My oldest friend, Delisa, got married this weekend. It was a precious ceremony, the reception was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen at my church (so gorgeous I’ve changed my mind about having the reception at some nearby gardens and will be using the fellowship hall and lawn at the church), and a good time was had by all. Congratulations and best wishes to the bride and groom!

Thirteen Fabulous Things about My Engagement

1. While I had suspected things, when it came down to it I was absolutely shocked.

2. That morning Kevin picked me up so that we could drive to Tulsa. When he was in the kitchen I heard the refrigerator door open and then he commented on something smelling bad. Immediately, my mind was elsewhere. He had mentioned before that whenever we got engaged he was going to celebrate with a Henry Weinhard’s Root Beer. It’s his favorite. I got him a six-pack (shipped from California) for Valentine’s Day. The thought came to mind that he might be putting a bottle in there and that was really the only glimmer of hope that I had throughout the day.

3. I later found out that about 3 weeks before, he had asked my dad’s permission at my cousin’s wedding. While I sat across the room talking to a relative, she noticed Dad talking to Kevin. She asked me what I thought was going on. Joking, I said, “Oh, he’s probably asking Dad’s permission to marry me.” Little did I know…

4. Back in February we finally got to go to the Melting Pot to celebrate Valentine’s Day and have our very belated anniversary dinner. An ice storm in December prevented us from going on the actual date of our first date, so we thought we’d try again. Before we went to dinner though, we went to a jewelry store. And there we found the most beautiful ring. I loved it, but wasn’t expecting anything, and we walked out of the store empty-handed. Of course, I never expected Kevin to purchase it while I was there with him. The lady said the sale ended that weekend and that the ring was the last they had, so I thought maybe he might go back the next day. Then the next day came. And so did another ice storm. Roads were bad, things were closed, and I just knew that Kevin wouldn’t be driving all the way up to north Oklahoma City to get that little thing. It made me sad, but I resigned myself to the fact that we would just have to look more. I never thought I’d get attached to a ring like that, but I loved it. Seriously, it was EXACTLY what I’d dreamed of…kinda all the rings I had ever been interested in put together.

5. He did drive up in all that mess to get the ring. Sigh. When I shared this detail with my PawPaw this weekend, he said, “Now that’s romance.” And it is, isn’t it?

6. Kevin got us tickets to see the touring production of Phantom of the Opera in Tulsa. He had them for a while, but the wheels didn’t start turning regarding a proposal until later, whenever we decided to get married a little sooner.

7. So we drove up to Tulsa. It was a really beautiful production and, oh yeah, we were on the SECOND ROW.

8. Gonna take this opportunity to tell you that Kevin was so…stinkin’…calm. All day. That threw me off more than anything. I don’t know why, but I expected that he would be a little bit nervous or something.

9. Then we drove home (to Norman, which is about 2 hours). I napped for a little while and Kevin said something like, “If I didn’t have to drive, I would just stare at you” because we’re disgusting like that.

10. We got to Norman. He’d been concerned about the weather (we were expecting rain) and had been checking with his roommate throughout the day so that we would know if we needed to change plans for our walk around campus at OU that we were going to take after dinner.

11. Dinner was very nice. We ate at Charleston’s (the place where we first really spoke while seated next to each other at a surprise party). When Kevin prayed over our meal he said something I thought was peculiar about “memorable moments.” But I just let it slide.

12. We drove to campus and parked at the Baptist Student Union. I pulled my hair back because it was starting to get really humid outside. Who am I kidding. It was miserable by the time we sat down. We wandered around the fountains and statues, just enjoying each other’s company. Finally, we made it to the South Oval, walked between a few buildings, and Kevin led me over to a bench so that I could open my present celebrating our 18th month together (June 9). He pulled a book out of the giftbag he was carrying and I recognized that it was a photobook from Shutterfly (I’d made him one a few months back). We sat there, going through the pictures that documented our entire relationship, from the beginning back in December of 2006 to the last part — me graduating from OU. On that page there was a paragraph that he asked me to read aloud.

The past 18 months have been extremely wonderful. You have been such a blessing in my life. It fills my heart with warmth as I look back on our relationship with these pictures. Your life is moving forward with amazing things coming your way. You have graduated from college, so what are you going to do now? We both know the answer to this question with you having a job. This brings to mind another question to ask…

And on the next page was a picture of the ring and “Elizabeth, will you marry me?” and then he was down on one knee with the ring, and I said yes. That moment was like a whirlwind, but it’s one I will never forget. Okay, now I think I might cry. I didn’t when it happened. But my goodness. Look what God has blessed me with.

