JFR 2013- Houston, TX

This blog post has been holding me back. I had plans to organize it, collect more pictures, etc but I've just gotta post and be done.

In no way does this express how I felt about our JFR (Jensen Family Reunion) in Texas, because it rocked! No surprise there though.

My parents were in charge this year, seeing as it was in their new neck of the woods. For most of the family it was our first trip to Houston and to their house. My Mom has done a lot of research and with her knack for adventure she showed us a great time, maximizing every second possible.

Highlights captured, totally out of order:

The safari- such a blast!

Date night: Grandma watched ALL the kids and forced the adults, including Grandpa, out the door so that we could go see Impossible, a movie she loved about the Thailand tsunami. Unfortunately, we got to the movie theater and their film had broken so we weren't able to see it. Major bummer! So we all went out for some REAL Texan BBQ instead.

Liz and I shared...totally stuffed ourselves, but it was delicious!

The safari had animals roaming all over the place, crazy to pet deer.
And leave it up to Dave to put Thomas on one of them!

Galveston. The ferry. My family got to ride the ferry twice since Doug missed out on the first trip and were lucky enough to see Dolphins jump and flip completely out of the water.

The beach, playing Frisbee 500 and swimming with my sisters. Love that everyone didn't care how chilly it was. Such a good time!

The strand in Galveston. A darling downtown area and the cutest ice cream parlor!

One of only a few mansions still standing in Galveston after two major Hurricanes. Absolutely stunning!

These ostrich charged our tram, these guys are some intense birds!

Chad (Erika's boyfriend) accepted the bet to eat one of the pellets we fed to the animals. Only paid him $12. We all love him...he didn't need to impress us! 

The pot belly pigs...gotta love these sloppy things!

Kemah boardwalk. Doug joined us after the reunion ended, he couldn't get off work before. But my Mom still had things planned. We went to Kemah bay for a delicious lunch and to walk the cutest boardwalk. 

Stopped to play a little freeze tag. Doug's always going to be a little boy....love him for that!

Getting to Houston!

Have you heard of Spirit airways? If you join their $9 club for $49 per year, you get discounts to certain destinations at limited times. So to get to Houston, Doug drove the girls and I to Baltimore, three hours away. We flew to Dallas and had a six-hour lay-over there. Turns out the Dallas airport is one of the funnest airports I've been to so it was relatively fun. The only problem is that on spirit, they charge you for everything, including carry-on luggage that has to go over-head. I made the girls carry huge back-packs. Every time someone had to go to the bathroom, I wanted to scream! It was an ordeal. But worth it. 

Grandma and Grandpa's swimming pool. It was a perfect week for those who live in Houston, but for the visitors who wanted to swim, not so perfect. That didn't stop us from swimming almost every day. The kids were not phased by the temp in the water or the air. 

The adults ended up swimming a lot after someone was "pushed in" and the battle to get everyone wet began. Poor Lilly and Paige screamed to have mercy as they watched their mom's get thrown in. Chad Hatch said, "if Laura weren't pregnant, she'd be in in a second." Literally seconds later, she was thrown in.

Swimming and BBQ for family night.

Feeding the seagulls at Kemah bay

The men played tried for about an hour to throw the ball to one another as they jumped in and the final person had to make a basket in the hoop. Hilarious to watch!

Grandma time. I couldn't ask for a better Grandma. My mom is full of tricks, games, activities, energy, love. She's just the best! One day Doug and I went for a run and returned to find our girls all dressed up. This dress Leah is wearing was mine from when I entered the Cinderella pageant. 

More scenes from the safari:

Easter Egg hunt for the kiddies on Saturday. Grandma hid some money in one egg, some of the kids picked up an egg, shook it to hear what was inside and put it back because it wasn't the money. Then they realized they should just keep any egg they touch. And or course, Lilly got it. She's a Hatch!

All the kids giving Grandma a hug after the hunt.

Saying goodbye to Dad at the Baltimore airport.

NASA- I absolutely loved learning more about our space program. I left feeling sad about all the budget cuts/shut down that has taken place in the last four years. 

Loved this quote at NASA

The main event, which I didn't really capture: Lizzy left on her mission for Brazil! So excited for her to serve, she will be a fabulous missionary!

Lizzy, Leah and Sydney next to what was going to be Apollo 18

Vacations are fun but more fun when we're together!

We got to hang out with my old college Roomie, Gillian. I love this girl. So many great memories with her. She also happens to be the one that hooked Doug and I up.

Grandma brought a treat for all the kids, that turned the kids tongues black...thanks Grandma!

Nothing like roasting hotdogs in the buff

I absolutely love this picture. Perfect expression of each of these guys.  

Kemah boardwalk.

Grandma treated us to a fabulous lunch at the Kemah aquarium. It was awesome, their tank had two sharks, two eels, huge groupers, and so many exciting fish to keep the kids preoccupied.

At the Safari, aunt Erika got all the kids chanting at the kangaroo gage, "jump, jump, jump!"

To get home, we got our $9 flights out of Dallas. They were for 7am and its four hours from Houston. We decided to rent a car and left at 1 am. I'm still debating whether it was worth the cheaper flights. It was a little miserable. Syd passed out as we landed in Philly, transitioned to the car and stayed asleep like this all the way home.

Such a nice break from the nightly routine.

I can't believe we were feeding these guys!

General Conference weekend, eating out between Saturday sessions. A Jensen tradition.
Another great traditional Texan BBQ

Sunday morning walk before General Conference

My parents traded one of their cars with a family in the ward for a larger van. My mom went to pick it up and when she came back, honking for us to load up, we walked outside and I started laughing so hard. We drove around this commercial 12-seater for the week. Which was awesome. I was laughing so hard that Sydney was too scared to get in the car!

Adult date night..Texan BBQ

So many high lights I wish I had captured:

-Running around beautiful Fridndswood

-Morning bike ride with my Dad. I love exercising with him. It reminds me of high school days when we used to run before school every day. I will always love my Dad for getting me into running and for the connection we share because of it.

-Easter morning. Planning it and shopping with my sisters.

-Lizzy's farewell talk. Beautiful. Inspiring. She really is a spiritual giant.

-Meeting so many kind people who have opened their arms to my parents in their ward.

-Late nights chatting it up with my family.

-Harlem Shake- Jensen style

and so much more.

Thanks for a great time Mom and Dad, so happy we were able to make it.