Take me out to the ballgame...

Well, in between all of the moving craziness, Cody and I were surprisingly able to enjoy the Memorial Day Weekend and take in a few all-American activities for the grand finale of life in Memphis. I will preface the meat of this post, however, by letting you know that we found a house in New Mexico (complete with a couple of extra bedrooms, a deck, outdoor fire pit, and fabulous mountain view), and we'll officially be moving this weekend. We still don't have a lot in the way of plans though...I'm not complaining at all, even though our stuff is scheduled to arrive in Las Cruces between June 8th and 16th...and that includes my car. I'm telling you, I'm learning major lessons in patience and flexibility these days people! Those of you that know me well know how much this is killing me inside, but by the end of this whole process I assure you that I will have become a laid back person. Hmm, that's a rather bold statement...but I'm clinging tight to it in hopes of it actually becoming reality someday. :)

Now back to the good stuff... We returned from our house hunting excursion late Friday night, and were incredibly exhausted. Saturday we slept late for the first time in FOREVER, as apparently we have officially become adults or something and my body insists on never sleeping past 8:00 am these days. Anyway, after that we went for a run and hung out with our good friends the Riddles, who we are going to miss dearly. We cooked some chicken fried steak for dinner (part of our goal to clean out the entire fridge by Thursday) and enjoyed a relaxing evening at home. Sunday brought lots of after-church fun, spending the day at the pool with peach margs (yeah, what could really be better, I know). We ended the day in downtown Memphis with a Red Birds baseball game, which was long overdue. Bayer has a suite so we balled hard as we watched the St. Louis Cardinals farm team win 9-4. I was pretty much in heaven, as I am at any baseball park, and soaked up every second of the kraut dog, Dr. Pepper, ice cream, and most importantly, America's pastime. We even got a fireworks show to end the night! It was definitely a great way to celebrate Memorial Day. I still tear up when I hear the Air Force theme song, and when they played it I was proud to know that my Grandaddy and Uncle Steve have and are serving our awesome country. I can't help it, anything patriotic just gives me chills! Thank you to all of the military men and women who fight for our freedom everyday. In the world we live in, it's good to know that we are protected and safe, even when things are crazy and uncertain.

And now for the couple of photos chronicling our fantastic last weekend in the Volunteer State...

 Cody, Matt, and the Riddle family enjoying our sweet box seats

 Me & the hubs

 Matt & Cody, just loving life

 Cailyn & me--yes, she is only 11 and already almost taller than me. Go ahead, laugh it up. :)

The Riddle kids! Going to miss them!

 The best baseball park dinner a girl could ask for.

Auto Zone Park, home of the Memphis Red Birds (St. Louis Cardinals AAA team)

I must say I am counting down the days until the next post. It may not be anytime soon, just to warn you, but it will definitely be worth the wait. After all, it is our very first house, and it's in the beautiful mountains of New Mexico. Now taking reservations for Hotel de Johnson!

Daisy Dukes & Bikinis on Top

That was most certainly my uniform last weekend when I went to sunny So Cal to visit my good friend Janet in San Diego. There may have been a sweater on over those, but regardless, I was so excited to spend a long weekend soaking up some sun with sand between my toes!

I arrived in Cali on Thursday night and Janet and I stayed up super late just talking and catching up. I haven't seen her since she moved from Houston in August, so we had a lot to talk about. For those of you that don't know, Janet and I worked together at Swift and she also went to Texas A&M. We became really close during our time at Swift and she has been an amazing and supportive friend to me throughout the past 2 years. We did bible study together and she is definitely my prayer warrior and can encourage me in any situation (which we all know came in handy over the past year in several situations). Janet and I have always said that we feel like we've known each other forever, and that still remains even with us being so many miles apart. We had so much fun reuniting over the past few days and I can't wait for the next visit!

