elizabethcheri's Xanga Site

Weblog

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Currently
I Capture the Castle
By Dodie Smith
see related
saturday, november the 15

suffice it to say that i pretty much lose at the blogging game. when was the last one? march? since that time i have been in three weddings, one of them my own, moved to two different places and started a new job. with so much change it's any wonder that i even still feel like myself. but i do. marriage is strange in that i feel just as much myself as i did before. the advantages of marrying the 'right' person?

currently, both forrest and i are working for the Portland Rescue Mission. he works over at the children's center, Shepherds Door, and i am working in the administration offices doing work in the gift processing department. sometimes i love my job and sometimes i want to pull my hair out from the sheer boredom of sitting at a computer for eight hours a day. but thursday night we had our yearly banquet and i couldn't help but feel proud of where i work and what is being accomplished through it's ministry. i love that the mission isn't just about providing a bed and a meal but is concerned with the total recovery and healing of the broken individual. so cool. and i feel like i have the privilege of seeing the Lord provide our financial needs every day as i handle the donations that come in.

other than work forrest and i are becoming avid scrabble players. and by avid i mean we've played like three times. we're also doing quite a bit of reading, especially on saturday mornings at our new favorite coffee shop and bakery, Grand Central. i have recently undertaken the goal of reading all the books in the children's Newberry award list. there are over seventy. some of them...i'm dreading. but already i've really enjoyed a book called crispin by avi.

this ends the brief update of the lives of forrest and elizabeth johnson, but i'm hoping to write sooner than another eight months.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

finally...the engagement blog!!!

Wouldn't it just figure that right after I got engaged the internet at my house stopped working. We're talking kaput! No more will Laura and Libs get internet at the house...well...that is how it feels at any rate! But, at the moment I am at a coffee shop called Crema and am determined to do two things: a) finish my taxes, and b) write this blog.

To start at the beginning...

On Friday night Forrest and I were going to celebrate our 11-month-anniversary and he had planned the whole evening. I was excited but nervous that he might propose. I wasn't nervous because I didn't want him to but because it is such a big deal and there is no way to prepare yourself for something like that! The picture below is of me and Francie waiting for Forrest to show up. Laura and I painted her front nails red to go with mom's. Yes, I am becoming "that" dog owner.

Forrest showed up with a small bouquet of roses and the night was underway. He told me that tonight was a night to remember memories, but that before each memory we had to play a game. Each game was some sort of guessing game and if I couldn't guess the memory or place where it took place correctly then we didn't get to go there. :) Thankfully I guessed right every time even though sometimes it took a bit of coaxing. My memory is not so good sometimes. So there were three games and three places that we went to. The games were charades, hangman and 20 questions. The places were a coffee shop called Coopers, a park called Mount Tabor and a restaurant called the Montage. When we had gone to all three places and still no proposal I figured it wasn't in the cards for that night. I just wasn't getting that vibe. I actually sent a text message to my Mom, Missy and Laura saying that the date was so much fun but I didn't think there was going to be a proposal which was just fine. They ALL knew that Forrest was going to!

We left the restaurant and headed to my house where I thought we were going to watch a movie and relax. When we pulled up Forrest casually said, "I saw a letter in your mailbox earlier. You should get it." I didn't think anything of it! Not typical for my over-analytical brain. Halfway up my steps I turned around (Forrest was getting stuff out of the car like the leftovers, camera and RING BOX) I turned around and said, "what were you doing looking in my mailbox??" When I opened it I saw a long envelope that said Elizabeth on one side and My Love on the other. In my head I thought that this was the typical letter that I usually get from him on our anniversaries, and it wasn't until I opened it and saw that at the bottom of the letter it said "so...." At this point I saw him coming up the stairs with all the aforementioned items and when I saw the ring box my heart stopped. I croaked out, "what's that?" When he asked if I'd read the letter yet and I said no he said we should go inside. I went inside and sat down and read the most beautiful letter about how the last eleven months have been the best of his life and that he is convinced that I am the one for him. When I looked up he got down on one knee and said, "Elizabeth, will you marry me?" I think I was in shock. I said yes and then kept saying, "are you sure? are you really doing this right now?" Then a few minutes later I cried (because I was happy, not sad). Here are some pictures we took after the happy question was asked!!!

oh man! we are so happy!

we are going to be a family!

look at that ring!

oh man, there is a francie in your shirt!

and here it is! beautiful!

The ring is Forrest's inheritance from his grandma. It is so breathtakingly beautiful! I couldn't be happier!

Well, I'm sure details will continue to follow as wedding plans are made. Hurray!! I'm getting married!! To Forrest!!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

It is such a typical Portland day. For awhile there we were enjoying sunny days and warmer weather, but the rain has returned, and this time with a vengeance. Portland isn't known for having thunderstorms, but would you believe that we might have one this afternoon?? I feel bad for little Fran because she'll be home alone if we do have one. Thankfully she'll be in her kennel which is warm and safe feeling.

Not much is going on. I am trying not to stress about finances as Forrest and I plan on driving to Colorado next Friday for a little over a week. It should be fun, but it also means no work. :( I think that the Lord is continually teaching me to trust Him even when it feels impossible.

This is such a random blog, but I haven't been on in awhile and I wanted to write something. More to come later!

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

the dog

as most of you know my parents were kind enough to give me (and forrest) a puppy. a chihuahua puppy to be exact. a white chihuahua puppy named francie to be even more exact. she has definitely given way to a whole range of emotions. for example, she makes me laugh so hard sometimes--lately she's been running around with a stuffed animal two times her size and attacking it for all her 2 pounds worth. but then she makes me want to scream when i find poop and pee on the floor or hidden behind the couch. then there are the priceless nights where she howls to be let out of the kennel and won't stop, which then makes me cry because i can't stand to hear someone else cry without doing something about it. oh, oh- and then there was the night after her second set of vaccines where she had an allergic reaction and her left lower lip swelled up and her head was marked my hives. all in all though, i LOVE having her in my life. she is a terrific companion and for a puppy she is doing extremely well. for the past few days she has even gone to the bathroom in the appropriate places ALL ON HER OWN. here are some pictures of the darling lil pup...

this is her favorite place. she'll actually dig at my sweatshirt to be let in. she can sleep there for hours.

a cute one of me and fran

forrest and francie. she gets so excited when he comes over or when she gets to go stay the night over at his house.

i also uploaded a video of me and francie taken on my computer for my parents and that can be viewed under 'video'.

i'm sure there will be more to come in the adventures of libs and francie. i'll keep you posted!

Saturday, March 01, 2008

To my first blog!

For some time now I have greatly admired those individuals who keep their family and friends abreast of their lives through sites like this, complete with pictures and everyday details. So I think it is high time I do the same! I will leave this blog short and sweet as I need to get ready for a nanny job this evening for a family of four (yikes), but anticipate many blogs to come!