more new music...

here's a new batch of songs i'm liking right now...again--sorry for the some of the lame videos.









i'm not a huge fan of adam lambert, however, i actually kind of like this song...

from the pulpit

I had to speak on Sunday for the Christmas program so here is my little talk--i guess it kind of counts as my Christmas card too since I didn't send one--it's also a little shout out to all my friends who are such wonderful examples and who are always out and about doing good...

On that first Christmas night so many years ago, a number of people were told of the good news of the birth of a Savior. An angel visited shepherds in the field and brought "good tidings of great joy." These shepherds left their fields to go out and find the Christ child. Three wise men followed a star in the east that led them also to find Him. And they offered him gifts.

As I think about this holiday season, I stop and wonder how, in our time and in our day, do we seek after the Savior and what gifts do we offer him? We won't trek across fields nor follow a star in the east, but we each have our own journey in finding and coming to know Christ.

I think we can find Jesus in the everday, almost unconscious things we do and and also in the things we see others do and in the kindness that is shown to each and every one of us. For me, this season, I've seen many gifts offered to the Savior through service and through good company. I've seen it in delivering cookies to a handicapped friend who seemingly gets ignored at home, in crying with a friend as her parents leave on a mission, in throwing in 50 cents here and there for a bellringer at a grocery, in a ward service auction, where we auctioned off one of our own just for a little bit of extra money, in watching a holiday movie with a group of really great friends, in a parking lot attendant who let us park without a permit so we wouldn't be late and turned away for a Christmas concert, in being a Secret Santa, in giving up a really great parking space to a mom in a minivan, even if you saw the space first, in putting in an extra $10 or $20 for a family in need instead of getting that new pair of shoes, in riding in a wagon on a group date to chat and look at Christmas lights, in an anonymous Christmas card, in a ward temple trip at 7 AM the Saturday before Christmas, in singing carols at a retirement community to a grateful widow named Pearl, in spending time with friends and family, even if only through a phone call, and in a hundred different ways unique to you and me.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news to all men. And the goodness that is in our hearts, the goodness we show to others and the goodness shown to us will be how we are remembered and be evidence of how we sought after Christ and offered him our gifts. That good news heralded in so many years ago is the same good news today. "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:10-11 & 14)

May joy and peace find you this holiday season and may we all continue to be the wise men who seek after the Savior. Long after the cookies have been eaten, and the parking lots have emptied, and the carols have faded, may we continue to seek after and find the Christ child.

Merry Christmas to you and yours wherever you may be!

xoxo
NJ

this is how we do it

this is how we roll in our family:

(text I received from Les last night)

Mass and Market Street Grill for the 24th. All activities optional.

Translation:
You are invited to attend Mass with us and the Dunns (Matt's parents) and then have dinner with us at Market Street Grill on Christmas Eve. If you don't want to come to mass, you may still meet us for dinner. We would love for you to be there but if you don't want to or can't come, we don't mind and won't take it personally.

Johnsons = drama-free. I highly recommend it.

Saturday Boutique

hey everyone, my good friend and her sister are hosting a boutique on Saturday in Draper. Lots of vendors, lots of cute items! check it out here www.suburbanchicboutique.blogspot.com

rise all loyal cougars

just life

1. my 88 year-old grandpa has an ipod
2. no matter how many times i drag the razor across my knee, i still have a few strays
3. it's disturbing to me that the parking lot of SCORZ in Lehi is full at 2 PM on a Thursday
4. i have never walked out of Target empty-handed
5. it's rare if an episode of Biggest Loser doesn't bring tears to my eyes
6. thanksgiving is less than a week away and I'm really looking forward to going home. (The stars at night are big and bright...)
7. iphones should have vocal-command texting
8. work weeks should be 4 days long
9. i'm still craving the jamba juice i dropped and didn't get to enjoy on wednesday
10. i swallowed a reese's pieces whole thinking it was an advil
11. scarves are my new favorite item. i am specifically looking for one in mustard yellow.

