Jones Family Reunion 2010

First of all, let me start off by saying two things: one, I recognize there has been quite a delay in me posting. And as I play catch-up, you will learn why. Two, I started this post before leaving on my ward trip and it somehow disappeared... weird.

In June of this year, I went home to California for my little sister's graduation. Since this time, I've talked with my siblings and parents about how cool it will be to start having the Wayne & Elise Jones family reunions. I am realizing that my trip home could definitely be considered a family reunion. Who cares that there are no spouses or grandkids? We had a blast!

But onto some pictures as I describe the events of our reunion (haha... love saying it!). I left work early on June 2nd, drove to Saratoga Springs, and cousin Kelly drove me to the airport with girls in tow. (Side note: my car has really crappy bolts in the battery, which I found out the Sunday before and have since had to take care of a couple different times. No biggy.) Wish I had a picture for you of this. We ate tons of Red Vines on the way up.

Cousin Sammy picked me up from the Oakland Airport that night. It was my first time flying into Oakland, and it was just as exciting as LA. Probably because I knew I was going to get to see Sam, but also because you can look out the plane window and see the Oakland temple on the hill. Preeeeetty awesome! Sam and I got back to her apartment (after a little tour of Berkeley and surrounding areas) and her fiance Ben came over. We all hung out for a while, then I went to bed. Again, sorry for the lack of pictures at this point.

Woke up the next morning, and Sam dropped me off at the BART station and I rode it to Fremont. Mom picked me up and we drove to King City, which is where my parents now live. We stopped in Salinas at Wal-mart and Costco and mom bought me Pearl Harbor on Blu-ray (it was totally on sale - $11. I couldn't believe it!) Then we drove home and I got greeted by the two greatest beings in the world :)

Yes, they are the greatest beings. So sweet, so fun, so excited to see me! Dang I miss them...

Anyway, Mom picked up Tim from school while I got ready and then we drove from King City to Bakersfield for Carly's high school graduation! We ate Panda for dinner and then met Dad and Jenny at the high school for the ceremony. It was hot and long but somehow we survived.


I love this picture of me and Tim:

We cheered really loud for Carly and her friends, and for the kid of the family in front of us. Notice Carly's little celebration after she poses for pictures...



So after the ceremony ended, we spent forever on the field while Carly took pictures with us and then some of her friends.

Me and my daddy :)Me and my mommy :)

SistersMom is smiling really big because this she knows that she only has to sit through one more hight school graduation :)

Dad gave Carly a really cool lei with money on it. And then she showed off her diploma holder.

Proud parents#2 and #3me and my future roommate (well, at the time it was future..)


their pictures together always turn out so amazing

sistahs!the sibs!
the fam!besties
Me: "jenny lets pick them up!" Jenny: "i tried and couldn't..." me: "too late!" ensued the following:
C3P0: Carly, Nichole, and Brooke

My sister, ladies and gentlemen...

Molly
Cameron
Post pictures, we loaded up into different cars and drove down to Anaheim to stay the night - we were going to the happiest place on earth the next day!

Side note: I spent 4 months convincing Mom that Disneyland NEEDED to be the Friday activity. She came up with tons of excuses from money (which I understand), Tim's grades given that he was finishing the school year the next week, and Carly's "desire" to spend time with her friends and she might not want to go even if she said she did. I honestly remember walking around the park by my work in January on my lunch breaks in the snow, all bundled up, talking to Mom about it. All my convincing paid off, 'cause Mom finally caved!

Dad found these stickers and I decorated Carly's bed with them, so when she walked in she was surprised and really liked them.


We finally got to bed and woke up the next morning suuuuuuper excited! We always used to go to Disneyland when we were little, like every year of my childhood. So taking another family trip (the last time it was just us I was 15 or 16) was soooo fun!

Pictures from the mirror in the hotel

The family minus Jenny
Me and my "little" brother
silly silly
tim got locked outside
Walking to the park
We met up with Jenny (she had slept in Bako the night before and woke up to drive down) and we were off!
and took a family picture (in case the one at graduation didn't turn out as well I guess)

Star Tours and the new Buzz Lightyear/shoot the aliens ride were first.

