Isn't it crazy how time flies?? I think that I spend so much of the fall anxiously anticipating the Christmas season and all it holds: spending time with the family, Christmas music, presents and the Christmas Spirit in general. But December can be such a mad dash to the 25th. I barely listened to any of my highly anticipated Christmas CDs and I really can't believe the holiday is already over.

We had such a great time up in Door County! We hadn't been up there since August so we made it a long weekend and spent time catching up with family and friends, snowmobiling and eating WAY too much food. I especially love the time I get to spend with my sisters; they are some of the the most incredible young women I've ever met and I just love them so much!

What a good looking man!!

Christmas time is extra fun when you're married! I think that as you get older Christmas kind of changes...it's not the same as when you were younger and you got the Barbie that you were DYING for and you spend hours trying to put toys together and find the right batteries to actually make things work. It's not bad...just different. But with being married it's so much fun to decorate our little home together and try to find the perfect gifts for each other and actually keep them a secret! It's the best.

Siblings (minus one) on Christmas Eve

One of Jason and my traditions is to go out for a joint birthday dinner at a nice restaurant. In the past we've gone to Ruth's Chris (our favorite!!) and the Signature Room. This year we went to Wards in downtown Milwaukee and it was delicious! It's so much fun to get dressed up and go out with my sweetheart, I definitely look forward to it each year.

Love.

Jason worked hard this year to make sure I felt incredibly special for my birthday. He surprised me with a cake up in Door County while we were with my family and again with one on New Years Eve as we were celebrating with friends. He wrote me a beautiful card and gave me an awesome NorthFace jacket! He always does so, so good. I'm so grateful for such a caring, loving husband.

It would only make sense that after the flurry of posts last week there would be a slump this week? It's not that I don't have things to write about, in fact it's just the opposite. I'm dying to tell you about how Jason's birthday went (it was great, thanks for asking!) and I would love to show you how my Christmas gifts of canned jam looked.

But right now I'm back in Door County. The presents have all been opened and we're about to eat our big Christmas dinner. There is snow on the ground and we are all DYING to get out and snowmobile!

So while there are things that I could write about and would love to show you, my priority today is hugging my sisters that I don't get to see as often as I'd like. And enjoying time around our big dining room table. And getting revenge in our epic nerf gun battle we have had raging since this morning!

So...I'll be back after the weekend. :)

Wishing the best of Christmases to all. Don't forget to take time and remember why we even have this great holiday...to celebrate the birthday of a King!

Merry Christmas from the Whittingtons!

Happy birthday to my love!!

If there is one birthday this year that I am dying to write about it's this one: Jason's!!! Today he is 25 years old and we are the same age for 13 days (yeah yeah, I'm a cougar...get over it!). Not only do I love celebrating birthdays and special occasions but my absolute favorite is Jason's. I feel like it's one of the few days of the year where I can gush about how much I love him, how incredible he is, etc. without getting too much crap for it. Besides, if you're uncomfortable with me going on and on about my husband and mushy pictures, this is probably not the right blog for you!

So where do I start with Jason? There's so much I could say and that I want you to know about him. He's my best friend, my confidant, my greatest cheerleader and the perfect match for me. He's so smart and one of the hardest workers I know. He makes me incredibly proud.

This is the first picture we ever took together!

Don't we look so young and NERVOUS in that picture?? It's so funny thinking back...at that point all I knew about Jason was that he came highly reccommended by my sister, Mandy, he was fun to talk to and really, really cute (obviously! ;)).

Pretty sure I got him beat here! ;)

We immediately shared a connection with each other and that summer was one of the very best of my life. We had so much fun, stayed up way too late talking and that was definitely the start of us falling in love.

I love this picture of us! We look so happy and I think the spark between us is pretty clear.

Jason, do you remember the time you took the mega bus to see me and rode all night from Chicago to get to Minneapolis at 5AM just to leave at 10PM that night and ride all night back to Chicago?? I think that's when I started to get how serious the feelings you felt for me were. You have always made me feel so incredibly special and loved...I know that will never change.

Just a few minutes after getting engaged...got my foot pop going on and everything!! :)

The day he asked me to marry him was absolutely amazing! He completely suprised me and although I was anticipating and hoping we'd get engaged soon it still blew my mind how blessed I felt when I realized I was going to spend my life with this man.

