:: chicago shower ::

promise i'm not completely obnoxious. but, my friends in chicago hosted a shower and ladies night out... seriously, it was a total blast.

first off, i was booted out of our apt the weekend of july 22 as it was eric's bachelor party. so, i was bunking up with my great friend kelly... so fun having sleepovers:) while the guys were off having their fun, my friend jennie hosted a lovely shower at her place. of course, the hostess with the mostess made sure all i's were dotted and t's crossed - great drinks, amazing food and lots of fun friends from chi made it over for quite the celebration. such thoughtful gifts and great laughs!

though, the shower was not all we had in store for the night... my friends and creative team at work, jenae and cassidy planned a bar crawl/bachelorette/ladies night out and it was literally my favorite night in chicago to-date. they mapped out dares at all the bars in my neighborhood and made me dress-up in quite the outfit, rewarding me with naughty prizes along the way. i definitely needed a little liquid courage - but here are the highlights on dares + select photos appropriate to share.

- i had to reenact our "save the date" photo in the photobooth at our favorite bar, schubas. i grabbed a random guy from the bar to pose with me... he was a trooper.
- stood on the bar at the bar schoolyard and made everyone say the pledge of allegiance with me. i am totally obnoxious.
- went to southport lanes and bowled a ball in someone else's game. they were not happy to hand the ball over, but i was dared to bowl a strike and I DID. seriously, you would have thought i just won the world cup the way the bar erupted when i knocked all pins down on the first try.
- of course, sang baby got back while standing on the bar at newport.

:: yorktown shower ::

and the fun just doesn't stop:) eric + i got to head back to york for my 10-year high school reunion... it was a really fun time to catch up with friends and also worked out nicely for my parents' friends to host a brunch-time shower for eric + i.

after a long weekend of reunion events, we gathered at the wietings for a sunday brunch. it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with all of our family friends and a chance for eric to meet everyone before the wedding. everyone approves... so we're still a-go for 8.13:) the vincents, wietings and houghs put on quite a show - adorable decor, amazing food {egg casserole and creme brulee french toast were INSANE!} and lots of fun. eric + i had a chance to share how we met and the story of our engagement... of course, eric told his side and then i told everyone what actually happened.

afterwards, we were filled to the brim and headed off to the airport to fly home. thank you, thank you for being such fabulous hosts! eric + i truly appreciate it.

:: bridesmaids shower, kc ::

hi, hi, hi.

i have officially been the WORST bride-to-be on the planet. for some reason, i've been too consumed with work/life/wedding planning to keep up on my blog. LAME.

here's my attempt to fill everyone in before our BIG day. lots has happened... hold on to your hats:)

my fabulous bridesmaids threw me a ladies shower in kansas city at the end of june. i was able to squeeze-in a dress fitting {and some shopping}, so it was quite the weekend! mom came down and my future mom-in-law came up, plus so many friends gathered to celebrate. it was amazing/overwhelming:)

sally, leah, lindsey, conn, meghan and lizzy were the hostesses with the mostesses - these girls know me all too well + had the nielsen's house stocked with all the faves :: Saigon 39 spring rolls, cupcakes, raspberry black bean dip, crab rangoon dip, mimosas and much more. LOVED it. All part of my wedding diet, which is a little unconventional/non-existent:) plus, the decor was all yellow and lovely.

i had a great time opening gifts, telling stories, laughing and listening to my mom and lu give advice on married life:) so fun to catch up with my lovelies. it makes me realize just how much i miss everyone - and, of course, just how lucky i am to have such great friends and fam.

:: viva las vegas ::

there are few words that truly express what fun i had on my bachelorette party. pictures do a pretty decent job of telling the story, so i'll let them do most of the talking. overall, i have amazing friends and family - it was a much needed weekend away from the chaos that is life {work, wedding plans, reunion and more...} and there wasn't a moment that passed without a smile {or a drink in my hand}. from the oldest to the newest, they were all there for me + i couldn't have asked for anything more. we ate, we drank, we danced, we laughed. wish it was normal to get married each year - not only as a way to renew your vows to your manpanion, but also as a way to continue to renew your friendships through all the fabulous festivities. nuff said. loves.

