The Moving Debacle: Part 1

With all of the excitement of returning to the great state of TX, the upcoming wedding of our good friends Duncan and Ashley and, of course, the excitement of a little one on the way, we were sure that the actual move to Harlingen would be smooth sailing... HA! Little did we know we would get one tremendous test in patience as we said our final goodbyes to the desert. The good news is, we made it through what we've affectionally coined the "moving debacle" relatively unscathed, and it gave us another fantastic memory to share and story to tell.

Very early in the week of our departure from Las Cruces, Cody called the moving company (mind you, the only moving company in the southern US available within our short timeframe) to confirm that our truck and movers had in fact been scheduled for that Thursday, June 27. We were assured by said company that the movers would arrive sometime either Wednesday the 26th or Thursday the 27th, and we were relieved to know that we would have plenty of time to get everything loaded up and on its way to south TX in time to drive to San Antonio, rest up and make our appearance at Duncan and Ashley's rehearsal dinner on Friday the 28th. Well, it seems the best laid plans often go awry, and boy did they ever!

Wednesday rolled around and by the afternoon we had not heard from the moving company and were starting to get a little concerned. Cody gave them a call, only to be informed that the truck would arrive Thursday morning between 8:00 and noon. No problem, right? Wrong. Thursday morning arrived, and still, no truck or movers to be found. I'll spare you the details of my temper tantrums and Cody's frustrated phone calls that continued well into Thursday afternoon and just get to the point-- our movers and truck finally arrived at 9:00 PM that night. That's right folks, 12 hours past the originally scheduled time. Our house was not even packed at 9:30 PM on Thursday night and we had to be in San Antonio on Friday for a rehearsal dinner. Let the fun begin!

Our team of movers consisted of two very friendly men who recently relocated to the US from Bosnia, along with their 18 year old son. Sure, they were willing to appease my demands that they work as long as it took to pack up our house so that we could get on the road, but I never would have dreamed that this task would take them exactly 11 hours and 15 minutes to complete. Oh, and did I mention that they had no wardrobe boxes, bubble wrap AND had to be taught by my husband how to pack clothing and fragile items? What a treat. My hardcore, soldier of a husband managed to keep his cool, stealing 10 minutes of sleep each hour and helping out with the packing where he could, while I locked myself in an empty bedroom on an air mattress with Rio in an attempt to retain some form of sanity despite the bad sitcom that had become our moving situation.

Finally, at 8:30 the next morning, we hit the road for San Antonio in complete disbelief of the events of the night before. We arrived in SA late Friday evening and were very sad to miss the rehearsal dinner, but we did make it in plenty of time for the wedding and had a blast celebrating the special day of two very dear friends. We were also excited to spend time with my mom's side of the family that was in town to visit with my Aunt Julie and Katelyn.

There's nothing better than a little shoe memory game with family to welcome you back to TX!

While on their anniversary trip to Chicago in June, Dad found this shoe memory game and thought it would be the perfect activity for the Johnston women at our family get togethers. He was right- we had a blast playing it!

We were so happy to see our friends after a very, very long couple of days. Aren't these guys just so handsome?

Mr. and Mrs. Duncan Morrow

Matt (Weezy) and his sweet girlfriend, Gaby

Hubs, me and our baby (this would officially be the first photo op for our family of 3!)

Our firstborn fur child shared in our exhaustion at the end of the weekend. Those sleepy eyes get me everytime. 

It was a wonderful weekend full of family and friends, and just what we needed after a stressful week and not nearly enough sleep. We were super excited to be on the last leg of our trip and headed to Harlingen that Sunday evening, anxiously awaiting the arrival of our dear mover friends. Little did we know what would await us at the other end of the Rio Grande...

Our Biggest Blessing Yet

Hello world! After a bit of a blogging hiatus, the Johnson's have finally returned to cyber world. For those who have been sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation (ha!), you'll be pleased to know that the reason for our absence is a good one. We have a LOT of excitement to report! Since the announcement of our move, life seems to be moving in rapid motion, and the adventures and blessings just keep-a-comin'. We never could have dreamed of all of the amazing things that awaited us after the announcement of our move back to the Lone Star State, but boy, are we ever so grateful. Without further adieu, allow us to document what is by far our biggest blessing yet...

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever." 

-Ephesians 3:20-21

We could not be more excited to introduce our biggest blessing yet, Baby Johnson!! Once again, God has proven to be ever faithful and has answered our prayers for a child. We were a little nervous about how the pregnancy and Crohn's situation would pan out, but with tremendous faith we began the journey and found out about our little blessing on June 20, 2013. As I write this post, I can't believe how quickly the first trimester flew, and I stand in awe of the fact that I was not sick at all! Besides the usual being tired and incredibly minor discomforts, I have been SO thankful to report not one day of morning sickness. It is truly a miracle and tremendous answer to prayer!

