Saturday, December 29, 2007

A Johnson Christmas

Bryan and I celebrated Christmas this year with his family. We had a wonderful time. It is so great to spend time with family and to be able to relax. We had great food and lots of it! The best thing for me though was spending time with family, oh and sleeping in!
I realize that Bryan and I are blessed to have two sets of loving parents who support us no matter what. The holidays for me are a great time of family togetherness and some of our friends don't have that. For them, the holidays are filled with bickering, fighting and stress. It makes going to visit family a chore, not a blessing.

Christmas isn't just about family and presents. Although Bryan was telling me a story about a little girl who when asked about what Christmas was to her, her response was something like this: " We celebrate Jesus everyday at our house, so Christmas really is all about the presents!". I laughed so hard when he told me that.
Christmas to me is a reminder of what Jesus's life began as and what he was put on this earth to do. For me. For all of us. I admit that sometimes I get lost in the hustle and bustle of shopping and parties. We went to a Christmas Eve service Monday and although it was a little different, I was reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.

Over the past few weeks God has really stretched me and I have been able to turn to him easier now, then in the past. I am so glad he chose this time to stretch me because whenever I see Christmas items, I am reminded of what Christmas means to me.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I'll post pictures once we download them from the camera!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

How long since my last post?

Hi All! I realize it has been a little bit since my last post. I have been really busy with work and just to tired to do anything by the time I get home. This is usually my busiest time at work, so for those of you who look forward to my posts, just wait a little longer. Hopefully I will have more to write about as well as have more time.

Merry Christmas!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Reason for Christmas

My wonderful mom-n-law sent this to me and even though I had read it before, I wanted to go ahead and post it because it is a wonderful reminder of what Christmas SHOULD be all about. I must admit that I get so busy sometimes that I forget what Christmas really means to me.
Enjoy!

WHO STARTED CHRISTMAS?

A woman was Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of walking down row after row of toys and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the store elevator with her two children in hand.

She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of the year, getting that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, making sure we don’t forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card.

Finally, the doors opened revealing a crowd in the elevator. She pushed her way in and dragged her two kids and all her bags of stuff in with her.

As the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and blurted out, “Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up, and shot.”

From the back of the car, a quiet calm voice responded, “Don’t worry, we’ve already crucified Him.” The rest of the trip down was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Don’t forget this year to keep the One who started this whole Christmas thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. If we all would, just think how much better this world would be.

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM.

Merry Christmas to all.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Catching Up

I know it has been awhile since my last post, but I have been busy so there is plenty to read about today!
First of all - Thanksgiving Holiday. We spent Thanksgiving this year with my parents and brother in Oklahoma. Even though it was a short trip, we had a great time. Plenty of food galore - Mom, I loved those deviled eggs! - and much needed rest. I didn't realize how tired and stressed out I was until I actually got to rest and then my body wouldn't do anything! All I wanted to do was sleep and sleep I did! I got all rested which was great because on 11/29, I was off to New York with some friends! We had so much fun and now I am trying to recover from that trip! It never ends!

New York - I was there Thursday through Sunday afternoon. The weather was great everyday except for Sunday. That is when it turned really cold and nasty. I saw so much stuff, went shopping and ate ALOT! I'm not ashamed at how much I ate though! My favorite place was this Irish Pub we ate at on our first night. That was the best food (my opinion only) I had in New York with the exception of the cheesecake. I can't begin to describe the cheesecake.
We mastered the subway system pretty well and walked so much. We didn't take in any shows, but we did see the Christmas tree and went all the way to the top of Rockefeller Center. The view from Rockefeller center was amazing. I know I am leaving so much out, but we had so much fun. Another fun thing we did was go to Chinatown, Little Italy and SOHO. What fun! I had so much advise from friends when it came to buying knock-off items in these areas and I appreciated all the advice. Even though I knew what to expect, I was a little concerned at some places the "guides" took us to to see the knock-off merchandise. Let's just say some of the places were a little shady if you know what I mean. We all arrived home safely and I have been trying to recover ever since!

Thanks for reading!