Home at last

Summer is at a close. I can tell because I am finally home and living out of a closet instead of a suitcase. I began my summer with a trip to CA. Spent a few weeks at EFY. Went to LoMia (12th year!). Finished off with a weekend in UT.

Here are a few last minute photos of my summer:

Went hiking at LoMia...

...then ate ice cream.

Went to Temple Square in Salt Lake...

...then stopped at the M&M store in Vegas.

It was a great summer. Probably one of my favorites :)

Disney Memories

In my recent (and rare) moments of pastime, I am enjoying memories of Disney. However, these memories are not my own. I find total joy in the joy and delight of others' experiences with Disneyland. Recently, DisneyParks came up with the new "Memories" campaign. Genius.

Here is the first ad I saw for this campaign. I got teary eyed watching it for the first time as I reflected on my own memories.

I have been thoroughly enjoying this new Disney website. If you have time, check it out. It is so wonderful.

(My favorite thing on this site is to search "surprise" under Videos. So cool to see other people's joy!)

Say what you will, but I love Disney for the magic, the happy, and the family memories.

When October Goes...

It is Halloween again! When I was in high school, I remember going to a big Mountain View vs. Westwood game on Halloween. On the way home, my dad played a song by Barry Manilow. "When October Goes" has since become a Jackson family tradition. We listen to it every Halloween after everyone is home from their festivities.

You can listen to the song here, but if not, you can read these lyrics:

And when October goes

The snow begins to fly

Above the smokey roofs

I watch the planes go by

The children running home

Beneath a twilight sky

Oh, for the fun of them

When I was one of them

And when October goes

The same old dream appears

And you are in my arms

To share the happy years

I turn my head away

To hide the helpless tears

Oh how I hate to see October go

I should be over it now I know

It doesn't matter much

How old I grow

I hate to see October go

When I was in China, my dad called me and after I answered I heard this song being played. It was so special to me that my dad timed the call so that my Halloween would be ending, even though theirs was just beginning.

I am just beginning to understand the lyrics to this song, but I know that with each year I live I will appreciate them more and more.

Here is a Halloween a long time ago, when I was in kindergarten. Ciara and Hank are pictured too.

Time goes on. And here I am this Halloween with my mom.

And here I am with my dad.

I hope you've had a great Halloween! I am excited to enjoy the rest of the holidays approaching. I am also anxious to see what the rest of my future holds.

Disneyland

I've had this blog for three months now, and I've barely mentioned Disneyland. Wow. I am shocked at myself. Well, brace yourself...this one is a doozy!

I love Disneyland. Boy, is that the understatement of the century! Pretty much, I love anything Disney. Now, it may sound really dumb, but I really do. Shall I explain? Where do I even start?

I grew up going to Disneyland and watching Disney movies. As a little kid, the stories and songs were magical. My favorite bedtime stories and playtime games all revolved around the happily ever afters. I loved the movies, Sing-a-longs, music, books, etc. Then...going to Disneyland was...amazing! Tell me, where else do you get to meet your childhood heroes & heroines, experience their stories, and listen to the music everywhere you go? I am here to tell you there is no where else that this can happen. As an added bonus this place is tidy, clean, and family-friendly.

Yes, there are flaws. It is expensive and a bit of a drive depending on where you live. But what other theme park doesn't have flaws? Disneyland, in my view, has few.

It is a place that is constantly changing, yet remaining the same. It possesses a few gems like Fantasyland rides-classics. It keeps up with the newer generation by updating older attractions like Nemo's Submarine Voyage or the Star Tours renovation. Disneyland can even find ways of revitalizing beloved rides like Pirates of the Caribbean. Some may not agree with or like these changes, but I do...usually :)

Some may say that Disney is just a money-making business that knows how to make people happy. If that is true then...so be it! It makes me happy. It makes me happy when, as a child, I got to fly over Neverland for the first time. It makes me happy when, as a teenager, I finally get the opportunity to meet the princess that inspired me and was just as nice as she was on the movie. It makes me happy when, in high school, my mom's dream of finally seeing Tinkerbell fly came true as the fireworks lit the sky. It makes me happy when my parents surprise our family with a trip to Disneyland and we continue the tradition of wearing matching T-shirts. It makes me happy when, as a young adult, I could spend time there with friends for our birthdays, for Club 33, or for a last minute trip. It makes me happy when I have to wear a poncho and take advantage of short, short lines because it has been raining for three days. It makes me happy when I get to witness a child's first experience of the magic I remember when I was young. It makes me happy to spend three days with my family in a place we always talk about, a place we all enjoy, and a place we all love.

I could talk a lot more about why I love Disney & Disneyland. But I won't...because I will most likely talk about Disney again. I can't load all my Disney passion into one post! That is just too much...too much...I will just share some of my favorite photos from Disneyland.

