girls just wanna have fun...!

josh and i had our bachelor and bachelorette parties last weekend, and we each had so much fun. i'm posting a few pics from my event, but you'll have to talk to josh for the dish about his sports-filled weekend in palm springs (which i heard was a total blast...)!!!

_____


my weekend was spent in beautiful wine country--paso robles, california. my maid of honor, dani, lives in paso and organized quite an UNFORGETTABLE weekend! six of us girls trekked up the 5 freeway for 4 hours on an early (& VERY rainy) saturday morning to be greeted by dani at the hotel, with a fully decorated RV, equipped with drivers!! we began our wine tasting at tobin james winery, followed by eberle, robert hall, and j. lohr to top it off! 5 hours and 26 wines later, we headed back to the hotel to "rest"... then got back up and ready for dinner at Level 4, one of paso's nicest dining experiences ;-) the 7 of us pranced out to dinner, which was then followed by some dancing and "strange bachelorette party traditions..." (nothing bad, don't worry), then went back to the hotel for the best slumber party i'd had in years :-) sunday pretty much consisted of a revitalizing breakfast with my fellow early-birds, and a drive down the rainy, wet coast, with a stop at santa barbara's finest mexican restaurant (haha, we went to Left At Albequerque's...).
Thank you to all the girls that partook in the weekend. I appreciate you girls so much, and it was so nice spending 48 hours straight with you all!!

kat and dani on the eberle cave tour.

ryel and i at dinner.


kym and nic at dinner.

the best party planner, ever, ladies and gentlemen--dani mccarthy!

all my girls! thanks!

25 random facts (...times 2)

if you're a dedicated "facebooker", you've probably already had a chance to see this. josh and i each filled out our "25 random facts about me" (the most recent facebook trend) and thought it may be fun to share here! literally, these are just 2 lists, one made by josh about himself, the other made by me about myself, with 25 random things you may or may not know about the two of us. maybe you'll see a list of "25 random facts about US" in a few days... it's not like josh and i have anything better to do in the next 18 days.

josh
1. I once had a dream that I was went surfing and hung out with the characters from Saved By The Bell. No, Not The College Years. Why would you even think that it would be?
2. I have always wanted to dive in the shark cage with Great Whites. They fascinate me.
3. I would rather scuba dive than snorkel. When I snorkel, I feel like bait floating on top of the water waiting to be eaten. I’ll do it, but I much prefer to scuba dive.
4. The texture of sushi in my mouth makes me want to gag. I have tried a lot, and like the taste of most, but can’t get over the texture. I stick to rice bowls and beer; it’s pretty hard to go wrong there.
5. Given the opportunity to cook and eat at home or go out, I will choose to go out more often than not.
6. I always have music playing. Even if its just in my head.
7. I am extremely particular about iTunes. I get irritated if I don't have the album artwork, or if I am missing songs from an album.
8. I am way too logical for my own good.
9. Doing laundry might be the worst chore ever. It's never done!
10. When I was a kid I wouldn't eat Jell-O because it jiggled. Bill Cosby convinced me it was okay. Now I love Jell-O.
11. My girl, a pepperoni pizza, and a Laker game is about the best day I can have.
12. I used to know how much wood a woodchuck could chuck, but I forgot.
13. Everything I thought mattered most changed when I met my future wife.
14. Tom Waits explained it best when he said, "I like my town with a little drop of poison."
15. I try to learn something from everyone I come into contact with. Even if it's how not to do something.
16. I love to learn, but I dread being taught.
17. Getting a dog taught me more about relationships than I could have ever imagined. Providing 100% for someone was something I didn't understand until then.
18. When I was a kid, I was a ball boy at major tennis tournaments for a few years in a row.
19. I once shook James Worthy's hand. I've never felt so tiny in my whole life.
20. Going through some old boxes a year ago or so, I found a picture of me with Frank Sinatra. I don't remember it at all, but I am glad I have the picture!
21. I can pack a truck like nobody's business. No. I won't help you move.
22. I once drove from Irvine, CA to Visalia, CA in two hours.
23. I wish I knew how to ride a skateboard like they do in the X-Games.
24. I can suspend my fear of heights as soon as I put a pair of climbing shoes on.
25. I desire to know the people I love most more every day.

