light at the end of the tunnel.

It has been two full years since I started school and I have two years left to go. The first two went by really quickly and with the Gigi's help we have been able to still maintain the very active lifestyle that we have grown accustomed to and we have even begun to make plans for the future... whatever that may hold for us.

Through the "going back to school" process it is very apparent to me that no matter what life throws at us, Gigi and I are very capable at handling it. We work really well as a team and can tackle any situation that comes our way. We may have ups and downs along the way, but we recover well and learn from our mistakes. It's just one of the infinite number of things that I continue to learn and love about my wife! Without her, going back to school wouldn't be nearly as meaningful or educational. In fact, I probably wouldn't have done it at all. And I most certainly wouldn't have received this in the mail the other day....

Thank you Gigi for all of your love and support during this process! I love you and I could never have done this without you!

attention pooch owners—

2010-03-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

word on the street is that OC is cracking down on the requirement to have a dog license in place for your pet. i’ve heard cops are going to go door to door asking for pet licenses and fine people that are found empty handed. (i thought cops would have better things to do, but apparently not…) typically, you can only get a license within the first 4 months of dog life/ownership, but OC has open enrollment right now for anyone to apply for this license. thought i’d share this info with you guys--we’ve had the June Bug for 3 years and never finalized her paperwork (tsk, tsk, i know…) and others may be in a similar situation.

you can go to this website to apply for a license. the fee is somewhat minimal compared to a potential fine/ticket, or.....the loss of loved one.......... ugh, could you imagine?!?!?

http://egov.ocgov.com/ocgov/Info%20OC/Departments%20&%20Agencies/OC%20Animal%20Care/Pet%20Licensing

so blessed...

2010-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

...to have spent 365 amazing days tag-teaming this thing called LIFE

with my wonderful husband....

...I can't wait for a lifetime more!

happy one year anniversary, my love!

the latest happenings on the johnson front

2010-02-17T14:29:00.003-08:00

not sure how many of you care to hear what we've been up to, but i'm pretty sure i have a few far-away family and friends that check up on our blog and see how we're doing, so i thought i'd post a little update of the past few months.

theBIRTHDAY
josh turned __ (blank on purpose) on january 19th. and we're obviously very proud... just kidding--the guy may be racking up the age-points, but he's still as playful as a young chap and i love him to peices! we hit up javiers mexican restaurant for dinner with a few pals, followed by a visit to the yardhouse. josh was testing his new age at the nearest bar. eh, he sort of passed.

theCITY
we entirely lucked out this month and got the opportunity to travel for work together, and to no better place than new york city! okay, i misrepresent...we went to new jersey. i owed a visit to a project out there, and josh spent a day in his new jersey office working on a project with his boss. as soon as we were done with the work, we jumped on a train and planted ourselves in that freezing city for 3 days. this trip was fairly mellow for NYC--it was cold, and unless we had a plan of where to go and exactly how to get there, we weren't the most eager to simply roam around aimlessly. strangely enough, our initial plan had been to have no plan, and hadn't realized how much the cold would hinder us from "just hanging out in the city". ultimately we made it to a couple museums (the MoMA was our favorite!), the new york library, rockefeller center, and some random bars and restaurants. for those "how i met your mother" fans, we visited a bar called mcgee's, which provided the concept behind maclaren's in the show.

theMORNINGS
josh and i have stumbled upon some new found time, recently. mornings. how about that?! turns out, there's lots one can do at 6am, and we're learning it together. eagerly, i might add. i think the jet lag from NYC has yet to fade, and we're hanging on to it tightly. mornings have recently consisted of a long walk with the dog, a yummy breakfast and the today show, or an early start at the office. i've always had an appreciation for mornings, but managed to easily sleep through them. now that josh is finding how beautiful the early part of the day can be, i'm finding myself NOT sleeping through them anymore. it's nice, june loves it, and i would highly recommend mornings to anyone! a little word of advice, though--do yourself a favor and hit the sack before midnight.

