10 months ago

10 months ago i answered one very, simple question with the word "yes".

"Meghan Elizabeth, will you marry me?"

Such a simple question with such an amazing and life changing answer. There are moments that i feel like we just got engaged, and then there are moments when i feel like we have been engaged forever and can we just get married already. On our wedding day, we will have had an engagement that has lasted for almost 13 months. Some would say we have had a very long engagement, I would say it has benefited us and made us a stronger couple.

For those who are not aware, Charles and I met online. We had our first date on April 28, 2011. We got engaged just a short 6 1/2 months later. He says he knew early on in our relationship that he wanted to marry me. My moment was last August when some awful hair dresser cut my hair way too short and colored it a horrifying shade of highlighter-orange. To "fix" this, i then had to become a brunette. I am not a brunette. I have never been a brunette.  I cried, and cried, and cried. I was so devastated that i went to his condo, sat on his bedroom floor, cried hysterically, and drank a bottle of wine. I did not know how else to react. What made that moment better, you ask? Charles didn't run away, he did everything he could to try to make me feel okay with what had just happened. He even went so far as to call his mom for advice on how to handle this. All he wanted was for me to quite crying. And i did...eventually...knowing that this man really loved me, and wasn't going anywhere. At that moment, i knew that i could and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. For your enjoyment, here are some pictures of "The Incident"

In the last 10 months, since we got engaged, this wonderful man has watched me feel uncomfortable in my own skin, and he has told me how beautiful he thinks i am, every day. He has watched me put on a ridiculous amount of weight and has cheered me on through my weight loss process. We have laughed, and cried, and screamed, and smiled, and felt just about every emotion possible and i know this is just the beginning. As we near the end of our engagement and move into the beginning of our marriage, I have a hard time expressing how excited I feel. I feel so incredibly blessed to be loved by this man. And as my dad said to me 2 weeks ago: to find a man who could love me the way Charles does, that's rare, and I need to appreciate it. And trust me when i say, I DO!! I'm not always easy to love or easy to like even, but this man, MY MAN, does. He loves me (and likes me) every day. I hope that I show him the same love back. I love Charles William Fox, Jr. with everything I have and we seem to just get better and better. In short, he rocks and because he rocks, WE ROCK! And now for some fun photos:

Til next time :)

~M. Johnson :) :)

3 more months...

Happy Monday ... ha, yeah right. Does anyone actually mean that when they say it? Happy Monday...it's another start to another work week with another long list of "to-dos." I know that after my last post i was going to be followed up with more of my thoughts regarding my views of the state of the world and such but I decided to keep it to myself. I did share some of my thoughts in that short blog, but other than that I spent a lot of time talking to Charles, my parents, and God about the way i felt and how sad i was about certain current events. I just don't see a place for hate in my life, and i try to avoid it, but when it is thrown in my face from every imaginable corner I will react. I strive every day to love and be loved and share God's love. I fail, i know this, but i am never hateful and i respect everyone's opinions. I did not say i agree, but i do respect their right to their opinion and that is all i can do. I know that this short statement does not tell you what opinion I have about events...i don't know if this is the platform...plus i don't know if it matters, especially since it is my opinion and has no bearing on how i feel about those in my life. I have friends of all faiths, orientations, and races. We don't always agree with each other, it happens, that is life, but i love them regardless.

Anywho...moving on. Mucho excitement with the Johnsons and Foxes. Friday, August 10th was the official 3 month mark til the wedding!! Woo hoo! I am so excited :) I say it almost every day, i would marry the man (Charles) tomorrow in a court house, but i am so looking forward to the celebration with family and friends! We had our first shower 2 weeks ago in Boone, NC. The congregation at First Baptist is easily the most generous group of people i have ever met. They truly love Charles and his family and reinforced my knowledge of how lucky I am to becoming a member of their family. Charles and I are incredibly blessed!

This weekend, I went home to Atlanta to address envelopes, glue ribbon, and put together the invitations with my mom. I made the trip alone (which was fine because Charles would have been bored out of his mind). It was a non-stop event. Today I am sore, like really sore, in my lower back and hips, but i feel like a champion that my mom and I were able to get it all done! They are all (all 142 of them) put together, sealed and stamped. What an accomplishment!! It helps that my mom and i are are pretty much control freaks, so we have the ability to just lay out a plan, sit, and get it done. Here is a sneak peak!

Also, while i was home I got to see my best friend's new baby. His name is Roman, he is just over a month old, and he is perfect! I joke with his mom (Josie) that she has been replaced and that he is my new best friend. I could just love on him and shower him with kisses all the time. That moment when i have to give him that last little kiss and put him in his little romper roo thing breaks my heart. These are the moments i miss since we live far away. He is just the most perfect tiny thing ever and what a stud! Check out his hair...seriously, a lady killer!