:: engagement photos, part two ::

eric loves nothing more than smiling and staring at me for hours on end. LUCKY DAY! we had an engagement session with one of our wedding photogs while we were back in nebraska and had such a fun time. my makeup artist did a trial run {hair styling... or lack thereof was compliments of me!} and we got to use an awesome space with lots of grey. here are just a few of the photos we really liked. a lot of just natural looks and laughs, which we'll be able to keep forever to remind us of just how happy we are together. cannot wait for these guys to capture all of the real, sweet and hilarious moments on our big day. enjoy:)

Our First Shower :)

We had our very first wedding shower in Springfield on May Day and it was a blast! Although it was a rainy, rainy day; Lu and Larry's good friends gathered to help Eric + I celebrate our upcoming nuptials. We got some very nice gifts and had a lovely time chatting with everyone. Plus, the cake was ah-mazing!!

Here are a few pics from the day: good practice cutting the cake, the festive yellow decor, Eric + I opening gifts, Lu and Whitney striking a pose, and us with the shower hosts with the most {Tom + Marla}.

So fun! Only a few months left to the big day:)

:: the latest ::

ciao! halo!

while we're still finalizing the deets, we've decided to honeymoon in italy and croatia! woo hoo! i have such an itch to travel... so this will be the perfect trip for The Johnsons:)

hmm, what else? i've been pulling bits and pieces of floral inspiration over the past few months and here are a few little bits i'm loving. p.s. the middle one shows the button-type flower i like, not the wilted rabbit's ear leaf.





bachelorette party is booked! the bridal party will be heading to viva las vegas for some sun and fun. i'm not nearly as much fun as i used to be, but hopeful i can channel some "college abbey" for the weekend {yes, mom, we'll be careful}. in preparation i'll be watching "the hangover" on repeat. hopeful i come back with all my teeth:)



eric and i are taking a midwest road trip starting this friday - hitting up kansas city, springfield, omaha, york, hastings and sioux city. we'll get to do lots of fun wedding stuff, including our first shower! lu and larry's friends are throwing us a couples shower in springfield on may day - can.not.wait. we'll also be getting engagement photos taken, picking out our wedding bands and meeting with the pastor. also, it's my mom's retirement dinner and grammy's 85th birthday - whatta week!!

{bridesmaids dresses, bootcamp and booze decor}

greetings one and all. i'll keep this brief because i don't want to BORE anyone with the truly tiny details of our wedding day...

here are three things that have been accomplished in the last two weeks that make me happy:

1. bridesmaids dresses have been chosen and ordered. hurray. they are a light, slate grey {aged driftwood} in a variety of styles. i've always liked the saying, "to each their own" and i'm hopeful each of the lovely ladies will make their dress their own.

2. bootcamp city, i'm the out-of-shape mayor. gross. i went to a "trial" bridal bootcamp class last night and realized two things. first, i totally fell off the wagon after the marathon {bad idea}. second, i'm the farthest thing from "wedding-ready". working out starts yesterday. it's official.

3. my mild obsession with wedding blogs has led me down a path of piecing together the small details of our day. is it odd that i'm as excited about these grey striped straws as i am about the tbd signature cocktail we'll be sipping on???

six months to the wedding. can.not.wait.


here's a peak at one of the styles... jessie may or may not be wearing this one, you'll just have to wait + see.



how much more fun could we have sipping summery cocktails?

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

abbey + eric frolick around chi.

while our wedding photographer will do an engagement shoot with eric + i in omaha, we felt it necessary to snap a few shots in our neck of the woods. so, my art director from work (lovely, talented jenae) was kind enough to lend us her talent and a sunday afternoon to travel around with us.

here are a few early faves! if only i washed my hair everyday:) seriously!