theBOOK
our valentine's day was fairly low key. it consisted of church, lunch, errands, and the gym. later in the day, we buckled down and got serious--threw a steak on the grill(pan) and sat down for a romantic dinner. after dinner, we moved to the couch, and josh read "catcher in the rye" to me. it was so simple, and so sweet. i absolutely LOVED it; well, until i fell asleep in chapter 6, that is... i can't wait to be read to more...such a nice treat! and this book is an awesome classic :-)

theWEEKEND
we are heading up to bishop, california to (finally) do some outdoor climbing. josh, june, and i will hit the road saturday morning and meet a couple friends of ours on the rocks that afternoon. i am SO looking forward to sometime outside, away from the hustle bustle, and spending time with friends. we'll post some pics when we return!

theBUS

2010-02-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

josh and i like to think we're fun, playful, and lighthearted folks :-) we could be wrong, but we still like to think it! we stumbled upon a school bus yard a while back and got some photos of the good time. here's a few, just for kicks!

Reaching New Heights

2010-02-01T17:10:00.001-08:00

We’re back! We are coming up on our first year anniversary and we are finally starting to settle into a routine that we can all handle. We are figuring out what our schedule can handle and how far we can stretch ourselves and trying not to ignore friends and family while still getting in the things we want to do each week.

One of the things that slipped out of the rotation was our climbing. Around the beginning of the year we both decided that we would get back into it; first for fun and as a means of staying in shape as well. From the moment we started hitting the gym again we both realized how much we missed it. The first week it was practically all we could talk to each other about… and it hasn’t stopped! Four weeks later and we still can’t stop talking about it. The other day Gigi came home with a bubble jacket she got from a friend. She pulled it out of the bag, held it up, and said, “for our next trip to Bishop.” She knows the way to my heart, doesn’t she?

I got bit by the climbing bug the day I went to Joshua Tree with an old friend (Kevin Ranck – if you are out there, I miss ya, man!). I always knew the sport would be a big part of my life after that day and told myself, “I’m gonna marry a woman who climbs one day.” Guess what? I did!! Not only did I marry a woman who climbs, I married a climber! Granted, she didn’t know she was a climber at the beginning, but she knows it now! It is so much fun to share the sport I love with the woman I love!

It’s so fun to watch her light up when she reaches a new level of climbing. It’s awesome to watch her figuring out the problem she is working on. And it’s exciting hear her voice get louder and more excited when she talks about it with me and others. The other day we almost went to the gym twice in the same day because she wanted to go back! Now that’s a climber!

I have always contended that climbing is a great metaphor for relationships. With or without a rope there are two people looking out for each other. When a person falls, the other is there to catch or help protect the other person from injury. When one person struggles, the other is there to take up the slack or give guidance to help the other person through the tough spot. And like with any sport, the more you do it, the better you become at doing it. The same thing goes for a healthy relationship.

Coming up on our first anniversary of marriage, we can definitely attest to it having been a lot like climbing. We have each had our times of struggle when we were reliant upon the other to get through. We have also each had times of pure success that we have been able to share in together. We are getting ready to reach new heights both in climbing and in marriage. It’s an exciting time for us and we couldn’t be happier about it!

P.S. - We are always looking to introduce people to the sport we love so much. If you are interested, let us know! We’d love to take you climbing!

when your mind's made up

2010-01-28T11:55:00.000-08:00

tuesday blew like a drunk guy workin' a breathalizer. no, really, all kidding aside, i had the most horrible day i've had in a long time. the worst part was that i had no idea why my day was so difficult. it just was.

first off, i must clarify--nothing is "wrong", things aren't "bad", and my life isn't "rough". i simply woke up, showered, and began to get ready. i got in a small fight with my closet and the few exciting peices it offers, but that's not new. all of the sudden, i felt odd... different... uncomfortable... i felt like my little world was slowly turning upside down, and i was entirely not surprised when it didn't re-adjust itself until later that evening. i instantly had a disappointing perspective on everything--i didn't like what i saw in the mirror, i didn't enjoy running through my day's to-do list in my head, and i could barely appreciate the few morning exchanges my husband and i shared before work. i just wasn't having it.