On Friday I enjoyed walking to a cute coffee shop down the street from Janet's beachfront apartment, and had the best chai tea latte of my life for breakfast. Shortly after, I checked out the little boutiques on the main drag of the awesome beach town where she lives, Ocean Beach. We ate a yummy lunch at Shades, where I'm pretty sure the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen show So Little Time was filmed (I know, I should've taken a picture), as well as Almost Famous. That night we cooked out at David, Janet's boyfriend's house with his parents and some of the other Navy Seals. I have definitely never felt so safe as I did being in a house full of Navy Seals! It was pretty cool to think about the things that these guys know and will do to defend our freedom. I will never take that for granted!

Saturday brought lots of sight seeing, and we drove around downtown San Diego to see all the sights. I was quite impressed at Janet's knowledge of the city after being there for such a short time. :) We went to Coronado, the island that houses one of the naval bases, and it was absolutely gorgeous. We also went to Point Loma, which overlooks the entire city and was absolutely breathtaking. The scenery was truly a depiction of God's creation--it was picturesque! I don't think my photos do it justice, but at least you can get a glimpse of what I was so fortunate to see on my visit.

 Janet's backyard...what a life!

 The historic Hotel del Coronado

 Taken for my hubs, if you look closely you can see Tijuana, Mexico in the distance. Ay yi yi!

 For you Dad: The bar where the best scene in Top Gun was filmed. Of course I belted out "You Lost that Lovin' Feeling".

 Amazing view from Point Loma, one side is the beach, the other the bay.

 Just doesn't get any better than this. So blessed and thankful!

 Point Loma lighthouse

 US Naval Memorial Cemetary

We ended the day Saturday with a trip to the San Diego Zoo, which was probably my favorite part of the trip. I have never seen the "cool" animals in such an up close and personal way. I mean this was like Discovery Channel or Animal Planet style stuff people. The hippo mama literally pushed her baby around right next to the glass window and stopped in the middle for pictures. I should probably leave out that she took a huge poo when she stopped, perhaps mockingly, but it was way too entertaining not to mention. Another fun part of our trip included the gorilla, named "The Player", who came out and sat indian style in the middle of the outside area, front and center, and started posing for pictures. He showed us his guns, kissed his biceps, picked his nose and ate it (sick, I know), and then ended his performance by shaking his bootie at us before walking away. These animals sure do know how to work it...much more exciting than the San Antonio Zoo! Cody was pretty jealous that I got to see all of this without him, so we'll be planning a return visit soon. I still have half of the zoo to see anyway, so he can't be too upset. :)

 And so begin the zoo pics... my polar bear friend! I loved that she was laying Buckwheat style. :)

 Hard to decipher, but if you look closely you can see the mama pushing her baby

 The Player doin' his thang

On Sunday after church we enjoyed a lazy beach day. It was sunny and beautiful, although the wind made it a little too cold for me to sport my bikini and lay out completely. Probably for the best, considering this may be the first beach trip I've returned home from not looking like a lobster. That night we had sushi with David and his family, which I always enjoy, and then went home to end a fabulous weekend. Thank you Janet for being a wonderful hostess--the sun, sand, and sights were just what the doctor ordered!

Another random fact before my departure--President Obama is in Memphis as we speak (he arrived yesterday), and Cody got to see Air Force One on the runway as he was boarding his plane for Georgia. Thanks to the executive in chief both of our flights were delayed yesterday, but I guess we should be thankful for our time in Atlanta where the playas play... right? Now I'm back in Memphis, ready for Cody to come home from all his business trips tomorrow. The big move is right around the corner though, so I'm sure I can find plenty of ways to occupy my time between now and our house hunting trip next week. Stay tuned for even more excitement...

Good Golly Miss Molly...we're moving again!

That's right, it's official! We're moving again. After 6 short months in the booming metropolis of Memphis, Cody has received his next assignment with Bayer and we will be relocating to Las Cruces, New Mexico in the next couple of weeks. I am so proud of his accomplishments with his new job and ecstatic for our next adventure. We've heard Las Cruces is beautiful--not to mention it's only 45 minutes from the Lone Star State (so what if it's El Paso...that's the only part of TX I haven't lived in yet, so I'm not complaining). Plus, we'll be just 7 hours from San Antonio, and about the same from Comanche and San Angelo, where all of my family lives. And trust me, we've decided that a 7 hour drive is nothing these days. In fact, we really enjoy the bonding time on those road trips.

