Happy Thanksgiving!

Aubrey and Steve with their two boys - they got away from the hospital for a couple of hours - wish Max was here!
We celebrated Ashlie's birthday along with Thanksgiving
Noah, Krista and the spread.
Sandy, Justin, Krista, Ken, my dad (Bill)
Rob, Jon, Natalie, Jenn, Fred
Four generations - Justin, Me, my dad and Kenlee. Justin and Krista surprised me with having my dad come. I rarely get to see him so it was a really nice surprise.
Four generations - Nat, her kids, me, my dad
The little boys and me
Rob and his boys
Nat's plotting Black Friday's route - this is a Thanksgiving tradition for sure.

I am thankful to have God in my life and I have no doubt that our freedom is a direct result of our faith in God. If we stop believing and allow the ungodly to take that which is precious from us, this country will not be what the founding fathers dreamed and sacrificed for in our behalf. And all who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of future generations will cry from their thrones in heaven. How ungrateful we would be to lose what they held so dear and were willing to die for. I pray that we will never cease to thank God for our freedom and for the opportunity to praise and acknowledge His hand in our lives. God Bless America!

Giving Thanks

This month at church the theme for Sacrament Meetings has been "gratitude." This is something we all can improve upon. The talks have included parables such as The Ten Lepers and lots of inspiring examples. Here's an article that speaks to the benefits of expressing gratitude through thank you notes (something I'm very bad at doing!): http://www.ldslivingmagazine.com/articles/show/1770 (or click on the post title). My Mom, Aunt Betty and daughter, Natalie are all very good examples of this practice. The gifts are barely opened when we receive heartfelt, handwritten thank you notes. If the article is right, these notes benefit the sender as well as the receiver.

I know many people who have improved their lives by daily acknowledging the good things that happen to them - perhaps in a journal entry. By doing this every night they come to recognize the little things throughout the day because they are conscious of the plan (and pressure?) to record, say 3 each night. So, gratitude rises on the consciousness meter and it begets a gratitude attitude.

I hope on this Thanksgiving Day we can all feel gratitude for our blessings, in spite of the economy and the negativism around us.

Countdown to Christmas

Thanksgiving at Krista & Justin's & celebrating Ashlie and Chris' birthdays. With all the photographers in the family you'd think we would have gotten a few shots of the crowd. Well we caught the two celebrating birthdays. Notice Antje's famous pumpkin cookies.

Thanksgiving was nice. We met at Justin and Krista's house. All of my children, their spouses and my grandchildren were there except Fred (still in San Diego), Aubrey, Steve, Josh, and Asher (in Kansas but coming here on Dec. 9). Antje also joined us (our friend who lives next door). We hope everyone will be well during the Christmas holidays so we can get a portrait taken. Jon is doing these right now for anyone who may be interested. Check his website at www.sunbeamphotography.com

Yesterday we turned on the Christmas lights. Natalie and Jennifer went shopping at 4:00 AM. I watched kids - it's easier. We were able to get all the leaves up off the ground and it looks so nice! I've enjoyed the nicer weather but it is very cold at night even without snow on the ground yet. The skiers are probably getting anxious but it's OK with me.

We didn't do any candy making this year, though it has been fun in the past. We're all kind of watching the calories and just decided to pass on it. We might try to get some cookies made though.

It's always exciting to think about Christmas. Kids get so excited. I love the lights and just about all of it! So, it's a month to enjoy.

Thanksgiving

Wild Turkeys are supposed to be the most moist and good-tasting .


So one week from today we gorge ourselves silly, collapse to watch football or plan the next day's shopping expedition. Looks like we'll be going to Krista and Justin's again this year.

Here's a little quiz for you: http://www.history.com/minisites/thanksgiving/

A little history too:

In 1789 George Washington designated a national thanksgiving holiday for the newly ratified Constitution, specifically so that the people may thank God for "affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness" and for having "been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed... "

The first official Thanksgiving Proclamation made in America was issued by the Continental Congress in 1777. Six national Proclamations of Thanksgiving were issued in the first thirty years after the founding of the United States of America as an independent federation of States. President George Washington issued two, President John Adams issued two, President Thomas Jefferson made none and President James Madison issued two. After 1815 there were no more Thanksgiving Proclamations until the Presidency of Lincoln, who made two during the Civil War.

By the mid–1800s, many states observed a Thanksgiving holiday. Meanwhile, the poet and editor Sarah J. Hale had begun lobbying for a national Thanksgiving holiday. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, looking for ways to unite the nation, discussed the subject with Hale. In 1863 he gave his Thanksgiving Proclamation, declaring the last Thursday in November a day of thanksgiving.

In 1939, 1940, and 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt, seeking to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, proclaimed Thanksgiving the third Thursday in November. Controversy followed, and Congress passed a joint resolution in 1941 decreeing that Thanksgiving should fall on the fourth Thursday of November, where it remains.

All early Thanksgiving celebrations had one common theme -- God. Thanksgiving was directed toward God, their Creator, Protector, and Provider. They believed that all good things ultimately came from Him as they do today. Other verses that include thanks can be read in Psalms 100:4, Psalms 105:1and 1 Corinthians 15:57.

Birthday Month

Today is my late sister, Wendy's birthday - is it possible she would really have been 50? My brother, Gary's birthday was Nov. 11 (Veteran's day) and my sister, Cindy's is Nov. 18. My son Chris' birthday is also this month - Nov. 29 and Ashlie's is Nov. 25.

Things are still up in the air for me. My Bishop says it's OK to not know and to wait until I do know so that's what I'm doing. Needing to make plans for Thanksgiving. This is the first time I have had to deal with the complications that go with my present single (and complicated) circumstances.

We're enjoying unseasonably nice weather here for November. I am enjoying this borrowed time. We've been able to get lots of leaves cleaned up before snow!

It looks like Aubrey and family will be able to get a long Christmas break to come home since Steve's stepfather has to have open heart surgery on Dec. 10 and he's a poor surgical risk. The Army is probably going to grant his leave to come here. With Jenn and kids coming home from San Diego tonight, we'll have a houseful again.

Nat came and we cleaned the kids' room in preparation for their return from California. This is evidence it really was clean once.