gigi
1. call me gigi and you'll get one personality out of me. call me angelica and you'll get another. scary, huh?
2. i find capital letters to be a waste of time. yet, punctuation still has a place in my heart!
3. i'd love to meet the person that crossed peanut butter and chocolate. i'd share a reece's cup with them.
4. i miss playing water polo more than i thought i would. it's refreshing to get back in the pool every so often and have it come back to me so quickly--almost like riding a bike.
5. i feel loved everyday.
6. i was once homesick for 3 months. i had a stomach ache those same 3 months. i never associated the two until this week, when that same stomach ache came around--a friendly nudge from my body telling me to ease up on the stress factor.
7. i officially love mustard. it took a conscious effort over a period of 3 months, but it paid off!
8. sugar always beats salt in my book. or...psalt, as some would put it.
9. i rarely like what the rest of the world considers a "good movie". what really gets me excited is a corny romantic comedy or a lame dramedy.
10. today i almost bought something off an infomertial. i dialed the number and everything, then hung up. "hip-hop abs" looked really fun, though!
11. if it comes in black and white, i like it in brown and cream.
12. i am an atrocious singer. i do it anyway, but not proudly.
13. i've mastered the art of interruption and talking over people. i'm willing to take lessons on losing that skill. i know it's bad.
14. i can't stand to see animals get hurt.
15. i have yet to find my passion in life. i think it has something to do with people and relationships, but either God hasn't revealed it to me, or i've been bad at seeing where He's pointed me to.
16. i watched a scary movie a few weeks ago and covered my eyes for a good 15 minutes of it. that trick still seems to work...
17. the only thing i think about these days is the moment i will see my fiance waiting for me at the end of the aisle.
18. my biggest fear is that i will get "taken away" one day. i blame my older brother and sister for planting this fear in my head. "don't do that, gigi, or someone's gonna come take you away." i still don't like to see white vans with no windows driving by. i don't think i'd have the heart to say no to candy, if offered, even at this age!
19. i liked high school more than college.
20. design and construction fascinate me more than i ever thought they would.
21. i have a "toss and turn routine" i go through every night as i'm falling asleep. if i'm not tired, it takes about 10-15 minutes to get through, but if i'm really tired, i can get through it in 2.
22. june is my favorite dog, and my favorite month. although, february will be a close second starting this year.
23. i can always tell who my real friends are. they are the ones that laugh at my dumb jokes, sometimes just because they know me and my kind of humor. they also know i'm not offended by pity-laughs, but rather cherish them just as much as real laughs. thank you guys.
24. i grew up with my parents telling me "no matter what...we'll always love you". i have yet to doubt that statement, and will raise my children with it. nmw...
25. i look forward to mornings. i think they'll get even better when i get to wake up next to the love of my life.

the past few weeks....