13. I couldn’t have imagined it any better. Any sweeter, any more romantic, or perfect. I was always a “head in the clouds” kind of child, wrapped up in fairy tales, but a few awful run-ins with the opposite sex during the end of high school and my college years made me pretty bitter and cynical about relationships. A few years ago I would have been the first to tell you that it doesn’t matter who you marry, it’s all work, and no one is really good at heart. While that may be true, that doesn’t mean that God does not have a plan for you.

The response I see in people’s eyes when they hear the story of our relationship and the engagement makes everything clear: God has blessed me by putting this man in my life, this man who wants to commit to a lifetime of loving me, caring for me, our future children, our household, dealing with the problems that will inevitably come along, putting up with my stubborn moods, unintentionally sharp tongue (thank you, Johnson side of the family), and my puppy dog pouting that I will admit to using.

But in the past few days something has happened in my heart. I want to be the best wife I can be. I want to dive into the Word of God, continue growing that relationship, and in turn make my marriage one built on a firm foundation in Christ. I really can’t tell you how I feel. But I hope that I never forget the fact that this is a gift from God. If there was one thing I could tell Little Girl Me it would be that You can have your fairy tale.

Umm…I got engaged this evening! Story to follow soon.

I was intending to write something about the anti-christ today, but I need to fact check with my brother Kyle first. He’s an authority on the subject. So watch for that tomorrow probably.

Instead! I thought I would tell all of you that I have my “blogaversary” coming up. I don’t have the actual date that I started blogging. My first real, hosted domain featuring a blog was back in March or April of 2004, but I’ve been journaling online since sometime in the Spring of 2000. That makes me feel really old. I remember teaching myself basic HTML code when I was in 7th grade using services like gURLpages. Back in the day, my username everywhere, including on that first website I had in 1997, was ordinaryprincess. Isn’t that spectacularly adolescent of me? I thought so. Of course, back then I chose the name because I was convinced I would marry Prince William:

I’ll say about him what my Granny says about Elvis: We’ll never know what might have happened if we’d met.

Back to the topic at hand. I’m going to be celebrating my blogaversary on July 2nd, since that’s the oldest post I have here at Miss Wisabus. When this blog first started it was Smosey.com and was hosted by Cyberpixels. At first, CP was a phenomenal host. Quick to answer emails, very helpful, and not too expensive. And then something happened. I believe they sold the company to someone else. They stopped answering support calls, emails, everything. And to top it off they kept charging me even though I asked for their services to be terminated. Not long before they sold or whatever, they’d had a huge crash and lost most of my information. Approximately a year’s worth of blogging. Tragedy. So I salvaged what I could and skidattled over to DreamHost where I have been living on a fluffy white cloud of hosting bliss ever since (thanks to Brandon!). GodlyGals is also hosted there, along with KicktheAnthill.com (a new politics/culture/religion/Oklahoma blog started by a few friends).

So, what should I do to celebrate? The Redneck Diva had people ask her questions. I think that would be fun. Also, I think maybe I’ll do a little podcast for it as well. And just talk. Cause goodness knows one thing I’m good at is “just talking.” OH! And I think I’ll reveal a Top Secret Video of Miss Wisabus Singing in a Church Musical at Age 4. With fruit on my head. You do not want to miss that!

Folks! Submit your questions here in the comments, things you want to know about me, my life, love, and other mysteries (CCM fans…I kill, do I not?). You can also ask for me to photograph things and I’ll get them posted as well. Like I requested the Redneck Diva to do, I’m going to post a photo of the insides of things: my refrigerator, bathroom cabinet, closet, etc. This is gonna be fun!

“At a certain point my novels set. They set just as hard as that jam jar. And then I know they are finished.” - Ivy Compton-Burnett

So, there was the weekend and the weekend was big in a number of ways. First, it was an odd day at work as the lady employees (all 3 that are here currently) took off to see the newborn babe of one of the other lady co-workers. What a precious little doll. Man, I love babies. I still want piles of them.

After visiting the new mom and baby, I ran a few errands with another co-worker before she dropped me off for lunch with Kevin and his parents. They had flown in the night before and we met at Applebee’s. I had the new California Shrimp Salad and wooboy is that good. Olives, avocado, shrimp, some yummy dressing…seemed rather low-carb friendly. The only questionable bit was the dressing and there wasn’t a lot. Highly recommended. It was a nice lunch, getting to catch up with his parents, though I was quite tired from being up so late finishing the last of my Spanish the night before. After lunch, they dropped me back off at work and I finished out the rest of the day doing what I do. Which is top secret and extremely important

Once I got home, I’m not gonna lie, I made a mad dash around the house to finish cleaning up things. It looks pretty good now and I have a few piles of things to organize/recycle/donate, but that’s good. I need to dive into my closets some weekend and really give those a good going over. Kevin and his parents came over and I gave them the grand tour of my 1200 sq. ft. palace. I do love my little house. It fits me perfectly.