We've heard rumors that there is even decent Mexican food in New Mexico...that is the home of Chuy's after all, so at least I know I'll get my fill of the best flour tortillas in the US and creamy jalapeno dressing if nothing else. We've also been told that the weather is absolutely amazing in Las Cruces...highs in the low 80's and lows in the upper 50's pretty much year round. Seriously, what more could you ask for? I'll also get my fill of turquoise jewelry, which I'm super excited about. We are pretty much just counting down the days until our departure at this point. There are still quite a few details to work out (like finding a house, etc.), but we have faith that everything will fall into place just like it did last time. Until then, you can find me finishing up my last few days of work and jet setting to San Diego to see my good friend Janet next weekend. I'm so ready for a mini beach vacay it's not even funny.

Until the big move, we'll continue to live the exciting Tennessee life and enjoy all that the Volunteer state has to offer...which most certainly included the Beale Street Music Festival. Imagine my excitement to find out that our very own city of Memphis hosts a mini version of ACL every year, for a third of the price of the three day pass in Austin. The line up was pretty much identical (on a smaller scale), and we got to see legends such as Jerry Lee Lewis (amazing) and Ludacris (I must add that I was the whitest, most hippie looking girl in the crowd busting out my straight up gangsta moves to every single song. Even my dad got to share my love for the thug life during the live rendition of "Yeah"). We also got to see amazing bands like Cake, Everclear, Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers, Ziggy Marley, Cee Lo Green, Sublime, and so many more that I know I'm leaving out. In other words, we were pretty much in musical heaven for the weekend. We even braved the rain and played in the mud for the sake of good music. I mean, it probably wouldn't have been the same without some form of mud anyway, due to the fact that we've gotten so used to years of Texas country music in these kind of conditions at Chilifest. Regardless, Beale Street Music Fest proved to be all that we had hoped for in the musical realm, and we're definitely glad to have participated.

Here are a few pics from our musical journey...

 Looking fab after the first rain shower

 Cody just being excited about life in general, and good live music of course

 Jerry Lee Lewis--the original member of the rock 'n roll hall of fame. How cool is that? 80 years old and still rocking.

 Hard to see, but it's my boy Ludacris

 Hard Rock Cafe, during the tornado sirens. Yeah, we're hardcore music fans.

 Cee Lo Green

After a very long day of rainy weather...clearly my hair is looking fly at this point

Stay tuned because you'll certainly want to help me chronicle my adventures in So Cal...ahhh I can't wait for a little fun in the sun. Don't be jel. :)

From deviled eggs to track meets...a Very Johnson Easter

A few days late, but Happy Easter from Tennessee! Cody and I missed being with our families this year, but we enjoyed starting a new tradition and spending time with our good friend Lindsey, who is also from Houston. This year was extra special for us too, with lots to celebrate and be thankful for in terms of the meaning of the Easter season. We are truly thankful for the many blessings that we've been given this year, and can't wait to see what else is in store for us in the future...which has already proven to be quite a lot (more on that later).

We started the morning by attending church and then came home to make a Top Chef style, fast and furious (and might I add tasty) lunch with all the fixings. We had a brisket (from Texas!), deviled eggs, twice baked potatoes, green beans, rolls, vanilla pound cake, and some delicious chocolate cookies. We then proceeded to participate in the annual Johnston family track meet via telephone, and Lindsey and I were proud to be on the winning team. We'll leave out the fact that our awesome discus, shot put, and javelin skills may have resulted from the juicing that we did on my Prednazone before the events... I suppose we would've been disqualified if it were the real olympics, but hey, we'll just chalk up the talent to extreme athleticism instead of roid rage. :)

This time I'll leave you with a few pics from our after church photo shoot. We clean up nicely, don't we?

Stay tuned for an exciting relocation annoucement which may involve rain dancing and prairie living, promotion talk, and lots of live music on the big 'ol Mississippi River...

