Girl's Camp 2010

Well, I'm back from Girl's Camp! We left on Friday morning and I got back on Tuesday morning. The theme was Superheroes: Forever Strong. I loved it. Camp is always great. This was my 11th year of Girl's Camp since my first year in 2000. I can name them all. Ready? Here we go:

1st Year: BYU: Better Your Understanding

2nd year: BOOT camp: Better our own Testimony

3rd year: ER: Eternal Righteousness

4th year: Survivor

5th year (YCL1): Heartland Ranch

6th year (YCL2): Happy Days

7th year (Jr. Staff): Dare to be Different

8th year (Sr. Staff): S.O.S. Stay on the Ship

9th year (Stake Staff): Imagine

10th year (Stake Staff): Sparkle-Glitter-Shine

11th year (Stake Staff): Superheroes: Forever Strong

Whew! What can I say? I love camp. It is a wonderful place to associate with women and girls of the church. To strengthen and to be strengthened. Yes, sometimes there may be drama, but overall it is good. It is inspired. I admire and appreciate so much the women who are responsible for pulling it off every year. I am grateful to those who have allowed me to continue to come. I am so glad to have my Heavenly Father who has blessed me with inspiration while up there. In recent years, I've had important decisions or difficult trials occur around the timing of Girl's Camp. Everytime, I have had my mind enlightened and comforted. It never fails. I can always count on Girl's Camp to provide me a place to get away and have fun, but more importantly, to feel the Spirit. I don't know how many years of camp I've got left. This might have been my last. Being single, my life is unpredictable. I don't know where I'll be in a year. I could be off to school or on a mission or anything. I'd love it if my summer next year included camp, but I'm already grateful for the opportunities I've had to enjoy it. Girl's Camp always makes my summer great.

54th Ward

Stake Staff

Monica & I during rotations on Friday

We made Friendship bracelets for each other for service.

Monica, Desbah, & I

I would give Deep Thoughts during our firesides. Notice the eyes...no, my real eyes don't tilt like that.

54th Ward lip sync to "Superhero"

54th Ward still dancing to "Superhero"

Stake Staff lip sync to "I Need A Hero"

Still Stake Staff

And one more. It was so fun!

Melanie & I during the Compass Course rotation. Which way?

Colleen, Stacy, Deby, & I

Me, my mom & sisters

Getting a SWEET massage from Kim

My dad had to come up for Bishop's night. All the Bishops had to dress up like a hero. My dad was "The Incredible Sulk."

Ready or not...here comes camp!

This week has been SO busy! Tomorrow, I will be going to Girl's Camp. It will be my 11th year in a row. Crazy. I cannot believe it. I'm excited, but so not ready. I'm going as the Personal Progress & Service leader. Yay! The theme is Superheroes: Forever Strong. It is going to be a great year. I just know it!

This year is even more exciting because it is Addie's first year at camp. So, I will be at LoMia with my mom, dad, Jeri, and Addie. Kinda cool to have 5 of us up there.

This is going to be short because I still have...wait, and let me count...17 things left on my Camp To-Do list. Gotta get going!


PS...And I just got a notice that my blog background is going to disappear! Do they know how long it took me to choose this one?? Well, apologies for a not-so-cute blog this weekend. Maybe I'll get to it after camp. Maybe.

Home from Vegas

Yep! I'm back! And, boy, did I have fun! I traveled with Rex, Ted, Staci, Katie & John. On Wednesday, we toured a lot of Vegas, looking at the architecture and design of the buildings. It was really cool. This was my first real trip to Vegas. Normally, I just drive through. I didn't realize how big the hotels were and how they have mini malls hidden deep inside. Then, we took time to walk around the Las Vegas temple. That was really neat too.
We stayed at the Excalibur on Wednesday & Thursday. Then Friday, we stayed in the Stratosphere. We had a little car trouble that was quickly resolved (much to our surprise. We were almost stranded for an extra day or two) and then we headed home Saturday afternoon.
Here are some pictures of the trip!

At the Atrium in the Bellagio.


The Venetian-it looks like you're outside, but you're really inside. Most of the hotel malls were like this. This one had the gondola boat rides going through it.


All of us inside the Venetian.


Another view of inside the Venetian.


A wind-y escalator that I thought was way cool.


Outside of The Lion King.



The Las Vegas Temple


Jumping for joy at the Las Vegas temple.