i made my way into the office and felt on the verge of tears all day. every little thing i'd normally brush off was given enough credit in my mind to takeover my thoughts. ugh. what an awful feeling. ultimately, i made a decision to bail out of work a couple hours early. i had permission, of course--there was no way i was going to add my bad day by playing an unadvised day of hookie. i drove home, plopped on the couch, and submitted myself to 2 hours of predictable chick-flickness. thankfully, my dose of "confessions of a shopaholic" was just the right medicine. well, actually, i owe getting out of my slump to the desperate prayers and a self-given motivational pep-talk, but you get the jist. the movie helped. i was finally able to detach from whatever had unnerved me and essentially hit the restart button on my day. i jumped on the good-attitude train for the rest of the evening, and have felt fine ever since. :-) high fives to that!

i'm not sharing the details of my crappy day just for the mere purpose of sharing. it was quite the impactful day, seeing as how it's thursday and i'm still thinking about it. there must be a lesson in this somewhere...

since tuesday, i've found myself thinking that i hadn't had a bad day like that for a while, so it was bound to come. everyone deserves to have a bad attitude at their discretion, right??? ehhh, not so much. as i mentioned, nothing is wrong, life is good, and i'm a happy camper. i believe that each and every morning God gives me a little window of time in which i get to make a decision. i don't think the decision is between "having a good day" and "having a bad day" so much as it is between "working to have a good day" and "not working to have a good day". i'm lucky that good days often come my way, but on the occassional day in which i am blatently presented with that choice, i'm going to force myself to take an extra moment, say an extra prayer, and work a little harder to stretch a smile across my face. that morning's decision may be tested throughout the day, and i'll probably find myself working hard to fight off the little grey clouds that so badly want to cling themselves on to my smallest worry, but i must make it a priority to not allow a bad attitude to win me over. it's draining and tiring, and i definitely don't want it happening when i have no stinkin' reason for it.

bad days will come, but their reasons will come with them. and on those days i'll find the loving arms of my friends, my family, and my God to comfort me.

i will.

2010-01-15T15:20:00.000-08:00

one of my goals for 2010 is to start setting goals.

one of my more relevant goals for 2010 is to become less restless. allow me to explain.

in this day and age, it is SO incredibly easy to yearn for "the next big thing", to always want what's on the other side of the fence, and to keep up, if not surpass, the "jones'". you grow up wanting to get to high school, then get to college, then get to the real world. you finally get there and you want to find a great job, buy a house, meet the man/woman of your dreams, get married, have kids, get a bigger house, get a more glorified job, have more kids, etc.etc.

i look at my own life and realize that in every step of the way, i have always want to be a step ahead of myself. this, my friends, is most likely the reason for why you may consider me "prematurely old". sad, huh? now, don't get me wrong, it's important to dream, wish, and work for all these great things to happen, but what happens when your entire focus becomes wanting what you don't currently have?? well, i believe you end up losing sight of the moment in which you stand.

i want to learn, so badly, how to just savor the moment while i'm in it. imagine the excitement!

so, this year i will do the following:
- i will cherish the tens of thousands of laughs i share with the love of my life
- i will utterly enjoy every minute of marriage...without kids
- i will love the moments i get to spend with my June Bug while she's still got the energy of a puppy
- i will appreciate the heck out of the fact that my bro, sis, mom, dad, and in laws all live within 30 minutes of me. that's equal to one episode of "friends"

- i will tell my friends how much i love them
- i will enjoy my little 1100 square foot condo and my tiny balcony
- i will work my butt off to tackle the daily learning curve i'm presented with in my career
- i will learn and retain as many music facts as my husband can tell me
- i will laugh aloud at the smart-ass jokes i quietly tell myself
- i will find a way to enjoy the countless hours spent in my car
- i will enjoy the daily grind as if its a vacation from the norm
- i will stop in my footsteps every so often and just...be
- i will not always be yearning for the next great moment, but instead make each moment great
- i will be...less restless and more at peace

i'm thankful for this life full of wonderful blessings, and i won't let it to go by too fast. you just never know...