Probably the greatest thing I've experienced in our marriage is just the evolution of us as people. I know that I have become a better person in every area of my life. There are so many times I want to act a certain way but catch myself because I know Jason deserves better. He pushes me to be the woman that God created me to be and encourages me on a daily basis. I hope I do the same for him.

Married for one day and what do we do? Go to a Packer/Bears game! duh.

Jason is the man that I respect most in my life. He is so wise and when I have questions or concerns I run to him for his opinion. One of the things that I love about him is how supportive and helpful he is. No matter what I'm going through he is always right there beside me.








Jason is the best husband I could have ever imagined and I love our life together! I always have the most fun whether we're out with friends or staying home playing uno. He really is my best friend and my favorite person in the whole world.

Jason, I am honored to be your wife.
You are the husband that I prayed for even years before I met you and I am so incredibly thankful that God brought us together.
Thank you for everything that you do for us and how hard you work...you amaze me!

I love you and can't wait to spend every day for the rest of my life with you.


Happy birthday!!!

I remember talking to a friend of mine a few years ago and she was telling me about her older sister. Her sister is one of those people (and we all know people like this!) that seemingly has everything all together. She had the perfectly clean and decorated house, the most romantic and sensitive husband and the greatest relationship with the Lord. She's one of those people that I don't think anyone could say anything bad about her; she was simply a good person. I remember my friend saying "well, she does deserve it. I mean, she gets up every morning and does devotions and prays and you can just see God echoed in every area of her life." I can still recall my thoughts like it was yesterday:

"What does she mean she deserves it?? What does that have to do with devotions and prayer and having the perfect life??"

"I do devotions to, you know! I guess it's more like I crack my Bible open every once in a while and try to get something out of it. My life isn't perfect though and I doubt someone would say that God is echoed in even most areas of my life."

"What am I doing wrong? How do I change?"

Fast forward a few years to a couple of months ago. Jason and I had just decided that we wanted to attend Harvest Bible Chapel and that we really wanted to make the effort to get involved, so that Thursday night we found ourselves at the young adults small group. We broke into guys and girls groups to do accountability and I was really blown away as a young woman shared about how she was being kept accountable for doing her devotions. She said that a friend of hers would call her every morning early to make sure that she was up and in the Word. Part of me thought it was CRAZY at first...I mean, who really calls each other to give devotional reminders? But I was also really impressed that she took her daily time with God so seriously and it really challenged me. How serious did I take my relationship with my Lord? Was I giving it the time and effort that it deserved? Honestly, no. But I really wanted to make a change and I started immediately.

I have never done morning devotions. I don't think anyone that knows me would even call me a morning person! I let that excuse keep me from studying before work but with a busy schedule I would constantly find myself falling into bed at night thinking "shoot, I forgot to read my Bible today." So I decided to really give morning devotions a shot. I now get up around 30 minutes earlier then I used to, grab some coffee and spend sometime in His presence before my day begins.

My getting serious about my devotions has started a chain reaction in my life. The more effort and time I put into my relationship with Christ, the more that I got to know Him. The more I know Him, the more I believe in Him and want to devote my life to Him.The last thing I want to do is sound cliche but my life has really started to change since my relationship with God has become my priority! I have much more patience at work and I feel like I can see more clearly how I can be a blessing to the children and mom I take care of. My relationship with Jason is getting even stronger and I'm able to be a better wife to him. The greatest thing that I'm experiencing though is a renewed passion for Christ! I've felt like He has pursued me my whole life but as much as I reached out for Him with one hand, I had the world tightly grasped with my other. I know what happens when I control my life...and it is not pretty! I found myself on a road quickly headed for disaster. I have found Who I believe in and it is worth laying my entire life down for. I'm no longer afraid that people find out that I'm a Christian and worried what they might think about me. My greatest desire now is that people see Christ's love in me and that my life could be a testimony for what He can do!

Ahhh.....why are Jason and I so HORRIBLE at keeping secrets from each other???

That's right, after keeping his birthday secret from him for almost three weeks and with only three measly days to go...I spilled the beans. I got him a massage...something he has been telling me FOREVER that he's wanted. And I made sure to get it at the classiest spa I could find! He's even getting an aromatherapy shower afterward. Impressive, right?

I can't believe I didn't make it.

Part of my is a tiiiiny glad that I don't have to keep the secret anymore though! Besides, there's always next year, right? :)

What could be better then spending a freezing Sunday in Lambeau field with some of your very best friends?? Hmm...I can't think of anything!

Jason, Me, Adam and Oby. This time of year I don't mind that the seats are so small at Lambeau; sharing body heat is a must!