have you ever planned a wedding before? yeah, me neither. after this, though, i'm thinkin i'll go pro. it's not that i'll be great at it, it's just that i really think the second time around would be so much easier. dad says he's not paying for the next one (wink wink...just kidding--settle down, everyone...sheesh).
i can honestly say i've hit the part of wedding planning that typically turns a normal girl into a monster. can we say, bridezilla? i know i can. "bridezilla". see? i am trying SO hard not to go nuts. i was convinced i had this wedding planning thing all figured out when josh and i made all the decisions so early in the game and with little hesitation. there was a HUGE gap of "there's just nothing more do to on this wedding-planning stuff. i'm bored, and i thought this would be hard. who says a wedding can't be planned in 7 months? this is a cake walk..." then that gap managed to closed itself over the holidays, and i hadn't even realized it. THEN, one day i woke up, rolled over, and thought "oh crap, i have a LOT to do, and only 4 weeks to do it". that day was...saturday. and boy, has it been a hectic week. when i'm not sleeping, eating, talking, or listening to someone else talk, i'm thinking about the wedding. "i have to call the site and ask about the table layout. i have to start figuring out where people are going to sit. i have to finish making the programs and the menus. i have to figure out what to use as chair ties. i have to double check the budget. i have to call the florist. i have to talk to the photographer. i have to make a timeline. i have to count my guests. i have to pray for good weather.... oh my gosh, i need josh."
oh, josh, josh, josh. josh has been ahhhhhh-mazing! from day one he has desired oh-so-much to be part of this process, and he's done an excellent job. it's awesome, he is totally into this. i'm glad he's invested--makes it a little more difficult for him to back out of the whole thing ;-) josh has taken care of the wedding favors, the music and dj discussions, the tuxes, the marraige license prep work, his passport, the ceremony order and the officiant. he's also had input in every decision in the wedding except the flowers--he just couldn't get himself to sincerely care. i don't mind--i'm not hugely obsessed with flowers either, so i can understand how he feels. oh, and in his "free" time, he's managed to ace 4 classes (he's working on 2 more as we speak), coordinate the ever-changing "musical chair" effort taking place at his 200 employee office, do his real job, keep up with his favorite lakers, climb a rock or 30, make it to holiday and birthday gatherings, keep up with Puppy June, and keep his soon-to-be-wife happy through one of the most stressful times in her life.
i'm not going to lie here, it's not been all fun and games. one thing i didn't expect about this 7 month period of "being engaged" was how much both josh and i would want SO BADLY to JUST be married already!! we've grown closer through the wedding planning process, and have thought so much about what things will be like when we GET married, yet we've been forced to lead our two separate lives SO incredibly separately. getting married won't necessarily solve it all--we'll still have our indivudality and lead our own lives--but we'll get to "home-base" it at the same place after a hard day of work. we'll get to walk the dog together, eat dinner (and breakfast!) together, and best of all we'll get to stop saying "see ya laters" after a long day of hanging out. instead, i'm hoping for the "goodnight"/goodnight kiss duo. :-)

joshua.ryan.johnson

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSHUA!!!


Josh, Baby, you are so so so special to so many of us... You are an AMAZING friend to many, brother to some, son to a couple, dad to a dog, and fiance to a happy, happy girl. Your love, thoughtfulness, intellegence, talent, wit, and strength make me a.d.m.i.r.e you more than you'll ever know... May you have the most INCREDIBLE birthday spent with all those you LOVE! You deserve it, and so much more!

Getting closer...in more ways than one.

At 44 days left, we are coming down the final stretch with wedding planning and we are still having fun (mostly).   Right now it’s all about checking off items on the “To Do” list.  Tuxes rented? Check!  DJ hired and filled in on music selections? Check! Seating chart completed? Let’s not get ahead of things just yet….  There are still a lot of things left to do to prepare for the big day, but I know that everything will fall into place and the day will be perfect. 

We have made it a point from the beginning of everything to outline our expectations for the day and from one another so we can make quick decisions, and not focus on the unimportant things.  The whole planning process has taught us a lot about how to communicate and how to rely on the other person.  We already know that we work well together, since that’s how we met, but doing life with someone else is different than just working together.  While we know that married life will be much different than engaged life, the process of planning the wedding together has taught us a lot about how to communicate, trust, forgive, and look after one another.

Emotions are running high right now.  From frustration that it hasn’t happened already, to pure elation that we are going to get to spend the rest of our lives with each other.  From looking forward to sharing a house, and never having to say goodbye each night to the other person, to pure disdain at packing a house full of nine years of nesting.  From happily imagining what the big day holds for us, to the frustration of having a list full of “To Do’s” left before we get there.  The next 44 days will be full of all sorts of emotions, but each one of them teaches us something about ourselves, and each other, and prepares us for a lifetime together. 

