Having the three-generation (soon to be four) thing going on over thanksgiving was really so great. My Grandma Jones was able to make her famous real cranberry salad and my Grandma LeSueur was there to make her famous Swedish salad- both of which are staples at our Thanksgiving table! My daddy fried the turkeys and my momma whipped up some amazing mashed potatoes, yam town potatoes, and some homemade whipped cream. I was in charge of the pumpkin and pecan pies, and Cam did everything else in between. We took our family Christmas card picture, as well as a TON of other good ones. We set up our Christmas tree, decorated it, drank homemade wassail with our homemade whipped cream, and read Christmas stories. We relived family memories, talked about our excitement for upcoming memories we are sure to make, and we had several family prayers together. This truly was the type of Thanksgiving pictured in Norman Rockwall picture books!
My dad, the turkey fryer- we successfully cooked two turkeys without blowing the house up!
Look at my cute brother putting the pies in the oven.
My mama, making the grahmcracker crust for the banana-cream pie.
Kevin added another skill to his list of manly things he can do- he can now do 12 things on his list!
Cam and Kevin at the dinner table with my beautiful centerpeice :)
Momma, Cami, and Baby J!
Our family picture- see how cute we can be!
Buddy LOVES scratching his back on the bottom limbs of the Christmas tree. It's his favorite part of Christmas- that, and all of the handouts he gets.
Everyone with the beautifully decorated Christmas tree :)Now, I must make this clear, I only paint this beautiful picture to create a sort of nostalgia so I can come back and read about all these good things when my family is hurriedly rushing around during the not-so-picturesque times of the year. So, I suppose I am grateful for the opportunities we have to create some wonderful memories, so that we can cling onto them when things aren't so perfect. I love thinking back to times my whole family has been together. I think about things like my family's visit to Utah for General Conference my freshman year of college. Oh, I'm sure there were a few meltdowns that happened- but I don't remember them. I do, however, remember the warm feelings I got when I went with Cam and Kevin to pick up Mom, Dad, and Trevor from the airport. I remember having lunch between conference sessions at some restaurant across from temple square. I remember going shopping while the boys were attending priesthood session. Whenever I was homesick in the subsequent months, I would think about this wonderful time we had together, and it would lift me up!
Us, at lunch
My friend Bethany, me and Cam
The boys- we have so many pictures with Kevin's face like this... I roll my eyes every time I look at one of them...Another favorite memory of mine is when my family went to New York City the Christmas of my freshman year in high school. I'll never forget stepping out of the subway and into times square and looking up and seeing the beautiful and angelic snow falling from the heavens. I also will never forget having to pull my over packed suitcases through that 'heavenly snow' a few blocks to our Times Square hotel. I'll always remember how alive the city was and my bubbling excitement for life. We were in Times square to usher in 2003 and watching the confetti rain down as the clock struck 12 can't be described by any other adjectives except magical. On this trip is when my 10-year-old brother unleashed his inner sumo (email me if you want to see those photos- I don't think they're appropriate for the www!), we visited the infamous soup kitchen- as made famous by Seinfeld's 'Soup Nazi' episode- where I got yelled at by no one other than 'The Soup Nazi' himself, and we took a taxi to church- which was between Central Park and Carnegie Hall, right below the temple that was under construction at that time. We did lots and lots of shopping, and I bought my notoriously famous purse called 'Big Red' from a sidewalk vendor; my mother was sure I had been ripped off. Thinking of this trip reminds me to always be excited about life- I was so excited to be in New York and it was wonderful to be there with my family!
Happy 2003!
I love this picture... This was on our way to church. Trev was so little!So, there you have it- these are a few of my favorite memories. Take some time and jot down some thoughts about your favorite memories when you have a few minutes and think about them whenever you're blue- it works wonders! Try it... you'll like it :)
