Thanksgiving: a week of gratitude

It's the holiday season, and I'm SO excited!

Our first Thanksgiving as a married couple was, to say the least, interesting.  Everything was normal until Neal went snowboarding on Wednesday while I was at work.  It has been unusually warm around Colorado for the last couple of weeks, and Wednesday was no exception.  Because of this, Neal decided he was not going to wear his helmet.  Now, usually he wears his helmet no matter what, but since he hasn't had any accidents, he wasn't worried.  Well, you can guess where this is going.  He called me about half way through the day to say he had come off a rail, landed, and then caught an edge.  This caused him to fall down and hit his head, HARD, on the snow.  He said he felt a little nauseous when he first got up, but that he felt ok.  However, by the time he came back to pick me up from work, he had a severe headache, was sensitive to light, was VERY groggy, and was feeling nauseous.  Yup.  He had a concussion.  So, for the rest of the evening and through the night, I woke him up every two and a half hours.  Thursday morning he felt a little bit better, but still seemed to be moving slow.  He's all fine and dandy now, and back to his normal self.  I am so grateful that nothing worse happened to him, as it very easily could have.  I know my prayers that he would be safe while snowboarding were answered.

We spent Thanksgiving day with my family.  I cooked my first goose, and took it down for dinner.  I was so excited and proud of myself!  We ate all kinds of yummy food, hung out with family, and then went home and......drum roll please.....set up our very first Christmas tree!!!!!!  I was so excited.  Neal has been so kind, loving, and has laughed quietly at me just a few times over this holiday season (I get REALLY excited!)  Our tree is very cute, and is already beginning to get a pile of presents underneath it.  One of these presents is one I bought for Neal that I am very excited about.  I can't post about it now though, because generally he reads these posts!

On Saturday, Neal, Shauna, Angela, and I went to the temple.  On kind of a tangent, I, very unfortunantly, found out today that the Denver Temple temple matron was killed this morning in a car accident.  President and Sister Baer were close friends of my grandparents, and any prayers would be greatly appreciated.  Ok.  Back to Thanksgiving week.  The temple was wonderful, as it always is.  I also got to have my very first IKEA experience.  I'm in love, I'm telling you.  If we ever buy a fixer-upper, I can tell you where we're going.  That evening, I took Amber to see Scrooge at the Candlelight.  It was a wonderful production, and we enjoyed it immensly.  If you're going, I highly recommend the chicken.

Yesterday (Sunday), we went to the Spotts house after church and had a pirate night.  We played Pirates Cove and Life: Twists and Turns (which Neal and I ROCKED at).  I made some buffalo chicken, and Steph made some rolls and we had yummy buffalo chicken sandwiches.  It was a very fun evening, and the de-stresser that I think many of us were in need of.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and hope you're looking forward to Christmas!

Our cute little Christmas tree :)

Happy holiday season!

I have not posted in over a month.  It's just been too crazy busy!  So, here's the update on the little Johnson family.

Our first Halloween as a married couple was really fun.  I decorated our big entertainment center that Shauna gave us with lights, torn fabric, a pumpkin we've named "Boo," and some cute Halloween blocks.  We made some delicious cookie/cakes (the Pillsbury "Whoopie Pies"), and carved pumpkins with my family the night before Halloween.  Once we got home and put our pumpkins up, we couldn't help but laugh: Neal had made his pumpkin "throw up," and when we put them next to each other, it looked like mine was laughing at his!

Our friend "Boo"

On Halloween night I rushed home after work to get dressed up.  I was a medival princess and Neal was an enthusiastic rugby player.  We had the missionaries over for dinner, and then had our friends Travis and Heather over to play games.  Heather made DELICIOUS treats for us to eat!  It was way fun!  I was hoping to get plenty of trick-or-treaters, but alas, we only got two groups: our apartment manager's kids, and one other family.  Needless to say, we had plenty of candy left over (which I ate none of since Neal bought candy I didn't like...I'm still trying to figure out if that was intentional or not...)

The next week was INSANE!  We went and saw The Lion King at the Buell Theater with Neal's family on Thursday.  It was a wonderful production, and the cast did a fabulous job!  Definitely a once in a lifetime experience.  On Friday we left for the mountains.  I was gone for just over a week, and Neal came back on Tuesday.  My dad shot a nice 6x6 bull elk that he's getting mounted, my brother shot his very first big game animal: a 3x3 deer, I shot a nice 4x4 deer, and my uncle shot a nice 3x4 deer.  Unfortunantly, Neal was not able to fill his tag, but he did enjoy his first hunting experience! 