The process of planning a wedding together has been a highlight of life so far with Gigi.  Going through each of the emotions and stages of planning has been an awesome experience.  When I see how much we have learned from each other and how much we continue to want to know the other person completely, it makes me so excited to get married to this incredible woman.  In 44 days I will be married to the woman of my dreams...and let me tell you, I can’t wait!

June and Us

Last night, Josh and I went to the movies and saw "Marley and Me"--a movie we'd been excited to watch since we heard about it last May. The movie was GREAT, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone that loves dogs and/or comedies.

During the movie, it was no surprise that both Josh and I kept comparing (silently, only to later find out) all the stories about Marley to the stories we have about June. Josh got June last May, and over the past year and a half, and it's amazing how much a part of our lives she is. June is technically Josh's dog, but it's been really fun to see her get to know me as "that other person that feeds me and walks me and scolds me when I chew my daddy's walls, baseboards, furniture and remotes." Having a dog (even through a boyfriend/fiance) is NOT easy. It means often having to stop what you're doing to go home and check on her, hang with her, play with her, walk her, feed her, or pick up after her. But oh geez, look at that face...........

I mean, how can you resist that sweet thing?! So, as Josh and I continue to make plans about our future, we always work hard to consider the June-bug!...

We'll take her for car rides around town as she sits like a person...

We'll let her blow dry her teeth as often as possible...

We'll hang with her around the house...

And take her to the park any chance we get...

But most of all, we'll continue trying to make her a "good dog"...

...Even though she may already be the BEST around...

WE LOVE YOU, JUNE!

The rest of our engagement photos...

can be seen at:
http://www.spitfirephoto.com/ryeljphotography/
then click on "Josh & Angelica E-Session", then browse the pages or click on "View Slide Show" (courtesy of RyelJ Photography).
We love them!!! Hope you do, too...

Kobe, Fisher, Odom, Bynum, Sasha, Raddi, Farmar, Ariza...

Josh and I LOVE watching Laker games together, especially when accompanied by PIZZA, and by fellow laker fans (Angelo, Heather...). We always talk about going to a game together, but we had yet to make it up to LA for one. The Friday after Thanksgiving I decided to grab a set of tickets and surprise Josh with a trip up to the Staples center to see our Lakers kick butt in person. Unfortunately, the deal didn't come with pizza (stupid arena closed CPK for the night...), so it wasn't like every other Pizza/Basketball night of ours. We did manage to find oversized hot dogs, beers, and sodas at the game, though, so we were just fine. Although our seats were high up in the Staples' Center, we still had an awesome view of the court, and we got to see the Lakers come from behind with a shooting spree in the third quarter to take the game away from the Dallas Mavericks. Here are some pics of the evening. What a FUN night....!!


Driving to the game... I promise, I'm watching the road!


The Tickets!


Josh out in front of the Staples Center text-bragging to his friends about where we were and what we were doing...


The view from our seats. Pretty purple...pretty gold...Pretty Lakers...


This is as far as I could get my camera to zoom in...


Josh and I having a blast!

Laker Girrrrls....

We WON!!! I feel bad for whoever has to clean that mess up...

There's no "I" in "Team".

I know, I know, there is a "ME". Whatever, that's besides the point.

Josh and I met through a work project where we were tasked to prepare a building for 300+ people to move into it, in about a week. I remember the two of us having to hit every office and workstations with a variety of labels, signs, paperwork, and propoganda a number of times...and even with the loads of talking and flirting we did during that week, we were SOOOOO efficient! It was almost scary.

Every so often the two of us are given an..."opportunity"...to solve a problem together. This weekend that so-called problem was how to successfully move a roomful of furniture from point A to point B with only each other's help. Oh, I know what you're thinking..."Gigi, you're so strong and tough, you and Josh would be just fiiiiiinnnneee. You don't wine and complain when you get tired of moving or anything like that... He must have been so lucky to have you there to lead the process..." (I must interrupt myself here. If you don't understand my sense of humor...or my sarcastic inserts ...I will come out and just tell you, THIS IS ME BEING SARCASTIC.) I was quickly reminded of my upper-body weaknesses this weekend. BOY, am I a WIMP! Back to my original point, though, we did it. We carried, loaded, organized, tied-down, drove, untied, unloaded, carried, and placed all the furniture in decent time. First off, I love, love, love our new bedroom furniture, but working together with Josh for a few hours was so fun. He and I have similar thought processes when it comes to logistics, and its great to work off one another. I must give him EXTRA credit though, that boy can pack a truck like nobody's business. I told him I think they should have a reality TV show dedicated to how well people can do things like that. He'd win.

