Wow time flies. Tomorrow is December 1st. I can't believe the year is almost over.
So before we get to Christmas here's my Thanksgiving report....it was tons of fun.
Jay and Mandie and Chloe got here late Tuesday night. Chloe is the cutest baby ever, and so sweet. She's got the best disposition, just happy all the time. And she's at a fun age, she plays with her toys, and gets so excited about everything. You can tell she is just itching to get down and play with all the kids.
My other cousins from Arizona came with their kids. They have 9 and 13 year old girls, and a 6 year old boy. I love these kids, they are so much fun. Thanksgiving day was a busy day, usually we do it at my grandparents house, but this year it was at my parents house. We had 26 people over and had to cook a ton of food. Even with all those people we had a ton of leftovers.
On Friday we just stayed home and played with the kids, paper airplane wars, Phase 10 games, walks around the block, naps, fetch with the dog, all in all it was a very fun day. Saturday we decided to go up to Venice Beach, we had gone there two years ago when my cousins were out here for Thanksgiving and had a lot of fun. It's always interesting to people watch there. We rented one of those tandem bikes, riding that was interesting. And we got the yummiest donuts fresh from the fryer. Mmmmm.
Sunday was a sad day....everyone went home. I slept all day to make up for all the lost sleep over the weekend. :)
Tomorrow is December 1st and Christmas is only 23 days away. I haven't even started shopping or anything. I think I'm gonna do the decorations tomorrow. It will be another interesting holiday, the first one without my grandma.
Monday, November 30, 2009
November is over?
Posted by Jennifer at 11:53 PM 0 comments
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving....
Today is Thanksgiving. So in the spirit of the holiday here are the things I'm grateful for this year....
1. God's love. The love that He has for me that He sent His Son here to suffer and die for me, to pardon my sins. And knowing that I have eternal life in Him. That because He died and rose again, I can live forever in heaven with Him. I would not have been able to make it thru the loss of my grandma without knowing that this separation is only temporary. I will see her again one day, and that makes the pain of loss bearable. And, for that, I am grateful.
2. My family. I have the best family. We may not be perfect, but no matter what, thru thick and thin, we always stick together. And, for that, I am grateful.
3. My niece being born. This little baby is the biggest blessing. She's such a happy baby, and just thinking about her makes me smile. She's only been in my life for 8 months, but I cannot imagine life without her, and for that, I am grateful.
4. My friends. I may not have alot of friends, but the one's I do have are great. I know I can count on these girls, and hope they know they can count on me. And for that, I am grateful.
5. Facebook. Ok, you might be thinking this one is a little strange, but Facebook has brought me back into contact with some old friends that I would otherwise probably have never spoken to again, and for that, I'm grateful.
6. My job. In this economy to have a job is a good thing. To have a job that I like, with people I like, is truly a blessing. And for that, I am grateful.
7. My dad quitting smoking. Never in my life did I think I would see the day that my dad would quit smoking, but he's gone cold turkey for 6 weeks now and for that I am grateful.
8. The perfect mac and cheese recipe. I perfected my own recipe this year, not only is it fantastically yummy, but I have a wonderful potluck dish that every one loves and frequently requests, and for that, I am grateful.
9. The new Arby's by my house. Arby's is one of my favorite fast food places, but up until a few months ago, there was not one within a 10 mile range of my house. Now there is one just about a mile away, and for that, I am grateful.
10 Twenty minutes on the last Saturday in August. This was back when my grandma was still sick, it was the day we really realized that things were bad. I was at my parents house when my mom came home from my grandparents and said things were really bad. I headed up there and found my grandma laying in her bed. I laid in bed with her and just snuggled up with her and told her that I loved her. And even though it was not the last time, it was 20 minutes that no one else had, just her and I. And I will never forget it, and for that I am grateful.
Posted by Jennifer at 5:52 AM 0 comments
Monday, November 23, 2009
Israel and Jordan part 3
Thursday morning dawned bright and early. One of us woke the rest of us up at 2:00 am thinking that it was 6:00 am. I wont mention names but it wasnt me. :) Anyway after we went back to sleep for a couple hours, we loaded up our luggage (we were changing hotels) and got on the bus and headed to Jericho. Jericho is Palastinian (Arabs in Israel) so not many tourists go to this area. On the way to Jericho we stopped at the Zaccheus tree. You know the story of Zaccheus, so no need to share it here. Just the pics...