Camo, Camping, and Casinos

Excuse the delay of this post...I know it's the end of April and I'm kind of backtracking to document activities at the beginning of the month, but you know me, I have a flair for being fashionably late and it would be completely out of character for me to do anything promptly. My handsome husband is the star of this show, which he will be very happy about considering he hasn't gotten a whole lotta love on the blog since it's debut. You should definitely know that April has been dubbed Cody's birthday month, and though we're almost at the end of it, we're still celebrating. (I may have had something to do with this trend when I declared December as my birthday month so I guess I can share that idea with him, too.)

We started Cody's birthday weekend by celebrating on his actual birthday, April 1st with our good friends the Riddles. Jen and Ryan were kind enough to let us come over and grill ribs Texas style, per the birthday prince's request. We even basted them with authentic Tony Roma's bbq sauce--just the way Cody's dad does it. I made homemade mac & cheese and we had all the yummy TX bbq fixin's to go with it, along with an AMAZING camo cake, hand crafted by the mother of one of the girls at work. You won't believe it until you see it...so check out this amazingness.

 So super excited to blow out his 24 candles and eat some camo cake!

 A big slice of amazingness is what this is...camo style!

For those of you who aren't familiar with camo patterns (and those of you that are), you should know that the outside of the cake was done in a fondant that was an exact replica of Mossy Oak camo. I mean, this was one legit camo cake. Not to mention that it was camo on the inside, too... how cool is that? It was a vanilla cake with butter cream icing, and was quite possibly one of the best cakes I've ever tasted. And that's a bold statement as you know. OK, promise I'm finished letting my sweet tooth take control now...back to the topic at hand. We ate way too much, had lots of fun, and are so thankful for our good friends Jen and Ryan who were able to celebrate Cody's entrance into old manhood with us!

The next morning, Cody and I headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas for a little impromptu camping trip. We decided it was the perfect weekend to get some fresh air, and the weather could not have been more perfect for becoming one with nature. I know it may shock you, but this girly girl has become quite fond of the great outdoors these days, and I can "rough it" like no other. After all, Carrie Bradshaw did say that city girls are just country girls with cuter outfits, so I've decided that camping can be added to my list of favorite hobbies, and I can still look cute while doing it. Plus, who wouldn't jump at the chance to sleep in a tent and sit around a campfire with their dreamy husband overlooking a gorgeous lake? Sounds pretty perfect to me, and it was! Hot Springs is a super cute little tourist town, and when we arrived we had to try out the famous bbq restaurant McClenden's. Bill Clinton flew Air Force One just to eat at this place, so we knew it had to be good--and it was. I'm definitely feeding my foodie side these days, in case you haven't noticed... it's kind of out of control. After our lunch date, we drove through the mountains and took in the breathtaking views before heading out to the lake campsite. We set up our tent in the perfect spot overlooking the lake, and then did some fishing. There were lots of bass in the lake, but much to our dismay the little boogers just weren't interested in our bait. I got pretty close to enticing  a couple of them, but sadly we both came away without a catch. Guess we'll have to wait for the next trip to Harlingen for me to dominate some redfish and trout... (I'm counting down to this, in case you couldn't tell!) That night we started a campfire and roasted hot dogs and smores, then hit the sack (literally--in our sleeping bags.) I had forgotten how much I love camping, and it always reminds me of trips to Proctor Lake with my grandparents, mom, dad and sister when I was little. I'm not sure I was such a good sport about roughing it then though... guess I've gotten in touch with my wild side a little more as I've aged.

 You seriously can't pay for this kind of view. Eat your heart out, Four Seasons Resort!

 Documentation of me being a fatty...

 Making Grandad proud!

Our little outdoor home, a complete lakefront property. So perfect!

As if you thought the birthday festivities ended there...now it's time for the big event. For one of Cody's presents, I decided to surprise (emphasis on surprise please--for those of you who know me well, you know that I am HORRIBLE at keeping secrets, so this was a BIG deal for me to not let this one slip) him with tickets to see country singer Joe Nichols in Tunica, Mississippi at one of the casinos. Cody had been begging me to go to Tunica and gamble since he went with his parents over Thanksgiving, and this all seemed to work out perfectly. Not to mention, I couldn't believe that we could get tickets to see a chart topping Nashville star for the same price as a Texas country concert! I guess it pays to live close to music city... 

