Welcome Baby Jackson

Jackson Joshua Johnson
11/20/09

Halle and Jackson

I love being an aunt. I love that when Jackson is awake he is very alert. He's also cuddly. I love that.

Welcome to the family Baby Jackson. We love you!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all had a great day! I sure did. This is the time of year to take a chance and really reflect on what you are grateful for and what you have in life. People may take advantage of or really not recognize that even the smallest things that might be huge to somebody else. I have a huge list of what i'm grateful for and I wanted to take the opportunity to share some of the biggest things and maybe just even a few fun things.

I want to start out by saying how much I love and appreciate my family, especially my husband. I am so lucky to have found Paul. I'm also very thankful for his family and for what great people they are. They set an amazing example. I love being able to spend time with them. I'm happy that i'm one who really can't complain about her mother-in-law. I've heard scary stuff about mother in laws and i've also seen people with crazy in laws. I'm happy to say that I have wonderful in laws. I'm also thankful for my mom and for what she does for our family. She too, is a great example and has a lot of strength for everything she has been through. I'm so glad to know that FAMILIES ARE FOREVER. I'm also grateful for my extended family where ever they may be. Paul and I really love and appreciate you and your love for us.

I'm also thankful for my religion and for being brought up in it. I'm glad to know what I know. I'm thankful for the Lord and for being able to have our own relationship with him. I'm thankful for the blessings of the priesthood and for temples and missionary work. I'm grateful to have a living prophet here on this earth and for the many before him.

I'm thankful for all the people who have been brought into my life for whatever reason. I'm thankful for the friendships I have built. I'm thankful for the love that Paul and I share. I'm glad that we both have jobs in this economy. I'm glad that we have the opportunity to go to school and to get an education. I'm glad to be able to celebrate this holiday season. I am thankful for many other things and can probably go on and on, but it will sound like i'm rambling. I think i'm at that point anyways. Thank you for being a part of our lives. I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and that you will enjoy the rest of the holiday season, cuz guess what? It's time to get the Christmas stuff out now. Have fun and stay in touch. We love you all!

Pregnant Turkey

Pregnant Turkey

*This is priceless - would love to do this.*

One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my
sister's house for the traditional feast. Knowing
how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to
play a trick. She told my sister that she needed
something from the store.

When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of
the oven, removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen,
and inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the
turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.

When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the
turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the
stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something,
she reached in and pulled out the little bird.

With a look of total shock on her face, my mother
exclaimed, "Patricia, you've cooked a pregnant
bird!" At the reality of this horrifying news,
my sister started to cry.

It took the family two hours to convince her that
turkeys lay eggs!

Yep..................SHE'S BLONDE!

Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Stay Young

HOW TO STAY YOUNG:

1.Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!

Worry about nothing, pray about everything!!!

Gratitude

Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for blessings or benefits we have received. As we cultivate a grateful attitude, we are more likely to be happy and spiritually strong. We should regularly express our gratitude to God for the blessings He gives us and to others for the kind acts they do for us.

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING at PLYMOUTH

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Brownscombe

"Our harvest being gotten in , our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice togehter."

Edward Winslow

In early autumn of 1621, the 53 surviving Pilgrims celebrated their successful harvest, as was the English custom. During this time, "many of the Indians coming... amongst the rest their great king Massasoit, with some ninety men."

That 1621 celebration is remembered as the "First Thanksgiving in Plymouth." For more about the "First Thanksgiving," click HERE.

Detail from Brownscombe's First Thanksgiving at Plymouth

The Pilgrims did not call this harvest festival a "Thanksgiving," although they did give thanks to God. To them, a Day of Thanksgiving was purely religious. The first recorded religious Day of Thanksgiving was held in 1623 in response to a providential rainfall.

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LATER SIGNIFICANCE OF THANKSGIVING

"The Pilgrim Fathers incorporated ay early thanksgiving day among [their] moral influences... it blessed and beautified he homes it reached."

Sarah Josepha Hale, 1865

"Thanksgiving is celebrated at the expense of Native Peoples who had to give up their lands and culture for America to become what it is today."

Linda Coombs, Aquinnah Wampanoag, 1997

The religious day of thanksgiving and the harvest festival evolved into a single event: a yearly Thanksgiving, proclaimed by individual governors for a Thursday in November. The custom of an annual Thanksgiving celebrating abundance and family spread across America.

Some presidents proclaimed Thanksgivings, others did not. Abraham Lincoln began the tradition of an annual national Thanksgiving in 1863.

Thanksgiving is an enduring symbol from which millions of immigrants have learned "Americanism." While not all Native Peoples celebrate the day, the story of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag sharing a harvest celebration remains an inspiration to many.

The Turkey, the Parrot, and the In laws

I'm so excited for this time of year. I love the holiday season! I've come to notice in everyone preparing for Christmas and the season, Thanksgiving tends to get passed over. You go from Halloween decorations in the store to Christmas. What about Thanksgiving? This is the time of year where we should look at what we have and be thankful. I decided for the month of November, I'll try to focus on Thanksgiving. I have found a few people who do a weekly post of something they are grateful for for the week. Its nice to read those. I don't want to do the regular post i've done on everything i'm grateful for, but I do want to tell you I am thankful for everything I have in my life. There is a lot that I find that I may take advantage of, but I'm glad to have it or not have it, whatever it may be. This month I'm going to post some cute Thanksgiving poems, stories, and jokes I find. My father-in-law called the other day and told us to have some type of joke or short story for Thanksgiving Dinner. I think he plans on everyone sharing what they found. This has caused me to look online for some things and I've come across some great stuff. I found this cute little joke that I might use, and thought i'd post it today. Enjoy. I hope everyone has a great November and great Thanksgiving.

The Turkey, the Parrot and the In-laws

Martha had a parrot called Brutus, the only problem was that Brutus cussed something awful. Now Martha was having her in-laws over for Thanksgiving, and so she needed to train Brutus quickly not to swear.

Just before her Mother-in-law was due Brutus cussed terribly, so Martha but him in the freezer for 2 minutes to literally cool off. Then she opened the door and took out the parrot along with the turkey.

'And have you learned your lesson about cussing?' Martha asked the parrot.

Brutus the parrot took one look at the dead turkey and said: 'I sure have. But I have one I have a question, "What did the turkey do?" '

Happy November

I can't believe it's already November! This year has really flown by. I hope everyone had a good Halloween. I actually enjoyed it this year. Decorating before really did help me to look forward to it. I usually do as far as it kicks off the holiday season, but other than that, I never really got into it. I preferred to be home watching scary movies. We had good company and way fun games. We also watched movies but I actually fell asleep during it. Thats not a big surprise. I hope everyone has a good November. I am especially looking forward to the holidays. HAPPY NOVEMBER!