the ultimate

2010-01-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

my husband has a *PASSION* and a *DEEP LOVE* for climbing.

his face literally *LIGHTS UP* when he begins to talk about it.

a new route is the most *EXCITING* puzzle he could ever be faced with.

his thought process becomes entirely *LOGICAL*.

his ultimate goal is to *SUCCEED*.

his eyes scream *DETERMINATION* as they survey the routes.

he becomes *FOCUSED*, and nothing can get in his way.

he *DANCES* his way to the top, seemingly light as a feather.

and i simply *RELISH* in getting to watch him do what he loves.

those special moments in 2009

2009-12-21T14:39:00.000-08:00

this has been a WONDERFUL year! before we jump into 2010, i thought it'd be appropriate to highlight a few special moments that could easily get lost in the memory banks without a gentle reminder...

a little slideshow for your viewing...

That first look...!

2009-12-07T10:28:00.001-08:00

Finally getting around to playing with some wedding photos of ours...

oh, christmas tree, oh, christmas tree...!

2009-11-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

today was a VERY special day. josh and i chose, brought home, lit up, and decorated our very first christmas tree together! we had so much fun...!

this years "theme" was humor :-) we went shopping for our decorations about a week ago, and had no clue where to start. we started picking up ornaments from the shelf, and some of them just made us giggle. sooooooo, we threw them in the cart, and that became the theme! if it made us laugh, it found it's way onto the tree!

josh with coca cola santa

of course we had to include june in the festivities.

an annoying jingle bell collar was just the thing!

ooooo, so romantic... our first christmas!

the finished tree!

here we go! the fun ornaments! cookie monster... looking sharp.

the reindeer playing a trumpet became our "angel" and is sitting atop our tree :-)

and the pig? SO random...

seriously, the reindeer (that looks like a donkey) and the zebra CRACK ME UP!

bulldozer: AWESOME. ballerina frog...REALLY?

NYC taxi...YES! love the old car and the school bus :-)

favorite places: our backyard

2009-11-28T15:48:00.000-08:00

sometimes (okay, more often than not) i get frustrated with the fact that we live in a little 2 bedroom condo, and not some great big house with a yard, garage, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, two stories, living room, dining room, island in the kitchen, 5-peice master bath, guest rooms, etc. (thank you HGTV for reminding me of this desire every day i watch you and your House Hunters marathons....) but when push comes to shove, we have plenty of space in our little cozy place. june, on the other hand, could perhaps use some stairs to keep her in shape, but that will come in time.
i've begun to think of our condo complex as our ENTIRE house. the front gate? well, that's like our gate at the end of our huge property. our walk from the car to the front door? well, that's as if our garage was huge and far from the kitchen. and the park behind our house? well, that's our backyard!!
we live right next to Sheep Hills Park. there is one large hill, a playground, 2 soccer fields, a baseball field, a sidewalk path, and some dirt paths that extend through aliso viejo canyons. we literally sneak out between two of the buildings on our property and we are right there, smack dab in the middle of the hill. as soon as we break through the buildings, we let june off the leash and she's free to roam. as soon as she sees a dog or a bunny, however, it's back on the leash for her. she's not THAT well trained...
we visit the park at least once a day. whether its for a walk around the paved loop or a 20 min playtime for june off the leash, we have found that this park is really one of our favorite places.
seeing as how it's the holiday weekend, and josh, june, and i have EXTRA playtime with each other. this morning, we threw on some hats and jackets, made some coffee, and made our way to the park. it was empty, which was a real treat because june could hang off the leash the entire time. the fluffy clouds, changing tree colors, and fallen leaves made for a beautiful sight this morning. i grabbed the camera and took a few shots of our morning. what a way to start the day!

the view of our house from the park. yup, it's that close!

playing around with each other...

and of course, a family shot :-)

Inside Me A Lunatic Sings

2009-11-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

Music is a big part of my life. Ever since I can remember there have been certain songs, albums, and artists that can take me back to a specific memory or move me in a way that I haven't been moved in a long time. These moments are better than pictures because I can feel the emotion that went along with each time and remember the surrounding context much better than I can when looking at a picture. These moments aren't a snapshot of an instance, but rather a genuine recollection of the moment in time.