Now, to a personal "YAY" moment. While i am not quite ready to share my weight with you...oh well who cares...here we go. When i started my weight-loss/running journey it was January, the holidays had just ended, and i was fat. I easily weighed around 205 and that is the largest i have ever been. I do not have a large frame, so extra weight is easy to see and more than that, easy to feel. It effected everything. Well i have been working hard: running (i did a 5K in less than 45 minutes last week...woohoo) and eating correctly. 75% of my diet is easily veggies (with a little fruit), with the rest being lean meats, LOTS of seafood, and healthy carbs (on occasion). My weight is down around 40 pounds and it keeps dropping.

At my desk, i have the below piece of paper taped to the wall. I read it every day and it honestly, really helps keep me focused on the things i do from a day to day basis and the things that i choose to put in my mouth. I encourage anyone who might be trying to create a new life plan, to keep your "strategies" taped where you can see them every single day! It makes a world of difference!!

For you enjoyment, below is a pick of my sweet babies during a storm...what chickens! But aren't they just adorable??

Well that is all for now folks. I am glad i have been able to catch you up a little on what has been going on. My goal really is to make this blog a priority...i need to. It is good for my soul and my mind! As we really begin to gear up for the wedding, i know time will be tight, but i look forward to sharing as much of the excitement as possible!

Always

~M. Johnson :) :)

Think...

I'm currently working out my next blog post in my head....I originally wanted to write about my and Charles' first wedding shower and how wonderful it was and I may still do that. I also thought about writing a post regarding the Restoring Love event in Dallas that my sister was a part of. And then i thought, well maybe I will write about my feelings on the state of this country...it's not a political but i just feel so sad about where our country is and what it's people have become. Trust me when I say, I am not perfect and i make plenty of judgments on my own, but i have never felt the hate that is currently resonating throughout different races, genders, and sexual orientations. It makes me sad and disappointed. Maybe i'll figure out a way to write a post that incorporates the showers, Restoring Love, and my sadness. I don't know...i'm going to work on it and I'll get something finished before the week is over.

It's been awhile

Happy Friday folks!! I apologize for the delay in my blog writing. I could give you a million excuses, but i only have one...i just wasn't writing. I don't know if it is because i have  been busy, or if i wasn't sure what direction to go, or if i just didn't feel like it. Who knows and who cares...it's FRIDAY and i'm writing today!

How is everyone? I hope well :) I am 4 weeks into my new position (with the same company) and so far I have been doing a lot of inventory, searching, matching, and creating...I'm the first Advertising Account Executive (Charles LOVES the title, ha ha) and while the company has always sold advertising, we never had anyone on staff to solely look after the contracts, and keep up with clients, and make sure members were happy. Well now I am here, and that is what i plan to do :) Here is my new card...exciting, isn't it?

My parents also came to visit the first weekend of the month! So awesome for them to come down and visit with Charles and I. Mom and I had some serious wedding planning to do and the guys got to play golf. My dad loves the fact that Charles is a Golf Pro and i think it is great that playing 18 holes is something they can do together. Mom and I...well, we picked out a florist and flower colors (green and white/ivory), finalized the reception catering, and we picked out cake. Obviously, the cake tasting was the worst part...

ha ha ha ha....NOT!!! When the baker put this box down in front of us, I can honestly say that my mom and I had no clue what we were about to be presented. The lid opened and behold, 6 different types of cake, each with either white or cream cheese icing. The choices were: strawberry, chocolate, red velvet, carrot, vanilla pudding, and hummingbird. I will not tell you what we picked for the bride's or groom's cake, but i will say that our guests will have the choice of 4 of these flavors. Mom and I just couldn't decide on 2. Oh and we made sure to bring dad and Charles some too.

Charles birthday was on June 10th! My babe turned 27 (YIKES...i'm a cougar! ha ha). We went to Charlotte for the Lady Antebellum concert. It was awesome and he was happy...which is all I could want for him :) here we are at the concert

he's so cute, isn't he?