At the old, downtown Las Vegas. See the huge screen above us? It is the world's largest TV.


On top of the Stratosphere.


My most favorite part about the trip had to be riding on the X-Scream on top of the Stratosphere! It was so cool! If you've never seen what this is then, please, allow me to explain...

It is a teeter-totter-like ride at the top of the Stratosphere 108 stories high. Katie were seated in the FRONT! This ride teeter-totters you off the edge of the Stratosphere. I posted a video of the last part of the ride. Katie and I were in the very front (the girl in the yellow shirt). Rex recorded this for us. He caught the tail end, but the whole ride lasts about 2 minutes and repeats the up/down process about 3 times.



I have always wanted to go on this ride. It has been a life goal. I have never been more scared in my life, but I loved every minute. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

"Hey Baby, Let's Go to Vegas...

...kiss the single life good-bye!" If you know what song that is then I am very impressed. Well, guess where I'm a'going! Yep, I guess I already gave it away. Las Vegas!

Nope, not eloping (got no one to elope with). Nope, no gambling (got no cash to gamble). Nope, no posting this week (got no time). I'm leaving Wednesday and I'll be back on Saturday. Pretty much cutting the Girl's Camp prep in half. But I think it will be worth it. I've only driven through Vegas a couple of times. I've never just gone for a trip. I'm way excited to watch the Bellagio water shows, stay in the Stratosphere, and just get away for a few days! Wish me luck!

And the song is "Let's Go to Vegas" by Faith Hill. If you knew that then I just might love you. What a great song.

Roach Season?

You know that jittery, jumpy, uneasy, squirmish feeling you get after you've killed a cockroach? Well I have it right now. I just killed the 3rd roach in 24 hours. And, as a matter of fact, two of those were within 30 minutes. All 3 were either in my room or by my door. Ugh. I'm nervous to go to sleep tonight for fear of bed bugs...

No wonder I jump every time something moves or I feel a little hair brush across my arm. Please tell me you know what I'm talking about.

A Clean Car

I said I would blog about the goals for July. Today, I took advantage of the slight cloud cover this morning and cleaned my car. Yay! I threw on my swimsuit and shorts, turned on the radio, and went to work.

I cleaned out the garbage, all 11 water bottles, and various odds & ends including a spoon, a hula hoop, towel, and my dad's briefcase (why? don't ask me). Then I started to vacuum every nook & cranny! It takes a while with a handheld vacuum and a small hose. I was sweatin' up a storm I tell you. I topped it off with my last Vanillaroma air freshener. Ahh...

By now, its about 10:30am and I recruited Carla to help wash the outside. It took some backbone to scrub those squished bugs off the front, but they eventually washed away. I celebrated by taking a dip in the pool and a shower for myself. Wonderful.

I later got to drive in this now luxurious car. I took a deep breath as I sat inside and almost wiped away a tear as I parked and walked away from it. It was just so beautiful.

I know you were waiting for me to blog about washing my car. So there you have it. Satisfied? And no, I didn't really cry over a clean car, but you get the picture, right?

The Tragic Story of Princess Jonna

I was glancing through some photos of the past and found this little number. It sounds a little conceited to have a story about me, but the title and captions are straight from the lips of Tiffany. If ever we win an Oscar for this I'd like to thank Janelle and Tiffany for creating and believing in this dream.

P.S. Please don't think we're really this morbid...


Janelle the jolly villain played by Janelle Fenn


Doctor Tiffany the Conductor played by Tiffany Brown


Princess Jonna played by Jonna Jackson


Once upon a time there was a princess named Jonna.


One day Jonna decided to take a trip so she skipped on over to the train station where she met Tiffany the conductor.


Little did Princess Jonna know that Janelle the Jolly Villain was watching her around the corner.


Jonna had no chance of escape.












Just in case there was a chance of survival Doctor Tiffany had to check for a pulse...


...but it was to no avail...she was dead.

THE END

And the Ocsar goes to...

A Really Fun Game

Two or more players required
Materials needed:
-something that plays music (laptop, iPod, etc)
-a variety of music

How to play:
Designate one person to be the Music Selector and the remaining players to be the Guessers. The Music Selector will then proceed to quiz the Guessers on a variety of music using any of the above music players.
For example, the Music Selector may choose to use YouTube on their laptop. He/She will select a song and turn up the volume for the other players to hear, but not see the screen. The Guessers will then proceed to guess the song title, artist, year, or movie it is from (if applicable).
Rewards such as candy or bragging rights may be distributed as Guessers answer correctly. You may choose to take turns being the Music Selector, but it is not required. Be sure to include a variety of songs from different genres and different years to keep the game interesting.