We weren't really sure what to expect upon entering the casino, but we knew we needed to try our hands at a little gambling before the concert. Cody won at blackjack while I played the Sex and the City slot machine and got lucky for about 10 minutes. Guess we should've stopped there, because after the concert we successfully lost our money. Oh well, there's always next time! The concert started and was probably one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. We were literally on the second row, and I kid you not, Joe Nichols (who was incredibly dreamy might I add), made eye contact with me, looked at me, and posed for a picture. I mean, we were that close to a Nashville star. The setting was really intimate, very different from the concerts we're used to (filled with drunk college kids and out of control barefoot musicians--which we love, of course), and was more of a conversational, chill atmosphere. That is, until he played Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off. :) As you'll see in the picture, I got festive and drank a marg during that one...but don't worry, my clothes stayed on. If you ever get the chance to see a concert in Tunica, definitely take it. It was truly awesome to be so close to one of the biggest names in country music, and definitely an unforgettable birthday present for my country music loving husband. I'd say I reached baller status with this gift, but that's just my modest opinion. Now brace yourself ladies for a little dreaminess in these next few pics... (of course I mean Cody... ;) )

 I got a closer one with my phone where he actually smiled at me (promise I'm not making this up, you can ask Cody and he'll roll his eyes because I was being such a groupie), but this is my documented proof that Joe Nichols noticed me. Don't be jel.

 He was such a good sport as I made a fool of myself. He got to do it when we saw Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, so we agreed it was ok. (Even though I got Tim McGraw that time, too...)

Being out of control during Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off, naturally. Keep it classy, Tunica. 

I'm not sure how we're going to top these adventures...the month of April has been pretty good to us. I'm loving all the musical options in the great state of Tennessee, too. Who knew it could be comparable to the capital of live music, Austin, TX? In fact, our next excursion is getting me really excited--the Beale St. Music Festival, Memphis' own version of ACL. Uh oh, spoiler alert! Guess you'll just have to wait for more on that one... 

Until next time, keep it real friends!

Little Kid Faith

Just to prepare you...there won't be any pictures in this post. I'm not typically one to share medical challenges or experiences due to a tendency to be slightly hardcore and not want anyone to feel sorry for me. So I must admit that I struggled with making this public. But I'm a firm believer in sharing my testimony in any way that I can, and the events of the past week have been far too powerful not to share publicly. Plus, this is my way of thanking everyone who has been loyally praying for me over the past 6 months--I am living, breathing proof that anything is possible with the power of prayer! (And anyone who wants to tell me otherwise deserves to be slapped.)

As many of you already know, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease back in October. I'll spare you the details, but it's been a rough half a year, but one filled with TONS of lessons and blessings that we could've never experienced otherwise. Cody and I have spent lots of time in the hospital since Christmas, including our first married Valentine's day experiencing my second of four blood transfusions. Needless to say, it wasn't surprising to hear my doctor say that I am one of the most severe cases of the disease that he has ever worked with...which no one realized until shortly after Christmas (due to my being so hardcore I suppose). Anyway, let's get back to the point of this post. Cody and I have adopted a theme for our lives lately, and learned many huge lessons about faith and turning everything over to God through everything we have experienced over the past six months. At the beginning of the year, our pastor preached a sermon in church about fresh starts and having faith in God's plan for our lives. He mentioned that we should have "little kid faith" as we walk through our daily lives, and that really hit home for Cody and me as we looked back on our experiences in the past year. We have both been challenged through new jobs, a new marriage, a big move away from everything familiar, and my sickness to hand everything over to God and make space to let him work in our lives. This kind of faith has taught us that we may not know exactly what lies ahead for us (we could have never predicted the kind of adventures that we'd experience in our first year of marriage), but we have total and complete faith that God is in control. And that has never held more true for us than in the past week.