new music monday

this is what i'm listening to on my ipod now. sorry for some of the lame videos. and stranger in moscow isn't new but it's new to me and i love it! hope you like 'em.


the music comes on about 20 seconds in

fyi

people who find me attractive:
1. special needs kids-this includes mentally challenged friends and senior citizens
2. the line workers at cafe rio (various locations)

sister wives

first off, how cute is little M as a lion? i missed this sweet little face when he was visiting Grandma D while Les and Matt were on a Euro cruise but so glad to have him back, especially like this...

and the big kids in arkansas--i can't believe how grown up they are! love the princesses and MIB. miss you guys!


for our halloween party at work, i was an iphone. i loved how it turned out--practically identical to my own phone. big shout out to marilyn for helping me make it. thanks mom-you're the best!

and now....the unveiling of the sister wives. during our st. george adventure, alli had the brilliant idea to be polygamists for halloween and luckily for us, the D.I. has an unlimited supply of denim jumpers and long sleeved collared-shirts. we spent halloween weekend up at a cabin with a group of friends. the boys were speechless as we filed down the stairs one by one singing a hymn. they appreciated our enthusiasm but after a while, weren't very hip to our dowdy clothes and make-upless faces. i don't think they were expecting naughty nurses and skanky cops but the celestial poof, ankle dresses and sneakers weren't scoring us any points. i mean no disrespect to the polyg community, but how awesome is this....

mo was such a good sport when she consented to be our "husband". we referred to her as moses.

i can't tell you how much i loved this. the family portrait. I was simply referred to as #8.

haylie's hair was the best

quizno's had no idea what hit them

the fellas-moses included

and now begins....the rest of the weekend. just lounging around. late night dance party. treats. friendly football game. scary story telling. movies. MJ videos. some football stunt work. ya, know...

the bucks. they lost.

the slayers. we won.

we thought we would try and make diving catches with the football.

the second night....i was a pink lady

happy halloween 2009!

fall fun

i LOVE the fall. i love the cool weather, the beautiful canyons, football, hoodies, scarves, boots, pumpkins, soup, hot cocoa, etc....it's my favorite season but here in utah, usually it's the shortest. summer sometimes forgets to invite fall to the party and just lends itself directly to winter. luckily, we've had some pretty nice weather (intermittent with some lame snow) so i've tried to soak it all in. Here's a brief recap of the last month:

1. ward powder puff football. it's funny how vicious some of the relief society ladies can get on a Saturday morning on the football field. i was a proud member of the grey wuffs (ooowwwuuu). we ended up taking second place, losing in the championship round to the yellow fever. I sadly, had to miss this game, but loved every second of playing when i was there.

the grey wuffs sans a few people

team huddle

the serious pose

2. road trip to Las Vegas for the BYU-UNLV game. it was a quick trip but fun, nonetheless. night games are my favorite and a cougar victory is well worth the drive.

it's vegas-you have to

go cougs!

3. i had a softball tournament the entire weekend phil was in town. I did manage to meet him for dinner a couple nights.

m & grandpa

4. Halloween party at the retirement center

5. girls trip to St. George. loved it. Friday Night Lights. eating. dancing. eating. pool time. shopping. pedicures. eating. (P.S. you know the tall MEXICAN FOOD sign on the freeway in Beaver? I've passed it a million times and wondered who really ate there. Well, we really ate there.)

we ate at applebees in honor of the best show on television, FNL. sadly, Tim Riggins wasn't there

at Thriller at the Tuacahn Theater

6. a couple of dessert nights with our friends in Bountiful

the point is to mingle with other people but we're pretty content with just us

rockband

russ and the ladies

the hosts: jared and aaron

7. Cornbelly's with Joc, Kim and Molly. This is now our second year participating.

can't go to cornbelly's and not sit in the gian rocking chair. remember?