Today is my first day back to work since coming home, and I'm trying to get caught up on things.  We're buying our ski passes today (yippy!) and I still have to take our Halloween decorations down.  We're super excited for our first Thanksgiving and Christmas as a married couple.  I'm mostly excited to be able to decorate our little apartment and make it our own holiday home.  I can't wait!

Pictures from Utah

Conference Center, Saturday Morning Session, October 2011

Neal and me outside the Conference Center

Mount Timpanogos Temple

Two of my favorite things: the American Flag and the temple

Neal and I in front of the temple

Outside the door they came out of when they got married a year ago

Walking around on the grounds

Over where Aunt Julianne and Uncle Kirk took their engagement pictures

"Gerald!"

"So happy together!"

General Conference Trip, 2011

In July, Neal and I were debating whether or not to come out to Utah for General Conference in October. The Denver Temple is closed right now, and so we wanted to go to the temple. We also have lots of friends and family out there. When we found out that Neal's mission was having a mission reunion the Friday evening before Conference, it sealed the deal.

We almost weren't able to go. Some financial things happened, and we were pretty sure we were sunk as far as going out to Utah. But we prayed, paid our tithing, and really hoped we would be able to go. We knew we wanted to go for righteous reasons, and that Heavenly Father would bless us for those desires. To make a long story short, we were blessed financially, and we were able to come out for the weekend.

We left Thursday night after we both got off of work (at 10:30 pm) and arrived in Utah at 6:30 am Friday morning. We were able to go to the Mount Timpanogos temple (after sleeping for a while), and that was wonderful. It was a great spiritual recharge, and we both feel great after attending!

We went to Neal's mission reunion that night, and it was GREAT for Neal to see all of his old mission friends, and great for me to meet and get to know them better. It was also fantastic to see and hear from his mission president, President Bullock, and his wife, Sister Bullock. We chatted with so many different people, and learned that so many people are doing well. Neal's "son," Adam, just got engaged, and it was wonderful to meet his fiance. We also found out from Trevor that UVU has a program very similar to the degree Neal wants, so we're going to investigate that.

Saturday morning we attended the morning session of Conference. The spirit there was wonderful. I was sad at first though...President Monson didn't walk in with the other members of the First Presidency. I was so afraid that we wouldn't get to see him! About halfway through the session though he walked in. I was so excited! It was amazing to be in the same room as the prophet. It was wonderful to hear him talk. How exciting to have new temples announced too! I remember how we felt when the Fort Collins temple was announced...I can imagine how the people in the areas announced today feel. The second session was awesome too. I loved all the talks about the family. It always brings a feeling of comfort and peace to hear the general authorities encourage us about families in this evil world.

During the afternoon session on Saturday, we hung out at my aunt's house with my cousin, Hannah, and her new-ish husband, Justin. Hannah made us delicious red beans and rice, which made me quite the happy camper. We then headed down to Provo to see some friends. Neal went to the Priesthood Session at the Marriott Center with his two best friends, Troy and Porter, and I hung out with my best friend from high school, Morgan. It was great to see her and go shopping with her. (It was also great to find a skirt like I wanted!) We talked and laughed and just generally had a good time. After the Priesthood Session was over, I hung out with Neal and Troy and Porter at a place called IceBreaker (I think?) They make super yummy shakes. They were CRAZY busy though! When we got there, they were on order number 42. When I placed my order, I was order number 99!! The onion rings that I got were delicious, but I wasn't able to get my shake because we had to leave. I felt so bad having to cancel the order; the manager was very obviously frustrated with how slow things were going.

Sunday was way fun. We watched the morning session at my aunt's house, and then went up to the Mount Timpanogos Temple to take pictures with Julianne and Kirk! This was the temple they got married at, so it was fun to see them there. We also went across the street where they took their engagement pictures and took some photos there. It was sunny, and quite beautiful out. I'll post some of the pictures in a different post. Then we headed down to Provo again where we met up with Troy and Porter to watch the second session. Neal gave me a foot rub, and that was honestly one of my favorite moments. He's getting pretty good at just doing things like this to make me happy. I don't usually have to ask anymore! Porter designed the Milligan Clan jolly roger after the last session, and then we headed back up to PG. We at dinner with my aunt, and then hit the road at about 7 pm.