Ever since June decided she wanted to listen to my iPod (by chewing on it) while I wasn't home one day it has had issues. The play button doesn't really work all that well and it will occasionally stop playing altogether until I reset it, so I decided to take it to work and just "shuffle" it all day so I don't have to deal with it stopping every time I change the album. I bring it Monday morning, press shuffle, and don't touch it until it's time to go home on Friday evening. Kind of like my own personal radio station while at the office.

This afternoon I was busy working and suddenly was transported back in time to just over nine months ago. February 21st, 2009 in fact; Our wedding day. As soon as I heard the song I stopped working and just closed my eyes to listen and experience the memories. It wasn't that long ago, but it felt as great today as it did then.

The best part about this song was that it almost wasn't played at our wedding. While Gigi and I were searching for songs to be played for different times at the wedding, I sent her the lyrics for this song and she loved them. Then I played her the song and she said, "Those aren't the lyrics you sent me." She was right... sort of. I sent her the English lyrics, but the song is sung in Icelandic. Sneaky... I know. But with a lot of talking I convinced her that even though the song was in a different language, it was the perfect song for the moment. Although, until the moment actually happened she still didn't really believe me. You can ask her what she thinks now. Go ahead, I'll wait...

Anyway, this song makes me smile every time I hear it and so I thought it would be fun to share the video and it's lyrics...it's English lyrics to give everyone a little taste of what was going through my mind as I stood in front of God and everyone waiting to kiss my new bride.

Inside me a lunatic sings

On a silver river

You illuminate the whole world and blue eyes

Cut the starry sky

I make a wish and close my eyes

Yes do that, now begins the story

Oh no

At lightspeed

Inside a heart explodes, an airplane crash

Down on the earth sings

I make a wish and close my eyes

Yes do that, a silly dance

All is forgotten in very little time and yet begins

Open eyes

Oh no

My best friend no matter whatever happens

I swallow tears and breathe hair

A bad break, we cry in each other arms

When we meet

When we kiss

The lips burning, we hold hands

I see you wake

I see you naked

Inside me a lunatic sings

Always rushing, we run quickly

Everything becomes smaller

I scream louder

I'm with a shell, going away

My best friend no matter whatever happens

A bad break, we cry in each others arms

I swallow tears and breathe hair

When we meet

When we kiss

The lips burning, we hold hands

I see you wake

I see you naked

Inside me a lunatic sings

ho-ho-ho-holidays!

2009-11-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

ahhhh, yes, it's here. HOLIDAY SEASON! halloween came and went, and thanksgiving and christmas are right around the corner.

..........AND I AM SO EXCITED!

this year has brought many firsts... first time getting married (*disclaimer, this will ONLY happen once...!), first time sharing a room with a boyyyyyyy (ew...), first time being an aunt (YAY!), first time roadtripping across the western US (amazingggg), first time being a bridesmaid, first time cooking more than twice in one week... the list could go on. but what i've been most excited about for a few months now is knowing that josh and i get to enjoy the holiday season as husband and wife (and dog...of course) for the first time!

this is the year we get the opportunity to create our own little family traditions. whether it be a certain holiday movie on christmas eve, a crackling fire on the chilliest of nights, a sugar-cookie baking spree, the hanging of christmas lights, the decorating of a christmas tree, or even just a week of self-mandated annoying christmas carol-singing, we'll be engaging in our new traditions purposefully and intentionally--as this will be the FIRST of MANY.