Then, we all hopped in the car and headed over to Charleston’s for The First Time Our Parents Met. We met my parents there. And I really don’t know what else to say except that it went spectacularly. I feel like our dads are cut from the same cloth. They are both funny fellas, raised in the South. The restaurant was a little too loud for my liking, but we were still able to do a lot of talking. And the food was great. Charleston’s is one of my favorites. It’s also the place that Kevin and I first really talked while sitting next to each other at a surprise party for a mutual friend.

The next morning I was up early (though not really early, compared to when I wake up for work), ironed my gown, and headed off to Lloyd Noble to line up. Before I knew it, we were inside the center and seated. They kept the beginning short and sweet, the way that sort of thing needs to be. After the first thousand or so names were called, it was my turn (listen for Elizabeth Johnson):

It was a pretty cool moment. Happened really fast and I was back in my seat before I really knew what happened, but man, the freedom. Really, really DONE. I will be the first to tell you that I wasn’t the best student (high school certainly did not prepare me for the challenge OU would present), but I can honestly say that I worked my tail off for my last class and was unsure up until the last moment whether or not I would pass. Well, I don’t have my grade yet, but the professor told me that I’d be passing. Thank you, God.

More about the rest of the weekend later…

Join the feast!

Appetizer
What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child? I really liked Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers, Tale Spin, Duck Tales…all those Disney afternoon ones. They came on our local Fox station, but I’m pretty sure it was marketed as a Disney afternoon thing. And at some point during the afternoon Double Dare would come on. Slimy. I loved it. On Sunday mornings we would get up at the crack of dawn to watch The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. “Pooh Bear, Winnie the Pooh Bear”…I’d watch that if it were on today. There is something very soothing about Pooh, kinda like Mister Rogers.

Soup
Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it? How about I tell you about the pet I just got 2 months ago, because she is exactly what I would pick. She is a Scoodle. Three-quarters Scottish Terrier and one-quarter Poodle. This makes for a very quick, cunning animal. She can read minds. Her name is Clarabel Dolores, because once again I felt the need to save a future daughter some ridicule. It’ll be bad enough when I spit on my thumb and wipe grape jelly from her face.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion? Assuming that I start getting ready in time, and I’m not hopping out of the shower 20 minutes before I’m supposed to leave (like usual), then TEN because I love putting on makeup. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Like wearing pretty dresses, but not the awful underthings. Gah. I need to take a picture of the thing I wore under my dress for Heather’s rehearsal dinner. Medieval torture doesn’t hold a candle to this.

Main Course
What kind of music do you listen to while you drive? Things that I can turn up really loud and get kinda lost in. When I’m driving home, I have some specific music I like to listen to, because going home is something very, very special to me. The rest of the time I usually listen to some mix CD that I’ve made. This morning I made a new one with a variety of sounds: David Cook, Leona Lewis, Celine Dion, Allison Crowe, Little Texas, and Janet Jackson. Told ya. I’m eclectic.

Dessert
When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it? I just recently bought an alarm clock. And then I bought another because I couldn’t trust the first one. You need to be able to trust your alarm clocks. It’s in my room, on my nightstand.

The Chef is taking a break this week, so I got my questions from Stone Girl.

Appetizer
What is your favorite vacation spot in the United States? A lot of people are going to think this is sad, but I love Branson, MO. I just do. I like being around older folks, things going at a slower pace, and Silver Dollar City. People let you in during the heavy traffic and are just all around nicer than what you’ll find most places. For beauty, I really like the Rockies and the countryside of Virginia.

Soup
If someone else (friend, co-worker, family) brings up a religious or political topic, how likely are you to join the conversation, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = not likely, 10=very likely). If there is going to be a disagreement, 2. If I know pretty much where the person stands and it’s not too far from where I am, 10. I’ll talk politics (with my limited knowledge) all day with someone who isn’t going to turn it into a shouting match, e.g. Rosie O’Donnell.

Salad
What song do you listen to when you feel very sad? I’m not sad very often anymore. However, when I was in high school and bummed out about a boy or some kinda junk like that, I’d listen to Nina Gordon sing “The End of the World” over and over. How’s that for depressing? Let me think, I did have some sad times in college…okay, I just checked my last.fm charts for the spring of 2005 (aka, the semester that Liz could have flunked out of school - but didn’t - because she was always bawling over the last stupid thing some jerkface said or did. We’re talking, wearing a bathrobe, sad music on, sitting on my bed with a box of Kleenex. It was NOT pretty.) and it’s pretty telling. Let’s just go ahead and make a soundtrack for the most depressing point in my life (albeit a very dumb reason to be depressed. Scumbag.).