The drive back was pretty good. The only super crazy event happened near Elk Mountain off of I80. There was a buck that was the size of a freaking small elk! I thought it was an elk until we got closer and I saw the way his antlers were shaped. He was just chillin', eatin' right along I80. I would have LOVED to see him in Craig, but he almost gave me a heart attack as I was going 85 mph down I80 at night! We laughed and goofed around most of the drive (Neal made the "woo-woo" sound every time we saw a train, and made fun of Jason Aldean most of the way...ask him about the tractor song). We ended up getting home at about 3 am. We passed out as soon as we hit the bed.

Our trip was so much fun! We enjoyed it immensely, and will hopefully be able to go back soon!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

For those haven't heard, after almost three years at KINSCO, I no longer work there.  I was offered a job at Front Range Community College as a Public Safety Officer.  The offer included a significant pay raise.  The job is very relaxed, and I get three days off a week.  It is quite wonderful.  It's taking some adjusting though.  I went from going a million miles an hour to about ten miles an hour.  I'm done with school, and am at a much lower-level stress job.  This is giving me a LOT of extra time, and I'm having to find things to do with that time.  It's strange though.  I'm not used to having extra time, let alone a lot of extra time. I'm kind of missing school, even though I complained the entire time I was there.  I like learning.  However, I figured out that the harder I work and play, the faster time goes.  The faster time goes, the faster I'll be able to do a new kind of "learning."

The regional premier of Annie Warbucks (the sequel to Annie) is being loaded in at the Candlelight this week.  This week is tech week so we've been spending a lot of time at the theater.  I'm kind of sad to see Big River go.  It was a WONDERFUL show, and had a fantastic cast.  Annie will be good though.  Neal's working hard on the sound (or at least he will be in about an hour...right now he's sitting next to me on Facebook...).  He's enjoying his job, as usual.  He also starts school this week, so he'll have something to do while I'm at work and he's not.  He's getting closer to his associates, and then will be moving to another school to get his bachelors.  We're hoping to find a school where he can specialize in audio engineering, but as those schools are few and quite expensive, he may also go to a school to get a technical theater degree, and just specify his classes in audio.  We'll see!

One month! Woo-hoo!

So I haven't been on here in a while.  Between making finishing touches on the wedding plans, actually having the wedding, going on a honeymoon, coming back and starting school and working full-time right away, I haven't had much time!  The last month has been wonderful though, and being married is AWESOME!

The wedding day went very well.  The sealing ceremony was wonderful.  Neal and I were able to sit in the Celestial room for about a half-an-hour before our ceremony began, and we were able to just chill and be with each other.  As we walked from the Celestial room to the Sealing room, I felt so warm and excited.  I was getting married to my best friend!  Seeing all of our friends and family in there made me so happy.  (Funny blooper: as we walked into the Sealing room, Neal stepped on my dress and ripped the loop that made my dress bustle...the rest of the day was interesting with that!)  We then went outside and were able to see the rest of our family and loved ones.  We took LOTS of pictures and had so much fun!  Kelsey Hansen, one of our best friends and photographer, did a wonderful job.  We get the pictures soon!

On the way up to the reception, a couple crazy things happened.  I got extremely nauseous and we had to pull over - I hadn't drank anything all day, and had only had a small bowl of cereal for breakfast.  I don't do well with no food and no liquid in my system.  We also got stuck in traffic - there were major accidents on I25 and I70, so no matter which way we went from Denver to Longmont, we were hosed.  We were late to our ring ceremony, but oh well.  I am so grateful for how well Neal took care of me while I wasn't feeling well.  His love for me really shinned.

The reception was so amazing.  I hadn't seen all the decorations together because the day before, Neal finished everything while I was getting my nails done.  When I walked in I teared up.  He worked so hard, and everything was absolutely perfect: just how I envisioned it.  We danced and ate cake and threw bouquets and garters and saw family and friends and had so much fun!  We then left, and were pelted with marshmallows (long story) as we did.  When we got to the apartments, we realized my grandparents had my house key, and Neal's parents had his.  Yup.  We didn't have a key to get into our apartment on our wedding night.  Luckily my grandparents only live about five minutes away from us and we were able to get one quickly.

We left the next morning for Pagosa Springs, and had a phenomenal time down there.  We went to hot springs, and ate out, and did hikes, and had "old time" photos take.  The LDS chapel was within walking distance from our hotel, and so we went to church on Sunday.  They were the most wonderful ward!  All friendly and LOTS of families.  The best thing about our honeymoon though was that we didn't plan anything.  We literally woke up in the morning and figured out what we wanted to do (something that is rather rare for Neal and I).  We came home on Tuesday, and real life began.