Variations:
-If an electronic music player is not available, the Music Selector may choose to whistle or hum a song.
-This game can also be played in the car while using the radio.
-If a large variety is too difficult or uninteresting, you may choose to go with a theme like Disney songs or number one hits from the day you were born.

This game is perfect for Family Home Evening. It also goes great with a large dose of family vacation.

I love Arizona

I love living here. Isn't it great? There are a number of reasons why Arizona (and particularly the Phoenix-Mesa Metropolitan area) is the best place to live. Today, I felt like I would describe one of them: summer.

I know, I know. You might think I'm crazy. Earlier this morning, I went to see a movie. On the way there we traveled in a van with a broken window. It was great because we got to feel the cool A/C mixed with the warmth from outside. During the movie, the car was able to soak up a lot of sun for two hours. I am sure everyone can relate to the feeling of getting into a blazing hot car in the middle of a summer day in July followed by a few moments (or minutes) for the A/C to finally kick in.

To most, this is a major drawback to living in Arizona. To me, this is comfort. This is home. Now, just to clarify, I don't find pleasure in standing outside in the sun all day or sitting in steamy hot vehicles. Like everyone else, I also need my A/C, but not as often and not as intensely. I find total joy in warmth. I will never want to live in a place that snows or is cooler than an AZ winter. Perhaps I am ignorant to the joys of colder temperatures, but that is fine with me. I've always said that if I had a choice, I'd choose hot over cold. (Which could be a reason why I think Bella is so stupid for choosing Edward over Jacob. The temperature alone would determine that for me. But that is another story...)

I used to think the desert was ugly and I'd wonder why anyone would choose to live here in the first place. Although I've never seen "true green" like in the East, I now feel like the desert has its own beauty. The sunsets alone are breathtaking. I know the heat is frustrating for many to deal with, but I like it.


Aren't you grateful for the heat when you have been sitting in a freezing cold building for too long and you take a step outside? Don't you love being able to dry off fast when someone splashes you at the pool when you didn't want to get wet? Well I do. Again, don't mistake me for the crazy who is sweaty all the time because she keeps the doors open and A/C off in the middle of the day. I like to be comfortable too. I just really appreciate the heat. It makes living here great.

July Plans

Dear Blog,
It has been a long time since I have visited you. A whole four days has seemed like an eternity. I was swamped with homework and Avatar this week. Summer school has finally come to an end. I was stuck studying for my final. Then, The Last Airbender came out in theaters (see previous post). I just had to finish the series this weekend too! And I did. And it was awesome.

So Blog, I am here to tell you of your fate. I have one month of less-than-really-busy-busyness. As I prepare for Girl's Camp at the end of the month, I will be busy part of the time. What else am I supposed to do with the rest of my time? This will never come again. In May I will graduate from ASU and move onto a (most likely & hopefully!) full time job. A whole month of no school and no work will never come again. I must take advantage of this time.

The possibilities are endless! I could travel! Backpack across Europe, visit Lucy in China, lay on the beach in Hawaii, or watch the World Cup final game in South Africa? Sounds like the life to me. Alas, funds are low and do not permit such activities. I might have to do those in my dreams.

So, my "To Do" list has been modified. Here is my Taking Advantage of the Time I Have in July list: 1. Work on Girl's Camp duties 2. Finish sewing my apron and possibly make another 3. Go to the cannery 4. Clean out & wash my car (outside in the heat sweaty like a pig in my swimsuit then take a nice shower and feel clean after!) 5. File kindergarten worksheet masters 6. Visit Kylie & Layla a lot 7. Finish reading Sense & Sensibility 8. Watch a few of my DVDs that have collected dust 9. Learn to play guitar 10. Blog about it all!

Yes, my dear Blog, you shall occupy part of my time this summer as well. I do this because I don't want you to feel forgotten when school and work resume again in August. So, it is with this little note that I begin my true summer activities. Farewell until next week when I begin to report on my summer progress (or lack of).

Thank you for being so understanding!
Always,
Jonna