As an side note: My boot was able to come off on June 4th and then last week I broke my 2nd toe making the bed...welcome to my life. The good news is, it is feeling much better and I am hoping to start running again very soon! Next week is my goal. Which brings me to another topic:

My co-worker, Mayra, and I both have been comtemplating doing the Insanity workout program. She has gotten the DVDs from a friend and she is going to start tonight. It is AWESOME to have a friend and co-worker doing a workout program with you because it will keep us both motivated...BUT we are both pretty scared of Insanity. Because of my toe, I can't really start until next week, so she is starting before me. We are going to work out a system where we can switch the DVDs back and forth between each other. Her husband is in the Army and is currently in Afganistan, valiently serving and protecting our country. According to Mayra, when they aren't on patrol all he does is work out. They are newlyweds and as to be expected she wants to look great when he gets back. She looks great to me, but i understand where she is coming from. With my and Charles' wedding day less that 5 months away (wait...did you read that...LESS THAN 5 months away!!!) I really want to start shedding those pounds and inches. The boot and broken bones has left me plateaued, and it's time to start shrinking again. So, my hope is that you will all think good thoughts and pray that i make it through Insanity...or heck, just give it a good try! I am going to continue to run and do other things as well...especially if i am just not quite ready for Insanity.

Anywho...that is my month in a nutshell. Sorry it has been so long, i will try to do better! I hope everyone is having a great Friday and that you all enjoy a perfect weekend!

~M. Johnson :) :)

May Flowers

Good afternoon and happy mid-week of May! I love May, my parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary (only a few weeks after my soon-to-be, fabulous, in-law's celebrated their 30th), my baby sister turned 26 in "The Big Apple" and Charles and I hit our 6th month mark to the wedding...so far, a pretty rockin month.

Only 2 negatives that I can think of...1. my horrific trip to Philly and 2. My stress fracture...yes, my stress fracture. I may have mentioned that when i started running i was experiencing some pretty significant pain in my shins and ankles. I had bought some seriously cruddy running shoes and figured that new shoes would do the trick. So I bit the bullet, threw down some cash, and bought an AWESOME pair of Brooks running shoes...like magic, most of my pain was gone, most... not all..left ankle, still hurtin...oh and now it was swelling. It wasn't pretty...at all! I was having to ice it every night and wrap it, which only somewhat helped. Notice, i'm watching GLEE (love that show) :) ha ha

Determined not to let this "injury" affect my running, i continued to run, on the treadmill. Not my brightest move.  The day that I was almost crawling out of the gym because it was so swollen and i was in so much pain, was when i realized this may not be tendonitis. After about 2 weeks of pain I made an appointment with my primary care, hoping for a referral to someone who could make it better. That's all we ever really want anyways isn't it...to be better? Well my doc did refer me to a specialist and 2 week after that i saw Dr. Steven Shapiro, a foot and ankle orthopedic specialist. A few sets of x-rays later and we have an answer - i have a stress fracture...better news - i have to wear an aircast boot for the next MONTH...NO running AT ALL! This is a full on, to the knee grey boot, the latest in Orthopedic Footwear, and oh so NOT fashionable.

It's ugly, i hate it, and it is a massive inconvenience...but i must wear it if i don't want to further injure myself, so wear it I will. I don't have to wear it when i sleep and i can workout, kinda...i'm limited to the stationary, easy bike (no spin classes) and swimming.  June 4th is the date that it should come off permanently and then I will be given some sort of brace so that i can run again! I never thought I would miss running, but i do...BAD.

In other news, the Save the Dates have been mailed out and received by my friends and family! It's all just so exciting. Mom and I are working on the menus and hopefully she will be visiting Savannah soon to work on many of the other details :) Suits and Rehearsal Dinner are on next month's to-do list. My Charles is so handsome everyday, but i can only imagine how he will take my breath away on November 10! I am one, very, lucky girl.

I wanted to just quickly share my newest footwear :) Talk to y'all soon!

~M. Johnson :) :)

Wedding Update

Happy Wednesday my friends! I'm not feeling 100% today, but I am looking forward to a grilled pimento cheese sandwich and a 7pm bedtime :) I anticipate feeling much better tomorrow after a full and good nights sleep.  Tomorrow is a pretty exciting benchmark for me and my Charles...tomorrow is the 6 month mark til the wedding day!! Woo hoo...things are moving at a faster pace now. I remember telling my friend Brianne (who was just married this past weekend) 6 months ago that the time would fly by....HOLY CRAP...now it's my turn!!

Last week I was busy buying a new car and then on (what was supposed to be) a short trip to Philadelphia...lets just say i did not enjoy my trip and i do not plan on going back to Philly any time soon. I drove through West Philadelphia and I now understand why the Fresh Prince left and went to California. Anywho...i can't dwell too much on it. I made it home just in time for the Tall Ships Challenge/Festival being held, for the first time, in Savannah. It was amazing!! We had 14 Tall Ships docked along River Street and at Hutchinson Island for the weekend. Here is a picture of the 2 French Tall Ships

After a long and busy weekend i'm back to the normal grind of the work week. Days in the office and days on the road. Busy, busy, busy and that's just how I like it.