The last month has flown by.  I started school (I'm taking Yoga and Child Psychology...two highly recommended classes), and began working again (40ish hours a week).  Neal also went back to work, and is actually mixing the last show of the King and I run for the Candlelight Dinner Theater where he is the sound designer and engineer.  He's done a wonderful job with his first show, and everyone loves him.  Today marks the beginning of tech week for the next show: Big River.  It will be a much different dynamic, but a VERY fun and entertaining show!  Come see it if you're in the area!  The cast and crew do a wonderful job, and the food is amazing.

Here starts the beginning of our journey!

Two weeks!

So Neal and I have two weeks until our wedding!

We went to the temple Tuesday night so I could get my endowments.  That was wonderful, and being in the temple with him was wonderful.  Everytime I saw him, I couldn't help but smile. The Assistant to the Temple Matron said I glowed when I saw him for the first time, and Sister Hansen said Neal kept looking at me during the session to make sure I was ok.  We all went to CiCi's pizza after, and had a wonderful time.

Wednesday, I got sick.  Talk about annoying.  I stayed home from all but two classes Thursday, and didn't go to work today (I've been working from home).

Anyway, the wedding is coming, and we're quite ready!  We're getting sealed in the Denver Colorado Temple, and having our reception at the Longmont Stake Center.  We're then going down to Pagosa Springs for our honeymoon.  Both of us can't stop talking about how ready we are to quit saying, "Ok, go home now, and I'll talk to you tomorrow," and instead say, "Ok, let's go to bed now."

Neal is doing well.  His first show as the head sound engineer at the Candlelight Dinner Theater is going well.  The show is "The King and I," and it is a WONDERFUL show.  I highly recommend it to anyone who likes theater, and anyone who doesn't.  The cast is great, as is the music.  We've definitely learned what a gremlin is though.  They like to attack the microphones!  Crazy when something odd happens for like five minutes, and then stops.

All in all, life is good.  I'm looking forward to being in a family ward (and maybe primary!!).  We're ready to move forward, and quite excited!

PS, anyone who is available May 7 at 4:30pm, we're going to be making the decorations for the wedding at my parents' house.  Let me know if you'd like to come help!

An update...cause I have time...

Haha I just had an advertisement pop up on my Facebook that started with "Are you and your loved one trying to get pregnant?"  Um, NO, we're not, and we won't be for a while, thanks.

Anyway, so I'm sick.  Again.  Woo-hoo.  Great thing?  We have engagement pictures tomorrow!  Ugh!  I've taken three days off in hopes of feeling better by tomorrow.....its KIND of helped, but I still feel very blah.  I've been looking forward to these SO much (especially since our friend, Kelsey Hansen, is doing them!)

So Neal and I are hooked on the show Bones.  Shauna has the seasons on DVD, and we started watching it cause we were bored.  Now, we're hooked.  We can't help but sit down on the couch every night, waiting to see what Booth and Bones are gonna do next!  It was kinda funny today:  Neal watched two episodes after I went home last night, so I've been laying on his couch while he's at work, catching up on them.  I couldn't help but giggle when he said "You may not wanna watch the first one until I'm there.  It's kinda freaky."  Well, freaky it was, but I'm a big girl ;) I can handle it.

Let's see....what else is new in our life.  Oh!  We registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond and also Target.  We've also figured out what everyone (except my mom...) is wearing and we're going to buy bridesmaid dresses tomorrow after pictures!  Eeek!  I was thinking about it while I was listening to my future mother-in-law teach piano lessons: I'm going to be a wife soon!  I'm gonna have a mother-in-law, a father-in-law, sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law!  Its makes me nervous but also super excited!  We only have 77 days left (no, we're not keeping track...that's according to our BBB registry thing....).  Yay!!!!

And so begins happily ever after

OH the joys of planning a wedding.

Can I just say, I want it to just happen now?  I'm having a hard time being patient!  I found my dress (which was stressing me out the most) and Neal actually WANTS to be involved!  That makes me so stinkin' happy!  The funny part is he didn't realize how much he wanted to be included until he wasn't being included in decisions.  Things changed after that :)

I am so excited.  I can't really even put it into words.  Neal has become my best friend, and my confidant.  I am so grateful for him and his willingness to put up with my silly weaknesses (such as getting so tired that I start crying a babbling about something that really doesn't even matter....he then laughs at me in a loving way and tells me I need to go to bed).

Here's to May 13, 2011!  (PS.  Hope to see everyone at the reception!  Invitations/announcements coming soon!)