So, Josh, you think we'll ever have to work together when we get married??? Nahhhhhhhh, no way...... (Sarcasm, again, guys. But that's it, no more pointing it out...)

Nobody walks in L.A.

Well, this isn't L.A.! It's Orange County.  Even though gas prices have come down considerably, Gigi and I have recently learned that there are a few things within walking distance of her house.  The Aliso Viejo shopping center is only about a 30 minute walk away, Yogurtland - 15 minutes, Ralphs - 20 min, and who knows what else lies undiscovered.  

We have started catching on to the fact that walking June for an hour or so tires her out enough that she is fairly calm at home for the rest of the night and it's not bad exercise for us.  Besides the exercise, it gives Gigi and I a chance to just talk.  We have walked miles during our relationship. Mostly because of June, but also because we realize how much it brings our relationship down to the basics.  Getting out of the house and just talking, without the distractions of T.V., the radio, and whatever else is going on, has been a great thing for us.  Almost every time we go on long walks together we come back and feel just a little refreshed about things.

Even though it's getting colder outside, I can see Gigi and I doing a lot more walking together.  I just need to get her a good jacket!  Maybe I can collect all the hair June sheds and make her one.  On second thought, that's a little gross.  I'll just find one in her closet.

Engagement Photos!

Josh and I took our engagement photos a few weeks ago, and a few have been posted on our photographer's blog. Check them out!

www.ryelphotoblog.com

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do! We'll have more photos at the wedding!

turkey day, turkey day, turkey day!

i must say, thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! it's a close second after christmas, but that's only because the christmas vacation is longer! this thanksgiving will require something new of me. although turkey dinner will be at mom'n'dad's, as usual, this year i'm SOLELY responsible for the appetizer goodies that our family and friends will feast on before endulging in the wonderful linner (we eat early...2pm. dinner? lunch? linner...? dunch...???). me. by myself. gigi. YIKES. i considered cooking a variety of amazing appetizers, but then realized i don't cook, and this would be the first time i'd be trying ANY of these new recipes. after slight consideration, i thought it cruel to use my family as guinea pigs for my appetizer-test-run...on thanksgiving! SO, i resort to tortilla chips and guacamole, an assorted variety of pre-cut cheese and tasty crackers, and pita chips with hummus. to my family - i'm sorry this will be such a boring menu of hors d'oeurves. maybe i'll work up some guts in the next 24 hours and decide to try something new, but i really can't make any guarantees. me? i'm an easy turkey day-er... i like turkey, gravy, and heaps and heaps and heaps and heaps of that classic green bean casserole dish. oh yeah, i almost forgot, i'm also obsessed with stuffing. my mom makes AMAZING stuffing. i can sense the inevitable coming, though...one year my mom is going to make me responsible for the whole dinner. i may freak. i know someone out there makes thanksgiving-TV-dinners... they have to! who knows, perhaps cooking will become a new passion of mine. eh, probably not..................
happy turkey day!

meet THE BRIDESMAIDS!!

i have yet to introduce my wedding party! meet the great girls that will be standing next to me, supporting me on one of the biggest days of my life!

meet kat.
my big sister and the matron of honor ...

in case you didn't know this, kat taught me to dance. she wins the award for coolest big sister, and she's kicking butt and taking names when it comes to wedding planning with me! one day we may go to her-ami together :-)

meet danielle.

my pea in the pod and my maid of honor...

dani and i have been step-in-step with each other for the last half of our lives (12 years!). dani has organized my whole bachelorette party, too. with oh-so-much class! very impressive...