We have come such a long way from my initial Crohn's diagnosis when I was told that I may never be able to get pregnant, to a doctor in Memphis who assured me that I could have children-- it just might be difficult, to a doctor in Las Cruces who assured me that I would get pregnant--it would just take a while (for the record, it didn't!), to a doctor in Harlingen who was not at all surprised that I'm not sick and truly believes that a few discomforts will be the most I have to worry about during this pregnancy. My doctors in Harlingen also don't foresee any problems coming from me staying on my medication throughout the pregnancy, and have seen many women carry, deliver and nurse perfectly healthy babies in my same condition and situation. Our little angel is just another reminder of God's great power and what a little faith can do, and as we continue to trust in His plan for a healthy baby and my continued health throughout the next few months, I am filled with excitement at the prospect of the miracles that still await us. We can't wait to meet you, Baby J, and love you so much already!

And now a little baby bump update...

11 weeks- the start of a little bump!

13 weeks- growing a little more...

15 weeks- Hey Baby J!

Stay tuned for another big announcement in the very near future... we'll give you a hint... it might involve the words "he" or "she"!!

Texas on My Mind...

Well, ladies and gents, the moment that Cody and I have awaited for the past 2 1/2 years has finally come. The moment that we dreamed of from the time that we first saw TX in our rearview mirror on November 1, 2010...

WE ARE MOVING BACK TO TEXAS! 

That's right, it's official-- Cody has taken a job with Wilbur Ellis, an ag chemical distribution company, and we are going home. In fact, Cody is really going home in every sense of the word due to the fact that we are moving to Harlingen, his hometown.  Not to mention that we will be just a short drive from one of my favorite places in the world, South Padre Island, where I can lounge on the beach, sip pina coladas and soak up as much sun as possible (without frying my porcelain skin, of course). Oh, and I would be remiss to not mention the endless fishing trips to come with my championship fishing guide father-in-law! Better yet, we will only be a short 3 1/2 hour drive from San Antonio, which is SO much better than 9! We are super excited for the next chapter to begin and are incredibly thankful for God's faithfulness in answering the prayer that we've prayed every single day since we moved to Memphis at the start of our marriage. (I'm not exaggerating either when I say every. single. day.)

Before I completely neglect to give Tennessee and New Mexico the glory that they deserve, I would just like to say that I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities to grow that we've been given in these unique locations over the past two years. And there have definitely been a lot. Someone once told us that moving out of state would do wonders for our marriage, and they were so right. We have gained a dependence and love for each other that we could have never anticipated, and we will forever be grateful for that. I truly believe that God took us away from everything familiar during such a pivotal time in our lives for a reason: to prove that He is in control, He is good and He is faithful. We may not have been able to see it in the moment we were told we would be leaving all of our friends and family after I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, or when we weren't able to be there for the birth of our first niece, major events in the lives of our friends, or even simple family get-togethers, but now we know without a doubt that God was doing some major work behind the scenes in our lives through our time away. We have both grown leaps and bounds in our faith, and truly believe that we were sent to the desert to experience our own form of spiritual growth and revival. I can honestly say my heart has done a complete about-face since we left Houston; I have been humbled and matured more than I ever could have thought possible and have watched my husband become an even stronger, more faithful and loyal man than the one that I fell in love with seven years ago. The Lord knew what he was doing when he gave us the visual reminder of His strength in the mountains, and now we are believing that he is going to give us a visual reminder of his mercy, grace and faithfulness in the steady movement of the ocean off the Texas Gulf Coast.

Now let me reminisce for a moment on the many moving adventures of Brittany & Cody...

In November 2010, we said goodbye to the state we had called home for our entire lives and made Memphis, TN our home.

After 6 months in Memphis, we said buenos dias to Las Cruces, NM. Here's the little adobe casa, our very first house.

Celebrating our first anniversary right after the New Mexico move-- notice the chubby cheeks? We still joke about the "many faces of Brittany" during my first year with Crohn's. Check out the blog posts from 2011 if you don't believe me!

One of the very best memories we have of New Mexico is when this little monster joined our lives. Rio Grande Johnson will forever be our first child and continues to amuse us on a daily basis (though he's slightly bigger in stature these days)!

The desert mountains in all their majesty-- one thing about NM that I will miss, especially at sunset and in the winter. I wonder if Rio will notice the drastic change in landscape and climate that await him during our evening walks?

Our most recent pic--celebrating our third anniversary in Cabo. Don't those smiles just scream, "Texas, here we come!"

As we say adios to dear New Mexico, we are incredibly appreciative of the friends we made and the experiences that we will never forget. We now look to the future with tremendous amounts of excitement and can't wait for the adventures that await us in our home state. We're coming home, y'all!

Donde esta la biblioteca?

I would like to preface this post with a disclaimer: If you have anything productive to accomplish within the new few minutes, this is not the time to view this post. It is incredibly picture-heavy, and will likely transport you to your happy place and a state of total relaxation and/or longing for a tropical paradise...