i'm sure i have a few high hopes for the season, but josh and i will take some time to make sure we know what each other's expectations are, just to be sure we don't catch the other off guard with rediculous christmas desires. for example, i've daydreamed about redecorating our entire kitchen with RED placemats, GOLD table runners, and a whole new festive place setting at each seat at the dining room table, but he doesn't know it, yet. i'll probably tell him, and he'll probably(and by "probably" i mean "definitely") shoot it down, but at least i can stop the daydreaming and move on with my life! he's already dropped a few HINTS that he wants his "nightmare before christmas" collectables strategically scattered around the house during the month of december, and i've decided that's a battle i'm not going to fight this year :-) good wife, i know... (actually, i am quite the fan of the movie, and his collection IS somewhat impressive...)

when all is said and done, our holiday season will probably end up being simple and reasonable. and i'm glad. the holidays aren't about "keeping up with the jones'", they aren't about getting the best gifts, or even giving the best gifts, they aren't about who has the best decorations or whose lights shine the brightest after 10pm. the holidays are about the little, planned and unplanned, family traditions. they are about how each family chooses to spend time with each other. they are about celebrating the birth of Jesus with those you love most. they are about the little special moments spent together. this new family of ours will be busy with a year of first-time traditions this holiday season, figuring out how we best show our love to each other, and how we most gracefully praise Him, and i couldn't be more excited!

june, get your ears ready for some faux reindeer antlers! the nonsense is about to begin! :-)

the results of last night's efforts

2009-11-10T10:13:00.001-08:00

sweet and sour chicken and white rice :-)
soooooo yummy!!

...and how about that fire in the background, courtesy of my man! such a good monday night...

by the way, thanks for the many recipes i've already received! can't wait to cook 'em and share 'em again...

tonight... spaghetti... a johnson family recipe!!

lessons learned

2009-11-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

8 months of married life and it's finally come time to start cooking at home more often, and going out to eat less often. i know, i know, it's tragic. i'll give you a moment to be sad :-(

okay, moment over.

in the past two weeks of this "cook-at-home-.........adventure.....", i've learned a few things--imagine that! saturday, i learned that i don't like dill weed. not only is that a much better nickname for an idiot than for a spice, but it just has an entirely overwhelming (not-so-great-in-large-quantities) taste. turns out josh doesn't really like it either. anyone need a jar of dill weed??? i've learned that you CAN indeed leave chicken in a crockpot for too long. it turns into chicken mush. no one likes their chicken mushy. no one. a few weeks ago i learned that parsley may be the most amazing green food i know of, after green peanut butter m&m's, of course (chimichurri sauce is a new favorite). oh, i also learned that although you can add garlic to just about anything to make it edible (in my mind), josh's taste buds don't work the same way as mine. who'd'a'thunk it?!

with these lessons learned, and others, i'm beginning to find the joy in cooking. obviously, cooking is more fun on the days the meals turn out good, but i think i could get used to this.

josh and i are planning to cook together tonight. YAY, YAY, YAY! cooking becomes 9 times as fun when it's with my guy. don't rub your eyes, you read right... NINE TIMES AS FUN! ;-) we've been blessed with a little "gem" of a kitchen. it's great cause for some incredible gymnastics. the maneuvers we pull to get around each other can often be entertainment to those watching (june). i'll duck, he'll grab the bowl, i'll stand and shut the cabinet (okay, okay, let's all be honest, i leave cabinet doors open--josh will probably be the one to shut it), he'll move his legs, i'll reach for the pan in the bottom drawer and pass it to him, i'll open the fridge, he'll grab the milk and pour it into the measuring cup i'm holding, etc. etc. it's all too much fun to be in a 4x6 space working together...........!

now...to determine who will clean..............

got any good recipes? please share!! email me :-)
bothjohnson@gmail.com

theMOMMAS & thePAPPAS

2009-11-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

it's official. i've hit that point in my life where "all my friends are having babies". the "getting married thing came and went, and this next phase is, not surprisingly, more fun to shop for!! :-)

most recently, my brother and sister in law, mark and jessica, had baby joel in september. joel aaron kerns is THE CUTEST BABY BOY EVER and already keeping up first place as best-nephew-everrrr! you may remember him from the johnson family photo shoot, but here's a more recent photo of the kerns family, pumpkin and all!!

our good friends brian and jana harrelson are expecting baby number 1, hunter thomas harrelson, right around thanksgiving! we'll all be eating 10 pound turkey as the harrelsons wait anxiously to meet their 7 or 8 pound new addition. i've already seen a 4d sonogram of him (didn't even know they did that...) and he's beautiful. i cannot wait to meet him!

my bestie, kristy, and her hubby, jj, are welcoming baby #3 (yes, i said 3) in february. after already having two sweet, sweet little boys, braylon and jaxten, the sola family gets to welcome a little girl, taytum faith sola. you can imagine the excitement of a little girl in a house full of tough boys!!

to all you moms and dads, we are so thankful to get to be a part of your lives as we watch your families grow. thanks for being our freinds, and remember, we are praying for you and your lovely families!!

eye candy... colorado road trip 2009

2009-10-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

0ur trip to colorado and back included travel through california, nevada, arizona, utah, colorado, and new mexico. josh and i both agreed that utah hit a homerun when it came to overall beauty, but we also fell in love with the gorgeous sites of colorado and arizona. getting out and hitting the open road for a week was relaxing, exciting, inspiring, and amazing. with a few stops at national parks (bryce canyon, grand canyon, zion, and arches) and a few drives through national forests and landmarks (fishlake, pikes, moab, and the rocky mountains), we were constantly reminded of the endless beauty intentionally created by God. after every turn, and up ahead each mile, another gorge, valley, mountain, hill, canyon, river, or lake would appear. the green trees were greener than usual, the yellow leaves were bright yellow, and the sky-spanning rainbows were clearer from end to end than ever before. i don’t know if our eye for landscape was a little sharper, as the focus of our trip to go out and “see” all the incredible sights, or if it truly was that gorgeous… either way, we so enjoyed the driving and the sightseeing, that i can only hope that some of these pictures give the sights we saw half the credit they deserve.

@ arches national park

@ the grand canyon

arizona

colorado

mountain towns in colorado

the colorado river drive

our tunnel ;-)

leaving colorado

josh & angelica

NINEmonths

EIGHTmonths

got milk?

Seven Months Old!!

theWEEKDAY

6 months old and ever so amahhhzing...

vacationing with good friends - las vegas, nv

5 months and soaking up this world!

sittin' on up!

transitions

4 Months Old!

stand by to stand by.

our happy girl - three months old

father's day 2011

i'm going to be a HCTTFOHTBMOLWMNLWPIOWNSMFBGDAOHWH

thursday night dinners

a summer weekend

look who won't stop growing! - two months

memorial day 2011

my playtime...

on parenting

one month old today!

happy easter!

mommy and daddy love

peyton's first two weeks :-)

thankful for an iPhone

welcoming peyton reese johnson!

our first family photos

Riiing!!! Riiing!!!

c-town

What A Glorious Day!

on the impending arrival of baby j

The baby is coming! The baby is coming!

the time change

rounding third...!

belly: revealed (big time!)

Oh, June....

i woke up this morning...

a mental breakdown or two, just in time for baby...

what're those johnson's up to?!

The Happiest Place on Earth

rounding second

**pages**

it's that time of year!

bless you!

yup, i'm gonna go there.

rounding first

Dentists Suck - A dog's tale

hello again

No Diving Allowed

I am geek. Hear me roar!

Thank you!

preparing for anything

a little daydreaming never hurt anyone

Good Friends, Good Music, Good Times

oh my gosh, are you okay?

self image

HGTV Ruined My Life

Freedom: A Short Story

camouflaged.

problem solving

a saturday spent in the laundry room...

snappy snappy

a lost art

a cup o' tea

reaching out.

I Can't Wait To Get Off Work...

oh my, layover!

Step Right Up

A Couple That Sweats Together, Stays Together

ahhh....

tuesday afternoon chit chat

a fresh papercut :-/

it's thursday...

every 6 weeks

sushi bro.

...lovers of starbucks

favorite places: park bench cafe

to do -- ta da!

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