meet alyssa.

or should i say "banks"? yes, i should say "banks". we should ALL say "banks". banks and i met in jr. high and have been best buds for at least 10 years! we played water polo together and i love this girl to death!

meet kristy.

her real name is "the nakid". that's a story all on it's own. she and i have been best buds since high school. ohhhh the days! now kristy's married to her love, jj, and has two BEAUTIFUL boys, braylon and jaxten. she's an amazing mommy!

meet jessica.

jessica is josh's sister, the older of the two. she is one of the sweetest people you will EVER meet! the more time i spend with jess, the funnier she gets... especially when i least expect it!

meet jacquelyn.

jacqui is josh's sister, too... the younger one. see the resemblance?! she's extremely creative and so fun to hang with. i'm so excited to have the future sisters in law in the wedding, and so happy that i soon get to be a part of the johnson family!

thanks, girls. i'm looking forward to the rest of the wedding planning together, but most of all, i'm so happy to have each of you in my life!

96 days!

that's right. we are less than 100 days away from THE BIG DAY! double digits! some days i think it's going by too fast (and by "some" i mean...a couple here and there... okay, i don't really recall WHICH days... i'm sure there's been at least one or two...i think....hmm) but most days it's a slow countdown that i wish would speed up! don't get me wrong, planning has been fun, but i try to be careful with how much energy i put into wedding planning, because i know that in the end, the "wedding day" is just one DAY. one afternoon, really. so, as exciting and as fun as all this planning is, what i'm really excited about is being married to joshua. i cannot wait to be a family...josh, gigi, and june :-). juggle that!
however, i DID promise this blog would serve as a "wedding planning update site" thingamajig, so i'll stick to my word. here's the latest and the greatest...
**we just took our engagement photos on saturday. OH MY GOSH i am SO excited to see them! the best photographer in the WORLD, ryel, took them. girl, you rock! (www.ryeljphotography.com) we had so much fun snapping away... josh and i basically played around the whole time and ryel just click-click-clicked, non-stop. i hope we don't look like too big of dorks in them, but we might :-) a picture's worth a thousand words, right? we finished the night up with dinner with ryel and her hubby, dayle. wow, guys, we finally got to hang out!! yay, good job, us!
**all the dresses are in, and it's getting close to time for the boys to start thinking about their get-up :-) they have it so easy it's almost rediculous. you'll find no hints on the wardrobe, here. you'll just have to wait for the big day.
**we picked our DJ and now get to start flipping through tunes to find the right ones for each part of the wedding. we're thinking some sort of 80's rock theme for the whole wedding. (no, we're not...) so far we have some GREAT picks that we are so exited about! the first dance song has been chosen for some time now, thanks to my incredibly musically inclined fiance, and we just decided on our "exit song" a couple days ago. josh and i love music, so this part is proving to be a lot more fun than i had expected. i didn't realize we get so much say in our music. (duh, i know...but still, i've never done this before.)
**the invitations are almost done and are going out in the next few weeks! those have been fun to make, but quite a bit of work! i can't wait to send them out!
**honeymoon plans are being finalized between now and the end of the year. we know we are heading down to cancun for a week, we just have to work on the flight, cars, hotel details...and the logistics of it all.

THANKS to everyone who's keeping up with us during this crazy-fun time!

WP - in full swing.

it's official. it's time to get our butts back into wedding planning. with only a 7 month engagement, you'd think wedding planning would be a constant, but i can honestly say that josh and i took a 2 month break from the planning chaos and just enjoyed "being engaged". the wedding is now only 4 months away, so we've got some serious stuff to think about! not to mention, between now and the wedding, we'll be sidetracked with a few things that will ALSO require our full attention... thanksgiving, christmas, new years, josh's birthday, wedding showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, super bowl sunday, and valentine's day... phew. it's a good thing we don't have anything else to do.................... rightttttt......

oh yeah, i almost forgot--i kicked my baby's butt in mini golf this weekend! :-)