Tim and Dad won the game ps

We totally got stuck at the end of the Buzz Lightyear ride. It broke at some point somehow and we sat there for for-e-vur. And took some pretty great pictures if I do say so myself.

awww
can you commit suicide with laser guns that normally kill aliens?

FINALLY they let us off and we ran across the park for Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, Thunder Mountain, etc. You know, we do it all. And somehow manage to get the most out of a crowded day. We've mastered the art of the Fast Pass. Seriously. If there were an Olympic Event, our family (because it would be a team event) would take Gold.

Carousel is always a must

we were starting to get pretty tired haha...

thunder mountain is one of our favorites!

are we siblings? i think so...
you should click and enlarge the picture to get the full effect of our eyes. awesome!

We had a blast! I love hanging out with my family and we always laugh and laugh and laugh. I think people outside our extended family must think we are crazy. But oh well. We know we are awesome!

Since Michael Jackson died last summer, Disneyland brought Captain EO out of the "vault", so my family and I waited to see it.


I remember seeing it as a little girl and enjoying it, and I was soooooo excited to see it again. How often do you get to see Michael Jackson on screen? (Well, I own "This is It", his prepping for his final concert series before he died so I guess the answer for me is whenever I want.) But it was totally awesome! (PS. Jenny. I looooved your reaction as soon as MJ came on screen.)

Splash mountain!
we always get wet
i know i look funny. (my dad knew it too apparently.) but that was the part of me that was the most wet!
(Note: there aren't any pictures really the rest of this post)

We left Disneyland at about 9:30 - Dad, Tim and I drove back to King City because Dad and Tim had a work meeting the next morning. (Tim is working on my dad's farm this summer. How's that farmer's tan Tim?) So I "slept" in the car most of the way, and then when there was about an hour left Dad made me drive. I ate a whole box of Gobstoppers and made it home safely. We got to see a lot of field mice on the way home. Creepy little buggers...

Woke up the next morning and got to drive my little Saturn (Dad, pleeeeaaaasse sell it soon) to Rite-Aid for a couple things and had the house (and cable TV) to myself! It had been forever since I had just sat and watched TV so that was awesome. And I got to play with the dogs all day.

Okay, I really didn't sit and watch TV all day. I washed my car and my dad's car (both of which are up for sale if anyone is interested...) and then Tim and I washed the dogs. Mom got home in the middle of bath time for the dogs. We ate dinner and watched a movie, and all ended up going to be early since we were up late the night before driving.

We woke up the next morning and got ready for church. My parents' ward meets about half an hour north of where they live, so we had to leave pretty early for 9am church. Which is cool. It still felt like sleeping a little since CA is an hour behind UT. Anyway, my parents' ward is super cool. There are a lot of great people, and the coolest part is that it is a Spanish/English ward. So, the meeting is conducted in English, but there is someone on stage translating, and the Spanish speaking members have headphones. The best part was I was there on Fast Sunday, so whenever someone got up and bore their testimony in Spanish, the guy translated for the rest of us in English. It was amazing; the spirit is so strong in that little ward. They have translators in all the other meetings too. Can't wait to go to that ward again!

After church, Mom drove me up to Berkeley and dropped me off at Sam's apartment. She, Ben, and I made dinner and then sat and talked some more. Woke up really really early the next morning; my flight was at 6am. Kelly and Glen dropped my car of at the airport and I drove to their house to watch the girls while they found out the gender of baby #3. So excited for the little boy! (It's been over a month; if you didn't know then shame...) Left their house when they got back and worked and then crashed after FHE that night.

All in all, it was a great trip. It was so fun to see my parents new hometown. I'm wondering if I should start claiming it. It's way cool! It was fun to spend time with my parents and sibs at Disneyland, just like old times. It was great to eat home-cooked meals all the time and play with the dogs. It was amazing to have a hose out front to wash the car. It was fun to have a completely new Sunday meetings experience. Overall, it was great to be with family :D

Lesson learned? The dogs are SPOILED and treated like they are children and not dogs. Which isn't upsetting. Or something new that I found out... I guess it was lesson reenforced.

Coming soon: