Time to FINALLY share some REALLY BIG news!!!!

**WARNING: These pictures are in no particular order!!**

Okay ladies and gents…I have apparently been slacking enough already!  Time to make it BLOG official…it’s already FBO (Facebook Official).  My life has forever been changed…for the better!!!  On December 20, 2011 Dave Johnson got down on one knee and asked me the most important question of both of our lives…he asked me to be his wife!  And I, OF COURSE, said yes!!!  I am still walking on cloud nine…nearly 2 months later!!!  That’s the short story!  For those of you who would like details details details…keep reading! 

We have no plans truly made as of right now…but I’m sure I’ll be filling everyone in as we go!  Here are the few things we have nailed down (sort of!):
*we will probably get married summer 2013 (when he’s supposed to be moving back to the US)
*we will most likely be getting married in Illinois (okay…I think I can officially say we WILL be getting married in Illinois…but I’ll wait for the A-OK from Dave)
*we want to have a classy, traditional, fun and relaxed wedding weekend

The details! 

Sit back, grab a cup of coco, and settle in…because I’m about to relive the happiest day of my life!  Unbeknownst to me this plan was actually set into action a while ago…Dave said that he just knew he wanted to marry me while we were vacationing in Paris last summer…but since he didn’t have a ring at that time he waited until now…when we could celebrate with our family and friends.  Okay…fast forward to

Saturday December 17…Dave came home from England and straight to Palatine!  It was so wonderful to see him in person and give him hugs again!  It is a loooooong time from August to December.  We were invited to a few Christmas parties on Saturday night…but we decided to stay in and have an “us” date night. 

Sunday December 18

My parents wanted to celebrate Dave’s return and the start of the holidays by hosting a brunch for basically as many people as could make it!  We ended up with about 15 people aging from a newborn little tyke to my grandma!  It was a lovely brunch with TONS of good food!!!  When I first mentioned the brunch to Dave he was all for it but informed me that he needed to go shopping with his dad for his mom’s Christmas present this day as well.  Oh, and the store closed at 4.  Well, I got a little “Katie-ish” and pouted and stressed the fact that we would be spending the majority of the next few weeks with his family and it would mean a lot to me to stay at my parents as long as we could.  He offered to rearrange his plans…which meant SOOOO much to me!  ***SIDENOTE*** He was NOT going to get a Christmas present for his mom…his dad was going to take him to look at diamonds…oops!!!     ***SECOND SIDENOTE*** Dave knew how important it was to me that he talk to my dad first and I really didn’t know when he would have the time to.  Well…when my dad and Uncle Mark (my godfather) were in the basement Dave followed and was able to ask BOTH important men!  This made me cry a few days later! 

Monday December 19

I was working on school stuff as I had TONS to grade and Dave kept taking phone calls in other rooms…or answering his phone and walking away from where I was.  Now, some people would have guessed what was going on, but not this girl.  I was so wrapped up in all I had to grade before Christmas (that was my goal) that I really didn’t notice what he was up to.  Dave had told me that he was able to find a time with his dad to work on his mom’s present (LIES!!!!) and that was why he had to be so secretive.  I wasn’t fazed and said it was fine.  Dave headed to the “mall” that afternoon and I stayed behind to grade, grade, and grade some more.  We had dinner with a bunch of friends that night.  I guess they were expecting an announcement…but no such luck!

Tuesday December 20

Today we were scheduled to visit our good friends Scott and Sarah and their new baby Grace in Sheboygan.  It was a lovely day, very mild for this time of year.  Dave had mentioned the night before wanting to stop by Elkhart Lake to see what the Osthoff Resort looks like all decorated for the holidays.  I thought it was just a passing comment but he brought it up again today.  We were running errands at the mall and he mentioned it again…since it was somewhat close to Sheboygan…since we had the time I figured why not!  I’ve seen it at Christmas but since he hadn’t I thought it would be really special.  Why not!  Let’s go! 

We got out of the car and I headed inside.  Dave wanted to change coats since I had mentioned wanting to go for a walk while we were there.  He joined me in the bar area at the base of the 18 foot REAL Christmas tree!  We headed down towards the lake…past the pools (too cold to swim outside now) and around the gazebo (my favorite spot…where he got my phone number) (when we kept walking towards the lake I was sure he WASN’T proposing since I figured he would have done it by now).  We headed towards the lake and held hands and smiled…Dave was exceptionally smiley and in a wonderful mood…I had even commented on it!  Hehehe!!!  As we headed back in we found ourselves once again at the gazebo…and he pulled me in for a hug.  He looked down at me and I could see something in his eyes…he was so happy and confidant.  He began to say such wonderful things and found himself getting down on one knee and asking me to be his wife and spend the rest of my life with him.  AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!   YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!  Of course, of course, of course!!!!!!!!!!!   I am so very very fortunate! 

Not the actual proposal...I made him recreate it for the camera...and he's a wonderful man!!!

We walked back into the bar area at the Osthoff and were met by someone Dave used to work with…she’s actually the bar manager at the Osthoff now!  For the first time I was introduced as Dave’s fiancé!  Oh how I like the sound of that!  She even gave us our first bottle of champagne!  So sweet! 

