duh da da-da {to the tune of 'Here Comes the Bride'}

drumroll, please... i found a dress!!! hurray. i spent a lovely saturday afternoon in kansas city hopping from dress shop to dress shop and found "the one":)

my mom drove down from nebraska + eric's mom and sister drove up from springfield. SO fun! plus, my bridesmaids in the area came along for the afternoon appointments! Such a fun, tiring day; but I'm beyond excited i found a pretty white gown to make me look all ladylike.

here's a pic of the crew after i decided {with the help of everyone, including phoning jessie in north dakota} that this was it!

sorry for the bad crop-job, didn't want to disclose any of the dress!

The year of "The Johnson's"

As the clock struck midnight and the New Year's ball dropped in Times Square, it hit me. 2011 will be a year of change...

New passport photo :: Finally. Now, I won't be confused for a dude at customs.



New last name :: Johnson. No longer will I be subjected to mispronunciation after mispronunciation.

New family :: The Johnsons for me + the Kochs for Eric. We cannot wait to grow into one BIG, happy family.

New adventures :: Honeymoon. While Eric + I love to travel, we've yet to be out of the country together! Pretty excited to hit-up Europa (or somewhere exotic) with my new hubby.

New reason to shop :: Wedding. Hurray, cannot wait to find the perfect pieces to make our day "so us."

New status on Southwest Airlines :: With so many trips to Nebraska, KC and other fun places in the works; I will undoubtedly be looking at A-List Membership and "A" seating for the coming year. Boo yah.

New found appreciation for family + friends :: Lots of emotions will be headed my way. While I am usually fairly composed, I have a feeling there will be lots of happy times and a few bittersweet coming my way as the year unfolds... for that, I know I will appreciate my loved ones more and more.

...for all of these changes I am blessed:) Cannot wait to cherish each day in the coming year (note, when I begin to complain about something non-wedding-related this year, remind me how excited I should be about each day, please:)

"Something Old"... as in friends

My job requires me to be organized. A list person, if you will. Therefore I look at all of my wedding to-do's as fun things I get to check-off as our big day nears.

So, when I hear the saying, "Something old, something new. Something borrowed, something blue." I get excited... why, you ask? Because I've got one box checked already...I recently asked my fabulous bridesmaids, and oldest friends, to be a part of our super special day.

I wanted to try to do something personal, crafty and thrifty. I was only able to check two of the boxes, noting afterward that Paper Source will NEVER be economical. :) I hand-crafted mini paper dolls with the name (and hair style) of each bridesmaid. I included a personal note to each, asking them to be a part of our wedding party. This was a way to ask each one, but at the same time introduce them all.

Each has said YES and I'm so excited + honored. I attempted to get a bit Martha, so please excuse the hairstyles (especially Conn's fiery red 'do).

I've listed each below incase the photos are too hard to recognize. Love you all. YAY.

-Jessica (Koch) Staehr :: Maid of Honor + SOB (sister of the bride... ha, that acronym just made me laugh out loud)
-Whitney Johnson :: SOG (sister of the groom)
-Meghan (Malone) Duff :: BFF from childhood, she'll serve as the "go-to" for all things York-related and any incriminating info on me from high school (you won't find much, I was the president of Y.A.A.D.)
-Sally (Crabb) Nielsen :: fabulous friend through thick and thin from K-State, lives in Kansas City
-Lindsey (Runge) Wasinger :: loving friend and new mama from K-State, lives in Wichita, KS
-Leah (Dutton) Wilson :: crafty friend and new mama from K-State, lives in Lawrence, KS
-Katie Conn :: pint-sized + fun friend from K-State, lives in Austin
-Lizzy Horsley :: artsy + true friend from K-State, lives in Kansas City
-Bonny (Martens) Greenlee :: oldest K-State friend, lives in Germany