Break Me - Jewel
Main Title from The Notebook
This Years Love - David Gray
Tear In Your Hand - Tori Amos
I’ll Be Seeing You - Billie Holiday
Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
Mark’s Song - eastmountainsouth
Mr. Lonely - Bobby Vinton
The Hard Way - Keith Urban
If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher
Rain - Patty Griffin
Lost In Love - Air Supply
Stupid - Sarah McLachlan

Main Course
Someone you really admire is coming over for a home-cooked dinner. What do you serve him/her? Hmm. I can’t think of anything that I am super impressive at cooking (Kevin and my friends like it, that’s good enough for me), but to give them a little taste of something that I enjoy, I’d make my mom’s Chicken Cheese Spaghetti. Oh, I love it.

Dessert
If the only form of transportation left in the world is by animal (horse, mule, camel, etc), where would you live? I move back down to Pernell, OK and live the way my great-grandparents did. Get myself a little house, plant a garden, grow flowers, and get a few cats for the barn.

Because many of you are fairly new readers, I thought I’d link to an older post where I talk about being on a Match.com pop-up ad. Yeah, yeah. Check it out.

(i wrote this for my myspace, but i thought it would be fun to share something a little different here for once. i used to write heart lists. i need to start again.)

i miss my hair being this long:

sometimes i just want to live in pretty music videos

i love people. i love you people. wish everyone knew it. maybe i should say it more. and louder.

i love lots of things really. a short list:

♥ long phone calls
♥ my Bible
♥ hope.
♥ being ready to wake up after a good night’s sleep.
♥ a new year
♥ where i want to go
♥ turtledoves
♥ just for a moment
♥ blackberry picking
♥ porches covered in flowers
♥ “love is an illusion.” “it’s the only illusion that counts, my friend.”
♥ watching storms roll in
♥ everything e.e. cummings ever wrote
♥ inspiration
♥ we laughed until we had to cry
♥ java chip frappucino w/ a shot of mint
♥ “there will come a time…and i will know.”
♥ a glass of cold, cold water
♥ hashbrowns covered in pepper & ketchup
♥ freshly vacuumed floors
♥ waking up early w/out a trace of drowsiness
♥ santa fe, nm
♥ morning rain
♥ “I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it. One.”
♥ if i hold you again i will never let go
♥ empty parking lots
♥ two drifters, off to see the world
♥ there’s a full moon over tulsa/i hope it’s shining on you
♥ inky fingers
♥ “i’ll take care of you. i will.”
♥ you stormed my winter palace/you rid my heart of every bit of malice/you’re how i won the war
♥ making sense
♥ the smell of oleander
♥ take a good look, make it last/and when you’ve found the moments’ past/just remember that/nobody loved you like me/nobody loved you like me/nobody loved you like me/nobody loved you…like me
♥ these things take forever/i especially am slow/but i realize that i need you/and i wondered if i could come home
♥ tiny green tomatoes
♥ toes
♥ aeroplanes overhead
♥ remember the time you drove all night/just to meet me in the morning/and i thought it was strange/you said everything changed/you felt as if you’d just woke up/and you said “this is the first day of my life/i’m glad i didn’t die before i met you/but now i don’t care/i could go anywhere with you/and i’d probably be happy”
♥ having plans
♥ the lake.
♥ ceiling fans
♥ sunshine in the backyard
♥ baby strawberries
♥ Virginia
♥ so if you want to be with me/with these things there’s no telling/we’ll just have to wait and see
♥ “why wouldn’t she marry me sally?” “she was afraid.”
♥ mrs. dalloway
♥ “he always hated…anyone that wanted to marry you.”
♥ and you just may be the one
♥ “are you happy?”
♥ a girl called daisy
♥ did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world?
♥ “i wish she’d see things more clearly.” “clearly enough to marry you, you mean.”
♥ nothing lasts too long
♥ hat designers
♥ my own true love/my own true love/at last i found you/my own true love/no lips but yours/no arms but yours/we’ll live eternally through heaven’s door/i roam the earth in search of this/i knew i’d know you, know you/by your kiss, by your kiss/you’ve showed true love/i’m yours forever/my own true love
♥ “she’s going to marry that man.”
♥ you can’t love like that twice
♥ “i know that i loved her once and that it stayed with me all my life and colored…everything.”
♥ let the rain fall, i don’t care/i’m yours and suddenly you’re mine
♥ poking people on the nose
♥ “i’d hug you, if i could.”
♥ i can hardly catch my breath
♥ stoplights. golights.
♥ i look up/you’re standing next to me/what a feeling

enough now.

i like songs that go la la la and songs that sound like they belong in a music box. and songs people write (for me). and songs with my name in them.

In more ways than one