Now...on to the fun :) We have been taking care of wedding stuff the last week or so. Mom and I had a talk and we basically realized what i mentioned before...we are only 6 months away!! AHHHH!!! We finally got the guest list finalized (well as final as it is going to be for now) and Save the Dates were mailed out on Saturday. As my mom says, "there's no turning back now" ha ha ha! Not to worry, this wedding is going to happen, and i am so excited about being Mrs. Meghan Fox! Here is what the Save the Date looks like

Guests will receive the Save the Date card and one of the magnets we had made from our engagement pictures. The cards are a pretty ivory and the envelopes are a lovely stone gray. Our wedding colors are stone gray with green accents. I love that the Save the Dates and the Invitations are so simple yet, they go with the feeling of the wedding and, frankly, I think they are very pretty :) Also, mom and I are discussing menus for the food at the reception, and trying to find a time for her to come down here. When she comes down here we will have to figure out flowers, cake design, and whatever may need to be discussed. I also got the shoes that I want to wear with my wedding dress...i need a half size bigger, but I LOVE THEM!

Charles and I also had our first meeting/counseling session with our minister. It went really well. What a special time these sessions are. We are asked to really give thought to life situations and the "what-ifs" that Charles and I, as a couple (who are still blissfully in love), have yet to imagine. I think that we are both going to really enjoy this time Karen. I know I am looking forward to the next meeting.

Well that's about it for now. I am just so excited that we are a mere 6 months away. I can not wait to marry this man, and spend forever with him, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, til death do us part.

~M. Johnson :) :)



Easter - 2012

Good Monday morning!

Finally, I feel like I am almost caught up with my blog! Today, I just wanted to quickly share my fantastic Easter with you all. Charles and I loaded up the dogs and headed to Boone, NC to have Easter with his mom - Mrs. Fox, sister - Jessica, and adorable niece - Emma :) Charles' dad was still in Augusta working at The Masters and Brent-Jessica's husband, had to work too. Did you know Easter isn't a Federal Holiday? It was a beautiful weekend, and I always love seeing my soon-to-be in-laws! I am truly very lucky to be marrying into such a great family. They remind me a lot of my family, so it's always comfortable and always fun.

We arrived in Boone on Friday evening around 8:30, so we ate and went to sleep pretty quickly. Saturday morning, Charles wanted to go hiking and then teach me how to shoot. I was pretty pumped! We went hiking on a trail located off of the Blue Ridge Parkway with the dogs. That was probably a mistake...not the hiking, but taking the dogs. It had rained the day before so the trail was muddy and slippery, so we could only go so far... We did find a beautiful lookout point thought, and I was able to snap some great pictures!

Once we got back the dogs were promptly given a bath and then it was time to shoot! I have been wanting to learn how to shoot for years. I am blessed that Charles is so patient with me and is willing and excited to teach me different things (golf, shooting, etc). Charles created a target from a piece of styrofoam and we set it up at the curve on their road. I had to constantly remind myself that the Fox's live on a mountain and the curve in the road was a perfectly acceptable to place for target practice. I grew up in the city...you can't just shoot where you want in Cobb County. Charles started me off with a little 22 caliber rifle, no kick back, and very user friendly. Once i was comfortable with that and had made some nice shots, he moved me to a pistol where we used some 38 calliber bullets. This pistol had a little kick, and a lot of power...it was my favorite. Once I was comfortable with that gun and had used almost the entire box of ammo, Charles was ready to move onto the shotgun...this thing was a monster and had a kick back that startled me. It hurt too. This will not become my weapon of choice, but it was fun to shoot a few times! Here I am with the pistol!

Sunday morning we woke up, got dressed and headed to church. The service was great! I always love Easter morning service. There are few things in life as uplifting and promising as the resurrection. After church we went to Charles' grandmother, Mimi's house. She had quite the spread laid out for us. I also had the chance to FINALLY love on Emma a bit! Emma had not been 'feeling' Aunt Meghan this weekend. She is such a hoot...one day she loves you, the next you are getting the "stink-eye". I keep telling her that one day she'll be begging to spend time with "Cool Aunt Meghan" ha ha! I guess when you are one and a half though, you just don't care, lol! Either way, I love her and she makes me smile! Here are some Easter photos

Well I finally feel caught up. I will be back to my regularly scheduled blogging late this week/weekend. For now, I wish you all a very happy Monday and great last week of April!!

~M. Johnson :) :)



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