It was such a wonderful day!  The weather was perfect (although it would have been amazing if it had snowed)!  And I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.  We made the phone calls to our families but we decided to wait until the next day to make all the other calls…we wanted tonight to be about us! 

For the record…we did make it over to Sheboygan for some more champagne and pizza and snuggles from the sweetest baby!!! 

BABY GRACE!!!  NOT MINE!!!!  :)

I think that brings us all up to date!!!

Oh…one more thing.  Dave proposed with a single diamond.  It wasn’t an actual ring…just a stone.  We went the following day to select the setting!!!  It was such an amazing experience!!!  Dave assured me that I would have my actual ring in time for Christmas.  But he also realized that I would want something to wear in the meantime…so he presented me with a ring that has been in the family for 4 generations.  It was the actual ring both his great, great grandfather and his dad proposed with…and it slid right on and fit PERFECTLY!!!!  I’m so incredibly lucky!!!  It means so much to me to get to wear that ring.  I love to look at it on my finger and feel the love the surrounds it! 

My diamond, the generation ring and our bottle of bubbly!  :)

My new bling!!! :)

   

Holidays with the Fedota & Johnson Clans

Well, now that it’s February it seems only appropriate to finally update this blog with our holiday excitement.  Does anyone else feel like the holidays (or more realistically the entire 2011) flew by so quickly???  I feel like I turned the calendar after my birthday (October) and it was like boom, boom, boom…hello 2012!  I already wrote about Thanksgiving and such so I’ll just focus on the Winter Holidays… 

Christmas:

In late November Dave asked me to come spend Christmas in Wisconsin.  We had been doing a dance around this topic for a few months as we both wanted the same few things:

1.     To spend as much time together this winter as possible

2.     To spend Christmas together

3.     To spend Christmas with our own family

4.     To have the other spend Christmas with us and our family

However we both realized that it was a lot to ask of someone…asking them to spend this major holiday away from their family (even if it was to spend it surrounded by people who love and care about you).  It’s just different when it’s not your own mom and dad.  Dave came up with the perfect solution (and okayed it with his family first).  Dave asked me to spend Christmas Eve with his family (going to church, family dinner, Santa’s arrival…the whole shebang!) and then invited my family to join us on Christmas day.  Sounded like a wonderful plan…I just needed to make sure it was all right with my family. This would be the first time in 23 years I wouldn’t be waking up on Parkplace Drive on Christmas morning.  I had to make sure I would be okay with this!  Wow!  I warned Dave that I may be a little emotional on Christmas Eve/Christmas morning without my family but knowing that they would be joining us later in the evening made things so much better.  We both realized that this wouldn’t become a yearly event but it was a great way to transition into sharing holidays.   

Group Shot with Santa!  :)

I have to say…Christmas in Wisconsin was wonderful.  Church was just like church at home, the food was fantastic, everyone was merry in spirit and we were surrounded by people who love and care about us.  But I did notice the absence of my mom, dad and brother…not to mention the Grady family!  There was no after church drive thru this year or pretending to oompa loompas during the service. 

 We woke up on Christmas morning, had a lovely leisurely breakfast and set ourselves around the coffee table in the family room to begin opening presents.  I actually cried when I saw that I had a matching stocking by the fireplace (complete with my name embroidered on it!).  And the knowledge that my family was in route made it so wonderful.  I think the only change I would have made to Christmas this year would be the addition of a little snow.  I’m not typically one to complain about weather but I could definitely go for a little more snow this year! 

Santa found me at Parkplace Drive even though I was sleeping in Wisconsin...so when my parents arrived in WI we celebrated Christmas even more!  How fun!  :)  So much wonderful togetherness!  Dave and I are so very very lucky!!!  

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen...that really says Cooking Teacher Barbie!!!  What girl WOULDN'T want this toy!?!?

New Years:

With the absence of snow this year (really throughout the entire US) it was decided that skiing for New Years probably wasn’t the best idea/use of our time.  There was very little snow in Colorado.  (Insert slightly sad face here)  With the lack of snow in mind it was announced that we would be heading south for a few days to relax and soak up the sun in Naples, Florida.  What a lovely time! 

We arrived in Naples to a warm 75 (at 6 at night).  We got to the house, unloaded the car, cleaned up and headed to dinner.  DELICIOUS!!!!!  The next few days were spent lounging around the pool, relaxing in the hot tub, snacking on shrimp (not me!), laughing, and wonderful family togetherness! 

We love our party hats!  :) 

New Years Eve this year was unlike any I’ve ever experienced.  We went to dinner in penguin suits (as Dave’s brother so kindly refers to tuxedos) and long dresses.  We dined on fantastic cuisine and danced the night away to a live band.  We enjoyed free flowing champagne and what I’ve been newly introduced to as a ‘raw bar’ (which looked wonderful but I kept my distance from the shellfish).  We rang in the new year laughing and smiling with so many things to be thankful for in 2011 and so many wonderful things to look towards in 2012. 

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!