Now back to the purpose of this recap of our fabulous adventures del Mexico. Cody and I have had a whirlwind of a past few months. Between his work, his traveling for work and my never-ending to-do list both at work and home, we decided it was high-time to get out of dodge and escape to somewhere tropical where our only obligation was to sit our happy behinds in a lounge chair and sip tropical beverages in the sun all day. Plus, our third anniversary was coming up, so that just gave us one more reason to treat ourselves to one amazing vacation. We decided Cabo san Lucas, Mexico was just the destination we'd been dreaming of, and we invited our friends Ty and Lanna to join us for an extended weekend getaway. I was pretty excited at the prospect of not only getting to leave the country for the second time in my life, but to also attempt to speak Spanish, eat amazing seafood, get a spray tan and do a little pre-vacay shopping. (Priorities, people.) We departed the beautifully desolate city of El Paso on Thursday AM and arrived in Cabo that afternoon, where we were greeted by pina coladas for the cab ride to the grand Riu Palace resort. And now, I'll let the pictures tell the story...

First photo op on our balcony

These boys bleed maroon regardless of the location

Ty and Lanna's first photo op

Looking super fab in our pool ensembles

One of the days we were there, we assumed the challenge of an offshore fishing trip. I say challenge affectionately due to the fact that offshore fishing to this point has been just that for Cody and me. On our Costa Rican honeymoon, I became incredibly seasick and Cody somehow made it through the whole day without so much as one bite. Lucky for us, this trip proved very different-- I discovered that I could rock the boat without the slightest bout of nausea (yay!)and we saw more than 20 striped marlin, even hooking a couple. Sadly, we did not bring anything in, but I am confident that this is a guarantee that our next offshore trip will be a complete success. After all, good things come to those who wait, right? Perhaps the coolest part of the trip was the fact that a real, live sea lion rode the back of the boat all the way to the dock, showing us his big, toothy grin the entire couple of miles. I wanted to give him a hug, but decided against it due to the fact that he was on the edge of the boat and I didn't really want to fall in...

Ty, who was not the biggest fan of my paparazzi-style photography, insisted that every time a picture was taken of him a tiny bit of his soul was stolen, never to return. Dramatic much? :)

The Rui Palace Resort in all its glory. For about 5 minutes after our arrival, Lanna and I convinced ourselves that this was the setting of Carrie Bradshaw's faux honeymoon in the Sex and the City movie.

The most beautiful sight!

I know these pics are a bit out of order, but I had to include this precious image of the boys sharing a seat belt on the way to the resort. Can't you just see them as 10 year olds making the same cheesy faces? 

My bud from 12 years old through the daycare era and beyond!

After a day of shopping bargaining, we made the obligatory visit to the ever-famous Cabo Wabo Cantina. I must admit, I was quite shocked at the cleanliness of the bathrooms. After all, would you expect one of the most famous bars in the Cabo strip to be well-kept on a weekend? 

One of my favorite parts of our trip was the food (naturally). When you can walk into a buffet and one half of the banquet hall sized room is full of buffets dedicated solely to dessert, you've instantly won this girl over. Don't worry, I channeled my inner Marie Antoinette and sampled one of everything, though I didn't eat dessert first. 

My favorite pic from the trip. Love these two!

Not a bad way to celebrate our third anniversary, don't ya think? 

Perhaps the most entertaining part of the trip was Cody's appearance in the resort's "Mister Riu" macho man competition. Cody was an incredibly good sport, showing off some fantastic beer chugging skills and championship level lawn mower dance moves. All I can say is I am one. lucky. woman. Go ahead and swallow that PB&Jealousy sandwich now, folks. 

On our last night in Cabo, we took the suggestion of Cody's sis and dined at the most wonderful restaurant. The Office featured tables on the beach, in the sand, so not only did we get to enjoy amazing lobster, sea bass, shrimp and more, but we got to feel the sand between our toes while doing it. It was a little chilly by the water, but this restaurant came fully prepared, draping authentic Mexican blankets on every chair so we could get nice and cozy while stuffing our faces. This was my favorite part of the trip, and I think it would be quite amazing to be able to go to dinner at a place like this every time I have a stressful day. (Can't a girl dream?)

When Sunday rolled around, it was time to pack up our things and head back to reality. We had so much fun with our friends on this trip, and will forever remember our first trip together to this tropical paradise. 

Adios amigos!

A Magnificently Low-Key Memorial Weekend

This year's Memorial Weekend festivities differed a bit from those of the past. Typically, we spend the weekend camping out with some college friends for Cherryfest, but this year Cody and I decided it was time to spend the weekend with family, getting some much-needed relaxation. He had spent the week in Harlingen with his family, so on Friday he headed up to SA in time to pick me up from the airport that night. My grandparents came in town the next day, and it was so fun just visiting with them and hanging out. On Saturday afternoon, Cody and I spent some time with our sweet friends Morgan and Nathan. We loved catching up with them and loving on their little man, Brooks! Due to massive amounts of rain (shocking, I know!), we didn't get to float the river as planned, but we still managed to soak up a little sun at the pool and enjoy some hot tub time with the fam. It was a great weekend and a fantastic way to kick off the summer. I was a bit of a slacker in the photo department, but don't worry, I'll be more than making up for it during our upcoming anniversary trip. Did I mention we're counting down the days to that, because we definitely are!!