Home Sweet Home

After much anticipation, I am beyond excited to share a photo montage of our new home. The month of August was a bit crazy with my work schedule, so I was incredibly thankful to be able to have lots of help to get settled in on the one free weekend that I got during the month. (For those that missed the memo, I am working as an academic advisor at Texas State Technical College, just down the road from our house. It's been great and super busy so far with the new school year starting!)

We are so in love with our first official home and can't get enough of the cozy feel and the style. Plus, we can't shake this feeling that the house just seems to be more comfy than any home we've lived in for the mere fact that it belongs to us! I will forever be indebted to my fabulous mother who truly pulled out all the stops and had this house unpacked AND decorated with the addition of a few freshly painted furniture pieces within one short weekend. I think she gets better with every move, though I know she and I both hope that this is our last one for a very long time. :) Add to Mom's expertise our two precious friends, Jared and Heather Ede, and their willingness to lend a hand, grab a paint brush, pretty much do whatever was needed until all hours of the night, and we have the perfect house for our little growing family. It's four bedrooms (3 bedrooms and an office), two bathrooms and the perfect amount of space to last us for a while.

Now, without further adieu...

Back side of the master bath

Front of master bath (w/ closet to the right)

Master bedroom

Another angle of the master bedroom

Baby's room! Have I mentioned how excited we are to fill it?

Guest bedroom

Another guest bedroom angle

Guest bedroom again

Guest bathroom

Guest bathroom 

Formal dining

View from front door

My "Hill Country corner" in the formal dining room

Formal dining

Formal living room/Sitting area

Another view of the formal living room

Formal living room

Breakfast nook

Kitchen

The boys had to sneak in to make sure you don't forget about them :)

Family room/den

Family room

Cody's office

Backyard 

Rio giving the tour of his domain

And the front of our home! 

Now that we're settled, we're more than ready for visitors. Let us know when you need a little island getaway!

The Moving Debacle: Part 2

Ideally, when the movers arrive at your final destination with your belongings, it is similar to the feeling of crossing the finish line at the end of a race. All that's left to do is unload, pay the guys, and send them on their way as you begin your new life in your new town. Right? Well, if it had been that simple we wouldn't have had nearly the story to tell! 

Much to our surprise (and excitement), the movers made the trip from Las Cruces to Harlingen at a much quicker rate than they had arrived, and on Monday morning after dropping Cody off for his first day of work, I received the call that they were at our storage unit, ready to unload. Our plan was to put all of our belongings in storage and move in with Cody's parents until we found, bought and closed on a house, so we were prepared to say goodbye to all but a few necessary items for at least the month of July, if not longer. On that note, may I just mention that a fashionista should never attempt to consolidate her entire wardrobe for more than a month into just one suitcase... this does not provide one with nearly enough outfit options, and there comes a point when not even accessories can spice up the same basic tees and tanks. Nonetheless, we survived. Anyway, the movers arrived Monday morning and after a very backwards way of processing the payment (this included waiting 3-4 hours for the moving company's business office to communicate with Cody's company, something that we thought had been taken care of pre-packing), we were finally able to see our belongings as they entered the storage units. But wait-- those belongings, including my fragile apothecary jars and other glass items, were not in boxes. That's right, they were just loose, chillin' on the truck with not one ounce of support to keep them from shattering on the 14 hour drive they just experienced. And... they did not break! It was truly a miracle! The lack of boxes for these items led me to open the boxes that did hold our dishes and other breakables, and it's a good thing I did. I was absolutely shocked at what I saw...

That's right folks-- this is how a professional moving company packed our glasses. Why use bubble wrap or wrapping paper when you can just grab our guest bath towels?

Imagine my shock when this is how I discovered our dishes were packed (or not packed?) Cale and I quickly procured some wrapping paper and new boxes and wrapped these babies up as securely as possible.

Just our glass and crystal serving dishes... no big deal.

That white bowl that you see in the top right corner of the box, buried under miscellaneous appliances and potholders? Oh yeah, that's just a china serving bowl. (I about died!!)

Finally, this is the state in which we found our drinking glasses. Once again, bath towels make a fantastic barrier to protect glass items, don't you think? Good thing we had some Tervis tumblers mixed in there, too. 

After this small taste of the nightmare that was the grand finale of our move, I'm sure you can see why "moving debacle" is the perfect phrase to describe this experience. Despite all of the craziness and trouble, Cody and I could not have been more thankful to be back in south TX, and we refused to let any of the ridiculous occurrences get us down. After locking up that storage unit and bidding a forever farewell to our movers, we were more than motivated to begin the search for our first "official" home. After two weeks of looking at between 12 and 15 options, a week and a half of negotiations and an eternity of paperwork, our offer was accepted on the perfect home for our growing little family. There was only one little snag- before moving day, we had to redo the entire plumbing system and scrape the popcorn texture off of the ceilings. Luckily, this was a much smoother process than the initial move had been, and we moved into our home on August 17th with the help of lots of family and amazing friends. Through all of the trials and tribulations, I wouldn't change one moment of our moving and home buying experience. We learned a lot, grew up a little and came out of it all ever so thankful for answered prayers and blessings, once again! 

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!