Kennels, Leashes, and Milkbones...Oh my!

That's right. The above mentioned items seem to have taken over life in the Johnson household these days, and we wouldn't have it any other way. We're so proud to annouce the newest addition to our family, our (almost) brand new four legged friend, Rio!

We lucked into getting this 6 week old little guy, and the timing could not have been more perfect. I was getting pretty antsy and ready for a companion, and we had planned to wait about a month for a pup from one of our good friend's litter. (This would be the female I had been bragging about, aptly named Betsey Johnson.) We were pleasantly surprised, however, to be gifted a precious male black lab much earlier than we had anticipated having a dog...I mean, I hadn't even had time to puppy-proof the house yet! We were both super excited though and couldn't wait to meet our little buddy.

Last weekend, we drove to San Antonio to pick up our baby Rio at my parent's house. They were generous enough to puppy-sit for the week, as Cody's brother, Cale, brought the little guy up from the Valley on Tuesday and we weren't able to get there until Friday. The second I saw him, it was love at first sight. And to this day I can't imagine life without him...even if he is a little monster most of the time. :) We've had lots of fun potty training (ha!), teaching him to fetch and sit, and even high five. My father-in-law is a little concerned about the lack of fried chicken in his diet, but I think he'll survive somehow.

Life these days is definitely a little more crazy, as Rio is certainly full of energy and personality. He loves ice, and will sit patiently in front of the refrigerator upon hearing the sound of the ice maker. Also, I have to be very careful when doing routine activities such as loading the dishwasher, because he likes to climb into it and make his way into the lower basket with the plates and silverware. He also loves the couches, and I have a feeling we'll be fighting a major battle with him soon, as I certainly don't plan to have black shedded hair all over my nice furniture. Can't wait for that one... haha. Overall though, Rio is a fantastic dog and is super smart. I watched the movie Marley and Me last night, and though he shares much of the craziness of Marley in the movie, it's really true what they say in the end about a dog loving unconditionally and being the best friend you could ever have. I'm pretty sure he's completed us. (Cheesy, I know, but what can you do?)

And now, for the much awaited first Rio photo shoot...

 Doesn't it just look like he's saying "Ok Mom, enough with the pictures"?

In the words of my good friend Nicole Toudouze, "he'll be a 120 pound dinosaur" before we know it, so for now we're just soaking up all the fun puppy time that we can. Now I bet you really want to come visit us, huh?



Toes in the water, toes in the sand

Yes, I am aware that the title of this post is the edited version of that famous Zac Brown Band song. And no, I'm not ashamed. After many months of anticipation, Cody and I finally made it down to his hometown of Harlingen to celebrate July 4th with some much needed time with family, friends, and the Gulf of Mexico. Cody hadn't been home since our Harlingen wedding shower last May, so it was a much needed escape for him.

My sister Kirby also joined us and had her first "deep sea" fishing experience. This was a running joke for the weekend due to the fact that in my sister's novice fisherwoman's mind, the fishing excursion would include an offshore adventure. Sadly, there were no marlin or 40 foot yachts, but we had a blast fishing with the best fishing guide around, my father-in-law, Lynn. Before the fishing adventure began, we had to say hello to South Padre Island, where we spent a relaxing day on the beach with family and friends. Cody hadn't spent time with his cousin Keith since we got married, so it was awesome to catch up with him and his family. Plus, this provided a great excuse for a crazy game of washers. (We won't discuss who the champ of the tournament was, due to harsh feelings on the part of my overly competitive husband and sister.) I was perfectly content sitting my bootie in a chair and soaking up some sun. Maybe now you'll be able to see me when I walk down the street...

Here is photo documentation of a wonderful extended weekend down south.

And the washer playing begins...

Kirbs, me, and Rachel just being fabulous

"Thank you Johnston reunion for giving me championship washer skills."

The best father-in-law around, Mr. Lynn Johnson

Lovely ladies: My wonderful mother-in-law, Tami, Aunt Ann, and Rachel

We just couldn't escape the paparazzi...