Posted by Jennifer at 5:21 PM 2 comments
Friday, November 20, 2009
Flashback Friday
In keeping with the theme of the holidays, my flashback Friday photo is Thanksgiving related. In 2004, my mom and I went on a trip to New England. We flew into NYC and spent a few days there. Then we rented a car and drove around the New England states. One of our stops was in Plymouth, Mass. We were there in October, and oh my golly was it cold. Seriously, it was bone chilling cold. The wind was blowing and it was horrible. We both said it was no wonder most of the pilgrims didn't survive the first winter. It was just downright awful weather. And this was just October, technically still fall. I wouldn't want to experience it in the middle of February. Anyway so here's this weeks picture...
Posted by Jennifer at 1:46 PM 0 comments
Labels: flashback
Thursday, November 19, 2009
I've been a bad blogger lately...
Seems I haven't been on here in a week. Oops! So what's new...well I worked a bunch of hours this week, at least that's my excuse for not posting. :)
I redecorated my bedroom, repainted it, got some new furniture, and changed some stuff around. I'll upload pics and post them soon.
That's pretty much the only exciting thing around here. Just getting ready for Thanksgiving next week. My niece is coming out, I'm so excited to see her. It's been almost 2 months since we've seen her, and I know she's changed alot in that time. :)
Posted by Jennifer at 8:04 PM 0 comments
Labels: life
Friday, November 13, 2009
Flashback Friday
It's flashback Friday again! For this week's picture I decided to use a picture of my cousin since his birthday is on Sunday. This cousin is special to me, because he is just a few months younger than me. And I don't know if it is because we're so close in age, or some other reason, but we've always had a special bond. We may not talk as much as we should, but I think he knows that I'm always here for him, and I know that if I ever needed anything, he would be there for me. He has struggled in the past, but I think now, maybe he's finally at a place of contentment in his life. I pray for this cousin, for although he was raised in the same Christian faith as me, he made a statement to me in the past, that he didn't really feel like a Christian anymore. I don't know if it was just a momentary feeling, or he still feels this way, but I pray for him. That he walks away from his particular demons, whatever they may be, and finds peace with the Lord. I love ya, Jimmy.
Posted by Jennifer at 5:00 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Veteran's Day
So here's my solution to these problems... mandatory military service. Call me crazy, but it could work. I'm sure if young men had to spend a year in the military, with strong examples set for them on how to behave and act like a man, things would improve. If they had to sleep in the dirt, and eat MREs for dinner, I'm sure they would be grateful for their beds, and mom's homecooking.
I'm sure you noticed that I said young men right? And you're asking why not women too. Well, I'm old fashioned. And really, I think having strong men, who stay with their family, and raise strong, self-confident sons, and especially daughters, will make a huge difference in this world.
It's just an idea, and I know it would never happen here in America, but really think about it, and I'm sure you will think it would work too.
Posted by Jennifer at 11:23 PM 0 comments
Labels: current events, opinions, ponderings
Monday, November 9, 2009
20 years ago...
Twenty years ago today, the Berlin Wall, and communism, fell and all the news channels were replaying President Reagan's famous line, "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall."
Posted by Jennifer at 11:38 PM 0 comments
Labels: current events, opinions, ponderings
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Israel and Jordan part 2
Check the post dated 11/5/09 or go here for part one.
Wednesday we got up early and headed for the remains of the ancient city of Caesarea. Caesarea was a city built by King Herod in 22 BC on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It was the seat of the Roman government for 500 years. Pontius Pilate lived there. Caeserea is where Peter came after his vision in Joppa that the Gospel wasn't only for Jews anymore. Peter was told to come and preach the gospel to Cornelius, a soldier who lived and worked there. This is also were Paul spent 2 years in prison. There were ruins of an arena where they held chariot races as well. Stacy and I climbed over the fence and down some rocks and got our feet wet in the Mediterranean Sea.
From Megiddo we headed to Nazareth, Jesus' boyhood home. Nazareth was kind of dissappointing. It is a modern bustling city with no real remnants of Jesus time. But we stopped at a the site of Mary's well. In Mary's time this would have been where the people came to get water. Today, a Greek Orthodox church sits on the site.
After this we headed to the Jordan River. While not the actual site that Jesus was baptized it is very close. Some members of our group were baptized in the river, while Stacy and I took more pictures of our feet in the water. Then we shopped :)
Posted by Jennifer at 12:28 AM 2 comments