Because of my severe case of Crohn's, I had been escalated to the highest, most intense level of treatment about six weeks ago. This involves 3 infusions of Remicade, a very strong medicine that is administered through IV infusions. Thanks to this medicine, I got a nice weekend stay in the hospital (and a wonderful visit from my mom and mother-in-law to boot!), as it is so strong that during the first treatment intense monitoring is required to ensure there are no allergic reactions. I took the first infusion like a champ, and felt like a new person after just one treatment, which only happens in 30% of patients. I felt very blessed after this, and 2 weeks later went back for the second infusion. At this time, I had a slight allergic reaction, but after being given a heavy dose of Benadryl, the nurse and my doctor ruled out the reaction as a sensitivity, and we scheduled my last infusion for this past Thursday, the big third treatment that would push me into remission by Easter weekend. (Remission from Crohn's means no more symptoms and a return to normal life.) The plan after this was that I would continue to have infusions every 2 months for maintenance, basically for the rest of my life. Not bad at all to ensure that I continued to feel good, and I was definitely overcoming my irrational fear of needles, that's for sure!

So on Thursday morning I arrived at the doctor's office for my spa treatment infusion (the experience really is spa-like. In fact, I joked with my nurse that we could really use some pedicures and facials when I come in for my treatments.) I said a prayer for everything to go smoothly and was immediately reminded of the Bible verse "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see." God could not have provided me with more appropriate words at a better time. Once again, I was filled with a calmness knowing that he was in control of whatever was going to happen today. And I'm not going to lie, I started the treatment out VERY nervous. After all, this was the big day, the big treatment that I had been waiting for for half a year. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point, and I didn't want anything messing this up. The nurse took my heart rate before beginning the infusion, and commented that it was definitely higher than normal. I chalked it up to being anxious or excited, but had a feeling today was going to be a little bit different than I had expected. Exactly one hour into the infusion (the exact time that I had reacted in the last infusion), I began to have a violet allergic reaction. Luckily, my doctor had come in at the exact time that this happened, and observed each symptom as I struggled to breathe, sufferred intense chest and back pains, and just about vommed everywhere (sorry, gruesome I know). I had awakened to this reaction from a pretty heavy Benadryl slumber, so you can imagine my surprise when the only words that I heard were "Stop the Remicade. She won't be having any more infusions."

I immediately panicked, and the first question I asked was "So I have to live with this disease the rest of my life?" Imagine my surprise when my doctor laughed...and told me not to worry. How could I not worry when all I could see was a future of continued sickness? I was so confused at this point...and I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I was slightly loopy and coming out of a coma. I was, however, clear enough at this point to hear these words come out of my very knowledgable, research driven doctor's mouth: "Brittany, I am baffled. And I'm not worried. You are not going to live with this disease, but I must tell you that in all of the years that I have practiced medicine, I have never seen a case like yours. You are one of the most severe cases that I have ever worked with, and you have not even been through full treatment, but your body has healed itself. Two weeks ago your body was not even pumping blood and today your red blood cell count has doubled and is almost back to normal. Your body has healed itself and I have no way to explain it." As drugged up as I was, I knew the explanation. I looked at him, smiled, and simply said "Do you think it's because a higher power, stronger than medicine, is on my side?" He nodded, smiled back, and said "I think that's a safe bet."

At this point, I could probably end this novel of a post. For those of you that have stuck it out and read the whole thing, I really do appreciate it. If I can share anything from this experience, it would be that when we ask why or don't understand the things that are happening in our lives, just know that when we give up control, have little kid faith, and trust in God's timing, supernatural things can and do happen. All it takes is letting go and letting God work. Trust me, I'm living proof.

This year as Easter approaches, it is perhaps one of the most symbolic and special ones of my life. I praise the Lord everyday as I enter remission, and will celebrate with a spirit of renewal and redemption as I thank God for new beginnings, healing, and a new season in my life. I hope you'll share your little kid faith with someone, too, as we remember the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us, so that we could be healed and have the comfort of knowing that He is in control of our lives, if we'll just let Him be!