Last Sunday Jason and I, along with two of our very good friends Adam and Oby got to cheer the Packers on to a victory over the 49ers! It was a blustery winter day, which happens to be some of my favorite weather to watch a Packer game in. I happen to be an extreme fan when it comes to the Packers. I feel the pain when Rodgers gets sacked, call plays with McCarthy and jump across the couch onto Jason in my own form of a Lambeau leap. If the Packers can play in December then I can certainly sit my butt on an ice cold bench and cheer them on!

Me and the cutest wannabe Packer fan I know! :)

Football is definitely something that Jason and I share. And although we cheer for opposite teams we are both just as passionate. It's actually one of my favorite things about our marriage, though I won't lie, it gets a little tense during Packer/Bears games.


Please forgive the horrible quality of the next two pictures. I've tried to edit them to look better but the bottom line is my camera was having issues that night.

My handsome husband and I at his work's Christmas party

This weekend was Jason's work party down in Chicago. It's a party not only for his clinic but for ALL the Athletico clinics so it is a huge party. We had a great time not only with each other but also his co-workers. We had some amazing ice cream sundays and I'm pretty sure Jason invented a few new dance moves that night.

In the lobby at the Palmer House.

Since the party was in Chicago and was over a 90 minute drive for us we decided to make it an overnight trip and got a hotel on priceline. We definitely scored a deal and got a room at the Palmer House (a 4 star hotel, mind you!) for less then half of what they charge!! We enjoyed it sooo much. The lobby was absolutely stunning and after the party we got cozy with the Nutcracker in front of one of many Christmas trees. It was definitely nice to get away and spend time with Jason. This month is the busiest and most stressful of our marriage yet with the holidays, Jason in 3 classes and finishing school on top of an already busy life. I definitely loved getting to spend time with my best friend and feeling charged up for the weeks to come.

This week is Jason's birthday!! I've got a few surprises up my sleeve for him and some special plans for him. I can NOT wait to celebrate him...he deserves it!!

p.s. sorry for the weird font sizes below! I have tried to change it a MILLION times so far and can't get it to all be the same so sorry bout that! It's not your eyes...it's blogger.

Belated birthday posts still count, right??

Since I try to do a birthday post for all my family members I would feel horrible forgetting someone's special day. Well, this past Sunday as I was getting ready for the Packer game, I started thinking about how I always loved to go to Packer games with my dad growing up and it hit me: I forgot to write his birthday post!!! Oh man...I feel so bad that I forgot. My only consolation is that he is not a big internet man and probably has no clue that I do birthday posts on my blog and therefore is not feeling overlooked. Nonetheless I feel he is definitely owed his own post and since I'm late it's going to be bigger and better then the ones in the past! :) Sorry dad....it's not because I don't love you!

This was taken a little over a month before I got married...I was feeling particularly like a daddy's girl that visit.

I feel so priveledged and blessed to call Rick Johnson my dad. He is someone who is well known and respected in the community. If you asked someone to describe him in a few words I can guarantee that many of them would say he is a hard worker, honest, stubborn and loyal...among other things! He is someone that people speak highly of and that I have never been ashamed of.

A father/daughter moment that every little girl dreams of!

My dad set the standard when it came to what kind of man I would marry. I knew it couldn't be some wimpy punk! I wanted him to be strong, hard working, Godly, loyal...just like my daddy. Funny how God works; He blessed me with a husband that at times is the spitting image of my dad. I can't tell you how many times I call my mom and say something Jason did or said and she responds with "oooh he is JUST like your father!!!" Jason always takes it as a compliment. :) As he should.

Jason and I look so happy and thrilled in the picture but my dad seems a little unsure about the whole situation.

Passed from one Godly, incredible man to another. How blessed am I??

My dad is a man of few words, but when he speaks people listen. He definitely knows how to make his words count. I think that spending the past twenty plus years being completely outnumbered by girls has taught him that. He is incredibly wise and someone who's advice I absolutely seek and take to heart. He has taught me so much in my life and I owe so much of who I am to him.

I think this was when he was telling me how much he liked our wedding! :)

If you ever wondered where I got my blue eyes from, here is the answer to your question!

Thank you dad for being an example of a Godly man and teaching me how to love God. Thank you for working hard and taking care of us. Thank you for continually growing and developing into the man that God is calling you to be. Most of all, thanks for loving me no matter what.

I love you!!

Happy (Belated) Birthday!!