In no particular order...

Me & Prince Philip...yes...I was in love!

Ciara & I for our birthdays

Club 33!

Back in 2006 (the surprise trip!)

On Grizzly. See how happy they are?

On Pirate's Lair (Tom Sawyer's Island)

On Space Mountain. We love getting our whole family in one picture when we can!

Me & Buzz

Me & Monica on Small World

Carla & I on Astro Orbiters in the rain.

Our whole family on Tower of Terror...for once!

We always take one of these photos...

Our whole family. Together. In the place we love.

Cinnamon Roll Shapes

I got a phone call from Carla today. It went a bit like this...

Carla: "Jonna, where is your camera?"

Me: "Um, why?"

Carla: "Well, I made something that I want to show you, but I don't want to eat it yet...until I show you."

Me: "What did you make?"

Carla: "I made a cinnamon roll in the shape of Juliet."

Trying not to laugh, I tell her where to find it and she took some pictures. She was thoughtful enough to take pictures of Juliet to show the similarities. Enjoy!

NOTE: If you have not seen or heard of Juliet (our dog)...well, you're about to. And you won't soon forget. She is about 25 lbs overweight, lazy, is motivated by food, is supposed to be on a diet, and a has a snore you can hear miles away. But, still a great dog...

Here is Juliet:

Here is Cinnamon Roll Juliet:

Do you see any similarities? I sure do...

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.

Elder Jackson's Mission Call

My brother Hank got his mission call today! He is going to Jackson, Mississippi and he reports on September 15. Yay! We are all so excited for him.


In Mexico in 1993.



Today, just before his call.



Elder Jackson is going to Jackson! How many times do you think he'll hear that?

Happy Father's Day/Happy Anniversary!

Today is Father's Day and yesterday (Saturday) was my parent's 23rd anniversary. So, I thought I'd say a few words about these guys:



The funny thing about these pictures is that my mom is always ready for a photo. My dad cannot take it seriously until the 16th try. So, finding photos of them together smiling normal was difficult. Instead I found sequences of photos that went something like this:






Here is another sequence to show you that I'm not making this up. It happens all the time!





See? It is true. And trust me, there are more than just these two sequences. We've got more...

A quick look into the past with these guys (and me!)
Back in the day when it was just us three...


My dad & I on my baptism day:


Anyway, I thought I'd pay a little tribute to my parents for their anniversary and a little to my dad for Father's Day. (Don't feel left our mom! I still love ya too!)
I love my parents. I love where I come from. I am so grateful to have them as my parents. We have our funny quirks, but I love them.
In fact, Saturday night about 12:30am, I was at Walmart and I got a call from my dad. The conversation went something like this:
Dad: When are you going to be home?
Me: In a few minutes, why?
Dad: Addie & Carla are stuck on a Disney trivia question. We want to see if you know it.
Sure enough, I come home and for about 30 minutes we begin to quiz each other about Disneyland rides. I love times like that. I think we all do.

Here are some final pictures I wanted to add.
This one reminds me of Michael Scott:


My mom and I after a paintball adventure:


One of my favorite pictures of my dad.

Where's the fire?

If you know the Jackson's, then you know that we are a total Lookie Lou family. We're those type of people that could probably slow down traffic to see what happened in the accident on the other side of the freeway. Not that we ever have slowed traffic, but you get the picture right? Anyway, it is not unusual for us to hop in the car (day or night) if we hear sirens in the neighborhood. We've gotta check up on everyone in our neighborhood and then find out what is going on. Kinda sounds like we don't have a life.

Our family recently went to California for Memorial Day. In case you haven't asked us yet, the answer is no. We did not go to Disneyland. (Shocking, I know!) This time we went to Ventura where my parents are from. We went for the 30th Annual Beecroft Run, which was started by my grandpa. We got to stay at the beach for two days, walk the pier, visit family and friends, and just relax. I can read your thoughts. I know you want to ask what was the most exciting thing about our trip. Well, hang on! I'm about to tell ya!

We were going to a pot luck dinner with some family. So, naturally, we stopped at Marie Callender's for pie. On the way, we got stopped at a red light right next to a truck/RV thing that was swallowed in smoke! As we got closer, we saw that it was on fire and the firefighters were trying their best to put it out. I'm sure you could imagine it. The whole Jackson clan with their eyes fixed and mouths gaping open at the sight of the action right next to them! It was like Wiley Coyote realizing that the roadrunner was within his reach if only he could get a little bit closer...

Of course, we HAD to video it! Here is the video my mom took. Turn up the volume so you can hear the comments in the background. We are SO lame!


How could you NOT get excited over that? I know it is an awful thing that happened, but how exciting that we got to see firefighters in action at a safe distance. "Safe" meaning about 5 feet away. It is probably the only time I'll ever wish a red light lasted a little bit longer.