Love!

Love?

We were thrilled to spend a little time with some old friends. Miss y'all!

Ash & me

 The toe picture!

 She'll kill me for publishing this, but I must include in this post that my sister, the tough, tom boy, squealed like a little girl upon her first encounter with a fish. If only I had a recording...

 Her first official bite, cast and all!

 My first catch of the day, a baby trout

 Clearly Kirby and I are capable of hosting our own fishing show at this point.

 There's the big guy. That's more like it.

 Oh you know, just being a pro fisherman. No big deal.

 Like father, like son. One of my personal favorites from the fishing photo shoot.

 Not too shabby for a Sunday afternoon!

 Professional grade fishing

Another great day with the best fishing guide ever! (Maybe we'll tip him next time...)

Thanks so much to Cody's parents for a wonderful weekend. It's always so refreshing to spend time with family, and we were even able to have dinner with a few of the Johnson cousins and Grandpa and Grandma while we were in town. What a blessing for both of us to belong to such loving, not to mention big, families. We wouldn't have it any other way.

After our few days in paradise, we've returned to the desert mountain city of Las Cruces and are looking forward to establishing a sense of normalcy back into our lives. Don't get me wrong, we'll probably get bored after about a week of it, but everyone needs a little down time, right? 

Love is in the air...

I honestly cannot believe that the month of June has come and passed. Perhaps the fact that Cody and I were jet setting fools contributed to its rapid escape...can't stop, won't stop! Now that you're familiar with our New Mexican life, I suppose its time to catch up on all of the Texas adventures we've had lately. (You didn't think I'd cease to glorify the best state just because we're a little closer to it now, did you? )

Here's a brief summary of our June in pictures. Can you feel the love?

The weekend of June 11th, we were fortunate enough to celebrate the marriage of our two great friends, Wes and Nicole. I was a real picture-taking slacker, but hopefully you can see how beautiful everything was just from this one photo. The ceremony was in downtown Austin at a gorgeous cathedral, followed by the reception at the famous Driskill Hotel. This weekend also happened to be our first anniversary (What?!), so we took advantage of the opportunity to stay at the Driskill and treat ourselves. There is simply no better way to celebrate our first year of marriage than to spend time with great friends. We had an amazing time, and appreciate the Toudouze and Laprade families' great hospitality!

 Excuse the sweaty look (clearly I had grown accustomed to New Mexico's dry climate and was not ready for the TX humidity). Sadly these are the only pics I got from the wedding, thanks to my good friend Alison!

Before Cody began the 9 hour trek back to Las Cruces, we were able to watch our wedding photo slideshow and eat our cake. We weren't too impressed with the year-old dessert, but my sister and mom's sweet tooth sure were pleased by it! Due to my lack of makeup that day, we didn't take any pictures, but that just gives me the chance to take a walk down memory lane with a few pics from the actual event.

Isn't he handsome?

If you thought that our anniversary concluded a month of amor-filled activities, well, you thought wrong. The weekend after our anniversary, we had the honor of celebrating the 50th anniversary of two incredible role models of mine, my grandparents, Stelvin and Kathy Johnston. They were deservingly surrounded by tons of family and friends as we gathered for a party at their church in Comanche, TX. I am so blessed and thankful for the example that Grandma and Grandad have set for our entire family regarding marriage, and for their constant love for each other and each one of the members of our growing family. Our fabulous photographer and my lovely Aunt Stacey was able to capture several great photos at the event.

 The Lovebirds

She so politely fed him cake.

1 down, 49 to go...then we'll be there too! 

Sister and me

The fantastic hostesses and host, my mom, Uncle Brian, and Aunt Julie

Needless to say, June was a great and busy month filled with lots of family and friend bonding time. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we even participated in perhaps one of our favorite pastimes...floating the river! Oh Texas Hill Country, how we love you. After so many weeks of travel, I must say that it's nice to be home for a bit. But don't worry, because those who know us well know we never stay put for long!